Ballade pour Carl-Hennig

I knew Jesper Klein and he was quite happy about his first role in a feature film when premiered during the peak of his career. Lene and Sven Grønlykke had a lucky hand with their first movie deliberately shot in black and white and set in the flat marshland of southern Jutland with a kind of simpleminded miller's son trying to make his way through his youth. The music is moody and the moving camera show us a lyrical touch of the province seldom portrayed on film. The contrast between new and old between city and rural life, young and grownups come across effectively through an easy touch without sentimentality. Adding to the believability is the improvising contributions from many amateurs adding to the picture. You will never forget Jesper Klein's rendering of the naive goodhearted youngster and his fateful journey.