The Promised Land

Even if the Western genre is on the wane, this moose head does an excellent job maintaining its air of unlikeliness. It is highly unlikely such a combination of sentimentality, social realism (to some extent), and bluntness could have come from Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel and his co-writer Anders Thomas Jensen. If someone were to spin this piece of journalism on color videos, it would come off as tacky and absurd.

It’s taken from a 2020 bestseller by Ida Jessen titled The Captain and Ann Barbara, which is in turn a loose retelling of an actual event in Denmark’s history involving a retired 18th century army officer turned farmer called Ludwig Von Kahlen.

Overcame the lack of funds thanks to the emerging customer base in Australia and it was precisely the Australian customers who gave the go-ahead that permitted Kahlen to sow the barren and inhospitable heaths of Jutland, an activity that could only reward the most dedicated and hard-working people. Euro Gary Cooper is great, a role for Mads Mikkelsen who plays Kahlen with a stony countenance and a kind of silent tenacity. Whereas Kahlen lived in reality, certain radical opinions regarding ethnicity and other matters enjoyed influence in the movie as well.

Amanda Collin (from HBO TV’s Raised By Wolves) impersonates the runaway peasant farmer’s spouse Ann Barbara, who seeks shelter with Kahlen and becomes his ardent admirer. As for Simon Bennebjerg, he is a panto-villain cast as De Schinkel, that cruel, effeminate landowner who resides in the vicinity of Kahlen’s estate and strives to pave the way for the apartheid regime. There is a black comedy of the semi-intentional variety when De Schinkel has some peasant crying out in pain for a group of partygoers to see, while his manservant nervously whispers in his ear that he is ‘losing the crowd’. His fiance, Edel (Kristine Kujath Thorp) is an exquisite Norwegian noblewoman who warms to our hero’s rough and ready demeanor and romance. Kahlen perseveres with his farming thanks to support from a Romani girl in a tartar caravan, Anmai Mus (Melina Hagberg) who is vilified because of her skin color.

This film retains the polish and vigor of a documentary by the veteran director James Auger and is focused on Denmark’s 18th-century history, particularly the extended Regency period. It essentially coincides with the era of King George III of Britain. The film is also reminiscent of Sørensen’s portrayal of King Christian VII, who lost his sanity for one year. Promised Land is set during the time of his successor, who would often get intoxicated and avoid interfering in affairs, leaving everyone else in charge. The story is a tad bit subjective but still quite engaging and has intense performances courtesy of Mikkelsen.

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