In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.
One day a strange man comes by and, seeing the lonely situation, invites himself in out of the rain. The woman is quietly hospitable and allows him to remain overnight. He stays on the next day and the next day. Pretty soon the woman begins to fall in love.
At Vesterbros Torv in Copenhagen, Olsen has his newspaper kiosk. Here comes high and low in society: Homeless, a district attorney with pain in marriage, a barmaid and a writer. They all fight with theirs, while Olsen's good heart makes him interfere in everything he can.
In order to supplement the family income, Marius Bastrup rents his unused rooms to young women looking for a "discreet stay." The drama in the film revolves around the young women and their circumstances, especially as it relates to one girl's abortion.
Niels Pind is a drunkard who is exploited by some of the town's residents. This comes to an end when his son, Jens, returns from America with a lot of money. Jens buys the local estate and starts extracting gravel from the ground. He quickly gains a bad reputation in the area because he only thinks about money. Niels Pind disowns his son. However, Jens changes as he falls more and more in love with Ingrid.
Martin the vagabond is cheerful and musical like few others. Together with his new friend Anders, he sings his way to a meal and a place to sleep. During a performance, Anders meets the daughter of Bakkegaarden, whose mother has been a widow for a long time and may have a past with Martin. But not all the local farmers are equally fond of the two wandering charmers.
The life and times of the Scandinavian artists' colony who lived in Skagen on the Danish coast during the 1890s. Not so much a biographical account, rather a portrait of a way of life. The painters became famous for the way they used the light in their work, and this has also been mirrored in the cinematography.
Susanne, a journalist, and Morten, a cellist, desperately want a child, but are unsuccessful. The situation leads to desperate acts, occasional drunkenness, and solace for her with a discreet lover.
In the charming old Copenhagen neighborhood of Nyboder lives a group of quirky and distinctive characters. Among them is Albertine, who one day is visited by her young niece Ditte, who has run away from a strict upbringing at home. She has fallen in love with her dance teacher Johny, who, however, is not very keen on surrendering to the young woman's charms. Fortunately, circumstances bring the two closer together.
Paul a young, newlywed writer returns home from abroad with his sweet, young wife, Anna, whom he has met in the South of France. After their honeymoon Poul is looking forward to start his new job as a screenwriter.
A dangerous prison escaper, a young Jutland woman, and a bank clerk, who has just deprived his employer of some cash and is now headed abroad, meet on a lyntog (literally "lightning train") from Arhus to Copenhagen.
A young woman of good family is driven into one of thieves and prostitutes and ends in suicide.
Danish farmer's son Rasmus Berg has been given a costly education in Copenhagen, and when he returns, he speaks Latin to his parents, and Latinises his name as Erasmus Montanus. He wants to "dispute", and goes on to "prove" a number of absurdities, such as that his mother is a rock. He is contrasted to his brother Jacob who is only interested in knowledge which of practical application.
TV drama about Christen Kold and his ideas for independent schools, by Bent Grasten and Kirsten Stenbæk. The story is set in the village of Roemark in the latter half of the 19th century and recounts the events surrounding farmer Valdemar's establishment of the first independent school in Denmark, based on an idea conceived by Christen Kold.
What would you do if you found 20,000 Danish kroner? Just like that? In a woman's purse? And what if no one was looking for it? In other words, if you had the chance to pocket 20,000 Danish kroner, tax-free? Wouldn't you be tempted? The main character in this film is tempted. He is a taxi driver and has a happy family life, but he is struggling financially.
Behind the red gates lies Dyrehaven with the green beeches and the famous zoo hill - the motley world of clowns. Professor Labardi is behind the popular singer pavilion, where his young daughter, Gulnare, performs. After a rainy summer, there is an economic low tide on Bakken, and the family is tempted to seek help from Gulnare's enterprising suitor, Carlo Petersen. But Professor Labardi carries a secret: the clown family has family ties to the fine legal world outside the gates. There is conflict, money transactions, love, hypocrisy and villainous streaks when the fine world and the hill folk meet. Behind the Red Gates is a terrific folk comedy that takes us behind the attractions at the traditional amusement park in Klampenborg.
Sometime in the 1700s, Mikkel, a farmer from Jutland, wants to marry off his daughter Cecil to the wealthy Mads Egelund, but she is in love with the haberdasher Esben. Mads proposes, but does not receive a definitive answer. Shortly afterwards, Esben leaves for Holsten on business, and Cecil vows to wait for him. A couple of years pass. After an attempt to force Cecil to marry Mads, she is now in a state of insanity. Esben returns home happy and prosperous, but Cecil does not recognize him and, in a fit of madness, she cuts his throat during the night. Some time passes and Cecil regains her sanity. She does not know what she has done and is still waiting for Esben. Mads comes to visit, and after Cecil has rejected yet another marriage proposal, he reveals the truth to her, and with a wild scream she falls back into insanity.
The young sailor Morten returns home from his travels in the midst of the general strike of 1944, where he is confronted with the occupation. He joins a resistance group and actively participates in the struggle. There is no time for relaxation. He must always be on guard. Only with the sweet and charming young Lise can he relax a little and be himself. During a factory sabotage, the group is captured by the Germans.
We follow two randomly selected destinies: two young girls whose data could have been taken straight from the police files, which contain so many human documents—many sad, but also many joyful, because a large proportion of those who were initially weak and frivolous are saved from the temptations of the big city.
The film could just as well have been called "Where there is room in the heart, there is also room in the house," because it is actually about an old, seasoned people person's solution to the housing problem. He solves it in his own – admittedly unusual – way, but he solves it! Had he been a little more discreet, his invention would never have been discovered – and he could have lived the rest of his life carefree. But this experienced judge of character – whom we call "the Professor" – had one major flaw: his overly big heart for the small and unfortunate members of society in general and the homeless in particular. It is this unfortunate heart that sets the film in motion and accelerates the events.
After World War II, Europe lies in ruins and help is desperately needed everywhere. One person trying to make a difference is Dr. Jørgen Vedel, who travels with the Red Cross to Vienna to vaccinate children. There he meets Leni, a girl who has been to Auschwitz, where she lost her mother. Jørgen arranges for Leni to come to Denmark, where she can start a whole new life.
Tove (Bodil Kjer) is a modest and ordinary girl dreaming of winning the competition to become the next big movie star. She applies with a photo of her more beautiful sister Grete (Gerda Neumann). The competition, however, is already rigged.
A film director sends his director and two screenwriters out into the city to find out what a film should contain in order for the person in question to want to see it. This results in many different episodes. The film includes the famous scene where Dirch Passer and Kjeld Petersen wallpaper a room.
Psychological drama about a doctor who, after taking over a practice in a small community, becomes entangled in some of the local intrigues. This has emotional consequences, including his attraction to a young schizophrenic girl and his wife leaving him.
It's all about an anonymous little gray book originating from sexually advanced Paris. The book doesn't look like much, but shouldn't be judged by its cover. Wherever this book goes, something will happen. And for sure, this book goes around.
During a train journey, Carolus, master of literature, meets the charming Italian Enrico. The two men discuss eroticism, and it ends with a bet: In a few days in Copenhagen, Enrico will seduce four women. Coincidentally - and unfortunately, Carolus' wife is the first Enrico to date.
After librarian Isolde attempts suicide, she leaves her politician husband for a younger student with a dark past. Isolde's former husband, however, has something else in mind for the young man.
The Danish Ingen tid til Kaertegn (Be Dear to Me) is heavily reliant on the appeal of its star, 8-year-old Eva Cohn. Our heroine is the neglected child of a businessman father and actress mother. Feeling that happiness lies well outside her own backyard, Eva goes on a search for that happiness. The longer she stays away, the more her parents realize that they've unfairly ignored her. The plot is nothing new: it's what is done with it that pleases the eye and ear. Ingen tid til Kaertegn was one of the more popular entries in the 1957 Berlin Film Festival.
A French housekeeper with a mysterious past brings quiet revolution in the form of one exquisite meal to a circle of starkly pious villagers in late 19th century Denmark.
