Is-Slottet.
Norwegian with English sub-titles.
From Norway, this film is often cited as the definitive Scandinavian coming-of-age drama. Set against the spectacularly scenic backdrop of a harsh Norwegian winter, Is-Slottet (Ice Palace) is a thoughtful, moving study in pubescent childhood.
The typically liberal Scandinavian treatment of the storyline, and the inevitable child-nudity that is key to the story, means this film no-longer receives the wide acclaim it deserves. In the current climate of paedophile hysteria (in the English-speaking world) politically-correct critics prefer to pretend this classic drama no longer exists. But in its time this film was shown, complete and uncut, on Britain's prestigeous BBC2, which should leave potential viewers in no doubt as to the merits of this film.
Synopsis: A young girl, perhaps eleven or twelve, moves to a small town to live with her aunt after her unmarried mother dies. There she makes a new friend, but their relationship quickly develops beyond their expectations. Realising what she has done the girl begins to cry and begs her friend not to tell. On the following day, the girl pauses beside an enchantingly beautiful frozen waterfall. To her it is an "ice palace." She enters the shining castle and begins to wander through its beautiful crystalline chambers. Unfortunately she becomes hopelessly lost. The ice then begins to melt, and though she makes a valiant effort to make it through the icy water to the entrance, she fails and perishes from cold and exhaustion. Her friend's name is the final word uttered from her freezing lips. The next day, a search party begins looking for her after she is again absent from school, but her body is never found. Meanwhile her friend begins to slowly withdraw from those around her.
Is-Slottet is a cult coming-of-age drama quite in a league of its own. The liberal Scandinavian treatment of the storyline, and the inevitable child-nudity that is key to the story, means this film no-longer receives the wide acclaim it deserves. In the current climate of paedophile hysteria in the English-speaking world politically-correct critics (who should know better) prefer to pretend the film no longer exists. But in its time this film was shown complete and uncut on Britain's prestigeous BBC2, which should leave potential viewers in no doubt as to the merits of this film.
