While not as well known as The Wind (HippFest 2024’s Closing Night film), The Outlaw and His Wife is considered by many to be Sjöström’s silent-era masterpiece. The outlaw (magnificently played by Sjöström himself) arrives at the farm of a rich widow (Erastoff), seeking work. The pair soon fall happily in love, until they are forced to flee to the mountains to make a life in the wilds. Here, among the majestic glaciers and volcanic hot springs, the outlawed couple live out their love affair to the bitter end.

This powerful portrayal of two characters trying to escape their destiny is played out against Nature’s impervious and devastatingly beautiful backdrop. The portrayal by Sjöström and Erastoff of two people bound by an all-consuming passion is immediate and palpable, with the pair’s real-life romance (they had become lovers the year before and conceived their daughter during filming) lending potency to the performances.

Dir. Victor Sjöström | Sweden | 1918 N/C 15 | b&w | Swedish intertitles with English surtitles | 1h 51m + short

With: Victor Sjöström, Edith Erastoff, John Ekman

Original title: Berg-Ejvind Och Hans Husfru

Performing live: Meg Morley (piano)

Online programme notes: David Cairns

Content advisory: Contains scenes suggesting suicide and death, and scenes with dead animals. Screening material courtesy of Swedish Film Institute.