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German. Alan's attraction to Karin is immediate, and over the coming days, he falls deeply in love with her. Karin is an attractive, sensuous, and mysterious woman who reveals little about herself. Her actions reflect both a quiet sensitivity (crying during a classical concert) and a dispassionate coldness (breaking the neck of an injured seagull). During a conversation about Karin's unmarried friend Inge and her child, Alan makes an offhand comment that he would have trouble marrying a woman with a child—the remark clearly upsets her. Before leaving
Copenhagen, Karin expresses her love for Alan, who responds by proposing marriage, and Karin accepts.
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states she cannot be married in a church. Karin's playful sensuality, however, overwhelms and enchants Alan. Alan and Karin soon travel to the United States on holiday and get married in a civil ceremony in
Florida, where they spend their honeymoon. While swimming in a lake, Karin sees a body beneath the water, but Alan confirms it's only an old log.
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words" in
Copenhagen, Alan cries out, "May God have mercy." They drive to the beach, where she walks into the surf. She pours water over her head in a gesture of baptism, and he tells her he knows what she did. She takes her clothes off, hands him her wedding ring, and they make love on the beach. As the waves roll over them, she faints in his arms.
530:, Linda Rasmussen wrote, "The film is not entirely successful due to the leisurely direction of Gordon Hessler and the lack of pace needed to create genuine suspense. But despite this flaw, the sensitive performance of Meg Tilly makes the film well worth watching and is a haunting psychological exploration of obsession, passion and guilt."
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apparition of Karin in a hooded cloak at the back of the courtroom. When he realizes it is just an apparition, he breaks down in tears. Haunted by his careless words, Alan understands that his "need for a tidy life" resulted in the tragedy. When he returns home, he hears Karin in the garden, and walks out to find her on the swing.
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The next day, Karin asks Alan to take her away. Before leaving, he discovers the receipt for the green tortoise toy and realizes to his horror that she bought it for her daughter just before killing her, out of fear that Alan would reject her with a child. Realizing the damage caused by his "careless
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When Alan and Karin return to
England, she continues to captivate him and their entire social circle, engaging in discussions of philosophy and religion. At one dinner party, she asks Alan's best friend and vicar, "Can anything be forgiven?" He tells her yes, if a person truly forgives themself. Alan
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Alan returns to
England and meets with his mother, who expresses concern that they know very little about Karin's family or background. When Karin arrives, Alan begins to notice her strange behavior—frightened by the sound of children and fearful of the dark. As they prepare for their wedding, Karin
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When Mrs. Taswell comes to deliver letters, Alan also hears the child crying in the garden. They go to investigate and find a doll faced down in the water fountain. Alan returns to find Karin hysterical. Realizing she knows what is causing these strange events, Alan shuts all the doors and windows,
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Alan
Desland (Rupert Frazer) is an English antique dealer who specializes in ceramics. A solitary man, he is a bachelor with no romantic ties. On a business trip to Copenhagen, he hires a German-born secretary, Karin Foster (Meg Tilly), to do some clerical work—she is fluent in English, Danish, and
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One day at an auction, Karin bids on an odd lot that contains a rare statuette of a girl in a swing. Overjoyed at the find, Alan authenticates the piece at
Sotherby's which estimates its value at over ÂŁ200,000. He becomes even happier when the initial impotence of his wedding night gives way to an
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commandment against killing, and then at the communion railing, she takes the eucharist in her hand, but does not receive it, and soon collapses. At home Alan tries to reassure her that whatever's past is past, but she says, "Nothing is past." Karin continues to hear a child crying in the garden.
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Alan's initial joy is offset by strange events and apparitions. He sees a green tortoise toy appear and then disappear, and he hears a child's voice on the phone—something Karin also hears. Karin tells Alan she wants to receive Holy
Communion. At Mass she is disturbed by the vicar's sermon on the
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two and a half stars, writing, "I would have appreciated some kind of resolution to the story—instead of the confusion into which it eventually disappears." Ebert singled out Tilly's performance as noteworthy, "If the movie is disappointing, it is not uninteresting. This is Tilly's second role
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At the hospital, Alan watches over her, hearing her last words in German, "I had no pity." The next day he is told she died during the night. The doctor confirms she had an ectopic pregnancy, and that she had previously given birth. At an inquest hearing, while giving testimony, Alan sees an
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unbridled sexuality between the two. In conversations with Alan and the vicar, Karin explores the connection between spiritual love and physical love—a notion she believes is absent in
Christianity but embraced by pagan cults. Soon after, Karin tells Alan she is pregnant.
