The Celebration
1998 ‘Festen’ Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Synopsis
A Danish film produced in the Dogma style by Thomas Vinterberg that portrays a family having a party for their father when one son makes a toast speech that tells the truth about the murder of their eldest sister possibly involving the father.
Cast
Ulrich Thomsen Henning Moritzen Thomas Bo Larsen Paprika Steen Birthe Neumann Trine Dyrholm Helle Dolleris Therese Glahn Klaus Bondam Bjarne Henriksen Gbatokai Dakinah Lars Brygmann Lene Laub Oksen Linda Laursen John Boas Erna Boas Thomas Vinterberg Kaj Rasmussen Robert Strandgård Gry Worre Hallberg
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Part 23 of the 30 Countries project.
For the purposes of this project this movie is classed as at least partially being of Danish origin as per its listing on imdb.
It's fifteen years since I first heard of the Dogme '95 movement and ten years since I studied the first group of films and the two major players involved in drafting the manifesto, von Trier and Vinterberg, and yet somehow viewing Festen has eluded me until now.
Festen is quite clearly the best film made under the guidelines, not just for the visceral nature of the storytelling but the way Vinterberg made the obstructions, the restrictions, the vow of chastity work for his film. It seems like all other…
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Part of my 2012-1932 and Around the world list
I've put off since last night trying to review this film, and I don't think I'm ready to write anything cohesent now either, but here goes.
"Festen" is an early Dogme '95 movie that actually excels from adhering to the strict rules. The shaky cam puts you right in the middle of the chaos, the restriced lighting has an equal effect in strengthening the feeling of losing control of the events. I've never been much of a fan of music setting the mood either, and in forbidding such effects "Festen" really gets under your skin, with awkward silences and not a drop of sound drowned out from a musical score. All… -
30 Countries Challenge // #9 - Denmark
I can't say I totally agree with directors coming up with their own rules that others should follow, especially when they state that their style aims to 'purify' filmmaking. All seems a bit self righteous to me. Just because you can make a film with a home camcorder and no special effects or sound editing doesn't mean its better than any other way of making a film.
Saying that, Festen does seem to benefit from focusing purely on its story, characters and performances, which I suppose is what the Dogme 95 rules were really aiming towards. It's not a pleasant story and there are pretty much no sympathetic characters so its testament to…
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When filming according to the Dogme 95 rules, it quickly becomes apparent that story and storytelling is everything.
The Celebration tells a terrible story, but one that is captivating in its brutal honesty. Once the setup is finished and the catalyst in the story is revealed, most films of this type fall flat. This, however, doesn't.
It is intent to wrench every ounce of grief, pain, anger and fear out of its characters and make us a participant of it. It is hard to love this film because of its subject matter, but it is easy to admire it because of the skill on display.
Because of the level of sobriety in terms of filmmaking there is hardly any static to keep us from being sucked into the horrible hornet's nest that is this family. And if you allow all this to happen it makes for a harrowing experience that cuts deep.
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Introducing the rigid, simplistic and naturalistic Dogme 95 style, Thomas Vinterberg takes us through a progressively ridiculous and ultimately unsettling look into the heart of one cripplingly dysfunctional family. Relying on deft characterization and brilliantly anarchic situations. Each character is layered in complexity and thoroughly distrustful, which masks the dark truths simmering within the endless tension and raw emotion. As a character-piece, the strength of each performance is essential, and there isn't a single falter - Ulrich Thomsen and Thomas Bo Larsen's unpredictability provides near-constant tension. There is one surprise after another, each more extravagant than the last. Vinterberg's direction relies on camera angles that put viewers in the perfect spot to be right in the heat of each moment.…
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10th film for Around the World in May- Denmark
Another film that I had heard a lot about and had, but never got down to actually seeing it. Kudos to this challenge for that.
Festen aka The Celebration is the first film from the Dogme 95 film-making movement that was started by young danish filmmakers in 1995 and follows a family who converge in a country manor to celebrate the 60th birthday of the patriarch and dark secrets are revealed.
