Swedish Cinema

Other Hollywood: Art's Promised Land. Examines Swedish cinema's "Golden Age" which spanned nearly a decade. Swedish films were distinct in their ability to relate their heroes' struggle to the harshness and beauty of the landscape. The "Golden Age" ended in the mid 1920's with the exodus of filmmakers and stars to Hollywood. Video/C 5590

After the Rehearsal (Efter repetitionen) (1983)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Erland Josephson, Ingrid Thulin, Lena Olin. A look at the theatre and its delusions that takes place on a bare stage after the rehearsal of Strindberg's "A Dream Play." A director is wrestling with the fathomless mysteries of his life and craft. He is joined by his neurotic leading lady and his former star, now an aging alcoholic, who comes to represent a disturbing figure in his past. A painfully honest afternoon of self-revelation as the three principals lay bare their tortured hearts and souls. 72 min. DVD 5369; vhs 999:2029

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All These Women (För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor) (1964)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Jarl Kulle, Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, Eva Dahlbeck, Arin Kavli, Gertrude Fridk, Mona Malm. A pompous music critic sets out to write a biography of a recently-deceased famous cellist, but finds himself stymied by a "harem" of the late maestro's female companions. Set in the 1920s, the film makes impressive use of elaborate rococo sets, flamboyant costumes, and expressive colour. 85 min. 999:2899

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Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten)(1978)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Lena Nyman, Helvar Bjork. An international concert pianist visits her grown daughter after a seven-year absence. Aching with the memory of her mother's neglect, the introverted daughter explodes into a rage and the reunion turns into a shattering confrontation. 92 min. 999:1129

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Brink of Life (Nära livet) (19)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, Max von Sydow, Erland Josephson. Set in a maternity ward and taking place in one 24-hour period, this drama focuses on three women. One woman, who's husband does not want the baby, has a miscarriage which forces her to re-evaluate her marriage. The second, enthusiastic about having a baby, loses her baby at childbirth and the third, an unwed mother, first wants to have an abortion, but inspired by the sufferings of the other two women is inspired to have the baby -- an affirmation of life in the midst of death. 82 min. 999:2909

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Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop) (1972)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Liv Ullmann, Harriet Andersson, Igrid Thulin, Kari Sylwan, Erland Josephson. An exploration of the relationships among four women - three sisters, one of whom is dying of cancer, and their devoutly loyal housekeeper - as their facades are stripped away and their agonies and fears revealed. DVD 1166; vhs 999:2258; 999:482 (dubbed version)

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Crisis (Kris)(1946)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Inga Landgre, Stig Olin, Marianne Lofgren, Dagny Lind, Allan Bohlin, Ernst Eklund, Signe Wirff. Urban beauty-shop proprietress Mrs. Jenny arrives in an idyllic rural town one morning to whisk away her 18-year-old daughter, Nelly, whom she abandoned as a child, from the loving woman who raised her. Once in Stockholm, Nelly soon receives a crash course in adult corruption and wrenching heartbreak. 93 min. DVD 7569

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The Devil's Eye (Djävulens öga) (1960)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Cast: Jarl Kulle, Bibi Andersson, Stig Jarrel. The Irish saying "a maiden's chastity is a sty in the devil's eye" opens this comedy. To cure himself of a sty, the Devil sends Don Juan to seduce a virtuous maiden. But Don Juan's lust is converted to love and he cannot carry out the seduction. 88 min. 999:2913

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The Devil's Wanton (Fängelse) (1949)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Birger Malmsten, Doris Svedlund, Hasse Ekman, Eva Henning, Stig Olin. In this early film by Bergman questions about God and life are probed in a story that interweaves the lives of a film director, a poet and his wife, a prostitute and her boyfriend-pimp. Although Bergman convincingly depicts a world in which people are adrift, or drowning in a sea of confusion and despair, the film is almost never depressing and at times is humorous, even exhilarating. 78 min. 999:2910

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Dreams (Kvinnodröm) (1955)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. The story of the loves of two women - the owner of a model agency and her top model who, on a photographic outing to another city, both have strange one-day affairs with married men. 86 min. 999:2915

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Elvira Madigan (1967)

Directed by Bo Widerbergen. Tells the true story of an Army officer's romance with a circus dancer. He gives up everything: his family, career and social standing to embark on a passionate affair. Despite their hopeless love, they live a life of lighthearted carelessness and do not realized they are heading down an irreversible road to tragedy. Based on a ballad by Johan Lindstroem Saxon. 90 min. DVD 1169

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Emigrants (Utvandrarna) (1971)

Directed by Jan Troell. Cast: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann. Pictures of America inspire a married couple to pull up roots and join fellow Swedes in a quest that tests their determination and faith. Based on the novel by Vilhelm Moberg. 151 min. 999:1478

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Ebner, Michael. "The Emigrants." Film & History Dec1972, Vol. 2 Issue 4, p27-30, 4p UC users only

Hatch, Robert. "The Emigrants." Nation; 10/16/1972, Vol. 215 Issue 11, p349-350, 2pUC users only

Faithless (Trolösa)(2000)

Director, Liv Ullmann; screenplay, Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Lena Endre, Erland Josephson, Krister Henriksson, Thomas Hanzon. Marianne is a successful actress happily married to Markus and devoted to her young daughter. A friendship with a film director develops into passion as the two yield to temptation and indulge in an affair in Paris that continues back at home. Eventually Markus, who has suspected the affair, confronts the faithless pair and their marriage, a friendship, and a family are threatened to be destroyed. 145 min. DVD 2448

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Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander) (1982)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Pernilla Allwin, Bertil Guve, Ewa Froling, Erland Josephson. Part comedy and part ghost story, the film, set in a rural Swedish town in 1907, tells the story of one year in the lives of the colorful Ekdahl family. 195 min. DVD 3189 (theatrical version); DVD 3190 (television version); VHS 999:944:1-2

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Dokument Fanny och Alexander (The Making of "Fanny and Alexander")

Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed this fascinating documentary on the making of his 1983 feature film, Fanny and Alexander. Clips are taken not only from the theatrical version of the film but also the five hour version never shown in the United States. The documentary chronicles Bergman's unique style of filmmaking and artistic interactions with such life-long collaborators as cinematographers Sven Nykvist and Gunnar Bjornstrand. 1989? 110 min. DVD 3191; vhs Video/C 7884

Films of Arne Sucksdorff (1955)

Presents a feature length film followed by four short films, all scripted, edited and directed by the distinguished Swedish nature cinematographer Arne Sucksdorff. Contents: "The Great Adventure" (78 min.) presents a rare glimpse of wild animal life and its special relationship with humans, as depicted through the eyes of a small boy. -- "Struggle for Survival" (ca. 10 min.) -- "Shadows on the Snow" (ca. 10 min.) -- "The Hunter and the Forest" (ca. 8 min.) - "The Shadow of the Hunter" (ca. 6 min.) 999:3618

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From the Life of the Marionettes (Ur marionetternas liv) (1980)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Robert Atzorn, Christine Buchegger, Martin Benrath, Rita Russek, Lola Muethel. Peter and Katerina seem to have a perfect marriage but beneath the facade lies a loveless marriage. Locked in a desolate relationship, Peter often dreams of killing his wife. His encounter with a prostitute sparks in him an explosive rage that leads to rape and murder. In this disturbing study of repression and obsession, Bergman contrasts stark black and white flashbacks with vivid color images that flood the screen with the horror of the present. 104 min. 999:2884

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Gösta Berlings Saga (Silent, 1924)

Directed by Mauritz Stiller. Cast: Greta Garbo, Lars Hanson. The story centers around the alcoholic defrocked priest, Gosta Berling, and his life and relationships with the people of Ekeby Manor and Varmland. 85 min. 999:2901

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Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen)(1968)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Max Von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Gertrud Fridh, Georg Rydeberg, Erland Josephson. The nature of artistic creation and the relationship of artist and society is explored through the theme of the Hour of the wolf. The ancient Romans believed that during this hour, just before dawn and the coming of light, nightmare came to life. 88 min. DVD 2590; vhs 999:726

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I Am Curious (Blue) [Jag är nyfiken - en film i blått) (1968)

