These films were screening as part of the Gustaf Molander strand featuring seven of his works from the silent era to the fifties a period of huge change in the Swedish film industry. Indeed, in his introduction, Jon Wengström of the SFI, talked about Molander’s two films adapting the bulk of Selma Lageröf’s Jerusalem as representing perhaps the last echoes of the golden age of Swedish cinema before so many major talents left for Hollywood. Fitting then that these should be about an attempt to find the promised land by a group of swedes not all of whom thrived once they arrived...
Till Österland (1926) with Neil Brand
Starting at the ending, Till Österland (To the East) the
fourth film adapted from Selma Lagerlöf’s two-part epic Jerusalem which
was published in 1901 not long after she had visited the Holy Land. A
Swedish-Soviet-German co-production it featured extensive location filming in
Jaffa and Jerusalem as well as Borane, Dalarna in Sweden in order to replicate
the sweep of the author’s themes of love, land, faith and fortune.
It’s quite astonishing that what remains of Till
Österland include some of the film’s major dramatic turns and takes us to
the emotional finale. The first reel is entirely missing but all of the title
cards survive along with about a quarter of the moving images for which we
should be very thankful were spared by the Gods of Silent Cinematic
Destruction… As a consequence, the relationship between the leads is very well
covered with pleasing amounts of Mårtenson, Hanson and Hasselqvist performance
time there to bring something I thought I’d never see to a very satisfying
close.
The film quality is also very fine indeed for this
restoration/reconstruction which was completed only a few weeks ago, and
matches that of the first film – in fact it’s colourways were used as a guide
to re-tinting the almost-complete Ingmarsarvet (1925). You never know
what to expect from this kind of recreation and it was a series of surprises as
the parts of the film you most hoped still survived, kept on appearing; the
main human story felt emotionally intact!
We also get to see some of the excellent cinematography of
Julius Jaenzon - as well as Carl-Axel Söderström – given a totally different
landscape to capture. For the man who shot so well against the Sun in Victor
Sjostrom’s first adaptation of the work, The Sons of Ingmar (1919), it was
indeed fascinating to see.
What’s missing would appear to be more coverage of the
events in Jerusalem where the colonists struggle to survive in the unfamiliar
conditions although it is very pleasing to see Lars Hanson actually in the Holy
Land and the recently-added “Whirling Dervish” scene adds so much weight to the
realisation of who the man who looks like Jesus really is. That said, Lagerlöf
had described an altogether more brutal story:
“This is the Jerusalem of soul-hunting, this is the
Jerusalem of evil-speaking, this is the Jerusalem of lies, of slander, of
jeers. Here one persecutes untiringly; here one murders without weapons. It is
this Jerusalem which kills men.”
Lagerlöf had made the same arduous journey to the Holy Land
in 1899, inspired by the migration of 37 Swedes from the village of Nås in
1896. According to Swedish writer, Ingrid Carlberg, their photographs can still
be found in the American Colony Hotel along with Selma’s. Reviewing the book in
The Independent, Carlberg tells of the impact Lagerlöf’s “effortless
storytelling” and prose had on her and, of course, being a Brit, I’ve previously
had to rely on Velma Swanston Howard’s contemporary translation which has had
mixed reviews in terms of its maintenance of authorial respect. That said, the
story is still compelling and at times you’re wrong-footed by the shifts in
tone, the magical reality and the visions that may or may not be real.
From this reconstruction film we don’t see the broader struggles of the
Dalecarlians community who left for Jerusalem at the end of the previous film. The
first part of the book is merciless with characters being bought to life only
to be extinguished by the heat, the light, shame and starvation. One man dies
in disappointment after the golden vision of Jerusalem he saw on first arrival
is not matched by the reality of dirty streets, beggars and lepers. Gunhild,
one of Hellgum’s early converts, suffers after the group are demonised by other
missionaries, who view them as immoral for their refusal to sanction marriage.
The shame reaches back home where her mother dies in grief leading to the young
woman’s decent into misery, she is soon gone herself, faith ill-rewarded.
Hellgum himself is barely mentioned now that they are where he asked them to go
and Conrad Veidt was also absent from the film which was made back-to-back with
the first.
The leader of the mission is an American woman, Mrs Gordon,
who, in the book, was inspired to form the new faith by the sinking of
L’Univers, not Hellgum as in the film. She is based on Anna Spafford, the wife
of a well-to-do lawyer and Presbyterian church elder, who was travelling to
Europe on the SS Ville du Havre with her daughters when it collided with
another ship and sank, with Anna being one of the few survivors. The Spafford’s
established a Christian utopian movement eventually travelling to establish a
commune in Jerusalem where they hoped good works would hasten the Second Coming
of Jesus. They were treated with suspicion and they did indeed encourage the
exodus from Nås. Truth is stranger than fiction, even Selma’s.
