HUGO OCH JOSEFIN (HUGO AND JOSEPHINE)

Sweden, 1967, 78 minutes, Colour.
Frederik Becklen, Marie Ohman.
Directed by Kjell Grede.

Hugo and Josephine is a very delightful film for children which should please adults. Josephine is only six years old. Her father is a priest, his parish in the countryside. She lives a life very much by herself. Without friends, she then meets Hugo, a young boy who likes to stay away from school and to go into the woods.

The film is an exploration of friendship between young children and its effect on them as well as on adults.

1. What was the overall impact of the film? Enjoyable, as charming entertainment, as instructive for children and adults?

2. For whom was the film made: children or adults, or both? Why was it made? Comment of the use of colour, location photography, the natural Swedish background? Comment on the use of music, the classics, Handel and Beethoven. The Christian symbolism? was this necessary and relevant?

3. Could children in the audience identify with the children? How? Why was Josephine attractive and could be understood by yound girls? The identification with Hugo and his freedom?

4. Was the film too particularly Swedish for great impact? Or was the picturing of a little girl and a little boy universal in its appeal and message?

5. How well did the film focus on Josephine at the beginning? Her relationship with her parents, her father an a minister not bothered with her, her relationship with her mother? The importance of her decision to run away? Her loneliness, playing by herself? The encounter with the lady on the bicycle? Josephine's encounter with the children at school and their happiness? What did Josephine need?

6. How well did the film make a contrast with Hugo? His capacity for playing, for joy, for knowing and learning about nature? His naturalness in meeting the children? His relationship to his absent father? To his uncle?

7. What did Josephine learn from Hugo about playing, relating to others, the joy of life and of nature? What did Hugo learn from Josephine? A certain civilisation,calmness, happiness in sharing experiences? Which sequences illustrated this best?

8. How well was friendship communicated in the film? The sharing of experiences of Hugo and Josephine, playing together, the fright in the mine, the happiness with the bike, the difficulties of Hugo's absence? The values they shared together? The joys and the tears?

9. What was the picture of adults in the film? How sympathetic? The old man giving the haircut? The gardener and his sympathy and sharing their experiences? Hugo's absent father? Josephine's father and his absence? The sharing with her mother? The importance of the teacher in making the children welcome at school and helping them to learn? How interesting a picture of adults? in relation to children, what did the film give for an adult audience?

10. The film's message about growing up? Happiness and sadness? The importance of the gardener's leaving? His long explanation? Did they understand it? Did they know what he said, did they understand with their hearts what he had to do? The value of the ending and the implications for growing up?

11. What were the primary values of the film-makers in making this film? What did they want to communicate to children? To adults?

12. How entertaining for all audiences was the film?