IMDb > Fröken Julie (1951)

Fröken Julie (1951) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   407 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for Miss Julie on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 June 1951 (France) more
Genre:
Plot:
Late 19th century. The young miss Julie lives in a mansion with her father. She has recently broken... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Berlin 2010: Play it Again …! Series
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 11 November 2009, 2:01 PM, PST)

From 1922-1979: Get Your Film School Starter Pack Now
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 23 November 2008, 10:07 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Visually magnificent and wonderfully performed more (8 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Anita Björk ... Miss Julie
Ulf Palme ... Jean
Märta Dorff ... Kristin, cook
Lissi Alandh ... Countess Berta, Julie's mother
Anders Henrikson ... Count Carl, Julie's father
Inga Gill ... Viola
Åke Fridell ... Robert
Kurt-Olof Sundström ... Julie's Fiancé

Max von Sydow ... Hand
Margaretha Krook ... Governess (as Margareta Krook)
Åke Claesson ... Doctor
Inger Norberg ... Julie as a child
Jan Hagerman ... Jean as a child
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Miss Julie (USA)
more
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Spain:18 (re-rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 (re-rating: 2001) | Finland:K-12 (re-rating: 1964) | USA:Not Rated | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Swedish censorship certificate # 078560 renewed in 1953, 1976 and 1978. more
Movie Connections:
Remake of Júlia kisasszony (1919) more
Soundtrack:
Näver polka more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Visually magnificent and wonderfully performed, 15 January 2007
10/10
Author: Howard Schumann from Vancouver, B.C.

Based on a well-known play by August Strindberg, Alf Sjoberg's Miss Julie depicts the struggle for survival between classes and genders in late 19th century Sweden that leads to confusion and tragedy. Because of its frank portrayal of sex between a lower-class servant and an upper-class aristocrat, the play was banned in Europe until 1906 and in Britain until 1939. It is highly regarded, however, as an important work in the literary genre that became known as Naturalism. Compellingly played by Anita Bjork who completely captures her character's erratic willfulness, Miss Julie, the 25-year old daughter of Count Carl (Anders Henrikson) is estranged from the society in which she grew up and fights against the restrictions placed on her because of her status.

Julie is a rebel who treats social conventions of the time with disdain, though she still demands to be treated as a proper woman. Having recently broken up with her fiancé (Kurt-Olof Sundström) after what would now be called an S&M incident in which she literally makes him jump through hoops like a trained dog, she is open for sexual adventure. The adventure she finds takes the form of the handsome butler Jean (Ulf Palme) whom she seduces following the drunken revelries celebrating Midsummer Eve, a pagan ritual. It is an act which, though only mildly reprehensible today, was viewed as depraved in Strindberg's time and led to the author's characterization of Julie as being "sick".

Although Jean is engaged to the cook, Christine (Marta Dorff), neither Jean nor his fiancé object because they see the act as an honor due to Julie's social position. The seduction, however, leads to her loss of respect from the servants as well as the loss of her own self respect. To escape from their untenable situation, the two lovers talk about leaving on the next train to Switzerland where Jean fantasizes about owning a hotel but the tangled web they have woven leads to unforeseen consequences.

One of the highlights of the film for me was the seamless inter-mixing of dream intervals and flashbacks from childhood. In her dream, Miss Julie is high up on a ledge or mountain. She can no longer hold on but lacks the courage to come down, though she has a longing to fall. Jean, on the other hand, wants to climb a high tree but is unable to reach the top. In flashbacks, Miss Julie recalls how her mother Berta (Lissi Alandh) saw herself as a feminist who was opposed to marriage and only wanted to be the count's mistress. When she gave birth to a daughter, she exacted her revenge by raising the girl as a boy and carrying on various misdeeds until the estate went bankrupt.

Despite its anachronistic and morbid social outlook, Sjoberg's Miss Julie is not a grim experience. The director lightens it up considerably with country scenes of folk dancing, horseback riding, and rowing, all in an idyllic setting, beautifully photographed by Goran Strindberg. Though it reflects Strindberg's distorted view of women as hysterics, Miss Julie is a superb film and a treat for the senses, both visually magnificent and wonderfully performed. It has a well-deserved reputation as being one of the greatest Swedish films of all time.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (8 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Fröken Julie (1951)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Dangerous Liaisons Les liaisons dangereuses Viskningar och rop Senso Brief Encounter
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb Sweden section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.