One review on 07 Sep 2023

Denmark/Iceland 2022

Running time: 143 mins

Godland

Vanskabte land

Director : Hlynur Pálmason 

Setting: Iceland
Original language: Danish & Icelandic
Summary: Danish priest dispatched to Iceland mid 19th century to set up a new church. Journey's across country to meet his nemisis

Cast:

  • Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson  Ragnar (the guide)
  • Elliott Crosset Hove  Lucas (the priest)

Aspect Ratio: 1.33 (4x3)

Colour: Colour

Sound: Stereo

Camera: 35mm

Film Category
The 2020s
Tags
First Seen: Thu 7th Sep 2023
Catalogued: 12th Sep 2023

Synopsis

Film apparently inspired by discovery of a box of 6 wet-plate glass photographs taken by a Danish priest in Iceland in 19th Centruy. Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove), the priest, burdens himself with a bulky early camera and portable developing kit which he carries as he is guided by Ranar (Ingvar Sigurdsson) across the wastes of Iceland to his destination.

En route he looses both his travellin companion/fixer and the iant cross they are also carrying as both are washed away in a river they try to cross.

He collapses and it seems his guide has abandoned him but we discover he was rescued and draged on a sled more dead than alive to hs destination where he is nursed back to health and the building of the church proceedes under the guidance of Ragnar.

 

Reviews

by rogerco on Thu 7th Sep 2023 DVD proj @ home (Subtitled)

Another Arty-slow film from Pálmason

Summary

Slightly overlong, but good to watch

Full review

A little more coherent than A White, White Day also by Pálmason with Ingvar Sigurdsson as a brooding presence, and with definite shades of the Herzog-Kinski South American films (Aguire, Wrath of God and Fitzcaraldo) in the epic journey by a flawed hero (Elliott Crosset Hove here channeling Klaus Kinski) who has to confront his demons.

A film of two distinct parts, with an intro in the Bishops place in Denmark, and an outro on the snowy wastes of Iceland. The first part is the epic journey and then the second is almost as if Lucas has been delivered or re-born into another world or afterlife, which holds both promise of elysian fields and the potential for despair and doom and sudden nemisis.

Another excellent piece of filmmaking by Pálmason - if you appreciate slow-paced arty films and/or Icelandic scenery, then you'll like this.

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