Rolf Lassgård Movies
- 1991
In this tranquil comedy, Kring Bosse (Rolf Lassgard) is trying to move up in life, and actually has a lot of confidence about that, despite the fact that he's in his forties and hasn't done all that well. When he answers an ad for a job way up in the north of Sweden, he is sure of two things: he will get the job, and it will be the stepping-stone to success. He commits himself to the project, and is accepted sight unseen as the resort boarding house's new maitre d'. He takes his sharp-as-a-tack new girlfriend Anita (Marie Richardson) with him as he goes to settle in, which is nice enough, but he is also forced to take his own son from a prior marriage, and his girlfriend's two children. When he gets there, he finds that the place is a dump, and the prospects for earnings are poor. Undaunted, he soon hears that a big new highway will be going in not far away and envisions that this dump will become a lively resort spot. While he's making plans to try and buy it, the boarding house's owner is making plans to burn it down and take the insurance money, when he's not putting the make on Kring's girlfriend, who is flexible that way. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rolf Lassgård, Marie Richardson, (more)
- 1993
This Swedish thriller is based upon one of a 10 part series of novels by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Two of their books have been made into films. In this first filmed episode, after an American tourist is mysteriously killed and tossed off a tour boat, the local police are baffled by the lack of clues. Enter Martin Beck who finally finds a clue and then sets a trap for the killer. A young policewoman is used as bait and almost loses her life in the film's thrilling conclusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gösta Ekman, Jr., Kjell Bergqvist, (more)
- 1993
To the eleven-year old boy in this movie, his big, jovial father (Rolf Lassgård) is a sort of hero or a god. As he grows older, he begins to see the darker side to his womanizing and drinking. He ultimately realizes that his old man is a human being, with all the flaws and memories that go with that condition, and forgives him for that. This serio-comic memoir is based on the experiences of scriptwriter Magnus Nilsson. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rolf Lassgård, Ann Petren, (more)
- 1993
This Swedish thriller is based upon one of a 10 part series of novels by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. Two of their books have been made into films. In this third filmed episode, a notorious industrialist is hot while eating dinner at a Malmo Hotel. Enter Martin Beck and friend who investigate the case. He finds people involved in gun-running. The killer is found in a different group of people though. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gösta Ekman, Jr., Kjell Bergqvist, (more)
- 1993
Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö are writers of a series of immensely popular "police procedurals," or novels in which the police, while carefully following their own real-life rules and procedures, solve a crime or close a case. Many of these novels have been translated into English, and they have done respectable business in the U.S. In this film, the chase is on when a fatal fire leads the police to suspect a drug group. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gösta Ekman, Jr., Kjell Bergqvist, (more)
- 1993
This is the fourth in a series of films based on the police detective novels of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. In this story, the police only have one witness to a series of crimes which have electrified the country, the rape and murder of a number of beautiful young women. Unfortunately, the witness is not terribly willing to come forward to assist the police since he is wanted in conjuction with the violent robberies he has committed. The police are assisted in their investigations by a beautiful psychologist (Magdalena Ritter), who helps them get a bead on both perpetrators. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gösta Ekman, Jr., Kjell Bergqvist, (more)
- 1993
- R
Roland (Jesper Salen) is a boy growing up in Stockholm. It is the middle of the 1920s, and he suffers from the twin handicaps of being Jewish and the son of a socialist. However, despite the taunts and bullying he endures, he gets in a few licks of his own, and manages to have some fun (and get some revenge on his tormentors). One particularly successful ploy of his is to take some of the illegal condoms his mother is selling in her tobacco store and use them to power some slingshots he has made, sellling them to neighborhood boys. This affectionate, richly detailed portrait of a man's early adolescence in pre-war Stockholm is based on an autobiographical novel by Roland Schutt) ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stellan Skarsgård
- 1995
According to medieval legend, the "Tears of Saint Peter" is a strange elixir said to be able to heal and restore the dead to life. Using the concoction, Carla devises an ingenious plot to rob a wealthy mayor in this Swedish comedy-drama set in the late 15th century. Disguising herself as a man, whom she calls Carlo Marcellini, Carla wants to use the potion to bring back every townsman who has died over the previous ten years. Unfortunately, she falls in love with the mayor's son who makes her promise to also resurrect his beloved, late fiancee. This is a rather randy film and features medieval orgies and full-frontal male nudity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
