Elvira Madigan
Elvira Madigan • 1h 30m
Directed by Bo Widerberg • 1967 • Sweden
Starring Pia Degermark, Thommy Berggren, Lennart Malmer
Based on a true nineteenth-century romantic tragedy, this rapturously beautiful period drama traces the doomed affair between a teenage tightrope walker (Pia Degermark, winner of the Cannes Best Actress prize) and a young Swedish officer (Thommy Berggren) who deserts both the army and his family to be with her. As the economic precarity of their situation becomes clear, however, cold, hard reality begins to intrude upon their lovers’ idyll. The gorgeous, sun-dappled cinematography and Mozart soundtrack (the Piano Concerto no. 21, which came to be known as the “Elvira Madigan Concerto”) enhance the air of intoxicating romanticism.
Up Next in Elvira Madigan
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ELVIRA MADIGAN Behind the scenes
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Bo Widerberg on “Filmrutan,” 1967
In September 1967, to coincide with the release of ELVIRA MADIGAN, Bo Widerberg was a guest on the Swedish television program “Filmrutan.” For the occasion, a roundtable composed of children quizzed the director about his film.
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Jörgen Persson on Bo Widerberg
In this interview, conducted in 2021, cinematographer Jörgen Persson discusses director Bo Widerberg and working with him on ELVIRA MADIGAN and ÅDALEN 31.
