Directed by Alf Sjoberg and written by Ingmar Bergman, Hets (Torment) is the story of a boarding school student who falls for a local girl while he is being tormented by his sadistic Latin teacher. The film is an exploration of the world of torment in the world of boarding school as the film would also mark the very first film to be written by Bergman in a collaboration with one of the then-premier filmmakers in Sweden. Starring Stig Jarrel, Alf Kjellin, Mai Zetterling, Olof Winnerstand, Gosta Cederlund, Stig Olin, and Gunnar Bjornstrand. Hets is an eerie yet mesmerizing film from Alf Sjoberg.
The film revolves around a boarding school senior who is about to graduate yet still has to pass certain exams including Latin but he is tormented by the mental abuse of this teacher where he would later befriend a local checkout girl at a tobacco store who also dealing with a form of torment of her own. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore the concepts of verbal and mental torment but also two people who are both affected by it in such a way as they’re struggling to live their lives. Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay doesn’t just go into great detail into what Jan-Erik (Alf Kjellin) and Bertha (Mai Zetterling) are dealing with but also in the former as his Latin teacher that is called by students as Caligula (Stig Jarrel) is a man that is really vicious in his methods. Even as students have a hard time trying to learn Latin meet his expectations as even a few of the teachers are becoming aware of Caligula’s actions.
Jan-Erik’s escape in his time with Bertha would bring comfort but Bertha remains troubled as Jan-Erik wonders who is Bertha’s tormentor. Yet, the reveal of the tormentor isn’t a total surprise yet it adds a lot more to the subject matter as well as the tormentor himself who is a sadistic son-of-a-bitch that is a keen manipulator with some very serious issues. Especially in the third act as it relates to his own actions and what he would do to Jan-Erik that would eventually make things much worse for all involved.
Alf Sjoberg’s direction is very straightforward yet it does have some very entrancing compositions from the way he opens the film as well as maintain this tense and discomforting atmosphere in the classroom. While there are some wide shots, much of the film is presented in a more intimate manner with its close-ups and medium shots to play into the tension that looms throughout the film as it relates to Jan-Erik and Bertha. Even in the classrooms as Sjoberg would have his camera place into Caligula trying to get Jan-Erik to say things the right way with students sitting in silence as some are just scared while others want to fight back. The dramatic elements would be intense including a key scene in the third act where Jan-Erik and Caligula are met with the school’s headmaster (Olof Winnerstrand) as it plays into the idea of truth and gain. Yet, it is followed by an ending which is directed by Bergman, who was the film’s assistant director, as it relates to everything that had happened but also in what Jan-Erik would have to do with his life. Overall, Sjoberg and Bergman would create a fascinating yet dark film about the concept of torment.
Cinematographer Martin Bodin does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography for the way some of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes are lit with its shadows along with more naturalistic shots for the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Oscar Rosander does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few stylish moments that play into the intensity of the drama. Production designer Arne Akermark does fantastic work with not just the look of the classrooms but also the homes of Jan-Erik and Bertha to play into their different backgrounds.
Costume designer Mimmi Tornqvist-Zedell does terrific work with the costumes from the clothes that Jan-Erik wears to go to school to the dresses and robes of Bertha. The sound work of Gaston Cornelius is superb for the atmosphere of the classrooms where it could raucous or at times uncomfortably quiet along with some moments heard outside of the classroom. The film’s music by Hilding Rosenberg is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that played into the drama with its string arrangements.
The film’s cast feature some notable small roles from Gunnar Bjornstrand as a teacher, Hugo Bjorne as a doctor who would treat Jan-Erik in the film’s second half, Olav Riego and Marta Arbin as Jan-Erik’s parents who become concerned over his behavior, Jan Molander as a nerdy yet tortured student in Petterson, Gosta Cederlund as an elderly yet kind teacher in Pippi who is concerned about Caligula’s behavior towards the students, and Stig Olin as Jan-Erik’s friend Sandman who is very suspicious about Caligula as he really despises the man. Olof Winnerstrand is superb as the school’s headmaster as this unlikely sympathetic figure who tries to understand what is happening where he only appears late in the film but manages to exude so much into his brief appearance.
Mai Zetterling is fantastic as Bertha as a young woman who works as tobacco store clerk who is tormented constantly by a man on her way home where she befriends Jan-Erik as she becomes his lover in the hopes that she can escape from her tormentor. Alf Kjellin is excellent as Jan-Erik as a young student who deals with the constant mental abuse he receives from his Latin teacher as he struggles to pass his exams and graduate where he finds solace in this equally-tormented young woman. Finally, there’s Stig Jarrel in an amazing performance as the Latin teacher called Caligula as this man who is very mean towards Jan-Erik as well as be someone who might really be ill in some ways as it’s a very terrifying performance to watch.
Hets is a remarkable film from Alf Sjoberg that features a great cast as well as an incredible script by Ingmar Bergman. The film isn’t just a fascinating look into the concept of torment but also in what it can do to people who are extremely vulnerable. In the end, Hets is a marvelous film from Alf Sjoberg.
Alf Sjoberg Films: (Den starkaste) - (They Staked Their Lives) - (Den blomstertid) - (Hem fran Babylon) - (The Heavenly Play) - (Kungajakt) - (Resan bort) - (Iris and the Lieutenant) - (Only a Mother) - (Barabbas (1953 film)) - (Only a Mother) - Miss Julie - (Karin Mansdotter) - (Wild Birds) - (Last Pair Out) - (The Judge (1960 film)) - (On (1966 film)) - (The Father (1969 film))
© thevoid99 2016
Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Djavulens oga (The Devil’s Eye) is the story of Don Juan who is sent back to Earth by Satan in an attempt to seduce and take away the virginity of a vicar’s beautiful daughter. The film is a comedic story that relates to Satan wanting retribution over the beauty of this young woman by sending the greatest seducer of all-time to win her over. Starring Jarl Kulle, Bibi Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, and Stig Jarrel. Djavulens oga is a witty yet mesmerizing film from Ingmar Bergman.
