MovieChat Forums > Wallander (2009) Discussion > Swedish vs. British versions

Swedish vs. British versions

posted 8 years ago by gdeser
1 reply | jump to latest

I absolutely agree with all those who like the Swedish version better. I also got the DVDs from my library of Season 1 of the Swedish version and managed to read all the books except The White Lioness. I wanted to read the books before watching the videos and that may be why I was so disappointed in the British version. Even though I love KB, I was truly not happy with his portrayal of Wallander in any episode of this series. Krister Henriksson was unknown to me when I started watching the Swedish version. At first I wasn't that impressed with him because he seemed too "ordinary" for the part. But It only took about two or three episodes before I realized what a remarkable actor he is and by the time I saw the last episode of his series I had become a solid gold fan of his. I also did not like any of the supporting actors in the British version but got to know and love their characters in the Swedish version.

Of course the books are much more detailed which makes the videos inadequate to some extent because they can't possibly include all the background story in 90 minutes, but I think the Swedish versions at least came a lot closer to the books than the British with one exception that I cannot figure out. In the books, Svedberg was one of his colleagues (and a good one albeit antagonistic at times). For some reason the Swedish version called that character Svartman but the British version kept him as Svedberg (but changed the whole destiny of the character and not in a good way).

Notwithstanding all my issues, I am happy I watched both series and read the books. I plan on rewatching in the future as I have STML a bit myself (which in these situations is not unwelcome). So I can enjoy them all over again in a few months. RIP Henning Mankell and I thank him for the gift of Kurt Wallender and "Jussi"!😃

[–] sanddragon939 8 years ago

I've seen a little more of the British than the Swedish show and I agree that Krister perhaps captured the character, as envisioned by Mankell, better. That's not to say that Branagh's version doesn't reflect Mankell's character at all...rather, he's kinda a more 'cinematic' and 'larger-than-life' interpretation of that character.

As far as the Svedberg/Svartman issue goes...it actually confirms a theory I've had that the Krister Henrikson Wallander series is set in the continuity of the books (or of the original Swedish films). There's a ten year gap in the Wallander chronology between the publication of 'Firewall' in 1999 and 'The Troubled Man' in 2009. 'Before the Frost' was published during this gap and its the first episode of the Swedish series. My guess is that the Swedish TV series is set during this gap (and a little after it, since there's an adaptation of 'The Troubled Man' in the last season if I remember correctly). So Svedberg, at the time of this series, is long dead.

Formerly sn939