ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Studia Historica Upsaliensia 210 Utgivna av Historiska institutionen vid Uppsala universitet genom Torkel Jansson, Jan Lindegren och Maria Ågren 1 2 David Ludvigsson The Historian-Filmmaker’s Dilemma Historical Documentaries in Sweden in the Era of Häger and Villius 3 Dissertation in History for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy presented at Uppsala University in 2003 ABSTRACT Ludvigsson, David, 2003: The Historian-Filmmaker’s Dilemma. Historical Documentaries in Sweden in the Era of Häger and Villius. Written in English. Acta Universitatis Upsalien- sis. Studia Historica Upsaliensia 210. (411 pages). Uppsala 2003. ISSN 0081-6531. ISBN 91-554-5782-7. This dissertation investigates how history is used in historical documentary films, and ar- gues that the maker of such films constantly negotiates between cognitive, moral, and aes- thetic demands. In support of this contention a number of historical documentaries by Swedish historian-filmmakers Olle Häger and Hans Villius are discussed. Other historical documentaries supply additional examples. The analyses take into account both the produc- tion process and the representations themselves. The history culture and the social field of history production together form the conceptual framework for the study, and one of the aims is to analyse the role of professional historians in public life. The analyses show that different considerations compete and work together in the case of all documentaries, and figure at all stages of pre-production, production, and post-produc- tion. But different considerations have particular inuence at different stages in the produc- tion process and thus they are more or less important depending on where in the process the producer puts his emphasis on them. In the public service television setting the tendency to make cognitive considerations is strong. For example, historical documentarists often en- gage historians as advisors, and work long and hard interpreting visual source materials such as photographs. The Häger and Villius case also indicates that the inuence exerted on pro- grammes by aesthetic considerations grows as the filmmaker learns about the medium. Among general conclusions are that it is not always important that the producer be a trained historian. What is crucial is that whoever is to succeed in making fine historical programmes must learn both history and filmmaking, must learn to balance the demands of content and form. Previously, researchers have suggested that historical documentaries func- tion as entertainment, orientation, and restoration; this study adds the functions of inter- pretation and legitimisation. Finally, the study submits that typically historical documenta- ries attempt to convey cognitive and moral insights about the past. Keywords: historical documentary, history and film, history culture, historiography, commu- nication of history, Olle Häger, Hans Villius, Swedish history 1968-2001. David Ludvigsson, Department of History, Uppsala University, S:t Larsgatan 2, SE-753 10 Uppsala, Sweden ©David Ludvigsson 2003 ISSN 0081-6531 ISBN 91-554-5782-7 Cover design: Håkan Belin. Photo of the author: Cecilia Dykert Typesetting: Editorial Office, Uppsala University Printed in Sweden by Elanders Gotab, Stockholm 2003 Distributor: Uppsala University Library, Box 510, SE-751 20 Uppsala www.uu.se, [email protected] 4 Contents List of Figures . 7 A Note on Availability of the Films and Programmes Discussed . 8 Acknowledgements . 9 CHAPTER 1: Introduction . 11 1. A glimpse of the subject of the study . 11 2. History culture and the historians . 12 3. The aim of the study . 17 4. Research on the historical documentary and on the filmmaker’s considerations . 21 5. Methodology and techniques. 26 6. Outline of the study . 30 CHAPTER 2: The History Culture in Sweden . 33 1. Public use of history in Sweden . 33 2. Professional historians and their roles in the history culture. 45 3. Historians and the communication of knowledge . 53 4. Conclusions. 61 CHAPTER 3: The Historical Documentary . 63 1. Defining historical documentary . 63 2. Forms of representation in historical documentary . 68 3. The historical documentary tradition . 73 4. Historians and the historical documentary. 83 5. Conclusions. 89 CHAPTER 4: Historical Documentary in Sweden . 91 1. The early years. 91 2. SVT takes over the scene . 93 3. The beginnings: Historical lectures and compilation films. 98 4. 1970s and 80s: Established histories challenged and defended. 100 5. Presenters, reconstruction, and commercialisation. 110 6. Conclusions. 117 CHAPTER 5: Historian-Filmmakers Olle Häger and Hans Villius. 119 1. Olle Häger and Hans Villius . 119 2. Häger and Villius’s job-sharing, gatekeeping, and other roles . 126 3. The author/filmmaker. 132 4. Häger and Villius’s historical productions in outline . 136 5. Making a historical documentary . 145 6. Representation stylistics . 151 7. Reception. 155 8. Conclusions . 162 CHAPTER 6: Cognitive Considerations . 164 1. Cognitive considerations in historical documentaries . 164 2. Häger and Villius’s cognitive considerations. 167 3. Depicting one thousand years. 172 4. The historian on screen I: Egypt. 186 5. The historian on screen II: Norway . 195 5. Archival footage and oral-historical documents. 205 7. Conclusions . 220 CHAPTER 7: Moral Considerations . 222 1. Moral considerations in historical documentaries . 222 2. Häger and Villius’s moral considerations . 225 3. The famine and a message for today . 230 4. Representing the famine: the dramatised version . 244 5. Portraying German soldiers of the Second World War . 250 6. Handling the Holocaust . 254 7. Interpreting the Welfare State . 264 8. A critical story about the Swedish royals . 274 9. Conclusions . 281 CHAPTER 8: Aesthetic Considerations. 283 1. Aesthetic considerations in historical documentaries. 283 2. Häger and Villius’s aesthetic considerations . 287 3. Telling about the past by help of a photograph. 292 4. Re-enacting the murder of King Gustav III . 310 5. Meta-reflections integrated: Staging the Midsummer crisis of 1941 . 323 6. Tragic romance: The last boat to Jurkalne . 333 7. Conclusions . 341 CHAPTER 9: Concluding Discussion . 343 1. Häger and Villius’s work in comparison with Ken Burns’s The Civil War . 343 2. The relationship between cognitive, moral, and aesthetic considerations . 356 3. Häger and Villius in the Swedish history culture . 358 4. The historical documentary: A theoretical perspective . 362 References . 368 Appendix 1. 398 Index of Names . 405 List of Figures 1. Published historical books 1956–2000 . 42 2. The conict between professional historians and best-selling acting historians . 57 3. The Häger & Villius team at sea . 135 4. Olle Häger and Hans Villius surrounded by photos . 142 5. Historian-filmmakers at work (by the Rök-stone) . 171 6. Inventive filmmakers. 177 7. The greater Andersvattnet household . 180 8. The historian-filmmakers and the issue of re-enactments. 182 9. Olle Häger, Jan-Hugo Norman, and Hans Villius on location (Egypt) . 189 10. The historian in thought . 194 11. History as a romantic saga: Karl XII:s likfärd. 200 12. Presenter Hans Villius on location where King Karl XII was killed . 202 13. The team behind Hundra svenska år . 209 14. Interviewer before interviewee. 215 15. Filming in the snow (Ett satans år) . 234 16. The poor dreaming of going to America . 237 17. The suffering boy . 239 18. The ship Föreningen is launched in Härnösand, June 1867 . 240 19. Rich man faces moral conict . 247 20. Flames of revolt. 249 21. The record shows he was there (Benny Grünfeld) . 259 22. Benny Grünfeld at Auschwitz . 261 23. Demonstrators encounter soldiers, Ådalen 1931 . 268 24. Bolsheviks on Vasa Street. ..