Kristin Lavransdatter (1995)

Kristin is the daughter of a prominent landowner in medieval Norway. She grows up in total harmony with the ideals of the time: strong family ties, social pride and devout Christianity. She... See full summary »

Director:

Liv Ullmann

Writers:

Liv Ullmann, Sigrid Undset (novel)

Stars:

Linus Aaberg, Gisken Armand, Berard Arnø

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Linus Aaberg
Gisken Armand	...	Ingbjørg
Berard Arnø	...	Ung Erlend
Bernhard Arnø	...	Arne Gyrdson
Peter Baden	...	Bentein som barn
Lars-Erik Berenett	...	Bjørn
Svein Erik Brodal	...	Munan Bårdsson
Joachim Calmeyer	...	Sira Eirik
Lena Endre	...	Eline Ormsdatter
Vibeke Falk	...	Tordis
George Fant	...	Bård Petersson
Astrid Folstad	...	Groa Guttormsdotter
Gina Green	...	Young Dancer
Hilde Grythe	...	Cecilia
Paul-Ottar Haga	...	Bentein

Storyline

Kristin is the daughter of a prominent landowner in medieval Norway. She grows up in total harmony with the ideals of the time: strong family ties, social pride and devout Christianity. She accepts the fact that her father has arranged for her to marry the son of another landowner. Kristin's beauty and purity create violent emotions around her. There are envy and attempted rape, murder and revenge. She seeks refuge from the world in a convent, awaiting the time for her marriage. Here the passion of her life strikes, the knight Erlend Nikulaussonn. He, an accomplished seducer, also falls hopelessly in love. They have to cross not only convent walls to meet, but social boundaries as well. Their love cannot be kept secret, and suddenly the innocent Kristin is the centre of a scandal. Her fiance withdraws from their engagement, her father rages, and Erlend's former mistress tries to poison her. The affair grows into a political issue, and finally some of the country's most dignified ...

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Plot Keywords:

love | convent | f rated | title directed by female | male female relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Germany Norway Sweden

Language:

Norwegian

Release Date:

25 August 1995 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Kransen

Filming Locations:

Jomfruland, Norway

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lavransdatter AB, Lefwander Kapitalförvaltning AB, Norsk Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Norwegian entry to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1996.

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Alternate Versions

The film premiered in the United States at a length of 144 minutes. The original length was 187 minutes. A restored version was released to video in North America, with all the cut footage intact.

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Connections

Referenced in The Danish Poet (2006)

User Reviews

Kristin Lavransdatter not sure why this has low rating of 5 out of 10

I did not read Undset's great book trilogy about 14th century Norway. This is Liv Ullmann's second directorial attempt. She was best known for her acting roles in Ingmar Bergman's films. It is a film about medieval spirituality both paganism & Christianity. The production of the film is lavish film with epic type dimensions & cinematography. It is a long move 3 hours. Kristin is the daughter of a prominent landowner in medieval Norway. She grows up in total harmony with the ideals of the time: strong family ties, social pride & devout Christianity. She accepts the fact that her father has arranged for her to marry the son of another landowner. Kristin's beauty & purity create violent emotions around her. There are envy & attempted rape, murder & revenge. She seeks refuge from the world in a convent, waiting the time for her marriage. Here the passion of her life strikes, the knight Erlend Nikulaussonn. He, an accomplished seducer, also falls hopelessly in love. They have to cross not only convent walls to meet, but social boundaries as well. Their love cannot be kept secret, & suddenly the innocent Kristin is the centre of a scandal. Her fiancé withdraws from their engagement, her father rages, & Erlend's former mistress tries to poison her. The affair grows into a political issue, & finally some of the country's most dignified leaders persuade Lavrans to give in. The lovers win each other, but it is in front of a charred altar in a burnt down church, & their happiness has a double edge. The film is a cinematic masterpiece. Ullmann has learned well from her teacher Ingmar Bergman & this is a really magical beautiful 14th century tale. Every scene is a pleasure to behold thanks to SVEN NYKVIST's cinematography. This DVD contained the full 3 hours & contained the 20 minutes omitted from the original film release. Some will say that Ullmann ultimately doesn't succeed in bringing Kristin's passion to life on screen in a convincing fashion. I disagree I loved this film