Pick any The Julekalender video on YouTube; ten to one the comments will overflow with Danes and Norwegians arguing over which version is better. As someone who has watched and enjoyed both, I'll say that both versions have their strong points. (I can't really comment on the Finnish adaptation, as I don't speak Finnish.) Of course it's important to remember that the Danish series was the original one; without it the Norwegian one would never have been made — so the Danish series should get extra points just for that.
Script and setting-wise the two are almost identical, so what it really comes down to is the performers. And this is where it gets interesting because De Nattergale (the Danes) and Travellin' Strawberries (the Norwegians) approach the parts rather differently: De Nattergale are on the whole more low-key and subdued in their performances while Travellin' Strawberries are more energetic and broadly comedic.
The low-key performances of De Nattergale are often employed to great comedic effect, such as the famous "the coffee pot exploded" scene which works far better in the Danish version because Oluf barely even reacts; the Norwegian Olaf is more visibly startled, which makes the scene far less funny. Overall, I think Oluf and Gertrud are better in the Danish version — not to mention Benny, whose Danish version is easily the standout character of either series; he's creepy, unhinged and clearly inhuman. The Norwegian Benny, who comes across as shifty and untrustworthy but not even remotely creepy, can't begin to match the Danish one.
That said... I think the Nisse trio are done better in the Norwegian version. While Travellin' Strawberries are not as good-looking as De Nattergale, their energetic performances add a lot of zest to the Nisse scenes, and they're also slightly better singers, so their perfomances really lift the songs (which were already really good in the Danish version) to new heights.
So all in all, it's hard to pick a "superior" version — probably most Danes will pick the Danish version and the Norwegians will pick the Norwegian version and never agree. But Danish or Norwegian; it's still a damn great series that holds up extremely well even after two decades, and with some really awesome songs. Kudos to everyone involved!
Original Danish VS Norwegian remake!
Pick any The Julekalender video on YouTube; ten to one the comments will overflow with Danes and Norwegians arguing over which version is better. As someone who has watched and enjoyed both, I'll say that both versions have their strong points. (I can't really comment on the Finnish adaptation, as I don't speak Finnish.) Of course it's important to remember that the Danish series was the original one; without it the Norwegian one would never have been made — so the Danish series should get extra points just for that.
Script and setting-wise the two are almost identical, so what it really comes down to is the performers. And this is where it gets interesting because De Nattergale (the Danes) and Travellin' Strawberries (the Norwegians) approach the parts rather differently: De Nattergale are on the whole more low-key and subdued in their performances while Travellin' Strawberries are more energetic and broadly comedic.
The low-key performances of De Nattergale are often employed to great comedic effect, such as the famous "the coffee pot exploded" scene which works far better in the Danish version because Oluf barely even reacts; the Norwegian Olaf is more visibly startled, which makes the scene far less funny. Overall, I think Oluf and Gertrud are better in the Danish version — not to mention Benny, whose Danish version is easily the standout character of either series; he's creepy, unhinged and clearly inhuman. The Norwegian Benny, who comes across as shifty and untrustworthy but not even remotely creepy, can't begin to match the Danish one.
That said... I think the Nisse trio are done better in the Norwegian version. While Travellin' Strawberries are not as good-looking as De Nattergale, their energetic performances add a lot of zest to the Nisse scenes, and they're also slightly better singers, so their perfomances really lift the songs (which were already really good in the Danish version) to new heights.
So all in all, it's hard to pick a "superior" version — probably most Danes will pick the Danish version and the Norwegians will pick the Norwegian version and never agree. But Danish or Norwegian; it's still a damn great series that holds up extremely well even after two decades, and with some really awesome songs. Kudos to everyone involved!