128 mins
Strindberg was bold! In 1887, he dared to describe a priest who both drank and swore. He dared to portray a lovesick woman like Madam Flod and a calculating, lecherous Carlsson. He showed that farmhands had a sense of humor and pined for the maids, and he ridiculed the authorities. Strindberg was bold! So bold that Bonniers publishing house rejected several scenes because they were so bold. That is why we do not believe that Strindberg would disapprove of our ideas for his script. Here we will "mess around" with it thoroughly, in his spirit. In other words, you will get an adaptation that is VERY loosely based on Strindberg. Madam Flod will be lovesick, and Carlsson will be senile. The farmhands will have tons of funny lines, the maids will scream at the top of their lungs when the farmhands want to flirt, and the pastor won't be sober for many minutes. And the ending? No, we won't let anyone die here. These are new times! Strindberg was bold. Bold—so are we! Cheers, Strindberg!