Gertrude is nursed back to health by Ingmar’s cousin Hök Gabriel Mattsson, (Harald Schwenzen), who
has held a candle for the schoolmaster’s daughter even since he attended her
father’s school. He doesn’t think he has a chance, assuming Gertrude still
loves Ingmar, and yet she has moved on from her old passion ever since her
vision of Christ and their arrival in the Holy Land. The two form a close bond
but Gertrude doesn’t want to be unfaithful to her Lord and Hök doesn’t want to
get in his cousin’s way.
Back home and Ingmar has grown to love his wife Barbro
(Jenny Hasselqvist who relishes the chance to play this complex character)
whilst at the same time being bound to Gertrude by his promise. Barbro has
revealed herself to be a forgiving and principled individual who not only is
beloved by the peasants of Ingmar’s Farm but also provides financial support
for the family of the man who jilted her. She too feels a responsibility to
Gertrude and wants to divorce Ingmar so that he can be with her.
That unbearable moral conundrum at the end of the first
volume and Ingmar’s Inheritance has twisted itself even further out of joint
and there’s a tremendous tension in the final furlongs of the narrative as each
character slowly understands the reality of their feelings for each other. Selma
is not going to let any of this go though and there’s an excess of human
complication which she and now we can see, Molander, makes light work, which in
comparison the Sjostrom is really his stock in trade!
Neil Brand gave the film full cinematic themes and dynamics,
it must be so hard to accompany a reconstruction like this with the moving
picture sections suddenly shifting to extended intertitle or stills but Neil
held and enhanced the remains and played a significant role in making it feel like
a hole film again. He’s had some practice at thit sort of work your feel…
Ingmarsarvet (1925) with Andre Desponds and Frank
Bockius
I’ve written about Ingmar’s Inheritance/ Ingmarsarvet
(1925) before but this is much longer than the film I saw at 114 minutes as
well as being tinted and looking, post digital restoration, as good as it’s
done since the initial release. It really does support Jon Wengström’ s
suggestion that this was the last of the “golden age” with a clarity and depth
of detail that allows the audience to appreciate the landscapes – so important
to the story after all – as well as the players.
In terms of the source material, Sjöström followed his
author’s text more closely and made two feature films out of less than 105
pages of Jerusalem whereas Molander crafted one from the remaining 240 of
Volume One and another from the 400 of Volume Two (see above) including adding
some of his own inventions.
Ingmar’s Inheritance (Ingmarsarvet) steps back a few
chapters and starts with Strong Ingmar (Ivan Hedqvist) taking young Ingmar
(Arne Lundh) to the death bed of his father and telling him of the family’s
ranking and importance. Elias (John Ekman) is married to Karin Ingmarsdotter
(Märta Halldén) and his decent into an abusive alcoholic wastrel is shown again
but, unlike book and Sjostrom film, he causes his own demise by riding his trap
too hard, hiding what remains of his wife’s wealth – little Ingmar’s
inheritance - in the pillow on his death bed.
The years pass and Ingmar (now Lars Hanson) is fully grown
and a teacher at the school run by Schoolmaster Storm (Nils Aréhn), looking
longingly across at the old homestead, which is managed by Karin and the man
she was always destined to marry, Halvor (Mathias Taube). Ingmar himself has
his eyes set on Storm’s daughter Gertrude (Mona Mårtenson) who is almost
despairing of his romantic instincts until he agrees to accompany her to the
village dance.
At the dance, Ingmar impresses not only Gertrude but Strong
Ingmar who challenges him to honour the family traditions of farming and hard
work. He takes him to the fast-flowing river at Langforsen’s Gap and persuades
him to build a sawmill there which he can use to make a fortune and thereby buy
back the family farm.
Across the village, the faithful have gathered to pray, not
dance and Pastor (Albion Örtengren) leads his fragile flock in hymns and
routine religious rhymes at the missionary house. A storm is brewing and will
bring unexpected fantasy and glamour in the form of Conrad Veidt’s wandering
preacher, Hellgum, who takes refuge from the wind and rain and immediately
takes command of the pulpit. In the book Hellgum is married to one of the women
in the village but here he is more sensationalised with a not entirely
trustworthy magnetism and religious passion – I’m not sure that Selma would
have approved; her Hellgum is far subtler. Still, this is Conrad Veidt, and
he’s absolutely the man for this gig and plays the febrile duality for all it’s
worth every second on the screen as the “lone wanderer who brought a message
from the Holy City of God…”
Meanwhile, the storm begins to terrify the revellers at the
dance as Strong Ingmar talks about the myth of the wild hunt of Odin come to
reap the souls of the unwary and Molander indulges in some very folkloric
fantasies as ghouls, gods and wild animals sweep unnaturally through the
woodlands. Ingmar returns and looking from the window appears to see the ghost
of his father looming large in the darkened sky telling him to honour the
family traditions.
