Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Celebration Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 31, 2022

Thomas Vinterberg's "The Celebration" a.k.a. "Festen" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new interview with the director; archival audio commentary; deleted scenes; archival program with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle; short films; and more. In Danish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

If Thomas Vinterberg’s film The Celebration (Festen) had opened up with a short text acknowledging a relationship to The Jerry Springer Show and The Addams Family, I would have instantly accepted it as entirely legit. Why? Because even though its characters speak Danish, many of them are every bit as unhinged as the various colorful guests Springer welcomed over the years. Plus, most of them are members of the same wicked family.

But there is no such text preceding the opening credits of The Celebration, and I doubt that in 1998, shortly after initiating the Dogme 95 movement with Lars von Trier, Vinterberg knew who Springer was and how he was making ends meet in the United States. And if I underestimate Vinterberg and he did know Springer and his show, then I am convinced that he did not care for it. In other words, the relationship I speculated about could not have existed.

Or could it be that there is something that does indeed link The Celebration, The Jerry Springer Show, and The Addams Family? I can almost see you rolling your eyes and shaking your head, so let’s describe what takes place in The Celebration and investigate.

The story that is told in The Celebration is very simple, perhaps even too simple. Helge Klingenfeld (Henning Moritzen) is throwing a big party at his lavish countryside home to celebrate his 60th birthday. His eldest son, Christian (Ulrich Thomsen), is coming from Paris where he is the owner of a successful restaurant. His other son, Michael (Thomas Bo Larsen), and his family are driving from a nearby town. His only daughter, Helene (Paprika Steen), is coming with a taxi. Helge’s parents, closest relatives, and even a couple of old business partners are on their way, too.

At the house, all guests are required to check in and then unpack in a room that Helge has chosen for them. There is a dress code. The servants are told to assist all guests with anything they need so that they gather at the large dining room where the celebration is supposed to take place on time. An old tradition requires that some family members give a speech, so careful preparations have been made in advance to impress Helge the right way.

While the guests unpack their bags and dress up for the special occasion, tensions slowly begin to rise. Initially it is because of a missing pair of shoes and a secret message reminding of a recent tragedy, but both are quickly replaced by the realization that during the celebration everyone is expected to play a very particular role for Helge’s personal enjoyment.

Shortly after the celebration officially begins, Christian unexpectedly breaks Helge’s protocol. When it is his turn to give a speech, he exposes his father as an abusive pervert who has permanently scarred the family. In a desperate attempt to stop Helge’s public humiliation, Michael, the family’s hothead, quickly intervenes and clashes with Christian, but instead further exacerbates it. Soon after, the arrival of Helene’s new boyfriend, an English-speaking black man, unleashes a chain reaction of internal fights that quickly reveal an even uglier side of Helge and his dominance over the entire family.

By the time Helge’s servants are asked to bring out the deserts the celebration is already a genuinely unhinged and strikingly grotesque circus highlighting amateurish yet oddly effective acts of shaming that are destroying decades-old reputations and relationships. But instead of recognizing the damage that is being done and trying to terminate it, the shamers double their efforts to exposes each other’s dirtiest secrets.

The films that were made in accordance with the Dogme 95 requirements have a very particular look. For example, they were shot on location and with hand-held cameras. They did not utilize artificial lighting, filters, and any optical work. Their soundtracks incorporated only organic sounds and noises. In other words, these films promoted a specific ‘raw’ appearance that supposedly allowed their creators to capture with their cameras acting in its purest form. However, while the creative philosophy behind Dogme 95 was quite clear, whether its goal was met as intended is still debatable because the ‘purest form of acting’ remains entirely subjective.

In The Celebration, the acting is of the kind that is usually suitable for semi-staged reality TV shows like the one Springer hosted and became famous for. Indeed, not only it is very fluid, but routinely emphasizes the type of extreme emotions and behavior that produced the big fireworks in Springer’s show. Obviously, Vinterberg and the cast he worked with had vastly superior skills that allowed them to manage them differently, but ultimately, The Celebration offers entertainment with a very similar kitschy flavor.

The Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Celebration arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This 2018 digital transfer, a collaboration between the Danish Film Institute and Nimbus Film, was created in 2K resolution on an MWA Flashtransfer Vario film scanner from a 35mm answer print that was that was struck from the 35mm digital intermediate negative made from the original DigiBeta tapes. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from from the 35mm optical soundtrack positive.

