Bo Widerberg
1930 - 1997Widerberg was the director of films such as Raven's End (1963), Elvira Madigan (1967), Ådalen 31 (1969), Joe Hill (1971), Fimpen (1974), The Man on the Roof (1976), Victoria (1979), The Man from Majorca (1984), The Serpent's Way (1986) and All Things Fair (1995).
He won a Silver Bear prize in Berlin for All things fair and a Special Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Festival for Ådalen 31. Raven's End, Ådalen 31 and All things fair all received a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Nomination
Bo Widerberg's vision of Swedish cinema parted radically with its contemporary form. He called for a greater political significance and more progressive story telling. Bergman being the leading figure of Swedish cinema, was not his ideal at all, although he recognized his position: "Nor me or my friends saw very much in him. We didn't find the issue of god's existence that damn important. But it's safe to say you'd be putting yourself in a bad position if you're trying to slit the throat of the father figure before your own debut." In his book A vision of Swedish cinema he concluded that Ingmar Bergman's films almost exclusively dealt with issues directed upwards, but more seldom in sideways, between people. According to Widerberg, Bergman made vertical films when the need for horizontal ones was most dire. On the other hand, Widerberg wanted film to be a tool of the social sciences, a kind of sociological report.
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Hebriana
Bo Widerberg
Gaby Stenberg, Lena Olin
During a midsummer weekend in the eighties a family gather in their summerhouse in the archipelago. The memory of the dead family father surfaces when Britt-Marie, now calling herself Hebriana, gets out from the mental hospital to celebrate midsummer with the family.
Hebriana
Vildanden
Bo Widerberg
Tomas von Brömssen, Pernilla August
“Every generation needs Ibsen” says Bo Widerberg and presents his version of the classic drama “The Wild Duck” from 1884. As in a thriller we get to follow how the family happiness of the Ekdahls is driven towards a tragic disintegration.
Vildanden
Joe Hill
Bo Widerberg
Thommy Berggren, Anja Schmidt
In the early 1900s, the legendary Joe Hill emigrates with his brother to the United States. But after a short time, he loses touch with his brother. Joe gets a few jobs but is struck by all the injustice and tragedy going on. He becomes active in the forbidden union IWW, a union for workers without trades. It is forbidden to demonstrate and to speak in public but Joe gets around that by singing his manifests with the Salvation Army. He manages to get more and more people to go on strike with him but he also makes powerful enemies doing that. Finally he gets connected with a murder and during the trial he fires his lawyer and takes upon himself to become his own defender.
Joe Hill
Kvarteret Korpen
Bo Widerberg
Thommy Berggren, Emy Storm
In the middle of this film, about the working class in pre-world war II Sweden, is Anders, who wishes to become an author, his father, who is a notorious dreamer and liar, and his mother, who struggles to keep their family alive.
Raven's End
Man on the Roof
Bo Widerberg
Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt, Sven Wollter
Stockholm policeman Martin Beck is called in to investigate the murder of a fellow officer. Beck and his partner, Einar Ronn, soon discover that the murdered policeman was well known to his colleagues for his excessive brutality, though his misdeeds were never reported to higher authorities. As they pursue their investigation, a sniper climbs to a roof in downtown Stockholm and starts firing at every uniformed officer he sees.
Man on the Roof
Adalen 31
Bo Widerberg
Peter Schildt, Kerstin Tidelius
A 1969 Swedish drama film directed by Bo Widerberg. It depicts the 1931 Ådalen shootings, in which Swedish military forces opened fire against labour demonstrators in the Swedish sawmill district of Ådalen, killing five people, including a young girl.
Adalen 31
Elvira Madigan
Bo Widerberg
Pia Degermark, Thommy Berggren
Hedvig Jensen is a famous ropewalker and is known to her public as Elvira Madigan. She meets Lieutenant Sixten Sparre, a Swedish officer who is married and has two children. They both decide to run away, but since Sixten deserted the army, he cannot find any job and the couple encounters many hardships. Moreover, while on the run, Sixten meets a friend who tries to convince him to come back to his country and family.
Elvira Madigan
The Man from Majorca
Bo Widerberg
Sven Wollter, Tomas von Brömssen
In the aftermath of a daring post office robbery on Saint Lucy’s Day, two Stockholm vice cops venture into a world of corruption, cover-ups and murder stretching across all levels of society, from the streets to the government.
The Man from Majorca
All Things Fair
Bo Widerberg
Johan Widerberg, Marika Lagercrantz
Stig is a 15-year-old pupil of 37-year-old teacher Viola. He is attracted by her beauty and maturity while she is drawn to him by his youth and innocence, a godsent relief from her drunk and miserable husband.
All Things Fair
En handelsresandes död
Bo Widerberg
Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt, Birgitta Valberg
Willy Loman is an over-the-hill salesman who faces a personal turning point when he loses his job and attempts to make peace with his family: Willy's long-suffering wife Linda, and Biff and Happy, his troubled sons and his life.
Death of a Salesman
The Boy and the Dragon
Bo Widerberg, Jan Troell
Ale Möller, Bodil Mathiasson
It is Arild's birthday, but his father has forgotten this and goes to work as usual. The mother is in the hospital to give birth. In the afternoon father and son visit the mother in the hospital. This was Bo Widerberg's debut film.
The Boy and the Dragon
Den vita sporten
Lena Ewert, Staffan Hedqvist
Matts Carlgren, Olof Palme
Documentary film about the protests against the 1968 Davis Cup tennis match between Sweden and Rhodesia, in Båstad, Sweden. In a series of interviews, demonstrators and members of the Swedish government give their views on sport, politics and civil disobedience.
The White Match
