A Word for Human

This Traveltalk series short visits Copenhagen.

The passage of time is spellbinding in this cinematic tour de force about the Wadden Sea. A film that inhales and exhales along with the tides as it explores the fragile relationship between man and nature.

The intention of the film is to give an impression of what small exotic Denmark looks like, what the strange Danes look like and how they are. Nearly 100 Danes are presented in the film, amongst them a racing cyclist, a Minister of Finance, a popular actor and 13 unmarried women from a provincial town. "There is too much fogginess and rain and melancholy in most of the pictures of Denmark," says Jørgen Leth. "But not in my film. I would like to show you some authentic, clear and beautiful pictures from this strange country."

The film tells the story of Bill, a young boy who discovers a worn and damaged book about the American Revolution in a secondhand bookshop and buys it for 25 cents. Through his experience, the film explores the lifecycle of a book, from creation to wear and tear, and the importance of proper care and repair. Bill, with the help of his schoolmates and Miss Walker, the librarian, learns how to mend torn pages, remove stains, and protect the book with a new cover and dust jacket. The film emphasizes the collective effort required to create a book and educates on how to extend its life through careful handling and repair, conveying a message of respect and stewardship for books.

This travelogue begins with the vast agricultural wealth of the country, whose farmers can produce four times the amount required to feed the country's population. As such, the export of these agricultural products is a vital part of the country's economy. This agricultural tradition extends to its food consumption, as Denmark's vast array of open faced sandwiches is world renowned. It also extends to flower production and the Dane's love of flowers, which are sold in public markets. Denmark has a strong social support system, as witnessed by the free and mandatory public schooling, free medical services for expectant mothers and children, the provision of cooperative housing and housing for seniors, and the provision of old age pensions without premiums.

This travelogue emphasizes Copenhagen's harmonious residents and tone. We see well-known landmarks and get a quick history of some of them.

Short documentary about an archetypal library concept for kids in Clamart.

On a particular day at a Danish zoo, a remarkable, mystic and unique attraction involving the body of a young lion awaits its spectator.

Starting as a documentary on the sexually liberated culture of late-Sixties Denmark, Sexual Freedom in Denmark winds up incorporating major elements of the marriage manual form and even manages to squeeze in a montage of beaver loops and erotic art. All narrated with earnest pronouncements concerning the social and psychological benefits of sexual liberation, the movie, is a kind of mondo film dotted with occasional glimpses of actual sex.

Street views from the danish capital. Among the various retailers and businesses seen is Serpent Bicycle Shop, the newly built Hotel Cosmopolite, Hotel d'Angleterre, Bikubens Sparekasse, Østerbros Vinhandel, Hafnia Bicycles, Ferdinand Lørups Isenkram & Udstyr and Jens Karl Jensen's Cravats.

A colourful, upbeat tale from Vollsmose about the resourceful and funky hairdresser Qasim, who instils dignity, inspiration and hope in young people through something we can all relate to – a cool haircut!