A Man There Was (1917)

Media (70)

Kajsa Hedström
+46 8 665 11 22
kajsa.hedstrom@filminstitutet.se

Read more about this film in our article "Gustaf Molander – skådespelerskornas regissör" (in Swedish)

Read more about this film in our article "Svensk filmaffischkonst" (in Swedish)

Read more about this film in our article "Lantliga idyller och mardrömmar" (in Swedish)

Read more about this film in our article "Änglamark, folktro och det förgiftade samhället – svenska miljöfilmer" (in Swedish)

Read more about this film in our article "Den svenska filmens guldålder" (in Swedish)

Watch this film in the Mini Cinema in our Stockholm library

Original title	Terje Vigen : Skådespel i fyra akter
Swedish release title	Terje Vigen
International title	A Man There Was
Distribution title	Terje Vigen (Danmark) Terje Vigen (Norge) Terje Vigen (Finland) A Man There Was (USA) Terje Vigen (Frankrike)
Alternative title	Terje Viken

Director	Victor Sjöström
Screenplay	Gustaf Molander Victor Sjöström
Producer	Charles Magnusson
Director of Photography	Julius Jaenzon
Art Director	Axel Esbensen Jens Wang
Unit Manager	Nils Elffors
Musical Arrangement	Rudolf Sahlberg (vid premiären på Röda Kvarn)
Orchestra	Röda Kvarns orkester (vid premiären)
Orchestra Leader	Rudolf Sahlberg (Röda Kvarn)
Costume Designer	Andreas Bloch

Victor Sjöström	Terje Vigen
August Falck	den engelske lorden
Edith Erastoff	den engelska ladyn
Bergliot Husberg	Terjes maka
-	Ej krediterade:
William Larsson	den nye mannen i Terjes stuga/officer på den engelska korvetten
Gucken Cederborg	den nya hustrun i Terjes stuga
Olof Ås	utkiken på den engelska korvetten
Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson	en kvinna på stranden
Emil Fjellström	en fiskare på stranden
Hildur Carlberg	en kvinna i byn
Julius Hälsig	engelsk officer i fängelset
John Ekman	norsk fånge i fängelset
Herman Lantz	en av Terjes kamrater
Nils Elffors	en av Terjes kamrater
Eric Abrahamsson	en fiskare
Fritz Ström	vitskäggig gammal gubbe
Nanny Sjöblom	mor med son i knäet
Hans Sjöblom	en liten pojke
Gunnar Norberg

Production Company	AB Svenska Biografteatern
Distributor in Sweden (35 mm)	AB Svenska Biografteaterns Filmbyrå	1917
Distributor in Sweden (DCP)	Stiftelsen Svenska Filminstitutet	2017
Laboratory	AB Svenska Biografteaterns filmlaboratorium
Costume Designer	Sandra Honnings kostymateljé

In 1809, during the Napoleonic wars, the British navy maintained a blockade between Denmark and Norway. The Norwegian fisherman Terje Vigen rows despite this to Denmark and procures food for his starving family. His boat is however sunk by a British man-of-war near the coast of his home island upon his return, and Terje is imprisoned. When he is released years later he is able to return home but finds that his family has perished. Embittered, he takes up a solitary existence in his house overlooking the sea. He starts to work as a pilot, guiding ships through the waters. One day he encounters a British pleasure yacht in distress. When Terje boards the yacht he realises that its captain is the same captain who captured him during the war and doomed his family to starvation by sinking his boat. The British captain is now travelling with his family and Terje makes them abandon ship in one of the smaller boats. They head for land and when they come to the place where his boat once was sunk, he makes a hole in the boat which starts to take in water. His intent is to avenge himself but at the last moment he relents and saves the captain and his family.

Censorship number	16637
Date	1916-11-28
Classification	Suitable for all audiences
Original length	1129 meters
Notes	Uppmätta kopior varierar i längd från 1054 meter till 1226 meter. Längsta kopians aktlängder: 432-352-227-215 = 1226 meter. Kortaste kopians aktlängder: 384-331-203-136 = 1054 meter.

Aspect ratio	1.33:1
Sound type	Silent
Colour type	Black and white (tinted)
Carrier type	35 mm
Frames per second	18
Length in metres	1226 meter
Reels	4 reels

Original title	Terje Vigen (Poem)
Author	Henrik Ibsen

		Sweden	(från mitten av augusti till slutet av oktober 1916)	1916-08	1916-10
AB Svenska Biografteaterns ateljé	Lidingö
Landsort	Nynäshamn		(exteriörer)

Release in Sweden	1917-01-29	Cosmorama	Gothenburg	Sweden	65 min
	1917-01-29	Metropol	Malmö	Sweden	65 min
	1917-01-29	Röda Kvarn	Stockholm	Sweden	65 min
First showing	1917-01-29	Cosmorama	Gothenburg	Sweden	65 min
	1917-01-29	Metropol	Malmö	Sweden	65 min
	1917-01-29	Röda Kvarn	Stockholm	Sweden	65 min
	1917-01-29	Paladsteatret	Copenhagen	Denmark	65 min
Other showing	1917-02-08	Bøndernas hus	Kristiania	Norway	65 min
	1918-01-13	Maxim	Helsinki	Finland	65 min
	1994-05-29
	1998-09-10					Mätt.
	1999-03
Cinematheque screening, archive copy	2003-11-07
	2004-04-21
	2004-10-21
	2005-03-05
	2005-11-03
	2006-01-29
	2006-04
	2006-07-06
Other showing	2006-10-06
FIAF showing	2006-11
	2007-06-10					MoMA Festival of Film Preservation.
	2007-06-16					MoMA Festival of Film Preservation. AH.
	2007-09-15					AH.
	2008-11-09
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2009-06-30					I samarbete med Utland.AH.
FIAF showing	2009-09-03
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2009-10-13					Skickas direkt från Bryssel. För Amigos de Filmoteca Española. Får skarvas med 20 rutor start- och slutsladd kvar. Tapeskarvar ersätts med värmeskarvar vid retur.
	2009-10-14					Skickas direkt från Bryssel. För Amigos de Filmoteca Española. Får skarvas med 20 rutor start- och slutsladd kvar. Tapeskarvar ersätts med värmeskarvar vid retur.0+.AH.
FIAF showing	2009-11-06
	2009-11-15
Cinematheque screening, archive copy	2009-12-13
FIAF showing	2010-01-26					(0+)AH.
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2010-04-16					Filmprogrammet pågår till 2010-05-04
FIAF showing	2010-08-07					För visning under stumfilmfestivalen IV Jornada Brasileira de Cinema Silencioso, 6-15/8.
	2010-08-13					För visning under stumfilmfestivalen IV Jornada Brasileira de Cinema Silencioso, 6-15/8.
	2013-02-06
	2013-04-27
	2016-02-04					Visning under festivalen Toute la mémoire du monde 3-7/2.
	2016-02-05					Visning under festivalen Toute la mémoire du monde.
Extern biograf, Sverige	2016-07-25					Endagsfestvial arrangerad av Matti Bye, med inlånad kolstavsprojektor. Synad vid retur. Teodor Leff
Cinematheque screening	2016-11-22	Filmhuset	Stockholm	Sweden
Cinematheque screening, archive copy	2016-11-22
Festival showing	2017-02-05	Roy	Gothenburg	Sweden	56 min	Göteborg Film festival 2017
FIAF showing	2017-06-01
	2017-06-09
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2017-07-28
	2017-12
	2018-01-17
	2018-07
FIAF showing	2018-11-15
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2019-05-06					Framflyttad visning från 11 feb pga snöoväder, behåller disken till maj.
	2019-06-28
	2019-07-07
FIAF showing	2019-09-17
	2019-09-29
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2019-11-10
Inställd visning	2020-08-06			Norway
	2020-10-24			Norway
	2020-11-24			Finland		FIAF-visning
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2021-10-21			Portugal		ProRes skickad med Signiant
	2021-11-20			Norway		Hämtas i Filmhuset
FIAF showing	2021-11-23			Finland		DCP skickad november 2020 för inställd visning händelse 261062
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2021-12-11			Portugal
FIAF showing	2023-09-09		Paris	France
	2023-09-26		Paris	France
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2024-01-17		Berlin	Germany
FIAF showing	2024-03-14		Barcelona	Spain
	2024-03-21		Barcelona	Spain
Non Swedish theater exkl FIAF	2024-03-23		Hangö	Finland
FIAF showing	2024-05-16		Istanbul	Turkey
	2024-05-30		Istanbul	Turkey

