Already acclaimed as one of the leading novelists of his generation, Widerberg turned to film criticism in the early 1960s. In 1962, he published a collection of essays, "Vision in the Swedish Cinema", which vociferously denounced Swedish film as rarefied and oblivious to everyday, contemporary issues; Ingmar Bergman was singled out as the primary offender. The following year, Widerberg turned from fiery prose to practice, directing his first feature, "The Baby Carriage" (1963). "Raven's End" (1964), an autobiographical film about a young man's struggle to strike out on his own, earned the director the first of three Oscar nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film and was named as one of Sweden's best films by a Stockholm arts publication in 1995.Widerberg gained international acclaim with the lyrically photographed "Elvira Madigan" (1967), which recounted the true story of a doomed love affair in morally oppressive 19th-century Sweden. He subsequently made two glossy but effective films centered on the plight of the working class; "Adalen 31" (1969), about a bloody strike in Northern Sweden, which won a Special Jury Prize at Cannes and an Oscar nomination, and "Joe Hill" (1971), a biopic of the legendary American labor leader.
A punctilious craftsman, Widerberg has since made only a handful of films, only one of which, "All Things Fair" (1995) garnered the acclaim of his earlier efforts. The film focused on the relationship between a high school student (played by Widerberg's son Johan) and his much older female teacher. Widerberg garnered his third Academy Award nomination for what was to be his final motion picture.
Profession(s):
director, screenwriter, producer, novelist, critic, newspaper editor, short storyist, editor, mental hospital attendant
Sometimes Credited As:
Bo Gunnar Widerberg
Cannes Film Festival Special Jury Prize "Adalen 31" 1969
1995 Received third Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film for "All Things Fair"; final film; son Johan played a leading role
1971 First film as producer (also director), "Joe Hill"
1970 Visited United States
1969 "Adalen 31" nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar
1967 Had international hit with "Elvira Madigan"
1964 Received first Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film for "Raven's End"
1963 Feature writing and directing debut, "The Baby Carriage"
1961 Short film co-directing debut (with Jan Troell), "The Boy and the Kite" (for TV)
1960 Hired as film critic by Stockholm daily "Expressen"
1951 Published book of short stories, "Kissing," and first novel, "Autumn Term"
Deserted from military service; acquitted from prison term on grounds of (feigned) insanity
Published first short story aged 20
