He freed the slaves in 1848. He spoke out against the king and the government. He loved his wives equally. He was colorful, he was autocratic, he was Denmark's last governor-general of the West Indies, his name was Peter von Scholten. The film about him is a magnificent story of greatness, power, and stubbornness on the one hand, and of love, loyalty, and melancholy on the other. It is a colorful gallery of characters that depicts the times, the Dane in a foreign land—and the black man in relief to the white.
Acting
Ole Ernst's volcanic mix of charm and self-destruction
Production
Sweaty, sumptuous Caribbean colonial aesthetic
Writing
Refuses easy hagiography of its complicated protagonist
Director
Palle Kjærulff-Schmidt
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real von Scholten's 1848 emancipation decree came just three days after a major slave uprising on St. Croix—making his 'moral courage' look conveniently timed to history.
1980s Denmark was reckoning with its colonial amnesia; this film arrived as part of a broader Nordic soul-searching about whether you can celebrate 'good' individuals within evil systems.
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