The Phantom Carriage

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Thomas V @TomVee 3 days ago It's characterized as an early horror film, but it really isn't. It's a technically brilliant, unbearably bleak morality play that could have been effective propaganda for the Temperance League, and it's clearly a foundational work of cinema. The film also deserves credit for its naturalistic actors, who avoid most of the histrionics common in the silent era, and its nonlinear structure, which was a novel concept back then. The fact that Bergman watched this film at least once every year says a lot about it, and a lot about Bergman too. It's essential viewing, but make sure you've taken all your meds first. See more Henry D @Henry_Domke Aug 13, 2026 A great film. It’s remarkable how engaging this century-old silent film remains. Much of that comes from the strength of the story and the sophisticated use of flashbacks, but the visual craftsmanship is equally impressive. The cinematography is striking, the ghostly special effects are surprisingly convincing, and the extremely worn costumes give the poverty a vivid sense of realism. The musical score complements the images beautifully. It’s easy to see why The Phantom Carriage is considered such an important film. See more Joaquin U @Joaquin1 Mar 17, 2026 Awesome. Powerful acting. Excellent direction. A somewhat Dickensian tale that will captivate you until the end. See more Logan D @Greynomad38 Jan 10, 2025 On New Year's Eve, a dying nun asks to see a man named David Holm (Sjöström). David, however, has an appointment with Death. A morality tale comparable to A Christmas Carol, Death forces David to examine his life, one of a heartless man who goes to far as to flick his finger at a sleeping child. This is a chilling fable, visual poetry, albeit a bit slow. The special effects are impressive for the time and even appealing today. My final film viewed in 2024! And it was viewed on New Year's Eve! See more Nick M @RT62896014 Dec 10, 2024 A young Salvation Army soldier, Edit, dying of consumption on New Year's Eve, calls for David Holm to visit her before she expires. Holm is a wastrel--a plague upon all who know him--but her dying wish is to see him one final time. Meanwhile, locals are conscious of a legend that says that the last person to die before the clock strikes midnight on the New Year becomes the new servant of Death, ferrying the damned souls of the departed to hell in a phantom carriage. This is Sjöström's greatest film to date. Selma Lagerlöf's story is engrossing (as are so many of her adapted works), the adaptation is excellent, the acting tremendous, and the special effects produce some hauntingly effective images. Sjöström made a bold choice casting himself in the leading role of David Holm, and while he and Astrid Holm (as Edit) are marvelous in their respective roles, my favorite actor in the bunch is undoubtedly Hilda Borgström in the role of David Holm's wife, Anna. I recognized her from her starring role in 1913's sensational Ingeborg Holm, also directed by Sjöström. She plays a similar role in each picture: a decent wife and mother who through no fault of her own becomes of victim of society's ills. She is captivating in her desolation and moments of fragile hope. The film cautions us at the end to ensure that our souls reach maturity before they are reaped. How far I am from this ideal, I don't know. I'm left thinking about what I might regret not having said or done in regards to my friends and family before I go. That I was moved to such introspection almost two hours into a hundred year old film indicates this as a work of art, as far as I'm concerned. See more Richard W @RT65767935 Sep 18, 2024 I wasnt planning to watch the entire movie ,but i did it actually got me interested in the storyline and plot ,cinematography was really good so was the lighting etc really ahead of its time a true cinematic masterpiece ,made in 1921 unbelievable See more Read all reviews

The Phantom Carriage

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