Scott Lord Scandinavian Silent Film: The Gardner (Tradgardsmastanen, Vic...

Banned in Sweden during 1912, "The Gardner", written by Mauritz Stiller and directed by Victor Sjostrom was thought to be lost untill a surviving copy was found sixty eight years later in the Library of Congress. The film stars Victor Sjostrom with Lilli Bech, Muaritz Stiller, Gosta Ekman and John Ekman. It was the directorial debut of Victor Sjostrom, unscreened during his lifetime. Actress Karin Alexandersson who appears in the film that year also appeared in the film "Froken Julie", directed by Anna Hofmann-Uddgren..

Was the film Scandinavian sensationalism made in response to Asta Neilsen starring in the film "The Abyss"? The film did successfully premiere in Denmark and Norway, during 1912 and 1913 respectively. (To modern auiences the film's theme of incest/seduction is depicted before both the Suffragete movement for women's voting rights and before much of Frued's writing on the Electra Complex- there remains an ostensible theme of Seduction, or perhaps an element of exploitation in the film.) Marina Dahlquist, in her article "The Best-Known Woman in the World", chronicles, "Charles Magnusson published the booklet "Nagra om Biografcensuren (A few remarks on film censorship) in the name of Svenska Bio regarding its appeal of the ban against three films, among them "Tradgardsmastaren/Varldensgrymhet" (The Broken Springrose/The Gardner [1912]). Even though the importance of censorship was acknowledged by Magnusson and others, the over zealous ambition to protect even an adult audience met with irony."


Also that year Victor Sjostrom directed the film "A Ruined Life" (Ett hemligt giftermal) co-scipted with Charles Magnusson and starring Hilda Bjorgstrom, Einar Froberg, Anna Norrie, and Greta Almroth in the first film in which she was to appear.

Author Peter Cowie, in his volume Swedish Cinema, Ingeborg Holm to Fanny Alexander notes the numerous location shots employed to showcase Victor Sjostrom's future wife, Lilli Beck during the film. Peter Cowie quickly references that Lilli Bech and Victor Sjostrom were formerly married between 1914-1916. The actress starred with Victor Sjostrom onscreen under the direction of Mauritz Stiller the following year, during 1913 with a script written by Stiller and photographed by Julius Jaenzon with "Vampyren", a film presently presumed to be lost, with no existing surviving copies. That year Victor Sjostrom and Lilli Bech were also paired onscreen by Mauritz Stiller in the film "Barnet", with Einar Froberg and Anna Norrie, photographed again by Julius Jaenzon. The film is also presumed lost with no existing surviving copies.



Actor John Eckman, who appeared on screen in a score of films between 1912 and 1950 before his appearing with Victor Sjostrom in the Ingmar Bergman film "Till Joy" (Till gladje,1950), directed only one film, it also being the first film in which he was to appear. Before having appeared during 1912 in the film "Tradgardsmasteren", under the direction of Victor Sjostrom and during 1912 in the film "De Svarta Maskerna" under the direction of Mauritz Stiller, Ekman directed the film "The Shepherd Girl" (Saterjantan,1912), starring actress Greta Almroth, Carlo Weith and Stina Berg in her first onscreen appearance, the film having had been photographed by Hugo Edlund for Svenska Biographteatern. Victor Sjostrom would direct John Ekman, Lilli Bech and himself from his own script during 1914, adding the actress Greta Almroth in the film "Daughter of the High Mountain" (Hogfallets dotter), photographed by Julius Jaenzon. The film is presumed to be lost, presently there being no surviving existing copies.

Apparently the film "Den Svarte Doktorn" filmed for Stora Biografteatern by Frans Lundberg is not only a lost film, with no surviving copies exusting, but was also banned at the time of production by Swedish Censorship. The film starred actress Olivia Norrie, Einar Zangenberg, and Holger-Madsen. "Anfortrodda medel", also made by Frans Lundberg in 1911 is also presumed to be a lost film with no surviving copies existing and was also banned by Swedish censorship. The film starred actresses Phillipa Fredricksen and Agnes Nyrup Christensen.

It might be worth noting before continuing to the dynamic between the four horsemen of Swedish Silent Film, Victor Sjostrom, Mauritz Stiller, Julius Jaenson and Charles Magnusson, that another director was there at Svenska Biografteatern during 1912, director Eric Malmberg. Seemingly overlooked, Malmberg directed six films for Svenska Biografteatern during 1912, including films presumed to be lost with no surving copies photographed by Julius Jaenzon and starring actress Lilly Jacobsson, among them "Det Grona Halsbandet", "Stolen Happiness" (Branniger eller Stulen lycka) and "Kolingens Galoscher".

Silent Film Victor Sjostrom Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller

Swedish Silent Film: Anna Hofmann-Uddgren

Swedish Silent Film pioneer Anna Hofmann-Uddren began filming for Orientaliska Teatern in 1911 with the film "Stockholmsdamemas alskling" starring Carl Barklind, Sigurd Wallen, Erica Tomberg and Anna-Lisa Hellstrom. The film is presumed lost, with no surving existing copies. For a brief period of time, actors Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller, then new to filmmaking, would be rivalled by film versions of the plays of August Strindberg before their having aquired world renown for establishing the Golden Age of Swedish Silent film with the film "Terje Vigen" (Victor Sjostrom,1916), based on Ibsen's poem.

Not quite apart from the account of the use of the proscenium arch in early cinema in Vardac's Stage to Screen, the films directed by Anna Hofmann-Uddgren in 1911 were tranpositions of "Miss Julie" (Froken Julie) and "The Father", the intimate theater of Swedish playwright August Strindberg. "The Father", starring Karin Alexandersson, Karen Thoren and Rene BJorling featured an admittedly static camera and is an example of filmed theater. And yet cameraman Otto Bjorkman used two exterior shots and cutting that would bring about scene changes during "Miss Julie", a film that had had its premiere at the Orientalisks Teatern, starred Karin Alexandersson and Manda Bjorling. The film is presumed lost, with no surviving copies existing. Both films were later remade by Alf Sjoberg.

Anna Hofmann-Uddgren during 1911 also directed acress Edith Wallen in two films, both filmed by cinematographer Otto Bokman, "Single a Dream" (Blott in Drom) and "Sisters" (Systarna).

Actress Karin Alexandersson during 1914 went to Svenska Bio to make film under the direction of Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller before returning during the 1940's to appear in more than a dozen films. Director Anna Hofmann-Uddgren in fact appeared in front of the camera as an actress twice during 1921 in the films "De Landsflyktige" (Mauritz Stiller) and "Pilgrimage to Kevlaar" (Ivan Hedqvist).

The Blue Tower in Stockholm, where August Strindberg lived bewteen 1908-1912 and where he wrote the play "The Great Highway" is now part of the Strindberg Museum. Strindberg had gladly acquiesced to have his plays adapted into films, almost congradulating Anna Hofmann-Uddgren's husband, Gustav.

Silent Film

Swedish Silent Film