Douglas Håge Movies

In this multi-faceted Ingmar Bergman film, rich in dramatic and comic elements, three wives pass time in a summer house, awaiting the returns of their husbands, by entertaining each other with recollections of past marital traumas. In the first recollection, the sexually unfulfilled Rakel (Anita Bjork) shares a bathhouse, and more, with a former lover, Kaj (Jarl Kulle). When her emotionally withdrawn husband (Karl-Arne Holmsten), an antiques collector, returns and discovers the incident, he retreats to a garden hut and vows to kill himself. But he is dissuaded from self-destruction by his older brother, who blithely reassures him that an unfaithful wife is better than no wife! The narrator of this episode wearily allows that her husband is little more than a child. Marta (Maj-Brit Nilsson), the storytelling wife of the second episode, recalls her love affair and marriage to a Parisian artist (Birger Malmsten) whose family disapproved of the relationship. Included in her tale is a vivid child birthing. The third episode is a comic classic in which Bergman regulars Eva Dahlbeck and Gunnar Bjornstrand play emotionally estranged spouses who rekindle their marriage while trapped in an elevator. Kvinnors Väntan, which closes with the resolution of a framing tale involving the elopement of two younger lovers, shows Bergman in complete mastery of the film medium. Whether manipulating close-ups during an emotional give-and-take seduction or employing symbolic imagery to emphasize the joy of becoming a parent or merely allowing consummate pros to indulge in slapstick, he proves himself unfailingly adept at all facets of filmmaking. This is one of several lesser-known but nonetheless impressive Bergman films from the mid-1950s. ~ Les Stone, Rovi

Military comedies were as popular in Scandinavia in the postwar era as they were in America -- perhaps even more so. Soldat Bom stars comedian Nils Poppe, who also penned the script. The film traces his various misadventures in uniform, his frequent tiltings with the "brass" and civilian authority figures, and his luck (or lack of it) with women. Inga Landre is very easy on the eyes as Poppe's leading lady. Soldat Bom did quite well financially in Sweden, but business tended to trail off in other countries. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This broad Swedish comedy was based on the popular Scandinavian comic-strip character Private Karlsson. Though the title translates as Private Karlsson on Leave, the film gets many of its laughs by satirizing army-camp protocol and discipline. Gus Dahlstrom plays the title character, getting into all sorts of jams when he mingles with the civilians. Non-Swedish audiences tended to find some of the routines dull and offensive, but domestic audiences howled with hilarity. Like most service comedies of the era, Nittioettan Karlssons Permis struck its most responsive chord with ex-servicemen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Supe for Tva (Supper for Two) was directed by Ragnar Arfvedsson, who also essayed one of the leading roles. Based on the French play L'Inevetable M. Dubois, the story concerns a whirlwind romance amongst the rich and famous of Southern Europe. In a rare move for its time, this Swedish production was largely filmed on the French Riviera. "Pick-up" scenes were lensed in Finland, a reasonably adequate substitute for coastal France. Edvin Adolphson and Karin Ekelend head the cast of this ooh-la-la comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The English-language title of this Swedish slapstick comedy is Poor Little Sven. The star is Nils Poppe, hailed in some circles as the Swedish Charlie Chaplin but comporting himself herein more like Buster Keaton. Based on the British operetta "Mr. Cinders," the story finds the bethumped Mr. Poppe winning both financial success and the girl of his dreams, while flattening the stock of his pompous enemies. Scandinavian audiences, already predisposed to enjoy the film, were further delighted by its splendid color photography. But comedy doesn't always survive a sea change, which may be why Stackers Lille Sven wasn't released in the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flickorna I Smaland (The Girls in Smaland) is harmless contrivance predicated on romantic misunderstandings. Farmhand Gunnar Carlman (Ake Gronberg) shocks his rural community when he begins keeping company with wild gypsy girl Emma (Ruth Kasdan). This does not rest well with pretty farm owner Christina Larson (Sickan Carlsson), who's come to believe that she and she alone is Gunnar's sweetheart. Before our hero can prove that he's innocent of extracurricular dalliances, Emma and her gypsy tribe make things worse by stealing a horse from Christina's farm. A couple of musical interludes punctuate this bucolic comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Majken Cullborg's novel Barbacka was adapted for the screen by Cullborg in 1947. The story is an anecdotal account of life in a tiny Swedish village, with emphasis on the romantic lives of its denizens. Leisurely paced, the film is sublimely attuned to Scandinavian tastes, though American audiences probably found the project rather slow going. Critics weren't as impressed by the acting as they were by the evocative cinematography of Harald Berglund. Gunnel Brostroem, Erik Hell and Sven Lindberg are the principal standouts in the well-chosen cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Literally translated, the title of this early Ingmar Bergman effort is It's Raining on Our Love. Though hardly representative of the best that Bergman would have to offer, the film was highly regarded by critics and moviegoers alike when it first appeared in 1947. Put simply, the story theorizes that just because someone commits a criminal act, that someone isn't necessarily a criminal. Barbro Kollberg plays the unfortunate soul whose solitary indiscretion seriously jeopardizes his future happiness. The plot Det Regnar pa Var Karlek is "explained" throughout by an ersatz stage manager, the sort of theatrical device that Bergman would abandon as he became a more self-confident filmmaker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sweden's Siguard Wallen is both star and director of Skeppar Jansson. A near-mythical figure in his home village because of his courageous maritime exploits, Skipper Jansson (Wallen) returns to patch up a feud between two families to whom he's related. He lets the feuders assume that he's brought home a huge pirate treasure, forcing the warring families to forget their differences and curry favor with the Skipper. By the time he reveals that he hasn't a penny to his name, Jansson has managed to bring peace and understanding to the region. It's the sort of escapist fare that Hollywood actors like Charles Coburn had been pulling off for years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Swedish June Night didn't get much American play until after its star, Ingrid Bergman, was firmly entrenched in Hollywood. Ingrid plays a small-town girl who becomes romantically involved with fast-and-loose sailor Gunnar Sjoberg. Injured in a shooting accident, the girl can't tell the police-or reveal the extent of her wounds-without revealing her "shameful" relationship with Sjoberg. This soap-operish endeavor was Bergman's final Swedish effort before her move to America. June Night was also distributed as A Night in June, just as if there were actually a difference. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi