In 1958, the Swedish director Arne MATTSSON (1919-1995), who won the Golden Bear at the BERLINALE 1951 with SIE TANZTE NUR EINEN SOMMER / SHE DANCED ONLY ONE SUMMER, started a five-part film series with crime stories about the private detective John Hillman (Karl-Arne HOLMSTEN). . In the first film WHEN THE MISTS FALL (The Lady in Black) Annalisa ERICSON was also there as his wife Kajsa, who does the more effective investigative work. The Hillman couple are on holiday at the estate of a beautiful friend (Anita BJÖRK), where a mysterious lady in black is soon up to mischief...
Nostalgic, beautiful crime thriller fun from Sweden that scores with the outstanding camera images by OSCAR winner Sven NYKVIST (OSCARs 1974 (Screams and Whispers) and 1984 (Fanny and Alexander) / OSCAR nomination 1989 (The Unbearable Lightness of Being)). . Sven LINDBERG and Ake LINDMAN can also be seen in other roles.
NETFLIX has thankfully included this pleasantly creepy horror story in its program. Other parts of the series are: Mannequin in Red (1958), The Countess with the Whip (1959), The Lady in White (1962) and The Yellow Car (1963).
Damen i svart
1958 [SWEDISH]
Action / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
The married detective couple John and Kajsa Hillman goes on a vacation to Holmfors mill where a friend of Kajsa's lives with her husband. When a young woman is found murdered it is clear that this is another case for the Hillmans.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
May 11, 2022 at 03:34 PM
Director
Top cast
Movie Reviews
Nordic Noir: The Hillman Couple and their First Case
The Lady in Black
Husband and wife private detectives John and Kajsa Hillman are visiting friends in rural Sweden. They soon learn of an intriguing mystery; a woman has disappeared and the locals seem to suspect 'The Lady in Black'; a ghost who has apparently been haunting the area for a hundred years! In what follows a local man has a riding accident... that was no accident then disappears presumed murdered. There are plenty of suspects but evidence seems to point to one in particular.
I thought this was a fun murder mystery. The plot may seem like something from an episode of 'Scooby Doo' but to be fair this was made ten years before that show started. Excluding the possibility that the ghost did it there are a good number of suspects. The tone of the film is fairly light with humorous moments that keep it from ever getting dark. Most of this humour is provided by Freddy Sjöström, he Hillman's somewhat bumbling assistant who appears far more interesting in an attractive young model that his job. The cast is solid; especially the leads and the location suits a murder mystery; fairly remote and without too many people. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of classic mysteries looking for something a little different.
These comments are based on watching the film in Swedish with English subtitles.
good
Freddy was super annoying, but everything else good