The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924) User Reviews

Formal And Stylist Beauty

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 8/10 · 8 April 2007]

Together with Stroheim and Murnau, Mauritz Stiller is one of the great directors in cinema history who solely directed silent films during his whole career. Even though the majority of his work has been lost forever, some titles have survived: Herr Arnes Pengar (1919), Sangen Om Dem Eldröda Blomman (1919), "Erotikon" (1920) and "Gunnar Hedes Saga" (1923). These famous films are enough to confirm that Mauritz Stiller has been and are one of the best directors of the seventh art through its long history. He has been able to elevate the "silent art" to that great level that we can still now enjoy and appreciate.

One important turn in his work was his last movie made in Sweden: "Gösta Berlings Saga". This film had disastrous consequences for his career, as this Germanic count will narrate later on.

Stiller, together with Victor Sjöström, were the "father founders" of the Swedish cinema. Together with Sjöström, he is the most famous film director of the 20's. This notoriety was not only in his country because his film "Sangen On Den Eldröda Blomman"(1918) made him world famous, a status confirmed definitively with that masterpiece "Herr Arnes Pengar" (1919).

It is very difficult to write about Stiller, even in Germanic, because it is not easy to find all the adjectives to define his great career; his work had the beauty of a great stylist able to make master pieces in such different genres as "saga" (those great stories of the Swedish literature) or that most sophisticated comedy ("Erotikon" (1920) ). He was a director who had a big influence, even on German directors as Herr Lubitsch who was then defining his unmistakable "touch".

The legend of Gösta Berling is related to the "epic" part of his work. There are big stories replete with character with different backgrounds in several situations that the Nordic director manages very well.

The film is an adaptation of a book written by the famous Swedish author Selma Lagerloff, who by the way, had many disagreements with Stiller's adaptation (ah…., the eternal "auteur" ego problems, almost as classic among the aristocrats'!). Changes were made due to Stiller's lack of respect for the text, who changed it according to the necessity of the film, more specifically, according to the "visual needs" of it. As this Germanic count mentioned before, Stiller is a great stylist, always looking for visual beauty (although it is important to mention that he does not look for hollow images or simple postcards). His interest is very different. In a way, he is delighted on the aesthetics of certain scenarios to show us the most miserable side, the squalor of the whole surroundings.

In spite of those stylistics disagreements between author and director, this Teutonic count asserts that the cinematographic adaptation is excellent. Keeping in mind the fact that it is a very dense and complicated novel, filled with characters.

The Leyend of Gösta Berling tells us the story of Gösta, a drunkard minister who is expelled from the priesthood for his "habit" (weird Nordic tradition, those expellings…). But the bigger problem with his parish is his truthfulness. Jobless, Gösta finishes in Värmland, a state managed by the people of Ekeby.

Gösta's strong personality and his special charm with women will bring him many problems. Two powerful families full of hypocrisy, lies and adultery; rule two estates in Värmland and they will surround Gösta with plenty of intrigue, confusing him and costing him a lot of problems to which he was a stranger to begin with.

Only at the end of the movie, will our hero will get his redemption from the hand of Elisabeth, performed by the fascinating Greta Garbo.

It has to be mentioned that for many long-haired, Stiller is still "only" known as the finder and creator of the divine Greta Garbo; which it is true because thanks to Stiller, Ms Garbo got her first great film performance due to her appearance in this movie. This is a great injustice because reduces Stiller's creations to a second place.

It is compulsory to praise all the actor's great interpretations in this movie. They were really memorable, not forced at all if we take into consideration that around that time it was something very difficult to obtain with certain adaptations or argumentative plots that tended to excesses. It is a movie where also big natural spaces predominate, another of recurrent theme of Stiller. This movie combines the beauty of the frozen landscapes with the danger in them.

As this Germanic count said before, the success that "The legend of Gösta Berling" brought to Stiller and Ms Garbo had a different repercussion in their future careers: for her, the beginning of a mythic career, a cinematographic icon that prevails and still impresses us. For him, the beginning of the end as a director when he started a new phase in the United States that lasted for four unhappy years.

Watching the formal and stylist beauty of "The legend of Gösta Berling", one realises, even the oblivious Germanic aristocracy, the great loss for the cinema that occurred with Stiller's premature death. He was a fundamental director for both the Nordic and global cinema. His great work has been timeless.

And now, if you allow me, I have to leave you momentarily because this Germanic count has an appointment with a Swedish sweetie.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

An Epic!

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 7 August 2017]

Gösta Berling is a young and attractive minister. Because he is an alcoholic and his preaches are far too daring, he is finally defrocked. He leaves the town in disgrace and arrives at countess Marta's manor. His new job there is to be a tutor to countess' beautiful stepdaughter.

In 2006, the film was released for the first time on DVD by Kino International with the support of the Swedish Film Institute. The new release includes English subtitles, the new music score by Matti Bye, and restoration of the film to a length of 185 minutes. While it is somewhat imposing in length, it really is the only way to see it.

Garbo is a larger than life figure. She has achieved immortality, due in part to roles like this. Though not everyone can name a movie she is in, almost everyone has heard of her. That in itself is quite a feat, considering the great actors of the time who are now forgotten except by the biggest movie nerds.

Good but unbelievably long and overly complicated

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 1 April 2007]

When this film was released in the US in the 1920s, they chopped out half the movie. At 183 minutes, I could certainly see why. Now this isn't because I hate long films. If the material merits it (such as GONE WITH THE WIND), then I adore long and complex films. But if the story could easily be told in 90 minutes, then no matter how high the quality is of the film, the overall effort can't help but falter. This film easily could have earned an 8 or 9 had it just been tightened up and some of the more irrelevant moments been excised.

Gösta Berling is a young man who was a minister but is defrocked due to his drinking and ill-advised refusal to accept responsibility for this (he blamed the parishioners). Despite this, he does work throughout the film to do the right thing and be a decent person--in an apparent effort to atone for his mistakes. However, much like the story "Lord Jim", he cannot accept that he is a good person or deserves respect. Throughout the film, many women are attracted to him (including a young Greta Garbo who looks little like her later Hollywood persona). However, feeling unworthy, time and again, Gösta leaves the relationships or the women reject him when they find out about his past. There is far, far more about the film than this--so many plot points that I just won't bother to go any deeper (lest my review be 1000s of words long--which IMDb won't allow).

The bottom line is that this long-winded film is very well made for 1924 and deserves your attention if you consider yourself a big fan of silent films. However, if you have a DVD like mine that slightly speeds up the film yet doesn't go too fast, you may think about using this feature!! It's just not worth the three hours plus you'd need to devote to the Kino Video version.

Monument to Stiller's Directorial Talent and Pinnacle of Swedish Silent Cinema

[marcin_kukuczka · 9/10 · 29 January 2012]

The golden age of Swedish cinema (1913-1924) and the rapid growth in Svensk Filmindustrie were influenced by the works of two directors still remembered among many movie buffs today: Victor Sjostrom and Mauritz Stiller. They made a primary contribution to early films' style and, more importantly, their careers spread to Hollywood in the first half of the 1920s. Most importantly, both of them based some of their works on the source novels by Selma Lagerlof, a Nobel Prize Winner, an eminent figure in the Sweden of the early 20th century, a muse of Swedish silent cinema. However, the directors' results from the cooperation with the eminent author were quite opposing.

While Sjostrom, as a typical diligent Swede, won Lagerlof's heart (his timeless THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE), Stiller was not so successful being nearly 'persona non grata' due to his 'liberal attitude' towards the source materials (he tried to interpret it rather than film it). Even the adaptation of her GUNNAR HEDE'S SAGA did not meet with the author's enthusiasm. Therefore, the task to film GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA occurred a hard venture because Stiller had an investigating approach, his directorial attempts were loose, he changed some parts of the storyline, some characters for the sake of the new phenomenon that cinema was. That is the very basic fact about his GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA. Consequently...the strong points of the movie do not, indeed, lie in the faithfulness to the novel but elsewhere...

At first, it is important to note that for many years the film has been viewed on weak copies, which resulted in serious shortcomings within critical reviews. The new formidably restored Kino version (which I had pleasure to see during its premiere on Polish TV on two consecutive frosty evenings) with the lovely musical score recaptures its potential and makes this silent film not only 'endurable' but overwhelming and unforgettable. No doubt many reviewers find the restored version much more appealing. But where does the film's popularity lie?

For many, the film is remembered merely as Stiller's radiant discovery: Greta Gustafsson later known to the world as Greta Garbo. And, as a Garbo fan, I admit that knowing Greta Garbo's films without seeing GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA equals to having an apple tree in the garden and not tasting its apples. It is a must to see Garbo in this role of Elizabeth Dohna: a young, still inexperienced newcomer under the constant dominance of her tutor Mauritz Stiller from the time when, as some of her biographers say, in order to shape her, it was enough for the director to look into her eyes... Yes, Stiller noticed something unique in her and brought it out, to the light of camera. And there are some lovely scenes that capture her radiance, including the first close-up in the sleigh sequence, Garbo picking flowers in the garden and walking downstairs in shadowy interiors. However, the specific feature of the movie is its episodic structure and, what results from it, its numerous characters. In that way, saying that the film is worth seeing due to Garbo would be an unforgivably limited view. The film is a lovely representation of various characters and their lives in the 19th century Sweden. Those truly unique performances are handled by Lars Hanson and, above all, GERDA LUNDEQUIST!

