Henning Carlsen
Encyclopedia
Henning Carlsen is a Danish
film director, screenwriter, and producer most noted for his documentaries and his contributions to the style of Cinéma vérité
. Carlsen's 1966 social-realistic
drama Hunger
(Sult) was nominated for the Palme D'Or
and won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
. Carlsen also won the Bodil Award the following year for the comedy People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart
. Acting as his own producer since 1960, Carlsen has directed more than 25 films, 19 for which he wrote the screenplay. In 2006, he received the Golden Swan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival
.
, Denmark
. Carlsen became an assistant director at Minerva Film in 1948 and received his on-the-job training there. He was attached with Minerva until 1953 when he shifted to Nordisk Film
. Carlsen began by writing and directing short documentaries and industry films, and with this background he flourished in the production of the cinema verite
style. His documentary trilogy, De Gamle (The Elderly – 1961)), Familiebilleder (Family pictures- 1964) and Ung (Youth – 1965), created a classic portrait of 1960s Denmark as the nation revolutionized and transformed into a modern welfare society Especially noted was Carlsen's technique of rhythmic editing in De Gamle which produced a lyrical portrait of retirees without any needed commentary.
In 1962, Carlsen continued in cinema verite style with his first feature film, the harsh social drama A World of Strangers (Dilemma). Based upon the 1958 novel about apartheid by Nadine Gordimer
, Carlsen filmed illegally on location in South Africa with use of a hidden camera. He followed this effort with the 1966 drama Hunger
(Sult
) based upon the autobiographical novel of Norwegian
author Knut Hamsun
. With its stark focus on a life of poverty and desperation, the film is considered a masterpiece of social realism
and is one of the ten films listed in Denmark's cultural canon by the Danish Ministry of Culture. Carlsen was nominated for the Palme D'Or
and won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
.
The following year, Carlsen changed pace from his realistic dramas and made the comedy People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart
(Mennesker mødes og sød musik opstår i hjertet) based on the work of Jens August Schade. Again, he was awarded the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. During his career, Carlsen has maintained interest in popular comedies with such films as Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon!
(Man sku være noget ved musikken), in collaboration with Benny Andersen
, and I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now?. In 1967, Carlsen returned to the same format of social realism he used in Sult with the drama We are All Demons (Klaubauterman), a story based upon a novel by Axel Sandemose.
In 1986, Carlsen filmed the international production Wolf at the Door starring Donald Sutherland. During his career, Carlsen has written 19 films and directed 21. He has also directed for both theater and television. Since 1966, Carlsen has been a teacher and member of the advisory council for the National Film School in Denmark. In 2006, Carlsen was the recipient of the Golden Swan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Copenhagen Film Festival.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
film director, screenwriter, and producer most noted for his documentaries and his contributions to the style of Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
. Carlsen's 1966 social-realistic
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
drama Hunger
Hunger (1966 film)
Hunger , is a 1966 black-and-white drama film directed by Denmark's Henning Carlsen, starring Swedish actor Per Oscarsson, and based upon the novel Hunger by Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author Knut Hamsun...
(Sult) was nominated for the Palme D'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
and won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics . It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in Europe. The judging committee can decide not to give out the award if no deserving films are...
. Carlsen also won the Bodil Award the following year for the comedy People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart
People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart
People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart, , is a 1967 Danish/Swedish romantic comedy directed by Henning Carlsen and starring Harriet Andersson and Preben Neergaard...
. Acting as his own producer since 1960, Carlsen has directed more than 25 films, 19 for which he wrote the screenplay. In 2006, he received the Golden Swan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival
Copenhagen International Film Festival
Copenhagen International Film Festival is a film festival held in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was first held in 2003, and is held annually. The main award at the Copenhagen International Film Festival is the Golden Swan, which will be awarded for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best...
.
Career
Henning Carlsen was born on 4 June 1927 in AalborgAalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Carlsen became an assistant director at Minerva Film in 1948 and received his on-the-job training there. He was attached with Minerva until 1953 when he shifted to Nordisk Film
Nordisk Film
Nordisk Film , established in Denmark in 1906 by Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen, is the oldest continuously operating film studio in the world. Olsen started his company in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby under the name "Ole Olsen's Film Factory" but soon changed it to the Nordisk Film Kompagni...
. Carlsen began by writing and directing short documentaries and industry films, and with this background he flourished in the production of the cinema verite
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
style. His documentary trilogy, De Gamle (The Elderly – 1961)), Familiebilleder (Family pictures- 1964) and Ung (Youth – 1965), created a classic portrait of 1960s Denmark as the nation revolutionized and transformed into a modern welfare society Especially noted was Carlsen's technique of rhythmic editing in De Gamle which produced a lyrical portrait of retirees without any needed commentary.
In 1962, Carlsen continued in cinema verite style with his first feature film, the harsh social drama A World of Strangers (Dilemma). Based upon the 1958 novel about apartheid by Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature when she was recognised as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity".Her writing has long dealt...
, Carlsen filmed illegally on location in South Africa with use of a hidden camera. He followed this effort with the 1966 drama Hunger
Hunger (1966 film)
Hunger , is a 1966 black-and-white drama film directed by Denmark's Henning Carlsen, starring Swedish actor Per Oscarsson, and based upon the novel Hunger by Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author Knut Hamsun...
(Sult
Sult
Sult may refer to:* Sult, Albania, a municipality in the Gramsh District, Elbasan County, central Albania*Hunger , a novel written by Norwegian author Knut Hamsun.*Hunger directed by Henning Carlsen, based upon the Knut Hamsun novel....
) based upon the autobiographical novel of Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
author Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
. With its stark focus on a life of poverty and desperation, the film is considered a masterpiece of social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
and is one of the ten films listed in Denmark's cultural canon by the Danish Ministry of Culture. Carlsen was nominated for the Palme D'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
and won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics . It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in Europe. The judging committee can decide not to give out the award if no deserving films are...
