''The Serious Game'' (Swedish: ''Den allvarsamma leken'') is a 1945 Swedish

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Rune Carlsten Rune Carlsten (1890–1970) was a Swedish actor, screenwriter and film director. Biography Carlsten studied at Stockholm University 1908–1910, was involved with Einar Fröberg's theater company 1910–1912, at the Swedish Theater in Stockho ...

and starring

Viveca Lindfors Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress. Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Sweden, the da ...

John Ekman John Ekman (15 November 1880 – 22 November 1949) was a Swedish film actor. Biography He first trained as an artist under Richard Bergh (1858-1919). He was employed by various theater companies; Swedish Biograft Theater in Kristianstad (19 ...

and

Olof Widgren Johan Olof Widgren, né ''Pettersson'' (9 June 1907 – 6 March 1999) was a Swedish stage and film actor. He won the Eugene O'Neill Award in 1967. He was awarded the Illis quorum by the Swedish government in 1989. His granddaughter is actress ...

. It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Studios in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Bertil Duroj Bertil Duroj (1893–1967) was a Swedish art director. Active in the Swedish film industry he designed the sets for more than a hundred productions during his career. These included ''The Yellow Clinic'' (1942).Laura p.96 Selected filmography ...

. Is is based on the 1912 novel of the same title by

Hjalmar Söderberg Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg (2 July 1869 – 14 October 1941) was a Swedish novelist, short story writer, playwright and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stoc ...

.Goble p.947

Synopsis

At the turn of the

twentieth century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 (1901, MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 (2000, MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu, Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and ...

, Arvid and Lydia are in love. However, his poor financial circumstances lead her to marry a wealthy, older man instead.

Cast

as Lydia Stille *

as Anders Stille, hennes far *

as Arvid Stjärnblom *

Åke Claesson Åke Claesson (2 July 1889 – 29 May 1967) was a Swedish film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1925 and 1962. Selected filmography * ''Två konungar'' (1925) - Carl Michael Bellman * '' Ulla, My Ulla'' (1930) - Carl Michae ...

as Roslin *

Eva Dahlbeck Eva Elisabet Dahlbeck (8 March 1920 – 8 February 2008) was a Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''Brink of Life'' (1958). Dahlbeck retired ...

as Dagmar Randel *

Gösta Cederlund Gösta Cederlund, ''Gustaf ("Gösta") Edvard Cederlund'', (6 March 1888 – 4 December 1980) was a Swedish actor and film director. He was a popular character actor from the 1930s to the 1950s. Selected filmography * '' A Dangerous Wooing'' ( ...

as Redaktör Markel *

Josua Bengtson Josua Bengtson (10 January 1882 – 15 December 1958) was a Swedish stage and film actor.Steene p.393 He appeared prolifically as a character actor in the theatre and in Swedish cinema following his debut during the silent era. Some of his final ...

as Grosshandlar Randel *

Hjördis Petterson Hjördis Olga Maria Petterson (17 October 1908 – 27 May 1988) was a Swedish actress. She appeared in more than 140 films. She was born in Visby, Sweden and died in Stockholm. Selected filmography * ''Perhaps a Poet'' (1933) * ''Eva Goes ...

as Hans hustru *

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 Hjalmar ...

as Chefredaktör Doncker *

Gunnar Sjöberg Gunnar Sjöberg (25 March 1909 – 8 June 1977) was a Swedish film actor. Selected filmography * '' Russian Flu'' (1937) - Delegat från Sundsvall (uncredited) * ''John Ericsson, Victor of Hampton Roads'' (1937) - Seaman * '' Styrman Karls ...

as Baron Freutiger *

Ulf Palme Ulf Henrik Palme (18 October 1920 – 12 May 1993) was a Swedish film actor. He was born in Stockholm and died in Ingarö. Partial filmography * '' Black Roses'' (1945) - Gunnar Bergström * '' The Serious Game'' (1945) - Ture Törne * '' ...

as Ture Törne *

Renée Björling Renée Björling (10 July 1898 – 4 March 1975) was a Swedish film actress. She was born in Lovö, Sweden and died in Täby. Partial filmography * ''Tre indvendige Jomfruer'' (1914) - Daughter * ''The Downy Girl'' (1919) - Anne-Marie Ehi ...

as Ester Roslin *

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 Arvid's Father *

Gösta Holmström Gösta is a male given name, a variant of Gustav. Gösta may refer to: People * Gösta Åsbrink (1881–1966), Swedish gymnast and modern pentathlete * Gösta Andersson (skier) (1918–1979), Swedish cross-country skier * Gösta Andersson (wrestle ...

as Captain Linde * Sven Lindberg as Lovén *

Ruth Weijden Ruth Weijden (born Ruth Augusta Gustafsson; 20 July 1889 – 27 June 1956) was a Swedish stage and film actress.Kwiatkowski p.45 Selected filmography * ''The Saga of Gosta Berling'' (1924) * '' Sin'' (1928) * '' Artificial Svensson'' (1929) * ' ...

as Augusta, Stille's Maid *

Birger Malmsten Birger Malmsten (23 December 1920 – 15 February 1991) was a Swedish actor. He had many roles in Ingmar Bergman's films. Selected filmography * ''South of the Highway'' (1936) – Student (uncredited) * ' (1940) – Staff Member (uncredited ...

as Kaj Lidner *

Per Oscarsson Per Oscar Heinrich Oscarsson (28 January 1927 – 31 December 2010) was a Swedish actor. He is best known for his role in the 1966 film ''Hunger'', which earned him a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. Early life Oscarsson was born, along ...

as Filip Stille, Lydia's Brother *

Yngve Nyqvist Yngve is a Scandinavian male given name, mostly used in Sweden and Norway. It is the modern form of either Old Norse Yngvi or of Ingwin. ''Yngvi'' was the Old Norse name of the Germanic god ''Ingu-'', later identified with Freyr, or of ''Ingwian-' ...

as Randel's Guest * Sven-Eric Gamble as Young Man at the Party * Inga-Lill Åhström as Guest at Doncker's Party

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Qvist, Per Olov & von Bagh, Peter. ''Guide to the Cinema of Sweden and Finland''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000.

External links

* 1945 films 1945 drama films 1940s Swedish-language films Films directed by Rune Carlsten Films based on Swedish novels 1940s historical drama films Swedish historical drama films Films set in the 1900s 1940s Swedish films {{1940s-Sweden-film-stub