Pippi Longstocking -- the Swedish TV series (1 Viewer)

[Brian W.]

I was surprised to run across this at the video store the other day. I think a lot of people don't know about it.

The dubbed Pippi Longstocking movies were childhood favorites of mine, but I didn't know until I saw this DVD that the first two films (at least) were actually edited together from a late sixties Swedish TV series.

The DVD contains the first six episodes of the series, which I THINK comprise the whole of the theatrical films "Pippi Longstocking" and "Pippi Goes on Board." Internet Movie Database only mentions the first film as being culled from the TV show, but I definitely recognize one scene (where she jumps off a cliff trying to fly) as being from "Pippi Goes on Board." The transfers are LOVELY -- well-preserved prints, full frame OAR, with bright, beautiful color.

The downside: No extras and no Swedish language option. And don't expect the original American dubs, either. The theatrical films did not contain everything that was in the series, so new dubs were necessary, this time with British actors. They're actually better than the originals, but I'll never know why they changed Annika's name to Anna.

I showed an episode to an adult friend of mine, and he found it quite amusing. Inger Nilsson was the perfect Pippi. If you liked these films as a child, or have kids of your own, I highly recommend this release.

 

[ZackR]

Man,

I loved those Pippi Longstocking videos when I was a young kid!! One of them actually had the first "cursing" I remember in a movie. Pippi leans out a barn window and yells, "Shut your damn cotton-picking mouth!"

I did not know those were on DVD! I will definitely pick them up. It is strange you mentioned this though. I just saw "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking" for $5.88 at Wal-Mart and I snagged it. My mom must have rented that video for me and my sister and brother like a million times when I was a kid. Yes, yes, I know it is pan and scan, but I have never seen it any other way and it was $5...

Anyways, thanks for the heads up!!

Zack

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Who released the TV series?

 

[Brian W.]

You mean the DVD? Hen's Tooth Video.

I got my sources mixed up before. It's actually the back of the DVD case that says the first film was edited from the TV series. Internet Movie Database says all four theatrical features were edited from the series. Under the listing for the TV series, it has a link that says "Edited into," then lists the remaining three theatrical films: Pippi in the South Seas, Pippi Goes on Board, and Pippi on the Run.

 

[Joshua Clinard]

I loved these films as a kid, and would love to have them on DVD! Can anyone confirm for sure that all three of these films were edited from a T.V. series? I only ask because your post is confusing, and I don't understand what you are saying. If they are edited from TV, that would mean that they are indeed in their OAR. Also, if anyone has recieved these, can you evaluate the video quality?

 

[Brian W.]

Can anyone confirm for sure that all three of these films were edited from a T.V. series

Well, the Internet Movie Databse says the series was edited into three movies. It lists the three movies under their Swedish titles, but if you open the links, you will see the films' English titles also.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062598/movieconnections

 

[oscar_merkx]

wow this certainly brings back lots of memories

 

[RickardL]

Three movies were made:

Pippi Långstrump på de sju haven (1970)
- aka Pippi Longstocking on the Seven Seas
På rymmen med Pippi Långstrump (1970)
- aka Pippi on the Run
Här kommer Pippi Långstrump (1973)
- aka Pippi Goes On Board

The last one seems be edited together from the
TV series from 1969.
But the first two are full length features on their own.
Both are available in Sweden in newly restored editions
(from the original negatives and soundmix) in 16x9
widescreen.

 

[Brian W.]

That's not correct, Rickard.

I can see you're also getting the info from IMDB, but you're not reading the whole thing. Four theatrical features were released, not three (US Titles): Pippi Longstocking (1969), Pippi in the South Seas (1970), Pippi on the Run (1970, released in US 1977), and Pippi Goes on Board (1973).

I've only seen Pippi Longstocking (which was the first) and Pippi Goes on Board, and, watching this DVD, both were definitely edited from the TV series. I don't know for sure about the other ones, but if you go into the TV series link on IMDB and click on "movie connections," it does say all but the original film were edited from the TV series. But they've inadvertently omitted the first film -- it was positively taken from the TV series as well, even says so on the DVD case.

