Overview: Danish director Bille August’s (Academy Award and Palme D’or winning director of Pelle the Conqueror) coming-of-age dramas, Zappa (1983) and Twist and Shout (1984), offer a tender yet unflinching vision of adolescent passion, cruelty, and discovery set to the sounds of early rock ’n’ roll.

Overlooked for decades, these gorgeously photographed and dramatically nuanced films - breathtaking in their candor and heartbreaking in their sincerity - are here for rediscovery in stunning new transfers, along with newly produced bonus features, that help bring August’s powerful films to audiences anew.

Blu-ray Verdict: First up is Zappa (1983). Three young boys, Bjørn (Adam Tønsberg), Steen (Peter Reichhardt), and Mulle (Morton Hoff), navigate the transition from boyhood to adolescence in Bille August’s stunning period drama.

Steen and Bjørn have formed their own small gang, and invite Mulle to join, but humiliation, cruelty, and violence follow as Steen leads Bjørn further into his loveless, frustrated, and, ultimately, sadistic world. Gentle, funny, honest, and fearlessly dark, Zappa is a richly textured and unforgettable, novelesque film.

This came before Twist and Shout but was released in the US after; because Twist and Shout was such a big hit. The film is good but not as good as the latter film, in my humble opinion. The characters aren’t as well-developed, and the situations Steen pulls the boys into are disturbing (and kinda unbelievable, at times).

Also, I thought the ending was far too sick for any coming-of-age story. Still the acting was good and it’s not a boring film. Just pretty depressing, in all honesty. That said, wow, what a beautiful closing shot to bring us. Worth seeing as there is a natural style and grace. I feel blessed that films like these exist and that I am lucky to be sent them for review.

Up next is Twist and Shout (1984). Denmark’s biggest indigenous hit at the time of its release, Twist and Shout once again follows Bjørn (Adam Tønsbrerg). During the explosion of Beatlemania in Europe, Bjørn plays drums in a rock ’n’ roll band while Erik (Lars Simonsen) must care for his mentally ill mother.

Amid the excitement of music, romance, and sex, the young men must confront the harsh realities of the adult world in director Bille August’s stark and beautiful film.

Set in the year 1963 (at the height of Beatlemania), this exceptional coming-of-age tale about two young friends named Bjorn and Erik is a film you have to see.

Bjorn, a flamboyant, out-going drummer for a pseudo-Beatles group, and Erik, a reserved, conservative 17-year-old with severe problems at home, are the best of mates who bravely take a stand against a world of controlling adults.

Played out against a standard pop-culture backdrop, Twist & Shout is a raw, uncompromising look at human emotions. Friendship, loyalty, obsession, first love, loss and betrayal are all examined at close range here.

Quoted as being a buoyant, moody work, as anyone who’s spent much time in Denmark can attest, that description might serve as well as any to describe the national character.

BONUS MATERIALS:
New Interview with Director Bille August
Secrets in the Soul: The Coming-of-Age Films of Bille August - A Video Essay by Jordan Cronk
New Compilation Trailer
Other Trailers
Danish Language 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
English & Spanish Subtitles
Region-A Locked

Official Compilation Trailer

Official Purchase Link