Elephant Boy (1937) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch

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  Elephant Boy (1937) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch  British Film, Adventure Venice Film Festival, 1937- 2 wins including: Best Director National Board of Review, 1937- Winner: Top Foreign Films Long before CGI could conjure up entire jungles at the click of a button, cinema had to rely on the real deal. In 1937, Robert Flaherty and Zoltan Korda teamed up to deliver Elephant Boy , an adventure film that stands as a fascinating bridge between raw documentary realism and classic Hollywood storytelling. More on Wikipedia or Mubi The Raw Magic of Elephant Boy  The movie is adapted from "Toomai of the Elephants," a short story out of Rudyard Kipling’s iconic The Jungle Book . It follows a young, spirited Indian boy who dreams of becoming a great hunter, just like his father and grandfather before him. When a massive elephant hunt is organized, Toomai sets out to prove his worth, forming an unbreakable bond with a legendary, giant elephant named Kala Nag. W...
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Det brenner i natt! (1955) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch

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Det brenner i natt! (1955) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch

Det brenner i natt! (1955)  Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch 

Norwegian Film, Drama
English title: Fire in the Night

 Cannes Film Festival, 1955-  Official Selection

Det brenner i natt! (The Burning Night!), released in 1955, stands as a significant and striking example of Norwegian neorealism in post-war cinema. Directed by Arne Skouen, one of Norway's most prominent filmmakers, the movie offers a raw and unflinching look at societal outcasts and the difficult reality of mental illness, particularly alcoholism, in a mid-century Oslo setting. More on Wikipedia or Mubi 

Det brenner i natt! (The Burning Night): A Norwegian Neorealist Gem 

The Story and Its Setting

The film centers on Timon (played by Claes Gill), a highly educated and sensitive former architect who has fallen into a life marked by severe alcoholism and social isolation. Timon works as an oversynsmann (foreman/supervisor) at a printing house in Oslo. His days are a relentless struggle against his addiction, a battle that is exacerbated by his difficult relationship with his coworkers and his deep-seated sense of failure. The drama unfolds over the course of a single, agonizing night. Timon, in a desperate and drunken state, commits an act of arson at his workplace. The fire itself becomes a powerful and terrifying metaphor for his own internal chaos and the self-destructive spiral of his addiction.

Skouen masterfully uses the authentic, often gritty urban landscape of Oslo as more than just a backdrop. The cramped apartments, cold streets, and the industrial atmosphere of the printing press are integral to the story's mood, reflecting Timon's entrapment and despair.

>>>WATCH FILM<<< (YouTube/ Link only/ No subtitles) 

Neorealist Style and Themes

While Italian neorealism (like Bicycle Thieves) focused largely on post-war poverty and unemployment, Skouen's interpretation shifts the lens to internal, psychological, and social issues prevalent in modernizing Norwegian society. Key characteristics of the film's style include:

  • Non-professional or relatively unknown actors: While Claes Gill was a recognized poet and actor, the film features many less-established performers, lending an air of authenticity.

  • Location shooting: The film avoids studio sets almost entirely, favoring real locations to capture the genuine atmosphere of the city.

  • Focus on the marginalized: The film treats Timon not as a simple villain or moral failure, but as a complex figure wrestling with a serious affliction, generating a rare sense of empathy for an alcoholic protagonist at the time.

  • Social Critique: The movie subtly critiques the societal attitudes and the lack of support systems for individuals suffering from mental health issues and addiction in the 1950s.

Det brenner i natt! is ultimately a tragedy, but one that is deeply moving due to its honest portrayal of human frailty. It remains a powerful testament to Arne Skouen's ability to tackle difficult subjects with compassion and stark realism, securing its place as a classic in Norwegian cinema.

The Good and The Bad of Det brenner i natt! (1955)

The Norwegian drama Det brenner i natt! (The Burning Night!) is a critically important film, but like any work of art, it possesses both notable strengths and arguable weaknesses when viewed through a modern lens.

The Good: Artistic and Thematic Strengths

  • A Powerful, Sympathetic Central Performance: The performance by Claes Gill as the tormented proofreader and pyromaniac, Timon, is frequently highlighted as one of the strongest in early Norwegian cinema. He portrays Timon's descent with a depth that makes the character highly sympathetic, despite his destructive actions, allowing the viewer to understand his suffering rather than simply judging him.

  • Pioneering Psychological Depth: The film is lauded for moving beyond simple melodrama or crime story to explore the internal, psychological torment of a man struggling with a compulsive disorder (pyromania, often intertwined with alcoholism/addiction in the narrative). This focus on a complex mental illness was advanced for 1950s cinema.

  • Neorealist Aesthetic and Authenticity: Director Arne Skouen successfully employs neorealist techniques—such as filming on location in a gritty Oslo setting (the newspaper office, the cold streets) and using a documentary-like approach—to create an atmosphere of intense realism and bleakness that perfectly suits the subject matter.

  • Intense Atmosphere and Pacing: The film effectively builds a mood of dread and escalating tension, largely thanks to its setting over a single, agonizing night. This confined timeframe and focus contribute to a tight, thriller-like pace that keeps the viewer engaged in Timon's internal struggle and external threat of exposure.

  • Strong Social Relevance: The film serves as a powerful comment on the societal isolation and lack of resources available for individuals suffering from severe mental and behavioral issues in the mid-20th century.

The Bad: Potential Limitations

  • Uneven Handling of the Illness: While the film's goal is to evoke sympathy, some aspects of the portrayal of pyromania and addiction could be viewed as dated or overly simplified by today's standards. The dramatic focus on the sensation of the fire itself, while artistically powerful, was noted by some contemporary critics as potentially making the affliction seem overly sensationalized.

  • Thematic Ambiguity: The film is intensely focused on Timon's internal world, which can sometimes result in a story that is more focused on the feeling of despair than a clear, satisfying narrative resolution. For some viewers, the bleakness and the circular nature of Timon's struggle might be frustrating.

  • Limited Character Development for Supporting Roles: As the film is so centered on Timon, the supporting characters—such as the social worker Margrethe or the childhood friend/editor Ragnar—often function primarily as emotional sounding boards or plot devices for Timon's journey, making their own stories feel less fully realized.

  • Form Over Message: Skouen's highly artistic and sometimes expressionistic visual style, while generally praised, might occasionally overshadow the social message, especially when compared to the more stark, purely observational style of true Italian Neorealism.
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