''April 9th'' ( da, 9. april) is a 2015

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

war film directed by Roni Ezra, and starring

Pilou Asbæk Johan Philip "Pilou" Asbæk (; born 2 March 1982) is a Danish actor. He is known for his role as troubled spin doctor Kasper Juul in the Danish television political drama '' Borgen'', and as Euron Greyjoy in the television series ''Game of Thro ...

and

Lars Mikkelsen Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen (born 6 May 1964) is a Danish actor. He has played Copenhagen mayoral election candidate Troels Hartmann in the drama series ''The Killing (Danish TV series), The Killing'', List of Sherlock characters#Charles Augustus Ma ...

. The film depicts the

German invasion of Denmark The German invasion of Denmark (german: Operation Weserübung – Süd), was the German attack on Denmark on 9 April 1940, during the Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the invasion of Norway (german: Weserübung Nord, 9 April – 10 ...

which commenced on 9 April 1940 and follows a Danish

bicycle infantry Bicycle infantry are infantry soldiers who maneuver on (or, more often, between) battlefields using military bicycles. The term dates from the late 19th century, when the "safety bicycle" became popular in Europe, the United States, and Austra ...

company sent as a vanguard to slow down the German advance until reinforcements can arrive. The film's budget was 22 million Danish krone (just over $3 million) and was supported by the

Danish Film Institute The Danish Film Institute ( da, Det Danske Filminstitut) is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest. Also known as ''Filmhuset'' ("the film h ...

, TV 2, and the

Haderslev Municipality Haderslev (german: Hadersleben) is a town and municipality on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in the Region of Southern Denmark. It includes the island of Årø as well as several other smaller islands in the Little Belt. The municipality ...

. The film was released in Danish cinemas on 12 March 2015.

Plot

During the night of 9 April 1940, the Danish army is alerted that the German army has crossed the border, and Denmark is now at war with Europe's strongest army. In South Jutland, a Danish bicycle infantry company and motorcycle platoon is ordered to hold off the German advance until reinforcements can arrive but are quickly overwhelmed by superior German forces. During the morning

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Sand (

) and his platoon of soldiers battle the Germans and then retreat to

Haderslev Haderslev (; german: Hadersleben ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 22,011 (1 January 2022).Lars Mikkelsen Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen (born 6 May 1964) is a Danish actor. He has played Copenhagen mayoral election candidate Troels Hartmann in the drama series ''The Killing (Danish TV series), The Killing'', List of Sherlock characters#Charles Augustus Ma ...

–

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Hintz *

–

Sand * Gustav Dyekjær Giese –

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Andersen * Sebastian Bull Sarning – Private Lundgren * Joachim Fjelstrup –

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Bundgaard * Martin Greis –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Gjermansen * Michael Brostrup –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Hartz * Elliott Crosset Hove – Private Jens-Otto Lassen * Jannik Lorenzen – Private Gram * Morten Hauch-Fausbøll –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Fladsaa * Mikkel Trøst Bentzen – Private Nørreskov * Ari Alexander – Private Justesen * Mathias Lundkvist – Private Kolding * Jesper Hagelskær Paasch – Major Jepsen * Jan Jürgensen – Sergent Klostergaard *

Simon Sears Simon Sears (born 25 January 1984) is a Danish actor. Early life and education Sears was born in Roskilde to an Italian father and Danish mother. He was raised in the town of Solrød Strand, and has two older siblings. When he was younger, Sear ...

–

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Holm * Jan Dose – Lieutenant-Colonel Becker * Jesper Hagelskær Paasch – Lieutenant Jepsen * Pelle Emil Hebsgaard –

Runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

Jan Dose Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

–

Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

Becker

Production

The film was directed by Roni Ezra, and the screenplay was by Tobias Lindholm (who also wrote ''

A Hijacking ''A Hijacking'' ( da, Kapringen) is a 2012 Danish thriller film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm about a ship hijacking. Pilou Asbæk and Søren Malling star as a cook taken hostage and the CEO that attempts to negotiate for his release ...

'', ''

Borgen Borgen may refer to: Places * Borgen, Akershus, Norway * Borgen, Oslo, a neighborhood of Oslo, Norway **Borgen (station) * Borgen, Østfold, a suburb of Sarpsborg, Norway * Borgen, Ullensaker, Norway * ''Borgen'' ('the castle'), colloquial name ...

'', and '' The Hunt''). The outline story was based on eyewitness accounts, conversations, and interviews with the few surviving veterans of 9 April 1940, who fought the invading German Army. The ''Mellem Slesvigs Grænser'' museum in Bylderup-Bov was approached by

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S (lit. "Nordic Film") is a Danish entertainment company established in 1906 in Copenhagen by filmmaker Ole Olsen. It is the fourth-oldest film studio in the world behind the Gaumont Film Company, Pathé, and Titanus ...

in the autumn of 2013 with regards to assisting with uniforms and weapons. In March 2014, the film company collected 120 Danish steel helmets, 100 gas-mask canisters, 50 pairs of wool pants, 24 dummy-rifles, 32 cartridge belts, and a khaki officer coat. Moreover, the museum loaned two old Nimbus motorcycles with side-cars. All equipment was initially transported to Budapest, Hungary, where part of the movie was shot. The film was also shot in Haderslev, where the streets around Møllepladsen, Sønderbro, and Convent Cemetery were sealed off from 17 to 19 June 2014. Other shooting took place at Jacob Michelsen's Farm in Aabenraa and in Søgårdlejren.

Reception

The film received mixed, but generally favorable reviews from Danish critics, with

Berlingske ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, ''Berling's Times''), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' ...

and Ekko giving it 5 out of 6 stars, while others gave it between 2-5 out of 6 stars.

References

External links

* * {{Tobias Lindholm 2015 films 2015 war drama films Danish war drama films 2010s Danish-language films Danish World War II films World War II films based on actual events Films set in 1940 Films shot in Denmark Films with screenplays by Tobias Lindholm 2015 drama films