Pelle the Conqueror

(1987) In 19th century Denmark, Swedish immigrant worker Max von Sydow boasts it’s going to be “pork roast with raisins” to son Pelle Hvenegaard. But as the seasons change around their tiny room off the cow pens, 12-year-old Pelle’s eyes widen as he witnesses anti-Swedish prejudice, the kindness of the lady of house, the philandering of the man of the house – which comes to an all-too-fitting end – an abortion/suicidal sacrifice, a dream of America, incest, and a thwarted peasant revolt, and even von Sydow’s dream of coffee in bed on Sundays. Adapting from the first volume of Martin Andersen Nexø’s turn-of-the-20th-century four-volume semi-autobiographical series (de rigeur reading in Scandinavia), August vetted 3,000 children until he found young Hvenegaard (oddly enough, named after the character in the book); the camera of Jörgen Persson (Elvira Madigan) beautifully evokes the changing scenes of nature as the seasons unfold. But Pelle belongs to an at-last-Oscar-nominated von Sydow, effortlessly creating the boastful, subservient, played-out Lasse, at one point summoning up worlds of meaning with just his fly-speckled back.  DCP restoration. Approx. 150 mins.

A FILM MOVEMENT RELEASE