Edvard Munch (film)

Edvard Munch
DVD cover
Directed by	Peter Watkins
Written by	Peter Watkins
Produced by	NRK and SVT/Sveriges Radio
Starring	Geir Westby Gro Fraas
Narrated by	Peter Watkins (Eng) Svein Sturla Hugnes (Nor)
Cinematography	Odd Geir Sæther
Edited by	Peter Watkins
Release date	12 November 1974 (1974-11-12)
Running time	211 minutes (television) 174 minutes (cinema)
Countries	Norway Sweden
Language	English/Norwegian/Swedish/Danish

Edvard Munch (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈɛ̀dvɑɖ ˈmʊŋk] ^ⓘ) is a 1974 biographical film about the Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch, written and directed by English filmmaker Peter Watkins. It was originally created as a two-part miniseries co-produced by the Norwegian and Swedish state television networks NRK and SVT, but subsequently gained an American theatrical release in 1976. The film covers about thirty years of Munch's life, focusing on the influences that shaped his art, particularly the prevalence of disease and death in his family and his youthful affair with a married woman.

Synopsis

The story begins in 1884 with an introduction to the class-system in the Norwegian capital of Kristiania. It also shows the conditions of the Munch household, which is often visited upon by illness, insanity and death. Much’s father Christian is a pious doctor, who does not approve of sin son’s friendship with the Kristiania Boheme. This group of intellectuals consist of anarchist author Hans Jaeger, naturalistic painter Christian Krogh and feminists like Andrea Fredrikke Emilie. Munch has been painting for the last five years and has made about a dozen canvases, mostly views of his country near his home, and portraits of his family. Inspired by Jaeger he begins to express himself more personally. His first completed painting, the portrait of his sister “Inger in Black”, is heavily criticized by the Kristiania conservative press. The assault on his work is to continue for the next 15 years.

In May 1885 Munch visits Paris, where he is first exposed to classical art. After returning, he begins a relationship with a married women he refers to as “Mrs. Heiberg”. Their relationship is heavily plagued with jealousy on Munch’s part. This affects his work as he paints “The Sick Child” which depicts his sister Sophie who died from tuberculosis. He also begins putting several layers of texture on his paintings, and cuts deep into the canvas. The painting and his other works are heavily attacked by the Kristiania public and conservative press. Because of this, Munch begins a two-year withdrawal.

In 1888 the Kristiania Boheme has begun to disintegrate, and Munch rents a cottage at Asgardstrand. He still pursues Mrs. Heiberg, while trying to distance himself from her. He cultivates a relationship with the young painter Aase Carlson, who rejects his advances. A feeling of tension and loneliness enters Munch’s paintings, and the loose brushstrokes disappear. In April his work is attacked again by the critics in Kristiania, and he leaves for Paris to study art.

In November 1889 Munch’s father Christian dies, and so the painter begins to re-assess the values and beliefs of Hans Jaeger. In Paris, Naturalism in art is being replaced by Symbolism, and Munch begins to articulate his artistic philosophy. It is to understand and express the purpose of people’s existence. His painting “Night in St. Cloud” is another breakthrough but is heavily attacked when exhibited at the State Autumn Exhibition in Kristiania in September 1890.

In 1891 Munch makes another breakthrough when painting two lovers whose faces blend into one another. He now uses all forms of media to his disposal to strip away needless details and perspective. Other breakthroughs, including a new portrait of his sister Inger and “Despair”, are heavily attacked by the Norwegian press. An exhibition in Berlin is also heavily criticized and is shut down. While living in Imperial Germany, Munch befriends authors like August Strindberg, Sigbjorn Obsfelder and Stanislaw Przybyszewski, and takes the musical-student Dagny Juel as his mistress. He also begins to suffer from agoraphobia.

In 1893 Munch paints “Madonna”, using Juel as his model. He continues with the artistic themes of love, pain, despair and death, and creates several depictions of the death of his sister to deal with the grief and isolation of his family and himself. He also creates “Love and Pain”, which Przybyszewski retitles “Vampire”. In February his 15th exhibition is attacked by critics in Copenhagen. Munch’s health and mind is deteriorating as he creates his most famous work “The Scream” which is criticized at his 24th exhibition in Berlin.

In 1894 Munch paints “Anxiety”, “Puberty”, and newer versions of older paintings. He begins using copper engraving and later moves on to etching and acquaint. In July he gets his first serious recognition by art-critic Julius Meier-Graefe, Stanislaw Przybyszewski and two other German critics.

