Jørgen Leth (; born 14 June 1937) is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making. Most notable are his documentary '' A Sunday in Hell'' (1977) and his surrealistic short film '' The Perfect Human'' (1968). He is also a

sports commentator In Broadcasting of sports events, sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as a sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real time (media), real-time live commentary of a game or event, traditionally delivered in the present t ...

for Danish television and is represented by the film production company Sunset Productions.

Early life

Born on 14 June 1937 in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

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 ...

, Leth studied literature and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

in Aarhus and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and was a cultural critic (jazz, theatre, film) for leading Danish newspapers from 1959 to 1968. His interest in Polish anthropologist

Bronisław Malinowski Bronisław Kasper Malinowski (; 7 April 1884 – 16 May 1942) was a Polish anthropologist and ethnologist whose writings on ethnography, social theory, and field research have exerted a lasting influence on the discipline of anthropology. ...

had a profound influence on his work. He traveled in Africa (1961), South America and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

(1966) and Southeast Asia (1970–71). His first book was published in 1962. He has written 10 volumes of poetry and eight non-fiction books.

Film career

Leth made his first film in 1963 and has since made 40 more, many distributed worldwide. His most acclaimed is a 1968 short, '' The Perfect Human'', which also featured in the 2003 film '' The Five Obstructions'' made by Leth and

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...

. Leth's sports documentaries bring an epic, almost mythic, dimension to the field, as seen in ''Stars and Watercarriers'' (''Stjernerne og Vandbærerne'') (1973) and '' A Sunday in Hell'' (''En forårsdag i helvede'') (1977). He has been a creative consultant for the

Danish Film Institute The Danish Film Institute (; DFI) is the national Danish institution, agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest. It is the successor organisation to the Danish Fil ...

(1971–73, 1975–77) as well as chairman of the institute's board (1977–82). He has also been a professor at the Danish National Film School in Copenhagen, at the State Studiocenter in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

and has lectured at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, Berkeley,

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and other American universities. Leth covered the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

for Denmark's TV 2 from 1988 until 2005 as the expert commentator in partnership with journalist Jørn Mader, and again from 2009 in partnership with Dennis Ritter and

Rolf Sørensen Rolf Sørensen (born 20 April 1965) is a former Danish professional road bicycle racer. He is currently working as a cycling commentator and agent. Born in Helsinge in Denmark, Sørensen moved to Italy at the age of 17, where he has lived sin ...

. In 1999, he was appointed Danish honorary consul in Haiti.

Controversy

He attracted controversy in Denmark after publication of his autobiography ''Det uperfekte menneske'' (''The Imperfect Human''). It included a graphic account of sexual relations with the 17-year-old daughter of his cook in Haiti. This created a media storm in Denmark, partly because of his plan to make a film called ''Det Erotiske Menneske'' ("The Erotic Human"), funded by the

, in collaboration with DR (

Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...

) and Nordisk Film and TV Commission. The controversy upset several groups in Denmark. In October 2005, due to the controversy, he was dismissed as commentator with TV2. Leth then considered to quit finishing his film ''Erotic Man'', but close friend and fellow filmmaker

met with Leth and promised to let himself credit as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

on the film, in order to support Leth's artistic work. ''Erotic Man'' premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010. The film received lacklustre reviews which deemed it "dirty-old-man cinema" and

colonialist Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

exploitation.

Personal life

Leth has been married three times and has four children: Asger (film director), Karoline, Kristian and Tomas. Leth moved to Haiti in the late 1980s and referred to it as his second home. He lived in

Jacmel Jacmel (; ) is a commune in southern Haiti founded by the Spanish in 1504 and repopulated by the French in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsula, and ...

from 1991 until 2010, when the Haiti earthquake destroyed his rented home and most of his possessions. In 2013, Leth was still living in Haiti for about six months of the year, but with friends on the northern coast.

Honors

Retrospectives of Leth's work have been held at the

National Film Theatre BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the United Kingdom, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Ins ...

in London (1989), in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

, France (1990), at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

in Washington D.C. (1992), in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

(1996), New York (2002),

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

(2003),

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

(2004),

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

(2005), Rome (2006),

(2008),

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

(2008) and

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

(2008) and at the

Athens International Film Festival Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

in Athens (2009). He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including: *1971 Oberhausen Hauptpreis *1972 Thomas Mann Award *1983 Danish Academy Special Prize *1992 Paul Hammerich Award *1995 Drachmann Award for literary oeuvre *1996 Danish Film Academy Robert Award *1997 Prix de France for cultural reporting from France *1999 Danish State Art Foundation Special Award *2000 Danish Film Academy Robert Award *2004 Grand Prix for Best Feature at Odense International Film Festival *2009 Honorary Bodil award for lifetime achievement *2022 Member of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres of France *Lifelong grant from the Danish state for achievements in filmmaking

