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I Am Curious (Yellow)
Encyclopedia
I Am Curious (original Swedish
title: Jag är nyfiken – en film i gult) is a 1967 Swedish drama film
written and directed by Vilgot Sjöman
and starring Sjöman and Lena Nyman
. It is a companion film to 1968's I Am Curious (Blue)
; the two were initially intended to be one 3½ hour film. The films are named after the colours of the Swedish flag.
plans to make a social film starring his lover Lena Nyman
, a young theater student who has little interest in social issues.
Lena's character, also named Lena, lives with her father in a small apartment in Stockholm
and is driven by a burning passion for social justice and a need to understand the world, people and relationships. Her little room is filled with books, papers, and boxes full of clippings on topics such as "religion" and "men", and files on each of the 23 men with whom she has had sex. The walls are covered with pictures of concentration camps and a portrait of Francisco Franco
, reminders of the crimes being perpetrated against humanity. She walks around Stockholm and interviews people about social classes in society, conscientious objection, gender equality, and the morality of vacationing in Franco's Spain. She and her friends also picket embassies and travel agencies. Lena's relationship with her father, who briefly went to Spain to fight Franco, is problematic, and she is distressed by the fact that he returned from Spain for unknown reasons after only a short period.
Through her father Lena meets the slick Bill (Börje in the original Swedish), who works at a menswear shop and voted for the Rightist Party. They begin a love affair, but Lena soon finds out from her father that Bill has another woman, Marie, and a young daughter. Lena is furious that Bill has not been open with her, and goes to the country on a bicycle holiday. Alone in a cabin in the woods, she attempts an ascetic lifestyle, meditating, studying non-violence and practicing yoga. Bill soon comes looking for her in his new car. She greets him with a shot gun, but they soon start to make love. Lena confronts Bill about Marie, and finds out about another of his lovers, Madeleine. They begin to fight and Bill leaves. Lena has strange dreams, in which she ties two teams of football players – she notes that they number 23 – to a tree, shoots Bill and cuts his penis off. She also dreams of being taunted by passing drivers as she cycles down a road, until finally Martin Luther King, Jr.
drives up. She apologizes to him for not being strong enough to practice non-violence.
Lena returns home, destroys her room, and goes to the car showroom where Bill works to tell him she has scabies. They are treated at a clinic, and then go their separate ways. As the embedded story of Lena and Bill begins to resolve, the film crew and director Sjöman are featured more. The relationship between Lena the actress and Bill the actor has become intimate during the production of Vilgot's film, and Vilgot is jealous and clashes with Bill. The film concludes with Lena returning Vilgot's keys as he meets with another young female theater student.
In addition to the footage of King, the film also includes an interview with Minister of Transportation Olof Palme
, who talks about the existence of class structure in Swedish society, and footage of Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko
.
, the film uses jump cut
s and its story is not structured in a conventional Hollywood way. It also contains documentary
elements; for example, it features a brief appearance by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
who is interviewed by Sjöman about his views on civil disobedience. This interview was filmed in March 1966, when Dr. King and Harry Belafonte
were in Stockholm
to start a new initiative for Swedish support of African Americans.
and staged sexual intercourse
. In one particularly controversial scene, Lena kisses her lover's flaccid penis
. In 1969, the film was banned in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
for being pornographic
. However, after proceedings in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
(Karalexis v. Byrne, 306 F. Supp. 1363 (D. Mass. 1969)), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
, and the Supreme Court of the United States
(Byrne v. Karalexis, 396 U.S. 976 (1969) and 401 U.S. 216 (1971)), the Second Circuit found the film not to be obscene.
Initial reception to the films were hostile with Vincent Canby
of The New York Times
stating that, "I'm not very fond of this sort of moviemaking, which tries to disarm conventional criticism by exploiting formlessness as meaningful itself."
An arsonist torched the Heights Theater in Houston during the movie's run there.
