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| Cinema of Denmark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| No. ofscreens | 458 (2017)[1] |
| • Per capita | 7.9 per 100,000 (2011)[1] |
| Main distributors | SF Film 30.0% Nordisk Film 25.0% Buena Vista 22.0%[2] |
| Produced feature films (2011)[3] | |
| Fictional | 25 (58.1%) |
| Documentary | 18 (41.9%) |
| Number of admissions (2011)[5] | |
| Total | 12,433,000 |
| • Per capita | 2.4 (2012)[4] |
| National films | 3,363,000 (27.0%) |
| Gross box office (2011)[5] | |
| Total | DKK 750 million (~€100.7 million) |
| National films | DKK 186 million (~€25.0 million) (24.9%) |
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Denmark |
|---|
Denmark has been producing films since 1897 and since the 1980s has maintained a steady stream of product due largely to funding by the state-supportedDanish Film Institute. Historically, Danish films have been noted for their realism, religious and moral themes, sexual frankness and technical innovation.
The Danish filmmakerCarl Theodor Dreyer (1889–1968) is considered one of the greatest directors in thehistory of cinema. Other Danish filmmakers of note includeBenjamin Christensen, who outside his native country directed several horror classics includingHäxan (1922) andSeven Footprints to Satan (1929);Erik Balling, the creator of the popularOlsen-banden films;Gabriel Axel, anOscar-winner forBabette's Feast in 1987; andBille August, the Oscar,Palme d'Or andGolden Globe-winner forPelle the Conqueror in 1988.
In 1995, Danish filmmakersLars von Trier andThomas Vinterberg founded theavant-gardeDogme 95 film movement, promoting the traditional tenets of filmmaking and denouncing the use of special effects andpost-production. While their films have often only partially adhered to the movement's rules, they have received critical acclaim and a multitude of awards. von Trier'sDancer in the Dark (2000) won the Palme d'Or, while Vinterberg'sAnother Round (2020) won theAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film. Renowned Danish actorMads Mikkelsen won theCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in Vinterberg'sThe Hunt (2012).
Other directors from Denmark who have enjoyed both domestic and international successess includeNicolas Winding Refn,Susanne Bier,Lone Scherfig andAnders Thomas Jensen.
Danish cinema pioneerPeter Elfelt, a photographer, was the first Dane to make a film. Between the years of 1896 and 1912, he produced around 200documentary films on life inDenmark. His first film wasKørsel med Grønlandske Hunde (Traveling with Greenlandic Dogs). Furthermore, he produced the first Danish feature film:Henrettelsen (Capital Execution, 1903). The first film show in Denmark took place in the Panorama cinema on the Town Hall square inCopenhagen, in June 1896. However, the selection of films had been made and produced abroad.
Despite the small size of its native market and its relatively limited resources,Denmark reigned supreme for several years (1909-14) as Europe's most prosperous film center. Its films rivaled those of Hollywood, for popularity on the screens of Paris, London, Berlin and New York.
— Efraim Katz, Film Encyclopedia, 1998, Collins,ISBN 0-06-273492-X
In 1906, cinema ownerOle Olsen founded the first Danish film-making company,Nordisk Films Kompagni. It gained most of its income from the export market ofshort films. Two of Olsen's silent stars wereValdemar Psilander andElse Frölich, who often worked together.[6] Not until 1909 were other film-producing companies established. In 1910 the number had reached ten. This period is now known as the Golden Age of Danish Cinema. In the spring of 1910, Nordisk Films Kompagni changed its policy of producing only short films and began making feature films. This was largely inspired by the Århus Fotorama company'sDen hvide Slavehandel (The White Slave Trade, 1910), which was the first multi-reel Danish film lasting more than 30 minutes.
