If I Could Marry the Minister

If I Could Marry the Minister (Swedish: Tänk, om jag gifter mig med prästen) is a 1941 Swedish romantic drama film directed by Ivar Johansson and starring Viveca Lindfors, Georg Rydeberg, Arnold Sjöstrand.[1][2][3] with screenplay by Ester Lindin and Ivar Johansson.[4][5] The film's sets were designed by the art director Bertil Duroj.

If I Could Marry the Minister
Directed byIvar Johansson
Written byEster Lindin (novel)
Ivar Johansson
Based onTänk, om jag gifter mig med prästen
by Ester Lindin
Produced byStellan Claësson
Per Lindberg
StarringViveca Lindfors
Georg Rydeberg
Arnold Sjöstrand
CinematographyHarry Hasso
Edited byIvar Johansson
Kurt Wahlgren
Music byEric Westberg
Production
company
Film AB Lux
Distributed byFilm AB Lux
Release date
  • 12 December 1941 (1941-12-12)
Running time
115 minutes
CountrySweden
LanguageSwedish

Plot

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Eva Örn, a young teacher, moves to rural Vikarlunda, where her good looks and strong opinions estrange her from the locals. She begins a clandestine affair with the priest, Ingvar Hagson.

Cast

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Controversy and reception

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The novel by Ester Lindin which forms the basis of the film was already very controversial, and when it was announced that it would be adapted for the screen, a delegation of priests petitioned the film company Luxfilm and demanded that filming be stopped. The chief executive officer issued an unofficial warning.[6] Despite this, the film was made and became one of the greatest successes of the 1940s.

One reviewer at the time wrote: "Since her novel was released [Ester Lindin] has had the questionable pleasure of getting pilloried in cheap cabarets and causeries as the amorality priestess number one. The film gives all these moral busybodies an answer that should sting – never before has moral hypocrisy and the false idyll of the philistine been exposed to such a mighty attack."[4]

References

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  1. ^ Qvist & Von Bagh p.93
  2. ^ Blomberg, Eva (2006). Vill ni se en stjärna?: kön, kropp och kläder i Filmjournalen 1919–1953 (in Swedish). Nordic Academic Press. ISBN 9789189116849.
  3. ^ Fjelkestam, Kristina (2002). Ungkarlsflickor, kamrathustrur och manhaftiga lesbianer: modernitetens litterära gestalter i mellankrigstidens Sverige (in Swedish). Brutus Östlings Bokförlag Symposion. ISBN 9789171395528.
  4. ^ a b Nelmes, Jill; Selbo, Jule (2015). Women Screenwriters: An International Guide. Springer. p. 556. ISBN 9781137312372.
  5. ^ Lagerberg, Hans (2012-03-30). Lärarna: om utövarna av en svår konst (in Swedish). Ordfront. ISBN 9789174413229.
  6. ^ "Tänk, om jag gifter mig med prästen". Studio S Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-03-14.

Bibliography

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  • Nelmes, Jill & Selbo, Jule. Women Screenwriters: An International Guide. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
  • Qvist, Per Olov & von Bagh, Peter. Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000.
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