Krøniken

I totally disagree with the other comment written to this show. I find the series fascinating each time I watch an episode (and I've seen all 11 so far). It nicely displays historic events, it characterizes the typical Danish families and lives through the 50s and 60s and it's well produced and not filled with unnecessary dialogs, action and effects.

At first I thought the actors and actresses said their lines in an unnatural way, but I got used to it very far, and actually I now believe that the way they talk in the series is the way people spoke at that time - i.e. rather formal.

I sure will continue following Ida, Palle, Erik, Søs, Børge, Emma, Kaj-Holger and all the other characters as long as the show is running - and I'm waiting with excitement to see how they will manage using the same actors throughout what's supposed to be 25 years (well okay - except the children of course).

This is an absolute must see for lovers of top class drama. I have watched the whole series twice now and love every second of it. The acting is first class. In 22 episodes there are about two suspect deliveries in my book. I think the script is brilliant. I speak Danish, so I'm spoiled there, but even translated, the script should be great. It's just such a riveting story. The attention to detail with the sets, clothes and everything else is really well done, but above all, the characters are so real, so human, so tragic and so utterly convincing. This is television at its best. It has been compared to the great series Matador. I say it is even better!

The story revolves around Ida who comes from the country to the city and gets drawn in to the world of the Nielsen family, an upper class family who own a radio and later television factory. But at its heart, it's a story about the Nielsen son, Eric, and his struggles in life getting acceptance and love from his father. There are many sub plots about Danish politics and everyone's lives and loves and the growth of the television industry etc, but it is a great human drama about how we need to love and build our children up not tear them down.

I can't understand anyone thinking the script is bad, unless they are maybe reading bad subtitles. Obviously to get the most out of it, you'll need to be fluent in Danish :), but hopefully there are good subtitles around for this show. I don't think I've ever seen a series that is clearly better than this. If you're into humanist dramas you should track this down! TV doesn't get any better.

Well, this is a series that many people have been talking about for the past two years, many mentioned as a sort of sequel to the famous "Matador", and in many ways it is.

Well, the first episode was watched by 2,2 million danes, which is roughly 40% of the country, a very nice premiere for sure. DR Drama, which is the production company and a subcompany of Danish Television is having a very succesful time these days, winning emmy's for both "Rejseholdet" and "Nikolaj & Julie", two years in a row. One can wonder why they plan on shutting down when their next series "Ørnen" is finished one day...well, that's another story..

This show started out so well, and I just watched episode 6 on TV now. I think the two first episodes were incredible, but since then it's gone downhill. No development, most characters are totally cliched and predictable and it is starting to remind me a little of those stupid soap operas of which they make an episode a day - you know which daytime soaps I'm talking about. And it's a shame - cause the production values are so high in this, expensive, but the story is starting my pants off.....to say it like it is....

Why, why why?

The concept is great, the acting decent. Even the cinematography works. But the scriptwriting is so sickening that it the whole series deteriorates into a painful farce of both glorifying and gratifying tributes to the great achievements of the Danish Social Democrats and an almost obsessive description of the moral decadence, corruption and demise of the "upper" classes.

Had this production come out of North Korea, the DDR or even the Soviet Union, I could have lived with it. Had it been a 90 minute film, I could have forgiven the producers, but this is 22 torturous episodes of badly scripted, incredible and immature propaganda that is unlikely to have exceeded even Stalin's or Goebbels' quality bars.

My advice is fairly clear: Unless you are either very bored or very brainwashed, don't bother with it. Re-arranging your sock draw is more thrilling!

Danish Television and cinema can do and has done far better than this. Why did they ever produce Kroniken with such a cheesy message?

I have seen three of the 2005-2006 series while in Denmark. They are just fantastic! Even though my understanding of rapidly spoken Danish is still "under construction" to some degree, the human emotions, the attention to period details in both costumes and set design, and a top shelf script, make the series a delight even to "udlændinge". I would encourage anyone enjoying great dialog, wonderful acting, and terrific script writing, to try to catch this series. Some of Denmark's best actors are in this series, so fans of Danish film will recognize at least some of the principals. If you have been put off by the spare style of the "Dogme" school of film making, this is much more traditional in its "look".