With the increasing length of films, there was a growing artistic awareness, which is evident inAfgrunden (The Abyss, 1910). This film launched the career ofAsta Nielsen, who soon became Europe's first great female film star.[7] The film was an erotic melodrama, which soon became the preferred genre in early Danish cinema. In 1911, with directorAugust Blom as the new head of production, Nordisk Film was the first of the major European companies to devote itself entirely to full-length feature films. These films were sold abroad profitably because the technical and photographic quality impressed audiences. Yet, when exporting the films, theerotic elements needed to be toned down in order not to offend the working class audiences. In 1913, Nordisk released the first full-length feature movie,Atlantis directed byBlom.
After 1913, Danish cinema began to lose its leading foothold in the film industry, with foreign companies having intensified competition in the production of feature-length films. Danish cinema had also begun to suffer from a lack of imagination and a willingness to take creative risks on the part of Danish producers. Independent producerBenjamin Christensen had great success with the spy filmDet hemmelighedsfulde X (The Mysterious X orSealed Orders, 1914) and the crime dramaHævnens Nat (Blind Justice orThe Night of Revenge, 1916), both of which are major works in the history of the Danish cinema; he would later direct several films inSweden andHollywood.
DuringWorld War I, theUSA became the leading nation in film production and Danish exports decreased. In the years followingthe war,Dreyer made an appearance as director at Nordisk Film with the dramaPræsidenten (The President, 1919), followed by the ambitiousBlade af Satans Bog (Leaves from Satan's Book, 1921), inspired by the American directorD. W. Griffith'sIntolerance (1916) in both technique and theme. However, Dreyer, as well as Benjamin Christensen, were not permanently connected to the influential Danish film industries and remained loners. As a whole, Danish film in the 1920s was on the decline in spite of the filmmakers' better technical skills. Of most interest at this time were perhaps the so-calledDickens movies directed by the very ableA. W. Sandberg. At one point Denmark again enjoyed some international reputation, by the many farces of the vagabond duoFyrtaarnet og Bivognen (often known by their French namesDoublepatte and Patachon), who were Scandinavian predecessors ofLaurel and Hardy. They were introduced byPalladium, the rival of Nordisk Film. Despite these resurgences, at the end of the decade the Danish film industry was on its heels.
In 1929, Nordisk Film Kompagni was established as asound film company.The Pastor of Vejlby (1931) reinforced the Nordisk's dominance in the Danish market. The 1930s were dominated by many successes with light comedies. The so-called "folkekomedie" (folk comedy) genre was born, withBarken Margrethe (1934) an important early example. TheDepression and the economic conditions of the film companies prevented more serious film business, and the victory of the sound movie automatically set greater limits on the international possibilities of Danish film. Many popular stars likeMarguerite Viby,Ib Schønberg andPeter Malberg had breakthroughs but in spite of many economic successes no further development of the media was seen.
Between 1940 and 1945, the German occupation of Denmark duringWorld War II pushed the film industry toward more serious subject matter. The darker tone during these years paralleled the rise offilm noir in Hollywood.Bodil Ipsen made her directorial mark with 1942'sAfsporet, the first Danish film noir, and continued with the psychological thrillerMelody of Murder (1944).[8] The standard of the comedy was also lifted, especially by the witty, elegant movies ofJohan Jacobsen, a Danish pupil ofErnst Lubitsch. After the war ended, there was a movement toward realism and social criticism, particularly noted in films directed byOle Palsbo. Soon, however, Denmark's film industry returned to making the light sentimental comedies and uncomplicated regionalist movies that were popular with Danish filmgoers.
A large stream of family comedies ("Lystspil") and class-conscious folk comedies ("folkekomedier") were produced from the 1950s to late 1970s/early 1980s. Here a lot of Danish stars were born, such asDirch Passer,Ove Sprogøe and directorErik Balling. Important films of this period includeDe røde heste (1950),Far til fire (1953),Kispus (1956, first Danish film in colour[9]),Støv på hjernen (1961),Sommer i Tyrol (1964),Passer passer piger (1965),SS Martha (1967), theOlsen-banden-series (1968–1981) andErik Balling's classic TV-sitcomHuset på Christianshavn (1970–1977).
