One Summer of Happiness

Hon dansade en sommar

Sweden

1951

103 Min

Black and White

1.37:1

Swedish

Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
1
2
3
4
5

SCR Volodja Semitjov, Olle Hellbom, Arne Mattsson, Per Olof Ekström

CAST Edvin Adolphson, Ulla Jacobsson, John Elfström, Folke Sundquist, Erik Hell, Irma Christenson, Sten Lindgren, Nils Hallberg, Sten Mattsson

SOUND Olle Jacobsson

Berlinale (Competition): Golden Bear, Cannes

Synopsis

Based on the novel, Summer Dance, from Pen-Olof Ekström the film deals with the classical theme of “boy meets girl". Director Arne Mattson accurately captured the conflict between young love and a hostile Protestant environment. Young Goran, before entering high school, visits his uncle in the countryside, where he discovers the beautiful Kerstin. Despite the bigotry fostered by the local pastor, they fall in love, but fate is merciless. The film won the 1952 Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. —FEBIOFEST

Director

Arne Mattsson

Arne Mattsson (2 December 1919 – 28 June 1995) was a Swedish film director, born in Uppsala.

His early movies were mostly comedies. His biggest success was Hon dansade en sommar (1951, aka. One Summer of Happiness), which earned him the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and a nomination for the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952.It caused some controversy at the time because it containined nudity.

His 1953 film of Peder Sjögren’s second novel, Bread of Love (Kärlekens bröd), based on Sjögren’s experiences as a volunteer in the Finnish Continuation War of 1941-44 angered the author, was banned in Finland and incurred the wrath of the Soviets at the Cannes Film Festival. In spite of all this, Sjögren grudgingly admitted that as a study of men under severe pressure it was impressive.

In 1958 he directed Mannekäng i rött, the first in a series of murder mysteries, considered by some to be a precursor of the Italian giallo films. read more