Danish Girl

Tom Hooper's 'The Danish Girl' is a brave story, about brave people, in a time where their bravery must've been counted as mental illness. Hooper chooses the correct actors to portray the parts & directs the film with dignity. However, The Writing doesn't always engage & is flawed in places.

'The Danish Girl' is A fictitious love story inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

'The Danish Girl' salutes the courageous lives of Lili Elbe & Gerda Wegener. Both of whom who died too early, had the courage to be themselves, especially Lilli, who chose to express rather than being repressed. And Gerda, a women who had to face the reality, was a women who respected her husband's truth. That was True Romance!

But, 'The Danish Girl' isn't as tightly Written it should have been. Lucinda Coxon's Screenplay, which is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by David Ebershoff, is powerful, but in doses. The first-hour works wonders, but the second-hour slows down & the flaws in the Writing show up. The final-act, to put it bluntly, isn't half as emotionally moving as it deserved to be. In short, the Writing lets 'The Danish Girl' down, at some parts.

Tom Hooper's Direction is dignified. He has handled some of the most dramatic scenes, with great conviction. Danny Cohen's Cinematography is nicely done. Melanie Ann Oliver's Editing is perfectly sized. Art & Costume Design are fabulous. Alexandre Desplat's Score is enchanting. A Special Mention for the nearly done Make-Up.

Performance-Wise: Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe & Alicia Vikander as Gerda Wegener, deliver brilliant performances. Eddie, fresh from his Oscar-Win this year, strikes back with a yet another winning performance, thats both, brave & heartbreaking. Vikander is splendid as his wife, who conveys her pain, with concern & sensitivity. And the on-screen chemistry between the two, is wonderful. Ben Whishaw & Amber Heard are terrific in supporting roles.

On the whole, 'The Danish Girl' isn't as good as one expects it to be, but its well-directed & very well-acted nonetheless!

Though it is nominated for 4 Oscars I wasn't looking forward to seeing it. The Danish Girl seemed like the typical arty-farty Oscar fare on paper but fortunately it was better than that. The best part of the film is the acting. Eddy Redmane does a great job but I was most surprised by Alicia Vikander. She almost steals the movie though she only has a supporting role. Mattias Schoenaerts is also in it with a supporting role and I must say: that man can do just about any language and accent and make it sound completely natural. The story was not that interesting to me and is somewhat of a typical subject matter for Oscar movies (that is movies about some sort of misunderstood minority and who was the first to start the revolution if you will). That being said, it is a very good movie, superb acting but on the other hand I don't consider this a must see.

Because of the subject matter in The Danish Girl I wasn't sure this was going to be a film that I would particularly like but I need not have have worried because I thought this was a fascinating movie that justified it's plaudits. This is the story of Danish artist Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) who realised that despite being born a man he is really a woman and that woman is called Lile. Although Redmayne will quite obviously get all the praise for his role as Lile but I think the outstanding performance of this film comes from Alicia Vikander who plays his wife. As an actor she is exposed unlike Redmayne who has the make up to hide behind. Instead of being about Lile this film for me is more about the love of his wife who will do anything to make her husband happy. Even if that means losing him. in the process.

The story could have been very dramatic and deeply touching, as it is a true story of both the internal conflicts of a man and the deep love of a woman to her partner. Unfortunately the meticulous attention to image rather than screenplay (to me) resulted in a quite cold and un- engaging movie, where beautiful costumes, interiors and landscapes are the only highlights. I found that even the acting of the brilliant young Eddie Redmayne was not that good, as his constant smiles and shy blinking eyes after a while seem to be the only stratagem he has to portray such a complex character (and after the first dozen of them I couldn't stand it anymore). A more sophisticated psychological portrait of the main character and a more dramatic rendition of his/her troubled soul would have given more solidity to a movie which seems too superficial.

'The Danish Girl' is an extremely well made film with two outstanding lead performances from Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. Everything about the film has a sophisticated, elegant feel, from the constume design to the atmosphere and cinematography. This is a classy film.

Although, in a way, this is to the film's detriment. The story is almost told with a mask on, it's difficult to see beyond the flawless surface and connect emotionally with the film. Everything is too nicey nicey, each scene is so perfectly crafted that it almost distracts you from what's actually happening in the film.

This is a very good film, but it could have been an excellent one, had it made more of an emotional connection with the audience.