Pelle the Conqueror

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Leaburn O @RT35452347 Aug 10, 2026 An almostt Biblical rendering of Job’s hardships brought to film in Denmark. Harrowing but at times Dickensian in its storytelling, it produces some fantastic characters and a great plot arc. An epic drama well worth your time and attention. Watched on DVD. See more

Rusty G @RustyG Apr 21, 2025 Star Wars hit me hard as a kid and Pelle hit me hard as a young adult! Still one of my favourite films of all time. See more

Petros T @PetrosTserpelis Sep 7, 2024 An overall interesting film that manages to become emotionally engaging and has a fitting cast of actors, including the very convincing but traumatized 11-year-old Pelle Hvenegaard and a committed Max von Sydow, as well as several unsettling scenes that drive the whole point home. However, it does flirt with emotional manipulation and sentimentalism now and then, doesn't shy away from repetition during its rather large duration, and rarely becomes surprising in its themes or their depiction. See more

dave s @RT68722908 Aug 31, 2022 In mid-19th century Sweden, the aging Lasse Karlsson (Max von Sydow) and his son Pelle (Pelle Hvenegaard) leave their homeland in search of a better life in Denmark, only to find themselves working as laborers under the iron fist of an immoral landowner. Von Sydow offers up one of his finest performances in a career filled with memorable roles as Lasse, a man of principles who seems unable to stand up for what he believes is right. Clocking in at 150 minutes, Pelle the Conqueror does feel a bit lengthy at times due to too many storylines that don't add much to the film, but it is a beautifully shot movie filled with remarkable period details, costumes, and interesting characters and is well worth investing the time to watch. See more

Ola G @Ollie1972 Dec 10, 2021 In the late 1850s, the elderly emigrant Lasse Karlsson (Max von Sydow) and his son Pelle (Pelle Hvenegaard) reach the Danish island of Bornholm after having left Skåne County, in southern Sweden, following the death of the boy's mother. Lasse finds it difficult to find work, given his advanced age and Pelle's youth. They are forced to work at a large farm, where they are generally mistreated by the managers. The managers work under the tyrannical Kongstrup, who has a history of affairs with women employees, and resulting illegitimate children. Among such children is Rud, who befriends Pelle and helps him learn Danish. Eventually, Pelle becomes more confident, and begins going to school, though he is still discriminated against as a foreigner. Pelle also befriends the Swedish worker Erik, who is constantly harassed for alleged sloth. Erik shares his dream of visiting America, China and "Negroland" with Pelle, to "conquer" the world... "Pelle the Conqueror" was released to critical acclaim in the U.S. Roger Ebert gave it three and a half stars, comparing it to Jan Troell's The Emigrants (1971), saying Max von Sydow's Oscar nomination was "well deserved" and the novice Pelle Hvenegaard "never steps wrong." Vincent Canby, writing for The New York Times, called it "a vividly re-created, minutely detailed panorama of a particular time," and said it was a "scandal" that Von Sydow did not win Best Actor at Cannes. Peter Travers, writing for People, said that Von Sydow exhibited "wrenching simplicity and power," but the film "is maddeningly mediocre." Swedish director Ingmar Bergman told August he saw the film seven times, subsequently choosing August to direct the film The Best Intentions. Mark Chalon Smith, writing in The Los Angeles Times in 1993, praised the film as faithful to the novel and said "Cinematographer Jorgen Persson ... captures several memorable images of the starkly beautiful Danish terrain." Time Out wrote "Despite occasional lapses into sentimentality, the film is saved by its performances and its uncluttered depiction of harsh impoverished lives," particularly praising von Sydow. In 2004, The New York Times placed the film on its list of "the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made." Sarah Lutton, writing for the British Film Institute, named Pelle the Conqueror one of "10 great Danish films" and called Von Sydow "extraordinary." Von Sydow later also called it "a very beautiful film." Bille August´s drama from 1987 (based upon the 1910 novel of the same name by Danish writer Martin Andersen Nexø) has great acting and great cinematography, but to me a wobbly storyline when looking at the scenestructure. I personally felt that there´s no even flow in the film. It feels like the scenes have been stapled on top of each other creating an unbalance during the running time. It´s a film about trying to get by in a harsh situation and making sure the family ties are never lost. Max von Sydow is great as always and Pelle Hvenegaard does a magnificent job as Pelle. The film screened at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and New York Film Festival. It was critically acclaimed, winning the Palme d'Or and the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and numerous other honours. See more

steve d @RT35616104 Jul 12, 2020 The acting is great the script struggles to capture the horror. See more

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Pelle the Conqueror

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