Flame & Citron (2008)

A drama centered on two fighters in the Holger Danske World War II resistance group.

Director:

Ole Christian Madsen

Writers:

Lars Kristian Andersen (as Lars K. Andersen), Ole Christian Madsen

Stars:

Thure Lindhardt, Mads Mikkelsen, Stine Stengade

9 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thure Lindhardt	...	Flammen
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Citronen
Stine Stengade	...	Ketty Selmer
Peter Mygind	...	Aksel Winther
Mille Lehfeldt	...	Bodil (as Mille Hoffmeyer Lehfeldt)
Christian Berkel	...	Hoffmann
Hanns Zischler	...	Gilbert
Claus Riis Østergaard	...	Bananen
Flemming Enevold	...	Spex
Lars Mikkelsen	...	Frode 'Ravnen' Jacobsen
Jesper Christensen	...	Flammens Far
Lærke Winther	...	Cap (as Lærke Winther Andersen)
Peter Plaugborg	...	Lillebjørn
Martin Hestbæk	...	Storebjørn
Thomas Voss	...	Teddy

Storyline

During Nazi occupation, red-headed Bent Faurschou-Hviid ("Flame") and Jørgen Haagen Schmith ("Citron"), assassins in the Danish resistance, take orders from Winther, who's in direct contact with Allied leaders. One shoots, the other drives. Until 1944, they kill only Danes; then Winther gives orders to kill Germans. When a target tells Bent that Winther's using them to settle private scores, doubt sets in, complicated by Bent's relationship with the mysterious Kitty Selmer, who may be a double agent. Also, someone in their circle is a traitor. Can Bent and Jørgen kill an über-target, evade capture, and survive the war? And is this heroism, naiveté, or mere hatred?

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Plot Keywords:

jew | jewish | shot multiple times | camera | year 1940 | 

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Taglines:

Resist at all costs.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Romance | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Denmark]

Country:

Denmark Germany Norway France Sweden Finland Czech Republic

Language:

Danish German

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Flame & Citron

Filming Locations:

Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,254, 2 August 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$145,109, 27 September 2009

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,186,084, 31 December 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nimbus Film Productions, Wüste Film, Wüste Film Ost

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 45 min (3 part TV-miniseries)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With a budget over $10 million, this is one of the most expensive movies made in Denmark.

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Goofs

When Hoffman's drivers are held down at gunpoint in the rain, you can see that the street is dry several yards behind the action and sunshine in on the background buildings. Obvious use of overhead sprinklers.

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Quotes

Gilbert: You are a Partisan. That's very interesting. A soldier without a front. Are you a good soldier? Are you prepared to pay the price?
Flammen: What price?
Gilbert: What do you think? Your life. You see, there can only be three reasons for fighting in a war. Firstly, career opportunity. It's widespread, but does not produce good soldiers. You have a fear of dying and only think of peace. Secondly, ideology. Love of the mother country. That is much more intriguing, but the dreamer breaks down. He doesn't have the ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Produktionsdagbog: Prag - Berlin - København (2008)

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Soundtracks

From Symphony No. 3 in D Minor
Written by Gustav Mahler
Performed by Wiener Symphoniker

User Reviews

The making of brutal Danish heroes, one death at a time, lovingly filmed...

Flame and Citron (2008)

An intensely intense film. It has great intentions, and the protagonists go around shooting Danish Nazi types in the head, which was probably a pretty good things to do during the war, at least in movie terms. It's gritty and moody, it has tension and good music and great dramatic filming (the light and the camera-work are both very clean and yet provocative).

But this cinematic prowess gets in the way of the movie a little, and the plot is slow enough that you begin to watch the surfaces of things as you go. In fact, some of the scenes (eating around large tables, meeting in broad, gloomy, almost beautiful basements) are just too pretty to support the ugly events at hand. Or so it seems. It's a vivid film, and unique, and it is a must see for World War II film buffs, just because it's so honest and so different. There are not that many Danish films about the war to start with, compared to British and American (and German) efforts.

This one is very bloody, and ruthless in both its actions and in the telling of them. Kudos for that, but warnings, too. As pretty as the filming is, it isn't always easy to watch. But that's part of the point, getting to what rises above the mere action--is it okay to kill bad people without a trial, without warning, without knowing even if they are bad at all. What is okay in war? What do we come to justify later, or at the time?