THE PHANTOM CHARIOT (1921) Directed by Victor Sjostrom.
Starring Victor Sjostrom and a whole bunch of people pining for the fjords.
A drunken, wife and child abusing sadistic thug is unaccountably given a chance at redemption when, upon being murdered by his fellow thugs who,too, are shocked by his repugnance, he is faced with the possibility of becoming the driver of Death's dreaded chariot (or, as it is referred to in the picture, cart).
Basically a Swedish version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, the approx. 60 minute film suffers on two points; Unlike Dicken's story, there really is not enough story material to justify a running length beyond maybe 45 minutes nor is there a true sense of the power of goodness or sentimentality that makes the aforementioned tale a Classic. This story is too dreary and sordid to enchant or inspire. THAT SAID; this film is superior to the later French sound version which runs significantly over 60 minutes. Brevity as its advantages. The second point is that, unlike Scrooge who is basically a wounded bitter individual more to be pitied than hated, Sjortrom's David Holm is just a low grade thug who deserves death and damnation. He has no true reason for his wretched behavior and is given chance after chance to turn over a new leaf and yet rejects them all. As stated, he is so foul his fellow lowlifes do him in out of pure revulsion. So the Supernatural "second chance" just does not work. Let him drive that cart. Let him burn. Let there be justice.
THAT SAID; The legend and mythos of the Phantom Chariot, described in the quote below, is original (though I believe inspired by the Nordic The Wild Hunt) and mostly well realized with mood, lighting and potent imagery. The tableaus of the driver of the Death Cart wrenching the souls from the corpses of suicides or drowned men are memorable and actually justify the film's existence. Unlike the French version which tells the scoundrel's entire miserable unpleasant story first before finally getting to the Phantom Cart, this version begins with the Cart's manifestation and tells aspects of Holm's life in flashback thus giving the film a firm grounding in it's supernatural material.
The acting is neither fish nor foul. The characterization is not especially deep or incisive. The dialogue is average. The direction is frequently good visually though the film suffers from sluggish Bergman type pacing making the film feel longer than it's 60 minutes.
Still. A worthwhile film. Something Horror fans probably should see since it is a decent example of the Silent film's interest in the Death mythos and the story did inspire a sound remake by Julien Duvivier in 1939.
A recommendation.
"If anything happens to a man on New Year's Eve, he'll be condemned to drive the Phantom chariot."
Starring Victor Sjostrom and a whole bunch of people pining for the fjords.
A drunken, wife and child abusing sadistic thug is unaccountably given a chance at redemption when, upon being murdered by his fellow thugs who,too, are shocked by his repugnance, he is faced with the possibility of becoming the driver of Death's dreaded chariot (or, as it is referred to in the picture, cart).
Basically a Swedish version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, the approx. 60 minute film suffers on two points; Unlike Dicken's story, there really is not enough story material to justify a running length beyond maybe 45 minutes nor is there a true sense of the power of goodness or sentimentality that makes the aforementioned tale a Classic. This story is too dreary and sordid to enchant or inspire. THAT SAID; this film is superior to the later French sound version which runs significantly over 60 minutes. Brevity as its advantages. The second point is that, unlike Scrooge who is basically a wounded bitter individual more to be pitied than hated, Sjortrom's David Holm is just a low grade thug who deserves death and damnation. He has no true reason for his wretched behavior and is given chance after chance to turn over a new leaf and yet rejects them all. As stated, he is so foul his fellow lowlifes do him in out of pure revulsion. So the Supernatural "second chance" just does not work. Let him drive that cart. Let him burn. Let there be justice.
THAT SAID; The legend and mythos of the Phantom Chariot, described in the quote below, is original (though I believe inspired by the Nordic The Wild Hunt) and mostly well realized with mood, lighting and potent imagery. The tableaus of the driver of the Death Cart wrenching the souls from the corpses of suicides or drowned men are memorable and actually justify the film's existence. Unlike the French version which tells the scoundrel's entire miserable unpleasant story first before finally getting to the Phantom Cart, this version begins with the Cart's manifestation and tells aspects of Holm's life in flashback thus giving the film a firm grounding in it's supernatural material.
The acting is neither fish nor foul. The characterization is not especially deep or incisive. The dialogue is average. The direction is frequently good visually though the film suffers from sluggish Bergman type pacing making the film feel longer than it's 60 minutes.
Still. A worthwhile film. Something Horror fans probably should see since it is a decent example of the Silent film's interest in the Death mythos and the story did inspire a sound remake by Julien Duvivier in 1939.
A recommendation.
"If anything happens to a man on New Year's Eve, he'll be condemned to drive the Phantom chariot."
