Country: Sweden
Released: January 1st, 1921
Genre: Horror, Drama
Directed by: Victor Sjöström
Produced by: Charles Magnusson
Written by: Victor Sjöström
Damn, this was not an easy movie to watch.
Not because it's content was heavy or graphic, but because it took me, like, half-an-hour to find a full version of the film that wasn't in Swedish. Seriously the first one I found was crap quality and missing a third of the movie. The second version was perfect in almost every way except that I couldn't understand what the hell the inter-titles said, which admittedly would have made for an interesting viewing experience but wasn't ideal. Finally I found a translated version on Internet Archive that was okay save for the terrible music they edited in for some baffling reason. Actually calling it music is putting it kindly, this was one of those crappy 'spooky' soundtracks you find on youtube. You know the ones? They last twelve hours long and you get them by typing in 'creepy music' in the search bar? In any case, it made the movie feel like being in a amateur haunted house some schlub built in his garage for halloween. It created some really tonally dissonant moments which took me out of the experience, so ideally I would suggest learning Swedish if you want to get the absolute most out of Körkarlen.
Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to spoil the whole movie.
Based on the novel by Selma Lagerlöf, Körkarlen begins in a hospital on New Year's Eve as a kindly Salvation Army nurse named Edith (Selma Lagerlöf) is slowly dying of consumption, a.k.a old school tuberculosis. Feeling her final hour nearing she requests that David Holm (Victor Sjöström), a drunk vagabond who she once helped, be brought to her at once so that she may apologize because she thinks she ruined his life. David however refuses and his friends, offended by his callousness, attempt to force him, knocking him unconscious in the ensuing scuffle. His soul emerges from his body and comes face to face with the Phantom Carriage and its driver, the Grim Reaper, who David recognizes as his recently deceased friend Georges (Tore Svennberg). Georges explains to David that the last person to die every year must take up the mantle of the Reaper for the next year, and that now it was David's turn. What follows is a series of flashbacks through David's life, his decent into alcoholism, the imprisonment of his brother for five years for murder (five years! Really!? Dammit Sweden, it's the 1920s, you're still supposed to be as shitty as the rest of the world), and his wife Anna (Hilda Borgström) taking their children and leaving him. The film ends with David returning to his body and finding redemption with his wife.
Let me just say right off the bat that I really liked this movie, hell I'd almost say I love it. But it's not a movie that's easy to like. It's not like say Dr. Caligari or Le Voyage where the style immediately draw you in. It's very simply shot and there aren't any breathtaking visuals to catch your attention with the notable exception of the special effects used for the Phantom Carriage, which makes it translucent, giving it a spectral feel. What makes this movie great is its characters and their subtle depth. In that sense one really needs to look at the little details this movie offers to truly appreciate the layers of characterization going on, especially in regards to David.
On the surface David is a total twat and given the types of movies I've seen recently I completely expected that to be the full extent of his character, but the more you watch him the more you come to understand his struggle. His infection makes him feel unclean and he holds himself responsible for his brother's decent into alcoholism and ultimate imprisonment. Both of these cause a deep-self loathing that he doesn't quite understand or know how to confront and thus manifests into a bitter hatred of everyone around him. He coughs into people's faces hoping to infect them, asking "why should they be better than [him]?" Yet despite this murderous attitude when offered a chance to be the Grim Reaper and truly kill those he hates he's horrified by the prospect. Similarly when he finds his wife collapsing due to an illness he rushes to help her despite spending most of their marriage abusing her. He spends most of the film cynically hating all those around him yet fundamentally cannot bare to watch them get hurt. This is most prominently displayed at the end, when he's watching his wife ready to poison herself and her children rather ran watch them starve. Despite having earlier attempted to infect them with consumption he begins pleading for their lives, begging for god to punish him and spare them. It's one thing to cough into someone's face but when confronted with death up close he recoils in horror and realizes how terribly he's been led astray.
Probably the best moment in the film comes at the end when his soul returns to his body and he finally decides to fix himself. He finds Anna and prevents her suicide, telling her he's finally changed. Yet this is something she's heard before and instead of taking his word she sneers and tell him she doesn't believe him. And in this moment, after seeing the error of his ways and deciding to change only to have it thrown in his face, after realizing that he's squandered one too many chances and has done irreparable harm does he realize that he's completely alone. That his hatred has isolated him from everyone he's ever cared about. Crushed under the weight of this realization he can't help but weep; weep for his mistakes, for the time he's lost, and for all the pain he's caused. And it's through this outpouring of emotion that Anna recognizes his sincerity and forgives him. It's such a powerfully intimate scene that truly exposes this character's humanity. And that's what these characters feel like: actual human beings with flaws as well as virtues.
