An epic drama about one of the most crucial events shaping modern Denmark (or rather cutting away 1/3 of the nation, Schleswig-Holstein, mainly German speaking). Fantastic sound, picture (remarkable use of different weather conditions) and epic, "beautyfull" (hmmm....can one say that?) very realistic battle scenes, some of the best made in European movies for a long time i believe. Thats the 5 of the 6 stars. Storyline and acting is confusing though. The overplay and "over"-telling the message "war is bad, all generals and politicians are nationalists / more or less cold at heart or even bordering to crazy, and all the soldiers are victims"..... This simply ruins the series. Nationalism and war is much more complex than that and Bornedal fails to tell this story....even though he had a whole candy box of opportunities. He could have chosen a Danish minority family in German Holstein or a German minority family in Danish majority area Schleswig. Or why not the Swedish connection (the "nationalist awakening" of being Scandinavian brothers happened in this century after Sweden, Norway and Denmark had fought each other for over 1000 years), so this brotherhood that now stands for the Scandinavian soul today almost made the Swedish king deploy 15000 troops to Denmark to fight Prussia in this war. Or why not a Polish family living in exile in Denmark. Poland (a Danish Neighbor)disappeared from the map (about 120 years) in 1795 after roughly 1000 years of existence, divided by the big powers of Europe. Denmark was also afraid of simply to disappear, one reason for this war in 1864. These stories could very well describe the complexity of nationalism: identity, fear, hope, pride, community, cultural tradition and identity, language etc. Nationalism is not only Adolf H. and other idiots. Bornedal choice as side stories then: A Roma (Gypsy) family (????) and a healing Harry Potter that can do Hypnosis and see into the future.....WHAT THE F....happened.....Some errors in the historical facts is OK (Colonel Max Müller was not at all at Dybbøl and so on)...and the main characters are fine.....but failing to grab some of the most obvious good side stories and replace them with irrelevant and clairvoyant crap is nothing more but a big time failure from Bornedal....sadly....loosing the obvious opportunity to depict the complexity and horror of war and national identity, instead making it halfway a 70-hippie "all politicians are bad" story. This is a big big shame..... therefore only max. 6 stars (could have been 10 with that fantastic and historically spot-on scenery). We lost the war and now also the series about it.....Lets hope the movie version will cut out the "noice" of this series.......and bring the epic beautiful drama it could be.....
53 Reviews
Mediocre writing, falls short of potential. Still good, though.
peterhagen9526 November 2014
Let me start off by saying that I think 1864 is a beautifully filmed series with several solid performances and a lot of work put into creating the scenery, props and costuming. That being said, it's saddled with a pretty lukewarm script. There were lots of places Bornedal could have gone with this piece of history, and at times one is confused as to why he made some of the choices he did. One of the most common complaints is the present-day connection, which does feel unnecessary at times, but what's far worse are the absolutely out-of-the-blue supernatural elements which pop up toward the middle of the series and add nothing to the story but a thoroughly shattered suspense of disbelief. Beyond that bit, I found the series to be reasonably historical. Not a documentary, mind you, but as faithful as could be reasonably expected. The other problem with the series is that it occasionally lays on the melodrama too thick, sometimes almost comically so.
TL;DR- Despite the the writing problems, I found myself captivated by this shiny, sometimes stupid period drama. (also, ep. 7 contains one of the most epic battle sequences I've seen in a long time, so there's that.)
**If you're reading this in another country, you ought to know that many ratings and reviews of this series are highly politically charged. Some liberals hate it outright because it received so much public funding, and the Danish Peoples Party hates it for its (justifiably) negative depiction of extreme nationalism and its consequences.
TL;DR- Despite the the writing problems, I found myself captivated by this shiny, sometimes stupid period drama. (also, ep. 7 contains one of the most epic battle sequences I've seen in a long time, so there's that.)
**If you're reading this in another country, you ought to know that many ratings and reviews of this series are highly politically charged. Some liberals hate it outright because it received so much public funding, and the Danish Peoples Party hates it for its (justifiably) negative depiction of extreme nationalism and its consequences.
Very impressive series - but not knowing the history clearly helps
johnbirch-28 June 2015
It is fascinating, and maybe instructive, to see how non- Scandinavian/Danish reviewers tend to give this series several stars more those for whom the series was made.
For a non-Dane who had never heard about this... well, let's be honest, footnote in European history, I found it very brilliant. Not for me concerns about historical accuracy or whether this general was actually where he was shown to be. Like I care, to be honest. What I got was a multi-pronged love story, some political intrigue, villains who were as black as they dressed, and - as others have said - battle scenes are quite simply some of the best I have ever seen. Breathtaking, terrifying, stunning.
Yet again Denmark is made to look ravishing by the Danish production team. I mean, wow, is this an amazing looking country or what? My list of "places to visit in Denmark" grew with every episode.
However it was at times confusing and on several occasions I was running for a map - and come to that the Wikipedia pages about the war - just to try to work on what the heck was going on. And it has to be said that the villains really were over the top villains (though maybe the Prime Minister really was this barking?). And at times I mistook Danes for Germans, because both were subtitled identically (and Danish and German sound quite alike). And it was not quite sure that the framing with the modern day pair really worked - it was just too predictable and unoriginal and really no needed. So this was not perfect, but its was still very good.
And it was great to see most of the cast of "Borgen" turn up again, slightly more odd to see at least one of the main locations turn up too - but I guess they only have so many places they can use.
Overall - another hit from Danish TV. How do they do it?
For a non-Dane who had never heard about this... well, let's be honest, footnote in European history, I found it very brilliant. Not for me concerns about historical accuracy or whether this general was actually where he was shown to be. Like I care, to be honest. What I got was a multi-pronged love story, some political intrigue, villains who were as black as they dressed, and - as others have said - battle scenes are quite simply some of the best I have ever seen. Breathtaking, terrifying, stunning.
Yet again Denmark is made to look ravishing by the Danish production team. I mean, wow, is this an amazing looking country or what? My list of "places to visit in Denmark" grew with every episode.
However it was at times confusing and on several occasions I was running for a map - and come to that the Wikipedia pages about the war - just to try to work on what the heck was going on. And it has to be said that the villains really were over the top villains (though maybe the Prime Minister really was this barking?). And at times I mistook Danes for Germans, because both were subtitled identically (and Danish and German sound quite alike). And it was not quite sure that the framing with the modern day pair really worked - it was just too predictable and unoriginal and really no needed. So this was not perfect, but its was still very good.
And it was great to see most of the cast of "Borgen" turn up again, slightly more odd to see at least one of the main locations turn up too - but I guess they only have so many places they can use.
Overall - another hit from Danish TV. How do they do it?
Enriching
davidweiss-801377 June 2015
I am 59 and I can be a hard critic but this was one of the greatest dramas I have ever seen.
The production, story, acting are all outstanding. Some people may not like the anti war sentiment. Yet this drama achieves the rare thing of managing to convey powerfully both the reasons why politicians can lead us to war and the horrors that then shatter the lives of those families who fall victims to it.
I have rarely been so moved by a drama. It has tragedy, pain, humour, humanity and above all it gives a us hope - Despite death, life must go on and we owe it to the those who have fallen to live it to the fullest.
If you decide watch this drama till the very end you may be lucky and feel as enriched as I did.
The production, story, acting are all outstanding. Some people may not like the anti war sentiment. Yet this drama achieves the rare thing of managing to convey powerfully both the reasons why politicians can lead us to war and the horrors that then shatter the lives of those families who fall victims to it.
I have rarely been so moved by a drama. It has tragedy, pain, humour, humanity and above all it gives a us hope - Despite death, life must go on and we owe it to the those who have fallen to live it to the fullest.
If you decide watch this drama till the very end you may be lucky and feel as enriched as I did.
Decent historical series
chnutscher24 October 2015
If you have a flair for European historical stuff, you should like this series. Background is the conflict between the then German Confederation/ Prussia and Denmark around 1860, that eventually led to a war where the already small Denmark lost a good portion of its territory. A part of which however was restituted after WW1 & Versailles after a plebiscite.
An impressive series. Well shot, with excellent representation of costumes and uniforms and the gear of these times. With a lot of themes built in, national pride, political (misled) ambitions, overestimation of the own capabilities, some love, a portrait of the political, aristocrats and peasantry classes, even some supernatural parts. I have seen only few of the actors playing in the series before, in general they deliver a decent acting, not much to criticize IMO. The actor delivering the remarkable character of Monrad is to point out for his impressive performance.
The series was ordered by the danish state I think in occasion of the 150 years anniversary of the events and delivers a fair view of the events. No glorifying nationalistic BS, but a sensible portrait of the era. You might want to read the article about the conflict in wiki first however, to get the hole background of that part of the history.
A solid production, history aficionados won't be disappointed. There has been been the usual criticism about the historical accuracy, but I wouldn't mind. There was portrayed nothing wrong in the wider scheme of the history. It seems that for this kind of "historical" series there are always accuracy pedants jumping out, while they still don't get that it is just a TV-show with aspiration to entertain, where some artistic freedom must be given, and not a documentary.
An impressive series. Well shot, with excellent representation of costumes and uniforms and the gear of these times. With a lot of themes built in, national pride, political (misled) ambitions, overestimation of the own capabilities, some love, a portrait of the political, aristocrats and peasantry classes, even some supernatural parts. I have seen only few of the actors playing in the series before, in general they deliver a decent acting, not much to criticize IMO. The actor delivering the remarkable character of Monrad is to point out for his impressive performance.
The series was ordered by the danish state I think in occasion of the 150 years anniversary of the events and delivers a fair view of the events. No glorifying nationalistic BS, but a sensible portrait of the era. You might want to read the article about the conflict in wiki first however, to get the hole background of that part of the history.
A solid production, history aficionados won't be disappointed. There has been been the usual criticism about the historical accuracy, but I wouldn't mind. There was portrayed nothing wrong in the wider scheme of the history. It seems that for this kind of "historical" series there are always accuracy pedants jumping out, while they still don't get that it is just a TV-show with aspiration to entertain, where some artistic freedom must be given, and not a documentary.
