The Red Chapel

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The Red Chapel

2010

1h 28m

Documentary

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Two Danish comics and a filmmaker go to North Korea disguised as a vaudeville act with the goal of ridiculing the nation's oppressive laws and customs.

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Chris Chang

Film Comment Magazine

Brgger, borrowing moves from the Herzog playbook (including sardonic voiceover) prevaricates continuously, skewering the hapless state at every opportunity.

Jun 17, 2013

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Tom Long

Detroit News

Rarely has comedy been as unnerving as it is in The Red Chapel. Perhaps that's because it's hard to tell who the joke is on. One thing's for sure, though: North Korea isn't laughing.

Rated: B+

Mar 4, 2011

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Mark Olsen

Los Angeles Times

Things might not go quite as Brgger planned, but as is so often the case, that seems to have been for the best.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 4, 2011

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David Noh

Film Journal International

Every documentary has an agenda, one supposes, but this would-be-serious condemnation of North Korea, lacking actual back-up or essential humor, merely consists of one man's obsessive and puerile snarkiness.

Dec 29, 2010

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Audience Member

Utterly unsettling. It a fantastic look into North Korea's government, but its not for the light of heart.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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Audience Member

It was very interesting to see the effects of the North Korean hosts on the Danish team as time went by.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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markus m

While the film doesn't really teach you anything new but only works to reaffirm what you already knew about North Korea, it does to its credit at least do that well. 8-/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I really wish this would have been more revealing. But we really don't get to see much. Pretty boring overall. I feel like I wasted most of my time.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

Sad and fascinating look at North Korea.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

One Korea!!! Down with the U.S Imperialists. Do we live in our own version of this propaganda?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Mads Brügger

Director

Peter Engel

Producer

Peter Aalbæk Jensen

Executive Producer

René Johannsen

Cinematographer

René Johannsen

Film Editing

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Synopsis

Two Danish comics and a filmmaker go to North Korea disguised as a vaudeville act with the goal of ridiculing the nation's oppressive laws and customs.

Director: Mads Brügger
Producer: Peter Engel
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Film i Väst, Zentropa Entertainment, Danmarks Radio
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 29, 2010, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 20, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.7K
Runtime: 1h 28m

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