Sweden and The Seventh Seal
I noticed the blog site had two visitors from Sweden the other day - the first that I can recall from that part of the world.
I've actually been to Sweden a couple of times - a long time ago - and it seems like a nice place to live and work.
A prosperous country - with lots of lakes, trees and modern cities - populated by educated, intelligent people.
Maybe that's looking through rose-tinted glasses - but that's the way Sweden has always seemed to me anyway.
I don't know a lot about Swedish cuisine - though there's one dish I've made called Janssen's Temptation - which is a Scandanavian take on Potatoes Dauphinoise - maybe I'll put the recipe on the blog site.
The only other things I know about Sweden are about football and movies.
Henrik Larsson - formerly of Glasgow Celtic, Manchester United and Barcelona - was one of the finest players ever to grace the Scottish game.
And a decent human being to boot - admired by many Rangers fans as well though not with too much affection it has to be said - because he gave them so much grief during his several years in Glasgow.
The final morsel of knowledge I have about Sweden - is that is has a great track record in the cinema over the years.
The famous Swedish director - Ingmar Bergman - influenced all kinds of films and filmmakers from Woody Allen to Bill and Ted and their Bogus Journey.
In Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal', Max von Sydow (a medieval knight) plays a game of chess with the Grim Reaper - who has come to claim his life during the Great Plague.
Years later this iconic scene was spoofed in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey - as the two 'airhead' teenagers defeat Death - first at his own game of chess, then at Battleships and finally at Twister!
Max von Sydow has since appeared in countless films, but one of his best was 'Pelle the Conqueror' - a moving if somewhat depressing tale of a father and his son - trying to escape the desperate poverty of their surroundings - told through real actors with not a special effect in sight.
More recently 'Let the Right One In' - a modern movie about a young girl and the friendship she strikes up with a bullied young boy - the young girl turns out to be a vampire, but don't let that put you off - it's a great film.
So that's about all I can think to say about Sweden for the moment - but I'll come back to Janssen's Temptation when I've got more time.
I've actually been to Sweden a couple of times - a long time ago - and it seems like a nice place to live and work.
A prosperous country - with lots of lakes, trees and modern cities - populated by educated, intelligent people.
Maybe that's looking through rose-tinted glasses - but that's the way Sweden has always seemed to me anyway.
I don't know a lot about Swedish cuisine - though there's one dish I've made called Janssen's Temptation - which is a Scandanavian take on Potatoes Dauphinoise - maybe I'll put the recipe on the blog site.
The only other things I know about Sweden are about football and movies.
Henrik Larsson - formerly of Glasgow Celtic, Manchester United and Barcelona - was one of the finest players ever to grace the Scottish game.
And a decent human being to boot - admired by many Rangers fans as well though not with too much affection it has to be said - because he gave them so much grief during his several years in Glasgow.
The final morsel of knowledge I have about Sweden - is that is has a great track record in the cinema over the years.
The famous Swedish director - Ingmar Bergman - influenced all kinds of films and filmmakers from Woody Allen to Bill and Ted and their Bogus Journey.
In Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal', Max von Sydow (a medieval knight) plays a game of chess with the Grim Reaper - who has come to claim his life during the Great Plague.
Years later this iconic scene was spoofed in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey - as the two 'airhead' teenagers defeat Death - first at his own game of chess, then at Battleships and finally at Twister!
Max von Sydow has since appeared in countless films, but one of his best was 'Pelle the Conqueror' - a moving if somewhat depressing tale of a father and his son - trying to escape the desperate poverty of their surroundings - told through real actors with not a special effect in sight.
More recently 'Let the Right One In' - a modern movie about a young girl and the friendship she strikes up with a bullied young boy - the young girl turns out to be a vampire, but don't let that put you off - it's a great film.
So that's about all I can think to say about Sweden for the moment - but I'll come back to Janssen's Temptation when I've got more time.
