Miss Julie (1951)

Director: Alf Sjöberg
Writers: Alf Sjöberg, August Strindberg
Stars:  Anita Björk, Ulf Palme, Märta Dorff
Runtime: 90 minutes

Plot: The film deals with class, sex and power as the title character, the daughter of a Count in 19th century Sweden, begins a relationship with one of the estate's servants.

Review: Swedish filmmaker Alf Sjöberg's visually innovative, Cannes Grand Prix-winning adaptation of August Strindberg's renowned 1888 play brings to scalding life the excoriating words of the stage's preeminent surveyor of all things rotten in the state of male-female relations. Miss Julie vividly depicts the battle of the sexes and classes that ensues when a wealthy businessman's daughter falls for her father's bitter servant. 

The best things about this Swedish picture are its strong imagistic qualities and a passionate, tormented performance of the principal role by Anita Bjork. Mr. Sjoberg has written a screen play that permits him to move with fluid ease from one time level to another, so that the ordinary flashback device becomes with him just a matter of panning from one to another scene. This makes for an interesting conjunction of immediate and previous events, all flowing suitably together for strong, impressive dramatic effects.

Celebrated for its unique cinematic style, Sjöberg's film was an important turning point in Scandinavian cinema. While it may seem a little out of place now, it still has the hypnotic appeal on audiences.

Reviewed by Intisab Shahriyar