Sjöström’s The Phantom Carriage: Empowerment of Alcoholism
In the film The Phantom Carriage (1921), directed and starring by Victor Sjöström, the influence of alcoholism on order of society, the well-being of families and individuals, friendships in the 1920s are being illustrated. Alcoholism is in parallel comparison with tuberculosis, a deadly and highly contagious disease in the 1920s, in this film to show the destructiveness of the addiction. Sjöström suggests that alcoholism is considered a disease like tuberculosis but unlike tuberculosis, it does not associate with weakness and loneliness, indeed alcoholism encourage people to reveal their true nature and is correlated with happiness and companionship. Although Sjöström put alcoholism…show more content… In the film, there are multiple scenes of David drinking with his buddies. They are talking, laughing and having fun together in those scenes. This shows that alcoholism brings people together and it also brings happiness and fun to them. In all the scene of patient with tuberculosis, they are always being isolated and not really accepted by others. When Sister Edit is infected with tuberculosis, in all of her scenes she is staying home and being isolated from the public. Another association of non-acceptance towards people with tuberculosis is shown in the scene which David visits the house of the Salvation Army. Sister Maria tries to stop Sister Edit from repairing David’s coat because they sterilizing oven is broken. Also, Sister Maria stands in the position furthest away from David and she does not talk to David directly or touch anything of him in all of the scenes. From these, Sjöström suggests that tuberculosis is a disease that is not accepted by the general public even the Salvation Army’s Sister does not want to get close to the patient. This illustrates how tuberculosis is associated with isolation and non-acceptance while alcoholism is associated with happiness and companionship. Another film element uses to support this point is the background music. In the scenes of David drinking with his buddies, the background music uses is with very lively rhythm, which can represent happiness brings by the consumption of alcohol. However, the background music uses in the scene of Sister Edit on her bed resting after infection with tuberculosis is very soft and slow, which gives a sense of sadness and fear. The setting of the scene and background music use in the film elucidate that alcoholism is a contagious disease that brings joy and builds friendship between people, unlike tuberculosis which is a disease that brings fear, sadness and
