The Way to Mandalay

John Mogensen was one of Denmark's most popular singers. This rousing, authentic biopic tells the story of a breathless life spent between success and excess. His songs were the party hits of an era in Denmark and above all in working class circles John Mogensen was a star – first as a member of the popular quartet Four Jacks, then later as a solo artist. From his earliest years on, Mogensen made no compromises in a life where excess was the norm: work, perfectionism, love and alcohol. In the years before his premature death in 1977, he increasingly lost control over himself and his career and was in the end broken by the question of what was more important: the music, the stage, the fame - or his family? (Filmfest Hamburg)