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Berg-Ejvind och Hans Hustru (1918) aka The outlaw and his wife - a Silent Filmreview


‘None can escape his fate, even were he to run more swiftly than the wind.’

Although this proverb, which is already mentioned after a quarter of an hour, already gives away in which direction 'Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru’ (1918) will go, I do not mind that at all. This film is more about the journey to the end and not so much about the how it’s going to end.


When Kári, a criminal on the run from the law, finds work on Halle's farm, they fall in love. And that is not because Halle happens to be a rich widow. It is love at first sight. When the law enforcers are on Kári’s trail, Halle decides to leave all her wealth and comfort behind and flees with her lover. She herself is also of simple descent and she and her rich deceased husband had also chosen for love.


The English title of 'Berg-Ejvind och Hans Hustru' is 'The Outlaw and His Wife'. But those who expect a Hollywood western will be disappointed. The original length of this romantic drama is no less than two hours and sixteen minutes. Although the American version has been reduced to one hour and twelve minutes, they have not succeeded in making it a thrilling western. And that is good as far as I am concerned. In the 2013 restoration of this film they have been able to save quite a lot of the original version. This version is one hour and fifty minutes.


Human emotions and difficult living conditions are the focus in this film. With this film, director Victor Sjöström shows that he feels at home with filming in nature. That he filmed in the north of Sweden and not in Iceland, where the story takes place, does not change the fact that he was engaged in pioneering work. Using the beauty of nature as part of the story rather than just as a backdrop would become characteristic of the Swedish film. It’s a pity that Sjöström did not get the chance to make more sound films. He had undoubtedly been able to make the most of the sound of nature and reinforced its beauty.

Sjöström, who also plays the role of Kári, knows that thrilling pursuits are not at all necessary to make a fascinating film. The subdued acting style fits perfectly with this. In that respect all my praise goes to Sjöström and Edith Erastoff, who plays Kári's wife. One subtle look is enough to see what the characters feel.


The story is based on a play by Jóhann Sigurjónsson from 1911. He loosely based his story on Fjalla-Eyvindur, a criminal who fled to northern Iceland with his wife in 1760. Here they would live in the wilderness for twenty years. There is still a hot spring today named after him.


'Berg-Ejvind och Hans Hustru' is the first Sjöström film I see and it certainly makes me long for more.

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