Elvira Madigan **** (1967, Pia Degermark, Thommy Berggren, Lennart Malmer) – Classic Movie Review 4574

Writer-director Bo Widerberg’s gorgeously pretty 1967 lovers-on-the-run romance Elvira Madigan, set in 19th-century Sweden, was a huge art house cinema hit in the Sixties. Widerberg’s screenplay is based on a real-life 19th century romantic story that has been filmed three times.

Pia Degermark and Thommy Berggren are attractive and effective leads as Danish tightrope dancer artiste Elvira Madigan and the married Swedish officer Lieutenant Sixten Sparre who decide to run away, with Sparre deserting both the army and his wife and two kids.

And this most alluring film is exquisitely shot by photographer Jörgen Persson in soft focus and slow motion to the lovely strains of Mozart and Vivaldi. Ulf Björlin composed the original music but Widerberg was unhappy with it and at the last minute substituted Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 2 as the main theme.

Degermark was voted the Best Actress award-winner at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival and the film was nominated for the Palme d’Or. It was nominated for two Golden Globes (Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film and Most Promising Newcomer – Female) and two BAFTA Film Awards (Best Cinematography and Most Promising Newcomer).

Also in the cast are Lennart Malmer, Nina Widerberg and Cleo Jensen.

All dialogue is dubbed or post-synced. Elvira Madigan’s Swedish vocals are dubbed by Danish actress Yvonne Ingdal, while Swedish actress Degermark dubbed the few scenes where she speaks Danish.

The music is Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 (second movement: Andante), Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin and Strings in E major, RV 271 (L’Amoroso, first movement) and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Summer (first movement: Allegro).

Berggren also starred in Widerberg’s Raven’s End (1963).

Widerberg is also the director of Love Lessons (1995).

Elvira Madigan is directed by Bo Widerberg, runs 95 minutes, is made by Europa Film and Janco, is released by Europa Film (1967) (Sweden), Cinema V (1967) (US) and Gala Films (1968) (UK), is written by Bo Widerberg, is shot in Eastmancolor by Jörgen Persson, and is produced by Waldemar Bergendahl.

It is digitally restored in 2007 by project manager Peter Bengtsson.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4574

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