Normannerne

With "The Normans," painters Paul Gernes and Per Kirkeby wanted to make a film about the Viking Age, but not a traditional fiction film set in that period. Instead, the film has a contemporary setting, in which a guide shows various historical sites and tries to bring the past to life, even though she has only one interested listener. Within this framework, episodes from Danish mythology are brought to life: King Skjold, Rolf Krake, Regnar Lodbrog, the Battle of Svold, etc. The film mainly follows the account in Saxo's chronicle, but also dramatizes a story by the Arab author Ibn Fadlan. He described the cremation of a Viking chieftain in Russia around the year 900, where, among other things, a slave woman was sacrificed after ritual intercourse. The film is based on a number of historical and archaeological studies. The loose form is intended to emphasize how fragmentary our knowledge of the Viking Age actually is.

Directed by Per Kirkeby, Paul Gernes, Normannerne leans on a strong ensemble — Lisbet Dahl, Henning Jensen, Preben Lerdorff Rye — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1976.