Jerusalem (1996 film)

Jerusalem
Directed byBille August
Written byBille August
Based on
Jerusalem
by
StarringMaria Bonnevie
Ulf Friberg
Lena Endre
Pernilla August
Olympia Dukakis
Sven-Bertil Taube
Reine Brynolfsson
Jan Mybrand
Max von Sydow
Viveka Seldahl
Björn Granath
Sven Wollter
Johan Rabaeus
Hans Alfredson
Mona Malm
Release date
  • 6 September 1996 (1996-09-06) (Sweden)
Running time
168 minutes
CountriesSweden
Denmark
Norway
LanguageSwedish
Box office$2 million (Sweden)[1]

Jerusalem is a film which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 6 September 1996,[2] directed by Bille August, based on the two-part novel Jerusalem by Selma Lagerlöf.[3] The film, also broadcast as a TV-series, was a Scandinavian co-production headed by Svensk Filmindustri. The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 69th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[4][5]

The cast includes Ulf Friberg, Sven-Bertil Taube, Maria Bonnevie, Pernilla August, Max von Sydow, Reine Brynolfsson, Lena Endre, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Nyqvist, Mona Malm, Sven Wollter, Hans Alfredson, Viveka Seldahl and Johan Rabaeus.

Plot

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The novel and the film were inspired by real events from the end of the 19th century, a time when many people left Europe to find a better life abroad. The story revolves around a number of struggling families from northern Sweden who share a strong Christian belief in the impending end of the world. After a long journey, these families choose to settle on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where they take up farming and build a new future, waiting for Judgement Day. A series of claimed visions only add to the difficulty of life in their adopted country, and with growing hardship and the loss of family members, some in the group decide to return to Sweden, while others stay.

Cast

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Reception

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Box office

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The film was one of the most popular Swedish films of the year with a gross in excess of $2.3 million.[1]

Critical response

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Jerusalem has an approval rating of 80% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, and an average rating of 6.4/10.[6]

Awards and nominations

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Lena Endre won the Swedish Guldbagge Award as Best Supporting Actress, and the film was nominated in several other categories.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Swedish Film Top Five '96". Screen International. 7 February 1996. p. 26.
  2. ^ "Jerusalem" (in Swedish). Swedish Film Database. 6 September 1996. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  3. ^ James Verniere (28 March 1997). "Movie review; 'Jerusalem': Dry as dust". Boston Herald. p. s.05. Retrieved 1 December 2011.[dead link]
  4. ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  5. ^ "39 Countries Hoping for Oscar Nominations". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 13 November 1996. Archived from the original on 9 February 1999. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Jerusalem (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes.
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