All film lovers are aware of the genius of Chaplin and Keaton, but after just one viewing of Victor Sjostrom's "The Phantom Carriage", one will be tempted to include him in the pantheon of silent movie greats along with those better known artists. Not only did Sjostrom direct this film, but is credited as a writer and appeared as the principal character, David Holm. Nominally considered a horror film, I'd prefer to think of this story as a dark morality tale, evocative in many ways of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", though with a decidedly more sinister bent.What's particularly striking about the film are the visual images created by Sjostrom's extensive use of double exposure to produce other worldly effects such as spirits rising from the recently deceased, or the ghostly image of the phantom carriage itself making it's appointed rounds. The story is told in five parts, although that didn't seem to be necessary as it flowed quite logically with the director's effective use of expository flashback scenes.As strong and unrelenting as the story is, I can't help but feel that it would have made an even more significant impact if in the finale, Sjostrom had allowed Holm's wife to follow through in her determination to leave her misery behind, the result of Holm's neglect and insufferable manner. Had Holm been allowed to 'remain dead', the eternal suffering he would have had to experience would have created one of the most powerful film endings in the history of cinema. As it is, it seemed Sjostrom took the more convenient and 'acceptable' way out for his character, and for movie goers who were still getting used to this new medium.Even so, this is a genuine film masterpiece, proving that even the earliest pioneers in the medium had important things to say and creative ways to say them. The story has a lot to offer about redemption and reconciliation, and effectively moves the principal character through various stages of personal torment before making amends for a misspent life.

When it comes to silent cinema, it's often relayed by newcomers that getting past the sound (or lack thereof) barrier is one that is difficult or near-impossible to do. Indeed, I remember my first venture into the silent realm and well, let's just say I wasn't convinced and moved away for near-on a decade. It goes without saying that, now with more than a handful of silent films (many now among my all-time favourite movies) under my belt, it's probably best to appreciate that some of cinema's forgotten treasures are easier to digest in a modern world than others. Or, at least for the uninitiated. The Phantom Carriage, I'd like to think, is one of those that crosses the barrier with ease. Whether through its imaginative storytelling, compelling visual effects that even a CGI-laden teenager might decree as "impressive", or the mere pace at which the film moves along; Victor Sjöström's 1921 classic is surely a film with no limitations set merely by its year of production. Firstly there's the plot which, although has been beaten to death on screens for the past 90 or so years, is one that is readily engaging and compelling to this day. Echoing more famous films made later down the line such as It's A Wonderful Life or Scrooge among many others, Sjöström's adaptation of Nobel prize-winning author Selma Lagerlöf's 'Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness!' (the fourth adaptation of Lagerlöf's novels by Sjöström and A-B Svenska Biografteatern) is a wonderfully- told moralistic epic that swoons, sways, crashes and burns as each of the film's characters play out their parts in what is, for the most part, a very grim and starkly depressing story. It's also a tale steeped in mysticism and fantasy, and while I'm usually rather prickly when it comes to such works, when done as well as it is here you can't help but be whisked along quite willingly for 100 minutes or so. It had some small hurdles in getting green-lit back in the day because of certain touchy belief-systems, but eventually the studio decided it would better served facing the wrath of an omniscient deity than Selma Lagerlöf. A wise choice indeed.As a direct result of the plot's reliance on the supernatural and occult, Phantom Carriage also boasts visual effects that far-exceeded anything else on screens at the time in terms of realism and clarity. Even on the newly-released Criterion blu-ray the scenes involving ghostly phantoms look stunning, even though the HD format has a tendency to do the exact opposite, often drawing attention to the primitive techniques used at certain points in history. On the flip side of the coin however, Lagerlöf's story isn't merely about ghosts in the literal sense; in fact, it probably spends more time developing and exposing the emotional phantoms that haunt its characters during their waking lives. Sjöström excels here also, blending powerful but natural performances from his more than capable cast (which includes himself in the lead role) with the detailed and strikingly-lit photography of Julius Jaenzon to cast light and shadows upon the characters' emotive faces, and most importantly, their conflicted hearts. Cinematographers were doing great work already across many studios at the time, and while The Phantom Carriage stands out as one of the very best, it's the realistic and very-seldom melodramatic performances led by Sjöström himself that break the standard for 1921 more than anything else.Rounding out the package on the restored Criterion release are two soundtracks, one of which I haven't heard at this time. The first is a fantastic chamber orchestra score penned by Matti Bye in 1998. It's not your typical silent-movie score by any means; often it will delve into bizarre interludes and stanzas that mirror the action well, but never distract from the film. The second, which I haven't gotten around to yet, is an experimental piece by KTL recorded for a Tartan DVD release in 2008. From what I've read elsewhere it's even better than Matti Bye's, and if it furthers Phantom Carriage's already strong ability to step out of its 95-year-old history and appeal to modern audiences, then by all means. Overall, I cannot recommend this one enough. Compelling and highly emotive character fantasy-drama, start to finish.

