The Kingdom (miniseries)
The Kingdom | |
---|---|
Also known as | The Kingdom II The Kingdom: Exodus |
Danish | Riget, Riget II, Riget: Exodus |
Genre | Supernatural horror |
Created by | Lars von Trier and Tómas Gislason |
Written by | Lars von Trier (seasons 1-3) Niels Vørsel (seasons 1-3) Tómas Gislason (season 1) |
Directed by | Lars von Trier (seasons 1-3) Morten Arnfred (seasons 1-2) |
Starring | |
Country of origin | Denmark |
Original languages | Danish Swedish |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Svend Abrahamsen (season 1-2) Danmarks Radio (DR) |
Original release | |
Network | Danmarks Radio (DR) (Riget, Riget II, Exodus) Viaplay (Exodus; Nordic countries) MUBI (Exodus; Selected territories) |
Release | November 24, 1994 October 30, 2022 | –
Related | |
Kingdom Hospital |
Riget (
The first series of four episodes premiered from
Von Trier has credited
Plot synopsis
This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, as the section's poor development. (December 2015) |
Each episode of all three series opens with the same prologue, detailing how the hospital, Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, was built on the site of the "bleaching ponds", which recur in the name of the street of the hospital's official address, Blegdamsvej, although the exact significance of the reference is never explicitly discussed in the series.
The show begins with the admission of a spiritualist patient, Sigrid Drusse (Kirsten Rolffes), who hears the sound of a girl crying in the elevator shaft. Upon investigation, Drusse discovers that the girl had died decades earlier, having been killed by her father to hide her illegitimacy. In order to put the spirit to rest, Drusse searches for the girl's body and ultimately finds it preserved in a specimen jar in the office of the hospital's professor of pathology, Professor Bondo (Baard Owe).
Meanwhile,
Amongst other plotlines, a young medical student becomes attracted to the nurse in charge of the sleep research laboratory, a ghostly ambulance appears and disappears every night, a junior doctor runs a
In the third series, Exodus, sleepwalker Karen Svensson finds herself at Rigshospitalet, investigating the fallout of the fatal power outage at the end of the second series. Exodus also introduces Dr. Helmer, Jr. (
Cast
Actor | Character | Season | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
I | II | Exodus | ||
Søren Pilmark | Jørgen 'Hook' Krogshøj | Main | ||
Ghita Nørby | Rigmor Mortensen | Main | ||
Birgitte Raaberg | Judith Petersen | Main | ||
Peter Mygind | Morten 'Mogge' Moesgaard | Main | ||
Ernst-Hugo Järegård | Stig Helmer | Main | Archive | |
Kirsten Rolffes | Sigrid Drusse | Main | Archive | |
Holger Juul Hansen | Einar Moesgaard | Main | Archive | |
Jens Okking | Bulder Harly Drusse | Main | Archive | |
Baard Owe | Palle Bondo | Main | Archive | |
Bodil Jørgensen | Karen Svensson | Main | ||
Nicolas Bro | Balder 'Bulder' | Main | ||
Nikolaj Lie Kaas | Filip Naver | Main | ||
Lars Mikkelsen | Pontopidan | Main | ||
Mikael Persbrandt | Stig Helmer Jr. | Main | ||
Tuva Novotny | Anna | Main | ||
Ida Engvoll | Kalle | Main | ||
Otto Brandenburg | Hansen | Main | ||
Annevig Schelde Ebbe | Mary Krüger | Recurring | Archive | |
Udo Kier | Åge Krüger (human incarnation of Satan) Little Brother / Frederik / Big Brother (the Antichrist) |
Recurring | ||
Vita Jensen | Female dishwasher | Main | ||
Morten Rotne Leffers | Male dishwasher | Main | ||
Jasmine Junker | Female dishwasher | Main | ||
Jesper Sørensen | Male dishwasher | Main | ||
Solbjørg Højfeldt | Camilla | Recurring | Guest | |
Birthe Neumann | Fru Svendsen | Recurring | ||
Erik Wedersøe | Ole | Main | ||
John Hahn-Petersen | Secretary Nivesen | Recurring | ||
Henning Jensen | Director Bob | Recurring | ||
Laura Christensen | Mona Jensen | Recurring | ||
Vera Gebuhr | Gerda | Guest | ||
Ole Boisen | Christian | Recurring | ||
Louise Fribo | Sanne Jeppesen | Recurring | ||
Nis Bank-Mikkelsen | Chaplain | Guest | ||
Thomas Bo Larsen | Falkon | Guest | ||
Henrik Koefoed | Radiologist | Guest | ||
Paul Hüttel | Steenbæk | Guest | ||
Helle Virkner | Emma Mogensen | Guest | ||
Stellan Skarsgård | The Swedish Lawyer | Guest | ||
Alexander Skarsgård | The Swedish Lawyer's Son | Guest | ||
David Dencik | Bosse | Guest | ||
Willem Dafoe | Grand Duc | Guest | ||
Lars von Trier | Himself Satan |
Uncredited |
Production
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2022) |
Riget: Exodus (2022)
In December 2020, Danmarks Radio announced that a third and final season, consisting of five episodes directed by von Trier and co-written by von Trier alongside original series co-writer Niels Vørsel, would begin filming in 2021 under the title Riget: Exodus.[2] The same year, von Trier began showing symptoms of Parkinson's disease during an interview with Christian Lund of Louisiana Channel;[8] afterwards, he continued to work while taking medication. Von Trier did not watch "all the old ones" before beginning work on Riget: Exodus, and had tried "to get rid of the ties from the old stuff", with the focus being on the characters.[9]
