The Celebration | Festen (1998)

Synopsis

“Summertime – and the living is easy”… Rich family patriarch Helge Klingelfeldt is particularly anxious that his three grown children Christian, Michael and Helene, support his party’s festive mood by making a display of happy unity of the clan.

Even downstairs staff is expected to somehow join in the general ambiance. Night falls, and the master of ceremonies introduces himself and announces that dinner is served. Helge is met by spontaneous outbursts of applause and song.



While everyone’s being seated, the kitchen staff add their finishing touches to the evening’s festive meal. Fish steam, venison broil.

The banquet begins. When Christian eventually clears his throat and calls for silence only he knows what is to come. A speech to shock, a speech to shatter.

The most heart-breaking night in living memory is about to descend on the unsuspecting Klingenfeldts.

However, irrespective of skeletons being mercilessly ripped out of the family closet, stiff upper lips prevail and in a highly macabre way the party keeps going on.

“As one of the DOGME 95 brethren and co-signatory of the Vow of Chastity I feel moved to confess to the following transgressions of the aforesaid Vow during the production of Dogme #1- The Celebration.

Please note that the film has been approved as a Dogme work, as only one genuine breach of the rules has actually taken place. The rest may be regarded as moral breaches.

I confess to having made one take with a black drape covering a window. This is not only the addition of a property, but must also be regarded as a kind of lighting arrangement.

I confess to having knowledge of a pay rise that served as cover for the purchase of Thomas Bo Larsen’s suit for use in the film.

Similarly I confess to having knowledge of purchases by Trine Dyrholm and Therese Glahn of the same nature.

I confess to having set in train the construction of a non-existent hotel reception desk for use in The Celebration.

It should be noted that the structure consisted solely of components already present at the location. I confess that Christian’s mobile or cellular telephone was not his own.

But it was present at the location. I confess that in one take, the camera was attached to a microphone boom, and thus only partially hand-held.

I hereby declare that the rest of Dogme #1- The Celebration was produced in accordance with the Vow of Chastity. Pleading for absolution, I remain. -- Thomas Vinterberg"

Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika Steen, Henning Moritzen, Birthe Neumann, Helle Dolleris, Trine Dyrholm, Therese Glahn, Klaus Bondam

Cannes (In Competition): Jury Prize, Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema), New York, London, Edinburgh, Chicago, São Paulo: International Jury Award - Honorable Mention, Mar del Plata, Vancouver, Rotterdam (Digital New Wave): Audience Award, San Sebastián (Cold Fever)

Read about this film

Country: Denmark
Language: English | German | Danish
Color: Color
Runtime: 105 min.