Impeccable swedish drama directed by silent film giant Victor Sjostrom, adapting a patriotic 1862 poem by the norwegian Henrik Ibsen. At the time, it was a major cinematic achievement becoming the most expensive production in the nordic country, with a budget of 60,000 SEK. What stands out most is the filming on real coastal locations and the action scenes on boats and ships during violent waves, giving the film an impressive energy and pace, especially for its era. The editing work is also remarkable, comparable to “The Birth of a Nation”. All of this serves a moving story about grief, existential despair, revenge, and redemption. It also features an innovative flashback structure, while the intertitles are especially interesting because instead of simply explaining the plot, they use excerpts from the original poem.
In cinema’s third decade, this film marked a major step forward in photography, both in the composition of the frame and in its use of lighting and different tones, which strengthen the drama while giving each scene remarkable beauty.
A few years later, Murnau would push this even further with the cinematography of “Sunrise”, a film that also shares the use of the sea as a dramatic element.
Impeccable swedish drama directed by silent film giant Victor Sjostrom, adapting a patriotic 1862 poem by the norwegian Henrik Ibsen. At the time, it was a major cinematic achievement becoming the most expensive production in the nordic country, with a budget of 60,000 SEK. What stands out most is the filming on real coastal locations and the action scenes on boats and ships during violent waves, giving the film an impressive energy and pace, especially for its era. The editing work is also remarkable, comparable to “The Birth of a Nation”. All of this serves a moving story about grief, existential despair, revenge, and redemption. It also features an innovative flashback structure, while the intertitles are especially interesting because instead of simply explaining the plot, they use excerpts from the original poem.
In cinema’s third decade, this film marked a major step forward in photography, both in the composition of the frame and in its use of lighting and different tones, which strengthen the drama while giving each scene remarkable beauty.
A few years later, Murnau would push this even further with the cinematography of “Sunrise”, a film that also shares the use of the sea as a dramatic element.
