In spite of the presence of Bergman's veteran Max Von Sydow,this movie harks back to the Italian rural cinema of the seventies ,with a zest of "ladri di biciclette "thrown in.
The very long Italian sagas of the seventies,"novecento" (1976,Bertolucci) and "l'albero degi zoccoli" (1978,Ermano Olmi)comes naturally to mind.From Bertolucci's work,Erik's character:he's the only one who has a political awareness,almost an anomaly in a movie where "everyman for himself and God for us all!"seems the motto,particularly the young hero's.It's not surprising that ,in the wake of an accident,Erik loses his mind.The owners couple is also Bertolucciesque,and the castration scene could fit in "novecento" . Actually,August's movie seems closer to "l'albero degli zoccoli":it's a rather static work-not meant pejoratively- which lacks Bertolucci's lyricism and epics.Except for Pelle,and Erik,all are resigned,and day in, day out,we attend the simple and hard life of the farm workers;sometimes it's heart-wrenching,and sometimes it drags on a bit.
The most interesting character is the central one,Pelle.He's a very ambiguous one;the title "the conqueror" is thoroughly justified:unlike Erik,he intuitively understands that rebellion is pointless.You've got to know the rules of the game,and the way to the conquest goes through education,therefore school.His relationship with his father (Von Sydow) is not so warm it appears at first sight.Pelle feels humiliated when he sees, through the keyhole ,his father unable to defend himself against his very young boss;it could recall "laddi di biciclette",but in that latter work,the child did not despise his father,in August 's Work,he does.And eventually,he leaves his father alone ,a father whose life was never fulfilled and now would have to die on his own.Under an academic veneer,it's an apology of individual social advancement-as the scene in which Von Sydow marvels at his son's school prowess shows-,and too bad for those who fall by the wayside.
The very long Italian sagas of the seventies,"novecento" (1976,Bertolucci) and "l'albero degi zoccoli" (1978,Ermano Olmi)comes naturally to mind.From Bertolucci's work,Erik's character:he's the only one who has a political awareness,almost an anomaly in a movie where "everyman for himself and God for us all!"seems the motto,particularly the young hero's.It's not surprising that ,in the wake of an accident,Erik loses his mind.The owners couple is also Bertolucciesque,and the castration scene could fit in "novecento" . Actually,August's movie seems closer to "l'albero degli zoccoli":it's a rather static work-not meant pejoratively- which lacks Bertolucci's lyricism and epics.Except for Pelle,and Erik,all are resigned,and day in, day out,we attend the simple and hard life of the farm workers;sometimes it's heart-wrenching,and sometimes it drags on a bit.
The most interesting character is the central one,Pelle.He's a very ambiguous one;the title "the conqueror" is thoroughly justified:unlike Erik,he intuitively understands that rebellion is pointless.You've got to know the rules of the game,and the way to the conquest goes through education,therefore school.His relationship with his father (Von Sydow) is not so warm it appears at first sight.Pelle feels humiliated when he sees, through the keyhole ,his father unable to defend himself against his very young boss;it could recall "laddi di biciclette",but in that latter work,the child did not despise his father,in August 's Work,he does.And eventually,he leaves his father alone ,a father whose life was never fulfilled and now would have to die on his own.Under an academic veneer,it's an apology of individual social advancement-as the scene in which Von Sydow marvels at his son's school prowess shows-,and too bad for those who fall by the wayside.