Post by christine73 on Jan 2, 2016 19:47:24 GMT -5
posted by Sabermom
August 22, 2013
The Best Vacation I Ever Had
The Kon-Tiki crew member of greatest interest to those of us at The Dome is the lone Swede onboard, an ethnographer by the name of Bengt Danielsson, who is played by Gustaf Skarsgård.
(Top: the real Bengt Danielsson cooking onboard Kon-Tiki. Bottom: Gustaf Skarsgård as Bengt Danielsson.)
A graduate of the University of Uppsala, Bengt had been in Peru studying South American natives when he heard about the expedition. Having a strong interest in migration, he visited Thor Heyerdahl at his hotel to ask to join the crew. His presence brought more of an air of academic respectability to the voyage than it had previously encountered.
As the only Spanish speaking crew member, Bengt served as translator. Jovial and laid-back, he spent much of his time lying on the raft reading. He took 73 books onboard and read 72 of them during the 101 day journey. Danielsson was injured during the landing of the raft, when the mast fell and hit him on the head, causing a concussion. He recovered well, though, and went on to become a renowned conservationist and writer.
After his time on Kon-Tiki, Bengt Danielsson remained in Polynesia. He married a French woman and settled on Raroia, the atoll at which the raft landed, from 1949 to 1952 before moving to Tahiti. He conducted research in Tuamotu and the Marquesas and, in 1955, submitted his doctoral thesis, titled “Work and Life on Raroia”, to the University of Uppsala.
Danielsson served as director of Sweden’s National Museum of Ethnology from 1967 to 1971, was associated for a time with the Bishop Museum in Hawaii, and planned the Museum of Tahiti. He was also made Swedish honorary consel to Tahiti.
Living in Tahiti wasn’t always made easy for the Bengt and his wife, Marie-Therese, though. In 1982, Bengt, regarded by some as the grandfather of the South Pacific’s anti-nuclear movement, was quoted as saying, “For years we have been treated like outcasts and harassed by the French authorities in every conceivable manner because we have been asking questions about the health hazards resulting from the nuclear tests at Moruroa. We feel no satisfaction whatsoever in discovering our fears are justified.” He also commented, “We've gotten into all sorts of trouble for protesting. When the book came out and the French took away my official diplomatic recognition and they tried to deport me, they couldn't because my wife is both a French citizen and town councilor. But they certainly made life difficult for us.''
The Danielsson’s book “Moruroa Mon Amour” is credited with shaping world opinion against the French nuclear testing in Polynesis, which finally ended in 1996. They accused the French government of conductiong misinformation campaigns to cover up nuclear testing related radiation leaks, increases in cancer, and environmental damage. Outspoken also about the destruction of Polynesian culture through the French colonialism, they were strong advocates for Polynesian independence. Bengt and Marie-Therese were awarded with the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Peace Prize, in 1991, to which Bengt replied, “My wife and I work together. What we do is simply report on what is happening here.”
(For more information on Bengt and Marie-Therese’s advocacy, see www.csmonitor.com/1982/0311/031161.html. To listen to a Swedish radio interview with Bengt, try sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=1602&artikel=1816551http://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0311/031161.html.)
Bengt is portrayed in the film by 32 year old Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgård, who was recognized as a European Shooting Star in 2007 and won a Guldbagge award for best lead actor in Kidz in da Hood (Förortsungar) the same year. Marit Kapla, artistic director for the Göteborg International Film Festival, says “Gustaf Skarsgård has good comic timing and makes a memorable interpretation of the cheerful photographer from Sweden.”
About preparing for the role, Skarsgård said, “I listened to a radio interview with Bengt Danielsson after he survived 102 days at sea. Although it was an adventure with storms and sharks, he said, ‘it was the best vacation I ever had.’” He also commented, “I have played many broken roles. Before this, I tried just to feel good. He (Bengt) is a very loving figure. An odd bird. He is a man who truly lived.”
Watch or order it now, and stay tuned for articles on the other Kon-Tiki crew members.
Trailer
iTunes
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
August 22, 2013
The Best Vacation I Ever Had
The Kon-Tiki crew member of greatest interest to those of us at The Dome is the lone Swede onboard, an ethnographer by the name of Bengt Danielsson, who is played by Gustaf Skarsgård.
(Top: the real Bengt Danielsson cooking onboard Kon-Tiki. Bottom: Gustaf Skarsgård as Bengt Danielsson.)
A graduate of the University of Uppsala, Bengt had been in Peru studying South American natives when he heard about the expedition. Having a strong interest in migration, he visited Thor Heyerdahl at his hotel to ask to join the crew. His presence brought more of an air of academic respectability to the voyage than it had previously encountered.
As the only Spanish speaking crew member, Bengt served as translator. Jovial and laid-back, he spent much of his time lying on the raft reading. He took 73 books onboard and read 72 of them during the 101 day journey. Danielsson was injured during the landing of the raft, when the mast fell and hit him on the head, causing a concussion. He recovered well, though, and went on to become a renowned conservationist and writer.
After his time on Kon-Tiki, Bengt Danielsson remained in Polynesia. He married a French woman and settled on Raroia, the atoll at which the raft landed, from 1949 to 1952 before moving to Tahiti. He conducted research in Tuamotu and the Marquesas and, in 1955, submitted his doctoral thesis, titled “Work and Life on Raroia”, to the University of Uppsala.
Danielsson served as director of Sweden’s National Museum of Ethnology from 1967 to 1971, was associated for a time with the Bishop Museum in Hawaii, and planned the Museum of Tahiti. He was also made Swedish honorary consel to Tahiti.
Living in Tahiti wasn’t always made easy for the Bengt and his wife, Marie-Therese, though. In 1982, Bengt, regarded by some as the grandfather of the South Pacific’s anti-nuclear movement, was quoted as saying, “For years we have been treated like outcasts and harassed by the French authorities in every conceivable manner because we have been asking questions about the health hazards resulting from the nuclear tests at Moruroa. We feel no satisfaction whatsoever in discovering our fears are justified.” He also commented, “We've gotten into all sorts of trouble for protesting. When the book came out and the French took away my official diplomatic recognition and they tried to deport me, they couldn't because my wife is both a French citizen and town councilor. But they certainly made life difficult for us.''
The Danielsson’s book “Moruroa Mon Amour” is credited with shaping world opinion against the French nuclear testing in Polynesis, which finally ended in 1996. They accused the French government of conductiong misinformation campaigns to cover up nuclear testing related radiation leaks, increases in cancer, and environmental damage. Outspoken also about the destruction of Polynesian culture through the French colonialism, they were strong advocates for Polynesian independence. Bengt and Marie-Therese were awarded with the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Peace Prize, in 1991, to which Bengt replied, “My wife and I work together. What we do is simply report on what is happening here.”
(For more information on Bengt and Marie-Therese’s advocacy, see www.csmonitor.com/1982/0311/031161.html. To listen to a Swedish radio interview with Bengt, try sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=1602&artikel=1816551http://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0311/031161.html.)
Bengt is portrayed in the film by 32 year old Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgård, who was recognized as a European Shooting Star in 2007 and won a Guldbagge award for best lead actor in Kidz in da Hood (Förortsungar) the same year. Marit Kapla, artistic director for the Göteborg International Film Festival, says “Gustaf Skarsgård has good comic timing and makes a memorable interpretation of the cheerful photographer from Sweden.”
About preparing for the role, Skarsgård said, “I listened to a radio interview with Bengt Danielsson after he survived 102 days at sea. Although it was an adventure with storms and sharks, he said, ‘it was the best vacation I ever had.’” He also commented, “I have played many broken roles. Before this, I tried just to feel good. He (Bengt) is a very loving figure. An odd bird. He is a man who truly lived.”
Watch or order it now, and stay tuned for articles on the other Kon-Tiki crew members.
Trailer
iTunes
Amazon
Barnes & Noble