''Barbara'' is a 1997 Danish
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Nils Malmros
Nils Malmros (born 1944), a Danish film director and screenwriter, is considered a leading auteur of realism in Danish cinema.Nissen, Dan, ''Malmros, Nils'', International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Gale Group, (2001) retrieved 2 August ...
and stars
Anneke von der Lippe
Anneke von der Lippe (born 22 July 1964) is a Norwegian actress. She made history as the first Norwegian actress – and Nordic - to win an International Emmy Award.
Biography
Von der Lippe graduated from the Norwegian National Academy of Thea ...
and
Lars Simonsen
Lars Simonsen (born 19 September 1963) is a Danish actor.
He graduated from Aarhus Teater in 1990. In theatre roles, he has appeared at Odense Teater, , , Husets Teater and Betty Nansen Teatret, among others.
Plays he has worked on include ...
. Adapted from the classic
Faroese novel by writer
Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen
Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen (November 29, 1900 – March 24, 1938) was a Faroese writer. He has a distinct place in Scandinavian literature, as he is the only Faroese writer to achieve international best-seller status. This status derives ...
, the film is about a minister in the 18th century who is captivated by the overt sexuality of a
promiscuous woman
Promiscuity tends to be frowned upon by many societies that expect most members to have committed, long-term relationships.
Among women, as well as men, inclination for sex outside committed relationships is correlated with a high libido, but evo ...
and marries her. Set in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
, the film was Malmros' first diversion from his usual subject of adolescents in
Århus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
, and his own experiences.
Malmros describes ''Barbara'' as "a melodrama -a depiction of grandiose feelings set against a magnificent natural background, told with a wonderfully ironic undertone."
Plot
The aptly named ship
Fortuna
Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...
arrives in
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
, bringing Poul (Lars Simonsen), the new
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
for the parish of
Vágar
Vágar ( da, Vågø) is one of the 18 islands in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands and the most westerly of the ''large islands''. With a size of , it ranks number three, behind Streymoy and Eysturoy. Vágar region also comprises the island ...
, and the populace has gathered for the event. Among them is Barbara (Anneke von der Lippe), the widow of two former pastors for whose untimely deaths she is blamed by many. Pastor Poul is warned about her but falls for her charms, despite the fact that when three French ships come to port she follows the example of most of the other women in the town and allows herself to be seduced by a French sailor. As the widow of the parish, she has a house of her own on Vágar, and she and Poul leave for their respective homes there. Inevitably, they marry, but when in Tórshavn on a subsequent visit, Barbara meets and falls for the foppish Andreas Heyde (Peter Reichhardt), on a research trip from
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. Poul persuades Barbara to leave with him; however, when Christmas approaches he feels duty-bound to visit the outlying island of
Mykines, despite Barbara's entreaties that he not do so. Andreas has now arrived nearby to spend Christmas at the home of the chief
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
of the island. Despite his misgivings, Poul answers the call of duty, hoping to return almost immediately, but he is delayed by the weather for eleven days, and on his return he discovers that Barbara has left for Tórshavn with Andreas. After a confrontation between Poul and Andreas, instigated by Gabriel, Andreas is finally persuaded to leave for Copenhagen, without Barbara, and she makes a desperate and futile attempt to reach his ship, once more the Fortuna, as it leaves.
Cast
Awards
''Barbara'' received the Audience Award at the Rouen Nordic Film Festival as well as the 1998
Robert Award
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...
for Best Film. It was
Denmark's submission for the 1998
Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
[Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences] The film was also entered into the
48th Berlin International Film Festival.
See also
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References
External links
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''Barbara''at IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbara
1997 drama films
1997 films
Best Danish Film Robert Award winners
Danish drama films
1990s Danish-language films
Films based on Danish novels
Films directed by Nils Malmros
Films set in the 18th century
Films set in the Faroe Islands