It is a very effective change in pace and signals Ingmar’s
pursuit of both his family farm and Gertrude’s love as well as the beginning of
Hellgum’s religious conversion of many in the village. The storm stops as Hellgum
speaks – is he/isn’t he a prophet? - and he tells them of the faith that will
bring safety during the storm… a new belief he acquired during the sinking of
the liner Universe. This is another well-directed segment and harrowing still
as men try desperately to pull women and even children off the lifeboats after
the ship goes down, there’s little nobility on show and the fight to survive is
grim.
Hellgum volunteers to jump off the lifeboat to save the
women and children and survives after a vision from God showing that unity,
brotherhood and sacrifice will save the world. He is moved to gather brethren
and follow a path to a life in Jerusalem in a new Christian community.
Undoubtedly, the notion of powerful new faith was something much closer to the
contemporary audience, indeed, Lagerlöf partially based the story on an
emigration that took place in 1896 from Nås in the Dalarna County.
Ingmar and Gertrude are much more convincing to modern eyes
in their love and in his desire to restore his birth-right. But the path to
true love must never run smooth and, as Ingmar is off building his water mill,
Gertrude attracts the not entirely holy interest of Hellgum… Once again Strong Ingmar is on hand to set
things in motion and after he warns Ingmar, the young man races back home to
confront his sweetheart. He duly gains the wrong impression and appears to have
assaulted Hellgum only for the preacher to explain that Ingmar fought off two
attackers. Ingmar forgives Gertrude’s momentary doubt and their balance is
restored but for how long?
The story turns as Karin, so practical and therefore
previously resistant, is cured of her unexplained inability to walk during one
of Hellgum’s gatherings at Ingmarsfarm… she agrees to sell the farm to fund the
Hellgumists’ exodus to the Holy Land thereby leaving an opportunity for Ingmar
to buy back the family farm. Sadly, the farm is slightly out of his price
bracket and it is here that we find Sweden’s multi-talented superstar Jenny
Hasselqvist as Barbro the daughter of rich Berger Sven Person (Knut Lindroth)
who was once a farm boy for the Ingmars. Barbro has been disappointed in love
and looked on with considerable interest in the direction of Ingmar, so Dad
does what all fathers might and offers to loan Ingmar the money as dowry for
Barbro’s hand in marriage.
So now we have a classic Lagerlöf moral conundrum and Ingmar
is not just driven by familial pride, he feels a responsibility to all those
workers on the farm, especially the elderly who look on him with pleading eyes
as he wrestles with his conscience. If you don’t want to know the result,
please look away now.
Ingmar follows his head and not his heart and, although
neither solution would give him peace, he feels he has betrayed Gertrude who is
devastated. His ensuing wedding with Barbro is not a happy occasion and he can
barely look at his new bride, but his misery is about to be compounded as his
former love, flees to the woods in desperation, has visions of putting his eyes
out in revenge before seeing a vision of Christ and undergoing a conversion.
The real kick in the tale is when, seeking rest at a
peasant’s cottage, Gertrude sleeps on a pillow bought at auction from the
Ingmar’s Farm… she finds the money hidden by Evil Elias and a note explaining
that it’s Ingmar’s inheritance. In a heart-breaking final meeting, Gertrude
calls Ingmar away from his wedding to tell him that she has transferred her
love to Jesus and that she has found his money. Realising that this find could
have enabled him to have his love and his farm, he collapses in a sad rage… but
the worst is that Gertrude is in a rapture beyond his earthly love.
So, we see various conflicts, Ingmar’s love for Gertrude and
for the land, his true inheritance is farming and not necessarily the farm or
money. He makes most sense as a many working the land as he will prove in the
final part. His inheritance is also steadfast loyalty and a willingness to do
the right thing. He faces tough choices but I couldn’t help but think of the
more complex world that would arrive in the future.
In capturing the way of life in old Varmland Lagerlof and
her directors were unaware of the biggest challenges of the new century; you
wonder what happened to the Ingmars in the time of mechanisation and the
post-industrial world?
Taken together these two films come in a 114 plus 42 minutes
so just over two and a half hour combination; it would make for an interesting
screening with a break in the middle perhaps. Here excellent accompaniment was
provided by Andre Desponds on piano and Frank Bockius on percussion; the two under-pinned the lyricism and
romance whilst also driving beats into the more dramatic passages. Frank demonstrated
elsewhere his command of tone and tempo and here he was a gift for yet another piano
player!
Congratulations to the SFI Jon Wengström and to Magnus
Rosborn who worked on the Molander as well as Jörgen Viman who did the same for
the Stiller!
For more information on Selma's trip to Jerusalem there's an
interesting post on the National Library of Israel's The Librarians' website
from Hadar Ben-Yehuda.
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