The Celebration (1998)

At Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed.

Director:

Thomas Vinterberg (uncredited)

Writers:

Thomas Vinterberg (screenplay), Mogens Rukov (screenplay)

Stars:

Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, Thomas Bo Larsen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 28 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Christian
Henning Moritzen	...	Faderen - Helge
Thomas Bo Larsen	...	Michael
Paprika Steen	...	Helene
Birthe Neumann	...	Moderen - Else
Trine Dyrholm	...	Pia
Helle Dolleris	...	Mette
Therese Glahn	...	Michelle
Klaus Bondam	...	Toastmasteren - Master of Ceremonies
Bjarne Henriksen	...	Kokken - Kim
Gbatokai Dakinah	...	Gbatokai
Lasse Lunderskov	...	Onklen - Uncle
Lars Brygmann	...	Receptionisten - Receptionist
Lene Laub Oksen	...	Søsteren - Sister
Linda Laursen	...	Birthe

Storyline

The Father turns 60. His family, which is a big one of the kind, gathers to celebrate him on a castle. Everybody likes and respects the father deeply...or do they? The youngest son is trying to live up to the father's expectations. He is running a grill-bar in a dirty part of Copenhagen. The oldest son runs a restaurant in France, while the sister is a anthropologist. The older sister has recently committed suicide and the father asks the oldest son to say a few words about her, because he is afraid he will break into tears if he does it himself. The oldest son agrees without argument. Actually he has already written two speeches. A yellow and a green one. By the table, he asks the father to pick a speech. The father chooses green. The oldest son announces that this is the Speech of Truth. Everybody laughs, except for the father who gets a nervous look on his face. For he knows that the oldest son is about to reveal the secret of why the oldest sister killed herself.

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Plot Keywords:

dogme 95 | speech | family secret | haunted by the past | secret | 

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Taglines:

Alle familier har en hemmelighed

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language, including references to sexual abuse

Details

Country:

Denmark Sweden

Language:

Danish German English

Release Date:

19 June 1998 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

The Celebration

Filming Locations:

Sjælland, Denmark

Box Office

Budget:

$1,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,621, 11 October 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,647,780, 21 February 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nimbus Film Productions,Danmarks Radio (DR),Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On March 28th, 1996 the Danish National Radio (DR) broadcast "Koplevs Krydsfelt" when an anonymous caller, "Allan", told his story about an unusual speech he held at his step-fathers 60th birthday. One of the many listeners to this strange story was director Thomas Vinterberg, who was inspired to make his first Dogme movie.

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Goofs

In an early scene, a cameraman can be seen reflected in a bedroom mirror (director Thomas Vinterberg noticed this but kept it in).

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Quotes

[first lines]
[subtitled version]
Christian Klingenfeldt: [on his cellphone] Christian speaking... Hi, I'm here now. I landed this morning. What? Er... Washed? I shaved at the airport if you must know. I shaved at the airport if you must know! I'm fine... right now I'm looking across the fields. At the land of my father. It's beautiful. It makes me want to move back for good, but that'd be problematical. I'll make it. Yes, I suppose it will be... shocking. What?... You're dropping out. O.K. Bye.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Cannes Film Festival 2011 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Jeg har set en rigtig negermand
By Niels C. Andersen
Dacapo
c/o Warner/Chappell Music Denmark A/S

User Reviews

A knockout!

So many critics seem to have missed the point of "The Celebration," which is almost unbelievable because it actually does have a point, and I feel like I got it between the eyes with a sledgehammer. This is a movie about, among other things, the power of social conventions, how we depend on them to deal with unpleasantness, and just how stubborn and difficult they can be to circumvent, even when your life depends on it.

What knocks me out is how much I'm convinced by the whole thing. Every sad detail makes perfect sense. There is so much wisdom here that it never overreaches, no matter how deep in the storytellers get.

In particular, the medium of digital video is used in an outstanding way that adds authenticity to the experience. Think about it- most of the hand-held video work we've seen is of our own family events. When we watch the only scene in which Christian weeps, with Gbatokai leaning over and giving moral support, it could almost pass for a candid moment in a homemade documentary.

I've seen a lot of good family dramas, but rarely have I had such an urge to hug the main character and unleash profanity at several of the others.