Strings (2004)

Director:

Anders Rønnow Klarlund

Writers:

Anders Rønnow Klarlund (story)
Naja Marie Aidt

Release Date:

16 February 2005 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Tied by hate - Bound by love

Plot:

Strings is a mythological story about the son of a king, Hal Tara, who sets out on a journey to avenge the death of his father. To his surprise he discovers the truth of his own people - and where he least expects it - he finds true love.

Plot Keywords:

String | King | Marionette | Avant Garde | Puppet

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

James McAvoy	...	Hal (voice: English version)
Catherine McCormack	...	Zita (voice: English version)
Julian Glover	...	Kahro (voice: English version)
Derek Jacobi	...	Nezo (voice: English version)
Ian Hart	...	Ghrak (voice: English version)
Claire Skinner	...	Jhinna (voice: English version)
David Harewood	...	Erito (voice: English version)
Samantha Bond	...	Eike (voice: English version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marina Bouras	...	Jhinna (voice)
Pernille Højmark	...	Eike (voice)
Paul Hüttel	...	Agra (voice)
Jonas Karlsson	...	Hal (voice: Swedish version)
Melinda Kinnaman	...	Zita (voice: Swedish version)
Jesper Langberg	...	Nezo (voice)
Henning Moritzen	...	Kahro (voice)
Søren Spanning	...	Erito (voice)
Piers Stubbs	...	(voice: English version)
Jens Jacob Tychsen	...	Hal (voice)

Directed by
Anders Rønnow Klarlund

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Naja Marie Aidt
Anders Rønnow Klarlund		story

Produced by
Aage Aaberge	....	co-producer
Niels Bald	....	producer
Kate Barry	....	associate producer
Jan Blomgren	....	co-producer
Mike Downey	....	co-producer
Rumle Hammerich	....	creative producer
Axel Helgeland	....	co-producer
Peter Aalbæk Jensen	....	executive producer
Sam Lavender	....	associate producer
Zorana Piggott	....	associate producer
Sam Taylor	....	co-producer
Ole Østergaard	....	assistant producer

Original Music by
Jørgen Lauritsen

Cinematography by
Kim Hattesen
Jan Weincke

Film Editing by
Leif Axel Kjeldsen

Casting by
Sam Chandley

Production Design by
Sven Wichmann

Art Direction by
David Drachmann

Costume Design by
Ingrid Søe

Production Management
Martin Keller	....	post-production manager
Lykke Lyngsø	....	production manager
Emma Murphy	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Søren Hadsund Mortensen	....	second assistant director (as Søren Hadslund Mortensen)
Mikkel Nørgaard	....	second assistant director
René Frelle Petersen	....	second assistant director
Malene Vilstrup	....	second assistant director
Jonas Wagner	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jannik Albrechtsen	....	painter
Ole Paikjær Bak	....	property builder
Christian Bamberg	....	carpenter
Niels Bisbo	....	technical drawings
Søren Buus	....	property designer
Michael Doblin Larsen	....	construction coordinator (as Michael Dolin Larsen)
Sune Ehlers	....	assistant art director
Sune Elskær	....	storyboard artist
Jan Funk	....	carpenter
Sidse Færk	....	set dresser
Esben Horn	....	model builder
Mike Jensen	....	storyboard artist
Lucas Aron Krügermeier	....	carpenter
Gunnar Ludvigsen	....	carpenter
Esben Mourier	....	property master
Mette Nielsen	....	painter
Rebecca Nielsen	....	props assistant (as Rebecca Camilla Nielsen)
Sten Nielsen	....	carpenter
Jakob Polack	....	technical drawings (as Jacob Polack)
Thomas Pors	....	technical drawings
Reto Raselli	....	model builder (as Reto Rasseli)
Annette Rolfshøj	....	property builder
Peter Thomas Skat-Rørdam	....	carpenter
Birgitte Thiesen	....	painter
Jacob Torp Hansen	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Kristian Eidnes Andersen	....	sound effects editor
Felicity Cottrell	....	foley artist
Alex Hudd	....	sound consultant: dolby
Anne Jensen	....	foley recordist
Hans Møller	....	sound
Lars Rasmussen	....	sound assistant
Jamie Roden	....	adr mixer
Eddie Simonsen	....	additional sound effects

