Pelle the Conqueror
Pelle the Conqueror | |
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![]() Original Swedish poster | |
Directed by | Bille August |
Screenplay by | Bille August Per Olov Enquist Bjarne Reuter Max Lundgren |
Produced by | Per Holst |
Starring | Max von Sydow Pelle Hvenegaard Erik Paaske Bjørn Granath |
Cinematography | Jörgen Persson |
Edited by | Janus Billeskov Jansen |
Music by | Stefan Nilsson |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Svensk Filmindustri (Sweden) Kærne Film (Denmark) |
Release date |
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Running time | 150 minutes[2] |
Countries | Denmark Sweden[1] |
Languages | Scanian Danish Swedish |
Box office | $2,053,931[3] |
Pelle the Conqueror (Danish: Pelle Erobreren, Swedish: Pelle erövraren) is a 1987 Danish-Swedish drama film co-written and directed by Bille August that tells the story of two Swedish immigrants to Denmark, a father and son, who try to build a new life for themselves. It stars Pelle Hvenegaard as the young Pelle, with Max von Sydow as his father.
Critically acclaimed, it won the Palme d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, the 1988 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Plot
Based upon the famous 1910 novel of the same name by Danish writer Martin Andersen Nexø, the film is set in the late 1850s and early 1860s. A boat filled with emigrants from Sweden arrives at the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse Karlsson and his son Pelle who have moved to Denmark from Skåne County, in southern Sweden, to find work after the death of Pelle's mother. They find employment at a large farm, but find themselves treated as the lowest form of life. It is only as Pelle starts to speak Danish that he begins to gain in confidence, but is still discriminated against as a foreigner. But neither boy nor father is willing to give up their dream of finding a better life than that which they left in Sweden.
Cast
- Max von Sydow as Lassefar "Lasse" Karlsson
- Pelle Hvenegaard as Pelle Karlsson
- Erik Paaske as Foreman
- Björn Granath as Erik
- Astrid Villaume as Mrs. Kongstrup
- Axel Strøbye as Kongstrup
- Troels Asmussen as Rud
- Kristina Törnqvist as Anna
- Karen Wegener as Mrs. Olsen
- Sofie Gråbøl as Miss Sine
- Lars Simonsen as Niels Køller
- Buster Larsen as Ole Køller
- John Wittig as Schoolteacher
- Troels Munk as Doctor
- Nis Bank-Mikkelsen as Clergyman
- Lena Pia Bernhardsson as The Sow
- Anna Lise Hirsch Bjerrum as Karna
- Thure Lindhardt as Nilen
Production
The film is a co-production between companies in Denmark and Sweden, with the screenplay adapted by Bille August, Per Olov Enquist, Janus Billeskov Jansen, Max Lundgren, and Bjarne Reuter from the 1910 novel of the same name by Martin Andersen Nexø. This adaptation was directed by August, with a score composed by Stefan Nilsson.
Reception
The film received very positive reviews; it currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[4]
Accolades
Pelle the Conqueror won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 1988;[5] it was submitted to the Academy by the Danish government, giving Denmark its second consecutive win after Babette's Feast. Max von Sydow was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, but lost to Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man.
The film also won the Palme d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival[6] and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was listed in The New York Times Guide to the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made the same year. At the 23rd Guldbagge Awards it won the award for Best Film and Max von Sydow won the award for Best Actor.[7]
See also
- List of submissions to the 61st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Danish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/311517
- ^ "PELLE THE CONQUEROR (12)". British Board of Film Classification. 7 December 1988. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ Pelle the Conqueror at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Pelle the Conqueror at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ "The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Pelle the Conqueror". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ "Pelle Erobreren (1987)". Swedish Film Institute. 15 March 2014.
External links
- 1987 films
- 1980s drama films
- Best Film Guldbagge Award winners
- Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners
- Danish Culture Canon
- Danish coming-of-age films
- Danish drama films
- Danish films
- Danish-language films
- Films about race and ethnicity
- Films directed by Bille August
- Films set in Denmark
- Films set in the 1890s
- Films shot in Denmark
- Palme d'Or winners
- Swedish coming-of-age films
- Swedish drama films
- Swedish films
- Swedish-language films