Erik Paaske Movies

This comedy has nothing whatever to do with the classical-era story of an insatiable ladies'man. Instead, the story concerns a diamond named Casanova which was hidden inside a wine bottle inside (of all things) a woman's make-up kit. When two young folks steal the kit, they are followed by a menagerie of strange characters, all of whom are after the diamond. They include one of the kids' uncles, an Arab sheik and an organized crime figure. Just when any of the contenders is convinced that he is home free, something happens to deprive him of the prize. The story is based on a novel by bestselling Danish author Bjarne Reuter ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Long but rewarding, the Danish-Swedish Pelle the Conqueror is based on the early passages of Martin Andersen Nexoe's four-volume novel. Pelle (Pelle Hvengaard) is the son of a 19th-century Swedish farmer (Max Von Sydow). Seeking escape from their poverty-stricken surroundings, father and son emigrate to Denmark. Upon arrival, however, they are treated like indentured servants, leading to a profound ideological turnaround for the impressionable Pelle. In the original novel, Pelle ended up embracing Communism. Nexo's political overtones are soft-pedalled in the film, which concentrates on the close, indestructable relationship between Pelle and his father. Adapted for the screen by Bille August, Pelle the Conqueror won the 1988 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The polite Walter (Ole Stephensen) and his loud friend (in both personality and fashion) Carlo (Jarl Friis-Mikkelsen) first appeared together in Walter & Carlo: Op På Fars Hat (1985), an alarmingly popular piece of old-fashioned low comedy. Few critics clamored for a sequel -- Walter and Carlo were no Olsen Gang -- but it came anyway. This time, however, the audience stayed away in droves, but that didn't deter the filmmakers, who issued a third film, Walter & Carlo i Amerika, which crash landed with an even larger thud in 1989. The story of Yes, Det Er Far was ostensibly about senior citizens forced by high taxation to smuggle cheap coffee on the ferries from Sweden, but in reality it was merely an excuse for Saturday Night Live-ish television personalities Ole Stephensen (a former reporter, believe it or not) and Jarl Friis-Mikkelsen to do their patented schtick. It seemed a good idea at the time -- so much so that the then Danish prime minister, Poul Schlüter, made a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

A planned sex romp goes awry in this Danish drama that centers on three young married couples and one single person who spend a weekend at a beach engaging in a sensuous orgy. After playing upon the beach for a while, they go to a roadhouse where they end up tossed out for excessive merry-making. The next day, a husband who couldn't make it there the first day comes to the beach looking for the party. He is angry and frustrated that he missed it. Then he comes upon the teenage girl who has been baby-sitting for the party- goers. He vents his frustration by trying to rape the nubile, bikini-clad young woman. Fortunately, he fails and goes to the cottage to join the others. They are very angry at him for breaking the rules and quarrels break out. In the end, they return home to their normal, dull lives. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi