Swing it magistern! (1940) User Reviews (3)

Alica Babs is just fab...

[ptb-8 · 6/10 · 7 May 2008]

This delicious Swedish musical from 1940 is a college comedy in the US Monogram style with a classroom full of music teens who are delighted to find their new teacher also loves swing music. It mainly stars lovely Swedish teen singer Alice Babs Nilsson who was the Gale Storm or Deanna Durbin of her time. The vintage Swedish musicals and some thrillers of their times are clearly influenced by US movies, but with this film I think there was a reversal of interest, given the film's snappy music and gang-show-musical fun: see the PRC musical of 1943 called JIVE JUNCTION which stars Dickie Moore as it is the same story albeit with different tunes and in an American school.

The main song here called "SWING IT MAGISTERN: Swing It" is a great tune and turns up again in the gorgeous 1958 musical JAZZGOSSEN. Just as Garbo proved in the 20s and with INTERMEZZO of 1936 remade as INTERMEZZO of 1939 by Selznick, there was many eyes on the delights of Swedish films... and especially mine lately.

A sequel to SWING IT MAGISTERN was made in 1943, it is called VORAT GANG (Our Gang) and has more songs and is a bigger production. These Swedish musicals are just terrific. And Alice Babs is divine. Both out now on DVD too!

Sweden answer to Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland

[cynthiahost · 10/10 · 10 March 2010]

But unlike those two , Ms Babs became a international jazz singer and until recently was active in the field.She was also part of a trio in the fifties and 60's called ," The Swedanes,".No tragedy in her life like Judy Garland. She was 16 when she did this film about the age of Judy, I think.Since the Nazis did not control Sweden there was no rigid ideology in this film. The principle ,played by Carl Hagman, and his rigid female Alterante, are expecting a new singing teacher for musical lessons to find out which students have voice.The assistant is having doubts about the new teacher, played by Adolph Jar,. the students know this and one of them is selling chalk to the students to throw at the teacher.When class begins, Susen, starts to test his students. One attempts to impersonate Marlene Dietrik when she tries to sing ,"Falling in love again,". Then he asks Babs, playing Inga Danel, to sing . All of a sudden she sings the title of the movie. Everyone likes it. There's a dirty secret that both Babs and Susen have which explains they are both in the same tune.The next class room hears it and the kids like it too. Both the teacher and student get in trouble about it by the prudish assistant principle. They are both given a second chance. The dirty secret . The music teacher is in love with a gymnastic teacher. He has to make money for that . At nights he works at a non alcohol night club call, The shanghai.All of a sudden they introduce a new singer who is Babs.The music teachers sees her and wonder why she's working at the night club. She become a hit. Her truth is revealed to her teacher as he takes her home. School books cost money in private school she took the job. The students are planning a festival and Inga participates in it. But as rumors would have , the assistant principle finds out about Babs and the teacher working at the Shanghai.She forbids the teacher from working there and suspends Inga from participating in the festival. But they get sneaky they plan to go behind the a alternate's back while Babs brother helps them out on this. When Susen is teaching Babs how to bring out the song , she gets a crush on him and more problems stir.This movie has English sub titles . Obviously the company knows that fans of foreign films will buy this and taking advantage of it. As of 03/11/10 Some corrections to be made . In the first place the kid was selling the chalk to get the other students to eat it so that the new teacher would not have any chalk to use.The alternate principle was the headmistress

Swing era teen musical.

[Mozjoukine · 19 December 2011]

Here's something that bobbed up from nowhere - a Swing musical made in Sweden in 1940 and anticipating the Donald O'Connor-Jane Powell school films from the 'states.

Once again the stuffy principal doesn't understand her cool new music teacher and the so talented teen age girl that he encourages and who forms a crush on him, despite his interest in the lady gym teacher making those girls in baggy shorts do ill coordinated routines.

The piece has some naive energy, despite going on too long and being short on imagination. Miss Nilson's clean cut appeal is understandable. One of the film's strengths is that the leads are so ordinary. The handling is better than competent but the it disappoints in not offering any real look at WW2 Sweden.

The DVD is excellent quality and has good English titles.