Från spex till sex (1971)	Citation included from	A Man There Was (1917)
Minns du? (1935)	Citation included from	A Man There Was (1917)
Victor Sjöström - ett porträtt av Gösta Werner (1981)	Citation included from	A Man There Was (1917)
Minns ni? (1993)	Citation included from	A Man There Was (1917)
Klassiska svenska filmer (1959)	Citation included from	A Man There Was (1917)

The information given here refers to film material in the Swedish Film Institute’s archive. Access to the archive’s stock is given on request, for research, other film archives and rights’ holders. For enquiries please contact filmarkivet@filminstitutet.se

Element type	Print
Item base	Nitrate
Carrier type	35 mm

Element type	Print
Item base	Acetate
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	834

Element type	Print
Item base	Acetate
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	834

Element type	Print
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	1030

Element type	Print
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	1026

Element type	Print
Item base	Acetate
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	1022

Element type	Print
Item base	Polyester
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	1031

Element type	Print
Item base	Polyester
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	1081

Element type	Duplicate negative
Carrier type	35 mm

Element type	Duplicate negative
Carrier type	35 mm

Element type	Duplicate negative
Carrier type	35 mm
Length	1081

Element type	Duplicate positive
Carrier type	35 mm

Element type	Video tape digital
Carrier type	DVCAM (PAL)

Element type	Video tape digital
Carrier type	Digital Betacam (PAL)

Size	About 60 x 80 cm
Quantity	2
Poster title	TERJE VIGEN Filmskådespel efter Ibsens berömda dikt med samma namn
Tryckeri	Ivar Hæggströms lito

Size	About 60 x 80 cm
Quantity	1
Poster title	TERJE VIGEN
Tryckeri	Rototryck AB Kopia

Type	Press Cuttings

Script type	Inspelningsmanus
Script title	Terje vigen.
Extent	53 s. + 2 s. miljölista.
Language	Swedish

Script type	Dialoglista
Script title	Terje Vigen. Berättelse för filmen i fyra akter efter dikten med samma namn av Henrik Ibsen.
Extent	8 s.
Language	Norwegian

Script type	Dialoglista
Script title	Terje Viken by Henrik Ibsen.
Extent	5 s.
Language	English

Script type	Dialoglista
Script title	Terje Vigen. Engelsk textlista bruten för textning.
Extent	9 s.
Language	English

Script type	Dialoglista
Script title	Terje Viken par Henrik Ibsen.
Extent	5 s.
Language	French

Script type	Dialoglista
Script title	Terje Vigen.
Extent	3 s.
Language	Russian

Script type	Peripheral material
Language	Norwegian

Script type	Dialoglista
Extent	10 s.
Language	Norwegian

Script type	Dialoglista
Extent	10 s.
Language	English

Script type	Dialoglista
Language	English

Black and white print	SET
Behind the scenes prints	7
Album	Yes

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	English

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Danish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Danish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Danish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Danish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Swedish

Type	Program/Reklamtryck
Language	Danish

Sound type	Silent
Colour type	Black and white (tinted)
Carrier type	DCP

Element type	Digitalt visningsmaterial
Carrier type	DCP

Element type	Digitalt arkivmaterial
Carrier type	MAP

Element type	Digitalt arkivmaterial
Carrier type	MAP

Element type	Digitalt visningsmaterial
Carrier type	ProRes

Element type	Digitalt visningsmaterial
Carrier type	H264