by Helen Langdon
Over the last few years, there’s been an explosion of Nordic thrillers on English-speaking screens. There’s just something about the combination of bleakly beautiful landscapes, thick knitted jumpers and Scandinavian languages that excites us. Especially when it’s linked to dastardly tales of crime. They’re the types of shows that BBC4 shows, things like The Killing, Wallander and Borgen. And now you can have your own Nordic Noir programming with Arrow Films’ newest DVD line. Next out on DVD, released on 15th June, is The Spider (otherwise known as Edderkoppen).
Over the last few years, there’s been an explosion of Nordic thrillers on English-speaking screens. There’s just something about the combination of bleakly beautiful landscapes, thick knitted jumpers and Scandinavian languages that excites us. Especially when it’s linked to dastardly tales of crime. They’re the types of shows that BBC4 shows, things like The Killing, Wallander and Borgen. And now you can have your own Nordic Noir programming with Arrow Films’ newest DVD line. Next out on DVD, released on 15th June, is The Spider (otherwise known as Edderkoppen).
Originally airing back in the heady days of 2000, The Spider is set in 1949 Copenhagen. Based on true events, the six-part series follows young journalist Bjarne Madsen as he attempts to make a difference by writing about the stories that matter. And there are plenty of them in a post-war city struggling under rationing and trying to recover from the German occupation of World War II. It’s the perfect place for a criminal empire to grow, ruled over by one man, the titular “Spider”. But exposing organised crime isn’t as simple as writing about it. Wherever Madsen turns, there’s corruption and people with connections to the black market. Is there anyone left in Denmark that he can trust?
If what you’re after is a fast-paced mystery with lots of twists and turns in every episode, this probably isn’t the series you’re looking for. Instead, this is a deliciously slow build across six hours as we become fully immersed in post-war Denmark. It’s not just about the plot, and discovering who’s corrupt (they might as well all be wearing flashing “I am corrupt” signs). It’s more about the characters and the time period and the setting. Watching The Spider is less like watching a crime thriller and more like sitting in a smoky club to listen to jazz and dodgy deals being made.
The Spider could have just used its 1949 setting for the corruption of the black market. But instead it doesn’t shy away from the fact that this is the post-war period, with World War II hanging over every moment of the series. There are constant reminders, questioning people as to what they did during the war – fight, run away or collaborate – and remembering old acquaintances who died. The time period is so integral to The Spider that even the camera seems infused with sepia. It’s a massive change to the normal cold blue light of Nordic dramas.
The Spider could have just used its 1949 setting for the corruption of the black market. But instead it doesn’t shy away from the fact that this is the post-war period, with World War II hanging over every moment of the series. There are constant reminders, questioning people as to what they did during the war – fight, run away or collaborate – and remembering old acquaintances who died. The time period is so integral to The Spider that even the camera seems infused with sepia. It’s a massive change to the normal cold blue light of Nordic dramas.
The Spider’s characters somehow manage to be both stereotypical (the idealistic journalist, the femme fatale, the weary old crime reporter) and complex at the same time. A lot of that is down to the subtle acting of the stellar cast, who connoisseurs will recognise from other Nordic noirs (a lot of the cast pop up in The Killing, including lead Jakob Cedergren and Lars Mikkelsen).
At its heart, The Spider is a quintessential film noir with a Scandinavian twist. It takes the true story of reporters exposing corruption and turns it into a tense, engrossing drama. It might be fifteen years old this year, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive than its more recent Nordic Noir stablemates. The DVD set is a bit light, with no special features bar a few trailers on the first disc, but it’d be a worthy addition to any TV DVD collection.
The Spider is out on DVD on 15th June.
At its heart, The Spider is a quintessential film noir with a Scandinavian twist. It takes the true story of reporters exposing corruption and turns it into a tense, engrossing drama. It might be fifteen years old this year, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive than its more recent Nordic Noir stablemates. The DVD set is a bit light, with no special features bar a few trailers on the first disc, but it’d be a worthy addition to any TV DVD collection.
The Spider is out on DVD on 15th June.
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