Returning cast members
In September 2022, Exodus (presented as a "five hour feature-length film")[9] screened out of competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, alongside Nicolas Winding Refn's miniseries Copenhagen Cowboy.[3]
Episodes
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 4 | 24 November 1994 | 15 December 1994 | |
2 | 4 | 10 October 1997 | 31 October 1997 | |
3 | 5 | 9 October 2022 | 30 October 2022 |
Riget (1994)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Den hvide flok (The Unheavenly Host)" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason | 24 November 1994 | |
Mrs Drusse, a hypochondriac psychic, gets herself admitted to the Kingdom because she believes the hospital is haunted. Meanwhile, Dr Helmer, a Dane-hating Swede under investigation for malpractice, joins the hospital's secret brethren. | |||||
2 | "Alliancen kalder (Thy Kingdom Come)" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason | 1 December 1994 | |
Mrs Drusse continues her investigation, Krogshøj steals the severed head from Mogge and uses it to blackmail him, while Bondo is at his wits' end when a patient's relative refuses to hand over his liver, which is infected with a rare cancer. | |||||
3 | "Et fremmed legeme (A Foreign Body)" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason | 8 December 1994 | |
Dr Helmer decides to steal the incriminating report but unbeknownst to him, Krogshøj has the same plan, Bondo wants to transplant the cancerous liver into himself, and Mrs Drusse finds out Mary didn't die of tuberculosis as reported. | |||||
4 | "De levende døde (The Living Dead)" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, Tómas Gislason | 15 December 1994 | |
Helmer goes to Haiti which angers his gun-wielding girlfriend, Judith may be pregnant with a ghost, Mrs Drusse reburies Mary's remains but her troubles are only just beginning, and Operation Morning Breeze turns into a farcical disaster. |
Riget II (1997)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | "Mors in Tabula (Death on the Operation Table)" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 10 October 1997 | |
Helmer returns from Haiti with the zombie poison, but has trouble administering it, Mrs Drusse is back in the Kingdom after being struck by a van, and Judith has to learn to love her deformed son. | |||||
6 | "Trækfuglene (Birds of Passage)" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 17 October 1997 | |
Mrs Drusse has a new spiritual mystery to solve, and Judith continues to care for her deformed son, now named Little Brother. Meanwhile, Helmer attempts to administer the antidote for the poison to Kroshgøj before it’s too late, as to avoid another legal conundrum. | |||||
7 | "Gargantua" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 24 October 1997 | |
Krogshøj is revived but different than before, Christian becomes the new Falcon, the Little Brother wants to die, and Mrs Drusse learns of Age Krüger’s form as a demon. Inspired by her son's dream, she takes a flight around the hospital. | |||||
8 | "Pandæmonium" | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 31 October 1997 | |
Helmer, blackmailed into marriage by Rigmor, kidnaps Mona, Krogshøj considers eugenics, Mrs Drusse discovers a satanic sect beneath the hospital, Judith won't let her son die, Bondo finds his half-brother, and Christian races blind. |
Riget: Exodus (2022)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | "Halmar" | Lars von Trier | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 9 October 2022 | |
A mysterious voice calls upon the sleep walker, Karen, during a nightmare. The Kingdom is in need of her assistance, and at the hospital, she finds an ally in the porter, Bulder. | |||||
10 | "The Congress Dances" | Lars von Trier | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 9 October 2022 | |
Karen has a new vision that could possibly aid her in locating the voice. At The Kingdom, preparations are being made for the annual pain congress, but it seems that the demon, Grand Duc, is on the guest list. | |||||
11 | "Big Brother" | Lars von Trier | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 16 October 2022 | |
Karen locates the spiritual core of The Kingdom. Helmer discovers what he was looking for at the hospital, but after a violent clash with Naver, he realizes that things do not always proceed according to plan. | |||||
12 | "Barbarossa" | Lars von Trier | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 23 October 2022 | |
Karen attempts to solve the task that was given to her, but evil forces work against her and Bulder. Helmer has had it with the Danish stupidity and plans an act of terrorism against the Danes and The Kingdom itself. | |||||
13 | "Exodus" | Lars von Trier | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | 30 October 2022 | |
Karen, Krogen and Bulder are fighting against the clock. The time has come to clean The Kingdom of all evil spirits once and for all, but much can still go wrong. |
