Sven Johan Methling (or Sven Methling Jr.) (20 September 1918 – August 7, 2005) was a Danish film director and screenwriter. The son of actor and film director Svend Methling, Methling Jr. was best known for a series of light-hearted comedies. His 1959 comedy Vi er allesammen tossede (All of us are Crazy) received the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. Methling also received the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film for the 1955 war drama Der kom en dag (There Will Come a Day).

Sven Methling
Born(1918-09-20)20 September 1918
Died7 August 2005(2005-08-07) (aged 86)
Occupation(s)Director, screenwriter
Years active1946–1996
AwardsBodil Award
1960 Vi er alle sammen tossede
1955 Der kom en dag
Starboy Award
1991 Krummerne

Career

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Sven Johan Methling was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on 20 September 1918. As the son of film director Svend Methling, Methling Jr. was born into the film industry. He started work as a sound assistant with Palladium Films from 1940 to 1945. In 1944, Methling performed the leading role in the drama Det Store Ansvar (The Great Responsibility), directed by his father. Then in 1946, he co-directed with his father an animated feature, Fyretøjet, based on the H.C. Andersen story.

Methling made his solo directorial debut in 1953 with the crime drama Kriminalsagen. His next effort, Der kom en dag (There Will Come a Day) was a war drama about the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Based upon a novel by Flemming Muus, the film received critical praise and was awarded the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film of 1955. Over the next several years, Methling made a series of popular war comedies, the Soldaterkammerater movies (Soldier Buddies). In 1959, Methling directed the surreal comedy Vi er allesammen tossede (We are Altogether Crazy) for which he was again awarded the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film. During the 1960s, Methling began writing screenplays as well as directing, and his name became synonymous with light-hearted comedies.

In 1966, Methling became a teacher at the National Film School of Denmark and he was employed as a consultant at the Danish Film Institute from 1979 to 1981. In the 1990s Methling returned to directing with the popular comedy films, The Crumbs (Krummerne). Methling died in Copenhagen, Denmark on 7 August 2005.

Filmography (selected)

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Year Film Position Other notes
1944 Det Store Ansvar [da] Actor... Jens the Skipper
1953 The Crime of Tove Andersen Director
1953 Hejrenæs Director
1955 Der kom en dag Director Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
1957 Englen i sort Director
1958 Soldaterkammerater [da] Director
Ung Kærlighed Producer
1959 Vi er allesammen tossede Director Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
3 må man være Director
Soldaterkammerater rykker ud Director
Ballade på Bullerborg [da] Director
1960 Soldaterkammerater på vagt [da] Director
1961 Soldaterkammerater på efterårsmanøvre [da] Director
Mine tossede drenge Director
Sorte Shara [da] Director
1962 Soldaterkammerater på sjov [da] Director
writer
editor
1963 Pigen og pressefotografen Director
Et døgn uden løgn [da; no] Director
Syd for Tana River Co-Director
1964 Majorens oppasser Director
editor
5 Mand og Rosa Writer
director
Når ended er go' Director
1965 Passer passer piger Writer
director
1966 Gys og gæve tanter [da] Writer
director
Dyden går amok Writer
director
1967 Smukke-Arne og Rosa [da] Writer
director
1968 Jeg elsker blåt [da] Writer
director
1970 Nøglen til Paradis Director
1972 Familien med de 100 børn [da] Director
editor
Takt og tome i himmelsengen Writer
director
editor
1976 Brand-Børge rykker ud [da] Writer
Familien Gyldenkål sprænger banken Editor
1979 Charly og Steffen Editor
1982 Kidnapning [da] Writer
editor
Tre engle og fem løver [da] Writer
director
1985 Walter og Carlo – op på fars hat [da] Editor
1987 Kampen om den røde ko [da] Producer
1988 Elvis Hansen [da] Producer
1989 Den røde tråd [da] Producer
editor
1990 Bananen Producer
editor
1991 Krummerne Director Won Starboy Award at the Oulu International Children's Film Festival
1992 Krummerne 2 [da] Director
1994 Vildbassen [da] Director [1]
Krummerne 3 [da] Director

References

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  1. ^ Piil, M. (2008). Gyldendals danske filmguide (in Danish). Gyldendal. p. 604. ISBN 978-87-02-06669-2. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
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