Elvira Madigan

1967 1h 31m SV

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 59

DramaRomanceHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Famous acrobat Elvira Madigan meets Sixten Sparre, a married Swedish officer with two children. They decide to elope, but since Sparre deserted the army, he's unemployable and the couple encounter various hardships.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Pia Degermark
Hedvig Jensen
Thommy Berggren
Sixten Sparre
Lennart Malmer
Kristoffer
Cleo Jensen
Cleo
Nina Widerberg
Cleo's daughter
Yvonne Ingdal
Hedvig Jensen (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bo Widerberg
Writers: Bo Widerberg
Languages: Danish, Swedish
Countries: Sweden

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Danish, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bo Widerberg, shot by Jörgen Persson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ulf Björlin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bo Widerberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Pia Degermark and Thommy Berggren and Lennart Malmer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0061620 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bo Widerberg directs. Jörgen Persson behind the camera. Ulf Björlin scores. Bo Widerberg cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Sweden. Dialogue in Danish, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

159 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Danish, Swedish.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Bo Widerberg, shot by Jörgen Persson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ulf Björlin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Bo Widerberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Pia Degermark and Thommy Berggren and Lennart Malmer carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0061620 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 59 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jörgen Persson
Original score: Ulf Björlin
Editing: Bo Widerberg
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: SV
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Elvira Madigan (1967)

Awards

Greta

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Bo Widerberg

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-07
★ 7/10
It’s odd that a film of this story has never been made in English because it’s got to be one of the most touching and poignant love stories. Set amidst the brilliant light and lush meadows, we encounter the wealthy young lieutenant “Sixten” (Thommy Berggren) who is happily married with two young children. Until, that is, he meets acclaimed tightrope walker “Hedvig” aka “Elvira” (Pia Degermark) with whom he falls helplessly in love. He can think of no-one else and in case you’re wondering - she reciprocates. Now it doesn’t take a genius to figure that in 19th century Sweden, handsome aristocratic soldiers could get away with much but not with abandoning their posts, their family and heading off into the sunset with a women of, at best, disreputable status - so the choices they must make will make their lives difficult, if not impossible, as he discovers he has little practical skills at anything and both are shunned by a disapproving society. The question is that ultimate “can true love conquer all” type thing, and to be honest there’s not an whole load of substance to the story, but the denouement is really quite a potent (and slightly ambiguous) scene and given the whole thing is supported by plentiful gorgeous photography accompanied by some gentle Mozart and Vivaldi, this is a gently unfolding story that might soften even the hardest of hearts as the grass pollen glistens in the sunlight and beautiful people try to live on their own terms.

Production companies