The Danish Poet is an animated short film from Norway that won the Oscar for best animated short film. The movie was directed by Torill Kove. The stories-within-stories take place in Scandinavia. Liv Ullmann, an actress and associate of Ingmar Bergman, gives the narration for the film.
The birth of a person is depicted in this movie through a very clear but unexpected course of events, making it a highly interesting story of how a wide range of diverse circumstances, coincidences, pathways, and situations can affect someone else’s life and actually lead to life.
The movie follows Danish poet Kaspar Jrgensen, who is looking for inspiration in the 1940s. He goes to Norway to visit the well-known novelist Sigrid Undset at the advice of his psychiatrist, Dr. Mrk. But soon after landing in Norway, he falls in love with Ingeborg, a farmer’s daughter. But it won’t be easy to make his love dream come true. When he proposes to her, he learns that she is already engaged (at her father’s request). Before they are reunited and Kaspar goes back to Denmark, she swears she won’t cut her hair.
The narrative is kept focused and entertaining by Liv Ullman’s captivating voice. The Danish Poet exhibits outstanding technical and aesthetic qualities. The endearing characters and beautiful settings are complemented by clear, brilliant colour. The film’s variety of action and emotion is emphasised by the underscore.
It can also be noticed that The Danish Poet is a hand-drawn animation. Thus, the film’s appealing and simple animation is done effectively. The movie is long, but it doesn’t feel long.