Riget (1994)

Country of Origin: Denmark/France/Germany/Sweden
Dates of Original Broadcast: 1994
Number of Seasons: 1
Total Number of Episodes: 4 (5 in some territories)
Average Episode Running Times:
Format: 16mm/35mm (theatrical version blow-up)
Colour Format: colour
Ratio: 1.33:1 (television ratio)/1.37:1 (theatrical ratio)
Sound: Dolby

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Coproduction Office/Danmarks Radio/Greco/MEDIA Programme of the European Union/Nederlandse Omroepstichting/Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond/Sveriges Television (Malmö)/TV Collaboration Fund/WDR/Zentropa Entertainments/arte
Copyright: © 1994 DR TV 1 Drama
Producers: Sven Abrahamsen, Philippe Bober, Peter Aalbæk Jensen, Ole Reim, Ib Tardini
Production Manager: Bo Lindkuist

SCRIPT
Script: Tómas Gislason, Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel

DIRECTION
Directed by: Morten Arnfred, Lars von Trier

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Eric Kress
Steadicam Operator: Henrik Harpelund
Focus Pullers: Ole Pedersen, Erik Thal-Jantzen
Gaffer: Kaj Larsen
Electrician: Morten Nybø
Grip: Leif Sylvester
Still Photographer: Henrik Dithmer

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editors: Molly Marlene Stensgård, Jacob Thuesen
Assistant Editor: Sophie Ljungblom
Online Editor: Lise Mierca
Post-Production Managers: Bo Ehrhardt, Tove Jystrup

MUSIC
Music by: Joachim Holbek

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Peter Hansen
Boom Operator: Benny Jensen
Sound Designer: Per Streit
Sound: Kristian Eidnes Andersen
Sound Editor: Hans Møller

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Costume Designer: Bjarne Nilsson
Wardrobe Supervisor: Annelise Bailey
Make Up Artist: Birthe Lyngsøe, Lis Olsson

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Effects: Kim Olsson

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Niels Fly, Niels Skovgaard

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: Søren Buus-Pedersen

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Jette Lehmann
Set Constructors: Per Kjær Jørgensen, Jens Nissen
Property Masters: Katrine Bonfils, Jan Iversen, Torben Bækmark
Assistant Property Master: Søren Schwartzberg

MISCELLANEOUS
Stage Manager: Anne-Marie Vidkjær
Production Secretaries: Vibeke Aagaard, Charlotte Pedersen
Production Assistant: Ingrid Høybye

LOCATIONS
Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark; Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

CAST
Ernst-Hugo Järegård (Helmer)
Kirsten Rolffes (Sigrid Drusse)
Holger Juul Hansen (Moesgaard)
Søren Pilmark (Krogshøj)
Ghita Nørby (Rigmor)
Jens Okking (Bulder)
Otto Brandenburg (Hansen)
Annevig Schelde Ebbe (Mary)
Baard Owe (Bondo)
Birgitte Raaberg (Judith)
Peter Mygind (Mogge)
Vita Jensen (dishwasher 1)
Morten Rotne Leffers (dishwasher 2)
Solbjørg Højfeldt (Camilla)
Udo Kier (Aage Krüger)
Nis Bank-Mikkelsen (priest)
Ole Boisen (Christian)
Lea Risum Brøgger (Mary's mother)
Laura Christensen (Mona)
Ulrik Cold, Ole Emil Riisager (narrators)
Morten Eisner (mechanic)
Bente Eskesen (night nurse)
Louise Fribo (Sanne)
Peter Gilsfort (voice of dishwasher 2)
Svend Ali Hamann (Haman)
Benny Hansen (voice of driver on the radio)
Søren Hauch-Fausbøll (auxiliary nurse)
Paul Hüttel (Dr Stenbaek)
Henning Jensen (hospital manager)
Søren Elung Jensen (man in top hat)
Ruth Junker (voice of dishwasher 1)
Dick Kaysø (security manager)
Gordon Kennedy (Laborant)
Annette Ketscher (casualty nurse)
Henrik Koefoed (CT-scanner operator)
Søren Lenander (young man)
Lars Lunøe (Minister of Health)
Troels Lyby (Hook)
Tove Maës (Mrs Zakariasen)
Mette Marckmann (young nurse)
Michael Moritzen (ear specialist)
Finn Nielsen (Madsen)
Claus Nissen (Jensen)
Gunnvor Nolsøe (tea lady)
Holger Perfort (Professor Ulrich)
Else Petersen (old lady)
Mette Munk Plum (Mona's mother)
Benny Poulsen (senior registrar)
Kurt Ravn (Zakariasen's son)
Lise Schrøder (nurse 2)
Michael Simpson (man from Haiti)
Søren Steen (porter OK)
Tomas Stender (student)
Claus Strandberg (hypnotised patient)
Solveig Sundborg (Miss Kruger)
Birte Tove (nurse 1)
Lene Vedsegård (gynecologist)
Helle Virkner (Mrs Mogensen)
Lars von Trier (himself)
Erik Wedersøe (voice of Aage Kruger)
Klaus Wegener (doctor in casualty)
Julie Wieth (paediatric nurse)

