Liv & Ingmar

Directed by Dheeraj Akolar and written by Akolar and Ragnhild Lund, Liv & Ingmar is a film about the collaboration and relationship between actress Liv Ullmann and filmmaker Ingmar Bergman that lasted for 42 years. The film is a documentary about one of the most revered collaborations between filmmaker and actor as well as the relationship they had when they’re not making films. The result is a fascinating film from Dheeraj Akolar on one of cinema’s great collaborative relationships.

Considered one of the finest actor/director collaborations, Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann and Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman had made a total of 10 films together from 1966’s Persona to 2003’s Saraband along with two films Ullmann had directed with scripts written by Bergman. The two also had a personal relationship that went on for 42 years where five of those years from 1965 to 1970 lead to an intimate one that would include the addition of a daughter in writer Linn Ullmann. The film is about that relationship through good and bad times with Liv Ullmann talking about her time with Bergman from the moment they met to his final days towards his death on July 30, 2007. While the film focuses mainly on their personal relationship rather than their collaboration which is interesting but it tends to meander as it doesn’t dwell more on their work together on a film set.

Dheeraj Akolar’s direction is largely straightforward in the way he films Ullmann discussing her time with Bergman as well as the films they made where it’s broken into chapters by certain themes of their relationship and its evolution. Even as Ullmann travels to Faro Island where Bergman lived for much of his life with some insight about his marriage at the time they had met as she didn’t say anything about his wife at the time feeling it would be disrespectful. With the help of cinematographer Hallvard Braein, Akolar would film many of those locations as well as Ullmann’s native home country of Norway as it would also feature drawings that Bergman made along with shots of letters Bergman wrote with Samuel Froler providing the voice of Bergman for those letters.

Akolar would capture the atmosphere of some of those locations with the aid of sound designers Amrit Pritam Dutta and Resul Pookutty along with the sound of Bergman’s voice and some of Ullmann’s narration while editor Tushar Ghogale would compile a lot of archival and rare footage to play into Ullmann’s rise to stardom including her brief time in Hollywood during the mid-to-late 1970s. Even the behind-the-scenes footage of the films that Ullmann and Bergman did together along with clips from those films appear. Accompanying some of the scenes and interviews feature a piano score music by Stefan Nilsson who provides a somber tone to the piano as it play into some of the drama that occurred in Ullmann’s relationship with Bergman but also in those final years in how close they were.

Liv & Ingmar is a stellar film from Dheeraj Akolar. While it’s a documentary that fans of Ingmar Bergman’s work would be interested in, it is flawed due to its emphasis on Bergman’s personal life with Liv Ullmann rather than their filmmaking collaboration. Still, it does provide some insight into Bergman as an artist as well as why Ullmann was considered one of his great collaborators. In the end, Liv & Ingmar is a terrific film from Dheeraj Akolar.

Related: Bergman Island

© thevoid99 2019

The Passion of Anna

(In Memory of Bibi Andersson (1935-2019))

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, En passion (The Passion of Anna) is the story of a reclusive man who falls for mysterious yet grief-stricken woman after breaking up with a lover and dealing with the dissolution of his marriage. The third film in a thematic trilogy that of violence, isolation, and self-hatred in ordinary lives, the film is an exploration of an affair that would eventually turn into chaos. Starring Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Erland Josephson, Erik Hell, and Sigge Furst. En passion is a riveting yet haunting film from Ingmar Bergman.

Set in a remote island in Sweden, the film follows a man who is living alone following a divorce and dissolution of other relationships where his meeting with this grief-stricken woman would mark some unexpected change in his life as well as deal with some demons. It’s a film that play into a man who is living alone despite having a few friends as he meets this woman who is coping with the loss of her husband and son in a car accident as he gets to know her while being aware that something strange is happening around him and his friends. Ingmar Bergman’s script doesn’t have much plot as it’s more about this remote life in this island as it mainly follows the character of Andreas Winkelman (Max von Sydow) who is first seen repairing the roof in his house where this woman named Anna (Liv Ullmann) asks if she could make a phone call.

