''Myglaren'' was the first

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

film produced in Sweden, airing on 31 May 1966. It was commissioned by the national television broadcaster

Sveriges Television Sveriges Television AB ("Sweden's Television aktiebolag, Stock Company"), shortened to SVT (), is the Sweden, Swedish national public broadcasting, public television broadcaster, funded by a public service tax on personal income set by the Riksd ...

and directed by

Jan Myrdal Jan Myrdal (19 July 1927 – 30 October 2020) was a Swedish author known for his strident Maoist, anti-imperialist and contrarian views and heterodox and highly subjective style of autobiography. Family Born in Bromma, Stockholm, in 1927, Jan ...

and Rune Hassner. The film, which was written by Myrdal, has been labeled as "one of the first successful political films in Sweden." It tells the story of a man, myglaren, who works for the well-being of the employees at an organization presented as "the movement", hinting at the

labour movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

or the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

. Through various schemes, he is able to climb the ladder of success and foster himself and his work. The man works flexibly and manipulates his surroundings, allowing him to build a successful career and become a known name in Swedish well-being research. At the end he is assigned to start a governmental authority to foster the well-being of people in the society. The film shows his way to the top through fancy dinners, relationship making, and his handling of the media. ''Myglaren'' is 86 minutes long and was filmed in black-and-white. Photographer

Christer Strömholm Ture Christer Strömholm (22 July 1918 – 11 January 2002), also known by the pseudonym Christer Christian, was a Swedish photographer and educator. He is known for his intimate black and white street photography portrait series, particularly hi ...

plays the lead role in the film. The film was a sensation in Sweden and after six airings on television, it reached a larger audience than any prior Swedish film had. ''Myglaren'' was a sharp, modern social satire, a format that is unlikely to have been used in any previous Swedish films. Following the multiple airings of ''Myglaren'', the noun "myglare" has been a common expression in Sweden. The dictionary ''Svensk ordbok'' defines it as a person who advances his or her own interests by scheming. ''Myglaren'' sparked a debate as to whether or not made-for-television films should qualify for

Svenska Filminstitutet The Swedish Film Institute () (SFI) is a statutory body located in Stockholm, Sweden that supports the Swedish film industry. Founded in 1963, the institute is responsible for administering the annual Guldbagge Awards, and for managing the Swe ...

's (English: The Swedish Film Institute) quality

subsidy A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acc ...

. This debate led to a fight between Myrdal and

Harry Schein Harry Leo Schein (13 October 1924 – 11 February 2006) was an Austrian-born Sweden, Swedish chemical engineer, writer and a major figure in Culture of Sweden, Swedish culture. Born in Vienna, Schein was a founder of the Swedish Film Institute an ...

, then-Managing Director of Svenska Filminstitutet. To qualify for the subsidy, the film was resized to a 33 millimeter format and was shown in a cinema once. Despite this, the film did not receive enough quality points in the vote by Svenska Filminstitutet's board of directors. Many believed the vote had been fixed in advance, and Myrdal called Schein a "cultural wangler". When the film was later released in movie theaters for the general public, it was viewed by 297 people, which Schein stated was "hopefully an unbreakable all-time low for Swedish cinema." ''Myglaren'' was released on DVD in 2004 by the distributor Folkets Bio.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0060729
Free download of the film
1966 television films Swedish television films 1960s Swedish-language films