The first English-language book to cover Danish cinema from the 1890s to the present day Contextualises the work of renowned filmmakers including Carl Th. Dreyer, Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Susanne Bier Discusses national genres and traditions, including popular comedies, heritage film, children's film, porn, documentary and immigrant filmmakers Examines a range of film institutions and policies, including production companies, state support, talent development, regional film funds and international collaborations This wide-ranging collection places well-known auteurs such as Carl Th. Dreyer, Lars von Trier and Susanne Bier in their cultural context, and introduces a number of genres and themes that are less familiar to international audiences, including film stars of the silent era, children's film, folk comedies, porn film, trends in documentary and Greenlandic cinema. With twenty-two chapters, all of them specially commissioned for this volume, A History of Danish Cinema explores the role of screen representations and film policy in shaping Denmark's cultural identity, but also emphasises just how internationally mobile Danish films and filmmakers have always been showcasing this small nation's extraordinary contribution to world cinema.

The first English-language book to cover Danish cinema from the 1890s to the present day, this wide-ranging collection places well-known auteurs such as Carl Th. Dreyer, Lars von Trier and Susanne Bier in their cultural context, and introduces a number of genres and themes that are less familiar to international audiences, including film stars of the silent era, children's film, folk comedies, porn film, trends in documentary and Greenlandic cinema. With twenty-two chapters, all of them specially commissioned for this volume, A History of Danish Cinema explores the role of screen representations and film policy in shaping Denmark's cultural identity, but also emphasises just how internationally mobile Danish films and filmmakers have always been showcasing this small nation's extraordinary contribution to world cinema.

This open access edited volume shines new light on the history of propaganda and persuasion during the Nordic welfare epoch. A common analytical framework is developed that highlights transnational and transmedial perspectives rather than national or monomedial histories. The return of propaganda in contemporary debate underlines the need to historically contextualize the role and function of persuasive communication activities in the Nordic region and beyond. Building on an empirically situated approach, the chapters in this volume break new ground by covering a range of themes, from cultural diplomacy and nation branding to media materiality and information infrastructures. In doing so, the book stresses that the Nordic welfare epoch, with its associated epithet the "Nordic Model", was built not only on governance, social security and economic productivity, but also on propaganda and persuasion.

This open access edited volume shines new light on the history of propaganda and persuasion during the Nordic welfare epoch. A common analytical framework is developed that highlights transnational and transmedial perspectives rather than national or monomedial histories. The return of propaganda in contemporary debate underlines the need to historically contextualize the role and function of persuasive communication activities in the Nordic region and beyond. Building on an empirically situated approach, the chapters in this volume break new ground by covering a range of themes, from cultural diplomacy and nation branding to media materiality and information infrastructures. In doing so, the book stresses that the Nordic welfare epoch, with its associated epithet the "Nordic Model", was built not only on governance, social security and economic productivity, but also on propaganda and persuasion.

For three decades, state-sponsored short filmmaking educated Danish citizens, promoted Denmark to the world, and shaped the careers of renowned directors like Carl Th. Dreyer. The first book-length study in English of a national corpus of state-sponsored informational film, this book traces how Danish shorts on topics including social welfare, industry, art and architecture were commissioned, funded, produced and reviewed from the inter-war period to the 1960s. Examining the life cycle of a representative selection of films, and discussing their preservation and mediation in the digital age, this book presents a detailed case study of how informational cinema is shaped by, and indeed shapes, its cultural, political and technological contexts.

