Fools in the Mountains

Leif Juster is the manager of a ski resort. He has just ordered a snowmobile for the guests. The extravagance rouses the ire of the owner of the chain. He sends his daughter, Unni Bernhoft, to investigates, which she does by putting on a bellhop's uniform, which seems to fool everyone but the audience. Meanwhile, Frank Robert has checked in as two characters: one is a repressed ornithologist who carries a stuffed owl around; the other is a free-living star of stage and screen. Naturally, everyone thinks they are the same character, which causes the usual comic misunderstanding.

Juster is a fine comic, with his big nose and gangly build, but his demeanor and temper proclaim him a stage comic, and some good camera work and editing don't disguise the work this is a stage farce. It's also paced a trifle slow and goes on a bit too long for someone used to the lightning farce sequences of Friz Freleng and Michael Frayn.

I don't know if John Cleese have seen this film, but I really wouldn't wonder if this could have been the inspiration to the most classic of all British Comedy's, Fawlty Towers,.

Fjols til Fjells (translates into: Fools in the mountains) is a beloved Norwegian comedy from 1957, which are moving around the fabulous long and thin comedian Leif Juster, which had a special way with words and facial expressions. This film us a farce with no deeper meaning, but just plain family fun.

We're at a small mountain hotel, where Poppe is portier in a fatal way, just like Basil Fawlty did 15 years later at Fawlty a Towers. Just as long and thin, and just as stupid and easily frustrated, but over all well meaning. He assumes just like Basil did some years later, and both have a huge following in Norway.

The plot is that portier Poppe is moving towards a nervous breakdown, during a stressful winter holiday time. He has some issues with the new unexperienced but well meaning bellboy, and a guest is popping up one minute, just to disappear the next, confusing Popper in a major WAP. He of course mistakes two resembling lookalikes, which are very different guests, which again both thinks Poppe is raving mad, while Poppe thinks the guy is lying or delusional.

There's so much in common with these two figures and their hotels, it's difficult to see that this is a coincidence. The film is one of the biggest cinema successes in Norway, and is every year around Christmas shown on the TV-channels.

Worth to mention is that you find Liv Ullmann in her first film role, in a minor role as guest, and a lot of others well known Norwegian actors. A joy to watch though utterly stupid, filmed in an interesting place with a large gallery of guests.

I think this film is one of the better classic Norwegian comedy's. It shows "The King of Norwegian Comedy's", Leif Juster, the way we loved to see him. The tall, skinny man with the funny voice does one of his best characters in this film. The setting is a hotel up in the mountain where many situations makes the days for the chief of the hotel (Juster) just as frustrated as can be. The piccolo is a girl, but is "disguised" as a boy and this also complicates some situations. I rate it 7/10.

This is quite a funny farce from the fifties. The main theme is about mistaken identities. But you will also find a disguised bellboy, owls and lots of complications. Add to that a well written dialog. Leif Juster, one of Norways longest comedians (and best loved) in his best movie role. Although he was mainly a revue actor. This movie is also based on a revue. He is accompanied by a good cast. The movie is directed by Norways first female director Edith Carlmar. And she has a good hand with comedy. You will also find Liv Ullmann in her first appearance in a movie. You will have to look hard though... I pity people who can't see the charm in this movie.

"Fjolls til fjells" is a boring Norwegian farce, that (strangely) is insanely popular over here. The setting is a hotel, and the movie is about all the intrigues between the characters. This proves to be very boring and we`ve seen it a hundred times before, and Leif Juster just isn`t funny as the chief of the hotel. Avoid it but small children might enjoy it. Just be sure to let your children watch this on their own, so you could go out to see a good film. The Danish version of this film is called "Solstik" and is actually a better movie, which is mostly because of the better actors. I give "Fjolls til fjells" a 2/10