Plot: In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen – a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero — sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power.
Review: You have heard the cliche “they don’t make them like they used to” countless times, but it fits perfectly when reviewing The Promised Land. An epic melodrama that combines elements of survival thrillers, westerns, period melodramas, and historical drama, The Promised Land is a stunning and stark look at one man’s quest to tame the harsh wilderness of the barren northern territory of Denmark while also...
Review: You have heard the cliche “they don’t make them like they used to” countless times, but it fits perfectly when reviewing The Promised Land. An epic melodrama that combines elements of survival thrillers, westerns, period melodramas, and historical drama, The Promised Land is a stunning and stark look at one man’s quest to tame the harsh wilderness of the barren northern territory of Denmark while also...
- 2/17/2024
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
The Promised Land Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, and Gustav Lindh.
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
The Promised Land Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)
What’s Good: Having another collaboration between Arcel and Mikkelsen feels right after what they did in A Royal Affair a decade ago.
What’s Bad: The Promised Land loses some steam towards the end and comes to a rushed resolution.
Loo Break: The Promised Land is engaging, so you will want to see what happens next in the story.
Watch or Not?: Yes, this is a must-watch film, especially if you are a fan of history or Mads Mikkelsen’s work as an actor.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 127 Minutes.
User Rating:
Historical films have that kind of aura around them that makes them more film-like than many others. There is...
Star Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, and Gustav Lindh.
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
The Promised Land Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: IMDb)
What’s Good: Having another collaboration between Arcel and Mikkelsen feels right after what they did in A Royal Affair a decade ago.
What’s Bad: The Promised Land loses some steam towards the end and comes to a rushed resolution.
Loo Break: The Promised Land is engaging, so you will want to see what happens next in the story.
Watch or Not?: Yes, this is a must-watch film, especially if you are a fan of history or Mads Mikkelsen’s work as an actor.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 127 Minutes.
User Rating:
Historical films have that kind of aura around them that makes them more film-like than many others. There is...
- 2/5/2024
- by Nelson Acosta
- KoiMoi
Glowering from atop his mountainous cheekbones, Mads Mikkelsen cuts a hard, intimidating figure in the The Promised Land. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel from a screenplay co-written by the prolific Anders Thomas Jensen, the film casts Mikkelsen as real-life 18-century war veteran Ludvig Kahlen, a proud man of humble origins who hopes to establish the first viable homestead in Denmark’s Jutland heath. Many others have tried to cultivate the barren lowland in the name of the king, but none have succeeded. “The world’s asshole,” one man calls this no man’s land roamed by outlaws and outcasts. One look into Kahlen’s eyes is to know that he’ll succeed at transforming the heath into farmable land.
In large part for the way it paints morality in black and white, The Promised Land is an old-fashioned western, and what it lacks in nuance it more than makes up for in showmanship.
In large part for the way it paints morality in black and white, The Promised Land is an old-fashioned western, and what it lacks in nuance it more than makes up for in showmanship.
- 2/1/2024
- by Steven Scaife
- Slant Magazine
You do not fuck with Mads Mikkelsen.
There are a number of takeaways to be had from The Promised Land, the excellent prestige drama-cum-bloody payback flick straight outta Denmark. The rich in 18th century Scandinavia were as entitled, immoral, and sociopathic as they are in 21st century everywhere. Just because you’ve fought for a country doesn’t mean it will give you a fair shake. Few things fill a big screen better than a grand, historical epic brimming with sweeping vistas, action-packed set pieces, and heroic men and women fighting for love,...
There are a number of takeaways to be had from The Promised Land, the excellent prestige drama-cum-bloody payback flick straight outta Denmark. The rich in 18th century Scandinavia were as entitled, immoral, and sociopathic as they are in 21st century everywhere. Just because you’ve fought for a country doesn’t mean it will give you a fair shake. Few things fill a big screen better than a grand, historical epic brimming with sweeping vistas, action-packed set pieces, and heroic men and women fighting for love,...
