Waldemar Bergendahl Movies
- 1990
Inger (Helena Bergström), a single mother, has decided to return to her father's home from her life in Stockholm and sort out her life. Unfortunately, her father has grown restless, too, and is planning to sell the family house and move away, so she cannot stay long. To pass the time, she hangs out at the local dance hall. There, she dangles one man on a leash while she courts the drummer in the dance-hall band (Carl Kjellgren). She thinks that theirs is a romance beyond all others. He thinks of it merely as a pleasant affair. Eventually, she figures that out and moves back to Stockholm, and regrets stringing the second, nicer, man along. There was something epochal in the meeting of these two people however, and the band members recognize that something important has changed. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helena Bergström, Jan Mybrand, (more)
- 1989
The English-language title of this Swedish costume drama is The Women on the Roof. Set in 1914 Stockholm, the film explores the friendship between Austrian photographer Helena Bergstrom and farm girl Amanda Ooms. Despite their radically different backgrounds, both learn a lot about life from one another until their relationship is strained by the intrusive presence of Anna's boyfriend (Stellan Skarsgard). The director/co-writer of Kvinnorna Pa Taket is Carl-Gustaf Nykvist, son of celebrated cinematographer Sven Nykvist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Ooms, Helena Bergström, (more)
Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lindgren pens this heartwarming story about a little girl named Brenda Brave who discovers the benefits of being benevolent, loving, and selfless. Brenda lives in a quaint village with her elderly grandmother. After Brenda's grandma slips and breaks her leg, the little girl does her best to keep the family business afloat by selling peppermint sticks from a stall in Town Square. When Christmas arrives, young Brenda is elated to see a special gift with her name nestled comfortably beneath the family tree. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The Swedish Hajen Som Visste for Mycket was written and directed by Claes Eriksson, who cast himself and his brother Anders in the leading roles. The Eriksson boys play a couple of high-rollers who hope to crack Sweden's business community. Their ruthless behavior is none too good for the cold-blooded execs whom they sucker on their way to the top. A satire of Scandinavian business practices, Hajen Som Visste for Mycket may not play too well for American audiences -- unless, of course, those audiences are comprised of our own financial movers and shakers. The title, by the way, translates to The Shark Who Knew Too Much. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anders Eriksson, Claes Eriksson, (more)
- 1989
Fans of World War Two history will be attracted to this very long made-for-TV epic drama, which follows a Swedish family during the war. The compromises and privations of wartime are the main focus of the film, and the story includes several unlikely romances. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helene Egelund, Helena Bergström, (more)
- 1988
Some middle-class dreamers sell their homes to build a boat that will allow them to sail off to an unspecified paradise. The ship is wrecked before the maiden voyage, and the men lie to their wives to cover-up the debacle. The men decide to steal a vessel in order to come up with the proposed dreamboat in this uneven comedy highlighted by the performances of Philip Zanden and Peter Andersson. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Andersson, Philip Zandén, (more)
- 1988
Conny (Bjorn Skifs) is a high-school chemistry teacher who is falsely accused of making amphetamines in his home. He is throw in jail but manages to evade the abuse of his fellow prisoners. Conny discovers a way out of the jail, and he and his new 'friends" make plans to rob the Royal Mint. Only when he saves the pretty female officer Susanne (Gunnel Fred) from being hit by a car do his fortunes begin to change. Conny is chased through a hospital just out of reach of hypodermic needles. Director Jonas Frick briskly tries to combine action, comedy, and thrills in this one. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bjorn Skifs, Gunnel Fred, (more)
- 1988
A young boy wandering with a band of gypsies is endangered when a royal proclamation grants people permission to shoot gypsies on sight. Benny Haag plays Inge and his twin brother Arild, the latter who fights with his father against the "undesirables." The father sends mercenaries to wipe out the gypsies, unaware his own son is among those slated to be executed when captured. The gypsies are portrayed as the heroes, while the blonde Swedes are clearly the enemy. Although this story takes place in the 16th century, parallels between the story and the intolerance of Swedes to foreign workers in the 1980s is evident. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benny Haag, Melinda Kinnaman, (more)
- 1987
