Light in the Dark by Bjoern Nordfjoerd (Associate Professor of English, Associate Professor of English, St. Olaf College)

Light in the Dark tells the dramatic history of Icelandic cinema from its modest origin in the early twentieth century to the heterogenous and complex national cinema of today. In tracing this wide-ranging history, author Bjoern Nordfjoerd describes the constant tug between local and national cultural forces and the transnational and global pull of world cinema. Nordfjoerd starts by casting light on the earliest films made in the country, expanding outward to survey Scandinavians adaptations of Icelandic literature filmed during the late silent period, documentaries of the interwar period, and the first narrative features following the end of World War II and national independence. He traces the emergence of national cinema proper to the 1980s, with the foundation of the Icelandic Film Fund, explores the subsequent impact of first European art cinema and then Hollywood genre cinema, and finally considers the remarkable international success of Icelandic cinema in the twentieth-first century. Along the way, Nordfjoerd draws attention to many additional issues and topics regarding Icelandic cinema, including depictions of nature and animals, the aesthetics of fire and ice, the role of film adaptation, the impact of Nordic noir and crime fiction, Hollywood runaway productions, and the question of women's cinema in Icelandic filmmaking. Throughout the book, films from all periods of Icelandic filmmaking are analysed in detail with equal emphasis on content and form, including both lesser known titles and key films like The Outlaw and His Wife (Victor Sjoestroem, 1917), Salka Valka (Arne Mattson, 1954), Land and Sons (Agust Gudmundsson, 1980), When the Raven Flies (Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, 1984), Cold Fever (Fridrik THor Fridriksson, 1995), 101 Reykjavik (Baltasar Kormakur), Rams (Grimur Hakonarson, 2015) and Godland (Hlynur Palmason, 2022).

About the Author
Bjoern Nordfjoerd is Associate Professor of the English department at St. Olaf College, where he also currently directs the Film and Media Studies program. Previously from 2006 to 2014, he taught at the University of Iceland where he developed a new program in Film Studies. He has published widely on Nordic cinema in both Icelandic and English, including a book on Noi the Albino.

Reviews
Light in the Dark offers a startlingly illuminating account of Iceland's contribution to the dynamics of world cinema. Spanning the entirety of the 20th century and part of the 21st, this distinctive work deftly shows us what transnational cinema, world cinema, and national cinema look like in the context of the extra-small nation of Iceland. * Mette Hjort, Chair Professor of Film and Media Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong, and author of Small Nation, Global Cinema: The New Danish Cinema (2005) *
Exhaustively researched and cleverly structured, Light in the Dark illuminates the history of cinema in Iceland as a case of an exceptionally small national film culture that nevertheless plays an outsized role on both sides of the continental divide upon which the volcanic island itself continues to emerge. Bjoern Nordfjoerd has filled a glaringr omission in the scholarly literature with this study. Even more importantly, he has contributed a book that is as incisive in its case studies as it is approachable and elucidating in its overview of the rich and varied history of the moving image in Iceland. * Benjamin Bigelow, Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and author of Menacing Environments: Ecohorror in Contemporary Nordic Cinema (2023) *
Light in the Dark will appeal to researchers interested in transnational cinema, European cinema, and Nordic cinema, as well as anyone who loves movies. It is also a rich book for readers interested in Iceland's modern cultural history. In providing a lively and learned read for these audiences, Nordfjoerd has written the book on Icelandic cinema for many years to come. * Andrew K. Nestingen, Professor of Scandinavian Studies at University of Washington, and author of Crime and Fantasy in Scandinavia: Fiction, Film and Social Change (2008) *
Known for its stunning landscapes of fire and ice, Iceland is a uniquely literary nation of less than 400,000 people whose cinema is a brilliant and fascinating anomaly. A national cinema without a population to support its industry, it has flourished by becoming transnational. From early silent cinema through the films of Fridrik THor Fridriksson, Baltasar Kormakur, and celebrated recent productions such as Rams,Lamb, and Godland, Bjoern Nordfjoerd's deftly organized book is lucid and comprehensive. * Linda Badley, author of Lars von Trier Beyond Depression (2022), and co-editor of Nordic Noir, Adaptation, Appropriation (2020) and Critical Approaches to Sjon (2024) *
Iceland may be small, yet its cinematic output has regularly exceeded expectations, creating works that resonate within its borders and beyond. This book stands as a testament to those achievements. Through thoughtfully selected thematic chapters it traces Icelandic cinema's evolution, while also serving as an essential point of reference for anyone exploring the cultural and industrial dynamics of small national cinemas. An urgently needed volume! * Anders Marklund, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at Lund University, and primary editor of the Journal of Scandinavian Cinema *



Book Information
ISBN 9780197762141
Author Bjoern Nordfjoerd
Format Hardback
Page Count 280
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc