Swedish filmmaker Arne Sucksdorff was for nearly fifty years a standard bearer in the realm of the documentary. After studying natural history in Stockholm and Germany, Sucksdorff took a long trip to Italy. He returned with a full portfolio of scenic shots and nature studies, which won him a prize when they were reprinted in a Swedish film magazine. From still photography, Sucksdorff graduated to films, turning out a series of consummately photographed Swedish short subjects (one hesitates to characterize these with the demeaning label travelogue): An August Rhapsody (1939), A Summer Tale (1941), Reindeer Time (1942) and many others. Travelling to other lands for photogenic material, Sucksdorff won a Cannes Film Award for the 1951 short Indian Village; he has also filmed extensively in Brazil. Another Cannes award was bestowed upon Arne Sucksdorff for his 1957 home-grown feature The Flute and the Arrow. Never selling his name to a sponsor or cause, Arne Sucksdorff wrote, directed and photographed movies essentially for his own personal pleasure; it just so happened that they also provided limitless enjoyment to millions of others. After filming documentaries for some twenty years Sucksdorff made this his first feature film. Göte (Tomas Bolme) is a young teen who seems to be at odds with his family and may not know his own mind that well either. Discontented and rebellious, Göte joins up with two mean-spirited game poachers in spite of the fact that he loves animals and nature. This contradiction between his own feelings and his need to rebel reaches a climax when a forest ranger starts to track down the young men in ever-tightening circles.