Terje Vigen

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.

Although there were some parts where I had trouble being emotionally invested in Sjöström's character's inner struggles, it's still a very good and emotionally powerful film with beautiful visuals.

Some very intriguing location shots and action shots at sea.

Strong lead performance and really nice cinematography but it feels a bit too sentimental and while the story is a decent one it could use a lot more fleshing out to be effective for me.

Victor Sjöströms enormous eyeballs of anger is a sight to behold!

It's no surprise to find out this Swedish silent film is based on a poem. Everything from the visuals to the music to the narrative and indeed the intertitles which quote the poem itself give the film this strange feel of an old folk tale that has been passed on by mouth through generations. It's a great little film that had me gripped and delivered an emotional gut-punch. It's a very good story very well told with a great performance from Sjostrom and I enjoyed it a lot.

This was made 100 years ago. I just feel lucky to watch foreign films from that long ago. Gorgeous visuals. Big ups to Ibsen

This works well, with remarkably fine cinematography, and the thing so many similar productions of the era lack--a solidly strong lead. It's a good sign of expressive quality when a film with so much action and sea air can still manage to feel so consistently shadowy and fatalistic.

This felt like a Scandinavian version of The Odyssey or The Iliad -- an epic story passed down for generations. Sjostrom makes you feel Terje's pain of trying to care for his wife and baby, and the growth of his rage. The ending is a bit weak, but for an early film, it's generally satisfying with the beautiful water scenes that couldn't be shown well on the stage.

"If the film is ultimately unsatisfying, it is due not so much to the story or performances as to the claustrophobic sets." - Fernando F. Croce

Bit on the melodramatic side perhaps, but for 1917 it's a remarkably natural film - fantastic outdoor scenes - and holy crap, that fast-cutting chase scene... how did they even get a camera into a small rowboat back then?