In the sixties, Danish cinema became gradually more erotic, with films such asHalløj i himmelsengen [de] (Erik Balling, 1965),Sytten (Annelise Meinecke, 1965),Jeg – en kvinde (Mac Ahlberg, 1965) andUden en trævl (Annelise Meinecke, 1968), several of which made a huge international impression. As a natural progression, in 1969 Denmark became the first country to completely legalize pornography. In the 1970s, a large percentage of all Danish films were sexually oriented, and many mainstream-features with mainstream-actors included sequences with either softcore- or hardcore-pornography, most notablyMazurka på sengekanten (John Hilbard, 1970) andI Jomfruens tegn (Finn Karlsson, 1973) along with their many respective sequels, forming the eightBedside-films and sixZodiac-films.
"In 1970–74, about a third of all Danish feature film productions were pornographically minded, followed by a sudden drop-off."
— Carl Nørrested, Kosmorama No. 195, 1991[10]
In 1972, theDanish Film Institute (DFI) was founded to provide state subsidies for hand-picked films. It allocated public funding for feature films based on their artistic merit rather than commercial appeal—with an emphasis on those films which expressed Danish culture and identity. The DFI reinvigorated the financial viability of the sagging Danish film industry, but later was criticized for becoming too conservative and nationalistic in defining which films represented Danish identity. In one example, Lars von Trier's 1984 debut featureThe Element of Crime struggled to receive funds because it was radically different from the typical Danish film—and, yet, received international acclaim upon release. In response, the Ministry of Culture in 1989 vastly broadened the DFI's definition of "Danish film" to include any work which contributed to Danish film culture. This allowed state funding of films with greater global appeal and helped foster the international success of a new wave of Danish filmmakers.[11]
WithLa' os være ("Let us be") (Ernst Johansen & Lasse Nielsen, 1975), independent producerSteen Herdel launched a wave of successful teenage-dramas, includingMåske ku' vi ("Maybe we could") (Morten Arnfred, 1976),Du er ikke alene ("You Are Not Alone") (Ernst Johansen & Lasse Nielsen, 1978),Mig og Charly ("Me and Charly") (Morten Arnfred & Henning Kristiansen, 1978) andVil du se min smukke navle? ("Do you want to see my beautiful bellybutton?") (Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, 1978), all produced by Steen Herdel.
A notable TV series,Matador, ran from 1978 to 1982,[12] and has remained a national favourite. It was directed byErik Balling.
Since the start of the 1980s, the Danish film industry has been completely dependent on state funding throughDet Danske Filminstitut. A project usually does not get made unless the script, director and cast etc. has been approved by the appointed representatives of the Danish Film Institute. This means that Danish filmmaking is essentially controlled by the state.
In 1983,Lars von Trier graduated fromDen Danske Filmskole (National Film School of Denmark) and received international attention with films such asForbrydelsens element (1984) andEpidemic (1987). His strange, innovative ideas were fiercely resisted by Det Danske Filminstitut and drew very small local audiences, but were embraced by theCannes Film Festival, where his films were included in the official selections and took home awards.
Released in 1987 was the gay teenage dramaVenner for altid ("Friends Forever"), directed byStefan Henszelman (1960–1991). It won the 1988Audience Award as Best Feature at theSan Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.
The Danish film industry got a major boost in the late 1980s when the movieBabettes Gæstebud (Babette's Feast), directed byGabriel Axel, won anAcademy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1987, and next year the Best Foreign Film award went toPelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conqueror), directed byBille August.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, more talented directors started graduating from the National Film School of Denmark, such asThomas Vinterberg,Per Fly andOle Christian Madsen.
Also in the late 1980s, Danish cinematographerMikael Salomon ended a long career in Danish cinema to become one ofHollywood's most celebratedDPs, later establishing himself as a successful,Emmy Award-winning television director.
