One Summer of Happiness (Hon Dansade En Sommar;1951, Swedish)
I do not know how I landed viewing this film, but this is one of those films that earned Sweden the reputation of being very liberal in their outlook. Its release met many resistance and controversies because of a scene of skinny dipping and exposure of the mammary gland. As controversy also courts publicity, it was feted with a few international accolades.
A tearful young man arrives at a funeral where the pastor admonishes the seducer of the dead lady to be tied a millstone around his neck and cast into the sea. The tearful man runs into fields and reminisces the last summer that ended.
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Not your typical farm girl with rotten teeth and stinking like a cow as described by the protagonist's city friends! |
Goran's uncle, feeling the plight of the youth, loans his old barn to the youths to organise their own dance and drama activity whilst repairing the debilitated barn. The youth also help the uncle with his planting and farm work.
The minister is not happy with the uninhibited mixing of the sexes during one of the meetings.
Once, the holy man sped past the uncle in his car, the angered uncle gave chase on his cart but went off course and broke his leg.
Another single lady, an aunt, Sigrid, seem to be frowning all the time as if as she is carrying all the world's problems on her shoulder blames the accident as a punishment. Goran and the young ones help to finish off the work as the summer almost reaches midsummer. Midsummer calls for dance, and Goran and Kirsten's love blossoms and flourishes.
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| Summer love? |
Another crisis sets in when Goran decides to stay back in the village to be a farmer. His father knocks some sense into him and coaxes him to continue varsity.
Amidst all this, a village bumpkin, a side character, sets fire of the barn either under the purview or full view of the priest. We are left to wonder whether he is privy to the fire as he always opposed the youth movement. Again, people are murmuring that it is God's punishment.
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| The controversial scene |
Despite hardships, the young ones managed to put up a stage show to all audience and performers' joy. After a satisfying performance, the lovebirds speed against the wind, two bodies as one, clung together on the motorbike. Speeding along the pebbled country road is what appears like the pastor's car knocks them off the road. Kirsten is mortally wounded and dies on the spot.
The film rolls back to the beginning of the film, of the funeral scene...
As the priest goes on and on, implying that death was just for the immoral activities done, Goran's uncle, in his eulogy parts saying, "The same law which punishes others will punish you too!"
A simple story. Times may change, but the issues remain the same; the youth are immoral through the ages, and the law of nature will punish the wrongdoers. We talk and talk, but the sinners and wrongdoers go on doing what they do best, but no thunderbolt of lightning seem to be striking their evil deeds. We pacify by saying that our mind is too simple to understand God's elaborate plan for the children he loves. And time throttles on through the universe...
NB. Every generation proclaims that the nay is near... Kaliyuga, Kalki, Armageddon, all fancy names to denote the same endpoint!
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