God I really like this movie. I mean really, really like this movie. It's one of those movies that the more I think about the more I appreciate. There's so many great scenes to talk about. Like when Anna and David are reunited for the first time. There isn't a single word of dialogue between them, all their emotion is expressed physically: Anna is tentatively hopeful that David has truly changed, but David is conflicted. He doesn't know what to feel and it shows in his disbelieving expression. As they clasp hands you sense the anger under his facade and it becomes instantly clear he hasn't forgiven his wife for leaving, nor has he seen the errors of his ways.
Or the scene where Anna locks him in their kitchen and tries to flee with their kids again. Watching David viciously hack at the kitchen door with an axe while Anna desperately tries to gather her things and leave before he gets through is heart-pumping. She becomes overwhelmed by her illness and collapses and when David rushed towards her brandishing the axe I totally expected him to kill her. Instead though he panics and rushes to get her water. Just a few moments ago he was threatening to murder her but upon seeing her in actual danger all his rage evaporates and his humanity shines through. Everything about that scene is fantastic, the acting, the way its shot, the 'big fuck' you to doors, and the fact that it helps develop the character. At the end of the day that's really what this film really gets right, every scene helps add depth to the characters and move the plot forward, nothing feels out of place or tacked on.
The movie explores themes of change and redemption but does so in a way that doesn't feel like its shoving it down your throat. The the fact that every year the Grim Reaper changes coupled with the shots of a clock tower ticking to midnight reflect the passage of time and represent change, something that runs parallel with David's growth into maturity. But it's not thrown at you forcefully. It's all subtext that emerges gradually, which ultimately makes it more impactful.
I wish I could analyse this movie in more detail because there's so much to unpack. I haven't even mentioned Edith and her relationship with David or Georges and his growth as the Grim Reaper, but I think I'll leave it here for now. After all there are a lot more movies to get through. Overall great film, give it a look.
Released: January 1st, 1921
Genre: Horror, Drama
Directed by: Victor Sjöström
Produced by: Charles Magnusson
Written by: Victor Sjöström
Damn, this was not an easy movie to watch.
Not because it's content was heavy or graphic, but because it took me, like, half-an-hour to find a full version of the film that wasn't in Swedish. Seriously the first one I found was crap quality and missing a third of the movie. The second version was perfect in almost every way except that I couldn't understand what the hell the inter-titles said, which admittedly would have made for an interesting viewing experience but wasn't ideal. Finally I found a translated version on Internet Archive that was okay save for the terrible music they edited in for some baffling reason. Actually calling it music is putting it kindly, this was one of those crappy 'spooky' soundtracks you find on youtube. You know the ones? They last twelve hours long and you get them by typing in 'creepy music' in the search bar? In any case, it made the movie feel like being in a amateur haunted house some schlub built in his garage for halloween. It created some really tonally dissonant moments which took me out of the experience, so ideally I would suggest learning Swedish if you want to get the absolute most out of Körkarlen.
Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to spoil the whole movie.
Based on the novel by Selma Lagerlöf, Körkarlen begins in a hospital on New Year's Eve as a kindly Salvation Army nurse named Edith (Selma Lagerlöf) is slowly dying of consumption, a.k.a old school tuberculosis. Feeling her final hour nearing she requests that David Holm (Victor Sjöström), a drunk vagabond who she once helped, be brought to her at once so that she may apologize because she thinks she ruined his life. David however refuses and his friends, offended by his callousness, attempt to force him, knocking him unconscious in the ensuing scuffle. His soul emerges from his body and comes face to face with the Phantom Carriage and its driver, the Grim Reaper, who David recognizes as his recently deceased friend Georges (Tore Svennberg). Georges explains to David that the last person to die every year must take up the mantle of the Reaper for the next year, and that now it was David's turn. What follows is a series of flashbacks through David's life, his decent into alcoholism, the imprisonment of his brother for five years for murder (five years! Really!? Dammit Sweden, it's the 1920s, you're still supposed to be as shitty as the rest of the world), and his wife Anna (Hilda Borgström) taking their children and leaving him. The film ends with David returning to his body and finding redemption with his wife.
