Matador

1978

Seasons & Episodes

  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

EP1 Handel og vandel Nov 28, 1981

EP2 Den 11. time Dec 05, 1981

EP3 Vi vil fred her til lands Dec 12, 1981

EP4 Det går jo godt Dec 19, 1981

EP5 Mellem brødre Dec 26, 1981

EP6 New Look Jan 02, 1982

9.2| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

Matador is a Danish TV series produced and shown between 1978 and 1982. It is set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. It follows the lives of a range of characters from across the social spectrum, focusing specifically on the rivalry between the families of two businessmen: The banker Hans Christian Varnæs, an established local worthy, and social climber Mads Skjern, who arrives in town as the series opens. The name Matador was taken from the localised edition of the boardgame Monopoly, also the series' tentative English title. In addition, in contemporary Danish a "matador" is often used to describe a business tycoon, in the series referring to the character of Mads Skjern and his craftiness as a self-made entrepreneur. Directed by famed Danish film maker Erik Balling, Matador was the idea of author Lise Nørgaard who wrote the bulk of the episodes alongside Karen Smith, Jens Louis Petersen and Paul Hammerich. The series is one of the most well-known and popular examples of Danish television and represents the peak of longtime development of Danish TV drama by the public service channel Danmarks Radio. The series has become part of the modern self-understanding of Danes, partly because of its successful mix of melodrama and a distinct warm Danish humour in the depiction of characters, which were portrayed by a wide range of the most popular Danish actors at the time; but also not least because of its accurate portrayal of a turbulent Denmark from around the start of the Great Depression and through Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark in World War II.

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Malene Schwartz

Reviews

Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.
Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!
Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.
FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.
TonyCamonte84 "The good old days give way to new ones, but things repeat themselves." As much as 'Matador' is a period piece about the time between 1929 and 1947, which is exclusively set in a fictional Danish town, it is really a universal timeless classic. It is about change as much as about anything else. People and families find together while others drift apart, children grow up while adults refuse to change and learn, morals and standards get rewritten and challenged, and political events come and go affecting everyone in their unique way, because the characters are not only the catalysts for change, they are also its manifestations. Whether they grow, adapt or just stand still – they are all testament to the changes that happen all of the time, and they are the heartbeat of 'Matador'. There are literally dozens of them, and while some take more of a centre-stage-position than others, everyone counts and is given enough heart and enough screen-time to matter. Even the characters, that start out a bit cartoonish, such as Maude or Mr. Schwann, become fully fleshed out over the course of the series. You'll find yourself sympathising with every character at one point or another, and, with one or two exceptions, will also find yourself hating every character for his/her actions at another point. Everyone has his own subtle arc, which is generally very well executed and stays true to life, although it might catch you by surprise. There's no black-and- white here, it's shades of grey. The writing is full of great little observations and the acting is always good enough to breathe real life into each and every character. All of this is done with a constant fresh dose of humour, great acting, excellent production, and at a great slow pace. 'Matador' is almost flawless and can hold its own with the greatest of TV shows produced all over the world. In fact, I have rated more than 200 shows, most of them highly critically acclaimed, and this is only the 3rd one I give the perfect 10 out of 10. Go watch it for yourself and find out why.
bronk-681-47334 I have to agree with all the rest of the Reviews. Matador has to be one of the best TV shows ever made. All the actors are the cream of the Danish acting world. The Director was the best in the business for bringing Danish Life to Life, so to speak. I am amazed it has not been shown on British TV as it is very comparable to that other magnificent British TV drama "When The Boat Comes in" I would be hard pushed to say which one was better. But Matador has a longer run and does manage to cover the German occupation of Denmark. Which will be an eye opener to the British public if shown on British TV. So I do hope somebody gets the courage to show this on UK TV. As it is just a great TV Drama about families and the stress of the new on old ideas and values. So it still has something for today's TV audience. I have never got tired of watching it. Its called Matador because that is the Danish name for the board game Monopoly.
anthrogay It is great to revisit the town of Korsbæk in 2007, approximately 25 years after it was first aired. The series is not only a truthful rendition of mid-century Denmark from 1929 to 1947, but also a documentation of Danish self-understanding in the 1980'es - at the time of Danmarks Radios broadcasting monopoly – and the series itself was, and still is, an integral part of the ongoing formation of the national self-understanding (of which we seem to have a LOT! ) Among many other things this series had a great impact on the understanding and self-understanding of gay men in Denmark. As it originally aired in the early eighties - the peak of the aids-epidemic - and connected themes such as solidarity in the face of oppression, helping those in need during the war, and the conflict between a relentlessly striving businessman and his gay son, the series undoubtedly raised both general awareness and the wider public support for the same-sex civil unions legislation, passed in 1987.
Sean-87 A T.v.series in 24 parts about the people in a small town during and after world war 2. Following a wide range of characters both rich and poor through a difficult time with a lot off changes in the litle society as they slowly enter the new modern society with department stores and supermarkets. We mainly follow the two families Skjern and Varnæs and their rivalry towards each other, mainly led on by the conservative Hans Christian Varnæs and the more modern and dynamic Mads Skjern.