Miss Julie

Alf Sjöberg's 1951 Swedish film is adapted from August Strindberg's play. Julie, the daughter of a wealthy count, crosses the line with her father's valet Jean on midsummer night, and over one night a struggle for power runs between them through both class and sex. Julie takes her advantage from her rank while Jean knows well how to humiliate her, and each moves between using the other and needing them. Rather than holding the play to a single night on a stage, Sjöberg carries it into cinema: scenes from the past appear in the same frame as the present and the characters walk through their own memories. That formal solution is the film's most striking feature. Anita Björk's performance was among the most discussed of the period. It shared the grand prize at Cannes. Who it's for: viewers who like classic European cinema and adaptations from the stage. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a sympathetic character; both are merciless.