28.03.22
Events
The Phantom Carriage (1921) / Country: / Director: / Duration: min / Language: / Subtitles: / Entrance: FREE
The last person to die on New Year’s Eve before the clock strikes twelve is doomed to take the reins of Death’s chariot and work tirelessly collecting fresh souls for the next year. So says the legend that drives The Phantom Carriage (Körkarlen), directed by the father of Swedish cinema, Victor Sjöström. The story, based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, concerns an alcoholic, abusive ne’er-do-well (Sjöström himself) who is shown the error of his ways, and the pure-of-heart Salvation Army sister who believes in his redemption. This extraordinarily rich and innovative silent classic (which inspired Ingmar Bergman to make movies) is a Dickensian ghost story and a deeply moving morality tale, as well as a showcase for groundbreaking special effects.
In technical terms the film set new standards and was an all-round success. Ingmar Bergman regularly watched The Phantom Carriage every summer at his private cinema on Fårö: “My relationship with The Phantom Carriage is very special. I was 15 years old when I saw it for the first time. I remember it as one of the major emotional and artistic experiences of my life.”
In 1957 Ingmar Bergman repaid his indebtedness to Sjöström by giving him the main part in Wild Strawberries, which alongside The Phantom Carriage is the for film which Sjöström is best remembered. Bergman adapted the role specially for the great man, whose first inclination was to decline a part he thought too difficult to play.