Let me just say right off the bat that I really liked this movie, hell I'd almost say I love it. But it's not a movie that's easy to like. It's not like say Dr. Caligari or Le Voyage where the style immediately draw you in. It's very simply shot and there aren't any breathtaking visuals to catch your attention with the notable exception of the special effects used for the Phantom Carriage, which makes it translucent, giving it a spectral feel. What makes this movie great is its characters and their subtle depth. In that sense one really needs to look at the little details this movie offers to truly appreciate the layers of characterization going on, especially in regards to David.
On the surface David is a total twat and given the types of movies I've seen recently I completely expected that to be the full extent of his character, but the more you watch him the more you come to understand his struggle. His infection makes him feel unclean and he holds himself responsible for his brother's decent into alcoholism and ultimate imprisonment. Both of these cause a deep-self loathing that he doesn't quite understand or know how to confront and thus manifests into a bitter hatred of everyone around him. He coughs into people's faces hoping to infect them, asking "why should they be better than [him]?" Yet despite this murderous attitude when offered a chance to be the Grim Reaper and truly kill those he hates he's horrified by the prospect. Similarly when he finds his wife collapsing due to an illness he rushes to help her despite spending most of their marriage abusing her. He spends most of the film cynically hating all those around him yet fundamentally cannot bare to watch them get hurt. This is most prominently displayed at the end, when he's watching his wife ready to poison herself and her children rather ran watch them starve. Despite having earlier attempted to infect them with consumption he begins pleading for their lives, begging for god to punish him and spare them. It's one thing to cough into someone's face but when confronted with death up close he recoils in horror and realizes how terribly he's been led astray.
Probably the best moment in the film comes at the end when his soul returns to his body and he finally decides to fix himself. He finds Anna and prevents her suicide, telling her he's finally changed. Yet this is something she's heard before and instead of taking his word she sneers and tell him she doesn't believe him. And in this moment, after seeing the error of his ways and deciding to change only to have it thrown in his face, after realizing that he's squandered one too many chances and has done irreparable harm does he realize that he's completely alone. That his hatred has isolated him from everyone he's ever cared about. Crushed under the weight of this realization he can't help but weep; weep for his mistakes, for the time he's lost, and for all the pain he's caused. And it's through this outpouring of emotion that Anna recognizes his sincerity and forgives him. It's such a powerfully intimate scene that truly exposes this character's humanity. And that's what these characters feel like: actual human beings with flaws as well as virtues.
God I really like this movie. I mean really, really like this movie. It's one of those movies that the more I think about the more I appreciate. There's so many great scenes to talk about. Like when Anna and David are reunited for the first time. There isn't a single word of dialogue between them, all their emotion is expressed physically: Anna is tentatively hopeful that David has truly changed, but David is conflicted. He doesn't know what to feel and it shows in his disbelieving expression. As they clasp hands you sense the anger under his facade and it becomes instantly clear he hasn't forgiven his wife for leaving, nor has he seen the errors of his ways.
Or the scene where Anna locks him in their kitchen and tries to flee with their kids again. Watching David viciously hack at the kitchen door with an axe while Anna desperately tries to gather her things and leave before he gets through is heart-pumping. She becomes overwhelmed by her illness and collapses and when David rushed towards her brandishing the axe I totally expected him to kill her. Instead though he panics and rushes to get her water. Just a few moments ago he was threatening to murder her but upon seeing her in actual danger all his rage evaporates and his humanity shines through. Everything about that scene is fantastic, the acting, the way its shot, the 'big fuck' you to doors, and the fact that it helps develop the character. At the end of the day that's really what this film really gets right, every scene helps add depth to the characters and move the plot forward, nothing feels out of place or tacked on.
The movie explores themes of change and redemption but does so in a way that doesn't feel like its shoving it down your throat. The the fact that every year the Grim Reaper changes coupled with the shots of a clock tower ticking to midnight reflect the passage of time and represent change, something that runs parallel with David's growth into maturity. But it's not thrown at you forcefully. It's all subtext that emerges gradually, which ultimately makes it more impactful.
I wish I could analyse this movie in more detail because there's so much to unpack. I haven't even mentioned Edith and her relationship with David or Georges and his growth as the Grim Reaper, but I think I'll leave it here for now. After all there are a lot more movies to get through. Overall great film, give it a look.
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