General references
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
title: Jag är nyfiken – en film i gult) is a 1967 Swedish drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Vilgot Sjöman
Vilgot Sjöman
David Harald Vilgot Sjöman was a Swedish writer and film director. His films deal with controversial issues of social class, morality, and sexual taboos, combining the emotionally-tortured characters of Ingmar Bergman with the avant garde style of the French New Wave...
and starring Sjöman and Lena Nyman
Lena Nyman
Anna Lena Elisabet Nyman was a Swedish film and stage actress.Having had her first film roles in 1955, Nyman had a role in Vilgot Sjöman's 491 and got her breakthrough in his I Am Curious , where she, in pseudo-documentary fashion, played a character of the same name as herself, and its sequel I...
. It is a companion film to 1968's I Am Curious (Blue)
I Am Curious (Blue)
I Am Curious is a 1968 Swedish film directed by Vilgot Sjöman and starring Lena Nyman as a character named after herself. It is a companion film to 1967's I Am Curious ; the two were initially intended to be one 3½ hour film...
; the two were initially intended to be one 3½ hour film. The films are named after the colours of the Swedish flag.
Plot
Director Vilgot SjömanVilgot Sjöman
David Harald Vilgot Sjöman was a Swedish writer and film director. His films deal with controversial issues of social class, morality, and sexual taboos, combining the emotionally-tortured characters of Ingmar Bergman with the avant garde style of the French New Wave...
plans to make a social film starring his lover Lena Nyman
Lena Nyman
Anna Lena Elisabet Nyman was a Swedish film and stage actress.Having had her first film roles in 1955, Nyman had a role in Vilgot Sjöman's 491 and got her breakthrough in his I Am Curious , where she, in pseudo-documentary fashion, played a character of the same name as herself, and its sequel I...
, a young theater student who has little interest in social issues.
Lena's character, also named Lena, lives with her father in a small apartment in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and is driven by a burning passion for social justice and a need to understand the world, people and relationships. Her little room is filled with books, papers, and boxes full of clippings on topics such as "religion" and "men", and files on each of the 23 men with whom she has had sex. The walls are covered with pictures of concentration camps and a portrait of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, reminders of the crimes being perpetrated against humanity. She walks around Stockholm and interviews people about social classes in society, conscientious objection, gender equality, and the morality of vacationing in Franco's Spain. She and her friends also picket embassies and travel agencies. Lena's relationship with her father, who briefly went to Spain to fight Franco, is problematic, and she is distressed by the fact that he returned from Spain for unknown reasons after only a short period.
Through her father Lena meets the slick Bill (Börje in the original Swedish), who works at a menswear shop and voted for the Rightist Party. They begin a love affair, but Lena soon finds out from her father that Bill has another woman, Marie, and a young daughter. Lena is furious that Bill has not been open with her, and goes to the country on a bicycle holiday. Alone in a cabin in the woods, she attempts an ascetic lifestyle, meditating, studying non-violence and practicing yoga. Bill soon comes looking for her in his new car. She greets him with a shot gun, but they soon start to make love. Lena confronts Bill about Marie, and finds out about another of his lovers, Madeleine. They begin to fight and Bill leaves. Lena has strange dreams, in which she ties two teams of football players – she notes that they number 23 – to a tree, shoots Bill and cuts his penis off. She also dreams of being taunted by passing drivers as she cycles down a road, until finally Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
drives up. She apologizes to him for not being strong enough to practice non-violence.
Lena returns home, destroys her room, and goes to the car showroom where Bill works to tell him she has scabies. They are treated at a clinic, and then go their separate ways. As the embedded story of Lena and Bill begins to resolve, the film crew and director Sjöman are featured more. The relationship between Lena the actress and Bill the actor has become intimate during the production of Vilgot's film, and Vilgot is jealous and clashes with Bill. The film concludes with Lena returning Vilgot's keys as he meets with another young female theater student.
In addition to the footage of King, the film also includes an interview with Minister of Transportation Olof Palme
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
, who talks about the existence of class structure in Swedish society, and footage of Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko is a Soviet and Russian poet. He is also a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, actor, editor, and a director of several films.-Early life:...
.
