Pelle the Conqueror

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Pelle the Conqueror

original Swedish movie poster
Directed by Bille August
Produced by Per Holst
Written by Bille August
Starring Max von Sydow
Pelle Hvenegaard
Erik Paaske
Björn Granath
Distributed by Svensk Filmindustri
Release date(s) Flag of Sweden 25 December 1987
Flag of Denmark 26 December 1987
Flag of the United States 21 December 1988
Running time 157 min
Language Danish
Swedish
IMDb profile

Pelle the Conqueror (Danish: Pelle Erobreren; Swedish: Pelle Erövraren) is a 1987 film by Bille August that tells the story of two Swedish immigrants to Denmark, a father and son, who try to build a new life for themselves. It stars Pelle Hvenegaard as the young Pelle, with Max von Sydow as his father.

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[edit] Summary of plot

Based upon the famous 1910 novel by Danish writer Martin Andersen Nexø, the film is set in the end of the 19th century. A boat filled with emigrants from Sweden arrives at the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse and his son Pelle who have moved to Denmark to find work after the death of Pelle's mother. They find employment at a large farm, but find themselves treated as the lowest form of life. It is only as Pelle starts to speak Danish that he begins to gain in confidence, but is still discriminated against as a foreigner. But neither boy nor father is willing to give up their dream of finding a better life than that which they left in Sweden.

[edit] Actors and production

The movie also stars Erik Paaske, Björn Granath and Morten Jørgensen. It was a co-production between companies in Denmark and Sweden, with the screenplay adapted by Bille August, Per Olov Enquist, Janus Billeskov Jansen, Max Lundgren and Bjarne Reuter from the 1910 novel of the same name by Martin Andersen Nexø. This adaptation was directed by August, with a score composed by Stefan Nilsson.

[edit] Awards

Pelle the Conqueror won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 1988; it was submitted to the Academy by the Danish government, giving Denmark its second consecutive win after Babette's Feast. Max von Sydow was nominated for, but did not win, the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (1988) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was listed in The New York Times Guide to the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made the same year.

[edit] External links

Awards
Preceded by
Babette's Feast
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
1988
Succeeded by
Cinema Paradiso
Preceded by
Under the Sun of Satan
Palme d'Or
1988
Succeeded by
sex, lies, and videotape
Preceded by
My Life as a Dog
Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film
1989
Succeeded by
Cinema Paradiso