MovieChat Forums > Direktøren for det hele (2006) Discussion > Iceland and Denmark

Iceland and Denmark

posted 17 years ago by pedemano
8 replies | jump to latest

I saw this movie last week and was wondering about how people from these two countries really felt about one another. The potential buyer from Iceland seemed to have nothing but disdain for his Danish counterpart.

I was just wondering, do citizens of these two countries have these sorts of feelings about one another? Or is that just some stuff the movie was brining in all on it's own.

Sorry for my ignorance but I'm curious as there seemed to be a lot of cultural stuff that completely flew over my head. Still thought it was a funny movie.

[–] joaquimhock 17 years ago

Iceland has been a Danish colony for 600 years (until 1945)... I think it explains a lot of things.

Joaquim

"Dans la vie, il faut regarder par la fenêtre"
Eugène Ionesco

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jonasbjohansen 17 years ago

No, people from Iceland don't necessarily hate danes or vice verca. I think it's just a way of making fun of racism/prejudice. Von Trier did the same thing in "Riget", wherein the swedish doctor hated danes, for no rational reason.

[–] djsnafu23 16 years ago

Both times, the characters stole the show. Sadly the actor playing the sweidh guy in Riget has passed away. Side-splittingly funny.

[–] thao 16 years ago

Well, the Danish do not like that Icelanders are buying up many of the big companies in Denmark. Icelanders where the small guy for hundreds of years and suddenly Icelandic businessmen are showing up with hands full of money. Some Danish people believe that the Icelandic money is duty and so on. Most Icelanders believe that this reaction is because the Danish can't stand that an country which was under Danish King for hundred of years is doing so well (with only 300.000 inhabitants).

So there is some truth to the jokes in the film, but generally Icelanders like Danish people. I don't know if the same can be said about the Danish, since I have never lived in Denmark.

- This comment is most likely authentic and fairly close to what I intended to say -

[–] ijhuhuy 16 years ago

I'm from Iceland and we here *beep* hate the Danish.

As Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the president of Iceland once said: "The only Dane I like is a dead one!"

But seriously; I mostly hear good things about them.

"Who died and made you president Nixon?"
- Peter Griffin

[–] gaderaden 16 years ago

I'm danish and I don't have any positive or negative thoughts about Iceland. My feelings are neutral. I went to school with 2 people from Iceland and they were nice. That's all I can say

"I did not care for the Godfather" - Peter Griffin

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]