Morten Kolstad’s debut feature film Piratene was embraced by audiences but sparked outrage from conservative circles when it premiered in 1983. Now, the National Library has restored the action-packed youth film and is releasing it on Blu-ray.
The National Library is following up the release with a video report, an article, and an episode in the podcast Gamle greier. On Tuesday, 5 November, there will be a film discussion at Solli Plass, where Piratene will be shown on the big screen.
During the Norwegian Film Festival in the fall of 1983, the press reported controversy surrounding the film, which had been “butchered with a meat cleaver” by Morgenbladet after a screening in Cannes earlier that year.
“Conservative circles rage against a film that justifies youth rebellion and mocks authorities. (…) Some are also offended on behalf of the Freemasons, who are parodied in the film,” wrote Fredrik Wandrup in Dagbladet on 30 August 1983.
However, the film was highly popular in cinemas and was described as a breath of fresh air during an important transitional period for Norwegian film production.
Piratene addresses timeless themes such as depopulation, youth living conditions, and civil disobedience as a means of protest.
At the same time, the media landscape of the 1980s was vastly different from today. In Norway, as in the rest of Europe, the state broadcaster held a monopoly. NRK’s profile did not align with the musical tastes and interests of young people, leading many to take matters into their own hands. They began their own broadcasts and became so-called “radio pirates.”
You can learn more about this in the National Library’s podcast Gamle greier: Radiopiratene (LINK) and read the article Pirate Radio – Waves and Wavelengths in the 80s.
Piratene will be released on Blu-ray and can be ordered from Platekompaniet or the National Library’s online store. The release also includes a booklet with a text written by Gunnar Iversen.
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