Lars Hanson, a mainstay in Stiller's movies before leaving for Hollywood, gives a captivating performance here as a 'defrocked man of God' depicting his character's frustration, guilt, even curse and constant search for redemption. His wandering from the priest through a tutor, then one of the cavalier fellows to the owner of new Ekeby is filled with breathtaking moments. Women he loves disappear, things he owns gradually decline and nothing seems to be left at certain moments. However, a truly haunting part is portrayed by Sweden's Sarah Bernhardt - Gerda Lundequist as Margaretha Samzelius, the 'Majorskan.' With lots of flashbacks, the vibrant and subtle interpretation of her character leaves a viewer stunned. Perhaps the most memorable factor of her plot is the mother-daughter relation and her mother's curse she strives to get cleaned. Characters have much in common with one another (this aspect of the family relations is also developed in Marianne Sinclair's plot). Among the supporting cast, Karin Swanstrom as Gustave Sinclair and Ellen Hartman-Cederstrom as Martha Dohna are worth noticing, particularly due to the striking features of different female characters.

But what primarily makes GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA a captivating experience are its visuals. Great credit to the terrific cinematographer Julius Jaenzon. The picturesque depiction of Swedish climate and its idyllic landscape (many scenes depict the peaceful images of snow), the artistic use of light and shadow in the interior shots, the elaborate sets and bizarre wardrobe make many scenes real feast for the eyes. Top notch art direction by Vilhelm Bryde! Mind you that clothes are the undertone of characters' features (Martha Dohna with her peacock's dresses and weird hairstyle). The most memorable scenes of the film include the fire at the Ekeby Mansion (in particular Gosta saving the life of Marianne Sinclair), the famous Elizabeth/Gosta's sleigh scene on frozen Lake Lofven (consider the wolves and the formidable final shot of this sequence), Margaret Celsing approaching the house of her mother, Marianne Sinclair knocking at the door of her home, Gosta and his sermon, the banquet at Ekeby and the unforgettable finale at Broby Inn and new Ekeby.

The only flaw that does not allow the film be labeled as 'masterpiece' is its continuity caused by editing and shortening of scenes.

Much more could be said about 'Sweden's GONE WITH THE WIND.' It was a great surprise for me to see it in its restored version with the voice over that helped me follow the plots. A highly riveting silent movie, not merely for Greta Garbo fans. Intensely beautiful symphony of cinema with visual splendor! 9/10

Hooray!!

[Damfino1895 · 29 April 2005]

I have to change my previous review as I have watched the true version with a pretty darn good soundtrack that Kino released onto DVD and about time too. All I can say is that if you have seen the atrocious VHS version then do yourself a big favour and buy this one, there is simply no comparison, if you haven't seen the VHS version, well, do yourself a favour and get the DVD anyway. Garbo is very young in this and quite unrecognisable, but, she is very good as Elisabeth. You can see why Lars Hanson was later hand picked by Lillian Gish to star with her in "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Wind" and hopefully this will increase his fanbase. And you're left wondering why director Mauritz Stiller never became the success that another Swedish director Victor Sjostrom was.

This is the Movie Greta Garbo Was Discovered

[springfieldrental · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

Greta Gustafsson grew up in an environment that offered scant hope for a little girl who loved to act. Youngest of three children, Greta remembers living in a small Stockholm, Sweden apartment where in the evenings after work "my father would be sitting in a corner, scribbling figures on a newspaper. On the other side of the room, my mother is repairing ragged old clothes, sighing." She claimed there was always tension in the air, making life for the sensitive girl not very pleasant.

Later, as an 18-year-older, her acting ambitions were slowly realized. Greta was able to get her foot in the door primarily because she possessed a pretty face. Gustafsson appeared in several print advertisements before she popped up in a brief filmed scene while attending the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in Stockholm from 1922 to 1924. Director Mauritz Stiller, famous for his cutting-edge 1919 'Sir Arne's Treasure' and 1920 'Erotikon,' spotted Greta and signed her to play a part in his March 1924 "The Saga of Gosta Berling."

It was this movie that Louis B. Mayer, who had just merged his production studio with Metro and Goldwyn's Pictures to create MGM Studios, was in Germany looking for new talent. Swedish director Victor Sjostrom, recently hired by Mayer, recommended he see the work of his friend Stiller. There's differing accounts on what happened when the film producer saw "The Saga of Gosta Berling," but Myer's daughter recounts him saying upon seeing Gustafsson, "This director is wonderful, but what we really ought to look at is the girl ... The girl, look at the girl! It's her eyes. I can make her a star."

Gustafsson eventually went to Hollywood, where she was given a new name. Studio executives kept the Greta, but her last name became Garbo. The Swedish actress would become the fifth greatest actress in cinema, according to the American Film Institute. Not bad for a girl who never attended high school, which was par for the course for working class Swedish school girls, something that for the rest of her life Garbo claimed gave her an inferiority complex.

"The Saga of Goat Berling" has been tabbed the Swedish version of America's epic "Gone With The Wind" for the breath and scope of its plot. Gleaned from Selma Lagerlof's 1891 novel, the movie's about a Lutheran minister who's fired by church elders for his drinking habits as well as for his controversial sermons. Gosta Berling receives a job offer to become a tutor to a countess' daughter, Ebba. The countess hopes her new tutor will marry his pupil before her son, Henrik, whom she despises, gets the countess' inheritance. Henrik soon returns from Italy with his supposed new wife, Elizabeth (Greta). Towards the end of the movie, which is chock full of flashbacks and intrigue from a number of participants, Elizabeth sours on Henrik, but not before she's in an exciting chase on a horse-drawn sled with Berling trying to outrun a pack of hungry wolves on a frozen lake.

It had been noted that since she was so new in front of the camera Greta needed a good dose of champagne before her big scenes. Most of "The Saga of Gosta Berling" production was without her. But her first appearance, 40 minutes into the three-hour plus film, and a reappearance in the last 15 minutes, changed forever the girl who grew up in relative poverty in a Stockholm slum.

"The Saga of Gosta Berling" pretty much marked the end of 'The Golden Age of Swedish Silent Cinema." With highly-regarded Sjostrom already in Hollywood and Stiller with Greta and actor Lars Hanson, who played Berling, soon departing for California, the leaders of Sweden's film industry were gone. With the exception of Garbo, the rest of Sweden's superstar directors had only a modest success in the states, unlike in their native country.

A Stunner

[movingpicturegal · 10/10 · 9 June 2006]

Absorbing, epic tale of handsome Gosta Berling (played by Lars Hanson) and the vulnerable, beautiful women who love him. Gosta, a defrocked clergyman with a taste for liquor (and for lovely ladies, it seems) takes on the task of tutoring the stepdaughter of a Countess who has schemes to get the stepdaughter to marry Gosta, a commoner, and thus lose her rights to their estate Borg, which will then go over to her foppish son Henrik. Henrik comes back from Italy with his new wife Elisabeth (Greta Garbo), a woman who soon also loves Gosta (seems he has been tutoring her too). After the stepdaughter finds out about his past, Gosta leaves Borg and becomes one of the "Knights of Ekeby", a group of down-and-out men given their own "Knight's Wing" at Ekeby, a neighboring estate run by a strong woman, the "Major's wife", who has a story of her own to tell.

I found this film engrossing - an interesting and unusual plot, emotional, heartfelt acting, every scene beautifully lit - the actor's hair glistening with light as it shines from above or behind, very lavish period costuming in literally every scene, lots of interesting tracking shots, handsome leading man, and the beauty of Garbo all join together in making this film a real winner. My favorite scene features an amazing tracking shot taken across the ice as the camera follows a horse-drawn sleigh chasing rapidly along, with back and forth close-ups of Hanson and Garbo, the two fur-clad passengers in the sleigh. The music score that accompanies this film on the DVD suits the story to a tea - I loved it. Just over three hours long - I enjoyed every minute of this. A stunning presentation.

Ordinary silent epic.

[theskulI42 · 6/10 · 4 August 2008]

Decent but overlong (3+ hours), overblown (*cries*) and over-the-top melodrama even compared to most silent drama; I've never been a huge Garbo fan (she had zero subtlety, which suits a silent actor) and she is right at home here considering everyone else is just as GRAHND *throws arms out*. There's drunk preachers, big speeches, fires, redemption, death, love, everything you would expect from these types of film, in overabundance. The Saga of Gosta Berling's print is remarkably cleaned up, I just wish the film they had put so much work into was better.

{Grade: 6.25/10 (high C+) / #6 (of 6) of 1924}

Extraordinary silent epic

[dbdumonteil · 10/10 · 11 December 2009]

Three hours + and this movie had me on the edge of my seat till the last picture .Fans of Greta Garbo might be disappointed for her role is not very important in the first part of the saga.

Selma Lägerlof's " Gösta Berling" reminds me of Thomas Hardy's "Jude" and "Tess" .Like them ,he is more a victim than a "defrocked " minister. The structure of the movie is stunning including long flashbacks and flashbacks inside the flashback ,and so many characters it is sometimes hard to remember who is who.But this extravagant melodrama features so many memorable scenes it's impossible to mention all of them:

-Berling in his church,in his pulpit ,in front of the clergy .

-The "Devil" ,some kind of jack-in-the-box ,claiming another soul among the "outcasts"

-The big fire,filmed with a stunning virtuosity

-Gösta and Elizabeth,in their sleigh,escaping from a world they are not part of ,one of the most frenzied romantic scene I have ever seen.

"Gösta Berling" takes us to the decadent aristocratic world of the nineteenth century and depicts its deterioration.It is one of these rare silent movies which can still grab today's audience.

Mainly known as the debut film of Greta Garbo

[frankde-jong · 7/10 · 10 August 2021]

"Gösta Berlings saga" is the debut film of Greta Garbo. It was directed by Mauritz Stiller. Together with Victor Sjöström, Stiller was the leading director of the first Scandinavian wave. Stiller and Garbo went together to Hollywood. Garbo succeeded were Stiller failed. The relationship between Garbo and Stiller can be seen as the extreme version of the relationship between Marlene Dietrich and Josef von Sternberg from the same time period.

