Love Lessons [Lust och fägring stor] *** (1995, Johan Widerberg, Marika Lagercrantz, Tomas von Brümssen, Karin Huldt, Nina Gunke) – Classic Movie Review 4571

This sexy 1995 Swedish rites-of-passage erotic drama film outing comes from writer-director Bo Widerberg, with nepotism working well in the form of director’s son Johan Widerberg as Stig, a 15-year old schoolboy aroused by his 37-year old new teacher, Viola (Marika Lagercrantz).

Widerberg’s Oscar-nominated semi-autobiographical film Love Lessons [Lust och fägring stor], set (and filmed) in Malmö, Sweden, during the Second World War, is lusty, thoughtful, provocative and mighty entertaining. It is also known as All Things Fair.

It was released in Sweden on 3 November 1995.

It proved Widerberg’s final film before his death from stomach cancer on 1 May 1997, aged 66. Widerberg is also the maker of Elvira Madigan (1967) and The Ballad of Joe Hill [Joe Hill] (1971).

Also in the cast are Tomas von Brömssen as Kjell, Karin Huldt as Lisbet, Björn Kjellman as Sigge Santesson, Kenneth Milldoff as Stig’s father, Nina Gunke as Stig’s mother, Peter Nilsson as Class prefect, Jossi Sabbah as Isse Blecher, Linus Ericsson as Peter, Magnus Andersson as Trötter, Frida Lindholm as Olga, Monica Stenbeck as gym teacher, Per-Olov Månsson as cinema owner, Sigge Cederlund as Projectionist, Frida Sjö as Lina and Thomaz Ransmyr as the man at the cinema.

The title Lust och fägring stor (literally Great Lust and Beauty) comes from the Swedish hymn Den blomstertid nu kommer, traditionally sung in schools before they close for summer holidays.

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards.

Love Lessons [Lust och fägring stor] [All Things Fair] is directed by Bo Widerberg, runs 128 minutes is made by Per Holst Filmproduktion, Det Danske Filminstitut, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Egmont Film, Sveriges Television Drama [SVT Drama}, TV2 Danmark and Svenska Filminstitutet, is released by Columbia TriStar Films AB (1995) (Sweden), PFM (1996) (US) and Gala (UK), is written by Bo Widerberg, is shot by Morten Bruus, is produced by Per Holst, Hans Hansen (consultant: Det Danske Filminstitut) and Anne Ingvar (line producer), and is designed by Palle Arestrup.

The film was announced in 1988, but shooting was postponed till 1994 because of a lack of financiers.

It is shot in Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden. Bo Widerberg was born on 8 June 1930 in Malmö.

Johan Olof Widerberg was born on 16 March 1974 in Stockholm, Sweden, so he was 20 at the time of playing a 15-year old schoolboy in 1994. He is known for Ocean’s Twelve (2004), A Man Called Ove (2015) and The Wife (2017).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4571

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Johan and Bo Widerberg.