'The Life and Afterlife of Swedish Biograph' by Jan Olsson
Over the past century Sweden, a relatively small nation, nurtured the careers of prominent actors such as Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman and directors including Ingmar Bergman and Hannes Holm. The Life and Afterlife of Swedish Biograph focuses on a short but seminal period in that nation’s film history, the 1910s. Author Jan Olsson, cinema studies professor at Stockholm University, dives deep into the country’s leading early studio, Swedish Biograph, a history scarred by a 1941 fire that destroyed negatives from most of the studio’s films.
Sweden’s early film industry mirrored developments elsewhere in the world as small studios merged to form larger ones and storytelling grew apace with longer running times. Recognizable stars emerged, as did censors and critics. Sweden was ahead of Hollywood by founding a film archive as early as 1933, albeit primarily a collection of stills and printed materials. Public funding arrived slowly.
Closely examining archived documents, Olsson examines many facets of Sweden’s nascent movie business including screenwriting contests, fan magazines, budgets, international production ventures, scene by scene breakdowns of several films and the tension between films steeped in national culture and those that reflected global cinema trends.
The Life and Afterlife of Swedish Biograph from Commercial Circulation to Archival Practices is published by University of Wisconsin Press.