'The Phantom Carriage' is a very well known silent film which ended up massively influencing huge cinematic stalwarts like Ingmar Bergman and Stanley Kubrick to name a few. Written and directed by Victor Sjöstrom, the film is based on a book of the same name written by Selma Lagerlöf which itself was based on Swedish fairy tales. Sjöstrom himself played the lead character, David Holm.When talking about the themes of 'The Phantom Carriage', I think the first element that has to be addressed is that the film is at its core, essentially engulfed by Christian ideals and principles. The story is about the redemption of a sinner. David Holm is not at all a character who is likable. He is a drunk jerk, a person who refuses to mend his ways no matter what, a person who forces his family to pay for the consequences of his recklessness. However there are glimpses of his humanity scattered in parts in the film. Sjöstrom doesn't shy away from showing that the habit of self- destruction is not something that you can get rid of very easily. There are multiple occasions where others remind him of the man he used to be in order to force him to change his ways. But time and again we see him dismiss their efforts and resort back to his vile, disrespectful and self-destructive ways. There is a scene in the film where Holm is crying and he says that no one wants to believe that he can change and so he can't help but cry. I think this line was used by Sjöstrom as an ironic statement. Sjöstrom wants to imply that it is not others but Holm himself who doesn't want to believe that he can change and go back to being the man he was because he has lost all his faith in life and himself. The idea being advocated here I think is that no matter how much others try, in the end it's only you and your self-realisations that can change your nature. The character of David Holm really reminded me of the titular character played by Harvey Keitel in Abel Ferrara's 'Bad Lieutenant' which was another film dealing with the Christian ideas of redemption. The similarities in the two characters lie in their constant refusal to change and redeem themselves due to a probable lack of faith in their own selves and God. I also loved how the character of Holm goes from the Faust who gets turned to the dark side by the Mephistopheles Georges to becoming the one who himself entices others to the 'pleasures' of alcohol consumption.The basic plot has similarities with the story structure of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' and also with 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Much of the plot progresses with the help of flashbacks and Sjöstrom's screenplay very effectively shifts back and forth in time line. The acting also has to be really admired. Although there is usage of exaggerated expressions as was unavoidable in the silent era, there are also some precious moments of subtlety. Sjöstrom, Hilda Borgström and Astrid Holm are the three actors whose performances impressed me the most. Sjöstrom's direction is very assured. His frame compositions are great. There are some extremely haunting shots and images in the film like the extended shot of Mrs.Holm entering the Edit's room or the shot of Mrs.Holm standing with the kids on the pavement while David in his drunken state is lying at her feet, etc. to name a few. The quality of the double exposures to depict the ghostly carriage and spirits was also impressive and gave the scenes the eerie vibe they needed. The soundtrack works well to express the sorrowful spirit of the film.While watching the film I could easily notice how Bergman and Kubrick were inspired by this. The depiction of the grim reaper here must have been an influence for the character of Death in 'The Seventh Seal' and this plot structure of someone looking back at his life to realise the faults of his ways can be seen in Bergman's classic 'Wild Strawberries' where Bergman intentionally cast Sjöstrom in the lead role. When it comes to Kubrick, anyone who has seen 'The Shining', will easily notice the way this film influenced him.I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Phantom Carriage'. The film works as a cautionary tale about the consequences of selling yourself to the bottle and also as a character study based in the ideas of redemption. This is undoubtedly one of the great films from the silent era.

1921's The Phantom Carriage is one of the many silent films I have viewed and enjoyed over the years. However, there is something that sets this film apart from the other great pieces of cinema which I have enjoyed. The story revolves around a variety of characters that are connected in some way to David Holm, (Victor Sjöström) a vile man who suffers from both tuberculosis and alcoholism. Holm is not only violent to his wife and children, but also actively tries to spread his illness to others. The film's first mentioning of him is from a dying woman who requests to see him before she passes away. Initially the audience is unsure what her relation with David Holm is; however as time passes we begin to learn that she was a Salvation Army parishioner who once looked over the homeless David Holm. Throughout this, the audience learns of the myth of Körkarlen i.e.: The Phantom Carriage. The viewer learns that at the end of every year the last evil person to die is damned to spend one year driving a carriage playing the role of death by reaping every soul who dies in the world for one year. After a fight which ends in Holm receiving a serious injury, David meets with the previous year's carriage driver and they discuss some of his wrong doings. The film is shot amazingly well, using creative camera angles and effective uses of fades, cross dissolves and double exposures. All of these things give the user an eerie feeling throughout the entire movie, as well as a sense of urgency as the dying Salvation Army parishioner moves closer and closer to her dying hour. The film effectively tells its story through uses of flashbacks, as well as through focusing on several characters, instead of just one. The film's story is similar to that of Dicken's A Christmas Carol, but has a far darker tone, as some of David's violent actions, as well as some of the carriage driver's duties are shown to the viewer in ways that are more direct than in A Chirstmas Carol. David Holm's attack on his family with an axe and attempts to give his children tuberculosis are good examples of this. The film can be accused of being a little bit preachy at times. The film makes no attempts to hide its anti-alcohol message, but this was after all filmed in an era where most countries were experiencing at least some measures of alcohol prohibition. Additionally, the film does have a very strong Christian tone to it, but it is far from being so preachy as to chase away a non-Christian viewer. When viewing the film, it is best that the viewer remembers that this film is a representation of the values and morals of the era which it was recorded in, not necessarily an attempt to tell the viewer how to live his or her lives. In its entirety The Phantom Carriage is a great film that was years ahead of its time. It is a film which is certainly on par with some of the finest pieces of cinema ever created. I believe that The Phantom Carrage can appeal to almost every viewer, even those who are not typically interested in silent films. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, if you haven't seen it yet, then do so.