11 May 2022

Bomben (1920)

Boyish good-looking Gösta Ekman and Karin Molander were the stars of the Swedish silent comedy Bomben/Sunshine and Shadow (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Skandia Film produced the film and the film was shot in the summer of 1919 in the Skandia studio in Långängen, the Claestorp estate in Södermanland, Sigtuna, Vaxholm, Stockholm and on the Jönköping-Gripenberg railway. Axel Eliassons Konstförlag published a series of delicious postcards of the film.

Karin Molander in Bomben (1920)
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 158. Photo: Skandia Film. Karin Molander as Elsa and Sam Ask as Bredberg in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: The "bomb" has exploded.

Gösta Ekman in Bomben
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 159. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: As farmer apprentice.

Karin Molander in Bomben (1920)
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 160. Photo: Skandia Film. Karin Molander as Elsa Wendel and Hilda Castegren as Mrs. Bredberg, her godmother, in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: That's what you look like when you've won one of the most beautiful estates in the kingdom!

Gösta Ekman in Bomben (1920)
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 161. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman as Ture and Josua Bengtsson as Petterson in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: A proven sacrifice of reconciliation.

The effects of a drinking tour


Young landlord and agricultural pupil, baron Ture von Örnefeldt (Gösta Ekman), celebrates his official day of maturity with a big party at the city hotel in Lillköping. Afterward, he accompanies his new friend, the clerk Lars Morin (Ragnar Arvedson), on a drinking tour, but as Ture in his excitement annoys the city's police, Morin inflicts in order not to lose his reputation.

When Ture later in the night tries to attract Morin's attention by throwing a stone through his window, he thinks the stone killed an elderly gentleman. In fact, the harmful effects have been minimal. The stone accidentally came in through a wrong window and ended up at a birthday party for chief accountant Bredberg from Lillköping (Sam Ask). Bredberg fainted with pure horror, his face going white, causing Ture to think he had murdered the man.

The next day, Bredberg accompanies his goddaughter Elsa Wendel (Karin Molander) to the train. Elsa has just received the estate Cronoholm from an uncle, who, however, stipulated in the testament that his heir needs to marry Lt. Gabriel Trane (Vilhelm Bryde), or pay 250,000 Swedish crowns to him. On the same train, Ture is heading away from the neighborhood of his evil.

He meets on the train an old acquaintance from the agricultural school, where he is actually a student. This Josias Svensson (Hugo Tranberg) has been employed as an inspector at Cronoholm and is now about to take up his job. Ture fools his friend to go abroad and wears his inspector's identity. As an inspector of Elsa Werner's estate, Ture becomes in love with his employer, and even she thinks well of him.

However, she sees no opportunity to take on her the expenses of a quarter of a million to avoid marrying the unsympathetic lieutenant Trane. When, furthermore, it fits her to believe that the inspector is bound elsewhere, she decides to announce her engagement with Gabriel Trane. Among the guests at the engagement party, though, there is also chief accountant Bredberg.

Ture finally understands that he is by no means a murderer and therefore he no longer needs to maintain his false identity. The lieutenant's intrigue is revealed, the engagement is broken off, and Elsa and Ture get each other. Since Ture is rich enough to pay the 250,000, the testament is no longer a barrier, and Lieutenant Trane can retreat with sufficient resources to entertain his mistress, actress Bojan Jensen (Lilian Rössel).

The British Film Institute has an incomplete print of Bomben/Sunshine and Shadow (Rune Carlsten, 1920) of 516 ft (157 m.). The Swedish Film Institute only has a few seconds of the film. A complete copy of the film never resurfaced.

Gösta Ekman and Karin Molander in Bomben (1920)
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 162. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman and Karin Molander in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: Happily united.

Karin Molander and Vilhelm Bryde in Bomben (1920)
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 163. Photo: Skandia Film. Vilhelm Bryde and Karin Molander in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: Miss Elsa gives away her hand in despair.

Gösta Ekman and Karin Molander in Bomben (1920)
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 164. Photo: Skandia Film. Gösta Ekman and Karin Molander in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: The estate manager and the inspector check the accounts.

Karin Molander in Bomben
Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm, no. 166. Photo: Skandia Film. Karin Molander in Bomben (Rune Carlsten, 1920). Caption: Elsa Vendel's first morning amidst her own possessions.

Sources: The Swedish Film Database, Wikipedia (Swedish) and IMDb.

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