Cast
- Vilgot SjömanVilgot SjömanDavid Harald Vilgot Sjöman was a Swedish writer and film director. His films deal with controversial issues of social class, morality, and sexual taboos, combining the emotionally-tortured characters of Ingmar Bergman with the avant garde style of the French New Wave...
as Vilgot Sjöman - Lena NymanLena NymanAnna Lena Elisabet Nyman was a Swedish film and stage actress.Having had her first film roles in 1955, Nyman had a role in Vilgot Sjöman's 491 and got her breakthrough in his I Am Curious , where she, in pseudo-documentary fashion, played a character of the same name as herself, and its sequel I...
as Lena - Börje AhlstedtBörje AhlstedtNils Börje Ahlstedt is a Swedish actor who has worked extensively with the world famous director Ingmar Bergman in films like Fanny and Alexander , The Best Intentions , Sunday's Children and Saraband . Ahlstedt has also worked with the directors Bo Widerberg and Kay Pollak.Börje Ahlstedt was...
as Börje - Peter LindgrenPeter Lindgren (actor)Peter Lindgren was a Swedish actor. His many roles include the part of "Lena's father" in I Am Curious and I Am Curious ....
as Lena's father - Chris Wahlström as Rune's woman
- Marie GöranzonMarie GöranzonBritt-Marie Elisabeth Göranzon Malmsjö is a Swedish actress.Marie Göranzon is since 1967 part of Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theatre-ensemble. She trained at Dramatens elevskola 1964-67....
as Marie - Magnus Nilsson as Magnus
- Ulla Lyttkens as Ulla
- Anders Ek as Exercise leader
- Martin Luther KingMartin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
as Himself - Yevgeny YevtushenkoYevgeny YevtushenkoYevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko is a Soviet and Russian poet. He is also a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, actor, editor, and a director of several films.-Early life:...
as Himself - Holger LöwenadlerHolger LöwenadlerHolger Löwenadler was a Swedish film actor. He starred in Ingmar Bergman's 1947 film A Ship to India. He appeared in the 1951 film Divorced, which was written by Bergman...
(uncredited) as The King
Style
Yellow was a landmark film that helped define the emergent change in Swedish film of the 1960s. Like French New WaveFrench New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
, the film uses jump cut
Jump cut
A jump cut is a cut in film editing and vloging in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way...
s and its story is not structured in a conventional Hollywood way. It also contains documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
elements; for example, it features a brief appearance by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
who is interviewed by Sjöman about his views on civil disobedience. This interview was filmed in March 1966, when Dr. King and Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
were in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
to start a new initiative for Swedish support of African Americans.
Censorship
The film includes numerous and frank scenes of nudityNudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
and staged sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
. In one particularly controversial scene, Lena kisses her lover's flaccid penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
. In 1969, the film was banned in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
for being pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
. However, after proceedings in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA. The first court session was held in Boston in 1789. The second term was held in Salem in 1790 and until 1813 court session locations...
(Karalexis v. Byrne, 306 F. Supp. 1363 (D. Mass. 1969)), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
, and the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
(Byrne v. Karalexis, 396 U.S. 976 (1969) and 401 U.S. 216 (1971)), the Second Circuit found the film not to be obscene.
Reception
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
stating that, "I'm not very fond of this sort of moviemaking, which tries to disarm conventional criticism by exploiting formlessness as meaningful itself."
An arsonist torched the Heights Theater in Houston during the movie's run there.
In popular culture
Title references- The title of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "I Am Furious YellowI Am Furious Yellow"I Am Furious " is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on April 28, 2002. In the episode, Bart creates a comic book series based on his father Homer's anger problems, which turns into a popular Internet cartoon series...
" - The Get SmartGet SmartGet Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
episode "I Am Curiously Yellow", which was the series finaleSeries finaleA series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series... - The That GirlThat GirlThat Girl is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who had moved from her hometown of Brewster, New York to make it big in New York City...
episode "I Am Curious Lemon" - The Fall’s 1988 album1988 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
I Am Kurious OranjI Am Kurious OranjI Am Kurious Oranj is a 1988 album by British rock band The Fall. The album was written as the soundtrack for the ballet "I am Curious, Orange", produced by contemporary dance group Michael Clark & Company, and themed loosely around the 300th anniversary of William of Orange's accession to the...
(which in turn inspired LeeStewart LeeStewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
and HerringRichard HerringRichard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
's popular comedy character "The Curious Orange", portrayed by Paul PutnerPaul Putner-Life and career:He was born in East Grinstead. He studied at LAMDA where he won, amongst other prizes, the Kenneth More prize for comedy acting.His first significant TV role saw Putner as numerous characters in The Glam Metal Detectives shown on BBC2. His real break in comedy came after he set up...
) - The Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane issue "I Am Curious (Black)" wherein Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
becomes a Black woman for a day - The Melrose Place episode "I Am Curious Melrose"
- The MoonlightingMoonlighting (TV series)Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes...
episode "I Am Curious... Maddie" - The Ed, Edd n EddyEd, Edd n EddyEd, Edd n Eddy is an original animated television series created by Danny Antonucci and produced by Canadian-based a.k.a. Cartoon. It premiered on Cartoon Network on January 4, 1999. Ed, Edd n Eddy was one of Cartoon Network's longest running and most successful franchises and the longest-running...
episode "I Am Curious Ed"
General references
- Curious Yellow, a virtual world in Jeff NoonJeff NoonJeff Noon is a novelist, short story writer and playwright whose works make extensive use of word play and fantasy. Noon's speculative fiction books have ties to the works of writers such as Lewis Carroll and Jorge Luis Borges...
's novel VurtVurtVurt is a 1993 science fiction novel written by British author Jeff Noon. Both Noon and small publishing house Ringpull's debut novel, it went on to win the 1994 Arthur C. Clarke Award and was later listed in The Best Novels of the Nineties.... - A fluorescent chartreuseChartreuseChartreuse may refer to:* Chartreuse * Chartreuse * Chartreuse Mountains, France* Grande Chartreuse, a monastery in the Chartreuse Mountains** Any Carthusian monastery, in the French language...
color named "curious yellow", which Chrysler Corporation offered as an optional-at-extra-cost "High Impact Paint (HIP)" color on its 1971 Plymouth cars. - Curious Yellow is the name of a network worm in GlasshouseGlasshouse (novel)Glasshouse is a science fiction novel by British author Charles Stross, first published in 2006. The novel is set in the twenty seventh century aboard a spacecraft adrift in interstellar space. Robin, the protagonist, has recently had his memory erased...
by Charles StrossCharles StrossCharles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera...
, based on the name of the worm described in this paper by Brandon Wiley: Curious Yellow: The First Coordinated Worm Design. - In her book You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town AgainYou'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town AgainYou'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again is an autobiography by Julia Phillips, detailing her career as a film producer and disclosing the power games and debauchery of New Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s...
, producer Julia PhillipsJulia PhillipsJulia Phillips was a film producer and author. She is remembered for being the first woman to win an Academy Award as a film's producer, and for a best selling tell-all memoir.-Early life:...
mentions a film script entitled I Am Furious (Yellow), an unproduced comedyComedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
script about a woman who becomes enraged whenever she sees the color yellow. Phillips mentions that she was considering the project as a starring vehicle for MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. - In an episode of The Lucy ShowThe Lucy ShowThe Lucy Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program...
, Jack BennyJack BennyJack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
(who was once a spokesman for Jell-OJell-OJell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
) tells Lucy that he's working on a film entitled I Am Curious, Jell-O. - In an issue of Mad Magazine, a movie theater advertises a film called "I Am Lecherous (Purple)" and in a do-it-yourself New Wave film advertisement using an assortment of random words, one of your choices is "I am ____ (____)"
- In "Death in the Family", an episode of the BBC comedy series Steptoe and SonSteptoe and SonSteptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old...
, Harold raises his father's spirits after the death of their horse by promising to take him to see "I Am Curious (Yellow)".