Christina Lindberg Speaks!
“Artsploitation” movie fans were given a great treat recently with the publication of an extensive interview with the original “Queen Of Artsploitation!”
Christina Lindberg was Sweden’s first sex kitten, and her arrival in the US in the early 1970’s was at the forefront of the sexual revolution – a time when movie theaters were willing to push the limits on what they’d show to an eager male audience…and usually, that was exposing them to Swedish erotic cinema!
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of “grind house” cinema, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez paid tribute to it with their double feature “Grindhouse”…and here is a look at this fascinating moment in cinema history:
And here is a look at what New York’s 42nd Street – the epicenter of Grindhouse – looked like in the 70’s…
These movies features lots of gratuitous sex and violence – and in the early days, they depended on Swedish erotic dramas to fill their seats…which meant that European films were brought to the US and shown – usually dubbed – in seedy theaters that catered to a audience that was looking for cheap thrills…no matter what language!
Christina Lindberg was Sweden’s most popular sex kitten from the early 70’s…beginning in men’s magazines, and then Swedish advertising…
Christina Lindberg Speaks!
Lindberg became a huge “artsploitation” star, meaning her movies had lots of sex and nudity, but were artistic – you know, “european”…a unique type of film that flourised in the early 70’s…
While the titles were total exploitation, these were actually intense dramas…with lots of Swedish nudity…and later they were released on VHS for fans to enjoy at home…Quentin Tarantino is a huge Lindberg fan, and here is a picture of them together at a recent convention…
For Lindberg, her success in US grindhouse theaters made her a huge star…something she has always been comfortable talking about…but, it’s important to note that she wasn’t just an actress – she has built a great career as a journalist as well, something she is very proud of…here is a recent interview I found:
This was first published on YouTube on Nov 10, 2013 – FLIXX TV Host Shannon Laing interviews Christina Lindberg – and then I also found a great print interview with the legendary Actress as well!
The “Fix” Is In!
The great movie website “The Digital Fix” posted a terrific interview with Lindberg in 2006 – and I just discovered it – filled with great stuff like this, where she describes being discovered in a Swedish dance club:
“I liked to go out to clubs and dance and it was a photographer from one of the biggest magazines in Sweden who saw me dancing at a famous club in Gothenburg and then he told me, you know, he asked me if I could take some photos. I could be the one girl from Gothenburg and he was supposed to take photos from, we were about five girls, and then he took photos and they published it, and I was on the cover and I was the fold-out.”
She goes on to tell interviewer Kevin Gilvear that posing nude wasn’t natural for her at the time:
“I was very shy. I was very shy and it seems a little bit odd when I take off my clothes and such, but I was very shy.”
She became a star, and the interview goes into much more detail about her life as a pin-up sensation. I have included a link to the entire interview later in the story…soon, Lindberg was a movie star as well!
Lindberg starred in a string of Swedish erotic dramas such as “Exposed”, “Maid In Sweden” and the notorious revenge classic, “Thriller!”
This film really cemented her reputation in US grind houses, where it was also released as “They Call Her One-Eye”, and the ridiculous title of “Hooker’s Revenge”, even though she wasn’t a hooker!
Heading To Japan!
After making these films, Lindberg ended up starring in one of the most acclaimed japanese exploitation films of all: “Sex & Fury!”
So how did Sweden’s most successful erotic star end up in a Japanese sexploitation movie? Well, according to the interview, it was amazingly simple!
“I was down in Cannes and they spread pictures of me all over the world, and also Japan I presume. And then some months after I was on my way from Paris, where I had been a fold-out girl in “Lui”, which is a French play mate magazine. And so I was on the plane and I was going back to Stockholm, and when I walked into the cabin two Japanese men came to my place and said “Are you travelling?” and I said yes, and they asked me if I wanted to work in Japan. So yea, “why not” I said, “why not”. So I said, here you have my address and telephone number, you can contact me in Sweden in a few days. And they did.”
The interview is filled with great anecdotes like that one, so please click on this link to read the entire interview…kudos to Kevin Gilvear for the in-depth, intelligent conversation!
http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/60739/looking-for-mushrooms-with-christina-lindberg.html
“The Digital Fix” is a great website for movies fans…
FYI, “Sex & Fury” is the classic film where the star fights a group of samurai killers NAKED! It’s a terrific film, and Christina Lindberg’s career is a fascinating one, with millions of fan worldwide continuing to collect her films, thanks to DVD and blu-ray!
More Christina!
Here is my original story about the “Queen Of Artsploitation” – with even more about her incredible career, and more on her movies!
Kudos to Christina, the “Queen Of Artsploitation!”!
Christina Lindberg
