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Een pige og 39 sømænd

Een pige og 39 sømænd

1965

Director

Annelise Reenberg

Runtime

115 minutes

Average Rating

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Synopsis

This festive comedy has a theme song that was incredibly popular in its day – but which is missing a verse! The penultimate verse ends as follows: "...there were 39 sailors and one girl, and that's why the censors deleted the last verse." In 1965, it was new and very daring for a girl to go to sea in the merchant navy. But fortunately, Peer Guldbrandsen and director Annelise Reenberg saw that girls also had a future at sea when they wrote the film's screenplay based on Else Boyes' best-selling novel. The moral frown is replaced by a big smile when the pretty radio operator, Else, boards the M/S Warrigal, owned by the magnificent shipowner, Wilhelmine Jacobsen. The trip from Brønshøj to Bangkok – and back – becomes as festive as an archetypal Danish male society can manage when a pretty girl destroys their age-old traditions.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

4.4/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film adheres to the heteronormative standards of 1965. There is no evidence of non-cisnormative identities or same-sex intimacy, as the plot focuses on a male ensemble's romantic pursuit of the female lead.

Gender Representation

Good

The story disrupts maritime hierarchies by placing a female radio operator at the center of a masculine environment. The protagonist's agency challenges the era's gendered expectations of labor and social space.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Limited

The narrative focuses on a largely homogeneous Danish social group. While the voyage reaches Bangkok, there is no evidence of a diverse cast or significant intersectional blending.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The film operates within a Western capitalist framework centered on commercial maritime travel. It maintains a festive, secular tone rather than offering a critique of Western institutions or religious moralizing.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities being depicted with agency or serving as central plot devices.

Strengths

  • Challenges traditional gender roles by placing a female protagonist in a male-dominated maritime profession.
  • Provides a sense of female agency within a rigid, patriarchal social structure.
  • Subverts age-old maritime traditions through a lighthearted and accessible comedic lens.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks racial and ethnic diversity, focusing primarily on a homogeneous Danish social group.
  • Adheres to the heteronormative romantic frameworks typical of 1960s cinema.
  • Does not offer representation for individuals with physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

AI Analysis

The film serves as a transitional piece of mid-century Danish cinema. It achieves its impact by subverting professional gender hierarchies, placing a woman in a traditionally male-dominated maritime role. This provides a meaningful disruption of patriarchal norms for its time. However, the work remains firmly anchored in the social limitations of 1965. It lacks racial diversity and adheres to strict heteronormative romantic structures, reflecting the era's cultural homogeneity. Ultimately, the film's progressive intent is found in its portrayal of female agency rather than in broader systemic or intersectional representation.

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