One of my favorite books in college was Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter. It's the story of a headstrong, passionate woman in 14th century Norway at that period when Mother Church had not entirely eradicated Mother Nature as the primary source of worship. I was fascinated by the social customs, politics, romance, and spiritual issues. It won Undset the Nobel Prize in 1928. For me, it came along at a time when I was first learning about the impact of Christianity as a social and spiritual force, and what a huge change it wrought wherever it took hold. Around that time I first read Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund which I also loved for its brilliant evocation of the medieval world and its exploration of redemption.
So when I saw that Liv Ullman had directed a screen version of Kristin Lavransdatter I just had to rent it last night. I thought it would be great to see this classic of Scandanavian literature brought to life. It was. But it was also pretty darned depressing. I forgot how grim everyone is in serious arty Swedish films. "Life is a hellish travesty of injustice and random violence, and then you die horribly but not until you've ruined everyone else's life," must be the motto of the Svenska Film Board. I have seen some funny, light Swedish films. The Mozart Brothers is a favorite. But I really ought to have remembered all those dark, baffling Ingmar Bergman films before sitting down to watch this movie.
Next time I want to watch an art film I'm also going to rent a comedy just to offset the Svenska effect.
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