“The
Vikings continue to invade our
television screens with generous
helpings of Nordic noir; and having
successfully aired a first season
about the difficult and harrowing
investigations of a fictional special
Police unit, Sweden’s
Arne Dahl
makes a welcome debut onto Home
Entertainment...”
THE UK'S NEWFOUND AFFECTION FOR SCANDINAVIAN TELEVISION was heralded by the
cultural impact of Denmark's two Bafta-winning series, both female fronted,
by Sarah Linden as Mireille Enos in The Killing and, a year later, the
political tour-de-force Borgen, with Birgitte Nyborg as Sidse Babett
Knudsen (and Katrine Fønsmark as Birgitte Hjort Sørensen).
In the middle of 2012 The Bridge, a Danish-Swedish co-production co-starring
a Danish man and a Swedish woman, saw the highest-rating series debut of any
Nordic shows to date. Scandinavian shows were making their mark in a big way.
“The
tense, compulsive
and gritty Swedish Arne
Dahl is yet another
Scandinavian gem with
a talented, compatible
and likeable cast...”
Arne
Dahl is Sweden's offering, with six lead characters from differing backgrounds
and including two strong women. Based on a series of books by legendary novelist
Jan Arnald (Arne Dahl is his pen-name), Arne Dahl is created by SVT —
the same Swedish production company responsible for The Bridge.
A highly-professional serial killer is on the loose and gutsy, no-nonsense CID
Inspector Jenny Hultin (Irene Lindh) is given the task of putting together a
specialist police team to catch the killer — six carefully-chosen
officers drafted in from all over Sweden who are hand-picked for their unique
skills and diverse backgrounds.
Known as the A-group, the elite team drive around in a black van to the scene
of each crime and if this sounds familiar, the only resemblance to the A-Team
ends there. For a start, you wouldn't catch the A-Team taking orders from a
lady.
Based on five of Arnald's novels, each with a different member of the team at
the fore, the first series of Arne Dahl consists of ten 90-minute episodes.
The cases the team deal with are of the highest priority and involve complex
and dangerous violent crimes with an international connection.
The on-going hunt for murderers and psychopaths puts a heavy strain on the team
members' personal relationships and relationships within the group; and sometimes
their private lives reveal unexpected secrets that may have a disturbing connection
to their work.
The first episode of the first season of Arne Dahl is The Blinded
Man, in which police officer Paul Hjelm (Shanti Roney) defies his senior
officers and controversially shoots asylum seeker Makanga Kimbareta who is holding
a number of people hostage in an office block.
Suspended from duty pending an inquiry into the shooting, Hjelm is approached
by CID Inspector Jenny Hultin, who has been given the task of putting together
a specialist police team to catch a prolific, highly-professional killer who
appears to be targeting wealthy Swedish financiers, shooting them dead in their
homes. Could it be revenge killings? Is there a link to the mysterious Skidbladner
Order?
Hjelm, who is having marital problems, joins five other hand-picked officers
from different backgrounds and from all over Sweden who bring with them unique
skills. Hjelm is to become close to Kerstin Holm (Malin Arvidsson), a troubled
young woman from Gothenburg, who is to suffer a tragedy.
The computer-savvy Jorge Chavez (Matias Varela) is the son of Chilean parents;
Arto Söderstedt (Niklas Åkerfelt) was a high-flying lawyer in his native Finland;
Gunnar Nyberg (Magnus Samuelsson) is a former wife-beater who is estranged from
his beloved children; and Viggo Norlander (Claes Ljungmark) is the oldest team
member and comes from the Stockholm Police. His recklessness will put him in
terrible danger with horrific consequences.
In Bad Blood, another serial killer is found to be flying into Stockholm
from New York, having murdered a famous Swedish literary critic for his ticket.
Jenny works with an old friend, FBI Agent Ray Larner, to track the American
down as he goes on the loose in Sweden.
A Swedish family touring Holland is killed when their car is blown apart in
Top Of The Mountain. It turns out that the man driving was a policeman
working undercover at a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef. Sara Svenhagen
(Vera Vitali) uncovers a paedophile ring while the team is investigating a possible
case of child abuse.
An illegal immigrant is shot dead by police officer Dag Lundmark (Henrik Norlen)
in Many Waters. Kerstin and Lundmark have some history and when Lundmark goes
missing she sets off on her own to find him.
Europa Blues begins with the discovery of the body of renowned Jewish
neuroscientist Leonard Shenkman, a former prisoner-of-war, found hanging upside
down in a graveyard with everything pointing to him being murdered by neo-Nazis.
How is the case linked to the disappearance of five young women from an immigration
hostel who have been forced into prostitution, little realising the danger they
are in? Sodestedt also risks his life when he travels to Italy to solve a mystery
and also discovers the true source of his inheritance.
Regarded as one of the finest literary crime writers in Scandinavia, celebrated
author, critic and editor Jan Arnald's Arne Dahl books have sold over
2.5 million copies, winning their creator distinguished crime writing awards
in Germany, Denmark and Sweden. In 2007 the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers
awarded Arnald a special prize for his "vitalization and development of the
crime genre through the Arne Dahl series".
In what is now becoming a rich tradition for the world's top foreign-language
drama, the first series of Arne Dahl was aired in BBC4's prestigious
Saturday evening slot. The tense, compulsive and gritty Swedish Arne Dahl
is yet another Scandinavian gem with a talented, compatible and likeable cast.
Writers are Jan Arnald (Novel), Cecilia Börjlind and Rolf Börjlind; Producers
include Martin Cronstrom and Ulf Synnerholm; Directors include Mari Maserrat
Agah and Tova Magnusson-Norling.
With a passion for the genre, Arrow Films continues to bring UK viewers the
very best in Scandinavian television via the Nordic Noir label and enjoys acclaim
for bringing previously unseen, high-quality Nordic shows directly to UK living
rooms via the home entertainment markets.
*
Following the massive success of their Bafta-winning series The Killing
and Borgen, and the newly Bafta-nominated series The Bridge (all
of which aired on BBC4), Arrow Film's Nordic Noir label is pleased to announce
the DVD and Blu-ray box set release of a brand new Swedish production Arne
Dahl, which will be available from 17 June 2013. Number of Discs: 3 | Running
Time: 900 Minutes | Catalogue Number — DVD: FCD808; Blu-ray: FCD809.
"The tense, compulsive and gritty Swedish Arne Dahl is yet another Scandinavian
gem with a talented, compatible and likeable cast" —Maggie Woods,
MotorBar
2013 HAS ALREADY SEEN THE NORDIC NOIR label release Unit One, starring
Mads Mikkelson, Above The Street Below The Water, starring Sidse Babett
Knudsen, and The Protectors, all direct to UK fans via DVD and Digital
Download and all to an exceptional reception.
Jon Sadler, Head of Marketing Arrow Films, says: "Subsequent to the success
of the BBC4 Nordic dramas which we acquired home entertainment rights to —Wallander, The Killing, Borgen and The Bridge—
we have now delved deeper into a rich back catalogue of equally rewarding crime
dramas, stretching back a decade and more. And whilst many of these series will
not see a British TV transmission the fan-base and appetite for more product
of a similar ilk exists to an extent for us to bring them directly to the market."
“The
Vikings continue to invade our