Gösta Berlings saga

Greta Gustafsson grew up in an environment that offered scant hope for a little girl who loved to act. Youngest of three children, Greta remembers living in a small Stockholm, Sweden apartment where in the evenings after work "my father would be sitting in a corner, scribbling figures on a newspaper. On the other side of the room, my mother is repairing ragged old clothes, sighing." She claimed there was always tension in the air, making life for the sensitive girl not very pleasant.

Later, as an 18-year-older, her acting ambitions were slowly realized. Greta was able to get her foot in the door primarily because she possessed a pretty face. Gustafsson appeared in several print advertisements before she popped up in a brief filmed scene while attending the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in Stockholm from 1922 to 1924. Director Mauritz Stiller, famous for his cutting-edge 1919 'Sir Arne's Treasure' and 1920 'Erotikon,' spotted Greta and signed her to play a part in his March 1924 "The Saga of Gosta Berling."

It was this movie that Louis B. Mayer, who had just merged his production studio with Metro and Goldwyn's Pictures to create MGM Studios, was in Germany looking for new talent. Swedish director Victor Sjostrom, recently hired by Mayer, recommended he see the work of his friend Stiller. There's differing accounts on what happened when the film producer saw "The Saga of Gosta Berling," but Myer's daughter recounts him saying upon seeing Gustafsson, "This director is wonderful, but what we really ought to look at is the girl ... The girl, look at the girl! It's her eyes. I can make her a star."

Gustafsson eventually went to Hollywood, where she was given a new name. Studio executives kept the Greta, but her last name became Garbo. The Swedish actress would become the fifth greatest actress in cinema, according to the American Film Institute. Not bad for a girl who never attended high school, which was par for the course for working class Swedish school girls, something that for the rest of her life Garbo claimed gave her an inferiority complex.

"The Saga of Goat Berling" has been tabbed the Swedish version of America's epic "Gone With The Wind" for the breath and scope of its plot. Gleaned from Selma Lagerlof's 1891 novel, the movie's about a Lutheran minister who's fired by church elders for his drinking habits as well as for his controversial sermons. Gosta Berling receives a job offer to become a tutor to a countess' daughter, Ebba. The countess hopes her new tutor will marry his pupil before her son, Henrik, whom she despises, gets the countess' inheritance. Henrik soon returns from Italy with his supposed new wife, Elizabeth (Greta). Towards the end of the movie, which is chock full of flashbacks and intrigue from a number of participants, Elizabeth sours on Henrik, but not before she's in an exciting chase on a horse-drawn sled with Berling trying to outrun a pack of hungry wolves on a frozen lake.

It had been noted that since she was so new in front of the camera Greta needed a good dose of champagne before her big scenes. Most of "The Saga of Gosta Berling" production was without her. But her first appearance, 40 minutes into the three-hour plus film, and a reappearance in the last 15 minutes, changed forever the girl who grew up in relative poverty in a Stockholm slum.

"The Saga of Gosta Berling" pretty much marked the end of 'The Golden Age of Swedish Silent Cinema." With highly-regarded Sjostrom already in Hollywood and Stiller with Greta and actor Lars Hanson, who played Berling, soon departing for California, the leaders of Sweden's film industry were gone. With the exception of Garbo, the rest of Sweden's superstar directors had only a modest success in the states, unlike in their native country.

The Saga of Gosta Berling is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and haunting films I have ever seen in my life. I was lucky enough to only see the improved Kino version, however. Trust me, if you long to see this incredible film, please just save up and buy the elegant Kino version. You won't be sorry you did! No other cheaper version will capture the story and it's just not worth it...

The film is long (three hours) but every second is precious. Perhaps it could have been cut shorter to make the plot more simple but who would want that? Hopefully I'm not the only one but when the words "The End" come across the screen my heart aches and I truly want more. Despite how long the film is, many elements from the book by Selma Lagerlöf had to be cut out in order to avoid a ten-hour-long drama. Be sure to hunt down a copy of the story and read it for yourself. Each and every character is so complex and interesting and every chapter is like a moving short story.

