Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

jsk32870 Not many people watch the old silent films these days, but for those that actually take the time to do so, sometimes, I think, those people carry a 'respect for the elderly' approach when assessing them. In other words, they give the film a certain degree of deference simply because the film is old. After watching "The Phantom Carriage," and seeing its lofty rating (currently 8.1/10), I think that is likely the case here. Having said that, going in I was fully prepared to like, or more probably, love The Phantom Carriage. I enjoy horror films in general and I have no qualms watching silent/old films, many are among my favorites. However, the films have to 'work' - or more simply - make sense, and this one just sadly does not. *Spoilers follow*The plot largely centers around a ne'er-do-well, David Holm, and the Salvation Army worker, Edit, who tries to help and redeem him. However, Edit shows an abnormal affection for and interest in David, despite only meeting him once or twice. Now, for one, there is no viable explanation for why Edit, the Salvation Army worker, should care SO MUCH for the miserable David; even to the point of proclaiming her love for this man that she knows literally nothing about, other than he is a contemptible misanthrope of the highest order. Hardly the stuff for inspiring undying love. So there is a real problem with that plot element that is never satisfactorily resolved or explained. Second, David's redemption comes about rather quickly, after witnessing his general barbarity for a good 90 minutes. Time and again he is shown to be an unfeeling brute, even to the point of carelessly endangering the lives of his own children. And then, in a flash, he is a new man. It's an incredibly quick turnaround for the cad that David was. Dickens handled this material much better in his "A Christmas Carol," a story that "The Phantom Carriage" borrows heavily from but never successfully duplicates.Other reviewers have mentioned the story structure itself is somewhat jumbled. I agree and it does not help the film. There are flashbacks, and flashbacks within flashbacks, and it becomes a bit of a chore to keep track of it. These flashbacks are not announced, mind you, you just have to sort of suddenly realize the scene you are watching is a flashback. This may have been different and revolutionary in 1921, so sure, it can be acknowledged, but does that mean it is worthy of fawning acclaim?The cinematography is superb for the time. The oft-mentioned double exposures used for the phantom carriage scenes are certainly noteworthy, and for that the film should be recognized as breaking new ground. But a classic or 'all-time great?' It is most certainly not. The issues outlined above keep it from attaining such a status. And although there were some inspired shots in the film, for really effective, harrowing scenes one must look no further than the next year's 'Nosferatu' - the vampire in that film truly was a chilling sight to see and is easily more memorable than anything in 'The Phantom Carriage.' Or, for just an all-around great film from 1921, Chaplin's 'The Kid' is infinitely more entertaining. 'The Phantom Carriage' is plodding, tedious and flawed by comparison.6/10. Sometimes a film is.....just a film and not much more. There's a reason why "The Kid" has 80k+ votes and "The Phantom Carriage" has only 7k. One is a masterpiece, and one is not. You guess which is which.

Tyson Hunsaker The Phantom Carriage might be one of the most underrated landmark films no one has probably ever seen. Despite its 1921 release date, The Phantom Carriage is well ahead of its time in its clear non-linear story telling method, and groundbreaking visual effects. Even for a 2017 audience, some of the imagery presented is sure to have a creepy and profound effect on its viewers.The story centers around a man named David Holm who is greeted by a "grim reaper" type character and is forced to confront his life and the decisions he's made. Ultimately the story has a strong message with strong parallels to "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Ultimately, the film is a story of change and reflection. Which makes this "horror" more of a touching drama than anything else. If there would be anything to criticize, it would be a few scenes that feel somewhat inconsequential to the story as a whole and might feel like it drags the entire piece a bit more than it should. That would be the only criticism but it really does feel insignificant when compared to the rest of this gorgeously done film. Hopefully this film reaches more audiences and touches more hearts.

