Familien Schmidt

The few films Ole Palsbo was allowed to make before his suicide in 1952 were uncompromising dramas presenting the twisted morality of the day. Like 'Take what You Want' it is a matter of being a true born member of the family or a bastard child, even if that bastard kid this time has made a respectable career for himself. But can he be accepted as a genuine member of the family and thereby share in the division of the inheritance after the supposed father? Palsbo is realistic and even cynical in his portrayal of the bourgeois family, and actors you were usually accustomed to experience in more sympathetic roles now were acting out in despair and moral corruption. The atmosphere of suppression and twisted morality is present all through, and the better part of the movie is taken up by presenting this highly questionable family. The self sufficient and greedy characters are thoroughly revealed and the lack of a larger perspective on life makes it classical even to this day. Palsbo's uncompromising attitude ultimately led to his dismissal from the Nordisk Film company.