- 2/1/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
"The Promised Land", based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen, is a new historical drama feature, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Jakob Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper and Felix Kramer, opening February 2, 2024 in theaters:
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Nikolaj Arcel‘s The Promised Land is set in 18th-century Denmark, where Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen), a proud and ambitious war hero of humble birth, has retired from the German Army after an illustrious 25 years of service. Despite his impoverished state, he persuades the Royal Danish Court to allow him to cultivate on a barren property of Jutland moorland, relying solely on his meager pension. In exchange for this ambitious undertaking, he seeks the coveted privilege of a noble title accompanied by a grand manor. Embarking on this daring venture, he faces the challenge of not only an inhospitable territory but also a county judge residing in the formidable Hald Manor, Frederik De Schinkel, known for his merciless rule and land ownership. Undeterred by the harsh elements and local brigands, Ludvig forms an unlikely alliance with a couple, Johannes Eriksen and his wife Ann Barbara, who have escaped the...
- 1/19/2024
- by Dipankar Sarkar
- Talking Films
"The Promised Land", based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen, is a new historical drama feature, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Jakob Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper and Felix Kramer, releasing February 2, 2024 in theaters:
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
- 1/15/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"The Promised Land", based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen, is a new historical drama feature, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Jakob Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper and Felix Kramer, releasing February 2, 2024 in theaters:
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
- 12/20/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"The Promised Land", based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen, is a new historical drama feature, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Jakob Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper and Felix Kramer, releasing February 2, 2024 in theaters:
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
- 12/15/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"The Promised Land", based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen, is a new historical drama feature, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Amanda Collin ("Raised by Wolves"), Mads Mikkelsen, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Jakob Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper and Felix Kramer, with a wide release Tba:
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
- 10/11/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"The Promised Land", based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen, is a new historical drama feature, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Jakob Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper and Felix Kramer, with a wide release Tba:
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
"....poor soldier, 'Ludvig Kahlen', arrives in 1755 on the barren 'Jutland' heath with a single goal: to follow the king's call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself.
"But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, 'Frederik De Schinkel', who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king.
"When De Schinkel's serf runs away with his wife 'Ann Barbara' and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge.
"Kahlen does not bow,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Icon Film Distribution has picked up The Promised Land, the Danish period drama starring Mads Mikkelsen for the U.K.
The Nordic Western sees Mikkelsen reteam with Nikolaj Arcel, the director of 2012’s A Royal Affair, a steamy period piece that scored an Oscar nomination for best international feature and launched the career of co-star Alicia Vikander.
Mikkelsen stars as Captain Kahlen, an 18th-century soldier who struggled, against all odds, to cultivate the barren Jutland heath and start a settlement there. But a local landowner, Frederik De Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg) is determined to stop him, fearing the arrival of settlers will weaken his position as lord of the realm. The Promised Land is based on Ida Jessen’s Danish best-seller The Captain and Ann Barbara and was inspired by real events, though the book and film are fiction. Amanda Collin and Gustav Lindh co-star.
The Promised Land premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
The Nordic Western sees Mikkelsen reteam with Nikolaj Arcel, the director of 2012’s A Royal Affair, a steamy period piece that scored an Oscar nomination for best international feature and launched the career of co-star Alicia Vikander.
Mikkelsen stars as Captain Kahlen, an 18th-century soldier who struggled, against all odds, to cultivate the barren Jutland heath and start a settlement there. But a local landowner, Frederik De Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg) is determined to stop him, fearing the arrival of settlers will weaken his position as lord of the realm. The Promised Land is based on Ida Jessen’s Danish best-seller The Captain and Ann Barbara and was inspired by real events, though the book and film are fiction. Amanda Collin and Gustav Lindh co-star.
The Promised Land premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
- 9/19/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After his 2012 film A Royal Affair received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Danish writer-director Nikolaj Arcel did what probably seemed logical at the time: go to Hollywood. But like many directors before him who walked that same path, the results were less than ideal––his being 2017’s disastrous Stephen King adaptation The Dark Tower. Six years later, Arcel returns to his home country and reunites with A Royal Affair star Mads Mikkelsen to make The Promised Land, a brutal, entertaining period piece and another showcase for Mikkelsen’s stone-faced magnetism.
