Jan Troell’s EVERLASTING MOMENTS Opens in the US
Mike Hale interviews Jan Troell in the New York Times:
"At the age of 77 the Swedish director Jan Troell after a four-decade career that includes a best picture prize at the Berlin Film Festival, a Golden Palm nomination at Cannes and a best picture Oscar nomination is among the world’s most distinguished filmmakers. He is also practically invisible in the United States.
"Only two of his films, the well-regarded 1996 Hamsun, about the Norwegian novelist Knut Hamsun, and Hurricane, a misfire from his brief sojourn in Hollywood in the late 1970s, are available here on DVD. His masterpieces The Emigrants, The New Land, The Flight of the Eagle have not been in print since the days of the laser disc.
"It’s a state of affairs that can drive his American fans to distraction but that does not appear to hold any particular interest for Mr. Troell.
"I haven’t really thought about that, Mr. Troell (pronounced tro-el) said by phone from his home near Malmo recently before politely moving the discussion to more relevant topics, like the opening in New York and Los Angeles on Friday of his latest movie, Everlasting Moments, a 2009 Golden Globe nominee for best foreign-language film. It will be the first Troell movie released in the United States in 12 years, but who’s counting?"
***
Well, this Troell fan is counting.
I managed to find some old, old copies of The Emigrants (1971, dubbed into English, I believe by — at least some of — the Scandinavian performers themselves as I could clearly recognize Max von Sydow’s voice) and The New Land (1972), both of which were nominated for the best foreign-language film Academy Award. (The Emigrants managed a best picture nomination as well.)
But the Oscar-nominated The Flight of the Eagle (1982), which I saw on cable years ago, has thus far been impossible to find. And the same goes for the remarkable Il Capitano (1991), which I watched in Europe a while back.
Multiple Guldbagge winner Everlasting Moments surprisingly failed to find a slot among the five Oscar nominees this year. Being a period drama about a woman who finds her personal path by way of a camera, I thought it was going to be not only a surefire nominee but also a possible (upset) winner. (It turned out that the upset winner was Departures, which beat front-runner Waltz with Bashir.)
Written by Niklas Rådström (from a story by Troell and his wife, Agneta Ulfsäter-Troell, who was inspired by her grandmother’s early life) and starring Maria Heiskanen, Mikael Persbrandt, and Jesper Christensen, Everlasting Moments opens in Los Angeles on Friday, March 6, at the Westside Pavilion’s Landmark movie complex in West LA.
Jennifer Jones III: THE TOWERING INFERNO
Jennifer Jones II: DUEL IN THE SUN
THE SINGING REVOLUTION: Q&A with Filmmakers James Tusty and Maureen Castle Tusty
Oscar Correspondent Contest Winners 2009
Comments
3 Responses to “Jan Troell’s EVERLASTING MOMENTS Opens in the US”
Leave a Reply
NOTE:
All comments are moderated and may take some time before they are posted. Different views and opinions are welcome, but courtesy is imperative. Rude/crass/bigoted comments and name-calling of any sort will be immediately deleted.
Also, please be aware that the Alternative Film Guide has no contact information for the talent mentioned in this blog and no information pertaining to or access to distributors'/producers' film prints.
You should check out ZANDY’S BRIDE, an excellent drama with Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann. 1974. Along the lines of THE EMIGRANTS and THE NEW LAND.
Everlasting moments is beatifull. Go see it! Wonderful movie!
Maria Heiskanen is a great actress.
EVERLASTING MOMENTS should have won the oscar….