Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Henning Carlsen

Showing posts with label Henning Carlsen. Show all posts

1/23/2024

Epilogue/Hvad Med Os? (1963) - Carlsen's New Wave-inspired bore

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Two stills of middle-aged men superimpose onto one of a young woman make up most of this sparse poster for Henning Carlsen's Epilogue

A Danish WWII Resistance fighter doodles around in Copenhagen almost two decades after the war, engaging in an affair with a beautiful young woman, but finds himself plagued by traumas from the war.

Epilogue is written by Leif Panduro (Rundt om Selma (1971, TV movie)) and directed by Danish master filmmaker Henning Carlsen (Dilemma (1962)), whose 2nd film it was. The original Danish title translates to 'what about us?'.

Clearly inspired by the at the time recently arrived French New Wave in cinema, which inspired new types of films across the world, Epilogue has youthful experimental aspirations and can today most aptly be catalogued as a reflection of its time that includes valuable footage of Copenhagen and Dyrehaven (the big open park with wild deer North of the city) from its day. The laziness and lack of commitment in the youth's relation to the older man and her maybe boyfriend (Morten Grunwald (The Black Madonna/Den Sorte Madonna (2007))) is tiring and a bit loathsome in its unrestrained carelessness.

The plot of Epilogue is stillborn and lacks a dramatic curve: This perceived radicalism fails to fascinate, as must have been intended, and instead becomes deadly boring. Cutaways to images of the war do not relate anything clearly. Epilogue is a failed attempt at a new cinematic language.

Top 10: Best Danish movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Film Excess' 5th birthday movie masterpiece: Hunger/Sult/Svält (1966) - Oscarsson leaves you breathless in Carlsen's impressionist masterpiece

In lieu of anything related to this film, - which is not to be found on Youtube, - here is a lengthy video of Carlsen talking about the making of his much more interesting first film, the preceding Dilemma, shot in South Africa during apartheid

Cost: Unknown

Box office: Unknown

= Uncertain

[Epilogue was released 27 September (Denmark) and runs 93 minutes. Details concerning the film's production and release are regrettably hard to come by. It was released in Sweden and Finland in 1964 and at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1964, where it won a prize. TCM also report that it was released in San Francisco in 1967. Carlsen returned with I Rum Sø (1964, TV movie) and theatrically with The Cats/Kattorna (1965). Erno Müller returned in 13 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in Nyt Legetøj (1977); Maud Berthelsen (Sommer-Weekend (1963, TV-series)) in Case of the 44's/Ih, Du Forbarmende (1965). 29 IMDb users have given Epilogue a 5.2/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Epilogue?

1/25/2019

Top 10: Best Danish movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

1. Hunger/Sult/Svält (1966) - Henning Carlsen

2. Italian for Beginners/Italiensk for Begyndere (2000) - Lone Scherfig

3. The Art of Crying/Kunsten at Græde i Kor (2006) - Peter Schønau Fog

4. Only God Forgives (2013) - Nicolas Winding Refn

5. Love Is All You Need/Den Skaldede Frisør (2012) - Susanne Bier

6. The Great Day on the Beach/Den Store Badedag (1991) - Stellan Olsson

7. The Mysterious X/Det Hemmelighedsfulde X/Orders Under Seal/Sealed Orders (1914) - Benjamin Christensen

8. Benny's Bathtub/Bennys Badekar (1971) - Jannik Hastrup, Flemming Quist Møller

9. The Boss of It All/Direktøren for Det Hele (2006) - Lars Von Trier

6/05/2018

Film Excess' 5th birthday movie masterpiece: Hunger/Sult/Svält (1966) - Oscarsson leaves you breathless in Carlsen's impressionist masterpiece

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Per Oscarsson lifts his hat for us on this ominously discolored poster for Henning Carlsen's Hunger

A man by the name of Pontus is an aspiring writer, who is becoming increasingly desperate with hunger in Kristiania [now known as Norway's capital Oslo] in 1890. His Achilles heel, however, is also his own over-developed pride, which makes him give away the few kroner he acquires now and then to others in need.

Hunger is an adaptation of Norwegian master writer Knut Hamsun's (Pan (1894)) semi-autobiographical, same-titled 1890 novel, written by Peter Seeberg (Hjulet (1967), based on his novel) and Danish master co-writer-director Henning Carlsen (A Happy Divorce/Un Divorce Heureux/En Lykkelig Skilsmisse (1975)). It is a complex and serious film that can be seen again and again. It is equally amazing every time.
Pontus is a miserable wretch, and you can't help but feel for him in the guise of Per Oscarsson (Polisen som Vägrade Ta Semester (1984), miniseries): At turns highly sensitive and going mad, he tries to uphold his dignity but the painful starvation drives out his polemical side and hallucinations. Oscarsson's performance here will leave you breathless; it stands tall as one of the all-time greatest actor's performances in cinema. You are not likely to ever see anyone portray the effects of hunger with more potency than he achieves here.
Hunger is shot stunningly in B/W by Carlsen himself, and its atmosphere and beautiful lighting are beyond reproach. Hunger is a striking, deeply affecting impressionist major work of art as well as a high-point in Scandinavian film, a masterpiece of the highest integrity.

Related posts:

Henning Carlsen: Memories of My Melancholy Whores/Memoria de Mis Putas Tristes (2011) - Carlsen signs out with a dubious adaptation

Previous Film Excess birthday movie masterpieces: Film Excess' 4th birthday movie masterpiece: From Here to Eternity (1953) - Zinnemann, Taradash and Jones' Hawaii-set classic
Film Excess' 3rd birthday movie masterpiece: Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - The courtroom movie to rule them all
Film Excess' 2nd birthday movie masterpiece: The King's Speech (2010) - Hooper's soaring, royal masterpiece about overcoming human frailty

Film Excess' 1st birthday movie masterpiece: Broadway Danny Rose (1984) or, Keep Your Heart

Watch the hypnotic opening scene of the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain
[Hunger premiered 11 May (Cannes Film Festival, in competition) and runs 111 minutes. It was the first co-production between Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Shooting took place in Oslo, Norway. Oscarsson starved himself and walked a very long distance to the shooting in order to get into character. Many of the streets shown in the film do no longer exist. The film reportedly sold a measly 3,951 tickets in Carlsen's native Denmark. It was released in the three producing countries, Finland, USA and Australia initially, but its box office performances are unlisted. Oscarsson won the Best Actor award in Cannes, and the film was Denmark's bid for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, but it was not nominated. The film additionally won a National Board of Review award, a Guldbagge (Sweden's Oscar) for Oscarsson and two Bodil awards (Danish film critics' awards). Carlsen returned with People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart/Människor Möts och Ljuv Musik Uppstår i Hjärtat (1967). Oscarsson returned as a guest in The D.T.'s/Myten (1966) and with real parts in Patrasket (1966, TV movie) and ABC Stage 67 (1966, TV-series) and theatrically in Here Is Your Life/Här Har Du Ditt Liv (1966). 2,359 IMDb users have given Hunger a 7.9/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Hunger?

9/23/2015

Memories of My Melancholy Whores/Memoria de Mis Putas Tristes (2011) - Carlsen signs out with a dubious adaptation

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The ethereally beautiful poster for Henning Carlsen's Memories of My Melancholy Whores

We follow our old, nearly 90 year-old protagonist, who wants to spoil himself with a visit to an old, familiar brothel and to a virgin. But close to the young woman, his will freezes, - and then a murder is committed. (Or something.)

Great Danish filmmaker Henning Carlsen's (Hunger/Sult (1966)) last film is a very little-engaging offering, an adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez' (Love in the Time of Cholera/El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera (1985)) 2004 novella of the same title by Jean-Claude Carrière (The Monk/Le Moine (1972)) and Carlsen.
The film feels fabulating and distant. It is not without interest but a far cry from successful as a film.
Carlsen passed away in 2014, and this is his last film. R.I.P.

Related posts:

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch the trailer for the film here - unfortunately, it doesn't have English subtitles

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertainty
[The production met considerable difficulties, as women's groups in Latin America fought against it on the ground that it supposedly glosses over prostitution and mistreatment of women. The film lost what seems like a large part of its budget on this back in 2009 and had to scramble to pick itself together again for a later than scheduled shooting. Carlsen was nearly 84 when the film premiered in his native Denmark. With the few commercial numbers publicized, the film looks like a big flop: It made 148k $ in Russia, 104k $ in Mexico and 28k $ in Poland, the three biggest markets, according to the information I have been able to find.]

What do you think of Memories of My Melancholy Whores?

Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (6-25)

1/23/2024

Epilogue/Hvad Med Os? (1963) - Carlsen's New Wave-inspired bore

1/25/2019

Top 10: Best Danish movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

6/05/2018

Film Excess' 5th birthday movie masterpiece: Hunger/Sult/Svält (1966) - Oscarsson leaves you breathless in Carlsen's impressionist masterpiece

9/23/2015

Memories of My Melancholy Whores/Memoria de Mis Putas Tristes (2011) - Carlsen signs out with a dubious adaptation

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (5-25)

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