Danish actor Pelle Hvenegaard became famous as a child. For his role in the film Pelle the Conqueror, he was awarded the prestigious European Film Awards and Young Artist Awards as the best young actor. On television, the performer hosts the show program "Dagens mand".
After the premiere of the film "Pelle the Conqueror", journalists joked that the main argument in the selection of candidates for the role in the film was the name of the applicant, the namesake of the hero Martin Andersen Nexe. The parents named the baby after their favorite book.
The beginning of the path to glory
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1975. The baby was born in Copenhagen on August 29. The kid did not dream of an artistic career. The boy got into the cinema by chance.
Director Bille August decided to make a film based on the novel by Danish writer Martin Andersen Nexe. It turned out to be very difficult to find a performer for the role of Pelle right away. It was decided to conduct a casting. Over 3000 applicants participated in the selection.
Of all the boys, the filmmakers selected Hvenegaard. The main arguments in favor of the 11-year-old boy were, according to the director, self-control, patience and the ability to concentrate. Pelle fully met all expectations, playing at the highest professional level.
Critics wrote that all the performers, even episodic roles, in the film brilliantly coped with the task. However, the on-screen relationship of the main characters Max von Sydow and Pelle Hvenegaard was completely no different from the usual father-son relationship.
Against the background of the famous artist, the young performer was not at all lost. And by role, he was not supposed to portray infantilism and demonstrate a view of the world through rose-colored glasses. As conceived by the screenwriter, reality is so harsh that the sooner adaptation to it occurs, the higher the chances of getting out of natural selection alive.
Triumph
The viewers were stunned by the scene at the end of the film, when the boy alone quickly runs away into the distance. Many decided that the picture was not over, and the audience should come up with the completion. Yes, and everyone did not agree with such an ending, the young protagonist turned out to be too charming.
And the main merit of this technique was the game of Hvenegaard. In an amazing way, he managed to organically get closer to the character, perfectly feeling his character, and the motivation of all actions, and psychology.
The picture begins with a show of a ship sailing on the sea. From the south of Sweden on it went to Denmark to earn money desperate to find the best in their homeland laborers. In their view, a neighboring country can provide emigrants with everything they want. Among the people exhausted by poverty are the main characters, the son and father of Karlsson, Pelle and Lasse.
The elder dreams of providing for his old age, and his little son sees the new place as something extraordinary. The father said more than once that in Denmark children do not need to work from morning to night, but are allowed to spend time in games. Pelle gazes into the distance with interest, as soon as possible seeking to see the Promised Land.
However, barely getting ashore, the small family realizes that no one is waiting for them. And the idea of moving no longer seems to be such a good idea. Lasse makes it clear that his age is not suitable for the desired position, and his son is too young for her.
Therefore, immigrants are offered only modest work on a distant small farm. The only advantage of this choice was the tiny living room. There is no limit to the boy's disappointment. However, the father encourages the baby in every possible way, diligently hiding his own experiences.
Merit and prospects
The unique meaning of each frame makes it possible to combine them with episodes with a separate contradiction. They perfectly betray the general mood of the scenes that form a single whole. The very impressive duration of the project, over 23 hours, is not felt at all.
The director decided to achieve the effect in a way that is very budgetary from the commercial point of view, but very expensive from a cinematic point of view. The main role in the project is given to the nature and background of the action. "Pelle the Conqueror" absolutely does not pretend to be a blockbuster with a huge budget and exciting special effects. All sets and costumes correspond to the era with amazing accuracy, the plot is coherent and integral, and the moral is presented unobtrusively. The success of the film is also due to the amazing inspiration of the film duo of the main characters.
There are no far-fetches and "sagging" in the plot, although there are several key points in the script. The audience's attention is focused on the behavior of specific characters in each episode. There are no philosophical inclusions confusing the action in the project. However, the picture not only tells about the difficult fate of the peasants, it is not only a kind of screen ethno-expedition to the north of Europe.
First of all, the tape is a story about the innocence of an adult, intolerance towards people unusual in the eyes of others and the boy's determination to prove both to others and to himself the right to a dignified life.
New roles
Hvenegaard performed his role amazingly. His hero matured very early. He understood the injustice of the world order and decided to find a better life. He respects justice, is diligent, touchingly cares about his beloved father and believes that he can get out of an oppressive environment.
Unusually expressively conveys all the emotions of the boy, his face, especially his eyes.
After the triumph, there was a long career break. Only in 2000, fans saw Pelle in the new film "Foreign Land" in the role of Jacob, the main character.
As conceived by the creators, a naive guy from a Danish girl had to serve in the UN peacekeeping brigade in Bosnia. He tries to become a friend of Sergeant Holt. He offers to accompany a group of wealthy adventurers in the mountains. Jacob happily agrees. However, he very soon realizes that instead of tourists he found himself next to armed and trained people intending to "have fun" hunting civilians.
Then there was work in the series "Happiness 2900", filming the video "Too Much Christmas", the short film "Seks lag af depression". Pelle played himself in the telenovelas "Live fra Bremen" and "Audience". He became the host of the Danish version of the dating television show Taken Out.
There have been changes in the actor's personal life. They became husband and wife with scriptwriter Lottie Svendsen in 2000. The couple decided to part ways in 2001. Carolina Gullaksen became the actor's new life partner. Baby Zoe, adopted daughter, is growing up in the family.