277:, the film is about an English antique dealer who travels to Copenhagen where he meets and falls in love with a mysterious German-born secretary, whom he marries. Knowing nothing about her family or background, he soon discovers a darker side to his new bride.
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521:—and she creates a genuinely original performance, a woman sometimes dreamy, sometimes intense, and always in pain. It's a performance so good it deserves a better movie."
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and closes the drapes, but the cries continue in the garden during a violent storm. Alan sees the green tortoise toy again in the bedroom.
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recently as a mesmerizing woman—after the underrated
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The film received mixed reviews. In a review in the
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1077:English-language romantic drama films
422:William 'Duke' Meeks as Mr. Steinberg
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379:Mogens Dalsgaard as Concert Pianist
886:Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park
583:(VHS). New York: Millimeter Films.
577:Gordon Hessler (Director) (1989).
449:Jan Petersen as Chef at La Cocotte
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1042:Films directed by Gordon Hessler
902:The Secret War of Jackie's Girls
370:Ljuba Castot as Child in Water
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1072:English-language erotic films
1037:Films based on British novels
1017:American romantic drama films
894:Secrets of Three Hungry Wives
388:June Ellis as Lady at Auction
977:1980s English-language films
464:Sophie Thursfield as Deirdre
452:Martin Selway as Policeman 2
181:September 29, 1989
1022:American supernatural films
997:American erotic drama films
838:The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
646:– via rogerebert.com.
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1047:Films scored by Carl Davis
391:Patrick Godfrey as Coroner
267:. Based on the 1980 novel
170:December 1, 1988
967:1988 romantic drama films
806:Murders in the Rue Morgue
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455:Claire Shepherd as Angela
33:Theatrical release poster
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1067:Supernatural drama films
992:1980s supernatural films
467:Ralph Wade as Auctioneer
1052:Films set in Copenhagen
862:A Cry in the Wilderness
790:Scream and Scream Again
599:Internet Movie Database
557:Internet Movie Database
1012:American mystery films
1007:American fantasy films
774:The Last Shot You Hear
625:(September 29, 1989).
1032:Films about murderers
1002:American erotic films
659:"The Girl in a Swing"
637:Sun-Times Media Group
635:. Chicago, Illinois:
627:"The Girl in a Swing"
580:The Girl in the Swing
553:"The Girl in a Swing"
1062:Films set in Florida
1057:Films set in England
1027:Erotic fantasy films
972:1980s American films
830:Scream, Pretty Peggy
446:as Man at La Cocotte
987:1980s mystery films
934:The Girl in a Swing
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237:is a 1988 American
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117:Nicholas Le Prevost
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982:1980s erotic films
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459:Axel Strøbye
374:Helen Cherry
343:as The Vicar
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198:Running time
87:Benni Korzen
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670:February 2,
642:February 2,
604:January 29,
562:January 28,
508:Roger Ebert
347:Elspet Gray
265:Elspet Gray
202:119 minutes
112:Elspet Gray
83:Just Betzer
76:Produced by
39:Directed by
957:1988 films
951:Categories
854:Hitchhike!
534:References
518:Masquerade
485:Box office
444:Klaus Pagh
355:as Barbara
245:drama film
223:Box office
189: (USA)
185:1989-09-29
174:1988-12-01
146:Carl Davis
129:Claus Loof
766:Catacombs
480:Reception
383:Su Elliot
359:Jean Boht
329:Meg Tilly
253:Meg Tilly
226:$ 747,013
134:Edited by
102:Meg Tilly
16:1988 film
870:Betrayal
706:AllMovie
397:as Flick
385:as Nurse
331:as Karin
215:Language
142:Music by
95:Starring
59:Based on
814:Embassy
664:AllRovi
527:AllRovi
337:as Alan
218:English
207:Country
183: (
172: (
937:(1988)
929:(1987)
921:(1987)
913:(1985)
905:(1980)
897:(1978)
889:(1978)
881:(1978)
878:Puzzle
873:(1974)
865:(1974)
857:(1974)
849:(1974)
841:(1973)
833:(1973)
825:(1973)
822:Medusa
817:(1972)
809:(1971)
801:(1970)
793:(1970)
785:(1969)
777:(1969)
769:(1965)
471:
440:as Joe
263:, and
242:erotic
510:gave
695:IMDb
672:2012
644:2012
606:2012
564:2012
318:Cast
281:Plot
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704:at
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273:by
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
