Return to Sweden

Sweden had its own potato famine in the 19th century, and similar to Ireland's disaster, one-fourth of the nation's population (a million people) emigrated, primarily to the United States. Cinematographer Dale Johnson, whose great-grandparents were among these immigrants, went to Sweden to make a travelogue and do some family tree climbing. The resulting film with voice-over narration and music will be of interest to libraries in areas of Scandinavian heritage. Johnson reports on the wonders of a low-crime, low-poverty, highly educated and extremely healthy society (without mentioning the tax rate that Americans would fight another revolution before paying). The Swedish commitment to nature and conservation are evident in the lovely scenes of pristine cities and countryside, and Johnson uses engaging time lapse photography to highlight his discussion of the "midnight sun." On the down side, the reading of the script frequently approaches a monotone, and some affectations (such as a set-up scene where boy-meets-girl and the script says "Men are such crafty schemers, and aren't women glad it's so?") are hopelessly corny. Commercial endorsements for a movie camera company and Volvo are obvious. And the folks at Trailwood Films need to hire a better text editor; there are three typos on the back of the video box. Recommended, where there's Scandinavian interest; for others this is optional. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)