The acting is absolutely superb. Hanson and Garbo have such amazing chemistry that you literally feel as if you'll melt when they simply stare at each other with their expressive, longing eyes. Besides the two main stars, everyone gives great performances, besides Torsten Hammarén. He seemed to have the same annoying facial expression the whole time. Maybe that's just the way his character was suppose to be (Henrik Dohna) but I doubt it, since I recall his character in Erotikon (1920) having that same, stupid look.

The main reason I encourage everyone to see the Kino version is for the soundtrack. The soundtrack for the Kino version of The Saga of Gosta Berling is soaring, gorgeous, and completely wonderful. It's the greatest soundtrack I have ever heard for a silent film. I literally get goosebumps on my arms when I feel the melodies run through me. Matti Bye has created a score that fits the story so perfectly that it's unbelievable.

Everything and everyone in this film is stunning visually. We get to see many shots of the magical country of Värmland and its ravishing scenery. Many lovely actors and actresses were chosen and they absolutely glow with beauty. Lars Hanson and Greta Garbo are both hauntingly beautiful, along with the actress Mona Mårtenson, who plays Ebba Dohna.

Honestly, I can't come up with anything to say except, please watch this film and read the book too. The story will never leave you.

The golden age of Swedish cinema (1913-1924) and the rapid growth in Svensk Filmindustrie were influenced by the works of two directors still remembered among many movie buffs today: Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller. They made a primary contribution to early films' style and, more importantly, their careers spread to Hollywood in the first half of the 1920s. Most importantly, both of them based some of their works on the source novels by Selma Lagerlof, a Nobel Prize Winner, an eminent figure in the Sweden of the early 20th century, a muse of Swedish silent cinema. However, the directors' results from the cooperation with the eminent author were quite opposing.

While Sjostrom, as a typical diligent Swede, won Lagerlof's heart (his timeless THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE), Stiller was not so successful being nearly 'persona non grata' due to his 'liberal attitude' towards the source materials (he tried to interpret it rather than film it). Even the adaptation of her GUNNAR HEDE'S SAGA did not meet with the author's enthusiasm. Therefore, the task to film GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA occurred a hard venture because Stiller had an investigating approach, his directorial attempts were loose, he changed some parts of the storyline, some characters for the sake of the new phenomenon that cinema was. That is the very basic fact about his GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA. Consequently...the strong points of the movie do not, indeed, lie in the faithfulness to the novel but elsewhere...

At first, it is important to note that for many years the film has been viewed on weak copies, which resulted in serious shortcomings within critical reviews. The new formidably restored Kino version (which I had pleasure to see during its premiere on Polish TV on two consecutive frosty evenings) with the lovely musical score recaptures its potential and makes this silent film not only 'endurable' but overwhelming and unforgettable. No doubt many reviewers find the restored version much more appealing. But where does the film's popularity lie?

For many, the film is remembered merely as Stiller's radiant discovery: Greta Gustafsson later known to the world as Greta Garbo. And, as a Garbo fan, I admit that knowing Greta Garbo's films without seeing GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA equals to having an apple tree in the garden and not tasting its apples. It is a must to see Garbo in this role of Elizabeth Dohna: a young, still inexperienced newcomer under the constant dominance of her tutor Mauritz Stiller from the time when, as some of her biographers say, in order to shape her, it was enough for the director to look into her eyes... Yes, Stiller noticed something unique in her and brought it out, to the light of camera. And there are some lovely scenes that capture her radiance, including the first close-up in the sleigh sequence, Garbo picking flowers in the garden and walking downstairs in shadowy interiors. However, the specific feature of the movie is its episodic structure and, what results from it, its numerous characters. In that way, saying that the film is worth seeing due to Garbo would be an unforgivably limited view. The film is a lovely representation of various characters and their lives in the 19th century Sweden. Those truly unique performances are handled by Lars Hanson and, above all, GERDA LUNDEQUIST!

