Movie Review: Terje Vigen

Terje Vigen a.k.a A Man There Was

Svenska Biografteatern AB, Sweden, 1917.

Based on a poem written by Henrik Ibsen.

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On a barren island lives man Terje Vigen (Victor Sjöström). When he was young he was a brave sailor. He had wife (Bergliot Husberg) and baby daughter. Life was happy until 1809. The Gunboat War (1807–1814), the naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British Navy spreads and English blockade causes starvation.

Terje Vigen is a brave sailor

Terje and his family

English blockade causes starvation

Terje decides to row to Denmark and smuggle food to his family. After a fierce boat chase the British catch him. The Brits throw him in jail for five years. When he gets free his family has already died. Terje works as pilot and turns from happy sailor to bitter old hermit. Years later he sees a ship in distress, but the ship's captain (August Falck) is the same man who arrested Terje...

Row, row, row your boat

The Brits arrest Terje

Terje's family has already died

"Terje Vigen" is a powerful story of cruelty, guilt revenge and reconciliation. Cinematography of Julius Jaenzon uses beautifully archipelago landscapes with scenes of storming sea. Sea-faring scenes look exciting and there are some dangerous looking storm scenes. The movie is nearly one hour long so the story stays quite simple as there are no extra subplots.

This version is the 2005 Swedish Film Institute restored version with Matti Bye's and Kristian Holmgren's soundtrack. True to the nature of the film the music is quite minimalistic with melancholic piano, glockenspiel and organ sounds.

Rating: Very good

Starring: Victor Sjöström, August Falck, Edith Erastoff, Bergliot Husberg, Eric Abrahamsson, Hildur Carlberg, Gucken Cederborg , John Ekman, Nils Elffors, Emil Fjellström, Herman Lantz, Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson, Olof Ås

Director: Victor Sjöström