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| Recalling the nationally beloved late singer with a large closeup of star Anders W. Berthelsen in character, the poster for Henrik Ruben Genz's Bamse |
Flemming 'Bamse' Jørgensen and his band Bamses Venner [Teddy Bear's Friends] experience wild national popularity and a real low with international defeat over the course of several decades, while Bamse comes to terms with his own heritage.
Bamse is written by Bo Hr. Hansen (The Art of Crying/Kunsten at Græde i Kor (2006)) and co-writer/director, great Danish filmmaker Henrik Ruben Genz (Someone Like Hodder/En Som Hodder (2003)). The Danish title translates to 'teddy bear', the stage name for real-life singer/entertainer Flemming Jørgensen.
Hansen and Genz have a great grip on the story, SPOILER which is framed as one part a portrait of the musical life with its ups and downs and creations of songs that became major hits in Denmark, (humorous, happy songs of a sensual woman (Vimmersvej [Vimmer's Way]), a married woman seeking more excitement in life (Går Louise til Bal [Does Louise Go to the Ball]), and life and freedom (I en Lille Båd der Gynger [In a Little Boat that Rocks]), and one part a personal quest for paternal recognition and enlightenment as to Jørgensen's parentage as adopted from a poor family to that of a well-to-do company-owner's home as a small boy.
The simple story is told through strong characterizations, first of all from Anders W. Berthelsen (Italian for Beginners/Italiensk for Begyndere (2000)) in a career-best turn as Bamse. The physical transformation, achieved both through Berthelsen's weight-gain and acting and top-notch wig and prosthetics jobs, is incredible. Berthelsen acts with conviction, tremendous singing and the necessary, huge humanity that characterized the lovable teddy bear himself. Johanne Louise Schmidt (DNA (2019, TV-series)) is great as his loyal and loving home backbone, wife Käte; Henrik Birch (Grand Danois (2016, TV-series)) is spot on as Jørgensen's disapproving father; Signe Egholm Olsen (Into the Wild (2007)) is strong as one of Jørgensen's biological siblings; Lars Ranthe (A Funny Man/Dirch (2011)) is wonderful and very funny as the frank manager. And Anna Kristine Kulmback Prahl and Folke Olav Schriver give esteemed performances as Jørgensen's daughter Tine and as Jørgensen as a boy.
Well-produced and very well-told, the story gleams and shines with many very amusing lines and situations and as many or more that are deeply moving, as the film essentially portrays a decent, good man with a lovely family, as he becomes a great man and overcomes difficulties in his background. Don't miss Bamse!
Related post:
Henrik Ruben Genz: Terribly Happy/Frygtelig Lykkelig (2008) or, A Fix in Southern Jutland
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: Unknown, projected 30 mil. DKK, approximately 3.92 mil. $
Box office: Projected 37.3 mil. DKK and counting, approximately 4.87 mil. $ and counting
= Uncertain bit likely a big flop (projected current return of 1.24 times its cost)
[Bamse was released 25 August (Denmark) and runs 92 minutes. The budget is regrettably not made public but is projected at 30 mil. DKK. The film opened #1 in Denmark, where it was #1 for 5 straight weeks, selling 429,496 tickets to date. As the film plays in Biografklub Denmark ['cinema club Denmark'], where the approximately 200,000 members pay only half prize, around 180,000 tickets are projected at a low 55 DKK cost prize, with the rest at 110 DKK, coming to 37.3 mil. DKK gross currently, ranking the film a big flop. The film is not set to release in other markets currently. Genz does not have his next film announced yet. Berthelsen returns in Dansegarderoben (2023, TV-series) and does not have his next theatrical role announced yet. 302 IMDb users have given Bamse a 7.7/10 average rating.]
What do you think of Bamse?
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