Marie Kroyer (2012)

Simply A Masterpiece

Overrated and overhyped

Memorable, crazy movie

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

a trip in atmosphere of end of century in Danmark. a case. delicate details. good acting. inspired images. and the absence of roots. in fact, a kind of drawing, seductive, inspired, proposing a family drama, remembering another versions of Madame Bovary or Anna Karennina, work of a remarkable director, good occasion for Birgitte Hjort Sorensen to reflect her art but losing the essence of the solitude of characters, defining, more, the social impact of decisions, ignoring the step to more than a beautiful film . the music, the costumes, the delicate construction of the lead characters traits are really admirable. descending in the heart of a world, it preserves the flavor of a period. the characters are symbols and that fact transforms Marie Kroyer in a nice experience for viewer.

the sensitivity, the atmosphere, the music,the costumes and inspired acting. the mixture of ash and hope after its end. the virtue to be fresco of a society more than portrait of a life.Birgitte Hjort Sorensen does a great job as lead character and the game of nuances exploration, the science for transformation of detail are the good points for success of a touching film who is far to be remarkable but remains a nice experience. a film about woman's condition, about art and about the family , it has a special form of charm who reminds more than presents. adaptation of a novel, it is a form of descending in the heart of a world. with high precision, with beautiful care. and that could not be a real surprise. only mark of a great director return.

Danish screenwriter, cinematographer and director Bille August's fourteenth feature film which was written by screenwriter Peter Asmussen, is a free interpretation of a biographical novel from 1999 by Danish author Anastassia Arnold called "Balladen om Marie". It premiered in Denmark, was shot on locations in Denmark and is a Denmark-Sweden co-production which was produced by producers Signe Leick Jensen and Karin Trolle. It tells the story about a painter named Marie Krøyer who lives in Skagen, Denmark with her husband named Peder Severin Krøyer who is an internationally renowned artist and their daughter named Vibeke. Distinctly and subtly directed by Danish filmmaker Bille August, this finely tuned and biographical fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a moving portrayal of a challenging marriage between two 19th century painters. While notable for its distinct and naturalistic milieu depictions, sterling production design by Danish production designer and art director Jette Lehmann, cinematography by Danish cinematographer Dirk Brüel, costume design by Danish costume designer Manon Rasmussen and use of light, this narrative-driven story depicts an empathic study of character and contains a great score by composer Stefan Nilsson.This literary and romantic period drama which is set in a town in Northern Denmark during the beginning of the 20th century and where a woman's relationship with her talented though mentally ill husband leads her to a meeting with a Swedish composer named Hugo Alfvén, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, subtle character development and continuity, natural characters, efficiently understated acting performances by Danish actress Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason and the fine acting performance by Danish actor Søren Sæter-Lassen. A quiet, eloquent, reflective and compassionate homage.

Bille August's first film in Danish, since he won the Academy Award for best foreign language film in '89 for Pelle the Conqueror, is a lackluster affair. On the plus side it's very picturesque and the two leads (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen and Søren Sætter-Lassen) are quite good (especially Hjort Sørensen in the titular role) but we never really get under the skin of the characters.What could've been a great exploration of one of Denmark's most famous painters, an examination of turn-of-the-century marital problems, a fine period piece or even a decent love story, is neither. It's a sub-par script with no development and, frankly, a quite boring film. Unless you're really interested in Danish painting and beautiful scenery, I'd stay clear of this one.