Excellent Show
joff-tanner21 May 2015
This show is riveting. The production values, cinematography, acting, script and period setting are all excellent. The build up to the 2nd war between Denmark and Prussia from 1851 through to 1883 is done really well with excellent character development - from children to men joining the army. I'm not sure why other users have given this show such low ratings I don't think it deserves them at at all. The link to modern day Denmark does work and does make sense - at least to me. Some people have commented that all the leaders are portrayed as crazy and the ordinary people just lambs to the slaughter. At least one of the key members of parliament (and a Bishop) admits to being a bit mad and comes from a family that has insanity in it. He's used by those who wish to pursue the land claim against Prussia. I think the political machinations shown are probably pretty accurate for the time the show is set. Bismark is actually shocked at the actions of the Danes. Anyway, I would thoroughly recommend this show, give it some time and patience and you will be rewarded.
A good show that focuses on the wrong things
LordNuggets25 June 2020
The Second Schleswig War is an interesting footnote in 19th century history, and it's good they made a series around it to highlight how it was experienced by different people. And for the most part it is done well; the emotionally passionate but not really all there in the head Danish Prime Minister and his friend the opera actress are both excellently portrayed. The scheming Bismarck, the internal problems facing the Prussian and Danish armies and so on are all well done. Now on a personal level I would've liked the show to be just that; the decision making of the people involved, their ideals, sympathies, mistakes and tragedies. That is what makes for good historical drama. However, such scenes are quite rare.
The problem with 1864 is that it doesn't focus too much on that, and rather wastes its time with a love-triangle between 2 brothers and their girlfriend. And on top of that an unneeded segway into some unlikeable girl and a senile grandpa in modern times reflecting on what happened in 1864. And that's a shame because there is a lot of rich history under the surface.
The problem with 1864 is that it doesn't focus too much on that, and rather wastes its time with a love-triangle between 2 brothers and their girlfriend. And on top of that an unneeded segway into some unlikeable girl and a senile grandpa in modern times reflecting on what happened in 1864. And that's a shame because there is a lot of rich history under the surface.
Very good series
mkivi7511 March 2015
Series shows very well how some agitators can create too much national feeling and guide people to think "we deserve what others have". Some things reminded me much of 3rd Reich too which happened laters in Germany and what is also sadly happening in Russia today.
Pictures greatly how common people pay the highest price when things escalate to madness like war. Its common today and mostly by US made films to raise war to something "heroic" and "glorious" where individuals just keep going and going like nothing touches them really. which is total bullshit.
There is ongoing try to wipe the past we people have had with wars in this world.
And when reading others comments people are too used to see those war glorifying movies which is supported at least US war industries and government. Guess you need some life experience to see thru all current "propaganda" that is happening.
Overall, nice acting and feeling in movie which you see rarely today unfortunately.
Hope Danes make more series like this. :)
Pictures greatly how common people pay the highest price when things escalate to madness like war. Its common today and mostly by US made films to raise war to something "heroic" and "glorious" where individuals just keep going and going like nothing touches them really. which is total bullshit.
There is ongoing try to wipe the past we people have had with wars in this world.
And when reading others comments people are too used to see those war glorifying movies which is supported at least US war industries and government. Guess you need some life experience to see thru all current "propaganda" that is happening.
Overall, nice acting and feeling in movie which you see rarely today unfortunately.
Hope Danes make more series like this. :)
Both Excellent And Faulty
denis88826 January 2020
I have never watched any Danish serial before. Nor have I known much about their colorful history. By mere chance I have come across this 8-episode Danish series made in 2014 and dedicated to the events of Second Schleswig War between Denmark and very aggressive Prussia.
The serial depicts several main characters staring from 1851 and coming to nowadays. We witness two brothers and their pals, loves and enemies in the turmoil of the war.
Well, the premises were promising. But unfortunately, many things went wrong and therefore the film suffered major setbacks. Very weak ending spoils almost all of the asset the serial has built before. What is also bad in the serial - well, rather pale female characters, rather hasted finale, very on the surface depiction of some family matters - this all makes the anyway great serial pretty faulty.
What was really good here - first, excellent depiction of all higher political echelons in both Denmark, Prussia and UK. The military routine is also shown perfectly well, almost up to the top notch. Military scenes are depicted so breathtakingly well that blood chills in the veins.
All typical human vices are also a very truthful point here - we see drunken, stealing, lying cowards and also witness nationalists in their frenzied zeal.
This all gives awesome promise, but weaker points bind the serial with heavy gyves and forces it to sink.
My opinion - almost 50/50 - in good and bad. But since this is a really interesting piece of cinematography, so it must be seen at least once
Nice cinematography but horrible script
vaderis14 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
In a nutshell this high budget TV series looks very nice (and the music is also decent) but the script is probably one of the worst in the history of Danish television.
It turns out that the director (Ole Bornedal) fired not one, not two but THREE talented and successful scriptwriters from the production team and decided to write the script himself. Big mistake! Ole Bornedal later said that he considered himself among the very best dialogue writers IN THE WORLD. Well, if dialogue like "hi" - "hello" is the very best, then he is pretty good. But in any other world than the one of Bornedal's mind the dialogue is amateurish at best.