Directed by Vilgot Sjoman. Cast: Lena Nyman, Vilgo Sjoman, Borje Ahlstedt, Peter Lindgren. This sequel film to I am curious (Yellow) follows young Lena on her continuing journey of self-discovery, as she confronts issues of religion, sexuality and the prison system, while at the same time exploring her own personal relationships. It is considered an important work in its honest and forthright portrayal of the social, political and sexual problems of Sweden's youth in the 1960's. In this sequel, employing a mix of dramatic and documentary techniques, political activist and filmmaker Lena journeys far into the deserted north, filming the beautiful wilderness of decidedly unmodern Sweden. 103 min. DVD 205; vhs 999:3254

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I Am Curious (Yellow) (Jag ar nyfiken - en film i gult) (1967)

Directed by Vilgot Sjoman. Cast: Lena Nyman, Vilgot Sjoman, Borge Ahlstedt, Peter Lindgren, Chris Wahlstrom. Using an innovative stylistic approach, director Vilgot Sjoman deliberately blurs the lines between the characters' lives and those of the actors portraying them. Lena, the film's protagonist/star is a true woman of the 60's. In a search for her own selfhood, she becomes a political activist, challenging traditional values on the issues of militarism, social equality and sexual liberation. The film was seized by U.S. Customs and released in the U.S. only after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling of a lower court. 95 min. DVD 204; vhs 999:1045

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I Am Curious

Film actress Lena Nyman is Bjorkman's guide on a journey through Nordic cinema history, attempting to discover the special elements of Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic cinema. Includes film clips and conversations with filmmakers such as Lars von Trier, Stefan Jarl, Liv Ullman and Aki Kaurismaki. 1998. Video/C MM444

Intermezzo (1936)

Directed by Gustaf Molander. Cast: Gosta Ekman, Inga Tidblad, Ingrid Bergman. A young aspiring pianist falls in love with a famous concert violinist, the father of one of her pupils. He leaves his family and goes with her on an extended concert tour through Europe, but a near-fatal accident involving his daughter leads him to reassess his family obligations. 91 min. DVD 1179

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Kitchen Stories (Salmer fra kjøkkenet) (Norway / Sweden, 2003)

Directed by Bent Hamer. Cast: Joachim Calmeyer, Tomas Norstrom, Reine Brynolfsson, Bj?rn Floberg. An observer from the Swedish Home Research Institute is sent to study the kitchen habits of an elderly bachelor in postwar Norway. The researcher's objectivity is potentially compromised by his growing friendship with the old farmer. 91 min. DVD 3022

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A Lesson in Love (Lektion i kärlek) (1954)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Eva Dahlbeck, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Yvonne Lombard, Harriet Andersson, Ake Gronberg. Obstetrician Gunnar Bjornstrand, happily married for 15 years to Dahlbeck, has an affair with a patient. Eva Dahlbeck, when she finds out, returns to her former lover - the husband's best friend. 95 min. 999:2903

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Lilja 4-ever (Sweden / Denmark, 2002)

Directed by Lukas Moodysson. Cast: Oksana Akinsjina, Artiom Bogutjarskij, Elina Benenson, Ljubov Agapova, Lilja Sinkarjova, Pavel Ponomarjov, Tomas Neumann. Film based on Mozart's opera. Abandoned by her mother, sixteen year-old Lilya lives in desperate conditions in a derelict suburb of the former Soviet Union. Her sole friend is eleven year-old Volodya, himself an outcast. Set against a realistic backdrop of the world they live in, they fantisize of a life elsewhere. 105 min. DVD 3315

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The Magic Flute (Trollflöjten) (1975)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Ulrik Cold, Josef Kostlinger, Eric Saeden, Birgit Nordin, Irma Urrila. Film based on Mozart's opera. Story of a young prince's quest to save a beautiful princess from evil forces. Performed in Swedish with English subtitles. 134 min. DVD 214; VHS 999:284

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The Magician (Ansiktet) (1958)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, Gunnar Bjorstrand. A wandering magician & his troupe arrive in Stockholm where they encounter considerable disdain and are examined by a committee. However, the magician's presence begins to merge the supernatural with the comic and the result is a thinking man's horror film. 101 min. 999:458

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Miss Julie (Fröken Julie) (1951)

Director, Alf Sjöberg. Cast: Stella Andrassy, Herman G. Weinberg and Mario de Vecchi. Anita Bjork, Ulf Palme, Marta Dorff, Lissi Alandh, Anders Henrikson, Inga Gill, Ake Fridell, Kurt-Olof Sundstrom, Max von Sydow, Margareta Krook, Ake Claesson, Inger Norberg, Jan Hagerman. The young miss Julie lives in a mansion with her father. She has recently broken up her engagement but is attracted to one of the servants, Jean. They spend the midsummer night together, telling memories and their dreams to each other. Realizing that an affair between a man of the people and an aristocrat is impossible, they plan to escape to Switzerland. Based on the play by August Strindberg. Special features: Video essay with Peter Cowie; interview with Alf Sjoberg; 2006 television documentary about the play "Miss Julie" and August Strindberg; theatrical trailer. 90 min. DVD 9488; vhs Video/C 1078

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Monika (Sommaren med Monika)(1953)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Harriet Andersson (Monika), Lars Ekborg (Harry). A promiscuous girl and young boy leave the city to spend an idyllic summer. When she becomes pregnant, they are forced to marry. After the child's birth, she is unfaithful and heads for a life of prostitution. 82 min. 999:227

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My Life as a Dog (Mitt Liv Som Hund)(1987)

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Cast: Anton Glanzelius, Tomas von Bromssen, Anki Liden, Melinda Kinnaman, Kicki Rundgren Bundled off to a rural village while his ill mother recuperates, a young boy finds adventure with the town's warm hearted eccentrics. Based on the novel: Mitt liv som hund by Reidar Jonsson (Main Stack PT9876.2.O32.M57131 1989) 101 min. DVD 259; also on VHS 999:1119

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The New Land (Nybyggarna) (1972)

Directed by Jan Troell. Cast: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann. The story of Swedish newcomers to America, whose unadorned, heroic lives in 1850's Minnesota are marked by hardship, courage, faith and determination. Film also captures the tragic desperation that led Sioux tribes to ingnite the bloodiest Native American uprising in American history. 159 min. 999:1479

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Night is My Future (Morkret ar min framtid; aka Music Is My Future; Musik i mörker) (1947)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Mai Zetterling, Birger Malmsten, Olof Winnerstrand, Naima Wifstrand, Hilda Borgstrom, Douglas Hage. In this poignant love story a young soldier is wounded in the war and loses his eyesight. Back home he develops a platonic relationship with his maid, but they eventually go their separate ways. After many years when they meet again, can friedship become love? 88 min. 999:3188

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The Outlaw and His Wife (Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru) (Silent, 1917)

Director, Victor Sjostrom. The story of a farmer, hunted by the police for a petty crime, who with his wife must flee into the hills to escape detection. Eventually the couple, still united by their mutual love, succumb to the brutal forces of nature. 73 min. 99:2883

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Passion of Anna (En Passion)(1969)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, Erland Josephson. "One of Bergman's first films to be photographed in color ... stark drama ... Max Von Sydow is Andreas, a flinty, dour loner who, despite himself, becomes involved with three of his island neighbors: a Machiavellian architect, his formless wife and the beautiful widow Anna (Liv Ullmann), a moralist who sustains herself with illusion"--Slipcase. 101 min. DVD 2588; VHS 999:714

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Pensionat Oskar (Like It Never Was Before) (Sweden / Denmark, 1995)

Directed by Susanne Bier. Cast: Loa Falkman, Stina Ekblad, Simon Norrthon, Sif Ruud, Ghita Norby. The Runeberg family is an ordinary middle class Swedish family with a house in the suburbs, a car and three children. By vacationing in a rented house by the sea, the hope is that the tension and anxieties which exist between the husband Rune and his wife will disappear. However, instead of spending time with his family, Rune finds himself attracted to a young man. 108 min. DVD 2474

