Opus I

1949 danish short

The film shows Kronborg as it must have looked to Shakespeare when he visited the castle, if indeed he did, three centuries ago. The filmmakers run with the idea of Shakespeare visiting Hamlet’s Castle and give it filmic expression. The past returns as King Frederik II and his court gather…

Film reportage of a kinetic, abstract work by Richard Mortensen.

Semi documentary on a famous cycle race in Copenhagen. The story is about the competition between the riders as well as about their private and marital struggles.

Visiting the fairyland with King Tingeling. There is a guard parade and the king plays with fun things and eats a lot of cakes. Finally, there are party fireworks.

A man and a woman on a motorcycle arrive with a ferry to Assens. They want to catch the next ferry in Nyborg, on the other side of the island, but this ferry will leave in three quarters of an hour and the ferry berth is 70 km away.

A documentary about the famous Danish film director Carl Th. Dreyer, made a few years before he died. In this film Dreyer tells about the style in his feature films and about the important things in film making: the script and the casting. He tells about his theories about setting and acting.

This is a film about the stuff dreams are made of, yet, there is nothing elevated in this concept, on the contrary. The characters around the bar Strudsen (the ostrich) are doing what ostriches do, hiding themselves from the threats of life and keeping their dreams to themselves. Scriptwriter Benny Andersen being a poet is rendering a loving portrait of a number of persons, who fail to try to make their dreams come true, possibly not being sufficiently dissatisfied with their life after all. The manager would like a bar of his own but dare not admit to it, the butcher would like to be an opera singer, the window cleaner (sorry, window polisher) is secretly in love with the bar lady, but dare not show it and the pianist willingly listens to all the different dreams being presented to him. This film was the best accomplished movie from Henning Carlsen since his debut with 'Sult'.

Oscar nominated documentary short from Denmark, 1960

Torben Skjødt Jensen’s elegant documentary is a collage of memories and reflections on one of cinema’s greatest directors. Visually rich and densely layered, Carl Th. Dreyer—My Metier illuminates an artist too little understood and too important to overlook. Through interviews, historical writings, and rare archival footage, a portrait of Dreyer emerges: an austere perfectionist, yes, but also a passionate man possessing a genuine sense of humor.

The castle of Krogen, built c. 1420, is inside the later castle of Kronborg. Reconstruction of Kronborg gave a chance to study early castles. Models of both are shown.

The film shows examples of furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, cutlery and textiles. It was produced in connection to an exhibition "The Arts of Denmark" that took place in USA 1960-1961.

A poetic fairy tale about a man who steals the clown's heart, seeks to give it to various people who don't want it or need it, and finally delivers it back to the clown. (DFI)

An experimental and poetic portrayal of Oslo. // Oslofilm was a series of public information films about life in and around Oslo, produced between 1940 and 1980. Funded by the state, the films offer valuable insight into postwar Norwegian society. A wide range of Norwegian filmmakers contributed to the productions, resulting in a rich variety of styles and expressions. Several of the films also possess notable cinematic qualities, standing out as more than just informational material. The Oslofilms represent a unique and important chapter in Norwegian film history.

A film about the Nordic countries and the possibilities for cooperating. Based on an idea by Danish film auteur Carl Th. Dreyer. (DFI)

The group Young Flowers plays "And who but I should be", Joan dances. Jørgen Roos has manipulated the whole thing. Joan is a professional go-go dancer. People like to look at her and she likes to be watched when she dances. For her, dance is an expression of a kind of joy in life, which is perhaps a postulate. So is the movie. Symbols are such a pretentious thing. Is she thinking all that? Do we put something into it ourselves, or is it manipulation with a hidden meaning - it really doesn't matter, because she is very sweet - Joan. (DFI)