To a native Danish speaker the lines themselves sound like the speech bubbles you used to make when you were drawing comic strips as a kid. I am not joking. After two of the main characters have had sex on the beach they stand up and scream "everything is awesome". And no, I am not kidding. The translator might choose to translate the line as "everything is splendid" but in any case it's bad. Really bad.
Most of the actors are good actors but they end up looking like dilettantes at best. This is because of the lines and the incredibly shallow characters who can usually be described by one word (e.g. good/bad/mad/jovial). One character, Didrich (Pilou Asbæk), for instance is bad. He is the son of a nobleman and has participated in the previous war where he turned into a mean jerk. How does Bornedal demonstrate this? With any subtlety or nuances? No. He makes Didrich torture a gypsy, hit on a little girl, rape a gypsy woman, rape a cow with his rich friends etcetera. So basically to show that a character has flaws Bornedal makes that character a violent, pedophile rapist who is a fan of sex with animals. Apart from that he is of course cowardly, greedy and mean to the poor. On the other hand some characters are good. The gypsies for instance (even though they had absolutely no part in the actual history of the war or in the history of Denmark altogether) are of course wise, honest, merry healers who care about other people regardless of nationality or social standing. They are only involved in conflict when they are the victims and even then only one of them tries to get revenge (which of course fails so that they can still be the victims).
Bornedal is either completely naive and amateurish or else he is trying to create some sort of dimwitted political propaganda with this TV series. Since 1864 is a story of war between nations, politics of course is a theme of the series. But in interviews Bornedal has also expressed his personal opinion on the politics of today. So some people have compared his opinion to his 1864 script, and the result does not look good. It seems like Bornedal's personal Marxist, anti patriotic and pro immigration / multi culture views have put a HUGE fingerprint on the script. But who knows? Maybe it's just a coincidence that the poor people and the immigrants of 1864 are perfectly good while the Danish middle and upper class people of 1864 are all corrupt. Maybe it's a coincidence that Inge (Marie Søderberg) who is the narrator has lines like "they come with their dark eyes and enrich our world" (about the gypsies). Maybe it's a coincidence that we are told no background story for the war which is simply portrayed like the absurd idea of mad nationalists (which is absolutely historically incorrect). Maybe it's all just a coincidence. But in any case the result is a train wreck. Please go see some other Danish TV series for comparison: They are usually very nuanced, intelligent and multi layered. This series is a demonstration of what happens when an arrogant director fires the entire scriptwriting team. It is one of the most amateurish and one dimensional scripts in television history.
And I won't even go into the silliness of the character Johan who turns out to be a telepath/hypnotist/voodoo doctor. Nor will I go into the LOTR like scenes of this so-called historical drama. All that is beyond bad.
Did I mention that this is the highest budget Danish TV series ever? The budget was 175 million DKR ($30 million) which is huge compared to other Danish TV series.
One word: Bad.
It turns out that the director (Ole Bornedal) fired not one, not two but THREE talented and successful scriptwriters from the production team and decided to write the script himself. Big mistake! Ole Bornedal later said that he considered himself among the very best dialogue writers IN THE WORLD. Well, if dialogue like "hi" - "hello" is the very best, then he is pretty good. But in any other world than the one of Bornedal's mind the dialogue is amateurish at best.
To a native Danish speaker the lines themselves sound like the speech bubbles you used to make when you were drawing comic strips as a kid. I am not joking. After two of the main characters have had sex on the beach they stand up and scream "everything is awesome". And no, I am not kidding. The translator might choose to translate the line as "everything is splendid" but in any case it's bad. Really bad.
Most of the actors are good actors but they end up looking like dilettantes at best. This is because of the lines and the incredibly shallow characters who can usually be described by one word (e.g. good/bad/mad/jovial). One character, Didrich (Pilou Asbæk), for instance is bad. He is the son of a nobleman and has participated in the previous war where he turned into a mean jerk. How does Bornedal demonstrate this? With any subtlety or nuances? No. He makes Didrich torture a gypsy, hit on a little girl, rape a gypsy woman, rape a cow with his rich friends etcetera. So basically to show that a character has flaws Bornedal makes that character a violent, pedophile rapist who is a fan of sex with animals. Apart from that he is of course cowardly, greedy and mean to the poor. On the other hand some characters are good. The gypsies for instance (even though they had absolutely no part in the actual history of the war or in the history of Denmark altogether) are of course wise, honest, merry healers who care about other people regardless of nationality or social standing. They are only involved in conflict when they are the victims and even then only one of them tries to get revenge (which of course fails so that they can still be the victims).
Bornedal is either completely naive and amateurish or else he is trying to create some sort of dimwitted political propaganda with this TV series. Since 1864 is a story of war between nations, politics of course is a theme of the series. But in interviews Bornedal has also expressed his personal opinion on the politics of today. So some people have compared his opinion to his 1864 script, and the result does not look good. It seems like Bornedal's personal Marxist, anti patriotic and pro immigration / multi culture views have put a HUGE fingerprint on the script. But who knows? Maybe it's just a coincidence that the poor people and the immigrants of 1864 are perfectly good while the Danish middle and upper class people of 1864 are all corrupt. Maybe it's a coincidence that Inge (Marie Søderberg) who is the narrator has lines like "they come with their dark eyes and enrich our world" (about the gypsies). Maybe it's a coincidence that we are told no background story for the war which is simply portrayed like the absurd idea of mad nationalists (which is absolutely historically incorrect). Maybe it's all just a coincidence. But in any case the result is a train wreck. Please go see some other Danish TV series for comparison: They are usually very nuanced, intelligent and multi layered. This series is a demonstration of what happens when an arrogant director fires the entire scriptwriting team. It is one of the most amateurish and one dimensional scripts in television history.
