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A MAN THERE WAS
Based on an epic poem by Henrik Ibsen, A MAN THERE WAS (Terje Vigen) is
commonly cited as the film that launched Sweden's first golden age of
filmmaking. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it tells the story of a
fisherman so desperate to obtain food for his starving family that he tries
to break through a British blockade, only to find himself at the mercy of
extraordinary forces.
Victor Sjöström (The Outlaw and His Wife), who not only directs but also
plays the leading role, was renowned for his ability to exploit Sweden's
incredible locations. A MAN THERE WAS is no exception, and Julius Jaenzon's
cinematography stunningly captures the harsh, unforgiving quality of the
ever-present sea. Critic Andrew Sarris once speculated, "It is possible
that Victor Sjöström was the world's first great director, even before
Chaplin and Griffith." Sjöström would later have a notable career in
Hollywood, directing Lillian Gish in such silent classics as The Scarlet
Letter and The Wind.
A MAN THERE WAS
Sweden 1917 Color Tinted 53 Min.
Silent with English intertitles
Directed by Victor Sjöström
Produced by Charles Magnusson
Screenplay by Gustaf Molander and Victor Sjöström
From the poem by Henrik Ibsen
Photographed by Julius Jaenzon
With Victor Sjöström, Edith Erastoff, August Falck
Music composed and performed by Donald Sosin
www.newmoviemusic.com
Original Score © 2008 Kino International Corp.; P Donald Sosin
Ingeborg Holm
This heartbreaking drama traces the desperate journey of a widowed
young mother who finds herself at the mercy of an
apathetic social system which is all too willing to separate her from her
children. The first significant work by Victor Sjöström, Ingeborg Holm
establishes the director as an artist eager to test the visual and
psychological boundaries of the emerging cinema, while showcasing a powerful
central performance by Hilda Borgström (The Phantom Carriage).
One admirer of the film was Ingmar Bergman, who asserted, "Ingeborg
Holm is still true and gripping." In an interview, he called it, "One of the
most remarkable films ever made 1913!" Of course, Bergman would famously
repay his respect for Sjöström by casting him in the lead role in his
classic Wild Strawberries.
INGEBORG HOLM
Sweden 1913 B&W 72 Min.
Silent with English intertitles
Directed by Victor Sjöström
From the play by Nils Krok
With Hilda Borgström, Aron Lindgren, Georg Grönroos
Music composed and performed by David Drazin
Original Score © 2008 Kino International Corp. |