With only two weeks to go before she turns the dreaded 30, Tin-Tin, a Swedish piano player hastily tries to achieve her two highest goals: to perform in the lounge of the Grand Hotel in Stockholm and to find a husband. Tin-Tin's endeavors provide the basis of this black Swedish comedy. She has a live-in lover, but Paul, who hosts the popular radio call-in show "Such Is Life," shows little interest in serious commitment, even though the subject of his series is how to make relationships work. Tin-Tin is also the object of her manager Stef's hottest fantasies. Olle, the owner of a large hotel has similar designs, though he is married. All of them are floored when she suddenly announces that she is marrying a Norwegian industrial tycoon in a tiny, picturesque northern town. That wedding is where the bulk of the film's most darkly humorous moments occurs. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Taut, moody and intensely violent (by Swedish standards) this action-packed Swedish thriller was filmed in a snowy northern village and centers on a cop's attempts to stop the slaughter of Laplanders' reindeer by greedy locals. Erik is that policeman. After working many years for the Stockholm police, he returns to his home village to live with his younger brother Leif and work in the local police department. Erik is angered to hear that the Laplander reindeer are being killed by a gang and that the town cops are ignoring the problem. He decides to single-handedly bring the killers to justice. Things get complicated when he learns that Leif is their ring leader. As Erik works to stop them, real violence erupts in the village until the exciting climax when Erik and Leif engage in a final face-off. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
In this compelling Swedish documentary, director-editor Jan Troell traces the efforts of three Scandinavian balloonists to reach the North Pole in 1897. The 60-minute film is based on authentic diaries, photos, and letters of the disaster, including materials recovered in 1930 when the remains of the expedition were discovered preserved in ice on a remote Polar Sea island. Norwegian Knut Fraenkel and two Swedes, Nils Strindberg and August Andrie, departed in 1897 in their balloon called Ornen (The Eagle), but little was known of their fate until the items found on White Island in 1930 were taken back to Sweden. Decades later, author Olof Sundblom used the diaries as the basis for his novel The Flight of the Eagle (1967). Jan Troell, known for such award-winning films as Here's Your Life (1968), The Emigrants (1972) and Hamsun (1996), did much additional research before he filmed his Oscar-nominated adaptation of Sundblom's novel, Flight of the Eagle (1983). Starring Max von Sydow, Goran Stangertz, and Sverre Anker Ousdal, the 1983 drama won various awards and competed at the Venice Film Festival. For this memorable and moving 1998 documentary, Troell drew on his experiences making the feature, adding short clips from that film to archival materials (deteriorating still photos found in the ice). New color footage was shot at both the expedition's starting point and its frozen finale. The tragedy is heard from the expedition's participants, brought to life through diary extracts read by von Sydow, Samuel Froler, and Rolf Lassgard. Anita Ekstrom provides the voice of Strindberg's fiancee. Seen in both Swedish theaters and TV, it was also shown at the 1998 Gothenburg Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Colin Nutley produced, directed and adapted for the screen H.E. Bates' short story "The Little Farm" about an older man's romantic awakening in the mid-1950's. Olof (Rolf Lassgard) is a 40-year-old virgin who has lived alone on his family's farm in Western Sweden since the death of his mother nine years before. His only friend is a 27-year-old ex-sailor named Erik (Johan Widerberg), who brags about his success with women and takes advantage of Olof's generous nature. When Olof places a newspaper ad for a housekeeper, an attractive older woman named Ellen (Helena Bergstrom) responds, and both Olof and Erik are immediately drawn to her. Ellen, however, grows to love Olof and distrust Erik, and Erik is determined to find out what would bring her to a run-down farm in the middle of nowhere. Under Solen is notable for the performances of its three leads and the photography of Jens Fischer; leading actress Bergstrom is also director Nutley's wife. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rolf Lassgård, Helena Bergström, (more)
- 1999
Accepted practices and new ideas face off against each other in this historical drama about a father, his daughter, and a mysterious stranger. In Northern Sweden in 1820, the widowed Dr. Selander (Rolf Lassgard) lives with his 20-year-old daughter Maria (Johanna Sallstrom), who has been blind for the past decade. One day, a Danish traveler named Meisner (Ole Lemmeke) appears in town, claiming to be an expert magnetist who can use his skills to heal the sick. While many in town are sure Meisner is a con artist, Selander welcomes him into his home. After spending time with Maria, Meisner discovers that her blindness is a psychological response to a traumatic event -- she was raped by Russian soldiers when her town was sacked ten years before. Maria's sight returns, and Meisner claims it was the result of his skills in magnetism. This leads to a blossoming romance between Meisner and Maria, much to the annoyance of Stenius (Gard B. Eidsvold), a partner of Selander who also had his eye on the girl. Impressive production design and fine performances highlight this international production. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ole Lemmeke, Rolf Lassgård, (more)
- 1999
The sixth in a projected series of seven, Richard Hobert directs this Swedish rock musical about the seven deadly sins. In a desperate attempt at forestalling financial oblivion, Mikael (Goran Stangertz) attempts to stage his semi-autobiographical rock opera in a circus tent in the coastal city of Malmo. His wife Catti (Camilla Lundin) is forced to close her store, and the two move into a trailer park. There they meet Tove (Pernilla August), a victim of a rather ugly divorce, and she and Catti soon become fast friends. Along the way, she also meets Mikael's former friend Rajje (Rolf Lassgard), who offers to front her some money in return for other services. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Göran Stangertz, Camilla Lundin, (more)
