Pelle the Conqueror
| Pelle the Conqueror | |
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Original Swedish poster
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| Directed by | Bille August |
| Produced by | Per Holst |
| Screenplay by | Bille August Per Olov Enquist Bjarne Reuter Max Lundgren |
| Based on |
Pelle Erobreren by Martin Andersen Nexø |
| Starring |
Max von Sydow Pelle Hvenegaard Erik Paaske Bjørn Granath |
| Music by | Stefan Nilsson |
| Cinematography | Jörgen Persson |
| Edited by | Janus Billeskov Jansen |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Svensk Filmindustri (Sweden) Kærne Film (Denmark) |
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Release date
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Running time
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150 minutes |
| Country | Denmark Sweden |
| Language | Scanian Danish Swedish |
| Budget | $4.5 million |
| Box office | $2,053,931 |
Pelle the Conqueror (Danish: Pelle Erobreren, Swedish: Pelle erövraren) is a 1987 Danish-Swedish drama film co-written and directed by Bille August, based upon the famous 1910 novel of the same name by Danish writer Martin Andersen Nexø. The film was critically acclaimed, winning the Palme d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and numerous other awards.
The film tells the story of two Swedish immigrants to Denmark, a father and son, who try to build a new life for themselves. It stars Pelle Hvenegaard as the young Pelle, with Max von Sydow as his father, and also features Axel Strøbye and Astrid Villaume.
In the late 1850s, the elderly emigrant Lasse Karlsson and his son Pelle arrive to the Danish island of Bornholm from Skåne County, in southern Sweden. Lasse tells Pelle a better life awaits them in Denmark after the death of Pelle's mother, and seeks work. He immediately finds it difficult to find employment, given his advanced age and Pelle's youth. The most they can find is 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 leading to illegitimate children. One of them is Rud, who befriends Pelle and helps him learn Danish. Eventually, Pelle becomes more confident in his work at the farm, and begins going to school, though he is still discriminated against as a foreigner. Pelle also befriends the Swedish worker Erik, constantly harassed for alleged sloth. Erik shares his dream of visiting America, China and "Negroland" with Pelle, to "conquer" the world.
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