Peter Brandt
Some may be surprised to learn that there were quite a lot of Danish musicals around the middle of the 20th century, almost exclusively of light and comedic character. Like in Hollywood, the phenomenon diminished in the last decades of the century and has until now only been resurrected in children's film and cartoons. And, if you like, in "Dancer in the Dark"."Jeg er sgu min egen" stars the popular Daimi in what reads like a recipe for success; the film is written by one of the country's most popular writers (Rifbjerg), directed by one of the country's most popular directors (Balling) and has a score by one of the country's most popular composers (Fabricius-Bjerre).Upon closer view, and watched thirty-six years after it opened, it certainly has some surprising content and entertainment, but is also a tiring experience. The main story is simple bordering on dull, albeit interesting for its light-hearted take on sex roles and the women's lib movement. Characters range from the subdued to the wacky, giving a mixed overall impression; I will note another misuse of the sometimes wonderful Poul Reichhardt in a role as a dream-sequence naval captain. Musically, only a few songs grabbed my attention, notably "Jeg sætter min hat som jeg vil", a Danish classic, and while the score is light and playful, it is perhaps not of significant interest. An advantage is the delightful cinematography in on-location settings in Copenhagen.
