Die Sünde wider das Leben (1935)
35KDie Sünde wider das Leben: Directed by Gustaf Edgren. With Lars Hanson, Karin Kavli, Victor Sjöström, Ingrid Bergman. Lena Bergström works in an office and is unhappily in love with her boss, Johan Borg. She decides to quit. Borg’s wife won’t have any children, and when she becomes pregnant she has an illegal abortion. For some reason, Lena’s father believes that it is Lena who has had an abortion.
“When his wife rejects motherhood in favor of a life devoted to pleasure seeking, a businessman finds himself drawn towards his secretary, who already loves him from afar.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e The theme of this film is the superiority of marriage and parenthood to hedonism. A noble intention, but poorly executed. The stilted dialog sounds like a pro-and-con magazine article, which may explain the often awkward appearance of Lars Hanson, Karin Kavli, and even Ingrid Bergman. Victor Seastromu0026#39;s presence lends the film some gravitas, but even his dignity is undermined by lines straight out of a seminary lecture. The plot isnu0026#39;t too convincing and has a twist straight out of P.C. Wren. The final closing shots make the filmu0026#39;s point much better than the preceding hour and a half or so.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e This film also has the worst musical score Iu0026#39;ve ever heard. Parts of it sound like they were played by an elementary school orchestra.”
