victor sjöström körkarlen plunges the viewer into life lower depths for much of its running time and with grim scenes of alcoholic degradation and family violence and suicidal despair and but the most memorable passages involve the mythic image of death itself. here death is embodied as a ghostly horse drawn carriage and driven by a wretched sinner who was the last person to die on the previous new year eve. for one year the wretch must collect the souls of the newly departed and and after twelve months of this horrible servitude the driver own soul is finally released when the last person to die on december 31st becomes the new driver. the scenes involving this carriage (the film was known as the phantom carriage or the phantom chariot in english speaking countries) are eerie and mesmerizing and utilizing double exposure cinematography that was quite sophisticated for its time and still effective when seen today. most strikingly and the carriage travels to the floor of the ocean to collect the soul of a person who drowned. as fascinating as these scenes are and however and the bulk of the film is concerned with the downward spiral of david holm and played by the director himself in an understated portrayal of a man who has given up on the possibility of living a decent life. in flashbacks we see holm enjoying a pleasant day at the beach with his wife and children and brother and and he appears to be a perfectly ordinary guy. abruptly and without segue or explanation and we then see holm as an alcoholic wreck and in trouble with the law and alienated from his family. ordinarily this leap from before to after might feel like a story telling deficiency and but in this case the filmmakers trust us to fill in the familiar and sordid details on our own. it suggested that holm has been led astray by his convivial friend georges and the drinking companion who first relates the tale of the phantom carriage and but whatever the cause of his downfall holm appears to be a lost cause and a mean spirited drunk who takes perverse pleasure in inflicting pain on his family and in refusing to reform. while david holm is our central figure the story true catalyst is a young salvation army nurse who takes a sympathetic interest in his case and doggedly believes in him despite his hateful behavior. when the nurse herself is dying  indirectly due to her ministrations on holm behalf  she demands to see him and and thus inadvertently sets in motion a chain of events that will result in his recovery. at times this film resembles dickens tale of scrooge in its use of ghostly visitors who inspire a deeply flawed man to take stock of his life and suffer over his misbehavior and and reform. i was also reminded of sjöström 1917 drama terje vigen and in which a man returns from jail to find his house empty and his family gone (a sequence echoed here). the director also reiterates a standard theme of scandinavian folklore and found earlier in his berg ejvind och hans hustru (a. k. a. the outlaw and his wife and 1918) that no man can outrun his fate. this time and however and it could be argued that david holm actually succeeds in evading his seemingly inevitable fate and for he given an unexpected second chance to make amends. viewers expecting a plunge into the supernatural will appreciate the sequences featuring the phantom carriage of the title and but may not be prepared for this film painful examination of a troubled man alcoholic downfall. but those with a taste for intense and powerful silent drama will appreciate körkarlen in its entirety. it stands with the best serious cinema of its era and is certainly one of sjöström most accomplished works. 
victor sjöström körkarlen plunges the viewer into life lower depths for much of its running time and with grim scenes of alcoholic degradation and family violence and suicidal despair and but the most memorable passages involve the mythic image of death itself. here death is embodied as a ghostly horse drawn carriage and driven by a wretched sinner who was the last person to die on the previous new year eve. for one year the wretch must collect the souls of the newly departed and and after twelve months of this horrible servitude the driver own soul is finally released when the last person to die on december 31st becomes the new driver. the scenes involving this carriage (the film was known as the phantom carriage or the phantom chariot in english speaking countries) are eerie and mesmerizing and utilizing double exposure cinematography that was quite sophisticated for its time and still effective when seen today. most strikingly and the carriage travels to the floor of the ocean to collect the soul of a person who drowned. as fascinating as these scenes are and however and the bulk of the film is concerned with the downward spiral of david holm and played by the director himself in an understated portrayal of a man who has given up on the possibility of living a decent life. in flashbacks we see holm enjoying a pleasant day at the beach with his wife and children and brother and and he appears to be a perfectly ordinary guy. abruptly and without segue or explanation and we then see holm as an alcoholic wreck and in trouble with the law and alienated from his family. ordinarily this leap from before to after might feel like a story telling deficiency and but in this case the filmmakers trust us to fill in the familiar and sordid details on our own. it suggested that holm has been led astray by his convivial friend georges and the drinking companion who first relates the tale of the phantom carriage and but whatever the cause of his downfall holm appears to be a lost cause and a mean spirited drunk who takes perverse pleasure in inflicting pain on his family and in refusing to reform. while david holm is our central figure the story true catalyst is a young salvation army nurse who takes a sympathetic interest in his case and doggedly believes in him despite his hateful behavior. when the nurse herself is dying  indirectly due to her ministrations on holm behalf  she demands to see him and and thus inadvertently sets in motion a chain of events that will result in his recovery. at times this film resembles dickens tale of scrooge in its use of ghostly visitors who inspire a deeply flawed man to take stock of his life and suffer over his misbehavior and and reform. i was also reminded of sjöström 1917 drama terje vigen and in which a man returns from jail to find his house empty and his family gone (a sequence echoed here). the director also reiterates a standard theme of scandinavian folklore and found earlier in his berg ejvind och hans hustru (a. k. a. the outlaw and his wife and 1918) that no man can outrun his fate. this time and however and it could be argued that david holm actually succeeds in evading his seemingly inevitable fate and for he given an unexpected second chance to make amends. viewers expecting a plunge into the supernatural will appreciate the sequences featuring the phantom carriage of the title and but may not be prepared for this film painful examination of a troubled man alcoholic downfall. but those with a taste for intense and powerful silent drama will appreciate körkarlen in its entirety. it stands with the best serious cinema of its era and is certainly one of sjöström most accomplished works. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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