Pelle the Conqueror [Pelle Erobreren] ***** (1987, Max von Sydow, Pelle Hvenegaard, Erik Paaske, Björn Granath) – Classic Movie Review 6160

The exceptional, outstanding performances from Max von Sydow and little Pelle Hvenegaard light up this 1988 Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning Best Foreign Language Film from Danish writer-director Bille August about the humble old widowed farmer Lassefar (Lasse) and his nine-year-old son Pelle.

They leave poverty-stricken late-19th-century Sweden with a boat full of Swedish emigrants to try to find work and a better life on the Danish island of Bornholm. They do find employment on a large farm but they also find also bad treatment as foreigners. Pelle tries to speak Danish and not to give up on the hope.

The deservedly honoured movie is a poignant but unsentimental exploration of the close relationship between father and son, set against a vivid background of colourful characters and life’s injustices, filmed in a beautifully photographed (by Jörgen Persson), old-fashioned style.

The screenplay by Bille August, Per Olov Enqvist, Janus Jansen, Max Lundgren and Bjarne Reuter is based on the novel of the same name, written by Martin Andersen Nexø.

Also in the cast are Erik Paaske, Kristina Tornqvist, Morten Jorgensen, Alex Strobye, Björn Granath, Astrid Villaume, Troels Asmussen, Kristina Tornqvist and Karen Wegener.

It is produced by Per Holst, scored by Stefan Nilsson and designed by Anna Asp.

It also won the Palme d’Or for best film at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988, with a special mention to Max von Sydow’s exceptional contribution.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6160

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