Fate and conscience are prominent themes in the first half of writer and director George Schnéevoigt’s silent movie adaptation of a popular novel about the indigenous Sami people of northern Europe (Lapps) which due to its lengthy running time of 146 minutes is broken by a popcorn-munching intermission.

Regarding fate, the proverb “one man’s loss is another man’s gain” holds true when the grief-stricken cries of the merchant Lind (Finn Bernhoft) at losing his only daughter in a presumed wolf attack are counterbalanced by the joyous whoops from the wealthy nomadic herdsman Aslag (Peter Malberg) and his childless wife (Cally Monrad) after their “strange mix of man and beast” servant Jämpa (Tryggve Larssen) rescues said daughter from the jaws of death.

But conscience kicks in when, a year later, Alag comes face to face with the merchant’s inconsolable wife (Lilly Larson Lund) when buying Christmas decorations at their store. Her face etched in pain, her hands wrung raw with worry. Guilt-ridden, he comes clean and reluctantly returns the newly-christened toddler Laila (later played by Mona Martenson whose natural style and expressive face would be a box office draw in modern-day Hollywood).

A heart-wrenching ordeal matched by Lind the following summer when he is torn between helping a boatload of emaciated migrants fleeing the plague or pushing them downstream towards unforgiving rapids. Regardless, both he and his wife succumb to the disease which spreads like wildfire from east to west, prompting Jämpa to save Laila from certain death – for a second time.

After the intermission, we fast forward nineteen years and the mood changes from survival to romance as our independent and strong-minded heroine is forced to choose between two suitors: her childhood friend Mellet (Henry Gleditsch) who in one memorable and comic scene floors her with a swirl of his pinpoint lasso; or the handsome Anders from the so-called Daro race (Lapps for Christian settlers) who unbeknown to them both is related.

Whether “thou shalt not” transforms into “I bloody well shalt” hinges on a number of factors: Alag’s blessing; cultural tensions between the Sami people and the “You are and will always be a Daro, a really evil Daro”; Laila’s choice to follow her heart or her head; and the twin themes of fate and conscience which resurface in a pulse-racing finale through the snowy peaks of deepest, desolate Norway.

Accompanied by the world premiere of an evocative score by the award-winning Norwegian/Scottish folk duo Marit Fält and Rona Wilkie, accurately described by HippFest director Alison Strauss as echoing traditional tunes from Scandinavia and the Highlands, director George Schnéevoigt and cinematographer Allan Lynge have created a stunning mix of breathtaking scenery and breathless action sequences including a literal cliffhanger in which Anders risks life and limb to save his beloved.

But amid all the beauty and drama lie pearls of merriment, both scripted and slapstick. Jämpa’s blunt parting shot to Anders, “May you break your neck the next time you ride him,” is equalled by Laila’s brisk introduction to her cousin Inger (Alice O’Fredericks), “I like your face. Shall we be friends?” And the biggest belly laugh is provoked by a dying reindeer which falls to the ground like an axe-hewn pine. Though Jämpa’s decision to entertain the young Laila with a disembowelled rabbit comes a close second.

In summary, a five-star classic which more than merits the following ringing endorsement from film historian Casper Tybjerg: “the crowning achievement of Norwegian silent cinema”.

Director: George Schnéevoigt
Writers: Jens Andreas Friis (novel), George Schnéevoigt
Stars: Mona Mårtenson, Tryggve Larssen, Harald Schwenzen
Peter Callaghan
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