Finn and Claus are best friends and both have a thing for their cute friend Eva. They both go to Copenhagen to study law but Claus would rather study music/piano and takes private lessons and Finn isn't the academic type. Who gets Eva?
A suspense tale revolving around the memories of a Danish saboteur as he awaits his execution in a German war-time prison.
The evil lawyer wants to take over the estate, and the evil farmer Esben helps him. But if the good farmer Svend Åge gets the red cow Rosa to bellow while Niels Peder yodels, then the horse that the stable boy Morten is riding on the trotting track will run faster and win the race. Then the lawyer will no longer be able to take over the estate, but it could all go down the drain if he steals Rosa.
An unsuccessful animal impersonator wants publicity and feeds an overly eager journalist a story. The impersonator says he is going to Africa to roar like a lion, and people believe him. The front-page sensation spreads to the foreign press, and in the end, the poor liar has to take out his savings and travel to Africa to prove that the lie was true enough.
Jørgen von Hejden is very distinguished, but poor. He is something of a fortune hunter. He dreams of getting rich quick. But his skills are not up to the radio quiz show, so he sticks to gambling, roulette, and dice games. When he marries the beautiful and wealthy Marianne, he also gambles. He has married her for her money! But Marianne is not only wealthy, she is also strong-willed. She inherited this trait from her father, shipowner John Christensen.
In the early 17th century, the tyrannical parish priest in Vejlby, Søren Jensen Quist, tries to force his daughter Maren into a lucrative marriage with the wealthy farmer Mikkel Ibsen. However, Maren prefers the bailiff. When Mikkel feels that both the bailiff and the priest are encroaching on his power, he arranges for the priest to be convicted and executed for the murder of Mikkel's brother, Nils Ibsen.
After his girlfriend is killed in an automobile accident, a man decides the best revenge on those responsible is to murder their loved ones.
"The ship is loaded with" four angry young men, an original skipper, a fashion model, a radio station, a pirate flag and various musical instruments. And the ship is at anchor in international waters and can not sail forward or backward. On the other hand it can emit radio advertising, and it does.
After a stay in a sanatorium due to violent behavior during an arrest, Detective Karl Jørgensen is transferred to the fraud department. Here, Karl discovers a case involving his ex-wife and her new husband. When Karl begins to investigate the case, he is stopped by the police chief. Karl teams up with journalist John Bullnes. They gradually get closer to the truth, but are stopped when a suspect commits suicide. Karl is suspended and Bullnes is sent to Berlin on an assignment. Karl then takes the case into his own hands and arrests the city's mayor and a major contractor.
Mogens Wieth is a songwriter who lives beyond his means. He is expecting to inherit a fortune from his Aunt Tut in Paris, who is old and filthy rich. He has been corresponding with her for many years. In reality, Aunt Tut is dead, and it is her daughter who writes the letters. A young singer who wants to ingratiate himself with the songwriter claims that he knows the aunt and that she is coming to Copenhagen. He has persuaded an older actress to play the role of Aunt Tut. Unfortunately, the aunt's charming daughter also arrives in Copenhagen at the same time, setting the stage for costly episodes and amusing complications...
Else and her husband want a child but Else can't have one following an abortion performed before she got married. When Jytte, her friend, a salesgirl who is the mistress of a married man, tells her she is pregnant, Else thinks she has worked things out: along with her husband she will adopt the unwanted child. But things turn out differently since Jytte decides to keep the newborn the moment she sets eyes on it.
Heavily influenced by the French stage sensation La Cage Aux Folles (which was filmed the very same year) a drag-queen comedy about a group of homosexuals sharing an apartment with a naive but straight country boy did not live up to expectations. The lead characters lead boring lives during the day and, as depicted here, downright pathetic existences at night, all decked out in peacock plumes and high heels and with nowhere to go.
In the small idyllic town Randrup, lives on nature-loving and friendly thatcher Rasmus Thomsen (Oswald Helmuth). In addition to refurbish people's roofs, he runs a small "geschæft" that "The wise man". Son Ulf (Frits Helmuth), which reads the doctor's home on leave before the final exam in Copenhagen. Rasmus' big dream has always been that Ulf had to be "real doctor" and achieve what he always wanted so dearly. By thrift and income have gained through the many patients who seek Him from far and near, he has been able to afford his son's studies. His reputation as a wise man has knowledge of.
