Kristin Lavransdatter (1995) User Reviews

Hugely long medieval soap lacks the popular touch

[rowmorg · 6/10 · 13 September 2009]

A vintage novel with a "national treasure" quality about it, and a movie version of it directed by Liv Ullman, Norway's passionate prodigy: Kristen Lavransdatter has an emblematic quality, like a national-theatre production attended by royalty.

Sadly, the production does not quite live up to its own image: the star-crossed lovers more closely resemble a pedophile and his prey, or a sleazy playboy and his schoolgirl pick-up, than a knight and his lady. The wild passion at the heart of the picture would be a fizzle at a Christian am-dram camp.

The big landowner, Kristen's dad, lives in a wretched shack with a couple of nags in the yard --- and his much older wife is nursing an age-old guilt, too. Basically, this whole tale is about guilt, which is a tedious theme, especially strung out for nearly three hours, and without even a few seconds of the forbidden sex being depicted, or skin being shown, which for a Scandinavian picture is, well, bewildering.

Liv dutifully delivers her central, as-it-were feminist message: that daughters should always be allowed to shag whomever they wish, wherever, and whenever they choose, and probably at just about any age.

Kristen fancied her childhood playmate, Arne, but was betrothed to Simon. A neighbour tries to rape her, but she dings him on the head with a heavy stone, deranging him sufficiently that in a rage he kills Arne. While attending a convent in Oslo (!) she takes a fancy to His Lordship, a rake who has wrecked the lives of many a dame, and is immediately hot to jump her. Ah, but he knows a trick or two with these schoolgirl virgins, and first lets her sleep the night in his lap while he strokes her hair ---- sure! After she's had a couple of lusty romps in the hay, Kristen may be racked by guilt, but she obeys her lust like a machine, and the devil take the hindmost. She's quite tickled when Mr Moneybags licks the hymen blood off her inner thigh, but that's it for the rampant sex as far as Ms. Ullman is concerned.

Perhaps the weirdest moment in this theatrical-type movie is when Kristen watches her lover kill his other mistress of ten years, mother of six of his children, then marries him and falls adoringly into his arms in her father's bed. That's carrying Stepfordism to the Nth degree, in my opinion, and for most people in the audience, I think, rips the heroine away from normal and into the world of freaky Manson-girls.

It's nice to know that the Norwegians treasure this picture, and believe its depiction of the medieval period, but out here in the wider world this film looks dated and Sunday schoolish. Even the art direction is overrated: the scenery is fairly impressive, but sparingly delivered, and the costumes out of a theatrical hire shop, and sometimes garishly coloured.

Above all, this is a film about sexual desire and longing and rampant fulfilment, and for Kristen Lavransdatter not to depict any sexual activity at all is bordering on the perverted. This is a curiosity that is better left to the Norwegian board of education.

waited for years to see this

[vikinges · 30 March 2005]

I always wondered if anyone could do justice to Undset's great trilogy.

Liv Uhlman brings us the flavor of medieval Norway, where Christianity still battles older forces and beliefs. She gives us a radiant but guilt-ridden Kristin not far off the mark from the character in Undset's books.

The architectural details, costumes and various artifacts around the farm seem just right for the era.

I felt disappointed when the film ended as I was eager to see the subsequent development of Kristin's character we see in the second and third volumes of Undset's trilogy. One can only hope that these, too, will come in time.

Plain awful

[saerin · 2/10 · 19 February 2006]

If I had seen this film before reading the book first, I still would not have liked it very much. However, as I had read the book, I cannot write this review without comparing the two.

Compared to the book, this film was horrible. Not merely because the pace was slow, or because of the pointless changes they made to the plot in places.

No, what ruined it for me was the choice of actors. There is not a one, I think, who completely fit their character, but more so for the main characters. Take Kristin, for example; in the book, she is, at the oldest, about 18. And yet the actress looked 28. Kristin is described as being incredibly beautiful; and yet, the actress was, if not directly ugly, certainly not pretty or attractive in any way. Kristin is supposed to be sweet, innocent and mild of manner--in every way the epitome of the the gentle young virgin. And yet I saw few such characteristics in the way the actress portrayed her.

And Erlend. Erlend was supposed to be handsome, dashing, sweeping her off her feet. The very Romeo to her Juliet. The actor looked retarded half of the time, his mouth hanging open; the other half was nothing special.

And then there are the pointless changes in the other characters. Kristin's bedmate, Ingebjørg (and she was the ONLY bedmate...Helga was very little involved with anything in the book) was supposed to be blonde and very fat. Kristin's father was supposed to be very fair and knightly. Likewise, her almost-fiancé was supposed to be plump and talkative, too. And her sister was supposed to be about 6 years her younger; NOT the same age.

