-Expecting visitors? -Yes.
Headmaster Arnholm is in town. We expect him this morning.
Arnholm? Wasn't he a tutor here some years ago?
Exactly. That's why we want to raise the flag.
You are a painter?
-Would you like to have a look? -Thank you.
You're welcome.
-My name is Lyngstrand. -Ballested.
It's the fjord in between the islets.
-Are you in the profession? -A painter, you mean?
No. But I'm going to become a sculptor.
Really? Sculpture is also quite a nice art.
-Have you been with us long? -About a fortnight.
To enjoy the swimming?
Yes. I was going to regain my strength.
It's nothing serious. Just a tightness in my chest.
You should consult a doctor.
I thought I would talk to Doctor Wangel.
-You have lived long in town? -For ten years.
I originally came here with a theatre troupe.
We got into financial trouble, and dispersed.
But I...
I stayed. And I have been doing well.
-Good morning. -Good morning to you.
Excuse me one moment.
-Do you know the family? -Not so well.
You ought to cultivate this acquaintance.
Yes, I had planned a visit... A kind of call.
I just need to find an occasion.
The steamer has arrived. I have to go to the hotel.
I may be needed.
-You see, I'm also a hairdresser. -How versatile.
One has to acclimatize oneself in these small towns.
If you should ever need any kind of barber services, -
- just ask for dance teacher Ballested.
-Dance teacher? -And leader of the Brass Society.
We give a concert tonight. Goodbye.
You will be most welcome!
Bolette said you had ventured inside.
Yes, I took the liberty to...
-Did you go for a morning walk? -No, not today.
-Maybe for a swim? -Yes. I saw your mother there.
-Whom did you see? -Your mother.
Oh, I see.
-You didn't see our father's boat? -No.
He has made a round to his patients out on the islands.
How delightful, with all the flowers.
-Doesn't it look nice? -Yes.
-As if there was a celebration. -In fact, there is.
-It is your father's birthday? -No, our mother's.
Hilde...
Oh, your mother's...
-You're going home for breakfast? -Yes, I was just going to...
-You're doing well at the hotel? -I don't stay there anymore.
It was too expensive. I stay at Madam Jensen's.
-Which Madame Jensen? -The midwife.
Goodbye, Lyngstrand.
Later, when you have the time, and would like to, -
- please come by and call on father. And the rest of us.
Father?
Here I am!
-Has Arnholm arrived? -Yes, last night.
-We got a message. -He'll be here today.
It looks festive here.
Don't you think we have decorated nicely?
Yes...
-Are we alone in the house? -Yes.
-She is down and... -Mother has gone for a swim.
You really want all this around all day?
-And the flag raised as well? -Oh, father...
We have been doing it for headmaster Arnholm.
When such a good friend comes visiting...
And he was even Bolette's tutor.
You two are really something!
It's natural that we commemorate her, who is no longer among us.
But still... I don't like this. Not this way.
That we every year...
What can I say? I suppose it cannot be done differently.
Look who's entering. I think it is the headmaster.
You think that middle-aged fellow is Arnholm?
By Jove, I think it is him! Welcome, dear headmaster!
-Welcome to the old grounds! -Thank you so much.
And here are the cildren.
I would hardly have recognized them.
Well, maybe Bolette. Yes, I would have recognized her.
It has been eight or nine years since you saw her last.
Yes, many things have changed here since then.
It doesn't really seem that way. Well, the trees have grown a lot.
No, on the surface...
And you now have two grown-up, marriageable daughters.
-That only goes for one of them. -Just listen to father!
Shouldn't we get some soda and syrup?
Yes, soda and syrup.
And maybe a little cognac.
-Cognac as well? -Just a little.
-In case anyone would like some. -I see.
Hilde, bring the suitcase down to the office.
You sure have a splendid... Two fine maidens.
-Yes, don't you think? -I'm amazed at Bolette.
And Hilde too.
And you, my friend... Will you stay here all your life?
Yes, it seems that way.
This is where I am born and bred, as they say.
Where I lived happily with the one who left us.
The one you knew the last time you were here.
And now I live here happily with the one who replaced her.
No children in your second marriage?
We got a little boy two or three years ago.
But we did not keep him very long.
He died when he was four or five months old.
-Is your wife not at home today? -Yes. She should be here soon.
She is down swimming, like every day.
Whatever the weather is like.
She has been strangely nervous the last couple of years.
At times.
I cannot really comprehend what is the matter with her.
But to go swimming in the sea brings her great joy.
Yes, I remember.
Of course. You know her from your time as teacher at Skjoldviken.
I also met her by the lighthouse, when I called on her father.
The time out there has influenced her deeply.
People here do not understand her.
They call her the lady from the sea.
-Do they? -Yes.
Talk to her about the old days, Arnholm.
That will be so good for her.
Have you got any reason to believe so?
Ah. Here comes the mermaid.
Thank God you're here.
-When did you arrive? -A little while ago.
But... Won't you greet an old acquaintance?
Welcome. Excuse me for not being at home.
Don't mention it.
How nicely the girls have decorated in your honour.
-Is it really in my honour? -We don't do this every day.
-I think I have to... -It is suffocatingly hot here.
Come here. At least there's a breath of air.
You must entertain our friend alone for a while.
I have to change.
-We'll manage to pass the time. -I trust that you will.
Well, I will see you soon.
-Isn't this a pleasant place to sit? -Yes.
They call it my arbour. I usually sit here during the day.
-With the little girls? -No. They stay on the veranda.
-And Wangel himself? -He goes to and fro.
Now out here, now with the children.
I think that's the best arrangement for all parties.
We can always talk to each other.
When once in a while we think we have something to say.
It has been a long time. Since we met by the lighthouse, I mean.
Yes. It's more than ten years since you were with us out there.
I had expected least of all to see you here as Mrs. Wangel.
No, at that time the little girls' first mother was still alive.
-Their real mother. -Yes, but...
Still, I had never expected this to come about.
Neither had I. Back then.
Wangel is so good. So honourable. Nice and kind to everyone.
Yes, he is.
But he must be so totally different from you?
That is also true.
-But how could... -Don't ask me. I cannot explain.
Have you confided to your husband anything about me?
I mean, about the futile step that I once...
How can you think anything like that?
Not a word have I said about what you refer to.
Only the truth. That I was very fond of you.
That you were my best and most faithful friend there.
Thank you. But...
Why did you never write to me?
I thought it might hurt you to hear from someone -
- who could not respond the way you had wished for.
It would have stirred up embarassment.
Perhaps you are right.
-Why did you never write? -I?
After such a rejection as I got from you?
-Have you thought about others? -Never.
I have staid faithful to my memories.
Let those sad, old memories go.
You should rather think about becoming a happy husband.
When you made this futile step, as you called it...
I could not answer differently.
No. You could only offer me a good friendship.
My whole mind was elsewhere at that time.
"At that time"?
Impossible. You hardly knew Wangel at that time.
I am not speaking about him.
Not Wangel? But at that time, out by the lighthouse...
I can't recall anyone I can imagine you would care for.
No, because everything was so wrong.
But it is enough if you know I was bound at the time.
And if you were not bound, would you have answered differently?
When Wangel came, I did answer differently.
So what is the point in telling me that you were bound?
Because I need someone to confide in.
So your husband doesn't know about this?
I confessed in the beginning that my mind had been elsewhere.
He did not demand to know more, and we never touched on it again.
Anyway, it was only madness, and it soon came to nothing.
That is... In a way.
Only "in a way"? Not completely?
Yes, of course. It's not like you think.
We are getting a visitor.
Are you looking for the girls?
No, for you, Mrs. Wangel. You have allowed me to visit you.
-Yes. You are always welcome. -Thank you.
There are festivities in the house today...
-You know about it? -Yes.
So I would like to take the liberty of presenting this.
Wouldn't you rather give them directly to Arnholm?
But I don't know this gentleman.
I'm here because of the birthday.
Then you are mistaken. There is no birthday here today.
I didn't think Madam's birthday would be such a secret.
Mine?
I asked the young ladies why they decorated.
Miss Hilde said: "Because today is mother's birthday."
"Mother's"?
Well, now that the young man knows, Mrs. Wangel...
Yes. Since you already know...
-Please allow me to congratulate. -Thank you.
This about my birthday was supposed to be a secret.
Yes, it was not supposed to be for us who are uninitiated.
-No. Not for the uninitiated. -I won't mention it to anyone.
-I think you look better. -Yes, indeed.
And next year I may be allowed to go south.
My benefactor in Bergen has promised to help me.
-How did you get to know him? -I was at sea in one of his ships.
-So you wanted to be a sailor -No, not at all.
But when mother died, father did not want me at home.
He sent me to sea.
Then we were shipwrecked. Fortunately for me.
-Oh? -That's how I got my weakness.
This with my chest. I was so long in the ice cold water.
So I had to give up the sea. Very fortunate.
-Really? -Yes, because it's not so serious.
And now I can become a sculptor.
And what would you like to sculpt Mermen and mermaids?
Oh no. I would like to produce a great work.
A group, as they call it.
-And what will the group depict? -Something I have experienced.
Yes, you should stick to that.
A young sailor's wife, restless in her sleep. She is also dreaming.
-Nothing more? -Yes. Another figure.
An apparition, as it is called.
Her husband, whom she has been unfaithful to.
And he has drowned out at sea.
-Drowned? -Yes. On a sea voyage.
But then he has come home anyway.
Now he stands gazing at her.
Dripping wet, as if pulled from the sea.
Strange. I can see it so vividly.
But you said you had experienced it?
I have experienced this. In a way...
-That a dead man..? -Tell us.
This should be interesting for you. A maritime atmosphere...
What was it like?
We were to sail homewards from a town called Halifax.
But we had to leave the boatswain in hospital.
So we signed on an American instead.
And this new boatswain...
-The American? -Yes.
He borrowed from the captain some old newspapers.
He said he wanted to learn Norwegian.
-And then? -One night in rough weather...
I was a bit weak, and lay in my berth.
The boatswain had sprained his foot.
He sat in the cabin and leafed through one of the old papers.
And while sitting there, he lets out a kind of a roar.
His face is as white as chalk.
He starts crushing and crumpling the magazine.
He tears it up into a thousand little pieces.
But he did so in silence.
-Didn't he say anything? -Not right away.
But soon after, he said, as if to himself:
"Got married. To another man." While I was away."
-Is that what he said? -Yes.
And then what happened?
Then this strange thing occurred, which I shall never forget.
Because he added, also very quietly...
"But mine she is. And mine she will remain."
"And she shall follow me, if I have to come and fetch her" -
- "as a drowned man from the dark sea."
He said this with such force that I believed he would be able to.
Do you know where he has ended up?
I believe he is no longer alive. We were shipwrecked soon after.
I was in the lifeboat with the captain and 5 others.
The mate joined the American and two other men.
Nothing has been heard from them?
Nothing at all.
This is why I want to try to make a work of art.
The faithless sailor's wife...
And the avenger who drowned, but returns.
-I can see it so vividly. -So can I.
The heat is suffocating. Let us join Wangel.
I will take my leave. I just stopped by because of the birthday.
As you wish. Goodbye.
And thank you for the flowers.
Thank you for the flowers...
I can see that this went to your heart.
But it was only what you had to be prepared for.
-Prepared? -Yes, in my opinion.
For somebody coming back?
What in..? Is it the mad sculptor's wild tale?
Maybe he's not so mad.
Did his story about the dead man move you like this?
I thought you were hurt because of the secret family celebration.
Because your family lives a life of memories -
- that you cannot take part in.
I have no right to demand his undivided attention.
I would think that was your right.
I also live in something... that the others are shut out of.
Is that the case?
You do not really love your husband?
Yes, I do...
Yes, I have come to love him with all my heart.
That's what is so terrible. So unthinkable and incomprehensible.
Here I am! At your service.
Now a glass of something cool will taste wonderful.
Shouldn't we all go into the sitting-room?
Where did you get the flowers from?
I got them from Lyngstrand, my dear Hilde.
-Has he been here again? -Yes. He brought these.
They are for the birthday.
The beast!
-Well, you see... I'll tell you... -Let's give them some water.
-Together with the others. -Thank you.
I would also like to celebrate mother's birthday.
But she is kind...
Monkey tricks! She only pretends, in order to please father.
Why do we run away from Lyngstrand?
Because I can't stand walking uphill so slowly.
-Look how he is crawling upwards. -You know how ill he is.
-Do you think it's very serious? -Yes.
-He saw father this afternoon. -It has to do with the lungs.
-He won't grow old, father said. -Did he really?
Just like I thought.
For God's sake, don't let him notice anything.
Look at that. Hans has finally crawled to the top.
Hans?
Don't you think it's obvious that he must be called Hans?
Have you got yourself a parasol, now?
It's your mother's. She told me to use it as a cane.
-Are they still down there? -Yes.
Your father went into the restaurant.
The others listen to the music.
You must be very tired now.
Yes, I kind of think that I'm somewhat exhausted.
-You know there will be dancing? -Yes...
-You do like dancing? -Hilde, let him catch his breath.
I would love to dance. If I only could.
-Have you never learnt to dance? -No. But that's not what I meant.
I can't, because of my chest.
Because of the weakness you claim you have got?
Are you very sad because of the weakness?
No, I wouldn't claim that.
Because everybody is so nice and kind to me.
Yes, and it's not serious at all either?
No, not the least.
That's also what your father told me.
And it will disappear once you go travelling?
Yes. Then it will pass.
Look here.
Thank you so much. You are far too kind.
Here they come.
I hope they know where to turn off.
Oh no, they're going the wrong way.
-I'll run down and guide them. -No, don't!
-You will only exhaust yourself. -Downhill is easy.
He doesn't remember he will have to come up again.
Poor man.
-Would you accept if he proposed? -Are you out of your mind?
If he hadn't got his weakness, and wasn't going to die soon?
-Would you have said yes? -Maybe you should.
No way. He doesn't own a thing. Not even enough to live from.
Then why so preoccupied with him?
-Because of his weakness. -I haven't noticed any pity in you.
I don't have any.
-But I find it so tempting. -Tempting?
To look at him. To make him tell me it's nothing serious.
That he will be able to travel abroad, and become an artist.
He believes in all those things.
And it makes him so happy. But it won't come to anything.
Because he is not going to live that long.
I find that so exciting.
So, finally.
Arnholm probably doesn't like climbing.
He's starting to lose his hair.
And he's got wrinkles around both eyes.
And you were so in love with him once.
Yes, how could that be?
I remember crying because he said that Bolette was an ugly name.
Look at that!
The lady from the sea is talking to him, and not to father.
I wonder if those two might be attracted to each other.
You ought to be ashamed! It had become so pleasant between us.
You are wrong! It will never be pleasant between us and her!
We just don't belong together.
Why did father drag her into our house?
I wouldn't be surprised if she went crazy one day!
Her mother went insane. She died as a madwoman. I know it!
Out there it lies. Out there lies the sea.
Magnificent. Wonderful view.
-You were probably never up here. -No, never.
In my time there was not even a footpath here.
At Loskollen, the view is even better.
-Should we go there, Ellida? -No, thank you. Not I.
But the rest of you may go.
Then I will stay with you.
-Would you like to come with us? -I would like to.
-Have they made a road up there? -Yes, a nice, broad road.
Broad enough for a couple to walk arm in arm.
Should we try out if she is right?
Should we also try?
-Arm in arm? -Yes, why not? I wouldn't mind.
--This is really funny -Funny?
It looks exactly like if we're engaged.
I bet you have never promenaded with a lady on your arm before!
Let us have a talk.
-About what? -About you. And our relationship.
Ellida, it cannot continue like this.
-What should come instead, then? -Full confidence.
A life together. Like it used to be.
-I think I understand you. -No, you don't.
Don't tell me you understand.
Oh yes.
If you are going to feel safe and happy, -
- there must be a complete and true relationship.
You're not suited to be a man's second wife.
Now it's all clear to me.
The children's celebration. You saw a kind of accomplice in me.
Well, a man's memories cannot be wiped out.
-At least not mine. -I know.
But you are wrong.
To you it's almost like the children's mother were still alive.
You think that my heart is divided between you and her.
This thought is revolting to you.
That's why you no longer can... Or no longer want to...
Live with me as my wife.
Now I have finally looked into it. To the depths of it.
To the depths of it? You must not think so.
I am fully aware that there is more.
-You know there is more? -Yes.
These mountains weigh upon you.
There is not enough light here. The sky is not wide enough.
No. Night and day, winter and summer, it weighs upon me.
-This yearning for the sea... -That's why you'll be going home.
We shall move. Out to the open sea.
Don't ever think about it.
You can never live happily anywhere else than here.
Do you think I can live happily here, without you?
But I am here. And here I will stay.
You have got me.
Have I got you, Ellida?
All you live and breathe for, you have got here.
Be that as it may. But we will move!
What do you think we would gain by moving?
You would regain your health, and peace of mind.
Hardly. And you yourself? What do you think you would gain?
-I would win you back! -But you cannot!
No. You cannot.
That's exactly what is so terrible.
With such thoughts, you just have to get away from here.
The sooner, the better.
No. So in heaven's name, let me tell you everything.
Just the way it is.
For you must not become unhappy for my sake.
When it cannot help us in any way.
When you came to me out by the lighthouse...
When you asked if I could and would belong to you...
You spoke so candidly about your first marriage.
-It had been so happy, you said. -Yes, it was.
I believe you. That's not the reason why I mention this now.
But I was also sincere with you.
I told you that once I cared for another.
That it had come to a kind of... engagement between us.
A kind of..?
Yes, something of the sort. It lasted so briefly. He left...
And then I broke up with him.
But... Why do you bring this up again?
It didn't really concern me.
And I have never even asked you who he was.
No. You are always so...considerate.
Well, I could more or less guess his name myself.
Out at Skjoldviken, there weren't that many to choose from.
-There was really only one. -You believe it was Arnholm?
Yes. Wasn't it..?
-No. -No? Then I'm at a loss.
Do you remember a large American ship landing at Skjoldviken once?
-It had been shipwrecked. -Yes.
One morning they found the captain murdered.
I was out there to carry out the autopsy.
-It was probably the second mate. -Nobody knows. It never came up.
Why else would he drown himself?
He didn't drown himself. He went north on a ship.
-How do you know? -Because...
He, the second mate, was the one I was engaged to.
-What are you saying? -Yes. That's the way it is.
-It was him. -But Ellida.. !
To become engaged to a complete stranger?
-What was his name? -He called himself Friman.
But later, in the letters, Alfred Johnston.
What more do you know about him?
Only that he went to sea at a young age.
That he had been travelling far and wide.
And otherwise nothing?
We never talked about such things.
-What did you talk about? -Mostly about the sea.
-About the sea? -Yes.
About storms and calm.
And dark nights by the sea.
We also talked about the ocean in shimmering sunshine.
But mostly about the whales. And the dolphins.
And the seals lying on the skerries in the midday sun.
And the seagulls. And the eagles.
And all the other sea birds.
The sea birds and the sea animals seemed to be related to him.
And you yourself?
It almost felt like I also became related to them.
And then...you were engaged to him?
Yes.
-He said I had to do it. -"Had to"?!
Did you have no will of your own?
Not when he was around.
-Were you often with him? -Not often.
One time he came out and looked at the lighthouse.
Then I got to know him.
Later we met once in a while.
But then this about the captain came up. He had to go away.
It was early dawn. I received a note from him.
I must meet him at Brattholmen.
Right away. He wanted to talk to me.
-And you went there? -Yes.
I didn't feel I had a choice.
Then he told me that he had stabbed the captain in the night.
He said so? Straight out?
Yes. But he claimed he had only done what was right and just.
-And you believed him? -Yes. But he had to go away.
But when he was about to say goodbye, he took out a key-ring.
And a ring that he always wore.
From me he also took a little ring that I had.
He said that the two of us should wed ourselves to the sea.
Then he threw the key-ring with the rings as far as he could.
Out into the deep.
-And you agreed to it? -I thought it seemed just right.
But fortunately he left.
-And when he was gone..? -I soon came to my senses again.
I understood how meaningless it all was.
You mentioned letters. So you have heard from him?
Yes. At first a few lines from Archangel.
He wanted to go to America, and told me where to write to.
-Did you write him? -Right away.
Of course I wrote that everything had to be over between us.
That he should no longer think of me.
That I would never think of him again.
-Did he write anyway? -Yes. He wrote back.
And what did he answer?
Not a word about me breaking up with him.
He just calmly wrote that I must wait for him.
When he was ready to receive me, he would let me know.
Then I should come to him at once.
-So he would not let you go? -No.
I wrote to him again. The same as before.
Or even more firmly.
-And then he gave up? -Oh no.
He wrote as if I had not broken with him.
I saw that it was useless. I never wrote again.
-And didn't hear from him? -Three times.
Once from California, and once from China.
His last letter was from Australia.
He said he wanted to go to the gold mines.
Since then I have not heard from him.
He has had an exceptional power over you.
But don't think about it any more.
-Now it is all in the past. -No. It is not over.
It will never be over. Never in this life.
Do you mean to say that...
Deep inside you, you have never been able to forget this stranger?
I had forgotten him.
But then it was as if he came back.
It was about three years ago. Maybe more.
While I was expecting the child.
Still strolling around?
We are on our way down to go dancing.
All right. We will also come down soon.
Come along, Hans.
Wait a moment.
-Will you also dance? -I don't dare to.
You'd better be careful.
How long since you made the voyage you told me about?
Over two years ago... Three years ago.
-Three years... -Or a little more.
We were wrecked in March.
Don't let me keep you.
-Just be off. But do not dance. -I will only watch.
Why did you ask him about the voyage?
Johnston was on board. I am sure of it.
He got to know that I had married another.
And exactly at that time it came over me.
The fear?
Yes.
Suddenly I see him in front of me, alive.
Or rather a bit to the side. He never looks at me.
He is just there.
-What does he look like? -Like when I last saw him.
Ten years ago?
Yes.
What I see most clearly, is his breastpin.
With a large, blue and white pearl.
The pearl resembles a dead fish eye.
-It appears to glare at me. -In the name of God...
You are more ill than I thought.
Yes... Help me if you can. For everything is drawing closer.
For over three years...
-You have not confided in me. -I could not.
Not before now, when it's necessary for your own sake.
If I had confided in you before, I would also have had to tell you...
The unspeakable.
No, don't say anything.
Just one more thing, and then no more.
How are we to explain this mystery of the child's eyes?
Dear Ellida. I assure you it was just your imagination.
The child had just the same eyes as other normal children.
No, it had not. How come you could not see it?
The child's eyes changed colour with the sea.
When the fjord was sunny and calm, -
- the child's eyes were the same.
In stormy weather, too.
I saw it, even if you did not.
I had seen such eyes once before.
-When? -Out at Brattholmen.
Ten years ago. The child had the stranger's eyes.
Now you understand why I never want to...
Never dare to live with you as your wife.
-What am I suppposed to do? -Dear doctor...
As a physician, you must know better than me.
If you knew how hard it is for a doctor to diagnose an ill person...
Whom he is so fond of.
And in addition, this is no ordinary disease.
How does she feel?
I was just with her, and then she seemed calm.
But behind all her moods, there is something that cannot be grasped.
And she is so fickle. So unstable. Changing so suddenly.
Surely a result of her feeble state of mind.
Not only. She was born with it.
-Ellida belongs to the sea people. -But, doctor...
Those out by the open sea. They're like a people apart.
Almost like they live the life of the ocean.
There are wave motions, and ebb and flow.
Both in their thoughts and their sensations.
And...
They never let themselves be transplanted.
It was an offence against Ellida to have her moved here.
Actually I knew it. But I was so fond of her.
I thought about myself, first and foremost.
How inexcusably selfish I was back then.
Every man is a bit selfish under such circumstances.
I have been so later too.
I should have done my best to develop and clear her thoughts.
But that never came about. I haven't had the initiative to do so.
Because I wanted her just the way she was.
But then she got worse and worse. I didn't know what to do.
Therefore I wrote you and asked you to come to us.
I thought Ellida's heart had been bound to you once.
And that she still felt bound to you.
That it might be good for her to see you again.
So it was your wife you meant, when you wrote -
- that someone might be longing for me?
-Yes, who else? -No... You're right.
I didn't understand it.
No, I was totally off the track.
And you call yourself selfish.
I felt I had to use every means -
- to ease her troubled mind a little.
Oh, here he comes.
-Who comes? -Your headmaster.
-Mine? -Well, he has never been mine.
Come along, Hans.
Are you sitting here all alone?
-Isn't your mother here? -No.
-How is she doing? -I don't know. I forgot to ask.
-Which books have you got here? -One is about botany.
The other is a geography.
-Do you read such books? -When I have the time.
But I have to do the domestic chores.
Your stepmother... Doesn't she help you?
No. I had to take care of it all the two years my father was alone.
And then it has just continued.
But you are just as interested in reading?
Yes. I like to gather knowledge about the world.
Here we live in the periphery.
When I tutored you, your father often said that you would study.
Poor father. He says a lot of things.
But in reality... There is no real stamina in father.
No. You are right, unfortunately.
But have you talked to him about it? In earnest?
-No. -You ought to, before it's too late.
-Why don't you? -Maybe I also have no stamina.
It's probably hereditary.
And father has so little time to think about me and my future.
Such things he tries to avoid. He is so taken with Ellida.
I mean, he and my stepmother...
Then it would be better for you to get away.
Yes, I have to think about myself as well.
Try to get some kind of occupation.
When father is gone... Then I will have nobody.
Poor father. I'm not looking forward to leaving him.
-For his own sake. -But your stepmother stays here.
Yes... But she is not suited for handling everything my mother did.
There is so much she doesn't see.
Maybe she doesn't want to. Or doesn't care about it.
I don't know. Poor father. He is weak, in many ways.
And she is so utterly unable to support him.
But I think that's partly his own fault.
-How then? -He wants to see happy faces.
"There should be sunshine in the house," he says.
I fear he gives her medicine which is not good for her.
-Do you think so? -Yes. She is so strange at times.
But it is not right that I should stay at home.
I have obligations towards myself, too.
-So, have you been out walking? -Yes.
A long, wonderful walk with Wangel.
Now we're going sailing.
-What ship is this? -The large English one.
It's going further into the fjord.
And then outwards again. Tomorrow.
Out to the open sea.
lmagine if I could go with it.
Have you never made any longer voyages, Mrs. Wangel?
No. Just little trips here in the fjords.
No, we have to be content with life on land.
-Well, that's where we belong. -I disagree.
If people from the beginning had gotten used to life on the sea, -
- or in the sea...
Then we would have been much more perfect.
Both better and happier.
I have talked to Wangel about this many times.
-And he..? -He thinks that may be true.
Well, then... But this is what it has come to.
We have entered the wrong path, and have become land creatures.
It's too late to correct the mistake.
You certainly state a sad truth there.
I think people have a kind of notion about it.
They carry it with them, as a secret regret and sorrow.
My impression is that people are not so very melancholy.
On the contrary, most people seem to view life positively.
With a quiet, unconscious joy.
No. This joy...
It's like the joy we feel during those long, bright summer nights.
It carries with it a reminder of the approaching dark season.
And this throws a shadow over the joy of men.
Like the drifting cloud throws its shadow over the fjord.
It lay there, blue and calm, and then...
You shouldn't nourish such sad thoughts.
No. It's silly of me.
Why doesn't Wangel come here? He promised he would.
He seems to have forgotten.
-Could you try and find him? -Yes, of course.
Tell him to come right away.
-Now I cannot see him. -See him?
When he is not present, I often seem to forget his features.
-And it's like I'm losing him. -I'll go with you.
-I fear he is on board the ship. -Fear?
He often looks for acquaintances.
And there is a restaurant on board.
-Good evening, Ellida. -My dear. Finally you're here.
Yes. Finally.
Who are you?
-Do you seek anyone here? -You certainly know.
-Whom are you looking for? -I am looking for you, of course.
Are you finally beginning to recognize me?
I knew you at once, Ellida.
-Don't look at me like that. -Have no fear. I won't harm you.
What do you want?
I promised to come as soon as I could.
Go away.
Don't ever come here again. I wrote that it is over between us.
I wanted to come sooner, but I could not. Now at last I could.
-What do you want from me? -I have come to fetch you.
Fetch me? But you know that I am married.
-I know. -And still you have come to...
To fetch me.
Don't you want to come?
-Don't look at me that way. -I ask if you don't want to.
I do not want to, and I cannot. And I don't dare to.
Don't touch me. Don't come to me.
You must not be so scared of me. Just don't be afraid.
Ellida?
-Save me, if you can. -Ellida? For God's sake...
Don't you see him?
Who are you?
-Do you know him, Ellida? -Yes. He is the one I talked about.
What do you want from my wife?
You know that the lighthouse keeper's daughter got married?
I have known for more than three years.
-How did you get to know? -I was on my way home to you.
I found an old newspaper, in which the wedding was mentioned.
The wedding?
The affair with the rings was also a wedding.
Had you forgotten?
Don't look at me that way.
Since you know the circumstances...
What are you actually doing here?
I promised Ellida to come as soon as I could.
And she promised to wait for me until I came.
He will never let go of me.
Did she tell you about the rings?
We agreed it was as good as a wedding.
I do not want to. Don't you hear? Don't look at me that way.
You must be insane.
If you think that such childish nonsense gives you any right...
This is true.
I do not have a right in the sense that you mean.
You can't imagine you can take her away by force?
Against her own will?
If Ellida wants to go with me, she has to come voluntarily.
-Voluntarily? -You must be out of your mind!
Go away!
It's time to get on board again.
Well, Ellida. I kept my promise to you.
Think about it until tomorrow.
There is nothing to think about! Get away from here!
I will continue further into the fjord.
Tomorrow I will be back. Wait for me here.
-Don't ever come back. -Go up to the house.
If you would want to come with me across the sea, -
- you have to be ready to travel.
For if you don't come with me tomorrow, it will all be over.
Over?
Forever?
It can never be done again.
You will never see me again, nor hear from me.
Then I will be like dead, and away from you. Forever.
So consider carefully what you will do.
Goodbye.
Tomorrow I will come and fetch you.
"Voluntarily," he said. I should go with him voluntarily.
Now he is gone. You will never see him again.
-He will be back tomorrow. -Just let him come.
He will not be allowed to meet you.
Don't ever think you can prevent him.
"Tomorrow," he said.
"Or never."
If he should come back, it is in our power to make him harmless.
If he won't let you be, he will pay for murdering the captain.
No... We know nothing about that murder!
Nothing!
But he confessed, in your presence.
If you say anything, I will deny everything.
Don't imprison him. He belongs to the open sea!
The English ship is going up the fjord!
-Madam! We saw the American! -I saw him too!
-Where do you know him from? -I sailed with him.
He is back to take revenge on his faithless sailor's wife.
Lyngstrand will use him for a work of art.
Do you understand any of this? I don't understand a single word.
-So, tomorrow... -And then never again.
That man is like the sea.
But how can you explain the power this foreigner has over her?
There are certain aspects to this that cannot be explained.
-Something inexplicable? -At least for the time being.
-Do you believe in that? -I neither believe nor deny.
I don't know.
Her uncanny claim that the child's eyes...
This with the eyes is just her imagination.
-Did you notice the man's eyes? -Of course.
-There was no resemblance? -Ellida had just talked about it!
I don't know if I could observe him objectively.
No, but the other thing?
That she became anxious when he was on his way back?
It did not appear as abruptly as she claims.
There have been signs long on beforehand.
If you could decide to change residence, move away...
She doesn't want to! She doesn't see any purpose in it.
And she may be right.
It doesn't seem right towards the girls to move to the backwoods.
They must live somewhere where they may be supported some time.
Supported?
Are you already thinking in those terms?
I have to think about that as well.
For Bolette you may not need to be so concerned.
I wonder where she... Where they have gone off to.
Do you know this young man very well?
-What's his name? -Lyngstrand. No, definitely not.
Do you appreciate him hanging around the girls all the time?
Is he? I haven't noticed.
You ought to observe such things...
In my opinion.
-Do you know how to draw? -With a copy.
-Not otherwise? -No.
-Then it's not really art. -No, handicraft.
-You could learn art. -Without talent?
Yes, if you could spend time with a real artist.
-You think I could learn from him? -Not learn, in the regular way.
It would come over you, by and by.
As if by a miracle.
Have you thought more about..? I mean..?
Have you thought seriously about marriage?
-No. -I have.
-And..? -I often think about such things.
Mostly about marriage. And I have read about it in many books.
I think marriage must be almost like a miracle.
The woman gradually changes, and resembles her husband.
-Acquires his interests? -Yes.
But what about his abilities and talents?
Maybe those, too.
All a man has read, or thought out, may be transferred to his wife?
That too, yes. Little by little.
Maybe a man could resemble his wife?
A man? No, I cannot imagine.
A man has a mission in life.
That's what makes a man so strong. His calling in life.
-Each and every man? -I mostly thought about artists.
Do you believe an artist should marry?
Yes. If he finds somebody he loves.
-Not live only for his art? -He can still get married.
-But what will his bride live for? -Also for his art.
That should make a woman so happy!
To help him create. Facilitate his work by being around him.
By taking care of him. It must be wonderful for a woman.
When the time comes, and I am gone... Which will be soon...
Don't believe such sad things.
-It's not sad. -No?
I'll be going south in a month or so.
Oh, that way.
Would you then, once in a while, think of me?
Yes.
-Do you promise? -Yes.
-By all that is sacred? -By all that is sacred.
What would it be good for? It won't lead to anything.
How can you say that?
It would be wonderful to know that you're thinking of me.
-And then what? -Well... I don't really know.
Me neither.
Well, maybe a miracle could occur.
And in a few years, when I come home as a famous sculptor...
-And well off... -Here comes the headmaster.
-Do you like your old teacher? -Yes. He is always so helpful.
Why hasn't he married? They say he is wealthy.
He has been a tutor for almost all the young girls he knows.
-So what? -You don't marry your old tutor!
It was a great misfortune for us both that we got together.
What are you saying?!
There could only be misfortune, with the way we got together.
The way?
We cannot lie to each other anymore.
Are we lying?!
Yes. Or at least concealing the truth.
For the truth is, you came and bought me!
"Bought," you say?!
And I accepted. I sold myself to you.
You could not stand your empty house.
-You were looking for a new wife. -And a mother for the children.
Maybe. Even though you didn't know if I was competent.
You'd only seen me a few times. And then you started wanting me.
And I stood there. Helpless and all alone.
It was reasonable that I accepted when you...
Offered to provide for me the rest of my life.
It was not meant as providing for you.
I asked you to share what little I could call mine.
Yes, you did. But I should not have accepted. Not for any price.
Not sold myself!
Rather the most demeaning work. Rather the poorest conditions.
Voluntarily. According to my own choice.
Have these 5-6 years we have lived together, -
- been worthless to you?
The life that you and I live, is not really a marriage.
That's true. The life we live now is no marriage.
Not earlier, either. Never!
Not from the start. The first could have become a marriage.
-What do you mean by "the first"? -Mine. With him.
A voluntary promise is just as binding as a wedding.
-Allow me to leave you! -Ellida!
Please! Allow me.
It won't come to anything else, anyway.
Not after the way the two of us got together.
So I have not won you through our living together?
Oh, if I could love you like I so much would like to.
Like you deserve.
But I feel...that it will never be.
You mean, divorce? You want a full legal divorce?
I do not care about formalities. Not such superficial things.
I want the two of us to agree, voluntarily, to release each other.
-To cry off the bargain? -Exactly. Cry off the bargain.
And then? Have you thought about what life will be like for us?
It doesn't matter. What I ask for is what matters.
Set me free. Give me my full freedom back.
This is a terrible demand!
At least give me time to decide! And consider what you're doing!
But there's no time to lose. I need my freedom today!
-Why? -Because today he will come.
He will come? What has this got to do with the stranger?
I want to stand before him, in full freedom.
And then what will you do?
I don't want to hide behind being another man's wife.
By not having a choice. Then there would be no decision.
You're talking about choices in this case?
Yes. I must have a choice. Be able to move in either direction.
I must be able to let him leave alone...
Or follow him.
Are you aware of what you're saying? Follow him?!
Leave your whole fate in his hands?
I left my whole fate in your hands.
Unconditionally.
Be that as it may. But him! A total stranger!
Someone you hardly know!
I knew you even less. Even so, I followed you.
At least you knew what kind of life was expecting you.
But what do you know in this case? Nothing!
Not even who he is. Or what he is.
It is true. And that's exactly the terror.
That's why I have to do this.
