- Actors: Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika Steen, Birthe Neumann
- Directors: Thomas Vinterberg
- Writers: Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov
- Producers: Birgitte Hald, Morten Kaufmann
- Format: PAL
- Language Danish, English, German
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Bluelight
- DVD Release Date: 10 Nov 2003
- Run Time: 105 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0000DZRNH
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 117,703 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Rising to the challenge of Dogma 95's self-imposed restrictions on aesthetic freedom, Thomas Vinterberg's Festen is a remarkable example of the way limits can give rise to creative opportunity. (Dogma 95 is a vow of chastity sworn originally by a group of Danish film-makers, which also includes Lars von Trier, director of Breaking the Waves. The group's manifesto in which its members vow to eschew special lighting, optical effects, props and the visible imprint of a director's personality in order to attain higher truths yielded by characters.) Festen, shot with a small video camera and transferred to 35mm film, concerns a black-tie birthday gathering for a family patriarch, Helge (Henning Moritzen), which erodes into a battle after long-suppressed secrets are revealed and the chance to settle old scores presents itself. Among the grievances are an accusation of incest and the responsibility for the death of a child--gruesome stuff, but Vinterberg doesn't characterise the partying crowd's reaction in quite the way one might have expected. In fact, the whole of Festen is about unexpected perspectives and vantage points emerging from out of nowhere, largely due to Vinterberg's free hand at editing the film in such a way as to yank truth from every corner. This is a strong work that belies scepticism over Dogma 95's bare-bones trendiness, and is perhaps a harbinger of great work to come from Vinterberg. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What great cinema is all about,
By
This review is from: Festen [DVD] [1999] (DVD)
The very first film made in accordance with the Dogme 95 manifesto, and quite possibly the best. You don't so much watch Festen as get completely drawn into it. The natural lighting and hand-held camera give it an almost documentary feel, your being pulled - whether you like it or not - into the action from the very first moment.
All claustrophobically set in one day and in one hotel, over the course of the film you find yourself emotionally dragged through the gutter before being pulled out the other side. You find yourself thrown into the back of cars and into the middle of fights - so much so that by the end you rather feel like you've experienced the whole thing first hand rather than having been a passive spectator. The acting is incredible, and the utter intensity of the whole thing at times overwhelming. As another reviewer said, if you thought that your family had issues then prepare to be stunned. Hence while the Dogme manifesto has now become rather old-hat, Festen is testament to what it set out to do in the first place. It stripped film-making down to its bare-essentials, shunning the high-tech equipment, lighting and special effects that have become predominant and instead took it back to its rawest and purest form. The result is a breathtaking and landmark film that will shock you, touch you and probably even disgust you, but that will ultimately also leave you fully convinced of the power of great cinema.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
which speach would you choose?,
By
This review is from: Festen [DVD] [1999] (DVD)
Festen concerns the birthday of a wealthy Danish patriach. The whole family gathers in celebration(festen)at a large isolated hotel, just one year after the suicide of one of the daughters. The eldest son Christian has been invited to make a speach in honour of his father, but he has written two speeches, his father must choose...
This film is a raw and searingly honest exploration of family dynamics, both the dark and the light. Made as part of the dogma 95 contract (no artificial lighting, music etc) the stripped down method completely suits the content of the film. As the contents of the speech are revealed so are the families skeletons in the cupboard, and with them all the denial and avoidance families use to try and keep harmony and avoid the painful truth. This film manages to open the wounds of the characters without cliche, and shows the festering underbelly of the protagonists without judgement, an amazing feat given the history involved. Because the filming technique is so close and visceral, the clostrophobia of the situation is felt by the viewer and it is easy to feel as one of the guests,who would rather not be viewing the intimate unravelling of extended family, but in the same breath is struck by morbid curiosity as to how things will unfold. And when this is done, it is managed with real compassion, redemption and hope. Festen is not a comfortable film, but it does not abandon the viewer in this, rather is uses the pain to reach resolution and beauty. Just watch it.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Flawless,
By A Customer
This review is from: Festen [VHS] [1999] (VHS Tape)
This is possibly the best film I've ever seen. Watching it again (for the third time) last night, I was amazed by the subtlety and force of every single scene, image and gesture. The structure of the plot is on a par with a classic Greek tragedy, updated for the contemporary psyche. The transformation of every character through the gradual revelations of the story is thoroughly Shakespearean. As for the relentless power of truth, advancing slowly and unpredictably, but ultimately crushing all social artifice and pretence - it's art at its best. Awesome.
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