''Tree of Knowledge'' ( da, Kundskabens træ) is a 1981 Danish coming-of-age drama directed by

Nils Malmros Nils Malmros (born 1944), a Danish film director and screenwriter, is considered a leading auteur of realism in Danish cinema.Nissen, Dan, ''Malmros, Nils'', International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Gale Group, (2001) retrieved 2 Augus ...

. The film details the lives of 17 teenage schoolmates in 1950s Denmark. Shooting on location at the high school which he had attended, Malmros took two years to film the action, so the cast members reflected the real-life physical and emotional development of their characters. Despite critical praise, ''Tree of Knowledge'' received only two awards: the Danish Film Critics

Bodil Award The Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by the Danish Film Critics Association. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe. The awards are give ...

for

Jan Weincke Jan Weincke (born 30 April 1945) is a Danish cinematographer. Filmography *'' Facing the Truth'' (2002) *''Barbara'' (1997) *''Inside'' (1996) *''Pain of Love'' (1992) *''Penn & Teller Get Killed'' (1989) *'' Dead of Winter'' (1987) *'' Weeds ...

's cinematography, and the Audience Award at the Lübeck Nordic Film Festival. ''Tree of Knowledge'' is one of the top 100 Danish films listed by 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 ...

and is one of ten films listed in the cultural canon of Denmark by the

Danish Ministry of Culture The Minister for Culture of Denmark ( da, Kulturminister) is the Danish political minister office responsible for culture, head of the Ministry of Culture of Denmark. The political responsibility for culture, as well as church and education, was ...

. The film was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films ...

section at the

1982 Cannes Film Festival The 35th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 26 May 1982. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to ''Missing'' by Costa Gavras and ''Yol'' by Şerif Gören and Yılmaz Güney. The festival opened with the 1916 film '' Intolerance'', directed by ...

and was selected as the Danish entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...

at the

55th Academy Awards The 55th Academy Awards were presented April 11, 1983, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor, and Walter Matthau. Louis Gossett Jr. became the first Afr ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Cast

Production

When

called Gitte Iben Andersen and told her that she had become the chosen one to play Lene, she noticed that there was also a nudity scene. She was therefore refusing, but nevertheless said yes, when the film director added in a slight way that all other girls had said yes, without knowing that he had used the same trick towards the other girls.

Reception

Film Critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote "''The Tree of Knowledge'' is the truest and most moving film I have ever seen about the experience of puberty... a creative act of memory about exactly what it was like to be 13 in 1953."Roger Ebert /Chicago Sun-Times, 1 December 1982.

References

External links

IMDb

at Den Danske Film Database (In Danish) * 1981 films Danish Culture Canon Danish coming-of-age drama films 1950s Danish-language films Films directed by Nils Malmros 1980s coming-of-age drama films Films about puberty Juvenile sexuality in films Films set in the 1950s {{Denmark-film-stub Films set in Denmark

Cast

Production

Reception

See also

References

External links