Hamnstad (1948)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writers:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)
Olle Länsberg (novel)

Release Date:

1 August 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Berit is a young woman with problems. She is suicidal and depressed. Since it has been impossible for her to live with her mother...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Delinquent | Abortion | Port | Sailor

Cast

Nine-Christine Jönsson	...	Berit
Bengt Eklund	...	Gösta
Mimi Nelson	...	Gertrud
Berta Hall	...	Berit's mother
Birgitta Valberg	...	Mrs. Vilander
Sif Ruud	...	Mrs. Krona
Britta Billsten	...	Prostitute
Harry Ahlin	...	Skåningen
Nils Hallberg	...	Gustav
Sven-Eric Gamble	...	Eken
Yngve Nordwall	...	The Supervisor
Nils Dahlgren	...	Gertrud's father
Hans Strååt	...	Mr. Vilander
Erik Hell	...	Berit's father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edvard Danielsson	...	Man (scenes deleted)
Carl Deurell	...	Vicar (scenes deleted)
Kolbjörn Knudsen	...	Sailor (scenes deleted)
Gunnar Nielsen	...	Gentleman (scenes deleted)
Georg Skarstedt	...	Gentleman (scenes deleted)
Siv Thulin	...	Girl (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Harbour City (International: English title)
Port of Call (USA)

Runtime:

100 min | Germany:99 min | UK:94 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

The book which Gösta reads on his bed is 'Resor utan mål' ('Journeys Without Destination') by Swedish author and future Nobel laureate in Literature (1974) Harry Martinson. Martinson was, indeed, a sailor before becoming an author, and the book, published in 1932 as Martinson's first prose volume (his greatest fame would come for his poetry), was a document of his own experiences as one, written at twenty-eight after he had given up the sea due to a combination of lack of employment and a bout of tuberculosis. A sailor like Gösta would indeed have found much interest in the book, as it dealt realistically with the life of a sailor from his country living a life very similar to his own. The book itself has sadly never been published in English, but Martinson's second novel, 'Kap Farväl!', somewhat similar to 'Resor utan mål', was translated as 'Cape Farewell'. Director Ingmar Bergman was indeed an admirer of his countryman Martinson and, in 1964, he staged the premiere of Martinson's play 'Tre knivar från Wei' ('Three Knives From Wei'), although, unfortunately, he considered the production an unmitigated disaster.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

Watching this film will enable you to know that it is not a typical Bergman film.

"Hamnstad" is one of the rare Swedish films focusing on family life.Its uniqueness is due to the fact that it has an eclectic mix of serious themes. These themes include bitter, harsh realities like abortion,broken home, correctional house etc. Bergman has deftly portrayed the dreary lives of its two lonely protagonists : Gosta and Berit. For this purpose, he has chosen a small provincial port town where nothing much happens. This film is a good record of how gloomy the life in Sweden (Europe) during 1940s was. Bergman has also shown us how all emotional problems are solved if lovers decide to remain true to each other. This is precisely the case of Gosta and Berit.Gosta has always led a hard life. He is a moody soul too. As a sailor, he has been out on sea for many years. For this reason he is unable to believe that some girl can enter his life in order to love him.There are doubts in Berit's mind too. As a loner, she tries hard to leave her past behind. As a young lass, Berit witnessed numerous fights involving her father and mother. This is one of the reasons why there is enormous distance between Berit and her mother. It is during one of these turbulent emotional phases that Berit meets Gosta. Even though Gosta is a tough nut to crack, his love for Berit is real. On one occasion, Gosta fights some young rascals to prove his intensity of emotional attachment for Berit. Gosta even proves that he is the ideal man for Berit as he solemnly ignores Berit's revelation that in the past, she was sent to a correction house. He urges Berit to make an earnest effort to leave her past behind. Berit has no hesitation at all in following this humble piece of advice. It is precisely in this manner that both Berit and Gosta embark on a successful journey to lead a happy, joyful life as companions for life. All of Bergman's film have a message to offer to audiences. Through "Hamnstad", he wishes to tell us all that being alone is a terrible feeling.