The Island of Sea Crow: The Pirate Treasure – Tjorven och Mysak (1966)

Directed by: Olle Hellbom | 91 minutes | family | Actors: Louise Edlind, Torsten Lilliecrona, Stephen Lindholm, Kajsa Dandenell, Torsten Wahlund, Bengt Eklund, Eva Stiberg, Maria Johansson, Siegfried Fischer, Kristina Jämtmark, Manne Grünberger

This film about the adventures of a number of children who either live permanently on the idyllic Swedish island of Zeekraai just off the coast of Stockholm, or who are on holiday there, is the third in the series and an equally enjoyable film as the first: ‘Together on the Island of Sea Crow’. The Melkersson family reminisces about Malin’s fifth birthday, more than twenty years ago. Father Melker gave his daughter a game day because of a limited budget and to this day Malin thinks it is the most beautiful gift she has ever received. Pelle also wants such a game day and under pressure from Stina and Mops they decide that it should come right away.

A funny thread in the ‘Zeekraai’ films is that several residents, especially Mops, Melker and Peter, regularly get a wet suit. In this film they make it very colorful, and Melker therefore advises them to take dry clothes with them before sailing to Dodemans Bay. An old boat has been lying unused in this bay for years, which is transformed into a pirate ship by the Sea Crow residents. They divide into two groups and each group inventively tries to capture the Mysak (a stone bombed into pirate treasure). This is accompanied by a lot of funny scenes and funny pranks that every “pirate” pulls.

Like the other ‘Zeekraai’ films, the film is a typical sixties product. This is expressed in the clothing, attitude to life of the people and not least the film music by Ulf Björlin. It’s a pleasant, innocent film, reminiscent of those wonderful six-week school holidays that seemed to never end. The fact that it is noticeable that some scenes go on a bit too long may also be due to the current hectic time, in fact there is nothing wrong with it. The actors all feel very much at home on the island, because often it seems as if you are watching a real family, it comes across as natural. Especially in the scenes in which the children are playing and laughing, they hardly seem aware of a camera. This Astrid Lindgren film adaptation is an excellent choice for a fun, carefree family afternoon.