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1910s – 1980s

Scandinavian Cinema

From the Swedish silent golden age to Bergman, a tradition of stark landscapes, moral drama and psychological depth.

Scandinavia gave cinema two golden ages. In the 1910s and 1920s, Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller made films with striking landscapes and psychological depth, and Carl Theodor Dreyer in Denmark made faces and silence into drama. After the war, Ingmar Bergman turned Swedish cinema into a stage for questions about faith, death and love, working with a close circle of actors and the photographer Sven Nykvist. A later generation led by Dogme 95 and by directors such as Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg broke the rules again, and today Nordic cinema still ranges from austere art film to dark crime drama.

Where
Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland
When
1910s to the 1980s, with a later revival from the 1990s
Key figures
Victor Sjöström, Mauritz Stiller, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Ingmar Bergman, Bo Widerberg, Jan Troell
Landmark films
The Phantom Carriage (1921), The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), The Seventh Seal (1957), Persona (1966)
Legacy
Set the standard for the personal, philosophical art film

What to look for

  • Spare, concentrated images and long close-ups of faces
  • Questions of faith, guilt, death and relationships
  • Strong use of nature and northern light

Famous Directors

Victor SjöströmSwedenBenjamin ChristensenDenmarkCarl Theodor DreyerDenmarkIngmar BergmanSwedenAki KaurismäkiFinlandMauritz StillerSweden (born in Finland)Ruben ÖstlundSwedenBo WiderbergSwedenJan TroellSwedenRoy AnderssonSwedenBille AugustDenmarkAlf SjöbergSwedenDag Johan HaugerudNorwayBodil IpsenDenmarkArne MattssonSwedenMay el-ToukhyDenmark (Egyptian-Danish)Lau Lauritzen Jr.DenmarkThomas VinterbergDenmarkLukas MoodyssonSwedenJoachim TrierNorway

