Mai Zetterling

Swedish actress (1925–1994)

Mai Zetterling

Zetterling from a promotional postcard for Quartet (1948)

Born|

Mai Elisabeth Zetterling

(1925-05-24)24 May 1925

Västerås, Sweden

Died| 17 March 1994(1994-03-17) (aged 68)

London, England

Occupation(s)| Actress, film director
Years active| 1941–1994
Spouses|

Tutte Lemkow

(m. 1944; div. 1953)​

David Hughes

(m. 1958; div. 1979)​

Children| 2

Mai Elisabeth Zetterling (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈmajː ˈsɛ̂tːɛˌɭɪŋ]; 24 May 1925 – 17 March 1994)[1] was a Swedish film director, novelist and actress.[2][3][4][5][6]

## Early life

[edit]

Zetterling was born in Västerås, Sweden to a working class family.[7] She started her career as an actor at the age of 17 at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the Swedish national theatre, appearing in war-era films.

## Career

[edit]

Zetterling appeared in film and television productions spanning six decades from the 1940s to the 1990s. Her breakthrough as an actress came in the 1944 film Torment written for her[8] by Ingmar Bergman, in which she played a controversial role as a tormented shopgirl. Shortly afterwards, she moved to England and gained instant success there with her title role in Basil Dearden's Frieda (1947), playing opposite David Farrar.[9]

After a brief return to Sweden, in which she worked with Bergman again in his film Music in Darkness (1948), she returned to Britain and starred in a number of UK films. Some of her notable films as an actress include Quartet (1948), a film based on some of W. Somerset Maugham's short stories, The Romantic Age (1949) directed by Edmond T. Gréville, Only Two Can Play (1962) co-starring Peter Sellers and directed by Sidney Gilliat, and The Witches (1990), an adaptation of Roald Dahl's book directed by Nicolas Roeg. Having gained a reputation as a sex symbol in dramas and thrillers, she was equally effective in comedies, and was active in British television in the 1950s and 1960s.[9]

In 1960, she appeared in Danger Man as Nadia in the episode "The Sisters".[10]

She began directing and publishing novels and non-fiction in the early 1960s, her films starting with political documentaries and a short film titled The War Game (1963), which was nominated for a BAFTA award, and won a Silver Lion at Venice, both for the Best Short Film. Her directorial feature film debut Älskande par (1964, "Loving Couples"), based on the novels of Agnes von Krusenstjerna, caused a scandal at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival for its sexual explicitness and nudity.[11] Kenneth Tynan of The Observer later called it "one of the most ambitious debuts since Citizen Kane". It was not the only film she made that caused controversy for its frank sexuality.[12]

When critics reviewing her debut feature stated that "Mai Zetterling directs like a man",[13] she began to explore feminist themes more explicitly in her work. The Girls, which had an all-star Swedish cast that included Bibi Andersson and Harriet Andersson, discussed women's liberation (or lack thereof) in a society controlled by men, as the protagonists compare their lives to characters in the play Lysistrata, and find that things have not progressed very much for women since ancient times. In 1966, she appeared as a storyteller on the BBC children's programme Jackanory, and in five episodes narrated Tove Jansson's Finn Family Moomintroll.[14]

## Personal life

[edit]

Zetterling in 1948

Zetterling was married to Norwegian actor Tutte Lemkow from 1944 to 1953. They had a daughter, Etienne and a son, Louis, who is professor of environmental sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She published an autobiography, All Those Tomorrows.[15] From 1958 to 1979, she was married to British author David Hughes, who collaborated with her on her first films as director.

Documents at the National Archives in London show that, as a member of the Hollywood Left, she was watched by MI5 as a suspected Communist. It did not hamper her career, however.[16][17]

## Death

[edit]

On 17 March 1994, a year after her final role on television, Zetterling died from cancer at her home in London. She was 68 years old.[7][18][19]

## Filmography

[edit]

As Director

Year  | Title  | Notes

|
|

1990  | Sunday Pursuit |
1990  | Chiller |
1989  | Crossbow |
1986  | Betongmormor |
1986  | Amorosa |
1985  | The Hitchhiker |
1983  | Scrubbers | [20][21]
1982  | Love | segments "Love From the Market Place",

