Stars: Pelle Hvenegaard, Max Von Sydow, Erik Paaske

Director: Bille August

Summary: PELLE THE CONQUEROR is based on the first of the four volumes of Martin Andersen Nexo's epic novel. Talented Danish director Bille August focuses on Pelle when he and Lasse find work at Stone Farm. After being humiliated by the farm's young trainee manager, Pelle is disappointed when Lasse does not stand up for him. Pelle admires Eric, an older immigrant who is not cowed by the farm manager and who dreams of going to America. He watches as an affair develops between Anna, an immigrant worker, and Nils, son of a local dignitary, and sees the affair's tragic outcome. Pelle's friend Rud fails his school exams, then runs away. Through Pelle, Mrs. Olsen, whose sailor husband is lost at sea, becomes interested in Lasse. Pelle observes the drinking of Mrs. Kongstrup, wife of the farm's owner, and the philandering of her husband. He sees Mrs. Kongstrup's niece, the lovely Sine, arrive and witnesses the disastrous consequences of her visit. At the center of these events is the striking young Pelle Hvenegaard. It is his face that August focuses on, his mind that is forming right onscreen, as Pelle observes and reacts and learns and, then, moves on alone.

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Pelle the Conqueror is a Scandinavian drama which won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film and a Best Actor nomination for Max (The Exorcist) Von Sydow. Set at the end of the 19th century, it tells of a widowed Swedish farmer who goes looking for a better life in Denmark with his young son, Pelle (a fine Pelle Hvenegaard). Much like Life is Beautiful (1998) the heart of the film is the bond between father and son and their dreams for a better world. Although the photography brings an austere beauty to the bleak coastlands of Denmark, the story, a 150-minute intimate epic, is intense and harrowing; the antithesis of the feel-good father-son relationship of a movie like Billy Elliot.

On the DVD: Unfortunately, rather than the subtitles of the cinema release, this DVD is dubbed for the American market, which significantly diminishes the performances and undermines the emotional impact. This is particularly regrettable given that both subtitled and dubbed versions could exist on the same disc. The only feature is a Photo Library of full-frame screen-grabs. The stated ratio of 1:1.85 is incorrect, the film being cropped from the original cinema 1:1.66 to 4:3 TV ratio. The sound is unremarkable stereo. The picture, transferred from an already imperfect print, is crawling with grain and littered with compression artefacts, making it no better than many videos. Without even a booklet, this release does no justice to a landmark film. --Gary S. Dalkin

Main Language:	Danish, Swedish
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Scene Access, Interactive Menus, Photo Gallery - 1. Photo Library
Year:	1988
Release Date:	January 28, 2002
Runtime:	150 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D E D 9080
Keywords:	Swedish, General, Conqueror, Danish, Wide, Screen, Pelle, Dubbed, Drama, Unclassified, Erobreren, Erovraren
Genre:	Unclassified