PLOT SUMMARY

At the technologically advanced Kingdom Hospital, strange things are happening. A ghostly ambulance draws up every night, whispering voices are heard in the elevators and a pregnant woman's foetus is developing at an alarming rate.

AVAILABILITY

Canada
Video Distributors: Warner Home Video
DVD Distributors: Seville Pictures

Denmark
Television Broadcasters: Danmarks Radio
Theatrical Distributors: Camera Film
Video Distributors: PolyGram Video
DVD Distributors: Electric Parc ApS/Trust Film Sales

Germany
Television Broadcasters: WDR
DVD Distributors: KOCH Media Deutschland GmbH

Israel
DVD Distributors: Nachshon Films

Japan
Video Distributors: SPO
DVD Distributors: SPO

Netherlands
DVD Distributors: Nederlands Omroepstichting

Spain
DVD Distributors: Versus Entertainment

Sweden
Television Broadcasters: Sveriges Television

Taiwan
DVD Distributors: Forel

UK
Theatrical Distributors: October Films
Video Distributors: ICA Projects
DVD Distributors: ICA Projects

USA
Video Distributors: Hallmark Home Entertainment
Laserdisc Distributors: Image Entertainment (ID 3309 HL)
DVD Distributors: Koch Lorber Films

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: M (theatrical); R (DVD)

Canada
Rating: 14A

Germany
Rating: 16

Norway
Rating: 15

Singapore
Rating: M18

South Korea
Rating: 18

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 18

AWARDS

1996
Adolf Grimme Awards, Germany
Series/Miniseries (Lars von Trier (director/writer)) - winner

1995
Bodil Awards, Denmark
Bedste mandlige hovedrolle (Ernst-Hugo Järegård) - winner
Bedste kvindelige hovedrolle (Kirsten Rolffes) - winner
Bedste danske film (Lars von Trier (director)) - winner
Bedste mandlige birolle (Holger Juul Hansen) - winner
Special Award (Niels Vørsel) - winner (for the screenwriting in this and other movies)

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic
Best Actor (Ernst-Hugo Järegård) - winner
Best Director (Lars von Trier) - winner
Crystal Globe (Lars von Trier) - nominated

Robert Festival, Denmark
Årets mandlige hovedrolle (Ernst-Hugo Järegård) - winner
Årets kvindelige hovedrolle (Kirsten Rolffes) - winner
Årets fotografering (Eric Kress) - winner
Årets filmmusik (Joachim Holbek) - winner
Årets manuscript (Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel) - winner
Årets lyd (Per Streit) - winner

Seattle International Film Festival, USA
Golden Space Needle Award: Best Film - winner

1996
Golden Cable, Germany
Bronze Cable for Innovation (Lars von Trier) - winner

TIMELINE

1996
June
19: USA - laserdisc release (Image Entertainment (ID 3309 HL))

2005
November
8: USA - DVD release (Koch Lorber Films)

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Geister - German title
L'Hôpital et ses fantômes - French title
Hospital der Geister - The Kingdom - German video title
The Kingdom - English language title
Lars von Trier præsenterer: Riget - Denish video title
Lars von Triers Riget I - Danish DVD title
Il Regno - Italian title
El Reino - Spanish title
O Reino - Portuguese title
Riket - Swedish title
Valtakunta - Finnish title

LINKS

SEQUEL
Riget II (1997)

REMAKE
Kingdom Hospital (2004)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
I Lars von Triers rige - en mand og hans tv-serie (1994)
I Lars von Triers rige (1999)
Im Laboratorium des Doktor von Trier: Zurück zur Magie des Kinos (1998)
Tranceformer - A Portrait of Lars von Trier (1997)

SEE ALSO
Besat (1999)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Gokudô kyôfu dai-gekijô: Gozu (2003)
Death Knows Your Name (2005)

KEYWORDS

ambulances, children, doctors, down's syndrome, elevators, ghosts, hospitals, porters, pregnancy, reincarnation

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009