Country Movie Listings: Sweden


Figure 1.--"Fanny and Alexander" is one of the best known Swedish films and a real masterpieve. Alexander in the film wars sailor suits and other knee pants outfits with long stockings.

Sweden has a well developed film industry, although we know little about it at this time. One reviewer with a rather unkind site about Sweden writes, " The Swedish movie industry revolves entirely around the rather revolting practice of Swedish people making lots more little Swedish people. If it weren't for their movie industry, the Swedes would have died out long ago." One serious problem faced by the industry is that the Swedish speaking public is so limited. This of course limits the money which can be spent on a film and thus the production values. It also means that it is difficult to afford major international stars. Perhaps the best known Swedish film showing boys' fashions is Fanny and Alexander. I am sure that there are more important films. Hopefully a Swedish reader will tell us more about their country's film industry and individual films of interest.

Swedish Film Industry

Sweden has a well developed film industry. It is the best known Scandinavian film industry, although we know little about it at this time. One reviewer with a rather unkind site about Sweden writes, "The Swedish movie industry revolves entirely around the rather revolting practice of Swedish people making lots more little Swedish people. If it weren't for their movie industry, the Swedes would have died out long ago." One more serious film historian asked Swedish actor Peter Stormare why many Swedish actors make careers in Hollywood and not other Scandinavians. He replied, "I don't know. But the Danes have all the athletes (laughs). It's very strange. I think maybe because when the Swedish movie industry started, a lot of Norwegians came to Stockholm to work in movies. Maybe it originates from there. And in World War I the only industry still alive was the Swedish one. People came from everywhere to Sweden because the industry was booming. So I think it's a tradition." [Sat] One serious problem faced by the industry is that the Swedish speaking public is so limited. This of course limits the money which can be spent on a film and thus the production values. It also means that it is difficult to afford major international stars. Press reports in 2002 indicate that Sweden film industry is troubled. The Government provides "results related incentives". The available monet, however, has been largely used by some recent successes, "Executive Protection" and "Jalla! Jalla!". Thus there is insuffient funds for several planned films. The Government is considering a financial resuce package. [Lundberg] Sweden has several important directors. The most interntilly known is Ingmar Bergmam (1918-2007). There are many more, but bnone as well known outsude Sweden.

Individual Films

Perhaps the best known Swedish film showing boys' fashions is Fanny and Alexander. Another excellent film is My Life as a Dog. I am sure that there are other important Swedish films that we should mention here. Hopefully our Swedish reders will provide some guidance here.

(Den) Bästa Sommaren - (Sweden ??)

A reader has mentioned the Swedish film "Den Bästa Sommaren". We know nothing about the film at this time. Hopefully HBC readers who have seen the film will tell us something about it. Our reader notes that one interesting aspect of the film is that a boy wears a shirt style we have noted during the 1950s. It was referred to as "Continental style" in America. I'm not sure what it was called in Europe. We have noted that this style was particularly popular in Scandinavia.

(The) Children Of Bullerby Village - (Sweden, 1986)

Another interesting Swedish film is "The Children Of Bullerby Village". It is about the summer adventures of six children (three boys and three girls) all about 8 - 10 years old, living in a small village in rural Sweden during the late-1920s. The film was made in 1986 and is dubbed in English. The three boys in the film Olle (Harald Lonnbro), Bosse (Henrik Larsson) and Lasse (Crispin Dickson Wendenius). They are poor rural children, and are dressed in buttoned shirts (except Olle who wears a type of pullover shirt) and lengthy shorts. They are barefooted through most of the film, but wear sandals or shoes in some scenes. A sequel was made called "More About The Children Of Bullerby Village" and deals with winter adventures.

Fanny and Alexander - (Sweden, 1983)

Fanny and Alexander is a wonderful Swedish language costume drama of two orphaned Swedish children in a large, protective family. Alexander often wears kneepants sailor suits and long stockings. A real classic. Alexander (Bertil Guve), who I would say is about 12 years old, and his sister are the center of the movie and many scenes are shot from their point of view, although there are long involved scenes without them. The children have an idyllic childhood until their widowed mother remarries. Alexander falls out with his hypochritical stepfather and his hideous mother and sister. They have a far different idea about how children should be brought up. Set in Sweden at the turn of the century. Alexander wears several knee pant sailor suits. There is also a younger boy, a cousin of Alexander, who appears briefly in a few scenes. He wears a sailor suit with short white socks, Alexander always wears long stockings. He also appears a lot in a night dress. The boy plays his part beautifully. I thought it was especially touching how he clung to his teddy bear. The film stars Ingemar Bergman.

My Life As a Dog - (Sweden, 1985)

Ingemar is poised uneasily between childhood and adolescence, just as his namesake, Johanson, is fighting for the heavyweight crown. Director Lasse Hallstrom has Ingemar withstanding life's major setbacks by virtue of his remarkable wit. Someone else, Ingemar invariably opines, has it much, much worse. A wonderful film about childhood. Anton Glanzelius is marvelously mischievous as Ingemar. He has devilish eyebrows and even at 11/12 knows how to use them. He proves to much for his sick mother to handle. He is sent to live with his uncle in the country where he develops a crush on a buxom local woman. Also some nice scenes between Ingemar and his new girl friend, Saga, who is a real tomboy. The movie is set in the 1950s. He wears long pants, but a few of the other boys wear shorts.

Film Goers

Swedish children enjoy weekend outings to the movies. Unlike American childrem Swedish children not only enjoy Swedish-made films, but movies in other languages as well. We note children attending Sunday mantanees. American children normally go to the movies on Saturday rather than Sunday.

Sources

Lundberg, Pia. "Culture Minister proposes financial aid for Swedish film," Screen Daily.com September 4, 2002.

Sat, Kuriko. "Peter Stormare", Project, internet site accessed October 26, 2002.






HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main European movie page]
[Return to the Main country movie page]
[Return to the Main movie page]
[Return to theMain Swedish country page]
[About Us]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Theatricals] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]





Created: October 26, 2002
Last updated: 5:53 AM 9/16/2017