579 The Phantom Carriage

[kinjitsu]

The Phantom Carriage



The last person to die on New Year’s Eve before the clock strikes twelve is doomed to take the reins of Death’s chariot and work tirelessly collecting fresh souls for the next year. So says the legend that drives The Phantom Carriage (Körkarlen), directed by the father of Swedish cinema, Victor Sjöström, about an alcoholic, abusive ne’er-do-well (Sjöström himself) who is shown the error of his ways and the pure-of-heart Salvation Army sister who believes in his redemption. Based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, this extraordinarily rich and innovative silent classic (which inspired Ingmar Bergman to make movies) is a Dickensian ghost story and a deeply moving morality tale, as well as a showcase for groundbreaking special effects.

Disc Features

- New digital transfer, restored in collaboration with the Archival Film Collections of the Swedish Film Institute
- Two scores, one by acclaimed Swedish composer Matti Bye and the other by the experimental duo KTL
- Audio commentary featuring film historian Casper Tybjerg
- Interview with Ingmar Bergman excerpted from the 1981 documentary Victor Sjöström: A Portrait, by Gösta Werner
- The Bergman Connection, an original visual essay by film historian and Bergman scholar Peter Cowie on The Phantom Carriage’s influence on Bergman
- Archival footage from 1919 of the construction of Råsunda Studios, where The Phantom Carriage was filmed
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by screenwriter and filmmaker Paul Mayersberg

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[swo17]

With The Phantom Carriage being a given, I was wondering what extras might be included. The Picture Makers has been talked about before now, but I think that Duvivier's Charrette fantôme would be just as wonderful an addition. Of course, both would be ideal, but it seems unlikely that Criterion would go to the trouble of making this a two-disc, $50 set.

And the answer is neither. At least you get both scores though.

EDIT: I suppose these could show up in the "More" category.

[Drucker]

I'm stoked for a Sjöström flick to make it. Him and Ray get to enter the collection this summer which is great. I've wanted to see The Wind, but alas, it doesn't seem to be anything close to available.

[matrixschmatrix]

Wow, Criterion's really been stepping up their game on the silent film front. This looks like a great package, two- two scores, a commentary, a visual essay, an interview, and evidently more to come.

[mteller]

It's hard to complain about the extras, but really... not including Image Makers is a massive blown opportunity. It's one of Bergman's best teleplays, too.

[swo17]

The still Criterion posted for this is straight up black and white, as opposed to the lovely tinting that can be seen here:





Harumph.

[Saturnome]

I guess the Swedish Film Institute version is tinted, isn't it? Because then Criterion should get the same thing.

I hope there's a bit more extras to come. The teleplay could be nice, but it's making the set even more Bergman focused.

[tojoed]

I guess the Swedish Film Institute version is tinted, isn't it? Because then Criterion should get the same thing.

I hope there's a bit more extras to come. The teleplay could be nice, but it's making the set even more Bergman focused.

Yes, the SFI is tinted. It also has the Bergman interview, and a documentary on the making of "Wild Strawberries".

[SpiderBaby]

The film on Hulu seems to be tinted.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

(Dept. of Pedantry)

Regarding the "tinting" of B&W films: The use of the words "tint" or "shade" to indicate the presence of color (not just in films, but many other circumstances, from house paints to hair to fabric) drives me mad, as the correct definitions are, respectively, a mixture of a color with white and a mixture of a color with black. In other words, tint and shade refer to varying value levels within a color, not to the mere presence or addition of a color where there was none. Perhaps a better term would be "hued".

I realize this is a minor point overall, and the misuse of the words is so common at this point (even among artists!) that nothing can be done about it, but as much attention as is paid to aspect ratios, it would be nice if an equal amount of scrutiny was given to proper description of other aspects of the visual presentation of films.

[SpiderBaby]

So we shouldn't write "tint" but instead write "a mixture of a color with white and a mixture of a color with black" everytime we want to say "tint"?

[MyNameCriterionForum]

"hued"

[SpiderBaby]

"hued"

Okay, will do.

[swo17]

I dunno, I like people to know what I'm talking about when I use words.

[matrixschmatrix]

The derivation of 'tint' is from the Latin word for 'dye', and as a verb it's been used to mean 'to color lightly' since the 1700s. A 'tint' of some color is a mixture of that color with white, but 'to tint' does not use that word the same way.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

I dunno, I like people to know what I'm talking about when I use words.

Right, words like "widescreen" or "letterboxed", which are always used properly.

[swo17]

If someone told me that a film had been "hued," the first and only thing that would occur to me is that Huey Lewis had done the soundtrack.

[Doctor Sunshine]

If eases the pain any, tinting does result in a mixture of white and colour on much of the screen. (Although, a firm grasp of context might trump that. (That may read meaner than was intended.))

[zedz]

Department of Pedantry Part II:

'Tinting' and 'toning' have very specific, well-established meanings when it comes to industrial practices used for adding colour to black-and-white film, and the term was used absolutely correctly and unambiguously in this instance. The more you know!

[swo17]

If only Criterion would stop releasing silents, we wouldn't have to have arguments like this.

[Tom Hagen]

If someone told me that a film had been "hued," the first and only thing that would occur to me is that Huey Lewis had done the soundtrack.

An argument for a Facebook "Like" botton on the comments here.

[Napier]

If someone told me that a film had been "hued," the first and only thing that would occur to me is that Huey Lewis had done the soundtrack.

Post of the year.

[s.j. bagley]

and now i don't have to shell out for the r2 release to get the only ktl stuff i'm currently missing.

[HistoryProf]

Holy tinted navel gazing!

I like that they made this #579 so it will go next to Jean Vigo at #578.

[Ashirg]

The press release says "tinted color" as oppose to "black & white"...