The Best Danish Films: Top rated films from "Gyldendals filmguide: Danske Film fra A til Z" (1935-1998)
Reviews by Morten Piil, Ulrich Breuning, Bo Green Jensen, Eva Jørholt, Claus Hesselberg, Bo Tao Michaëlis, Liselotte Michelsen, Dan Nissen
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- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsThorkild RooseLisbeth MovinSigrid NeiiendamThe young wife of an aging priest falls in love with his son amidst the horror of a merciless witch hunt in 17th-century Denmark.****
- DirectorNils MalmrosStarsEva Gram SchjoldagerJan JohansenLine Arlien-SøborgWe follow the Danish students in a class at Århus Katedralskole late 1950s, from age 13 till 16.****
- DirectorBille AugustStarsPelle HvenegaardMax von SydowErik PaaskeWhen his wife dies, Lasse takes his 12-year-old son, Pelle, from their home in Sweden to Denmark in search of a better life.****
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsEmily WatsonStellan SkarsgårdKatrin CartlidgeOilman Jan is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when Jan urges her to have sex with another.****
- DirectorSvend MethlingStarsRasmus ChristiansenEllen GottschalchIngrid MatthiessenWhat might become the greatest challenge for the elderly Brasen couple having opened a summer guest house by the sea? Financial struggle or the sudden influx of demanding residents? Based on Herman Bang's short-story.***½
- DirectorJohan JacobsenStarsBodil KjerPoul ReichhardtKarin NellemoseA good natured soldier with a killer right hand, falls in love with a beautiful girl who has a troubled past.***½
- DirectorJohan JacobsenStarsPoul ReichhardtBodil KjerGunnar Lauring***½
- DirectorPalle Kjærulff-SchmidtStarsOle BusckKjeld JacobsenAstrid VillaumeA young boy grows up during the German occupation of Denmark in World War II.***½
- DirectorHenning CarlsenStarsPer OscarssonGunnel LindblomBirgitte FederspielIn 1890, Pontus, the starving writer, wanders the streets of Christiania, in search of love and a chance to get his work published. All he meets is defeat and suffering while his sense of reality is withering. One moment his is delighted and the next he curses everybody. All the time he manages to maintain human dignity and pride.***½
- DirectorFranz ErnstStarsPernille KløvedalMargit IversenSteen KaaløLone flees from a girls' home in Jutland, and goes to Copenhagen after a showdown. Here we follow her through various environments until she disappears into the city's throng.***½
- DirectorMorten ArnfredStarsAllan OlsenFrits HelmuthHanne RibensThe coming of age of a young man in the 1950s.***½
- DirectorSøren Kragh-JacobsenStarsAlex SvanbjergOtto BrandenburgPeter SchrøderA weak, dyslexic boy is bullied in school. His Tarzan obsessed dad calls him Rubber Tarzan. He makes a friend in crane driver Ole, who tells him: There's always something, you're good at. You just have to know what it is.***½
- DirectorNils MalmrosStarsLine Arlien-SøborgJesper KleinCarsten JørgensenIn Århus, Denmark, mom's in hospital, pregnant, while dad and 16 y.o.daughter are spending time together painting the baby room. Dad can't accept that his daughter has grown up with interest in guys etc. Instead, he turns to spying on her.***½
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsMichael ElphickEsmond KnightMe Me LaiA cop in a dystopian Europe investigates a serial killings suspect using controversial methods written by his now disgraced former mentor.***½
- DirectorSøren Kragh-JacobsenStarsLine KruseBörje AhlstedtErik WedersøeEmma (Line Kruse) is an eleven-year-old only child from a wealthy Danish family. Emma's parents seem more interested in their own interests than in her. One evening when Emma overhears her mother talking about how tragic it must be to have your child kidnapped, Emma decides to stage her own kidnapping. She soon meets Malthe, a kindhearted, child-like, naïve sewer cleaner who literally stumbles on to her. She convinces Malthe that she is a Russian princess whose family is being chased by Bolsheviks, so Malthe lets Emma stay with him in his very modest abode. After being "kidnapped" for a few