Elvira Madigan...

I too like this movie very much. I think it's quite underrated.

[deleted]

I first saw "Elvira Madigan" in 1968 while on a job interview in Washington DC. (I was 22.) This was when theaters still had a certain panache. I think I even remember the name of the theater - the Janus. It was all red velvet with subdued lighting. There were maybe 50 people in the audience.

It had just come out, so the visual quality of the film was pristine. This was a copy in Swedish with English subtitles. I note this because when it played smaller cities, it was dubbed.

It was and is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. It was almost magical. My knowlege of classical music was very limited, so it was also my first exposure to Mozart's "Piano concerto No. 21."

The love between Elvira and Lt. Sparre is so achingly graceful and so doomed.

One scene in particular sticks in my mind. Sparre is racing through the ruins of a circus destroyed by battle. And he screams "Krieg, Krieg." And I recognized the word from German class - "War, war."

But there's another reason it was so potent. It seemed so similiar to the events in the real world - Vietnam. This was my senior year, and my draft lottery number was 45, so I was frequently overcome by severe depression. And Lt. Sparre embodied everything I felt and believed. (As a very, young lonely gay man, I felt myself to almost be in love with him.)

It still has the power to conjure up a certain sadness in my psyche. For anyhing to do that have such a period is indeed a supreme work of art.

[deleted]

I agree that the film is sublime, and it is a good testament to Widerbergs directing that you find chemistry between Berggren and Degermark, as the truth of the matter was that at the time, Berggren disliked the casting of Degermark and pitied her for having been given such a big task with neither talent nor experience. Though he kept it to himself at the time, he has admitted in later interviews, that he thought it a horrible misscast and was annoyed that the part had not gone to trained actress. A thought that was shared by the Grand Seigneur of swedish cinematography, Ingmar Bergman, at the time. Miss Degermark could not say her lines correctly and ended up being dubbed when it was clear that she could not produce a convincing danish accent.

Both Berggren and Bergman have later stated that though they could not see it back then, with time they both came to see why Widerberg casted Degermark.

They agree that it is "something in her eyes", which can be construed as the self destructivity that would later get her in trouble. Bipolarity say some, schizofrenia say others - who knows? The fact of the matter is that this film, or the attention from it, was instrumental in her destruction. Was it worth it?

Shouldn't someone who has noted a streak of self harming in another person try to help them, in stead of exploiting it to make a film? Her parents obviously did not catch it, but Widerberg did - and what does he do? Does he have a talk with her parents? Does he leave her well alone to sort out her own demons? No - he _uses_ it for effect... I find this film immensly beatiful, but I would rather be without it if it meant that Miss Degermark's life had been less troublesome. She was only seventeen and _noone_ helped her handle the attention this brought her.

I've never seen nor heard of this movie until today. You seem to know about it. Maybe you should write the IMDB synopsis (I'm serious). It seems like a movie that I'd like.

"I love corn!"

I agree FULLY with the OP, not only concerning the film but also concerning the actor who portrayed Sixten Sparre. Handsome indeed

[deleted]