Pakten (film)
Encyclopedia
Pakten; is a 1995 Norwegian
film, directed by Leidulv Risan
.
It made headlines in Norway as it was the first Norwegian film to star several respected Hollywood stars, namely veteran actors Robert Mitchum
and Cliff Robertson
. It also boasted some of the biggest acting names from Sweden
(Erland Josephson
), Germany
(Hanna Schygulla
and Ernst Jacobi
), Austria
(Nadja Tiller
) and Norway.
It was directed and co-written by Leidulv Risan
and shot on location in Oslo
(Norway) and the German cities of Cologne and Heidelberg
.
Its budget of 5,000,000 USD was above average for a Norwegian movie at the time.
Aging Norwegian doctor
Carl (Espen Skjønberg
) collapses in the streets of Oslo, and awakens in the hospital. To his great surprise he finds himself surrounded by his old buddies Ernest (Mitchum), Ted (Robertson) and August (Josephson). Taking matters into their own hands they "kidnap" the dying Carl and embark on an emotional journey back to Heidelberg, where they met studying medicine before World War II
. Their plan is to fulfill Carl's final wish but soon find their cheerful trip overshadowed as they reveal a plot dating back to the pre-war Nazi era.
The movie received mainly fair reviews although many seemed to agree that the Nazi-subplot was too melodramatic, and got in the way of its feel-good nature.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
film, directed by Leidulv Risan
Leidulv Risan
Leidulv Risan is a Norwegian screenwriter, film director and professor at The Norwegian Filmschool at Lillehammer. Since 2005 he has been the leader for the screenwriting program at the Film School. Risan is educated at Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden...
.
It made headlines in Norway as it was the first Norwegian film to star several respected Hollywood stars, namely veteran actors Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
and Cliff Robertson
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half of a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly...
. It also boasted some of the biggest acting names from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(Erland Josephson
Erland Josephson
Erland Josephson is a Swedish actor and author. He is best known to international audiences for his work in films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Theodoros Angelopoulos.-Biography:...
), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(Hanna Schygulla
Hanna Schygulla
Hanna Schygulla is a German actress and chanson singer. She is generally considered the most prominent German actress of the New German Cinema.-Life and career:Schygulla was born in Königshütte, Upper Silesia,...
and Ernst Jacobi
Ernst Jacobi
Ernst Jacobi is a German film and television actor.-Selected filmography:*Derrick - Season 2, Episode 6: "Paddenberg" -External links:*...
), Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
(Nadja Tiller
Nadja Tiller
Nadja Tiller is an Austrian actress. She was one of the most popular German actresses of the 1950s and 1960s.She won the Miss Austria competition in 1949, a national beauty pageant for unmarried women in Austria. She had her major film debut in 1952 in 'Märchen vom Glück .In 1955, she acted...
) and Norway.
It was directed and co-written by Leidulv Risan
Leidulv Risan
Leidulv Risan is a Norwegian screenwriter, film director and professor at The Norwegian Filmschool at Lillehammer. Since 2005 he has been the leader for the screenwriting program at the Film School. Risan is educated at Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden...
and shot on location in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
(Norway) and the German cities of Cologne and Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
.
Its budget of 5,000,000 USD was above average for a Norwegian movie at the time.
Aging Norwegian doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Carl (Espen Skjønberg
Espen Skjønberg
Espen Skjønberg is an actor of stage, screen and television.He made his first movie appearance as a child in the 1937 Norwegian classic Fant. His stage debut came reciting poetry at the Norwegian theatre Chat Noir in 1945...
) collapses in the streets of Oslo, and awakens in the hospital. To his great surprise he finds himself surrounded by his old buddies Ernest (Mitchum), Ted (Robertson) and August (Josephson). Taking matters into their own hands they "kidnap" the dying Carl and embark on an emotional journey back to Heidelberg, where they met studying medicine before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Their plan is to fulfill Carl's final wish but soon find their cheerful trip overshadowed as they reveal a plot dating back to the pre-war Nazi era.
The movie received mainly fair reviews although many seemed to agree that the Nazi-subplot was too melodramatic, and got in the way of its feel-good nature.