He would meet her again at a dinner with friends Eva (Bibi Andersson) and her husband Elis (Erland Josephson) as sees Anna as a woman that stands for the idea of truth. Andreas would deal with the growing schism in Elis and Eva’s marriage leading to a brief tryst with the latter and revelations about what is happening around them that includes Anna’s presence as someone who is passionate about faith. When Andreas starts a relationship with Anna, it goes well at first but things start to become questionable as the film also feature subplots relating to acts of cruelty against animals where Andreas saves a dachshund from being hanged. It would play into Andreas’ feelings about the world and whether Anna could really cope with these harsh realities.

Bergman’s direction does have some elements of style though much of his approach to compositions are straightforward. Shot on the Swedish island of Faro, Bergman would use the location to represent a world that is falling apart by these cruel events as well as this air of fervor and madness over some of these incidents. Bergman’s usage of the wide shots doesn’t just pertain to the locations but also in some intimate moments in some of the homes as it play into the growing discord between Eva and Elis as well as Andreas’ relationship with Anna late in the film. The usage of close-ups and medium shots as well as these precise compositions that are part of Bergman’s visual style add to the drama as well as this growing disconnect with reality. Notably in a black-and-white sequence where Anna dreams about being in despair and unable to help out as it relates to an execution. It’s a strange yet chilling sequence that matches up with the events of when the film was being made where Andreas and Anna watch television that relates to the turmoil of the late 1960s.

The direction also feature brief interludes as the actors playing the principle characters each comment on the characters they’re playing as it adds to this discussion of faith, isolation, passion, and dissolution. Even as it play into Andreas’ brief tryst with Eva who confesses her own issues with Elis while Andreas later copes with the barrage of animal cruelty around him as he would help neighbors bury the dead animals. The film’s climax doesn’t just play into Andreas’ frustrations with the world but also the violence that surrounds him as he starts to become unhinged by Anna’s passionate rhetoric about faith as it raises questions about everything she believes in. Overall, Bergman crafts a gripping yet evocative film about a man’s relationship with a grief-stricken yet passionate woman.

Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its gorgeous usage of color and lighting for some of the interiors as well as some natural lighting for the exteriors as well as a stark black-and-white look for Anna’s dream sequence. Editor Siv Lundgren does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward in terms of its approach to drama as it help play into some long shots with a few rhythmic cuts and montages that also add to the sense of discomfort looming throughout the film.

Production designer P.A. Lundgren does brilliant work with the look of the homes of the characters including some of the farms nearby Andreas’ home. Costume designer Mago does nice work with the costumes as it has some style into what Eva wears though it is mainly filled by sweaters and winter-like clothing. The sound work of Lennart Engholm is fantastic for capturing the natural elements of the film’s locations as well as the loud sounds of sirens and terror from the television that to the sense of despair in the film.

The film’s terrific cast feature some notable small roles from Marianne Karlbeck, Barbro Hiort af Ornas, Brita Oberg, Malin Ek, and Britta Brunius as women that Andreas and Anna would meet in their dreams, producer Lars-Owe Carlberg as a police officer, Sigge Furst as a neighbor named Verner, and Erik Hell in a superb small role as the farmer Johan Andersson as a man who is targeted by locals believing he is the one that is killing all of the animals. Erland Josephson is excellent as Elis Vergerus as a photographer who is trying to capture real emotions as he copes with his failing marriage but also his fascination towards Anna.

Bibi Andersson is amazing as Eva Vergerus as Elis’ wife who feels neglected and unimportant leading to a brief tryst with Andreas where she later copes with the effects of the affair. Max von Sydow is brilliant as Andreas Winkelman as a loner who is dealing with divorce and dissolution of his relationships as he’s trying to keep things to himself only to have a brief affair with Eva and later be in a relationship with Anna that later brings trouble and many questions about Anna. Finally, there’s Liv Ullmann in a phenomenal performance as Anna Fromm as a grief-stricken woman with a passionate rhetoric for faith who is a woman seeking truth as she’s troubled by her surroundings as well as the world in general leading to many questions if she really believes in what she’s saying.