The question with debut-films of actresses that later became great film diva's is if the film is well known because of his intrinsic quality's or because of the upcoming star in it (that not necessarily has the leading role yet, as is the case in "Gösta Berlngs saga")?

"Gösta Berlings saga" is based on a novel by Selma Lagerlöf, a winner of the Nobel prize in literature. So one is inclined to assume that the film must have intrinsic quality's. Unfortunately a good story does not necessarily mean a good film and to be honest, this movie is not a great one.

Although the film as a whole is not a masterpiece, there are some mesmerising scenes. I am thinking about the scene with the fire in house Ekeby and the scene with the persuit by wolves on the frozen lake.

Also the method of introducing the cast is worth mentioning. Not as a title roll at the beginning or the end of the film, but piece by piece when an actor or actress makes his/her first appearance. From a viewpoint of remembring the characters there is a lot to be said for this method. In all honesty what information conveys a title roll at the beginning of the movie?

Some nice moments and great for Garbo fans, but too long and sprawling

[gbill-74877 · 5/10 · 1 June 2019]

One of the big things this has going for it is 18-year-old Greta Garbo; this was the film that got her noticed and brought to Hollywood the following year ... so if you're a big Garbo fan, this is probably must-see.

The title character is interesting, though the performance from Lars Hanson is too simple, and doesn't adequately convey the passion of a defrocked preacher who has several women fall for him (Mona Mårtenson, Jenny Hasselquist, and Garbo). Better is the performance we get from Gerda Lundequist, who plays a middle-aged married woman with a thinly veiled secret from her past, an old lover who bequeathed her wealth when he passed away.

There is a theme of the consequences to bad decisions in love that runs through these characters, some of which seem crazy (Hasselquist's father locking her out in winter over a single kiss), and others of which are age-old problems (Garbo's marriage to another man despite not loving him, and Lundequist's situation of having a lover and a husband). The women of the film seem to bear the brunt in unfair ways, and there may a feminist message in showing this (or it could be I'm just projecting that, I don't know).

There are some epic scenes which are impressive on the screen, including one with a horse-drawn sleigh running across the ice at night while pursued by wolves, and another with an impressive fire when a mansion is burned down, even though neither seem to make all that much sense.

And unfortunately that's at the heart of the issue I had with the film - it rambles on in exaggerated ways, lacking cohesive vision, and is at times ridiculously melodramatic. It's also far too long at over 3 hours, making it quite a slog to get through.

Silent poetry...

[strsfgold · 10/10 · 20 April 2007]

The Saga of Gosta Berling is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and haunting films I have ever seen in my life. I was lucky enough to only see the improved Kino version, however. Trust me, if you long to see this incredible film, please just save up and buy the elegant Kino version. You won't be sorry you did! No other cheaper version will capture the story and it's just not worth it...

The film is long (three hours) but every second is precious. Perhaps it could have been cut shorter to make the plot more simple but who would want that? Hopefully I'm not the only one but when the words "The End" come across the screen my heart aches and I truly want more. Despite how long the film is, many elements from the book by Selma Lagerlöf had to be cut out in order to avoid a ten-hour-long drama. Be sure to hunt down a copy of the story and read it for yourself. Each and every character is so complex and interesting and every chapter is like a moving short story.

The acting is absolutely superb. Hanson and Garbo have such amazing chemistry that you literally feel as if you'll melt when they simply stare at each other with their expressive, longing eyes. Besides the two main stars, everyone gives great performances, besides Torsten Hammarén. He seemed to have the same annoying facial expression the whole time. Maybe that's just the way his character was suppose to be (Henrik Dohna) but I doubt it, since I recall his character in Erotikon (1920) having that same, stupid look.

The main reason I encourage everyone to see the Kino version is for the soundtrack. The soundtrack for the Kino version of The Saga of Gosta Berling is soaring, gorgeous, and completely wonderful. It's the greatest soundtrack I have ever heard for a silent film. I literally get goosebumps on my arms when I feel the melodies run through me. Matti Bye has created a score that fits the story so perfectly that it's unbelievable.

Everything and everyone in this film is stunning visually. We get to see many shots of the magical country of Värmland and its ravishing scenery. Many lovely actors and actresses were chosen and they absolutely glow with beauty. Lars Hanson and Greta Garbo are both hauntingly beautiful, along with the actress Mona Mårtenson, who plays Ebba Dohna.

Honestly, I can't come up with anything to say except, please watch this film and read the book too. The story will never leave you.

Overlong and boring

[ellaf · 2/10 · 14 March 2008]

First of all, to Garbo fans, though «Berling» is the film that launched Greta Garbo's career, it is NOT a Garbo movie. Indeed, even in the restored full 3-hour DVD version, GG is not seen very often except at the end. Her part, though, becomes a pivotal one as the film progresses.