"The Black Cat in the Black Mouse Socks", and "Julia"

1977  | The Moon is a Green Cheese |
1976  | We Have Many Names |
1973  | Visions of Eight | [22][23]
1972  | Vincent the Dutchman | [24]
1968  | The Girls (Flickorna)  | [25][26][27]
1968  | Doctor Glas | [28]
1966  | Night Games (Nattlek)  | [29][30]
1964  | Loving Couples (Älskande par)  | [30][31]
1963  | The War Game |
1961  | Lords of Little Egypt | [32]

As Actor

Year  | Title  | Notes

|
|

1993  | Grandpa's Journey |
1990  | The Witches | [33][34][35][36]
1990  | Hidden Agenda |
1965  | The Vine Bridge |
1963  | The Man Who Finally Died |
1963  | Operation Mermaid |
1962  | The Main Attraction |
1962  | Only Two Can Play | [37][38]
1961  | Offbeat |
1960  | Piccadilly Third Stop |
1960  | Faces in the Dark |
1959  | Jet Storm |
1958  | Playing on the Rainbow |
1958  | The Master Builder |
1957  | The Truth About Women | [39]
1957  | Seven Waves Away

(Alternate Tiles Abandon Ship! and Seven Days From Now)

| [40][41]
1956  | A Doll's House |
1955  | A Prize of Gold | [42]
1954  | Knock on Wood | [43][44][45]
1954  | Dance Little Lady | [46]
1953  | Desperate Moment | [47]
1952  | The Tall Headlines |
1952  | The Ringer |
1951  | Hell Is Sold Out |
1951  | Blackmailed |
1949  | The Lost People |
1949  | The Bad Lord Byron | [48]
1949  | The Romantic Age |
1948  | Quartet |
1948  | Portrait from Life |
1948  | Music in Darkness |
1948  | Life Starts Now |
1947  | Frieda | [49][50]
1946  | Iris and the Lieutenant |
1946  | Sunshine Follows Rain |
1944  | Torment | [43][51][52][53]
1944  | Prince Gustaf |
1943  | I Killed |
1941  | Lasse-Maja |

## Works

[edit]