En passion is a tremendous film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast, Sven Nykvist’s gorgeous cinematography, a provocative premise, and its engrossing themes on passion, violence, humanity, and alienation. It’s a film that doesn’t provide any easy answers about human nature and their own faults as well as how one’s beliefs can distort their view on reality. In the end, En passion is a spectacular 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 (1955 film) - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) – Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician (1958 film) - The Virgin Spring - The Devil's Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence (1963 film) - All These Women - Persona - (Stimulantia-Daniel) – Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968 film)) - (The Rite) - (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) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) – Saraband

© thevoid99 2019

Secrets of Women

Based on a story by Gun Grut, Kvinnors vantan (Secrets of Women or Waiting Women) is the story of a group of sisters-in-law who each tell each other stories about their husbands as they’re all set to return home during a summer holiday. Written for the screen and directed by Ingmar Bergman, the film is a reflective look into a group of women who all talk about their relationships as well as reveal about some of the drawbacks of marriage. Starring Anita Bjork, Eva Dahlbeck, Maj-Britt Nilsson, Birger Malmsten, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Karl-Arne Holmsten, Jarl Kulle, Aino Taube, and Hakan Westergren. Kvinnors vantan is a witty yet engaging film from Ingmar Bergman.

Four sisters-in-law are at their family summer home waiting for their respective husbands to arrive as three of them talk about their marriage in some revealing stories about certain aspects of their lives. It’s a film whose simple premise that is sort of told in a reflective narrative as these women are waiting for their husbands to arrive as they’re with the kids and others as they tell their stories to a young woman who is interested as she also has a lover she’s waiting for. Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay follows a simple structure where three of the five women in the living room tell their respective stories on their marriages.

The first story from Rakel (Anita Bjork) has her recalling an affair with a friend in Kaj (Jarl Kulle) while she is married to Eugen (Karl-Arne Holmsten) as it relates to his reaction about the affair. The second story from Marta (Maj-Britt Nilsson) is about how she met Eugen’s younger brother Martin (Birger Malmsten) that lead to a pregnancy while recalling the time she was about to give birth to their child without him present. The third and final story from Karin (Eva Dahlbeck) is about her marriage Fredrik (Gunnar Bjornstrand) on a night where they get stuck in an elevator that has them revealing so much to each other. It is told to Marta’s younger sister Maj (Gerd Andersson) who is hoping to run away with her lover Henrik (Bjorn Bjelfvenstam).

Bergman’s direction definitely has some elements of style in some of the compositions that he creates yet he maintains that air of intimacy into the direction as it is focused on a group of women telling stories to one another. Shot mainly in parts of Stockholm and Paris as well as the Swedish countryside where the main bulk of the story takes place. There are a few wide shots in some of the locations as well as this lavish scene at the Parisian night club that Marta goes to where she meets Martin that include shots of topless women. Much of Bergman’s direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots with the few wide shots used for stylistic reasons as the intimacy play into how characters are shot inside a room or inside an apartment.

There are also these moments where Bergman would have the camera linger on for a few minutes knowing when not to cut as it adds to the conversations and dramatic moments in the film with Karin’s story about being in an elevator with Fredrik being the funniest segment of them all. The rest of the film is dramatic with Rakel being the most serious of the three yet Bergman does keep an air of intrigue into the drama as well as raise questions into why the fourth sister-in-law in Annette (Aino Taube) hasn’t told her story. Overall, Bergman crafts an engrossing yet compelling film about a group of women waiting for their husbands to arrive at the summer home.

Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with the usage of shadows and light for the scenes inside the elevator, the Parisian nightclub, and in some exterior scenes as it is one of the film’s highlights. Editor Oscar Rosander does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few stylish bits in rhythmic cuts for the humor and drama as well as some stylish superimposed dissolves for a montage scene in Marta’s story. Production designer Nils Svenwall does fantastic work with the look of the Parisian nightclub interiors as well as the look of the homes of the characters including the room where the women talk about their marriages.