Release
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2017) |
The four-episode first series of Riget was aired by Danish broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) from 24 November to 15 December 1994. The English subtitled version The Kingdom aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two from 1 to 9 April 1997.
The four-episode second series, Riget II, aired on DR between 10 and 31 October 1997. The English subtitled version The Kingdom II aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two from 28 July to 1 September 2001.
The five-episode third series, Riget: Exodus, premiered on streaming platform
Home media
The series was edited into a five-hour, two-part film, which received some theatrical exhibition, and was released on home video in America and the United Kingdom.
Streaming
Newly restored HD[citation needed] editions of the first two series premiered on MUBI on 13 November and 20 November 2022, respectively; the debut of the restored series was followed by the premiere of Exodus on the platform on 27 November.
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2017) |
Critical reception
On Metacritic, all three seasons has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from nine reviews.[17]
I and II
Film critic Leonard Maltin, who reviewed the two-part theatrical version, awarded it three and a half out of a possible four stars, calling it "a must-see for those who think they've seen everything".[18]
Despite being a miniseries, The Kingdom appears in the best-selling book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, where it is called "a medical horror epic", with its supernatural elements described as being both eerie and magical.[19]
Exodus
On
Exodus was well received by critics following its premiere at the Venice in September 2022, with Variety calling it "over-the-top" and "fun",[7] and the Italian Post praised the series, saying it "amuses and disturbs", and comparing it positively to Twin Peaks.[21] The Upcoming gave the series 3/5, praising its "dark humour" and noting that it feels like a "tribute to Lars von Trier's career, a revisiting of his early work... filled with the wobbly handheld shots that distinguished the Dogme 95 movement".[22] Giving it 3/5 stars, The Guardian called the series "a nightmarish revue, peppered with familiar faces in brief walk-on roles", and said that it is "fun to a point and richly textured to a fault, with a plot that’s entirely driven by what has gone before".[23]
Accolades
Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 Bodil Awards | Best Danish Film | Riget | Won | [24] |
Best Actor | Ernst-Hugo Järegård | Won | ||
Best Actress | Kirsten Rolffes | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Holger Juul Hansen | Won | ||
30th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Crystal Globe | Riget | Nominated | [25] |
Best Director Award | Lars von Trier | Won | ||
Best Actor Award | Ernst-Hugo Järegård | Won | ||
12th Robert Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Won | [24] | |
Best Actress in a Leading Role | Kirsten Rolffes | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel | Won | ||
Best Cinematography | Eric Kress | Won | ||
Best Score | Joachim Holbek | Won | ||
Best Sound Design | Per Streit | Won | ||
Seattle International Film Festival | Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film | Riget | Won | [citation needed] |
1996 Adolf Grimme Awards | Series/Miniseries | Lars von Trier | Won | [citation needed] |
1996 Golden Cable Awards | Bronze Cable for Innovation | Won | [citation needed] | |
1996 Bodil Awards | Best Actor | Holger Juul Hansen | Won | [26] |
Best Supporting Actress | Birgitte Raaberg | Won | ||
1999 Fantasporto | Best Screenplay | Lars von Trier, Morten Arnfred | Won | [27] |
Best Director | Lars von Trier | Won | ||
40th Robert Awards | Best TV Series | Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, and Louise Vesth (producer) | Nominated | [28] |
Best Actor in a Leading Role - TV series | Mikael Persbrandt | Nominated | ||
Best Actress in a Leading Role - TV series | Bodil Jørgensen | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actor in a Leading Role - TV series | Lars Mikkelsen | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress in a Leading Role - TV series | Tuva Novotny | Nominated |
American adaptation
Horror novelist
King's thirteen episode television adaptation, titled Kingdom Hospital, broadcast between March and July 2004 on ABC. Often directly adapting storylines from the original series, Kingdom Hospital was set in a hospital in Lewiston, Maine, which was on the site of a mill built before the Civil War. Many character names were derived from their Danish equivalents, e.g., Sigrid Drusse became Sally Druse and Stig Helmer became Dr. Stegman. In a departure from the plot of Riget, the American series introduces a new protagonist, a comatose patient, Peter Rickman, inspired by King's own experience of being hit by a minivan,[15] and a talking giant anteater, the spirit guide Anubis/Antubis.
