Sven Johan Methling (or Sven Methling Jr.) (20 September 1918 – August 7, 2005) was a Danish film director and screenwriter. The son of actor and film director

Svend Methling Svend Methling (1 October 1891 – 4 June 1977) was a Danish actor and film director. He was a director for Dansk Skolescene 1924-1929, for Folkescenen 1925 and for Komediehuset 1929-1930. He also worked as a director at the Det Ny Teate ...

, Methling Jr. was best known for a series of light-hearted comedies. His 1959 comedy ''Vi er allesammen tossede'' (''All of us are Crazy'') received the

Bodil Award for Best Danish Film The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film ( da, Bodilprisen for bedste danske film) is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Film Critics Association. It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in ...

. Methling also received the

for the 1955 war drama ''Der kom en dag'' (''There Will Come a Day'').

Career

Sven Johan Methling was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

on 20 September 1918. As the son of film director Svend Methling, Methling Jr. was born into the film industry. He started work as a sound assistant with Palladium Films from 1940 to 1945. In 1944, Methling performed the leading role in the drama ''Det Store Ansvar'' (''The Great Responsibility''), directed by his father. Then in 1946, he co-directed with his father an animated feature, ''Fyretøjet'', based on the H.C. Andersen story. Methling made his solo directorial debut in 1953 with the crime drama ''Kriminalsagen''. His next effort, ''Der kom en dag'' (''There Will Come a Day'') was a war drama about the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Based upon a novel by

Flemming Muus Major Flemming Bruun Muus, DSO (born 21 November 1907, Copenhagen, Denmark – died 23 September 1982, Virum, Denmark) was a Danish writer and resistance fighter during the German occupation of Denmark in the Second World War. In 1942, he was rec ...

, the film received critical praise and was awarded the

of 1955. Over the next several years, Methling made a series of popular war comedies, the ''Soldaterkammerater'' movies (''Soldier Buddies''). In 1959, Methling directed the surreal comedy ''

Vi er allesammen tossede ''Vi er allesammen tossede'' ( en, We are Altogether Crazy) is a 1959 Danish comedy directed by Sven Methling and starring Kjeld Petersen, Buster Larsen, Birgitte Reimer and Dirch Passer. The film relates the story of a confused driver who is mi ...

'' (''We are Altogether Crazy'') for which he was again awarded the

. During the 1960s, Methling began writing screenplays as well as directing, and his name became synonymous with light-hearted comedies. In 1966, Methling became a teacher at the

National Film School of Denmark The National Film School of Denmark ( da, Den Danske Filmskole) is an independent institution under the Danish Ministry of Cultural Affairs. It was established in 1966 and is based on Holmen in the harbour of Copenhagen. History The National ...

and he was employed as a consultant at the

Danish Film Institute The Danish Film Institute ( da, Det Danske Filminstitut) is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest. Also known as ''Filmhuset'' ("the film ...

from 1979 to 1981. In the 1990s Methling returned to directing with the popular comedy films, ''The Crumbs'' (''Krummerne''). Methling died in Copenhagen, Denmark on 7 August 2005.

Filmography (selected)

References

External links

*
Det Danske Filminstitut

The Danish Film Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Methling, Sven 1918 births 2005 deaths Danish film directors 20th-century screenwriters Danish male screenwriters Film directors from Copenhagen