thinbeach Most Victor Sjostrom films follow the same idea - a perfectly likable lead character is mercilessly sent down the drainpipe - but the changing of the setting, and the changing of the character, and the changing of the drainpipe, sees each of his films capture a different mood, and bring out different ideas along the way. 'The Wind' is possibly his most acclaimed work, yet my least favorite so far.Set in desert USA, after being kicked out by her hosts, a penniless Lillian Gish, for the simple need of shelter and money, is forced to marry a local oaf, where, as you might guess, things do not go well for her. In this environment wind is ceaseless, blowing a gale from first to last, sending dust everywhere. When doors open dust blows in. Hair and clothes are constantly wafting about, and if you wish to play a drinking game while watching this film (anyone?), have a shot every time someone brushes dirt from their clothes, and see if you can still stand by the end of it. This wind is not an incredible force of nature however, it is an incredible force of filmmaking, as the goal is not to capture a particular environment in a particular part of the world, but to use it as a metaphor. The meaning is open to interpretation, but title cards at the beginning, as well as the general way things unfold, show to me that the wind is a representation of man - an ever present battering force, relentless, unforgiving and unclean, which the women are forever sheltering indoors from, and forever having to clean from the pots and pans, and forever having to sweep from the floors. You won't be surprised to learn then that the idea for this film was a woman's - Lillian Gish's - and while it may effectively communicate how she feels, it is very much a one eyed view. All the men are painted as fools, and the only time the film seeks to find virtue in them is the finale, where Gish finally seems to realise her husband has done a lot of good by her, and chooses to embrace him. Tellingly though, this ending was not in the original script, and was only tacked on by the studios who wanted a happy ending. If Gish had her way, the character would have eventually walked out into the windy desert to die. As if to say, in a world dominated by men, women can have no success. Instead, she proclaims, 'I no longer fear the wind!' Yes, a title card actually says that.If the film paints men crudely though, it doesn't paint women in a much nicer light. The only female character of note besides Lillian Gish is portrayed as nothing but a jealous wife, who upon seeing her husband do little more than welcome Gish with hugs and conversation, evicts their attractive female friend, which is actually the very action that lands her in all the tragedy. One might assume the film is attempting to tell us that husbands cannot be trusted and her actions justified, but instead, what we learn is that this particular woman's jealousy will have dire consequences. The lack of subtlety in all of this really undermines the tension, for it feels more like an essay than a story. It was only by the end of the film - with the body in the desert sand - that I realized the 'The Wind' is a kind of precursor to Hitchcockian suspense - which shows the problem - it was a suspense film without the suspense. The question became not what will happen next, only how?To be fair, many women in times gone by, and still in places today, have been helpless to change their circumstances due to the political limitations placed on them by men, and as such have suffered without option for escape - but no title cards, nor any of the images, detail anything political here - which mkaes this a film about gender in general, as opposed to politics specifically - which is why I think it makes such a poor argument.The film is not without virtue however. In one excellent scene, Gish's new husband, wishing to spend time with his new wife, enters her room, at which point she heartbreakingly rejects him, revealing she married not for love. It is the best scene in the film not because it is the only one painting the male as a victim, but because it is the only one of complexity - where the film is not finger pointing, or rather, where the finger could be pointed in multiple directions - where the culprit seems to be the difficulties of life, as opposed to a whole gender. The film is also well paced, Lillian Gish, despite my quarrels with the story, gives an excellent performance, the not so subtle message could potentially give some guys who treat women poorly a thought to change their ways, and the film, with its incessant wind and dirt, does manage to capture a unique and memorable mood, which is very effective for the purpose.

framptonhollis Victor Sjostrom is a quite famous filmmaker. He is normally known as the greatest Swedish filmmaker before the Ingmar Bergman era (FUN FACT: Sjostrom starred in Bergman's famous drama film "Wild Strawberries").The fact that Victor Sjostrom directed this work is what drew me to the film when I saw that it was playing on TCM, and I very much enjoyed it. It is quite the slow mover at times, but when it packs an emotional punch, it does it very well. The film is even better on a visual level! At times, the visuals in this film are almost experimental and very surreal. On a technical level, this film deserves a lot of credit. In the intro done by the lead actress in the film, Lillian Gish, she says that this was possibly the most uncomfortable experience she had making a film, and, considering it was shot on location, that certainly seems correct! Certain sequences are really amazing, and the film has a very short runtime, it is only a bit over 90 minutes, so just watch it! It is a great silent western and I'm glad I saw it.

cstotlar-1 Strange as it may seem, I think this film is better because it is silent. We can easily fit in the sound effects in our minds. Mr. Sjostrom made absolutely sure of that. And Sjostrom worked in the outdoors so often. "The Outlaw and His Wife" pops into mind. The plot, as desperate as it is, could hold up to any amount of over-acting and the lack of explicit sound simply draws us farther and farther into the film. I guess I wouldn't mind an independent score but I've seen the film both in Paris at the Cinematheque and here in the States a few years back and I didn't miss a thing - I think. Highly recommended! Curtis Stotlar

didi-5 'The Wind' is something of a pot-boiler. Lillian Gish goes to stay with her cousin in the country (a place where the wind constantly blows, storms boil, and cyclones attack). But jealousy and her own naivety cause problems for her - that and a charming stranger she meets on the train into her destination.The wind itself is a major character in this film, causing havoc, covering up secrets, coming into houses, distracting, dissolving, and influencing all outcomes. When Gish's character is railroaded into marriage with a man she can't love, we shouldn't be surprised, nor should the main events leading to the film's conclusion be unexpected.Beautifully shot by Seastrom and a wonderful performance from Gish help bring this film out from the classification of usual silent adaptations. It works well and even with an ending not originally as written, stands up after all this time.