The Man on the Roof
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| The Man on the Roof | |
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 Swedish DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Bo Widerberg |
| Produced by | Per Berglund |
| Written by | Maj Sjöwall (novel) Per Wahlöö (novel) Bo Widerberg (screenplay) |
| Starring | Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt Sven Wollter Thomas Hellberg Håkan Serner |
| Music by | Björn J:son Lind |
| Cinematography | Per Källberg Odd-Geir Sæther |
| Editing by | Sylvia Ingemarsson Bo Widerberg |
| Distributed by | AB Svensk Filmindustri |
| Release date(s) | Sweden: 1 October 1976 United Stetes: 23 March 1977 |
| Running time | 110 min |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Budget | 3,900,000 SEK |
The Man on the Roof (Swedish: Mannen på taket) is a 1976 Swedish film directed by Bo Widerberg, based on the 1971 novel The Abominable Man by Sjöwall and Wahlöö. The film is a crime thriller about the police officer Martin Beck trying to catch a killer, and it reaches its climax when the killer barricades himself on a roof top in central Stockholm with an automatic rifle. A memorable scene is where a Bell 206 crashes in Odenplan. Wideberg was inspired by the 1971 film The French Connection.
The film won two Guldbagge Awards in 1977, for Best Film and Best Actor (Håkan Serner).
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[edit] Plot
A policeman (Nyman) staying at a hospital in Stockholm is brutally murdered with the use of a bayonet. The investigation that follows is led by Martin Beck and Einar Rönn. It turns out that the murdered man was a horrible person, known among his colleagues for abusing his police privileges and causing suffering to civilians. Although the colleagues have been aware of his behaviour, the destructive esprit de corps has prevented them from reporting the misdeeds.
The investigation proceeds, and finally Beck and his team find a trail that leads to the murderer, who turns out to be an ex-police unhappy with these circumstances. The man, Eriksson, had a diabetic wife named Marja. One day, in need of insulin, Marja was mistaken by police as a drunk and put in a jail cell, under the orders of Nyman, where she died. Eriksson blamed the police force for the death of his wife, and the impending loss of custody over his daughter Malin.
When Beck is about to arrest the man, he climbs up on a roof in central Stockholm, bringing with him an automatic rifle, and starts to fire at any policeman he can spot. This includes a police helicopter which he causes to crash on a crowded plaza below the building where he resides. Beck tries to take him down personally but is hit with a bullet in the chest, although he survives. Eventually the police forces are able to shoot down the man on the roof.
[edit] Cast
- Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt as Martin Beck
- Sven Wollter as Lennart Kollberg
- Thomas Hellberg as Gunvald Larsson
- Håkan Serner as Einar Rönn
- Ingvar Hirdwall as Åke Eriksson
- Birgitta Valberg as Mrs. Nyman
- Carl-Axel Heiknert as Palmon Harald Hult
- Torgny Anderberg as Malm
- Bellan Roos as Mrs. Eriksson
- Gus Dahlström as Mr. Eriksson
- Folke Hjort as Melander
- Eva Remaeus as Mrs. Kollberg
- Gunnel Wadner as Mrs. Beck
[edit] Production
The actor Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt was picked for the part as the policeman Beck after Wideberg had seen him with a serious face in a talk show not knowing he was on air. Earlier Lindstedt was mostly known for roles in comedy films.
Filming took place between 11 December 1975 and 30 April 1976, using a budget of 3.9 million SEK.[1] Bo Widerberg didn't like the fake theater blood so pigs blood was used.
[edit] Reception
The critics were very positive and especially praised the dialogues. Around 750 000 people attended the film in Sweden, making it the most successful Swedish film ever. The title was held until Fanny and Alexander was released in 1982.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Mannen på taket - Press reaction and comment (in Swedish). Swedish Film Institute. Retrieved on 2009-07-21.
[edit] External links
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