Find out more about danish painter lili elbe, who was among one of the firstever documented sex reassignment surgery recipients and whose life was the subject of the 2015 film the danish girl. The danish girl 2015 is a fictitious story adapted from david ebershoffs book of the same name, which is loosely inspired by reallife danish artists and couple einar wegenerlili elbe eddie redmayne and gerda gottlieb alicia vikander. The danish girl true story the real lili and gerda. His book is based on the reallife story of einar wegener, a danish artist who 70 years ago became the first man to be medically transformed into a womanlong. The danish girl is based on the life of lili elbe, who was raised as a boy and found fame as the painter einar wegener. The film is based upon a book which is a work of fiction loosely based upon the story of the real einar and his wife. The film fashions itself as a love story between einarlili and gerda, who together must confront and evolve as einar undergoes gender reassignment.
The danish girl is based on the real and almost forgotten life of einar wegener, a danish painter, and his californiaborn wife greta waud, a brash heiress living the. The danish girl screenplay by lucinda coxon based on the novel by david ebershoff. With eddie redmayne, alicia vikander, amber heard, ben whishaw. The two are depicted as a close modern couple, sexually attracted and wholly supportive of each other. National bestseller a new york times notable book winner of the lambda literary award for.
Chief among these is his californian wife, greta, also a painter. The danish girl s lush prose and generous emotional insight make it, after the last page is turned, a deeply moving first novel about one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century. The danish girl official global trailer eddie redmayne. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books. The real story behind the paintings in the danish girl vogue. The sexual content and discussions about transgenderism are handled thoughtfully and. Eddie redmaynes performance is marvelous in some ways, and falls short in others. Lili, as einar, married fellow painter gerda gottlieb.
The danish girl will have its world premiere at the venice film festival and also is slated for toronto, with focus releasing the transgender love. Based on the book by david ebershoff, the danish girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of lili elbe and gerda wegener portrayed by academy award winner eddie redmayne the. However, it is important to note that the film is based on the fictional book the danish girl, written by david ebershoff in 2000. Parents need to know that the danish girl is based on the true story of the first transgender person to attempt a sexchange operation played by oscar winner eddie redmayne, and it could prove inspiring to transgenderlgtbq viewers and those connected to or concerned about them. The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self when ones body, as an external encasement, doesnt mirror what is on the inside. He therefore embarks on the arduous journey of freeing himself from his. The danish girl was also adapted into a film in 2015 starring eddie redmayne. The author of the book upon which the new eddie redmayne film is based reflects on how uncovering trans pioneer lili elbes story helped him define his own art.
Lili and gerdas marriage and work evolve as they navigate lilis groundbreaking journey as. A rectangle of ferociously stormy sea viewed from battered cliffs. The movie danish girl is based on the life of transgender. A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of danish artists lili elbe and gerda wegener. The danish girl 2015 and the deconstruction of gender. Get push notifications with news, features and more. The danish girl, an intoxicating novel by david ebershoff, is a different kind of love story, but one that is tender and moving and touches us in the most profound ways. Lili and gerdas marriage and work evolve as they navigate lilis groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. Warnekros a doctor described breathlessly in the book as a man of. His book is based on the reallife story of einar wegener, a danish. Tom hooper interview about the danish girl popsugar. Lili elbe left, whose life story is told in the danish girl, starring eddie.
Nov 18, 2016 miss b fallowell rated it really liked it. Screenplay by lucinda coxon based on the novel by david. Ebershoffs awardwinning novel took liberties with lili elbe and gerda gottliebs story. So grab a danish or a croissant, or a donut, or a piece of fruit. The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of lili elbe, one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the 2000 lambda literary award for transgender fiction and has been adapted into a major motion picture starring academy awardwinner eddie redmayne. David ebershoffs debut novel, the danish girl, won the 2000 lambda. Based on the book by david ebershoff, the danish girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of lili elbe and gerda wegener eddie redmayne and alicia vikander. Based on david ebershoffs fictionalized telling of lili elbes journey into transgender selfdiscovery, the danish girl was adapted for the big screen by writer lucinda coxon and director tom hooper the kings speech. This book appeared in english translation in 1933 as man into woman. By and large, todays western audience is unlikely to be roused by the story told in the danish girl 2015, directed by tom hooper, although it is based on true events. This book is based on a true story, yet the author changed many facts.
The story of lili and gerda unfolds in tom hoopers new biopic, the danish girl, which stars eddie redmayne and alicia vikander. The tragic true story behind the danish girl the telegraph. The danish girl had many award nominations and wins during its theatrical release. The danish girl the book started off like out reading like a movies not a biography and it was not what i thought it would be. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the collection. The movie has stunning costumes, sets, gorgeous cinematography, and an enriching score. The film is based on a novel by david ebershoff, which itself was based on man into woman, a 1933 nonfiction book that detailed einars transition into lili eble, one of the first. Listen to l morgan lee sing a song from the new musical. He is also the author of the novel pasadena and the. The danish girl is a 2015 biographical romantic drama film directed by tom hooper, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by david ebershoff, and loosely inspired by the lives of danish painters lili elbe and gerda wegener. Is the danish girl novel a good source of information on the true story. The danish girl is based on the david ebershoffs 2000 book of the same name, which was also turned into the 2015 film, starring eddie redmayne. Einar wegener played by eddie redmayne and his wife gerda alicia vikander are a happily married couple.
David ebershoffs 2001 novel on which the movie is based is itself a work of fiction that is only loosely inspired by lili elbes true story. Im starting work now on a new film called the danish girl, and its another extraordinary story about extraordinary people. The danish girl is a 2015 biographical romantic drama film directed by tom hooper, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by david ebershoff, and. It is also about what makes a marriage and how far a woman will go to let her husband find his true self, knowing that she will likely lose him in the process. The film stars eddie redmayne as elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, alicia vikander as wegener, and sebastian koch as kurt warnekros. While the danish girl is based a novel that fictionalized elbes story, this article reveals some plot points.
The danish girl is just as much about greta as it is about lilieinar. The novel is based on real characters who lived in copenhagen in the 1920s. The danish girl kindle edition by ebershoff, david. Loosely based on the life of danish painter einar wegener who, in 1931, became the first man to undergo a sexchange operation, the danish girl borrows the bare bones of his story as a jumpingoff point for an exploration of how wegeners decisions affected the people around him. The tragic true story behind the danish girl save lili elbe left, whose life story is told in the danish girl, starring eddie redmayne right credit. This was after approximately two decades of believing that he was a woman trapped in a mans body, a feeling that grew stronger as the years passed. As it happens, the danish girl has been in the works since the publication of david ebershoffs novel 15 years ago, with nicole kidman originally attached to play lili for director lasse. In the danish girl, based on a true story, redmayne plays lili elbe, a danish trans woman and, as the movie asserts, one of the first known individuals to undergo gender confirmation surgery. The film focuses on lilis relationship with her wife, gerda wegener. The danish girl is a beautiful period film based on a true story.
Based on the book by david ebershoff, the danish girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of einar wegener aka lili elbe eddie redmayne and gerda wegener alicia vikander. The danish girl is a delicate, elegant novel about the search for ones true self. The danish girl by david ebershoff, read by jeff woodman. David ebershoff on writing his debut novel, the danish girl, which has been adapted into a major motion picture starring eddie redmayne. Silver waves are whipped by a wind that flies at us.