''The Gardener'' () is a 1912 Swedish silent

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

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, ...

. It is mostly known for being the first film to ever be banned by the Swedish censor system. It was long thought to have been lost, but in 1979 a copy was found at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

in the United States. The Swedish premiere followed on 14 October 1980 when it was shown at ''Cinemateket/Bio Victor'' in Stockholm.

Plot

A gardener (Sjöström) runs a farm, and his son (

Gösta Ekman Hans Gösta Gustaf Ekman (; 28 July 1939 – 1 April 2017) was a Swedish actor, comedian, and director. Career Ekman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to the Swedish actor and director Hasse Ekman and Agneta (née Wrangel). Ekman represent ...

) has fallen in love with the daughter of one of the farm workers (

Lili Bech Lili Bech (born Lily Beck; 29 December 1883 – 20 January 1939) was a Danish silent film actress. She appeared in 27 films between 1911 and 1917. She was briefly married to film director Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 2 ...

). The gardener, who has an interest in the daughter himself, furiously runs the son out of the house. One day, the gardener rapes the worker's daughter and then sends her and her father (Gunnar Bohman) away, fearing discovery. While on a boat on the way into the city, the two meet an old general (

John Ekman John Ekman (15 November 1880 – 22 November 1949) was a Swedish film actor. Biography He first trained as an artist under Richard Bergh (1858–1919). He was employed by various theater companies; Swedish Biograft Theater in Kristianstad ( ...

) who gives the girl money and his business card. When the father later dies, the girl reaches out to the general, who lets her act as a hostess at his dinner parties. Soon after, the general suffers a seizure and upon his death, his family and friends kick the girl out. The devastated girl returns to her home village. Distraught, she visits the greenhouse where she pulls out all the flowers and curses the gardener. The next morning, the gardener finds her dead among the roses.

Production and censorship

''The Gardener'' was filmed during July and August 1912 at the studio of the Swedish Cinematic Theatre in

Lidingö Lidingö (), also known in its definite form Lidingön and as Lidingölandet, is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2023, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 48,162. It is the ...

with outdoor scenes taking place as Nackanäs inn and surroundings at Järla and Sickla lakes, as well as aboard the cruise ship Nackanäs I. Cinematography was headed by Julius Jaenzon. Although ''

A Ruined Life ''A Ruined Life'' () is a 1912 Swedish silent film directed by Victor Sjöström. It was Sjöström's List of directorial debuts, debut film as a director. Plot Georg, the son of a wealthy colonel, is secretly married to the poor Helena, with w ...

'' is considered to be his debut film, as it was the first to premiere, ''The Gardener'' was Sjöström's debut production as director. His past experience in film was limited to a few cinema visits which is why he, along with

Charles Magnusson Charles Magnusson (26 January 1878 – 18 January 1948) was a Swedish film producer and screenwriter. Career In 1894, Magnusson's job was a professional photographer in Sweden and in 1905 he changed careers to be newsreel camera operator. ...

, visited the studios of

Pathé Frères Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

as a learning experience. Claiming the film was contrary to "good practices" and for embellishing death, the film was banned from public screenings by Swedish authorities on 20 August 1912. In an attempt to appeal the ban, a special screening with Prime Minister

Karl Staaff Karl Albert Staaff (21 January 1860 – 4 October 1915) was a Swedish liberal politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1905 to 1906 and again from 1911 to 1914. He was chairman of the Liberal Coalition Party from ...

and other ministers was arranged. The censors' decision was upheld. ''The Gardener'' premiered on 17 October 1912 at the ''Victoria-Teatret'' in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Cast

- the gardener *

- the gardener's son *

- the girl * Gunnar Bohman - the girl's father *

- the general *

Mauritz Stiller Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 8 November 1928) was a Finnish film director of Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller was a pioneer of the Swedish film industry, writing ...

- boat passenger

Distribution titles

The Swedish Film Database lists the film as having distribution titles in five different languages, other than the original Swedish title: * ''Et Offer for sin Ungdomskærlighed'' (Denmark) * ''Offer for sin Kjærlighed'' (Norway) * ''The Broken Spring Rose'' (USA) * ''Brutna vårblomster'' (Finland) * ''Taittuneita kevätkukkia'' (Finland)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardener (1912 film), The 1912 films 1912 drama films 1912 short films 1910s rediscovered films 1910s Swedish-language films Censored films Films directed by Victor Sjöström Rediscovered Swedish films Silent Swedish drama films Swedish black-and-white films Swedish drama short films Swedish silent short films Swedish-language drama films