Renée Björling

Renée Björling (1888-1975) was a Swedish film and stage actress, who peaked in the Swedish silent cinema. Later she also played small parts in Ingmar Bergman's films and also in his stage plays.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1116/4. Renée Björling in the Swedish silent film Carolina Rediviva (1920), directed by Ivan Hedqvist, who also played one of the leads.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, no. 1190. Photo: Ferd. Flodin, Stockholm.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1275. Photo: M. Benkow, Atelier Kronen, Stockholm.


Swedish postcard by Exclusive Ljunggrens Konstförlag, Stockholm, No. 220. Photo: Atelier Gösta Hard.

The Quest for Happiness

Renée Louise Björling was born in 1888 in Lovö, Sweden. Her mother was actress Manda Björling (1876–1960). Her half-sister was opera singer Sigurd Björling (1907–1983).

Renée Björling debuted in 1909 on stage and studied stage acting in 1915-1917 at the Dramatens elevskola. Afterwards she acted at various theatres, e.g. the Nya Teatern, Lorensbergsteatern and the Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern (now Dramaten).

As film actress, she debuted in Fadren/Father (Anna Hofman-Uddgren, 1912), based on a play by August Strindberg. Björling played Bertha, daughter of the protagonist Adolf (August Falck). Afterwards she acted e.g. in the title role in Dunungen/The Quest for Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919) opposite Hedqvist himself, as Dortka in Victor Sjöström’s Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (1920) with Tore Svennberg and Tora Teje, and as the lead of Carol[in]a in Carolina Rediviva (Ivan Hedqvist, 1920) with, again, Hedqvist himself.

Her silent career continued to flower with films such as En vildfagel/Give Me My Son (John W. Brunius, 1920) with Tore Svennberg, Vallfarten till Kevlaar/The Pilgrimage to Kevlaar (Ivan Hedqvist, 1921) with Torsten Bergström, and Fröken Fob (Elis Ellis, 1923) with Rudolph Forster.

Later films include Norrtullsligan/The Nurtull Gang (Per Lindberg, 1923) with Tora Teje, Carl XIIs Kurir/King Karl XII's Courier (Rudolph Antoni, 1924) with Gösta Ekman and Nils Asther, Livet pa landet/Life in the Country (Ivan Hedqvist, 1924), Halta Lena och Vindögda Per/Limping Lena and Cockeyed Peter (Sigur Wallén, 1925), and Tva konungar/Two Kings (Elis Ellis, 1925).

Her last silent parts were in the farce Charlis tant/Charlie's Aunt (Elis Ellis, 1926), and Gustav Wasa del I/Gustav Wasa, Part One (John W. Brunius, 1928) with Gösta Ekman in the lead.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/1. Publicity still for the Swedish silent film Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist 1919), starring Renée Björling and Ragnar Widestedt.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/?. Photo: publicity still for the Swedish silent film Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919), based on a novel by Selma Lagerlöf. The man in the middle is director Ivan Hedqvist as Theodor and the lady on the left is Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson, who plays Teodor's mother.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/10. Photo: publicity still for the Swedish silent film Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist 1919), starring Renée Björling and Ivan Hedqvist.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/12. Publicity still for the Swedish silent film Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist 1919), starring Renée Björling, Ivan Hedqvist and Ragnar Widestedt.

Ingmar Bergman

In the early 1930s, Renée Björling played parts in Vi som gar köksvägen/Servant's Entrance (Gustav Molander 1932) and the sequel Vi som går kjøkkenveien/We who walk the kitchen path (Tancred Ibsen, 1933). During the war years, Björling had two leads in Gustav Molander's Striden går vidare/The Fight Continues (1941) opposite Victor Sjöström, and in Släkten är bäst/The family is best (Ragnar Falck, 1944) with Sigurd Wallén.


Björling also appeared in small parts in several films of Ingmar Bergman. She was Aunt Elisabeth in Sommarlek/Summer Interlude (Ingmar Bergman, 1961) starring Maj-Britt Nilsson, and also appeared in Sommaren med Monika/Summer with Monica (Ingmar Bergman, 1953) starring Harriet Andersson, in En lektion i kärlek/A Lesson in Love (Ingmar Bergman, 1954) with Eva Dahlbeck, and in Kvinnodröm/Dreams (Ingmar Bergman, 1955). Bergman also directed Björling four times at the Dramaten, e.g. in 1964 in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler.

