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Qivitoq (1956)
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QIVITOQ THE MOUNTAIN WANDERER FILMED IN GREENLAND IN THE SUMMER OF 1956 BY: NORDISK FILM WISHES TO THANK: THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION THE MINISTRY FOR GREENLAND THE GREENLAND TRADE COMPANY THE DANISH AIRFORCE AND MANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS Well if it isn't Pavia. Hello. What are you doing here? Are you here with Jens? - No. Did you kayak here? - Yes. From Sermilik? That's a long way. This must be important. Is it about the fishing boat? - Yes. It hasn't arrived yet, but the schooner will be here today, - maybe the papers are in the mail today. That's alright, Albert. Start unloading and send up the mail. Hello. - Hello. Eva Nygaard. - Mariboe. I'm the factor. I wasn't expecting passengers. - It was a last minute decision. How may I help you? - I'm looking for Dr. Halsoe. Halsoe, yes. Are you related? He's my fiance. He doesn't know I'm here. All of a sudden, I'm here. Where's the hospital? It's at the other end of town. How about coming home to my wife? Wouldn't you like some breakfast? Halsoe's not up yet. - I'll wake him up then. Put the suitcases in the office. Hello. Hello, I'm looking for Dr. Halsoe. I'm Eva Nygaard. Kirsten Prage. Nice to meet you. The doctor's busy right now. Did you have a nice trip? - Wonderful. It's so beautiful up here. Dr. Halsoe's not expecting you. - No. It's a surprise. Do you think that's proper? You're acting so strangely. What do you mean? You haven't received his letter. He wrote to tell you not to come. Not to come? Does this concern you? - Yes. I'm sorry to tell you, but Erik and I Erik? Where is he? Did he ask you to tell me this? - He doesn't know you're here. I had to do this. In my defence, it happened all at once. Where is he? - I'm the woman he needs. You'll never get him. I didn't steal him from you. He wanted me. Let me get out of here. Lie down again. Where were you? Take his temperature. Where's the record? Your Eva was here. Eva? Here? - She came to surprise you. Where is she now? - She hadn't received your letter I told it like it is, and she left. Was that really necessary? You haven't given me enough. That's only 10 kroner. Is the factor here? - No, he's not. When's the next ship to Denmark? - They don't sail every day. There has to be a way home. - Of course, but So you've already found your way down here. Come on in and have a seat. Please I want to go home as quickly as possible. I can well understand. What do you understand? Let's go home to my wife. She's very wise. She always knows what to do. Do you know everything about me? One hears things in a small community like ours. Things may look difficult, but then everything fails into place. To err is human. Where is Pavia? So here you are. Lovely fish, eh? Yes. And lots of them. - So get to it, Pavia. Here are the papers for the boat. Ask Jens to help you. No news about the boat? Not yet. One has to be patient here in Greenland. Do you like my dahlias? - Very lovely. I didn't realize you could grow them here. Every woman in Greenland has a greenhouse. It's our vice. After six months of winter one can't get enough flowers. Mrs. Mariboe, you've been so great, - but I can't stand it anymore. I can't keep on waiting here. Everybody knows about me. About things, they shouldn't. I have to get home. I can't keep imposing on you either. You're not imposing. Drink your tea. It's not for your sake. I always drink tea at 3.30. Up here good habits are important. Otherwise, one would succumb to beards and bad manners. Is there a cup of tea for me? Sure, dear We're enjoying ourselves here. I just saw Pavia off. Jens' Pavia. He came all the way from Sermilik in a kayak to check up on his boat. He's just as impatient as a man in Denmark waiting for his new car. Have you gotten used to Greenland? - When's there a ship going home? Not until the ship has been up north and back. In a week or so. A week? I can't stay here for another week. Are we so unkind to you? - I understand. Is the schooner going to Sermilik? Yes, but Miss Nygaard can't Sermilik is up north. There's a Danish trading station manager there. Would you rather wait there? - No offense, but anywhere but here. But Jens? Do you think he ...? - He's called Jens Lauridsen. Maybe he can get you on a ship. - I don't I think it would interest you. It's quite primitive. You need some more practical clothes. And be careful of the dogs. They don't feed them during the summer, so they're not so nice. Could you speak to Jens on the radio? But of course. Calling Frederiksminde. Sermilik here. Telegram received. Factor Mariboe wishes to speak - to Jens Lauridsen. Over. Hello, Marius. Have you seen Pavia? Over. He left yesterday. I'm sending you the schooner with the goods. And a young lady, who wants to get home. Can you help her? Over. I need those goods, but what am I supposed to do with the lady? I don't have any ships leaving. Over. I'm still sending her to you. She's a nice girl who wants to go home. There's no way. I don't want a woman up here. You keep her! Over. Stop complaining. She's on her way, so wash up. Over and out. I say Hello? Frederiksminde? Hello? Well I never I say... Womenfolk. There's a visitor coming. We need to muck out this pigsty. And tidy up in my room. - Yes. "Wash up". Hello, Nuka. Do you want to go hunting? - I've got better things to do. We need to go and see if Pavia has arrived. Remember this story, children, - so that you may tell it yourselves. Hello, Grandma. Hello, Mother Caecilie. - Hello. Such nice skins. Yes, my son Pavia is a great hunter. Yes. And Nuka will be hunting soon. Nuka will also be a great hunter. - Hunting. And Pavia's getting his own boat. Pavia's getting a boat. Pavia is a hunter, not a fisherman. It's good to be a fisherman. It's good. It's very lucrative, and he'll be getting a new house. A new house. That's no good. His father's house is a good house. New houses aren't that good. The house is alright. Time will tell, Caecilie. Come on, Nuka. Hello, Pavia. That was some journey. And you got a seal. These are the papers for the boat. Let's have a look at them. Keep an eye on my kayak. The boat will arrive in Frederiksminde in a week or so. It just needs to be tested. Then we have to find the right crew. That'll be hard. Hunters don't like fishing. We have to do this, Pavia. Maybe the seals will disappear. We have to learn to fish in good time. If you lead, the others will follow. Maybe. Always maybe. There is no maybe. If you can fish, the others can, too. I know the seal, but I don't know where the fish are. I know, and I'll help you. You will? Of course. We have to catch a lot of fish. - We will. The first time is very important. This package was in the kayak. So you've been to the store. - Yes. Who might that be for? What do you think, Nuka? - Naja. Hello. - Where have you been? In the colony. Here you go. What is it? - See for yourself. Isn't it neat? Stoffer, come here. The schooner's on its way. Nuka, look how it's done. Like that. Look, there's the schooner. Yes. There it is. Come on, Stoffer. Let's go greet the lady. That's Sermilik. - Thank you. Hello. - Hello. Come on down. Thank you. I'll take that. - Thank you. Sorry. - You better sit down. Come on! Let's go! Mikkel, get some more men. We have to load these barrels. Please hurry. - Yes. So you live here alone? - There are 200 of us. So, it'll be a few days before the next ship out? I actually have no idea. Oh, you have a greenhouse. - It was my predecessor's. I don't use it. This way. This way. This is Naja my housekeeper. Hello. Eva Nygaard. - It's in here. It's not too bad, if you're not too particular. Have you been here long? Don't you know about me? - No. Everybody else does. Why don't you? Haven't you spoken to Mariboe? Are they not gossiping about me? - We're in sheltered waters. I came to see my boyfriend, but he had found somebody else. I've been here a week. I just want to go home! Don't you want something to eat first? I'll try to calm down. Dinner's served. - No thank you. Well. Let me have dinner, then! - Yes. Have you knocked? - No. Good morning. Coffee's ready. Damnation. I'm going to check the blubber. This looks good. Good. That's no good. No good. No good. Get these done properly. This one's good. Good. Good. Good. Where's Pavia? - Gone hunting. Now look. I'm going to hit them all with