But it's great to hear the theatrical features are available in Sweden in their original language versions.

 

[Brian W.]

I went on the Amazon German web site, and apparently the whole series has been released there. With the translation feature, I was able to determine (with much difficulty), that that there is a disc with four episodes called "Pippi and the Pirates." This is clearly the theatrical feature "Pippi in the South Seas."

http://translate.google.com/translat...UTF-8%26sa%3DN

And their editorial review of "Pippi Goes on Board" says:

"As in the book, also in the film by [director] Olle Hellbom (or rather in the series, because Pippi...was originally a 21-part series for the Swedish and German television, which is present also fully in the meantime on video)."

http://translate.google.com/translat...UTF-8%26sa%3DN

So it seems that at least Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Goes on Board, and Pippi in the South Seas were all taken from the series. I don't know about Pippi on the Run for sure.

 

[Joshua Clinard]

So, there are two seperate DVD releases we are talking about here? One is the six TV epsisode set, and the other is the three movies, or is it four movies that are in OAR?

 

[Brian W.]

There's only one DVD release in the US, Joshua. All the others are Region 2 PAL imports from Germany and Sweden.

The six episode set is all that's available in the US.

 

[RickardL]

The fact is that there has only been three movies
which were shown in theatres in Sweden according to
The Swedish National Board of Film Classification which
is similar to the UK BBFC.
The last one, Här kommer Pippi Långstrump (1973), is
for sure put together from TV material.

But... after looking at http://www.pippilangstrumpf.de/pippi/film_pippi.htm
it gets more confusing:

First there were two (TV?) movies:
- Pippi Långstrump (1968/1969)
- Pippi Går Ombord /Pippi Goes Onboard(1969)
From those two, they made the TV series of 13 episodes.
Then came the theatrical movies :
- Pippi Långstrump på de sju haven/Pippi on The Seven Seas (1970)
- Pippi Långstrump på rymmen/Pippi On the Run (1970)
- Här Kommer Pippi Långstrump (1973) which is made from the TV series

The translation for the last one at IMDB must be wrong
since it should probably be referring to "Pippi Går Ombord".

Anyway, it certainly wasn't as clear as I thought...

 

[Brian W.]

Hmm... I have a headache now.

 

[RickardL]

Note: some sites talk about 13 or 21 episodes of the TV series.
I believe that the original TV series was only 13 episodes
and the other 8 is the two movies (Seven Seas, On the Run)
split into 4 episodes each for German Television.

 

[Brian W.]

That could very well be, Rickard. You may be on to something there. But regarding the number of movies, Amazon.com lists four VHS movies starring Inger Nilsson: Pippi Longstocking, Pippi on the Run, Pippi in the South Seas, and Pippi Goes on Board, so we know there were four movies released in the US, anyway:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...608061-1646220

I think I'll go down to the video store and see if they have any of them on VHS for rent, and see what I can find out.

 

[RickardL]

hmmm, four movies... maybe it is time for a....
Pippi Longstocking Quadrilogy 9 disk set!!

maybe not

 

[Brenton]

That's hilarious because I remember these films from waaaaay back when I was like four. I haven't seen them since. Me and my sisters used to love them and rent them all the time.

Man that would bring back a lot of memories.

 

[Brian W.]

hmmm, four movies... maybe it is time for a....
Pippi Longstocking Quadrilogy 9 disk set!!

New signature:

Pippi shoots first.



Actually, there is an episode on the DVD where Pippi gives Tommy and Annika guns, and fires one off herself:

Tommy: Are they loaded?
Pippi: I don't know. Probably.

But thank God, thank God, they didn't cut it out. Perhaps we should be thankful one of the majors didn't release this DVD, because that scene would be on the cutting room floor.

 

[RickardL]

FYI, the correct length of the last movie, Här Kommer Pippi Långstrump (1973),
is 92 minutes and 39 seconds. That might help to tell it
apart from the Pippi Går Ombord /Pippi Goes Onboard(1969).