Miss Julie [Criterion Collection]

Director: Alf Sjöberg Alf Sjöberg

Overview

"Before Ingmar Bergman rose to prominence, Alf Sjorberg was arguably Sweden's most acclaimed director in both film and the theater, and his adaptation of August Strindberg's ground-breaking drama of a wealthy young woman's obsession with one of her family's servants is generally regarded as the definitive screen version of this seminal work. However, it's never been available on home video in North America, so this edition from the Criterion Collection is more than welcome, and the fact that they've lavished their usual attention to detail on this disc makes it even more attractive to fans of both classic cinema and drama. Froken Julie (aka Miss Julie) has been transferred to disc in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the transfer looks splendid; the elements are clean and image is sharp, revealing an impressive range of grey tones. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono, and the results sound quite good given the age of the movie. The dialogue is in Swedish, with optional English subtitles but no multiple language options. A number of bonus features appear on this release, including Miss Julie: 100 Years In The Limelight, a documentary produced for Swedish television which looks at the many incarnations of Strindberg's play that have appeared over the years (including Sjorberg's film); excerpts from a television interview with Sjorberg; and a talk by critic Peter Cowie on Froken Julie, illustrated with stills and clips from the film. A trailer for the film's American release is also included, as well as thoughtful essays by Peter Matthews and Birgitta Steene in the accompanying booklet. While any reasonably good DVD release of this film would be of interest to film lovers, Criterion have truly gone out of their way to make this disc something special, and it's must viewing for those interested in Strindberg or vintage Swedish cinema."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/22/2008
UPC:	0715515027427
Original Release:	1950
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	48,660

Special Features

New restored high-definition digital transfer; New video essay with film historian Peter Cowie; Archival television interview with director Alf Sjöberg; A 2006 television documentary about the play Miss Julie and dramatist August Strindberg; Theatrical trailer; New and improved English subtitle translation; Plus: A booklet featuring new essays by film scholars Peter Matthews and Birgitta Steene

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anita Bjork	Miss Julie
Ulf Palme	Jean
Marta Dorff	Christine,Kristin
Anders Henrikson	The Count
Lissi Alandh	Countess Berta
Inger Borberg	Actor
Åke Claesson	Doctor
Sture Ericsson	Jean's Father
Åke Fridell	Robert
Inga Gill	Viola
Svea Holst	Jean's Mother
Margareta Krook	Governess
Max von Sydow	Hand

Technical Credits

Alf Sjöberg	Director
Rune Waldekranz	Producer
August Strindberg	Playwright