Among her later films were Sceningang/Stage Door (Bengt Ekerot, 1958), written by Erland Josephson, and Kvinnen i leopard/The Woman with the Fur Coat (Jan Molander, 1958), starring Harriet Andersson. She also acted twice on television, in the 1955 American TV series Foreign Intrigue, and as Mrs. Higgins in Pygmalion in 1968, starring Gunnar Björnstrand (Henry Higgins) and Harriet Andersson (Eliza Doolittle). On stage she had already played Mrs. Higgins at the Dramaten in 1952, opposite Lars Hanson and Anita Björk.

At the Dramaten, she acted in some 130 stage plays. Her partners included Gunnar Björnstrand (e.g. Molière's L'Avare in 1935), Lars Hanson (e.g. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in 1936), Anita Björk (e.g. L'Invitation au Château by Jean Anouilh in 1951), Jarl Kulle (e.g. in Aeschylus' Oresteia in 1954), or Gunn Wållgren (e.g. in Ivanov by Anton Chekhov in 1957).

Björling worked several times with Alf Sjöberg at Dramaten. First as an actor (e.g. in Madame Sans-Gêne by Victorien Sardou and Émile Moreau in 1927), and then as a director (e.g. in Les Mouches by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1945, with Stig Järrel and Mai Zetterling), as well as Mimi Pollak, also as an actress (e.g. in The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov in 1946) and as director (e.g. in A Flea in Her Air by Georges Feydeau in 1968).

Renée Björling stopped her film and TV career in 1968. She had played in some 40 silent and sound films. On stage, she performed for the last time at the Dramaten in 1971, in Euripides' Les Troyennes (in an adaptation by Jean-Paul Sartre), with Gunnel Lindblom and Mona Malm.

Renée Björling died in 1975 in Täby. She lies buried at Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm. From 1925 to 1932 she had been married to captain Gunnar Ursell and had a daughter Monica with him. Her granddaughter is opera singer Malena Ernman.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/3. Photo: publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Renée Björling and Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/4. Photo: publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje and Renée Björling.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1116/1. Renée Björling and Richard Lund in Carolina Rediviva (Ivan Hedqvist, 1920).


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1116/2. Photo: publicity still for Carolina Rediviva (Ivan Hedqvist, 1920) with Richard Lund.


Swedish postcard by Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, no.288, Stockholm. Photo: Skandia-Film / Svensk Filmindustri. Publicity still for the drama En vildfågel/My adopted son (John W. Brunius, 1921) with Pauline Brunius, Tore Svennberg, Renée Björling and Paul Seelig.

Sources: Svensk Filmdatabas (Swedish), Wikipedia (Swedish, English and German) and IMDb.

Klostret i Sendomir (1920)

In the Swedish silent film Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920), two weary travellers come upon a monastery. While staying the night, they learn of its mysterious founding. Director Victor Sjöström adapted an 1828 short story by Franz Grillparzer for his historical melodrama.  Stars were Tora Teje, Renée Björling, Richard Lund and Tore Svennberg.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/2. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/3. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Renée Björling and Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/4. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje and Renée Björling.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/6. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje and Richard Lund.

The sad story of a strange, old monk

The main part of Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920)  is told in a flashback by a monk to two visiting noblemen on their way to Warsaw in the 17th century. The two noblemen arrive at the monastery of Sendomir (Sandomierz) and ask for passing the night. They are served by a very humble and somewhat strange old monk.

When they ask about the monastery's history, the monk becomes very upset, yet he begins to tell about the events that led to the monastery's arrival. Near the place where the monastery now stands, once stood a large and magnificent castle, where the mighty Count Starschensky (Tore Svennberg) lived happily with his rather saddened, younger wife Elga (Tora Teje), her child and their servants.

One day, the Count's staff receives reports that unknown persons sometimes get access to the castle via a certain gate. The administrator informs the Count of his findings, and the Count detects that the key to the corresponding porch is missing. When the Count returns next time, he notices that an officer (Richard Lund) is secretly let in through the gate by the Countess's maid-in-law (Renée Björling).