Costume designer Barbro Sorman does terrific work with the dresses and clothes that the women wear that each play into their personalities. The sound work of Sven Hansen is superb for its natural approach to the sound as well as some of the raucous atmosphere of the clubs and the sound effects in the elevator. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren is wonderful for its orchestral score that include some woodwind-based pieces as well as some lush strings to play into the drama as well as bombastic music for the Parisian club scene.

The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from Aino Taube as the fourth wife Annette who doesn’t have much to say, Hakan Westergren as Annette’s husband Paul who is eldest brother of the family, Bjorn Bjelfvenstam as Annette and Paul’s son Henrik who is also Maj’s lover, Gerd Andersson as Marta’s younger sister Maj who listens to the stories of her sister and her other sisters-in-law, and Jarl Kulle in a terrific performance as Rakel’s lover Kaj who is also a friend of her husband as he would play into some of the emotional waters of their marriage. Karl-Arne Holmsten is superb as Rakel’s husband Eugen as a man who is fragile as he would have a hard time coping with the flaws of his marriage to Rakel. Birger Malmsten is fantastic as Martin Lobelius as an artist who would meet and fall for Marta only to get her pregnant as he wouldn’t know about the existence of her child as well as cope with his own issues in being part of a revered family.

Gunnar Bjornstrand is excellent as Karin’s husband Fredrik as a man who always like to look at his best as he deals with his own shortcomings and neglect towards Karin once they get trapped in an elevator. Maj-Britt Nilsson is brilliant as Marta as a young woman married to Martin as she deals with how they met and how their relationship took a drastic turn due to their affair and what she had to deal with by herself. Eva Dahlbeck is amazing as Karin as Fredrik’s wife who reveals about secrets she has been keeping from her husband while trying to find ways to relate to him again despite the flaws in their marriage. Finally, there’s Anita Bjork in a radiant performance as Rakel as a woman in an affair with a longtime friend as she deals with its complications as well as the emotional chaos it would bring into her marriage.

Kvinnors vantan is a remarkable film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast, a captivating script, gorgeous visuals, and themes of love, marriage, temptation, and desire. It’s a film that follow three stories of relationships told by three sisters-in-law as they wait for their husbands to arrive at the family summer home. In the end, Kvinnors vantan is a marvelous 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) - Summer with Monika - Sawdust and Tinsel - A Lesson in Love - Dreams (1955 film) - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) – Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician (1958 film) - The Virgin Spring - The Devil's Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence (1963 film) - All These Women - Persona - (Stimulantia-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) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) – Saraband

© thevoid99 2019

Hour of the Wolf

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf) is the story of an artist who goes on a retreat to an isolated island with his wife as he recalls around memories of his past. The film is a psychological horror-drama that explores life-long trauma and terror as it is set entirely in an isolated island. Starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Gertrud Fridh, Georg Rydeburg, Erland Josephson, and Ingrid Thulin. Vargtimmen is a chilling and intoxicating film from Ingmar Bergman.

Set in a remote island near Sweden, the film revolves around a man and his pregnant island on a retreat where the former starts to recall dark memories and strange images in his head as he becomes very distant. It’s a film that opens and ends with the wife Alma (Liv Ullmann) talking about what had happened during this holiday where things start off fine but then her husband Johan Borg (Max von Sydow) starts to unravel due to his insomnia and claims that he is seeing people who could be imaginary. Even as they’re invited to a party at a nearby castle by a baron where the events become very strange as it would lead to Johan unraveling even more. Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay starts off with a claim that the story is real as Bergman says he got the story from a diary given to him by Alma as it would be the basis for what is to be told. Though much of the narrative is told by Alma through flashbacks, it is layered as it relates to the memories and fears that Johan endures which includes the appearance of a former lover.