Special Effects by
Søren Skov Haraldsted	....	special effects technician
Christian Kitter	....	special effects technician
Lars-Ole Kofoed-Hansen	....	special effects
Hans Peter Ludvigsen	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Lars Brok	....	digital compositor
Niels Valentin Dal	....	digital matte painter
Claus Greffel	....	Fire/Inferno artist
Kasper Jansen	....	visual effects animator
Jon Lauridsen	....	visual effects animator
Daniel Silwerfeldt	....	visual effects supervisor
Tonni Zinck	....	3D supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Niels Buchholzer	....	sparks
Steen Donsby	....	still photographer
Philip Forbes	....	assistant cinematographer: second unit
Claudio Fransson	....	sparks
Nicolas Tobias Følsgaard	....	camera trainee
Thue Garde	....	camera trainee
Jonathan Go-Matsushima Rasmussen	....	sparks (as Jonathan Go-Matsushima)
Ian Hansen	....	director of photography: second unit
Thomas Holm Deleurang	....	focus puller: second unit (as Thomas Holm Christensen)
Morten Jensen	....	grip
Jimmy Leavens	....	grip
Martin Lerche	....	best boy
Mark Mavrinac	....	grip
Lennart Pettersson	....	assistant cinematographer
Martin Pålsheden	....	best boy
Søren Sielemann	....	sparks
Jens Sjöwall	....	gaffer (as Jens Sjöwall-Wahlöö)
Michael Sørensen	....	gaffer
Erik Thal-Jantzen	....	assistant cinematographer
Michael Tøt	....	grip
Henry Williams	....	grip (as Henry E. Williams)
Sebastian Winterø	....	cinematographer: opening sequence
Eric Witzgall	....	assistant cinematographer: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Janni Andrup Madsen	....	wardrobe assistant
Grith Deleuran	....	wardrobe mistress
Nynne Gottlieb	....	wardrobe assistant
Julia Lundby Lous	....	wardrobe assistant
Emmy Nielsen	....	wardrobe assistant
Disa Persson	....	wardrobe assistant
Julie Raavig	....	wardrobe assistant
Maj-Britt Velling	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Carsten Bramsen	....	second assistant editor
Pelle Folmer	....	lab post-production coordinator
Norman Nisbet	....	colorist
Rikke Selin	....	first assistant editor (as Rikke Selin Lorentzen)

Music Department
Thomas Lester	....	music editor

Other crew
Finn Andersen	....	puppet builder
Peter Baird	....	puppeteer (as Peter B. Baird)
Radek Beran	....	puppeteer
Gila Bergqvist	....	film consultant: Swedish Film Institute
Vit Brukner	....	puppeteer
Sue Dacre	....	puppeteer
Nele de Craecker	....	puppeteer
Espen Dekko	....	puppeteer
Lars Dela	....	technical supporter
Andrea Diestel	....	party organizer
Olga Felgemacher	....	puppeteer (as Olga Felgemacher Marin)
Geoff Felix	....	puppeteer
Peter Garde	....	financial advisor
Libby Granger	....	puppeteer
Simon Granger	....	puppeteer
Gudmundur Lúdvik Grétarsson	....	puppet builder
Allan Haslund	....	puppet builder
Jacob Hoffmann	....	runner
Signe Iarussi	....	coordinator of puppetry department (as Signe Rasmussen)
Per Kapper	....	puppet builder
Lars Kirchhoff	....	puppet builder
Astrid Kjær Jensen	....	assistant puppeteer
Casper Knudsen	....	runner
Maria Koch Nielsen	....	set assistant
Sofie Krog	....	puppeteer
Sam Lavender	....	development executive
Govert Lund	....	puppet builder
Lars Lundegaard	....	set runner
Patrick Maire	....	puppeteer
Craig Marin	....	puppeteer
Magnus Miselli	....	puppet builder
Stephen Mottram	....	puppeteer
Bernd Ogrodnik	....	lead puppeteer
Bernd Ogrodnik	....	puppet building supervisor
Tomás Procházka	....	puppeteer
Damian John Regan	....	assistant puppeteer
Sophie Rimington	....	puppeteer
Søren Huus Rosenquist	....	technical production assistant
Diana Klara Røjtburg	....	set runner
Adalsteinn Steffansson	....	puppet builder
Malina Terkelsen	....	production assistant
Lee Thomas	....	assistant to producers
Joakim Zacko Weyland	....	key puppet builder (as Joakim Zacho Weylandt)