The overall narrative is great and you really feel for all the characters and wonder why the behave in the way that they do.
The only gripe I had was that as the film was shot on a handycam, in…
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Part 23 of the 30 Countries project.
For the purposes of this project this movie is classed as at least partially being of Danish origin as per its listing on imdb.
It's fifteen years since I first heard of the Dogme '95 movement and ten years since I studied the first group of films and the two major players involved in drafting the manifesto, von Trier and Vinterberg, and yet somehow viewing Festen has eluded me until now.
Festen is quite clearly the best film made under the guidelines, not just for the visceral nature of the storytelling but the way Vinterberg made the obstructions, the restrictions, the vow of chastity work for his film. It seems like all other…
-
The film that made me realise films can be so much more than just a 90-minute getaway.
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30 Countries Challenge // #9 - Denmark
I can't say I totally agree with directors coming up with their own rules that others should follow, especially when they state that their style aims to 'purify' filmmaking. All seems a bit self righteous to me. Just because you can make a film with a home camcorder and no special effects or sound editing doesn't mean its better than any other way of making a film.
Saying that, Festen does seem to benefit from focusing purely on its story, characters and performances, which I suppose is what the Dogme 95 rules were really aiming towards. It's not a pleasant story and there are pretty much no sympathetic characters so its testament to…
-
10th film for Around the World in May- Denmark
Another film that I had heard a lot about and had, but never got down to actually seeing it. Kudos to this challenge for that.
Festen aka The Celebration is the first film from the Dogme 95 film-making movement that was started by young danish filmmakers in 1995 and follows a family who converge in a country manor to celebrate the 60th birthday of the patriarch and dark secrets are revealed.
The overall narrative is great and you really feel for all the characters and wonder why the behave in the way that they do.
The only gripe I had was that as the film was shot on a handycam, in…
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Before this I kind of thought the whole Dogme95 movement thing was a bit of nonsense. A ‘vow of chastity’ really, who do these people think they are? But the way its principles (location filming, handheld cameras, no props, no superficial action etc) are utilised in this actually makes a lot of sense. Stripping everything back to its core elements makes this seem like a more pure and verite-style filmic exercise, and forces the dramatic material to stand for itself, of which it does.
Vinterberg’s story of a son who announces repeatedly and shockingly his father’s childhood abuse of him and his sister in front of guests at a big gathering held in honour of said father certainly is gripping, challenging material, that swings between farce and horror at will. The ingenuity of Anthony Dod-Mantel's handheld camerawork, whilst sometimes a bit too showy, is nevertheless very impressive.
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This film is hard to find online, which is a direct reflection of its popularity.
I read that this is the first Dogma film, and this was the first Dogma film that I’ve watched so that’s that.
I was exited because I never really knew what Dogma was, so I read the rules and watched the film.
I really liked it, it was really interesting as well as entertaining.
But then I enter the vague fields of my film knowledge and I ask myself: “Where are the boundaries between documentary, experimental, dogma and narrative film-making?”
What is Dogma, a doctrine?, a genre?, a movement? But my conclusions are always pretty lame: it is ambiguous, therefore not worth discussing (at least… -
First Dogme 95 movie I saw and it left me behind impressed.
The german synchronisation was utter shit but the it is amazing how Vinterberg is able to make such a high-quality movie on a low budget.The actors performance varies but the topic, storyline and the cut makes the movie worth the time.
"The Hunt" will be one of the next movies I'll see. I'm interested if Vinterberg is able to hold his level after fifteen years.
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Amazing and important film.
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This is some brutal, uncomfortable, and ultimately extremely captivating stuff to sit through. The Celebration's now famous Dogme95 style suits the film well as Vinterberg places you in the middle of one of the worst family reunions ever captured on film. The performances from everyone involved are top notch and help the film work as well as it does.