I, a Woman
1965 Danish-Swedish film directed by Mac Ahlberg
I, a Woman (original Danish: Jeg – en kvinde) is a 1965 black-and-white Danish-Swedish erotic film whose break-through popularity helped initiate a wave of sexploitation films into mainstream American theaters in the late 1960s, and inspired Andy Warhol to write and direct his feature-length experimental film version I, a Man.
Background
Directed by Mac Ahlberg as his feature film debut, and written by Peer Guldbrandsen, the movie was based upon the best-selling 1961 novel Jeg - en kvinde by Agnethe Thomsen written under her pseudonym Siv Holm. The story starred Essy Persson, in her film debut, as a young nurse who breaks free of a repressed upbringing to explore sexual freedom. It also featured established Danish movie stars including Preben Mahrt, Jørgen Reenberg and Tove Maës.
The American distribution rights were purchased by Radley Metzger who edited the movie to remove the flashbacks, added English titles and placed it into mainstream movie theaters. Metzger said it was "probably the first feminist erotic film released in the '60s and it pushed a button with every woman in America". By earning more than 4 million dollars in the United States, Metzger credited I, a Woman as the major catalyst for his subsequent success in making pornographic films. Despite poor reviews by mainstream media, the film's box office success encouraged the development of the sexploitation film industry. According to an article in Variety magazine, I, a Woman "freed itself from the exploitation houses, it invaded suburbia and immediately struck paydirt".
Plot
The young nurse Siv is frustrated by the strict restraints of her religious parents and her boring fiancé, Sven.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “I, a Woman” as 1965 Danish-Swedish film directed by Mac Ahlberg. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1965 Danish-Swedish film directed by Mac Ahlberg. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12319171. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1965 and 1961.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “I, a Woman”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow I, a Woman primary sources, I, a Woman archive and Woman research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “I, a Woman” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.