Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Elvira Madigan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 27, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Bo Widerberg's New Swedish Cinema collection from Criterion.

Any conversation about Swedish film in the sixties is bound to be dominated by the titanic figure of Ingmar Bergman, but there were other Swedish filmmakers working during that decade, of course, and as is alluded to on the back cover of Criterion's four disc collection of films by Bo Widerberg as well as some on disc supplements included in the set, there was an undeniable bit of a "Bergman backlash" at work in some of Widerberg's offerings in particular. Widerberg will probably be best remembered by Western audiences for 1967's Elvira Madigan, a film which escaped the confines of neighborhood "art houses" to become a worldwide cinema phenomenon, one which, among other achievements, managed to get a theme by some guy named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or something like that significant radio airplay (including making the Top 40 on Billboard's so-called "Easy Listening" charts), courtesy of its haunting use of part of a "Wolfie" piano concerto as a leitmotif. While some cineastes may want to quibble with the back cover's further assertion that the fact that Widerberg's films merge "social realist themes" that focus on "the struggles of ordinary people" somehow sets him apart from Bergman, those same cineastes may find that very description of Widerberg's oeuvre a questionable thesis in and of itself to begin with (for example, was Elvira Madigan, a 19th century circus tightrope performer, an "ordinary person"?). All of this said, Widerberg's films are nonetheless markedly different in both tone and presentational aspects from Bergman's monolithic work, and the four films aggregated in this collection are all fascinating viewing experiences in their own ways.

The fate of a famous fictional couple with a tragic end was immortalized by William Shakespeare in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet with the line, "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life", and there's a similarly early "spoiler" in Elvira Madigan, documenting some of the real life history of Elvira (Pia Degermark) and Swedish lieutenant Sixten Sparre (Thommy Berggren) who formed an unlikely dalliance in 1889 and met their fates in an agreed to murder suicide pact that same year. It's an obviously emotionally fraught tale, but what makes it at least a little odd is that Elvira was, as mentioned above, a carnival tightrope walker who kind of ironically runs away from the circus to hook up with Sparre, who has more or less gone AWOL from his unit (not to mention his wife).

Elvira Madigan was according to Ruben Östlund in a supplement found on The Baby Carriage Sweden's first "big" color film, and it effectively broke what Östlund kind of comically calls the "stupid" tradition of Swedish cinematic Art (with a capital A) being confined solely to black and white films. And one of the most curious if affecting things about Elvira Madigan is how it weaves a story where the shocking ending is a "given" with an absolutely lyrically gorgeous look at quite possibly the most idyllic Swedish summer environments ever captured on film. That very disjunction between an almost tawdry story of a doomed affair and absolutely ravishing locations is kind of subtly provocative and lends itself to the emotional unease that seems to suffuse things almost from the get go.

As also mentioned above, Elvira Madigan perhaps unexpectedly gave new "pop" life to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, and as an avid collector of all sorts of film related music and cover versions, I can attest to how prevalent the "Theme from Elvira Madigan" was on any number of albums from the late sixties on for quite a few years. Again, though, this theme is a rather soft, sweet and relentlessly tonal (and major) outing which in its own sonic way seems to be as subliminally antithetical to the film's actual subject matter as the gorgeous scenery is.

Elvira Madigan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Elvira Madigan is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. Criterion's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:

Elvira Madigan is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. This new digital master was created in 2K resolution from the 35 mm original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35 mm original soundtrack negative. Color was approved by cinematographer Jurgen Persson.

This is a beautiful looking transfer of one of the most lyrically sumptuous films of its era. The entire almost buttery ambience of "golden hour" is documented wonderfully in some of the outdoor material, and in fact a lot of the presentation tends to favor summery yellow hues. As cinematographer Jörgen Persson perhaps kind of comically "admits" in a supplement on this disc, some of the perceived "softness" of the imagery is simply blurry focus pulling, since a lot of the outdoor material in particular was shot on the fly. That almost vérité approach leads to some incredible moments though, like the amazing scene of a ladybug being placed on Elvira's nose by a little girl. Aside from some of that self confessed softness, detail levels are nicely intact throughout the presentation, especially in closer framings where things like fabric textures on costumes can be quite pronounced. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

Elvira Madigan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Elvira Madigan features an LPCM Mono track in the original Swedish. This is a nicely detailed track that offers its own version of lyricism courtesy of both that aforementioned use of Mozart music, but also some nice, if at times subtle, ambient environmental sounds in the outdoor material. There's a notable use of a certain sound effect set to a freeze frame as the film ends that reverberates well. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Elvira Madigan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Jörgen Persson (HD; 20:57) is a 2021 interview with the cinematographer. Subtitled in English.


• Bo Widerberg (HD; 5:11) is a kind of sweet television piece from 1967 with kids "interviewing" Widerberg. Subtitled in English.


• Behind the Scenes (HD; 1:00) has some narration and seems like it might have been part of an EPK.

Elvira Madigan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some film fans may understandably associate mention of a 1967 film about doomed lovers with another tragic real life couple, namely Bonnie and Clyde. Elvira Madigan is, not to state the obvious, considerably less violent and considerably more lyrical than the iconic Penn outing, but in its own way it's kind of subtly subversive in how it contrasts a soap operatically doomed love affair with almost meditative surroundings. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.