Komtessen (1961): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1961, Komtessen is a drama and family film directed by Anker Sørensen, running about 93 minutes.

What it’s about. In the village Karrild, the Countess Sonia Hardenborg and a young unmarried woman, Marta, give birth to a daughter on the same day. Marta dies after birth, so Marta's daughter, Betina, come under the care of the countess. 17 years later, Betina and Countess Sonia's daughter, Maria, meet, as Betina is living in a home for orphaned girls, which is adjacent to the Hardenborg estate. The two girls become friends, and Maria invites Betina to visit her at Hardenborg, to greet her parents Sonia and Otto Hardenborg and her brother Count Flemming. Meanwhile, Betina's father, Frank Jensen, starts working in the estate's woods, and when the two girls come to visit him, he is shocked by the resemblance between the young countess and Betina's mother Marta.

Who’s in it. Komtessen stars Poul Reichhardt as Frank Jensen, Birgitte Federspiel as Sonia Hardenborg, Ebbe Langberg as Flemming Hardenborg and Knud Hallest as Adolph Rytting, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Komtessen has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Komtessen page.

If you liked it. Fans of Komtessen tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.