Den farliga leken (1933): A vintage scramble

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school Swedish cinema and don't mind a story that feels like it was written on the back of a napkin during a lunch break, sure. It is not for the person who needs tight narrative logic. If you enjoy seeing how stars in the thirties handled the 'triple threat' trope, you might get a kick out of this.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Den farliga leken (1933) through its definitive frames.

Lola Brio is a busy woman. She sings, she records, and she... well, she keeps company. It is a lot of hats to wear, and honestly, the movie struggles to keep track of her schedule.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Den farliga leken (1933) through its definitive frames.

There is this one scene where she’s transitioning between the opera house and a private dinner, and the editing is so choppy you’d think they lost half the reel. It feels like she teleports. It’s honestly kind of impressive.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Den farliga leken (1933) through its definitive frames.

The cast is doing a lot of heavy lifting

Doris Nelson is magnetic enough to pull it off, even when the dialogue feels like it’s just filler between costume changes. You can tell she is trying to make sense of the script’s weird mood swings.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Den farliga leken (1933) through its definitive frames.

Then you have Edvard Persson showing up, and suddenly the whole energy of the room shifts. It’s a bit like watching a different movie break into this one. He has that specific charm that makes you forget the plot is basically paper-thin.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Den farliga leken (1933) through its definitive frames.

• The music sequences are surprisingly loud for 1933.
• The recording studio set looks like it’s made of cardboard and hope.
• I’m pretty sure someone forgot to move a chair in the background of that one parlor scene.

This movie shares a certain frantic energy with Silk Legs, where the chaos of the production actually becomes part of the charm. It isn't a masterpiece of technical precision. It is just a snapshot of people putting on a show.

The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it lingers on a reaction shot until it feels like the actor might just start laughing, and then it blitzes through a major plot revelation like it’s checking off a grocery list. I kind of respect the lack of chill.

If you are looking for something that feels like a polished artifact, look elsewhere. This is just a messy, strange little 1930s puzzle. It reminds me a bit of the frantic vibe in Broadcasting, where everyone is just trying to stay ahead of the camera.

It’s not perfect. It’s barely coherent at times. But it’s got enough personality to make you stay until the end, even if you’re just waiting to see if Lola Brio actually manages to hold down all those jobs at once. 🤷‍♂️