Based upon the novel "Hærværk" by Tom Kristensen about the self destructive person. The literary reviewer Ole Jastrau chooses to free himself from his well-ordered middle class life. He allow the seriously left-wing writer Steffensen move in with himself which soon causes disintegration of his home an marriage.
The princess of Illyria, who has rejected all the fine suitors who have proposed to her, begins to take an interest in a gypsy who wanders around near the castle and who is in fact none other than the prince of Denmark with his friend, Kasper Røghat. The prince entices her with his magical toys, a rattle and a copper kettle, the price being a kiss and a night in the princess's chamber. Casper the Dwarf makes sure that the king is informed of the 'affair', and the princess is thrown out by her father.
At Smedestræde 4 in Copenhagen, a young orphan girl named Elsebeth Jacobsen lives next door to Carl Thomsen, a somewhat dubious character. Elsebeth, who works in a small greengrocer's shop, has only two real friends. One is a young bicycle courier, Poul Andersen. The other is a small Icelandic horse that brings fresh vegetables to the shop every morning. She and Poul Andersen spend a lot of time at the youth center.
An animated retelling of the legendary hero Sigurd of Norse folklore.
Paul is a calm and sympathetic lawyer who senses from the outset that his wife Anne has found herself a boyfriend. But he doesn't say anything—not until she says something.
Architect Poul Friis Henriksen falls in love with Norwegian Gerd. Unfortunately, she is already engaged to the doctor Arne Lorentzen, whose former wife died of an overdose under mysterious circumstances. Gerd invites Poul to a party at her home, where he accidentally sees her secretly taking a syringe. This makes Poul suspect that Arne is anything but the perfect husband. He sets out to investigate the matter further.
Detective Peter Smeth and his young and charming wife, Louise, visit Magasin Heiberg, where, at his wife's express request, he is to buy himself a new hat. He is not amused by the idea, but there is no getting out of it. Suddenly, however, an event occurs that causes the couple to change their minds. The daughter of the store's owner, Inge Heiberg, is found unconscious in the store's courtyard, and Peter and Louise rush to her aid. The fainting spell turns out to be shrouded in mystery.
The story about Mr. Petit - a French charming marriage trickster and murderer of women.
The film deals with a problem that affects us all. Whether you are rich or poor, old or young, you can be attacked by tuberculosis. In many, many cases, you can also be cured and leave the hospital or sanatorium with a certificate stating that you are free of infection and that, provided you attend your check-ups, you pose no danger to other people. This is what happens to Bente, a young office worker.
As a young man, Martin married the daughter of the farm, removed his grandfather from the board of directors, and, with his energy and willingness to work, turned the farm around so that it is now the largest and best-maintained farm in the entire region. No one likes being around Martin. Ruthlessness and stubbornness are fundamental elements of his character. He cannot tolerate anyone else around him. His grandfather and wife have long since resigned themselves to the situation, but now something must be done.
Director Albrechtsen, who heads a large construction company, is a tough and ruthless businessman. He does not shy away from dubious transactions when they serve his interests, and it is precisely on this basis that he comes into sharp conflict with his employee of many years, civil engineer Humlegaard, and the conflict leads to Humlegaard leaving the company. In the film, we now follow the far-reaching consequences of Albrechtsen's brutal actions.
Depiction of the social democratic activist and politician Peter Sabroe, who in the time around the turn of the century went to fight for the oppressed, oppressed and abused existences.
In the year 1646, Denmark is at peace. Only recently have the last occupying troops left Jutland, leaving behind the sad traces of iron heels. The administration has partially collapsed, the kingdom is short of money, and what money there is is unevenly distributed. This is the unusual and sad background to this unpretentious account.
Tonnemann lives in one of the wooden sheds at the far end of Islands Brygge, close to Copenhagen's landfill site. But in 1928, he wants to leave this environment behind – to go where the air is fresh and life may offer both security and meaning. He is already on his way with his packed suitcase to sign on to a long-distance boat when a lovely girl gets in his way with her little red sports car.
