Victor Sjöström
Le Vent (1928) #1h15’
An a quasi-western, but lacking bravura scenes, shot in the middle of the desert with wind constantly blowing dust... Letty Mason arrives in Texas to move in with her cousin, persuaded that she is going to find a nice place to live. Instead, she finds herself amongst farmers living in ramshackle cabins, and her cousin's wife does not exactly view the arrival of this potential rival kindly. After a few days, Letty finds herself forced to choose a husband in order to get away from this place. There are three possible choices: Wirt Roddy, a charming travelling salesman, Lige Hightower and Sourdough, two
cowboys who are friends of the family... In 75 minutes, the film shows in detail the transformation of a disappointed woman, a Madame Bovary of the South, who must confront the harshness of the world symbolized by the unending torment of the wind and sandstorms.
Sjöstrom's strength in the use of scenery elements to express human passions finds a fantastic echo in an ever-juvenile Lillian Gish. Just as he manages to exploit any part of the body whatsoever to make it express emotions, Sjöström undeniably has a great sense of detail. The Wind is an admirable masterpiece, a 'must-see' film...