''To mistenkelige personer'' (Two Suspects) 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 the ...

crime drama from 1950 directed by

Tancred Ibsen Tancred Ibsen (11 July 1893 – 4 December 1978) was a Norwegian military officer, aviator, film director and screenwriter. Background Ibsen was the son of Sigurd Ibsen and Bergljot Bjørnson. He was the grandson of both Henrik Ibsen and Nobel la ...

. The film is about the murder of two sheriffs in Norway and the subsequent hunt for the criminals. The script is based on Gunnar Larsen's 1933 novel ''To mistenkelige personer'' (Two Suspects). The novel is loosely based on a real incident that happened in

Ådal Ådal is a valley in the municipality of Ringerike (municipality), Ringerike and was a former municipality in Buskerud County, Norway. The municipality was created in 1857 by a split from Norderhov. At that time Ådal had a population of 2,382. O ...

in 1926. The film was banned from being shown in Norway for reasons of privacy. The verdict was upheld until the end of the 1990s.

Background

The film adaptation of the book is based on the true story of the sheriffs' murders at Vågård, an event that took place at Vågård in Ytre Ådal on August 22, 1926, when two sheriffs from Ringerike tried to arrest two safe blowers and robbers. Both sheriffs were killed, and the double murder triggered a large-scale hunt for the perpetrators.

About the film

''To mistenkelige personer'' holds a special place in Norwegian film history. Already during the filming, one of the two criminals from 1926 contacted the authorities in an attempt to stop the film, which was successful. First in the Oslo City Court and then in the

Norwegian Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Norway (Norwegian language, Norwegian Bokmål: ''(Norges) Høyesterett''; Norwegian Nynorsk: ''(Noregs) Høgsterett''; lit. ‘Highest Court’) was established in 1815 on the basis of section 88 in the Constitution of Norway ...

, the film was banned from being shown in public. This resulted in a large financial loss for the production company Norsk Film A/S. The verdict against ''To mistenkelige personer'' was unparalleled in Europe, and it is central to Norwegian legal life. The right to privacy was set higher than that of freedom of expression. As recently as 1997,

Norsk Film Norsk Film was a Norwegian film production company established in 1932 and disestablished in 2001. It was located in Bærum, with studio facilities at Jar A jar is a rigid, cylindrical or slightly conical container, typically made of glass, ce ...

refused to show the film to the Norwegian Editors' Association out of consideration for the descendants of a deceased killer. In March 1998, the film was released in a decision by the board of Norsk Film. Earlier that year, the Norwegian Editors' Association held a mock trial on showing the film. The "judges' panel" of

Jon Bing Jon Bing (30 April 1944 – 14 January 2014) was a Norwegian writer and law professor at the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL), and the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo. Bing was considered a pioneer in international ...

, John Stanghelle, and

Anne Lise Ryel Anne Lise Ryel (born 7 June 1958) is a Norwegian jurist and politician for the Labour Party. Born in Tromsø, she graduated as cand.jur. from the University of Oslo in 1987. In 1994 she became the new Norwegian ombudsman for gender equality, t ...

concluded that the film should be released. This "judgment" had no real significance, but it was considered important in principle. On November 25, 1998, the film was shown publicly at the Cinematheque in Bergen. It was not until 2003 that Norsk Filmstudio, which had the rights to the film, took up the case again, and two years later Jon Bing reconsidered the ban. Here it was stated that the film could be made available to the public. The main character was no longer alive. The film was shown to the public in 2007, and the same year it was shown on NRK.

Cast

* Peter Lindgren as Ekstrøm *

Ivar Svendsen Ivar Svendsen (November 4, 1929 – October 9, 2015) was a Norwegian actor. Filmography * 1950: ''To mistenkelige personer'' as Gustav * 1955: ''Savnet siden mandag'' as Gunnar Holm * 1960: ''Omringet'' as Per References External links * Iva ...

as Gustav *

Britta Lech-Hanssen Britta Lech-Hanssen (born Karin Anna Britta Ericsson; February 10, 1916 – February 22, 2007) was a Norwegian actress. Career Lech-Hanssen was engaged with the New Theater and then its successor, the Oslo New Theater, from 1947 to 1967. She als ...

as Anna *

Bjarne Andersen Bjarne Andersen (15 January 1909 – 13 August 1982) was a Norwegian actor, stage producer and theatre director. Personal life Andersen was born in Stavanger to Emil Laurentzius Andersen and Ingeborg Bertine Osmondsdatter Udvig. He married ...