I must say that, though rarely seen, GG is good in her part and is acting with subtlety compared to most of the other actors. The soulful quality of her acting that she'll be known for is already there. She has a very sensible and touching character to play and we SO wish that her Countess Dohnna will be the one ending with Gösta Berling.

GG is already beautiful though not as drop-dead gorgeous as she would become in future films. But we soon forget her for a long while in that overlong and dull movie (until 30 minutes before the end when the movie suddenly BELONGS to her only), especially because Gerda Lundeqvist is really the one who shines and stoles the pictures.

Gerda Lundeqvist acts naturally and with depths. She does not hesitate to look worn-out, even ugly. She's totally into her part. She's a neo-realistic actress 25 years before neo-realism would be introduced in Italian movies! She really is, to me, probably the only reason to see this movie.

Now, Lars Hanson...he may have been known for his great profile and good looks, but, as an actor, I find him to be a typical actor of that era. Those big dramatic and quite ineffective gestures, this rolling of the eyes, the white face like Valentino as if he's been powdered...Under all of this, he WAS handsome and we can see he has classical features, but, seeing him in that movie, one wonders how women could fall one after another for his Gösta Berling character! See him in «Flesh And The Devil» instead; in it, he's much more handsome and we're even treated with a nice and welcome shirtless scene where we can clearly see how well built and gorgeous he really was.

As for his acting talent, it is impossible for me to have an opinion based on this movie. In it, he's just, to me, another example of a badly outdated performer. Perhaps was he better on stage as he was also a theater actor...Anyway...

The film itself is overlong, boring and hard to swallow today. I watched it 30 minutes at a time over several days! That's the only way I could sit through the whole movie! I usually don't mind silent movies, but this one is simply not good. Period.

It has almost no plot. The little it has in that department goes nowhere. The Winter setting is depressing and rather reminds the early Luis Trenker or Leni Riefenstahl movies WITHOUT the action! It may be beautiful to look at to some, because of the numerous exterior shots and especially considering it's been filmed almost 90 years ago, but one gets bored of beauty very fast when there's nothing else! How could Mauritz Stiller become such a celebrated director in his time if all he did were movies like this one? Tough question...

Anyway, see it if you like epic dramas or if you are a Garbo devotee but, otherwise, you can easily live without it! P.S. Two stars only: one for GG and one Gerda L.

Gone With the Wind of Sweden only better

[kirksworks · 9/10 · 4 October 2008]

I watched this over two nights. I found the first hour a bit hard to get through. With the exception of a great emotional scene with Garbo, I found the story a bit hard to follow because of the number of characters and the similarities of some of the names. Nevertheless, I persevered and watched the second 2 hours the next night. I'm glad I did. It turned out to be a really remarkable film, kind of a Swedish GONE WITH THE WIND, only better in my opinion.

I won't say much about the story, except Gosta Berlings, played by Lars Hanson, is the main character, an amazingly impetuous fellow. The forward momentum of the story is totally due to his and other characters almost spur of the moment good or bad (mostly bad) choices. It's a gigantic production with some of the most spectacular sequences ever shot. The remarkable scene with a sled on a frozen lake that has got to be one of the most dramatic and exciting ever filmed. Lars Hanson and Greta Garbo have great chemistry together.

As for Greta, she was only 17 when she made it, and it was really her first performance of any note. She really drew attention, and it's clear why Louie B. Mayer was taken with her when he saw the film on a trip to Europe. Amazingly, she doesn't appear until about 35 minutes into the film, then all but disappears for the next hour. When she reappears, it's clear the other romantic female characters in the story pale in comparison to her, both visually and performance-wise. The DVD has some clips of her very early work, even before GOSTA BERLINGS, and in one film she was a really a bit of a porker. Apparently, Stiller put her on a diet before she made GOSTA and she remained svelte the rest of her life. Considering what a chubby little thing she was in the earlier films, it's impressive that Stiller was able to see through all that and recognize the talented beauty that lie beneath.

After finishing the film, I went back and re watched the first hour, just to see what I couldn't quite put together the first time around, and it all made perfect sense and was all the more impressive on the second go around. I recommend this film highly, not just as a Garbo movie, per se, even though she is wonderful in it, but as a great film on it's own. Just be patient with it, and it pays off.

AMAZING! What a difference finally seeing the full-length version makes! What was once barely watchable is now a restored masterpiece!

