Italian for Beginners
Encyclopedia
Italian for Beginners is a 2000 Danish romantic comedy
film written and directed by Lone Scherfig
. The film stars Anders W. Berthelsen, Lars Kaalund and Peter Gantzler
. The film was made by the austere principles of the Dogme 95
movement, including the use of hand held video cameras and natural lighting, and is known as Dogme XII. However, in contrast to most Dogme films which are harsh and serious in tone, Italian for Beginners is a light-hearted comedy. Made on a low budget of $600,000, the film ranks as the most profitable Scandinavian film in history.
In May 2010, it was officially revealed that writer-director Scherfig "borrowed" her plot from the Irish novel Evening Class by Maeve Binchy
. Zentropa has agreed to pay a non-disclosed compensation to Binchy.
course in a Danish
village. The class serves as a way of bringing these various residents of the town, each of whom is dealing with loss or pain, out of their loneliness and into interactions with other people. When the teacher suffers a heart attack during class and ends up dying, the six classmates hold the class anyway and eventually take a vacation to Italy
.
, the Golden Spike Award for the best film of the year at the Seminci
film festival in Valladolid
, Spain
, and the Audience Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival
in Poland
. Peter Gantzler won the award for Best Actor at the Seminci festival. The film also won the Gold Dolphin (Best Film) at the Festróia - Tróia International Film Festival in 2001.
It currently holds an 88% certified "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
film written and directed by Lone Scherfig
Lone Scherfig
Lone Scherfig is a Danish film director. She graduated in 1984, and began her career as a director with "A Birthday Trip". She is part of the Dogme 95 film movement, which espouses a form of cinéma vérité She made her mark with the Dogme95-film, Italian for Beginners , a romantic comedy which...
. The film stars Anders W. Berthelsen, Lars Kaalund and Peter Gantzler
Peter Gantzler
Peter Gantzler is a Danish actor. He is perhaps best known for his parts in Taxa and Italian for Beginners.-Biography:...
. The film was made by the austere principles of the Dogme 95
Dogme 95
Dogme 95 was an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, and...
movement, including the use of hand held video cameras and natural lighting, and is known as Dogme XII. However, in contrast to most Dogme films which are harsh and serious in tone, Italian for Beginners is a light-hearted comedy. Made on a low budget of $600,000, the film ranks as the most profitable Scandinavian film in history.
In May 2010, it was officially revealed that writer-director Scherfig "borrowed" her plot from the Irish novel Evening Class by Maeve Binchy
Maeve Binchy
Maeve Binchy is an Irish novelist, newspaper columnist and speaker. Educated at University College Dublin, she worked as a teacher then a journalist at The Irish Times and later became a writer of novels and short stories.Many of her novels are set in Ireland, dealing with the tensions between...
. Zentropa has agreed to pay a non-disclosed compensation to Binchy.
Plot summary
Three women and three men, all singles, with stressful or unhappy lives, register for an ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
course in a Danish
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...
village. The class serves as a way of bringing these various residents of the town, each of whom is dealing with loss or pain, out of their loneliness and into interactions with other people. When the teacher suffers a heart attack during class and ends up dying, the six classmates hold the class anyway and eventually take a vacation to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Cast
- Anders W. Berthelsen as Andreas
- Anette StøvelbækAnette Støvelbæk-Selected filmography:- External links :...
as Olympia - Ann Eleonora JørgensenAnn Eleonora JørgensenAnn Eleonora Jørgensen is a Danish film, television and stage actor.She is best known for her television work in TAXA and Forbrydelsen , and for her film roles in Italian for Beginners , for which she won a Robert Award for Best Supporting Actress, and In Your Hands , for which she won...
as Karen - Peter GantzlerPeter GantzlerPeter Gantzler is a Danish actor. He is perhaps best known for his parts in Taxa and Italian for Beginners.-Biography:...
as Jørgen Mortensen - Lars Kaalund as Hal-Finn
- Sara Indrio Jensen as Giulia
- Karen-Lise Mynster as Kirsten, the real estate dealer
- Rikke Wölck as Lise, the nurse
- Elsebeth Steentoft as Kirketjener
- Bent MejdingBent MejdingBent Mejding is a Danish actor. He won the Robert Award in 1985 and 2007. He is married to the actress Susse Wold.-References:* The Danish film institute....
as Reverend Wredmann - Lene Tiemroth as Karen's Mother
- Claus Gerving as Klaus Graversen
- Jesper ChristensenJesper ChristensenJesper Christensen is a Danish actor. A veteran of European cinema, he has more recently made the transition to English language projects, including The Interpreter and Revelations. He has also appeared as the mysterious villain Mr...
as Olympia's Father
Accolades
The film won the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear at the Berlin Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, the Golden Spike Award for the best film of the year at the Seminci
Seminci
Valladolid International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain since 1956....
film festival in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and the Audience Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw International Film Festival
Warsaw International Film Festival , also known as the Warsaw FilmFest, is a film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The festival has been held every year since 1985....
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Peter Gantzler won the award for Best Actor at the Seminci festival. The film also won the Gold Dolphin (Best Film) at the Festróia - Tróia International Film Festival in 2001.
It currently holds an 88% certified "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Literature
- Mette Hjort, Lone Scherfig's Italian for Beginners, Museum Tusculanum Press, 2010. ISBN 978-87-635-3483-3.