Cinema
Tree of Knowledge
Kundskabens træ
Nils Malmros · 1981
Synopsis
At the cathedral school in Aarhus, from the autumn of 1958 to 1960, we follow a class of pupils aged thirteen to sixteen: the lessons, the teachers who hit them or let themselves be ragged, the dance parties at one another's homes, where everything hinges on the choice of guests. Elin, the most prominent of the girls, rejects Helge, and the others begin to turn away from her; Niels Ole, for his part, is too taken up with Maj-Britt, a pupil in the class below, to pay any attention.
Context
Written with Frederick Cryer and produced by Per Holst, the film was shot at the very school the director had attended, over more than two years, so that the young performers would grow up in front of the camera, with images by Jan Weincke. It was released on 13 November 1981 and closes a series of three films about childhood in Aarhus in the fifties. Its story has almost no external action and is more of a group portrait.
Who it is for
A little under two hours, in Danish, with the Aarhus accent and young non-professional performers. One follows a group rather than a story.
Prizes and reception
Presented at Cannes in 1982, in the Un certain regard section; overlooked by the Bodil awards on its release, it was added in 2006 to the Danish cultural canon.
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