- 2000
Nine of Sweden's leading actresses are brought together in this unconventional comedy-drama about a group of actresses awaiting a casting announcement. A major American film producer is looking for a Swedish actress to play the title role in a big-budget remake of the classic Greta Garbo vehicle Queen Christina, and a handful of women who were in talks for the role wait with bated breath for the decision to be declared. Rebecca (Lena Endre), married to hunky matinee idol Ake (Mikael Persbrandt), is spending her 40th birthday waiting for word on the role. Alexandra (Suzanne Reuter) will be shooting a TV commercial, to be directed by Rolf (Brasse Brannstrom). Rolf used to be involved with Cecilia (Marie Richardson), who lately is nearly as well known for the fact that she's pregnant and not identifying the father as she is for her acting. Cecilia appears on a morning chat show with Georgina (Ewa Froling), who used to be in love with Gregor (Peter Haber), Alexandra's current husband. Stella (Helena Bergstrom) is a defiantly out lesbian who is having an affair with Karin (Marika Lagercrantz), the wife of film director Magnus (Rolf Lassgard). Stella also happens to be starring in Magnus' latest project, along with Ake and Molly (Pernilla August). Meanwhile, Git (Gunilla Roor) is in a session with her analyst, trying to come to terms with her feelings about her work, and Evior (Stina Ekblad) is in rehearsal for a musical, and reaching the regrettable conclusion that she can neither dance nor sing. In keeping with the film's tangled onscreen relationships, Helena Bergstrom, who plays a lesbian sleeping with her director's wife, is married to Colin Nutley, Gossip's writer and director. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pernilla August, Helena Bergström, (more)
- 2001
A family is slowly but surely torn apart by the neuroses of the individual members in this emotional drama from Sweden. Bosse (Rolf Lassgard) and Mona (Maria Lundqvist) are a middle-class couple raising three children in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Teenaged Ola (Erik Johansson) is the oldest sibling, followed by Kickan (Emma Engstrom) and Morgan (Linus Nord). Bosse works for a company that makes tissue paper, while Mona works part-time as a nurse; both are dissatisfied with their lives, and while Bosse puts up a brave face to hide his depression, Mona makes little secret of her feelings. When Mona learns that Ove (Mats Blomgren), a man she once had an affair with, has returned to Sweden after two decades in America, she finds herself falling back into infidelity; young Morgan, an emotionally thin-skinned child, soon becomes aware of his mother's actions and is deeply shocked. Kickan, who often quarrels with Ola, gets to know one of his friends and ends up going out on a date with him; the young man takes her to a party where she is forced to have sex with him in front of a crowd of people, leaving her emotionally devastated. In time, the family's many small crises build into an explosion, in which they are forced to confront each other about what has gone wrong in their lives. Familjehemligheter received an enthusiastic reception in its presentation at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rolf Lassgård
- 2006
Prolific Danish screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson teams with veteran director Ake Sandgren to explore a most unconventional love triangle. Grieving fisherman Alf (Rolf Lassgård) is mourning the loss of his younger girlfriend Lena (Sofia Ledarp). Though the pair had spent but a few months together, their time together was precious to Alf and the circumstances of her death simply cannot be forgotten. Back in the day, Lena was involved in a relationship with violently abusive Hannes (Jonas Karlsson), who beat the girl on a regular basis before she finally gained the courage to have him locked up. Later, when Hannes is released from prison, he is compelled to send Lena an apologetic letter in which he begs for forgiveness. Subsequently unable to resist Hannes' toxic charm, Lena soon begins a clandestine affair with her abusive ex-boyfriend behind the unsuspecting back of cuckolded Alf. As troubling old patterns gradually begin to resurface, the stage is set for a tragedy that soon threatens to destroy the lives of all involved. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sofia Ledarp, Rolf Lassgård, (more)
A multi-millionaire wants to know how much his money can really buy in this drama from Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier. Though born and raised in Denmark, Jacob Peterson (Mads Mikkelsen) has made a life for himself in India, where he runs an orphanage for homeless children. While Jacob cares little for money, raising funds is part of the responsibilities of his position, and when he learns that Jørgan (Rolf Lassgård), a wealthy Danish businessman, is willing to donate four million dollars under the condition that he meet with him in person, Jacob grudgingly hops a flight back home. Once in Denmark, Jørgan insists that Jacob attend the wedding of his daughter the next day; at the celebration he meets Jørgan's wife, Helene (Sidse Babett Knudsen), whom he recognizes as someone he knew many years ago. As Jacob finds himself revisiting a past he would prefer to forget, he discovers that Jørgan has an ulterior motive for bringing him to Denmark -- the wealthy man is in poor health, and while the donation will help ease some of his guilt over a life of avarice, he's also looking for someone to take over as Helene's husband after he dies. Efter Brylluppet (aka After the Wedding) received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mads Mikkelsen, Rolf Lassgård, (more)