[Larry41OnEbay-2 · 10/10 · 7 June 2006]

Like most silent film fans I had endured the bad, dupey, chopped-up 90m version of this film on VHS and wondered why it has such a famous reputation. Thank goodness for KINO & the Swedish Film Institute for finally making this 184m version available in a beautiful print with a complimentary musical score. This film reminds me of a silent version of WAR & PEACE meets GONE WITH THE WIND in its size and scope with elements of Shakespeare-like plot twists. An alternative title actually sets up the story better, "The Atonement of Gosta Berling." SPOILERS: The narrative opens during a drunken party where the star, Lars Hanson (best known as Lillian Gish's costar in THE WIND, 1928), is sharing the story of his downfall with his friends. In flashback, we see Gosta (Hanson) as an unsure priest with a drinking problem being defrocked in an embarrassing public scene. Shamed, he is later hired by an unscrupulous and wealthy woman to be a tutor to her step-daughter. Secretly the "Noble" woman hopes the two will marry and thus revoke the step-daughter's right to inherit her father's estate by hooking up with the commoner, making the way clear for her foppish son to earn the inheritance. There is another grand dame in our plot at the nearby Ekeby estate, run by the head-strong matron Margaretha Samzelius (Gerda Lundequist) in a larger-than-life performance that reminded me of Louise Dresser in THE SCARLET EMPRESS. She takes in outcasts and calls them her "Knights," inspiring respect from almost all who know her. I loved the way she commands attention, but when she is broken and has to ask her mother to remove a curse put upon her in her youth, the rebuke she gets breaks your heart. Nearly one third of the way through the story, we are introduced to a very young Greta Garbo. Her role starts out small but becomes very important in the ending resolution. Filled with wonderful, nuanced performances by all the actors in the diverse and large cast. Amazingly, there are many on-location outdoor shots and outstanding scenes including an out-of-control fire that destroys a huge estate (reminding me of a similar incident in Hitchcock's REBECCA) and a long chase scene of a horse-drawn sleigh by wolves across a huge frozen lake, filmed at night that must be seen to be believed! Now that this grand epic has finally been released as it was meant to be seen, it will be re-discovered by silent film fans around the globe as they share this masterpiece with their friends. To sum it up, this is the film I have been waiting for to give film preservation its annual shot-in-the arm! Two years ago it was the uncensored BABY FACE; last year the lost film KIKI (Norma Talmadge version) was finally restored, and for 2006 it will be "The Atonement of Gosta Berling."

A Spectacular Epic!!!

[kidboots · 10/10 · 18 November 2011]

Even though Greta Garbo made this movie at the start of her career (when she was still Greta Gustafson) it is considered one her most successful and pleasing romances. Instantly Hollywood beckoned and in one fell swoop signed director (Mauritz Stiller), both stars (Lars Hanson and Greta Garbo) as well as another top ranked Swedish director Victor Seastrom - and the cream of Sweden's small industry was gone. "The Saga of Gosta Berling" was a big epic movie full of passions and larger than life characters. It was based on the hugely successful book by Sweden's most famed and prolific author - Selma Lagerlof - and it was also the reason for the film's greatest drawback. Because almost everyone in Sweden had read the novel not a lot of explanation of character and motive was needed and it was almost cut to half it's running length for the U.S. market. Now fortunately it has been restored to the way it played in the Swedish cinemas.

Unlike Germany, the Swedish acting style was very flamboyant, writers and actors were very demonstrative in their neurotic self doubts. Swedish drama was usually larger than life - no minor problems or intimate discussions but duels, suicides, plagues, fires and most of it is here in Gosta Berling.

Gosta Berling (Lars Hanson) is a defrocked priest who is a self sacrificing idealist, torn between destroying himself and helping others. He is one of the knights of Ekeby, a group of drunken rabble rousers who have literally gone to the devil!!! Gosta Berling has been defrocked not because he drinks but because he exposed the hypocrisy of the small village where liquor was their God!!! He is hired to tutor Ebba (Mona Martensson), daughter of an impoverished Countess who has secretly hired Gosta ("the handsome Gosta") hoping he will marry Ebba and take her off the family's hands. Ebba is due to inherit the family estate unless she dies or marries a commoner, if so, the estate goes to her brother Henrik - hence the eagerness to marry her to commoner Gosta!!! Religious Ebba though is trying to convince Gosta to become a preacher as she is dazzled by his fiery speeches.

Meanwhile Henrik returns from Italy with his new wife Elisabeth (Greta Garbo). At a party given to the newlyweds Elisabeth learns that Ebba's fiancé is Gosta Berling, the same man who tutored her and was her friend when she was a young girl. When Ebba overhears of the plot to swindle her out of her inheritance she denounces Gosta as being privy to the secret. Gosta feels he is lost, doomed - and thus becomes one of the drunken knights of Ekeby but with Gosta now gone Ebba dies of a broken heart. Pulled from his suicidal thoughts by Margaretha Celsing, the most influential woman in the village, she tells him her embittered tale and Gosta realises that life is there to be lived.

Marianne, the petted daughter of Melchoir Sinclair, is made an outcast by her parents because of her infatuation with Gosta and Margaretha is also turned out on the streets when her husband's secret regarding her old lover is exposed. When Gosta finds Marianne he takes her back to Ekeby, which has been left to the drunken knights by the embittered husband. They proceed to run the once prosperous estate into the ground. Meanwhile Margaretha, mad with vengeance, is planning an uprising with the peasants to take over the estate and burn it to the ground.

