Italian for Beginners
Italian for Beginners (Danish: Italiensk for begyndere) is a 2000 Danish romantic comedy film written and directed by Lone Scherfig, and starring Anders W. Berthelsen, Lars Kaalund and Peter Gantzler, together with Ann Eleonora Jørgensen, Anette Støvelbæk and Sara Indrio Jensen. The film was made by the austere principles of the Dogme 95 movement, including the use of handheld video cameras and natural lighting, and is known as Dogme XII. However, in contrast to most Dogme films which are harsh and serious in tone, Italian for Beginners is a light-hearted comedy. It was made on a $600,000 budget, and went on to gross over 27 times that.
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| Music by | Niels W. Gade (non-original)
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| Cinematography | Jørgen Johansson
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| Edited by | Gerd Tjur
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| Running time | 118 minutes
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| Budget | $600,000
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| Box office | $16.4 million
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- Zentropa Productions have acknowledged plot similarities to Maeve Binchy's novel "Evening Class". Binchy was not credited in the original release as Zentropa had determined they were not in breach of copyright, but after Binchy's representatives approached them they paid compensation and added a credit for her in later releases.
- Director Lone Scherfig has said that the positive effect of the Dogme 95 rules can be felt instantly in the writing process, specifically in the way you have to use your imagination to make a film work under their limitations.
- The tennis match we see on TV is an archive footage showing Swiss player Martina Hingis vs. Spanish player Conchita Martínez.
- Dogme 95 co-founder Lars von Trier was critical of Lone Scherfig making a romantic comedy with a resolved ending, but Scherfig insisted that she would make the film according to her own sensibilities.
- Is the highest grossing Danish film ever, especially due to a successful run in the American cinemas.
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