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| Per Oscarsson lifts his hat for us on this ominously discolored poster for Henning Carlsen's Hunger |
A man by the name of Pontus is an aspiring writer, who is becoming increasingly desperate with hunger in Kristiania [now known as Norway's capital Oslo] in 1890. His Achilles heel, however, is also his own over-developed pride, which makes him give away the few kroner he acquires now and then to others in need.
Hunger is an adaptation of Norwegian master writer Knut Hamsun's (Pan (1894)) semi-autobiographical, same-titled 1890 novel, written by Peter Seeberg (Hjulet (1967), based on his novel) and Danish master co-writer-director Henning Carlsen (A Happy Divorce/Un Divorce Heureux/En Lykkelig Skilsmisse (1975)). It is a complex and serious film that can be seen again and again. It is equally amazing every time.
Pontus is a miserable wretch, and you can't help but feel for him in the guise of Per Oscarsson (Polisen som Vägrade Ta Semester (1984), miniseries): At turns highly sensitive and going mad, he tries to uphold his dignity but the painful starvation drives out his polemical side and hallucinations. Oscarsson's performance here will leave you breathless; it stands tall as one of the all-time greatest actor's performances in cinema. You are not likely to ever see anyone portray the effects of hunger with more potency than he achieves here.
Hunger is shot stunningly in B/W by Carlsen himself, and its atmosphere and beautiful lighting are beyond reproach. Hunger is a striking, deeply affecting impressionist major work of art as well as a high-point in Scandinavian film, a masterpiece of the highest integrity.
Related posts:
Henning Carlsen: Memories of My Melancholy Whores/Memoria de Mis Putas Tristes (2011) - Carlsen signs out with a dubious adaptation
Previous Film Excess birthday movie masterpieces: Film Excess' 4th birthday movie masterpiece: From Here to Eternity (1953) - Zinnemann, Taradash and Jones' Hawaii-set classic
Film Excess' 3rd birthday movie masterpiece: Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - The courtroom movie to rule them all
Film Excess' 2nd birthday movie masterpiece: The King's Speech (2010) - Hooper's soaring, royal masterpiece about overcoming human frailty
Film Excess' 1st birthday movie masterpiece: Broadway Danny Rose (1984) or, Keep Your Heart
Watch the hypnotic opening scene of the film here
Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain
[Hunger premiered 11 May (Cannes Film Festival, in competition) and runs 111 minutes. It was the first co-production between Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Shooting took place in Oslo, Norway. Oscarsson starved himself and walked a very long distance to the shooting in order to get into character. Many of the streets shown in the film do no longer exist. The film reportedly sold a measly 3,951 tickets in Carlsen's native Denmark. It was released in the three producing countries, Finland, USA and Australia initially, but its box office performances are unlisted. Oscarsson won the Best Actor award in Cannes, and the film was Denmark's bid for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, but it was not nominated. The film additionally won a National Board of Review award, a Guldbagge (Sweden's Oscar) for Oscarsson and two Bodil awards (Danish film critics' awards). Carlsen returned with People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart/Människor Möts och Ljuv Musik Uppstår i Hjärtat (1967). Oscarsson returned as a guest in The D.T.'s/Myten (1966) and with real parts in Patrasket (1966, TV movie) and ABC Stage 67 (1966, TV-series) and theatrically in Here Is Your Life/Här Har Du Ditt Liv (1966). 2,359 IMDb users have given Hunger a 7.9/10 average rating.]
What do you think of Hunger?
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