Lake of the Dead

Lake of the Dead (Norwegian title: De dødes tjern, also known as Lake of the Damned) is a 1958 Norwegian mystery horror film directed by Kåre Bergstrøm. The film stars Henki Kolstad, Henny Moan and Georg Richter.

Lake of the Dead
De dødes tjern
Norwegian theatrical release poster
Directed byKåre Bergstrøm
Written byAndré Bjerke
Kåre Bergstrøm
StarringHenny Moan
Henki Kolstad
André Bjerke
Narrated byKåre Bergman
Music byGunnar Sønstevold
CinematographyRagnar Sørensen
Edited byOlav Engebretsen
Production
company
Norsk Film
Distributed byNorsk Film
Release date
December 17, 1958
Running time
76 minutes
CountryNorway
LanguageNorwegian

Plot

The film takes place 20–23 August 1958. Crime Author Bernhard Borge and his wife Sonja, psychoanalyst Kai Bugge, magazine editor Gabriel Mørk, lawyer Harald Gran and his fiancée Liljan Werner are six Oslo people who will visit Bjørn Werner (Liljan brother) in his cabin deep in the Østerdal forests. But, when the guests arrive, Werner is missing and his dog is found dead at a pond nearby. It's not long before they begin to ponder the old legend that is associated with the place: a man is said to have killed his sister and her lover and then drowned himself in the lake. It is said that everyone who stays in the house—the murder's cabin—would be possessed by a strange attraction: They would be forced to drown themselves in the pond. The company decides to solve the mystery, but soon it appears that they are exposed to the mysterious, fascinating powers that are tied to the lake.

Cast
  • André Bjerke as Gabriel Mørk
  • Bjørg Engh as Sonja, Bernhard's wife
  • Henki Kolstad as Bernhard Borge, crime writer
  • Per Lillo-Stenberg as Bjørn Werner, Liljans brother
  • Erling Lindahl as Kai Bugge, psychologist
  • Henny Moan as Liljan Werner
  • Øyvind Øyen as Bråten, policeman
  • Georg Richter as Harald Gran
  • Leif Sommerstad as Tore Gruvik, the ghost
  • Inger Teien as Eva, Bjørn's girlfriend

Production

De dødes tjern was co-written and directed by Kåre Bergstrøm.[1] The film itself is an adaption of Andre Bjerke’s 1942 novel of the same name.[2][3]

Critical response

De dødes tjern remains relatively obscure outside its home country. Reviews of the film, have been mostly positive, with critics praising the film's atmosphere, cinematography, and soundtrack. Author Barry Atkinson praised the film, stating that the film "benefits from eerie location work and Gunnar Sønstevold's ominous score."[1]

Legacy

The success of De dødes tjern was a turning point in Norwegian cinema, becoming director Bergstrøm's breakthrough film.[4] It was later nominated as the fourth-best film of all time in Norway in a test developed by Dagbladet in 1998, were 101 movie critics gave Norwegian movies points.[5]

References
  1. Atkinson, Barry (30 May 2013). Atomic Age Cinema: The Offbeat, the Classic and the Obscure. Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media. p. 426. GGKEY:NF7E3119WDU.
  2. Brunsdale, Mitzi M. (27 April 2016). Encyclopedia of Nordic Crime Fiction: Works and Authors of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden Since 1967. McFarland. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-4766-2277-4.
  3. Rees, Ellen (6 March 2014). Cabins in Modern Norwegian Literature: Negotiating Place and Identity. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-61147-649-1.
  4. "De Dødes Tjern". BergenFilmKlubb.no (in Norwegian). Bergen FilmKlubb. 2014. Archived from the original on February 15, 2004. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. "Film oversikter" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 25 September 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
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