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Persona (1966)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, Margaretha Krook, Gunnar Bjornstrand. A famous actress is stricken with psychosomatic dumbness and is placed under a nurse's care in an isolated house, where the two gradually assume each other's personalities. 81 min. DVD 2591; vhs 999:49

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Phantom Chariot (Körkarlen) (1921; silent)

Directed by Victor Sjostrom. Based on the legend that the coachman of Death must be replaced by the last man to die each year. Sjostrom's film is as famous for its realistic depictions of life in the slums as for its fantasy sequences which make use of double exposures. 59 min. 999:1200

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Port of Call (Hamnstad)(1948)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Nine-Christine Jonsson, Bengt Eklund, Mimi Nelson, Berta Hall, Birgitta Valberg, Sif Ruud, Britta Billsten. Berit, a suicidal young woman living in a working-class port town, unexpectedly falls for Gosta, a sailor on leave. Haunted by a troubled past and held in a vice grip by her domineering mother, Berit begins to hope that her relationship with Gosta might save her from self-destruction. Based on the story Guldet och murarna by Olle Lansberg. 97 min. DVD 7568

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Private Confessions (Enskilda samtal) (TV, 1997)

Directed by Liv Ullmann. Cast: Pernilla August, Max von Sydow, Samuel Froler. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Anna Bergman becomes involved in a passionate affair with a young seminarian. The story of the relationship and its aftermath are told in a series of five conversations. From the book 'Enskilda samtal' by Ingmar Bergman. 127 min. 999:2921

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The Rite (Ritual) (Riten) (1969)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Anders Ek, Erik Hell. A Kafka-esque drama, about three actors accused of performing an obscene variety show. In a brutal inquisition, a sadistic judge exposes the neuroses of each troup member. More than a parable on censorship, this complex story focuses on how the trauma affects the players. 75 min. 999:1210

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The Saga of Gosta Berling (Gösta Berlings saga) (1924)

Directed by Mauritz Stiller. Cast: Lars Hanson, Greta Garbo, Gerda Lundequist, Jenny Hasselqvist, Ellen Hartman-Cederstrom. Gosta Berling, a defrocked priest, encounters a series of adventures and loves in his tumultuous journey to redemption. Along the way, he encounters the beautiful Elisabeth, played by Greta Garbo in her first major screen role. Based on the novel by Selma Lagerlof. Special features: Excerpt from Luffarpeter, an early film with Greta Garbo (1922) -- Rediscovering Sweden : Peter Cowie introduces the films of Mauritz Stiller -- Newsreel footage of Garbo's departure from Sweden -- Reklamfilm PUB Garbo, advertising films featuring a young Garbo. 184 min. DVD 5626

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Saraband (TV, 2003)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Borje Ahlstedt, Julia Durvenius, Gunnel Fred. Johan and Marianne lost touch after their divorce. Years later Marianne looks up Johan and tries to get him out of isolation. Upon her arrival to his home, they spend several intense weeks together. Sequel to Scenes From A Marriage. Bergman's last film. 111 min. DVD 5368

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Sawdust and Tinsel (Gycklarnas Afton) (1953)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Harriet Andersson, Ake Groenberg, Hasse Ekman.The owner of a travelling circus leaves his mistress for his separated wife, and is challenged to fight by the mistress's new lover. Special DVD features: Film includes five minutes of material not included in previous U.S. releases; audio commentary by Bergman scholar Peter Cowie; video introduction by Bergman from 2003; new and improved English subtitle translation; plus, a new essay by critic John Simon and an appreciation by filmmaker Catherine Breillat. 87 min. DVD 8889; vhs 999:1069

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Scenes from a Marriage (Scener ur ett Äktenskap) (1973)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Liv Ullman, Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson, Jan Malmsjo, Anita Wall. Explores fully a bond between two people, who won't give each other up, in or out of marriage. The film explores their relationship over a 20 year period, during which they grow, each in their own way. 170 min. DVD 2884; vhs 999:2053

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Secrets of Women (Kvinnors Väntan) (1952)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Anita Bjork, Eva Dahlbeck, Maj-Britt Nilsson, Karl-Arne Holmsten, Jarl Kulle, Birger Malmsten, Gunnar Bjornstrand. Three dissatisfied wives tell each other about their affairs and marriages as they wait for their husbands to arrive for the weekend. 108 min. 999:1049

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The Serpent's Egg (Schlangenei) (1977)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: David Carradine, Liv Ullmann, Gert Froebe, Heinz Bennett, Glynn Turman, James Whitmore. An American trapeze act comes to pre-World War II Germany; two of the members are trapped inside Berlin after the other commits suicide. They find work with Dr. Vergerus at St. Ana's clinic, and soon discover that all is not what it appears to be. 119 min. DVD 2587

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Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet) (1957)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Max Von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Inga Gill. A knight and his squire return from their crusades to a plague-stricken Sweden. The knight is greeted by a personified Death who forces the knight to fight for his life by playing a game of chess. As the game progresses, the knight travels through Sweden, seeking the meaning of life and death. 96 min. DVD 18; VHS 999:53

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The Shame (Skammen) (1968)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Liv Ullmann, Max Von Sydow. Two married concert violinists are morally challenged when a war they hoped to escape rages across their island refuge. 103 min. DVD 2589; vhs 999:704

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Show Me Love Fucking Åmål) (1998)

Directed by Lukas Moodysson. Cast: Alexandra Dahlstrom, Rebecca Liljeberg, Erica Carlson, Mathias Rust. Story of Agnes and Elin and their teenage friends growing up in the small town of Amal, Sweden. When Elin shows up at Agnes' birthday party, Elin's life takes an unexpected turn. Stuck in the middle of two love interests, Elin tried to come to terms with her real self, and the courage it takes to be different. 89 min. DVD 1860

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The Silence (Tystnaden) (1963)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, Birger Malmsten, Hakan Jahnberg, Jorgen Lindstrom. A forceful narrative of two sisters; one is a frustrated lesbian with no future, the other a free-loving mother of a 10-year old boy. This third film of Bergman's religious trilogy, centers on the love/hate relationship between these two sisters. 95 min. DVD 1853; vhs 999:1048

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Sir Arne's Treasure: A Winter Ballad in Five Acts as Filmed (Herr Arnes pengar)(1919)

Directed by directed by Mauritz Stiller. Cast: Eric Stocklassa, Bror Berger, Richard Lund. In 16th century Sweden, three Scottish mercenaries murder Sir Arne and his household for his stolen treasure. The only survivor is Elsalill, who moves to relatives in Marstrand. There she falls in love with a charming young officer--Sir Archie, who is one of the murderers. 107 min. DVD 5638; vhs 999:1191

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Smiles of a Summer's Night (Sommarnattens Leende) (1955)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Ulla Jacobsson, Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand. In this clever, erotic comedy eight characters become four couples while vacationing at a country estate. 108 min. DVD 2757; vhs 999:177

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Songs from the Second Floor (Sånger från andra våningen) (2000)

Directed by Roy Andersson. Cast: Lars Nordh, Stefan Larsson, Bengt C.W. Carlsson, Torbjorn Fahlstrom, Sten Andersson, Rolando Nunez, Lucio Vucina, Per Jornelius, Peter Roth. One evening a strange series of events takes place. A clerk is degraded, a lost immigrant is violently attacked, a magician makes a terrible mistake. The following day, the signs of chaos takes hold as madness grips a board of directors and the city itself is strangled by a horrendous traffic jam. In the midst of the mayhem, one man stands out - Karl, who is covered from head to toe in soot from the store he just tried to burn down for the insurance money. The new millennium is blamed for casting such a vast mental breakdown and Karl gradually realizes just how difficult it is to be human. 98 min. DVD 2999

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Speak Up! It's So Dark.. (Tala! Det är så mörkt) (1992)

Director, Suzanne Osten. Cast: Etienne Glaser, Simon Norrthon. Jacob, a Jewish psychiatrist, and Soren, a Nazi skinhead, meet accidentally. Soren has just been beaten up while taking part in a neo-Nazi demonstration. After attending to Soren's wounds, Jacob asks him to come to his office the following afternoon. Thus begins a series of explosive, sometime shocking encounters that radically affect both men. Soren begins the sessions as an unapologetic racist and neo-Nazi, while Jacob, whose relatives were killed at Auschwitz, must confront his own rage and fear. 86 min. 999:3616

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Summer Interlude (Sommarlek) (1951)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Maj-Britt Nilsson, Birger Malmsten, Alf Kjellin. A prima ballerina remembers a happy summer she spent with a boy who was tragically killed. 95 min. 999:225

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Thirst (Törst)(1949)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Eva Henning, Birger Malmsten, Birgit Tengroth, Hasse Ekman, Mimmi Nelson, Bengt Eklund, Gaby Stenberg, Naima Wifstrand. A couple traveling across war-ravaged Europe. A disintegrating marriage. A ballet dancer's scarred past. Elliptically told in flashbacks and multiple narrative threads, this film shows people enslaved to memory and united in isolation. 84 min. DVD 7567

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Thomas Graal's Best Child (Thomas Graals Bästa Barn) (1918; silent with English intertitles)

Directed by Mauritz Stiller. The comical adventures of a screenwriter who married his secretary who is now acting in his movies. When a child comes along the parents disagree over how to raise a "modern" youngster73 min. 999:1193

Three Strange Loves (T?rst) (1949)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Eva Henning, Birger Malmsten, Birgit Tengroth, Hasse Ekman, Mimmi Nelson, Bengt Eklund, Gaby Stenberg, Naima Wifstrand. Tragic tale about the intertwining lives and loves of three former ballerinas. Focuses on the universal fear of loneliness, while drawing out the human need for companionship, and the feelings of distress women experience as aging adults. 88 min. 999:2896

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Through a Glass Darkly (Såsom i en Spegel) (1961)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Cast: Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Max Von Sydow, Lars Passgard. A gloomy look at God and love through the eyes of a tormented family who search for God in a time of crisis. Plot centers around the mental illness suffered by the daughter, Karin. The first of a trilogy of films (Winter Light, The Silence) which explored man's relationship with a God as Ingmar Bergman saw it. 90 min. DVD 1855; vhs 999:1047

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To Joy (Till glädje)(1949)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Maj-Britt Nilsson, Stig Olin, Birger Malmsten, John Ekman, Margit Carlquist, Victor Sjostrom. An orchestra violinist's dreams of becoming a celebrated soloist and fears of his own mediocrity get in the way of his marriage to the patient, caring Marta. Played out to the music of Beethoven, this film is a heartbreaking tale of one man's inability to overcome the demons standing in the way of his happiness. 99 min. DVD 7566

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Together (Tillsammans)(Sweden / Denmark / Italy, 2000)

Written and directed by Lukas Moodysson. Cast: Imor Hermann, Maggie Widstrand, Lisa Lindgren, Michael Nyqvist. A tale of life in a commune in mid-70's Sweden. Life at the commune is crowded with people and with laid-back attitudes towards sex, nudity, and recreational drug use, prompting plenty of political debate. 107 min. DVD 2467

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Torment (Hets)(1944)

Directed by Alf Sjöberg. Written by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Stig Jarrel, Alf Kjellin, Mai Zetterling, Olof Winnerstrand, Gosta Cederlund, Stig Olin, Gunnar Bjornstrand. A dark coming-of-age drama about a boarding-school senior, Widgren, terrorized by his sadistic Latin teacher. When Widgren falls for a troubled local girl, Bertha, he finds himself caught up even further in a web of emotional mind games. 101 min. DVD 7570

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The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukällan) (1959)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg, Gunnel Lindblom, Birgitta Pettersson, Axel Duberg, Tor Isedal, Allan Edwall, Ove Porath, Axel Slangus, Guburn Brost, Oscar Ljung, Tor Borong, Leif Forstenberg. A devout girl is raped and murdered by herders on her way to church. When her attackers seek shelter at her home, their crime is discovered and a bloody vengeance exacted. 88 min. DVD 4987; vhs 999:1209

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Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället) (1957)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Victor Sjostrom, Bibi Andersson, Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand. A distinguished professor emeritus who lives alone with his housekeeper can only come to terms with his egocentricity by traveling back in time to his earliest youth, finding there the seeds of his failure as husband, lover, father. This film deals with the phenomena of old age wherein childhood memories return with ever-increasing clarity while great stretches of the prime of life vanish into obscurity. 93 min. DVD 1065; Video Disc 75; VHS 999:189

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Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna) (1963)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow. Cast: Max Von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Ingrid Thulin. A tormented, widowed pastor finds one winter day that he no longer has faith in God. The second of a trilogy of films (Through a glass darkly, The Silence) which explored man's relationship with God as Ingmar Bergman saw it. 80 min. DVD 1854; vhs 999:1058

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Witchcraft Through the Ages (Häxan) (Denmark / Sweden, 1922)

Directed by Benjamin Christiansen. Through painstaking research, this silent Swedish docu-drama attempts to reconstruct the practices of witchcraft and satanism from the 15th through the 17th centuries, concluding with cases of demoniac possession in the 1920's. 131 min. DVD 2463; VHS 999:1199

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Norwegian Cinema

The Bothersome Man (Den Brysomme mannen) (Norway / Iceland, 2006)

Directed by Jens Lien. Cast: Trono Fausa Aurvag, Petrollena Barker, Per Schanning, Birgitte Larsen. Bothersome man: Forty-year-old Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there. He is presented with a job, an apartment - even a wife. But before long, Andreas notices that something is wrong. He makes an attempt to escape the city, but discovers there's no way out. Andreas meets Hugo, who has found a crack in a wall in his cellar. Beautiful music streams out from the crack. Maybe it leads to "the other side"? A new plan for escape is hatched. 90 min. DVD 7163

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Buddy (2003)

Directed by Morten Tyldum. Cast: Nicolai Cleve Broch, Aksel Hennie, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Pia Tjelta, Janne Formoe. Kristoffer's love life is on the rocks. But what can you expect from a guy who likes to videotape himself and his friends pulling outrageous stunts? So when Kristoffer's video diary winds up at a popular TV show, it's not just his love life that turns upside down. A vibrant young cast explores the true meaning of friendship and love in a heart-warming story about hijinks, crazy roommates and reality television. 100 min. DVD 6312

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Elling (2001)

Directed by Petter Naess. Cast: Per Christian Ellefsen, Sven Nordin, Marit Pia Jacobsen, Jorgen Langhelle, Per Christensen. After a two year stint in a state home, the shy and neurotic Elling and his sex-obsessed best friend, Kjell, are released and forced to enter the real world. They find themselves in a state funded apartment in the center of Oslo, told to behave responsibly and act like normal members of society. In time, the two adjust and find oddball ways of coping with society. 153 min. 999:2675

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Growth of the Soil (Markens grøde) (Silent, 1920)

Directed by Gunnar Sommerfeldt. Cast: Amund Rydland, Karen Thalbitzer, Ragna Wettergreen. Reputed to be the first feature produced in Norway, tells the saga of a brave pioneer who conquers the wilderness, builds a home, and eventually sees the area develop into a thriving community. 67 min. 999:3623

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Hamsun (Germany / Norway / Sweden / Denmark, 1996)

Directed by Jan Troell. Cast: Max von Sydow, Ghita Norby, Nette Hoff, Asa Soderling, Eindride Eidsvold, Gard Eidsvold, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Erik Hiviu, Edgar Selge, Ernst Jacobi. Based on true events this is the story of Knut Hamsun, Norway's most beloved author, who supported Hitler during World War II and was regarded as a traitor after the war. Although Hamsun believed it was his destiny to rescue his country from the ravages of a World War, he and his wife Marie faced the angry wrath of a betrayed nation and the private drama of their turbulent relationship. 153 min. 999:2675

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Hawaii, Oslo (Denmark / Sweden / Norway, 2004)

Directed by Erik Poppe. Cast: Trond Espen Seim, Jan Gunnar Reise, Evy Kasseth Rosten. Hawaii, Oslo is the story of a handful of desperate people whose paths cross on the hottest day of the year in Oslo. Frode and Milla have their first child, but learn he will not live long without an expensive operation they cannot afford. Bobbie-Pop is a faded singer who tries to commit suicide. Leon is an institutionalized mental patient, who hopes to keep a 10-year-old date on his birthday with his teenage sweetheart. Leon's brother, Trygve, gets a weekend leave from prison to be with Leon on his birthday, but plans on using the furlough to escape. Overseeing Leon and protecting him is his guardian angel Vidar, Leon's best buddy at the institution, who sees things no one else can see, and who may be able to save everyone--except himself. 138 min. DVD 6308; DVD 5883 is a non-US format DVD (PAL)

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Insomnia (1997)

Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg. Cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Bjorn Floberg, Gisken Armand, Maria Bonnevie. Disgraced Swedish detective Jonas Engstrom travels to Northern Norway to solve a brutal murder. After making a fatal error in his investigation and attempting to cover it up, the detective finds himself implicated in the crime he was sent to solve. Haunted by guilt and unable to sleep through the night of the midnight sun, Engstrom quickly loses his grip on the case and his mind. 97 min. DVD 784

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Junk Mail (Budbringeren) (1996)

Directed by Pål Sletaune. One day when a young woman forgets her keys in the mailbox a disaffected postman goes up to her apartment and unwittingly becomes involved in a web of crime and danger. (PAL Format tape.) 83 min. 999:2454

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Kitchen Stories (Salmer fra kjøkkenet) (2003)

Directed by Bent Hamer. An observer from the Swedish Home Research Institute is sent to study the kitchen habits of an elderly bachelor in postwar Norway. The researcher's objectivity is potentially compromised by his growing friendship with the old farmer. 91 min. DVD 3022

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Monster Thursday (Monstertorsdag) (2004)

Director, Arild Østin Ommundsen. Cast: Vegar Hoel, Silie Salomonsen, Kim Bodnia, Andreas Cappelen, Christian Skolmen, Iben Hjejle, Gaulid Marko Kanic. A quirky romantic drama set in remote coastal Norway takes the viewer on a tumultuous ride through surfing aspirations, extreme weather and love. Three friends, a love triangle and the quest for the perfect wave. 103 min. DVD 6340

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The Other Side of Sunday (Søndagsengler) (1996)

Director, Berit Nesheim. Cast: Marie Theisen, Bjorn Sundquist, Hildegun Riise, Sylvia Salvesen, Ann Kristin Rasmussen, Martin Dahl Garfalk, Ina Sofie Brodal, Jorgen Langhelle, Hallvard Holmen. for the things she was denied growing up in a conservative household in Norway. She wants to wear earrings, meet boys, and go out with friends, but most of all she wants to drink a soda at the "den of sin," her father's name for the local cafe. 103 min. DVD 2460

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Ofelas (Pathfinder) (1987)

Director, Nils Gaup. Cast: Mikkel Gaup, Nils Utsi, Svein Scharffenberg, Helgi Skulason, Sara Marit Gaup, Sverre Porsanger. A young Laplander, taken prisoner by the Tchude tribe and forced to be their pathfinder through the Arctic north, struggles to save his own tribe from the threat of the Tchudes. Based on a 12th century Lapp legend. 88 min. 999:3673

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Danish Cinema

Babette's Feast (Babettes gætebud) (1987)

Directed by Gabriel Axel. Cast: Stephane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel, Jarl Kulle, Jean Philippe Lafont, Bibi Andersson. On the desolate coast of Denmark, two elderly, religious women take in a young woman to be their housekeeper and cook, not knowing she is a superb French chef. When the chef, Babette, wins a large sum of money, she decides to spend it all creating a magnificent meal for the simple villagers. Based on a story by Isak Dineson. In Danish and French, with English subtitles. 102 min. DVD 5512; vhs 999:1468

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The Bear Tamer (Bjørnetmmeren) (1912, silent)

Directed by Alfred Lind. Cast: Lilli Beck, Alfred LInd, Peter Fjeldstrup, Richard Jensen, Holger-Madsen. One of the only two surviving films produced by the Scandinavian-Russian Trading Company (Det Skandinavisk-Russiske Handelshus). This is a sequel to "The Flying Circus", in which Alfred Lind played the title role, wrote the script, directed and shot the film. Non-US format (PAL) DVD. 50 min. DVD 4435

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Blind Justice (Hævnens nat) (1916, silent)

Directed by Benjamin Christensen. Cast: Benjamin Christensen, Karen Sandberg, Peter Fjeldstrup, Jon Iversen, Fritz Lamprecht. A fugitive traveling with a baby is recaptured and separated from his child, and swears revenge on the woman he believes betrayed him. Non-US format DVD (PAL). 100 min. DVD 4432

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Breaking the Waves (Denmark / Sweden / France / Netherlands / Norway / Iceland, 1996)

Written and directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgard, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier. Bess, a pious young Scottish woman, prays to God to send her husband, Jan, home from his job on an offshore oil rig. When an accident sends him home paralyzed, she's filled with guilt and submits to his wish that she take on other lovers, convinced that this will aid in his recovery. 152 min. DVD 785

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Candle and the Moth (Evangeliemandens liv) (1915, silent)

Directed by Holger-Madsen. Cast: Valdemar Psilander, Birger von Cotta-Schonberg, Alma Hinding, Else Frolich, Robert Schyberg. This story tells a lurid tale of sex and crime leading to the protagonist's imprisonment and reformation. Non-US format (PAL) DVD. 60 min. DVD 4434

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Celebration (Festen) (1998)

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Helge Klingenfeldt is a respected Danish patriarch whose country estate is the scene of a grand celebration in honor of his sixtieth birthday. His adult children and extended family have gathered together for the occasion, but no one is ready for the bombshell about to be delivered by his oldest son, Christian, in his birthday toast: a dark family secret that contributed to his twin sister's recent suicide. 106 min. DVD 6392; vhs 999:2824

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Day of Wrath (Vredens Dag) (1943)

Directed by Carl Dreyer. The setting for this psychological study is based on existing records of witchcraft trials in Denmark during 1623. A young woman falls in love with the son of her older husband and is accused of causing her husband's death and of witchcraft; the story shows how the young woman and the community is caught in a web of fear and superstitution. 110 min. DVD 827; VHS 999:2623, & also available as a less satisfactory print, 999:344

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Denmark (silent; 1935)

Directed by Poul Henningsen. This early twentieth century silent film mosaic presents a tribute to life in Denmark, balancing humor and drama in its beautifully composed, impressionistic images. 55 min. PAL format. Video/C MM918

Dogville (2003)

Directed by Lars von Trier, 170 min. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, Jean-Marc Barr, Paul Bettany, Blair Brown, James Caan, Patricia Clarkson, Jeremy Davies, Ben Gazzara, Philip Baker Hall, et al. Grace arrives in the isolated Rocky Mountain town of Dogville, on the run from gangsters. Initially the townspeople agree to hide her, but when outsiders start looking for the fugitive, the locals make demands of Grace in exchange for the risk of harboring her. But Grace has a secret and it's a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever decided to bare its teeth. Disc 2 of DVD 2821 contains "Dogville Confessions" (198 min.), a documentary depicting the intense drama that takes place during the making of Dogville as Lars Von Trier and Nicole Kidman work through the creative process under very extreme conditions. Contains deleted scenes from the feature film. DVD 3001 (US format); DVD 2821 (non-US format DVD)

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Du Skal ære Din Hustru (Master of the House) (Silent, 1925)

Directed by Carl Th. Dreyer. Cast: Johanna Meyer (Victor Frandsen); Astrid Holm (Ida Frandsen); Karin Nellemose (Karen Frandsen); Mathilde Nielsen (Nanny Mads); Clare Schonfeld (Mrs Kryer, Ida's mother). The story of a spoiled husband ... and an ordinary wife and mother whose life is encompassed by the four walls of her suburban home. 80 min. 999:3467

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The Element of Crime (Forbrydelsens element_ (1984)

Directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Meme Lai, Jerold Welss, Ahmed El Shenawi, Astrid Henning-Jensen, Janos Hersko, Preben Leerdorff-Rye, Gotha Anderson, Lars von Trier. The story of an exiled ex-cop who returns to his old beat to catch a serial killer preying on young girls. Set in Germany and shot in sepia tones with brilliant blue flashes, Von Trier boldly reinvents the expressionist style, combining dark mystery and operatic sweep to yield a celluloid nightmare. 104 min. DVD 1568

