A Man There Was

This is a faithful adaptation of the eponymous poem by Henrik Ibsen, and all inter-titles are quotations of Ibsen's original text. The film follows an innovative non chronological structure. In the brief opening scene, old grey-haired Terje Vigen is contemplating a stormy sea. It is followed by a long flash back showing his past life first with his wife and daughter, his trip to Denmark, his capture by the English, his life as prisoner in England, and finally his return home. There is even a flashback in the flashback when, while in jail, Terje Vigen remembers his wife and daughter. The last part starts with the same scene as the opening one, followed by the rescue of the British yacht. It is interrupted by a brief flashback when Terje Vigen realises the Captain of the yacht is the Englishman who had taken him prisoner. The most remarkable aspect of the film is the outdoor on-location filming on the coast and on small boats, which gives great authenticity to the action, in particular the very realistic chase and sinking of the dinghy in the middle of reefs. Editing is brisk, cross-cutting between views of the two boats and then between the English boat and Terje Vigen trying to escape by swimming underwater.

See more and a link to the full film at: a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/12

Terje Vigen / A Man There Was (1917) : Brief Review -

Victor Sjöström Gives Birth to an undying formula of Forgiveness over Vengeance in the most expensive Swedish film of its time. "Ingeborg Holm" (1913) by Victor Sjöström had a huge impact on the Swedish audience as well as foreign audiences who were underestimating Swedish films at the time. With Terje Vigen, he made the most expensive Swedish film of the time and apparently kicked off the golden era for Swedish cinema. I have witnessed this compassionate formula of "forgiveness" in many movies made in the last 10 decades, including a film made in 2022. Recently, there was a Bollywood film called "Jalsa", which used the same formula, while the most acclaimed works based on the same formula in the past few years had to be "Rubaru Roshni" (2019) and "Kaanekkaane" (2021). Knowing Terje Vigen has set the formula is nothing less than a blessing. I mean, I can't name all those hundreds of films that used the same formula in this brief write-up, but come on, how can they all be termed great for copying it from an old, unknown film? So let's give credit where it's due. The film is about Terje, a sailor who suffers the loss of his wife and kid during the Napoleonic Wars of 1809. He is captured by a brutal British officer, which changes his life forever and leaves him all alone in the world. Will he get his revenge? That's where the kick is. I won't spoil it, but I guess you already know it. Victor Sjöström's trendsetter drama is full of life, tragedy, drama, and conflicts, and all are relatable. You can find yourself in Terje, especially when you assume it's anything before the 21st century. Apart from pioneering dramatic conflicts, Terje Vigen also set benchmarks for big-scale movie making at that time. Overall, another great film in Master Victor Sjöström's filmography.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

If this movie had been made in 1923, I'd have been more blasé, but for 1916 it's nothing short of miraculous.

The open-air filming is smooth and well-executed. The emotional rawness is hit hard but never gets overheated. The acting is intense but does not stray into laughable "stagger-and-clutch." Dutiful fidelity to Ibsen's poem may cramp the subtitles, but never interferes with masterful story-telling in the film itself.

There is one sequence, in which a launch from a British warship destroys a fisherman's rowboat and then attempts to hunt down the fisherman while he's swimming for his life underwater, that is an absolute classic that will live in your memory.

This film is short, but very powerful, and worth going the extra mile to see.

Terje Vigen (1917) directed by and starring the father of Swedish cinema, Victor Sjöström, is a true masterpiece of early cinema.

The story is simple and revolves around Terje Vigen, a sailor, who suffers the loss of his family through the cruelty of another man. Years later, when his enemy's family finds itself dependent on Terje's beneficence, Terje then must decide whether to avenge himself.

When comparing Terje Vigen to its peer films of the 1910's such as L'Inferno (1911), From the Manger to the Cross (1912), The Straw Man (1914), Birth of a Nation (1915) and even the masterful Intolerance (1916), what stands out in Sjöström's film making is it's emotional impact rather than its production design or acting prowess. It is a mature depiction of human pain, suffering and redemption, that far succeeds its historical immaturity. Also particularly noteworthy is Rodulf Sahlberg's amazing score for the film.

Ii highly recommended it for film buffs and those interested in cinema history. Victor Sjöström's protegé, Ingmar Bergman would continue the beginning of the Swedish film making legacy in becoming one of cinema history's most revered directors.

A Man There Was tells the story of Terge Vigen, a Swedish seaman played by director Victor Sjöström who plucks up the courage to take on the British Empire's naval blockade of trade routes which in turn is slowly starving out his small village, wife and child. Set mostly amid the chaotic northern sea and coastlines, Sjöström creates a wonderfully moody and sombre atmosphere throughout filled with strife and tension, an impressive and fitting soundtrack (on the 2008 DVD version), distilled by beautiful intertitles taken from a Henrik Ibsen poem. Although it has its moments and overall is an enjoyable feature, its short runtime, sometimes plodding pacing and lack of significant plotting stop the movie from ever truly taking off beyond being a mere mood piece.