The Promised Land
International release poster
Directed byNikolaj Arcel
Screenplay byNikolaj Arcel
Anders Thomas Jensen
Based onThe Captain and Ann Barbara
by Ida Jessen
Produced byLouise Vesth
StarringMads Mikkelsen
Amanda Collin
Simon Bennebjerg
CinematographyRasmus Videbæk
Edited byOlivier Bugge Coutté
Music byDan Romer
Production
companies
Distributed byNordisk Film Distribution A/S (Denmark)
Magnolia Pictures (USA)
Release dates
  • 31 August 2023 (2023-08-31) (Venice)
  • 5 October 2023 (2023-10-05) (Denmark)
Running time
127 minutes
CountriesDenmark
Germany
Sweden
LanguageDanish
Budget€8 million[1]

The Promised Land (Danish: Bastarden, lit. 'The bastard') is a 2023 epic historical drama film directed by Nikolaj Arcel from a screenplay by Arcel & Anders Thomas Jensen.[2] Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin and Simon Bennebjerg accompanied by Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh, Jakob Lohmann, Morten Hee Andersen, Magnus Krepper and Felix Kramer.[3] It is based on the book The Captain and Ann Barbara by Ida Jessen.[4] It is a co-production between Denmark, Germany and Sweden.[5]

The Promised Land had its world premiere on 31 August 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival where it competed for the Golden Lion.[6] It was selected as the Danish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.[7]

Synopsis

In 1755, a poor veteran soldier with a modest pension Ludvig Kahlen arrives on the barren Jutland heath to farm land he has been granted by the king. He hopes to establish a settlement, thereby winning wealth and honor. He comes into conflict with Frederik De Schinkel, a merciless landowner who has been trying to monopolize ownership of the heath.

Faced with little available labor, Ludvig takes on Johannes Eriksen, one of Frederik's tenants who has broken his contract and fled Frederik's mistreatment, and his wife Ann Barbara. He also hires vagabond "Taters" (a branch of the Romani) as workers, though the practice is illegal.

Frederik does everything to drive Kahlen off the land and exact a cruel revenge. Kahlen does stubbornly takes up the unequal battle and risks both his life and his ties to the small, troubled family that has grown up around him on the heath.[8]

Cast

Production

Principal photography began on September 5, 2022[10] and finished filming in early November of the same year.[11] It was filmed on location in Germany,[12] Sweden,[13] and Czechia.[14]

Release

The Promised Land had its world premiere on August 31, 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival,[15][16] to then screen on September 7, 2023 at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.[17][18] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'World Cinema' section and was screened on 6 October 2023.[19]

It was released commercially on October 5, 2023, in Danish theaters.[20]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22]

Accolades

Year Award / Festival Category Recipient Result Ref.
2023 Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion The Promised Land Nominated [23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PRESS RELEASE: ZENTROPA PRESENTS FULL CAST AND FIRST BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE FOR NIKOLAJ ARCEL'S NEW EPIC DRAMA WITH MADS MIKKELSEN". trustnordisk.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Nikolaj Arcel's The Bastard starts filming - new cast members join Mads Mikkelsen". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (September 22, 2022). "Nikolaj Arcel's Epic Drama 'The Bastard' Assembles Stellar Nordic Cast for Zentropa". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Mads Mikkelsen Is a Brooding Soldier in First Image for 'The Bastard'". Collider. September 22, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Biennale Cinema 2023 | Bastarden (The Promised Land)". La Biennale di Venezia. July 12, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ "The 80th Venice Film Festival announces competing films". July 28, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  7. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (September 26, 2023). "Oscars: Denmark Submits 'The Promised Land' For Best International Film Feature". deadline. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Bastarden | Medierådet". www.medieraadet.dk. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Full cast unveiled for Zentropa-produced drama The Bastard". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. September 23, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Arcel, Anders Thomas Jensen on Zentropa's The King's Land". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ "MDM Online: Nachrichten". www.mdm-online.de. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Mads Mikkelsen epic The Bastard shooting in multiple locations". www.kftv.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Danish epic 'The Bastard', starring Mads Mikkelsen, now shooting in Prague". The Prague Reporter. September 22, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Prague-shot 'The Promised Land', starring Mads Mikkelsen, to compete at Venice film fest". The Prague Reporter. July 28, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  15. ↑ "'Bastarden' udtaget til hovedkonkurrencen i Venedig". www.dfi.dk (in Danish). Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Biennale Cinema 2023 | Bastarden (The Promised Land)". La Biennale di Venezia. July 12, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Press release: The Promise Land By Nikolaj Arcel Selected for the 48th Toronto International Film Festival". trustnordisk.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ "The Promised Land". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  19. ↑ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  20. ↑ "PRESS RELEASE: FIRST STILLS AND NEW SALES REVEALED OF NIKOLAJ ARCEL'S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EPIC DRAMA 'THE BASTARD' WITH MADS MIKKELSEN". trustnordisk.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  21. ↑ "The Promised Land". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  22. ↑ "The Promised Land". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Biennale Cinema 2023 | Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. June 26, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
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