| The Kingdom | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Rigettitle.jpg) The title screen for Riget | |
| Also known as | The Kingdom II The Kingdom: Exodus |
| Danish | Riget, Riget II, Riget: Exodus |
| Genre | Absurdist comedy Black comedy Medical drama Paranormal Psychological drama Supernatural horror |
| Created by | Lars von Trier and Tómas Gislason |
| Written by | Lars von Trier (seasons 1-3) Niels Vørsel (seasons 1-3) Tómas Gislason (season 1) |
| Directed by | Lars von Trier (seasons 1-3) Morten Arnfred (seasons 1-2) |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Denmark |
| Original languages | Danish Swedish |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Svend Abrahamsen (season 1-2) Peter Aalbæk Jensen (season 1) Vibeke Windeløv (season 2) |
| Producers | Ole Reim (season 1) Bosse Lindquist (season 2) Louise Vesth (season 3) |
| Cinematography | Eric Kress |
| Editors | Molly Malene Stensgaard Jacob Thuesen Pernille Bech Christensen |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 58-78 minutes |
| Production companies | ARTE Danmarks Radio (DR) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Danmarks Radio |
| Release | 24 November 1994 – 31 October 1997 |
| Network | Viaplay |
| Release | 9 October – 30 October 2022 |
| Related | |
| Kingdom Hospital | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Riget (English title: The Kingdom) is a Danish absurdist supernatural horror miniseries trilogy created by Lars von Trier and Tómas Gislason. Set in the neurosurgical ward of Copenhagen's Rigshospitalet (lit. 'The National Hospital', nicknamed "Riget", lit. 'the realm' or 'the kingdom'), each episode of the show follows the hospital's eccentric staff and patients as they encounter bizarre and sometimes supernatural phenomena. The series is notable for its wry humor, its muted sepia colour scheme, and the appearance of a chorus of dishwashers with Down syndrome, who discuss in intimate detail the strange occurrences in the hospital. The main theme's song was written by von Trier himself.
The first series of four episodes premiered from DR in November to December 1994, and was followed by a second series, Riget II, which aired in November 1997. A belated third and final series of five episodes directed by von Trier and written by von Trier with Niels Vørsel, entitled Exodus, began filming in 2021,[1][2] was screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival and at the Serial Killer festival in September 2022,[3][4] and premiered on Nordic streaming platform Viaplay with the first two episodes on October 9. The series premiered in select regions between November 27 and December 25 on streaming platform MUBI.[5]
Von Trier has credited David Lynch's 1990 television series Twin Peaks and the 1965 French miniseries Belphegor as inspirations for the series.[6] The Kingdom itself inspired an American series, Kingdom Hospital, developed by novelist Stephen King; the American version aired on ABC between March and July 2004, and was cancelled after a single season.
- ^ Pham, Annika (17 December 2020). "Lars von Trier prepares The Kingdom Exodus for Viaplay/DR". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Møller Hansen, Lars (17 December 2020). "'Riget' vender tilbage". DR. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Macnab2022-09-05T09:40:00+01:00, Geoffrey. "Lars von Trier talks 'The Kingdom: Exodus', cancel culture and teasing Sweden". Screen. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Brizi, Ilaria (5 September 2022). "5th Serial Killer Festival Brings Exclusive Previews of Major TV Series To Brno Screens". Brno Daily. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (29 September 2022). "'The Kingdom Exodus' Trailer: Lars von Trier Is Up to His Old Tricks Again". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Mars-Jones, Adam (28 December 1995). "All stitched up – well, nearly". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2017.