The Outlaw and His Wife

Great movie, just be prepared to speed read the captions. Hard to believe that a silent film races through the captions.

This was an unexpectedly rich emotional journey characterized by a raw, often primal expressiveness that matched the untamed, awesome scale of its mountainous landscape. Its characters reject (and are rejected by) human society, and build a life for themselves in the wilderness where "[t]he only law for them was their love." When we are first presented with this idea it seems like nothing more than sweet sentiment. But as the film progresses we are forced to confront a deeper meaning: while we might be able to outrun the laws of man, breaking the laws of nature always has consequences. I was impressed by this story, challenged by its themes, and was left with an increased respect for Sjöström's direction, writing, and acting. His cinematography is always fabulous, but nothing yet in his filmography has compared with this. The snow-speckled peaks, mountain lake, and waterfalls are stunning, but the thrice-presented jagged cliffside starkly filmed against the otherwise unbroken sky is seared into my brain.

An amazing film for it's time it's far ahead of it's time and perfect captivates Swedish culture.

Enjoyable as a historical artifact, it does not hold up the way the best work of Keaton, Chaplin, Dreyer, Lang, or Murnau does.

Spectacular imagery to say the least.

Some beautiful imagery in this silent film that's takes an unfortunate turn at the end of its sixth act.

Brilliant Swedish silent film from 1919

It's a messy melodrama and the characterization is sloppy. The storytelling especially falls apart in the penultimate chapter, with events that either make no sense or strain credibility. I suspect some of these problems might be rectified in the longer version... on the other hand, they could also be exacerbated. However, there is a skillfulness that hints at later, greater works by Sjostrom. The use of natural landscapes and punishing weather is handled almost as artfully as in The Wind.

This is one of Sweden's great films, the story is split into 7 parts and it is telling the story of a Man (Kari) who is on the run from the law and a woman (Halla) who he falls in love with and they run off together. The film is like most of the time in Sweden (and Sjorstrum's films in general), nature is used to a masterful degree and shows how insignificant our actions are and how we bow to nature and must hope for its forgiveness. The film is beautifully shot and shows what is to come in cinema, the use of crosscutting and tinting and lighting (the lighting is great). The film also uses real locations and it creates a whole different feel than, say, "Cabira" when Hannibal is crossing the alps and a painted background is used. The film is visually a masterpiece but the weak point is the beginning of the story, which is important plot wise but is rather slow and boring but once the 4th part is reached the film flys and this is when it become the masterpiece it is known for.

Kino's pair of Sjostrom DVDs (containing 3 features and an hour long documentary) is a blessing for anyone who enjoyed Bergman's "To Joy" or "Wild Strawberries". Sjostrom has long been relegated to footnote status. He's always cited as a major influence on Scandinavian cinema and along with Mauritz Stiller, labeled the father of the Swedish cinema. Now a small portion of his work is Netflixable, so he can be rediscovered. Pre-1920s films are always difficult propositions. More often then not, they're what a friend terms "homework films" or things you watch because you're interested in film, not because you expect to enjoy them. "The Outlaw and his Wife" does fall into this category, but it's stronger than I expected, so it gets a high rating. Most notable is the excellent outdoor photography and the relatively modern editing. So many dramas from this era are impossible to focus on because there's very little going on. One idea is presented at a time- and the ideas are probably cliche now-- if they weren't then. Sostrom draws heavily from Scandinavian literature, but there's beauty and passion here that's lacking in most other films from the era. The accompanying documentary is certainly worth a look if you're interested in the development of Swedish film. For me, it was more essential than the feature film itself, because in an hour, it provided a reasonable appreciation of the director's career. It employs a large number of excerpts from his Swedish films (the Hollywood ones are relegated to stills- presumably for rights reasons). As expected, the oft cited "Phantom Carriage" looks exceptional. You see where good old Ingmar got some of his earliest tricks. Later work looks worth watching as well. They have some of the best lighting I've seen in silent film. Hopefully Kino will continue releasing these. Maybe we'll even be lucky enough to see an Eclipse box!