The Phantom Carriage
Criterion Collection Edition #579
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.
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The Phantom Carriage
Directed by Victor Sjöström • 1921 • Sweden
Starring Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore SvennbergThe 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 ...
Extras
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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...
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The Bergman Connection
In this new visual essay, film scholar and Bergman biographer Peter Cowie traces the influence of Victor Sjöström and THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE on the films of Ingmar Bergman.
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THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE: Constructing Råsunda Studios
THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE was the first film to be produced at Svensk Filmindustri’s new studios in Råsunda, north of Stockholm. The following footage shows directors Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjöström standing with head of production Charles Magnusson on the site allocated for the facilities, which ...
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Flashbacks in THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE
Professor Kristin Thompson explores the intricate chronology of Victor Sjöström’s innovative ghost story.
