Ingeborg Holm (1913)
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Ingeborg Holm Movie Review
Ingeborg Holm is a 1913 Swedish silent social drama film directed by Victor Sjostrom and starring Hilda Borgstrom. It’s a very strong movie that has aged surprisingly well.
Sven Holm and Ingeborg are a happy couple with three children about to open a shop. Sven falls ill with tuberculosis and dies shortly afterwards. Ingeborg is gradually forced to sell the shop and the house and put the children in an orphanage. Victor Sjostrom was a masterful Swedish director who directed some of the best movies from the 1910s and 1920s. While this movie wasn’t his best effort, it was miles above most of the other movies released back in 1913 both technically and in its narrative.
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Yes, this story is very melodramatic. It’s so melodramatic to the point that it verged on becoming overly soapy and implausible in piling the misfortunate events upon its poor protagonist constantly. It’s also an exceedingly simple tale that is engaging due to its rather short runtime, but it needed better characterization and some more memorable plot points to really make a big impact.
With all that said, Ingeborg Holm still has something that most movies of the era did not – subtlety. While American films back then would undoubtedly be ridiculously over-the-top and overly emotionally manipulative while dealing with these hard issues, Sjostrom handled this story in a nuanced, subdued manner, which led to a more timeless than expected picture.
Hilda Borgstrom delivered a powerful performance in the titular role. She is so fantastic and so subtle that this performance felt surprisingly modern. I wanted to get to know her more, but the actress elevated this simple role stupendously. Other characters come and go, but she remains the heart of the story.
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Ingeborg Holm is also very well shot. The version that I watched had no score, but at least the cinematography was terrific and the same goes for the directing from Sjostrom as he was already quite competent back then. The movie is limited and confined in its setting and ambition, thus it’s not all that cinematic, but it’s also never stagey, which is a huge compliment for an older movie that was based on a play. The third act is also very moving and earned in its emotion while the dialogue is consistently strong and perfectly sporadically used.
Victor Sjostrom’s Ingeborg Holm is confined in its setting, rather simple in its narrative and thinly characterized, but it’s such a moving story about a then pressing issue for Sweden that was competently told through surprisingly subtle dialogue and storytelling for the time. It’s also powerfully acted and directed with a final third that is quite touching.
My Rating – 4
This is the first film in my th3ee series where I will cover one film per decade that is having an anniversary this year, from 1913 to 2013. Next up is the year 1923 where I chose Our Hospitality. Keep an eye on that one as well.
Results
#1. Which of these movies did Victor Sjostrom also direct?
Select all that apply:
