Movie Endings: Final Scene of Liberating Dance
“What a Life” by Scarlet Pleasure
Another Round, Thomas Vinterberg’s Oscar-winning ode to alcoholism, ends with a poignant moment as Mads Mikkelsen gets plastered and channels his inner Fred Astaire in a mesmerizing Hollywood dance sequence.
Blasting over the top is this Danish pop-rap track, which has become the country’s popular party tune for New Year’s celebrations.
Mikkelsen, 55, who was once a professional dancer, throws himself into it, leaping over benches, sliding across the cobblestones. It’s clear this dance is Martin seeing a second chance, and he intends to seize it.
Magical Dance Number in Realistic Film about Alcoholism
“The dance was always in the screenplay, but I didn’t know how we were going to pull it off, in a realistic film, to have such a magical dance number,” says Lindholm. “How can we keep it from becoming some kitsch Bollywood scene? That was the question,” notes Vinterberg.
Mikkelsen, Vinterberg and choreographer Olivia Anselmo designed a dance that mirrored Martin’s story. “He’s nervous at first, he’s scared to start, after a few steps, he retreats and sits down. Then he goes to his friends and starts again. Finally, he surrenders. It becomes a moment of ecstasy.”
“We shot the dance over two days, with no body doubles, no camera tricks. Everything you see is Mads,” notes producer Dissing.
Cinematographer Grovlen observes, “The whole time, I was worried about his slick costume shoes on the wet cobblestones. But Mads is such a great dancer. We didn’t need any magic tricks. Just Mads.”
Vinterberg recalls: “By the time we came to shoot that scene, all our barriers were down, all our layers of protection gone. We weren’t in a position to discuss or argue. We’d lost everything anyway. Mads just did it. He just danced.”
