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Pelle the Conqueror

Pelle erobreren

1987

Bille August

Max von Sydow, Pelle Hvenegaard, Astrid Villaume, Lars Simonsen ...

7.4

6,076

Drama At the end of the 19th century, a boat filled with emigrants from Sweden arrives at the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse Karlsson and his son Pelle who have moved to Denmark to find work after the death of Pelle's mother. They find employment at a large farm, but find themselves treated as the lowest form of life. After being humiliated by the farm’s young trainee manager, Pelle is disappointed when Lasse does not stand ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"The von Sydow performance is in a category by itself. It is another highlight in an already extraordinary career"	POS
United States	Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times	"This masterful film, in its celebration of the indomitability of the human spirit, shares with (...) Elia Kazan’s 'America, America' the dream of escaping to the United States, the land of opportunity."	POS
United Kingdom	Colette Maude Time Out	"Despite occasional lapses into sentimentality, the film is saved by its performances and its uncluttered depiction of harsh impoverished lives"	POS
United Kingdom	Kim Newman Empire	"There are many good things (...) Unfortunately, its slow pace drags the whole thing out, and the relentlessly downbeat storyline does ultimatelty go over the top and evoke giggles when you should really be sobbing (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United States	Michael Atkinson Village Voice	"A natural, organic epic, and one that opens a window on a meticulously detailed bygone world that, by film’s end, you might feel as though you’ve visited."	POS
United States	Kurt Jacobsen Chicago Reader	"Despite von Sydow's craggy grace, half a dozen resplendent master shots, and a handful of teasingly portentous scenes, Pelle the Conqueror flounders through a series of colorful but static and disjointed scenes"	NEU

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