Possibly petty complaints: but actors make the film. Choose actors that cannot play their part, and you have a bad film. It's as simple as that. If you want to adapt a book to the screen, please do so as accurately as possible. Truth be told, I couldn't make myself watch the last half an hour of the film, it was annoying me so much. In the book, in liked Kristin; I had sympathy for her cause. In the film, I did not, at all.

not worth watching,...sorry

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 19 December 2005]

Whether or not you like this movie will probably depend on whether you like seeing movies where the leading characters aren't particularly bright or likable. If you can get past this, you'll probably be a person who would rate this movie higher than a 2.

Kristen seems like a normal and decent sort of person for the first 1/4 of the film. In fact, at times, she physically looks a lot like the director, Liv Ullmann. However, rather inexplicably, she is swept away by a rogue. WHY she loves him exactly is never clear--it just seems like a case of infatuation. BUT, here's where the dumb part of the film occurs. First, despite there being little to base such a strong attraction on, Kirsten sleeps with the man and pledges her life to him--even after she finds out he already has a mistress (who, left her own husband to be with him). Then, despite finding out more and more and more awful things about the guy (he's a real pig), she steadfastly refuses to back away from him---hurting her parents and her fiancé in the process. Think about it--a woman sacrifices everything for a man she barely knows and what so does know about him is really bad stuff!! I hate films about dumb people.

By the way, IF the film had been the same up until she met the jerk and then fell in love with a WORTHY man, then this could have been a wonderful film about a young lady choosing an arranged marriage or listening to her own needs. But, as she is just a horny idiot, this was an opportunity lost.

I wanted to like this movie, but . . .

[viv1228 · 2/10 · 30 August 2007]

As an American of Norwegian ancestry I honestly approached this movie with an open mind. I was anxious to see how Norwegians lived in the 13th century. In a love story, it's vital to have actors who have chemistry on screen and make the audience feel their pain at not being able to be together. That did not happen in this movie. I simply could not get past the advanced age of all the actors. Talk about wrinkles! What made it worse was all those close up camera shots! Whoa! Back up the camera or use a filtered lens, please!

The actor who played Kristen's love interest Erlend was 45 years old when the movie was made in 1995. Did people even live that long in the 13th century? Couldn't they find someone more visually appealing like Norwegian actor Dennis Storhoi (The 13th Warrior)? Even Simon, Kristen's betrothed who was cast by the wayside was younger and more appealing than Erlend. I was kind of turned off by the fact that a worn out, middle aged man was pursuing a much younger woman (although she looked about 10 years older than her character's age). I was unable to believe the passion between them because of their huge age difference. In contrast, the actress who played Erlend's former love interest Eline was a very beautiful actress closer in age to Erlend, and she had very little screen time, yet the actress who played Kristen was very, very plain and in virtually every scene. Once I saw Eline on the screen, I could not imagine that Erlend would leave such a beautiful woman for the plain, uninteresting farm girl Kristen. Another strange thing was the creepy grin that Erlend's sidekick Ulv always had on his face. He reminded me of a pervert.

My next complaint is that the story moves along at a snail's pace at three hours. This story could have easily wrapped up in only one hour. It is claimed that at the time this movie was released in Norway, half the country went to see it. I wish I knew how many Norwegian were as disappointed as I after they paid money to see it. While I understand that there are Norwegians who loved this movie and are very proud of their hometown girl, director Liv Ullmann, they are surely a bit biased. They can't expect everyone else to share their passion for this waste of time. Liv claims to have spent one year preparing for this movie. It certainly doesn't show. Maybe she should have spend a bigger part of that year auditioning better actors instead of clearing out the local retirement home at the last minute before everyone died. This was a very disappointing film and watching grass grow may prove to be a faster and more rewarding endeavor if you have a lot of extra time on your hands.

This nightmare is worse than the one on Elm Street.

[magnusgroendahl · 1/10 · 11 February 2002]

This film must be the most boring film I've ever seen in my entire life. I'm actually embarrassed to say that I've seen it. It could be used as a substitute for the electrical chair for death sentences. Personally I would feed Liv Ullmann the mastertape together with ketchup and roasted tomatoes.

Epic in the wrong way

[Björn-5 · 2/10 · 8 August 2010]

I watched this movie at a film festival years ago. It was the "director's cut", AFAIK, and the three+ hours playing time honestly felt closer to four hours. Now, I'm no stranger to historical drama, romantic movies, or epic movies, but this movie bored me out of my skull. The story drags along at a snail's pace, with the few dramatic highlights hardly making a blip on the radar. The main characters fail at stirring any sympathy for them or their relation. The sets, costumes and cinematography were decent enough, but it couldn't compensate for the turgid pace. It is probably the most boring historical drama I've had to misfortune to watch.

Bed or good?

[stradaveche · 7/10 · 28 October 2017]

Did you read the novel? If your answer is YES, this movie is a 7 one. If your answer is NO, this movie is a 2 movie. I red the novel, so for me, is a 7 movie: I understand, is very difficult to put on screen a so perfect novel as KL by Sigrid Undset! In fact, it is a good realization!

Kristin Lavransdatter not sure why this has low rating of 5 out of 10

[dfwforeignbuff · 10/10 · 15 May 2010]

I did not read Undset's great book trilogy about 14th century Norway. This is Liv Ullmann's second directorial attempt. She was best known for her acting roles in Ingmar Bergman's films. It is a film about medieval spirituality both paganism & Christianity. The production of the film is lavish film with epic type dimensions & cinematography. It is a long move 3 hours. Kristin is the daughter of a prominent landowner in medieval Norway. She grows up in total harmony with the ideals of the time: strong family ties, social pride & devout Christianity. She accepts the fact that her father has arranged for her to marry the son of another landowner. Kristin's beauty & purity create violent emotions around her. There are envy & attempted rape, murder & revenge. She seeks refuge from the world in a convent, waiting the time for her marriage. Here the passion of her life strikes, the knight Erlend Nikulaussonn. He, an accomplished seducer, also falls hopelessly in love. They have to cross not only convent walls to meet, but social boundaries as well. Their love cannot be kept secret, & suddenly the innocent Kristin is the centre of a scandal. Her fiancé withdraws from their engagement, her father rages, & Erlend's former mistress tries to poison her. The affair grows into a political issue, & finally some of the country's most dignified leaders persuade Lavrans to give in. The lovers win each other, but it is in front of a charred altar in a burnt down church, & their happiness has a double edge. The film is a cinematic masterpiece. Ullmann has learned well from her teacher Ingmar Bergman & this is a really magical beautiful 14th century tale. Every scene is a pleasure to behold thanks to SVEN NYKVIST's cinematography. This DVD contained the full 3 hours & contained the 20 minutes omitted from the original film release. Some will say that Ullmann ultimately doesn't succeed in bringing Kristin's passion to life on screen in a convincing fashion. I disagree I loved this film

Marvellous adaption of the first book

[The_Ioreth · 9/10 · 24 December 2005]

I really like this film more each time I view it.

One of the rare films I know which takes their time to tell the story ... NO MTV-cut-style-frantic-cutting but lovingly dwelling on faces, persons, landscape etc.

Yes, maybe some of the costumes aren't 100% correct, maybe some parts of the soundtrack do irritate with their loudness, but that to me are minor flaws!

I really think they captured the "big picture" of Kristin's early life and her getting to know Erlend Nikulausson perfectly - in tone at least, even if some smaller episodes of course are missing from the film. And even the odd additions here and there I think do make sense in the context of the film!

I just hope there WILL someday be someone who with equal skill and pacing takes the other two novels to the silver screen too!

In short: one of my favorite films right now!

A beautiful and fascinating film

[sjmichaels73 · 10/10 · 1 April 2005]

This movie is so perfect! The story, acting, scenery and general attention to detail are wonderful. Kristin's character is complex, as are the others- there are no flat characters here, no "he's the good guy and he's the bad guy." The plot is also rich and is a refreshing contrast to so many of the predictable, clichéd flicks playing at the mall theaters.

I have to give it a 10. It is flawless and fascinating. If I could, I would give it bonus points for having such unique subject matter, as well. After all, films about medieval Norway don't come out every day- especially not from the perspective of a young, strong, female character.

Hollywood Could Take A Lesson...

[TreeSan · 9/10 · 9 January 2005]

I don't speak Norwegian..not a single word...but I didn't read half the subtitles of this movie, I was so engrossed in the visuals. When I watched it again, I read the subtitles...and realized that I had understood the entire thing despite the lack of paying attention to language. That said...this movie was stunning. It was quite long, and there were a few bits that dragged a bit, but the good made up for the not-as-good ten times. The photography of the Norwegian landscape is astounding, and the acting is subtle and completely believable. The dialog is more sparse than most movies that I've seen, but adding a single word more would become verbose. This is the story of a young woman in medieval Europe who rebells against what she is expected to do and lives to get what she wants, and deals with the consequences which run deep. (The church-burning scene had me in tears)

Enthralling

[michaelfoley2001 · 9/10 · 26 November 2006]

A beautifully directed, well acted, and consistently faithful adaptation of the first of Sigrid Undset's Nobel Prize-winning novels about her fourteenth-century fictitious heroine, Kristin Lavransdatter. The movie perfectly captures the genius of the novel(s), the external and internal drama of a young woman's struggle with pride and sin, her rebellion against the good and yet her longing for it. Kristin's religious milieu, sympathetically but not sentimentally portrayed in the movie, forms a powerful backdrop against which this drama plays out. My only regret is that they did not make sequels out of the second and third Lavransdatter novels to complete the trilogy, since, indeed, the ending of the movie and of the first novel leave you hungering for more.

