So... why is Danish cinema so messed-up? :)

I have seen some Danish movies, and they all were quite hardcore and very atypically sickening. Festen would be one of those. But then i saw Antichrist (danish director), and...well... it was mostly a porn-film with 5-min of a plot twist and a bleak atmosphere?

And the latest work of the same director, 'Nymphomaniac', is said to be quite worse, and even more of a rape-pornfilm with the allusion to some semblance of another plot.

*

So, in light of the above thorough synopsis of an entire country's cinema, i ask why Danish films are so demented?

(but i still plan to watch the 1864 series, since the trailer looks very good, despite again some Danish elements of weird sexual depravity/Monrad)

The Antichrist is a ing film.

Sorry for my meager contribution to the topic, but that's all i got.

Originally Posted by jockmcplop

The Antichrist is a ing film.

Sorry for my meager contribution to the topic, but that's all i got.

Those faces are not descriptive enough to tell me whether you enjoyed the film or not.

Originally Posted by the_mango55

Those faces are not descriptive enough to tell me whether you enjoyed the film or not.

HAHA i was unaware of TWC's censoring.

OK it was a blooming inadequate film.

So you all judge all of Danish cinema on the films of Lars Von trier? ridiculous.

First of all if you dont get lars von trier films, then simply dont watch it, it means its not for you, try something more easy on the mind and soul. They usualy are not meant to be nice, and is meant for the audience to actualy think about stuff. For a change.

I have seen some Danish movies, and they all were quite hardcore and very atypically sickening. Festen would be one of those. But then i saw Antichrist (danish director), and...well... it was mostly a porn-film with 5-min of a plot twist and a bleak atmosphere?

And the latest work of the same director, 'Nymphomaniac', is said to be quite worse, and even more of a rape-pornfilm with the allusion to some semblance of another plot.

I seen nymphomaniac recently, and everyone who says these movies are bascialy porn, then they realy didnt get the film.
Its realy a matter of using your brains for a change, the same way you would do when analizing a painting, or a poem, and processing your feelings on the piece, and racionalize it.

Hey im the first to admit, i dont like Lars von Trier films, they are quite smartly constructed and very depressing at best, but i surely get them.
To reduce his films to a gratuit sexualized flicks?! only people who have no clue what they are talking about can state that.
There is another film of his that i seen a while ago with Kristen Dunst and Alexander Skarsgård, called melancholia, now that is some kicking in the butt the audience gets, even if there is always some briliance in what is been told, of course you can agree or not with it, i often have my issues with it. They are all briliantly depressing in my opinion. I dont think its for everyone though.
Also helps lars von trier is quite an excentric fella, but you cant never say his films are pointless or lack substance. You just have to find it, it is always there and its usualy implied.

lars von Trier films in my opinion even if they vary in aesthetic styles from film to film, there is a typical trait present in all his films , they tend to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.
In other words expressionism, more specificaly his works are quite influenced by german expressionism, in one way or the other, It is an artistic vein tought in cinema schools as well, as it was very proeniment in german cinema after WWI. It was a technique later adopted and exported to hollywood trough german filmakers, but as we all know, the mainstream holywood this days is mostly about entertainment, ( wich im ok with, i suport all aspects, and genres), but the mainstream line definitely lost something substancial along the way in my humble opinion. Not that i have nothing against brainless pop corn cinema, but even pop corn movies, can be done interestingly well and with substance.

^The problem with films like Antichrist is that virtually no one is going to bother with any plot (which itself is very minimalistically hinted at in that film, for a few minutes and that shoe-business) when most of the scenes are actual porn. It is pretty similar to someone writing a song with allegorical lyrics about violent rape, and then complain that people did not see the awesome parallel to dangers of inner travel in one's thoughts. Yeah, maybe he did not choose the viable parallelisms for that focus to be there.

How you write about something can easily be more important than what you are writing about. Almost no one reads Finnegan's wake, and i would not bother with it either.

Going off topic here, but i absolutely love Finnegan's Wake.
It takes some effort to get through though.

Lars von Trier doesn't take himself overly serious, except when it comes to awards, he "forgot" a trophy in the urinal once, so the possibility that some of his films (yes, I'm looking at you "Nymphomaniac") is more about trolling film critics than anything else should not be ruled out.
Personally I found it watchable, but not his best, that would be "Breaking the waves", really enjoyed that one. He made a ghost story series called "The Kingdom" once, really good as well, don't bother with the American version, though.

Two things however.
1. Judging Danish cinema on a few films from Lars von Trier is pretty harsh, and
2. Festen is awesome.

Any film industry that brings the world Mads Mikkelsen is a ing international treasure.

Danish cinema employs people who actually put their art into their movies, whether you like them or not. This is merely what you get when the talent has creative control rather than bloated studios.

