Äppelkriget

It has been many years since I've seen "The Apple War," but it still sticks in my mind as one of the cleverest, sweetest films I've ever seen.

If I remember correctly, the sequence with Mr. Von Sydow dancing to the beat of his drum was truly something to behold (and certainly very well done).

I'm really sorry that it doesn't seem to be available on tape or DVD.

If a movie can be a national anthem, this movie is it - for Swedes and Sweden. Comics Tage and Hasse hit every note right in this remarkable and "lucky" movie. When "Äppelkriget" is shown in Svenska Ord festivals - the whole country turns out. Maybe you have to be Swedish to fully appreciate this wonderful flick - but with music by national bard Evert Taube and a magnificent cast, this movie simply cannot fail!

I loved this film when I first saw it in Seattle at the Egyptian Moore Theater in 1972. The Moore used to run this film regularly, and there was as much a cult following for this film as for Rocky Horror.

Great fun, with giants and other magical bits and pieces conspiring to rid their town of a corporative nightmare, "Deutschneyland, a gigantic amusement park for German tourists." Gentle fun and a lot of laughs.

Although not available on DVD (though I once found a bootleg copy dubbed in German on VHS!), The Apple War would be welcomed by a lot of folks, as would other films of this era, such as "Cat and Mouse" by Claude LeLouch, "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin," "No, Actually," and many, many others. There were a lot of terrific films and television series made in the 1970s, just prior to video becoming a household commodity, and I feel sure there is a ready market on couches around the world just waiting for their release.

This is a joyful film, a celebration of life, and just a lot of fun. I remember it from the '70s, when our local art house showed it -- and my wife and I must have seen it a half dozen times. I'd still love to get a video copy (with English subtitles!). This is probably the most fun way, bar none, to get a glimpse into Norse mythology, while also saving the Swedish countryside. It is only ironic that this movie pre-dates EuroDisney by, oh, a couple decades! This film sings -- and the music is part of the fun. This makes you believe in life and love again.

I saw Apple War, or Appelkriget, in the early 70's when it was showing at a university area theater. I probably went 4 times, and every time I saw the same thing: every single attendee left with a huge smile on his or her face. I've never experienced a movie that has had that affect on the entire audience. I just wish I could find a copy of this gem to see again. I can't believe that it would have lost its charm or glamour, and my life, and those of my friends, could use a little unadulterated joy.