Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.06.2003, Page 12

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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.