Festen - The Celebration - Dogme # 1 - Thomas Virtenberg

"At first, the plot seems interesting and simple but after 20 minutes you finally realize how strong and provocative Festen really is. It's about one celebration made by the patriarch of the family Kingenfelt in the hotel where he lives. He's commemorating his 60 years. Christian, the older son, makes a speech where secrets are revealed." The movie realised at 1998 and still provoking people to read and write about it. I recommend to watch this movie before you read any of this comments or plots and make your own opinion.





"Festen is the first film shot according to the rules of the Dogme 95 Manifesto, which shook the world of film in the 1990s. It was written by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg and then signed by two more directors - Soren Kragh-Jackobsen and Kristian Levring. The idea of the manifesto, invented by a few filmmakers tired with the complicated film production system, was to "peel" film of its glamour and start an intellectual game with the language of cinema. The "vow of chastity" included in the Manifesto contained 10 rules that prohibited the Dogme-film-makers to use i.e. artificial lighting, post-production sound, and demanded the use of hand-held cameras etc."

"At first, the plot seems interesting and simple but after 20 minutes you finally realize how strong and provocative Festen really is. It's about one celebration made by the patriarch of the family Kingenfelt in the hotel where he lives. He's commemorating his 60 years. Christian, the older son, makes a speech where secrets are revealed.

The rules of the Dogme 95 as the use of natural light, camera in the hands, etc, help to create a claustrophobic and confidential clime, like nobody knows that someone is filming them. The scenes look incredibly real. Paprika Steen (Helene) and Ulrich Thomsen (Christian) were more than extraordinary. Paprika is a great actress and I can't stand waiting to watch "Idiotern", the second Dogme, in which she's acting again.

"Festen" is not just a worth watching film. It's a worth watching, re-watching, watching again, renting many times and recording to watch it a hundred times. Being the first Dogme, it's a mark in the cinema's history."

The Dogme 95 no 2 film "Idiots"by Lars Von Trier:

http://avaxhome.ws/video/genre/drama/dogma_dogma95_lars_trier_idiots_idioterne.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/72334834/festen.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/72448414/festen.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/72549849/festen.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/72576449/festen.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/72672247/festen.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/72727781/festen.part6.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/72815306/Festen.rar

- english and serbian subtitles