Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.06.2003, Side 12

Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.06.2003, Side 12
 - the reykjavik grapevine -12 may 15 - may 29, 2003 - the reykjavik grapevine - 13may 15 - may 29, 2003 ICELANDIC FILM CLASSICS The Icelanders are crazy about films. Per capita, no other nation goes as much to movies, and the USA would have to produce 5.000 films each year (India 20.000) to keep up with Iceland and its 3-4 annual productions. Reykjavík has six modern cinemas with roughly 20 screens. SOME ICELANDIC GOODIES AVAILABLE ON VHS AND DVD On Top (Med allt á hreinu,1982). The extraordinary musical comedy by Agust Gudmundsson is still on the top as the nations most beloved movie. Two pop music groups, one all-male and the other all-female, challenge each other touring Iceland in the summer time, experiencing things that beggars description. Children of Nature (Börn náttúrunnar, 1991) by Friðrik Thór Friðriksson. A picturesque and poetic road-movie wherein a old couple from the countryside, dislik- ing Reykjavík and its inhabitants, escape from the home for senior citizens, steal a jeep and manage to cross mountains and waves to a beloved desolate spot. Nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign picture in 1992. Composer Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was awarded the European Film Prize (Felix) for his music. T h e Icelandic Dream (Islenski draumurinn, 2000) a com- edy by debuting director Robert I. Douglas. A fresh and funny story of a losers´ redemption. In a parody of the Icelandic and American dreams, a passionate local soccer-fan promoting Bulgarian cigarettes is having his mid-life crisis 15 years too early. In a way the first Icelandic thoroughbred movie, free from the burden of literature, it became huge- ly popular locally and beat Gladiator at the local box-office. Angels of the Universe (Englar alheimsins, 2000) by Fridrik Thór Fridriksson. A drama rich with comic-relief which brought one third of Iceland´s population into theatres and collected prizes abroad. It was adapted from Einar Már Gud- mundssons novel (Nordic Literature Award 1995). This down-to-earth homage to his late schizophrenic brother and poet incorporates comedy and tragedy in an intense approach. 101 Reykjavík (2000) by Baltasar Kormákur. A comedy adapted from Hallgrímur Helgasons´ burlesque novel (Nordic Literature Award 1999) describes the lust and laziness of a young man living on social security in his beloved downtown Reykjavík, eloquently fathoming the whirlpools of sexuality and human existence. It has received a lot of awards and en- joyed a wider international theatrical distribution than probably any Ice- landic production before. Spaniard Victoria Abril has a leading role. Regina (2001) a colourful and funny Rey- kjavík-musical by Maria Sigurdardot- tir enjoyed excellent reviews and box-office. Script and music are by former Sugarcube keyboardist Mar- gret Ornolfsdottir, Björks collabora- tor for two years. The protagonist is a 10 year old girl from Reykjavík who can control other beings with her singing. Children love it. Seagulls Laughter (Mávahlátur, 2001) by Agust Gud- mundsson. A dark but humorous drama with lots of women and strong feminist themes, set in a fifties fishing-village, adapted from a novel by Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir. It dominated the annual Edda Icelan- dic Film & TV awards 2001 and was Icelands´ entry for the 2002 Oscars. The most successful movie at the lo- cal box-office in 2001. WHERE TO BUY THEM: Several vendors offer an assort- ment of Icelandic films on VHS and DVD. In Reykjavik check these: Skífan (Laugavegur and Kringlan), M&M bookstore (Laugavegur), Pen- ninn-Eymundsson bookstore (Aus- turstraeti). See also Keflavik Airport Duty Free Store. M O V I E S ÓLAFU R H . TORFASON BY Icelandic film “classics” are not all that old, as regular feature film production only started around 1980. Since then Icelanders have churned out around 70 feature films. The film that brought international attention to Icelandic cinema was “Children of Nature” (1991) by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, nominated for an Acad- emy Award for best foreign picture in 1992. POPCORN AND CINEMATIC DEBATES DURING THE BREAK You will hardly find an Icelander who is not a cinema buff. The reason for this is perhaps simple. In a country where it seems to be almost completely dark half the year, and the climate is not conducive to outdoor activities, there simply isn’t much else to do. Hence films are often a good conversation starter, and debates are rife (is Godfather Part I better than Part II, what was in that suit- case in Pulp Fiction, what the hell was George Lucas thinking when he made The Phantom Menace, etc). Long winter nights can be spent settling questions such as “did Anthony Hopkins deserve the Oscar for best leading actor in Silence of the Lambs, even though he didn’t get that much screen time?” with the aid of a stop watch (his performance comes in at just under half an hour in total). There are a lot of cinemas in Reykjavík (per head, of course) and almost all of them have re- cently been renovated, so they usually have rather comfortable seats and good sound systems. However, as can be determined from a glance at the programs, the large majority of the films on offer are American mainstream fare, and a lot are shown in multiple cin- emas, so you have a considerable choice of viewing locations, and somewhat less choice in the films you watch. Fortunately, there are reasonably frequent film festivals which give you the chance to see films from farther afield. One curiosity about cinemas here is the break. The reason for this is that it used to be necessary in order to change the reels. Long after longer reels made this irrel- evant, the break is still retained in this country. The reason for this is probably that it encourages popcorn sales, but it is also a nice opportunity to light up a fag and discuss the first half with the people you came with, although some people find that it ruins the flow of the film. Which of course is a cause for debate. VG Jar Jar Binks: What the hell was Lucas thinking? The leading man from the film Icelandic Dream.

x

Reykjavík Grapevine

Direkte link

Hvis du vil linke til denne avis/magasin, skal du bruge disse links:

Link til denne avis/magasin: Reykjavík Grapevine
https://timarit.is/publication/943

Link til dette eksemplar:

Link til denne side:

Link til denne artikel:

Venligst ikke link direkte til billeder eller PDfs på Timarit.is, da sådanne webadresser kan ændres uden advarsel. Brug venligst de angivne webadresser for at linke til sitet.