.
The following year, Carlsen changed pace from his realistic dramas and made the comedy People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart
People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart
People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart, , is a 1967 Danish/Swedish romantic comedy directed by Henning Carlsen and starring Harriet Andersson and Preben Neergaard...
(Mennesker mødes og sød musik opstår i hjertet) based on the work of Jens August Schade. Again, he was awarded the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. During his career, Carlsen has maintained interest in popular comedies with such films as Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon!
Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon!
Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon! is a 1972 Danish drama film directed by Henning Carlsen. It was entered in the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival...
(Man sku være noget ved musikken), in collaboration with Benny Andersen
Benny Andersen
Benny Andersen , is a Danish song-writer, poet, author, composer and pianist. He is the most widely read, most often sung and best loved of modern Danish lyricists, often associated with his collaboration with Povl Dissing. His collected poems have sold over 100,000 copies...
, and I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now?. In 1967, Carlsen returned to the same format of social realism he used in Sult with the drama We are All Demons (Klaubauterman), a story based upon a novel by Axel Sandemose.
In 1986, Carlsen filmed the international production Wolf at the Door starring Donald Sutherland. During his career, Carlsen has written 19 films and directed 21. He has also directed for both theater and television. Since 1966, Carlsen has been a teacher and member of the advisory council for the National Film School in Denmark. In 2006, Carlsen was the recipient of the Golden Swan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Copenhagen Film Festival.
Personal life
Carlsen Henning was married the first time to Hjørdis Wirth Jensen. In 1975 he married a second time with film consultant Else Heidary.Filmography
| Year | Original Title | English Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Springet | Springet | |
| 1998 | I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now | I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now | |
| 1995 | Pan Pan (1995 film) Pan is a 1995 Danish/Norwegian/German film directed by Henning Carlsen, based on Knut Hamsun's 1894 novel of the same name. It is the fourth and most recent film adaptation of the novel—the novel was previously adapted into motion pictures in 1922, 1937, and 1960.-Cast:*Sofie Gråbøl as Edvarda... |
Two Green Feathers | |
| 1986 | Oviri | The Wolf at the Door' | |
| 1982 | Pengene eller livet | Your Money or Your Life | |
| 1978 | Hør, var der ikke en som lo? | Did Somebody Laugh? | |
| 1975 | Da Svante forsvandt | When Svante Disappeared | |
| 1975 | En Lykkelig skilsmisse | A Happy Divorce A Happy Divorce A Happy Divorce is a 1975 Danish-French drama film directed by Henning Carlsen. It was entered into the 1975 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean Rochefort - Jean-Baptiste Morin* André Dussollier - François* Daniel Ceccaldi - Antoine... |
|
| 1972 | Man sku være noget ved musikken | Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon! Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon! Oh, to Be on the Bandwagon! is a 1972 Danish drama film directed by Henning Carlsen. It was entered in the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival... |
Entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival 22nd Berlin International Film Festival The 22nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 23 June to 4 July 1972.-Jury:* Eleanor Perry * Fritz Drobilitsch-Walden* Francis Cosne* Rita Tushingham* Tinto Brass* Yukichi Shinada* Julio Coll* Hans Hellmut Kirst... |
| 1971 | Er i bange? | Are You Afraid? | |
| 1969 | Klabautermannen | We Are All Demons We Are All Demons We Are All Demons is a 1969 Danish drama film directed by Henning Carlsen. It was entered into the 19th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Lise Fjeldstad - Inger* Hans Stormoen - Asbjørn Bauta* Claus Nissen - Asthor Asbjörnsen... |
Entered into the 19th Berlin International Film Festival 19th Berlin International Film Festival The 19th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 25 to July 6, 1969.-Jury:* Johannes Schaaf * Agnesa Kalinova* José P... |
| 1967 | Mennesker mødes og sød musik opstår i hjertet | People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart, , is a 1967 Danish/Swedish romantic comedy directed by Henning Carlsen and starring Harriet Andersson and Preben Neergaard... |
Bodil Award for Best Danish Film Bodil Award for Best Danish Film The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics . It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in Europe. The judging committee can decide not to give out the award if no deserving films are... |
| 1966 | Sult Sult Sult may refer to:* Sult, Albania, a municipality in the Gramsh District, Elbasan County, central Albania*Hunger , a novel written by Norwegian author Knut Hamsun.*Hunger directed by Henning Carlsen, based upon the Knut Hamsun novel.... |
Hunger Hunger (1966 film) Hunger , is a 1966 black-and-white drama film directed by Denmark's Henning Carlsen, starring Swedish actor Per Oscarsson, and based upon the novel Hunger by Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author Knut Hamsun... |
Bodil Award for Best Danish Film Bodil Award for Best Danish Film The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics . It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in Europe. The judging committee can decide not to give out the award if no deserving films are... |
| 1965 | Kattorna | The Cats | |
| 1965 | Ung | Youth | |
| 1964 | Familebilleder | Family Pictures | |
| 1963 | Hvad med os? | How About Us? | |
| 1962 | Dilemma | A World of Strangers | Grand Prize at Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival |
| 1961 | De Gamle | The Elderly | |
| 1960 | Souvenirs from Sweden | Souvenirs from Sweden | |
| 1959 | Et Knudeproblem | ||
| 1958 | Cyklisten | The Bicyclist | |
| 1950 | Civilforsvaret | The Civil Defense | |
| 1950 | Dukkestuen | ||
Further reading
Wakeman, John. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 180–184. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8242-0757-1External links
- Henning Carlsen at Det Danske Filminstitut
- Henning Carlsen at The Danish Film Database (in Danish)