Hunger (1966 film)
Sult | |
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Directed by | Henning Carlsen |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Henning Kristiansen |
Edited by | Henning Carlsen |
Music by | Krzysztof Komeda |
Distributed by | Athena Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
Countries |
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Languages | Swedish, Norwegian, Danish |
Hunger (Danish: Sult, Swedish: Svält) is a 1966 black-and-white drama film directed by Denmark's Henning Carlsen, starring Swedish actor Per Oscarsson, and based upon the novel Hunger by Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning author Knut Hamsun.[1] Filmed on location in Oslo, it was the first film produced as a cooperative effort among the three Scandinavian countries.[2]
With its stark focus on a life of poverty and desperation, the film is considered a masterpiece of social realism.[3] Film historians suggest it was the first Danish film to gain serious international attention since the work of Carl Theodor Dreyer.[4] It is one of the ten films listed in Denmark's cultural canon by the Danish Ministry of Culture.[3]
Plot
[edit]In 1890 Kristiania (Oslo), an impoverished and lonely writer named Pontus (Per Oscarsson) comes to the city from the country. He stands on a bridge, overlooking running water, writing but clearly starving. He visits a pawnbroker several times. He sells his waistcoat for a few cents, then gives the money to a beggar. Other money that falls into his hands he also gives away. He has written an article that a newspaper editor (Henki Kolstad) agrees to publish if he makes some corrections, but Pontus is too proud to accept an advance when offered, so he leaves elated but still hungry. He begs a bone for his fictitious dog, which he gnaws on secretly in an alley. He often has the chance to make things better for himself, but his pride gets in the way, such as when he declines the much-needed help of a worried friend.
When he is unable to pay his rent, the landlady (Else Heiberg) evicts him. Another landlady shortly does the same. Hunger is constantly overwhelming Pontus and he drifts between hallucination and reality while struggling to survive. He suffers humiliations which lead him to the edge of insanity. He applies for an accounting job but is rejected, and fails a physical exam to be a fireman because he wears glasses. One hallucination revolves around Ylajali (Gunnel Lindblom), an apparently refined woman he has met on the street. Despite their mutual flirtations, nothing ever evolves between them. On a sudden impulse, Pontus takes a job as a crew member on an outbound freighter. His destination is unknown.
Cast
[edit]- Per Oscarsson ... Pontus
- Gunnel Lindblom ... Ylajali
- Birgitte Federspiel ... Her sister
- Knud Rex ... Landlord
- Hans W. Petersen ... Grocer
- Henki Kolstad ... Editor
- Roy Bjørnstad ... Konstantin
- Sverre Hansen ... Painter
- Pål Skjønberg ... Constable
- Else Heiberg ... Landlady
- Lise Fjeldstad ... Little girl
- Carl Ottosen ... Sailor
- Osvald Helmuth ... Pawnbroker
- Sigrid Horne-Rasmussen ... Landlady
Awards
[edit]The film was nominated for the Palme D'Or and won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film in 1967. For his leading role, Oscarsson won Best Actor awards at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival,[5] the Best Actor award at the 4th Guldbagge Awards,[6] 1967 Bodil Awards and the USA's National Society of Film Critics award for Best Actor in 1968. The film was also selected as the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[7]
See also
[edit]- List of submissions to the 39th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Danish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
[edit]- ^ Monty, Ib Sult (Hunger), International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers, 2000
- ^ Nestingen et al. 2005, p. 143.
- ^ a b "Sult" (PDF). Kulturkanonen (in Danish). Kulturministeriet. January 2006. pp. 91–92. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ^ Nestingen et al. 2005, p. 119.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Hunger". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ "Svält (1966)". Swedish Film Institute. 1 March 2014.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Sources
[edit]- Nestingen, A.A.; Nestingen, A.K.; Elkington, T.G.; Wayne State University Press; Bondebjerg, I.; Redvall, E.N.; Schepelern, P.; Wright, R.; Pantti, M.; Møller, B. (2005). Transnational Cinema in a Global North: Nordic Cinema in Transition. Contemporary Film and Television Series. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3243-6. OCLC 56517403. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
External links
[edit]- 1966 films
- 1966 drama films
- Best Danish Film Bodil Award winners
- Danish black-and-white films
- Danish Culture Canon
- Danish drama films
- 1960s Danish-language films
- Films based on Norwegian novels
- Films based on works by Knut Hamsun
- Films directed by Henning Carlsen
- Films scored by Krzysztof Komeda
- Films set in Norway
- Films set in the 1890s
- Norwegian black-and-white films
- 1960s Norwegian-language films
- Swedish black-and-white films
- 1960s multilingual films
- Danish multilingual films
- Norwegian multilingual films
- Swedish multilingual films