Zappa (1983 film)

Last updated

Zappa
Zappa FilmPoster.jpeg
Film poster
Directed by Bille August
Written byBille August
Bjarne Reuter
Produced by Per Holst
StarringAdam Tønsberg
Cinematography Jan Weincke
Edited byJanus Billeskov Jansen
Distributed byKærne Film
Release date
  • 4 March 1983 (1983-03-04)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryDenmark
LanguageDanish

Zappa is a 1983 Danish coming-of-age drama film directed by Bille August. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival [1] and was entered into the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. [2] The film was also selected as the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 56th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. [3]

Contents

Zappa was adapted for the screen from the novel by the same name by Bjarne Reuter. It is the first of a trilogy, followed by Når snerlen blomstrer and Vi der valgte mælkevejen. The sequel Når snerlen blomstrer was also filmed by Bille August in 1984 and is known as Twist and Shout in English.

Plot

Cast

Reception

The film was reviewed in The New York Times in 1984, Janet Maslin stating that "Mr. August has made Zappa a suspenseful, moving drama, with concerns that are as troubling as they are universally recognizable." [4] Nathan Rabin reviewed Zappa for the AV Club in 2004, writing that he saw it as a "masterfully bleak coming-of-age drama" and that "the film's unnerving power comes from its realization that everyone is doomed to go through adolescence alone." [5] DVD Talk and AllMovie also reviewed, with the former commenting that it was "a pretty intense piece or work" and superior to its sequel. [6] [7]

In a review for Positif, François Ramasse praised the film's intelligence and its shift from gentleness to violence. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bille August</span> Danish film director and screenwriter

Bille AugustRD is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. In a career spanning over four decades, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, making him one of the most acclaimed contemporary Danish filmmakers.

<i>When Father Was Away on Business</i> 1985 film by Emir Kusturica

When Father Was Away on Business is a 1985 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Emir Kusturica. The screenplay was written by the Bosnian dramatist Abdulah Sidran. Its subtitle is A Historical Love Film and it was produced by Centar Film and Forum, production companies based in Sarajevo.

<i>Pelle the Conqueror</i> 1987 film directed by Bille August

Pelle the Conqueror is a 1987 epic film co-written and directed by Bille August, based upon the 1910 novel of the same name by Danish writer Martin Andersen Nexø. The film tells the story of two Swedish immigrants to Denmark, a father and son, who try to build a new life for themselves. It stars Pelle Hvenegaard as the young Pelle, with Max von Sydow as his father, and also features Axel Strøbye and Astrid Villaume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pernilla August</span> Swedish actress, director and screenwriter

Pernilla August is a Swedish actress, director and screenwriter. Being one of Sweden's leading actresses and a longtime collaborator with director Ingmar Bergman, she won the Best Actress Award at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival for her role in his The Best Intentions. She is best known internationally for portraying Shmi Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Denmark</span> Filmmaking industry in Denmark

Denmark has been producing films since 1897 and since the 1980s has maintained a steady stream of product due largely to funding by the state-supported Danish Film Institute. Historically, Danish films have been noted for their realism, religious and moral themes, sexual frankness and technical innovation.

<i>The Best Intentions</i> 1992 film directed by Bille August

The Best Intentions is a 1991 Swedish television drama film directed by Bille August and written by Ingmar Bergman. It is semi-autobiographical, telling the story of the complex relationship between Bergman's parents, Erik Bergman and Karin Åkerblom, who are renamed Henrik and Anna in the film but retain their true surnames. The film documents the courtship and the difficult early years of their marriage, until the point when Anna becomes pregnant with their second son, who corresponds to Ingmar himself. Samuel Fröler and Pernilla August played Henrik and Anna, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Norway</span> Filmmaking industry in Norway

Cinema in Norway has a long history, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, and has an important stance in European cinema, contributing at least 30 feature-length films a year.

