Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [26]
MC: Well…they sound awful.
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In 1992 the film world first took notice of Iceland when Children of Nature was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. In the film, an elderly couple forced into a retirement home in Reykjavík make a break for the countryside. The film’s director, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson, is something of a legend in Icelandic cinema circles, although some of his films are definitely better than others. Cold Fever (1994), Angels of the Universe (2000) and The Sunshine Boy (2009) are three that are well worth watching.
Massive acclaim at home doesn’t necessarily translate into international fame. Certain films have been storming successes in Iceland, but aren’t well known outside the country. These include Íslenski Draumurinn (Icelandic Dream; 2000), a comic drama about a man whose life revolves around football, juggling current and former girlfriends, and peddling imported cigarettes; Mávahlátur (Seagull’s Laughter; 2001), which follows the lives of a group of women in a 1950s fishing village; and Þetta er ekkert mál (2006), a biography of Jón Pál Sigmarsson.
If one film has put Iceland, and especially Reykjavík, on the cinematic stage, it’s 101 Reykjavík (2000), directed by Baltasar Kormákur and based on the novel by Hallgrímur Helgason. This dark comedy explores sex, drugs and the life of a loafer in downtown Reykjavík. Kormákur’s later films have met with less success, although Jar City (2006) received an international release and good reviews. It stars the ever-watchable Ingvar E Sigurðsson as Iceland’s favourite detective, Inspector Erlendur, and is definitely one to look out for.
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www.icelandicfilmcenter.is – catch up on the latest in the Iceland film industry.
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Another Icelandic director who has achieved international success is Dagur Kári, whose films include Nói Albinói (2003), about a restless adolescent in a snowed-in northern fjord town; and the English-language The Good Heart (2009), which received a standing ovation at its premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Also look out for Hilmar Oddsson’s Kaldaljós (Cold Light; 2004), a slow-moving, poignant film about life in an isolated fjord, with a stunning performance from the little boy on whom it centres.
Iceland’s immense beauty and the government’s 20% production rebate for film-makers have encouraged Hollywood directors to make movies here. Try to spot the Icelandic scenery in blockbusters such as The Fifth Element (1997), Tomb Raider (2001), Die Another Day (2002), Batman Begins (2005), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Stardust (2007) and Journey to the Centre of the Earth (2008).
Architecture
People who come to Iceland expecting to see Viking longhouses will be disappointed, as the turf-and-wood buildings haven’t stood up to the ravages of time. At best you’ll see grassed-over foundations. These materials, however, were used right up until the 19th century, and several later turf-roofed buildings around the country have been preserved as folk museums – there are good examples at Keldur and Skógar in southwest Iceland, and Glaumbær in north Iceland.
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A Guide to Icelandic Architecture (Association of Icelandic Architects) looks at 250 Icelandic buildings and designs.
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For information on architecture in Reykjavík, see the boxed text.
Painting & Sculpture
Iceland’s most successful artists have traditionally studied abroad (in Copenhagen, London, Oslo or elsewhere in Europe), before returning home to wrestle with Iceland’s enigmatic soul. The result is a European-influenced style but with Icelandic landscapes and saga-related scenes as key subjects.
The first great Icelandic landscape painter was the prolific Ásgrímur Jónsson (1876–1958), who was attracted to Impressionism while studying in Italy. He produced a startling number of oils and watercolours depicting Icelandic landscapes and folk tales. You can see his work at Reykjavík’s National Gallery.
One of Ásgrímur’s students was Johannes Kjarval (1885–1972), Iceland’s most enduringly