Features of Danish cinema

 

Danish films
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If you take a look into a mirror, it’ll reflect only the reality – a face, a room, a cat on a chest of drawers. As the mirror is plain and flat, it won’t render thing’s relief, shape and vividness.  A small crystal pyramid, that sparkling polyhedron is another kind of thing. It may scare you the other times you catch a reflection in there – sometimes the reflection is a usual one, but sometimes you discover something that you’ve never seen in everyday life before, that is not obvious, but is hiding in the myriads of sharp bright facets.

Cinema of many countries can be compared to that flat mirror. Directors and script writers depict «life as we know it» by occasional stating common truths and serving the fruit of film art as facts of existence. As for the Danish cinema, it would be rather compared to the small crystal pyramid, its multifaceted sides shining and interpreting texture of life another way each time. And here we talk not only about interpreting some material, but also the manner of its presentation.

The two following opposite director trends give us a vivid example of that.

The founder of the «Dogme 95» Lars von Trier is considered to be «The director Nr. 1» in Europe. This title is unofficial though, but it’s awarded to von Trier in all fairness. It was him, who came up with the concept first, that visual effects of the film are the last that matter for the viewer, as well as technical gimmicks and taking style. What does matter then? Von Trier believes that these are merely the plot, the very theme developing in the film, the mixture of thoughts, ideas and characters embodying those ideas that are resting points for perception, experience and comprehension.  In the «Vow of Chastity» the members of the Dogme collective produced several rules, followed by a large number of followers. For instance, Dogma-directors were strictly against the illusiveness of the film, and against averaging of film contents, that is masked with spectacular special effects and «trickstering». As a result of the trickstering  commonplaces appear: substitutions for feelings, emotional experiences, passions. That is the reason why von Trier & Co defined for themselves basics of making a «pure» film: refusing props and set, filming must take place where the action takes place, minimum of make-up and music (background music mustn’t be used at all), the action takes place only here and now, temporal alienation is forbidden.

Let’s come over to real examples and take a look at some talented creatures of maestro von Trier. Among the number of his absolute masterpieces is the film «The Idiots» (Danish: «Idioterne»), which is socially, emotionally and psychologically a «sharp» film. The film is about a small group of people who appear to be mentally ill at first sight. Any moment they are about to throw food at a restaurant or address strangers in the street or become pointlessly hysterical and do absolutely mad things. But as we look closer at them, they turn out not to be such idiots any more, and their behavioral bravado is merely a shield protecting them from internal and external problems and troubles of different kinds. Troubles can catch them both outside and in their own households. That’s why they escape into the images of idiots, proclaim themselves socially outlawed, and find a happy shelter among the ones who is like themselves.

The work of Lars von Trier titled «Dancing in the Dark» can be defined as a social portrayal, too. The leading character of the film was played by a famous and a rather eccentric Iceland singer Björk. The film is about a Czech immigrant Selma (played by Björk), who works at a factory and whose only keen love are her son and music. The main tragedy of Selma is that she is gradually going blind and her son is suffering from the same fate. Selma tries to do her outmost to get her son operated, but her neighbour steals all her savings, and she kills him in a long dramatic scene. The end of the film is tragical – Selma is executed for the committed crime, but her son is saved – he will be operated. Von Trier creates *Dancer in the Dark» according to the best traditions of ancient tragedies. He manages to make the curves of the movie breathe something eternal, everlasting. Firstly, that is about a commonly known tragedy of a mother wishing the best for her child. Secondly, that is about a social tragedy, including the issues of financial inequality, money grabbing, crises happening when people of different social levels meet. And, finally, it’s the theme of art put into the form of music.

The films mentioned here are merely a few from the creational wealth of the prominent director, but they’re the most vivid examples produced in the most possible full accordance with the principles of «Dogme 95».

