Apocalypse Archives - Nikolaj Arcel
Screenwriter of original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Screenwriter of the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie and director of new Danish drama A Royal Affair, Nikolaj Arcel, picks five films he’d rescue in the face of the apocalypse
1. Gone With The Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
‘Just to show I’m taking the whole apocalypse idea seriously! This film has such a long and complex story, I’ve seen it many times and could still happily watch it over and over again. I probably wouldn’t admit to any of my more full-blooded male friends that I love this film so much, but it’s a secret favourite of mine.’
2. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
‘This was, I think, the film that really got me into the idea of making movies. It was a film that had a strong effect on my whole generation, I think I was ten when I first saw it, and I remember I distinctly realised that I was aware of the team behind the film. After seeing E.T., I started making my own films on an 8mm camera.’
3. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003)
‘Another long film to pass the time until the apocalypse is over. I’m imagining myself in a cellar with lots of time on my hands! These movies aren’t necessarily my all-time favourites, but I do love a big fantasy and adventure story, and I have to admit the magnitude of the storytelling blows me away.’
4. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)
‘I suppose I have to preserve one Danish film for posterity, and I think this is my favourite film by Lars. Having the actors play without any scenery, just chalk lines on the floor, didn’t immediately strike me as a great technical idea, but what really grabbed me about this film was the story, which is great, and the acting, which is phenomenal. Nicole Kidman and Lars von Trier were a marriage made in heaven.’
5.Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996)
‘This showed another way of making films, a style which I fell into in my late 20s, early 30s. Before that I was much more into Spielberg, but two films in particular, Trainspotting and David Fincher’s Fight Club impressed me with their extremely powerful, personal narratives. It was a great complement to me that Fincher liked my Dragon Tattoo so much, I just wish he’d wanted to work with me!’
A Royal Affair is on selected release from Fri 15 Jun.