Sunshine Follows Rain

The restored copy of this magnificent movie is a wonder : the country landscapes (the hills, the -moody-river ,the forest) are a feast for the eye ; it looks like a legend ,(one of the scenes recalls "Jungfrukällan ",the virgin spring" which Bergman would transfer to the screen in 1959) , blending a repressive religion and superstitions (the river fairy ,the would be maleficent power of the violin which plays devil's music)who made Jon , whose parents elope when his mother was engaged,an outcast , an accursed ,a pariah.

Jon's violin plays a prominent part in the story ,and the sequences of the rustic ball are among the best I have ever seen ; Jon got a raw deal :his parents' sins (if one can call a sin the right to choose the man you love) fall on his head and he's the black sheep of the village where he's considered a protégé of the fairies ,a heathen young man .

Marit is a feminist at a time the word was not invented : it took a lot of guts to say no to an arranged marriage in front of the whole congregation .

Both she and Jon are against the whole world ,and the history of long ago is about to repeat itself.

"Driver dagg faller regn" (after dew, rain)is not a pessimistic work though ; it gets through a message of tolerance ,of forgiveness and of hope :" the river" ,like in Frank Borzage 's eponymous silent film (1928), becomes a character ,and brings doom and redemption.

The score is tremendous, integrating folk music , including one old song performed by Mai Zetterling,who was known in Western Europa.