The film revolves around a revenge scheme made by Satan (Stig Jarrell) who asks Don Juan (Jarl Kulle) to seduce a beautiful daughter of a vicar and take away her virginity whose chastity has given him a stye in his eye. Don Juan agrees to do the task with the aid of a servant where he will be given 300 years off from his punishment but upon meeting the beautiful Britt-Marie (Bibi Andersson). The task becomes difficult as he realizes while things become more questionable where there’s a subplot of his aide in Pablo (Sture Lagerwall) who tries to seduce the vicar’s wife. It all plays into forces trying to create chaos and disrupt the ideas of faith as it is largely told in a humorous manner with commentaries by an actor (Gunnar Bjornstrand) who appears in between the acts. The film’s script by Ingmar Bergman isn’t just this growing fascination with faith but also temptation as it’s set in a modern world where ideas of faith are being questioned.
Bergman’s direction is stylish in some aspects of the film in the way not only presents Hell but also the fact that he takes a break from the story so that Bjornstrand can provide comments in a room while a frame of the film is actually playing in the background. The presentation of Hell itself is quite offbeat as Satan surrounds himself with guards from the late 18th Century while Don Juan is dressed up like a man in his time as it play into a sort of disconnect with the modern world. When Don Juan and Pablo arrive on Earth, they’re dressed in modern clothing as it is set in a Swedish countryside where Bergman does take stock in using a lot of wide and medium shots for the landscapes. The shots are also used in some of the key dramatic moments where the vicar’s wife Renate (Gertrud Fridh) is seen far in the foreground from her room and then walks to a door for a medium shot as it play into that sense of temptation.
Bergman’s usage of close-ups do say a lot to what Don Juan endures as it displays not just a sense of revelation for himself but also a world that has changed and how love is actually more complicated. Notably as Don Juan sees Britt-Marie’s own relationship to a man named Jonas (Axel Duberg) in one of its troubled moments. While Don Juan is aware of what he has to do, his attempts in tempting Britt-Marie becomes questionable from his own perspective where he copes with not just his own humanity but also faith itself. Even as Bergman would create comments about the fallacy of faith as if it play into the idea that God and Satan are toying with humanity in this scheme that Satan is creating. Overall, Bergman crafts a humorous yet provocative tale of Don Juan’s attempt to seduce a woman only to cause a further crisis of faith around himself and those he encounters.
Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it plays into the unsettling look of Hell as well as the wondrous look of the modern world in the scenes set at night with its usage of shadows and shades. Editor Oscar Rosander does nice work with the editing as it is straightforward with some stylish jump-cuts that emerge for a key character who watches over Don Juan. Production designer P.A. Lundgren does fantastic work with the look of Hell as well as the room of the actor that are in sharp contrast to the quaint home of the vicar.
Costume designer Mago does nice work with the costumes from 18th Century look of Satan‘s guards and the stylish clothes of Don Juan in Hell to the more casual, modern look of Britt-Marie. The sound work of Staffan Dalin and Stig Flodin is terrific for the way thunderstorms sound for scenes in the second act as well as some eerie moments set in Hell. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren does wonderful work with the music as it’s a mixture of low-key orchestral as well as lots of harpsichord-based music to play into the period of where Don Juan was alive at the time.
The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Kristina Adolph as an object of torment for Don Juan in Hell, Allan Edwall as an ear demon, Ragnar Arvedson as a demon that watches over Don Juan and Pablo, Axel Duberg as Britt-Marie’s lover Jonas, Georg Funkquist and Gunnar Sjoberb as Satan’s guards who are dressed as posh 18th Century figures, Sture Lagerwall as Don Juan’s aide Pablo who falls for the vicar’s wife, and Gunnar Bjornstrand in a fantastic performance as the actor who comments and introduces each act in the film. Gertrude Fridh is wonderful as the vicar’s wife Renata as a woman who becomes tempted by Pablo into having an affair while Nils Poppe is excellent as a vicar who would have an encounter with a demon while being tested over his faith.
Stig Jarrell is brilliant as Satan as a figure who is bothered by the stye in his eye as he hopes to exact some revenge on Britt-Marie for what he did to her while being this master of his own domain. Jarl Kulle is amazing as Don Juan as the famed lover who is a master in seducing women only to be challenged by Britt-Marie where he does something that is unexpected of him where he would make questions on himself. Finally, there’s Bibi Andersson in a radiant performance as Britt-Marie as a vicar’s daughter that is full of life and purity as someone that is preparing for life of her own while being entranced by Don Juan’s presence as well as some issues involving her own love life that play into the growing sense of cynicism and questions of faith.
Djavulens oga is a marvelous film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast, a unique premise, and thought-provoking themes on faith and temptation. The film is a unique and humorous take on these ideas while being presented in a very unconventional fashion. In the end, Djavulens oga is a brilliant film from Ingmar Bergman.
Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music of Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Happen Here) - (Summer Interlude) - Secrets of Women - Summer with Monika - Sawdust and Tinsel - A Lesson in Love - Dreams - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) - Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician - The Virgin Spring - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - All These Women - Persona - (Simulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968 film)) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) - Cries & Whispers - Scenes from a Marriage - (The Magic Flute) - (Face to Face) - (The Serpent’s Egg) - Autumn Sonata - From the Life of the Marionettes - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (Karin’s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband
© thevoid99 2016
