''Kranes konditori'' (Krane's Café) 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 ...

drama film from 1951 directed by

Astrid Henning-Jensen Astrid Henning-Jensen (born Astrid Smahl; 10 December 1914 – 5 January 2002) was a Danes, Danish film director, actress, editor and screenwriter. Early life Henning-Jensen was born in the Copenhagen district of Frederiksberg in 1914, to pare ...

. Henning-Jensen also wrote the screenplay, which was based on

Cora Sandel Sara Cecilia Görvell Fabricius (20 December 1880 – 3 April 1974), better known by her pen name Cora Sandel, was a Norwegian writer and painter who lived most of her adult life abroad. Her best-known works are the novels now known as the ''Alb ...

's novel of the same name.

Plot

The film takes place in a small Norwegian coastal town and follows the life of Katinka Stordal (

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' ...

). The film depicts her loneliness and longing for love. The only man she has ever loved has left her without saying goodbye. From her children she receives neither tenderness nor kindness—only hard, cold demands. Katinka fights to keep her home together. One day she meets the Swedish sailor Stivhatten (

Erik Hell Erik Hell (11 August 1911 – 11 March 1973) was a Swedish actor. Hell was born in Kalliokoski, Finland, to a Norwegian father and a Finnish mother. He moved to Sweden with his family in 1918 during the Finnish Civil War. He married the actre ...

) at Krane's Café. There is fresh gossip about the meeting between them in the town, and Katinka's behavior arouses outrage among many: Is she thinking of leaving her home and children?

Reception

The newspaper ''

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 ...

'' praised the solid acting in the film, but complained about stiff camera work. The newspaper wrote that "The drama was intended to be presented firmly and tightly, with completely natural realism. Rønnaug Alten and Erik Hell maintain this style. But the situation and a number of secondary characters are drawn in strokes that are too thick. The film is solid, but it is also heavy. This simply makes it less entertaining. Astrid Henning-Jensen was not able to overcome this weakness, which has characterized so many Norwegian films."

Cast

as Katinka Stordal *

as Stivhatten *

Wenche Foss Eva Wenche Steenfeldt Stang (5 December 1917 – 28 March 2011), better known as Wenche Foss (), was a leading Norwegian actress of stage, screen and television. Personal life Wenche Foss was born to engineer Christian August Steenfeldt-Foss ( ...

as Elise Gjør *

Harald Heide Steen Harald Heide Steen (11 January 1911 – 3 January 1980) was a Norwegian film actor. He appeared in more than 30 films between 1933 and 1977. He was the father of actor Harald Heide-Steen Jr. Partial filmography * ''Vi som går kjøkkenveie ...

as Justus Gjør *

Kolbjørn Buøen Kolbjørn Buøen (20 January 1895 – 5 October 1975) was a Norwegian actor. He was born in Flå. He made his stage debut at Den Nationale Scene in Bergen in 1920. He played "the hangman" in the first stage adaptation of Pär Lagerkvist's ''B� ...

as Peder Stordal * Lydia Opøien as Mrs. Krane * Randi Kolstad as Borghild Stordal *

Toralv Maurstad Toralv Maurstad (24 November 1926 – 4 November 2022) was a Norwegian stage, film, and television actor. He was the son of actor Alfred Maurstad and actress Tordis Maurstad (née Witzøe), and half-brother of actress Mari Maurstad. His screen ...

as Jørgen Stordal *

Jon Lennart Mjøen Jon Lennart Mjøen (22 October 1912 – 3 January 1997) was a Norwegian actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in twelve films between 1936 and 1968. His film ''Stevnemøte med glemte år'' was entered into the 7th Berlin Interna ...

as Lydersen *

Carl Struve Carl Struve (April 12, 1887 – November 26, 1974) was a Norwegian actor and singer. He studied singing with Wilhelm Kloed and made his debut at the National Theater in Oslo in 1908. Struve was engaged with the theater until 1919, when he also ...

as Buck, a lawyer * Ingeborg Steffens as Miss Sønstegård * Siri Rom as Miss Larsen * Aud Schønemann as Miss Thorsen *

Eva Steen Eva Steen (née Eva Oscarsdatter Jacobsen, November 12, 1889 – March 30, 1973) was a Norwegian actress. Steen was born in Strømsø. She was the daughter of Oscar Jacobsen and Laura Sofie Fredrikke Jacobsen (née Dahl). Filmography *1933: ' ...

as Mrs. Buck * Sigrun Otto as Mrs. Breien *

Brita Bigum Brita Bigum (a.k.a. Britta Bigum and Brita Bigum Grønn, January 15, 1921 – October 12, 1980) was a Norwegian actress. Career Bigum made her stage debut as a child in the play ''Per og Kari reiser til månen'' at the National Theatre in Oslo ...

as Mrs. Berg * Marit Halset as Mrs. Settem * Turid Haaland as Mrs. Fosnes *

Harald Aimarsen Harald Aimarsen (June 9, 1881 – January 5, 1966) was a Norwegian actor. Aimarsen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. Among other venues, he worked at the Oslo New Theater. He acted in many films from 1919 until his death. Aimarsen died ...

* Harald Heide-Steen Jr. as Justus

References

External links

*
''Kranes konditori''
at Filmfront
''Kranes konditori''
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 ...

''Kranes konditori''
at the

Swedish Film Database The Swedish Film Database ( sv, Svensk filmdatabas) is an Internet database about Swedish films, published by the Swedish Film Institute. It contains information about all Swedish films from 1897 onwards and foreign films that had cinema premiere ...

1951 films Norwegian drama films Norwegian black-and-white films 1950s Norwegian-language films Films directed by Astrid Henning-Jensen {{Norway-film-stub