enda
Film

Motello

Steen Rasmussen, Michael Wikke, Denmark, 1998

88 min.DK/Feature

The motel may remind you of Psycho on a dark and stormy night. Murder has been done here, and the corpse is in the restaurant's walk-in deep freeze, ready for collection. But we never really get the creeps, because this film is a zany comedy in which a bevy of colourful characters becomes woven into a devious, artful composition. The two police officers who try to solve the murder are named Rosenkrans and Gyldenstjerne - because the distinctive feature the characters all share is that they gradually play out their very own versions of Shakespearean tragedies including Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.

With its tongue just remaining in its cheek and an unwavering dead-pan expression Motello alternates between moving and surrealistic scenes, all set at the mysterious motel. We recognise the tone from the Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki's laconic tragi-comedies. But Motello is thoroughly imbued with Wikke & Rasmussen's droll, naive humour, particularly when Rasmussen himself plays Rosenkrans, the forensic technician who insists on taking his one-year-old son along to the scene of the crime.
Basic information Credits Music Materials
Original title Motello
Danish title Motello
Director Steen Rasmussen, Michael Wikke
Screenplay Steen Rasmussen, Michael Wikke
Producer Preben Seltoft
Director of Photography Steffen Led Sørensen
Editor Jesper Osmund
Sound Christian H. Lund, Hans Møller
Composer Tango Orkestret
Production designer Søren Skjær
Appearance Steen Rasmussen, Michael Wikke, William Tang Lærke, Helene Egelund
Production country Denmark
Domestic distribution Zentropa Entertainments
International sales TrustNordisk
Technical info 2446 meter, 35 mm, Widescreen, color, Sound
Danish theatrical release 20.02.1998
Cinemas Palads, Bio Lyngby, Scala, Grand, Gladsaxe Bio, BioCity (Tåstrup) samt 19 biografer i provinsen
Danish rating Allowed for children over the age of 11
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Companies

Production company PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Græsted Film & Fjernsyn
Domestic distribution Zentropa Entertainments

Direction

Direction Steen Rasmussen
Direction Michael Wikke
Assistant director Antony Castle
Continuity Ulrika Rang

Script

Script Steen Rasmussen
Script Michael Wikke

Production

Production Charlotte Vinther
Producer Preben Seltoft
Executive producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen

Cinematography

Cinematography Steffen Led Sørensen
Camera assistant Erik Thal-Jantzen
Key grip Ole Kristian Krogstad
Clapper/loader Ian N. Tomkins

Electrical dept.

Electrical dept. Aslak Lytthans
Best boy Morten Nyboe

Editing

Editing Jesper Osmund

Music

Music Tango Orkestret

Production design

Production design Søren Skjær
Set dresser Morten Isbrand
Art department runner Sille Larsen

Wardrobe

Wardrobe Margrethe Rasmussen

Makeup

Makeup Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
Makeup Dorte Jacobsen

Sound

Sound Christian H. Lund
Sound assistant Henning Wedege
Sound engineer Hans Møller

Appearance

Bent Rosenkrans, kriminalassistent Steen Rasmussen
Bendt Gyldenstjerne, polititekniker Michael Wikke
William, Gyldenstjernes etårige søn William Tang Lærke
Inga, Gyldenstjernes hustru Helene Egelund
Politikommisær, Rosenkrans' chef Kai Løvring
Ford Fordson, indehaver af Motello Bent Warburg
Gertrud, Fords hustru Solbjørg Højfeldt
Willy, Ford og Gertruds søn Allan Olsen
Mona, Ford og Gertruds datter Ditte-Karina Nielsen
Mac Fordson, altmuligmand på Motello Bjarne Henriksen
Beth Fordson, rengøringsdame på Motello Charlotte Toft
Julie, tankpasser på Motello Sidse Babett Knudsen
Victor Othello, kok på Motello Victor Hugo Diaz
Jacobsen, receptionist på Motello Peter Frödin
Oluf, køkkenhjælper på Motello Peter Reichhardt
Miranda, blind bartender på Motello Pia Vieth
Willys boksemodstander Mads Larsen
Lastbilchauffør Søren Skjær

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Reviews and articles

On the library you can find these articles and revies and other material about the film.
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Program - stumfilm & mikro
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Artikel
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Program - stumfilm & mikro
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