Lars Hanson, a mainstay in Stiller's movies before leaving for Hollywood, gives a captivating performance here as a 'defrocked man of God' depicting his character's frustration, guilt, even curse and constant search for redemption. His wandering from the priest through a tutor, then one of the cavalier fellows to the owner of new Ekeby is filled with breathtaking moments. Women he loves disappear, things he owns gradually decline and nothing seems to be left at certain moments. However, a truly haunting part is portrayed by Sweden's Sarah Bernhardt - Gerda Lundequist as Margaretha Samzelius, the 'Majorskan.' With lots of flashbacks, the vibrant and subtle interpretation of her character leaves a viewer stunned. Perhaps the most memorable factor of her plot is the mother-daughter relation and her mother's curse she strives to get cleaned. Characters have much in common with one another (this aspect of the family relations is also developed in Marianne Sinclair's plot). Among the supporting cast, Karin Swanstrom as Gustave Sinclair and Ellen Hartman-Cederstrom as Martha Dohna are worth noticing, particularly due to the striking features of different female characters.

But what primarily makes GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA a captivating experience are its visuals. Great credit to the terrific cinematographer Julius Jaenzon. The picturesque depiction of Swedish climate and its idyllic landscape (many scenes depict the peaceful images of snow), the artistic use of light and shadow in the interior shots, the elaborate sets and bizarre wardrobe make many scenes real feast for the eyes. Top notch art direction by Vilhelm Bryde! Mind you that clothes are the undertone of characters' features (Martha Dohna with her peacock's dresses and weird hairstyle). The most memorable scenes of the film include the fire at the Ekeby Mansion (in particular Gosta saving the life of Marianne Sinclair), the famous Elizabeth/Gosta's sleigh scene on frozen Lake Lofven (consider the wolves and the formidable final shot of this sequence), Margaret Celsing approaching the house of her mother, Marianne Sinclair knocking at the door of her home, Gosta and his sermon, the banquet at Ekeby and the unforgettable finale at Broby Inn and new Ekeby.

The only flaw that does not allow the film be labeled as 'masterpiece' is its continuity caused by editing and shortening of scenes.

Much more could be said about 'Sweden's GONE WITH THE WIND.' It was a great surprise for me to see it in its restored version with the voice over that helped me follow the plots. A highly riveting silent movie, not merely for Greta Garbo fans. Intensely beautiful symphony of cinema with visual splendor! 9/10

One of the big things this has going for it is 18-year-old Greta Garbo; this was the film that got her noticed and brought to Hollywood the following year ... so if you're a big Garbo fan, this is probably must-see.

The title character is interesting, though the performance from Lars Hanson is too simple, and doesn't adequately convey the passion of a defrocked preacher who has several women fall for him (Mona Mårtenson, Jenny Hasselquist, and Garbo). Better is the performance we get from Gerda Lundequist, who plays a middle-aged married woman with a thinly veiled secret from her past, an old lover who bequeathed her wealth when he passed away.

There is a theme of the consequences to bad decisions in love that runs through these characters, some of which seem crazy (Hasselquist's father locking her out in winter over a single kiss), and others of which are age-old problems (Garbo's marriage to another man despite not loving him, and Lundequist's situation of having a lover and a husband). The women of the film seem to bear the brunt in unfair ways, and there may a feminist message in showing this (or it could be I'm just projecting that, I don't know).

There are some epic scenes which are impressive on the screen, including one with a horse-drawn sleigh running across the ice at night while pursued by wolves, and another with an impressive fire when a mansion is burned down, even though neither seem to make all that much sense.

And unfortunately that's at the heart of the issue I had with the film - it rambles on in exaggerated ways, lacking cohesive vision, and is at times ridiculously melodramatic. It's also far too long at over 3 hours, making it quite a slog to get through.

I have to change my previous review as I have watched the true version with a pretty darn good soundtrack that Kino released onto DVD and about time too. All I can say is that if you have seen the atrocious VHS version then do yourself a big favour and buy this one, there is simply no comparison, if you haven't seen the VHS version, well, do yourself a favour and get the DVD anyway. Garbo is very young in this and quite unrecognisable, but, she is very good as Elisabeth. You can see why Lars Hanson was later hand picked by Lillian Gish to star with her in "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Wind" and hopefully this will increase his fanbase. And you're left wondering why director Mauritz Stiller never became the success that another Swedish director Victor Sjostrom was.