the whip. Set them up once more, will you? Mr. Manager. I have no money. You give me tobacco. - Get a job. Very bad arm. Wife, small kids. Need food. We all have to work. Very bad arm. Very bad. - That might be true. But it's the last time. Come on. Haven't you done the dishes yet? What have you been doing all day? She hasn't been out yet? - No. Is she just going to stay in there? You've been lying there for two days. Aren't you hungry? No, thank you. - Are you just going to lie there? Any news about the ship? No, but if there were, I'd have jumped in here overjoyed. Then you could get going. Let me tell you one thing, lady. My rulebook doesn't specify how to treat lovelorn ladies. When other people get mistreated, they don't cry about it for days. Was he that great? Others have lost boyfriends without so much drama. Do something. Go outside. Do whatever you want, as long as you do something. Anything else you want to say? No. Not really. Food's served. I'm not hungry. Well I never She went into the hills in her little shoes? Damnation. Put something in this. - Are you going? She can't stay up there, can she? Get to it. How to find a needle in a haystack? Come on. Hello? Hello? Help me! Hello? Help me! He) me! Look. A motor boat. Thank you. Thank you. - You're welcome. Go get the boat ready. Hurry. Naja. - Have you been looking for me? You've been up there for hours without telling anyone. I got lost. - Of course. Put some more in this. We have to leave right away. We're going north. Maybe there's a ship in Uummannaq. A ship has arrived? - No, I've got a boat. Please pack your suitcase. Alright. Coffee? - No thanks. Where are we going? - Uummannaq. Is it far? Eight hours. Maybe more. There's fog ahead. What was that? - Ice. There's nothing to be afraid of. This boat can sink for all I care. - Don't joke about that. Kt com happen. - We no 'yoke. Now what? Watch out! Where are we? We had to go back. We're going home after breakfast. So we won't make it to the ship? - No. Did you sleep here? - Yes. I'm inconveniencing you. - Yes. Thank you. Go ahead. Women who aren't fit for Greenland should stay away from here. Men who don't understand anything should shut up. Maybe I'm not fit for Greenland. You and my boyfriend agree on that. Then you can't do anything. Why are you so mean? - Mean? I didn't get lost on purpose, - and it wasn't me who wanted to go out on that filthy little boat. You boss people around and think you own Greenland. I didn't mean it that way. You act so brutish. I'm not used to female company. - That's easy to tell. Coffee? Thank you. Why do you want to get rid of me? You want to go home, don't you? And you want to be alone. - Yes. Maybe. Have you always been alone? I used to be married, - but she couldn't stand being here. It got on her nerves. She went home. But you stayed? I went out on expeditions. Fishing. Then I got the offer to go back to Sermilik. Did you miss it? - I suppose so. They say people always miss Greenland. What makes people miss Greenland? I don't know. It's hard to understand, especially for women. Life's primitive and hard. But it's really simple, too. No frills. There's no room for that. It's about the simple things. Hunger and thirst. Nature, the weather There are enough problems. Traveling by sledge. Sailing. Every time it's life or death. Everything's vast and violent. You have to really struggle. That's what one misses. Don't you miss people? The Greenlanders call their land the land of the people. You don't know Greenland and the Greenlanders. It's not enough to live here. You have to live with them to know them. You have to be here in the winter, where everything is buried in ice. You still have to get food for the women and children. The men go on endless hunting trips by sledge. Or they're in their kayaks in the freezing cold. They sit for days without moving. Legs stretched out before them. Patiently waiting. When you've experienced that, you understand the joy of the catch. Nuka's caught his first seal. When it showed up I shot it. And then I rowed and I rowed. What happened? - Someone's caught a seal. Who caught the seal? - Nuka. Really? Bravo, Nuka. You're a great hunter. Thank you. What is it? - The liver. Taste Nuka's seal. But it's raw. - Taste it. It's healthy. Tonight, we'll have a party. Caecilie's having a kaffemik. Wear a dress if you have one. That's good, Frederiksminde. Nothing further. Goodbye. Pavia, your motor boat's arrived at Frederiksminde. It's arrived? - Yes. Let's go get it. Is the kaffemik on? - You are welcome. Is this alright? - I say. What do you think, Pavia? - It's pretty. It's beautiful. Come on. Let's go. Come to the party. Maybe. The food's ready. It tastes wonderful. - Hello. Hello. Has everyone had enough meat? Thanks, plenty. It tasted really good. Have a seat. I'll bring you some coffee. Thanks, Caecilie. We're good. I hope you're full. - That's the way it's supposed to be. They're still living like this? - Many are. The older ones, especially, don't want to give up their huts. Mother Caecilie, don't you want to live in Pavia's new house? I want to live here. New houses are cold what with all the windows and doors. A qivitoq might get in. Have you met a qivitoq recently? We can hear him at night. Isn't that right, Pavia? No, I never hear anything. When we lived in Nuussuaq there was a qivitoq. It sounds like a huge bean The whole house shakes. He's not human. He's an evil spirit. He's a qivitoq. Right, mama? Yes. We have to lock our doors. It was a terrifying experience. What is she saying? - She's talking about the qivitoq. He comes at night like a ghost. He probably just wants food. There's so much superstition. What's a qivitoq? It means the mountain wanderer. When a Greenlander is facing a great sorrow or is dishonored, - he might go out into the mountains forever. A form of suicide. - He'll manage for as long as he can. He'll never survive the winter, but he wont go near any people. Oh, Zakarias is playing. Then there's dancing at the silamut. I want to dance with Pavia. - You do that. Goodbye, Caecilie. Thanks for dinner. Thank you. Being happy looks good on you. I brought a ball gown. Maybe I should have worn it. I have an old tuxedo in the attic. Shall we dance? It's been ten years, but let's give it a go. You got rejected. Here's Mother Caecilie. I'll dance with her. Zakarias, play a polka. Alright. Is it bad? - Yes. Really bad. I'd better give him some penicillin. Could you go look for it in the cupboard? I need some clamps as well. They're in the bowl at the bottom. And the tongs. How much? - 400,000 units. Here you go. - Thank you. Can you manage without a doctor? - It won't be the first time. I've radioed the doctor in Frederiksminde. We have to bring the boy to him. They haven't got a boat. Good evening. Is it a dog attack? - Yes. How's the weather up north? - Reasonably fair. Are you insane? - Are you going? She's in Sermilik. - I have an obligation. I'll go with you. The doctor's boat is away. Are there any others? I don't think so. - Great. You can relax. I can't go. I'm ready. Hello, Sermilik. Frederiksminde calling. Oven Follow me. This is Sermilik. Put on the doctor if he's there. Describe the case. Tell him, what we did. - Me? I'll keep working on the boy. - Yes. Yes, hello. This is Eva Nygaard. It's a four-year-old boy. He's been badly bitten. We've cleaned him up with Rodalon. We dressed the wounds with sulpha and gave him some penicillin. Hello. Are there wounds that need stitching? Over. Yes, there are. Over. Cover up the largest wounds and clamp the wounds. Bandage them and give the child an analgesic. Dress him warmly and send him down here as quickly as possible. We'll be ready to receive him. Over. We'll be there tomorrow morning. - Hello? Understood. We... He'll arrive tomorrow morning. Over and out. Hello, Sermilik. Nothing further. Have a good night. Is he calm? - Yes. I dressed him warmly. Good. We're leaving in 15 minutes. You'd better get dressed. Do I have to go? - Yes. You'll make it to your ship. There's plenty of time. Pavia, get ready to go to Frederiksminde. You can take your new motor boat back. Jens. - Yes? You'll go fishing with me the first time. Yes, we already talked about this. Come on. We need a huge catch. That's very important the first time. Come on, Pavia. Where are you going? - To fetch the boy. I'll go with you. - No. Prepare the operating room. Are you happy to see her again? - Do you have to make