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Epidemic (1987)

Directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Lars von Trier, Niels Voersel, Allan de Waal, Ole Ernst, Michael Gelting, Udo Kier, Svend Ali Hamann, Claes Kastholm Hansen, Ib Hansen. Tells the bizarre story of a director (played by von Trier himself) and a writer who create a script about a mysterious plague that engulfs Europe, only to find their horrific scenario coming true in real life. With documentary "Freedogme," featuring Lars von Trier & Wim Winders. 106 min. DVD 2985

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The Five Obstructions (De Fem bensp?nd) (2003)

Directed by Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth. Lars von Trier enters the world of documentary filmmaking and challenges his idol Jorgen Leth to remake his 1967 film "The Perfect Human" five times, each time with a new obstruction to force Leth to rethink the story and characters of the original film. 90 min. DVD 3027

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The Flying Circus (Den flyvende cirkus) (1912, silent)

Directed by Alfred Lind. Cast: Rasmus Ottesen, Emilie Otterdahl, Richard Jensen, Lilli Beck, Kristine Friis-Hjort, Charles Lwaas, Stella Lind. One of the only two surviving films produced by the Scandinavian-Russian Trading Company (Det Skandinavisk-Russiske Handelshus). A protagonist must decide between a good and a bad woman, with all the danger and jealousy that ensues. Non-US format (PAL) DVD. 46 min. DVD 4435

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Gertrud (1964)

Directed by Carl Dreyer. Around 1910, a woman who is unhappily married to a lawyer meets a famous poet whom she had loved, has an affair with a young composer and finally decides to live alone in Paris. Based on the play by Hjalmar Soderberg. 116 min. DVD 829; VHS 999:2441

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The Great Circus Catastrophe (Dødsspring til hest fra cirkuskuplen) (1912, silent)

Directed by Eduard Schnedler-Sørensen. Cast: Valdemar Psilander, Ellen Rder, Jenny Roelsgaard, Aage Hertel. A loosely framed plot serves to connect a series of sensational scenes such as an escape from a burning hotel, a laison with a promiscuous woman and a dangerous circus act with a horse. Non-US format (PAL) DVD. 43 min. DVD 4434

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Hunger (Sult) (1966)

Directed by Henning Carlsen. "Set in the late 1800s, Hunger is about a struggling, starving Norwegian writer (Per Oscarsson) who rejects charity, even though he lives penniless in the streets, because he believes in the strength of his talent. Oscarsson won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his remarkable performance. The film is based on Knut Hamsun's novel, Sult." [from The All-Movie Guide]. 100 min. 999:877

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The Idiots (Idioterne)(1998)

Directed by Lars von Trier. In this film, made in accordance with the rules of the Dogma '95 Manifesto, which prescribes an excitingly radical new approach to filmmaking, director Von Trier has fashioned a truly original and thought-provoking piece of cinema. Following the exploits of a group of people who release their 'inner idiot,' thus engaging in recklessly outrageous behaviour, this film explores the relationships and motivations of those in the group and the subversive effect that they have on society at large. 110 min. 999:3155

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Italiensk for begyndere (Italian for Beginners)(2001)

Directed by Lone Scherfig. Cast: Anders W. Berthelsen, Ann Eleonora Jorgensen, Anette Stovelbaek, Peter Gantzler, Lars Kaalund, Karen Lise Mynster, Sara Indrio Jensen, Rikki Wolck, Elsebeth Steentoft, Carlo Barsotti. Several world-weary Danish students of an Italian language class find romance in their studies of the language of love. 112 min. DVD 2459

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The King Is Alive. (2001)

Directed by Kristian Levring. Cast: Miles Anderson, Romane Bohringer, David Bradley, David Calder, Bruce Davidson, Brion James, Peter Kubheka, Vusi Kunene, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Janet McTeer, Chris Walker, Lia Williams. A contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Follows the trials and tribulations of a busload of tourists who get stranded in an abandoned mining town in the middle of the African desert. After a fine bout of partying, they fall prey to the heat, isolation, and fear of death that pushes them to the extremes of introspection and emotional exploration. And in a beautifully futile gesture, they begin to rehearse a production of Shakespeare's King Lear, which helps pry open a few fragile psyches. 110 min. DVD 2462

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The Kingdom (Riget)(1994)

Directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Ernst-Hugo Jaregard, Kirsten Rolffes, Ghita Norby, Udo Kier. The Kingdom Hospital is ailing, this venerable institution has become a carnival of horrors as a restless ghost haunts the halls crying for redemption. The patients try to contact the uneasy spirit with seances. The doctors, feeling their own inadequacy, turn to exorcism, and voodoo in desperate attempts to salvage their power as healers. But a terrible secret, buried in the past has the hospital in its grasp. But it may be too late to save The Kingdom. Television mini-series Riget originally broadcast in 1994. 265 min. 999:2112

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Kira's Reason: A Love Story (En K?rlighedshistorie)(2001)

Directed by Ole Christian Madsen. Cast: Stine Stengade, Lars Mikkelsen, Sven Wollter, Peaches Latrice Petersen, Camila Bendix, Lotte Bergstrom, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Ronnie Hiort Lorenzen. Kira and her husband and two children have a secure and comfortable life until Kira inexplicably develops a psychiatric disorder that eventually commits her to a hospital. On being discharged, Kira tries to return to the normality of her previous life but discovers that her husband has had an affair during her hospitalization. 94 min. DVD 2464

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Leaves from Satan's Book (Blade af Satans Bog) (1920)

Directed by Carl Dreyer. Four episodes showing the activities of Satan through the ages : as a Pharisee at the time of Christ, as a Spanish Grand Inquisitor, as a police officer at work during the French Revolution and as a revolutionary monk in the Russo-Finnish war of 1918. 133 min. 999:1192

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Manderlay (Denmark / Sweden / Netherlands / France / Germany / UK, 2005)

Directed by Lars Von Trier. Cast: JBryce Dallas Howard, Isaach De Bankhole, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Lauren Bacall, Chloe Sevigny. A young girl traveling across 1930's America with her father, discovers a plantation that doesn't know that slavery has been abolished. Can this well-meaning girl and her lawyer father change the minds and hearts of the plantation owners? 139 min. DVD 7479

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Mifune (1999)

Directed by Sren Kragh-Jacobsen. Cast: Iben Hjejle, Anders W. Berthelsen, Jesper Asholt, Emil Tarding, Sofie Grabol, Anders Hove, Paprika Steen, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Ellen Hillingso, Mette Bratlann, Susanne Storm. when he receives a phone call informing him of his father's untimely passing, his comfortable new life is thrown into turmoil. He's kept his poor, small-town past a secret from his new wife and her family and must sneak away to settle family business before his cover is blown. 126 min. DVD 2466

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Monstertorsdag (Monster Thursday) (2004)

Directed by Arild Ostin Ommundsen. Cast: Vegar Hoel, Silie Salomonsen, Kim Bodnia, Andreas Cappelen, Christian Skolmen, Iben Hjejle, Gaulid Marko Kanic. A quirky romantic drama set in remote coastal Norway takes the viewer on a tumultuous ride through surfing aspirations, extreme weather and love. Three friends, a love triangle and the quest for the perfect wave. 103 min. DVD 6340

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Open Hearts (Elsker dig for evigt) (2002)

Directed by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen. Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen, Stine Bjerregaard, Birthe Neumann, Niels Olsen, Ulf Pilgaard. A film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident. 109 min. DVD 5412

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Ordet (The Word) (1955)

Directed by Carl Dreyer. Cast: Henrik Malberg, Emil Hass Christensen, Preben Lerdorff Rye, Cay Kristiansen, Birgitte Federspiel. A study of spiritual faith and love; the film tells of the death of Inger in childbirth and her resurrection, a miracle that is seen as the result of human love. The film opens as a family of marshland farmers trail an idiot son (Johannes) who calls himself Christ. It closes as the demented theological student approaches the open coffin of his sister-in-law and, at the urgings of her child, brings her back to life. 126 min. DVD 828; VHS 999:2624, & also available as a less satisfactory print, 999:658

