Jan Troell | |
|---|---|
 Troell at the 2013Stockholm Film Festival | |
| Born | Jan Gustaf Troell (1931-07-23)23 July 1931 (age 94) Malmö, Sweden |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Spouse | Agneta Ulfsäter |
Jan Gustaf Troell (born 23 July 1931) is a Swedishfilmmaker,screenwriter, author, andcinematographer. His realistic films, with a lyrical photography in which nature is prominent, have placed him in the first rank of modern Swedish film directors along withIngmar Bergman andBo Widerberg.
Troell was born inLimhamn outsideMalmö, Sweden. For several years, he worked as an elementary-school teacher but started to makeshort films in the sixties. In 1965 he co-produced the film4x4 and it was entered into the4th Moscow International Film Festival.[1] He became director of photography for Widerberg but soon made a debut with his own first feature,Here's Your Life (Här har du ditt liv, 1966), about a working class boy in Sweden, set in the beginning of the 20th century. The film was based upon an autobiographical novel byEyvind Johnson. For the film he won theGuldbagge Award for Best Director at the4th Guldbagge Awards.[2] His next filmWho Saw Him Die? (Ole dole doff, 1968) won theGolden Bear award at the18th Berlin International Film Festival.[3]
Troell's major work in the 1970s becameThe Emigrants (Utvandrarna, 1971) and its sequelThe New Land (Nybyggarna, 1972), two epic films about some peasants emigrating from the barren Swedish countryside to The United States in the 19th century. Once again, Troell films were based upon the novels of a Swedish working-class author, in this caseVilhelm Moberg's famousEmigrants suite. As in many of Troell's films,Max von Sydow plays one of the major roles.The Emigrants was nominated for severalAcademy Awards.[4]
After a brief and unsuccessful sojourn in Hollywood, which resulted in the filmsZandy's Bride (1974), starringGene Hackman, andHurricane (1979), Troell madeFlight of the Eagle (Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd, 1982). It is a film aboutS. A. Andrée's disastrousArctic balloon expedition of 1897.The Flight of the Eagle was nominated for the Academy Awards (foreign-language film).
The release ofIl Capitano: A Swedish Requiem (Il Capitano, 1991) became controversial since the film is based upon a true story; the brutal murder of a Swedish family just a few years earlier (seeJuha Valjakkala). Yet, it concentrates on the psychological power game between the murderer and his girlfriend rather than the violence of the crime. He was awarded with theSilver Bear for Best Director at the42nd Berlin International Film Festival.[5] It also won the award forBest Film at the27th Guldbagge Awards.[6]
Troell has also made documentaries, for instanceLand of Dreams (Sagolandet, 1988), dealing with modern society's alienation from nature andA Frozen Dream (En frusen dröm, 1997) in which he once again brings up Andrée's polar expedition. Troell took part of an extensive poll bySight & Sound, where he revealed his favorite films to beSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,Hugo,Modern Times,Hour of the Wolf,The Night of the Hunter andSome Like It Hot.
Despite his age (he is currently in his 90s), Troell has remained productive. His recent films includeAs White as in Snow (Så vit som en snö, 2001), based on the life of Swedish aviatorElsa Andersson; a documentary calledPresence (Närvarande, 2003);Everlasting Moments (Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick, 2008), based on the life of Maria Larsson, a 20th-century, working class photographer; and his latest film,The Last Sentence (Dom över död man).,[7] a biographical film about the Swedish publicistTorgny Segerstedt.The Last Sentence premiered in November 2012 at theStockholm International Film Festival. At the same festival Troell was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.
| Year | English title | Original title | Source material |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 4x4 | ||
| 1966 | Here's Your Life | Här har du ditt liv | Här har du ditt liv! byEyvind Johnson |
| 1968 | Who Saw Him Die? | Ole dole doff | Ön sjunker by Clas Engström |
| 1971 | The Emigrants | Utvandrarna | The Emigrants andUnto a Good Land byVilhelm Moberg |
| 1972 | The New Land | Nybyggarna | Unto a Good Land,The Settlers andThe Last Letter Home byVilhelm Moberg |
| 1974 | Zandy's Bride | The Stranger by Lillian Bos Ross | |
| 1977 | Bang! | Orgeladjunkten by Sven Christer Swahn | |
| 1979 | Hurricane | The Hurricane byCharles Nordhoff andJames Norman Hall | |
| 1982 | Flight of the Eagle | Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd | Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd byPer Olof Sundman |
| 1991 | Il Capitano: A Swedish Requiem | Il capitano | |
| 1996 | Hamsun | Processen mod Hamsun byThorkild Hansen | |
| 2001 | As White as in Snow | Så vit som en snö | Den ofullbordade himlen byJacques Werup |
| 2008 | Everlasting Moments | Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick | Att människan levde: en släktkrönika by Agneta Ulfsäter-Troell |
| 2012 | The Last Sentence | Dom över död man | |
| Year | English title | Original title |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Land of Dreams | Sagolandet |
| 1997 | A Frozen Dream | En frusen dröm |
| 2003 | Presence | Närvarande |
| 2007 | Tune | Färgklang |
| 2011 | Kalla ingenting för sent | |
| Year | Title | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Stad | 25 |
| 1961 | Sommartåg | 14 |
| 1961 | Nyårsafton på skånska slätten | 7 |
| 1962 | Pojken och draken | 30 |
| 1962 | En broder mer | 20 |
| 1962 | De kom tillbaka | 24 |
| 1962 | Båten | 21 |
| 1963 | Drömmar och syner vid havet | 25 |
| 1964 | Trakom | 15 |
| 1964 | Johan Ekberg | 21 |
| 1964 | Den gamla kvarnen | 10 |
| 1965 | Vår i Dalby hage | 4 |
| 1965 | Uppehåll i myrlandet | 30 |
| 1965 | Porträtt av Åsa | 29 |
| 1975 | Nålsögat | 29 |
| 1989 | Tolvslaget – dagens dikt | 7 |
| 1994 | Dansen | 20 |
| 1997 | ... och barnen i äppelträdet | 25 |
| 2000 | 92,8 MHz ... drömmar i söder | 30 |
| 2002 | Reflexion 2001 | 7 |
| 2004 | The Yellow Tag | 10 |
| 2010 | Med mitt mått mätt – en ökenvandring | 6 |
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Baby Carriage | Bo Widerberg |
