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Reel Norden : Nordic Film & History

The Ox dvd cover

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Reel Norden: Nordic Film & History 11 Research and analysis by Concordia College students in Hist/Scan 337 -- Fall 2014 and Spring 2017 gallery 2017-04-27T13:56:33-07:00
Film FilmFilmFilm Film Film Film Film Film is a powerful means for communicating history to a general public. For better or worse, movies reach a much broader audience than do historical monographs. Because films are multi-sensory, providing viewers with visual images, music, sound effects and dialog, they are a medium that can leave lasting impressions on a viewer. With films depicting history, the images and messages conveyed are often what first comes to mind when a particular event or era is mentioned. Consider, e.g. the association of WWII with Saving Private Ryan, slavery with Twelve Years a Slave, or the Holocaust with Schindler's List. Or from a Danish or Norwegian perspective WWII may bring to mind Flame and Citron or Max Manus. But these films are unfortunately not usually accompanied with information to help viewers know when history is depicted accurately and when the filmmakers have taken liberties in presenting the past. This site aims to address this issue by providing analyses of several films related to a number of historical eras in the history of Norden (the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). Through research conducted by students in the Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) class Hist/Scan 337 Reel Norden: Scandinavian History & Film, this website assesses the historical accuracy of nine different films by examining the following questions:
- In what ways was the film historically accurate and in what ways was its depiction of chronology or events of the time period distorted?
- To what degree was the film accurate in terms of setting, details, and design?
- Did the characters in the film act and speak as people of their historical era, situation, and social class would have?
The Ox Analysis This film depicts the struggle of Helge Roos and his wife, Elfrida, to survive during a great famine and the consequences of their choices. Due to desperation brought on from starvation, Helge Roos makes a hasty decision to slaughter one of his employer's oxen when it is grazing outside of his house. This decision shapes the entire plot of the film. Helge and Elfrida feel immensely guilty for what was done. Suspicion towards Helge increases and he is forced to remove any evidence of the ox from his home. In an attempt to acquire some money, Helge decides to bring the hide to the market, where he is caught and is eventually sentenced to life in prison. It is up to Helge's former employer to determine if Helge will ever be released. While Helge is in prison, Elfrida continues to struggle and faces her own hard decisions to survive.