A Man There Was
1917 · Movie · Not Rated · 56 min · ★ 7.1 · 86% critics
Set against hardship and the sea, this silent drama follows a sailor shattered by personal loss after an act of cold authority. Years later, fate offers him a chance to choose between revenge and mercy when those tied to his past depend on him.
Based on Terje Vigen
Where to watch
Streaming on The Criterion Channel.
< 1 hour to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Terje Vigen
- Years
- 1917
- Release date
- 1917-01-29
- Language
- Swedish
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Runtime
- 56 min
- Critic score
- 86/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (82 votes)
About
You’ll likely connect with this if you enjoy silent-era tragedies with moral weight, stark atmosphere, and human struggle, especially if you like The Outlaw and His Wife or The Phantom Carriage; Not for you if very slow, wordless storytelling loses you.
Pros: powerful emotional pull; striking sea imagery; concise storytelling | Cons: slow pacing; simple plot; can be hard to follow
Themes
- imprisonment
- famine
- tragedy
- based on song, poem or rhyme
- silent film
- bitterness
- family man
- blockade
- somber
- seafarer
- loss of family
Cast & crew
Victor Sjöström
as Terje Vigen
- BH
Bergliot Husberg
as Terje Vigens hustru
- AF
August Falck
as Den engelske lorden
Edith Erastoff
as Den engelska ladyn
Eric Abrahamsson
as En fiskare (uncredited)
Hildur Carlberg
as En kvinna i byn (uncredited)
Gucken Cederborg
as Den nya hustrun i Terjes stuga (uncredited)
John Ekman
as Norsk fånge i fängelset (uncredited)
Nils Elffors
as En av Terjes kamrater (uncredited)
Emil Fjellström
as En fiskare på stranden (uncredited)
Directed by Victor Sjöström