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The Only Way (1970)

Director, Bent Christensen. Cast: Martin Potter, Ebbe Rode, Jane Seymour, Helle Virkner, Ove SprogOe. Produced on location in Denmark, this is a faithful recounting of Denmark's valorous actions, while under the German occupation of 1940-1945, to save its Jewish citizens from extermination by the Nazis in October 1943. 86 min. 999:2961

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The Parson's Widow (Prästänkan) (Sweden / Denmark, 1920)

Director, Carl Theodore Dreyer. Cast: Hildur Carlberg, Einar Rod, Greta Almroth. In this comic melodrama a young parson wins a plum parish in 17th century Norway, but is obliged to marry the widow of his deceased predecessor and pretend his attractive fiancee is his sister. The pastor and his "sister" plot to kill the widow, claiming she is a witch. 60 min. 999:3418

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Pelle the Conqueror (Pelle Erobreren)(1987)

Directed by Bille August. A Swedish father and his son Pelle travel to Denmark in search of a new life. As their boat lands, the father tells his son he is still young and can conquer the world. Realizing his father cannot help him fulfill his dreams, Pelle sets off for a life of adventure. Based on the novel by Martin Nexo. 138 min. DVD 663; VHS 999:1116

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The President (Prsidenten) (1919)

Directed by Carl Th. Dreyer. Cast: Halvard Hof, Elith Pio, Carl Meyer, Jacoba Jessen, Olga Raphael-Linden, Betty Kirkeby, Jon Iversen. A restoration of Carl Th. Dreyer's first feature film as director, addressing the crucial conflict between the strict moral codes of society and individual morals. The judge in a Danish town sees his illegitimate daughter facing a trial for the murder of her newborn child. When she is found guilty and sentenced to death, he asks for a pardon, but when it isn't granted he decides to free her and get her out of the country at all costs. Non-US format DVD (PAL). 89 min. DVD 4433

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Pusher(1996)

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Cast: Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbaek, Slavko Labovic, Mads Mikkelsen. Frank is a small-time pusher who sells heroin. When a deal goes wrong and Frank is busted by the police, he is released because of lack of evidence. Unfortunately, he now owes a very big debt to Milo, an ex-Yugoslav dealer, who has given him two days to collect the money that will save him from a bullet. 145 min. DVD 2468

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Sealed Orders (Det Hemmelighedsfulde X)(1914, silent)

Directed by Benjamin Christensen. Cast: Benjamin Christensen, Karen Sandberg, Fritz Lamprech, Amanda Lund, Hermann Spiro. An officer's orders are stolen by a spy who is trying to seduce the officer's wife. Non-US format DVD (PAL). 85 min. DVD 4432

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Smilla's Sense of Snow (Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne)(1997)

Directed by Bille August. Cast: Julia Ormond, Gabriel Byrne, Richard Harris, Robert Loggia, Vanessa Redgrave, Jim Broadbent, Mario Adorf, Bob Peck, Tom Wilkinson, Emma Croft, Peter Capaldi, Jurgen Vogel. When a young boy from Greenland falls from the top of the house Smilla lives in, she suspects that this was not an accident. As she begins to investigate, she is pulled deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that could very well mean her death. 121 min. DVD 2461

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Sofie (Sophie) (1987)

Directed by Liv Ullmann. Sofie is the only daughter of a late 19th century Jewish family in Denmark who finds herself bound to traditions that clash with the temptations of her heart. The film celebrates Sofie's life as she strives for happiness in an arranged marriage, grows to understand her family and finds the strength to accept her only child's decision to pursue a more modern way of life. 145 min. 999:1730

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Temptations of a Great City (Ved Fængslets Port)(1911, silent)

Directed by August Blom. Cast: Valdemar Psilander, Augusta Blad, Holger Hofman, Clara Wieth. A son's relationship wth his mother is strained due to his playboy pursuits and resulting debts. Non-US format (PAL) DVD. 41 min. DVD 4434

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Tro, Håb og Kærlighed (Twist + Shout) (1984)

Directed by Bille August. Twist and Shout is a gripping, sexy, coming-of-age story in which teenager friends find love and heartbreak during the height of Beatlemania in 1960s Denmark. As their passions explode, the teenagers find themselves caught up in a tangle of conflicting emotions and learn firsthand the hypocrisy of the "adult" world. (On the same DVD with 'Zappa,' the prequel to 'Twist + Shout.') 108 minutes. DVD 2564

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Vampyr (Der Traum des Allan Grey) (1932; in German with Danish and English title frames, and Danish subtitles)

Directed by Carl Dreyer. A subtle, disturbing version of the vampire legend. A young man becomes involved with an attempt to stop the vampire and save a family. A cinema classic also known as "The Strange adventure of David Grey." 66 min. DVD 212, 72 min. - includes "The Mascot", 26 min.; also on tape 999:2626; also available as a less satisfactory print, 999:297

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What Do Those Old Films Mean, Part 3: Denmark 1910-1912 (She)

Contents: Bride of Death -- The Shop Assistant -- The Abyss -- The Flying Circus -- Dr. Gar el Harna -- The Strongest -- The Dangerous Ape. Examines the psychological realism and innovative filmmaking techniques exhibited in early Danish silent films. Shows how the creativity of key figures in early Danish cinema and the feminism and liberal sexual attitudes in Denmark contributed to the sophistication found in those early films. 30 min. Video/C 1406:3

Zappa (1983)

Directed by Bille August. 'Zappa,' the prequel to 'Twist + Shout,' (on the same DVD) is the story of three teenagers in 1960s Copenhagen each from different backgrounds: the manipulative upperclass rich kid Steen, clean-cut middleclass boy Bjorn and the lowerclass overweight prankster Mulle. 103 min. DVD 2564

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Icelandic Cinema

Cold Fever (1994)

Director, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson. Cast: Masatoshi Nagase, Lili Taylor, Fisher Stevens, Gisli Halldorsson, Laura Hughes. A young Japanese executive is forced to give up his yearly golf trip to Hawaii to perform a traditional memorial ceremony for his parents in the middle of Iceland. Chugging across the haunting, frozen landscapes in an old Citroen, Atsushi encounters a place as surreal as the land itself, where he not only makes peace with the dead, but more importantly, with himself. 85 min. 999:3619

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Fíaskó (1999)

Written and directed by Ragnar Bragason. Cast: Robert Arnfinnsson, Kristbjorg Kjeld, Silja Hauksdottir, Bjorn Jorundur Fridbjornsson, Eggert Thorliefsson, Margret Akadottir, Olafur Darri Olafsson. This wild comedy full of secrets and sin tells the story of three generations of the Bardall family who embark on a journey to Reykjavik. Granddad's got a crush on a movie star, Mum's got the hots for a priest, Julia can't decide if she's pregnant or not and there's a dead stripper in the jacuzzi. PAL format. 92 min. 999:3045

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Hafid Hafið: The Sea (2002)

Written and directed by Baltasar Kormákur. Cast: Gunnar Eyjolfsson, Hilmir Snaer Gundnason, Kristbjorg Kjeld, Herdis Thorvaldsdottir, Gudrun Gisladottir, Sven Nordin, Elva Osk Olafsdottir, Sijurddur Skulason. An aging father summons his children home to unload a secret that will cause long hidden resentments and desires to rise to the surface - and leads to an event that will forever affect the entire family. 109 min. DVD 2465

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Islenski Draumurinn (The Icelandic Dream) (2000)

Directed by Robert I. Cast: Thor Sverrisson, Jon Gnarr, Hafdis Huld, Laufey Bra Jonsdottir, Matt Kesslar. Douglas. The story of a young business man coping with a mid-life crisis 15 years too early. Apart from having to run a successful business that is bound to fail, he also has to cope with being a weekend dad, his ever resentful ex-in-laws and wife, his new found girlfriend and most importantly the shock of seeing his favorite soccer team relegated to the second division. PAL format. 90 min. 999:3023

Villiljos (2000)

