April 9th (film)
6.6 /10 1 Votes
6.6/10 Letterboxd Produced by René Ezra
Tomas Radoor Music by Jonas Struck Initial release 9 March 2015 Music director Jonas Struck Producers Rene Ezra, Tomas Radoor | 6.6/10 IMDb Directed by Roni Ezra Written by Tobias Lindholm Cinematography Philippe Kress Director Roni Ezra Production company Nordisk Film Production | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starring Lars Mikkelsen
Pilou Asbæk Cast Pilou Asbæk, Lars Mikkelsen, Gustav Dyekjær Giese, Martin Greis, Sebastian Bull Sarning Similar A War, Flame & Citron, A Hijacking, R, Worlds Apart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April 9th orig title 9 april trailer
April 9th (Danish: 9. april) is a 2015 Danish Second World War film directed by Roni Ezra and starring Pilou Asbæk and Lars Mikkelsen. The film depicts the German invasion of Denmark which commenced on 9 April 1940 and follows a group of Danish bicycle infantry sent as a vanguard to slow down the German advance until reinforcements can arrive.
Contents
- April 9th orig title 9 april trailer
- 9 april 2015 haderslev english subtitle
- Plot
- Production
- Reception
- References
The film's budget was 22 million Danish krone (just over $3 million) and was supported by the Danish Film Institute, TV 2 and the Haderslev Municipality. The film was released in Danish cinemas on 12 March 2015.
9 april 2015 haderslev english subtitle
Plot
During the night of 9 April 1940, the Danish army is alerted that the German army has crossed the border and Denmark is now at war with Europe's strongest army. In South Jutland a Danish bicycle infantry company and a motorcycle platoon is ordered to hold off the German advance until reinforcements can arrive but are quickly overwhelmed by superior German forces. During the morning Second Lieutenant Sand (Pilou Asbæk) and his platoon of soldiers battle the Germans and then retreat to Haderslev.
Production
The film was directed by Roni Ezra and the screenplay was by Tobias Lindholm (who also wrote A Hijacking, Borgen and The Hunt). The outline story was based on eyewitness accounts, conversations and interviews with the few surviving veterans of 9 April 1940, who fought the invading German Army.
The "Between Schleswig Limits" museum in Bylderup-Bov was approached by Nordisk Film in the autumn of 2013 with regards to assisting with uniforms and weapons. In March 2014 the film company collected 120 Danish steel helmets, 100 gas-mask canisters, 50 pairs of wool pants, 24 dummy-rifles, 32 cartridge belts, and a khaki officer coat. Moreover, the museum loaned two old Nimbus motorcycles with side-cars. All equipment was initially transported to Budapest in Hungary, where part of the movie was shot.
The film was also shot in Haderslev, where the streets around Møllepladsen, Sønderbro and Convent Cemetery was sealed off from 17 to 19 June 2014. Other shootings took place at the Jacob Michelsen's Farm in Aabenraa and in Søgårdlejren.
Reception
The film received mixed, but generally favorable reviews from Danish critics, with Berlingske and Ekko giving it 5 out of 6 stars, while others gave it between 2-5 out of 6 stars.