Pelle the Conqueror | |
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Original Swedish poster |
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Directed by | Bille August |
Produced by | Per Holst |
Written by | Bille August |
Starring | Max von Sydow Pelle Hvenegaard Erik Paaske Björn Granath |
Music by | Bjorn Isfalt |
Distributed by | Svensk Filmindustri |
Release date(s) | 25 December 1987(Sweden) 25 December 1987 (Denmark) |
Running time | 157 minutes |
Country | Denmark |
Language | Danish |
Pelle the Conqueror (Danish: Pelle Erobreren) is a 1987 Danish 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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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.
The film 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.
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 1988 Cannes Film Festival[1] 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.
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