Scandinavian Cinema
'Scandinavian' is an Alice grouping which includes Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. To find films from one of these countries specifically use the 'By Country' link on the left hand menu.
From the sublime to the ridiculous; from Bergman to Lars von Trier, there is something in this section for everyone.
Films from this region are often deeply personal and have a brutal honesty about them. Characters are often deeply flawed or troubled but not judged. The Dogme 95 collective (founded by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg) exemplifies this attitude in their manifesto. Not just the stories but the film-making process itself is absolutely 'no frills'. (Visit www.dogme95.dk for more details.)
Other notables in this section include the quirky Finlander, Aki Kaurismaki, Fridrik Thor Fridrikkson from Iceland and Norwegian, Erik Skjoldjaerg.
Pictured: "It's one of the most delicious parts I've ever played. I've never been such a bastard before." Stellan Skaarsgard on his role in the rivetting 'Zero Kelvin'
The Silence (1963)
8/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, Jorgen Lindstrom
Part of the Bergman trilogy dealing with the existence of God. Two women are stranded in a remote village where the language is incomprehensible. As o... Read more
The Virgin Spring (1960)
8.1/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg, Gunnel Lindblom
This stunning work stars Max Von Sydow in an exploration of a father's revenge for the rape and murder of his daughter. The highly contrasting black a... Read more
The Magician (1959)
7.5/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand
Set in the 1840s in Stockholm, the mystery and enigma of life and death itself are embodied in Vogler, the magician who runs "Vogler's Magnetic Health... Read more
Brink of Life (1958)
7.7/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Bibi Andersson, Erland Josephson, Ingrid Thulin, Max von Sydow, Eva Dahlbeck
Three seemingly different women meet in a Stockholm maternity ward in this award-winning drama from Ingmar Bergman ("Persona"), which compares and con... Read more
Wild Strawberries (1957)
8.2/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Victor Sjostrom, Gunnar Bjornstrand
The film that catapulted Bergman to the forefront of world cinema is the directors richest, most humane movie. Traveling to receive an honorary degre... Read more
The Seventh Seal (1957)
8.2/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson
Disillusioned and exhausted after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight (Max von Sydow) encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges h... Read more
Sawdust and Tinsel (1956)
7.7/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Ake Gronberg, Harriet Andersson
Ingmar Bergman presents the battle of the sexes as a ramshackle, grotesque carnival in one of his most vivid early works. A twisted relationship devel... Read more
Dreams (1955)
7.2/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand
While on vacation, photo agency owner Susanne (Eva Dahlbeck) hopes to rendezvous with her married lover. The man's wife puts the kibosh on this, where... Read more
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
7.9/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, Margit Carl...
Ingmar Bergman's first international success is a delightful comedy of manners about four star-crossed couples spending a Nordic night at a turn-of-th... Read more
Ordet (1954)
8.2/10
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Starring: Henrik Malberg, Emil Hass Christensen
A tale of miraculous resurrection brought about by human love, Carl Dreyer's Ordet is an extraordinary expression of spiritual optimism without being... Read more