Despite having a serious basic storyline, this comedy was tremendously successful in its home country. It features actors from the Swedish television series Macken (The Gas Station) and the drolly wooden features of the beloved comic actor Anders Eriksson. In the story, the underhanded dealings of a group of smug and powerful arms manufacturers are exposed by the simple-minded but honest bunglers, resulting in at least one uproarious chase. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anders Eriksson, Kerstin Granlund, (more)
- 1987
This idyllic children's story is taken from the popular novel by Astrid Lingren. In the tale, the children revel in playing in a rural paradise far away from the problems of the world and the eyes of adult supervision. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Bergstrom, Cripin Dickson Wendenius, (more)
- 1987
In Sweden, the popular post-WWII newspaper cartoon strip created by Steve Terry was known as Jim & The Pirates instead of Terry and the Pirates, its U.S. moniker. In this children's story based on some of the stories from that strip, a pre-teen boy receives counseling from his dead father's ghost on how to cope with new developments in his life -- from his mother's getting a new boyfriend, to the fine art of chopping onions. The boy learns a pretty good trick from his father's shade which enables him to use his imagination to turn a boring birthday party into an ocean adventure among pirates. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ewa Fröling, Stellan Skarsgård, (more)
- 1986
The police are characteristically clumsy and the trio of thieves at the heart of this farce are at least partially inept, the comedy somehow falls between the cracks. Sickan Jonsson (Gosta Ekman Jr.) is the head of the trio of thieves, Ragnar (Ulf Brunnberg) and Dynamite Harry (Bjorn Gustafson) bring up the rear. Even though the three of them are probably worse off than Jonsson alone, they still take on a scam that involves a business magnate and his plan to sell a top-of-the-line piece of electronics to Russia. The Jonsson League is clearly out of their league on that one, and in several other schemes they devise to make a quick "kronor". ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ulf Brunnberg
- 1986
A young child's account of an idyllic summer in the 1920s, this film by Lasse Hallstrom (My Life as a Dog) features three girls and three boys on vacation in a remote rural area of Sweden. Their ages range between seven and nine and they have fun in the way that innocent kids can; they romp in the open fields and camp out in a hayloft for the night. The boys misbehave in ways that are guaranteed to get them attention from the girls (they steal the sandwiches their mothers made for them) and the girls thoroughly enjoy their revenge, all in a game of one-upmanship. Because of the genteel tone of the film, devoid of violence or dark, scary unknowns, this film is ideally suited for a young audience. A sequel (Mer Om Oss Barn I Bullerby) followed in 1987. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Bergstrom, Cripin Dickson Wendenius, (more)
- 1985
A nail-biting, hair-raising suspense yarn that feeds on jealousy, this chilling film by Hans Alfredson has John (Sverre Anker Ousdal), a philandering husband, fall in love with Clara (Malin Ek), a young poetess. When Clara and John move into an apartment on the sleazy side of town, neither her former lover nor his wife put up much objection. Then oddly menacing things start to happen in the apartment: objects are misplaced in a dangerous way, the gas leaks, and someone unknown is filling the place with graffiti. Clara's health degenerates rapidly, and as ominous circumstances push her and John to the brink, a shocking revelation looms ahead. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malin Ek, Sverre Anker Ousdal, (more)
In 1959 Sweden, young Ingemar (Anton Glanzelius) lives with his dying mother and his nasty older brother. He survives all of life's knocks by comparing himself to those who are worse off--such as Laika, the little Russian space dog who was rocketed to his death and had nothing to say in the matter. Ingemar begins to identify with Laika more and more as his mother's health deteriorates, at times dropping to all fours and baying at the moon. When his mother is advised to get some peace and quiet away from her children, Ingemar is sent to live with his loveable uncle and aunt. For the first time, the boy is surrounded by relatives and classmates who pose no threat and who genuinely like him. He even has a sexual awakening. When his mother dies, he no longer rationalizes his misfortunes by comparing himself to those less fortunate; from now on, he can conjure up pleasant memories of his summer away from home to sustain him through the hard times. My Life as a Dog (Mitt Liv Som Hund) is based on the autobiographical novel by Reidar Jonsson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anton Glanzelius, Anki Liden, (more)
- 1984
