Dansen med Regitze

Most love stories made for cinema depict what happens in the lives of lovers before marriage.This is done by showing scenes of happiness or hardships.Films about lovers who were once married can rightly be called love stories about married people as they create two separate lives for lovers;one before marriage where love develops and a different life for lovers after marriage where they might or might not be able to continue their love.Memories of a marriage/"Dansen med Regitze" is one such film which reveals itself as a good blend of lovers' past and present lives. In this film,past and present lives of its main characters make a lot of sense as they are presented through many dream like situations wherein Danish actors Ghita Nørby and Frits Helmuth pour all their emotions in scenes of fight,frustration,happiness and togetherness.This film is based on a famous Danish novel written by Martha Christensen. The tone of the film is simple and there are plenty of daily life scenes which suggest that family is the most important unit for lovers who have decided to tie the knot.

This film tells a really sad story. I don't know whether it's based on real characters but I hope it's not. It's not the story of Regitze, as the title suggests, but the one of her husband. Director Kaspar Rostrup evokes a depressing feeling in the viewer by showing the couple's present situation, having a garden party with their old friends, alternating with important episodes of their marriage, where Regitze turns out to be a dominant, egoistic wife. The comparison between now and then makes the movie very shocking and sad and I really recommend it to every one, especially to men who are about to marry.

I have not read the novel... though I wouldn't rule out that I will, now... and thus I cannot make any comparisons, or rate the quality of this as an adaptation. It is not often that I watch Danish films, but I am glad I made this one of those occasions. This is well-directed, and genuinely emotionally affecting. It does not contain an ounce of sap. Instead, you get to care about the people, and you find yourself drawn in. This stars two of our greatest actors, and the rest of the cast are excellent, as well. Almost every single performance is spot-on, and the children are fine. Nørby and Helmuth are flawless. Having someone's son(or daughter) play them at a younger age is an obvious choice, and it works. Told largely in flashbacks and with a chronology that goes back and forth a lot, this is about a married couple's life together, right from when they first met. Character development is plentiful and well-done, and they are all credible, consistent and convincing. The music is fitting. This is well-paced, and nothing seems excessive or extraneous. There is not a lot of offensive material in this... some content is disturbing and unsettling. Kids aren't really the target audience here, however. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the genre of drama. 8/10

Most love stories focus on romance; a valid choice, being the most saleable part of such a story. It works so well because it follows all the needs for story: it starts, it complicates, it has a satisfactory ending (or the opposite, if a tragedy -- and therefore a negative example which still supports the same example) . People want to live or relive such stories, whether they are 17 or 70.

This, of course, is a different tale: one which illustrates love in a more whole fashion. Love is not just romance, desire, passion and payoff (though it may well include all those things). Real love lasts longer than any of those, and therefore include elements that don't go so well with bright colors and swelling music: endurance, understanding, and shared connections. But it's also likely to include disappointments and even shocking betrayals, which doesn't make an easily appreciated story; viewers may well respond that these are the moments they'd rather not dwell on.

Danzin med Regitze doesn't sugar-coat things: people aren't always at their best, and they will fall short of the hopes they lay on each other. And yet, they may also move past those things. Long-term love isn't like that of youth. This isn't romantic, but it is real. That deserves to be in movies too, and here it is -- if you can find it.

I was not as overwhelmed with sadness as some of the other IMDb posts indicate they were. Yes, there are some sad elements to it, but all in all, there's much more to the movie than sadness. It's the story of a couple from the time they met until the present as shown through flashbacks the husband sees as he thinks about the many years they've had together. It is interesting to watch and seemed so very real--like this is a couple we all might know. What I also liked was how the mother-in-law was portrayed--and ultimately how her daughter, despite her protests, became just like her over time! While not the very best Danish film I have seen (that honor goes to "Festen"; also known as "The Celebration"), it is excellent in all facets.