Johan

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Nick M A young maid with few options gets roped into a marriage she does not want, and dreams of a traveler she met and spurned before she was wed. When the opportunity arises to experience a different life she must make a quick decision: will she stay in her comfortable, dull marriage, or take a chance on adventure and romance with a handsome, willing rogue? This is Mauritz Stiller's second film featuring river rapids, and after production had ended he swore he'd never make another one. No stuntmen were used - the two main actors rode the boat through the dangerous rapids themselves during the climactic scene. This feat was normally accomplished by a team of seven men; for one pilot to attempt it was deemed foolish by local log haulers. At one point actor Urho Somersalmi falls overboard and is dragged safely back in by his counterpart, Jenny Hasselqvist. This was apparently unplanned, his life in real danger. At another juncture during filming the boat the cameraman was in began sinking, and were it not for his quick thinking the picture would have been lost. All that having been said, apart from the journey downriver I found the film to be dull and fairly lifeless. A contemporary Swedish reviewer compared it favorably to Stiller's earlier work, The Song of the Scarlet Flower, calling the older film "dull, artificial and incoherent" and describing the newer one as "strong, genuine and solidly built." I agree that the plot and the rest of the skeleton of Johan is probably superior to Scarlet Flower, but I did not find it to be the better film. Scarlet Flower had real, undeniable chemistry between its romantic leads which made it an exciting watch, and one where I was invested in its characters. The performances in Johan, however, were just boring. Intellectually I knew I should feel for them, but feeling no real emotional connection between any of them prevented me from establishing one myself. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Johan

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