The Celebration (Festen) (1998)
86%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
28 wins & 23 nominations total
The Celebration is a film that manages to be both a product of its time and a timeless masterpiece. The Dogme 95 movement’s strictures inject urgency and surprise into what could have been a tediously static affair, resulting in a funny, volatile, and visually dynamic story about the unraveling of one extended family during the course of a patriarchal 60th-birthday dinner. The film’s effect is excitingly inventive and pure, transcending the movement even while its narrative exists in symbolic, dramatic harmony with Dogme 95’s attitude toward cinematic conventions. This is family drama at its most coruscating, and it will leave you thinking about it for a long time to come.
The Celebration is like a family reunion, but with more drama and less potato salad. This Dogme 95 film injects urgency and surprise into a 60th-birthday dinner that quickly unravels. It’s funny, volatile, and visually dynamic, making it family drama at its most coruscating. While some critics found it callow and unsatisfying, others thought it was admirably abrasive and excitingly inventive. Overall, it’s a gripping and devastatingly powerful film that will leave you thinking about it for a long time to come.
Production Company(ies)
Bridgit Folman Film Gang Les Films, d’ Ici Razor Film Produktion GmbH,
Distributor
October Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Skjoldenæsholm, Sjælland, Denmark
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong sexual content and language, including references to sexual abuse
Year of Release
1998
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.33 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 45m
-
Language(s):Danish, German, English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 1998 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 27, 2004
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Henning Moritzen, Ulrich Thomsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika Steen, Birthe Neumann, Trine Dyrholm, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, written by Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov, Comedy, Drama, $1.6M box office, R MPAA rating, reviewed by Caroline Rees, Paul Tatara, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Godfrey Cheshire, Geoff Andrew, Janet Maslin, Brian Eggert, Jeremy Aspinall, Total Film Staff, Rob Nelson, Henning Moritzen’s 60th birthday celebration, family drama, dark secret, tragedy, comedy, Dogme 95 manifesto, natural light, sound, camera movements, family dynamic, bourgeoisie, shocking revelations, landmark birthday party, cinema verite direction, uncomfortable affair, loutish brother, believable despicable film characters, restrained performance, overacting, organic, unrehearsed, stage adaptation, devastating, Ulrich Thomsen’s work, gripping, hilarious farce, devastating family drama, sharp, ruthless, brilliant effect
Worldwide gross: $1,657,778
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,042,256
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,314
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 331,762
US/Canada gross: $1,656,223
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $1,300,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,385,683
Production budget ranking: 2,012
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,284,690
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$628,117
ROI to date (est.): -17%
ROI ranking: 1,485
Henning Moritzen – Faderen, Father Helge Klingenfeldt
Thomas Bo Larsen – Michael
Paprika Steen – Helene
Birthe Neumann – Moderen, Mother
Trine Dyrholm – Pia
Director(s)
Thomas Vinterberg
Writer(s)
Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov
Producer(s)
Birgitte Hald
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
28 wins & 23 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (4)
There’s no denying that some of the Dogme strictures inject urgency and surprise into what could have been a tediously static affair.
September 22, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Caroline Rees
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
I’ll be thinking about this movie for a long time to come.
September 22, 2020
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
A funny, volatile, visually dynamic story about the unraveling of one extended family during the course of a patriarchal 60th-birthday dinner.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: A-
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
The more this film’s results are measured against its rhetoric, the more callow and unsatisfying it seems.
October 18, 2008
Godfrey Cheshire
Variety
TOP CRITIC
An assured, admirably abrasive little movie which never outstays its welcome.
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
At a time when filmmaking so often falls back on the familiar, its effect indeed manages to be excitingly inventive and pure.
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
The Celebration transcends the movement, even while its narrative exists in symbolic, dramatic harmony with Dogme 95’s attitude toward cinematic conventions.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
This is family drama at its most coruscating.
September 22, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Jeremy Aspinall
Radio Times
This may sound pretentious, but it works.
September 22, 2020
Total Film Staff
Total Film
The Celebration is founded on a cheeky display of cinephilic self-promotion.
August 21, 2009
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
gripping and devastatingly powerful
April 21, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
February 21, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com…
Plot
A Danish family’s celebration of their patriarch’s 60th birthday is marred by a dark secret in the comedy-drama film, The Celebration.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film The Celebration on Fresh Kernels.
Thomas-Vinterberg.jpg
