''I slik en natt'' (On a Night Like This) is a Norwegian war film from 1958 directed by Sigval Maartmann-Moe. It stars Anne-Lise Tangstad. The music was composed by

Øivin Fjeldstad Øivin Fjeldstad (2 May 1903 – 16 October 1983) was a Norwegian conductor and violinist. Fjeldstad was artistic director and principal conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic from 1962 to 1969. Biography A native of Oslo, Øivin Fjeldstad debute ...

. The title ''I slik en natt'' is taken from

Henrik Wergeland Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...

's poem "Juleaftenen" (Christmas Eve) in his poetry collection '' Jøden'' (The Jew), and the film deals with the Gestapo's search for a group of Jewish children in Oslo and bold action to bring the children to safety.

Plot

In the film

In November 1942 in

occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the World War II, Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the Norwegian Campaign, German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi G ...

, a group of Jewish refugee children are in danger, and a young doctor tries to save them from the Germans. They engage in a dramatic escape to Sweden.

Historical event

Colbjørn Helander's film script is based on an actual event, although it is not a documentary. In the fall of 1942, the Nazis had begun sending Norwegian Jews to concentration camps in Germany. The film shows German soldiers carrying out the arrests of the Jews, but in reality, only Norwegians did it. Several people helped with the escape, but the film combines them in the character of the young female doctor. Two Norwegian women gathered the orphaned Jewish children at an orphanage in Oslo. However, they were also not safe there. Just minutes before the Gestapo arrived, the children had been moved. The real rescue operation was led by the German-Russian child psychologist Nina Hasvoll and the Norwegian

Sigrid Helliesen Lund Sigrid Helliesen Lund (23 February 1892 – 8 December 1987) was a Norwegian peace activist, noted for her humanitarian efforts throughout most of the 20th century, and in particular her resistance to the occupation of Norway during World Wa ...

when the children at the Jewish orphanage in Oslo were smuggled into Sweden in the fall of 1942, thus escaping the Holocaust. Filmmaker Nina Grünfeld's documentary film ''

Ninas barn ''Ninas barn'' (Nina's Children) is a 2015 documentary film about the Jewish Children's Home in Oslo during the Second World War. The film was written and directed by Nina Grünfeld, and it was produced by her company Gründer Film. A book conta ...

'' is about this rescue operation.

Cast

The young doctor is played by Anne-Lise Tangstad. Two other important roles are played by Lalla Carlsen as Maren the housekeeper and Joachim Holst-Jensen as a composer and the young doctor's uncle. Together they manage to keep the young refugees hidden for a few nerve-wracking weeks before they can be sent across the border to Sweden and safety. Something that helped give the film more realism were the two Germans that portrayed SS officers. The director, Sigval Maartmann-Moe, had himself experienced SS men at uncomfortably close range, and he believed that Germans were needed to portray this type. He was able to "borrow"

Günther Hüttmann Günther, Guenther, Ginther, Gunther, and the variants Günter, Guenter, Guenther, Ginter, and Gunter, are Germanic names derived from ''Gunthere, Gunthari'', composed of '' *gunþiz'' "battle" (Old Norse ''gunnr'') and ''heri, hari'' "army". Gun ...

and Ottakar Panning from the German theater and, according to Maartmann-Moe, this German–Norwegian collaboration worked perfectly. *

Lalla Carlsen Lalla Carlsen (née Haralda Petrea Christensen) (17 August 1889 – 23 March 1967) was a Norwegian singer and actress. She was a very popular singer in Norway. Personal life Lalla Carlsen was born in Svelvik as the daughter of shipmaster Carl A ...

as Maren *

Joachim Holst-Jensen Joachim Holst-Jensen (16 June 1880 – 7 March 1963) was a Norwegian stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1927 and 1960. Partial filmography * ''Den glade enke i Trangvik'' (1927) - Berg, telegrafist * ''Madame b ...

as Goggen * Anne-Lise Tangstad as Liv Kraft * Freddie Aronzon as a child refugee * Yvonne Aronzon as a child refugee * Hilde Brenni as the home front contact *

Per Christensen Per Christensen (18 July 1934 – 26 August 2009) was a Norwegian actor. His film credits include ''Elling'', ''Hotel Cæsar'', '' The Warrior's Heart'', and ''The Passionate Demons''. Selected filmography * 1957: '' Slalåm under himmelen'' * 1 ...

as a railway employee * André Deloya as a child refugee * Nili Deloya as a child refugee * Victor Deloya as Lehmann, a doctor *

Stig Egede-Nissen Stig Egede-Nissen (December 11, 1907 – October 4, 1988) was a Norwegian actor and naval officer. Biography Egede-Nissen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Communist Party of Norway leader Adam Egede-Nissen and Goggi ...

as the janitor * Knut M. Hansson as an SS officer *

as von Feldhofen, an SS adjutant * Øivind Johnssen as the driver's brother * Willy Kramer-Johansen as a doctor * Anne-Rita Leimann as a child refugee * Leonard Levin as a child refugee *

Erling Lindahl Erling Lindahl (Juni 23, 1903 – August 8, 1973) was a Norwegian actor and stage director. Lindahl debuted in 1933 at the Comedy Theater () in Bergen and later performed at the National Theater. He appeared in many films and performed at vari ...

as the interrogator * Jon Lennart Mjøen as an SS officer *

Arve Opsahl Arve Opsahl (14 May 1921 – 29 April 2007) was a Norwegian movie and stage actor, singer and stand-up comedian. Opsahl began his career as a comedian in 1942, and played numerous roles both on stage and in more than forty movies. He was then ch ...

as a policeman * Edith Ottosen as an informer * Ingrid Øvre as a nurse * Ottokar Panning as Kranz * Thorleif Reiss as the chief physician * Georg Richter as an SS officer * Arne Riis as a man at the border * Harry Rødner as a child refugee * Jan Rødner as a child refugee * Ethel-Liv Selikowitz as a child refugee * Harry Sam Selikowitz as a child refugee * Rolf Søder as a driver * Tor Stokke as a policeman * Stevelin Urdahl as an SS officer * Aasta Voss

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0140276
''I slik en natt''
at the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway () was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened in 2005. Prior to the e ...

''I slik en natt''
at Filmfront 1958 films Norwegian war drama films Norwegian World War II films Norwegian black-and-white films 1950s Norwegian-language films