Restoration supervisor: Miakel Braae.
Scanning: Nikolaj Fogh-Nielsen.
Colorist: Jorgen Christiansen/Danish Film Institute, Copenhagen.
Restoration technician: Claus Greffel."

Obviously, because of the entire film was conceived and shot, as well as later on transferred in 2K, there are a variety of intended limitations. For example, delineation is of the type that you would expect to see on a low-resolution master. Depth and clarity fluctuate rather dramatically as well. The very particular management of light introduces other limitations too, many of which can further flatten the visuals in unique ways. Colors and color balance are affected in similar ways, so the primaries and the supporting nuances can interact in some quite unusual was. Image stability is good, but on this presentation its definition is different. Why? For the same reasons I highlighted above. In other words, the Blu-ray simply replicates an unorthodox stylistic appearance that was shaped up by the restrictions of the Dogme 95. This replication process appears to be excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Danish LPCM 1.0 (a few exchanges in English). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The original audio has some native limitations as well. Basically, the soundtrack incorporates only unfiltered organic sounds and noises, so so fluctuations that have been captures by the recording equipment following the camera are retained and untouched by a sound editor. What does this mean exactly? It means that in some areas there is obvious unevenness, while dynamic intensity is quite average. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for The Celebration. In Danish, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Thomas Vinterberg - in this new interview, Thomas Vinterberg discusses the early stages of his career and some of the directors that had lasting impact on his evolution as a director, his creative process, the conception of The Celebration and the various risks he took with it. Also, there are some interesting comments about the formation of Dogme 95 and Vinterberg's relationship with Lars von Trier. The interview was conducted in Copenhagen in September 2021 for Criterion. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Commentary - in this archival commentary, Thomas Vinterberg discusses in great detail the various rules of Dogme 95 and precisely how The Celebration was put together, the various casting choices that were made and his work the actors, some particular feelings and emotions that are emphasized in the film, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2005. In Danish, with English subtitles.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes, which can be seen with optional audio commentary by Thomas Vinterberg. Remastered. In Danish, with English subtitles.
  
  1. The Pickup
  2. Christian Insanity
  3. The Letter
  4. Alternate Ending
  5. Conversation in the Car
  6. The Metaphysical Plot
  7. Father and Son
  8. The Garden Party
  9. Children and Sex
  10. Impotence
  11. Helene and Christian
  12. The Final Hours of the Celebration

• Behind the Scenes - this archival documentary was produced for Danish TV and features interviews with the cast and crew members of The Celebration during its premiere at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. The documentary was produced in 1998. In Danish, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Disclosure of The Celebration - in this archival program, Thomas Vinterberg discusses the true story that inspired the plot of The Celebration, as well as some specific changes that were made. The program was produced in 2005. In Danish, with English subtitles. (10 min).

• The Purified - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the Dogme 95 movement. Included in it are clips from interviews with Thomas Vinterberg, Lars von Trier, and Kristian Levring, amongst others. The documentary was produced by Jesper Jargil in 2002. In Danish and English, with English subtitles where necessary. (69 min).

• "ADM: DOP" - this archival documentary, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who lensed The Celebration, discusses his working methods. It was produced by Shari Roman in 2003. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• The Celebration in Retrospect - this archival program focuses on the production and success of The Celebration. It features interviews with Thomas Vinterberg, screenwriter Morgens Rukov, and various cast and crew members. The program was produced in 2005. In Danish, with English subtitles. (27 min).

• Short Films - presented here are two short films by Thomas Vinterberg.
  
  1. The Last Round (1993). In Danish, with English subtitles. (33 min).
  2. The Boy Who Walked Backwards (1995). In Danish, with English subtitles. (39 min).

• Booklet - a 20-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Michael Koresky's essay "How Long Can This Go On" and technical credits.

The Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The grotesque circus that is chronicled in The Celebration becomes even more amusing once you realize that Danes are usually quite reserved people. As far as I am concerned, this is what makes The Celebration a very, very strange film. It looks and feels like an elaborate Danish rework of an unhinged episode of The Jerry Springer Show, with some appropriately strange stylistic enhancements for good measure. It is one of the more effective Dogme 95 films that you can see, but I disagree with the critical consensus that it is a minor masterpiece. Criterion's two-disc set offers a very solid technical presentation of the film as well as a fine selection of new and archival bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.