King of Devil's Island
| King of Devil's Island | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Marius Holst |
| Written by | Dennis Magnusson |
| Produced by | Karin Julsrud |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Andreas Andersen |
| Edited by | Michal Leszczylowski |
| Music by | Johan Söderqvist |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 min. |
| Country | Norway |
| Languages | Norwegian, Swedish |
| Budget | 54 millioner kroner |
King of Devil's Island (Norwegian: Kongen av Bastøy) is a 2010 Norwegian film directed by Marius Holst.[1] The film premiered in Norway on December 17th, 2010 and was next shown at the international film festivals of Sweden (January 2011), Rotterdam (February 2011).[2] and during the Lübeck Nordic Film Days 2011. The story is based on true events that occurred at Bastøy Prison in Norway.[3]
Shooting for King of Devil's Island took place in Estonia.
Plot
At the Bastøy prison for youths, the newest arrival, Erling "C19," becomes fast friends with Olav ("C1"). Under the rule of Håkon, Erling comes to terms with the harsh winter, the mistreatment by the staff, and the hated Housefather Braaten. Later, Olav sees Braaten molesting "C5", Ivar, a timid, shy boy. When he raises this to the Governor, the boys are severely punished and C5 is reassigned far away from Braaten. However, while the rest of the boys are chopping wood, Ivar drowns himself in the freezing Norwegian waters. Braaten is apparently fired, to the overwhelming delight of the other boys. Olav is pardoned and is planning to depart, but, on the way to the departing boat, walks past Braaten, who had been sent away on a shopping trip until Olav, the only witness to Ivar's rape, was away from Bastøy. Olav and Erling attack Braaten and are locked in the freezing solitary area. They are freed by Bjern, one of the few Bastøy boys who has remained at the island as a caretaker. Olav again pursues Braaten, and the attack inspires a mass uprising. The boys ransack the prison, and drive away the staff. Braaten is repeatedly hung and beaten, and the barn he is in is set ablaze, but Erling drags him to safety. The army is brought in and violently put down the uprising. Olav and Erling manage to escape across a frozen fjord back to the mainland, but Erling falls through a gap in the ice close to shore and quickly freezes to death.
Olav is shown later, older, as a member of a ship's crew, watching Bastøy pass by the side of his ship.
Cast
- Stellan Skarsgård as Håkon
- Benjamin Helstad as Erling "C19"
- Trond Nilssen as Olav "C1"
- Kristoffer Joner as Braaten
- Ellen Dorrit Petersen as Astrid
- Magnus Langlete as Ivar "C5"
Historical Background
The film is a fictionalized retelling of a rebellion among the youth at the Bastøy Reform School during the winter of 1915. The reformatory was located on Bastøy Island in the Oslo fjord south of Horten municipality in the county of Vestfold Norway. The Norwegian government purchased the island in 1898 for 95,000 kroner, and the reformatory opened in 1900.
The rebellion occurred on 20 May 1915, when between 30 and 40 boys rallied around four youths who had escaped and been recaptured. The group refused to work, armed themselves with farming tools and stones, cut the telephone lines and then burned down the barn with stolen matches and cigars. Interestingly, the same barn had been burned down just two years prior.
When instructors and guards failed to quell the riot, the military was called in. Over a hundred troops stormed the island. Also on scene were two seaplanes, two submarines, and the armored ship "Norway" from the naval base Karljohansvern in Horten. Several of the boys escaped into the forest but were later recovered. Officials identified the ringleader of the rioters as a newly-arrived 18-year-old "gypsy boy" plumbing apprentice from Christiania. Three others were identified as his accomplices.
The 1915 uprising did not end the school's strict disciplinarian methods which continued until 1953 when the Ministry of Social Affairs took over operations. The school was shut down on 1 October 1970. Bastøy Island, once famous for its brutal reformatory, is now famous for the progressive Bastøy Prison founded in 1982 where inmates live in cottages, dine on food cooked by a chef, and enjoy a sauna, tennis courts and horseback riding.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
References
- ^ Twitchfilm.com - Second trailer for Marius Holsts youth prison drama King of Devil's Island Retrieved 2. January 2010
- ^ IMDb entry Retrieved 2 February 2011
- ^ Official site for the production Retrieved 2 February 2011
External links
- Official website
- Kongen av Bastøy at IMDb
- Review at BeyondHollywood.com