days, Emma decides to return home. But, just as she is about to return, she overhears a couple of servants talking about how her parents don't seem to be very upset over her dilemma. She then returns to Malthe, and a close bond soon develops between Emma and Malthe. Meanwhile, the police are finally called and begin their investigation. Emma writes a ransom note for $2,000, and her father pays it. Emma uses the money to buy Malthe some new clothes and to treat him to a "Russian" feast at the Grand Hotel. Just as they are leaving the hotel, the police finally catch up with them. Malthe believes the police want to return Emma to the Bolsheviks so he flees with her into the sewers.***½
- DirectorNils MalmrosStarsThomas SchindelTom McEwanMichael CarøeA director recounts his experiences on his first film and memories from his childhood.***½
- DirectorNils MalmrosStarsTanja SkovMartin BergMarianne PedersenA young woman who falls in love with her teacher is hit by heartache and challenges she is not prepared for and struggles to escape her dark frame of mind.***½
- StarsErnst-Hugo JäregårdKirsten RolffesGhita NørbyDoctors at an ultramodern hospital in Denmark become convinced, by way of weird, inexplicable happenings, that the place is haunted.***½
- DirectorThomas VinterbergStarsUlrich ThomsenHenning MoritzenThomas Bo LarsenAt Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed.***½
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsBodil JørgensenJens AlbinusAnne Louise HassingThe group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.***½
- DirectorGeorge SchnéevoigtStarsJohannes MeyerSusanne FriisGerda SprehnThree younger men each has to step up to the challenge and overcome the local and rather maniacal patriarch Mikkelsen (Johannes Meyer). Vilhelm (Paul Rohde) is to take over the patriarch's business and marry Mikkelsen's daughter Anna (Gerda Sprehn). Kristian (Hans W. Petersen) is Mikkelsen's unknown son about to win the national bicycle championship and to marry Mikkelsen's lodger Lotte (Beatrice Bonnesen). Nummesen (Chr. Arhoff) is Mikkelsen's wit-full friend about to help everybody out and eventually to marry Mikkelsen's housemaid and former mistress Rasmine (Helga Frier).***
- DirectorEmanuel GregersStarsBodil IpsenPeter MalbergPeter NielsenThe seamstress Bolette lives in a little village in the countryside. She is unmarried, but in her youth she had a love affair with Peter Enevoldsen, who now is the political leader of the parish. Bolette is a strong and frank woman, who never hesitates to express pungent truths. She finds out that Enevoldsen's son Karl is in love with the housemaid Sophie and has made her pregnant. As Sophie needs financial support Bolette goes straight to Enevoldsen and tells him the whole story. He gets furious and disowns his son. The prominent men in the parish are tired of Bolette's sharp tongue and want to get rid of her. Enevoldsen suggests that they shall try to marry off Bolette with the peddler Morten Madsen, who lives in another parish. When they offer Morten 650 Danish crowns, a pig, a fatted calf and an alarm-clock if he marries Bolette, he accepts. Bolette and Morten find out that they like each other and the wedding day is settled. But Morten now has a bad conscience about taking bribes for marrying Bolette and doesn't know how to solve this.***
- DirectorEmanuel GregersStarsBodil IpsenMarguerite VibyValdemar MøllerDuring his journey through Jylland together with his wife Countess Danner, King Frederik VI experiences that there is a unique collection of antiquities in the manor house Stensskov.***
- DirectorSvend MethlingStarsCarl AlstrupErika VoigtPoul ReichhardtThe salesman Peter has for many years toiled and dragged for his strict boss to keep the family's high consumption running. His only joy is his daughter Jenny, who secretly has a relationship with the boss. But when the downtrodden Peter gets an idea from his doctor that he only has a short time left to live in, it becomes an abrupt awakening - both for him and his loved ones.***
- DirectorJohan JacobsenStarsChristian ArhoffSvend BilleBeatrice Bonnesen***