Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, the composer, told Erik Balling that he couldn't make the overture of Elverhøj fit the musical cues in the storyboards for the famous scene at The Royal Theatre. Balling refused to change the storyboards and told Bjerre to change the overture to match the storyboards. Bjerre was hesitant because he was sure people would notice it and complain about it. Bjerre managed to tweak the overture and never received any complaints about it.
The now iconic scene at Det Kongelige Teater (The Royal Danish Theatre) was not in the original script. But while Erik Balling was thinking of a way to end the movie, he heard the Olsen-banden theme on the radio followed by the Elverhøj overture, and the idea was born.
The inspiration is almost certainly also from O Homem que Sabia Demais (1934). In the Royal Albert Hall orchestra scene, tension mounts as a character plans an assassination to align with a cymbal crash, intending to mask the gunshot.
The inspiration is almost certainly also from O Homem que Sabia Demais (1934). In the Royal Albert Hall orchestra scene, tension mounts as a character plans an assassination to align with a cymbal crash, intending to mask the gunshot.
This movie was released in Danish theaters in 1976, and holds the record of the highest number of tickets sold for a Danish movie. By the time of October 2020, the record of 1.2 million tickets sold has not yet been beaten by any other Danish movie. It is only surpassed by Titanic (1997) and O Senhor dos Anéis: A Sociedade do Anel (2001). At one and two respectively.
The Baron's family motto "Honi soit qui pense" means "Shame on those who think". It is a corruption of the motto of the English Order of the Garter: "Honi soit qui mal y pense", meaning "Shame on those who think evil about this".
Only exterior scenes was shot at Vallø Slot, the crew was never allowed inside.