''The Man from Majorca'' ( sv, Mannen från Mallorca) is a 1984 Swedish

crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

film directed by

Bo Widerberg Bo Gunnar Widerberg (; 8 June 1930 – 1 May 1997) was a Swedish film director, writer, editor and actor. Biography Early life Widerberg was born in Malmö, Malmöhus County, Sweden. Career Widerberg was the director of films such as ''Rave ...

. It is based on the novel ''The Pig Party'' by Leif G. W. Persson. The film stars

Sven Wollter Sven Justus Fredrik Wollter (11 January 1934 – 10 November 2020) was a Swedish actor, writer, and political activist. Wollter is one of the most renowned Swedish actors, he was awarded Best Swedish actor twice. In his native country, he becam ...

and

Tomas von Brömssen Tomas Birger von Brömssen (born 8 May 1943) is a Swedish actor. He played leading roles in '' Albert & Herbert'', ''My Life as a Dog'' ( sv, Mitt liv som hund), ' (English title ''Baltic Sea'', ''Salvation'' or ''The Diver''), Mannen från Mal ...

. The novel has big similarities with the

Geijer affair Geijer is a Swedish surname. People with this surname include: * Agnes Geijer (1898–1989), Swedish historian and archaeologist *Arne Geijer (1910–1979), trade unionist *Erik Gustaf Geijer (1783–1847), writer, composer, and historian *Eric Nev ...

(a rumor that the Swedish minister of justice had been with prostitutes, that the Swedish police had knowledge of it and had informed the prime minister). Leif G.W. Persson lost his job at the police because talking to a journalist about his knowledge about the Geijer case, but denied in the preface of the book (''Grisfesten'') which he wrote soon after, that it had any connections to the affair. Widerberg took inspiration from the 1971 American film '' The French Connection'', and ''The Man from Majorca'' share similarities with his previous thriller film: ''

The Man on the Roof ''The Man on the Roof'' ( sv, Mannen på taket) is a 1976 Swedish police procedural- thriller film directed by Bo Widerberg. It is based on the 1971 novel ''The Abominable Man'' by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. The film stars Carl-Gustaf Lindste ...

'' (1976).

won the award for Best Actor at the

20th Guldbagge Awards The 20th Guldbagge Awards ceremony, presented by the Swedish Film Institute, honored the best Swedish 1984 in film, films of 1984, and took place on 24 January 1985. ''Beyond Sorrow, Beyond Pain'' directed by Agneta Elers-Jarleman was presented wi ...

Plot

A robber calmly holds up a post-office in Stockholm at

Saint Lucy's Day Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-fourth-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to ...

13 December. The policemen Johansson and Jarnebring are the first on the scene and they chase the robber, who escapes. Shortly after, someone dies in a car accident and a dead body is found at a graveyard. After a while it is clear that these incidents have something to do with the robbery, and when the policemen are investigating further, they are beginning to reveal a bigger scandal. Meanwhile it seems that there is a cover-up going on.

Cast

as Bo Jarnebring: Inspector on the investigation department *

as Lars Martin "Johan" Johansson: Jarnebring's colleague *

Håkan Serner John Gunnar Håkan Serner (1 September 1933 in Malmö – 25 October 1984 in Stockholm) was a Swedish actor. Family He was nephew to Frank Heller, and stepfather to Malin Gjörup. Awards In 1977 Serner received the award for Best Actor at t ...

as Andersson: Inspector *

Ernst Günther Ernst Harry Ingemar Günther (3 June 1933 – 8 December 1999) was a Swedish actor. He appeared in 66 films and television shows between 1962 and 1999. He starred in the 1974 film ''Gangsterfilmen'', which entered into the 25th Berlin Inte ...

as M. Dahlgren: Inspector and chief *

Thomas Hellberg Björn Thomas Hellberg (29 September 1941 – 22 January 2023) was a Swedish actor. Hellberg died on 22 January 2023, at the age of 81. Selected filmography *''Maria'' (1975) *''The Man on the Roof'' (1976) *'' Buddies'' (1976) *'' The Assign ...

as Berg: Bureau chief *

Ingvar Hirdwall Lars Ingvar Hirdwall (born 5 December 1934), is a Swedish actor. One of the country's most prolific stage and film actors, he is probably most widely recognised for his two heterogenous roles in the Martin Beck universe; as the eponymous killer ...

as Fors * Niels Jensen as Roger "Rogge" Jansson:

High school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

student, previously small criminal * Tommy Johnson as Rundberg: Inspector *

Rico Rönnbäck The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was en ...

as Kjell Göran Hedberg: Working at the

Swedish Security Service The Swedish Security Service ( sv, Säkerhetspolisen , abbreviated SÄPO ; until 1989 ''Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning'', abbreviated RPS/Säk) is a Swedish government agency organised under the Ministry of Justice. It operates as a ...

Hans Villius (10 July 192322 June 2012) was a Swedish historian and popular TV and radio personality. Villius received his doctorate in history in 1951 with his dissertation ''Karl XII:s ryska fälttåg: Källstudier'' (" Charles XII's Russian campaign: A ...

as The Minister for Justice * Sten Lonnert as Erik Harald Olsson:

Alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

* Nina Gunke as Eva Zetterberg: Prostitute * Margreth Weivers as Alva Wiström: Witness on

Skogskyrkogården Skogskyrkogården (; ) is a cemetery located in the Gamla Enskede district south of central Stockholm, Sweden. Its design, by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz, reflects the development of architecture from Nordic Classicism to mature function ...

* Gun Karlsson as Fru Forsberg: Witness to the post office robbery * Marie Delleskog as Janna: Jansson's sister

Trivia

Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt (24 February 1921 – 16 January 1992) was a Swedish comedian and actor. History He grew up in Kungsholmen in Stockholm, where there now is a street named after him. His father was a Social Democratic politician and ...

was originally chosen for the role of Dahlgren but was replaced by Ernst Günther due to illness just after three days of shooting. *Some scenes were filmed without permission from the Stockholm police, like the scenes in the subway, because Widerberg was too impatient to wait for the permit. There had been some disputes with the police regarding the helicopter crash scene in his previous thriller ''

'' at

Odenplan Odenplan is a plaza located in the district Vasastaden in central Stockholm, Sweden. History Odenplan was named after the old Norse god Odin. Odenplan metro station Odenplan station is a station on both the Green Line of the Stockholm M ...

(also seen in this movie) and for that the film team had to borrow cars from the Solna police instead. *The movie was shot mainly on Mondays due to the schedules of the two leads who were both appearing in theatre at the time:

in Gävle and

in Gothenburg. Mondays were the only days that both were free. *Bo Widerberg wanted more realistic, risky, scenes for the car chase scene at Klarastrandsleden and filmed some additional scenes with the actors driving against real traffic. *There are similarities between ''The Man from Majorca'' and Widerberg's first thriller ''

'' (actors, extras, clothes), but also similarities with the 1971 thriller '' The French Connection'' (two cops' police work, Christmas setting, quarrel between departments, car chase, unsettling ending), which also was an inspiration for this movie.

References

Notes

* Stardust Allt om Film Magazine #2 2007, article "Sveriges bästa snutar" pp 72–73, It is media Svenska AB, Stockholm

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Man From Majorca, The 1984 films Swedish crime films 1980s Swedish-language films Films based on Swedish novels Films directed by Bo Widerberg Swedish Christmas films 1980s Christmas films 1980s Swedish films