Danish Directors

Description

Profiling the canonized figures alongside recently-established filmmakers, this collection features interviews with Lars von Trier, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Thomas Vinterberg and Henning Carlsen among many others. It poses questions that engage with ongoing and controversial issues within film studies, which will stimulate debate in academic and filmgoing circles alike.



Each interview is preceded by a photograph of the director, biographical information, and a filmography. Frame enlargements are used throughout to help clarify particular points of discussion and the book as a whole is contextualised by an informative general introduction. A valuable addition to the growing library of books on Scandinavian film, national cinema and minority cinema.

Sujets

• Histoire du cinéma
• Histoire du cinéma
• Histoire du cinéma
• Télévision
• Film
• Radio
• General
• History of film
• Television
• General officer
• Film director
• Película fotográfica

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2001
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781841508306
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Danish Directors
Dialogues on a Contemporary National Cinema
Mette Hjort and Ib Bondebjerg
Translation by Mette Hjort
(in consultation with the directors)
First Published in Great Britain in Hardback in 2001 by
Intellect Books , PO Box 862, Bristol BS99 1DE, UK
First Published in USA in 2001 by
Intellect Books , ISBS, 5824 N.E. Hassalo St, Portland, Oregon 97213-3644, USA
Copyright 2000 Intellect Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.
Consulting Editor: Robin Beecroft Copy Editor: Nicky Kinsman

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Electronic ISBN 1-84150-830-6 / ISBN 1-84150-035-6

