Allan Edwall Movies

Inspired by a medieval Swedish ballad, Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukallan) begins with a scene of unspeakable brutality and ends with an image of uncommon beauty. 15-year-old Birgitta Peterson, on her way to church to light candles for the Virgin Mary, is raped and murdered by two older men. The men look for shelter at the home of Birgitta's father (Max Von Sydow), who murders the bestial killers in cold blood. When the deed is done, Von Sydow, a deeply religious man, begins to question the efficacy of a God that would allow his daughter's death, then permit so bloody a retribution. Then, a fresh, virgin spring bubbles from the ground where his daughter had been lying a few moments before. Taking this natural phenonenon as a sign from above, Von Sydow vows to erect a church on the spot where Birgitta met her doom. The winner of the "best foreign picture" Academy Award, The Virgin Spring currently exists in several versions of varying lengths; the longest, and most graphic, is the original Swedish cut. Believe it or not, this hauntingly beautiful film served as the basis of The Last House on the Left (1972). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Scandinavian melodrama, a Swedish lieutenant journeys to a lonely island off the coast of Lapland for a summer of badly needed rest and relaxation. Once there, the soldier rents a hunting lodge from an aging local. Soon he encounters his landlord's lovely daughter who, while finding the stranger attractive, is put off by her innate distrust of men. With patience, he shows that men can indeed be trusted; he also introduces her to love. Unfortunately, the girl gets quite jealous when her father's lovely mistress also begins flirting with the stranger. The father is an abusive and jealous man; he cannot help but notice that his formerly passive daughter and mistress have begun standing up to him. To get even, he sends for the wealthy baron who once courted his daughter. He then informs his daughter that her lover, the soldier, has also been carrying on with his mistress. The lass disbelieves him until she sees the truth for herself, and the utterly distraught young woman agrees to marry the baron. The father then makes a play for his former mistress who spurns him and flees into the snowy mountains. It is an unfortunate coincidence that the soldier should choose that time to fire a signal shot to his lover, for his gun triggers off a deadly avalanche that sweeps the hapless mistress to her doom. The father goes mad with grief and burns down his hunting lodge. Later the lieutenant tries to smooth it all over with the daughter, but she is disconsolate and rejects him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Although shown at the 1965 Moscow Film Festival as an entry from Norway, this gang-directed effort came from four different countries. From Sweden, "Stop At Murlande" is directed by Jan Troell and stars Max Von Sydow. "The Summer War" from Denmark is directed by Palle Kjaerulff-Schmidt. From FInland comes "Why" directed by Maunu Kurkvaara. The final entry "The Girl With A White Ball" is directed by Rolf Clemens from Norway. Highlights are the acting of Von Sydow as a railroad worker who quits his job to enjoy the wonders of nature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this dark, foreboding sea story, a veteran sea captain abducts his niece for what he believes is his last chance at love. As the sad demon of the ocean Klabautermanden watches the passing of doomed ships, the niece awakens in her uncle's cabin. She makes him marry her but never allows the tyrannical captain to ever touch her. For eight years, the ship never docks as the malnourished crew wishes for death. The woman has a child by another man and the captain watches in horror as she makes friends easily while he is reviled by his superstitious crew. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Director/writer Jan Troell's expansive saga deals with the Larsen family, who during the 19th century famine in Sweden emigrate to the more fertile fields of Minnesota. With painstaking detail, the director follows the Larsens as they make the perilous (and, to some of their fellow immigrants, fatal) journey by foot, steamer, train, and paddle boat. The film, which originally ran 190 minutes but was pared down to 150 by its director for American consumption, earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Direction, and Best Actress (Liv Ullmann). The Emigrants was followed by a sequel, Nybyggarna ("The New Land"); both films have been edited together for TV release under the title The Emigrant Saga. The subsequent American TV series The New Land (1974) starred Bonnie Bedelia in the role created in The Emigrants by Liv Ullmann, and Scott Thomas in the patriarch role originated by Max von Sydow. In 1991, Sven Nykvist directed a "prequel" to The Emigrants titled The Ox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this story, a 7-year old boy, named for the King of Rock 'n Roll by his fanatical mother, has trouble communicating with everyone but his grandparents. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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

This farce cocerns Sweden's King Gustav (Per Oscarsson who plays all the lead roles). The royal monarchs of three major European countries are patiently or not-so-patiently hovering on the sidelines while watching the future King Gustav closely. No single king appears to possess the brains he was born with, so history seems to be made by default, as it were. Gustav does blunder around, but not enough to miss being crowned king. As a result, France, England, and Germany invade Sweden hoping to take by force what they could not gain by incompetence. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Cederkvist (Magnus Haerenstram) starts strutting around an all-women textile mill soon after he arrives as the regional "efficiency expert" determined to whip the plant into clock-work order and bed down whomever he can. (The time is WW II and all the men are apparently away fighting.) Naturally, neither his job nor his crass display of male foibles endears him to any of the young women at the plant - they loudly ignore him. Meanwhile, a crafty porter at a local hotel (Allan Edwall) has concocted a scheme to drum up some business - and his own take as a consequence. He loans Cederkvist a wood-burning 1931 Ford (a surprise to anyone not privy to car history), provides him a hotel room equipped with wine and music - and these three attributes are enough to overcome any bad impressions he created with the women at the plant. For reasons that are taken from some realm unknown to humankind, the attractive, well-endowed young woman jump enthusiastically into bed with this moron, after all, he has the right car (any car, in this case), a bottle of wine, and the latest top 10 releases. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Though he made allusions to his own life in all of his films, Fanny and Alexander was the first overtly autobiographical film by Ingmar Bergman. Taking his time throughout (188 minutes to be exact), Bergman recreates several episodes from his youth, using as conduits the fictional Ekdahl family. Alexander, the director's alter ego, is first seen at age 10 at a joyous and informal Christmas gathering of relatives and servants. Fanny is Alexander's sister; both suffer an emotional shakedown when their recently-widowed mother (Ewa Froling) marries a cold and distant minister. Stripped of their creature comforts and relaxed family atmosphere, Fanny and Alexander suddenly find their childhood unendurable. The kids' grandmother (Gunn Wallgren) "kidnaps" Fanny and Alexander for the purpose of showering them with the first kindness and affection that they've had since their father's death. This "purge" of the darker elements of Fanny and Alexander's existence is accomplished at the unintentional (but applaudable) cost of the hated stepfather's life. Ingmar Bergman insisted that Fanny and Alexander, originally a multipart television series pared down to feature-film length, represented his final theatrical film, though within a year after its release he was busy with several additional Swedish TV projects, and his final work, the 2003 Saraband (also produced for Swedish television), eventually received global theatrical distribution. Oscars went to Fanny and Alexander for Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography (Sven Nykvist), Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the lead actor's own novel, Limpan may take itself too seriously while proposing to be a comedic satire on the nature of bureaucracy. The basic story is that "Loafie" Lindberg Allan Edwall is an alcoholic who manages to escape from his treatment center, but when he changes his mind and wants to go back, the institution does not let him in because his re-entry does not follow established rules of procedure for admissions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide