Define the place and the comparison before browsing
Solrød's public-library guide describes Danmark på Film as the Danish Film Institute's historical-film service, with an interactive map, year and keyword searching, and contextual themes and collections. These routes support a local-history question more directly than searching only for a complete television programme whose title nobody remembers.
Choose one place and one visible feature: a harbour, shopping street, railway station or housing area. Write two broad periods you want to compare and the names the place may have used. This brief keeps the viewing list focused. A map marker near a town can be a useful lead, but the exact street or feature still needs checking against the clip and its description.
Combine the map discovery with a chronological search
Begin with the map to gather a few location leads. For each, retain the clip or film address, displayed title and year, and the location detail that makes it relevant. Then use year or keyword searching to look for a second period. The library describes both geographical exploration and chronological or subject searching, so a sparse map view need not end the enquiry.
In a worked harbour comparison, select one candidate showing the waterfront in the earlier period and another candidate from the later period. Write what each view can establish, such as the presence of a pier or the position of a road. Keep an unknown filming position or approximate location explicit. A dramatic visual difference is worth investigating, but it does not by itself prove the exact construction date.
Return each clip to its film and historical context
The service also includes curated themes and film collections that provide present-day and historical explanation. Consult that context before describing a selected view as a neutral survey of the whole town. A promotional film, private recording and news report can show the same location for different purposes, and a short geographical extract may omit that purpose.
Finish with a two-entry viewing card: source title and date, direct reference, location evidence, relevant passage and the comparison question. Add a third entry only if it resolves a specific uncertainty. This leaves another viewer a manageable route through the material. If the selection is intended for a public event or commercial use, the library's current guidance directs those enquiries to the service's editorial team.
Questions about this guide
Should I search the map or a year first?
For an uncertain title but a known place, start geographically, then use year or keyword searching to find the second period.
Does a map marker establish the exact filming position?
Treat it as a location lead and compare the clip, description and visible landmarks before stating an exact position.