University of Virginia Library

'Elvira Madigan' Is
Movie Of Beauty

By Chuck Woody

A fantasy. A swirling, shifting
world of color punctuated with
classical sounds of Mozart's
Piano Concerto No. 21. In short,
the movie "Elvira Madigan," now
playing at the University Theater.

The Swedish film is based on
a true story of the 1890's which
has since become a popular legend.
It is a lyrical elegy about a young
lieutenant who deserts the army
to run away for a summer with
a tightrope dancer. Sixten Sparre,
played by Thommy Berggren, also
leaves his wife and two children
for Elvira, played by 17-year-old
Pia Degermark.

Summer Happiness

The two flee to Denmark for
a summer of idyllic happiness.
Elvira and Sixteen roll in the green
grass as the whole picture fades into
an impressionistic blur. Other
scenes like a shot of the cheese
and wine on a white cloth are
reminiscent of the photography in
"Taming of the Shrew," with
Renaissance-type poses.

The landscape offers the most
beautiful scenes of the movie,
which is a complete visual experience.
The solitary figure of
Sixten in black clothes silhouetted
against the white sand with water
gently lapping around him and the
sun set reflecting in the water is
typical of the type of excellent
photography.

War and Love

But the picture offers much more
than just good camera work. The
two characters offer interesting
comment about war, happiness and
what love really means. For example,
Sixteen claims one has o
be far sighted to see what war is.
He asks an army friend if he knows
through how many layers of flesh
a bayonet must penetrate before
it kills.

The couple live on raspberries
and cream, and bread and cheese
as they watch their money run
out. They pawn a tie pin, a drawing
but nothing seems to stop their
inevitable end. Neither can work
because they are afraid of being
recognized. Sixten finds that even
a farmer can tell he is a noble.

Cannes and Candy

Elvira is beautiful in her first
movie role, which won her the
best actress award at the Cannes
Film Festival. More recently she
was offered the role of Candy in
the new movie, but rejected it.

Perhaps the words of Benjamin
Thompson, dean of the Department
of Architecture at Harvard
University, most aptly describe the
film:

Cool, Cool Age

"We live today in a cool, cool
age when thee is almost a national
phobia about the expression
of private feelings, especially on
the subject of that obsolete quality
called 'beauty.' Not so long ago
men felt free to admit they loved
the meander of a river, a field of
devil's paintbrush, or a woman's
crazy loveliness. Today such a display
of emotion makes us squirm."