I had fun writing this

[oakfarm]

You’re lucky to have me on your friendlist since I can write about Nordic culture you might not have heard about otherwise. Recently I mentioned the Danish movie Another round, and apparently Chris Rock is making an American version of that movie. But what I really want to write about here is that Swedish movie Stockholm Bloodbath and the Norwegian show Makta, literally The Power, have one thing in common, they are based on historical events but don't take themself seriously.   

 

The Nordic, now in a dangerous post-american world, we five countries should cooperate even more closely than before. So what do we do to celebrate our friendship? Produce a movie, written by a Norwegian and named Stockholm Bloodbath, where the Danish are cartoonish evil. The background is that the Danish king Kristian II executed bishops and nobles in Stockholm 1520. This movie focuses on female characters more than the usual retelling. It starts with a warrior woman Freja killing a Danish soldier with her bow and arrow. Her name is relevant since Freja was the goddess of war in pre-christian Scandinavia. Yeah, stupid Danish soldiers don’t mess with a woman named after a war goddess, that's a mistake you only do one time. (Freja was also the goddess of love, sex and the harvest, but that’s not relevant in the movie.) Actually it might also be worth mentioning that Freja reads the Bible, could be an ironic reference to her pagan name. 

 

Okay the above is hardly a comprehensive review of the movie, for one thing there are more characters, male and female, than Freja. Just one more thing, the movie is in English and critics have pointed out that no other movie taking place in 1520 Sweden has such liberal use of the word “motherfucker”.

 

Makta is about Gro Harlem Brundtland, the first female Prime Minister of Norway and Director-General of the WHO 1998–2003. One thing that the show does is that a handfull of dark skinned actors are playing politicians and journalists in 1970s Norway. First I just thought, “Sure they do that thing when dark skinned actors are getting - for lack of better words - ‘white roles’ I have heard about that.” The point is that I for a short time thought they could be politicians from third world countries coming to 1970s Scandinavia to learn about democratic socialism from the masters of it. Invite politicians from third world countries sounds to me like typical international solidarity from that era. But no, I must have been right the first time. Ok, skin colour plays no role in the show. It does play a role that Gro is a woman and that she’s a Harvad educated MD, while at least some other politicians have working class background. Also one notable thing is that those other politicians are irresponsible, heavy drinking men, and she has to be a kind of mother taking care of them.