Set in 1700s Denmark, the film tells the story of Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mikkelsen), a poor veteran who intends to grow crops on the Jutland Heath. Opening title cards establish that no one has been able to “tame” the Heath for decades, but Kahlen and the King’s treasurers come up with a mutually beneficial arrangement. If...
Set in 1700s Denmark, the film tells the story of Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mikkelsen), a poor veteran who intends to grow crops on the Jutland Heath. Opening title cards establish that no one has been able to “tame” the Heath for decades, but Kahlen and the King’s treasurers come up with a mutually beneficial arrangement. If...
- 9/18/2023
- by C.J. Prince
- The Film Stage
They don’t make them like this any more, except when they do. Bastarden (disappointingly renamed The Promised Land in English) is a historical epic out of Denmark that has all the virtues of a midday movie remembered from childhood, the kind of thing you watched when your mother kept you home with a bad cold: a setting sometime in the olden days, a lawless frontier, sword fights and a gaggle of delectably evil baddies. Those seamy aristocrats and their henchmen, given to torturing, murdering and raping their oppressed tenants, are just lining up to have the tables turned, giving them a rich dose of their own torturing, murdering medicine. Hooray!
Better still, The Promised Land has one element those midday movies missed, simply because of the time they were made: Mads Mikkelsen. Mads as Ludwig Kahlen, soldier settler in some of the most inhospitable country on Earth, is at his staunch,...
Better still, The Promised Land has one element those midday movies missed, simply because of the time they were made: Mads Mikkelsen. Mads as Ludwig Kahlen, soldier settler in some of the most inhospitable country on Earth, is at his staunch,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Promised Land” deserves a sexier title than “The Promised Land”: It’s hard to hear those well-worn words and not expect something as beige and starchy as the spuds grown on its titular terrain. It has one, in fact. The native Danish title for Nikolaj Arcel’s film translates as “The Bastard” — which has the advantage of applying, in different senses, to both its male principals, and rather better captures the spirit of this lavishly upholstered historical romp, which may pose nobly at points, but gradually reveals a heart of pure boys’-own hokum. Notionally rooted in historical fact, but embellished with storybook romance and flouncing cartoon villainy, this roundly enjoyable Venice competition entry finally owes all its residual gravitas (and at least half its considerable handsomeness) to the expressive woodcut visage of one Mads Mikkelsen.
Funny thing about that face, with its razored planes and coolly sloping...
Funny thing about that face, with its razored planes and coolly sloping...
- 9/1/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
After the first minute of “The Promised Land,” Danish director Nikolaj Arcel’s period epic set in 18th-century Denmark, we know two things. We know “the heath cannot be tamed” because the opening credits tell us that about the remote, outlaw-ridden Jutland area of Denmark. And we know Mads Mikkelsen stars in the movie.
Anybody want to guess whether the heath gets tamed?
Mikkelsen, we know, is not to be trifled with, whether he’s playing a drunken schoolteacher in “Another Round,” Hannibal Lecter in “Hannibal” or one of the all-time great Bond villains in “Casino Royale.” And “The Promised Land,” which premiered on Friday at the Venice Film Festival, is a handsome, bold two-hour tribute to the power of Mads, both the indominable character he plays and the presence he brings to the screen. “The Promised Land” needs him and he comes through with his ability to give power...
Anybody want to guess whether the heath gets tamed?
Mikkelsen, we know, is not to be trifled with, whether he’s playing a drunken schoolteacher in “Another Round,” Hannibal Lecter in “Hannibal” or one of the all-time great Bond villains in “Casino Royale.” And “The Promised Land,” which premiered on Friday at the Venice Film Festival, is a handsome, bold two-hour tribute to the power of Mads, both the indominable character he plays and the presence he brings to the screen. “The Promised Land” needs him and he comes through with his ability to give power...
- 9/1/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Magnolia Pictures releases the film in theaters on Friday, February 2.
