The TV series Matador written by writer and journalist Lise Noergaard and directed by Erik Balling is still the best Danish TV series ever made. All 24 episodes of the saga were produced by Nordisk Film and have been shown five times on Danish television since the premiere in 1978. In a vivid and gripping way, Matador describes life in Korsbaek over almost 20 years through two generations of the families Andersen-Skjern and Varnaes.
The series is full of popular humour and drama featuring a large and colourful gallery of memorable, lovable and not least sharply delineated characters. It features some of the greatest and best Danish actors of that time:Joergen Buckhoej, Ghita Noerby, Holger Juul Hansen, Ove Sprogoe, Helle Virkner, Malene Schwartz, Jesper Langberg, Kirsten Olesen, Bent Mejding and so on...
Tradition and progress
In Copenhagen, the Social Democrats headed by Thorvald Stauning have just succeeded the Liberal Party in government. In Korsbaek, Mads Andersen- Skjern upsets the social applecart by opening a clothes shop for ordinary people. In this way he challenges the prominent citizens, the rich old families, the social standards and the hierarchic social order that have characterised Korsbaek for centuries.
Later on, the Second World War and the German occupation of Denmark create new enemies and allies (see clip). And in the end, Mads Andersen-Skjern is challenged by his son, Daniel, who is homosexual and does not intend to follow in the footsteps of his strict father.
Comedy and satire
Erik Balling was one of the most prominent film directors in Denmark. He portrays the Danish mentality with great ingenuity, his preferred genres being comedy and satire. Balling was also capable of being sharp, for instance in the very popular Olsen Gang (Olsen-Banden) films, which are about the little man's fight against the prevailing social system, with its bigotry and arrogance.
Although Matador was made for television, the series was produced like a feature film, with full visual expression. The series is also one of the few Balling film projects in which the director successfully creates pure drama and realism.
Christian Monggaard is a film reviewer and critic for the daily newspaper Information.
Jørgen Buckhøj and Kristian Steen Rem in Matador. Photo: Rolf Konow.