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The Outlaw and His Wife (1918) / Victor Sjostrom (1981) | 
 enlarge | Directors: Victor Sjostrom, Gosta Werner
Actors: Victor Sjostrom, Ingmar Bergman, Edith Erastoff
Studio: KINO INTERNATIONAL
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $15.38
You Save: $14.57 (49%)
New (14) Used (3) from $14.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 29854
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Silent, Subtitled
Languages: English (Subtitled), Swedish (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 135
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.6 x 0.6
UPC: 738329059828
EAN: 0738329059828
ASIN: B0018W2KZW
Theatrical Release Date: 1918
Release Date: July 29, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: new and sealed
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Product Description
THE OUTLAW AND HIS WIFE (1918) - Co-Written, Directed and Starring Victor Sjostrom - Plus VICTOR SJOSTROM (1981) - A Documentary Directed by Gosta Werner and Featuring Ingmar Bergman.
A masterpiece of the Swedish silent cinema, Victor Sjostrom s THE OUTLAW AND HIS WIFE is a film of remarkable psychological complexity, which bore aprofound influence on the work of Ingmar Bergman and Carl Theodor Dreyer. When a mysterious stranger (played by Sjostrom) is hired on at a farm by its widowed owner (Edith Erastoff, who would later become Sjostrom s wife), a romantic bond quickly forms. But the man s troubled past foils their chances at happiness, and forces them to seek refuge in the nearby mountains. Sjostrom s masterful use of landscape is visually and dramatically stunning, particularly in the film s latter half, as the couple battles both their pursuers and nature itself, culminating in an unforgettable climax. Also featured on this DVD is Goesta Werner s 1981 documentary VICTOR SJOSTROM, which recounts the life and career of the legendary Swedish director, with commentary by his longtime admirer, director Ingmar Bergman.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Sjostrom's Classic Saga Finally on DVD. August 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It has taken Kino International several years to make THE OUTLAW AND HIS WIFE available on DVD (the VHS version first appeared in 1989) but it has been worth the wait. Although it is essentially the same source material (the Swedish Film Institute's 1986 restoration) as the video, the picture is marginally sharper in detail and the contemporary modernistic score by Torbjorn Iwan Lindquist sounds a lot cleaner.
The 1918 film directed by and starring Victor Sjostrom (Seastrom in the U.S.) is a landmark not only of Swedish cinema but of world cinema as well. It tells the story of an ill fated couple forced to flee into the mountains to survive and of the tragedy that ultimately befalls them. Joining Sjostrom is actress Edith Estrahof who matches him for strength of performance and who would later become his wife (they fell in love with each other during the making of the film although both were already married). The use of natural locations, particularly the Scandinavian mountains and waterfalls, was outstanding and had already become a trademark of Sjostrom's Swedish films. He would eventually come to Hollywood where another outdoor drama THE WIND with Lillian Gish (1928) would become his American masterpiece.
Also on the disc is a 1981 documentary on Sjostrom and his films which is informative but rather dry although it contains an interview with Ingmar Bergman who was heavily influenced by Sjostrom and who repaid the debt by giving him the principal role in WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957). Kino released this jointly with the Sjostrom double bill A MAN THERE WAS/INGEBORG HOLM which is an even more important DVD.
 A fine tribute to a pioneer of Swedish cinema! August 2, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It is most appropriate and also timely that Kino International has released this DVD together with its partner DVD, "A Man There Was/Ingeborg Holm" to showcase the talents and most famous works by one of Sweden's greatest directors of early cinema: Victor Sjostrom, or Seastom, as we was known in America. "The Outlaw and His Wife" has been called a masterpiece of Swedish silent cinema, and among other outstanding features it shows that Sjostrom's skills as director and also actor had already reached great heights in the year 1918. Even after 90 years, this film still packs a punch and leaves an impression, especially due to the spectacular wild and rugged landscapes of far northern Scandinavia. Already before this landmark film, Sjostrom had developed his style of using the outdoors as a backdrop for his characters and their plight, and with famed photographer Julius Jaenzon capturing the untamed beauty and power of the natural elements, audiences must have been doubly impressed. In fact, Sjostrom's reputation led to an invitation from Hollywood in the 1920s which resulted in one of his most famous American productions, "The Wind", starring Lillian Gish. As master of outdoor cinematography, Sjostrom was the perfect choice for combining intense emotional drama with fierce outdoor elements, and "The Outlaw and His Wife" is another fine example of this style. On the run for a petty crime wrought by severe and unjust circumstances, the outlaw, played by Sjostrom himself, finds respite for a while when he is employed by a widow on a remote rural property. When recognized and forced to flee, the widow chooses to go with him as his wife, resulting in a rough, isolated existence in stunningly beautiful surroundings. The newly composed orchestral score for this film features tunes and sounds which may be unfamiliar to some viewers because they contain elements of Scandinavian folk music, which nevertheless seem to be perfectly fitting to this story and setting.
In order to appreciate this film better, the one-hour documentary "Victor Sjostrom" on this disc gives a brief overview of his career, mainly with rather lengthy excerpts from various films from 1912 to his last acting appearance in "Wild Strawberries" in 1957. It also features an interview with director Ingmar Bergman who was greatly inspired by Sjostrom, but interviews and narration are all in Swedish and at times some of the English subtitles are missing. A nice 4-page leaflet of good and easy to follow notes on Sjostrom's silent film career might fill in some blanks, and the extensive film footage in the documentary still says a lot without words about Sjostrom as both director and actor. Best bought with its partner DVD of two earlier Sjostrom films, but on its own "The Outlaw and His Wife" still stands as a beautiful and unforgettable classic of early cinema.
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