Directors, Dagur Kari Petursson, Inga Lisa Middleton, Ragnar Bragason, Asgrimur Sverrisson, Einar Thor Gunnlaugsson. Everything looks set for a perfectly normal evening in Reykjavik, until the power goes off...A teenage girl is locked inside a bank just as she goes into labor; a hearse driver races through the darkened streets, fighting off ghosts; a young couple is forced to face that their relationship is overburdened with problems; a pop star, scared out of his wits in a crashing plane, must ponder a life change and a young man finds his girlfriend in bed with a blind man she just met. PAL format tape. 77 min. 999:3044

Dramarama

A searchable database of the film Dramarama (Villiljos) including photographs from the film in three different formats, posters, film clips, theatrical trailer, film synopsis and information on directors, author of the script and actors plus a complete list of dialogue in English. An accompanying sound disc includes music from the film. In Icelandic and English. Compu/D 534

The Wedding of Palo (Palos brudefærd) (1935)

Director, Friedrich Dalsheim. Traditional eskimo culture is embodied in this early ethnographic film of life in Greenland focusing around the contest between two rivals for the love of an Inuit woman. The forces of nature will decide the winner. Beautifully shot in summer with Inuit actors, its story comes from an old Inuit legend. 72 min. 999:3617

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Finnish Cinema

Ariel (1989)

Director, Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Turo Pajala, Susanna Haavisto, Matti Pellonpaa. A mixture of comedy and crime about a Finnish miner who loses his job and embarks on a cross-country trip in a huge white Cadillac. What begins as a relaxing drive becomes a crime spree as he gets involved in a mugging, a jailbreak, a car theft, and eventually murder. 74 min. 999:3015

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Bohemian Life (Boheemielamaa; Vie de bohème) (France / Italy / Sweden / Finland, 1992)

Written, directed and produced by Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Matti Pellonpaa, Evelyne Didi, Andre Wilms, Kari Vaananen. A retelling of the story made famous by Puccini's opera, Aki Kaurismaki's version of life on the skids in Paris revolves around three bohemians - Rodolfo the Albanian painter, Marcel the writer and drinker and Schaumard the Irish composer, who are thrown together by a series of coincidences involving a repossessed apartment and a two-headed trout. PAL (Region 2) format DVD. 89 min. DVD 6187

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Calamari Union (1985)

Written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Timo Eranko, Kari Heiskanen, Asmo Hurula, Sakke Jarvenpaa, Markku Toikka. An absurdist drama in which 17 Finnish-speaking men all named Frank, and one English-speaking man named Pekka are on their way to the other side of the town to escape the dirty streets of Helsinki. Non-US (PAL) format DVD. 78 min. DVD 6207

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Crime and Punishment (Brott och straff; Rikos ja rangaistus) (1994)

Written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Markku Toikka, Aino Seppo, Esko Nikkari. Inspired by Dostoyevsky's famous novel, this engrossing Finnish version of "Crime and punishment" revolves around an ex-law student in Helsinki who now works in a slaughterhouse. One day he searches out the drunk driver that had killed his fiancee and coldly shoots him to death. He begins a hopeless affair with a woman who witnessed the incident. Non-US (PAL) format DVD. 83 min. DVD 6207

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Hamlet Goes Business (Hamlet liikemaailmassa) (1987)

Written and directed Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Esko Salminen, Esko Nikkari. A farcical take on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Young Hamlet inherits a seat on the board of a company controlled by his uncle that decides to move into the rubber duck market. But Hamlet is suspicious of the circumstances surrounding his father's death, as boardroom battles and poisoned directors ensue. PAL (Region 2)format DVD. 85 min. DVD 6184

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I Hired a Contract Killer (Finland / UK / Germany / Sweden, 1990)

Written, directed, edited, & produced by Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Margi Clarke, Kenneth Colley, Nicky Tesco, Serge Reggiani. Despondent over loosing his job and lacking the courage to commit suicide, Henri hires a contract killer to murder him at some unspecified time in the future. But almost immediately he meets and falls in love with Margaret. When he tries to cancel the contract, the killer has disappeared. PAL (Region 2) format DVD. 76 min. DVD 6186

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Juha (1999)

Directed by Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Sakari Kuosmanen, Kati Outinen, Andre Wilms. Based on the novel Juha by Juhani Aho and set in the 1970s, the film tells the story of Marja, a farmer's wife, who is seduced into running away from her dull, older husband, Juha, by a city slicker, Shemeikka, who enslaves her in a brothel. PAL (Region 2) format DVD. Silent film with musical score & subtitles. 77 min. DVD 6185

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Leningrad Cowboys Go America (Finland / Sweden, 1989)

Directed Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Katinka Farago, Matti Pellonpaa, Kari Vaananen, The Leningrad Cowboys. The Leningrad Cowboys, a group of Finnish musicians, and their manager, travel to America seeking fame and fortune. As they cross the country, trying to get to a wedding in Mexico, they are followed by the village idiot, who wishes to join the band. 80 min. DVD 4755

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The Man Without a Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä) (Finland / Germany / France, 2002)

Written and directed Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen, Annikki Tahti, Juhani Niemela, Kaija Pakarinen, Sakori Kuosmanen. After a man is beaten and declared dead, he suddenly sits up and walks out of the hospital on his own. Determined to start his life over in a new town and unable to remember his name or anything about his past, he becomes involved with a mother and her sons. Everything seems good until his past comes back to haunt him. 96 min. DVD 2449

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The Match-Factory Girl (Tulitikkutehtaan tytto) (1990)

Written, edited and directed by Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Esko Nikkari, Vesa Vierikko, Reijo Taipale. Presents the bleak existence of Iris, a young factory worker, who is cruelly ignored and used. Facing pregnancy and the scorn of her family and one-time lover, Iris finds release from her woes with a packet of rat poison -- not for herself, but for all the people who did her dirt. 70 min. 999:2894

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Mother of Mine (Äideistä parhain) (Finland / Sweden, 1994)

Directed by Klaus Haro. Cast: Maria Lundqvist, Michael Nyqvist, Topi Majaniemi, Marjaana Maijala, Esko Salminen, Brasse Brannstrom, Aino-Maija Tikkanen, Kari-Pekka Toivonen. When nine-year-old Eero's father is killed at the beginning of World War II his mother, broken by grief, is unable to care for him. She sends Eero out of Finland to live with a family in Sweden, away from the conflict. Feeling abandoned by his biological Finnish mother, he cannot quite attach to his Swedish surrogate mother. When the war ends, and he returns to his mother in Finland, his confusion intensifies. 105 min. DVD 3986

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Tatjana (Pidä huivista kiinni, Tatjana) (Finland / Germany, 1994)

Written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: Kati Outinen, Matti Pellonpaa, Kirsi Tykkylainen, Mato Valtonen. Valto and Reino take to the road in search of coffee and vodka, without which their lives are not worth living. Their lives are interrupted by the arrival of garrulous Russian Klaudia and Estonian Tatiana, who are clearly interested in the two men despite the language barrier, but how to get a response from such a lugubrious pair? Non-US (PAL) format DVD. 59 min. DVD 6207

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Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon Sotilas) (1955)

Directed by Edvin Laine. Cast: Kosti Klemela, Heikki Savolainen, Reino Tolvanen, Veikko Sinisalo, Ake Lindman. Tells the story of an Eastern-Finnish machine gun company of young, nervous rookies who receive their baptism in fire as they defend their borders against the Axis during World War II. The film is notable for its grimly explicit battle scenes as the soldiers become familiar with death and the hardships of war. 169 min. DVD 1596

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Winter War (Tal visota) (1989)

Directed by Pekka Parikka. A dramatized version of the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939 and 1940 told from the viewpoint of the Finnish soldier. For 105 days an overwhelming Soviet army stormed tiny Finland's borders with massive artillery, a powerful air force and well-armed infantry. What gave the defenders the strength to hold back such an awesome enemy in the face of countless odds and to preserve their country's independence? 123 min. 999:2895

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Zombie and the Ghost-Train (Zombie ja kummitusjuna) (1991)

Directed by Mika Kaurismaki. Cast: Silu Seppala, Marjo Leinonen, Matti Pellonpaa. A punk-tinged comedy about a bass player and his down-and-out life, trying to get a gig with the Ghost Train, a band that's "seen but never heard." 88 min. 999:3621

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