The Banquet

The Banquet

1948. Sweden. Written and directed by Hasse Ekman. With Eva Henning, Ekman, Sven Lindberg. A prosperous banker (Ernst Eklund) approaches his 60th birthday with no heir apparent among his three children: one is a decadent fop (Sture Lagerwall), another a dedicated Communist (Sven Lindberg), and the third a fragile, neurotic woman (Eva Henning) bound in a bluntly sadomasochistic relationship with her art historian husband (Ekman, playing chillingly against type). Ekman’s roving camera links a range of tones, from cutting social satire to romantic tragedy. In Swedish; English subtitles. 104 min.