Recensioni degli utenti

This is a faithful adaptation of the eponymous poem by Henrik Ibsen, and all inter-titles are quotations of Ibsen's original text. The film follows an innovative non chronological structure. In the brief opening scene, old grey-haired Terje Vigen is contemplating a stormy sea. It is followed by a long flash back showing his past life first with his wife and daughter, his trip to Denmark, his capture by the English, his life as prisoner in England, and finally his return home. There is even a flashback in the flashback when, while in jail, Terje Vigen remembers his wife and daughter. The last part starts with the same scene as the opening one, followed by the rescue of the British yacht. It is interrupted by a brief flashback when Terje Vigen realises the Captain of the yacht is the Englishman who had taken him prisoner. The most remarkable aspect of the film is the outdoor on-location filming on the coast and on small boats, which gives great authenticity to the action, in particular the very realistic chase and sinking of the dinghy in the middle of reefs. Editing is brisk, cross-cutting between views of the two boats and then between the English boat and Terje Vigen trying to escape by swimming underwater.

See more and a link to the full film at: a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/12

Terje Vigen (1917) directed by and starring the father of Swedish cinema, Victor Sjöström, is a true masterpiece of early cinema.

The story is simple and revolves around Terje Vigen, a sailor, who suffers the loss of his family through the cruelty of another man. Years later, when his enemy's family finds itself dependent on Terje's beneficence, Terje then must decide whether to avenge himself.

When comparing Terje Vigen to its peer films of the 1910's such as L'Inferno (1911), From the Manger to the Cross (1912), The Straw Man (1914), Birth of a Nation (1915) and even the masterful Intolerance (1916), what stands out in Sjöström's film making is it's emotional impact rather than its production design or acting prowess. It is a mature depiction of human pain, suffering and redemption, that far succeeds its historical immaturity. Also particularly noteworthy is Rodulf Sahlberg's amazing score for the film.

Ii highly recommended it for film buffs and those interested in cinema history. Victor Sjöström's protegé, Ingmar Bergman would continue the beginning of the Swedish film making legacy in becoming one of cinema history's most revered directors.

Beautiful cinematography along the rugged Norwegian coastline and a powerful message of forgiveness are the highlights of this film from Victor Sjöström, which was a landmark in its day. It's Ibsen's story of a man who tries to get past a British blockade to feed his hungry wife and baby, but is caught and imprisoned for five years. By the time he gets home, they've perished. I went in unfamiliar with the story and thought it might be a Tarantino-like tale 1917-style, especially when the man comes across the British captain who showed him no mercy and has a chance for vengeance. It's such a touching thing that he doesn't do so given the depths to which mankind was sinking in WWI at the time.

Channeling Christ really gives an extra meaning to the backlit crosses we see in the cemetery in one of the film's beautiful shots. Another that stands out in my mind is the old man sitting and staring out at the sunset over the water, and there is real depth of feeling throughout the film. The only reason for the slightly lower review score was the overall pace, which I found slow for such a simple story, with the exception of the scenes of tension. Sjöström immerses us so well into this world we can practically taste the sea salt and I love him for it, I just wish there had been a little meat on the bones of this story. On another night my score may have been higher, and this is worth seeing though.

For students of film, this is a must-see. Sjostrom proved to be highly influential in the development of Scandanavian and Northern European film. His output was prolific, but TERJE VIGEN is one of my favorites-- it captures well the angst and anxiety so pregnant among Scandanavian and Danish masters (Dreyer and Bergman come to mind as spiritual successors/contemporaries of Sjostrom). TERJE VIGEN, in particular, is one of those stories that will haunt but also reward. The cinematography is what one would expect of a film that is literally more than 100 years old-- innovative for its time, it is very subtle. Where this film really shines is in the phenomenal acting, especially by Sjostrom himself.

If this movie had been made in 1923, I'd have been more blasé, but for 1916 it's nothing short of miraculous.

The open-air filming is smooth and well-executed. The emotional rawness is hit hard but never gets overheated. The acting is intense but does not stray into laughable "stagger-and-clutch." Dutiful fidelity to Ibsen's poem may cramp the subtitles, but never interferes with masterful story-telling in the film itself.

There is one sequence, in which a launch from a British warship destroys a fisherman's rowboat and then attempts to hunt down the fisherman while he's swimming for his life underwater, that is an absolute classic that will live in your memory.

This film is short, but very powerful, and worth going the extra mile to see.

