"Riget" (1994) TV mini-series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

24 November 1994 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

A baptism of fear awaits you at... THE KINGDOM

Plot:

The Kingdom is the most technologically advanced hospital in Denmark, a gleaming bastion of medical science...

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Hospital | Science | Ambulance | Elevator

Awards:

16 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Udo Kier	...	Aage Krüger (4 episodes, 1994)
Ernst-Hugo Järegård	...	Helmer / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Kirsten Rolffes	...	Sigrid Drusse (4 episodes, 1994)
Holger Juul Hansen	...	Einar Moesgaard / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Søren Pilmark	...	Jørgen Krogshøj / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Ghita Nørby	...	Rigmor / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Jens Okking	...	Bulder / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Annevig Schelde Ebbe	...	Mary / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Baard Owe	...	Bondo (4 episodes, 1994)
Birgitte Raaberg	...	Judith / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Peter Mygind	...	Mogge (4 episodes, 1994)
Vita Jensen	...	Dishwasher 1 (4 episodes, 1994)
Morten Rotne Leffers	...	Dishwasher 2 (4 episodes, 1994)
Laura Christensen	...	Mona / ... (4 episodes, 1994)
Ole Boisen	...	Christian (4 episodes, 1994)
Ulrik Cold	...	Narrator (4 episodes, 1994)
Louise Fribo	...	Sanne (4 episodes, 1994)
Peter Gilsfort	...	Dishwasher 2 (4 episodes, 1994)
Søren Elung Jensen	...	Man in Top Hat (4 episodes, 1994)
Ruth Junker	...	Dishwasher 1 (4 episodes, 1994)
Søren Lenander	...	Young Man (4 episodes, 1994)
Troels Lyby	...	Hook (4 episodes, 1994)
Holger Perfort	...	Professor Ulrich (4 episodes, 1994)
Lars von Trier	...	Himself (4 episodes, 1994)
Otto Brandenburg	...	Hansen (3 episodes, 1994)
Solbjørg Højfeldt	...	Camilla (3 episodes, 1994)
Bente Eskesen	...	Night Nurse (3 episodes, 1994)
Paul Hüttel	...	Steenbæk / ... (3 episodes, 1994)
Michael Simpson	...	Man from Haiti (3 episodes, 1994)
Benny Hansen	...	Driver on the Radio (2 episodes, 1994)
Dick Kaysø	...	Security Manager (2 episodes, 1994)
Finn Nielsen	...	Madsen (2 episodes, 1994)
Else Petersen	...	Old Lady (2 episodes, 1994)
Birte Tove	...	Nurse 1 (2 episodes, 1994)
Helle Virkner	...	Mrs. Mogensen (2 episodes, 1994)

Also Known As:

The Kingdom (France) (theatrical title) (International: English title)
Geister (Germany)
Hospital der Geister - The Kingdom (Germany) (video title)
L'hôpital et ses fantômes (France)
Lars von Trier præsenterer: Riget (Denmark) (video box title)
Lars von Triers Riget I (Denmark) (DVD box title)
Riket (Sweden)

Runtime:

Canada:265 min | Denmark:280 min | USA:279 min

Country:

Denmark | France | Germany | Sweden

Language:

Danish | Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M (theatrical rating) | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

The dishwashers' voices had to be dubbed throughout the first series, as it proved impossible for the two actors to recite their lines correctly.

Goofs:

Continuity: The level of coffee in Helmer's cup switches back and forth by inches between shots.

Quotes:

Dishwasher 2: The good will cry and the evil will laugh. That's what they say!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Death Knows Your Name (2007)

"Poltergeist" meets "The Hospital"

Actually, Bill Murray said it best in Tootsie: "This is one *nutty* hospital"

Try to imagine a Danish hybrid of Spielberg's "Poltergeist" and the George C. Scott black comedy "The Hospital", with hints of "Rosemary's Baby" and the camp humor of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" thrown in. A really bizarre trip, alternating between seriousness and biting humor, with crazy camera angles and sepia-colored cinematography.

Among other things, you'll be feted with a severed head as a valentine; an initiation ritual involving an onion and a sharp knife; seances in the geriatric ward; Haitian voodoo and zombies; girl-ghosts in elevator shafts; a pathologist who has a diseased liver transplanted into his own body; an administrator who hides under his desk to avoid greeting important guests; and a belligerent Swede who ends each episode by waving his fists in the air and shouting "DANISH SCUM!!" ...in other words, be sure your sense of humor and appreciation of the bizarre are intact when you rent this, and don't expect a dramatic masterpiece. (It is, after all, a soap opera)