The adaptation of "The Phantom Carriage" had a certain social significance for Sweden, which was alcoholic at the time. Director Victor Sjöström highlighted his deep concern for social and moral issues and a strong sense of participation when adapting this work. Through his characters, the director expresses an attack on moral decay, as well as his protest that the life preached in the original novel must be bound by a strict creed. The director's rich imagination in the film and his creative exploration of the psychological level of the characters make the film a strong social criticism color, which deeply impressed the audience.
The cinematography of the film is also excellent, thanks not only to the director's exquisite conception, but also to the rich imagination and outstanding creativity of cinematographer Julius Janssen. The novel photography techniques in the film make the distinction between current events and flashbacks, reality and dreams, waking and trance, declarative tone and conditional words all clear. These distinctions are accentuated by the stark contrast between the naturalistic and violent scenes and the mystical ghostly scenes derived from the Protestant and folklore traditions.
In the film, the director not only chose a special angle to express the deep psychology of the characters, but also found the most peculiar and most appropriate means of expressing this angle together with the photographer, thus producing a strong artistic appeal. Its significance lies not only in improving the viewing value of the film, but also in its contribution that cannot be underestimated to enrich the language of film and the means of film expression.
.