Well-known Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (the "Pippi Longstocking" series) wrote the screenplay for this entertaining fantasy about Ronya, a 10-year-old girl (Hanna Zoetterberg) who lives quite happily in her father's castle and has no problems until she comes across Birk (Dan Hafström), a playmate encountered in the dark and fascinating forest near the castle. Birk and Ronya explore the wilderness with great courage and curiosity, braving the dangerous Witchbirds and Rump-Gnomes as they go along. But their respective families are angry when they find out the two children have been playing together, and they forbid them to see each other again. The fathers of Birk and Ronya are bitter enemies -- they are robber chieftains leading opposing forces. It will not be easy for the two spunky children to tear down the barriers that have kept their families apart for so long. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lena Nyman
- 1983
In this conventional comedy about a stand-up trio who come together again after a 16-year-hiatus to write material for a friend's wedding, the actors add enough of their talents to the script to lighten up the movie, but the narrative is still rather ordinary. Two of the trio were married to each other but have been divorced for awhile. When the ex-wife starts to fall for the other member of the trio -- who is newly-divorced himself, her ex-husband begins to feel pangs of jealousy. Their real problem, however, is how to come up with new material for their skit at the wedding since the years and adulthood seem to have altered their original viewpoints on what is funny. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brasse Brannstrom, Magnus Haerenstam, (more)
- 1981
The title of this comedy is the first indication of the absurd: "sopor" means "trash" in Swedish and the acronym that is the film's title is playing with words to name a make-believe organization that stands up for the lowly or forgotten in society. About 1000 children of SOPOR unload from the subway one morning, march to the Royal Palace, and proceed to blithely take it over, holding the royal family up for a very reasonable ransom: they want the powers-that-be to reconsider their treatment of neglected or unpopular groups, like the elderly and in the case of this film, those who protest the development of nuclear power plants (a contemporary issue). Queen Sylvia (Gynet Movig), King Carl-Gustaf (Brasse Braennstroem), and Princess Victoria (Lena Nyman) are hostages who take kindly to the children's efforts, but given their status as royals, the best of Sweden's security police are out to free them by any devious means possible. This includes a security police chief launching into various character disguises and the opposition leader sweet-talking the children as only a politco with years of self-promotion can do. As broadly-painted characters from the government move in and out of the scenes, the spoof zeros in on real politicians. The satire does not bite lethally, and still leaves the audience something to chew on once the laughter has subsided. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brasse Braennstrom, Grynet Molvig, (more)
- 1981
Rasmus (Erik Lindgren) is a little orphan whose need for companionship leads him to seek the friendship of a hobo accordian player (Allan Edwall). The two hit it off quite well, and the hobo decides he has to somehow try to find a home for himself and the boy - though that does not look like a very viable option from the start. Side stories help fill in the three 25-minutes segments of this somewhat bland tale. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erik Lindgren, Allan Edwall, (more)
- 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)
- 1970
Two idealistic teenagers fall in love for the first time in this romantic drama. They try to remain hopeful in a cynical world of adults that discourage them. Their parents are weary from life's constant problems and fail to take the young couple seriously when they speak of love and hope for the future. Rolf Sohlman and Ann-Sofie Kylin are the young couple in love who try to rise above the clouds of despair created by their parents. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bertil Norstrom
- 1968
This is one of several film versions of the classic play by Anton Chekhov. The depressing tale of unrequited love begins when an aging actress Arkadina (Simone Signoret) and her arrogant writer companion Trigorin (James Mason) travel to a small Russian town to visit her brother, an ailing public official in retirement. Nina (Vanessa Redgrave) is the neighbor girl who falls for Trigorin. The simple country girl is degraded by the older, more worldly author as she follows him to the big city and falls victim to the debauchery of urban life. Arkadina also deals with a hateful son who is driven to suicide in this somber and depressing film. Although there are some moments of comedy in the play, this film version is decidedly more downbeat. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mason, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- 1967
Inspired by the famous Johan Lindstrom Saxon ballad, this Swedish film involves circus performer Elvira Madigan (Pia Degermark) and army officer Sixten Sparre (Thommy Berggren). Sparre breaks loose of the oppressive atmosphere of both the military and his tradition-bound family to conduct a passionate affair with Elvira. Aware only of one another's presence, the lovers refuse to recognize that they have stepped irreversibly on the road to tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pia Degermark, Tommy Berggren, (more)
