Swedish Wallander 2013 series NOT on Blu-ray -- please help

[hagios]

Originally Posted by hagios

This title will be released on June 23, 2014. Pre-order £21.50 at Amazon.co.uk. For me to get this it will have to come down eventually to between £10-15!

EDIT

Went ahead & ordered this WALLANDER today...about $27!

Wallander - Official UK Final Series Trailer from @NordicNoirTV - YouTube

[hagios]

wallander

Meeting Wallander

16th June 2014



As we prepare to bid a final farewell to our favourite Swedish detective, we thought we’d give you another chance to read Monika Agorelius’s interview with Krister Henriksson from last year.

The last episode – The Sad Bird – will be on BBC Four on Saturday evening at 9.00pm.

And you can pre-order the DVD now in advance of its official release on Monday 23 June.
MONIKA AGORELIUS: Has playing Wallander opened the doors for you internationally?

KRISTER HENRIKSSON: Yes, definitely. No one outside of Sweden — or perhaps the Scandinavian countries — would know who I was if it wasn’t for Wallander. I have him to thank for my international recognition.

MA: Are you surprised to have so many fans in the UK?

KH: I find it strange, yet exciting. In Sweden, I don’t really like it when I get recognised; I feel uncomfortable when strangers approach me on the streets of Stockholm. But when it happens in London, I find it joyful. It’s surprising — I’ve visited London many times and until recently I’ve been anonymous. Now people come up and talk to me, and they are always very pleasant.

MA:Were you bemused by the success of Wallander in the UK?

KH: Yes — I had not imagined that the films would make such an impact in Britain. The first time I came to London at the same time that Wallander was being shown on the BBC, I was recognised all the time. This phenomenon is true everywhere; Swedish television is currently showing repeats of Wallander. It will calm down when the series is finished.

MA:Why do you think Kurt Wallander has become such a popular fictional character?

KH: I think that in comparison with many other fictional detectives, Wallander is not an action hero. He’s not some tough cop from Brooklyn; he’s just a regular guy who has lived a monotonous life — I think that he’s easy to identify with. Wallander has a gloomy personality. I think that many men live a similar life to Wallander; they work too hard, they have a poor relationship with their children, and they find it easy to reach for the bottle in stressful situations.

MA: Wallander
seems to have a traditional approach to morality in many ways.

KH: Yes, I like the fact that Wallander does not use his gun. He’s a cop but he has no urge to fight crime in a physical manner; he’s a pacifist who does not believe in violence. He has a kind of old-fashioned morality that I think people long for in today’s society.

MA: Because of Wallander, many Brits are curious to visit Ystad and the Skåne region in the south of Sweden, where most of the stories take place. Is there a particular place you would recommend that people visit?

KH: I often hear comments about the wonderful house by the sea where Wallander lives. The house is located along the beach in Svarte, which is not far from Ystad. The beach is open to the public, so anyone can go for a walk there and look at the sea and smell the sea breeze. It’s a truly spectacular place.

MA: People know you as Wallander, but in real life you don’t appear to be as phlegmatic and melancholic as he is. Do you have anything in common with him?

KH: If I had led a self-destructive life, as he does, it would be hard to play a happy, optimistic character. That would be a difficult thing. But doing it the other way round is, I think, easier. Even if I sound happy and
positive — which I am — I have, just like everyone else, a different, darker side of myself which I bring out when I play him.

MA:What aspect of your personality have you incorporated into your portrayal of Wallander?

KH: Well, I think that in the way I play him, I’ve lent Wallander a piece of the optimistic side of myself; despite appearances, he does believe in the basic goodness of people.

MA: Have all the actors who have played the detective met up for a ‘Wallander get-together’?

KH: Rolf Lassgård and I are colleagues in Sweden, and we know each other. We meet at birthday parties and other similar events, but we’ve never had a Wallander-themed party or anything like that. But perhaps I should suggest it!

MA: Have you met the British Wallander, Kenneth Branagh?

KH: Once, in Ystad. We were both filming our different versions of Wallander at the same time, but surprisingly — considering how small Ystad is — the shooting schedules never clashed and we were never in the same location at the same time. However, we did bump into each other in a corridor in Ystad once, and he looked terrified. I think he felt bothered by the fact that I had played the character longer than him and that I would feel he was obliged to portray the detective in a certain way — which, of course, I would never do. I think he’s doing a great job. I don’t know Kenneth, but he appears to be very nice and a bit shy, which is quite becoming for an actor and film-maker with such an outstanding career


who is kurt wallander?

18th june 2014



kurt wallander, the enigmatic swedish detective created by crime novelist henning mankell, is high on the list of reasons for the global obsession with horrific crimes in cold countries.

Our first impression of wallander was the traditional stereotype of an experienced detective: Depressed, exhausted, and a blank, vacant stare – caused by witnessing so many brutal, senseless murders. This combination of traits and his unorthodox style of police work just so happen to be extremely addictive.

Comparisons to characters such as inspector morse can be quickly drawn. With a penchant for heavy drinking and a life filled with difficult personal relationships, the similarities are easy to see. However, the differing backdrops of the cosy confines of oxford and the bleak, grey swedish landscape could not be more different.

In the tv series, linda wallander has grown up and joined the police force herself, bringing father and daughter closer together than ever before, but at the same time highlighting the strains of their relationship. He warns her about the personal sacrifices she will have to make, and that she could end up living the same life as he has, solving crimes beyond all reasonable limits.

The darkness of wallander’s work, and the affect this has had on his personal life, is laid bare – he is consumed, obsessed and trapped by it. After being absent for so much of her childhood, linda’s frosty reception to her father in the first episode comes as little surprise – it’s no shock that she is not thrilled to work with him. However, as the episodes continue, we can see their relationship strengthening. As linda starts to experience life as a police officer, she starts to understand why her father was absent for so long. By the last series of films, our view of wallander has changed – now a grandfather, we see him doting on linda’s little girl, taking her for treats or picking her up from school (when he remembers). It seems as though he is desperate not to make the same mistake twice, to be present in his granddaughter’s life. Yet, the personal struggles continue, and he battles between putting family or work first.

There’s one thing which doesn’t change from the first time we meet him to the last – wallander can be a very difficult person to be around. Both at work and with his family, the detective is seemingly bent on doing the opposite of what would be considered normal. In particular, his constant (and sometimes illegal) dodging of procedure make him a volatile and potentially toxic colleague.

It is kurt wallander’s vulnerability which is perhaps the biggest reason for his popularity. He is a middle-aged man whose life is at risk of falling apart, for different reasons throughout the series. We want to know if this will be the event that turns his life upside down, or if he can withstand just one more obstacle.

When considering the reason for the wider popularity of the nordic noir genre, these crime dramas share a focus on society and character which goes far beyond the traditional ‘whodunnit’ or routine police procedural. In the case of wallander, he is the intense and headstrong wild card detective, who always carries maybe a little too much sympathy for the murderers he tracks down. This all together makes for a very unique and interesting character to watch.

http://nordicnoir.tv/news/who-is-kurt-wallander/

[malcy30]

I know we are mainly BDs here but Arrow's Nordic Noir are doing the first of the 5 boxsets of Krister Henriksson films volume 1 (Films 1 to 7) for only £10 in celebration of Monday's release of volume 5 (Films 27 to 32) we are discussing here.

Very cheap as this had a rrp of £50 are rarely falls below £20
Its a reissue with new sleeve design to match volume 5

http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/shop/ind...product_id=407