Rasmus på luffen (1981)

Rasmus lives at an orphanage. He's OK, but wants a mom and a dad, and from time to time some comes to find a child, but they always chose little girls curls. Rasmus realizes he has to run away and find parents himself.

Director:

Olle Hellbom

Writer:

Astrid Lindgren

Stars:

Allan Edwall, Erik Lindgren, Jarl Kulle

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Allan Edwall	...	Oskar
Erik Lindgren	...	Rasmus
Jarl Kulle	...	Lif
Håkan Serner	...	Liander
Olof Bergström	...	Länsman
Rolf Larsson	...	Policeman Bergqvist
Lena Brogren	...	Martina, Oskar's Wife
Tommy Johnson	...	Nilsson i Stensättra
Lars Amble	...	Merchant
Lena Nyman	...	Merchant's wife
Gösta Linderholm	...	Sju Attan, Tramp
Göran Graffman	...	Rosasco, Tramp
Ulla-Britt Norrman-Olsson	...	(as Ulla-Britt Norrman)
Roland Hedlund	...	Policeman Andersson
Emy Storm	...	Principal of Orphanage

Storyline

Rasmus lives at an orphanage. He's OK, but wants a mom and a dad, and from time to time some comes to find a child, but they always chose little girls curls. Rasmus realizes he has to run away and find parents himself.

---

Plot Keywords:

orphanage | story continued during end credits | vagabond | character name in title | 

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

---

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

12 December 1981 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Rasmus and the Vagabond

Filming Locations:

Dala-Järna, Vansbro, Dalarnas län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actress Lena Nyman appears both in this film and in the original Luffaren och Rasmus [1955]. In the latter one, she portrayed the curly-haired orphanage girl who gets adopted instead of Rasmus. In this one, she portrays the girls new mother.

---

Connections

Edited into Rasmus på luffen (1986)

User Reviews

An enchanting film

Rasmus is a young boy in an orphanage in rural Sweden during the early years of the 20th century. Every time when potential foster-parents arrive, Rasmus is overlooked. Then one day he just has enough and decides to find his own foster-parents. He just walks out of the orphanage into the wide world. Along the way he meets a tramp, Oskar, who makes his living by playing his accordion at farmsteads and villages he visits in his travels, in return for a few coins or a plate of food. He joins the tramp and together they have many adventures, including crossing paths with a couple of burglars who are dressed as gentlemen. The latter have just robbed a business of a large sum of money during a hold-up. Things get problematic for the tramp and Rasmus when the 'gentlemen' spread word that the tramp and boy are behind the spate of recent burglaries in the vicinity. And almost everybody believed them and suspected the bum and his young accomplice to be the culprits.

It may sound as if this is a film rather thin on plot aimed at younger viewers. However, this movie is not as simple as it sounds and has many quality cinematic elements. The set is lavish and realistic, costumes great, but it is the cinematography in particular that impresses. Beautifully shot pastoral scenes in verdant summer landscapes, contrasted with atmospheric indoor footage. The casting is excellent too; both Allan Edwall (Oskar) and Erik Lindgren (Rasmus) play their roles with distinction. Erik Lindgren's facial expressions alone say more than words.

I score this well-crafted film a good 7/10.