Sången om den eldröda blomman

Mauritz Stiller (1883 - 1928) is, along with Victor Sjöström, the big name in Swedish silent film. He grew up in Helsinki, but traveled to Sweden at a young age, where he was active both as an actor and director. He made his directorial debut in 1912 with Mother and Daughter. During the years 1912-1916, he directed no less than 34 films, of which Vingarne (1916) is the most notable. But it was during the following years that he would make his very best films, such as Herr Arnes pengar (1919), Sången om den eldröda blomman (1919), Erotikon (1920) and the three-hour epic Gösta Berlings saga (1924), which became his last Swedish production before he traveled to Hollywood together with the film's star - Greta Garbo. He was involved in four American productions, but only Hotel Imperial (1928) was completed by himself. He then returned to Sweden where he died a short time later in the aftermath of a lung disease.