''The Dance'' ( is, Dansinn ()) is a 1998 Icelandic drama film produced and directed by Ágúst Guðmundsson. It is set in the Faroe Islands and revolves around a wedding which is interrupted when a British fishing trawler is wrecked nearby. The screenplay is based on the short story ''Her skal danses'' by

William Heinesen Andreas William Heinesen (15 January 1900 – 12 March 1991) was a poet, novel writer, short story writer, children's book writer, composer and painter from the Faroe Islands. His writing The Faroese capital Tórshavn is always the centre o ...

from Faroe Islands. It was filmed in the Faroe Islands with an Icelandic cast. It was entered into the

21st Moscow International Film Festival The 21st Moscow International Film Festival was held from 19 to 29 July 1999. The Golden St. George was awarded to the Japanese film ''Will to Live'' directed by Kaneto Shindo. Jury * Fernando Solanas (Argentina – President of the Jury) * Flor ...

where Guðmundsson won the Silver St. George for Best Director.

Cast

* Gunnar Helgason as Pétur * Baldur T. Hreinsson as Ívar (as Baldur Trausti Hreinsson) * Pálína Jónsdóttir as Sirsa * Dofri Hermannsson as Haraldur * Gísli Halldórsson as Nikulás * Kristina Sundar Hansen as Anna Linda * Saga Jónsdóttir as Salmóma * Arnar Jónsson as Djákni * Magnús Ólafsson as Sýslumaður * Benedikt Erlingsson as Hólófernes

Production

Kristín Atladóttir and Ágúst Guðmundsson wrote the script after

's short story "Her skal danses". Ísfilm produced the film in collaboration with Oxford Film Company, Nordisk Film and Hamburger Kino Kompanie. The film was shot in the Faroe Islands with Icelandic actors.

Release

The film was screened at the

1998 Toronto International Film Festival The 23rd Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 10 to September 19, 1998. A total of 311 films were screened during the ten-day festival, commencing with the opening gala, ''The Red Violin''. Awards Programmes Gala Opening Nigh ...

Festroia International Film Festival The Tróia International Film Festival, commonly referred to as Festroia ( pt, Festival Internacional de Cinema de Tróia – Festróia) was an annual international film festival in Portugal held from 1985 to 2014. Held in the town of Setúbal ...

, the

and several other festivals. It was released in Icelandic cinemas on 23 September 1998.

Critical response

Guðmundur Ásgeirsson of ''

Morgunblaðið ''Morgunblaðið'' (, ''The Morning Paper'') is an Icelandic newspaper. ''Morgunblaðið''s website, mbl.is, is the most popular website in Iceland. History ''Morgunblaðið'' was founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen and Ólafur Björnsson, brother of ...

'' described ''The Dance'' as "without a doubt one of the better films that have been made in this country" and compared it to the Danish film '' Babette's Feast''. He found the dialogues to be of uneven quality while the fragmented narrative gave a lightness to the film. The critic wrote: "''The Dance'' is the best Icelandic film of the last year and raises hopes of a brighter future for the industry." '' Varietys Leonard Klady wrote:

Helmer's graceful, precise style contrasts sharply with the howling winds and fierce rains that pummel the characters. Tech credits are richly hued and amplified by a haunting score that incorporates traditional folk music. The cast is vividly drawn, down to the tiniest part.

Accolades

The film won the prize for Best Cinematography at Festroia and Best Director at the Moscow International Film Festival. At the 1999 Edda Awards, Þórunn María Jónsdóttir received the prize for Best Costumes. The film was also nominated for Best Film, Director and Actor (Dofri Hermannsson). It was nominated for the Norwegian Amanda Award the same year for Best Nordic Film.

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dance 1998 films 1998 drama films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Ágúst Guðmundsson Films set in the Faroe Islands Icelandic drama films 1990s Icelandic-language films