Kitchen Stories [DVD]

... Chased by One Norwegian." That immortal refrain was part of my Swedish-American childhood. What the taunters failed to grasp was that the Swedes were 10,000 beautiful maidens and the one Norwegian was a goatish bachelor farmer ...Yes, there is a tradition of mockery between Swedes and Norwegians, on both sides of the Atlantic, which sometimes slumps into animosity. "We" think we're easy to tell apart just by looking, but our languages are close enough so that we can converse ... with a few self-satisfied philological smirks on both sides. This film "Kitchen Stories" is acted out in both languages, but I suspect anglophones will be uncertain who is speaking what and when. The language mash-up is part of the fun, but only if you speak either Svenska or Norska. Another part of the fun is the time setting of the film, in the 1950s, not long before the Swedes converted their highways from left-lane driving to right-lane, a decision that was as controversial as conversion of 'kröner' to euros, which hasn't happened, or as conversion of miles to kilometers in the USA, which also hasn't happened... yet.And there's a subtle portrayal in this film of the most painful divergence of interests in 20th C Scandinavian history -- Sweden's neutrality in World War II, while Norway was occupied by the Nazis. That was a sore subject in both countries in the 1950s, the temporal setting of "Kitchen Stories". The delicate reticence of the two chief characters, one Swedish and one Norwegian, is another 'part of the fun' for a Scandinavian viewer, guaranteed to evoke an indulgent smile.A lot of the smiles and laughs of "Kitchen Stories" may be comprehensible only to Scandinavian viewers, especially those of us with bachelor-farmer uncles. I have one, a Swede who persists in dairy farming, heavily subsidized through a co-op, near Nyköping. The sly satire of 'natural characters' of this film will obviously be funnier for Scandinavians (and their nearest neighbors in Minneapolis) than for Gentiles. But I note that all the previous reviewers have been at least mildly amused, have 'gotten the jokes' despite their cultural specificity. Yes, the film is "SLOW" by Hollywood standards. It has to be, for our benefit. You know why you should never tell a Norwegian a joke on Thursday, don't you? Because he'll embarrass himself by laughing in church.It's a comedy, you betcha. A citified Swede is sent to 'observe' the kitchen activity of an elderly Norwegian farmer, who has volunteered for the research project in hopes of getting a horse to replace his dying 'old friend' in the stable. The gift horse turns out to be a Dalarna statuette of a horse, the ultimate Swedish folk-art knick-knack. Meanwhile, the farmer regrets his gesture. He hates to be 'observed' and studied. There's a broad rebuke buried in this humor, addressed to anthropologists and sociologists everywhere. Observation IS an indignity, and besides, just as in quantum physics, the presence of the observer always renders the observed uncertain.The farmer and the efficiency expert eventually must communicate, despite the protocol of the research that forbids human interaction. That's the story. It's a poignant "love story" in the end, though not with any sensationalist homoerotic implications. It's pure "agapé" rather than "eros". It's a tale of loneliness and friendship, and it's eventually quite touching, even if you don't get all the jokes. In fact, for me the ending became a tad too sentimental.One might compare this film to "Waking Ned Devine", also a story of two old geezers bonding in friendship. "Waking Ned Devine" is knee-slapping funny for any audience. "Kitchen Stories" is modest and intimate, with a cast of just four male principals and a couple of extras. But those actors are brilliantly convincing in their roles. Everything about this modest satirical/sentimental film is well done.

We watch this every year. A glimpse into another culture of uniqueness. Delightfully slow and thoughtful

Salmer fra Kjøkkenet (Kitchen Stories) (2003) is a Norwegian film by Bent Hamer. Bent Hamer was amused after perusing post-World War II research books on the efficiency of the Swedish housewife, & pondered on the idea of research being done on men. This led him to make the film Kitchen Stories with Swedish researchers & a single Norwegian man as the main character. Here are the pros & cons of this film as I see it, I hope this helps you and remember to check that it is in a format & region that will work with your player.Pros:1. This film is genius on several level, especially if you have used or are familiar with research theories & epistemologies, especially positivism2. Extremely funny if you like Scandinavian humour3. The acting is great4. Nice cinematography5. Great story line6. Well directed & edited7. A piece of artCons:1. If Hollywood action & special effect films are more of your personal preference than this film may not be your cup of tea

Not real funny but very strange.