Terje Vigen / A Man There Was (1917) : Brief Review -

Victor Sjöström Gives Birth to an undying formula of Forgiveness over Vengeance in the most expensive Swedish film of its time. "Ingeborg Holm" (1913) by Victor Sjöström had a huge impact on the Swedish audience as well as foreign audiences who were underestimating Swedish films at the time. With Terje Vigen, he made the most expensive Swedish film of the time and apparently kicked off the golden era for Swedish cinema. I have witnessed this compassionate formula of "forgiveness" in many movies made in the last 10 decades, including a film made in 2022. Recently, there was a Bollywood film called "Jalsa", which used the same formula, while the most acclaimed works based on the same formula in the past few years had to be "Rubaru Roshni" (2019) and "Kaanekkaane" (2021). Knowing Terje Vigen has set the formula is nothing less than a blessing. I mean, I can't name all those hundreds of films that used the same formula in this brief write-up, but come on, how can they all be termed great for copying it from an old, unknown film? So let's give credit where it's due. The film is about Terje, a sailor who suffers the loss of his wife and kid during the Napoleonic Wars of 1809. He is captured by a brutal British officer, which changes his life forever and leaves him all alone in the world. Will he get his revenge? That's where the kick is. I won't spoil it, but I guess you already know it. Victor Sjöström's trendsetter drama is full of life, tragedy, drama, and conflicts, and all are relatable. You can find yourself in Terje, especially when you assume it's anything before the 21st century. Apart from pioneering dramatic conflicts, Terje Vigen also set benchmarks for big-scale movie making at that time. Overall, another great film in Master Victor Sjöström's filmography.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Poverty, loss, revenge, and man's inhumanity to man are the themes that propel director Victor Sjostrom's film TERJE VIGEN (1917) (listed here under its English title A MAN THERE WAS). Sjostrom portrays the title character in this adaptation of a poem by noted author Henrik Ibsen. Terje is a sailor who supports his small family in Norway. A blockade by the English navy causes Terje to undertake a dangerous voyage to get supplies for his family, but he is caught and imprisoned. When he learns of his family's death from starvation, he becomes a broken man. One day he comes unexpectedly face to face with the captain responsible for his imprisonment, as he and his family are caught in a violent storm. What choice will Terje Vigen make?

The story is told in approximately one hour. Modern filmmakers could learn much from the economy and concision of these early features. The narrative is straightforward, simple and unadorned, with no padding or extraneous subplots, and the story is told most effectively. It uses title cards sparingly, and in a very interesting fashion. Lines from the original poem are displayed on the screen, then the action described in the lines takes place, and the viewer is able to follow from there.

The actors do fine work in this film. Sjostrom proves to be a fine actor in the lead role, imbuing his character with dignity, sorrow, tenderness, anger, and many other emotions. The supporting cast is also effective, particularly Bergliot Husberg as Mrs. Vigen. The actors show restraint and naturalism in their parts, largely avoiding the tendency towards big melodramatic gestures that marked contemporary theatrical productions.

Equally notable is the cinematography, which depicts both the beauty and the dangerous ferocity of the sea, as well as the starkness of the island landscapes. Sjostrom made very effective use of the Norwegian scenery, causing nature to become a character in its own right in the film. Tinting adds to the moody atmosphere. The camera is mostly stationary, according to the custom of the time, but the shots are very well composed, like paintings. In addition, the film is well edited, not allowing shots to go on longer than necessary.

This film was definitely very moving and memorable. TERJE VIGEN is a compelling and concise tale of the effects of man's inhumanity to man, and of the dilemmas that individuals face when tempted to cast compassion aside. It is rendered effectively through succinct scripting, heartfelt and naturalistic acting, and artfully composed cinematography. It is definitely a masterpiece of silent cinema. SCORE: 10/10

I've been wanting to see more Sjostrom, hoping for something on the level of PHANTOM CARRIAGE. Although this one has nothing but rave reviews on IMDb, it didn't grab me as much. A melodrama about a man driven mad by tragic misfortune and cruelty, but it's hard to feel too sorry for him because he really didn't have a very good plan. Maybe I'm being harsh, but despite a strong performance by Sjostrom I just wasn't emotionally invested enough to care that much about his troubles. However, technically it's very impressive for its time and features some stunning nautical cinematography and a haunting final image that serves as a strong counterpoint to the redemptive theme. You can also see Sjostrom's man vs. nature motif emerging, further developed in THE OUTLAW AND HIS WIFE and of course THE WIND.

A Man There Was tells the story of Terge Vigen, a Swedish seaman played by director Victor Sjöström who plucks up the courage to take on the British Empire's naval blockade of trade routes which in turn is slowly starving out his small village, wife and child. Set mostly amid the chaotic northern sea and coastlines, Sjöström creates a wonderfully moody and sombre atmosphere throughout filled with strife and tension, an impressive and fitting soundtrack (on the 2008 DVD version), distilled by beautiful intertitles taken from a Henrik Ibsen poem. Although it has its moments and overall is an enjoyable feature, its short runtime, sometimes plodding pacing and lack of significant plotting stop the movie from ever truly taking off beyond being a mere mood piece.

Made by the legendary Victor Sjöström at the dawn of cinema, this 1917 picture is a true masterpiece, as per usual when it comes to Sjöström.

The art of silent filmmaking is one somewhat lost in time, focusing almost exclusively on the visual language and cinematography - and in that department, Terje Vigen shines. It's such a beautifully shot movie and the slow pacing and long shots tell so much more than any words ever could.

The story itself is very well-written as well, and the actors do a good job of conveying the characters.

Overall, one of the most important and innovative films ever made!

Back in the 80's and 70's there was an humoristic saying in Norway that went something like " there are three kinds of swedes, swedish thief's, sweds who steal and thieving sweds!" This movie aparently show where the saying came from. This poem came from a time when Norway was a vasal state under the swede's, and choosing between english capture and cooperating with a swede would be a hard choice.

Sometimes I can't help but feel that cinema really did lose something with the transition to sound pictures. There's a purity of artistry and storytelling to some silent films that the best efforts to replicate with an audiovisual presentation cannot achieve, and within minutes of pressing "play" I believe 'A man there was' to be a prime example. With no need for music, dialogue, or any sound at all, and without explicit description of the plot, filmmaker Victor Sjöström gives us a splendidly complete, engrossing tale adjoined only by the verse of Henrik Ibsen in intertitles. That stupendously smart, flowery language heightens the viewer's reverie while Julius Jaenzon's vivid, vibrant cinematography captures only the richest of imagery, and Sjöström as director conducts the proceedings with the firm mindfulness of a true master. Every small scene in and of itself rather seems to tell a resplendently whole, satisfying short story, be it only seconds or minutes long. How often can the same be said of any film, least of all "talkies" wherein further development of technology encouraged ever more complex, drawn-out narratives?

Guided by and exercising Ibsen's 'Terje Vigen' like a sculptor working with the most delicate of materials, Sjöström and co-writer Gustaf Molander had all they needed to sketch the framework of the cinematic adaptation. Mirroring the supreme attentive care of a genuine icon of literature, the feature rather seems to have leapt from its creators' minds fully formed, with distinct and archetypal characters - filling scenes that are as perfect in their conveyance of mood, idea, and story beat in execution as they were in imagination - weaving a saga that is brief, but raptly compelling, exciting, dreary, heartfelt, entertaining, engrossing, and absolutely human. There isn't the slightest trace of this piece that is remotely out of place, or anything less than flawless. The acting is as natural and real as if we were watching events unfold in real life. Sjöström's direction, his guidance of the cast (himself included) and orchestration of shot and scene, is utterly impeccable, and genuinely brilliant, with every vision to greet us a stroke of awe-inspiring genius. Jaenzon's photography, once more, is a true joy to behold, not least for the situations and camera placement that was sometimes necessary.

Every expression of face or body, every action taken, and every shot merely of the vast, open sea contains multitudes in its fraction of celluloid existence, communicating a discrete plot but also a universe of beauty and suffering, life and death. Factor in the gorgeous filming locations, exceptional production design, and great hair and makeup work and costume design: what, here, is less than exemplary? Factor in the way in which Sjöström so smoothly sweeps up the ocean itself into his team of collaborators, letting the harsh, ancient, fathomless depths and rolling waves become a character itself in the tableau - much as would also be true of the wilderness in 1918's 'The outlaw and his wife': what; here, is anything but stellar?

For all the many ways - every possible way - in which it's both totally beyond reproach, and totally spellbinding, 'A man there was' might actually be one of the greatest films ever made. That's no small feat for a title clocking in at one hour that was made in 1917. Why, for as fast as the picture holds one's attention it passes as quickly as lightning; for as sumptuously robust, satisfying, and rewarding as it is, it feels at least twice as long as it is in reality. So little was it that Sjöström required to fashion a feature of such excellence; so, so very much was it that he gifted us, above and beyond what most filmmakers have been able to accomplish with exponentially more resources in all the years since. In so short a runtime there is such a boundless, wholehearted, exhaustive, grand, dazzling elegance that it's hard to draw any immediate comparison. What more can I say? 'A man there was' is a quintessential, must-see classic, earning only my very highest recommendation. Bravo!

While I personally am still a novice when it comes to early 20th century silent films, this one missed the mark for me. I found the color changing scenes (through no fault of the production team at the time) to be distracting and thought it took away from the overall vibe of the film. I also found the plot difficult to follow, and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I had a better understanding of the context in which the film is set. I did, however, enjoy the text included in the film (I think these are called title cards) which helped break up the film into smaller sections and explain some of what was going on during the film.