Sea Vultures (Havsgamar) (Victor Sjöström, 1917)

A thrilling film about crime and (no) punishment, guilt and impertinence, by one of Sweden’s finest silent directors, Victor Sjöström. Sea Vultures (Havsgamar) is situated on a barren island, where one of the inhabitants, a well-respected, seemingly incorruptible man, leads a double life as a smuggler. One night, he and his adult son, filling their ship with contraband, are caught by a customs officer, who dies during the ensuing struggle. The two men decide to dump his body and sink his boat. Unbeknownst to them is the presence of Anton, their youngest son/brother, a simpleton who has witnessed everything. For years he carries this heavy secret, but the arrival of a new customs officer – the son of the murdered one! – sets a whole new chain of events in motion.
No intricate staging in this film, but Sjöström presents at least one memorable shot: when some crooks are plotting a new crime, the camera tracks to the left and reveals Anton with his ear to the wall. The camera comes to a halt with the wall almost in the middle. Not only is this an intriguing variation on the split screen, Sjöström, with this shot, also stresses the artificiality of what is shown.
The director championed the double exposure throughout his career, and this film is no exception. There’s only one, but it’s a telling one: the head of the murdered customs officer looming on his murderers when they are informed about the identity of the new customs officer, and they remember their crime. Sjöström, this way, makes their guilt palpable. A nice touch that shows his mastery of film language.