[SKRIVA] Svezia - inferno e paradiso
- From: "ahrvid@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <ahrvid@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: skriva@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, sverifandom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:36:36 +0100 (CET)
I write this in English since the subject has an international dimension.
Klubb Super 8 is the name of a small DVD publisher, releasing old Swedish
"cult films" (yes, some of them are also early porn flicks). They had a mini
festival in the Stockholm Cultural House, and I went there to see the Italian
1968 exploatation film "Svezia - inferno e paradiso" (directed by Luigi
Scattini), which was called "Sweden - Heaven or Hell" for its world release. I
understand this film was actually rather successful and shown in many
countries. We saw the Italian version with Swedish subtitles (but I think the
Klubb Super 8 release will have both the Italian and English versions, with
options for English subtitles).
The film is in all practicality a fake documentary, trying to describe the
country and people of Sweden - full of sex, booze, drugs, suicide and every
cliche you can possibly imagine. The audience made frequent and very loud
laughs, of course. Rickard Gramfors of Klubb Super 8 made an introduction to
give the background.
What's true is that Sweden (together with Denmark) was early with legalising
pornography. That happened in the late 60's when law paragraphs about "damage
to morality" were skipped and the film censor bureau began to admit nudity and
sex. (There were some "famous" Swedish nudity on screen before that, eg Ingmar
Bergman's "Summer with Monika". BTW, a smart American distributor re-cut the
film and inserted extra nudist camp footage. Bergman was probably not amused.)
These days, however, the American, German etc porn industry has since long by
far overtaken anything being done in Sweden.
In Italy, as it seems, these so called "Mondo" (for "world") films were a
special little sub-genre. They were not very truthful "documentaries" about
different countries, but since they were claimed to be documentary you could
insert some nudity.The general attitude of such films would be to warn people.
Like, "Don't sink to this low level of morality" - and naturally, the precise
low morality level had to be shown, in every detail.
The film was also shown on Swedish TV in the 70's, heavily edited, in a
shorter form - the orgies Swedes said to be so open with weren't exactly
suitable for TV. This was also the film which introduced the "Ma-na Ma-na" song
(especially written for it) which later became a world hit with The Muppet
Show. (This knowledge won me an old porno film poster, in a quiz before the
screening, a poster with the funny statement "this film is so sexually
pornographic that we can't show a picture from it...)
Mr Gramfors told us that most scenes were staged (except some footage the
film makers must have bought). They used hired actors, or they would use real
(non-actor) people which were given a script to read. But much of the film is
actually shot in Sweden, in or around Stockholm (that may be hard to tell for
some indoor scenes). One participator protested loudly afterwards, since she is
portrayed as a brothel madame (she worked from a script) and for years
afterwards she'd get requests from abroad how of to find her cosy little sex
club (a place that never existed).
There are some scenes with heavy boozing (eg a gang of actors playing
homeless people - a guy spreading shoeshine on his bread, to eat, created extra
laughs) and a long scene from a drug party. That scene is actually quite well
made, with good camera work, editing and suggestive music. But of course, the
sex related scenes are the most interesting.
To describe everything in "Svezia - paradiso e inferno" would be impossible,
because it covers many subjects (many of them landing in sex) but here are some
highlights:
* The opening scene, showing a gang of women in bathing suits jumping on huge
rubber bouncing balls on a big square in Stockholm. The message of the scene is
totally beyond me.
* A scene with Swedish students (in their traditional white caps) going on a
boat trip in the Stockholm archipelago. However, it's a "love boat" and they
constantly make out and one girl has a little cabin where she invites male
students. "She manages about two each trip" the speaker says.
* Scenes from sexual education in Swedish schools. The speaker says that this
would be impossible in Italian schools: "The teacher would be arrested, and
also the headmaster - perhaps even the janitor."
* Did you know that stealing cars are legal in Sweden? Well, we have a scene
with a car thief. The owner sees him, and begin showing his opinion about the
deed with his fists. The police comes and arrests - the car owner, for assault.
The thief walks away. The car is later dropped in Lake Mälaren, l where it is
raised by a group of blind (!) divers (they are used since sight is no
advantage in muddy waters).
* We have the meter maid, who after finishing her shift goes directly to a
photo studio for some nude posing.
* Of course, we have the sauna scenes, with a bunch of nude girls, who
afterwards run around in the snow.
* We have the juvenile delinquent home. Speaker says: "This 10-year-old girl
has already sold her body to her neighbours and pushers." (That place actually
existed, but it is nothing like how the film describes it.)
* A scene of a girl having committed suicide by jumping from a building.
However, there is no high building around the place were she lays in the snow.
* A scene with a gang of "MC youth" raping a girl. (The gang looks very
civilised. Nothing like Hell's Angels.)
* Pictures from a sex shop in Stockholm. (Such places actually existed, at
least later, but I'm not sure about 1968, when the film came.)
* Somewhere towards the end, there is almost a science fiction twist. We see
scenes from a big atomic bomb "proof" shelter. (Such things were built and
still exist. But upkeep is at low priority after the Cold War. Near me, some
blocks away, is a huge shelter said to be able to take 20 000 people.) The
shelter is said to have all necesseties and functions for a decent life. The
speaker says "Other countries build atomic bombs, Sweden builds shelters
against them." We move to pictures of a group of girls doing gymnastics
"seventy metres below the surface. The Swedes' secret plan is that when the War
comes and we all lay dead in atomic ashes, they will rise from their shelters,
take over the world and re-populate it." (Not exact quote, but something to
that effect.) That's a terrible thought - dancing and smiling young Swedish
girls taking over the world!
"Svezia - paradiso e inferno" is absolutely hilarious. It has no what we'd
call hard core sex (that'd be to strong for an Italian audience) but lots of
nudity and cliches en masse. It's worth seeing if you just remember all scenes
are scripted and most people are actors. It also attempts some political
commentary, ie this outragously low morality is extra bad from a socialist
country (ie the Social Democrats have ruled msot of the last 80 years, though
not at present).
The sad truth, though, is that Sweden is just as boring as most other
countries. The "Swedish sin" died years ago. Alcohol consumption is well below
most other European countries (Italy, however, is high up, with all their wine
drinking). Suicide rates are average. Drug problems are probably average too.
It is not legal to steal cars. Etc. Etc.
It's a film from an alternate reality.
--Ahrvid
Ps. I saw a lot of my friends during the screening, incl the gang from the
cult music club Sunkit (Martin, Tranpe, Per, Sarianne, Anna-Lena and others).
One of them is Rosalba, a nice Italian girl living in Sweden since many years -
I think she had extra fun from the film! (Afterwards, incredibly enough, some
of us went to a Nachspiel in the backrooms of a Stockholm theatre. One in the
gang worked there. We had some wine and chatting with the cast and theatre
workers until very late.)
Klubb Super 8's English info can be found at:
http://klubbsuper8.com/?page_id=140
A section of the film can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r4p1_2wMKU
The IMDB info is at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063660/
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