The film was released on January 1, 1921 and was directed by Swedish director Viktor Sjostrom. The story in the film also took place on New Year's Eve. Legend has it that on the last night of each year, the New Year's bell rings. Those who died at the time became the servants of the god of death - the coachman who drove the "ghost carriage" for the god of death and harvested the souls of the dead. A sinful tramp is about to be taken away at the moment, and a sickly and debilitated nun saves him with the love of Christ... This film has some religious and surreal undertones, and has a profound impact on future generations. The film master has a certain inspiration. ● Play Mode For this 1921 film work, the maturity and drama of its scripted story is amazing. At the beginning of the film, the dying nun kept calling the name "David" and insisted on seeing him when she was dying. At this time, a suspense was set up - who was David, and then there were several homeless people. The scene of drinking, this is the identity of the homeless person who has not yet been introduced. When a homeless person finished telling the legend of the "ghost carriage", the police who asked the homeless person to see the nun identified the homeless person as David. . After the "death" of the tramp, the driver of the god of death called the tramp to be his successor, the next ghost carriage driver. At this time, many episodes were used to tell all the stories of the tramp and the nun. Macroscopically, the whole movie, the narrative mode is the classical mode, the interlude is used in the middle to deconstruct the cause and effect, the beginning develops the climax and the ending, the story content is full of twists and turns, complete and clear. The protagonist's life line and mental journey can be glimpsed into the process of the fallen protagonists in some modern Hollywood movies looking for a spiritual outlet, now called the "3R" line, Rebellion (rebel), Ruin (destruction), Redemption (redemption). The homeless man was first jailed for alcoholism, and then jailed for his younger brother for drunken manslaughter. Later, when his wife left him with the child, he began to rebel, laughing loudly in church sermons, blasphemous contempt for God, and to the nuns who helped him. Violent words, drinking and gambling are all evils. Later, he was beaten to death (destroyed) by a drinking buddy. After experiencing the dialogue with the driver of the death god and the nun fighting for her life, she repented and realized redemption.
●Screen and soundtrack The film is surreal to a certain extent. Surrealist films emphasize the importance of dreams. After a series of dialogues and activities between the tramp and the driver of death, the tramp wakes up from the tombstone. Everything is like a dream but very real. This experience allows the tramp to realize himself. redemption. In the movie "Wild Strawberry", the protagonist also felt the fear of death in the dream, which inspired his thinking about his past life. Surrealist films emerged in France in the 1920s, and this film can be said to be one of the pioneers of European surrealist films. On the screen, the overprinting effect is used in many places to express the arrival of the driver driving the ghost carriage. In the film, the special effects of a suicidal man's soul harvesting and the appearance of the carriage on the sea and then the soul of the seabed are amazing.
The composition of the coachman appearing at the door of the suicide man's office is similar to the composition of the 1922 German fantasy film "Nosferatu" - the figure appears on the central axis of the door, as if in a coffin. This kind of composition is now called "coffin composition". Later, the Hollywood movie "The Mummy" (1932) with the same theme can also find this kind of composition for ghosts, adding a little weird color to the picture.
The soundtrack is a very important part of a silent film. The soundtrack of this film is mainly composed of violins, supplemented by other musical instruments, and seamlessly transitions with the twists and turns of the plot. Compared to one of my favorite directors, Eric von Strauhen's 1922 film "The Story of Love", the latter's pure piano score is less dramatic than the former. The sound and painting techniques and playwriting modes of films nearly a hundred years ago are so mature, admirable, and worthy of reflection by contemporary filmmakers. ●Religion and life "God, let my soul mature before it is harvested" - the homeless man who did not believe in God made a plea to God when he was about to be taken away by the coachman.
In the historical context, Sweden is a country with Christianity as its main religious belief. So far, 90% of children have been baptized. Religion has always been a topic that some film masters have deeply discussed in their films. Swedish master director Ingmar Bergman's works "The Seventh Seal", "Wild Strawberry", "Virgin Fountain", etc. have all sent out the question of God and the exploration of the philosophy of life. It can be said that Bergman was inspired by Sjostrom to a certain extent. The game between the knight and the god of death and the knight's fear of death in "The Seventh Seal" are similar to the fear of death of the tramp and the bargaining with the coachman; the pure piety of the circus family is in contrast to the kindness, purity and selflessness of the nun in this film. The indifference of the homeless character in "Ghost Carriage" to his wife and children may also be one of the reasons that resonated with Bergman. Bergman lacked fatherly love since he was a child, and "Wild Strawberry" portrayed an indifferent and selfish father image. , and invited 78-year-old Sjostrom to play the role. Some people say that "there is no "Wild Strawberry" without "Ghost Carriage". Although this statement is a bit absolute, it is not unreasonable.
In addition, the movie that pays tribute to this film also includes American film master Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining", which is believed to be a classic in the minds of many people.
I have always believed in a saying, "The pioneer will always be surpassed, but the classic will never be out of date". Art is like this. In the contemporary media and colorful world of film and television, people are impetuous and the world is hot. It is better to watch a silent film when you have time, and you can also feel the joy of silence rather than sound.
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