The first book-length study in English of a national corpus of state-sponsored informational filmFor three decades, state-sponsored short filmmaking educated Danish citizens, promoted Denmark to the world, and shaped the careers of renowned directors like Carl Th. Dreyer. The first book-length study in English of a national corpus of state-sponsored informational film, this book traces how Danish shorts on topics including social welfare, industry, art and architecture were commissioned, funded, produced and reviewed from the inter-war period to the 1960s. Examining the life cycle of a representative selection of films, and discussing their preservation and mediation in the digital age, this book presents a detailed case study of how informational cinema is shaped by, and indeed shapes, its cultural, political and technological contexts.Key featuresCombines close textual analysis of a broad range of films with detailed accounts of their commissioning, production, distribution and reception in Denmark and abroadConsiders a broad range of genres and sub-genres, including industrial process films, public information films, art films, the city symphony, the essay film, and many moreMaps international networks of informational and documentary films in the post-war periodExplores the role of informational film in Danish cultural and political history

Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg's searing film Festen ("The Celebration") was the first film from the Dogme 95 stable. Adhering to Dogme's cinematic purity - no artificial lighting, no superficial action, no credit for the director, and only handheld cameras for equipment - Festen was a commercial and critical success, winning the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1998 and garnering worldwide attention. The film is set at the sixtieth birthday party of Helge, the wealthy patriarch of a large Danish family. The birthday festivities take a turn when Helge's son Christian raises a toast and denounces Helge for having raped and abused him as a child, along with his twin sister, who recently committed suicide. The film explores the escalating consequences of Christian's announcement, from the stunned dinner party's collective denial, to violence, to an unexpected catharsis.

Klaus Rifbjerg's 1958 novel has become a constantly reprinted classic of twentieth-century Danish literature. It is the story of the unequal friendship between two teenagers, Janus and Tore, told from the point of view and in the schoolboy slang of the hero-worshipping Janus. Tore is a gifted student, mature beyond his years, effortlessly able to impress teachers and fellow pupils alike with his knowledge and charm. It is a foregone conclusion that he will fall in love at the school dance with the equally peerless Helle, and she with him; together they are the school's golden couple. It seems they will achieve a perfect union; but there is a snake in Paradise in the form of Helle's mother, fru Junkersen. Janus watches helplessly as the golden dream turns into a nightmare which destroys the two young lives, and he realises his own complicity in perpetuating an unsustainable myth. Rifbjerg has been a central figure in Danish literary life - as novelist, poet, playwright and cultural commentator - for the last sixty years, publishing works at an astonishing rate, around 175 in all. This novel, which was his first, is generally acknowledged to be his masterpiece.

This collection of essays celebrates Professor Janet Garton's outstanding contribution over four decades to research, teaching and leadership in the field of Scandinavian Studies. Contributions from some two dozen established and emerging scholars discuss Scandinavian literature, drama, letters and visual culture with a focus on themes germane to Janet's long-running course at UEA, From Free Love to Decadence: love, modernity, travel, faith, gender, sexuality, textuality, community, and the body.

This anthology brings together essays written by BA, MA and PhD students of Nordic Cinema at UCL. The essays discuss the key directors and movements in Nordic film history, including Victor Sjoestroem, Carl Th. Dreyer, Ingmar Bergman, Lars von Trier, and Dogme 95, but they also include work on topics and eras rarely discussed in English, such as alternative endings in early Danish cinema, inter-war drama in Norway, and the Finnish war film. The essay format is a staple of an Arts and Humanities education, but even the best student essays tend to end up languishing in a filing cabinet. This book project lets a selection of student essays on Nordic Cinema enjoy an afterlife, and at the same time provides the students involved with experience of publishing and other facets of the book production cycle in the digital era.

Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg's searing film "Festen" ("The Celebration") was the first film from the Dogme 95 stable. Adhering to Dogme's cinematic purity--no artificial lighting, no superficial action, no credit for the director, and only handheld cameras for equipment--Festen was a commercial and critical success, winning the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1998 and garnering worldwide attention.

The film is set at the sixtieth birthday party of Helge, the wealthy patriarch of a large Danish family. The birthday festivities take a turn when Helge's son Christian raises a toast and denounces Helge for having raped and abused him as a child, along with his twin sister, who recently committed suicide. The film explores the escalating consequences of Christian's announcement, from the stunned dinner party's collective denial, to violence, to an unexpected catharsis.

C. Claire Thomson's study examines the history and context of the film, setting it within the Danish cultural and sociopolitical milieu. It examines the place of the film as a work of national cinema and examines its pioneering role as an experiment in digital cinema.