Death is a Caress | |
---|---|
Directed by | Edith Carlmar |
Written by |
Otto Carlmar Arve Moen (novel) |
Starring |
Claus Wiese Bjørg Riiser-Larsen Ingolf Rogde Brita Bigum |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | Norway |
Language | Norwegian |
Death is a Caress ( Norwegian: Døden er et kjærtegn) is a 1949 Norwegian film noir starring Claus Wiese, Bjørg Riiser-Larsen and Ingolf Rogde. Based on a 1948 novel by Arve Moen, it was Edith Carlmar's directorial début, and the first Norwegian film directed by a woman. [1]
The film depicts the passionate and tempestuous liaison between mechanic Erik (Wiese) and society woman Sonja (Riiser-Larsen). The film uses cinematic shorthand to convey time and place, while concentrating on its protagonists' increasingly troubled relationship. [2]
Few films have ever more effectively conveyed a kind of male-hysteria, as Erik comes to regard his wife increasingly as an enigma whom he can't control or understand.