Bergman’s direction is quite intoxicating in its approach to compositions and framing as well as emphasizing on surrealism to help tell the story. Shot on location at the island of Baltrum in Sweden, the film does play into this world that is quite isolated where a man is desperate to get better and relax but he is slowly undone by his demons and bad memories. While there are some unique wide shots that has Bergman take stock in the location as well as putting actors into a frame for a wide shot. Much of it is very simple with its usage of medium shots and close-ups as it play into the drama as well as the moments of surrealism which includes one eerie sequence. A sequence involving Johan and a child that play into the dark past that Johan is dealing with while the scenes at the castle for the film’s climax are just as strange as it adds to this blur of reality and fiction. Especially as it involves Alma who would be forced to watch this blend come to life while trying to come terms with what she saw. Overall, Bergman creates a haunting yet visceral film about demons and dark pasts.

Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it is rich in its look as well as playing to its sense of atmosphere in the naturalistic daytime lighting as well as the interior scenes in day and night for its usage of shadows. Editor Ulla Ryghe does excellent work with the editing as it has some style with its usage of jump-cuts and some eerie montages which play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Marik Vos-Lundh does brilliant work with the look of the house that Johan and Alma live in as well as some of the interiors inside the castle as some of it is very scary. Costume designer Mago does nice work with the costumes as it is very quaint for the clothes that Johan and Alma wear at home in contrast to the more posh look of the people in the castle. The sound work of Lennart Engholm and Per-Olof Pettersson is terrific for the atmosphere it creates for the scenes inside the castle as well as in some of the film’s surreal moments. The film’s music by Lars Johan Werle is superb for its chilling score that play into the suspense including the horrifying sequence involving Johan and a child while the film also features classical music for a puppet show.

The film’s amazing cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Gertrud Fridh as the baron’s wife who flirts with Johan, Erland Josephson as the baron who invites Johan to his home with some strange intentions, and Ingrid Thulin in a radiant performance as a former lover of Johan who would haunt him in his dreams. Max von Sydow is remarkable as Johan Borg as an artist who is dealing with an illness as it worsens to the point that he starts to unravel and wonders if the reality he’s seeing is real which would haunt him. Finally, there’s Liv Ullmann in a radiant performance as Alma as Johan’s pregnant wife who is trying to understand everything her husband is dealing with as well as reading his diary as she wonders if she really knows him at all.

Vargtimmen is a phenomenal film from Ingmar Bergman with great performances from Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. It’s a film that explores madness and demons as it relates to Bergman’s exploration of the mind and what drive people to lose it. In the end, Vargtimmen is a spectacular 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 (1955 film) - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) – Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician (1958 film) - The Virgin Spring - The Devil's Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence (1963 film) - All These Women - Persona - (Stimulantia-Daniel) - (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) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) – Saraband

© thevoid99 2017

From the Life of the Marionettes

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Aus dem Leben der Marionetten (From the Life of the Marionettes) is the story of married couple who are breaking up as they both go into different journeys where things go wrong. The film is an exploration into relationships as well as the aftermath of a relationship as it relate to two people who had fallen out of love with each other. Starring Robert Atzorn, Heinz Bennent, Martin Benrath, and Christine Buchegger. Aus dem Leben der Marionetten is an eerie yet ravishing film from Ingmar Bergman.

The film plays into a married couple’s disintegration where the husband has committed murder after killing a prostitute as investigators talk to those who knew him and the events that led to his breakdown and the action that he cause. It’s a film that is an exploration into not just disintegrating relationships but also the events that drove a man into madness. Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay has a very unique narrative where it begins with the murder and then it is told largely in flashbacks for much of the first half and then a few events in its aftermath for its second half where those wonder what caused the man to kill this prostitute. Especially where much of the narrative is about the disintegrating marriage of Peter Egermann (Robert Atzorn) and his fashion designer wife Katarina (Christine Buchegger). A relationship that had become toxic emotionally and mentally where the two are also having affairs with other people including Peter’s psychiatrist/friend Mogens Jensen (Martin Benrath) who is sleeping with Katarina.

