Jon Bang Carlsen

Directing

Jon Bang Carlsen

Born September 28, 1950 · Vedbæk, Denmark (age 75)

Jon Bang Carlsen is a Danish filmmaker, director, screenwriter, producer, actor, photographer and author. In the drama/documentary "Déjà Vu" (2016) he depicts parts of his life and his filmmaking.

Known For

The Element of CrimeThe Element of Crime · 1984
The Element of Crime
6.41984
MovieCrimeDrama
Fisher, an ex-detective, decides to take one final case when a mysterious serial killer claims the lives of several young girls. Fisher, unable to find the culprit, turns to Osbourne, a writer who was once respected for his contributions to the field of criminology. Fisher begins to use Osbourne's technique, which involves empathizing with serial killers; however, as the detective becomes increasingly engrossed in this method, things take a disturbing turn.
Lovely Is the Blue SkyLovely Is the Blue Sky · 1975
Lovely Is the Blue Sky
7.01975
MovieDocumentary
In the lead-up to Christmas 1974, an army of about seventy Santa Clauses, male and female, paraded through the city of Copenhagen, singing carols, handing out sweets and hot chocolate, and asking everyone what they wanted for Christmas. After spending a few days cementing the good image of Santa Claus, their generosity became increasingly radical. Among other things, the Santas climbed a barbed wire fence surrounding the recently shutte red General Motors assembly plant with the purpose of giving jobs back to “their rightful owners.” The week-long performance reached its crescendo inside one of Copenhagen’s biggest department stores when the Santas started handing out presents to customers directly off the shelves. The performance exposed the radical implications of the myth of Santa Claus’ boundless generosity, demonstrating that true generosity is impossible within the narrow terms of capitalist society.
Baby DollBaby Doll · 1988
Baby Doll
6.71988
MovieHorrorThriller
A young woman goes on a vacation at an old farm, which once belonged to her deceased grandmother. Childhood traumas and the memories of her strict and authoritarian grandmother haunts the young woman and leads her to scary delusions and a mental breakdown.
Cats in RigaCats in Riga · 2015
Cats in Riga
2015
MovieDocumentary
While current events are being discussed in the news and the residents of Riga are plagued by their everyday worries, cats are fully occupied with aimlessly wandering around staircases, offices, and apartments, completely indifferent to the absurd hustle and bustle of our civilization. This clever pseudo-documentary play on words comments on the role of subjectivity in our perception of the world around us.
Carmen & BabyfaceCarmen & Babyface · 1995
Carmen & Babyface
5.21995
MovieFamilyDrama
Set in 1962 during the Berlin crisis, the contented lifestyle of Carmen and her kid brother, whom she's nicknamed Babyface, comes to an abrupt end when their parents acrimoniously separate.
The Boys from St. PetriThe Boys from St. Petri · 1991
The Boys from St. Petri
6.51991
MovieActionDrama
A group of school-mates form a resistance group in nazi-occupied Denmark.
How to Invent RealityHow to Invent Reality · 1996
How to Invent Reality
1996
MovieDocumentary
Jon Bang Carlsen's essay about his way of approaching reality with a camera. Following the filming of "It's Now or Never", the story of an Irish bachelor's quest for love, Jon Bang Carlsen elaborates on how he manipulates reality in order to get to the core of it. " Staged documentary " he calls his method.
It's Now or NeverIt's Now or Never · 1996
It's Now or Never
8.01996
MovieDocumentaryComedy
On the windswept planes of the Burren, fifty-something bachelor Jimmy McEvoy spends his days constructing dry stone walls and waiting for a call from the matchmaker, as he muses on life and love.

Filmography

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Lovely Is the Blue SkyLovely Is the Blue Sky · 1975
Lovely Is the Blue Sky
7.01975
MovieDocumentary
In the lead-up to Christmas 1974, an army of about seventy Santa Clauses, male and female, paraded through the city of Copenhagen, singing carols, handing out sweets and hot chocolate, and asking everyone what they wanted for Christmas. After spending a few days cementing the good image of Santa Claus, their generosity became increasingly radical. Among other things, the Santas climbed a barbed wire fence surrounding the recently shutte red General Motors assembly plant with the purpose of giving jobs back to “their rightful owners.” The week-long performance reached its crescendo inside one of Copenhagen’s biggest department stores when the Santas started handing out presents to customers directly off the shelves. The performance exposed the radical implications of the myth of Santa Claus’ boundless generosity, demonstrating that true generosity is impossible within the narrow terms of capitalist society.

Writer

The Banality of GriefThe Banality of Grief · 2021
The Banality of Grief
2021
MovieDocumentary
Since the 1970s, the travelling and extremely productive film poet Jon Bang Carlsen has created an extensive body of work with a creative and personal look at the world, with the staged documentary as his preferred form. When his beloved wife passes away, he reaches for filmmaking as a way to give his grief a form. ‘The Banality of Grief’ is a cinematic love letter to a loved one and to the places where they shared their lives for 35 years. South Africa, the USA, their shared home by the water. The boundaries between past and present end in an impressionistic and deeply personal film, where existential and artistic thoughts are countered by new impressions, which testify that life is the greatest of them all. Jon Bang Carlsen is a rare and precious figure in Danish cinema. An adventurer with an ever-recording camera, who directs his gaze outwards even when his thoughts are turned inwards.

Director