The Swedish Way
Country
Czechoslovakia, Former Yugoslavia, 1945–1991Copyright
1989Production year
1988Premiere
1 November 1989Runtime
94 minDirector
Zoran GospićCategory
filmGenre
crimeTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Atrakce švédského zájezduCzech title
Atrakce švédského zájezduEnglish title
The Swedish WayCo-production title
Svedski aranžmanSummary
The only full feature-length film by Zoran Gospić, a Yugoslav graduate of Prague’s FAMU, this tragicomedy – in accordance with its co-production character – tells two intertwined tales. One is set in the Czech countryside, where an unhappy chimney sweep named Válek lives by a crossroads in a cottage that is constantly being ploughed into by lorry drivers. The other story centres on a Yugoslav lorry driver named Dragan, whose get-rich-quick scheme unwittingly gets him involved with international drug traffickers. The film is narrated from the perspective of Swedish tourists on package holidays, who serve as indifferent witnesses to human tragedy. Gospić’s 1989 film, which among other things is a sensitive reflection on the rising ethnic tensions in the former Yugoslavia, was misconstrued at the time of its release in the Czech Republic at the end of the 1980s.
Synopsis
A bus full of white-haired Swedish tourists passes through Europe – from Hamburg, Prague and Istanbul to Belgrade and back – but the jolly ladies fail to notice the cruel conditions outside their windows. The Serb Dragan marries a German prostitute Inge in order to get a working permit. He soon gets a job in Hamburg thanks to his friend Steva and starts as an international road transport driver. His beloved Milica, divorced for appearance's sake, and her two little children find themselves on the street due to unpaid rent. In a Czech village, a chimneysweep called Válek and his wife are worried by only one thing – the house they live in is in a sharp corner turn on an international road and heavy trucks crash into it far too often. Válek vainly struggles to get a better place to live. Dragan's first ride leads through Belgrade to Istanbul. His advance sent to Milica helps the woman get a nice flat. In Turkey, however, the truck is stolen from the helpless Dragan, and the Istanbul police find the truck left deserted outside the city. Dragan rides back with a load of oranges. He is unfortunately the next one to crash into Válek's house. Just before, the wife parted with poor Válek and left him alone with the children – who are now carried out by Dragan from the ruins of the house, unhurt. Válek completely breaks down, ending up in therapy. Dragan discovers bags with heroin in the ruins of the truck and successfully smuggles them by train to Germany. The mafia kidnaps Válek from the mental hospital, trying to get the drugs back from him. But Válek does not know anything about them and he totally loses his mind. Dragan, helped by Steva, tries to sell the drugs to get the money to pay off the damaged truck. But Steva is murdered, and Dragan takes refuge from the mafia in a small cafe. The place is, however, run by the Ustashas, the biggest enemies of Serbs and Yugoslavia as a multinational state. Dragan walks out onto the street and is shot dead while the bus with the frolicking and singing Swedes passes by.
Photos
Cast
Branko Vidaković
Dragan
Vlastimil Zavřel
kominík Petr Válek
Milan Erak
liftboy Stevo
Hana Švejnohová
Irena, Válkova žena
Ljiljana Blagojević
Milica, Draganova bývalá žena
Jelena Tinska
Inge, Draganova žena
Zoran Miljković
Žika, Draganův kamarád
Zinaid Memišević
mafián
Dragan Maksimović
mafián
Ana Simić
svatební svědkyně
Břetislav Slováček
průvodce švédských turistek
Petr Weig
tajemník místního národního výboru
Miroslav Táborský
Bořík Mach, Válkův kolega
Jan Vít
mafián Josef Limberský
Miloslav Štibich
soused Karel Dumský
Vlasta Mecnarowská
Máňa Dumská
Antonín Brtoun
mafián Zigi
Jan Gross
psychiatr
Ivan Gübel
Bárta, Irenin kolega
B. Vávra (2)
šéf Helmut
Jindřiška Vacková
asistentka Eliška
Mirko Musil
vrátný na psychiatrii
René Přibil
pacient na psychiatrii
Pavel Kočí
pacient na psychiatrii
Antonín Bubeník
tajemník okresního národního výboru
