Elling - Per Christian Ellefsen
Kjell Bjarne - Sven Nordin
Alfons Jørgensen - Per Christensen
Frank Åsli - Jørgen Langhelle
Reidun Nordsletten - Marit Pia Jacobsen
Gunn - Hilde Olausson
Hauger - Ola Otnes
Johanne - Eli-Anne Linnestad
Cecilie Kornes - Cecilie Mosli
Haakon Willum - Joachim Rafaelsen
Eriksen - Per Gørvel
Waiter - Knud Dahl
Ticket agent - Knut Haugmark
Crew
Director - Petter Næss
Producer - Dag Alveberg
Screenplay - Axel Hellstenius
Director of Photography - Svein Krøvel
Art Director - Harald Egede Nissen
Editor - Inge-Lise Langfeldt
Sound Design - Jan Lindvik
Composer - Lars Lillo Stenberg
Production Manager - Synnøve Hørsdal
1st AD - Binne Thoresen
Costumes - Aslaug Konradsdottir
Make-up - Cecilie Greve
Props master - Anders Lunde
Gaffer - Knut Haraldsen
Main cast
Elling - Per Christian Ellefsen is currently
employed at the National Theater in Oslo. He is known as a versatile character
actor. His voice is also known from radio theatre. Among other roles, he had
the lead in the Radio Theatre's Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen. Per Christian also
appeared in director Petter Næss' first film, Absolute Hangover.
Kjell Bjarne - Sven Nordin is one of Norway's
most popular actors, in part through his roles in popular TV shows. He prefers
the great classics, however, and is known for his interpretations of Ibsen
and Shakespeare. He has played both Romeo and Richard III.
Per Christian Ellefsen and Sven Nordin also played Elling and
Kjell Bjarne in Oslo Nye Theater's staging of Brødre i blodet. They
have acted together on several occasions, including as the Jerome brothers
in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs.
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Alfons Jørgensen - Per Christensen's
debut was in The Winslow Boy with Edith Kalmar at the age of 16. Since then
he has worked at every theatre in Oslo. He has participated in 30 feature
films, including the lead in Jens Bjørneboe's Tonny, with Liv Ullmann
and Wenche Foss. Per Christensen has also acted in and directed TV dramas.
Frank Åsli - Jørgen Langhelle
graduated from National Academy of Dramatic Arts, Oslo in 1993, and has since
acted in a number of film, TV and theatre productions. His film roles include
Simon Darre in Kristin Lavransdatter, directed by Liv Ullmann, and the young
priest in the academy nominated The Other Side of Sunday. He has also participated
in several TV series.
Reidun Nordsletten - Marit Pia Jacobsen's
background is primarily in revues and satires. From 1989 to 1995 she was employed
by Trøndelag Theater in Trondheim. She was also in a number of satirical
programmes and sketches on P2 radio during the '80s and '90s.
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Main Crew
Director - Petter Næss was born
in Oslo. He has a strong and varied background that includes experience in
television, film and theatre.
From 1980 to 1995, Næss took various courses in acting, directing and
playwriting. From 1980 to 1986, he worked as a production assistant and 2nd
Assistant Director for the Drama Department at the Norwegian Broadcasting
Corporation. During this time, he also worked as an actor in cabarets and
classical productions in Oslo's fringe theatre. In 1984, Næss began
pursuing work on the other side of the curtain and had his professional debut
as a theatre director in 1986. Over the next ten years, he performed as a
professional actor in theatrical, film and television productions when not
working as a stage director. As head of one of the theatre's stages, he has
focused on encouraging the work of new, Norwegian playwrights and attracting
a young audience to the theatre. So far his efforts have proved to be very
successful, as have the various plays he's directed, most notably the original
stage of adaptation of Elling.
Næss's directorial accomplishments include 25 professional stage productions
and two feature films. Elling is his second feature film, following Absolute
Hangover, which won Amanda Awards at the 1999 Norwegian International Film
Festival for Best Actor and Actress and was nominated for the Best Norwegian
Feature Film. Currently, Næss is a member of the Norwegian Actors Union
and the Norwegian Directors Union. He is planning two productions at the Oslo
Nye Theatre and is also considering directing other film projects in either
late 2002 or early 2003.
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Producer - Dag Alveberg has been in
the Nordic film business for many years, both as an independent producer and
for public companies. He has produced a number of films through the company
Filmeffekt and has been director of the Nordic Film and TV Fund. He also produced
the opening and closing ceremonies at the Lillehammer Olympics.
Screenwriter - Axel Hellstenius has
with the exception of a short period as an egg salesman, spent most of his
working life in the film business. His first feature film as screenwriter
was the national success Death at Oslo Central, and since then he has dramatized
several of Ingvar Ambjørnsen's books and written numerous other screenplays.
Axel has also written the script for the theatre version of Elling and Kjell
Bjarne.
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Ingvar Ambjørnsen was born in Larvik in 1956. He is considered one
of the greatest storytellers in contemporary Norwegian literature and many
of his works are characterized as powerful, realistic depictions of society's
outsiders often struggling with the dark side of life. Whether his protagonists
are drug addicts, alcoholics, mental patients or prostitutes, they are depicted
with inventive insight and warmth in the fifteen novels and two collections
of short stories that Ambjørnsen has written since his debut in 1981.
The author's big breakthrough came in 1986 with his novel Hvite Niggere (White
Trash), an honest exposure of the plight of an unfortunate soul seeking out
an existence in Norwegian sub-cultures. His most successful novels in recent
years have been published to critical acclaim and strong sales. The film Elling
is based primarily on Brøde I Blodet, the third book in this crazily
original and absurdly funny series.
Ambjørnsen has most recently overseen the publications of his latest
novels: Dronningen Sover (The Queen is Asleep), currently available in a complete
English translation, and Dukken I Taket (The Doll in the Ceiling), which was
published in September.
Original Title: Elling
English Title: Elling
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Sound Quality: Dolby SR
Format: 1:1,85
Production Country: Norway
Year: 2001
Not only has Elling been a huge hit at home in Norway, it has also received
critical and audience acclaim around the world. Have you been surprised by
the international success of Elling?
When we saw the fantastic response Elling got in Norway, we did understand
that we had made a film that touched some of the basic aspects in the human
being. But still, I must admit that I am surprised that it communicated so
well outside Norway, and that Elling become one of these very few local films
that reach an audience all over the world.
How do you feel British audiences and critics will respond to the film?
I think they will enjoy it. Scandinavians and the British share a similar
sense of dry, black humour.
Norwegian films have recently received more international exposure, with
films such as Elling, Cool and Crazy and Insomnia. What do you think is behind
this recent renaissance?
Fortune - and a strong belief in Norway to make quality films that reach an
audience.
How does the Norwegian film industry compare with the film industries
in Denmark and in Sweden?
The Norwgian film industry is some years behind Denmark and Sweden. But what
happened there is an inspiration for us, and shows us that small countries
can make great films.
Insomnia was remade by Christopher Nolan, and Kevin Spacey (Trigger Street
Productions) has picked up American remake rights for Elling. What do you
feel about Elling being remade by an American production company?
It's exciting and flattering. Kevin Spacey saw the film in a private screening,
and his company was one of the first companies that got in contact with me
in order to buy the remake rights. I do not know how they will do it, but
it will probably be a very different film.
Norway is also a fertile ground for music, with bands such as Royksopp
and Kings of Convenience enjoying recognition and success in the UK at the
moment. Do you feel that the UK is particularly receptive to Norwegian and
Scandinavian cultural exports?
Norwegians have always been very oriented towards the UK, and are strongly
influenced by British culture, football and politics. It is not surprising
that this results in some cultural export the other way.
Elling is based on a successful book which has also been made into a stage
play. Did you read the book or watch the play first? Why did you think it
would make a good film?
I read the book. Actually, the play was a step on the way to make the film.
I loved the book. It was humorous, unpretentious and easy to relate to.
Had you worked with the director and actors before making Elling? What
influenced your casting of the film?
The main cast played the same roles on the stage. We tried hard to find somebody
else just because we didn't want to rely on the success of the stageplay.
We had three months of auditions. But it turned out that the cast we had from
the very start was the best.
Is it easy to fund films in Norway? Did you have to look abroad for finance?
In a small country like Norway all film production relies on government funding.
If the commissioning editors at the fund think your project is great and believe
in you as a producer, it is possible to get most of the money for your film.
The hard thing is to find a great project. For Elling, we got a major investment
from the Norwegian filmfond and support from the Nordic film & tv fund.
The rest of the money was a bank loan with my private house as security.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
Our new film "Jonny Vang" is opening in Norway in February. And
then we start shooting a new film about Elling based on another book. It takes
place some years before the first film, and focuses on Elling and his mother.
After a two-year stint at Brøynes Treatment Center, Elling and his
somewhat denser roommate, Kjell Bjarne, return to the so-called real world.
The mismatched pair are discharged from the psychiatric hospital and given
an apartment in Oslo in an attempt to get them to behave like responsible
citizens.
For someone who finds crossing a restaurant floor comparable to a South Pole
expedition, and for whom going round the corner for groceries holds untold
terrors, Elling’s new life involves a number of challenges that need
surmounting.
With impressive willpower, Elling and Kjell Bjarne’s confidence grows
and they find unusual ways to cope with society. The pair dodder down some
unfamiliar roads, striking up the most peculiar friendships in the most unlikely
places. And when Kjell Bjarne meets a woman, and Norwegian contemporary poetry
makes Elling vomit, situations occur where life’s frightened boys are
forced to give it all they’ve got – and then some.
Elling is a humorous and warm story about venturing into
life. Funny without being insensitive and moving without being sentimental,
the film is a celebration of an enduring, oddball friendship.
The film is based on Ingvar
Ambjørnsen’s bestseller
Brødre i blodet (Blood Brothers).
Academy Award Nominee 2002
Best Foreign Film
Winner - San Sebastian International Film Festival 2001
Best New Director
Youth Jury Award
Winner - Stockholm Film Festival 2001
Best Screenplay
FIPRESCI Award
Winner - Lubeck Nordic Film Days 2001
Audience Award
Interfilm Award
Winner - Seattle International Film Festival 2002
Golden Space Needle Award
Winner - Rouen Nordic Film Festival 2002
Audience Award
Best Actor: Per Christian Ellefsen
Winner - Wurzberg International Filmweekend 2002
Audience Award
Winner - Cambridge International Film Festival 2002
Audience Award
-
Empire Magazine
"thoroughly winning" David Cox - Uncut
"an eccentric buddy movie…. both charming and comic" Demetrios
Matheou - Sight and Sound
"had me in convulsions of laughter" Mariella Frostrup
- Harpers & Queen
"a joy..... as sincere as it is remarkable - "
Tristan Burke - Hotdog
As a director, I am constantly in search of goods ideas, stories and characters
that I can identify with. When Elling came along, I knew that this was a story
that was important for me to tell.
Towards the beginning of the film, the fearful title character says "Some
people go skiing in the North Pole, while I have problems just crossing a
restaurant floor." I think that statement is essential in describing
the universal appeal of Elling. We all have barriers we struggle to overcome
at various levels. For me, it is a story about my own anxieties and phobias,
about my own struggle to overcome personal barriers.
I am, first and foremost, a theatre director and Elling started as a play
that I staged at a theatre in Oslo. It was a great success, but I was not
sure whether or not I wanted to adapt it to film. I had succeeded with this
material once and thought that that might be enough. But after a great deal
of consideration, I saw it as an opportunity to dig deeper, to broaden the
story and to emphasize the focus on these wonderful characters. I wanted to
make a heartwarming film about human abilities that gave its audience hope.
The focus on friendship and stressing the importance of being there for one
another also appealed to me.
I did not, however, want to make the film about psychiatry, which is why
neither Elling nor his friend Kjell Bjarne has any particular diagnosis. Rather,
their problem is that they have no social experience, that nobody has ever
really given them any opportunities or had any faith in them. For me, it was
important to emphasize the possibilities and the human qualities within the
characters that are not immediately obvious at the beginning of the story.
That, essentially, is why I wanted to make this film.
When I decided to direct, screenwriter Axel Hellstenius and I began a six-month
period of rewriting his play, an adaptation of Ingvar Ambjørnsen's
best-selling novel. The stage version had started with Elling and Kjell Bjarne
arriving in their new apartment and then focused almost entirely on their
lives indoors. For the film version, we wanted to bring in some new characters.
For instance, the character of Alfons Jørgensen, the elderly poet who
plays an important role in the film, was not in the stage version.
Producer Dag Alveberg and I initially agreed not to cast Per Christian Ellefsen
and Sven Nordin, the actors who originated the roles of Elling and Kjell Bjarne
onstage. But after two months of casting, we realized that the 120 performances
of the play Per Christian and Sven had performed in made them well suited
to inhabit the roles onscreen.
Elling is only my second feature film. Having come from the theatre, I find
it helpful to rehearse heavily, a practice normally uncommon in the Norwegian
filmmaking tradition. With both of my films, I had five weeks of rehearsal
to revise the script, to stage scenes and to help the actors in adjusting
from theatre to the film medium. I prefer to use plenty of time rehearsing
in order to save time shooting. My first film, Absolute Hangover, was shot
in 25 days and Elling took only 34 days. I find that it's cheaper to rehearse
and it also gives the actors an opportunity to get to know one another, as
well as the key members of the crew.
Since the character in Elling are strong personality types and don't behave
like "normal" people, it was important, as well as difficult, to
find an appropriate level for strangeness in the acting styles of the performers
and to create the right balance between humor and seriousness. I wanted the
audience to laugh because they felt for the characters and not just because
they found them strange. Instead of doing research in mental institutions,
we all relied on our own experiences and personal responses from people who
are either employees or patients at various mental institutions.
Ultimately, my goal with Elling was to make an unpretentious film, one that
relies upon its story and is told entirely through its actors. The artistic
obstacles that I and everyone involved with the film have faced have all,
in one way or another, stemmed from our struggle to successfully balance comedy
of Elling and Kjell Bjarne's adventures with the right amount of drama. This
has been a challenge all the way from the casting sessions through the rewriting,
rehearsals, shooting, editing and mixing. The resulting film has become very
popular in Norway, Scandinavia and Europe.
