In the past, I have watched various Swedish and Danish films and they all seem to have similar traits in terms of their subject matter. They are usually quite controversial and the choices about what they choose to show is typically very graphic and with a tendency towards showing violence up close.

I was interested in finding out more as it seemed to me that Scandinavia had an identifiable ‘brand’ that is different to the US and UK film-making industry. I signed up for a 4-week MOOC called ‘Scandinavian Film and Television’ which is developed by the University of Copenhagen and hosted on the Coursera website. The course itself only starts a little later in the month, however they have already posted all the video and a lot of the reference material.

The course starts with an interesting lesson on the contribution Scandinavian cinema makes to the global film-making industry. According to Professor Ib Bondebjerg, Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Denmark, Scandinavian film and television is known for their auteurs, who are willing to experiment and take chances. Scandinavian films are also known for their social and psychological realism, and for putting existential and social problems on the agenda. Directors include Lars von Trier, Susanne Bier, Bent Hamer and Aki Kaurismaki.

As with the UK film industry, the Scandinavian countries are not able to compete with the American film industry in terms of size, distribution and ability to churn out blockbuster movies.  Nonetheless, there is public support for the cultural production of uniquely Scandinavian films. Consequently, the Scandinavian film industry is supported by various national institutions including the Nordic Film and Television Fund and national film institutes. It is possibly this support that enables directors like Lars von Trier to experiment in the way that he does.

After having watched Lars von Trier’s Melancholia and Nymphomaniac, I became intrigued by the rather odd filming style that von Trier uses where the shots appeared sometimes unfocussed and the camera movements very unsteady. Often the camera swings from one person to another and in so doing, misses out on the main action. There are instances where the camera pans to a character and the viewer is very aware that the cameraperson then has to either zoom of push in to frame the character correctly.

It turns out that this style of camera movement was part of the Dogme 95 Manifesto that was written by von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg in 1995. This manifesto was created by von Trier after his experiences producing a television series called The Kingdom. It was during the production of this series that Von Trier started experimenting with shaky handheld shots, distorted colours and ignoring some of the classic rules for filming such as the 180 degree rule.

According to Associate Professor, Peter Schepelern, Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Denmark, who incidental was one of von Trier’s lecturers 30 years ago, the Dogme 95 Manifesto came about as a way to counteract what von Trier perceived to be a ‘certain tendencies’ in cinema at the time. What made the Dogme 95 unique was that it didn’t only make statements about intentions or views on cinema, it also provided a method for film-making that Dogme directors would need to sign up to. The method included some interesting requirement, including:

1. Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in.
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot.)
3. The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted.
4. The film must be in color. Special lighting is not acceptable.
5. The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
6. Genre movies are not acceptable.
7. The director must not be credited.

The above list is abbreviated and incomplete. The full Dogme 95 manifesto with its ten rules can be found on:

http://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_10/section_1/artc1A.html

Von Trier has often stated that the ten rules of the Manifesto were restrictions that he put on himself to take away some of the control he had over the movie. By putting these rules in place, he was creating the best conditions  to ‘force the truth out of my characters and setting.’

One of the first films to be made respecting the Dogme95 rules was Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration, (Festen in Danish) which is about a family party to celebrate the 60th birthday of the father of a wealthy family. During this celebration, the son makes a speech where he ‘shares’ with the members of his family and their friends, that his father had been abusing him and his sister since they were children. This film is a typical Scandinavian theme in that it portrays blunt realism and doesn’t have a Hollywood happily-ever-after ending. The filming is grainy and the camerawork jittery. There is no attempt to make the actors look ‘attractive’ – they are smartly dressed because that is appropriate for the occasion however there is no special lighting, framing or compositional techniques used to show the actor in any light other than realism.

As per the Manifesto, the director of the film remains uncredited. However, in the IMDb, Thomas Vinterberg is acknowledged as the uncredited director. In some ways, this lack of credit worked in the reverse because everyone knows exactly who these directors are and in some way has given them additional visibility.

Many thought the Manifesto was  a publicity stunt and it was later abandoned by von Trier. However, it is now recognized as a turning point in Danish and to some extent European film-making in that it freed up directors and actors to make mistakes and to experiment.

Bibliography:

Festen [feature film, trailer] Dir.  Thomas Vinterberg (uncredited). Nimbus Film Productions, Danmarks Radio, Nordisk Film & TV Fund, Denmark, Sweden. 1998. 105 min.

Scandinavian Film and Television MOOC. University of Denmark. Course hosted on the Coursera website. https://www.coursera.org/

For the Dogme 95 Manifesto – www.dogme95.dk/ accessed 22/06/2016.