Cinema
Docking the Boat
Att angöra en brygga
Tage Danielsson · 1965
Synopsis
It is summer, in the Stockholm archipelago. On the islet of Ensamholmen, Berit, Lennart and Berit's mother are preparing the crayfish party; the island's old fisherman, nicknamed Garbo, prowls around. Their friends arrive by sailboat, with the alcohol on board: Mona, Kalle, Walter and the manager Olsson. All that remains is to dock, without the engine. They miss the manoeuvre, try again, miss it again; the boat runs aground on a shoal, far from the crayfish, and each of the two camps invents the most extravagant ways of reaching the other.
Context
The duo's second film, after a filmed revue the year before, it was shot in colour, in summer, on an islet and a boat, with few characters. Tage Danielsson directed it and wrote it with Hans Alfredson, who plays the fisherman. The critics, with rare unanimity, hailed it the day after the premiere, and one critic saw in it the revelation of a true director. The theme tune, instrumental in the film, was later given lyrics and, sung by Monica Zetterlund, became as popular as the film itself.
Who it is for
One hundred and two minutes, in Swedish. A burlesque farce, some of whose effects depend on dialect and language.
Prizes and reception
The second-biggest public success of a Swedish film since 1963, and the duo's most critically acclaimed film.