Directed by Henning Carlsen
112 minutes
In Danish with English subtitles
In the film distribution world things tend to be ruthless. If a film, no matter how beautiful it is, nor how important it is, isn\'t deemed commercial enough then it just probably wont be released at all.... and will be effectively deleted from history. The worst crap in the world is pumped out in millions of DVDs, junk that isn't even worthy of the plastic they are encoded on....but there are so many gems which get completely lost in this rat-race. One such treasure is this film from 1966.
Based on the novel by Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun, and parred down to its absolute essence in this film version, director Henning Carlsen has created one of the real masterpieces of cinema. Shot in stunning black and white, the film captures the paleness of a world looking for a soul. The main actor Per Oscarsson is magnificent in a performance for which he won the award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. Not only is he in every scene in the film, but the film can scarcely even be conceived of without his mesmerizing presence. I was knocked to the floor when I saw this film recently for the first time....especially since it has become so unknown.
Just as in Hamsun\'s novel, Hunger considers what it means to starve for one\'s work, Danish director Henning Carlsen\'s film adaptation of Hunger portrays the story\'s protagonist as a man whose total dedication to literature costs him his health and perhaps sanity. The main character, whose name is Pontus, wanders the streets of Christiana (Oslo), like a hunger artist from a Franz Kafka story, struggling to keep up a semblance of sociability and sanity, but then plunging into hallucinatory madness from his starvation (which is physical, but also spiritual).
A tour de force which writer Paul Auster claims is the most profound and moving film he has ever seen. And it is indeed absolutely unforgettable! This is a film that should be up there with the great classics of cinema, but which has criminally been neglected and is therefore never screened.
Ciné INTERZONE Film Club
Filmhuis Cavia - Van Hallstraat 52-B
Time: 20:30
Cine Interzone: International cult, alternative, and obscure films, always with English subtitles.
Important films which are unavailable or rarely - if ever - shown in the Netherlands.
Screenings include a brief live introduction, served with passion...
Nightly membership - 3 Euros
Filmhuis CAVIA is a non-profit volunteer organization committed to the importance of cinema
Location
Van Hallstraat 52-B AMSTERDAM
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