...from director Sigurd Wallen, which also marks the proper screen debut of Ingrid Bergman. In a rundown neighborhood of Stockholm known as Old Town, a motley assortment of characters go about their days getting into light mischief. There's the "Count" (Valdemar Dalquist), an old and affable man always on the hunt for a drink; Gurkan (Sigurd Wallen), the Count's pal and the henpecked partner of fishmonger Amalia (Tollie Zellman); innkeeper Borstis (Eric Abrahamsson) and his young cleaning girl Elsa (Bergman); and mysterious newcomer Ake (Edvin Adolphson) who may or may not be a wanted thief and bank robber.
This lightweight affair about poor but pleasant people making the best of the lives while also working and hoping for more reminded me a bit of the Marseilles Trilogy from Marcel Pagnol, the French film trilogy about workers along the waterfront. The characters are vivid and likable, even if the situations are at times a bit too regional. For instance, much is made about needing ration books to obtain liquor, but this isn't explained in any detail, so I'm not sure why there was rationing in pre-WW2 Sweden. I watched this for Ingrid Bergman, and she's not bad. Only 19 when this was filmed, she has quite a substantial role, and even gets to sing a few lines.
This lightweight affair about poor but pleasant people making the best of the lives while also working and hoping for more reminded me a bit of the Marseilles Trilogy from Marcel Pagnol, the French film trilogy about workers along the waterfront. The characters are vivid and likable, even if the situations are at times a bit too regional. For instance, much is made about needing ration books to obtain liquor, but this isn't explained in any detail, so I'm not sure why there was rationing in pre-WW2 Sweden. I watched this for Ingrid Bergman, and she's not bad. Only 19 when this was filmed, she has quite a substantial role, and even gets to sing a few lines.