Scandinavian film (1952)

and his first sound-films both demonstrated his understanding of the medium and his capacity to use it to some intellectual purpose. Like Henrikson, he broke new ground in the subject matter of his films: Den Blomstertid ... set in the Stockholm archipelago, described the struggle made by a young schoolteacher to defend his ideals, while Med Livet Som Insats (They Staked Their Lives), from a short story by Runar Schildt, had its dramatic roots in man's passion for liberty. Where Sjoberg's work differed from Ett Brott was in the visual expression of the theme. Here again, fortified and elaborated, were the skill in composition and the sense of rhythm which were noted in Den Starkaste. Sjoberg showed that there could be harmony between style and purpose in a film, that skill in film-making could be used for something more rewarding than elegant trifles. These films by Sjoberg and Henrikson provided a general stimulus even where they did not directly inspire similar work. Since the war atmosphere had itself contributed to the emergence of the new movement, it inevitably became the subject of a number of the films. Gustaf Molander's Det Brinner en Eld (1943) was set in an occupied capital which, although un-named, was accepted as Oslo. It was concerned, not with sabotage, but with the impact of occupation on a small group of characters: a theatre director, his leading actress, and her lover, a military attache. The acting in these parts of Victor Sjostrom, Inga Tidblad, and Lars Hanson gave the film a strong human appeal and from the war setting Molander resourcefully drew a nervous tension to sharpen his drama. Among the other successful war films were Molander's Den Osynliga Muren (1944), with Inga Tidblad as an eccentric middle-aged woman in a story about resistance and persecution, and Hasse Ekman's Excellensen (1943), based on Bertel Malmberg's play about an elderly poet whose faith gives him strength to resist torture. Lars Hanson, an actor who has strengthened so many Swedish films, played the leading part. Resistance was the theme also in Rid i Natt (1942), an ambitious Svensk Filmindustri production directed by Gustaf Molander. The story, drawn from the seventeenth century, described the resistance shown by the Swedish peasants to the introduction of the feudal system by the landlords of German descent, and a call was clearly made to the twentieth-century Swedes to oppose the Nazis if thev invaded the country. Although the treatment was somewhat heavy, the film had a pictorial richness which recalled the great achievements of the Swedish cinema. Ake Dahlqvist's camera found a grey, impressive beauty in the forests and mountains, and the acting of the players, including Lars Hanson and Eva Dahlbeck, held firmly to the sense of period. It was natural that, during this period of revival, traditional elements of Swedish culture should find fresh expression. The mysticism found in many of Selma Lagerlof's works was echoed in such films as Himlaspelet (1942), Ordet (1943), and Flickan och Djdvelen (1944). Sjoberg's Himlaspelet (The Road to Heaven) was a film of the greatest importance and significance which broadened the base of the 25