Tove Andersen's problem ends in Christianshavn's moat, and this is where the film begins. The body has a noose around its neck. The homicide division is called in, and it turns out that shortly before her death, she had undergone an illegal operation. An unscrupulous womanizer had abandoned the young student from the countryside when the relationship had consequences. The doctor rejects her after a beautiful lecture on the sanctity of life, and she must therefore rely on "private" help.
Leo Paulsen hires Oscar, who lives south of the border, to drive a transit load to Sweden. Oscar is stopped by customs and arrested. Leo seeks out his boss, Otto Hermansen, who explains that he can help Leo if Leo takes the blame for him—in exchange, Leo is offered a job in Jutland after his release. When Leo is released, Otto wants nothing to do with him: there is no job waiting for him. Together with his uncle, Mads, and the young office lady Ida, Leo plans revenge on Otto Hermansen.
The film depicts a series of events that take place in a Copenhagen apartment building while the gate is closed, specifically between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and we encounter a number of human destinies, happy and unhappy, just as in real life.
The young bank assistant Harald Løve is not particularly suited to sharing his name with the king of beasts. At least, courage and decisiveness have not been his strongest qualities thus far; quite the contrary. Løve is a timid man who is afraid of almost everything and everyone, not least his boss, the arrogant and somewhat eccentric provincial director, bank director Nikolajsen.
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.
Per Brask is a fisherman's son, a lively 16-year-old boy, still too young to go out to sea, even though, like other boys on the west coast, he has to help out with the daily work. He is mostly preoccupied with playing, while dreaming of getting his own boat. The boys from the dunes are in a constant battle with the fjord boys, or land crabs – usually just called crabs – who are the boys from the village by the fjord or from the farms further inland.
In one of Copenhagen's suburbs stands a large house, a villa-like property. The house is owned by the widow Elise Thomsen, who lives on the ground floor with her adult son, Eigil. Mrs. Thomsen rents out most of the villa. On the first floor lives the author Stefan Donner with his wife Lili and their 9-year-old son, Peter. Donner is talented but poor. The financial pressure on him and his family is getting on his nerves.
Among the many guests at the Rebild festival is Andreas Andersen, a man in his early 30s. But he has not come to Denmark to attend the big festival. Seventeen years ago, he was a poor farmhand at "Hovgården," but he fled the country because the farmer's wife, the authoritative Martha Larsen, accused him of a theft that was actually committed by her son, Henrik. Andreas came to America and led a turbulent life here before becoming a farmer and earning a lot of money.
Young Jonas Tofte is a waiter in the theater café, but he is more than that; he is also a poet and has written a comedy that is about to premiere. With this, both he and his sweet little wife, Else, hope to be out of all the difficulties they have come to know so well. Once the premiere is over, all the bills will be paid, and Jonas can stop serving. But many difficulties still lie ahead for Jonas before the premiere is over.
A former army officer befriends an elderly, poorly, lady and encourages her to enjoy reminiscing about her youthful days.
About an American's reaction to the Dane's way of chatting about each other. Behind their backs. A rumor begins to flourish. A serious one. About death. perhaps even murder.
Our bandit story takes place in the good old days, when strife, war, and lawlessness were the order of the day—a time quite unlike our own. In Rold Forest, the daring robber chief Justi roams, stealing from the rich to help the poor. His right-hand men are Reinald, who is more interested in the cash rewards, and the cunning minstrel Ole Hopsasa, whose greatest joy is to quench his ever-burning thirst and sing a cheerful song.
Danish social democratic propaganda film. During the Occupation, the young freedom fighter Søren had a good working relationship with a comrade in the resistance movement, despite the fact that Søren was a social democrat and his comrade a communist. After the liberation in May 1945, the differences that had been less important during the war begin to stand in Søren's way. Both his friendship with his comrade and his relationship with the wealthy Inger fall apart in the summer of liberation. But through his work in the Social Democratic Party, Søren experiences a renewed enthusiasm and resumes his relationship with Inger. Together, they actively engage in the party's work and both see it as an extension of the struggle for freedom during the occupation. Denmark's entry into NATO is particularly important.
