Sankt Hans fest (St. John's Festival[1][2] or Saint Hans' Celebration[3]) is a Norwegian film directed by Toralf Sandø. It premiered on April 7, 1947.[3][4] It is based on the 1887 novel Sankt Hans Fest by Alexander Kielland.[4]

Sankt Hans fest
Directed byToralf Sandø
Written byVictor Borg
Based onAlexander Kielland's novel Sankt Hans fest
Produced byToralf Sandø
StarringJohannes Eckhoff
Jon Lennart Mjøen
Claus Wiese
Erling Drangsholt
Sigurd Konrad Magnussøn
Else Heiberg
CinematographyPer G. Jonson
Edited byOlav Engebretsen
Music byGunnar Sønstevold
Release date
  • 1947 (1947)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryNorway
LanguageNorwegian

Plot edit

The film follows the plot of the novel.[5] The dour priest Kruse is played by Tore Foss, who opposes the business establishment's town party, which is planned by Johannes Eckhoff as Garman, Jon Lennart Mjøen as Randulf, Claus Wiese as Holck, Erling Drangsholt as the bank manager, and Sigurd Magnussøn as the county governor. Pressure is placed on both sides by Else Heiberg, who is Randulf's wife.

Reception edit

A review of the film was generally positive, but it criticized the lighting. The review stated that the party committee should have been more jolly, and that the best among the actors was Egil Hjorth-Jenssen, who "stands in a special class as the chief 'rabbit.'"[5]

Music edit

The song St. Hans vals (Saint John's Waltz) was written for the film by Gunnar Sønstevold.[6][7][8] It was recorded by the Maj Sønstevold Ensemble in Oslo on April 16, 1947. The song was released on a 78 rpm disc (Musica A-8515).

References edit

  1. ^ Sjåvik, Jan (2008). Historical Dictionary of Norway. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 113. ISBN 9780810857537.
  2. ^ Beyer, Harald (1964). A History of Norwegian Literature. New York: New York University Press. p. 368.
  3. ^ a b "Saint Hans' Celebration". IMDb. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Sankt Hans fest". Norsk filmografi. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Stein-Anderssen, Odd (April 8, 1947). "Påskefilmene – Sankt Hans Fest". Verdens Gang.
  6. ^ Norsk bokfortegnelse. 1961, p. 797.
  7. ^ "St. Hans vals". Visekatalogen. Norsk visearkiv. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "St. Hans vals". Visearkivaren. 23 June 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2019.