Per Oscarsson Movies

A married barber finds himself faced with difficult choices and ends up seeking solace in the arms of another woman in this Swedish comedy. Harry cuts hair in prisons and other government institutions. He, his wife Anna and their seven children lived in a crowded house filled with various relatives, immigrants, and guests that just won't leave. His need to decide arises when his wife announces that she is moving to South America. While trying to escape the tumult of his home life and make a choice, Harry encounters the beautiful Sonja, a fortyish lifeguard married to a soldier of fortune. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Rita Hayworth was the idol of Rita's dad (Per Oscarsson). So much so that he once began a relationship with a woman simply because she looked like the star - and, of course, he also named his daughter for her. Now that his wife is dead, Rita's father is determined to discover what became of his former mistress, though he is not in the best of health. Rita, worried about her ailing father, leaves her newborn son with her yuppie husband, and goes off after him. Rita's husband is unhappy at being saddled with sole responsibility for the newborn, and soon takes off after Rita. Eventually they all meet up and reconcile with each other: mistress, father, daughter and husband. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Based on a Swedish television series, this comedy considers the life of the hapless, hopelessly serious and infinitely clueless one-man natural disaster Kurt Olsson (mostly played by Lasse Brandeby) from his beginnings in his mother's womb up to the time when he becomes a father himself. While Kurt himself is humorously humorless in all his undertakings, his streetcar conductor father (also played by Brandeby) is quite simply a fanatic. The film features successive appearances by Kurt's TV partner Hans Wiktorsson as Arne Nystrom, also shown from birth to the "present." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Despite excellent camerawork and smooth continuity, some people may still find this epic, three-hour story of incestual depravity and human inertia difficult to watch with enthusiasm. Director and leading actress Vibeke Lokkeberg had two preceding hits to her credit, Kamilla and The Chieftain. She plays Vilde, a woman living on the dramatic North Sea coast of Norway in 1895. She has been sexually abused by her stepfather Sigurd (Keve Hjelm) since she was a child, and the abuse has never stopped. Vilde's mute daughter Malene (Tonje Kamilla Kristiansen), of unknown male parentage, watches Sigurd's abuse of her mother in silence. By the time Vilde finally cracks, the symbolism of "skin" (her eventual husband is a tanner) seems less important than the environment of this miserable, dysfunctional family and Vilde's inability to be anything but a victim. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Interwoven with scenes that are meant to grab attention by their stunning composition, this biographical look at Finland's violinist Arto Arsi is not so much a narration of his childhood and early years, as an attempt to artistically show what was happening inside his psyche during that time. Literally sold to a master teacher, Sergei Rippas (Tarmo Manni) by his mother when he was still a child, the violin prodigy was forcefully and strictly raised to practice, practice, and perfect his technique. Once an adult, Arsi finds a way to escape the rigors of a U.S. tour and drowns his overworked self in drink, or seeks out one-night stands, or otherwise lets off steam. The tightly-wound spring that has been coiled since he was forced into his grueling training and work sessions -- shown through symbolic images -- eventually snaps in a healthy way, freeing Arsi at last to continue on, simply for the love of music. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Marilyn Jordan (Susan Anspach), an American-born housewife, mother, and socialite living in Sweden, is crumbling under the weight of her own existence. She deeply resents her husband Martin's (Erland Josephson) frequent holiday absences and his indifferent attitude toward their two children ("If they are going to grow up in today's world," he admits, "it's about time they faced the fact that nobody keeps promises anymore"). Moreover, Marilyn's eccentric father (who believes he is Buffalo Bill and fires off guns in the house to prove it) and her children -- who hatch an outrageous plan to set up a dating service for senior citizens -- start to drive her completely around the bend. Marilyn feels herself domestically imprisoned -- encased in a bell jar. Her subsequent behavior grows not simply eccentric, but irrational and then comically outrageous. She cooks wiener schnitzel for the entire family, but eats it all herself; unsuccessfully attempts to poison the family beagle; and -- convinced that insects are attacking her during the night -- showers the plant above her bed with bug repellent, much to Martin's consternation. Finally, irritated by Martin's sexual indifference to her, Marilyn manages to get his attention in a last, desperate move by setting his bed on fire late one night. Deeply concerned, Martin consults psychologist Dr. Pazardjian (Per Oscarsson), who does little to help Marilyn and (indeed) turns out to be even nuttier than any of the members of the Jordan family. Via a comic security mix-up, Marilyn later becomes stranded at the Stockholm airport and hitches a ride with a band of horny Yugoslavian immigrants celebrating the new year; they take her to their ZanziBar nightclub for a couple of days, where she begins to break out of her domestic prison by engaging in a torrid extramarital affair with randy Slavic zookeeper Montenegro and by performing as a one-time chaunteuse on-stage. Eventually, Marilyn's family beckons for her to return -- but her brush with independence has made her a very different woman, indeed. Montenegro marked controversial writer/director Dusan Makavejev's English-language debut, and earned widespread critical raves for Anspach's career-defining performance. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Based on a short story by Sheridan Le Fanu, this thriller follows a series of murders that occur as a young man attempts to court a high-society lady. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Rarely does a film do homage to a serious artist through the medium of a madcap farce, as this one does; however, Picasso was known for an irreverent and ribald sense of humor which is quite in line with this Swedish film, Picassos Aeventyr. In a skit recounting his birth, a woman's heavy breathing is demonstrated to have nothing to do with childbirth. Another skit features an appearance by Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, played by two very masculine men in dowdy drag. In one particularly irreverent scene, Dr. Albert Schweitzer operates on Picasso. Picasso (Goesta Ekman) himself escapes the excessive commercialization of his works through a kind of suicidal self-transcendance. Told in a stripped-down mixture of French, Spanish and English, most will have no difficulty understanding the film's humor. Picassos Aeventyr is done in a style which has been compared that of Mel Brooks; as with Brooks' works, and some might not appreciate its broad humor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The interactions of three exiles in Berlin in the 1890s are the object of this film's inquiry. United by their admiration for an uncommonly lovely Norwegian woman named Dagny (Lise Fjeldstad), the group included the Polish writer Stanislaw Przybyszewski (Daniel Olbrychski), the troubled Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch (Nils Ole Oftebro), and the Swedish playwright August Strindberg (Per Oscarsson). The beauty marries the writer Przybyszewski, who travels all over northern Europe with her and then leaves her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Victor Frankenstein is a faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Rather than being a thrill-packed scare-fest, this film focuses on the consequences of Dr. Frankenstein's act, reanimating the dead. The basically normal-looking "monster" (Per Oscarsson) is clearly bewildered by his new condition and his strength: when he abducts Frankenstein's bride as his own, he inadvertently kills her. In an effort to prevent further harm, Dr. Frankenstein (Leon Vitali) chases his creation over the globe. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Traumstadt concerns a tiny, remote village where people from all over can indulge in their wildest dreams. Per Oscarsson and Rosemarie Fendel play an unhappy couple who hope that a trip to this magic town will patch up their relationship. Instead, they find themselves fighting for their lives when several of the wackier fantasies get out of hand. Based on Alfred Kuhn's novel The Other Side. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, Per Oscarsson plays Ebon Lundin, a fumbling and foolish factory owner, who only has one day left to live. To get things off to the right start, he kicks a few workers on the backside and twists their noses for good measure. Then he preaches to them about peace and brotherhood. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide