In Danish and Spanish this film title is translated ‘The Bastard‘. Why the innocuous ‘The Promised Land‘ was chosen for its English title is anyone’s guess, because this film is anything but banal. I saw ‘The Bastard‘ at the cinema two days ago and I was left flabbergasted. You recall those inestimable movie experiences where waves of unremitting gratitude envelop you because you are struck with such awe and admiration of the art you are witnessing? Well that’s how I felt throughout this epic historical drama ‘The Bastard‘. This film and another recently reviewed film The Father as well as Dune 2 are three reasons why my 100 Favourite Movies List at IMDB is sorely overdue for an update of new additions and emissions. (Edited: List updated 26/4/2024)
I have always held the Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen in high esteem. Ever since his staggering portrayal of a teacher accused of sexually abusing a child in The Hunt I was on the lookout to watch anything in which he appeared. I thought he couldn’t top his performance in The Hunt, but he has outdone himself in The Bastard. When people down the road remember the legacy of Mads Mikkelsen, who is arguably the finest Scandinavian actor so far this century, I posit that The Bastard will be the film that cinephiles most cherish from him – his signature film; his magnum opus. If I was to reflect on which historical ‘frontier’ epics remind me in scope and storyline of the The Bastard, they would be Dances With Wolves and Braveheart. The major difference for me between those two and The Bastard is they didn’t make my top 100. This Danish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards most certainly did.
IMDB Storyline:
The poor soldier Ludvig Kahlen arrives in 1755 on the barren Jutland heath with a single goal: to follow the king’s call to cultivate the land and thereby achieve wealth and honor himself. But Kahlen quickly makes an enemy. The merciless landowner, Frederik De Schinkel, who is sole ruler of the area, believes that the heath belongs to him and not the king. When De Schinkel’s serf runs away with his wife Ann Barbara and seeks refuge with Kahlen, the landowner does everything to drive Kahlen away and at the same time exact a cruel revenge. Kahlen does not bow, but stubbornly takes up the unequal battle and now risks both his life, but also the bond with the small, troubled family that has arisen around him on the heath.
The Bastard is directed by Nikolaj Arcel and based on a novel by Ida Jessen called The Captain and Ann Barbara. Arcel’s screenplay, written alongside frequent collaborator Anders Thomas Jensen tells a fascinating tale that offers insight into Danish history, while also functioning as a character study. It’s a movie that works on many levels; deftly balancing drama with comedy and violence with silence. The film presents Kahlen as a complex man who can’t see the forest for the trees, so to speak. Over the course of the picture, he undergoes a change of character, realising that there are other aspects to his life he should dedicate his time to, other than his pursuit of dominance over the inhospitable moorland.
This film is so visually evocative, boasting atmospheric cinematography which gives the film a wide, epic look, making the most of the rugged Danish landscape; compounding the harsh isolation of the Jutland moors. The production design is detailed and evocative, creating a period-accurate setting, while the costume design contributes to the narrative and its characters astutely. With a strong screenplay examining interesting themes, witty, minimalist dialogue (thank god) and well-drawn characters, the narrative consistently engages. It contains stupendous performances from all in the cast- led by the incomparable Mads Mikkelsen – The Bastard is a fascinating tale about a conquest of the useless that one wouldn’t want to miss.
The Promised Land had its world premiere on August 31, 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. On the website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 108 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website’s consensus reads: “Mads Mikkelson leads us through the savage terrain of The Promised Land with a glimmer of hope in this epic Nordic tale with Western bones.”
References:
1. The Promised Land (2023 film) – Wikipedia
2. The Promised Land (2023) – IMDB
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
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