Sonja: The White Swan (2018) User Reviews

Don't expect to learn much about the life of Sonja Henie

[jeff-tick · 6/10 · 5 April 2020]

I saw this film last night and although Ine Marie Wilmann gave an outstanding performance as a willful, domineering, forthright, Sonja Henie, one couldn't help feeling as though one missed more than half her story; ie. the reason the film was made in the first place. The story focuses primarily on Henie's life in America as a Diva/business woman, making bold deals with the film industry and business associates and as a rich spoiled egocentric star who abuses those working for her. There is a lot of time taken up with her relationship to her assistant - Connie, who is a fictional character. Although this might symbolize the relationship she had with her associates, one has been dealt an empty hand when it comes to knowing how the past contributed to her present psyche in Hollywood. Her skating achievements are glossed over, portrayed primarily as a little child learning to skate from home movies.

Although the film is interesting because it portrays Sonja Henie (who has not been overexposed in films for most of us), and the fact that Ine Marie Wilmann's acting makes the movie worth seeing, I gave it a 6, because it is at the same time disappointing since we don't really understand the incredible story of this multi-talented artist. The film is pretty much summed up at the end, when the few flashing epilogue words are portrayed so quickly one can't really read them in the time given.

My Norwegian wife told me Norwegians have a hard time for idolizing anyone, (Knut Hamsun included), who had any dealings with Nazis, which may explain why this Norwegian film was made with the focus it did. Is it worth seeing? Yes, but one can learn more from a 2 minute reading of Wikipedia about Sonja Henie's life, than from the nearly 2 hour long film.

A mediocre bio-pic of a 1930s skating movie star

[CineMuseFilms · 6/10 · 10 August 2019]

Bio-pics presume a subject worthy of a story, but what if the storytelling depicts an unlikeable character whose achievements were only ever guided by self-interest: has the film been worthwhile? Sonja: The White Swan (2018) raises this question.

Born to wealthy parents in Norway in 1912, Sonja Henie (Ine Marie Wilmann) was a child prodigy on ice. After the best trainers in the world polished her figure skating skills, she won her first world title at 10 years of age and, the following year, was the youngest person ever to compete at the Olympic Games. As she grew, her unique gift would be combining balletic choreography, white boots, short skirt and dramatic music in ways that transformed the sport into the spectacular event it is today.

The lure of commercial ice shows led Sonja to leave the sport and eventually become another piece of hot property for Hollywood. Her early films were a huge success, making her one of America's most wealthy women during a seven-year movie career. The film shows how, along the way, she exploits and mistreats those closest to her: a sub-cast of family, personal assistant, and the Hollywood mogul, Daryl Zanuck. A classic 'fallen star', she becomes a victim of success, ego, and hedonism, as well as drug and alcohol-fuelled parties evocative of Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby (2013).

Viewers interested in the history of the sport may find the story interesting, but many will find it neither enjoyable nor worthwhile. There are simply no emotional anchors offered in the film, with Sonja devoid of any redeeming charms, leaving the rest of the ensemble difficult to care about. Most problematic is the direction. Sonja's story straddles sport and Hollywood, yet strangely the film glosses over the very material that entitles her to claim a place in history, preferring to dwell on the paths she took towards her own demise. Even her Nazi sympathies are merely a passing point of interest, despite the complexities they raised at the time.

Just being an historical figure is not sufficient for holding viewers' attention or creating emotional engagement. With many of the key filmic ingredients readily available, the story could have been told differently and been both enjoyable and worthwhile. Instead, it must settle for being a mediocre bio-pic of a once great skater who briefly became a movie star.

Director: Anne Sewitsky Stars: Ine Marie Wilmann, Valene Kane, Eldar Skar

too much in a short time

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 3 May 2021]

Sonja Henie's life is the subject of a biopic, Sonja, The White Swan, from 2018.

The film moves pretty quickly through Sonja's life - a little too quickly.

Henie was an innovator in the skating world and a tough cookie, but there isn't enough of her young life to show how her personality developed. She was an aggressive, unpleasant, greedy woman from a very early time.

Consider that during one Olympics, she ripped up the piece of paper that posted the results of a close competitor and then got the position of skating last, while her colleague performed second, giving Henie a big scoring advantage. We could have used more in the way of that type of thing, in her early skating as well as family dynamics.

The main focus seems to be her career and her strong libido. There is one graphic scene with Tyrone Power (Gustavo Rojo) - this was a passionate sexual relationship, as evidenced by their letters to one another published in her brother's book. Rojo was cleverly photographed - profile, and in shadow where only his eyes were shown, so he did resemble Power.

However, while the casting people were careful casting and photographing Power, they apparently couldn't have cared less about Sonya. In real life, she was petite and looked like a peasant, though cute. Here she's tall, leggy, and is a cross between Cate Blanchett and Gillian Anderson.

