Italiensk for begyndere (2000)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Writer:

Lone Scherfig (writer)

Release Date:

8 December 2000 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Asistencia Opcional. Pasión Requerida. (Attendance Optional. Passion Required)

Plot:

Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in Italian as the platform to meet the romance of their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Restaurant | Denmark | Minister | Widower

Awards:

20 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Anders W. Berthelsen	...	Andreas
Anette Støvelbæk	...	Olympia
Ann Eleonora Jørgensen	...	Karen
Peter Gantzler	...	Jørgen Mortensen
Lars Kaalund	...	Hal-Finn
Sara Indrio Jensen	...	Giulia
Karen-Lise Mynster	...	Kirsten, the real estate dealer
Rikke Wölck	...	Lise, the nurse
Elsebeth Steentoft	...	Kirketjener
Bent Mejding	...	Reverend Wredmann
Lene Tiemroth	...	Karen's Mother
Claus Gerving	...	Klaus Graversen
Jesper Christensen	...	Olympia's Father
Merete Voldstedlund
Henning Jensen	...	Leif, Karen's father

Also Known As:

Dogme # 12 - Italiensk for begyndere (Denmark) (series title)
Dogme LS (Denmark) (working title)
Italian for Beginners (International: English title)
Italienska för nybörjare (Sweden)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

112 min | Germany:118 min (Berlin Film Festival) | Italy:118 min | USA:118 min (Telluride Film Festival) | USA:97 min (DVD version)

Country:

Denmark | Sweden

Language:

Danish | Italian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Ireland:15 (IFCO) | Hungary:14 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Avedøre, Sjælland, Denmark

Company:

Danmarks Radio (DR)

Trivia:

The auditorium used for the Italian lessons also appeared in Dancer in the Dark (2000) where it was used for the rehearsals of "The Sound of Music". The auditorium lies on the other side of the road from the Zentropa studios in Avedøre, Denmark. Hence Lars Kaalund's character complaining about the auditorium being dirty because someone uses it for musical rehearsals.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Karen turns the dial of the IV, she reduces the dose instead of increasing it.

Quotes:

Olympia's Father: That sounds disgusting.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

Soundtrack:

Barn Jesus i en krybbe la

Bravo!

This is a very intimate and enjoyable film. It shows every day characters in their own surroundings interacting in a manner that is very naturalistic and true. Director Lone Scherfig has directed with a sure hand and the situation is believable.

The ensemble cast plays well, as it is with the majority of the Dogme95 films. At times, they make us forget that we are watching a film, as it struck me, that I was just intruding in the life of a bunch of people in that town in Denmark.

What is amazing is that the film doesn't become an Italian travelogue as it would have been the case had this story been done by a non-Scandinavian director with pressures from studio heads. It has the right amount ingredients and it makes a delicious minestrone for all to enjoy.

Bravi a tutti!