''Klokker i måneskinn'' (Bells in the Moonlight) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

anthology film from 1964 directed by

Kåre Bergstrøm Kåre Bergstrøm (3 February 1911 – 24 June 1976) was a Swedish-born photographer and film director who settled in Norway. Bergstrøm was born in Värmland. He was assigned with the film production company Norsk Film from 1933, and eventuall ...

. The film is about four men that have gathered for an evening of

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. Three of them relate accounts of supernatural events, while the fourth is skeptical of their stories. The main roles are played by Lars Nordrum, Frank Robert, Rolf Søder, and Hans Stormoen. The film is based on

André Bjerke Jarl André Bjerke (30 January 1918 – 10 January 1985) was a Norwegian writer and poet. He wrote a wide range of material: poems (both for children and adults), mystery novels (four of them under the pseudonym Bernhard Borge), essays, and arti ...

's book ''Enhjørningen'' from 1963. Bjerke also wrote the screenplay.

Plot

Four men gather for an evening of bridge, but soon the conversation turns to mysterious events: mind transfer, occult phenomena, and not least of all the bells that behave so strangely in the moonlight. The group around the bridge table consists of a writer, a director, and a journalist, who all tell their own stories during the evening about supernatural experiences they believe they have been exposed to, as well as a psychiatrist who believes that everything like this has a natural explanation. He tries to analyze the stories of the others to convince them that there were natural causes behind their experiences.

The Author's Tale

The author engages a young female actor to play the lead role in his play. It is based on a real drama that occurred 150 years ago, when a young and beautiful socialite disappeared without a trace after playing a party game that involved making herself invisible. No one has been able to solve the mystery until the author, the female actor, and a male actor travel to the lady's old home. Over the course of two eerie days, they discover that the female actor identifies with the dead wife and sense the solution to the mystery.

The Director's Tale

The director experiences a crisis in his marriage. He has been completely bewitched by his wife's cousin and is tormented by guilt, but he still cannot get out of the relationship. However, mysterious things happen, caused by the director's daughter's doll. It has magical power and, among other things, can dance on moonbeams.

The Journalist's Tale

The journalist experiences something very strange when he decided to investigate an old shipwreck. The ship's pilot had steered directly onto a dangerous reef, and he was convicted and stripped of his pilot's license despite the fact that he had seen the beacons that were supposed to guide them around. The journalist has some strange dreams, and he believes that evil forces were behind the shipwreck. The journalist goes to the pilot's hometown, where he experiences several mysterious things.

Reception

Reviews in the newspapers ''

Verdens Gang ''Verdens Gang'' ("The course of the world"), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, having declined from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. ''VG'' is n ...

'', ''

Dagsavisen ''Dagsavisen'' is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999. It has borne several names, and was called ''Arbeiderbladet'' from 1923 to 1997. ...

'', and ''

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 milli ...

'' gave the film a " die throw" of four.

Cast

''The Bridge Party''

Henny Moan Henny Moan (born 22 February 1936) is a Norwegian actress from Finnmark. She has had a long career in theatre, but is best known for her roles in certain classics of Norwegian cinema, such as the Oscar-nominated '' Nine Lives'' (1957) and '' Lake ...

as the hostess * Lars Nordrum as the author * Frank Robert as the director * Rolf Søder as the journalist * Hans Stormoen as the psychiatrist

''The Author's Tale''

Erling Lindahl Erling Lindahl (Juni 23, 1903 – August 8, 1973) was a Norwegian actor and stage director. Lindahl debuted in 1933 at the Comedy Theater ( no, Komediateatret) in Bergen and later performed at the National Theater. He appeared in many films and ...

as Hamel the chamberlain *

as the chamberlain's wife * Sverre Wilberg as Preben Berle *

Erna Schøyen Erna Kamilla Schøyen (born Erna Kamille Berg, March 1, 1887 – December 21, 1968) was a Norwegian actress. Career Schøyen trained as an actress at the National Theatre from 1905 to 1906, and she had her debut at the Fahlstrøm Theater in 19 ...

as the cook's maid *

Liv Uchermann Selmer Liv Uchermann Selmer (January 7, 1893 – January 24, 1983) was a Norwegian actress. Selmer was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), the daughter of Karl Kristian Uchermann (1855–1940) and Bolette Hermana Schnitler (1864–1939). She married the ac ...

as the chambermaid *

Turid Balke Turid Balke (25 July 1921 – 5 January 2000) was a Norwegian actress, playwright and artist. Biography Born in Kirkenes, she started her professional career at Trøndelag Teater in 1949. She would spend many of her years as an actress at Fol ...

as the kitchen maid * Bjørg Engh as the maid * Andreas Diesen as the kitchen boy *Henny Moan as the actress *Sverre Wilberg as the actor

''The Director's Tale''

* Randi Kolstad as the lady *Madeleine Borch as the daughter *

Anita Thallaug Anita Thallaug (born 14 February 1938) is a Norwegian actress and singer. Biography Thallaug was born in Bærum on 14 February 1938. She has featured in musicals, cinema and TV programs. Under the name Vesla Rolfsen, at the age of seven, she was ...

as the model * Tore Foss as the pediatrician

''The Journalist's Tale''

* Leif Enger as the art dealer *

Stevelin Urdahl Stevelin Urdahl (born Stevelin Urdahl Foss, September 21, 1899 – August 14, 1967) was a Norwegian stage and screen actor. Urdahl was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. In the 1940s and 1950s, he worked at the New Theater, and in the 1960s ...

as a sailor *

Knut Hultgren Knut Edvard Hultgren (March 22, 1910 – October 20, 1985) was a Norwegian actor. Hultgren was born in Helsingborg, Sweden. He performed at the New Theater and its successor, the Oslo New Theater, the People's Theater, and the National Theat ...

as a sailor *

Alf Malland Alf Malland (24 January 1917 – 16 August 1997) was a Norwegian actor. Biography He was born in Bergen, Norway. He began his acting career as a student at the Det Norske Teatret in Oslo. Following the German occupation of Norway during W ...

as the mate * Berit Søder as the journalist's wife * Vegard Hall as Zaubermann thepainter *

Rønnaug Alten Rønnaug Alten (9 February 1910 – 20 January 2001) was a Norwegian actress and stage instructor. Biography She was born in Tromsø, Norway. Her parents were Emil Bredenbech Melle (1878–1950) and Ragna Aass (1880–1975). After her parents' ...

as Miss Fuhre *

Henny Skjønberg Henny Kristin Skjønberg (6 August 1886 – 5 January 1973) was a Norwegian actress and stage director. Biography Hennika Bucher Eide was born in Stavanger, Norway. She was the daughter of Henrik Eide (1831–1907) and Ingeborg Sofie Bucher ( ...

as Mrs. Kjos *

Egil Lorck Egil or Egill is a masculine given name derived from Old Norse. It may refer to: Characters * Egil (Hymiskvida), farmer in the poem ''Hymiskvida'' * Egil, brother of Volund, hero of Völundarkviða and the Thidreks saga * Egil One-Hand, hero from ...

as Hogne, the ship's captain

References

External links

*
''Klokker i måneskinn''
at the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway ( no, Nasjonalbiblioteket) was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened ...

''Klokker i måneskinn''
at Filmfront 1964 films Anthology films Norwegian thriller films {{Norway-film-stub