If you are into old Swedish films where everyone looks like they are wearing wool that is *three sizes too itchy*, you might actually like Kärlek och landstorm.
It is from 1914, right when the world was falling apart, but Stockholm feels weirdly bouncy in this footage.
I wouldn't say it is a masterpiece, but it is fun if you like seeing people in old-timey uniforms trying to act serious while clearly just wanting to go to the pub.
If you want a gritty war movie like
U 9 Weddigen, you are going to be disappointed because this is mostly about flirting.
The movie starts with everyone getting called up because of the war. It has that specific energy of people who do not really know what a world war looks like yet.
Ernst Brunman is in this, and he has a face that just looks like it belongs on a 1910s postcard. He has this great way of looking flustered whenever a woman walks by.
The costumes are the real star here. Some of these guys look like they have never seen a belt before in their life.
There is a scene where a group of them are marching and they all look slightly out of step. It is charming in a "we did not have a budget for a drill sergeant" kind of way.
The romance plot is... well, it is fine. It is very much "boy meets girl, boy gets sent to camp, girl worries near a window."
Aina Rosén is sweet as the lead, but she doesn't have much to do besides look concerned. She does have a very impressive hat in the first scene, though.
There is a bit where they are in the barracks and it feels like a summer camp for grown men with huge mustaches.
It reminds me a bit of the vibe in
Achtung Harry! Augen auf! but with much less intentional slapstick. Just natural awkwardness.
I noticed one extra in the background of a street scene who looks genuinely confused by the camera. He just stops and stares for like three seconds before someone probably nudged him.
Stockholm in 1914 looks incredible in these shots. The buildings look so clean and the streets are so quiet compared to the mess of modern traffic.
The pacing is a bit weird. It feels like they had forty minutes of footage and needed sixty, so some scenes of guys just standing around go on forever.
One reaction shot of a soldier looking at a letter lingers so long it becomes funny. You start wondering if he forgot his next line or if the director fell asleep.
If you liked the historical military stuff in
Draft 258, this is the much lighter, more confused Swedish cousin.
It is not trying to be a big statement on the human condition. It is just a snapshot of a moment when Sweden was holding its breath.
One of the guys, I think it was Gideon Wahlberg’s character, has a hat that is perpetually tilted at a 45-degree angle. I spent most of the second act wondering if it was actually glued to his hair.
Anyway, it is a decent watch on a rainy Sunday if you have run out of modern stuff to stream. It is short enough that it doesn't overstay its welcome. 🎬
It is a bit of a mess, but a **honest** mess. Those are usually the best kind of silent films to stumble upon.
