Going to the Oscars
Although Norway does have its own film industry which punches out about a dozen or so major releases a year, most of these pass unnoticed by the foreign audience.
However, there is a good handful of Norwegian films that have made a name for themselves abroad. Here are some of the honourable mentions:
Kon-Tiki (1950), Documentary. Won an Academy Award for best documentary. This film shows Norwegian archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl and his crew, crossing the Pacific on a small wooden raft to prove Heyerdahl’s theory that the Polynesians may have originated from South America.
Pathfinder (Ofelâs, 1987), Action/Adventure. Nominated to Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Based on an ancient Sami legend about a boy who defies a band of bloodthirsty robbers to save his people. One of the few movies I’ve seen where the cinema audience bursts into a wild applause at the climax! A Hollywood remake from 2006 replaced the Sami with Native Americans and the bloodthirsty robbers with bloodthirsty Vikings.
Elling (2001), Comedy/Drama. Nominated to Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. A heartfelt, quirky drama about two mental patients who are released from hospital and have to face the challenges of everyday life in the city. A Hollywood remake was planned starring Kevin Spacey, although the project seems to have been abandoned.
The Bothersome Man (Den Brysomme Mannen, 2006), Fantasy/Drama. Won the ACID Award at the Cannes Film Festival. A different, surrealistic film about a man who suddenly finds himself in a new city, with a new job and a new wife, with no memory of how he got there and with no way out.
Stay tuned for more claims to fame in later articles.
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How Norway became a country is shrouded in mystery and folklore. The most well known tale is of Harald Hårfagre who gathered the small kingdoms of the north into a unified nation in 872AD – and of course, this story is about love.
Today herding reindeer is synonymous with the Sami culture. It is recently thought that the Vikings were the first people to herd reindeer.
In Norway, there are still Lefse recipes around from the 1630s! This is supposedly the traditional and original Hardanger recipe used:
I saw The Bothersome Man and thought it was really good. But I wondered something. You know how the characters’ houses look? All stark and modern and blank and minimalistic? Was that meant to emphasize how odd the place was, or is that just what Norwegian houses look like? haha I guess this is a funny question but I was curious.
Hi April
It is popular at the moment in Norway for new apartments to be minimalistic but The Bothersome Man pushed the set design to create mood and meaning.
Usually houses have a warm country feel with colourful curtains, warm wooden panelling, flowers on tables and windowsills, and lots of yellow lamps (especially good for the polar nights here).
Film budgets are very low in Norway and therefore directors/designers have to make so called ‘creative’ decisions for their films – often films are colourless because it is a lot cheaper with post production. But in saying that, I think The Bothersome Man has a colour scheme that compliments the style.
I’m glad you enjoyed the movie. It gives you a real idea of the Norwegian quirky sense of humour. Norwegians like to make fun of themselves in a tragic but loveable way.
Thanks for your comment.