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Cromwell Press, Wiltshire
Note on Editorial Practice
In the biographical notes and filmographies the titles of films by the interviewees are provided first in English and parenthetically in Danish. All subsequent mentions of these films within the interview in question are by English title only. If these films are evoked in other interviews, the first mention is by both English and Danish titles. Films that do not have official English distribution titles are identified by translated titles. In those cases in which the original title is in English the official Danish distribution title is nonetheless provided parenthetically. All other Danish films mentioned in the course of the interviews are similarly identified by their official or unofficial English titles and their official Danish titles. Films by non-Danish directors are mentioned only by official English and original foreign titles. In some cases the Danish films under discussion are based on literary works, and the same notational principles apply with regard to the titles in question.
Explanatory translator s notes have been added in a few cases. A short glossary of key terms at the end of the book helps to explain recurrent terms or institutional arrangements. The first mention of the relevant term in each of the interviews is marked with an *. The bibliography includes all cited texts, but also a number of key works or documents pertaining to Danish cinema, and some useful website addresses. Those entries in which the Danish represents an obstacle to basic comprehension have been glossed.
The first interview was conducted in June 1997 and the final one in March 2000. All directors have had the opportunity to comment on the relevant transcriptions and to update their interviews, either in writing or in a follow-up interview. All interviews are thus up-to-date at the time of going to press in June 2000.
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Introductions
Preface
David Bordwell (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Danish Cinema: A Small Nation in a Global Culture
Mette Hjort and Ib Bondebjerg
Four Generations of Danish Directors
Ib Bondebjerg and Mette Hjort
Interviews
1. Gabriel Axel
2. Henning Carlsen
3. J rgen Leth
4. Christian Braad Thomsen
5. Jytte Rex
6. Erik Clausen
7. Anders Refn
8. Helle Ryslinge
9. Nils Malmros
10. Morten Arnfred
11. S ren Kragh-Jacobsen
12. Bille August
13. Jon Bang Carlsen
14. Lars von Trier
Open Film City by Lars von Trier
15. Ole Bornedal
16. Susanne Bier
17. Jonas Elmer
18. Lotte Svendsen
19. Thomas Vinterberg
Glossary
Bibliography
List of Figures
9. Dogme 95 Vow of Chastity.
24. Dogme 95 Certificate.
26. Bj rk as the Czech immigrant, Selma, in Lars von Trier s Dancer in the Dark
28. Gabriel Axel.
36. Babette (St phane Audran) with the ingredients for her feast ( Babette s Feast/Babettes g stebud ). Photo: Peter Gabriel
42. Henning Carlsen.
50. Donald Sutherland as Gauguin in Wolf at the Door ( Oviri ). Photo: Rolf Konow
58. J rgen Leth.
69. Elements in Leth s so-called existential catalogue ( Good and Evil/Det gode og det onde ). Photo: Henning Camre
75. Christian Braad Thomsen. Photo: Jan Buus
83. Jesper (Stig Ramsing) is arrested for the murder of a young girl, Lillian ( Stab in the Heart/Kniven i hjertet ). Photo: Fie Johansen
89. Jytte Rex.
94. Isolde (Pia Vieth) embraces the lover, played by Kim Jansson, who will inadvertently become her assassin ( Isolde ). Photo: Hannelise Thomsen
101. Erik Clausen during the shooting of Carl, My Childhood Symphony ( Min fynske barndom ). Photo: Johan Johansen
108. Erik Clausen as Charles in The Circus Casablanca ( Cirkus Casablanca ). Photo: Roald Pay
115. Anders Refn.
121. Pete Lee Wilson, Jean Marc Montel and Karmen Atias in The Flying Devils ( De flyvende dj vle ). Photo: Flemming Adelson
128. Helle Ryslinge.
132. Henry (Kirsten Lehfeldt) entertains a renowned scholar from the US ( Coeurs flamb s/Flamberede hjerter ). Photo: Susanne Mertz
137. Nils Malmros in conversation with Brian Theibel as Willy Bonde during the production of Tree of Knowledge ( Kundskabens tr ).
143. Eva Gram Scholdager as Elin, the scapegoat figure in Tree of Knowledge ( Kundskabens tr ). Photo: Torben Stroyer
151. Morten Arnfred during the shooting of Night Vision ( Sp r i m rket ). Photo: Bengt Wanselius).
158. Harriet Andersson as Jasmin in Heaven and Hell Himmel og helvede ). Photo: Vibeke Winding
165. S ren Kragh-Jacobsen.
172. Jordan Kiziuk as Alex in S ren Kragh-Jacobsen s adaptation of Uri Orlev s novel, The Island on Bird Street. Photo: Astrid Wirth
179. Bille August. Photo: Rolf Konow
187. Bj rn Granath as Erik incites the other peasants to attack the overseer in Pelle the Conqueror ( Pelle Erobreren ). Photo: Rolf Konow
195. Jon Bang Carlsen. Photo: Rigmor Mydtskov
202. Addicted to Solitude.
208. Lars von Trier shooting his Dogme film, The Idiots ( Idioterne ). Photo: Jan Schut
216. Poster for Europa .
228. Ole Bornedal. Photo: Rolf Konow
234. Nightwatch ( Nattevagten ). Photo: Rolf Konow
240. Susanne Bier.
244. Sidse Babett Knudsen and Paprika Steen in the romantic comedy, The One and Only ( Den eneste ene ). Photo: Ole Kragh-Jacobsen
249. Jonas Elmer. Photo: Anders Askegaard
253. The psychology student, Julie (Sidse Babett Knudsen) with her football-loving friend, Mogens (Bjarne Henriksen) in Let s Get Lost . Photo: Anders Askegaard
257. Lotte Svendsen. Photo: Jan Buus
263. Poster for Gone with the Fish ( Bornholms stemme ).
269. Thomas Vinterberg. Photo: Robin Skjoldborg
277. Ulrich Thomsen as Christian, the abused son in Vinterberg s award-winning Dogme film, The Celebration ( Festen ). Photo: Lars H gsted
Acknowledgements
The Danish Directors: Dialogues on a Contemporary National Cinema is a belated response to the students who took Mette Hjort s Contemporary Danish Cinema course at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Malve Petersmann, Joanna Freedman and Andres Pelenur, in particular, heroically pursued their new-found interest in Danish cinema in spite of the paucity of relevant materials in English. Ib Bondebjerg signed on and agreed to assume responsibility for editing the Danish edition of the volume because of related experiences in a Danish context. Although Danish cinema commands considerable interest among indigenous audiences, the directors views on their art and its place within various national and international contexts could until now primarily be gleaned from interviews that, by virtue of having been published largely in local newspapers, lacked accessibility and, in some instances, depth. This volume is an attempt, then, to encourage key film-makers to articulate their views in detail within the context of a sustained dialogue aimed at film scholars and film enthusiasts alike.
We ve incurred a lot of debts of various kinds along the way. Special thanks are due to David Bordwell, who was one of the first people to believe in the project, which would have been stillborn had he not, with his inimitable warmth and enthusiasm, expressed interest in the idea. We would not have been able to carry out the project without the assistance of the Danish Film Institute: Vicki Synott provided facts, figures, publications and guidance at crucial moments; Bente Frausing supplied us with countless videos; Claus Horneman and Henning S rensen generously arranged screenings of 16 mm films; Lene Boholm graciously allowed us to compile a set of complimentary stills from the Danish Film Institute s promotional collection; Ebbe Villadsen tracked down many of the official English titles and helped weed out inconsistencies and mistakes, and Lars lgaard provided various forms of library assistance. We are also happy to acknowledge a generous grant from the Danish Film Institute, which made possible an unabridged translation of the Danish edition. We are grateful to the directors, and especially Christian Braad Thomsen, for judicious advice, copies of films and books, and above all, for their willingness, not only to set aside time for the interviews, but to check and comment on the resulting Danish and English texts. Susan Hayward identified Intellect Press as a possible home for the book in the English-speaking world, and Robin Beecroft, our editor, deserves our heartfelt thanks for his remarkable efficiency, patience, flexibility and warm enthusiasm. Thanks also to Scott Mackenzie for his help with proofreading. Mette Hjort is grateful to Arnt Lykke Jakobsen and Helle Pals Frandsen, who solved a number of thorny terminological problems. She would also like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for a generous three-year grant in support of her research on national cinemas.
On a more personal note, Mette Hjort would like to thank Kirsten Hjort for editorial help early on. Our families have expanded significantly since we first undertook this project, and we d like to dedicate this book to these newcomers and, we trust, future