9 de Abril

I know a little about April 9th 1940 and the following days in Norway, since I am a Norwegian. But I knew little about what happened in our sister country in the south. We both suffered from ignorant governments that refused to see the reality, even when thrown in their eyes. The Norwegian government managed to flee to England. The Danish did not. This movie is about the average person, serving as a solider, who is drawn into a war before the government realizes there is a war. This movie is about soldiers fighting, without knowing that they have already lost. And this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. The story-telling, the acting, the filming, ... If you like historical war movies, this is a must-see.

There are many things to like about this film but foremost among them for me is the insight into the experience of the invaded. Here in the U.S., we never faced any real threat of invasion during the second world war. In Europe, it was a sudden and brutal reality for numerous nations. This film captures the emotions of those charged with defending their homeland against the Nazi juggernaut; their bravery and fear in the face of futility. The cinematography, acting and direction are superb. It is difficult to comment on the script in a foreign film but I'll just say the translation and subtitles are well done. For militaria buffs, this is perhaps the best depiction I have seen of bolt action rifle warfare. Very close quarters. No semi-autos to be seen. I am stingy with my ratings but tempted to make this a nine star. This movie is well worth the time spent to watch it. Two thumbs up from me.

I don't get the so-so reviews. We found this an excellent portrayal of what actually happened, not the excitement of a Pearl Harbor or D-Day Landing. The Danes were so outgunned. Fighting tanks on bicycles?!

Watch this a get a feel for what it meant to be a country that's just a stepping stone for Germany to gain Norway.

Clearly made on a tight budget but well-crafted and acted. If it gets boring, uh, guess what a day of war is like...

The term "War movie" is almost synonymous with Second World War movies. Every nation has a story, down to the smallest individuals, and when there aren't stories, the big story gives great background for fiction. As a result we are doused with WW2 movies. There are good ones, bad ones, boring ones, outright ridiculous ones, and we've seen them all. It is next to impossible to make a really good WW2 movie anymore. Everything that can be told about this war has been told; maybe it can be told again with soldiers of different nationality, different locations, different weapons; but it's really, really difficult to say something that hasn't been told already.

This is why this little movie is marvelous. It actually tells a new story. It's not the meatgrinders of Stalingrad, Omaha Beach, not the death camps, not Dresden burning, not heroes against evil Nazis. It's about the silent, peaceful Denmark which has been overrun in a mere six hours and this was all of the war for them. But how did it happen?

Are a few dozen lives comparable to thousands or millions lost on other battlefronts? What is six hours of "war" to six years? It is easy to dismiss it as nothing, but that's what this movie about. Regardless the short time and negligible losses, it was still war, with young people killing and dying for their country and king. When their comrade fell, it was the same what a Russian, German, British or American soldier felt in a much bigger battle. It is not to be overlooked.

This movie shows us some images from Denmark's family album. Look, this happened to them in 1940. When someone shows you his family album and tells about someone who died in the war, you don't say "Oh, just one of you? Stop whining, our family lost three, so your loss is insignificant." The movie doesn't claim fame. It doesn't say Denmark's disaster was a very big one, or that it's comparable to other events of WW2. It just tells: this happened to us. This is our story. And yes, a kid selling milk actually died on the road that day.

Thank you for this movie, Denmark. We missed your story. Maybe the characters could've been a bit more lively. But again, they are soldiers - what to add to them?

This movie gives a very honest account of the situation in the morning hours of the 9th of April 1940. The Danish soldiers did their duty despite being in a hopeless situation abandoned by their generals and politicians.

It's a movie made by a Dane for the Danish audience and it captures the way Danish society and the Danish Army was at that time.

I loved it! It's a small piece of Danish history coming to life.

Just a note on some of the other reviews in here. Don't try putting Russian politics into this movie. There is no glorification of any Danish effort during the war here. And it is not looked upon as such in Denmark. Focus on good movies - not the old er new conflicts between East and West. This is not a propaganda movie in any way - maybe you seeing it that way tells more about your view on the world than on the essence of this small masterpiece of Danish filmmaking.