Miss Julie [Fröken Julie] **** (1951, Anita Björk, Ulf Palme, Märta Dorff) – Classic Movie Review 7712

Director Alf Sjöberg’s 1951 Swedish classic Miss Julie (Fröken Julie) is a masterly reworking for cinema of August Strindberg’s world renowned play, in which the moneyed Miss Julie (Anita Björk) plays with her man-servant Jean (Ulf Palme) for her own pleasure on Midsummer Night.

The essence of Strindberg’s classic drama about class and repression is effectively captured on film. Director Sjöberg adds the cinematic touches of opening out the action to various parts of the 19th century estate and devising an imaginative, constantly altering time structure. And Björk’s captivating performance holds it altogether. Märta Dorff plays the other main character, Kristin, the cook. It is advertised as haunting and passionate – and it is.

Miss Julie (1951) won the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1951, tied with Miracle in Milan [Miracolo a Milano] (1951).

Also in the cast are Anders Henrikson as Julie’s father Count Carl, Lissi Alandh as Julie’s mother Countess Berta, Inga Gill, Åke Fridell, Kurt-Olof Sundström, Max von Sydow, Margaretha Krook and Åke Claesson.

Miss Julie [Fröken Julie] is directed by Alf Sjöberg, runs 88 minutes, is produced by Sandrews, is distributed by Trans Global (US), is written by Alf Sjöberg, is shot in black and white by Göran Strindberg, is produced by Rune Waldekranz and is scored by Dag Wirén.

Miss Julie is available as a Region 1 US Import DVD in the Criterion Collection.

It is remade as Miss Julie by director Mike Figgis in 1999 with Saffron Burrows, Peter Mullan and Maria Doyle Kennedy. That is followed by director Liv Ullmann’s Miss Julie (2014) with stars Jessica Chastain and Colin Farrell.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7712

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