10 posts tagged “denmark”

The film Flame & Citron (Flammen og Citronen) is the based on the true story of two Danish resistance fighters who liquidate Nazi informers during World War II. The ever-amazing Mads Mikkelsen plays Citronen (Citron or Lemon) to Thure Lindhardt's Flammen (Flame), most recently seen in the love-it-or-hate-it movie Dan Brown/Tom Hanks/Ron Howard film Angels & Demons.

I'm not sure you're aware of this, but the Danes are under the uneasy impression that the world thinks they've somehow failed to do enough to fight evil Nazism during WWII. Crazy, Danes. I have a theory about this.

Danes are the epitome of stoicism. They are creative, sensitive, deep-thinking, highly educated, genetically beautiful creatures with a tendency to appear unemotional in times when everyone else is freaking the hell out. Appearances can be deceiving: this logic in tempering their emotionality, essentially the art of quiet disconnect, is what provides the so-inclined stoic a clear mind for judgment and a inner calm. And it's this standoffish nature of the Danish culture that makes them feel that maybe this movie will clear things up, explain away any residual doubts about Denmark's resistance to Hitler's Secret Service.

To the Danes I say this:

So sweet of you to make this film to share your true story. We all know you're not Nazi sympathizers, in fact spending more than 45 million kroner -- a blockbuster sum -- to convince us of this is heartening. Thanks! It's a brutally lovely flick! Plus Mads is in it, and I'll watch that boy in anything at all. ANYTHING. AT. ALL. But please understand that we love your unaffected, surface-cold temperaments and disturbingly talented (albeit oft cheesy and indifferent) culture. We do. It's what makes the Danes, you know...Danish.

So, embrace your genetically ingrained shoulder-shrugging attitude and please, and please do continue to exploit it in great films, music, literature, and art. It's who you are, and we love you for it. Also, make sure Mads Mikkelsen is featured as much as possible. In advance, tak!

A melody that illuminates that dark place left in winter's Scandinavia.

Blue Foundation's haunting "Shine" is featured in this movie preview for the film Angel's Gone. This is the film adaption of playwright Anthony Neilson’s 1991 work Normal: The Düsseldorf Ripper, the fictional story of the making of the life of a serial killer, told from the point of view of his beautiful Defense Attorney.

I just can't get enough of Karen Dreijer Andersson lately, drawn time and again to her projects The Knife and Fever Ray. There's a sweet spot I'm attracted to, a combination of utter weirdness, electronic tropical beats, and political ball-busting. The Knife's 2007 pre-recorded Swedish Grammy acceptance award video is classic "WTF is this?" behavior.

But you know? I think they've outdone themselves brilliantly this time. The Knife is set to unveil an opera written to celebrate the 150th publishing anniversary of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species in September 2009. It'll be at the Royal Danish Theatre, no less. The BIG time people!

The Hotel Pro Form, a Danish performance organization, is producing. From their Web site:

The theatre group Hotel Pro Forma’s (DK) special form of beauty blends with The Knife’s (SE) electronic music and Hiroaki Umedas (JP) hip-hop-inspired choreography to form a new type of electro-opera based on the works of Charles Darwin. An opera singer, a pop singer and an actor singing in the tradition of Brigitte Bardot perform The Knife’s music on stage. Six dancers from ballet and modern dance merge with the singers and the newest technology in light and sound to give us an incredible image of our immense diversity and amazing similarities.

WHO'S GOING WITH ME? This is going to be better than a bajillion SXSWs. Not that I'm still bitter I missed another one. Nope.

One of my favoritest The Knife songs of all the awesomenest ones, "We Share Our Mother's Health" performed LIVE:

In case you missed it, I've previously written about The Knife here, and featured the Fever Ray video "If I Only Had a Heart" here.

We came down from the north
Blue hands and a torch
Red wine and food for free
A possibility
We share our mothers' health
It is what we've been dealt
What's in it for me?
Fine
Then I'll agree

Trees there will be
Apples, fruits maybe
You know what I fear
The end is always near
x2

Say you like it
Say you need it
When you don't
Looking better
Shining brighter
Than you do
x2

Time proves you are
no longer watching over me
Leaving nothing to prevent me from reminding you of the
time you looked into me and said
Don't leave me, and
Please stay

You close your eyes
And leave me naked by your side
You close the door so I can’t see
The love you keep inside
The love you keep for me

It fills me up
It feels like living in a dream
It fills me up so I can’t see
The love you keep inside
The love you keep for me

I stay
To watch you fade away
I dream of you tonight
Tomorrow you’ll be gone
It gives me time to stay
To watch you fade away
I dream of you tonight
Tomorrow you’ll be gone
I wish my God you’d stay

I stay awake
I stay awake and watch you breathe
I stay awake and watch you fly
Away into the night
Escaping through a dream

I stay
To watch you fade away
I dream of you tonight
Tomorrow you’ll be gone
It gives me time to stay
To watch you fade away
I dream of you tonight
Tomorrow you’ll be gone
I wish my God you’d stay

Hey
Stay

I stay
To watch you fade away
I dream of you tonight
Tomorrow you’ll be gone
It gives me time to stay
To watch you fade away
I dream of you tonight
Tomorrow you’ll be gone
It gives me time to stay
To watch you fade away
I dream of you tonight
Tomorrow you’ll be gone
I wish my God you’d stay

Stay awake
Stay
Stay

I wish my God you’d stay

Jacob Petersen has dedicated his life to helping street children in India. When the orphanage he heads is threatened by closure, he receives an unusual offer. A Danish businessman, Jørgen, offers him a donation of $4 million dollars. There are, however, certain conditions... Not only must Jacob return to Denmark, he must also take part in the wedding of Jørgen's daughter. The wedding proves to be a critical juncture between past and future and catapults Jacob into the most intense dilemma of his life.

Melissa Ruth Anderson

It's not the world that's out of order
It's me, it's me
Guess I ran along my borders
Just to see, just to see

If a friendly face would drop by and rescue me
But I lost my faith as I lost my breath

It's not the street that's made of concrete
It's you, it's you
Guess I try to penetrate it with this point of view
I had never taken more than I give to you
I was led astray and I lost my way

Never felt so alone
Stripped naked and cold to the bone
Lost my faith in her on my own
With no queue by the door to my home

It's not the light that casts the shadow
It's doubt, it's doubt
As a melancholic sorrow came about, came about

I had never fought as hard though as I do for you
I'm not getting strong to prove I'm wrong

Never felt so alone
Stripped naked and cold to the bone
Lost my faith in her on my own
With no queue by the door to my home

And god sent an angel
An angel
She's an angel
An angel

Never felt so alone
Stripped naked and cold to the bone
Lost my faith in her on my own
With no queue by the door to my home
God sent an angel
Sent an angel
She's an angel
An angel
She's an angel

It's not my life that's obsolete
It's youth, my youth
Guess it took a while for me to see the truth, see the truth
I got stuck in minor details so I missed the point
I got so much more than I bargained for

jomimassage.dk

Track Listing

1 the end of blue
2 on her behalf
3 gypsy
4 romeo
5 untitled
6 7 demons
7 in spite of
8 joy
9 the second you sleep
10 godspeed into the future
11 angel
12 eyes on the highway
13 brilliant sky
14 walk in the park
15 haunted house on the hill
16 we almost made it
17 i surrender
18 the day after tomorrow

...go right to the source at Fabchannel.com

The incredible Danish band Saybia, filmed at the beautiful Søfortet Trekroner. For you, Zakiel.