Björn Sundquist (75) will play the famous Colonel Birger Eriksen.
-At first, I was happy and proud that I was able to join. There is a lot I don't know about Eriksen and his dilemma, not least the treatment he received afterwards. I look forward to helping shed light on that,” Sundquist tells VG.
On April 9, 2024, 84 years after the sinking of the German warship Blücher, the blockbuster film “Blücher” will be filmed at Oscarsborg Castle in Drøbach. One of the most decisive moments in Norwegian history is scheduled to be released in cinemas in the first half of 2025.
– I was in Oscarsborg and I tried to imagine what it was like to stand there in the fog, with no information about what was at sea. He's very strong,' says the 75-year-old.
Honor or shame, life or death
“Blücher” will cover the hours before, during and after the sale. It will focus in particular on Colonel Eriksen, the commander of Oscarsborg Fortress who ordered the opening fire on German forces when they reached the Oslo Fjord.
– The main challenge is to convey the dilemma he was in, his existential choice: war hero or court martial, honor or shame, life or death, as the actor says.
Sundquist is one of our most deserving actors, having won five Amanda Awards, including an Honorary Amanda Committee Award in 2020. The actor also received an Honorary Hedda Award in 2017, as well as winning a Golden Road Award for Best Leading Role and a Critic's Award. prize.
On October 30, the film about war hero Gunnar Sonnsteby will also be released. Watch the clip from “No. 24” here:
I thought about Sundquist for ten years
There's no shortage of accolades behind the camera, either. Rådebank Director Daniel Fahr has been appointed leader of the Blucher project. “Rådebank” is the most winning drama series ever in Gullruten’s history, and at the same time Fahre won an Amanda Award in 2017 for the documentary “Marcus & Martinus – Sammen om drømden”.
– Few individuals influenced the country's fate during the war as directly as Birger Eriksen. The difficult decision to film or not turns into an intense action drama, Fehr says.
Fahr never doubted that Sandquist was the right man for the job.
– I have been developing this film for more than ten years, and I always envisioned Björn in the role of Colonel Eriksen, confirms the director.
Read also: Invasion – the ink was scattered
He fought for his heritage
According to a press release, large portions of the film will take place around the night of April 9, 1940 at Oscarsborg Castle in Oslofjord, where Eriksen only had to consult when the most powerful military force in the world attacked.
In addition to the drama surrounding the invasion itself, the film will also follow Eriksen's struggle for fame and honor, and against accusations of incompetence and cowardice.
– Eriksen made perhaps the most difficult choice in Norwegian history: How good are you at making difficult choices yourself, Bjorn Sundquist?
– Postpone everything until tomorrow that you can do today. Isn't that what people say?, the 75-year-old answers jokingly.
– no! The interesting thing about Eriksen is that he did not know whether the choice he made was good or bad. He had to, under enormous pressure, weigh various considerations against each other. He was like a good chess player, simple as that.
Eriksen died on July 16, 1958, at the age of 82.
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