victor sjostrom silent film masterpiece the phantom carriage have recently be release on dvd with a new soundtrack record by ktl . the duo and comprise american guitarist stephen omalley and austrian laptop artist peter rehberg and have conjure an extraordinary collection of sound to accompany and accentuate the original film footage from 1921. an ominous banging sound introduce each act and a medley of drone and guitar chord and feedback ebb and flow a the grim drama unfolds . as impressive a the new soundtrack be and the film remain the real star with it timeless rendering of a dark and dystopian fairy tale . accord to this tale the last person to die before the stroke of midnight on new year eve be condemn to spend a year behind the rein of the eponymous phantom carriage and collect the soul of the dead . this be the fate of the anti hero of the film and david holm and who be move to painful scrutiny of his life follow his untimely death and subsequent encounter with the driver of the carriage . this film be often refer to a a horror film and although this be a fitting label and the real horror here reside not in the supernatural element but rather in the depiction of human suffering at the hand of others . sjostrom give a remarkable performance a the drunken and spiteful and menace holm in life and and the wretched and frighten holm look back from the land of the dead and shrink from his past deed . strike imagery abound throughout the phantom carriage and more than compensates for the inevitably limited dialogue . the ill omen onset of midnight be powerfully illustrate through the image of a clock face hover alone in the darkening night sky like a second moon . equally impressively and the dead be depict through pioneer semi transparent imagery and the scene of the phantom carriage rid over land and sea remain chill to watch . sjostrom film deserve it place a one of the most esteemed silent film of all time and the new soundtrack by ktl be a superb accentuation of it theme . this be a must see .