Girls, The (1968)

Swedish actress, novelist and film director Mai Zetterling proved herself to be a very excellent director throughout her career. But here her talent for direction is expended on a load of rubbish.

Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson and Gunnel Lindblom play three actresses, Liz, Marianne and Gunilla, who are performing in a tour of Lysistrata (Aristophanes’ classic comic play about women and war).

Two are married – unhappily, of course – and the third has an antique lover who refuses to divorce his wife.

Although their men are all plainer, more stupid and less successful than they are, they all suffer from male domination – and two of the trio (those with children) really rather enjoy it. Only Liz (Bibi Andersson), conveniently childless, achieves emancipation and clamours for a divorce.

These tedious women, apparently without the capacity for love or thought, are presented by Zetterling to be representative of women in general. It’s a pity that someone so talented should take such a poor view of her own sex, and offer such a bleak solution for what are, after all, human rather than female problems.

Liz Lindstrand
Bibi Andersson
Marianne
Harriet Andersson
Gunilla
Gunnel Lindblom
Hugo
Gunnar Björnstrand
Carl
Erland Josephson
Marianne’s Lover
Frank Sundström
Bengt
Åke Lindström
Thommy
Stig Engström
Tourist Manager Kiruna
Leif Liljeroth
Tourist Manager’s Wife
Margreth Weivers
Director
Ulf Palme
Olle
Ingvar Kjellson
Erika
Gunnel Sporr

Director
Mai Zetterling