Danish film in the 1990s was dominated byLars von Trier. His filmsEuropa,Breaking the Waves,The Idiots, andDancer in the Dark received great international attention and were nominated for numerous awards.
TheDogme 95 Collective caught the attention of the international film world with its strict "vows of chastity" or rules for filmmakers that force filmmakers to concentrate on purity of story and the actors' performances rather than special effects and other cinematic devices.
The first Dogme 95 film,The Celebration (Festen), directed byThomas Vinterberg, received many awards on the international film festival circuit and was named by both the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the New York Film Critics Circle as the best foreign-language film of the year.
The members of the Dogme 95 Collective were von Trier, Vinterberg,Kristian Levring, andSøren Kragh-Jacobsen. Although the Dogme 95 movement originated in Denmark, filmmakers around the world soon experimented with the rigid guidelines and sought certification for their films as Dogme. Furthermore, Lars von Trier's own Dogme-filmIdioterne (1998) started a separate wave of arthousemainstream films with unsimulated sex.
Lars von Trier also made history by having his companyZentropa be the world's first mainstream film company to producehardcorepornographic films. Three of these films,Constance (1998),Pink Prison (1999) and the adult/mainstream crossover-featureAll About Anna (2005), were made primarily for a female audience, and were extremely successful in Europe, with the two first being directly responsible for the March 2006 legalizing of pornography inNorway.[13]
"Women too like to see other people having sex. What they don't like is the endless close-ups of hammering bodyparts without a story. Lars von Trier is the first to have realised this and produced valuable quality porn films for women."
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A trilogy directed byPer Fly,The Bench (Bænken) (2000),Inheritance (Arven) (2003), andManslaughter (Drabet) (2005) portrayed Denmark's three distinct social classes and received international acclaim.
The work ofSusanne Bier, particularlyBrothers (2004) andAfter the Wedding (2006), introduced the world to Danish actors such asMads Mikkelsen,Ulrich Thomsen, andNikolaj Lie Kaas.After the Wedding was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Bier'sIn a Better World (Danish:Hævnen, meaning "The Revenge") is a 2010 drama starringMikael Persbrandt,Trine Dyrholm andUlrich Thomsen in a story which takes place in small-townDenmark and a refugee camp inSudan. The film won the2011 Golden Globe Award forBest Foreign Language Film and theBest Foreign Language Film at the83rd Academy Awards.[15]
Anders Thomas Jensen first received acclaim asOscar-winning writer-director of three short films,Ernst & lyset (1996),Wolfgang (1997) andValgaften (1998), then as screenwriter of such feature films asMifune's Last Song (1999),Open Hearts (2002),Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002),Stealing Rembrandt (2003) andBrothers (2004); and finally as a director of dark and profound feature comedies likeThe Green Butchers (2003) andAdam's Apples (2005).
Other notable Danish directors of the 21st century includeNikolaj Arcel,Christoffer Boe,Lone Scherfig,Niels Arden Oplev,Nicolas Winding Refn,Ole Christian Madsen,Annette K. Olesen andChristian E. Christiansen.
The 2000s proved difficult for numerous Danish directors, includingLars von Trier, although things started well withDogville (2003), a provocative and stylisticexperimental film filmed on a black sound stage with little beyond white floor markings to indicate the sets. Its sequelManderlay (2005), exploring the issue of slavery, continued this stylistic device but was largely ignored by audiences. A change of leadership at theDanish Film Institute in late 2007 was seen by many as an opportunity for reflection and renewal, while others pointed to the generally healthy local box office numbers and denied any crisis. Danish tabloidJyllands-Posten concluded the situation to be a "krise i en opgangstid" (crisis in a time of growth).[16]
In 2008, Danish films sold over 4 million tickets at the domestic box office, the biggest number since 1981, but this turned out to be a brief respite as Danish films in the first five months of 2009 turned out to have the lowest ticket sales since 2005.[17] Film critic Henrik Queitsch agreed that there was some reason for concern, noting in the Danish Film Institute's monthly program that "the different, the surprising, the odd and the daring" was hardly what characterised Danish films of 2008.[18]
Thomas Vinterberg, who had established himself worldwide withThe Celebration (1998), made two high budget English-language films that underperformed at the box office,It's All About Love (2003) andDear Wendy (2005) then retraced his roots with a smaller Danish-language production,A Man Comes Home (2007), which also underperformed, selling only 28,472 tickets.[19] Around the same time as Vinterberg's box office failures,Bille August,Lone Scherfig, andLars von Trier also made Danish-language films that underperformed both financially and with the critics, leading the Danish financial timesBørsen to observe on 19 September 2007 that "1990'ernes filmfest er forbi" (the film party of the 1990s has ended).[20]
Vinterberg returned to prominence with his 2012 featureThe Hunt, which was a major box office success and received international critical acclaim.Mads Mikkelsen received theBest Actor award at the2012 Cannes Film Festival for his performance as Lucas, a man wrongly accused of paedophilia and ostracised by his community. With a budget of $3.8 million, the film made over $16 million worldwide. The film was also chosen as Denmark's submission for anAcademy Award forBest International Feature Filmin 2013, for which it was nominated.
In 2021, Vinterberg'sAnother Round won theAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film at the93rd Academy Awards. The film was another global success, being nominated for fourBAFTA awards, winning theBAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language as well as winning the Best Film award atBFI London Film Festival in 2020.[21] Despite COVID restrictions by the opening weekend, the film had sold 102,366 tickets, including 13,400 tickets in previews in Denmark, thereby achieving the biggest opening weekend for a Danish drama in seven years.[22] The film was also selected for the2020 Cannes Film Festival, but due to its cancellation, it then made its premiere at the2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
Danish filmmaking remains influenced by the state through theDanish Film Institute (DFI), which was founded in 1972. DFI is Denmark's national agency for film and cinema culture, operating under the Ministry of Culture. DFI supports the development, production and distribution of films and run the national archives.
Support programmes also extend to international co-productions film education and international promotion at film festivals. The DFI includes a library, a stills and posters archive and a film archive. The DFI Film House is open to the public and houses the national Cinematheque.
The DFI supports the production of 20-25 feature films and 25-30 documentary and short films every year. There are three kinds of support: the film commissioner scheme, the market scheme and the talent development scheme at New Danish Screen.
The DFI encourages international partnerships and allows for 5-9 minor co-productions in feature film and 4-6 minor co-productions in documentary film per year.
A cornerstone of Danish film policy is to fund children and youth films to which 25 percent of all subsidies are allocated.[citation needed]
DFI has received criticism for lack of innovation (notably,Dogme 95 happened in spite of funding from the Film Institute) and is sometimes accused ofnepotism andcronyism, for example when film commissionerMikael Olsen from 1998 to 1999 greenlighted 28 million kroner of subsidy money to his childhood-friendPeter Aalbæk Jensen, then went on to work for him in a high-ranking position.[23]
The Danish Film Institute however has also achieved a high level of professionalism even if more or less reserved for a few selected genres and production companies (mainlyNordisk Film,Zentropa andNimbus Film).[24] In February 2008,Nordisk Film bought half ofZentropa, which frequently coproduces withNimbus Film, but such tax-funded, state-sanctioned monopolies are rarely frowned upon in Denmark.[25]
On 30 January 2010 in Los Angeles,Mads Brügger's "The Red Chapel," (Danish:Det Røde Kapel) won the grand jury prize for the best world documentary at theSundance Film Festival. Presenting a comic approach to a group's visit toNorth Korea, the film explores the development of an enigmatic and totalitarian country.[26]
In 2018, "The Guilty" (Danish:Den Skyldige), a Danish production directed by Swedish debutant Gustav Möller, won the World Cinema dramatic Audience Award.[27]
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