this so hard? Am I the only one that has to suffer? Welcome. I've notified the hospital. Did you have a good trip? Hello. - Are you here? Yes. Miss Nygaard watched over the boy last night. It's not that you're not welcome, but the schooner's headed for Sermilik. We're leaving right away. - Shall we get the boy? Yes. Halsoe's on his way. - Well, then Go say hello to my wife. That would make her happy. Thank you. I will. Come on, Pavia. Let's get the boy. What do people say to becoming fishermen? Some are skeptical, but once Pavia gets going, they'll follow suit. There's plenty of fish up there. - Let's hope for the best. It's not easy to be a trailblazer up here. There's Halsoe. What's he doing here? How's the boy? - Good work. He'll have some scars, but he'll be alright. Do you have a minute, Mariboe? - Sure. So, Pavia, are you happy? We need to catch a lot of fish to pay for the boat. They're out there. We'll find them. Can we go fishing today? - We need to prepare the boat first. We'll get it ready quickly. I want to go fishing, too. I need to run an errand. I'm sure you know all about it. Well - That I was engaged to her. That it ended like it did. Why did you do that? - I'm really sorry about it. Would you mind if I went to your house? Go ahead. But what about the third party? Won't she make trouble? Troubles can be solved. I could buy lines today. What? Good idea. Talk to Mariboe about it. I'll be back soon. You have no idea what it's like living up here. Your soul is slowly crushed. It's the endless winter The cold and loneliness overpowers you. You're drowning in filth and bickering. I can't stand it. I'm going home as soon as I can. Eva, can you forgive me? Will you wait for me? Eva, I need you. I've lost so much in this dreadful country. You've failed me. You're failing everything. Is it just because of Greenland? Maybe not. Greenland is a test I didn't pass. You could have asked me to come. - This is no place for human beings. It's a scrapheap of broken dreams. Can't we put this behind us? Let's start oven Hello. - Are we going now? If we're to catch up with the schooner. This is not a good time. - You have plenty of time. You don't seem like you have a patient. He's in good hands. - Whose hands? The nurse is looking all over town for you. This doesn't concern you. - Let's leave now. I want to get on that ship. - By all means. Jens can explain it to you. He knows all about it. You're not going fishing today. We have to go fishing. Halsoe's an idiot. On the contrary. He's quite bright. He must still mean a lot to you. How do you mean? - Since you're running away. Maybe you'll find someone else at home. Plenty of men there. Bright ones. - You're still stupid. Like a man. I'm sorry. I want to show you something. You haven't seen much of Greenland. There's plenty of time. It's only a little out of our way. What's that sound? I've heard that before. We're not far from Sermilik. It's the ice fjord. There's the glacier that creates the icebergs. Thousands of tonnes of ice break off and fall into the water. That's the sound you're hearing. Why did you want to show me that? That is where the qivitoq lives. He can get away from people there. Only the mountain wanderer goes there, because of the danger. Does that really happen these days? Maybe not so often. Not many people feel that mockery, disappointment or sorrow. And the need to run away from it. - Yes. And maybe that's not as primitive and mysterious, as one may think. I tried to run away when things fell apart. I came here to be alone. Alone in the vastness so it may dwarf your sorrows and fears. Like a qivitoq. - Yes. But it's no good. People can never be insignificant. Let's get going. I have to pack as well. I'm glad you showed me this. - We don't have much time. I wish I could make our farewell a bit more festive. We're going to try out Pavia's new boat when it comes. Is fishing hard to learn? I don't know. I'll go pack. Has Pavia come back? Pavia? Where he is? He'll be here soon. With his motor boat? Yes. Let's go look for him. Right? - Yes. It's so beautiful. Here you go, Naja. Is that for me? Like this. - Oh, right. Wear it when Pavia gets here. That'll make him happy. Are you going to wear the dress? - Maybe. For