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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
The global art-house frenzy was in full swing when Elvira Madigan first made audiences swoon back in 1967. Set in an idyllic Danish forest in 1859 and loosely based on an actual double-suicide, this lushly photographed, quietly seductive film presents a richly romantic tragedy while suggesting that the most intense form of love resembles a kind of blissful insanity. The inseparable lovers in this case are a married Swedish army lieutenant named Sixten (Thommy Berggren) who's gone absent without leave, and the radiantly beautiful Elvira Madigan (Pia Degermark), a Danish tightrope walker who's abandoned her popular position in a traveling circus. Together they have no use for the distractions of the real world; they live only for each other, sharing simple pleasures, spontaneous intimacy, and a seemingly unlimited supply of wild berries, wine, and leisure time. As Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 dominates the soundtrack, Sixten and Elvira chase butterflies (and each other) through a peaceful meadow, at which point the movie practically oozes with romantic perfection. (When most people think of 'art-house' movies of the 1960s, they're most likely thinking of movies such as this--although the lovemaking here is nothing if not tamely discreet.)
Swedish director Bo Widerberg wrote, directed, and edited this film and makes full use of Jorgen Persson's soft, sensual cinematography. Though its plot is almost nonexistent, the film is arrestingly beautiful and the almost-too-attractive actors bring naturalness and depth to their performances, elevating this tale of doomed love above the level of gushy sentiment. For all of its surface appeal, Elvira Madigan is an intelligent film, and Widerberg builds toward genuine tragedy without compromising the dream-like idealism of Sixten and Elvira's unconditional love. Widerberg also inserts a few hints of casual irony, as when Elvira sells a portrait of herself that was drawn by a 'cripple' at a cafe in Paris; neither she nor the pawnshop owner recognizes the artist's signature as that of Toulouse-Lautrec! These little grace notes enhance this otherwise lightweight film, and while the tragedy never achieves Shakespearean proportions, this is nevertheless an alluring, introspective portrait of romance at its most sublimely emotional extreme. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Elvira Madigan
I bought this for my husband.We had seen it before and expected this to be the same, but it isn't quite.The acting is first-rate.Photography is beautiful-all those idyllic country scenes.It is of course a tragedy.Depending on ones viewpoint they either get their just deserts or they should just go off into the sunset,family and responsibilities shrugged off.I was pleased with the speed of delivery and service.
Rating:  - A lush, lyrical folie à deux
I'd wanted to see this acclaimed film for a long time, after missing it when it first appeared some 4 decades ago -- but I wondered how those intervening 4 decades would affect my experience of watching it. Well, it was a remarkable experience!
It's true that some of the film's power has been diluted by the use of its iconic imagery in countless commercials. We've seen the gorgeous look so many times that we can't come to it with fresh eyes any longer. Even so, the exquisite cinematography ... Read More
Rating:  - Too beautiful to live, too beautiful to truly love
The film that launched a thousand copycat hairspray ads, and certainly more parodied than actually seen these days, Elvira Madigan is as light as a butterfly floating on the breeze - a beautiful to look at but short-lived tale of two doomed runaway lovers who, being Swedish, naturally end up committing suicide. Pia Degermark is beautiful, Thommy Berggren is a more beautiful Oskar Werner lookalike, the scenery is beautiful, the Mozart and Vivaldi soundtrack is beautiful, the photography is beautiful, the ... Read More
Rating: - Favorite Movie of All Time
I saw it when it came out, like others here and loved it- I took my wife to see it several years later, we are still married- and she hated it-
I still love it,( and we are still married) it is truly my favorite movie of all times- Gone with the Wind was Great, but the simplicity of this movie, and the timeless message about love and perhaps, excess, makes it a powerful lesson for this and all generations-
Rating: - A lesson about fantasy and reality
I saw this film once, in 1967 when it first came out, and I've never forgotten it. I was 21 years old, engaged, and totally enamored with love. The lovers were beautifully filmed, and their love was gloriously portrayed. But then reality intruded. Both the beauty of their love and the tragic ending have stayed with me - running through the grass chasing butterflies does not pay the bills or fill your growling belly; having a realistic plan for your life does that. It does not matter if you are gorgeous and ... Read More
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