Jamie Ward When it comes to silent cinema, it's often relayed by newcomers that getting past the sound (or lack thereof) barrier is one that is difficult or near-impossible to do. Indeed, I remember my first venture into the silent realm and well, let's just say I wasn't convinced and moved away for near-on a decade. It goes without saying that, now with more than a handful of silent films (many now among my all-time favourite movies) under my belt, it's probably best to appreciate that some of cinema's forgotten treasures are easier to digest in a modern world than others. Or, at least for the uninitiated. The Phantom Carriage, I'd like to think, is one of those that crosses the barrier with ease. Whether through its imaginative storytelling, compelling visual effects that even a CGI-laden teenager might decree as "impressive", or the mere pace at which the film moves along; Victor Sjöström's 1921 classic is surely a film with no limitations set merely by its year of production. Firstly there's the plot which, although has been beaten to death on screens for the past 90 or so years, is one that is readily engaging and compelling to this day. Echoing more famous films made later down the line such as It's A Wonderful Life or Scrooge among many others, Sjöström's adaptation of Nobel prize-winning author Selma Lagerlöf's 'Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness!' (the fourth adaptation of Lagerlöf's novels by Sjöström and A-B Svenska Biografteatern) is a wonderfully- told moralistic epic that swoons, sways, crashes and burns as each of the film's characters play out their parts in what is, for the most part, a very grim and starkly depressing story. It's also a tale steeped in mysticism and fantasy, and while I'm usually rather prickly when it comes to such works, when done as well as it is here you can't help but be whisked along quite willingly for 100 minutes or so. It had some small hurdles in getting green-lit back in the day because of certain touchy belief-systems, but eventually the studio decided it would better served facing the wrath of an omniscient deity than Selma Lagerlöf. A wise choice indeed.As a direct result of the plot's reliance on the supernatural and occult, Phantom Carriage also boasts visual effects that far-exceeded anything else on screens at the time in terms of realism and clarity. Even on the newly-released Criterion blu-ray the scenes involving ghostly phantoms look stunning, even though the HD format has a tendency to do the exact opposite, often drawing attention to the primitive techniques used at certain points in history. On the flip side of the coin however, Lagerlöf's story isn't merely about ghosts in the literal sense; in fact, it probably spends more time developing and exposing the emotional phantoms that haunt its characters during their waking lives. Sjöström excels here also, blending powerful but natural performances from his more than capable cast (which includes himself in the lead role) with the detailed and strikingly-lit photography of Julius Jaenzon to cast light and shadows upon the characters' emotive faces, and most importantly, their conflicted hearts. Cinematographers were doing great work already across many studios at the time, and while The Phantom Carriage stands out as one of the very best, it's the realistic and very-seldom melodramatic performances led by Sjöström himself that break the standard for 1921 more than anything else.Rounding out the package on the restored Criterion release are two soundtracks, one of which I haven't heard at this time. The first is a fantastic chamber orchestra score penned by Matti Bye in 1998. It's not your typical silent-movie score by any means; often it will delve into bizarre interludes and stanzas that mirror the action well, but never distract from the film. The second, which I haven't gotten around to yet, is an experimental piece by KTL recorded for a Tartan DVD release in 2008. From what I've read elsewhere it's even better than Matti Bye's, and if it furthers Phantom Carriage's already strong ability to step out of its 95-year-old history and appeal to modern audiences, then by all means. Overall, I cannot recommend this one enough. Compelling and highly emotive character fantasy-drama, start to finish.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . were blanketed with Blondes playing volleyball in the buff, the Salvation Army invaded Stockholm with a strident Prohibition agenda. Carry A. Nation may have succeeded in setting America awash with bathtub gin for about 15 years, but Sweden did Ms. Nation one better. As shown by this documentary PHANTOM CARRIAGE, the Swedes were "scared straight" by the power of celluloid, which is why they remain a virtually abstinent country this far into the 21st Century. As PHANTOM CARRIAGE illustrates, the Swedish chicks recruited by the Army were at least as effective as the volleying Nature Girls in using their feminine charms to score points. Sister Edit sweet talks Death into giving her a "reprieve" long enough to ensure a drunk and his family of four do not suffer Eternal Damnation. No one could watch this flick from beginning to end, and touch another drop of the hard stuff. That's why all those holier-than-thou public "tea-totallers" drinking on the sly are afraid to even view PHANTOM CARRIAGE.