Song of Norway (1970)

Based on the life of Norway's greatest composer Edvard Grieg, and filmed in Norway where he lived. The soundtrack is all Edvard Grieg's music with added lyrics.

Director:

Andrew L. Stone

Writers:

Homer Curran (play), Milton Lazarus (musical play)

Stars:

Florence Henderson, Toralv Maurstad, Christina Schollin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toralv Maurstad	...	Edvard Grieg
Florence Henderson	...	Nina Hagerup
Christina Schollin	...	Therese Berg
Frank Porretta	...	Richard Nordraak
Harry Secombe	...	Bioernstjerne Bjoernson
Robert Morley	...	Berg
Edward G. Robinson	...	Krogstad
Elizabeth Larner	...	Mrs. Bjoernson
Oskar Homolka	...	Engstrand
Frederick Jaeger	...	Henrik Ibsen
Henry Gilbert	...	Franz Liszt
Richard Wordsworth	...	Hans Christian Andersen
Bernard Archard	...	George Nordraak
John Barrie	...	Mr. Hagerup
Wenche Foss	...	Mrs. Hagerup

Storyline

Based on the life of Norway's greatest composer Edvard Grieg, and filmed in Norway where he lived. The soundtrack is all Edvard Grieg's music with added lyrics.

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Plot Keywords:

70mm film | country name in title | territory name in title | composer | based on play | 

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Taglines:

A song for the heart to sing...for the world to love!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Canção da Noruega

Filming Locations:

Den Gamle By, Århus, Jylland, Denmark

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Pictures,American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cast member Harry Secombe later said "it's the kind of film you'd take your kids to see... and then leave them there".

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Connections

Referenced in Strauss and Vienna: On Location: The Great Waltz (1972)

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Soundtracks

John Heggerstrom
Music by Edvard Grieg
Music Adaptation and Lyrics by Chet Forrest (as George Forrest) and Bob Wright (as Robert Wright)
Performed by Christina Schollin and Toralv Maurstad

User Reviews

Pretty, but...

I saw this one when I was in high school. I had been warned ahead of time, but I liked classical music, including Grieg, and ignored the warnings. I remember several things about it that really sum the film up, in my opinion.

1. The photography was stunning. Snow, fjords, and Norwegian towns and scenery were really pretty, as were the folk costumes.

2. Grieg's music was nice to listen to, though as in all films about composers, they only give samplings.

Those are the good parts. The bad parts were what sank the boat. There wasn't much of a story. Greig's life wasn't as exciting as many other composers lives, and a lot was padded to keep the story going for 2 or 3 hours. I remember a lot of overacting as well. But the worst part of all was the directing. Forever emblazoned upon my memory is the hideously clichéd scene where Grieg, his wife, and someone else spread their arms and run across a green field, stop on a hillock, and spin around to face the audience. Then they do the same thing again - and again! If that's not enough to make you give up, then nothing is.