The Outlaw and His Wife (1918)

The Outlaw and His Wife (1918) / Country: Sweden / Director: Victor Sjöström / Duration: 72 min / Language: Swedish/ Subtitles: English / Entrance: FREE

A mysterious stranger comes to work at Halla’s farm and the two fall in love. When it is exposed that the stranger is Eyvind, a known thief forced into his life of crime by his family’s starvation, the two go on the run.

The Outlaw and His Wife was produced during a renaissance in the Swedish film industry between 1916 and 1918 when the production company Svenska Biografteatern (it later became Svensk Filmindustri) decided to focus on quality over quantity. The studio reduced its yearly production schedule of around 26 films to five or less.

Sjöström brought a psychological realism to the acting in The Outlaw and His Wife that gave it an intimacy and honesty lacking in many silent melodramas. Sjöström revealed the inner emotional state of his protagonists through subtle but revealing close-ups or their interaction in both claustrophobic and wide-open spaces. Another major strength was his decision to film the outdoor scenes on location, lending an authentic sense of place and time to the action.