''The Blizzard'' is a 1923 Swedish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Mauritz Stiller Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 18 November 1928) was a Swedish film director of Finnish Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller had been a pioneer of the Swedish film ...

, starring

Einar Hanson Einar Hanson (; Stockholm, Sweden – ; Santa Monica, California), also known as Einar Hansen, was a Swedish silent film actor. Career Discovered at Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theatre by director Mauritz Stiller, handsome and sophisticated, he ...

, Mary Johnson,

Pauline Brunius Pauline Brunius, née ''Emma Maria Pauline Lindstedt'' (10 February 1881 in Stockholm – 30 March 1954 in Stockholm) was a Swedish stage and film actor, screenwriter and film and theatre director. She was the managing director of the Royal Dr ...

, and

Hugo Björne Hugo Björne (4 February 1886 – 14 February 1966) was a Swedish film and theater actor. Biography Ernst Hugo Alexis Björne was born in Varberg in Halland, Sweden. He made his stage debut in 1907 and belonged to the acting company of Hjalm ...

. The film's original Swedish title is ''Gunnar Hedes saga'', which means "The story of Gunnar Hede". The narrative revolves a student who tries to save his family's mansion which is facing bankruptcy. The film is loosely based on the

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, '' Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she wa ...

novel '' The Tale of a Manor''.

Cast

Production

AB Svensk Filmindustri (SF) had initially tried to make a film adaptation of

's '' The Tale of a Manor'' in 1915, and

Gustaf Molander Gustaf Harald August Molander (18 November 1888 – 19 June 1973) was a Swedish actor and film director. His parents were director Harald Molander, Sr. (1858–1900) and singer and actress Lydia Molander, ''née'' Wessler, and his brother was th ...

had developed a screenplay. The film was however cancelled. In the early 1920s the plans were revived and the project was given to

, who is credited as writer together with the Finnish-Swedish author

Alma Söderhjelm Alma Söderhjelm (10 May 1870 – 16 March 1949) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish historian and the first female professor in Finland. Academic career After gaining an M.A. in history, Söderhjelm spent three years in Paris, preparing her do ...

. The screenplay differs from the original story in several regards, and the opening titles call it a "free adaptation" of the novel. Just like Stiller had done when he made his previous Lagerlöf adaptation, '' Sir Arne's Treasure'', and

Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...

had done with his, Stiller travelled to Lagerlöf and presented the screenplay to have it approved. Lagerlöf was however deeply dissatisfied with the liberties Stiller had taken, and the production company had to convince her to not denounce the film publicly. The film was produced through AB Svensk Filminspelning, a subsidiary of SF which only existed from 1922 to 1923.

Lars Hanson Lars Mauritz Hanson (26 July 1886 – 8 April 1965) was a Swedish film and stage actor, internationally mostly remembered for his motion picture roles during the silent film era. Biography Born in Göteborg, Sweden, Hanson began his career on t ...

was originally cast in the role of Gunnar Hede, but was replaced by Einar Hanson soon before production started. This was Einar Hanson's first leading role in a film. Principal photography took place between February and June 1922 in the

Filmstaden Filmstaden was a film studio situated in Råsunda, Solna Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. History Filmstaden was once one of the most modern film studios in Europe. It was built in 1919–1920 on the basis of designs by Swedish archit ...

studios. Exteriors were shot in the surrounding area, Nacka, and Kallsjön in Jämtland.

Release

The film premiered on 1 January 1923. The film was sold to 17 markets abroad, which was significantly fewer than Stiller's five previous films. ''The Blizzard'' is partially lost; only about two thirds of the original film are still known to exist.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blizzard, The 1923 drama films 1923 films Films based on Swedish novels Films based on works by Selma Lagerlöf Films directed by Mauritz Stiller Swedish silent feature films Swedish drama films Swedish black-and-white films Silent drama films

Cast

Production

Release

See also

References

External links