Watch Elvira Madigan For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

Crappy film

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

I saw this film first run when I was living in Stockholm. The story and the characters, particularly the actress playing the title role, have haunted me ever since. A bittersweet film, it's well worth watching. It's very pretty, with great images and a good story. Apparently it's based on a true story. The classic line is when the title character chides her soldier lover. She says to him: "War isn't parades, Sixten. It's the smell of burning flesh." Nearly thirty years on, I still remember her voice... Without spoiling the ending, let's just say that there's a reason that it's a bittersweet and not just a sweet film. I hope you enjoy it like I did.

Looking back on my 40thy years of "movie/pictures" endeavor's and enjoyment, this particular work resounds loudly in respect with it's subject, appearance (=filming) and musical score, as most people should and do remember. Mostly the atmosphere and film moods' rendition are not to be easily forgotten nor equaled... though I have other (more than hundreds...) personal pictures to recommend or promote, starting -maybe- with "Magnolia" or "Boogie nights"... not to mention "Urga", "Amores Perros", "21 Grammes", "Mulholland Drive", "Remains of the Day", "La Meglio Gioventu", "Old boy", "Angels in America", "In the mood for Love", "Amelie", "Respiro", "When the light comes", "Gegen die wand", ...or, recently, such as "Blue Valentine", "Innocent Saturday", "In a better World" ...; In short, there are out-there so many worthy experience(s) that it's a shame most people seem contended with "fast-food" Industry's or television contents..., which doesn't require consent nor criticism, not to mention appraisal...To all and any one of the reader(s) of the preceding, just take advantage of your right to "free- choice" and "commom-sense", based on your "information-gathering" -possibilities- of the medias (Paper or Virtual ), to make your OWN Mind Up about eventual worth of these advises or informations... !!?!

Lots of dreamy soft-focus shots of the two principals wandering across landscapes and through towns, gazing at each other lovingly, oblivious to the fact that their love can go nowhere. In the end, they are faced with only the option of suicide, and the soldier shoots first Elvira then himself; I recall that the spot of blood on her blouse was touchingly filmed as a coda to their doomed affair. Frankly, this film would have been relegated to the curiosity pile long ago and forgotten, except for the fact that the soundtrack featured the highly talented pianist Geza Anda playing, repeatedly, the languid and lovely second Andante movement of Mozart's achingly beautiful piano concerto in C, K467. The soundtrack made such a huge impression that generations of movie-goers who had never heard Mozart before may have been inspired to give him a listen -- so much so that Deutsche Grammaphon, the producer of the album, named the Mozart K467 concerto the "Elvira Madigan" concerto, and so it has been informally known ever since to much of the public.

SPOILERSThe story of the proper young officer and the low-born actress/performer is endemic to European history, and this is probably as good a version as any, especially given the starchy morals of Scandinavians at the time.My wife and I and three other couples went to the movie long ago, expecting a good show. It was, but by about half-way through, the cinematography was so over the top that it took over the movie. Someone said, "Oh, my God, another spectacular scene," as yet another spectacular scene appeared.In the end, the lovers are starving from eating roots and berries 'cause they're broke and can't seem to find anyone to feed them. As the motion slows in a beautiful field of trees and flowers, the lieutenant kisses the woman and then shoots her, and then himself. End of story. A butterfly wanders through the last scene -- the lovers "liberated" at last.Another of our group, as the lights in the theatre were coming up amid sniffles and sobs, said calmly but loudly in his unmistakable Brooklyn accent, "They shoulda stole a chicken." The whole theatre broke up laughing -- with the signal exception of a few die-hards who were trapped in their grief.Actually, not a terrible film, just a pretty unrealistic one.