''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (Swedish: ''Fänrik Ståls sägner'') is a 1926 Swedish historical

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by John W. Brunius and starring

John Ericsson John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States. Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive ''Novelty'', which co ...

Edvin Adolphson Gustav Edvin Adolphson (25 February 1893 – 31 October 1979) was a Swedish film actor and director who appeared in over 500 roles. He made his debut in 1912. He appeared with Ingrid Bergman in ''Only One Night'' (1939), and is noted for his ...

and

Olga Andersson Olga Andersson (1 October 1876 – 6 November 1943) was a Swedish film and stage actress. Quirk p.51 She appeared in 25 films as a character actress between 1920 and her death in 1943. Selected filmography * '' Her Little Majesty'' (1925) * '' ...

.Gustafsson p.192-93 It is based on the

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

The Tales of Ensign Stål ''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (Swedish language, Swedish original title: , fi, Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat, or year 2007 translation ) is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Fin ...

'' by

nineteenth century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolish ...

writer Johan Ludvig Runeberg set during the

Finnish War The Finnish War ( sv, Finska kriget, russian: Финляндская война, fi, Suomen sota) was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a re ...

during the

Napoleonic Era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislativ ...

in which Sweden lost the

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. It was shot at the

Råsunda Studios Filmstaden was a film studio situated in Råsunda, Solna Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. History Filmstaden was once one of the most modern film studios in Europe. It was built in 1919–1920 on the basis of designs by Swedish architect ...

in Stockholm. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Vilhelm Bryde Vilhelm Bryde (8 April 1888 – 24 April 1974) was a Swedish actor, film producer, and art director. Biography From 1909 to 1911, he was a student at Dramaten. Bryde was an actor at Svenska Teatern in Stockholm (1913-1919). He was director of t ...

. It was released in two parts.

Cast

as Col. Georg Karl von Döbeln *

as Lady von Schwerin *

Hugo Björne Hugo Björne (4 February 1886 – 14 February 1966) was a Swedish film and theater actor. Biography Ernst Hugo Alexis Björne was born in Varberg in Halland, Sweden. He made his stage debut in 1907 and belonged to the acting company of Hjalm ...

as von Schwerin *

Artur Cederborgh Artur Cederborgh (30 December 1885 – 15 April 1961) was a Swedish actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1919 and 1957. Selected filmography * '' Synnöve Solbakken'' (1919) * ''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (1926) * '' The Realm ...

as Peasant *

Thor Christiernsson Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

as Lode *

Carl Deurell Carl Deurell (1868–1962) was a Swedish stage and film actor. Fromell p.177 Selected filmography * '' Andersson, Pettersson och Lundström'' (1923) * ''The Saga of Gosta Berling'' (1924) * ''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (1926) * '' Tired Theodor ...

as Maj. Otto von Fieandt * Anita Dorr as Karin * Leopold Edin as Van Suchtelen * Arvid Enström as Spelt *

as Lt. Stål * Josef Fischer as Jägerhorn * Einar Fröberg as Klingspor * Ida Gawell-Blumenthal as Lotta Svärd * Fredrik Gjerdrum as Cronstedt * Vilhelm Hansson as Drufva *

Thure Holm Thure may refer to: *Thure (river), a tributary of the Sambre in Belgium *Thuré Thuré () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Vienne department ...

as Von Törne * Helge Karlsson as Munter * Axel Lagerberg as Wibelius * Sven Lindström as Löwenhielm * Alfred Lundberg as Af Klercker *

Thor Modéen Thor Modéen (22 January 1898 – 28 May 1950) was a Swedish actor and comedian who was active in both movies and on stage. Thor Modéen Teatern, a 3D cinema and theater in Kungsör, was named in his honor. Biography Thor Odert Folke Modée ...

as Johan August Sandels * Adolf Niska as Jakob Petrovitsh Kulnev *

Nils Ohlin Nils Ohlin (1895–1958) was a Swedish stage and film actor.Gustafsson p.113 Primarily acting in the theatre, he also appeared in a variety of films from the silent era to the 1950s as a character actor. Selected filmography * '' De landsflyktige ...

as Wilhelm von Schwerin * Gustav Ranft as Col. von Essen * Edit Rolf as Inga * Carl-Michael Runeberg as Johan Ludvig Runeberg * Axel Slangus as Sven Dufva * Oscar Textorius as Von Buxhovden *

Nils Wahlbom Nils Wahlbom (October 28, 1886 – October 24, 1937) was a Swedish film actor. He appeared in around forty films including ''The Women Around Larsson'' (1934).Larsson & Marklund p.127 Selected filmography * ''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (1926) * ...

as Maj. Gen. Adlercreutz * Anna-Lisa Wallin as Mrs. af Enehielm * Anders Wikman as Captain af Enehielm

References

Bibliography

* Gustafsson, Tommy. ''Masculinity in the Golden Age of Swedish Cinema: A Cultural Analysis of 1920s Films''. McFarland, 2014. * Sadoul, Georges. ''Dictionary of Film Makers''. University of California Press, 1972.

External links

* 1926 films 1920s war films Swedish war films Swedish silent feature films Swedish black-and-white films Films directed by John W. Brunius 1920s Swedish-language films Swedish historical films 1920s historical films Films set in the 19th century 1920s Swedish films {{1920s-Sweden-film-stub