The Outlaw and His Wife

It's a messy melodrama and the characterization is sloppy. The storytelling especially falls apart in the penultimate chapter, with events that either make no sense or strain credibility. I suspect some of these problems might be rectified in the longer version... on the other hand, they could also be exacerbated. However, there is a skillfulness that hints at later, greater works by Sjostrom. The use of natural landscapes and punishing weather is handled almost as artfully as in The Wind.

This could have been great, and maybe the 2+ hour version mentioned on imdb is, but the shortened version (the only one available as far as I know) feels under developed. The characterizations are actually pretty good, but the relationships seem to have time jumps and a lot things feel rushed and unexplained. There are also a few plot points that don't make much sense. That aside, it's a very compelling character and story, told with excellent visuals.

Some of the best stuff I've seen from Sjostrom in particular the beautiful on location photography up in the mountains of Sweden which looks incredible, and the powerful and shocking ending. It's let down slightly, unfortunately, by one utterly absurd plot-point in its sixth of seven parts. I really, really liked the film, perhaps even loved it, but it is irritating how a film which is for the most part so very impressive and engaging can have such an awful plot-point...

Wow this was a grim movie. The acting was good as was the story. I found myself really rooting for the young couple and it seemed that they would live happily in the mountains until tragedy struct and holy crap was my mind blown by what happened. The final chapter of the story was very bleak and really quite sad.

Much like the immediately preceding Terje Vigen, the main draw here is Sjostrom's fine cinematography, mixing notable use of a natural setting with shadowy chiaroscuro interiors. He also delivers a generally good performance, and the other actors also come across better this time around, too. The problem here is the plot--a tonally diffuse mess that attempts to span 16 years in seven acts, and eventually sinks into an ineffective stab at the worst kind of hysteric melodrama.

86.00

"A tale of redemption played out against the vast expenses of nature." - Fernando F. Croce

Like a lot of Sjostrom, this holds up pretty well to the modern eye, but not as well as some of his others.

Melodramatic, yes, but also very exciting and somewhat shocking for such an early film.