The Seagull's Laughter
by Ágúst Guðmundsson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Heino Ferch, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Kristbjörg Kjeld, Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir, Ugla EgilsdóttirDirector: Ágúst Guðmundsson
Brand: Image Entertainment
Cinematographer: Peter Krause
Writer: Ágúst Guðmundsson
Producer: Andy Paterson
Producer: Helgi Toftegard
Producer: Kristín Atladóttir
Producer: Raphael Socha
Writer: Kristin Marja Baldursdóttir
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Danish (Original Language); Icelandic (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Icelandic (Published), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-01
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Homevision
Movie Reviews of The Seagull's Laughter
Movie Review: Steamy stew of a story
Summary: 5 Stars
Other places provide good descriptions of this movie; I'll just mention how it made me feel, which is lighthearted and happy.
These are characters you'll never forget from a world that no longer exists in land that is timeless. The story is full of warmth, humor, paradox, and intrigue.
The protaganist, Freya, is beautiful, cunning and principled;is she a witch or a saint? You're never really sure. Agga, her 11-year old foil, tracks her every move and often directs the action; she's a clever and wise 11-year old who's also a kid's kid, given to spontaneous cartwheels and pre-adolescent sulks. Together, the two set an entire town on it's ear and nothing is ever the same.
This movie is atmospheric and attentive to detail, from down-covered beds to the crunch of the snow to hanging fish and fresh-brewed coffee. All create a distinctive sense of time and place. And the magnificent, Icelandic light and austere terrain is breathtakingly beautiful.
A lot of the story is charming/funny, even quizzical, like the women's subdued reactions to catastrophic or unexpected news, or the grandfather's blythe acceptance of the wacky antics of his estrogen-laden household. Whether just Nordic temperament or great story telling, I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it's great fun. Imagine Alan Ball collabroating with Frank Capra after consulting with Ocsar Wilde, and you've got it. Highly recommended.
Summary of The Seagull's Laughter
It is 1953, and Freya, who had gone to America as an officer?s bride, has returned home to begin a new life. She moves into a small house of distant relatives in a quiet fishing village within Iceland. But unlike the drab, plump girl who went abroad, Freya, now in her twenties, is a stunningly beautiful woman. With her long chestnut brown hair, slender figure, and chic American fashions, she is somewhat of a mystery to the women of the household, including the inquisitive eleven-year-old Agga, and especially to the men of the community. But as Agga soon notices, strange things have been happening since Freya?s arrival. Women are asserting their independence and men are mysteriously keeling over. Is Freya a murderess? A goddess of love? These are questions young Agga would very much like to have answered.An Icelandic film set in the 1950s, The Seagull's Laughter supports the dramatic truism that there are only really two tales to tell-- the tale of a long journey, or one in which a stranger comes to town. This charming and funny film falls into the latter category. The stranger is Freya (Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir), an Icelandic diva who returns from America after her serviceman husband dies, only to immediately stun her household of relatives into awed admiration as she vamps with her impressive wardrobe and charms the town's men. Her actions are observed by the women of the house, including the keen-eyed young girl Agga (Ugla Egilsdóttir), who comes to suspect Freya of murder. There's not much suspense in the chicanery that ensues, with the film rooted in these women's sisterhood of willfulness rather than the who-done-it mechanics of a standard-issue thriller. At its best, the film interlocks with greater Icelandic literary and dramatic traditions, the sagas with their strong-willed female protagonists and the fortitude of characters from the works of Nobel laureate Haldor Laxness. The cinematography is a step up from recent Icelandic films like Noi and 101 Reykjavik, with otherworldly blue twilight and gnarled geography suggesting Middle Earth more than Middle-Atlantic. The Seagull's Laughter is a comedy about cold-blooded murder that naturally leaves one feeling pleasantly warm. --Ryan Boudinot
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