The Gardener

The Gardener is a 1912 Swedish silent drama film directed by Victor Sjöström. It is mostly known for being the first film to ever be banned by the Swedish censor system. It was long thought to have been lost, but in 1979 a copy was found at the Library of Congress in the United States. The Swedish premiere followed on 14 October 1980 when it was shown at Cinemateket/Bio Victor in Stockholm. Plot A gardener (Sjöström) runs a farm, and his son (Gösta Ekman) has fallen in love with the daughter of one of the farm workers (Lili Bech). The gardener, who has an interest in the daughter himself, furiously runs the son out of the house. One day, the gardener rapes the worker's daughter and then sends her and her father (Gunnar Bohman) away, fearing discovery. While on a boat on the way into the city, the two meet an old general (John Ekman) who gives the girl money and his business card. When the father later dies, the girl reaches out to the general, who lets her act as a hostess at his dinner parties. Soon after, the general suffers a seizure and upon his death, his family and friends kick the girl out.