And I won't even go into the silliness of the character Johan who turns out to be a telepath/hypnotist/voodoo doctor. Nor will I go into the LOTR like scenes of this so-called historical drama. All that is beyond bad.
Did I mention that this is the highest budget Danish TV series ever? The budget was 175 million DKR ($30 million) which is huge compared to other Danish TV series.
One word: Bad.
An epic masterpiece
poulpkn27 November 2014
This movie has been one of the most expected series in Danish television ever. And there are very different opinions about it. Let me try to mention the components that makes this a series you wont forget so easily, and why I think it is a masterpiece. The photography is brilliant, the costumes and makeup are great and the set is amazing. And the music score by Marco Beltrami is over the top. The actors are excellent, both the children, and the rest of the cast. The series is built up, not with a story that end with a climax in each part of the series, but as a long movie, and this is hard for some viewers to understand. For dramatic reasons some incidents and persons are not totally described as they were historically. But the story certainly hit you emotionally. The scenes from the battle is comparable to Omaha Beach in "saving Private Ryan". Think also "Barry Lyndon" and "1900" and you will have some hint on what it is all about. I loved it, and i am curious how Ole Bornedal will cut the series into a Cinema movie.
overall well worth watching
gmarshall-735-1273098 July 2015
The series is interesting, exciting and fascinating for someone who is interested in history and in the inner lives of complex characters and relationships.
The (Danish) characters are likable and easy to identify with.
When you like battle scenes, you will probably get your money's worth. The battle and fight scenes are well-produced and exciting.
For someone who is interested in history, the costumes and props give the series a very realistic flair, which makes it easy to get into the whole situation.
Still, there were some things I wasn't quite sure what to make of.
It is certainly natural to emphasize the perspective of the narrator's side in such a movie. However, was it really necessary to present the Germans either as super-villains
(a Hussar-officer who looks like a zombie? A general in charge who comes across like a psychopath?)
or completely inept
(the Danish soldiers were killing so many Germans left and right in brave hand-to-hand fighting, I actually thought they were winning)?
These were moments when the series came across a bit like a comic movie.
A more balanced and contextual depiction of the characters would help to enjoy a historical series like this, in my opinion.
Apart from these smaller aspects, I think the series is well worth watching.
The (Danish) characters are likable and easy to identify with.
When you like battle scenes, you will probably get your money's worth. The battle and fight scenes are well-produced and exciting.
For someone who is interested in history, the costumes and props give the series a very realistic flair, which makes it easy to get into the whole situation.
Still, there were some things I wasn't quite sure what to make of.
It is certainly natural to emphasize the perspective of the narrator's side in such a movie. However, was it really necessary to present the Germans either as super-villains
(a Hussar-officer who looks like a zombie? A general in charge who comes across like a psychopath?)
or completely inept
(the Danish soldiers were killing so many Germans left and right in brave hand-to-hand fighting, I actually thought they were winning)?
These were moments when the series came across a bit like a comic movie.
A more balanced and contextual depiction of the characters would help to enjoy a historical series like this, in my opinion.
Apart from these smaller aspects, I think the series is well worth watching.
Overlong and uninformative
paul2001sw-122 June 2015
In 1864, Denmark launched what seems in retrospect an inexplicable war of national expansion. It ended in ignominious defeat at the hands of Bismark's Prussian army. '1864' attempts to tell the story of this war, and is both a personal tale centred on a number of its protagonists, and perhaps also, a story of the eventual birth of the Denmark we know today, the peaceful modern social democracy that eventually superseded the nationalist pretensions of the 19th century. There's been a lot of Danish drama released internationally in recent years, but it's a small country, and fans of other Danish series will recognise a huge proportion of the cast in this one. But sadly, '1864' does not live up to the standards of 'The Killing' or 'Borgen'. It's slow, ponderous, repetitive, obvious and the attempt to wrap up the 19th century story in a contemporary wrapping further reduces the immediacy of the drama. The budget for battle scenes, meanwhile, seems to have been spent entirely in episode 7, which is impressive in itself, but the rest of the episodes speak of war without actually showing it very much. And we never really understand just how the Danish politicians thought that the war could actually be won. Outside of Denmark, the war of 1864 is a little known quirk of European history; I'd be interested to know more, but in spite of its 8 hour duration, I finished this drama still frustratingly uninformed.
Ambitious storytelling
mygibbo16 May 2015
Some of the negative criticism of the series is wide of the mark. The series had me hooked right from the outset. It is lyrical, well-paced story-telling, focussing on character and ideas. There are no caricatures here. The political ideas are played out through the interactions of an excellent ensemble cast, including most of the faces we have come to love in Nordic Noir. The split time sequence shows how the past influences and shapes the present and how people here and now can learn from their past. There is a joy and élan about the epic's opening which prepares us for the shock and disillusion of war. I have only seen two episodes so far, but it has me hooked. Viva Scandinavia.
