Series Site
July 11–August 29, 2025
The second installment in our ongoing Swedish Cinema Project, following this spring’s Mai Zetterling centennial series, offers a lineup of classic films synonymous with the white nights of Swedish summers and the country’s rich tradition of auteur directors. Alf Sjöberg’s Miss Julie (1951) was an important turning point in Scandinavian cinema in its depiction of the battle of the sexes and classes. The series features two of Ingrid Bergman’s early films: The Count of the Old Town (1935), her first speaking role, a work that shares a kinship with Marcel Pagnol films of the same era; and Intermezzo (1936), in which she stars as a young virtuoso pianist. Bo Widerberg’s Elvira Madigan (1967), shown here in an imported 35mm print, is an exceptionally beautiful work with stunning landscape color cinematography.
We also present four films directed by Ingmar Bergman—films shot mostly in the summer months on location, each accruing international recognition for Bergman’s writing, direction, and top-notch cast and crew. Roy Andersson’s impressive debut feature, A Swedish Love Story (1970), shown in an imported 35mm print, simultaneously reveals warmth, humor, and criticism of the Swedish social state. Cross-listed with BAMPFA’s Andrei Tarkovsky retrospective is the Russian director’s final elegiac film, The Sacrifice (1986), a Swedish production lensed by the great cinematographer Sven Nykvist and starring the wonderful Erland Josephson.
—Susan Oxtoby, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator