The Swedish Film Institute
Sweden is justly proud of its film history. The Golden Age films of Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjöström between 1917 and 1924 were some of the finest films produced at that time anywhere in the world. Directors like John Brunius, his wife Pauline Brunius and Dramaten Head of School Gustaf Molander directed good films during the Golden Age era and the years after Sjöström and Stiller departed for America as well. After World War 1 all of Europe turned to Sweden for inspiration in film production.
The Swedish Film Institute (SFI) is located in Filmhuset, a modernist building opened in 1970. SFI evolved from The Swedish Film Society, founded in 1933, making it one of the oldest film related collections in the world. The space that also includes theaters and a restaurant. SFI has a collection of printed material, documents, photographs, posters and films. They also fund current film production.
SFI is situated amid the parks of the Östermalm district of Stockholm. Access to modern material and databases is available in the open section. The library also manages all the other archival material. When I visit I get a small room and material that I requested in advance is brought to me. The staff is wonderful and knowledgable. They take great care of the material they manage.
SFI has the Victor Sjöström collection which includes material that Mauritz Stiller left in his care. While there isn’t a large volume of material, some of it is very important. SFI also has the original script that Ragnar Hyltén-Cavillius and Stiller wrote for Odalisque From Smolna. They own the surviving short segments of industrial films and the comedy Luffar-Pettar that Garbo first appeared in before she started at Dramaten.
SFI has many of the old Swedish film magazines, both for the industry and fans. Here I found early interviews that Garbo granted, the first photographs from the Gösta Berling set and descriptions of its production.
