Vintage TV and movies as a guide to Danish culture

Vintage TV and movies as a guide to Danish culture

Author: Kay Xander Mellish January 22, 2026 Duration: 9:09

Watching vintage TV and movies is a great way to survive the long Danish winter—and if you're learning Danish or trying to understand Danish culture, it's even better. Many classic Danish films and TV shows are available online for free.  

Whatever your taste, there are Danish films for it: Danish film noir from the 1940s if you like crime dramas, the classic Olsen Gang comedies if you prefer something lighter, and Danish children's shows that are actually great for adults learning Danish because the language is so simple.

Denmark has been making movies since 1897, and Nordisk Film, founded in 1906, is still the world's oldest continuously operating film studio. You've probably seen their logo if you've been to the cinema in Denmark.

In this episode, I'll tell you about Danish cinema classics you should know about, from Mads Mikkelsen movies like Another Round (which won an Oscar) to vintage Danish TV series like Matador that every Dane has seen.

Want to know where to actually watch Danish movies online? I'll tell you about Filmstriben (free with your CPR number), DR.DK with its treasure trove of classic Danish television, and how Netflix has even started making new Danish-language TV series.

Plus, I'll explain how all this Danish movie production is funded by our giant Danish taxes—and why the government makes Netflix contribute too. It's all part of keeping Danish film and TV alive in an increasingly English-speaking world.

Perfect for: Expats in Denmark, anyone learning Danish, fans of Scandinavian films and Nordic cinema


For anyone curious about or currently navigating Danish life from the outside, How to Live in Denmark serves as an essential, on-the-ground guide. Hosted by Kay Xander Mellish, an American writer who has made Denmark her home for over ten years, this conversation cuts straight to the heart of the everyday realities in one of the world's most homogenous-and often puzzling-societies. Rather than lengthy lectures, you'll find concise, ten-minute episodes packed with practical advice and cultural translation. This isn't just about travel tips; it's a deep dive into the unspoken rules of Danish social etiquette, the nuances of the local workplace, and the sometimes surprising path to feeling at home in a country frequently labeled the world's happiest. Mellish draws from her own long-term experience to explain everything from navigating the infamous Jantelov to understanding the Danish approach to business meetings and casual Friday night hygge. As Denmark's longest-running English-language podcast, it has become a trusted resource for internationals, whether they are planning a move, newly arrived, or have been settled for years but still occasionally find themselves wondering, "Why do Danes do it that way?" Each episode feels like a chat with a well-informed friend who helps decode the complexities of a fascinating culture, making your time there richer and a lot less confusing.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

How to Live in Denmark
Podcast Episodes
How to Handle a Conflict in Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:55
If you are an international who lives in Denmark, or someone who wants to, you have to learn the Danish way of dealing with conflict. This might be with a colleague, or your upstairs neighbors, or the authorities at the…
Drugs in Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:45
Denmark is getting rich selling pharmaceuticals to other countries, but within Denmark itself, the approach is inconsistent. Getting illegal drugs doesn't seem to be too difficult, but getting legal drugs from your docto…
Equality and the Electric Bike [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:47
When I first arrived in Denmark, you could shut down any dispute in Denmark by appealing to equality and the common good. Solidarity - "solidaritet" - and "fælleskab", or community, or even "samfundssind", societal spiri…
How to Meet a Dead Viking: The Mummies of Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:21
Many people who visit Denmark are fans of the Vikings, the colloquial name for Scandinavians before the medieval era, although technically speaking the Viking raiders were at their peak in the years 800-1100. There are p…
No ice cream in July: Scenes from the Danish summer vacation period [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:23
In Denmark, the right to a long summer vacation is enshrined into law - the national vacation law, which states that all employees have a right to three weeks' vacation between May and September. Shops close, too. An ice…
Rich in Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:26
Denmark is a rich country, but does it have rich people? It does, but Denmark's wealthy tend to keep a low profile, due to the informal Jante Law in Denmark that prohibits too much showing off. That said, spring and summ…
What Newcomers to Denmark Ask Me [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:57
When you've been an international in Denmark for a while, as I have, you sometimes forget what it was like to arrive here for the first time and know nothing. I remember arriving just about this time of year and being as…
Denmark and Butter: A Love Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:16
The hottest competitive sport in Denmark over the past year hasn't been handball, or football, or badminton. It's been chasing cheap butter in the supermarket. Recent inflation has doubled the price of butter – in some p…
Randers is not a joke [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:51
It seems as if every country has a city or region that it is the butt of jokes. The rest of the country makes fun of the locals' unattractive accents and supposedly low-end behavior. In Denmark, that city is Randers. Ran…
The Bridges of Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:48
A country like Denmark, with so much coastline and water, needs a lot of bridges - and there have been 5 new colorful, stylish bridges built in Copenhagen alone in the past decade. And because this is Denmark, and people…