''Raven's End'' () is a 1963 Swedish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Bo Widerberg Bo Gunnar Widerberg (; 8 June 1930 – 1 May 1997) was a Sweden, Swedish film director, screenwriter, writer, film editing, editor and actor. Biography Early life Widerberg was born in Malmö, Malmöhus County, Sweden. Career Bo Widerberg began ...

, about an aspiring working-class writer in

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

. The story bears some similarities to Widerberg's own background, although he claimed it to be entirely fictional.

Plot

In the mid-1930s, Anders dreams of becoming a writer. His friend Sixten dreams of becoming a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player so he can go to Paris and meet prostitutes in fur. Anders' ambitions are supported by his girlfriend, Elsie, and his parents. His mother supports the family by doing laundry, while his father, who is unemployed, struggles with alcohol and gambling. Anders sends a manuscript for a book he has written about the block they live in to a publisher in Stockholm. He is asked to come to Stockholm and discuss the book, which excites his father. However, the publisher declines to publish the book, and when Anders returns, they all become very disappointed. Elsie becomes pregnant with Anders' child. Anders seeks advice from his father, but his father is drunk, and they end up fighting. The father blames his wife for all the misery they are suffering, attributing it to an affair she once had. The mother blames the father, believing his violent behavior led to her infidelity. Anders decides to leave his family, his pregnant girlfriend, and all the misery behind. He joins Sixten, and they both travel to Stockholm.

Cast

* Thommy Berggren as Anders * Keve Hjelm as His Father * Emy Storm as His Mother * Christina Frambäck as Elsie * Ingvar Hirdwall as Sixten *

Agneta Prytz Agneta Prytz (15 December 1916 – 4 July 2008) was a Swedish movie and stage actress who appeared in thirty-six films over the course of her career. Prytz was the wife of Swedish director, Gösta Folke. Prytz was born Ingrid Agneta Prytz on 15 ...

as Neighbour * Fritiof Nilsson Piraten as himself * Nina Widerberg as Nina

Production

The film was shot on location in a run-down Malmö block that was soon to be demolished. Locals were used as extras to strengthen the feeling of authenticity.

Awards and nominations

At the 1st Guldbagge Awards Keve Hjelm was awarded the Guldbagge for Best Actor. The film was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. It was also entered into the official selection at the

1964 Cannes Film Festival The 17th Cannes Film Festival took place from 29 April to 14 May 1964. Austrian filmmaker Fritz Lang served as jury president for the main competition. On this edition, the ''Palme d’Or'' was renamed "''Grand Prix du Festival International du ...

, competing for the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

References

External links