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Bo Widerberg

Bo Widerberg

Directing

Biography

Bo Widerberg, (June 8, 1930 – May 1, 1997) was a Swedish film director, writer, editor and actor. He was born Bo Gunnar Widerberg in Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden. He died in Ängelholm, Skåne län, Sweden of stomach cancer. Widerberg was the director of films such as Raven's End (1963), Elvira Madigan (1967), Ådalen 31 (1969), Joe Hill (1971), Fimpen (1974), The Man on the Roof (1976), Victoria (1979), The Man from Majorca (1984), The Serpent's Way (1986) and All Things Fair (1995). He won a Silver Bear prize in Berlin for All things fair and a Special Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Festival for Ådalen 31. Raven's End, Ådalen 31 and All things fair all received a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Nomination Bo Widerberg's vision of Swedish cinema parted radically with its contemporary form. He called for a greater political significance and more progressive story telling. Bergman being the leading figure of Swedish cinema, was not his ideal at all, although he recognized his position: "Nor me or my friends saw very much in him. We didn't find the issue of god's existence that damn important. But it's safe to say you'd be putting yourself in a bad position if you're trying to slit the throat of the father figure before your own debut." In his book A vision of Swedish cinema he concluded that Ingmar Bergman's films almost exclusively dealt with issues directed upwards, but more seldom in sideways, between people. According to Widerberg, Bergman made vertical films when the need for horizontal ones was most dire. On the other hand, Widerberg wanted film to be a tool of the social sciences, a kind of sociological report. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bo Widerberg, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. ​

Known For

All Things Fair
6.4

In 1943 Malmö, 15-year-old Stig is attracted to his teacher Viola, 22 years his senior, who, drawn to his youth and innocence, believes the lad is a God-sent relief from her miserable marriage to a drunken, unfaithful lout.

All Things Fair

1995
The Guldbagge Awards
5.5

The Guldbagge Awards is an official and annual Swedish film awards ceremony honoring achievements in the Swedish film industry. Winners are awarded a statuette depicting a rose chafer, better known by the name Guldbaggen. The awards, first presented in 1964 at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, are overseen by the Swedish Film Institute. It is described as the Swedish equivalent of the Academy Awards. The awards ceremony was first televised in 1981.

The Guldbagge Awards

1981
Vildanden
7.5

The family happiness of the Ekdahls is driven towards a tragic disintegration.

Vildanden

1989
Elvira Madigan
7.0

Famous acrobat Elvira Madigan meets Sixten Sparre, a married Swedish officer with two children. They decide to elope, but since Sparre deserted the army, he's unemployable and the couple encounter various hardships.

Elvira Madigan

1967
Adalen 31
6.6

A film about the 1931 Ådalen shootings, in which Swedish military forces opened fire against labour demonstrators in the Swedish sawmill district of Ådalen.

Adalen 31

1969
The Father
9.0

A charged power struggle between spouses. A tug of war to the death of an only child as ends and means. From an August Strindberg play.

The Father

1988
The Serpent's Way
5.8

A salesman and his son sexually abuse several generations of an indigent family's women as payment for debt. Janni must see his mother, sister, niece and wife all being exploited, and the family grow with the abuser's kids.

The Serpent's Way

1986
The Man from Majorca
6.6

On 13 December (St Lucy's Day), a bandit daringly robs a crowded post office. Within a fortnight, two witnesses are dead. Vice cops Johansson and Jarnebring, the first to the scene of the crime, pursue all leads and identify a suspect, an arrogant member of the elite secret police, assigned to guard the country's Minister of Justice. Just as they think they've tightened the noose around the suspect, loose ends appear, witnesses lose certainty, alibis arise, and even the cops doubt what they've seen. Who's protecting the suspect and why?

The Man from Majorca

1984
Man on the Roof
7.2

When an inspector is murdered in hospital, the investigation led by Detective Martin Beck uncovers reports of misconduct and possibly revenge.

Man on the Roof

1976
Love 65
5.9

A filmmaker has problems coping with his wife and marriage, with his daughter being their only connecting link. Seeking a meaningful connection and intimacy elsewhere, a married woman becomes his short-term partner.

Love 65

1965
Come on Roland!
6.1

In this absurdist comedy Roland Jung is a young man who wants to write, but when he is in desperate need of money, he has to take a job at an advertising agency in Stockholm. He lands on the department for cosmetics and especially deodorant preparations. He is asked by the agency to do market research among the youth to determine their reaction to a new drug against pimples.

Come on Roland!

1966
Hebriana
8.0

During a midsummer weekend in the eighties a family gather in their summerhouse in the archipelago. The memory of the dead family father surfaces when Britt-Marie, now calling herself Hebriana, gets out from the mental hospital to celebrate midsummer with the family.

Hebriana

1990
Raven's End
7.0

In 1936, aspiring writer Anders, along with his friend Sixten, is desperate to escape his working-class upbringing. Anders' father is an unemployed alcoholic and his mother slaves away at a laundry to support the family. A ray of hope comes Anders' way when he finishes his first novel and submits it to a publisher. But after his girlfriend gets pregnant, his future dims before his eyes once more.

Raven's End

1963
Being Bo Widerberg
7.0

The documentary chronicles Bo Widerberg's journey from 1960s Malmö, where he worked as a writer and film critic, to his successes as a director in Stockholm and international adventures in Cannes and New York. The film also explores the personal costs of his artistic vision and how his pursuit of life and authenticity affected both himself and those around him.

Being Bo Widerberg

2025
The Butt
5.9

6-year-old Johan (nicknamed 'Fimpen') loves football. One day, his talents are discovered, and it doesn't take long before Fimpen gets to travel around with the national team. Fimpen becomes an idol and the media wants a piece of him all the time. It gets hard to catch up in school.

The Butt

1974
Bo Widerberg
N/A

Documentary which follows Bo Widerberg during the making of 'Man on the Roof', 'The Butt' and a failed theater production.

Bo Widerberg

1977
Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt 70 år
N/A

Interviews with and about Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt interspersed with clips from his old performances. Recorded to celebrate his 70th birthday, which would be his last.

Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt 70 år

1991
The White Game
7.1

Documentary film about the protests against the 1968 Davis Cup tennis match between Sweden and Rhodesia, in Båstad, Sweden. In a series of interviews, demonstrators and members of the Swedish government give their views on sport, politics and civil disobedience.

The White Game

1968
Joe Hill
6.6

In the early 20th-century, the legendary Joe Hill emigrates with his brother to the United States. However, after a short time, he loses touch with his brother. After a few jobs but struck by all the injustice and tragedy, he becomes active in the forbidden IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), a union for workers without trades. It is forbidden to demonstrate and speak in public but Joe finds a loophole by singing his manifests with the Salvation Army. As his allies grow, so do his enemies.

Joe Hill

1971
Mandela
6.3

A documentary that chronicles the life of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela is probably best known for his 27 years of imprisonment, and for bringing an end to apartheid. But this film also sheds light on the little-known early period of Mandela's life.

Mandela

1996