Top 100 rated films

  1. Scenes from a Marriage 1973 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.3
  2. The Hunt (2012) 2012 · Thomas Vinterberg · IMDb 8.3
  3. Ordet 1955 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 8.2
  4. The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 8.1
  5. The Seventh Seal 1957 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.1
  6. Wild Strawberries 1957 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.1
  7. Autumn Sonata 1978 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.1
  8. Fanny and Alexander 1982 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.1
  9. The Phantom Carriage 1921 · Victor Sjöström · IMDb 8.0
  10. The Wind 1928 · Victor Sjöström · IMDb 8.0
  11. Day of Wrath 1943 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 8.0
  12. The Virgin Spring 1960 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.0
  13. Winter Light 1963 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.0
  14. Persona 1966 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.0
  15. Shame 1968 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 8.0
  16. The Emigrants 1971 · Jan Troell · IMDb 8.0
  17. The New Land 1972 · Jan Troell · IMDb 8.0
  18. The Celebration 1998 · Thomas Vinterberg · IMDb 8.0
  19. Through a Glass Darkly 1961 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.9
  20. Cries and Whispers 1972 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.9
  21. Lilya 4-ever 2002 · Lukas Moodysson · IMDb 7.8
  22. He Who Gets Slapped 1924 · Victor Sjöström · IMDb 7.7
  23. Smiles of a Summer Night 1955 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.7
  24. The Silence 1963 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.7
  25. Pelle the Conqueror 1987 · Bille August · IMDb 7.7
  26. The Best Intentions 1992 · Bille August · IMDb 7.7
  27. Another Round 2020 · Thomas Vinterberg · IMDb 7.7
  28. The Worst Person in the World 2021 · Joachim Trier · IMDb 7.7
  29. Sentimental Value 2025 · Joachim Trier · IMDb 7.7
  30. Häxan 1922 · Benjamin Christensen · IMDb 7.6
  31. The Scarlet Letter 1926 · Victor Sjöström · IMDb 7.6
  32. The Passion of Anna 1969 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.6
  33. The Man Without a Past 2002 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.6
  34. Drifting Clouds 1996 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.6
  35. Oslo, August 31st 2011 · Joachim Trier · IMDb 7.6
  36. Summer Interlude 1951 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.5
  37. Summer with Monika 1953 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.5
  38. The Magician 1958 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.5
  39. Hour of the Wolf 1968 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.5
  40. Face to Face 1976 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.5
  41. The Match Factory Girl 1990 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.5
  42. La Vie de Bohème 1992 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.5
  43. Songs from the Second Floor 2000 · Roy Andersson · IMDb 7.5
  44. Submarino 2010 · Thomas Vinterberg · IMDb 7.5
  45. Show Me Love 1998 · Lukas Moodysson · IMDb 7.5
  46. Vampyr 1932 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 7.4
  47. Sawdust and Tinsel 1953 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.4
  48. Everlasting Moments 2008 · Jan Troell · IMDb 7.4
  49. Les Misérables (1998) 1998 · Bille August · IMDb 7.4
  50. Shadows in Paradise 1986 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.4
  51. Ariel 1988 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.4
  52. You, the Living 2007 · Roy Andersson · IMDb 7.4
  53. Together (2000) 2000 · Lukas Moodysson · IMDb 7.4
  54. Terje Vigen 1917 · Victor Sjöström · IMDb 7.3
  55. Gertrud 1964 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 7.3
  56. Brink of Life 1958 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.3
  57. Raven's End 1963 · Bo Widerberg · IMDb 7.3
  58. Twist and Shout 1985 · Bille August · IMDb 7.3
  59. Reprise 2006 · Joachim Trier · IMDb 7.3
  60. The Outlaw and His Wife 1918 · Victor Sjöström · IMDb 7.2
  61. Torment 1944 · Alf Sjöberg · IMDb 7.2
  62. Joe Hill 1971 · Bo Widerberg · IMDb 7.2
  63. The Man on the Roof 1976 · Bo Widerberg · IMDb 7.2
  64. Hamsun 1996 · Jan Troell · IMDb 7.2
  65. Le Havre 2011 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.2
  66. The Other Side of Hope 2017 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.2
  67. Fallen Leaves 2023 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.2
  68. Force Majeure 2014 · Ruben Östlund · IMDb 7.2
  69. Triangle of Sadness 2022 · Ruben Östlund · IMDb 7.2
  70. Sir Arne's Treasure 1919 · Mauritz Stiller · IMDb 7.1
  71. The Parson's Widow 1920 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 7.1
  72. Michael 1924 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 7.1
  73. To Joy 1950 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.1
  74. The Devil's Eye 1960 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.1
  75. Miss Julie 1951 · Alf Sjöberg · IMDb 7.1
  76. Goodbye Bafana 2007 · Bille August · IMDb 7.1
  77. I Hired a Contract Killer 1990 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.1
  78. The Square 2017 · Ruben Östlund · IMDb 7.1
  79. Play 2011 · Ruben Östlund · IMDb 7.1
  80. Beware of Children 2019 · Dag Johan Haugerud · IMDb 7.1
  81. Far from the Madding Crowd 2015 · Thomas Vinterberg · IMDb 7.1
  82. We Are the Best! 2013 · Lukas Moodysson · IMDb 7.1
  83. The Divine Woman 1928 · Victor Sjöström · IMDb 7.0
  84. The Saga of Gösta Berling 1924 · Mauritz Stiller · IMDb 7.0
  85. Master of the House 1925 · Carl Theodor Dreyer · IMDb 7.0
  86. Secrets of Women 1952 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.0
  87. A Lesson in Love 1954 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.0
  88. Dreams 1955 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.0
  89. The Rite 1969 · Ingmar Bergman · IMDb 7.0
  90. Elvira Madigan 1967 · Bo Widerberg · IMDb 7.0
  91. Ådalen 31 1969 · Bo Widerberg · IMDb 7.0
  92. Crime and Punishment 1983 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.0
  93. Leningrad Cowboys Go America 1989 · Aki Kaurismäki · IMDb 7.0
  94. Queen of Hearts 2019 · May el-Toukhy · IMDb 7.0
  95. The Temptress 1926 · Mauritz Stiller · IMDb 6.9
  96. The House of the Spirits 1993 · Bille August · IMDb 6.9
  97. Involuntary 2008 · Ruben Östlund · IMDb 6.9
  98. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence 2014 · Roy Andersson · IMDb 6.9
  99. Thelma 2017 · Joachim Trier · IMDb 6.9
  100. The Devil's Circus 1926 · Benjamin Christensen · IMDb 6.8