Pelle the Conqueror


1987 immigration movie

Rating: 16/20

Plot: A man and his son immigrate to Denmark, and despite the father's old age and the son's very young age, they're able to find work on a farm owned by a lecherous man. Pelle, the son, dreams of America, and the dad gets really horny.

Dreaming of napkin rings with their names on them. That's what it's all about for this pair of protagonists, though only one is a titular protagonist. I suppose everybody dreams in different shapes and sizes. It doesn't really matter as this movie makes it clear that we all lose our feathers until we're just plucked chickens in the dung.

This is the second time I've spent hours watching Max von Sydow emigrate. Or maybe I'm watching him immigrate. Like alligators and crocodiles, immigration and emigration have similar scales. He's quietly great in this movie, so much with body language and movements. And those eyes! Part of what von Sydow is doing that makes this great is that he allows the flies in scenes with him to be equally important.

This movie is probably better than the rating I gave it. I'm not in a great mood though.

No comments:

Post a Comment