Nordisk Film (Denmark)

Logo descriptions by Michael Bass and Bailes2007
Logo captures by EnormusRat, Eric S. and mtc2300

Background: Nordisk film was opened in 1906 by Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen. It claims to be the oldest continuously active film studio in the world and the third oldest behind Gaumont and Pathe. It was bought by Egmont in 1992.

1st (known) Logo

(1919)

Logo: Just some sepia-toned footage of a book turning its pages by a hand, with the pages containing the credits on them. The hand then turns the pages to a right blank page and a mostly blank page on the left. Here, a small version on the logo is seen in black print. It comprises of a globe with longitude and latitude lines, containing a muddy-looking Europe with "COPENHAGEN" written across it. On top of the globe is a polar bear roaring and encircling the globe is "A/S NORDISKFILMS COMPAGNI". The hand then flips to the last set of blank pages, and finally closes the cover.

FX/SFX:Live-action.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme or none.

Availability: Currently, it has only been at the beginning of The President.

Editor's Note: This is currently one of the oldest logos on this wiki, and one of the only ones with actual footage to prove it. The logo, however, is very small, making every detail unreadable.

2nd (known) Logo
(1950's-1960's, 2015)

Nickname: "Polar Bear Globe"

Logo: On a black background, the Nordisk Film logo at the time fades in. This time, the globe is now redesigned to have a view of Eurasia and Africa, as well as more lines. The globe is also colored light grey with dark grey seas. The text surrounding the globe is also in a different font and "COMPAGNI" now says "KOMPAGNI". On top of the globe, a live-action polar bear, with its feet now close together rather being spread out, now stands on top of the globe, holding its head up for a bit, before looking around for the remainder of time. It puts its head back up as the logo fades.

Variant: The logo was restored for a couple of newest films, where it's smaller and green-tinted.

FX/SFX: The live-action polar bear moving its head.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Appears on Qivitoq and several other titles.

Editor's Note: The polar bear may scare some, along with the darkness and silence, but its a cool looking logo.

3rd Logo
(1960's-1980's)

Nickname: "Polar Bear Globe II"

Logo: Basically just the logo from before, but with the live-action polar bear being replaced with a drawn one.

Variants: The logo experienced some minor changes during the years:

1962-1972: The polar bear is colored a intense white, and the globe is more realistic, with it colored green with blue seas. It also appears to be rotated. The background is black with light colors to represent the northern lights.
1973: The background is now blue, and the polar bear has black details instead of light blue. The globe is also redrawn again, with blue continents, simplified details, and a "COPENHAGEN in a larger print. The text also has a shadow effect.
1974: The name is now placed below in Times New Roman, with it now being properly capitalized. The background is also darker.
1975-1979: The background is even darker and the logo has reverted back to the 1973 variant, but with black text and white land.
1981: A prototype of the next logo, the polar bear is now just a simple outline with a white eye, standing on a wreath with "75" on it. To the left of it is "1906" and to the right is "1981". Below is "NORDISK FILM".

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Uncommon, since the majority of older Nordisk films are not easy to find. However, it appears on the local masterpiece Olsen-banden (Olsen's Gang, 1968) and its numerous sequels. Also can be found on Slap af, Frede and a couple of other available movies.

Editor's Note: None.

4th (known) Logo
(1980's-1998)

Nickname: "Polar Bear Globe III"

Logo: On a black background, the 1981 variant of the 3rd logo appears, but without any text and the wreath replaced with a simple wireframe ball.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme.

Availability: Rare. Seen on films from the era.

Editor's Note: None.

5th (known) Logo
(1990's-1998)

Nickname: "Polar Bear Globe IV"

Logo: On a blue-black gradient background, a shiny blue line is seen. It then zooms out and rotates to the left, revealing the logo from before as "NORDISK FILM" wipes in below.

FX/SFX: The sliding and spinning. All CGI effects.

Music/Sounds: A triumphant synth fanfare.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on VHS releases of their films. It unclear if it did made it to films.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (90th Anniversary)

(1996)

Nickname: "Polar Bear Globe V"

Logo: Starting off with the 2nd logo, it slowly zooms out. As it starts to spin, it glows white and the background turns into a dark blue space background with nebula clouds. The logo transforms into the logo from before, but in orange, as a large "9Oth" zooms out around the logo. As it zooms out further, the text "NORDISK FILM" and "ANNIVERSARY" rotate with a group of 6-pointed stars and the logo connects with the text. The logo then shines and a ping appears on one of the stars.

FX/SFX: The transition, the zooming out.

Music/Sounds: A silent film piano tune (complete with crackles) is heard at the start, before transitioning to a orchestral fanfare.

Availability: Extremely rare.

Editor's Note: None.

7th (known) Logo
(1998?-2006)

Nicknames: "Polar Bear Globe VI", "Growling Polar Bear"

Logo: Peering over the edge of a icy cliff, a polar bear walks over the cliff with a sun breaking through the clouds and snow blowing towards the screen. The camera then rotates above the cliff, over the polar bear (which looks at us) and to the side of the polar bear. The polar bear then roars and the Earth beneath shrinks rapidly. The snow stops, the polar bear shines brightly along with the Earth, and lines then form below the globe. Then, the entire logo flashes and brings forth the logo on a dark blue backgroundBelow it, the text "NORDISK FILM" and the byline "an Egmont company" fade in, and the logo shines as mist passes along.

Variants:

On television shows produced by Nordisk, the short version is used, but the text "NORDISK FILM TV" is shown instead, and below that is the text "Et Egmont selskab" (which in Danish means "An Egmont company").
On films, the logo is instead placed on a zooming space background, while the name reads "Nordisk Film Production". This was seen on Olsen Banden Junior and At kende sandheden.
A short version exists, with the logo starts with the polar bear roaring.
A version also exists where the text says "NORDISK FILM & TV".
A still version exists with just the print logo seen

FX/SFX: Very good animation of the frozen landscape with snow, and the transformation of the logo.

Music/Sounds: An atmospheric music entry followed with polar bear growling, and then a three-note violin tune.

Availability: Uncommon. The full version is seen on DVDs in Scandinavia, serving as the de-facto home video logo. It can be on releases such as Reservoir Dogsand At kende sandheden. The television version was seen on TV series, such as the game show Lykkehjulet (the Danish version of Wheel of Fortune).

Editor's Note: The polar bear roaring, dark background, sudden logo formation and loud jingle make for a pretty scary combination. The short version can catch more people off-guard, due to the presence of the logo suddenly beginning with the bear's growl. Otherwise, it's a good logo for the time.

8th Logo
(2006-)

Nicknames: "Polar Bear Globe VII", "Polar Bears In Ice"

Logo: In a snowstorm, a face appears in the distance. It then disappears and reappears closer to the screen, looking around a bit. It then reappears again closer to the screen. It then cuts to a close of of an eye surrounded by white hairs, blinking once. It then cuts to a polar bear emerging through the snow, before cutting to a shot of it's paws walking on top of ice. The polar bear then gets up, first with a shot of it's paw lifting up, then the polar bear fully standing up, with the snowstorm clearing to reveal a starry night. The polar bear looks around, then gets back down, with some shots of it in the process, including one with it's front paws clawing up the snow. The camera then cuts to one last shot with the bear, with the bear coming up towards the screen and sniffing around as a light in the shape of the Nordisk Film logo materializes on the bear. The bear then roars once and walks off the screen, revealing a black background with the Nordisk Film logo from before, but with the polar bear being completely white and completely redrawn in general. (It had the years "1906" and "2006" appear next to the globe when this logo first appeared.) A sparkle draws in "We bring stories to life" in a sketchy font as a box with Egmont's logo in one side fades in around the logo.

Variants:

Later on, a enhanced variant is made, with several minor scenes added into the sequence and other modifications. At the end, "EGMONT" just appears below the logo, without any box. This debuted on The Last King, while the full version can be seen on DVDs released by them.
As for the previous logo, a still production version exists, which reads "NORDISK FILM" under the bear picture.

FX/SFX: The bear's actions, the logo being revealed.

Music/Sounds: An more dramatic version of the theme, with more sound effects for the wind and snow.

Availability: Common; seen on all film releases in Finland, Scandinavia and Denmark since 2006, like Penelope, After the Wedding, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dear John, W, Young Victoria, Twilight, Over Her Dead Body, Shine a Light and Marie Antoinette.

Editor's Note: The presence of the music and darkness, as well as the dramatics doesn't help, but this is a great logo.

Nordisk Film (Denmark)

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