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Sunday, June 11, 2017

The Count of the Old Town (1935) [NR] ***


During the summer of 1934, while her classmates at the Swedish Royal Dramatic Academy were touring Russia, a unique opportunity presented itself to the nineteen-year-old Ingrid Bergman. Actor/director Edvin Adolphson offered her a role in The Count of the Old Town, a light-hearted romantic comedy.

Bergman was ideally suited for the only young female character in the screenplay written by Gösta Stevens. The title The Count of the Old Town refers to the picturesque older portion of Stockholm. Bergman plays Elsa, the niece of the owner of a hotel frequented by unemployed locals and petty criminals. One day a mysterious stranger, Åke (Edvin Adolphson), arrives at the hotel. Because he reveals nothing about his background, the locals, including the police, begin to suspect that he’s the fugitive thief who has recently struck the city. Elsa doesn’t believe he’s a criminal and soon becomes infatuated with him.

The Count of the Old Town is a mixture of various genres: comedy, crime, romance and thriller. It might have worked had the individual characters been strong enough, but the film is never funny and never exciting. The only thing that makes it remotely watchable is the romantic chemistry between Bergman and Adolphson, who were having an off-screen romance during filming. The other actors are guilty of slapstick and overacting, betraying their history of acting in silent films. The Swedish press was unanimous in its praise of Bergman in her first significant role, lauding her dazzling beauty and her singing talent as well as her acting ability and her overwhelming natural charm.

Labels: comedy, crime, Ingrid Bergman, romance, thriller




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