The Danish Poet (2006)

A woman ponders over the strange coincidences that made her forefathers and -mothers meet and create the premises for her becoming the person that she is.

Director:

Torill Kove

Writer:

Torill Kove (screenplay)

Star:

Liv Ullmann

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Liv Ullmann	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

To illustrate happenstance, a woman narrates the story of how her parents met. It begins in a small apartment in Copenhagen, where a Danish poet worries that he'll run out of ideas. He loves the work of Sigrid Undset, so his psychiatrist suggests he visit her in Norway to talk about writing. He sets out, and there begins a tale of rain, romance, life trying no to imitate art, a slippery barn plank, a careless mailman, a hungry goat, a broken thumb, and a crowded train.

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Plot Keywords:

coincidence | poet | norway | love | train ride | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Romance

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Details

Country:

Norway Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 2006 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Den danske dikteren

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mikrofilm, National Film Board of Canada (NFB), Norwegian Film Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

15 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Another in-joke is apparent in "Scandinavian Confusion," in which the entry about Nobel-Prize-winning author Sigrid Undset happens to face the entry on Alfred Nobel.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Narrator: But had it not been for the Danish poet and Sigrid Undset, a rainy summer in Norway, a slippery barn plank, a careless mailman, a hungry goat, a broken thumb, and a crowded train, my parents might never have met at all, and who knows; I might still be a little seed floating around in the sky waiting for someone to come and get me.

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Connections

Featured in The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: Animation (2007)

User Reviews

Reminds us to appreciate all the little things around us that we no longer notice

This short film is about a series of coincidences and accidents that led to the birth of the woman who wrote the story.

"The Danish Poet" is surprisingly heartwarming. The animation is simple with lots of soft colours and black borders on all items. It almost looks like a cartoon for infants. I find this particularly charming, as it enables us to regress to our childhood to appreciate all the little things around us that we no longer notice. The story itself is heartwarming and engaging. It made me smile from the heart, which is not something many films can do.

"The Danish Poet" is a beautiful film. Watch it if you have a chance.