Inversion of history steeped in silly melodrama
VoyagerMN19861 December 2018
One of the reviewers has said this was panned because some people did not like the anti war message. I have not seen a single review that did so.
What this is being panned for by anyone familiar with history is complete disregard for the facts. Secondarily the amount of saccharine and over the top melodrama makes this film almost unbearably cringeworthy.
On the facts for example it makes it seem like one Danish politician, one actress (lol, really?) and a handful of generals were responsible for this ill conceived war. It ignores completely the fact that Denmark's news media at the time, all its journalists, its clergy, and almost its entire population, both empowered and unempowered supported the war. It also ignores the fact that the leftist poltical parties in Denmark were more supportive of the war than the right, making it seem like the war was pushed by conservatives when it was pushed as hard or harder by the left.
It also ignores completely the context of the war in the national independence moments that freed so many Europeans from the totalitarian, murderous and deeply abusive European land empires. "Nationalism" and nationalist wars in the 19th and early 20th century were precisely why Bulgarians, Croatians, Serbians, Ukrainians, Greeks, virtually all of central and Eastern Europe had a chance of not being under the jackboot of the Ottoman, Austria-Hungarian and Russian Empires.
Also the reason why Denmark did not participate in any European wars for the next 80 years (except as a invasion victim that did not really fight back) is attitudes after this war made it a satellite of Germany, not from some idealistic pacifism.
On the facts for example it makes it seem like one Danish politician, one actress (lol, really?) and a handful of generals were responsible for this ill conceived war. It ignores completely the fact that Denmark's news media at the time, all its journalists, its clergy, and almost its entire population, both empowered and unempowered supported the war. It also ignores the fact that the leftist poltical parties in Denmark were more supportive of the war than the right, making it seem like the war was pushed by conservatives when it was pushed as hard or harder by the left.
It also ignores completely the context of the war in the national independence moments that freed so many Europeans from the totalitarian, murderous and deeply abusive European land empires. "Nationalism" and nationalist wars in the 19th and early 20th century were precisely why Bulgarians, Croatians, Serbians, Ukrainians, Greeks, virtually all of central and Eastern Europe had a chance of not being under the jackboot of the Ottoman, Austria-Hungarian and Russian Empires.
Also the reason why Denmark did not participate in any European wars for the next 80 years (except as a invasion victim that did not really fight back) is attitudes after this war made it a satellite of Germany, not from some idealistic pacifism.
A personal connection led me to watch this
spinosa54 August 2021
My great-grandfather fought in this war; I inherited the medal he received inscribed "For Deeltagelse I Kriegen 1864' (For Participation In The War). This war is not well known in the States, but I found and read a book about it and was fascinated to be able to watch a series hoping to learn something about what Christian experienced. As many have noted, the series was a bit melodramatic and drawn out. However for me it was a glimpse, at least, into an event that must have profoundly shaped my family history.
Very strong start!
thomas-446-10526825 October 2014
So far i have only seen the first episode. Furthermore, as i am not danish this part of history is pretty much unknown to me.
The start of the movie was really great, although some of the scenes involving children were pretty disturbing.
This however portrays deep characters and while the first episode lacked in action it is obviously meant to develop the characters so that the viewers become emotionally attached to them, which is not a bad thing. It is interesting, unlike Hollywood movies where you are guaranteed to see drama, action and gore in the first 15 minutes, this movie takes it time. The acting is superb, and the way the story is told and how the characters are affected by events, is really amazing.
Im guessing this series is about characters growing up, about their good times, about their bad times, and about the effects of war, tearing up families and ending lives prematurely.
Together with the big budget, the production quality and story telling that actually focuses on the characters instead of gore and action, this could be one hell of a ride! Looking forward to seeing the rest. I do hope however that they leave out the vulgar things involving children, shock value or not, it is pretty distasteful in what is otherwise looking up to be one of the better series i have seen in a while.
The start of the movie was really great, although some of the scenes involving children were pretty disturbing.
This however portrays deep characters and while the first episode lacked in action it is obviously meant to develop the characters so that the viewers become emotionally attached to them, which is not a bad thing. It is interesting, unlike Hollywood movies where you are guaranteed to see drama, action and gore in the first 15 minutes, this movie takes it time. The acting is superb, and the way the story is told and how the characters are affected by events, is really amazing.
Im guessing this series is about characters growing up, about their good times, about their bad times, and about the effects of war, tearing up families and ending lives prematurely.
Together with the big budget, the production quality and story telling that actually focuses on the characters instead of gore and action, this could be one hell of a ride! Looking forward to seeing the rest. I do hope however that they leave out the vulgar things involving children, shock value or not, it is pretty distasteful in what is otherwise looking up to be one of the better series i have seen in a while.
