The Outlaw and His Wife

Though brief, the Golden Age of Swedish Cinema contributed two tremendous directors and one legendary movie star to film history. While Greta Garbo is fondly remembered by movie lovers for her melancholy allure, directors Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller have been relegated to film history textbooks. In 1912, Sjostrom and Stiller joined Svenska Bio, the production company managed by Charles Magnusson that became the leading force in Swedish national film production. Magnusson also worked as a director, but his true gift was in discovering new talent and signing them to Svenska Bio. In addition to Sjostrom and Stiller, he signed brilliant cinematographer Julius Jaenzon, who was responsible for the stunning landscapes that were characteristic of Swedish cinema. Sjostrom was also an actor who made his screen debut in Stiller's The Black Masks the year the two were signed by Magnusson. The following year, he directed Ingeborg Holm (1913), the first of his 34 films for Svenska Bio. The film has been hailed as Sweden's first important feature. By 1917, the Swedish film industry had hit its stride, signaling the beginning of its Golden Age. During that time, Stiller and Sjostrom ruled the lot at Svenska, which became Svensk Filmindustri in 1919. They controlled every facet of production on their films, even claiming final cut. The Outlaw and His Wife (Berg-Ejvind Och Hans Hust Ru), which was based on a play by Johann Sigurjonsson, was cowritten and directed by Sjostrom during this heady time. The story is set in 18th-century Iceland, though it was shot in the wilds of northern Sweden. The outlaw of the title is Berg-Ejvind, who has escaped from prison at the beginning of the story. Calling himself Kari, he is hired by the kind-hearted widow Halla to help her on her large farm. Kari and Halla fall in love at first sight, which angers her brother-in-law, who is also the local alderman. Halla had rejected the alderman's marriage proposal, making him bitter and revengeful. When he learns of Kari's true identity, he schemes to have him arrested. Kari and Halla escape to the mountains, and she abandons her farm. The couple live happily in the mountains, where Halla gives birth to a daughter. Their happiness turns to fear when a posse catches up to them, forcing them further into the wilderness, where loneliness, hunger, and the bone-chilling cold drive them to despair. Sjostrom, who often played the lead in his films, starred as Kari, while his future wife, Edith Erastoff, costarred as Halla. Their off-screen relationship gave the characters a warm familiarity that made their instantaneous relationship believable. The characters' sudden attraction was also suggested by Sjostrom's sure-handed direction, in which he depicted the initial meeting of Kari and Halla in a crisp shot/reverse-shot set-up in which the camera cuts back and forth between their love-struck faces. The real star of the film, however, is nature, or the great outdoors. Like his other films, The Outlaw and His Wife conveys a true spiritual feeling for nature. Though Sjostrom was adept at editing, he preferred compositions in long shot rather than to divide his scenes into a variety of shots. This style choice served the director's emphasis on landscape and nature in his films. The director worked closely with Svenska's star cinematographer Julius Jaenzon to give the landscape its poetic dimension. The landscape and exteriors are often integrated into the story. The narrative of The Outlaw and His Wife is structured into three parts, each with a different landscape and mood. The first part focuses on the idyllic life on Halla's farm during the summer months. Rolling hills, grassy meadows, and babbling brooks create the perfect complement to Kari and Halla's love. After the star-crossed lovers escape to the mountains, the landscape is far more rugged, and Kari, Halla, their daughter, and their friend Arnes must work hard to survive off the land. In the last section, the mountains are cold and the landscape inhospitable, turning the mood to despair as the couple fend off their growing loneliness and isolation. In addition to the importance of the landscape in general, certain natural elements become repeated motifs. The cliff in the second part of the film is the site of several mishaps and misfortunes, turning it into a symbol of life's unforeseen hurdles. Adding to the naturalism of the film's style are the interior sets, which are not designed in the stagy, three-wall style of American silents. Instead, the small rooms and dark hallways of the farm house seem to match the exterior design of the flat-roofed structure. Sweden's neutrality in WWI gave its cinema industry an advantage. Other European film industries were disrupted by the war and hurt by blockades. Sweden exported its movies to countries without active industries, while less competition created a better market for Swedish films. These conditions drew attention to directors like Sjostrom, garnering world-wide acclaim for his films, including The Outlaw and His Wife. Not surprisingly, Hollywood extended the welcome mat to the Swedish actors and directors. In 1923, Svensk Filmindustri sent Sjostrom to Hollywood to direct films for Samuel Goldwyn that Svensk could then distribute in Scandinavia. He changed his name to Seastrom and directed a well-received, box-office hit called He Who Gets Slapped (1924), starring John Gilbert, Norma Shearer, and Lon Chaney. In the mid-1920s, Sjostrom was considered a leading Hollywood director. He directed Lillian Gish in The Scarlet Letter (1926) and Greta Garbo in The Divine Woman (1928). Gish was so impressed with Sjostrom that she requested him to direct her in The Wind (1928), which became his masterpiece. Sjostrom returned to Europe in 1930 to a considerably less prominent film industry. During the 1940s, he became director of Svensk Filmindustri, following in Charles Magnussen's footsteps by discovering and developing many talented actors and directors. In 1957, Ingmar Bergman surprised Sjostrom by asking him to play the old man whose dreams and thoughts provide the structure for Wild Strawberries. Through his films, his years in charge of Svensk, and his role in Bergman's classic, Sjostrom influenced or touched the lives of generations of Swedish film actors and directors. By: Susan Doll Producer: Charles Magnusson for Svenska Bio Director: Victor Sjostrom Screenplay: Sam Ask and Victor Sjostrom, based on a play by Johann Sigurjonsson Cinematography: Julius Jaenzon (as J. Julius) Production Design: Axel Esbensen Cast: Berg-Ejvind, aka Kari (Victor Sjostrom), Halla (Edith Erastoff), Arnes (John Ekman), Bjorn (Nils Arehn), Gudfinna (Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson), Farm Hand (Artur Rolen), Bjarni (William Larsson) 1918 B&W 73 mins.