Sverre Anker Ousdal bildegalleri

A strangely idiosyncratic and completely unchronological retrospective of Sverre Anker Ousdal's film and television career -- but we're not complaining much, because those two early pictures are worth it.

Sverre Anker Ousdal bildegalleri 

Sverre Anker Ousdal har vært en av Norges mest markante skuespillere helt siden han gikk ut av Teaterhøgskolen i 1965 til hans siste forestilling i november 2013. Her er noen glimt fra den lange karrieren hans:

Orions belte: Tre nordmenn, spilt av Sverre Anker Ousdal, Helge Jordal og Hans Ola Sørlie, havner midt i skuddlinjen i et storpolitisk maktspill. Actionsuksessen ”Orions belte” ble sluppet i 1985. Foto: Filmeffekt AS

Tidlig karriere: I 1969 jobber Sverre Anker Ousdal i NRKs radioteater sammen med Gunnar Olram, Evy Engelsborg og Jens Bolling. Foto: Mentz Schulerud jr.

Ung: I filmen ”Vellykket liv for tre” fra 1971 spiller Ousdal mot Arne Lie. Foto: Jan Nordby/NRK

Bestevenner: Klabb og Babb i Portveien 2 gjorde uutslettelig inntrykk på en hel generasjon norske barn. Sverre spilte Babb, Øyvind Blunck var Klabb, her fra en innspilling i 1985.

Predikant: I filmen ”Cellofan- med døden til følge” fra år 2000 tar Ousdal rollen som forkynneren Vegard Birkeland. NRK

Dramatikk: I spillefilmen Etter Rubicon fra 1987 spiller Ousdal overlegen Jon Hoff. Han er overbevist om at myndighetens forsøk på å stanse hans undersøkelser om hva som egentlig feiler to unggutter han fikk til behandling, er politisk begrunnet. Og undersøkelsene bringer ham langt utenfor hans egentlige domene. Foto: Filmeffekt/Norsk Film A/S

Fleksnes: Tonen ved frokostbordet er ikke akkurat hjertelig mellom Fleksnes (Rolv Wesenlund) og fetteren, kalt ”Kveleren fra Lyngdal”, spilt av Sverre Anker Ousdal. Den legendariske episoden ”Penger er alt” ble spilt inn i 1974. NRK 

Sweetwater: I science fictionfilmen ”Sweetwater” fra 1988 møter vi Run-Run, spilt av Sverre Anker Ousdal, Smiley (Per Jansen) og Felix (Bjørn Sundquist). Filmen ble spilt inn i Roma og London. NRK

"Sweetwater"

We hereby vow to use the phrase "delightfully abstruse" more often.

Image from Cinemateket Trondheim

The FreshSite: Film Reviews
"Sweetwater (1988)"

This rare moment in Norwegian film history is more notable for its ambition, extravaganza and unorthodox combination of futuristic sci-fi motifs and recognizable theatrical melodrama than for its overall quality. Based on the novel "Uår" by Knut Faldbakken, one of the most important modern Norwegian writers, Sweetwater discusses classic post-apocalyptic cold-war era themes such as social collapse, anarchy and primitivization, as a young couple and their son is driven out of the chaotic, war-burdened city of Sweetwater to find regufe in the fringes of the city's dump site. Here they encounter different outcasts of the collapsed society.

The average budget of a Norwegian film from the 1980s would suggest that a film as visually ambitious as Sweetwater would be hard to shoot, but the filmmakers have been wise and skillful in their choice of sets and locations, and director Glomm uses what he has got to the best effect. His elaborate prelude features numerous static images of the results of the destruction and mayhem, and throughout he proves that he is a good composer of images, if not the best narrator. The film's production design desperately wants to emulate its contemporary Hollywood brothers (see the choice of cars, for instance) and this gives the film a somewhat vapid taste in the segments which Glomm struggles to make effective, such as some of the more speculative drama early on, or a handful of action sequences (the violence is badly exaggerated).

The result is a film which struggles with narrative coherence, but ultimately has a lot to offer when it comes to the atmospheric and the descriptive. For all its flaws and shortcomings, Sweetwater is a poetic piece based on a literary work with obvious strength in characterizations and vision. The acting ranges from lacklustre to brilliant. Per Jansen has abundances of theatrical experience and ability, but his acting here is too self-conscious and overdone, whereas Petronella Barker struggles in the quiet, simpler scenes, but comes to life in the crowded sequences. It is, however, an enigmatically handsome Bjørn Sundquist and a delightfully abstruse Sverre Anker Ousdal who give the film the extra seasoning. A film which works best in its non-narrative segments, such as a harrowing scene in which this peculiar crowd share a piece of meat around a fire.

"Sverre Anker Ousdal om tidenes norske bok"

Sverre Anker Ousdal in this undated snippet from radio's "Nitimen" show discusses Knut Faldbakken's Uår novels, the first of which was the basis for the movie "Sweetwater".

Photo: NRK

"Hør innslaget i Nett-radio: Sverre Anker Ousdal om tidenes norske bok."

"Sweetwater"

"Sweetwater"
1988
Genre: Science fiction/Drama
Language: Norwegian
Running time: 115 minutes

Directed by Lasse Glomm
Written by Lasse Glomm, Petter Skavlan, based on the novel by Knut Faldbakken

Cast includes:

Bentein Baardson as Allan
Petronella Barker as Lisa
Martin Disch as Boy
...
Sverre Anker Ousdal ... Run-Run

Overview: "Allan (Baardson) and Lisa (Barker) flee the war-torn city of Sweetwater with their young son for the safety of the municipal dump in this sleepy war drama. They join other displaced survivors who were driven from their homes. After Lisa gives birth to another child and Allan has a fling with the prostitute Mary Diamond (Alphonsia Emmanuel), he trades Lisa for a gun. Allan leads a resistance group trying to retake their city who would rather fight and die than live in exile. (Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide)"