6,5
bsaly13 September 2021
I came to this serie by some Youtube videos. It was pretty good. Acting, battles, drama and interesting characters. I expected worse because of reviews on imdb but it was much better. What I haven't liked is: historical inaccuracy + slow pacing. If there was intead of one episode as they were at home, they could make episode about actual war what was it all about and made it like that more historical accurate. When you know how it really was it felt like it was shorted because of a time. This boring modern scenes are really unimportant. One more thing: everywhere you can see that war bad, nationalism bad and thats all right, but it isn't so simple and it was all taken on one sided opinion.
An Epic Masterpiece for people with imagination and aesthetics.
anders-913-3159181 February 2016
It's so embarrassing to see other Danes spending so much time and energy to tell how bad they think this series is. It says more about themselves though and their ability to comprehend great and timeless art. So, as a Dane I apologize on behalf of these narrow-minded wannabe pseudo-intellectuals.
In Denmark we have a saying that is called "Janteloven" (The Law of Jante) It means (to put it short) that "you are not supposed to believe that you are good enough and you should not think that you are better than anyone else". The comments and criticism from many other Danes are the perfect proof of this ugly and sad "Law of jante".
Ole Bornedal is a creative visionary and one of his goals must be to educate all these "average-Joe-Danes" in his own country who have lost imagination and dignity somewhere along the way.
I only have praise for this masterpiece that is 1864.
In Denmark we have a saying that is called "Janteloven" (The Law of Jante) It means (to put it short) that "you are not supposed to believe that you are good enough and you should not think that you are better than anyone else". The comments and criticism from many other Danes are the perfect proof of this ugly and sad "Law of jante".
Ole Bornedal is a creative visionary and one of his goals must be to educate all these "average-Joe-Danes" in his own country who have lost imagination and dignity somewhere along the way.
I only have praise for this masterpiece that is 1864.
Stiff and clumsy dialogues and a wasted opportunity.
michaelguni20 January 2021
A lot of one and three star reviews here on IMDB already point out the main weak aspects of this series. I can only emphasize them strongly!
But lets begin with the few positive aspects. The production design, the uniforms, special effects, the whole optics are just great. Also the music is very nice, although it is used a bit sparsely, aside from the intro. And in the end it's nice that anyone at all cared to make a movie / series about the war of 1864. European history of that era is almost non-existent on the cinema or TV screen - in stark contrast to e.g. the american civil war. But here we are already at the end of the positive aspects....
The worst aspects in "1864" are surely the script and especiall the dialogues, which are just stiff, unrealistic and ahistoric. People mostly don't talk this way. Not now, not then. A lot of dialogues are just monologues (mostly one-line sentences) directed at the audience, to either tell the viewer the opinion of the director or to explain the political or military situation to the audience. A few examples: In episode 3, minute 8:35 King Wilhelm I, Moltke and Bismarck talk about the political situation. But why would the King ask his prime minister if the incorporation of Schleswig into Denmark would come down to a declaration of war? King Wilhelm would have known perfectly well the diplomatic implications. He wouldn't have needed to ask. The whole scene is just akward and stiff and the dialogues are not directed from one character to another, but at the audience. Another (maybe even better) example is episode 4, minute 17:00 - the dialogue between General Wrangel and Prinz Friedrich Karl, prior to the attack at Missunde. Wrangel wants to attack, the prince does not. Again, the dialogue consists of one-line sentences only and serves only the purpous to convey to the audience what a pompous jerk General Wrangel is in the oppinion of the director. The reader should compare this scene to the 1993 movie "Gettysburg", when General Lee talks with General Longstreet about the attack on the center of the union line. Lee wants to attack, Longstreet does not. But they talk about the in-depth tactical situation, like real people would do. They really talk WITH each other - not for and at the audience! This scene is so much more realistic and "alive". No dialogue from "1864" comes even close.
Another grave error is the aim of the Ole Bornedal to convey his political opinions to the audience - especially when the focus comes to the matter of the horrors of war. In general it is of course a noble goal to point out the brutality of war and his series isn't the first anti-war movie, of course. But he does it so crude and clumsy and with such an "in your face" attidute, that it borders on the ridiculous. Subtlety is surely not a concept the director is familiar with. Two very well done series in that regard, are "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific". Especially the latter had some scenes which actually moved me to tears. The only tears I could shed over "1864" are from anger over such incompetence.
In the end, this series is unfortunately a wasted opportunity - because no one will make another movie or series about that part of history, any time soon. So the only one is now a bad one.
But lets begin with the few positive aspects. The production design, the uniforms, special effects, the whole optics are just great. Also the music is very nice, although it is used a bit sparsely, aside from the intro. And in the end it's nice that anyone at all cared to make a movie / series about the war of 1864. European history of that era is almost non-existent on the cinema or TV screen - in stark contrast to e.g. the american civil war. But here we are already at the end of the positive aspects....
