The Carter of Death (1921)

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Movie
German title The carter of death
Original title Körkarlen
Country of production Sweden
original language Swedish
Publishing year 1921
length 107 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Victor Sjöström
script Victor Sjöström
production Charles Magnusson
camera Julius Jaenzon
occupation

The wagoner of death (original title: Körkarlen ) is a Swedish film drama shot in black and white from 1921 . The film is based on the novel of the same name by the Swedish Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf . In 2012, a survey among Swedish film critics named the influential silent film “the best Swedish film of all time”.

action

On New Year's Eve, the terminally ill Salvation Army sister Edit asks her companions Maria and Gustafsson to have one last wish: that they bring David Holm to her deathbed. Meanwhile, David, a run-down alcoholic, gets drunk with two drinking buddies in a cemetery. He tells of his former friend Georges, who once told him the legend of the wagoner of death. This states that the last person to die in the old year is obliged by death to collect the souls of the deceased in his carriage for the duration of the following year, until the burden is transferred to a new person at the end of the year.

Gustafsson finds David in the cemetery and tries to persuade him to pay Edit the last visit, but this refuses. Over his harsh rejection of his wish, an argument breaks out with his cronies, in the course of which David is fatally injured. The carriage of death appears, driven by Georges. He died a year ago on New Year's Eve and declares David his successor.

Georges takes David on a journey through memories of his once happy family life with his wife Anna and their two children. This ended when David got involved with Georges and his drinking buddies. He was served a prison term for being drunk, but said he would improve upon his release. However, when he found on his return home that his wife had left him, he reversed his oath.

On New Year's Eve a year ago, David went to the Salvation Army's sleeping quarters. Despite her co-sister's warning, Edit patched his coat without disinfecting it first, contracting tuberculosis. The next morning, David sneered at parting and promised to visit her at the same time next year so that she could see whether her prayers for his salvation had been answered. Georges points out to David that this promise must now be fulfilled.

In further flashbacks you can see how Edit, although she had fallen in love with the fallen man, snatched him from his milieu in order to reunite him with his wife. However, David soon fell back into his former habits and threatened his family. In a fit of frenzy, after his wife locked him in the kitchen, he smashed the door with an ax.

When the carter enters Edit's room with David, she first begs for her life until she recognizes David again. She blames herself for the fate of his family because she reunited him with his wife at the time. Remorseful David kisses her hands, whereupon Edit dies in peace. Then Georges brings David to Anna, who is desperate to kill her children and herself. In an act of selflessness, David begs God to prevent the act of desperation, even if he has to atone for it forever. Then he gets his life back. David and Anna embrace crying.

background

development

As early as 1917, AB Svenska Biografteatern (from whose merger with the film industry AB Scandia the AB Svensk Filmindustri was formed in 1919 ) signed a contract with Selma Lagerlöf that made it possible to bring one of her works to the screen every year. Victor Sjöström had already filmed three novels since the signing of the contract: Das Mädchen vom Moorhof (film version: The Mädchen vom Moorhof ) and Jerusalem , a two- parter , which had been positively received by critics, audience and Lagerlöf itself. Since the productions were all set in rural surroundings, Sjöström chose the urban novel Der Fuhrmann des Todes as a new project .

Filming

The shooting took place from May to July 1920 in the Filmstaden Studios in Solna . According to the novel, the studio buildings were inspired by the southern Swedish city of Landskrona . Lagerlöf originally wanted to have the film shot on location in Landskrona, but Sjöström decided on a studio production due to the technical possibilities.

post-production

For cameraman Julius Jaenzon and laboratory representative Eugén Hellman, post-production turned out to be an unusually complex affair for the time, due to the intensive use of special effects. Janzon had previously worked with double exposure in Mr. Arnes Schatz (another Lagerlöf implementation in which Victor Sjöström was not involved), but in this case several layers of images were superimposed. In this way it was made possible that the ghost figures could move in the picture in three-dimensional space. As soon as they stood in front of a solid object, this shone through the transparent body. This technical achievement is to be rated all the more highly, since it has to be considered that the cameras in use at that time were still operated with hand cranks.

criticism

“An impressive cinematic 'shower ballad', based on the novel by Selma Lagerlöf. Within the complex narrative and flashback structure, mystical elements meet realistic scenes that denounce social grievances as a result of industrialization. Thanks to great emotional moments, the film unfolds in an atmospherically dense atmosphere despite the rather educational and educational message. "

- Lexicon of international film

Aftermath

The film had a lasting influence on the work of Ingmar Bergman , who used the figure of death in The Seventh Seal (1957) and created a direct reference to The Carter of Death with the title "Zuchtmeister" . Bergman also engaged Sjöström as an actor in two of his films, To Joy (1950) and Wild Strawberries (1957). Bergman once reported that he first watched the film when he was 15 and every year since. In 2000 Bergman shot the TV drama Bildmakarna (2000), which fictionally deals with the genesis of The Carter of Death .

In 1958 a remake was released, directed by Arne Mattsson .

In 2012, the film was named the best Swedish film of all time in a survey by the Swedish film magazine FLM of 50 film critics and experts.

DVD / Blu-Ray

absolut MEDIEN GmbH released a DVD on January 23, 2009, which contains a fragment of the lost crime film The Kiss of Death (1916) as an encore .

In 2008 Tartan Video released the film in Great Britain in two versions, one of which also contains Ingmar Bergman's picture makarna . In 2011 the film was released in the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray. All releases on the English-speaking market present the film with Swedish subtitles subtitled in English.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ When showing with the usual frame rate of 16 frames per second for early silent films or correctly scanned screenings and broadcasts, see e.g. B. the DVD releases of Tartan Video and Criterion.
  2. ^ Article in Svenska Dagbladet of August 30, 2012, accessed on October 12, 2012.
  3. ↑ Part 1 Sons of Ingmar (no German version available); Part 2 Karin from Ingmarshof
  4. ^ The wagoner of death in the dictionary of international filmsTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used .
  5. ↑ Mårten Blomkvist: Stumma pärlor lyser upp (Swedish), Dagens Nyheter of December 14, 2007, accessed April 1, 2012.
  6. ↑ Gunnar Bergdahl: Ingmar Bergmans utlåtanden om svenska filmer — Körkarlen (Swedish), Aftonbladet, July 31, 2007, accessed April 1, 2012.
  7. ^ Article in Svenska Dagbladet of August 30, 2012, accessed on October 12, 2012.