“The Promised Land,” Nikolaj Arcel’s historical epic set in 18th century Denmark, opens with an ominous epigraph: “The heath cannot be tamed.” For a minute, the proverb reads like a foregone conclusion. Then Mads Mikkelsen shows up onscreen, and we are reassured that the words are merely a challenge, daring the great Dane to prove them wrong.
And prove them wrong he does — to a degree. Mikkelsen plays Ludvig Kahlen, a bootstrapping military veteran who, at the start of the film, fixes his sights on a tricky target: the heath of Jutland, a barren and unforgiving terrain known to be inhospitable to farming. All who have seen the area consider it a wasteland. But to Kahlen, the site might as well be El Dorado; he believes...
“The Promised Land,” Nikolaj Arcel’s historical epic set in 18th century Denmark, opens with an ominous epigraph: “The heath cannot be tamed.” For a minute, the proverb reads like a foregone conclusion. Then Mads Mikkelsen shows up onscreen, and we are reassured that the words are merely a challenge, daring the great Dane to prove them wrong.
And prove them wrong he does — to a degree. Mikkelsen plays Ludvig Kahlen, a bootstrapping military veteran who, at the start of the film, fixes his sights on a tricky target: the heath of Jutland, a barren and unforgiving terrain known to be inhospitable to farming. All who have seen the area consider it a wasteland. But to Kahlen, the site might as well be El Dorado; he believes...
- 9/1/2023
- by Natalia Winkelman
- Indiewire
The Promised Land, the new film from Danish director Nikolaj Arcel, is a story of ambition.
Set in 1755 it follows Captain Ludvig Kahlen, a bankrupt former soldier determined to secure the royal title denied him by birth — the film’s Danish title, Bastarden, is a reference to Kahlen’s origins as the illegitimate son of a rich landowner and his housemaid — by building a colony for the Danish king in the hinterlands of the Danish heath, at the time a lawless and untamed wilderness. In addition to the unforgiving climate and hardscrabble, crop-resistance soil, Kahlen has to battle with Frederik de Schinkel, a brutal and arrogant land baron determined to claim Kahlen’s land for his own.
The premise has the makings of a classic Western: The story of one man taming the frontier. But Arcel, who co-wrote the film with his frequent collaborator Anders Thomas Jensen (Riders of Justice...
Set in 1755 it follows Captain Ludvig Kahlen, a bankrupt former soldier determined to secure the royal title denied him by birth — the film’s Danish title, Bastarden, is a reference to Kahlen’s origins as the illegitimate son of a rich landowner and his housemaid — by building a colony for the Danish king in the hinterlands of the Danish heath, at the time a lawless and untamed wilderness. In addition to the unforgiving climate and hardscrabble, crop-resistance soil, Kahlen has to battle with Frederik de Schinkel, a brutal and arrogant land baron determined to claim Kahlen’s land for his own.
The premise has the makings of a classic Western: The story of one man taming the frontier. But Arcel, who co-wrote the film with his frequent collaborator Anders Thomas Jensen (Riders of Justice...
- 9/1/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel, who was behind “The Dark Tower” with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey – is bringing back the historical epic with “The Promised Land,” which world premieres in Venice Film Festival competition section.
Set in 1755 and based on a true story, it sees captain Ludvig Kahlen (played by Mads Mikkelsen) deciding to finally conquer the Danish heathland and build a colony there. But its ruler, Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), doesn’t want to share the inhospitable land. Or anything else, for that matter.
“Today, it’s more about action and superheroes, but I’m very interested in taking that genre, one that has gotten a bit lost, and modernizing it,” he says.
“It has this western quality because it’s about pioneers in a new land, trying to build something, but I was more interested in looking at old epics like ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ I think it’s a genre we need.
Set in 1755 and based on a true story, it sees captain Ludvig Kahlen (played by Mads Mikkelsen) deciding to finally conquer the Danish heathland and build a colony there. But its ruler, Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), doesn’t want to share the inhospitable land. Or anything else, for that matter.
“Today, it’s more about action and superheroes, but I’m very interested in taking that genre, one that has gotten a bit lost, and modernizing it,” he says.