We see some skating scenes, her success in ice shows, and then the winding down of her career. The film tells the story of her disastrous foray into ice shows without a business partner, but neglects to mention she did skate in Europe with great success before the disaster in Rio. Due to drinking, she lost a lot of her ability.

Sonja, the White Swan also focuses on her relationship with her assistant, Connie, who is fictional. She does become estranged from her brother, depriving him of his livelihood so she can have more money. It's not clear in her real biography if Niels was a family friend or someone she met later - in the movie, they were children together. In the film, he comes to dislike her. Obviously not true in real life.

The movie also focuses on her relationship with Hitler and the big Nazis.

It was a lot to pack in, and for me it was too episodic. The best part is the very end when they show the real Sonja skating, a scene with Tyrone Power, and photos of her in her later life.

Ine Marie Wilmann is an excellent actress and gave Henie the glamor she had in real life, as well as showing her nasty side.

Henie was a beautiful skater at a time when athletics weren't the main focus - she was fast, had great spins, and her toepick work was notable. She was a delightful presence on the ice. Elsewhere, not so much.

A touching film about a very strong woman

[madeliineo · 7/10 · 18 November 2019]

This film tells Sonja's Henie story. The triple Olympic champion in figure skating becomes a Hollywood film star and one of the richest women in the 1930s. The director chooses to mostly show the film star side of the famous figure skater and the downfall of her career. The film portrays Henie as a diva, who treated other people like objects, but also took very calculated moves with her career. Sometimes she acted very cold even with her closest people, didn't emphatize with others. The Holywood star made a lot of questionable decisions and it makes the viewer think whether Sonja is truly as innocent and bright as everyone see her. The film is worth a watch, but I wouldn't see it for the second time. I think, some moments were confusing and unnecessary. Overall, I like the film and give it a 7/10.

a clash

[Kirpianuscus · 21 December 2022]

The good premise - the memories about spectacular musicals of Golden Age of Hollywood. Sonia Henie was a significant piece of impecable choreography and, I suppose, for many , the unique queen of ice The film could be a beautiful exploration of life behind the shows.

It tries be.

And it fails in a very ling sketch, using dark tones, a chain of shadows.

The result is far to be bad but the expectation is to high to represent the fair answer.

So, a clash between images, magical in good measure and this modest film sugesting terrible selfishnes and a career.

Sure, details and confirmation for suppositions. And good acting.

Well-known biopic elements

[fredrikgunerius · 7/10 · 7 August 2023]

Director Anne Sewitsky combines well-known biopic elements, at times a little too well-known, with slick use of modern music in this rendition of the life and times of Norwegian champion figure skater and classical era Hollywood star Sonja Henie. The film is carried by a spirited, strong performance by Ine Wilmann as Henie, and together with her co-stars Eldar Skar and especially Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, she manages to transport us back to a long-gone zeitgeist and mindset - well helped by fine production values. That's Hugh O'Connor from My Left Foot and The Young Poisoner's Handbook in the role of Winnie.

A really bad movie

[pdahlen-94774 · 2/10 · 20 February 2022]

A very bad movie. Weak dramaturgy, far too many and long close-ups, characters that are not presented and planted effectively. There is no mention of how disgusted Sonja became by the Norwegian resistance movement during and after World War II, because she did not support them. And Sonja's association with the Nazis is only briefly touched upon and without any real context or explanation. That Sonja would behave so dominantly and disrespectfully at the first meeting with the powerful media mogul Darryl F. Zanuck as she does in the film is completely unlikely.

Tough and honest film about the famous Sonja Henie

[dakjets · 8/10 · 30 December 2018]

This film is about the triple Olympic champion in figure skating, and film star Sonja Henie. Sonja Henie is one of the most famous Norwegian people ever. The story of her is therefore challenging to get filmed, since her life was both complex and contains both a brilliant sports career and in the field of film / entertainment. The director of this film has chosen the focus one-sided on the movie star Henie. This has been criticized, but I think it's a good choice. The director had to make a choice. The film takes us along with Henie to Hollywood, where she is quickly offered to make big money on ice shows and eventually movies. The figure skating career has made her known. It's a huge success, which the film manages to bring out very well. The film depicts Henie as both a great diva, who treated all those around her as objects she could use for what she wanted from them. In this film she is presented both as cold and calculating, and without the ability to empathize with both family members and employees. What I was wondering during the movie was what was her underlying motivation to do as she did, and make the choices she made? But anyway, she became the best-paid female actor in Hollywood, and toured with her shows for sold out venues in the United States. The film takes time to bring us into this genre and era, and it is done on a very good and convincing way. Ine Marie Wilmann is brilliant as Henie in this movie. Wilman manages to present sides to Henie as a tough, hard-core business woman. I was thinking after this movie, that Henie might have been ahead of time, when it, as a woman, came to negotiating good contracts and deals. Anyway, this is a great movie, and anyone who is excited about biographical films will benefit from it, and at the same time learn a lot about one of Norway's most famous women ever.