''Eye of the Eagle'' () is a 1997 Danish

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

directed by

Peter Flinth Peter Flinth (born 7 November 1964) is a Danish film director. Early life and education Peter Flinth was born on 7 November 1964 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied film studies at the University of Copenhagen in 1984-86 and was educated on the ...

. Based on an original screenplay by Bjarne O. Henriksen, it takes place in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

during 1218. Filming primarily took place at the Asserbo Castle ruins in

Eilean Donan Castle Eilean Donan () is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs ( Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh) in the western Highlands of Scotland, about from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainland by a footbr ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and Tisvilde Strand at

Tisvildeleje Tisvildeleje is a village and the coastal part of the town Tisvilde, located on the north coast of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in Denmark, 60 km/40miles north of Copenhagen in Region Hovedstaden. To the west, Tisvildeleje is bordered ...

in Denmark. The film won five of Denmark's

Robert Award The Robert Award () is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Danish Film Academy since 1984. Description The Robert-Prisen (Robert Award) is an annual award given by the Danish Film Academy, launched in 1984. It is the Danish equivalent ...

s in 1998.

Plot

War is upon Denmark, and King Valdemar II sends his only

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

and heir in safety to Eskil,

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Ravensburg, who is instructed to educate the prince. As soon as the king leaves the country to go to war, the bishop makes plans about seizing the crown for himself. Accidentally the prince and the kitchen-boy Aske overhear the schemes of Eskil and his conspirators, but are seen and pursued by a one-eyed man, who wants to take revenge on the king for leaving him behind on a battlefield where he lost his eye. The eye was swallowed by an eagle, which he has tamed and now shares his sight with.

Cast

* Nijas Ørnbak-Fjeldmose as prince

Valdemar Waldemar, Valdemar, Valdimar, or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame". The name is considered the equivalent of the Latvian name Valdemārs, the Estonian name ...

* Lasse Baunkilde as kitchen-boy Aske *

Lars Lohmann Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel", and is therefore related to the name ...

as king

Björn Granath Björn Gösta Tryggve Granath (5 April 1946 – 5 February 2017) was a Swedish actor who appeared in over 100 films and television shows. Life and career Granath was born in Örgryte, Gothenburg, Sweden. He starred in a broad range of roles fr ...

as bishop Eskil * Bjørn Floberg as the one-eyed man * Rasmus Haxen as Morten Trefinger (Threefinger) *

Kristian Halken Kristian Halken (born 3 April 1955) is a Danish actor. He appeared in more than sixty films since 1981. Selected filmography References External links * {{Denmark-actor-stub 1955 births Living people People from Horsens Danish ...

as Gert Fredløs (the Outlawed) * Maj Bockhahn Bjerregaard as Signe *

Baard Owe Baard Arne Owe (3 July 1936, Mosjøen, Norway – 11 November 2017, aged 81, Copenhagen, Denmark), sometimes credited Bård Owe, was a Norwegian-born Danish actor who appeared in many Scandinavian films and television series. Owe was born in Norwa ...

as brother Sune *

Hardy Rafn Hardy Rafn (17 September 1930 – 23 January 1997) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 34 films between 1956 and 1997. He was born in Slagelse, Denmark and died in Denmark. Selected filmography * ''Father of Four in the City'' (1956) * ...

as brother

Grammaticus Grammaticus is the Latin word for grammarian; see Grammarian (Greco-Roman). It is also used to refer to a Roman patrician school. As an agnomen, it may refer to: * Ammonius Grammaticus (4th century), Greek grammarian * Diomedes Grammaticus (4th ...

* Thorbjørn Hummel as count Albert * Asger Reher as squire Mikkelsen *

Folmer Rubæk Folmer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Françoise Folmer (born 1961), Luxembourgish architect and politician *Joke Folmer (1923–2022), Dutch resistance member *Kirill Folmer (born 2000), Russian footballer *Louis H. Folmer ...

as a squire *

Steen Stig Lommer Steen may refer to: People * Steen (given name) * Steen (surname) Places * Steen, Minnesota, U.S. * Steen Township, Knox County, Indiana, U.S. Other uses *Chenin blanc, a grape variety commonly called Steen in South Africa See also * He ...

as a squire * Lasse Lunderskov as a coachman *

Erik Wedersøe Erik Wedersøe (18 July 1938 – 27 September 2011) was a Danish actor, director and author. Among his most famous roles are the psychiatrist "Pigernes Ole" in Lars von Trier's Riget II and Ulf Thomsen in the Emmy awarded (2002) Danish televis ...

as the voice of the one-eyed man

Production

Filming primarily took place at the Asserbo Castle ruins in

, and Tisvilde Strand at

in Denmark.

Awards

The film won five of Denmark's

s in 1998. * Best Costume Design (Manon Rasmussen) * Best Editing (Morten Giese) * Best Make-Up (Elisabeth Bukkehave) * Best Screenplay (Nikolaj Scherfig) * Best Sound (Morten Degnbol and Stig Sparre-Ulrich)

References

External links

* 1997 films Danish adventure films 1990s adventure films 1990s Danish-language films Films directed by Peter Flinth Films set in Denmark Films set in the 13th century Films set in the Middle Ages Films scored by Søren Hyldgaard {{1990s-adventure-film-stub