Olsen-banden ser rødt

"Olsen-banden ser rødt" is a Danish film from 1976 directed by Erik Balling and written by Henning Bahs. Although the film is the eighth in the Olsenbanden series, it is still the best-selling Danish film in recent history with 1.2 million tickets sold. The plot revolves around Egon Olsen and his gang who are planning to steal a valuable Chinese vase worth 1.5 million kroner. However, they soon find out that they have been duped into stealing a copy of the vase. The gang must then break into a theater to steal the original vase from a Dutch buyer. The final scene, where the gang breaks through the walls of the theater to the sound of Friedrich Kuhlaus's ouverture from Elverhøj, is truly fantastic.

As a non-Danish viewer, I found "Olsen-banden ser rødt" hard to love because the characters seemed like caricatures, and I couldn't relate to them. However, the final scene of the movie was absolutely transcendent. The tension and excitement built up to a fantastic climax as the gang broke through the walls of the theater to the beautiful sound of Friedrich Kuhlaus's ouverture from Elverhøj. The music was so perfect and well-timed, and it really added to the excitement of the scene. Overall, while "Olsen-banden ser rødt" may not be the easiest film for non-Danes to enjoy, the final scene alone is worth watching the entire movie.

This was the 8th of the 14 Olsen Gang comedies, which were immensely popular in parts of Europe. They depict life from the point of view of petty bourgeois criminals with higher aspirations. (See ls075500400 for the full list.) Most people seem to agree that this film and the preceding one, Olsen-banden på sporet (1975), are the best two in the series. In my opinion, this one is so outstanding that it is clearly the better of the two, though I can see how railway lovers who aren't into classical music might consider the previous one better.

Danish films from the 1970s look very similar to French films from the same decade, and have a very similar lightness to them. I think this may be due to the influence of the works of Jacques Tati, such as the famous Mon oncle (1958). Unfortunately the Danish films are generally less well known in some major markets. If you love the classical French films such as Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire (1972) (with Pierre Richard) or L'Aile ou la Cuisse (1976) (with Louis de Funès), then you will likely love the similar Danish films such as Martha (1967) or the Olsen Gang as well. (PS: In the time since I wrote this review, I watched Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir (1961) for the first time. The famous classical seasons featuring Emma Peel also have a similar style and may be better known globally.)

Most Olsen Gang movies consist of a short pre-coup followed by a big heist. This one is special in that it actually features two ingenious coups. The visually stunning arrival of the caterer at the baron's picturesque castle (played by Vallø Castle) marks the beginning of the first coup. The second coup takes place in the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen and requires extensive rehearsals by the gang to prepare for one of the most outrageously funny criminal coups in cinema history, involving a jackhammer, an orchestra, and precise timing.

This is one of the peaks in Danish film history. The end scene in the Royal Danish Theatre is made with so much musicality that it could be compared to the early Disney-cartoons. But this is real people! Not a cartoon!

This is quite probably the most mentioned and possibly even watched of the movies concerning The Olsen Gang. The reason is one scene that defines the genius that is the writing and directing that is Bahs and Balling and the Olsen-Banden movies: The scene at the Danish Royal theater, featuring both the Overture of Elverhøj and one of this country's two National Anthems. Just about everyone reading this probably already knows exactly what the scene details... and anyone who doesn't should not simply read about it. It's one of the most unforgettable scenes in movie history, as far as comedy goes. For my money, anyone who considers them-self to possess a sense of humor should watch this scene at least once, and it doesn't hurt to see it more than that. I've watched this film so much that the VHS tape is worn... and I'm still enjoying the scene immensely and noticing amazing details about it. The plot is well-written and interesting. Including nobility was a marvelous idea, and they have a lot of fun with the class. The pacing is right on... I was never bored for a second. The adding of Fie, Børge's girlfriend is great, and Lene Brøndum did a lot with an amount of lines that could practically be counted on a hand. Her facial and body language do most of her acting, and it works great. Ernst Meyer provides a delightfully Franco-phile chef. Bent Mejding gives an incredible performance in the small role of the conductor. And Asbjørn Andersen deserves a mention... his last role, a cameo, and then one so fitting. It could be argued that he portrays himself. The humor is very sophisticated and retains the human touch that makes these films stand head and shoulders above the typical Danish comedy of this period(whilst, admittedly, many of them are hilarious). There is a very small amount of cartoony humor in this one, but it's such a brief occurrence, it makes little difference one way or the other. The police are made fun of again, and this time, the granting of medals and such are added to the parody pile. There appears to be a common theme between this and the former... that of workers having outlived the time they grew up in and preferred to live in. "The good old days" are no more, so to speak. A bit in this that begs mention is when Poul Bundgaard and Ove Verner Hansen, who were both opera singers, both emit some rather deep vocal sounds. There's an added touch of irony when Bundgaard, being asked what it was he just did, replies "I don't know!" whilst grinning nervously. A thoroughly well-written and highly entertaining film in a great series. I recommend this to any fan of the series and/or of Danish comedy in general. I'd suggest you make sure to have watched as many of the previous films as you can first, for important background and character knowledge. 8/10

What starts out as an okay entry in the long running Olsen-Banden series that started in 1968, emerges as one of the best, with a climactic heist in the Royal Danish Theatre with our gang blasting and drilling their way through the theatre to obtain the usual McGuffin (The Red Briefcase), set to the tunes of Kuhlau´s "Elverhøj", a cinematic moment of sheer genius, conceived and executed to perfection. That´s actor/director Asbjørn Andersen ("Reptilicus") in a cameo (his last) dressed as King Christian IV of Denmark. ***