Production Companies

• BOB Film Sweden AB (co-production)
• Bald Film
• Film and Music Entertainment (co-production)
• Mainstream ApS
• Nordisk Film (co-production)
• Radar Film
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution
• Zentropa Entertainments

Distributors

• Bir Film (Turkey)
• inD DVD (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• 1More Film (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Atypfilm (2006) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Haut et Court (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• SF Film (2005) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Vii Pillars Entertainment (2006) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Arkles Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (all media)
• Arkles Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Trust Film Sales 2 ApS (worldwide)
• Vii Pillars Entertainment (2004) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Wellspring Media (2005) (USA) (all media)
• With Cinema (Korea)

Special Effects

• Digital Film Lab
• Radar Film

Other Companies

• Danmarks Radio (DR)  collaboration
• Det Danske Filminstitut  funding
• Digital Film Lab London  post-production facilities
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Invicta Capital  collaboration
• Malde & Co.  auditors
• Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond  funding
• Norsk Filmfond  funding
• Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK)  funding
• SVT Fiktion  funding
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)  funding

Also Known As:

"Hilos" - Argentina
"Ipler" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Le fil de la vie" - France
"Marionetes" - Brazil
"O Fio da Vida" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Strings" - Brazil
"Strings, to nima tis zois" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Zsinóron" - Hungary (imdb display title)

Runtime:

Denmark:88 min | USA:91 min | Argentina:91 min

Country:

Denmark | Sweden | Norway | UK

Language:

English | Danish | Norwegian | Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Sweden:11 | Brazil:Livre | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11 | Hungary:14 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Denmark:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG | Ireland:PG

Company:

BOB Film Sweden AB

Trivia:

Claims to be the "world's first fully integrated puppet feature film".

Quotes:

Zita:I end where you begin. And where you end I begin.

Movie Connections:

References Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Wonderfully Traditional

Strings, at it's simplest level, is a dark fairy tale of the Brother's Grimm variety. The film begins with a King writing his final message before he kills himself, asking his son to take up his crown and strive for peace between his people and the rebellious enemy of the nation. However the King's evil brother finds the note first, and wanting to get rid of the son, and also wipe out the rebel faction, he concocts a plot to achieve his goal, and claim the throne for himself. The son soon finds himself an outcast from his land, and learns some shocking truths, whilst also falling in love. Sort of Snow White meets Gormenghast, the tale itself is nothing new. What makes this film different is the style in which it is presented. The characters are all puppets.

Now, this isn't the first puppet film to have hit the screen. In the past there have been various attempts, most recently the spoof Team America. However, in all the films before the puppets were used to represent humans. Here, in Strings, the fact that they are marionettes is integral to the tale, and the strings that hold them are as important as the characters. Each of them are aware of these cords, and they play such a huge part in every scene, and in the grand design of the whole thing. The details such as the city gate being just a piece of stone which is lifted to a high level, preventing the strings from passing, thus stopping anyone entering or leaving. The prison which is a simple grid of beams at a height, leading to some poignant moments when an imprisoned family can see each other, but cannot touch. Fights are enacted where the intention is to sever someone's cords. A child's birth is a different affair, with the baby being carved first before the strings themselves can be attached. Truly imaginative, and quite a high concept, yet working so well.

The marionettes are not the detailed dolls that Team America gave us. The only facial movements here are the eyes which open and close. This could have presented a problem, but thanks to the marvelous animation of the wooden puppets, and some passionate voice casting, it doesn't. There is never any confusion as to who is speaking, and what is going on, as the film presents us with wonderfully conceived scene after scene. Some elements are beautiful and touching, such as an underwater rescue, or the aforementioned birth scene. Some are quite shocking, but without being upsetting. Burning string has never seemed so dark until now.

This is possibly one of the freshest, most creative films of recent years, and is another example of someone doing something new with a genre. Visually superb, and wonderfully played out, the only concern is where the market actually lies for this kind of film. As a kids story it is very mature and dark, and as a mature film, the puppetry is a little alienating to the masses. Instead this film lies somewhere between the two, and if you can cope with a delightful tale, with poignant moments, enacted by some of the best 'classic' puppetry you would ever see, then go and take a seat.