The Minister President
About The Minister President
Newspaperman Jean Bazard and lawyer Alphonse Carrel both court Rose Legrange. Bazard wins her, while Carrel prospers in shady deals with her uncle, banker Leroux. Bazard's paper nearly fails, so he joins those deals, and a few years later he is married to Rose and about to form a government as minister president. Carrel breaks into Leroux's house at night, steals the papers that prove the fraud, and tells Rose he will ruin her husband unless she leaves him. She refuses. Leroux fights Carrel for the documents; Carrel shoots himself dead. Rose arrives, finds the body, and is locked up as the suspect. Leroux promises to burn the papers and tell the police how Carrel died. Bazard still quits politics, telling Rose he values her love more than power.
Cast & crew
More about The Minister President
Georg af Klercker wrote and directed the three-reeler for Hasselblads Fotografiska AB, shooting in Gothenburg in the summer of 1916. Swedish censors passed 1,056 meters on September 14, 1916, for viewers 15 and older (certificate 15981). AB Victorias Filmbyrå opened it at Biografen Sture in Stockholm on September 19.
Themes
Background
The French names and the continental setting follow the Danish-style melodrama then common in Swedish features, which the Swedish Film Database cites as the model for the plot.
Technique
The night burglary is lit only by Carrel's flashlight, an early Georg af Klercker experiment with a single practical source.
Preservation
The Swedish Film Database lists cinematheque screenings in May 1983 and March 1992. A copy is on the Internet Archive.
Notes
- Carl Barcklind plays Jean Bazard, billed as a newspaperman and politician. Arvid Hammarlund is Carrel, Maja Cassel is Rose, and Manne Göthson is Leroux.
- Mary Johnson and Siri Lundin appear as guests at the banker's soirée.
- The Finnish distribution titles were Ministeripresidentti and Ministerpresidenten.
- The Swedish Film Database times the 1,056-meter print at 51 minutes when run at 18 frames per second.
Scenes
- Carrel dies in the struggle with Leroux, and Rose is arrested when she finds the body.
- Bazard resigns the chance to form a government after Rose is cleared.
Also available
- Internet Archive (silent-ministerpresidenten)
Quotes
Mer än makt och ära, Rose, värderar jag din kärlek." ("More than power and glory, Rose, I value your love.") — Bazard to Rose, as given in the Swedish Film Database summary
