The Man from Majorca (1984)

In Stockholm, on St. Lucy's feast day, a bandit daringly robs a crowded post office. Within a fortnight, two witnesses are dead. Two cops from vice squad, Johansson and Jarnebring, who were... See full summary »

Director:

Bo Widerberg

Writers:

Leif G.W. Persson (novel), Bo Widerberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Sven Wollter, Tomas von Brömssen, Håkan Serner

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sven Wollter	...	Inspector Jarnebring
Tomas von Brömssen	...	Inspector Johansson
Håkan Serner	...	Inspector Andersson
Ernst Günther	...	Dahlgren
Thomas Hellberg	...	Berg
Ingvar Hirdwall	...	Fors (as Ingvar Hirdvall)
Niels Jensen	...	Roger 'Rogge' Jansson
Tommy Johnson	...	Inspector Rundberg
Rico Rönnbäck	...	Kjell Göran Hedberg
Hans Villius	...	Minister of Justice (as Hans Willius)
Sten Lonnert	...	Olsson, Alcoholic
Nina Gunke	...	Eva Zetterberg
Margreth Weivers	...	Alva Wiström
Gun Karlsson	...	Mrs. Forsberg, Witness at the Post Office
Marie Delleskog	...	Janna, Roger's Fiancée

Storyline

In Stockholm, on St. Lucy's feast day, a bandit daringly robs a crowded post office. Within a fortnight, two witnesses are dead. Two cops from vice squad, Johansson and Jarnebring, who were the first to the crime scene, pursue all leads and identify a suspect, an arrogant member of the elite secret police, a man assigned to guard the country's Minister of Justice. Just as the beat cops think they've tightened the noose around the suspect, loose ends appear, witnesses lose their certainty, alibis crop up, and even the cops doubt what they've seen. Who's protecting the suspect and why?

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Plot Keywords:

poliziottesco | swedish poliziottesco | view through binoculars | saint lucia | security police | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of the book that the film is based on is "Grisfesten" (The Pig Feast), but director Bo Widerberg changed the title to avoid confusion with Sällskapsresan eller Finns det svenskt kaffe på grisfesten (1980), a very light-hearted comedy which subtitle translates to "Will there be any Swedish coffee at the pig feast". Also, seeing as this was Widerberg's first proper cinematic release since the highly successful Man on the Roof (1976), both police films, the title chosen connected to the former, both starting with "Mannen" (The Man).

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Goofs

When the inspectors respond to the alert about the robbery, they fail to identify themselves by unit number, which is compulsory. (Later in the film, we learn that their unit number is 1648.)

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Quotes

Kjell Göran Hedberg: We didn't see you guys, and we are damned grateful about it.
Inspector Jarnebring: No of course not, damn it, we are detectives. Watch but don't be watched, that is the motto of the detective squad.

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Crazy Credits

There are no end credits for this film. All credits are shown at the beginning, and at the end, the film simply fades to black.

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Connections

Referenced in Zingo (1998)

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Soundtracks

Santa Lucia/Ute är mörkt och kallt
(uncredited)
Written by Teodoro Cottrau
Swedish lyrics by unknown
[Sung by the children that visit the post office]

User Reviews

Close to perfection

It's rare to see a movie that is almost without a fault. This is one of them, although you might have had to have experienced Sweden in the 1980s to get the full impacct - and not to find some of the sub-plots or plot points improbable. The reality behind the movie, as eloquently elaborated on in "Call Girl" (2012) starring Pernilla August, was actually even uglier, and the author of the book - criminology professor and police expert Leif GW Persson - this movie is based on had a pivotal role himself in the real-life scandal. This paves the way for a great deal of authenticity, and the director Bo Widerberg pours all of his considerable talent into establishing that even further - yes, life really was that bleak, and the score actually *sounds* like the way it all looked and felt. However, Widerberg adds to that a great deal of suspense and action; a very great deal, even, especially for a Swedish movie of the time. The eerie footage of the villain and his car, for instance, is of Hitchcock class. Some of the finest actors available in those days also contribute memorable performances. Nobody can tell a whole story through a simple sigh as Tommy Johnsson did; the apparent disillusionment and overwork burden of Andersson is told only by Håkan Serner's fatigued-but-hopeful facial expression, and the walrus-like, condescending fatberg Dahlgren becomes equally likeable and revolting when played by Ernst Günther - not much needs to be said of the mutual dislike between him and the detective heroes. Speaking of which, Thomas von Brömssen acts out Johansson's heartbreaking backstory with enough subtlety for us to feel it and ache for it without it becoming preachy. The political dimension of the film also becomes apparent only as the plot unfolds, leading up to... well, let's just say it isn't your standard cop flick. In short, Widerberg manages to internalise the suspense into his audience, making it ever more powerful than it could have otherwise become.

Details

Country:

Sweden Denmark

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

12 October 1984 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Man from Majorca

Filming Locations:

Biologiska museet, Djurgården, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Drakfilm Produktion, Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI), Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1