The Celebration (1998)

Want to see it?

Seen it?

0
1
2
3
4
5
Rate this movie.

Buy it now on DVD

Starting at $10.07

Want to buy it?

Write a review

Discuss it

Add to lists

Recommend it

Get recommendations

Watch trailer

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg.

Starring Henning Moritzen, Paprika Steen, Birthe Neumann, Thomas Bo Larsen, Ulrich Thomsen.

Watch trailer

This Danish comedy drama won the Jury Prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. It opens in rural Denmark as family members assemble for the 60th birthday celebration of patriarch Helge (Henning Moritzen). At the family estate are Helge's children: France-based restaurateur Christian (Ulrich Thomsen), whose twin sister killed herself; surviving sister Helene (Paprika Steen); and younger brother Michael (Thomas Bo Larsen), married with three children. At the birthday dinner, the bitter Christian stands to deliver a toast -- but instead makes a startling speech accusing Helge of sexual abuse involving both twins. Following principles outlined in 1995 by Danish fimmakers in their Dogme 95 proclamation, this film adheres to their manifesto guidelines of handheld cameras, direct sound, location filming, and the elimination of technical tricks. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

[more]

Reviews and discussions

Re: Top Five Movies with Budget ...
by tmoney in Top 5

loved it.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of listing below $10, because it seems like a random number. I'll just list some really low budget films that are some of my favorites. Like Rizzo said, probalby 90% of my favorite films fit this category. But here are some that are blatantly low budget 1. Once - I just saw this film, and I am so blown away. 2. The Celebration - Best of Dogme 95, highly recommended.3. Bad Taste - not my favorite low budget, but must be commended for being made on a budget of about $200. 4. Night of the Living Dead - one of the best low budget films ever.5. Gerry - I'm pretty sure this was low budget. I really have no idea. But it must be. It's great though " [More]

Re: Top 5 movies that take plac ...
by tmoney in Top 5

loved it.

"Great topic! This one will take some thought. Some films really emphasize the 24 hour period thing (run lola run), and others you wouldn't really consciously think about the 24 hour time frame (the hours for example, I never noticed it was only a one day thing and i've seen it three times.) 1. Do The Right Thing - Possibly one of the greatest films ever made. 2. The Celebration - The best of the Dogme 95 films. If you haven't seen this film I highly recommend it.3. Elephant - A really beautiful, tragic film with a truely unique style.4.Roger Dodger - An uncle teaches his nephew how to score with the ladies. (Well there is one scene in the very end which takes place later.)5. The Lady Vanishes - an often overlooked Hitchcock film where a woman dissapears on a train. It's been a while since I've seen it but I'm pretty sure it spans 24 hours.I'll second The Hours, Magnolia, and Night of the Living Dead, some of my favorites. I have yet to see before ... " [More]

What is the point?
by aaronBsmith in The Savant Speaks

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"This movie was a feast for my eyes, but not my mind. The real drama seemed to lay back home with the battle to convince the Senate to bring more forces against the Persians. They seemed to ignore this fact in favor of eye popping action sequences and crazy CG sillyness. Pretty pictures do not a great film make. I wonder if they could have told the story of the battle of Thermopylae with a little handycam like the ones they used to shoot, The Celebration? Good writing, great acting, and well drawn characters make for better cinema, don't they? But then, I suppose this was not the point of this latest version of the Battle of Thermopylae. But if that wasn't the point, then what was? " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

Made according to the principles of the Danish Dogme 95 film movement, designed to free filmmaking from glossy clichés, Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration (1998) turns Dogme's technical limits into a stylistic vehicle for a family gathering that takes an unexpected turn. Following Dogme's vows of cinematic purity, Vinterberg shot on location using only hand-held cameras and natural light and sound, creating an intimate atmosphere throughout the long night of the party. With video cameras that are less obtrusive than film cameras might have been, Vinterberg zeroes in on private moments of emotional revelation, as well as the public pronouncements of incest, allowing the sterling cast of actors to play out a complex range of feelings. Veering from black comedy to family tragedy, from sexual farce to restrained drama, the film uses mobile shots and jarring edits to keep the viewer as off-balance as the partygoers. Though the tight screenplay structure harks back to the styles of Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, and Luis Buñuel, the deceptively low-tech, shock-cut visuals move The Celebration beyond art-cinema homage. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, among other festival and critics' prizes, The Celebration became Dogme 95's first international arthouse success. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Tags: familysecrets , painful , stuck-in-my-head , dogme95 , dark-humor
View all