Event

The Phantom Carriage

Live Score Composed and Improvised by Ben Model

One of the most highly regarded films of the silent era, Victor Sjostroms The Phantom Carriage rides again with a score composed and improvised live by Ben Model, on the Cinema's Mighty Miditzer Organ!. Based on Selma Lagerlofs rendition of a Swedish folktale, this moody, surrealistic spooker takes its title from Deaths favorite mode of transportation, which must be driven by the last sinner to die before years end. Sjostrom both directs and stars in the film, fashioning a supernatural morality tale replete with atmospheric lighting and superimposition effects that were ahead of their time in 1921 and still chill today. He plays David Holm, a belligerent drunkard who must contend with past misdeeds of pettiness and alcoholism as he gathers the souls of the dead. Will he roam the roads forever as a ghostly driver or achieve salvation beyond Deaths spectre? This suspenseful, visually arresting classic was shot by masterful cinematographer Julius Jaenzon and will be screened in a gorgeous new 35mm print specially created for world cinema distributor Janus Films 50-year anniversary.

Sweden, 1921, 107 min.