“It has this western quality because it’s about pioneers in a new land, trying to build something, but I was more interested in looking at old epics like ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ I think it’s a genre we need.
- 8/31/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
"The Promised Land" (aka "Bastarden") is a Danish-produced, live-action period feature, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Magnus Krepper, Simon Bennebjerg, Gustav Lindh, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Morten Hee Andersen, Jacob Lohmann and Felix Kramer, with a North American release Tba:
"...in 1755, the impoverished captain 'Ludvig Kahlen' sets out to conquer the harsh, uninhabitable Danish heath with a seemingly impossible goal: to build a colony in the name of the 'King'. In exchange, he’ll receive a desperately desired 'Royal' name for himself.
"But the sole ruler of the area, the merciless 'Frederik de Schinkel', arrogantly believes this land belongs to him. When de Schinkel learns the maid 'Ann Barbara' and her servant husband have escaped for refuge with Kahlen, the privileged, spiteful ruler swears revenge, doing everything in his power to drive the captain away.
"Kahlen will not be intimidated and engages in an...
"...in 1755, the impoverished captain 'Ludvig Kahlen' sets out to conquer the harsh, uninhabitable Danish heath with a seemingly impossible goal: to build a colony in the name of the 'King'. In exchange, he’ll receive a desperately desired 'Royal' name for himself.
"But the sole ruler of the area, the merciless 'Frederik de Schinkel', arrogantly believes this land belongs to him. When de Schinkel learns the maid 'Ann Barbara' and her servant husband have escaped for refuge with Kahlen, the privileged, spiteful ruler swears revenge, doing everything in his power to drive the captain away.
"Kahlen will not be intimidated and engages in an...
- 8/28/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Copenhagen, 25 July 2023 – The 80th Venice International Film Festival has just announced its official selection, which includes Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land, a gripping drama, based on true events about one man’s steely quest to create his own fortune and to change the map of Denmark forever. But in his pursuit of wealth and honor, he risks sacrificing love and losing those he cares about.
The Zentropa-produced drama will world premiere in Competiton at the Biennale di Venezia, one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious festivals.
The critically acclaimed director is back at the helm directing a Danish film, for the first time since the Academy Award-nominated A Royal Affair (2012) and reuniting with talented, world-class actor Mads Mikkelsen. The Promised Land is penned by Arcel and Danish screenwriter and director Anders Thomas Jensen and is based on the Danish bestseller ‘Kaptajnen og Ann Barbara’ (translated ‘The...
The Zentropa-produced drama will world premiere in Competiton at the Biennale di Venezia, one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious festivals.
The critically acclaimed director is back at the helm directing a Danish film, for the first time since the Academy Award-nominated A Royal Affair (2012) and reuniting with talented, world-class actor Mads Mikkelsen. The Promised Land is penned by Arcel and Danish screenwriter and director Anders Thomas Jensen and is based on the Danish bestseller ‘Kaptajnen og Ann Barbara’ (translated ‘The...
- 8/1/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Dark, violent historical epics have a special place in my heart, and the upcoming Mads Mikkelsen film "The Bastard" looks like it will be period-piece perfection. The film, which stars Mikkelsen as a 17th-century soldier charged with taking over a large swath of land for the king of Denmark, looks like the kind of movie that belongs alongside "The Northman" or "Valhalla Rising," which also starred Mikkelsen. The upcoming Danish-language film is still in production, so there aren't many marketing materials to share just yet. Thankfully, there are at least some great behind-the-scenes stills shared by the production company behind "The Bastard," Zentropa.
While it's still early, there are some interesting details available about the film, including the premise, possible release window, and more about the cast and crew. Here's everything we know so far about this moody-looking cinematic slice of Scandinavian history.
When And Where To Watch The Bastard
According to Zentropa's press release,...
While it's still early, there are some interesting details available about the film, including the premise, possible release window, and more about the cast and crew. Here's everything we know so far about this moody-looking cinematic slice of Scandinavian history.
When And Where To Watch The Bastard
According to Zentropa's press release,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.