Havsgamar

Rasmus Rasmussen and elder son John Ekman are offered ten thousand kroner to get the smuggler's goods to shore. But customs officer Richard Lund spots their boat. He goes to investigate and is killed for his dilligence. Rasmussen and son sink the boat and the body with it. Fifteen years later, Lund's son -- also played by Lund -- is appointed customs officer of the same area, with dire warnings. Nonetheless, he and Rasmussen's daughter, Greta Almroth, fall in love.

It's one of five features Victor Sjöström directed in 1916. It's not especially deep. There's no discussion of the issues, and the characters do what they do because they do it. It's also an example of the faltering use of illustrated text. Nonetheless, there are signs of advancement in technique, with some handsome intercutting for tension and careful compositions by cameraman Henrik Jaenzon.

Given Sjöström's reputation for his films in the next decade, it's easy to overestimate his growth as a film maker. However this certainly keeps moving in story terms.