Perilous Passage
The fateful drama, the suggestive narrator's voice, the music and the special 3D graphics that the film brings to life the issues surrounding the disaster are impressive! The actors with their different profiles make the characters feel real. Although the tragic event as such is known to many, there are certainly at least as many as the film with excitement gets knowledge gaps filled.
Ansgar Lindbom
The association Grenna Kulturgård
The sinking of the steamship s/s Per Brahe
and untimely death of the artist John Bauer in 1918
A film by
Thom Britten-Austin & Bernt Johansson
Screenplay by Ingrid Kampås
Narrated by Göran Zachrisson
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The Court of Enquiry
What caused the disaster?
The board of enquiry into the loss of the steamship Per Brahe on the night of the 19th November 1918, was held in the county court in the Swedish provincial town of Jönköping in Febuary 1919.
'Per Brahe' was lost with all hands and passengers in a freak storm on Sweden's 2nd largest lake. Amongst the passengers was the famous artist John Bauer together with his wife and 3 year old son.
Intended as a simple procedural matter, the hearing turned out to be something quite different.
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Those who perished
There were no survivors
John Bauer and his wife Ester took the steamship to Stockholm where they intended to start a new life. Famed for his 'elves and trolls' paintings (even today), John Bauer wanted to move on and develop his art in a new environment.
His wife Ester who was also an accomplished artist had for some years, sacrificed her own art career in order to support her husband in his career as well as taking care of their son Putte.
This is the tragic story of how 24 young people met their untimely end one dark and stormy night onboard the criminally overloaded steamship 'Per Brahe'.
The Coroner
Chief of police Arvid Hjelm
Presiding for the crown was the local Police Chief Arvid Helm
His opposite number was a young lawyer representing the families of the deceased, one Bror Mallmén.
The captain of the ship was legally responsible for the ship, it's passengers and the freight carried and so the outcome of the hearing was a foregone conclusion, or so they thought.
Bror Mallmén the young lawyer had other ideas about where to place the blame...
The Lawyer
Bror Mallmén
Sweden in 1918 was still very much a class society although that was soon about to change. The privations and hunger caused by the 1st world war had placed strains upon society which brought the country to the brink of insurrection.
Bror Mallmén was a forward thinking lawyer unconstrained by the blinkered ideas of his class and colleagues
The conflict between him and the court is the theme of this film and highlights the issue of corporate responsibility at a time when the concept was more or less unheard of
Swedens Titanic
Public sensation
Per Brahe went down just one week after armistice day and 6 years after the Titanic disaster.
For 4 years Per Brahe lay undisturbed on the bottom of lake Vättern along with her cargo of passengers and crew. Salvaged in 1922 and recommissioned under a new name, she was later sold to Finland where she was employed right up until the 1950's
Captain Theodor Boija along with several members of his crew were never recovered, their bones lie to this day on the bottom of sweden's deepest lake
The Movie
Inspired by real events
The dramatised documentary of the sinking of Per Brahe was recorded during the autumn and winter of 2019 by Thom Britten-Austin. The film script was written by Ingrid Kampås and all scenography by Bernt Johansson.
The 3D scenes were composed by Dupp film in Karlsborg using a model of Per Brahe. The live scenes onboard the ship were recorded with the use of S/S TRAFIK which is Per Brahe's sister ship and still in use today.
The film is 55 minutes long and may be unsuitable for minors