What do you actually mean by "the terror"?
That which frightens. And attracts. Mostly attracts, I think.
-You are related to the sea. -So is the terror.
I guess I have never really known you. It dawns on me now.
That's why you have to set me free.
I am not the one you thought I was. You can see it for yourself.
Now we can separate in full understanding.
And voluntarily.
Maybe it's the best for both of us if we are divorced.
And yet I cannot!
You are for me like the terror.
The attraction is what is the strongest in you.
I have the right and obligation to protect you.
Protect? What would you protect me against?
There are not outer forces which threaten me.
The terror lies much deeper.
The terror is the attraction in my own mind.
I can support you so that you can resist!
If I would want to resist.
-Do you not want to? -That's what I do not know!
Tonight everything will be decided.
Yes. A decision for the rest of our lives.
-And then, tomorrow... -Tomorrow...
Maybe my real future has been ruined.
-Your real future? -Yes.
A life in freedom, ruined. For me. And maybe also for him.
-Do you love this stranger? -What do I know?
I only know that for me he is a terror.
And it's with him I feel that I belong.
Tomorrow he will be gone. Then the misfortune has been avoided.
Then I will be willing to set you free.
We will cry off the bargain.
Tomorrow? Then it's too late.
The children. Let's at least spare them, for now.
-We have made plans! -We want to go on the fjord...
No, don't say anything!
The two of us have also made plans.
Tomorrow Ellida leaves for Skjoldviken for a while.
-Leaves? -Ellida wants to go home again.
Home to the sea.
-Are you leaving us? -But Hilde, what's the matter?
It's nothing. Just leave!
Father? I can see it in you. You are also going to Skjoldviken.
Certainly not. Maybe I go visiting once in a while.
-And here, by us... -I will also visit.
-"Once in a while." -Dear child. It has to be this way!
What's the matter with Hilde? She seemed disturbed.
Have you never noticed what Hilde is always thirsting for?
-Thirsting? -Ever since you moved in here.
Just one single loving word from you!
Good evening, Doctor! Good evening, madame!
Will there be music tonight as well?
Yes, the Brass Society will make itself heard!
In honour of the English ship.
-Is it already in sight? -Not yet. But it won't be long.
Tonight is the last voyage.
Soon sweet summertime is over. Then all the straits will be closed.
It's a sad thought. For months, we are the summer's happy children.
It will be hard to adjust to the dark season. But only at first.
Because man acclimatizes himself. That's a fact.
Play, gentlemen!
You will not be permitted to choose. I will not allow it.
You can never prevent me from choosing.
You can forbid me to travel, hold me back by force...
But for me to choose, deep inside my soul...
To choose him and not you... This you cannot prevent.
There is nothing that binds me here.
I am rootless in your house. The children are not mine.
Their hearts do not belong to me.
When I go, I don't even have a key to give away.
No message to leave behind.
This is how left out I have been from the first moment.
-You yourself wanted it that way. -No, I did not.
I have just left everything the way I found it when I arrived.
But something avenges itself, for now there is no binding power.
-No help. -I can see that.
And therefore, from tomorrow on, you will have your freedom back.
And live your own life.
My own life... No.
It went off track the day I started living with you.
And now, in half an hour, he whom I have let down comes.
The one I should have held firmly on to.
The way he has held on to me.
Now he will comes, to offer me, for the last and only time, -
- to relive my life. To live my own and true life.
The life I cannot let go of. Not voluntarily.
Therefore you need your husband -
- to take the power away from you, and act on your behalf.
At times I think there would be salvation in binding myself to you.
But I cannot!
Come. Let us walk awhile, together.
I don't dare to. He told me to wait for him here.
There is still plenty of time.
Can you understand what's between them lately?
-Have you noticed anything? -Oh yes. Haven't you?
You just don't want to come out with it.
I think it would do your stepmother good to go on this hourney.
To everyone's benefit.
If she moves to Skjoldviken, she will never come back.
At least not as long as Hilde and I live in the house.
Dear Bolette...
Maybe it won't be so long before you may...leave.
-So you have talked to father? -Yes, I have.
What did he say?
Well, your father is so preoccupied with other matters these days.
-That's what I said. -You can't count on help from him.
How did you have the heart to trick me?
It is entirely up to you if you want to go away or not.
-What is up to me? -If you will go out into the world.
To learn all you want.
When father neither wants to, nor is able to...
Couldn't you accept a helping hand from your old...
From your former tutor?
-Would you be willing to..? -To stand by you? Yes, for sure.
Will you accept?
To be able to get away? See the world?
-To learn something thoroughly? -All this can become reality.
If you yourself would like to.
But can I accept this from a stranger?
Well, from me...
So I will be able to live my life anyway.
I started fearing that life would pass me by.
You need not fear this.
But tell me, sincerely... Are you bound by anything here?
No. Well, by my father, in a way. And by Hilde, too.
-But otherwise nothing? -No.
Good. Then you may go travelling with me.
-You do have confidence in me? -Yes, I do.
And you dare leave your future safely in my hands?
Can you imagine otherwise? You, who have been my old tutor...
I mean, my tutor in the old days.
So, you are free, then.
Let me then ask you...
Could you bind yourself to me? For the rest of your life?
Will you be my wife?
No. That's impossible. Completely impossible!
I probably took you by surprise.
This from you... No wonder you surprised me.
No. You did not know...
Could not know that it was for your sake I made this journey.
Last spring I received a letter from your father.
This led me to believe that you had kept your former tutor -
- as more than a friend in your memory.
How could father write something like that?
It wasn't meant that way. But I was imagining this vividly
And when one is no longer in one's youth, -
- such a belief makes a very strong impression.
I had to come to you, and see you again.
Tell you that I shared the emotions I thought you had for me.
But now that you know it was a mistake...
It doesn't matter.
Your image will always be stamped by the mood my mistake put me in.
What do you say? Could you make up your mind to become my wife?
It is impossible. You, who have been my tutor...
I cannot imagine myself in any other relation to you.
I see.
If you do not think you can... Then the relation remains the same.
Of course my offer still stands.
I will make sure you get out and learn all you want. See the world.
I will also secure your future.
For I will always be your faithful, reliable friend. I assure you.
Oh God. All this has become impossible now.
After what you said, after the answer I gave you...
I cannot accept so much from you. I cannot accept anything!
Would you rather stay here and let life pass you by?
Refrain from seeing some of the world out there?
Consider carefully.
And when your father is gone, be left helpless and alone?
Or maybe have to give yourself to another man.
Whom you may also not have any affection for.
Maybe it is not so impossible anyway.
You mean you could be willing to..?
At least grant me the joy of helping you, as a faithful friend?
That would be impossible now. No, you must rather have me.
-So you would become my wife? -Yes.
If you still think that you will have me.
If I think..?
If I still do not have your heart, I am sure I will conquer it.
And I will see the world? You promised me.
I stand by my promise.
-And learn everything I want to? -I will personally be your teacher.
-Just like before. -Liberated by knowledge...
To get out, and not be anxious about the future...
You will see how well and safely the two of us will live together.
Yes. I do think that this will work.
Everyone walks in pairs. Always two and two.
I could almost swear he was proposing to her.
But I'm sure she won't accept him.
No. Because she thinks he looks so old.
She also thinks he will soon grow bald!
She won't take him. Because she has promised to think of another.
-Only to think of? -While he is away, yes.
-Did she promise this? -Yes, she promised me.
-But don't tell her that you know. -No, my lips are sealed.
I am silent as the grave.
When you return, will you then marry Bolette?
No, I wouldn't dare to think about that the first years.
And later she will be a bit old for me, I suppose.
But still you want her to think of you?
Yes, because it's so useful to me as an artist.
And it's easy for her, who has no mission in life.
You think you can work faster with your art if she thinks of you?
Yes. To know that a fine, young woman quietly dreams about you...
That must be so... I don't know what to call it...
-Maybe...exciting? -Exciting?
Yes. Something like that.
You are so clever. Real clever.
When I come back, you will be about as old as your sister is now.
Maybe you will also look like your sister does now.
And be of the same mind as her.
-Would you like that? -I don't know. Yes, maybe.
But this summer I would rather that you be yourself.
Just the way you are.
-Do you like me best this way? -Yes.
You, as an artist...
Do you like me always wearing bright summer clothes?
Yes.
Do you think the bright colurs suit me?
Yes, very nicely. According to my taste.
But tell me... How do you think I would look in black?
Well, black is not exactly the right colour in the summer.
Apart from that, you would also look very nice in black.
In black, all the way up to the neck.
Black gloves, and a long, black veil slung back.
If you dressed like that, I wish I were a painter -
- and would paint a young widow in mourning.
-Or a young bride in mourning. -That would fit you even better.
-You wouldn't dress that way..? -I don't know.
But I find it exciting.
Hurry up! Come!
Arrived. He is here.
I can feel it.
Go up to the house, Ellida. Let me talk to him, alone.
Are you ready to travel?
You...must see that she is not.
I'm not asking about travelling clothes.
Nor fully packed trunks.
All she needs for the voyage, I have on board.
I have also provided a cabin.
I ask if you are ready to follow me, voluntarily.
The bell is ringing for the first time.
You have to tell me yes or no.
A decision...for one's whole life.
It can never be undone.
Never. In half an hour, it will be too late.
Why are you holding on to me so firmly?
Do you not feel the same as l, that the two of us belong together?
-For the sake of the vow? -Vows do not bind anyone.
Neither man nor woman.
I hold on to you because there is nothing else I can do.
-Why did you not come before? -Ellida!
-Ellida... -I can see it.
I can hear it in your voice. You will choose me in the end.
My wife has no choice here.
I am here to both choose for her and protect her.
Yes, protect!
If you do not leave from here, never to come back...
Do you know what you risk?
No.
I will have you arrested as a criminal.
For I know all about the murder in Skjoldviken.
-I was prepared for that. -No, don't kill him.
-Then rather kill me. -Neither you nor him.
This is for my own use. I will live and die as a free man.
You can hold me back. You have both the power and the means.
But my mind... My thoughts and all my yearning and desire...
Those you are not able to bind.
They will long for the unknown. That which I was created for.
Which you have kept from me.
I can see it. Step by step you are slipping away from me.
Your demand for the boundless and the unattainable -
- will in the end drive your mind into the darkness of night.
Yes...
I feel like there are black, silent wings hovering above me.
You shall not end up this way.
Therefore, I cry off our bargain.
Now you can choose your path in full freedom.
Do you really mean it? From the bottom of your heart?
-Could you let this happen? -Yes. I can.
Because I love you so dearly.
So close to you have I become.
The years and our living together has caused this.
-And I have hardly understood it. -Your thoughts were elsewhere.
But now you are released from me and mine.
You may now choose your path in freedom.
And on your own responsibility.
In freedom... and on my own responsibility.
Responsibility, too.
The bell rings for the last time. Come with me now.
Never will I go with you, after this.
And never will I leave you, after this.
-So it is over? -Yes, it is over. For all time.
Your will no longer has any power over me.
For me, you are a dead man, who has come back from the sea.
And who will return to it.
But I no longer dread you. And I am not drawn to you.
Farewell.
From now on, you are nothing but a past shipwreck in my life.
Your mind is like the sea. It contains both ebb and flow.
Don't you understand that the change came...
That it had to come... when I could choose in freedom.
And the unknown... doesn't attract you anymore?
I was allowed to look into it.
To enter into it, in case I had wanted to.
I was allowed to choose it.
Therefore I could renounce it.
I'm beginning to understand you. Little by little.
Your yearning for the sea, and your attraction towards him...
The stranger...
It was nothing but a sign of an awakening desire for freedom.
-So now you will come to me again? -Yes. Now I can.
Because now I come to you in freedom. Voluntarily.
And on my own responsibility.
Ellida... Now the two of us can live wholly for each other.
Yes. And for our two children.
Those who do not belong to me. But whom I believe I shall win.
Our... I thank you for this word.
Look. She and father look newly engaged.
-There goes the English ship. -The last voyage this year.
And now we will lose you too. Tomorrow you move to Skjoldviken.
No, that will not be. The two of us have changed our minds.
-Father, is it true? -Will you stay with us anyway?
Yes, dear Hilde. If you will have me.
If I will..!
This was quite a surprise!
Well, you see...
When one has become a land creature, -
- one cannot find the way back out to the sea.
And not back to sea life either.