Jens Brenaa

Normannerne

With "The Normans," painters Paul Gernes and Per Kirkeby wanted to make a film about the Viking Age, but not a traditional fiction film set in that period. Instead, the film has a contemporary setting, in which a guide shows various historical sites and tries to bring the past to life, even though she has only one interested listener. Within this framework, episodes from Danish mythology are brought to life: King Skjold, Rolf Krake, Regnar Lodbrog, the Battle of Svold, etc. The film mainly follows the account in Saxo's chronicle, but also dramatizes a story by the Arab author Ibn Fadlan. He described the cremation of a Viking chieftain in Russia around the year 900, where, among other things, a slave woman was sacrificed after ritual intercourse. The film is based on a number of historical and archaeological studies. The loose form is intended to emphasize how fragmentary our knowledge of the Viking Age actually is.

Hvor der er vilje, er der vej

During Christmas week in 1949, escape artist Carl August Lorentzen was on the run after digging his way out of Horsens Prison. The TV movie follows the legendary escape minute by minute.

Strandvaskeren

A Town in the Province

In 1970s Denmark, the criminal police in a provincial town solve different criminal cases, when the police was dominated by men and DNA was not yet a tool in investigation.

Key House Mirror

Lily (76) is sure there’s nothing wrong with her. The only reason she lives in a care home is because of her husband Max's illness: a series of strokes has reduced him to a vegetable. The fact that Lily isn’t exactly the way she used to be becomes slowly clear in the Danish drama Key House Mirror - the title refers to a memory test. It’s not easy for Lily to leave her old habits behind her and fit in with the rules of the home. Her life blossoms when she meets an 80-year-old Swedish neighbour, a charming man who gives her the attention she has long missed. Lily’s daughter, however, is not so happy with the budding romance.

Before the Frost

A struggling farmer in 19th-century Denmark must go against his morals and make a deal with a wealthy neighbour in order to secure his family’s survival over a harsh winter.

The Goldcabbage Family

The family Gyldenkål is actually called Iversen, but have changed their name, after numerous problems with the IRS, loan sharks and employers. Using clever scams, the family builds up a reputation as a wealthy and respectable part of society.

Girls at Sea

Women have joined the military in Denmark but may still not serve in the navy. This makes the lives of the sailors difficult when three women get trapped on board of a navy vessel do to an surprise exercise at sea. Trying to hide the three women leads to comical situations.

Girls at Arms

A comedy about girls joining the army in Denmark. Marianne joins to keep up a long family tradition as her brother won't. Both her brother and her boyfriend find her decision difficult to accept.

Bedside Highway

In this Danish sex comedy, precisely opposite goals lead a young official of the Department of Roads and Traffic and all the women of the local village to end up in the sack. His goal is to get them to sign papers allowing a new highway to go through the middle of town. Their goal is to get him to re-route the highway.