Pavia? No, why would you think that? Not for Pavia? - No. Then who? Not for anyone in particular. He'll be home again. - Really? Sure. He'll be alright. That's unbelievable. But thank you. How's it going with your arm? - A little better. That's good. Then you could go fishing with Pavia. He's taking the boat home tonight. He is? - Yes. Is Pavia going to fish? - Of course. Wait and see. What is it? - We're putting lines in the water. Do you think there's fish here? Yes. You said we might make things festive. I found some candles, but there aren't any flowers here. I'll change, too. I have a tuxedo. - It's not necessary. Dinner's ready. It's the least I can do. Is Pavia here? - Not yet. I couldn't find a white shirt. But I found my gramophone. We need some music for dinner, if any of the records still work. It's been a long time. This is probably not the right place. Let's try somewhere else. - Aren't we going home? Not until our hold is full. I should wish you a safe journey tomorrow. Thanks for visiting me. Safe journey. Thank you. I could go with you. I have a year and a half's worth of unused vacation. I never had the urge to go home. Cheers. I'm sorry if I've been a bit rude. That was necessary. Otherwise, I would still be in that room. It's a good thing you got me out of there. I feel like it. - Like what? Going home. Seeing Copenhagen again. Why not? No. But why? You'd only miss Sermilik. The sledge rides and the motor boat. Pavia and Nuka. Mother Caecilie. Zakarias with the bad arm. There are houses to be built. Pavia needs to go fishing. A whole new era. You can't live without that, can you? You're probably right. Every time I thought about going home, - I realized that home was here. We're not drinking. This is a party, right? There's the rejected fellow. - Maybe his lines are too new. Did you catch any fish? Only a few sea scorpions. There, you see. Pavia has had just about enough. It's a wondrous party. It's usually dark at this hour. The sun shines here. There's no need for the candles. Let's dance. Alright. It's a wonderful party. - But something's missing. There's no need for candles, but we do need some flowers. I should have gone to the greenhouse. There aren't any. - There used to be. There could be. I lied. I built that greenhouse. Once, it was filled with flowers. It just needs a good going over. Let's dance. Eva, don't go. I've been alone for so many years, but if you leave, I'll be lonely. Will you stay with me? Will you? Pavia, are you back? Is something wrong? We didn't catch any fish. Did you go fishing? Why didn't you wait for me? We were going to do it together. You didn't have the time. I won't let you down. Don't think that. We'll go out together tomorrow. They're all laughing at me. For God's sake, Pavia. Let them laugh. We'll be the last to laugh. We'll catch so many fish. Pavia, we'll go out tomorrow. Maybe. It was my fault, wasn't it? Because I wanted to go. I didn't know he was in such a hurry. I think my visit here has caused enough trouble. Eva, don't - Let's just face it. You were the first man I met, when I was down. I'm the first girl, you've been with in years. Eva. - The party's over. You've got things to do. I'll go home - where I'm not in the way. You must search for Pavia. He's my son. You must help me. I have to get him back. Where did he go? - To the ice fjord. The ice fjord. I'll find him, Naja. I will. Yes. Pavia's run away. - Run away? He's gone qivitoq in the ice fjord. I probably won't be here when the schooner gets here, so goodbye. Safe journey. Pavia! Nuka, what on earth are you doing here? We have to find Pavia. Yes. Come on, Naja. Don't you want to go home? Pavia! Pavia! Stop! Nuka, stay here. Pavia! Pavia, for God's sake, stop! Come back! They all want you back! Pavia! Pavia! Mr. Manager! Pavia! Pavia, the manager's taken a fall. We have to help him. Please, Pavia. Please. Look! Pavia's coming. Hello, Pavia. Welcome back. - Welcome back. The schooner has sailed. Yes. She's gone. Hello. - His family's probably ecstatic. Look. My arm's well again. It's good. I can go fishing with Pavia. I'm very happy. Good, Zakarias. Eva. Scandinavian Text Service 2009 |
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