Per-Axel Arosenius Movies
- 1977
This lavish period piece was filmed throughout Denmark, Sweden and Finland, and is based on a children's book by Astrid Lindgren. "Lionheart" refers not to the "Richard" variety, but to the Lion brothers: two boys who suffered illness and poverty in Stockholm in 1910. They are reunited after death to become tireless do-gooders. In the name of their imprisoned leader Orvar, the ghostly Lions fight side by side against oppression in the Middle Ages. Parents, take heart: the spectral brothers' battles won't be terribly fierce, since the film carries a "G" rating. Steffan Gotestam and Lars Soderdahl star in The Brothers Lionheart, which overcomes a slow beginning with a rousing finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Staffan Götestam, Lars Söderdahl, (more)
After being raped as a child by a greasy derelict, Madeleine (Christina Lindberg) is left mute. Fifteen years later, she has grown into a beautiful, but very traumatized young woman. After missing her bus one day, Madeleine is picked up by a smooth-talking man named Tony Dill (Heinz Hopf), who hooks her on heroin and forces her into prostitution, slicing one of her eyeballs out with a scalpel in graphic detail (Lindberg claims director Bo A. Vibenius used a real corpse) when she revolts. When Madeleine's parents commit suicide, she snaps, and begins training in karate, stunt driving, and shooting, biding her time for a violent revenge. That's when the shocks really begin, particularly in the original version, which is 15 minutes longer than the truncated print released by American-International. Lindberg suffered similar travails in Gustav Wiklund's smarmy (but less explicit) Exponerad three years earlier. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Filmed on locations ranging from Denmark to the Universal backlot, Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz is based on a novel by Leon Uris. Frederick Stafford, a veteran of European-filmed James Bond rip-offs of the 1960s, is cast as Andre Devereaux, a French secret agent assigned to snoop around Cuba in the months prior to the 1962 missile crisis. Someone is supplying Castro -- and, by extension, Moscow -- with NATO secrets; it is up to Devereaux to liquidate the "mole." Aiding Devereaux is CIA agent Nordstrom (John Forsythe) and aristocratic anti-Castro Cuban Juanita (Karin Dor), who happens to be the girlfriend of pro-Castroite Rico Parra (John Vernon). The director seems to be in awe of the fact-based storyline, and as a result, the film is more cut-and-dried than most Hitchcock efforts. Three different endings were filmed for Topaz; the Laserdisc version carries all three, as does the print available to the American Movie Classics cable service. According to the MPAA, the film was originally rated M but later changed to PG; however, a number of home-video issues of Topaz officially list it as "Not Rated." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, (more)
- 1960
A Matter of Morals is the usual boiling pot of intrigue and double-dealings that reveals how once an imaginary line is crossed, morality can slide inexorably downhill. Alan Kennebeck (Patrick O'Neal) sets off in relative innocence to supervise his bank's million-dollar loan to a Swedish manufacturer. Since the boss is gone at the moment, Alan deals with the sleazy manager Erik Waldeman (Mogens Wieth), who happens to be embezzling money from the company. Unfortunately, Alan falls in love with Erik's sister-in-law Anita Anderson (Maj-Britt Nilsson), and with the help of Erik, his slide into moral degeneracy begins. Alan will do anything, anything at all to win Anita's love. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick O'Neal, Maj-Britt Nilsson, (more)
