In the late 19th century, two Swedish emigrants, Lasse Karlsson and his son Pelle, arrive on the Danish island of Bornholm hoping to find work on a farm and save enough money to travel to the United States of America.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.7/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.87/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Bille August
Production
SF Studios, Per Holst Filmproduktion, Svenska Filminstitutet, Det Danske Filminstitut
Cast
Pelle Hvenegaard, Max von Sydow, Erik Paaske, Björn Granath, Astrid Villaume, Axel Strøbye, Troels Asmussen, Kristina Törnqvist, Karen Wegener, Sofie Gråbøl, Lars Simonsen, Buster Larsen, John Wittig, Troels Munk, Nis Bank-Mikkelsen, Lena-Pia Bernhardsson, Anna Lise Hirsch Bjerrum, Morten Jørgensen, Erik Frisberg, Wilhelm Weber
Curator Review
Verdict
A stark, beautifully mounted period drama about poverty, labor, and the fragile bond between father and son. Its power comes from the harsh landscape, the lived-in performances, and the way hope survives inside an otherwise punishing story.
Best for
viewers who like bleak but humane historical dramas
fans of father-son stories
people drawn to social realism and class struggle
audiences who appreciate Oscar-era international cinema
Skip if
you want a fast-moving plot
you avoid grim, emotionally punishing material
you prefer stylized or highly expressive filmmaking over restrained realism
you need a warm or uplifting period piece
Overview
Bille August’s film is a severe, beautifully observed drama that treats poverty and labor as physical conditions, not background detail. The mud, the cold, the cramped farm life, and the constant humiliation all feel tactile, and the movie’s visual discipline gives that hardship real weight.
Worth noting
What keeps it from becoming merely oppressive is the father-son relationship at its center. Pelle’s perspective gives the story a thread of resilience, even when the world around him seems designed to grind people down. Max von Sydow brings aching dignity to a role that could have become purely tragic.
Bottom line
This is the kind of film that earns its prestige through craftsmanship: careful pacing, strong performances, and a clear moral seriousness. It may feel old-fashioned to some viewers, but for others that restraint is exactly what makes the suffering and tenderness land so hard.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (4★) · 147 likes
On the road: Danes Horizon: The Land of the Royal Dansks
One of those films where the cinematography and the setting do an incredible job of letting you, as an audience, know what the tone of the film would be. There’s a beat to the desolated landscape, but at the same time, its very fitting with some of the sense of hopelessness that pervades the film.
Now, with that description, I don’t mean. They give the impression that this is… more
Sean Baker · 55 likes
First time watch for me.
Watched Film Movement Blu-ray which has the 30th Anniversary restoration.
- Commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie.- New Essay by Terrence Rafferty
Due to lack of time, I can't add much to these logs for now. :( Maybe in the future.
teamgal (3.5★) · 43 likes
PELLE THE CONQUEROR is the epitome of the well-made film. A period piece, faithfully adapted from a beloved novel, with all of the production elements working in perfect unison: the cast, the lensing, the costuming, the locations. But one is constantly nagged by a strange lack of passion and I'm afraid it's difficult to get too involved with Aryan on Aryan prejudice. The project itself feels bland, like some of those Miramax epics from the same period. The faults, I… more PELLE THE CONQUEROR is the epitome of the well-made film. A period piece, faithfully adapted from a beloved novel, with all of the production elements working in perfect unison: the cast, the lensing, the costuming, the locations. But one is constantly nagged by a strange lack of passion and I'm afraid it's difficult to get too involved with Aryan on Aryan prejudice. The project itself feels bland, like some of those Miramax epics from the same period. The faults, I… more
Div_vs_film (4★) · 26 likes
Struggling with the muted contemporary reception for this one. It's a period piece melodrama set in late 19th century rural Denmark mainly focusing on the lives of a father and son who are both labourers on a farm. We're not dealing in romantic ideals, we're knee deep in the mud and poverty of the period's working class. It's quite possible that by writing that out I answered my own prior confusion but give me the lives of farmhands over the… more Struggling with the muted contemporary reception for this one. It's a period piece melodrama set in late 19th century rural Denmark mainly focusing on the lives of a father and son who are both labourers on a farm. We're not dealing in romantic ideals, we're knee deep in the mud and poverty of the period's working class. It's quite possible that by writing that out I answered my own prior confusion but give me the lives of farmhands over the… more
russman (3.5★) · 25 likes
There has to be an easier way to get water from a well