This movie, like "Gone With the Wind" is larger than life. Elisabeth, who has come to regret marrying the pompous Henrik is surprised when Henrik comes to her with papers to sign - apparently they have not been legally married. Reluctantly she is about to sign when Henrik's mother mentions that it was noticed that she ran after Gosta in the snow and didn't return till morning. That is one of the movie's most spectacular scenes - Gosta and Elisabeth fleeing on a sleigh across a frozen lake while being pursued by wolves!!!

In such a tumultuous, incident packed movie it is incredible that Greta Garbo shines through. She is not the sultry vamp of Hollywood but still beautiful and serene - there aren't even that many closeups of that incredible face. But the magic is already there and whenever she is off the screen she is missed.

David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com

[rdjeffers · 15 October 2009]

Friday October 16, 8pm, Northwest Film Forum, Seattle

"You won't escape by turning yourself into a beautiful corpse. Don't you know that most people are dead already?"

A charismatic young priest with a penchant for liquor is defrocked and roams the countryside. Gösta Berling (Lars Hanson) finds work as a tutor, but is scandalized when his past is discovered. Rescued by a wealthy and powerful matriarch, he joins her band of wayward noblemen and becomes an agent of social change.

By scope and ambition, director Mauritz Stiller's romantic epic The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924) represents the zenith of silent era film in Sweden. Based on Selma Lagerlöf's popular novel and photographed by Svensk Filmindustri's brilliant cinematographer Julius Jaenzon, The Saga of Gösta Berling has moments of operatic spectacle, thrilling action and intense scenic beauty, but suffers from distracting and fragmentary editing. The eventual fame of Stiller's protégée, cast in a supporting role, has also warped modern perceptions of the film. Hanson's performance, his best on film, is profoundly moving. Leading an accomplished ensemble cast, Gerda Lundquist as the major's wife is mesmerizing.

Another feel good hit of the Swedish summer

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 3/10 · 15 March 2023]

The main plot involves defrocked priest Lars Hanson coming to an old bag's estate to tutor the daughter. Scheming mom wants daughter to fall in love and marry Hanson and forego her inheritance. You see, scheming mom wants the inheritence to go to her wiffleball-spined son.

Simple, right?

Well, this is Swedish film-making. So we get a half-hour prologue. Part 1 of the prologue is a drunken scene on Christmas Day where Satan makes an appearance. Part 2 of the prologue is a flashback to Hanson's waning days as a priest before he got the boot.

This prologue could have been accomplished in five minutes, not 30.

The acting is very much like the cliched silent-era emoting and staring off into the middle distance.

I'll be honest, I got so bored that I started FFW to get to the Garbo parts. She shows up at roughly the 45 minute mark at a grand soiree. Let's just say she's lucky they emphasize cosmetic dentistry in the United States.

Nothing more than a curiosity piece for h3rdcore Garbo fans.

Riveting!

[hahnell · 9/10 · 27 November 2010]

Mauritz Stiller's amazing film The Saga of Gosta Berling is proof to me of just what an edge the European filmmakers had on the Americans. The cinematography here is often breathtaking. The pacing never flags, and when you're talking about a 180 minute film, that's no small feat. The Kino version I watched, which was the recent restoration by the Swedish Film Archive, also featured a beautifully done soundtrack, something I find that makes such a huge difference -- some of the recent restorations I've watched have featured soundtracks that sound way too contemporary, and I just find that annoying and distracting. Not so here.

But the biggest thing I noticed on my second go-round with this beautiful film was the emotional realism that so many of these wonderful actors brought to their characters. They make mistakes, they regret. They love, they hate, they envy. They are real, believable people, something that wasn't always happening in American films of 1924. Garbo, at this early stage in her career, is already showing star quality. And the now largely -forgotten Lars Hanson is handsome and riveting. Don't let the length deter you from watching this fine and beautiful film.

In my top 10 of silent pictures

[Cristi_Ciopron · 10/10 · 10 August 2008]

This powerful, bleak and strong drama is one of the best silent films—an impressive, imposing masterpiece, rich in emotions, vigorous, subtle, with a fascinating subject—it will always pertain to my top 10 of silent films. It is good beyond any praise, highly dramatic and impressing.

Mme. Garbo is naturally, spontaneously extraordinary conspicuous in her role—I rank it with her best performances. She was strikingly sexy as well.

These silent films, at their best, were often emotionally rich, profound and compelling.

Their form aids much; the necessary stylization, the inventiveness required, the finesse and insight ….Also their silent condition, the spectral and phantom look, the flair for uncanny dramas ….

GOSTA … has a formidable subject—it is a film about the dead people, about inner death, about people who are only alive in appearance. This is one of the most interesting subjects that can be found; in GOSTA …,it is deeply, keenly, unsparingly explored. The movie is emotionally intense and exquisitely firm in depicting hidden realities.

These old directors were giants. They made things so beautiful,so insightful and eloquent and psychologically valid, you can not be grateful enough.

I am one of those many in love with Mrs. Garbo. Those who class her with the best actors ever are right.