After i've seen many good films from Denmark like In a Better World, The Hunt, etc....i have to say that i realy admire Denmark's filmakers and actors.
So, out of curiosity, I want to ask you which of the actors and filmakers we (the international audience) see in the movies like In a Better World, After the Wedding, Festen, The Hunt...... are famous and acknowledged in their own country?
Well i am not Danish but i'm Swedish so that's pretty close and live in southern Sweden which is only 2 hours away from Denmark and yes these movies are very famous in both Denmark and Sweden, In a Better World was quite successful here in Sweden partly because the main character is played by a big name Swedish actor.
shareOh realy, he is famous? So i know a Swedish actor :)
Generaly im interested to know how a nation accepts a movie of its own that makes international success.?
I have seen of course Ingmar Bergmans films as the hole world has seen. I have also seen Ondskan (Evil) which i loved it......and im going to see My Life as a Dog.
So what do you think about Swedish films? And what Sweden thinks about Swedish films?
So i know a Swedish actor :)
Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.share
What about Ondskan (2003)?
shareOndskan (Evil) is a very famous movie in both Sweden and Denmark
shareYou have to see My Life as a Dog, it's sooo good. I saw it eons ago when I was a kid. It's a very sad, interesting and sweet story.
I have not seen that many Swedish films and probably up til Haevnen I'd only seen Babette's Feast for Denmark. Mostly I've seen Bergman, Let the Right One In, etc. for Sweden. I'm not discriminating, I just don't have access to them. I'm interested in all sorts of film...been looking for more stuff from Mikael (Anton) now and found one thing he'd done on Netflix but the rest is out of reach, unfortunately.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
Lars Mikkelsen and Nikolai Lie Kaas are also big names, especially the latter.
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The OP should watch the Pusher trilogy. Really good Danish cinema.
Also, Borgen is an excellent Danish TV series.
I'm aware of Borgen and I have already seen the first season. Definitely one of the best series I've seen.
I will watch the Pusher trilogy. Thank you for the recommendation.
Watch my list on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FxGeULixWk
^You will love Pusher. It's fantastic.
Right now I am watching Forbrydelsen (2007), which has never been available here in America. I finally bought a multi-region DVD player and have been enjoying this show since then.
Almost three years after your post, but let me give you the right answer. Most actors and filmmakers who make it big internationally also make it big in their native countries. It's national pride. In fact, many actors who are in international hits remain famous in their own countries, even though they do not stay famous internationally. An example is the beautiful Danish actress Iben Hjejle, who co-starred opposite John Cusack in High Fidelity. Susanne Bier, the director of the movies you mention, is still primarily a domestic Danish director, though her movies are so good they attract international attention. On the other hand, Lars von Trier is more popular outside of Denmark than inside, because the Danes know what an ass he is.
shareI do not think it is just about "national pride". Take Susanne Bier's example for instance. In Denmark and Sweden she most likely enjoys full creative control, but I do not think she could have that while making Serena or Things we Lost in the Fire. I do not think even Steven Spielberg can burn a 150 mil budget doing whatever he likes without any concern of at least breaking even.
The budgets are much higher in Hollywood and as a result studio execs tend to stick their nose much closer during a film's production. Filmmakers hate that though. No-one from Zentropa is likely to say to Bier, Vinterberg or Refn how to direct their films, and directors love that (having full creative control). So it is a win - win for them : they can make money in Hollywood and they can make art back home.
Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.share
Most of the famous Danish and Swedish actors, such as Ulrich Thomsen, the Mikkelsen brothers, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joel Kinnaman and many many others, have had a parallel international carrier, in Hollywood, the UK and elsewhere. Even Mikael Persbrandt recently appeared in the Hobbit trilogy and in the internationally produced film The Salvation. The same applies to directors such as Susanne Bier, Thomas Vinderberg, Lasse Hallström and a lot of others.
I say "parallel" because whoever "breaks" into Hollywood does not ignore his home country, most of the Scandinavians do both local and international. Most of the American produced films of the Danish/Swedish/etc directors though are quite different, more commercial and with much safer themes, which suggests they have much less creative freedom and control in their American productions. I do not think Susanne Bier could ever pull a film like Haevnen in Hollywood. The same applies to every Americanized Asian film, such as the recent disastrous Old Boy..
Fanboy : a person who does not think while watching.share