as Ekstrøm's father *

Bjarne Bø Bjarne Bø (April 3, 1907 – August 9, 1998) was a Norwegian actor. Bø was born in Skjeberg in the municipality of Sarpsborg in Østfold county, Norway. He debuted in 1939 in the role of Sjur in the play ''Hu Dagmar'' by Ove Ansteinsson (1884� ...

as the sheriff *

Kari Diesen Kari Diesen (née Heide-Steen; 24 June 1914 – 18 March 1987) was a Norwegian singer and revue actress. She worked for the revue theatre Chat Noir from 1937 to 1953, and for the Edderkoppen Theatre from 1954 to 1959. She participated in 24 fi ...

as the neighbor's wife *

Einar Vaage Einar Vaage (March 1, 1889 – June 11, 1973) was a Norwegian actor. Vaage was active in Oslo from 1921 onward, where he was engaged with the Central Theater (from 1925 to 1931) and the Oslo New Theater. The comedy roles that Vaage played in ...

as a tramp *

Henki Kolstad Henki Kolstad (3 February 1915 – 14 July 2008) was a Norwegian actor and pop-cultural national treasure. With his debut at the Oslo national theater, he was known for his appearances in '' Olsenbanden'', the children's series Jul i Skomakergata ...

as a tramp *

Joachim Holst-Jensen Joachim Holst-Jensen (16 June 1880 – 7 March 1963) was a Norwegian stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1927 and 1960. Partial filmography * '' Den glade enke i Trangvik'' (1927) - Berg, telegrafist * '' Madame ...

Edvard Drabløs Edvard Drabløs (1 April 1883 – 29 April 1976) was a Norwegian actor and theatre director. Biography Drabløs was born at Sykkylven in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was the son of Jens Helgesen Drabløs (1856–1925) and Olave Velle (1852–191 ...

as a tramp *

Arvid Nilssen Arvid Nilssen (25 December 1913 – 24 March 1976) was a Norwegian actor, revue artist and singer. He was regarded as one of the leading comedians in Norwegian revue. Biography Nilsen was born at Alvdal in Hedmark, Norway. He made his debut ...

as a tramp *

Grace Grung Hjørdis Grace Grung (née Lehmann, December 2, 1895 – November 14, 1988) was a Norwegian actress. Career Grace Grung performed in two one-act plays for the Norwegian Broadcasting Company in 1925. Grung appeared in four film roles between 1931 ...

Nils Hald Nils Mauritz Hald (October 12, 1897 – July 14, 1963) was a Norwegian actor. Hald was born in Kristiansand, Norway, the son of the bookbinder Johan Christian Thor Hald (1865–1902) and Karen Marie Gundersen (1864–1944). He was married to t ...

* Sverre Hansen *

Turid Haaland Turid Haaland (June 23, 1908 – October 12, 1979) was a Norwegian actress. Haaland debuted in 1926 at the Norwegian Theater. She played the daughter in Runar Schildt's play ''Den store rolla'', and the character's parents were played by her re ...

* Per Kielland *

Gunnar Skar Gunnar Julius Skar (July 5, 1923 – October 12, 2012) was a Norwegian actor and theater director. Career During the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s he worked as an actor and director at the New Theater and its successor, the Oslo New Theater. Skar also ...

Merete Skavlan Merete Skavlan (25 July 1920 – 2 November 2018) was a Norwegian actress, theater instructor and director. She was born in Kristiania as a daughter of newspaper editor and theatre director Einar Skavlan and music educator Margrethe Bartholdy. Sh ...

Eugen Skjønberg Conrad Eugen Skjønberg (March 27, 1889 – July 25, 1971) was a Norwegian actor. Eugen Skjønberg was married to the actress Henny Skjønberg. They resided at Ramstad. He was the father of Per Skjønberg, Pål Skjønberg, and Espen Skjønberg, ...

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0153129
''To mistenkelige personer''
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 i ...

''To mistenkelige personer''
at

Filmfront Filmfront is a Norwegian website for films and television series similar to Internet Movie Database. Filmfront also covers various news on movie and celebrity material from both within and outside Norway. It has information on over 28,000 films, 3 ...

1950s Norwegian-language films Norwegian drama films 1950 drama films Films directed by Tancred Ibsen