I have for some time now heard people talking about Kitchen Stories (or Salmer fra Kjøkkenet - the norwegian title) and I finally decided to buy it. And I was not disappointed. Honestly; it is one of my all time favorite moves! It is such a heartfelt, funny, easy going movie with a soft, caring touch. It stayed with me the following week.If you're not familiar with the 1950s or do not know anything about Norway or Sweden you might not get all the funny little moments or lines. When that is said this is a movie that I believe everyone can relate to and you will be drawn into the emotions the characters are feeling.The movie is about the interaction between a Swedish and a Norwegian man. The Swedish man comes to the Norwegian farmer to observe the Norwegian kitchen life. He cannot talk or interact with his subject. The Norwegian farmer is not too keen about being observed. And a small "war" evolves between the two men. And then there's the incident with the egg (that everyone is talking about). Without spoiling too much; let's just say the egg incident changes things.An absurd, funny, heart felt movie you have to see at least once! A picture, a look, an understanding can tell more than a thousand words! The film will touch you in one way or another :)The movie was also voted "Best Norwegian Movie" for the decade 2000-2009 in Norway.

This is an unusual Swedish and Norwegian film which plays a little bit upon the rivalry between Norway and Sweden. It may be described as a Scandinavian situational comedy. Action takes place in a fairly isolated northern farm and village. There are cold and freezing winters, with ice and snow, and some liquor (not as much as you would think). The film displays the drumbeat of life and the sadness of death.Here's the plot. It's basically a Swedish research project into kitchen habits for the purpose of designing a better kitchen. The subjects are Norwegian farmers.This is a bit humorous, but I didn't understand everything. You need to understand both Swedish and Norwegian, and have a cultural knowledge base, in order to catch everything.One can describe it as a look at the hard working farmers of the North. It shows the relationships between men and their fellow men, and by extension between Norway and Sweden. Perhaps, it speaks to the need to be friends, rather than antagonistic rivals.Native languages of both countries are represented.

This is a film for those who feel for the loners. With a great sense of humour probably appreciated mostly by Scandinavians used to the culture conflict between Sweden and Norway -the ones organised to the point of ridicule, and the others with a comic over-relaxed attitude to life, individualist and distrustful of foreigners. The Swedes sending a group of men testing the domestic habits of single men in Norway in a lonely rural district are described with a most refined irony. Here we have a sour Norwegian farmer, Isak, masterly played by Joachim Calmeyer, reluctantly accepting to be observed after being promised a new horse as payment (which was done, only it was a wooden little horse, a typical Swedish souvenir), and Nilsson, the Swedish observer, (not less fantastic Tomas Noström) honest, efficient, terribly curious and as sadly lonely as his subject. The relationship between the two, growing in the kitchen from mutual distrust to a tender friendhip, is really heart-warming. There are other characters too, the rural chain-smoking doctor, and also Isak's friend, who becomes jealous when he feels that Nilsson is becoming too friendly with Isak. Nilsson's horrible boss, bureaucratic and rigid. Everything in this film is delicate, subtle and beautiful. It is not a commercial film, it was hardly shown all over the world except in festivals, and it was done with the minimum of expense. Norwegian director Bent Hammer has produced also other films dealing with elderly lonely men, equally delightful, like Eggs and O'Horten. In all of them he treats these loners with humour and love. In other words, Kitchen Stories is a work of art that deserves all the stars.

It's always great when you take a punt on a film premise or cover, and it really delivers, and this is one such film. From the cold 1950's nuclear logic of the Big Brother Swedish study, the procession of matching Caravan-towing Volvo's heading into Norway with those 'umpire' chairs strapped on the top, you kind of know it's going to be quirky, and it is. The coldness of the human study gradually begins to break-down in subtle and amusing ways as the isolation and differences between a perched Swedish pen-pusher and a cantankerous Norwegian farmer melt into real friendship, and the film ends poignantly. Reading a few reviews, there's maybe more to the Norway/Sweden undertones than I can pick up on, but it's a film that reflects well on both if so, and conveys the closeness and contact that two unlikely people can make and need. Skillfully directed by Bent Hamer. A real pearl, and a terrific film to pick for an introduction to Norwegian cinema.

This film has been used at postgraduate level as a means of showing what NOT to do when carrying out valid and effective research. It's a rather touching story of a rural Norwegian community in the 1950s who have a Swedish research team descend on them to investigate how single men use their kitchens. Its full of dry humour, unusual and strangely compelling with a bitter-sweet twist at the conclusion.

Absolutely unique

Such an original plot covering an absurd Swedish Bureaucratic decision to monitor behavioral traits within the kitchens of Norway, all in the quest of modernity. A great cast of eccentrics makes this film essential for any collection.