The worst aspects in "1864" are surely the script and especiall the dialogues, which are just stiff, unrealistic and ahistoric. People mostly don't talk this way. Not now, not then. A lot of dialogues are just monologues (mostly one-line sentences) directed at the audience, to either tell the viewer the opinion of the director or to explain the political or military situation to the audience. A few examples: In episode 3, minute 8:35 King Wilhelm I, Moltke and Bismarck talk about the political situation. But why would the King ask his prime minister if the incorporation of Schleswig into Denmark would come down to a declaration of war? King Wilhelm would have known perfectly well the diplomatic implications. He wouldn't have needed to ask. The whole scene is just akward and stiff and the dialogues are not directed from one character to another, but at the audience. Another (maybe even better) example is episode 4, minute 17:00 - the dialogue between General Wrangel and Prinz Friedrich Karl, prior to the attack at Missunde. Wrangel wants to attack, the prince does not. Again, the dialogue consists of one-line sentences only and serves only the purpous to convey to the audience what a pompous jerk General Wrangel is in the oppinion of the director. The reader should compare this scene to the 1993 movie "Gettysburg", when General Lee talks with General Longstreet about the attack on the center of the union line. Lee wants to attack, Longstreet does not. But they talk about the in-depth tactical situation, like real people would do. They really talk WITH each other - not for and at the audience! This scene is so much more realistic and "alive". No dialogue from "1864" comes even close.
Another grave error is the aim of the Ole Bornedal to convey his political opinions to the audience - especially when the focus comes to the matter of the horrors of war. In general it is of course a noble goal to point out the brutality of war and his series isn't the first anti-war movie, of course. But he does it so crude and clumsy and with such an "in your face" attidute, that it borders on the ridiculous. Subtlety is surely not a concept the director is familiar with. Two very well done series in that regard, are "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific". Especially the latter had some scenes which actually moved me to tears. The only tears I could shed over "1864" are from anger over such incompetence.
In the end, this series is unfortunately a wasted opportunity - because no one will make another movie or series about that part of history, any time soon. So the only one is now a bad one.
One of the best historical dramas in TV history
paul-ackerley-944-4363536 June 2015
Outstanding, magical visual, story-telling. Compelling from start to finish. Ignore the pompous reviews about the contemporary story-line, dialogue, magic-realism and apparent historical simplification. It's nonsense. This is cinematic excellence and as powerful as the best Thomas Hardy adaptations or a series like the original Brideshead Revisited. The battle-scenes are as visceral and powerful as those in Saving Private Ryan or Downfall. The political landscape that precipitated the war is carefully set-out for those of us that had never previously come across this element of nineteenth century European history but never at the cost of engaging with the emotional depth of the piece. The characters are given time to develop and have real depth. Brilliantly directed. Immerse yourself.
A caricature
DennisLaursen895 November 2014
I love history. And history movies and TV-series fascinating me, if they are proper made. But that is not the case for 1864. The TV-series are not finish at this moment, but after the fourth episode, I lost patience for this TV show. The characters are so caricatured, that it mostly looks like a Hans Scherfig film adaptation. The story develops too slowly. There are too many loves scenes (and the sodomy scene is just irrelevant for the story, at seems rather as a attempt to provoke the PC's), that it becomes trivial.
During the show, we are jumping back and forth towards past and present. And there seems to be no attempt to connect these, and it seems irrelevant for the story, too.
1864 promised well, before it was launched. And the scenery are quite pretty. But all in all, 1864 is just too poor.
In one wants to see a Danish historical TV-drama, I would rather recommend "Gøngehøvdingen" from 1992.
During the show, we are jumping back and forth towards past and present. And there seems to be no attempt to connect these, and it seems irrelevant for the story, too.
1864 promised well, before it was launched. And the scenery are quite pretty. But all in all, 1864 is just too poor.
In one wants to see a Danish historical TV-drama, I would rather recommend "Gøngehøvdingen" from 1992.
Great Beginning
mrdigidane13 October 2014
I like the premise of this show, and I cant wait to get to the point which was the bloodiest battle in the history of Denmark, I think this first episode was fair in introducing us to future key players of the series, I am not a big fan of the voice over tactics but I await next weeks episode with great anticipation.
I have to say that there are a few scenes I could have been without though, you know what I am talking about if you watch it, I am sure of it.
It is also special to me because I was born in Denmark and I have been to the mill and the battlefield many times in my life, there is a eerie feeling when you are there, you can feel that something really bad took place.
I have to say that there are a few scenes I could have been without though, you know what I am talking about if you watch it, I am sure of it.
It is also special to me because I was born in Denmark and I have been to the mill and the battlefield many times in my life, there is a eerie feeling when you are there, you can feel that something really bad took place.
Unbelievably, phenomenal, truly a masterpiece
mikeeicher122 November 2021
I've Never seen anything that comes close to 1864!! Absolutely phenomenal incredible. Words cannot express how amazing this series is. The Story, the acting, cinematography, script, so satisfying, true to life war scenes like I have never seen in my life!! An absolute must watch!!!
A moving story and an epic tale
matejagordon2 December 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and found it very moving. The 2 stories (21st century and 19th century), were intertwined beautifully and I learned much about a war and period of Danish history I knew little about. But mainly it was compelling storytelling! It also did well mixing the intimate story of people against the backdrop of the larger politics of the era. The characters were well rounded and real although of course some of them like Didrich and Inge's mother were not very admirable. The photography and music were beautiful and the battle scenes handled with great realism tempered with a poetic touch. I would have given it a 10 but there were a few loose ends (if I said what they were I would give too much away). I would highly recommend watching "1864"
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