Gunnel Broström Movies

This well-executed biographical docudrama is a plunge into the madness (and the sanity) of a writer living life on its rawest edges. Agnes Von Krusenstjarna (Stina Ekbland) was a Swedish novelist (1894-1940) whose works ranged from the idyllically romantic to crushingly sardonic, sexually explicit autobiography. Von Krusenstjarna teamed up with the eccentric bisexual David Sprengel (Erland Josephson) and continued to suffer bouts of mental instability that Sprengel felt were best cured by sexual abandon. Von Krusenstjarna was not a model of emotional health when she first met Sprengel. She had inherited madness from her family while at the same time passionately rebelled against the narrow-minded mores of her genteel but poor parents. With his own wildly unorthodox behavior, Sprengel both helped and hindered Von Krusenstjarna throughout their turbulent relationship. Audiences will be enthralled by the clash of Von Krusenstjarna's inner and outer realities, but should be aware there is an abundance of sexually explicit material here. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Kristoffer lives on the verge of poverty, just barely supporting himself on his photographic work and an allowance given him by his ex-wife to support their child. He is staying in his absentee mother's large old house, which she is preparing to sell. When he takes a photograph of a man who died by his own hand, the image fascinates him. He grows obsessed with the dead man's story and pushes his researches as far as they will go. This psychological thriller is based on Johan Bargrum's book Darkroom. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Noomi Harriet Andersson is a Jewish woman who survived the Nazi concentration camps of World War II. Although she has married an artist, she carries on an affair with her husband's friend. Noomi can't seem to shake her label as a victim, as people have willfully taken advantage of her all her life. However, she offers no resistance to overcome those who victimize her in any situation. Eventually, her lover divorces his wife in order to be with Noomi. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Satan sends his newest most seductive minion back to the earthly plane to search for new recruits in this horror compilation from an unsold Swedish television series No. 13 Demon Street that stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Devil. Each of the beautiful hellcat's victims dies in interesting ways, including the one who sent her to hell in the first place. He too becomes a worker for the big-D, who gives the couple the formula for nuclear weapons with the instructions that they are to pass it around. They do so and soon Hell is filled to the brimstone with tormented souls. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

After exploring his disillusionment with religion in his previous films, Ingmar Bergman adopted a humanistic approach for this classic study in isolationism. Legendary Scandinavian director Victor Sjöström stars as Isak Borg, an aging medical professor who reassesses his life while journeying to his former university to receive an honorary degree. Borg travels with his estranged daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) and revisits many of the landmarks of his past, conjuring up memories of his family and of his onetime sweetheart Sara (Bibi Andersson). Returning to the present, he meets a teenage girl who resembles the long-departed Sara. She hitches a ride with the professor and Marianne, as do a ceaselessly bickering married couple. These new characters eventually become intertwined with Borg's hazy flashbacks and fantasies, as the old man recalls the disappointments and disillusionments that have left him cold and guilt-ridden, attributes emphasized when he encounters his equally cold and resentful son. Bookending Borg's odyssey of self-discovery are a series of symbolic images at the beginning of the film (a clock without hands, a man without a face) and a hauntingly beautiful finale, in which professor is beckoned back to the "perfect" world he left behind so many years earlier. This classic art movie remains one of Bergman's most accessible films and one of the most influential European art movies of its generation. Its intense focus on one man's thoughts, regrets, and memories set the tone for innumerable psychological character studies in its wake. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Precious few costume dramas emanated from Sweden in the immediate postwar years. A notable exception was Svenske Ryttaren, aka The Swedish Horseman. Adapted from a venerable Swedish legend, the film stars Ake Soderblum as the title character, a charismatic adventurer. The storyline is comprised of equal parts romance and revenge, with the latter winning out over the former. Elisabeth Soderstrom makes an impressive film debut as the ethereal heroine. With typical Scandinavian efficiency, director Gustaf Edgren manages to pack his epic tale into a mere 88 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Brott I Sol (Crime in the Sun) was adapted from the long-running stage thriller by Staffan Tjerneld. The story concerns six diverse characters, united by romance during a Summer vacation. Murder rears its ugly head when both Raoul (Curt Masrellez) and Richard (Ulf Palme) fall in love with Eva (Margareta Brostrom). Who "done it"? Doggedly faithful to the original play, Brott I Sol still manages throughout to be thoroughly "cinematic," thanks to the deft touch of director Goran Gentele. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Written and directed by Ragner Hylten-Cavalius, Klockorna I Gamia Sta'n was the first Swedish film to be lensed in color. The title translates as The Bells in Old Town, a reference to the "old" section of modern Stockholm. The story is a mosaic of the lives and loves of the denizens of Old Town, with some stories culminating happily, others not so happily. For ideal color reproduction, director Hylten-Cavalius enlisted the services of Paramount's Technicolor specialist James B. Shackleford, who worked in close harmony with Sweden's own Olle Nordemar. It was the color angle, rather than the film's rather banal storyline, which proved to be the biggest selling card of Klockorna I Gamia Sta'n. ~ 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