A superb film -- romanticism at its height

[E_D_N · 10/10 · 14 August 2005]

I absolutely agree with your assessment, ladyscarlet18705 and can't for the life of me fathom the low score that this film has garnered.

LIV ULMANN and UNDSET have done a marvelous job adapting the novel to the screen. The script is sensational, melding Middle-Age pagan beliefs with an awareness of supernatural powers lording over men's lives, an awareness of the hold unseen forces have over men's lives.

The actors, esp. ELIZABETH MATHESON in the title role bring an honesty and such transparency in their performances -- the emotions are raw and heartfelt.

SVEN NYKVIST's cinematography is superlative in every sense of the term and it succeeds in making alive even the most inanimate of objects, thus showing us that there may be life in all things. The movie almost seems like a WATERHOUSE painting come alive. It's the height of romanticism for a love story as grand and poignant as the mythical tale of the knight TRISTAN and the maiden ISEULT (ISOLDE).

The most important, of course, is how ULMANN was able to show that each action in time will have its repercussions in the future. Each of these characters are bound by fate, by the will of unseen deities, and to a greater degree -- by their own free will, live down the consequences of their choices in life and here, most of these said choices revolve around emotional attachments to a beloved, attachments that may erode in time. Thus, the core of the relationship between two people is examined, and the betrayals and regrets that come once love is gone and a new one has come to take its place are shown to be part of the cycle, the cycle that is love -- a force as synonymous with birth, healing, and life as it is with destruction.

Absolutely Beautiful!

[donnazzass · 10/10 · 9 December 2005]

It follows the first book in the trilogy very faithfully. Many scenes were actually just as I had imagined them while reading the books.

The photography is breathtaking and the sets amazing. According to scholars of fourteenth century Norway, the attention to detail in depicting every day life and customs is very authentic.

The costumes are beautiful and the actors, without exception, perfect for the parts. We were riveted!

Buy the DVD with the uncut version and extras. Definitely worthwhile watching more than once... or twice... or thrice....!!!

I hope Liv Ullmann will film the other two books as well. And soon!

Don't miss this remarkable movie.

The Undset novel made boring by norwegian diva Liv Ullmann

[Gothmog-13 · 4 May 2001]

In Norway we have to go to the cinema during school, often to see heavy drama movies we wouldn't see at all otherwise. I mean what sane 15 year old would personally go to see a medieval drama directed by Liv Ullmann. Anyway, this movie can easily be summed up by one word: crying..

From scene one the main character Kristin is hit by tragedy and cries. And that continues for a looong time. So rather read the book than watch this movie, but it might be great to see with your girlfriend if you manage to act the correct way.

Okay, but a bit slow and perhaps a bit too long.

[Blueghost · 25 June 2017]

Even though I did like this movie I do have to sympathize with those people who thought the film a bit long and boring. The shooting style is fairly straight forward, and there really aren't too many memorable dramatic shots, but overall it's technically a respectable film.

I think one of the things that holds back a better film, and I really hate myself for saying this because I usually say the opposite, is that the leads needed younger actors for the parts they were playing, and the narrative needed to be tightened up a bit.

The look of the film is okay, but I think a selection of longer lenses and a more static shooting style might have better sold the artistic period quality of the film. There's a couple of hand held shots that seem somewhat awkward and clumsy, and I didn't get too much romantic tension between the two leads.

Otherwise it's a very fine looking film, but it lacks a certain energy largely because of the kind of story that it is. Medieval romances typically conjure knights wining the hands of fair ladies with deeds brave and bold; read that as killing a few other knights in combat. But there isn't a whole lot of derring do on anybodies part. Oh well.

It's not a film I'd recommend unless you're into the medieval genre. And even then don't expect any sword play, nor much in the way of any plot as it's essentially the reflections of single woman up until her "big moments".

Still, there's a certain charm and a lot of production value in terms of sets, costumes and even locations went into the creation of this film. Again, if you're into the medieval genre, then maybe give it a glance for those qualities alone, but again it is a slower film.

See it once, and see what you think.

maximum happiness and joy

[ZeroZeroZero · 30 August 2004]

I loved this movie! It is so special, and you get the same feeling as if you were reading the book. 'Cause you have to read the book first, if you don't: rent another movie. I think Liv Ullmanns work with the

characters are great, especially the way she gets the love between Kristin and Erlend looking not klichè. I am so sorry for those who did not like this film. It either has to be something wrong with your braincells, or you just not have the gift of estetical sense. I mean: there is no such things as bad acting in this movie. It is so great, come on, come on, see it, see it now! Do it for yourselves, and do it for your heartless souls... :)