Erik Balling

Erik Balling
Born(1924-11-29)29 November 1924
Nyborg, Denmark
Died19 November 2005(2005-11-19) (aged 80)
Gentofte, Denmark
Burial placeGentofte Churchyard, Gentofte Municipality, Denmark
OccupationFilm director
Years active1952 – 1984

Erik Balling (29 November 1924 – 19 November 2005) was a Danish TV and film director. He created two of Denmark's most popular TV-series, Matador and Huset på Christianshavn.

His feature film Qivitoq (1956) was nominated for a Golden Palm at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival,[1] and for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film.[2] His 1962 film Den kære familie was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival.[3]

Together with Henning Bahs, he also created the hugely popular series of Olsen Gang feature films.

Biography

Balling started working for the largest and oldest Danish film production company, Nordisk Films Kompagni, in 1946. He later became the boss of the company.

His made his directing debut with Adam & Eva (1953), which was nominated for a Bodil-award as Best Film.

In 1956 he directed Kispus, which was the first Danish movie filmed in color.

The most popular films directed by Balling were the feature film comedies about a trio of small-time crooks, the Olsen Gang. There were 13 episodes of this movie series between 1968 and 1981, starting with Olsen-banden. They were remade in several languages.

In 1998, Erik Balling received an Honorary Robert Award.

Filmography

Work Year Credit Notes
The Olsen Gang's Last Trick 1998 Script Feature
Mer' Matador 1998 Himself TV documentary
Bryggeren 1996 Story TV series
Murder in Paradise [da] 1988 Script Feature
Murder in the dark [da] 1986 Script Feature
In the Middle of the Night 1984 Direction Feature
Anthonsen [da; de] 1984 Direction TV series
Kurt and Valde 1983 Screenplay Feature
The Olsen Gang Long Gone 1981 Direction Feature
The Olsen Gang's Escape over the Fence 1981 Direction Feature
The Olsen Gang Never Surrenders [da; de; no; pl; sv] 1979 Direction Feature
The Olsen Gang Goes to War [da; de; no; pl; sv] 1978 Direction Feature
Matador 1978 Direction TV series
Bandefører Balling 1978 Appearance TV documentary
The Olsen Gang Outta Sight [da; de; no; pl; sv] 1977 Direction Feature
The Moelleby Affair 1976 Script Feature
It all adds up 1976 Script Feature
The Olsen Gang Sees Red 1976 Direction Feature
Superfos Glasuld – et isoleret tilfælde [da] 1976 Direction Commercial
The Olsen Gang on the Track 1975 Direction Feature
The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang 1974 Direction Feature
The Olsen Gang Goes Crazy 1973 Direction Feature
The Olsen Gang's Big Score 1972 Direction Feature
Our Home is Our Castle 1971 Direction Feature
One of those things [da] 1971 Direction Feature
The Olsen Gang in Jutland 1971 Direction Feature
Viva the revolution! 1970 Direction Feature
Huset på Christianshavn 1970 Direction TV series
The Olsen Gang in a Fix 1969 Direction Feature
One Saturday Evening [da] 1968 Direction Feature
The Olsen Gang 1968 Direction Feature
Martha 1967 Direction Feature
I Belong to Me 1967 Direction Feature
Relax Freddie 1966 Direction Feature
Strike first Freddy 1965 Direction Feature
Halløj i himmelsengen [de] 1965 Direction Feature
Landmandsliv 1965 Direction Feature
Death Comes at High Noon 1964 Direction Feature
Sommer i Tyrol 1964 Direction Feature
Hvis lille pige er du? 1963 Direction Feature
Den kære familie 1962 Direction Feature
79 of Station 1962 Direction Feature
Cirkus Buster 1961 Direction Feature
Poeten og Lillemor i forårshumør 1961 Direction Feature
Forelsket i København 1960 Producer Feature
Poeten og Lillemor og Lotte 1960 Direction Feature
Tro, håb og trolddom 1960 Direction Feature
Poeten og Lillemor 1959 Direction Feature
Helle for Helene 1959 Producer Feature
The six-day bicycle race 1958 Script Feature
The Girls Are Willing 1958 Production manager Feature
A woman not wanted 1957 Producer Feature
Jeg elsker dig 1957 Producer Feature
Kispus 1956 Direction Feature
Qivitoq 1956 Direction Feature
På tro og love 1955 Script Feature
Kongeligt besøg [da] 1954 Direction Feature
Adam and Eve 1953 Direction Feature
We Who Go the Kitchen Route 1953 Direction Feature
Vi arme syndere 1952 Direction Feature
Mød mig på Cassiopeia 1951 Production manager Feature
Cinderella 1950 Director: Danish version Feature
For frihed og ret [da] 1949 Assistant director Feature
Israel 1949 Direction Documentary
Ditte, daughter of man 1946 Production assistant Feature
Diskret Ophold [da] 1946 Assistant director Feature

Literature

  • Christian Monggaard [da], Balling – Hans liv og film, Informations Forlag, 2011. ISBN 978-87-7514-279-8.
  • Karen Thisted [da], Erik Balling : manden med de største succeser i dansk film, Møntergården, 1996. ISBN 87-7553-555-6.
  • Erik Balling – Som barn var jeg voldsomt hidsig, Aschehoug, 1998. ISBN 87-11-11180-1.
  • Erik Balling – Gedächtnisbilder: Über ein Leben, die Olsenbande und all die anderen schöne Filme, Mosamax Verlag, Dresden 2016. ISBN 978-3-9817140-0-5

References

  1. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Qivitoq". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
  2. ^ "The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  3. ^ "3rd Moscow International Film Festival (1963)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2012.