Bo Widerberg

Who was Bo Widerberg?

Bo Widerberg, was a Swedish film director, writer, editor and actor. He was born Bo Gunnar Widerberg in Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden. He died in Ängelholm, Skåne län, Sweden of stomach cancer.

Widerberg was the director of films such as Raven's End, Elvira Madigan, Ådalen 31, Joe Hill, Fimpen, The Man on the Roof, Victoria, The Man from Majorca, The Serpent's Way and All Things Fair. The Serpent's Way was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival and in competition at the 15th Moscow International Film Festival.

He won a Silver Bear prize at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival for All Things Fair and a Special Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Festival for Ådalen 31. Raven's End, Ådalen 31 and All Things Fair all received a nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Bo Widerberg's vision of Swedish cinema parted radically with its contemporary form. He called for a greater political significance and more progressive story telling. The leading figure of Swedish cinema at the time, Ingmar Bergman, was not Widerberg's ideal at all, although he recognized his position: "Neither I nor my friends saw very much in him. We didn't find the issue of God's existence that damned important. But it's safe to say you'd be putting yourself in a bad position if you're trying to slit the throat of the father figure before your own debut." In his book, A Vision of Swedish Cinema, Widerberg concluded that Bergman's films almost exclusively dealt with issues between people directed upwards and seldom sideways. According to Widerberg, Bergman made vertical films when the need for horizontal ones was more dire. On the other hand, Widerberg wanted film to be a tool of the social sciences, a kind of sociological report.