Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997)

A 6 y.o. Inuit boy runs off a snowy roof in Copenhagen and dies. Smilla, a half Inuit who lives in the building and knows the boy, looks into it. What makes an acrophobic boy run up on the roof? The clues take her to Greenland.

Director:

Bille August

Writers:

Peter Høeg (novel), Ann Biderman (screenplay)

Stars:

Julia Ormond, Ona Fletcher, Agga Olsen

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ona Fletcher	...	Inuit Hunter
Julia Ormond	...	Smilla Jaspersen
Agga Olsen	...	Juliane Christiansen
Patrick Field	...	Policeman
Matthew Marsh	...	Detective
Gabriel Byrne	...	The Mechanic
Jim Broadbent	...	Dr. Lagermann
Tom Wilkinson	...	Prof. Loyen
Charlotte Bradley	...	Mrs. Lagermann
Richard Harris	...	Dr. Andreas Tork
Charles Lewsen	...	Pastor (as Charles Lewson)
Robert Loggia	...	Moritz Jaspersen
Emma Croft	...	Benja
Bob Peck	...	Ravn
Ann Queensberry	...	Mrs. Schou

Storyline

Based on Peter Hoeg's bestseller, this film is set in snowy Copenhagen where a small boy is found dead after he fell off a roof. Smilla Jasperson, a close friend who lives in the same house begins to suspect murder because she knows that the boy was afraid of heights and would not have played on the roof. As she begins to investigate, she is pulled deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that could very well mean her death.

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Plot Keywords:

snow | female protagonist | character name in title | boy | roof | 

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Taglines:

Snow covers everything...except the truth

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and a sex scene

Details

Country:

Denmark Germany Sweden

Language:

English Inuktitut

Release Date:

28 February 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Smilla's Sense of Snow

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Studios, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$107,108, 2 March 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,221,994, 27 April 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Film, Constantin Film, Det Danske Filminstitut

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Richard Harris played King Arthur in Camelot (1967), and Julia Ormond played Guinevere in First Knight (1995).

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Goofs

On the boat while, listening to the tape, Licht tells Smilla that an EEG is monitoring someone's heart. EEGs measure brain waves; EKGs (also called ECGs) measure heart rate and electrical activity.

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Quotes

Tork: Death is always a waste. But sometimes it's the only way to arouse people.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Skinner's Sense of Snow (2000)

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Soundtracks

Quis est homo
(from Stabat Mater)
Written by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
performed by Kammerorchester 'Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach'
conducted by Hartmut Haenchen

User Reviews

Doesn't wear thin, even with repeated watchings.

If you like movies about finding justice against a corrupt and overwhelming system, in which the heroine is both clever and good looking, watch this Smilla in action. It's not easy to find this film for rent, so I bought a copy and hope to watch it again soon.