Dáša Samková
sestra v nemocnici
Oto Ševčík
primář
František Švihlík
zedník Pepa
Josef Nechutný
montér Venca
Milan Vlachovský
montér Franta
Petr Koutecký
zednický mistr
Lenka Vychodilová
Boříkova žena
Ivan Vyskočil
děda ve vlaku
Tomáš Sláma
inženýr v Praze
Petr Popelka
inženýr
Karel Hoffmann
pacient Kadeřábek
Jiřina Jelenská
Kadeřábkova žena
Kateřina Vilímková
dcera Válkových
Gabriela Vilímková
dcera Válkových
Ivan Zubović
Draganův syn
Miloš Rakić
Draganův syn
Tomáš Šolc
člen z komise
Alena Karešová
členka z komise
Milan Pěkný
ošetřovatel
Miroslav Chochola
ošetřovatel
Jiří Chmelař
hostinský
Johana Tesařová
vrchní sestra
Rudolf Kutílek
vesnický děda
Pavel Vondruška
pacient
Eva Strupplová
domácí
Oskar Hák
pacient
Václav Kotva
pacient
Eva Lánská
mladší sestra
Jindřiška Crhová
Monika, dcera Dumských
Petr Drozda
Hans
Jiří Kraus
Wim
Marija Adamová
švédská turistka
Jarmila Černíková
švédská turistka
Anna Györgyová
švédská turistka
Ludmila Hradcová
švédská turistka
Květa Jirkovská
švédská turistka
Ivetta Kočová
švédská turistka
Jarmila Krulišová
švédská turistka
Růžena Lysenková
švédská turistka
Marie Michálková
švédská turistka
Zdenka Moudrá
švédská turistka
Růžena Plašilová
švédská turistka
Olga Schmidtová
švédská turistka
Stanislava Strobachová
švédská turistka
Božena Švehlová
švédská turistka
Božena Tomsová
švédská turistka
Marie Logojdová
dědova dcera
Miroslav Sovják
dědův zeť
Nastasja Gospičová
Boříkova dcera
Nina Gospičová
Boříkova dcera
Viktor Růžička
divák peep show
Simona Chytrová
striptýzka
Martina Zbořilová
striptýzka
Kateřina Marková
striptýzka
Alija Aljović
Thomas Clay
Tunchaj Čelik
Siniša Čopić
Milenko Djedović
Hajrudin Hodžić
Mirsad Huković
Eva Kadlíčková
Ibro Kavić
Ivan Kraljević
Jovan Krstić
Slobodan Ninković
Radoslav Petković
Alfred Posavac
Nadežda Rodić
Zoran Simonović
Frančeska Spanić
Zoran Stevanović
Borivoje Stojanović
Bohumil Švarc ml.
Mareček, vnuk Dumských
Ante Vican
Rizo Vlahovljak
Dubbing
Vladimír Fišer
hlas z autorádia
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Jaroslav Hykl, Slobodan Ivetić
Assistant Director
Damir Čengić, Jana Gospičová
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Dramaturg
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Milan Bábik, Mirsad Huković, Fikret Orle, Eva Slívová, Karel Vaňásek
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Producer
Mirza Pašić (Forum Sarajevo)
Production Manager
Jaroslav Bouček, Refik Beširević, Pero Burić (vedoucí natáčení v Jugoslávii)
Unit Production Manager
Jitka Hoferková, Pavel Nový, Milenko Prstojević
Unit Production Manager
Edin Šarkić, Pavel Bačkovský, Michal Přikryl, Željko Maksimović
Cooperation
Václav Vorlíček (režijní supervize), Lenka Jandejsková (klapka), Eva Blažková (klapka), Jan Kuděla (fotograf), Zorica Lešić, Tomislav Lukica, Branka Kamarić, Vlado Medan, Nada Perišić, Rizo Vlahovljak, Ivan Kraljević, Mustafa Kanjić, Asim Husić
Music
Music Composed by
Music Performed by
Orchestr Zorana Simjanoviće (Music Conducted by Zoran Simjanović)
Songs
Wonderful Life
Song Composer Colin Vearncombe
Writer of Lyrics Colin Vearncombe
Singer Colin Vearncombe
Production info
Original Title
Atrakce švédského zájezdu
Czech Title
Atrakce švédského zájezdu
English Title
The Swedish Way
Co-production Title
Svedski aranžman
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
crime
Origin country
Czechoslovakia, Former Yugoslavia, 1945–1991
Copyright
1989
Production Year
1988
Production specifications
start of filming 16 May 1988
end of filming 14 October 1988
the first film copy approved 7 March 1989
projection approval 21 April 1989
withdrawal from distribution 1 May 1993
Premiere
premiere 1 November 1989 /unsuitable for youths/
Production
Copyright Holders
Distribution
Creative Group
6. tvůrčí skupina, Jan Vild (vedoucí 6. tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
94 min
Original length in metres
2 675 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm
Aspect ratio
1:1,37
Colour
colour
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech, German, Serbo-Croatian, Swedish, Turkish
Subtitles languages
Czech
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