<i>Under the Volcano</i> (1984 film) Adaptation of Malcolm Lowry novel, directed by John Huston

Under the Volcano is a 1984 drama film directed by John Huston and starring Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, and Anthony Andrews, based on Malcolm Lowry's semi-autobiographical 1947 novel. The film follows the last 24 hours in the life of Geoffrey Firmin (Finney), an alcoholic British former consul in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac on the Day of the Dead in 1938. The film is an international co-production between Mexico and the United States.

<i>Carmen</i> (1983 film) 1983 Spanish film

Carmen is a 1983 Spanish film adaptation of Prosper Mérimée's novel Carmen, incorporating music from Georges Bizet's opera of the same name. Directed and choreographed in the flamenco style by Carlos Saura and María Pagés, it constitutes the second installment of Saura's flamenco trilogy in the 1980s, preceded by Bodas de sangre and followed by El amor brujo. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 56th Academy Awards.

<i>The Ox</i> (film) 1992 Swedish film

The Ox is a 1991 Swedish drama film directed by Sven Nykvist. Collaborating with Lasse Summanen, Nykvist penned the screenplay adapted from the 1981 novel Oxen by Siv Cedering.

<i>Qivitoq - Fjeldgængeren</i> 1956 film

Qivitoq - Fjeldgængeren is a 1956 Danish drama film directed by Erik Balling and starring Poul Reichhardt and Astrid Villaume. The movie was filmed entirely on location in Greenland. It was nominated both for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and for the Palme D'Or at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Paw</i> (film) 1959 Danish film

Paw is a 1959 Danish film directed by Astrid Henning-Jensen. It tells the story of a boy from the Caribbean who, affected by the deaths of his parents and maiden aunt, escapes to the Danish forest.

<i>Harry and the Butler</i> 1961 film

Harry and the Butler is a 1961 Danish film directed by Bent Christensen. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Worlds Apart</i> (2008 film) 2008 Danish film

Worlds Apart is a 2008 Danish drama film directed by Niels Arden Oplev and written by Oplev and Steen Bille. The film stars Rosalinde Mynster and Pilou Asbæk. Based upon a true story, the film is about a 17-year-old Jehovah's Witness girl who struggles to reconcile her faith and her secret romance with a non-believer boy. Worlds Apart played at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival and was submitted by Denmark for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

<i>Hamsun</i> (film) 1996 Danish film

Hamsun is a 1996 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Jan Troell, about the later life of the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, who, together with his wife Marie Hamsun, went from being a national hero to a traitor after supporting Nazi Germany during their occupation of Norway during World War II.

<i>Twist and Shout</i> (film) 1984 film

Twist and Shout is a 1984 Danish drama film directed by Bille August. It was entered into the 14th Moscow International Film Festival where Lars Simonsen won the award for Best Actor. The film saw a release in American theaters in 1986. Twist and Shout was also selected as the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Rosie is a 1998 drama film written and directed by Patrice Toye. It was screened at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival. It received the André Cavens Award for Best Film given by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC). Rosie was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

<i>Silent Heart</i> 2014 film

Silent Heart is a 2014 Danish drama film directed by Bille August, and starring Ghita Nørby, Morten Grunwald, Paprika Steen, and Jens Albinus. The film was nominated for the 2015 Nordic Council Film Prize.

The 2nd Robert Awards ceremony was held on 31 March 1985 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Organized by the Danish Film Academy, the awards honoured the best in Danish and foreign film of 1984.

<i>The Family</i> (2017 film) 2017 film

The Family is a 2017 drama film directed by Gustavo Rondón Córdova. It was screened in the Critics' Week section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Venezuelan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It is a co-production between Venezuela, Chile and Norway.

References

  1. "Festival de Cannes: Zappa". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  2. "13th Moscow International Film Festival (1983)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  3. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  4. Maslin, Janet (16 May 1984). "Growing Up in Suburban Denmark". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. ProQuest   424951524 . Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  5. Rabin, Nathan (28 June 2004). "Zappa". AV Club. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  6. Wollstein, Hans J. "Zappa (review)". AllMovie.
  7. Jane, Ian (27 April 2004). "Twist and Shout / Zappa". DVD Talk. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  8. Ramasse, François (1983). "Zappa (review)". Positif. 269/270 (81). ProQuest   233294632.