Sweden has a fascinating history that has yet to reveal itself on screen in cinema. There are naturally a handful of films that depict Swedish history. For instance Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and The Virgin Spring depict medieval Sweden when religious turmoil and the plague tormented the countryside. Greta Garbo played Queen Christina inContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #31: Stockholm Bloodbath”
Category Archives: Show Me Cinema
Show Me Cinema #30: Autumn Sonata
In the triumphant return of David Alkhed’s column, our Swedish critic spotlights a crown jewel drama in the esteemed careers of Ingmar Bergman, Ingrid Bergman, and Sven Nykvist.
Show Me Cinema #29: Joe Hill
“You will eat, bye and bye, In that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, You’ll get pie in the sky when you die” From the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, over a million Swedes emigrated to America in pursuit of a better and more promising life. The reasons were numerousContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #29: Joe Hill”
Show Me Cinema #28: Scenes from a Marriage
Alas, the creative bankruptcy of contemporary American cinema has reached the small-screen as well. In the last couple of years we’ve seen old tv shows revived, Twin Peaks, The X-Files and MacGyver have all returned to varying results in vastly different formats to our small screens. The idiot box, which for many years has beenContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #28: Scenes from a Marriage”
Show Me Cinema #27: ABBA: the Movie
I don’t really think ABBA needs much of an introduction. Even if you’re not a big fan or not overly familiar with them, their fingerprints are all over pop culture and music today it’s almost impossible to miss them. Ever since breaking out internationally in 1974 when they won Eurovision Song Contest with their songContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #27: ABBA: the Movie”
Show Me Cinema #26: The Evil
If you’re Swedish, you have more than likely heard of Jan Guillou. Even if you don’t know jack about him his name pops up so much in everyday life and debates and discussions it’s hard to miss him. For non-Swedes though I imagine they’re not as familiar with Mr. Guillou as us Swedes are, soContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #26: The Evil”
Show Me Cinema #25: The Wings & Michael
Still from Michael (1924) Even if Pride Month is almost over, it seems like a good idea to discuss a movie for the occasion, a little bit of striking whilst the iron is hot. So then the question becomes, what movie should I discuss? I’ve already covered Lukas Moodysson’s Fucking Åmål and Levan Akin’s AndContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #25: The Wings & Michael”
Show Me Cinema #24: Summer Interlude
The filmography of Ingmar Bergman could very easily be divided into several different phases and periods in which he operated. Most people are primarily familiar with his work from the mid-1950s onwards, fair as it consists of most of the films he’s today known for. His early work is often dismissed or forgotten, sometimes byContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #24: Summer Interlude”
Show Me Cinema #23: Raven’s End
Since starting the website and this very column, the two film directors I’ve covered the most have probably been Ingmar Bergman and Bo Widerberg. Whilst most people know about Bergman and his life many people (and when I say people I mean people who don’t live in Sweden but here too probably) may not knowContinue reading “Show Me Cinema #23: Raven’s End”
Show Me Cinema #22: Call Girl
Back in 2012, the movie Call Girl was released in Sweden to much attention and interest. That’s because the movie was inspired by what’s known here in Sweden as Bordellhärvan or Geijeraffären, the Geijer Affair roughly translated into English. It occured in the mid-to-late 1970s in Stockholm where our Minister of Justice at the time,Continue reading “Show Me Cinema #22: Call Girl”
A Fistful of Film 