Victor Sjöström

A distinguished professor is forced to face his past, come to terms with his faults and make peace with the inevitability of his approaching death.

A fisher defies the English blockade off the coast of Norway during the Napoleonic Wars, then faces a fateful reckoning in this landmark silent film.

This double feature includes a 1918 silent film directed by and starring Victor Sjöström, plus Gösta Werner's 1981 documentary about the filmmaker.

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. The story, based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, concerns 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. 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.

An orchestra violinist's dreams of becoming a celebrated soloist and fears of his own mediocrity get in the way of his marriage to the patient, caring Marta. Played out to the music of Beethoven, Ingmar Bergman's To Joy is a heartbreaking tale of one man's inability to overcome the demons standing in the way of his happiness.