A film which allegedly inspired the young Carl Dreyer, this grim
tragedy about a nobleman driven to madness by his wife's infidelity
does not quite achieve the sublime subtlety and power of
Sjöström's subsequent The Phantom Carriage. The
narrative is concentrated, but relatively simplistic, and the use of
film technique is less innovative and more circumscribed. What
distinguishes it, however, is Sjöström's detemination to
elicit unmannered, naturalistic performances from his actors; the
finest moments display a precise ability to use the human face as the
vehicle of emotional meaning, in which Dreyer's subdued methods are
clearly prefigured.