Three siblings see each other again after many years at their father's deathbed. The eldest, Arthur, a lawyer, has everything under control – or so it seems, as the middle child, Irene, is struggling with her abusive husband, while little brother Michael is the outsider, living a sleepless life of booze and prostitutes. When their father is close to death, the three are called together, and a major family drama unfolds in their father's living room. Gradually, they agree that they should stand together instead of arguing about old affairs. But when their sick father suddenly falls down the stairs, it is as if all good intentions fall to the floor again.
Manufacturer Mads Juehl, who together with his partner Møller owns the pram factory "Fortuna", is a man with an appreciation for life's many small pleasures. Despite the fact that the company's foundations are gradually becoming unstable, he does not deny himself large personal expenses, and Møller is keen to sell his share in the company. However, his friendly feelings for Juehl keep him tied to the company, and the young clerk, Victor Pethersen, believes that the company now needs to undergo a rejuvenation process.
On the 9th of April 1940, the crew of a Danish merchant ship receives the news of Germany's invasion of Denmark. Instead of returning home, they vote in favor of setting course for England. The crew will undergo much hardship over the next five years ...
The three sons of devout Danish farmer Morten have widely disparate religious beliefs. Youngest son Anders shares his father's religion, but eldest son Mikkel has lost his faith, while middle child Johannes has become delusional and proclaims that he is Jesus Christ himself. When Mikkel's wife, Inger goes into a difficult childbirth, everyone's beliefs are put to the test.
Fisher, an ex-detective, decides to take one final case when a mysterious serial killer claims the lives of several young girls. Fisher, unable to find the culprit, turns to Osbourne, a writer who was once respected for his contributions to the field of criminology. Fisher begins to use Osbourne's technique, which involves empathizing with serial killers; however, as the detective becomes increasingly engrossed in this method, things take a disturbing turn.
Torben Skjødt Jensen’s elegant documentary is a collage of memories and reflections on one of cinema’s greatest directors. Visually rich and densely layered, Carl Th. Dreyer—My Metier illuminates an artist too little understood and too important to overlook. Through interviews, historical writings, and rare archival footage, a portrait of Dreyer emerges: an austere perfectionist, yes, but also a passionate man possessing a genuine sense of humor.
The 74-year-old widow, Juliane Cramer, is a very wealthy lady with an incredible appetite for life. Despite her advanced age, she rushes from one pleasure to another, from mannequin shows to boxing matches, and when her lawyer reminds her that it is time for her to write her will, she firmly rejects him. There is no urgency: "I have decided that I want to live for many more years, that's it". She is more than generous towards her nephews and nieces and their spouses. They all live in a property that belongs to her. That is why they have never paid a penny in rent. They know that, if things get tough, they can always 'borrow' a couple of hundred kroner or three from Aunt Cramer. So everything is very good - apparently...
Hans Nielsen Hauge was a Norwegian reformer in the early 1800's both financially and spiritually.
Medea after having helped the man she loves, Jason, and given him to birth two children, is driven into fury and vengeful madness after he decides to abandon her to become successor to the throne by marring Glauce, the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth.
Nikolaj Christensen is a popular Danish folk-rock artist. In this teen-oriented film, Christian (Christensen) is a young man in search of love, who restlessly leaves his home in Denmark to search for it all over Europe, finally finding some semblance of it in Morocco. This slight film is directed by Gabriel Axel, who also directed Babette's Feast. It is likeliest to be of interest to fans of the star and his music, which is used throughout.
Based on Leif Panduro's 1958 satire classic. David, a senior high-school student, aims a swift kick at his principal's behind and is committed to a psychiatric ward from the perspective of which he takes a close look at his allegedly sane family. They, of course, are the real loonies. The psychiatrists are worse. Only lovely class-mate Lis is down-to-earth and trustworthy.
Jørgen Leth's personal, pleasurable distillation of Danish literature covers seven poets alive at the time of production and twenty classical poets. A handful of actors share readings of the classical texts in semi close ups against a dark background; the living poets read their own works.