Although King and co-writer Richard Dooling developed an outline for a second series, ratings dropped throughout the season. Kingdom Hospital was placed on indefinite hiatus following a "major network shake-up", and was never picked up for a second series.[29]
See also
References
- ^ Pham, Annika (17 December 2020). "Lars von Trier prepares The Kingdom Exodus for Viaplay/DR". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ DR. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Macnab2022-09-05T09:40:00+01:00, Geoffrey. "Lars von Trier talks 'The Kingdom: Exodus', cancel culture and teasing Sweden". Screen. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Brizi, Ilaria (5 September 2022). "5th Serial Killer Festival Brings Exclusive Previews of Major TV Series To Brno Screens". Brno Daily. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ a b Lattanzio, Ryan (29 September 2022). "'The Kingdom Exodus' Trailer: Lars von Trier Is Up to His Old Tricks Again". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Mars-Jones, Adam (28 December 1995). "All stitched up – well, nearly". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ a b Debruge, Peter (1 September 2022). "'The Kingdom Exodus' Review: Lars von Trier Is Back to His Old Tricks, Unleashing Hell on a Danish Hospital". Variety. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Lars von Trier: The Burden From Donald Duck, 23 December 2020, retrieved 16 October 2022
- ^ a b c "Danish director Von Trier getting used to life with Parkinson's". Reuters. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Stiesen, Henriette (17 May 2021). "Von Triers kultserie 'Riget' vender tilbage: Nu løftes sløret for stjernespækket rolleliste". DR. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (2 June 2021). "Lars Von Trier's 'The Kingdom' Adds Danish Stars Lars Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas to Cast". Variety. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ Bjerre, Britta (12 July 2021). "Birgitte Raaberg: Jeg tror aldrig, jeg bliver træt af det". Femina. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ Feder, Michael (11 August 2021). "Mona og Lillebror er tilbage i Lars von Triers RIGET EXODUS" (PDF). Zentropa. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ Roxburgh, Scott (9 September 2021). "Alexander Skarsgard to Guest-Star in Lars Von Trier's 'The Kingdom Exodus'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ a b c d Devine, James (24 June 2017). "The Graveyard: Digging up Stephen King's 'Kingdom Hospital'". 1428 Elm. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Classic Films on DVD, Blu-Ray and On Demand". Second Site Films. UK.
- ^ The Kingdom (Riget), retrieved 16 October 2022
- ISBN 978-1-101-60955-2.
- ISBN 978-1-4380-6814-5.
- ^ The Kingdom Exodus, retrieved 5 November 2022
- ^ ItalianPostNews (1 September 2022). "RIget Exodus, the review of the TV series by Lars Von Trier out of competition in Venice 79". Italian Post. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Sondermann, Selina. "Venice Film Festival 2022: The Kingdom: Exodus (Riget: Exodus) | Review". The Upcoming. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "The Kingdom: Exodus review – return of Lars von Trier's cult hospital horror". the Guardian. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-87-02-06669-2. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "History – 30th festival". kviff.com. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Bodil Awards (1998)". IMDb. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Fantasporto (1999)". IMDb. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Danish Film Awards (Robert) (2023)". IMDb. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ a b February 01, Stephen King Updated; EST, 2007 at 05:00 AM. "Stephen King on the failure of Kingdom Hospital". EW.com. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)