In October 1895 Munch’s work is yet again attacked at an exhibition at Bloomqvist Gallery in Kristiania. A boycott is called for, and police are summoned. Many of Munch’s contemporaries rally behind him, realizing that his art is probing into a new understanding of the human psyche. He also beings mastering woodcut, using the technique to recolor his previous works.

The narrator gives an epilogue of what is to happen to Munch and many of the people in his life. The movie ends with a Munch quote: “I felt as if there were invisible threads between us. I felt as if invisible threads from her hair still twisted themselves around me. And when she completely disappeared there, over the ocean, then I felt still how it hurt, where my heart bled, because the threads could not be broken”.

Production

In 1968 Watkins made a visit to the Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo during the screening of several of his films by the Oslo University. He was awestruck by the strength of Munch’s canvases, moved by the artist’s directness, and felt a personal affinity with his linking of past and present. When visiting the National Gallery, he was very moved by "Death and the Child", which in its time, was attacked as being “incomplete” - a criticism given to many of Munch's works. According to Watkins it took three years to persuade NRK to fund the film, which only happened because SVT convinced them to participate in a co-production.

Filming occured during two separate periods in 1973: February-March for the winter scenes, and May-June for the spring and summer scenes. Oslo served as the main location, with other shots being done at Asgardstrand and the Musée Rodin in Paris. The exhibtion-scenes were done at the Munch Museum and The National Gallery in Oslo, and original Munch paintings and prints were used during production. Watkins was to use an amateur cast of 360 people, several of them giving their honest opinions of the paintings in the film.. The film crew consiting of cameraman Odd Geir Saether, art director Grethe Hejer, costume director Ada Skolmen, make-up artist Karin Saether, sound recordists Kenneth Storm-Hansen and Bjorn Hansen, researcher Anne Veflingstad, dialogue advisor Ase Vikene - came from NRK, and was according to Watkins one of the very best working groups he has had.

Distribution

The film was first broadcast in two parts on NRK on November 12 and 13 1974, but the theatrical version was not released on Norwegian cinemas until November 2, 2007 Watkins claims that a group of NRK producers denounced its use of amateur-actors and anarcroniostic dialogue, and along with SVT tried to prevent the film from representing Norway at the Cannes Film Festival. He also claims that NRK subsequently destroyed all of the original quarter-inch sound recordings, including the final sound mix, and neglected the film after it was widely screened on European TV, and several cinemas in America. Photographer Odd Geir Saether notes that although there are thruths to Watkins claims, which can be attributed to the co-operation between NRK and SVT, he does not believe that Tore Breda Thoresen (head of Television Theatre at NRK) would have treated the film this way. The film has since been made available on DVD and Blu-ray, and NRK released their original aired version on their digital platform on September 24, 2014.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 12 reviews are positive. According to Watkins, most reviews of the film tended to be positive after being shown on television and at cinemas in many contries, including Britain, during the mid-70s, although some critics found the film to be repetitive and exaggerated. The Swedish director Ingmar Bergman called the film a "work of genius". The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.. It won "Best Foreign Programme" at the 1977 BAFTA TV Award and "Best Art Film" at Asolo Art Film Festival.

Cast

• Geir Westby as Edvard Munch
• Gro Fraas as Fru Heiberg
• Johan Halsbog as Dr. Christian Munch
• Lotte Teig as Laura Cathrine Bjølstad
• Gro Jarto as Laura Cathrine Munch
• Rachel Pedersen as Inger Marie Munch
• Berit Rytter Hasle as Laura Munch
• Gunnar Skjetne as Peter Andreas Munch
• Kare Stormark as Hans Jæger
• Eli Ryg as Oda Lasson
• Iselin Bast as Dagny Juell
• Alf Kåre Strindberg as August Strindberg
• Eric Allum as Edvard - 1868
• Amund Berge as Edvard - 1875
• Kerstii Allum as Sophie - 1868
• Inger-Berit Oland as Sophie - 1875
• Susan Troldmyr as Laura - 1868
• Camilla Falk as Laura - 1875
• Ragnvald Caspari as Peter - 1868
• Erik Kristiansen as Peter - 1875
• Katja Pedersen as Inger - 1868
• Anne-Marie Dæhli as Inger - 1875

External links

• Notes on Edvard Munch on Peter Watkin's website
• Edvard Munch at IMDb
• Stanford Museum document on screening of film