A lot of people nowadays probably recognize the name August Strindberg from a line in one of Woody Allen's movies. For the historical context, Strindberg was a playwright in 1800s Sweden. His works addressed social stratification and the role of women in a male-dominated society. One of his works was 1888's "Fröken Julie" ("Miss Julie" in English), about the relationship between the title aristocrat and a servant. It got filmed a few times in the first half of the twentieth century, but Alf Sjöberg's 1951 adaptation is probably the most famous.
I've never seen a stage production, so I can only describe the plot in terms of this movie. The play is apparently set in one room, but the movie shows the various scenes where the story takes place. To understand the plot, one must understand that the Sweden of the 1800s was not the social democracy that we now know; it was as much a stratified society as the US, England or Russia was at the time. The movie makes the aristocracy's power apparent, using paintings as a metaphor for this power (when one falls on Jean, and when they get carried away as the mansion burns).
Anita Björk plays the title character with panache, with Ulf Palme as her lover. The rest of the cast includes a young Max von Sydow (RIP) as a farmhand. It all adds up to a cinematic experience like we rarely have. I now hope to see adaptations of Strindberg's other plays, as well as other Sjöberg movies. Definitely deserved its Golden Palm.
I've never seen a stage production, so I can only describe the plot in terms of this movie. The play is apparently set in one room, but the movie shows the various scenes where the story takes place. To understand the plot, one must understand that the Sweden of the 1800s was not the social democracy that we now know; it was as much a stratified society as the US, England or Russia was at the time. The movie makes the aristocracy's power apparent, using paintings as a metaphor for this power (when one falls on Jean, and when they get carried away as the mansion burns).
Anita Björk plays the title character with panache, with Ulf Palme as her lover. The rest of the cast includes a young Max von Sydow (RIP) as a farmhand. It all adds up to a cinematic experience like we rarely have. I now hope to see adaptations of Strindberg's other plays, as well as other Sjöberg movies. Definitely deserved its Golden Palm.