Pelle the Conqueror (1987)

The end of the 19th century. A boat filled with Swedish emigrants comes to the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse and his son Pelle who move to Denmark to find work. They find ... See full summary »

Director:

Bille August

Writers:

Martin Andersen Nexø (novel), Bille August (screenplay)

Stars:

Pelle Hvenegaard, Max von Sydow, Erik Paaske

Won 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pelle Hvenegaard	...	Pelle
Max von Sydow	...	Lassefar
Erik Paaske	...	Forvalter / Foreman
Björn Granath	...	Erik (as Bjørn Granath)
Astrid Villaume	...	Fru Kongstrup / Mrs. Kongstrup
Axel Strøbye	...	Kongstrup
Troels Asmussen	...	Rud
Kristina Törnqvist	...	Anna
Karen Wegener	...	Madam Olsen / Mrs. Olsen
Sofie Gråbøl	...	Jomfru Sine / Miss Sine
Lars Simonsen	...	Niels Køller
Buster Larsen	...	Ole Køller
John Wittig	...	Skolelærer / School teacher
Troels Munk	...	Læge / Doctor
Nis Bank-Mikkelsen	...	Præst / Clergyman

Storyline

The end of the 19th century. A boat filled with Swedish emigrants comes to the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse and his son Pelle who move to Denmark to find work. They find employment at a large farm, but are treated as the lowest form of life. Pelle starts to speak Danish but is still harassed as a foreigner. But none of them wants to give up their dream of finding a better life than the life they left in Sweden.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | father son relationship | spanking | farm worker | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

De trodde att världen skulle bli deras

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

Denmark Sweden

Language:

Scanian Danish Swedish Finnish

Release Date:

21 December 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pelle the Conqueror

Filming Locations:

Bregnegården, Tappernøje, Sjælland, Denmark

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,985, 25 December 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,053,931

Company Credits

Production Co:

Per Holst Filmproduktion, Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

157 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is based on the novel by same name, written by Martin Andersen Nexø.

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Goofs

Although set on the island of Bornholm, the characters speak standard Danish instead of the Bornholmsk dialect, and do not have Bornholm accents either.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pelle: Father?
Lassefar: Everything's gonna be fine.
Pelle: Tell it again.
Lassefar: This new country we're going to is very different.
Pelle: Talk more about it.
Lassefar: They put raisins in the pork roast and butter on the bread. They put a lot of butter on the bread. Brandy is cheap as water and it is so strong that it knocks you off. But your father can take it, Pelle, because he's strong.
Pelle: And children are free all day.
Lassefar: Yes, Pelle, yes.
Pelle: Tell it again.
[...]

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Connections

Edited into Eventyret om dansk film 18: Nye perspektiver - 1970-1987 (1996)

User Reviews

Hard Work and Dreams on the Horizon

Max Von Sydow gives a stirring performance as an immigrant father with an enduring dream of conquering the world. Realizing his failure, he instills the dream in his son. Together, they seek a better life in the new land, but are confronted with harsh conditions and a bleak economic system, systemic of poverty and prejudice. The film locations and the fine acting enhance this Danish import. It should be noted that Von Sydow' character is a man possessed with inner strength and is unafraid of the punishing work and low pay, yet in several parts of the story, the father which his son has come to admire, retreats from the simple promises he has given his son. consequentially, the boy learns to accept his father as just an ordinary man with an enduring dream. Don't we all? ***