The very fact that your criticism revolves around the over use of the word pornography, as if that word should frighten and elicit a scornful response from people in the 21st century, says just about everything about why you don't "get" Danish cinema. Stick with the schlock you have been sold your whole life, to try and broaden your horizons at this point would likely only give you a headache.

Originally Posted by tarvu

Any film industry that brings the world Mads Mikkelsen is a ing international treasure.

Danish cinema employs people who actually put their art into their movies, whether you like them or not. This is merely what you get when the talent has creative control rather than bloated studios.

The very fact that your criticism revolves around the over use of the word pornography, as if that word should frighten and elicit a scornful response from people in the 21st century, says just about everything about why you don't "get" Danish cinema. Stick with the schlock you have been sold your whole life, to try and broaden your horizons at this point would likely only give you a headache.

You said it right, nothing really to add here.

Lol. Do you actually believe what you had to go on typing, tarvu & pals?

Remember that we were discussing Danish cinema. Norway is to the north, and i like Trollhunter, but only as a movie

Originally Posted by Kyriakos

Lol. Do you actually believe what you had to go on typing, tarvu & pals?

Remember that we were discussing Danish cinema. Norway is to the north, and i like Trollhunter, but only as a movie

Yep, rarely do you still hear people throwing around pornography as much as you did as if it would get some kind of response from people. PORNOGRAPHY YOU SAY!!!!? My god get the pitch forks and torches Kyriakos has found some films downright pornographic! Not offensive, or sexist (because they really aren't), but PORNOGRAPHIC! It merely offends the "senses" because there is no logic behind your condemnation. Deriding art as pornographic, that is so classically repressed and closed-minded that if anything it is a recommendation.

Not sure why you bring up Norway, unless you think Mads Mikkelson is from there. He is Danish, born/raised and the Pusher trilogy from where he got his start is a fine example of excellent Danish movie making.

Pornography!!!

^Yawn. As before you didn't get what was said. Maybe we can move on with less projections

Personally I found it watchable, but not his best, that would be "Breaking the waves", really enjoyed that one. He made a ghost story series called "The Kingdom" once, really good as well, don't bother with the American version, though.

Hum personaly i like dogville best.
And i dont agree with you Visna about Trier dont taking his films serious, when you look at his films the meaningless the cruel brutality of life or nature, or the inevitability. At least when i see the gruesome or the extreme sex or painfull scenes in some of his films i dont see casuality or gratuit "fan service.
I mean its there cleary to provoque, a tought or a feeling, sometimes that feeling of ideia might be too obvious for its own good, it might be mistaken for casual scenes.

That said his own company was pioneer in making comtemporary hardcore female friendly pornographic films, and i understand some of those films were even responsible for the legalization of porn in Norway. While he didnt directed those movies, he realy started something with the usage of non simulated sex scenes in feature films.
There is cleary a tendency here with the legitimization of explicit sex as art, given the proper context.
Either you agree or not, the fact he realy did started waves on the industry.

kyriakos on the antichrist the lack of plot is the whole point or a good one, the whole film is based on the meaningless of life ( as in God doesnt care), death of everything, i would say the antichrist is more a directors movie, then its a audience movie. Its the author givin his thoughts and input about how he sees god in this perspective. Wich again its not for eveyone, i find the movie depressing on several levels, as often i do with his movies, mostly because i think there is more to life then simple base animal instinct, whataver it choses to manifest it self.
I however as i said i would not consider his films pornographic at all, pornography is quite diferent, and has a diferent intent, its all about the fantasy, with the porpuse of arrousal.
Lars von trier films, its mostly not about the fantasy, its about the extreme reality, usualy adding a subjective view (usualy his own), distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to transmit a certain ideia or tendencies
If you like me, you might disagree with his arguments most of the times, or not, at his root that is one of the reasons why he is so controverse imo.

Judging Danish cinema on a few films from Lars von Trier is pretty harsh

Indeed, even though lars von trier its not the first Danish director of its kind, Expressionism seems a strong current in Danish cinema, historicaly at least.

Trying to think of any Danish films I have seen minus the Lars Von Trier movies(which I happen to appreciate, because of the rules he adheres to not because of the nudity!) and the only other one that comes to mind is Flame and Citron which I really enjoyed. The OP statement is like judging all American films based on Larry Clark.

Wondered if Let The Right One In was Danish but it turned out to be Swedish.

Some other fine Danish films everyone should check out:

A Hijacking
Klown
Terribly Happy
Flickering Lights

Other Danish movies staring Mads:
The Pusher trilogy (mentioned earlier, it is Mads Mikkelson's breakout role)
Valhalla Rising
The Hunt
The Salvation

I think all of these should even pass Kyriakos's personal test of what constitutes "pornographic" content.