Bergman’s direction is very entrancing for the way he would open and close the film as they’re both shot in color to play into a world that is very complicated as well as the severity of Peter’s emotional and mental state of mind. The rest of the film would be shot in black-and-white where Bergman would maintain a sense of intimacy into the look of a marriage as well as a man unraveling in the days before he would kill this prostitute. Shot on location in Munich with much of it shot on soundstages, Bergman aims for something that plays into not just paranoia but also fear in the way he would shoot Peter whether he is spying on a conversation or deal with dreams he’s having including ones where he wants to kill his wife.

Bergman’s compositions and the way he would frame his actors for a shot are eerie including a scene where Peter looks into the camera reading an un-mailed letter to Jensen. The scene of the night where Peter would murder the prostitute is just as eerie which serves as the climax while it would be followed by this somber aftermath in the epilogue as it showcases how far a man can descend into madness. Overall, Bergman creates a haunting yet compelling film about a man’s descent following the disintegration of his marriage.

Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the eerie shots in color for the film‘s prologue and epilogue to the usage of black-and-white film stock for the rest of the film as it has this very eerie look into many of the interior scenes that is shot in the film. Editor Petra von Oelffen does brilliant work with the editing as it does play into some style with its usage of freeze-frames, frame-speeds, and jump-cuts to play into something that blurs the line of reality and fiction. Production designer Rolf Zehetbauer and art director Herbert Strabel do fantastic work with the look of the apartment home that Peter and Katarina live in as well as the peep show where Peter would kill the prostitute.

Costume designers Charlotte Flemming and Heinz A. Schulze does nice work with the clothes that Katarina would design in her fashion work including the stylish clothes that Peter‘s mother would wear. The sound work of Peter Beil is terrific for the low-key and naturalistic approach to the conversation scenes as well as the scenes at the peep show and social gatherings. The film’s music by Rolf A. Wilhelm is excellent as it is very low key where it is largely diegetic from the rock music that Peter listens on his headphones to the disco music that is heard at the peep show.

The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Karl-Heinz Pelser as a police interrogator, Lola Muthel as Peter’s mother who is a famous actress, Walter Schmidinger as Katarina’s partner Tim who would make some startling revelations in his interrogation about Peter, Heinz Bennent as a neighbor of Peter and Katarina who would try to stop him from killing himself, and Rita Russek as the prostitute Peter would kill as she shares the same name as his wife. Martin Benrath is superb as Peter’s friend and psychiatrist Mogens Jensen as a man that is trying to help Peter but also carry a sense of guilt as he is also Katarina’s lover.

Christine Buchegger is amazing as Katarina as Peter’s wife who is still has feelings for her husband despite their disintegrating love for each other as she tries to cope with how bad things are becoming as well as Peter’s own actions. Finally, there’s Robert Atzorn in a brilliant performance as Peter Egermann as a troubled architect filled with fear and paranoia over the failure of his marriage where at times he can be careless towards Katarina while becoming unhinged by dreams and fantasies of killing his wife as he starts to fall apart.

Aus dem Leben der Marionetten is a phenomenal film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast as well as very dark themes on marriage, fear, paranoia, and the human psyche. The film is a psychological drama that explores the soul of a man whose life is falling apart as he would commit an action that add to his fall from grace. In the end, Aus dem Leben der Marionetten is a sensational 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 - The Devil's Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Sleep - 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 - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (Karin’s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband

© thevoid99 2016

Torment (1944 film)

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

The Devil's Eye

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

A Lesson in Love

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, En lektion i Karlek (A Lesson in Love) is the story of about a gynecologist’s marriage that falls apart after having an affair with a patient where the two meet on a train looking back on their marriage and see if there‘s a chance of reconciliation. The film is a comedy of sorts that explores the world of marriage and some of its pratfalls where a man and wife not only grow apart but also ponder if there is a future for them. Starring Eva Dahlbeck, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Yvonne Lombard, Harriet Andersson, and Ake Gronberg. En lektion i Karlek is a witty yet compelling film from Ingmar Bergman.

