The trial by fire
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The trial by fire / who judges? |
| Original title | Vem stupider? |
| Country of production | Sweden |
| original language | Swedish |
| Publishing year | 1922 |
| length | 93 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Victor Sjöström |
| script |
Hjalmar Bergman Victor Sjöström |
| production | Svensk Filmindustri , Stockholm |
| camera | J. Julius |
| occupation | |
| |
The trial by fire , also under Who judges? and Beatrix , is a 1921 Swedish silent film drama directed by Victor Sjöström with Jenny Hasselquist and Gösta Ekman in the leading roles.
action
Florence , at the time of the Renaissance .
Young Ursula is forced into marriage with a man she cannot stand. The sculptor Anton, on the other hand, is very much in love with the young woman and even lets her sit as a model for himself. A new sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary is planned. When she began to complain about the strain that model sitting was making for her, Anton gave her the opportunity to take longer breaks. Ursula uses this for one or the other erotic rendezvous with Bertram, the attractive son of the mayor of the city. Bertram's father finds out about Ursula's extramarital activities, but does not have the heart to inform his old friend Anton about it. One day a mendicant monk comes into town. In his case there are brews and ointments that he would like to sell to interested parties. Ursula hopes to find a poison among the offer with which she can send her unloved husband to the afterlife as quickly as possible. The beggar monk suspects Ursula's shameful intent and secretly exchanges the desired poison for a harmless substance. When the traveling monk Anton meets in the basement of the town hall, he tells him about the suspicions he has against Ursula and urges the artist to be careful. Anton is furious because he cannot believe these accusations, but is taught better when his friend, the mayor, tells him about the secret relationship between Ursula and Bertram.
When Anton asks his unfaithful wife for a glass of water and wants to put her to the test, Ursula secretly pours in the tincture the mendicant had bought, believing that it was the hoped-for, deadly poison. Anton observes his wife doing her work with a mirror. So shocked by their nefariousness, Anton suddenly falls over and dies without the need for the poison. In his agony he assumes a position that is very similar to that of Jesus Christ on the cross. When Anton's body is discovered, it is clear to everyone: Ursula must have murdered her husband! She firmly denies this, but refuses to prove otherwise, to drink the water she has prepared in the glass because she is afraid of dying from it. To help her, because he is convinced of Ursula's innocence, Ursula's lover Bertram offers to drink from the water glass. But Ursula knocks over the glass in time, so that the young widow can no longer prove it. Ursula is arrested, the mob of the city demands her death. Only when the beggar monk appears and explains that he has not sold Ursula any poison is her innocence proven, and the accused is released again.
The following night, two of the late master's pupils kept watch over the dead man's coffin. They perceive how blood runs down from the forehead of Jesus on the cross. In a time of omnipresent superstition, this occurrence is immediately taken as a sign that Ursula was to blame for Anton's death. One demands that the widow should answer before a divine judgment. A trial by fire should take place, which, should Ursula survive unscathed, could prove her ultimate innocence. And again, Bertram offers himself to take this acid test for Ursula. Ursula is deeply touched by the trust of her young lover, and the city officials also agree with Bertram's proposal. A large campfire is lit for Bertram to step through. The large crucifix from the town church is brought in for this purgatory event. Up to this point Bertram must be able to cross the fire unscathed. Meanwhile, Ursula begins to doubt her own innocence and tries to recapitulate Anton's death. She realizes that her hated husband must have seen her pour the supposedly poisonous, but actually harmless, tincture into the water glass. With this in mind, she no longer wants to accept Bertram's sacrifice and ends up going through the fire herself. While walking, she recognizes how the face of Jesus Christ on the cross takes on the features of her husband. His smile helps her to face the cruel death by fire without agony. She collapses on her knees in front of the crucifix. Bertram rushes to her.
Production notes
The Trial by Fire premiered in several Swedish cities on New Year's Day 1922.
Axel Esbensen designed the film structures and the costumes.
Reviews
"The somewhat thin-blooded fable is an occasion for Sjöström to create atmospheric pictures in which the architecture, furnishings and strict image composition should convey an impression of the spirit of the Renaissance period."
“The film is excellent from a technical point of view, especially the photography by Jaenzon , but the drama is incapable of moving anyone. Who judges shows all the traits of the Swedish school except the essential one: artistic truth. "
Web links
- Swedish review overview (in Swedish)
- The ordeal in the Internet Movie Database (English)