The Phantom Carriage
The Phantom Carriage
•
1h 47m
Directed by Victor Sjöström • 1921 • Sweden
Starring Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore Svennberg
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.
Up Next in The Phantom Carriage
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THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE Commentary
This commentary features film historian Casper Tybjerg and was recorded in Copenhagen in May 2011.
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THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE KTL Score
This score was composed and produced in 2007 by the experimental duo KTL, a collaboration between computer music innovator Peter Rehberg and guitarist Stephen O’Malley.
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Ingmar Bergman on Victor Sjöström
In this 1981 interview with Ingmar Bergman, excerpted from Gösta Werner’s feature documentary VICTOR SJÖSTRÖM: A PORTRAIT, the filmmaker discusses his deep admiration for Sjöström—director of THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE—as well as the influence he had on his own career and their work together on WILD ST...
