Italian for Beginners (2000)
"Italiensk for begyndere" (original title)

Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in Italian as the platform to meet the romance of their lives.

Writer:

Lone Scherfig

Stars:

Anders W. Berthelsen, Anette Støvelbæk, Ann Eleonora Jørgensen

20 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anders W. Berthelsen	...	Andreas
Anette Støvelbæk	...	Olympia
Ann Eleonora Jørgensen	...	Karen
Peter Gantzler	...	Jørgen Mortensen
Lars Kaalund	...	Hal-Finn
Sara Indrio Jensen	...	Giulia
Karen-Lise Mynster	...	Kirsten, the real estate dealer
Rikke Wölck	...	Lise, the nurse
Elsebeth Steentoft	...	Kirketjener
Bent Mejding	...	Reverend Wredmann
Lene Tiemroth	...	Karen's Mother
Claus Gerving	...	Klaus Graversen
Jesper Christensen	...	Olympia's Father
Merete Voldstedlund	...	Andreas' mother (scenes deleted)
Henning Jensen	...	Leif (scenes deleted)

Storyline

A young minister, a widower, is temporarily assigned to a church whose suspended pastor drove parishioners away; he stays at a hotel where he meets Jørgen, who's alone approaching middle age. Jørgen's friend Finn, a temperamental restaurant manager, may be about to be fired. Finn's assistant is Giulia, a lovely young Italian who prays for a husband. Olympia, a clumsy bakery clerk, has an ornery father; Karen, a hairdresser, has a mother who is very ill. The paths of these six characters cross at church, in the restaurant, at the hotel, and at an Italian class at the local adult school. Loneliness, grief, solace, romance, and love may meet 'nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita.'

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Plot Keywords:

italian | church | restaurant | hotel | bakery | 

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Taglines:

Attendance Optional. Passion Required.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Sandrew Metronome

Country:

Denmark Sweden

Language:

Danish Italian English

Release Date:

8 December 2000 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Italian for Beginners

Filming Locations:

Avedøre, Sjælland, Denmark

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£48,027 (UK) (3 May 2002)

Gross:

$4,447,186 (USA) (5 July 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Danmarks Radio (DR), Det Danske Filminstitut, Zentropa Entertainments

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 118 min 118 min 97 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The tennis match we see on TV is an archive footage showing Swiss player Martina Hingis vs. Spanish player Conchita Martínez.

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Goofs

When Karen turns the dial of the IV, she reduces the dose instead of increasing it.

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Quotes

Olympia's Father: That sounds disgusting.

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Connections

References Taxa (1997)

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Soundtracks

"O sole mio"
(1898)
Music by Eduardo Di Capua
Lyrics by Giovanni Capurro

User Reviews

Bravo!

This is a very intimate and enjoyable film. It shows every day characters in their own surroundings interacting in a manner that is very naturalistic and true. Director Lone Scherfig has directed with a sure hand and the situation is believable.

The ensemble cast plays well, as it is with the majority of the Dogme95 films. At times, they make us forget that we are watching a film, as it struck me, that I was just intruding in the life of a bunch of people in that town in Denmark.

What is amazing is that the film doesn't become an Italian travelogue as it would have been the case had this story been done by a non-Scandinavian director with pressures from studio heads. It has the right amount ingredients and it makes a delicious minestrone for all to enjoy.

Bravi a tutti!