Selected bibliography

Two biographies of Leth have been published in Denmark. * Gult lys (''Yellow Light'') (1962) – poems * Kanal (''Channel'') (1964) – poems * Lykken i Ingenmandsland (''Happiness in No-man's Land'') (1967) – poems * Sportsdigte (''Sports Poems'') (1967) – poems * Glatte hårdtpumpede puder (''Smooth, Inflated Cushions'') (1969) – poems * Eventyret om den sædvanlige udsigt (''The Adventure of the Usual View'') (1971) – radio play * Eddy Merckx i nærheden af en kop kaffe ('' Eddy Merckx in the Vicinity of a Cup of Coffee'') (1973) * Det går forbi mig (''It Passes Me'') (1975) – poems * Det skete ved Ballerup (''It happened near Ballerup'') (1975) – short story * Det er ligesom noget i en drøm. Udvalgte historier om cykelsport 1970–75 (''It's like Something in a Dream: Selected Stories about bicycle sport 1970–75'') (1976) * Filmmaskinen. Udvalgte historier om film 1965–78 (''The Film Machine. Selected Stories about Films 1965–78'') (1979) * Jeg leger at jeg kan alting. En børnebog (''I play that I can do everything. A Children's Book'') (1991) * Hundene gør. Kup i Haiti 1991–94 (''The Dogs Bark. Coup in Haiti 1991–94'') (1994) – documentary * Den gule trøje i de høje bjerge (''The Yellow Jersey in the High Mountains'') 1995 – collection of writings about cycling * Billeder fra Haiti. Jørgen Leth's collection (''Pictures from Haiti – Jørgen Leth's Collection'') – catalogue of art * Billedet forestiller (''The Picture Shows'') (2000) – poems * Historier fra Haiti (''Stories from Haiti'') (2000) * Samlede digte (''Collected Poems'') (2002) * Det uperfekte menneske. Scener fra mit liv (''The Imperfect Man. Scenes from My Life'') (2005) – memoires * Det gør ikke noget (''It Doesn't Matter'') (2006) – poems * Guldet på havets bund. Det uperfekte menneske/2 (''The Gold at the Bottom of the Sea. The Imperfect Human/2'') (2007) * One Day Duke Jordan Disappeared in Harlem (2008) – articles about jazz 1954–66 * The Gifts of Chance (2009) – essays about filmmaking * Haiti (2010) – documentary * Trivial Everyday Things: Selected Poems of Jørgen Leth (BookThug, 2011) – translations into English by Martin Aitken

Filmography

* ''Stopforbud'', 1963 * ''Look Forward to a Bright Future'', 1965 * '' The Perfect Human'', 1968 * ''Near Heaven, Near Earth'', 1968 * ''Ophelia's Flowers'', 1969 * ''Motion Picture'', 1970 * ''The Search'', 1970 * ''The Deergarden'', the Romantic Forest, 1970 * ''Chinese Table-tennis'', 1970 * ''Life in Denmark'', 1971 * ''Stars and Watercarriers'', 1973 * ''Klaus Rifbjerg'', 1974 * ''Good and Evil'', 1974 * '' A Sunday in Hell'', 1977 * ''Peter Martins – A Dancer'', 1978 * ''Kalule'', 1979 * ''Dancing Bournonville'', 1979 * '' 66 Scenes from America'', 1982 * ''Step on Silence'', 1981 * ''Pelota'', 1983 * ''Haiti Express'', 1983 * ''Moments of Play'', 1986 * ''Notebook from China'', 1986 * ''Notes on Love'', 1989 * ''Danish Literature'', 1989 * ''Traberg'', 1992 * ''Michael Laudrup – A Football Player'', 1993 * ''Haiti, Untitled'', 1996 * ''I'm Alive – Soren Ulrik Thomsen, Poet'', 1999 * ''Dreamers'', 2002 * ''New Scenes from America'', 2002 * '' The Five Obstructions'' (with

), 2003 * ''Aarhus'' (2005) * ''Erotic Man'' (2010) * ''I Am Talking To You'' (2013) * ''Pelota II'' (with Olatz Gonzalez Abrisketa), 2015

Discography

*'' Han er nu malet blå'', 2004. *''Vi sidder bare her – Vi sidder bare her...'', 2008 *''Vi sidder bare her – Ikke Euforisk'', 2010 *''Ingen Regning Til Mig'', 2014

References

External links

Official blog
*

The Perfect Human
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leth, Jorgen 1937 births Danish emigrants to Haiti Danish experimental filmmakers Danish documentary filmmakers 20th-century Danish poets Danish male poets Danish male screenwriters Danish documentary film directors English-language film directors French-language film directors Living people Writers from Aarhus People from Jacmel Spanish-language film directors Sports commentators 21st-century Danish poets 20th-century Danish male writers 21st-century Danish male writers Bodil Honorary Award recipients Cycling announcers