Pelle the Conqueror (1987) [w/Commentary]

The end of the 19th century. A boat filled with Swedish emigrants comes to the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse and his son Pelle who move to Denmark to find work. They find employment at a large farm, but are treated as the lowest form of life. Pelle starts to speak Danish but is still harassed as a foreigner. But none of them wants to give up their dream of finding a better life than the life they left in Sweden.



Audio Commentary by scholar Peter Cowie who is perhaps best known for his work on Criterion's Bergman flicks. He starts off this track with some background on the source novel, likening it to the Olof novels of Swedish author Eyvind Johnson. He also reveals that actor Hvenegaard was named after Nexø's Pelle character because his mother so admired the novels, that August took over the adaptation from Per Olov Enquist (The Hour of the Lynx) when he felt that the writer was departing too far from the source and incorporating his own autobiographical material, and the design choices of production designer Anna Asp (Fanny and Alexander). Cowie also provides some historical context to film, Scandinavian emigration, and illiteracy during the period. He also discusses August's career and his collaboration with Bergman.