The chambermaid detects after a while that the Count is on his way back, summoned by his servants. The lover succeeds in escaping and the Count cannot induce the chambermaid to give his name. Elga spells her fierce anger, but remains very cold and succeeds to let him believe that it is just her maid getting these secret visits. The Count takes relief from this false interpretation of the course of events.

Shortly thereafter, he realises he has been fooled. Tucked away in a box, he recognises a picture of a cousin to his wife, Oginsky, who has become his wife's lover. The Count is shocked by the suspicion that Oginsky may be the father of the daughter (Gun Robertson) he considered as his own. With the administrator's help, the Count sets a trap and captures Oginsky. He forces her wife to get up at night and leads her to the captive Oginsky who confesses having made love to the Countess and being the father of her child.

The lover is able to escape through a window. The countess prays for her life and, on her husband's request (testing her), she is even prepared to kill her 'untimely' child by her own hands, just to save her skin. This takes the count as the definitive proof of her unworthiness to live. He drives his knife into her. That same night, the castle burns to the ground, and a poor local wife gets the little girl with a promise of money for her education.

The monk concludes his story by telling that the count left the estate and his belongings to the monastery which he was able to institute after his crime. The guests ask the monk what happened to the count himself and get the answer that he became an insignificant and impoverished brother in his own monastery. They discover that the monk is Starschensky himself.

Though critics admitted that Klostret i Sendomir was a melodramatic story, they emphasised that the melodrama was embedded within artistic consistency and authenticity. The wonderful cinematography was lauded as well as the impressive studio resources that could create this 17th century ambiance. Of course, Tore Svennberg and Tora Teje's performances were also admired


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/8. Photo: publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tore Svennberg and Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/9. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje and Tore Svennberg.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/10. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/11. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tore Svennberg, Richard Lund and Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/12. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Richard Lund, Tore Svennberg and Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/13. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje and Tore Svennberg.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/14. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tora Teje.


Swedish postcard by Förlag Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1092/15. Photo: Svenska Biografteatern. Publicity still for Klostret i Sendomir/The Monastery of Sendomir (Victor Sjöström, 1920) with Tore Svennberg and Tora Teje.

Sources: Svenskfilmdatabas.se, Wikipedia (English and Swedish), and IMDb.

Dunungen (1919)

This week we follow the 37th edition of Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, the world’s leading international silent-film festival in Pordenone. Screend today will be Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919), part of the programme Scandinavian Cinema: The Swedish Challenge 2. The film is based on a short story and play by Selma Lagerlöf, and stars Renée Björling as Dunungen, director Ivan Hedqvist himself and Ragnar Widestedt.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/1. Photo: publicity still for Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919) with Ragnar Widestedt and Renée Björling.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/4. Photo: publicity still for Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919) with Renée Björling and Ivan Hedqvist.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/?. Photo: publicity still for Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919) with Ivan Hedqvist and Renée Björling. The lady on the left is Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson, who plays Teodor's mother.

A pack of worthless shares

The story of Dunungen (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919) is set in the 19th century. Star of the film is pretty Swedish film and stage actress Renée Björling (1888-1975). She peaked in the Swedish silent cinema, but decades later, she also played small parts in the films of Ingmar Bergman.

In Duningen, Björling plays the baker's daughter Anne-Marie Ehringer, called Dunungen. Ragnar Widestedt plays the mayor's son Mauritz Fristedt, who has deeply fallen in love with Dunungen.

The mayor applauds the engagement of his son when Mauritz in exchange promises to try to foist on Uncle Theodore (Ivan Hedqvist) a pack of worthless shares that the father wants to get rid of. It is to the rich old bachelor uncle Theodore Mauritz and Dunungen will go on their engagement trip.

Dunungen gets attached to old Uncle Theodore and when Mauritz brings out the worthless shares and proposes Theodore a purchase, Dunungen prevents the deal.

The film was Ivan Hedqvist's directorial debut and Renée Björling's film debut. Weyler Hildebrand made ​​a remake of Dunungen in 1941 with cinematographer Julius Jaenzon who also had filmed this version of 1919.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/6. Photo: Renée Björling and Ivan Hedqvist in Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919).


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/8. Photo: Renée Björling in Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919).


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/10. Photo: publicity still for Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919).


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 1091/12. Photo: publicity still for Dunungen/In Quest of Happiness (Ivan Hedqvist, 1919).

Source: Wikipedia (Swedish) and IMDb.