One more director creating within «Dogme 95» is Thomas Vinterberg, who received a special prize for the film *The Celebration» (Danish: «Festen») at Cannes Film Festival in 1998. Let us focus on this film now. At the beginning  the plot of the film seems to be unbelievably simple, partly banal and very much similar to various clones of American filmmaking: the family patriarch celebrates his 60th anniversary, numerous members of the family come to the celebration, guests drink one glass after another for the family’s head’s health, have fun, eat, dance and gossip. But revelry stops at the moment, when the eldest son makes a speech. He reveals a secret to everybody present. The secret is that he and the other children of the family have been repeatedly sexually abused by the father, and that was the reason why their sister has recently committed a suicide. Though the guests want to hush up the awkward situation and push the presumably drunk young man out of the living room, and even tie him to a tree later, he walks in to the scene over and over again, like a wounded animal that wants to bleed out at its torturer’s feet. The film leaves a deep piercing impression. Vinterberg does not only raise a knotty problem of pedophilia, he also lays bare the reverse side of a modern family that often seems to have no problems and conflicts. “But what do the loving kind faces hide?” the director asks. Incest initiated by father? Mother’s betrayal who takes her husband’s side?  Traumatized children who turned into commitment phobics? All these questions appearing after watching the film give the viewer something to think about.

Another facet of the Danish filmmaking is a cycle of films with one and the same main character that became the favourite idol of the whole country. That is about the famous charming Pusle (Danish: Pusle, the actersses’s name is Pusle Helmuth) from the series of comedy films titled «My Sister’s Children» (Danish: «Min søsters børn»), directed by Annelise Reenberg. The plots of each film of the series are always about a large Danish family Berg, whose numerous energetic and lively offsprings tend to different kinds of adventures and tricks. The parents are used to restlessness of their kids and know what to expect from them. But Uncle Erik, the brother of mother Else has hard times to deal with his nephews and nieces. Not to mention two dogs, that uncle has to take care of now and then in addition to the six mischievous kids. What a big company! In the first film «My Sister’s Children» (Danish: «Min søsters børn», 1966) Else and Peter Berg go to Paris, making Erik to be in charge for the kids and try out his skills in child psychology. As the housekeeper Margaret suddenly gets to the hospital, poor uncle Erik has to take everything entirely in his own hands. However the children don’t always behave as they are supposed to, and sometimes it even ends up in a faint!

In the second film «My Sister’s Children on Honeymoon» (Danish: «Min søsters børn på brylluprejse», 1967), uncle Eric has an even harder time. At the very beginning of the film he gets married to a charming Lisbet and the newlyweds take off for Honeymoon. Not alone, of course, as expected. The young scamps, wishing to unwind and travel with uncle and aunt, sneak into their van and naturally accompany them in their Honeymoon to Austria. After they are discovered, it occurs that it’s totally impossible to send them home as they have no passports and can’t come over the border. That’s how rowdy-dowdies stay with the newly married couple spoiling all the amenities of the wedding night and the honeymoon any way possible.

In the third film «Magic in Town» (Danish: «Min søsters børn vælter byen», 1968), the little Pusle discovers her talent to magic and tricks, thanks to a gift her uncle sent her from South America. This time a magic totem helps her to handle the aunt who looks after the children while parents are travelling again.

The last film «My Sister’s Children Go Astray» (Danish title - «Min søsters børn når de er værst», 1971) is also full of any twists and turns and funny situations. The children’s most important day of the year is coming – the last school day. This day means a lot to the parents as well, but for another reason – it’s another wedding anniversary. While Else creates something in the kitchen, Peter has a business appointment with a German colleague Camilla. This meeting turned out to be quite informal, and eventually Peter has to bring Camilla to bed after she has drunk little too much in order to relax. As it usually occurs in the films, Elsa catches them in the bed scene and imagines the worst. They have a fight; threaten each other with lawyers and divorce. The children are angry with the father and leave the house, and Uncle Erik has to worry again and to fix the situation. So he gives a family a helping hand again and reunites it.

The series of restless kids and adults always in concern and constantly fighting to manage children’s energy and calm them down is as loved in Denmark as director’s films of «Dogme-95». These films don’t have such grave dramatic contents though, as well as they’re not filled with philosophical insoluble questions that make the viewer reconsider key issues of life and existence. However, they also provide us with food for thought, as the comedy element is not the only one in them. Issues of proper upbringing («proper» doesn’t mean «according to proper rules*, but *that one, that support a child on his way to become a really full-grown versatile personality»), family relations, culture are emphasized there. And it’s well-known, that laughing helps us to see as well as pain, drama and suffering do.

We don’t need a mirror to see and appreciate Danish films. A mirror can only reflect one side, showing neither its depth nor mystery. The section of art represented by Danish films can only be seen in crystal pyramid’s sharp facets’ play and flicker, and lights, and strong sheen. Take a closer look into it, and you’ll always discover something new in there.