''Duellen'' (''The Duel'') is a 1962 Danish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Knud Leif Thomsen Knud Leif Thomsen (2 September 1924 – 14 October 2003) was a Danish film director and screenwriter. He directed 14 films between 1960 and 1975. His film '' Duellen'' was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. Two years l ...

. It was entered into the

12th Berlin International Film Festival The 12th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 June to 3 July 1962. The Golden Bear was awarded to ''A Kind of Loving (film), A Kind of Loving'' directed by John Schlesinger. Juries The following people were announced as ...

Cast

Frits Helmuth Frits Helmuth (3 July 1931 – 12 December 2004) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1938 and 2004. He was born and died in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of Osvald Helmuth and is the father of Mikael Helmuth and P ...

- Mikael *

Malene Schwartz Malene Schwartz (born 10 August 1936) is a Danish film actress. She has appeared in more than 60 films and television shows since 1955. In the TV series ''Matador'' she played the role of Maude Varnæs. She was born in Frederiksberg, Denmark. Pa ...

- Tina * John Price - Claes *

Axel Strøbye Axel Strøby Jacobsen (22 February 1928 – 12 July 2005), known as Axel Strøbye was a Danish stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1951 and 2000. He was born in the Copenhagen borough Frederiksberg and died in Char ...

- Basse * Hans Kurt - Player 1 * Buster Larsen - Player 2 * Vera Gebuhr - Lene * Albert Watson - Match Referee * Ulla Darni - Chorus Singer Sussy * Elith Pio - Tina's grandfather * Poul Müller - Professor *

Karl Stegger Karl Stegger (11 January 1913, in Aarhus – 13 April 1980, in Frederiksberg) was a Danish actor, who appeared in 157 films which makes him the second-most used Danish film actor after Ove Sprogøe. He mostly appeared in comedy, but also had som ...

- Overseer *

Aage Winther-Jørgensen Aage Winther-Jørgensen (16 May 1900 – 10 April 1967) was a Denmark, Danish actor. Partial filmography *''The Vicar of Vejlby (1931 film), The Vicar of Vejlby'' (1931) - Musicerende præst *''Skaf en sensation'' (1934) - Kahn *''The Golden ...

- Blood donor * Minna Jørgensen - Nurse * Paul Thomsen - Servant *

Knud Rex Knud Rex (30 March 1912 – 24 December 1968) was a Danish stage and film actor. Filmography Source: * '' Sun Over Denmark'' - 1936 *'' Den gamle præst'' - 1939 *'' Komtessen på Stenholt'' - 1939 *'' Frøken Kirkemus'' - 1941 *'' Natekspr ...

- Conference attendee

Setting

This film came about whilst in Denmark, there was an intense debate whether censorship should remain and meddle in, what (foreign) classic

erotic literature Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (concept), eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically ...

could be translated and published together with similar upcoming domestic works, or which age group could be considered allowed to watch films of interest to youth.

Synopsis and critics reception

The story is a classic triangle drama about Mikael, a medicine student, who the casual liberal man he thinks he is, works extra at a strip club, where he meets and falls in love with Tina. She dreams of a film career, and works extra as an assistant and mistress for an older cynical film director Claes. When Mikael finds out, confused and hurt, he rather surprisingly challenges Claes to a duel. The film received positive reviews for being the first Danish film in a long time to believe in something and shed light on moral and social issues of the time.

References

External links

* 1962 films 1960s Danish-language films 1962 drama films Danish black-and-white films Films directed by Knud Leif Thomsen Danish drama films Danish-language drama films {{1960s-Denmark-film-stub