9. april (2015) Reviews

• A small masterpiece in Danish Film

  madsole2016-07-02

  This movie gives a very honest account of the situation in the morning hours of the 9th of April 1940. The Danish soldiers did their duty despite being in a hopeless situation abandoned by their generals and politicians. It's a movie made by a Dane for the Danish audience and it captures the way Danish society and the Danish Army was at that time. I loved it! It's a small piece of Danish history coming to life. Just a note on some of the other reviews in here. Don't try putting Russian politics into this movie. There is no glorification of any Danish effort during the war here. And it is not looked upon as such in Denmark. Focus on good movies - not the old er new conflicts between East and West. This is not a propaganda movie in any way - maybe you seeing it that way tells more about your view on the world than on the essence of this small masterpiece of Danish filmmaking.

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• Danish World War II story of the invasion of Denmark

  t-dooley-69-3869162015-10-28

  April 9th was the day the Wehrmacht rolled across the land border and invaded Denmark. The Danish army was only lightly armed, small in number and completely unprepared. They were mobilised but did not want to deploy in defensive positions in case the Germans saw that as a provocation – such was the politics of the day. The story is told through the experiences of a bicycle company led by Second Lieutenant Sand (Pilou Asbæk of 'A Hijacking') they decide to follow their orders and try to do the impossible of holding back the strongest army in Europe. Now this is not an epic but they have done a rather good job with most of the period detail and the acting is all really good. There was quite a bit of detail that made this memorable, but there is also a lot of doing things of a more mundane nature – like changing bike tyres etc. That said everything is integral to the story. The action when it comes is also very well done and it has the air of authenticity; if you are a WW II fan then this is one you will not be disappointed in seeing – recommended.

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• Authentic historic drama at platoon level

  niels-jorgen-166242015-03-12

  An accurate account of some of the skirmishes taking place as German forces crossed into Denmark on 9. April 1940. A sad story about a heavily outnumbered and out-gunned platoon, let down by their politicians and struggling with primitive means to delay the advance of the German army. The movie successfully conveys the unreal feeling of these soldiers being plummeted into war for unknown reasons and with no proper chance to prepare a defense. Another story about the useless loss of young lives for no good reason. Denmark surrendered after only a few hours, being threatened by German bombers and in no position to give serious resistance. But the few who did fight did so against the worst possible odds, and deserve recognition.

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• A good movie for Danes and foreign war history buffs

  tomcat-350-275212016-03-26

  The term "War movie" is almost synonymous with Second World War movies. Every nation has a story, down to the smallest individuals, and when there aren't stories, the big story gives great background for fiction. As a result we are doused with WW2 movies. There are good ones, bad ones, boring ones, outright ridiculous ones, and we've seen them all. It is next to impossible to make a really good WW2 movie anymore. Everything that can be told about this war has been told; maybe it can be told again with soldiers of different nationality, different locations, different weapons; but it's really, really difficult to say something that hasn't been told already. This is why this little movie is marvelous. It actually tells a new story. It's not the meatgrinders of Stalingrad, Omaha Beach, not the death camps, not Dresden burning, not heroes against evil Nazis. It's about the silent, peaceful Denmark which has been overrun in a mere six hours and this was all of the war for them. But how did it happen? Are a few dozen lives comparable to thousands or millions lost on other battlefronts? What is six hours of "war" to six years? It is easy to dismiss it as nothing, but that's what this movie about. Regardless the short time and negligible losses, it was still war, with young people killing and dying for their country and king. When their comrade fell, it was the same what a Russian, German, British or American soldier felt in a much bigger battle. It is not to be overlooked. This movie shows us some images from Denmark's family album. Look, this happened to them in 1940. When someone shows you his family album and tells about someone who died in the war, you don't say "Oh, just one of you? Stop whining, our family lost three, so your loss is insignificant." The movie doesn't claim fame. It doesn't say Denmark's disaster was a very big one, or that it's comparable to other events of WW2. It just tells: this happened to us. This is our story. And yes, a kid selling milk actually died on the road that day. Thank you for this movie, Denmark. We missed your story. Maybe the characters could've been a bit more lively. But again, they are soldiers - what to add to them?

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• Small yet very powerful production.great movie.

  koderius2015-08-27

  This is my first IMDb review. I thought i'd make an effort - because i think this movie deserves a lot more than the 6.8 score it got. This is a small budget ,non-bombastic ,non-hollywood movie. YET , it managed to capture the eeriness and horror of the first day of WWII for Danmark in a very vivid and realistic way. All the actors play very well. The photography is very precise and professional. And the events are based on true stories. what's not to like ? I think its a must watch for true WWII enthusiasts- who'd like to get a new perspective on the northern European theatre of war.

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