* Zetterling, Mai (1968). Night Games. Panther Books. ISBN 978-0-586-02449-2. OCLC 936919503.
* Zetterling, Mai (1976). Bird of Passage. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-08120-1. OCLC 2424469.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "DEATHS - The Washington Post". 26 February 2012. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
2. ^ "The 100 greatest films directed by women: Who voted? L-Z". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
3. ^ McGregor, Craig (30 April 1972). "Mai Is Behind The Camera Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
4. ^ Collins, Glenn (19 March 1994). "Mai Zetterling, 68, Film Actress With a Second Career in Directing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
5. ^ Canby, Vincent (15 September 1966). "Mai Zetterling Comments About Directorial Role". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
6. ^ Billington, Michael (13 July 1999). "Eurydice". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
7. ^ a b Collins, Glenn (19 March 1994). "Mai Zetterling, 68, Film Actress With a Second Career in Directing". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
8. ^ "Mai Zetterling, 68; Swedish Film Actress Turned Director". Los Angeles Times. 19 March 1994. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
9. ^ a b "Where to begin with Mai Zetterling". BFI. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
10. ^ "The Danger Man Website". danger-man.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
11. ^ "Mai Zetterling profile". Retrieved 17 November 2023.
12. ^ "Sexuality in '60s Cinema: 'Three Films by Mai Zetterling'". www.popmatters.com. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
13. ^ "Mai Zetterling". www.tcm.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
14. ^ "BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 28 February 1966. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
15. ^ Mai Zetterling (1985). All Those Tomorrows. London: Cape. ISBN 0-224-01841-8. New York: Grove, 1986. ISBN 0-394-55602-X
16. ^ Bowcott, Owen (3 March 2009). "Glamorous socialites were spied on by MI5". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
17. ^ "Cinema: Swansea-set 1960s film attracted the attention of MI5". BBC News. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
18. ^ "Actress Mai Zetterling Dead at 68". AP NEWS. 18 March 1994. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
19. ^ "Swedish actress Monica Zetterling dies at 68". UPI. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
20. ^ Maslin, Janet (1 February 1984). "FILM: PORTRAIT OF DELINQUENCY". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
21. ^ Marsh, Stefanie (29 October 2017). "Kathy Burke: 'Lifelong member of the non-pretty working classes'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
22. ^ Schickel, Richard (17 September 1973). "Cinema: Non-Olympian". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
23. ^ Greenspun, Roger (11 August 1973). "The Screen:New 'Visions of Eight' Studies Olympics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
24. ^ "BBC Programme Index | Vincent the Dutchman". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 22 July 1973. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
25. ^ Hutchinson, Pamela (13 July 2018). "Angry young women: how radical, female film-makers defined the spirit of '68". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
26. ^ Kehr, Dave (12 September 2006). "New DVD's: 'Wanda'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
27. ^ "Women's Film Festival Will Begin Here June 5". The New York Times. 10 May 1972. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
28. ^ Canby, Vincent (8 April 1969). "Screen: Mai Zetterling's Dr. Glas' From Sweden". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
29. ^ Crowther, Bosley (20 December 1966). "Screen: 'Night Games' on View at Festival Theater:Mai Zetterling's Movie a Deliberate Shocker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
30. ^ a b "Cinema: A Loving Mother". Time. 13 January 1967. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
31. ^ Weiler, A. h (20 September 1966). "Screen: Amour, Illicit and Otherwise:'Loving Couples' Opens at 34th Street East". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
32. ^ "BBC Four - Lords of Little Egypt: Mai Zetterling Among the Gypsies". BBC. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
33. ^ "The Witches | Film | The Guardian". theguardian.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
34. ^ Howlett, Paul (7 January 2000). "Watch this". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
35. ^ James, Caryn (24 August 1990). "Review/Film; When the Ladies Take Off Their Wigs, Head for Home. Fast". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
36. ^ Suddath, Claire (15 June 2011). "The Witches". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
37. ^ Crowther, Bosley (21 March 1962). "Screen: 'Two Can Play':Peter Sellers and Mai Zetterling Star". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
38. ^ "Cinema: Barmy in the Back Stacks". Time. 6 April 1962. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
39. ^ Thompson, Howard (29 August 1958). "'Truth About Women'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
40. ^ Weiler, A. (18 April 1957). "Screen: Tyrone Power in Saga of Sea; 'Abandon Ship!' Opens at the Paramount Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan in Cast British Double Bill". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
41. ^ "TELEVISION TODAY". The New York Times. 11 June 1976. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
42. ^ T, H. H. (15 October 1955). "Screen: Occupied Berlin; A Prize of Gold' Has Debut at Palace". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
43. ^ a b McGregor, Craig (30 April 1972). "Television". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
44. ^ "Cinema: Two Comedians". Time. 26 April 1954. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
45. ^ "Television". The New York Times. 8 April 1977. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
46. ^ W, A. (26 December 1955). "A Holiday Gift". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
47. ^ "Cinema: The New Pictures". Time. 21 September 1953. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
48. ^ T, H. H. (20 March 1952). "At the 72d St. Trans-Lux". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
49. ^ "At the Park Avenue". The New York Times. 15 August 1947. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
50. ^ French, Philip (6 July 2013). "The Ealing Studios Rarities Collection: Volume 3". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
51. ^ "Cinema, Also Showing". Time. 28 April 1947. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
52. ^ James, Caryn (9 June 1995). "CRITIC'S CHOICE; The Director Emulated By Bergman". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
53. ^ Crowther, Bosley (22 April 1947). "A Study From Sweden". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2023.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Larsson, Mariah (14 January 2020). A Cinema of Obsession: The Life and Work of Mai Zetterling. University of Wisconsin Pres. ISBN 978-0-299-32230-4.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mai Zetterling.

* Mai Zetterling at IMDb
* Portraits of Mai Zetterling at the National Portrait Gallery, London
* Mai Zetterling at the Swedish Film Database
* Mai Zetterling at the BFI's Screenonline
* Mai Elisabet Zetterling at Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon Biographical Dictionary of Swedish Women
* Mai Zetterling at Encyclopedia.com
* Mai Zetterling at Nordic Women In Film
* Mai Zetterling at Britannica
* Mai Zetterling Archives
* Mai Zetterling at Nationalencyklopedins Internettjänst

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*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced