Reel Rewind: “Millennium: The Story”

English title – “Millennium: The Story” / Swedish language title – “Årtusende: Den Berättelsen”
As I do not speak, read, or write Swedish, the Swedish language title was obtained through an online translation site. Thought it would be interesting to see the film title in the subject’s language.

I suppose it is somewhat incongruous to watch a documentary about a man of whom I haven’t heard, who wrote books I haven’t read, and which were made into films I haven’t viewed. However, that lack of knowledge makes me an objective person to watch Stieg Larsson’s life unfold on the screen - no perceived ideas or opinions of the man or his work to influence my reactions. In all fairness, I must admit that I have visited Sweden and found that I liked what I saw of the country.

The core of “Millennium: The Story” surrounds the trilogy of crime novels written by Stieg Larsson which have become a literary phenomenon never before seen in Sweden. The books have been translated into twenty-five languages and are available in forty countries. Probably should pay more attention to contemporary literature, as somehow I missed the whole super hype of Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (Men Who Hate Women), Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden (The Girl Who Played With Fire), and Luftslottet Som Sprängdes (The Air Castle That Blew Up). Larsson’s books were subsequently made into films – “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”, “The Girl Who Played With Fire”, and “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest”.

From the documentary, a picture arises of a man whose life’s passion was the fight against the extreme right and neo-nazism in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe. He conducted this fight through the pages of the quarterly magazine, Expo, of which he was the editor. Larsson’s stand against the neo-nazis made him a target of attack and he was so protective of his long-time girlfriend, Eva Gabrielsson, that he didn’t marry her in order to keep her from being directly connected with him. However noble that decision was, it has caused inheritance controversy in Sweden. Because they weren’t marry and Larsson didn’t name her in a will, Eva does not receive any money from the books or films – it all goes to Larsson’s father, Erland and his brother Joakim. Eva has a project with a Danish film director to do the story of Stieg Larsson’s life.

Erland and Joakim recount Stieg’s childhood in northern Sweden from living with his grandparents until age nine, to getting a typewriter for his twelfth birthday (sharing the noise of it with Joakim in their bedroom!), to winning an argument with Erland at age fourteen, and to trying to choose between being a journalist or a writer – Stieg ended up being both. Despite the unexpected inheritance, both Erland and Joakim are still living simply and the money stays in a bank. They may give some of the money to Expo and are considering projects that have been proposed to them. There is no mention of Eva in terms of any money for her. I wonder what Stieg would say.

In his novels, Larsson uses Stockholm as the setting for the story. The documentary shows a tour group who are visiting the actual places mentioned in the books and which had meaning in Larsson’s own life. It was good to see familiar landmarks that I remember from my trip to Stockholm much too long ago. Larsson has all “the good guys” live in one part of Stockholm and “the bad guys” live in another – an actual dividing line between good and evil which is not found in the real world. Larsson’s world consisted of exposing the extreme right, writing fiction and non-fiction books, loving and protecting Eva, sleeping little, eating poorly, and smoking between sixty and eighty cigarettes a day. If Larsson actually smoked eighty cigarettes for twenty-four hours straight, that would be a little more than one cigarette every twenty minutes. No doubt that level of smoking contributed to his untimely heart attack and death.

“Millennium: The Story” cycles between the tour group, Larsson’s family, his international rights agent, his publisher, the writers at Expo, a financial backer, and film goers throughout the documentary. Although there are some subtitles, much of the film is dubbed in English and at times the actual footage is not as sharp as usually seen on the screen. But I did like what I learned about Stieg Larsson and it is truly unfortunate that he did not live to see the world wide impact of his novels, though I suspect Larsson would prefer a world wide impact on ending the extreme right.

This free screening of “Millennium: The Story” was a Laemmle theatre promotion for the opening of the second film in the trilogy – “The Girl Who Played With Fire”. Following the documentary, the first film – “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” – was shown, but I did not stay to watch it. Glad I saw the documentary and happy to know something about the man behind the three novels.


Film Facts: Director: Laurence Lowenthal, Production Companies: Impact Presse, Canal+, Centre National de la Cinématographie

Film Type: Documentary, Length: 53’, Languages: Swedish, English, French, Country: Sweden, Year: 2009


Images:
Left: Photo of Stieg Larsson from the website travelbetweenthepages.files.wordpress.com
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Millennium: The Story” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Poster of “Millennium: The Story” from the website dragontattoofilm.com

Reel Rewind: “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel”

English title – “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel” / Russian language title – “А. П. Чехова "Дуэль"
As I do not speak, read, or write Russian, and since, as of this post, there is no actual Russian version of this film, the Russian language title was obtained through an online translation site. Thought it would be interesting to see the film title in the language of the source material’s author.

The setting in which I saw “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel” was a preview screening presented by the Laemmle Sneak Preview Club, an activity of the Laemmle theatre chain. Since seeing the film was free, the small theatre was full, but I managed to sit in the general area that I like despite the fact I arrived a few minutes before the scheduled start time (a sporting event delayed me). A young man introduced the film and said that people should “stay put” after the screening for the Q & A with one of the film’s producers – Donald Rosenfeld. Gee, usually one invites people to stay for the Q & A or to join the after film discussion, or even a “please remain seated”, but the phrase “stay put” was a bad choice of words or perhaps he was channeling the character of Von Koren and his Germanic tendencies.

Von Koren is one element of the duality brought forth in “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel”, representing rationality and the other element is the main character, Laevsky, representing irrationality. Filming a work of literature is always problematic – how true to the story does one stay, which aspects can be eliminated, what can be added (or should anything be added). I am in the midst of reading Chekhov’s novella and the on screen depiction of scenes I’ve already read are very good and the film seems to have captured the pacing of the piece and the summertime life in the Caucasus. The conflict in the small Caucasian town is between Laevsky and von Koren, young men with different philosophies in the approach to living. Laevsky, a government official who is living with a married woman, spends his time sleeping, drinking, playing cards and working as little as possible. Von Koren, a zoologist who has ambitions to undertake a mapping expedition in the northeastern part of Russia, disapproves of the life Laevsky lives and its influence on the people of the town. Von Koren very much wants to eliminate Laevsky and prevent him from propagating and spreading his less-than-ideal way of life. Darwinism in practice.

Perhaps filming in the Caucasus would have been ideal, but the stand-in Croatia provides wonderful scenery for the pivotal picnic and duel scenes. Nadia, the married woman living with Laevsky, reveals aspects of her character (inebriation and flirtation) at the picnic that are not at all flattering, but certainly compliment Laevsky. A match in immorality? I like the location of the duel between one-time friends Laevsky and von Koren in the cave – the closeness and compactness adds to the tension of the event and affords limited physical and emotional escape. And yet escape is still possible for both – will they take it? Usually I am impervious to the music of a film, but the score of “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel” is lovely and contributes to the atmosphere of the slow, easygoing life in the Caucasus town. Secondary characters – Marya, Samoylenko, Sheshlovsky – add simpler perspectives to the intellectual discussions initiated by Laevsky and von Koren. I am looking forward to finishing the novella and the film has only increased my desire to do so.

I did “stay put” for the Q & A with Donald Rosenfeld, but only because the sporting event that delayed my arrival had ended and not in victory for the team I supported. No celebration for me. The interviewer was a film critic from the “LA Weekly” and Donald talked about wanting to go with unknowns for the film, but who did have acting experience. Financing the project and all the surrounding activities took four years for the film to be completed. Donald told the usual movie stories of substitutions, changes, and improvisations during the production. My departure from the theatre was less hectic than my arrival, but I went as quickly as I could home to minimize hearing the sounds of celebration for a victory that was not mine. At least the evening had provided enjoyment of another kind. The sporting event duel may have been a dud for me, but “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel” was a winner.


Film Facts: Director: Dover Koshashvili, Writer/Producer: Mary Bing, Novelist: Anton Chekhov, Cinematographer: Paul Sarossy, Editor: Kate Williams, Musician: Angelo Milli, Producers: Suza Horvat, Per Melita, Igor Nola, Frank Pavich, Donald Rosenfeld, Production Company: Duel Productions

Film Type: Drama, Cast: Andrew Scott (Laevsky), Fiona Glascott (Nadia), Tobias Menzies (Von Koren), Niall Buggy (Samoylenko), Nicholas Rowe (Sheshkovsky), Michelle Fairley (Marya), Simon Trinder (Postal Superintendent), Debbie Chazen (Olga), Graham Turner (Atchmianov Senior), Jeremy Swift (Deacon), Length: 95’, Language: English, Country: United States, Year: 2009
United States release date Friday 18 June 2010


Images:
Left: Front side of the ticket for “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel”
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Front side of the “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel” postcard