Set largely on a train ride from Stockholm to Copenhagen, the film revolves around a married couple whose marriage is on the rocks following a gynecologist’s affair with a patient where they suddenly find themselves riding on the same train and sharing the same compartment. There, the two pretend at first not to know each other in front of another passenger but then deal with everything that had gone wrong as well as looking back into what made them fall in love in the first place. It’s a film with an interesting premise told in a back-and-forth narrative from past and present by Ingmar Bergman. The script doesn’t just play into the marriage of the gynecologist David Erneman (Gunnar Bjornstrand) and wife Marianne (Eva Dahlbeck) but also into the events during their separation and the fact that they were friends when Marianne was supposed to marry a friend in Adam-Carl (Ake Groneberg) whom Marianne was going to meet in Copenhagen to David’s own annoyance.

Bergman’s direction does have elements of style in terms of what he is doing to tell the story in its approach to humor. Yet, it is mostly straightforward in terms of the compositions he creates in its usage of close-ups and medium shots for that sense of intimacy in the train. While there are a few wide shots in a few flashback scenes set in the Swedish countryside and port cities as well as a climatic scene at a dancehall. Bergman’s approach to the humor is quite playful as well as displaying a sense of charm in a scene where David makes a bet with a passenger that he could kiss Marianne before the next stop. The scenes outside of the train also display a sense of risqué sexuality as it adds to the sense of temptation that looms over David but also the sense of jealousy of Marianne while the flashback sequence on the moment David and Marianne fell in love is another moment that is quite intense. All of which plays into this climax at a dancehall in Copenhagen as it relates to the idea that maybe David and Marianne aren’t finished as a couple. Overall, Bergman creates a riveting yet entertaining film about a couple pondering if there’s still some life in them left.

Cinematographer Martin Bodin does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the look of the interiors inside the train compartment as well as some of the naturalistic look of some of the exteriors near the sea and countryside that display the beauty of the family life that David and Marianne has. Editor Oscar Rosander does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few fade-outs to help structuralize the film as well as some rhythmic cuts for the film‘s humorous moments. Production designer P.A. Lundgren does fantastic work with the look of the train compartment, David’s office, and the dancehall in Copenhagen. The sound work of Sven Hansen is terrific for its sound as it captures the sound of the train that is heard from the inside as well as the raucous moment at the dancehall. The film’s music by Dag Wiren is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that ranges from being playful in some scenes as well as some somber moments while the rest of the music range from folk to the music that people dance to in those times.

The film’s amazing cast features some notable small roles from Sigge Furst as a vicar during a wedding dinner for Adam-Carl and Marianne in a flashback scene, Dagmar Ebbesen as David’s nurse in his gynecologist office, Birgitte Reimer as an acquaintance of Adam-Carl who flirts with David, Renee Bjorling and Olof Winnerstrand as elderly relatives of David in a flashback, and John Elfstrom as David’s friend Sam who is also seen in the flashbacks as a friend of the family. Yvonne Lombard is wonderful as David’s young mistress Susanne as this young woman who would charm and seduce him as she later ponders if David will ever get serious with her. Harriet Andersson is fantastic as David and Marianne’s tomboy daughter Nix as this young woman coping with her sexuality and identity while feeling like she doesn’t belong anywhere in the world.

Ake Gronberg is excellent as Carl-Adam as this boorish and lively man who was a former flame of Marianne as well as an old friend of David until he comes back to Marianne during the split where David realizes that he hasn’t changed very much. Gunnar Bjornstrand is brilliant as David Erneman as this gynecologist who copes with the drawbacks of his affair with Susanne while thinking his marriage is over until he meets Marianne on the train as it’s a performance with some humor and restrained drama. Finally, there’s Eva Dahlbeck in a radiant performance as Marianne Erneman as a woman who is hurt by her husband’s affair where she boards a train to meet her old lover Carl-Adam where she brings a lot of energy to her performance including in a key flashback scene where she reveals why she is in love with David and not Carl-Adam.

En lektion i Karlek is a marvelous film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast and a captivating premise that is told with such humor and heart, it’s a film that explores the many ideas of marriage while being very risqué in the idea of infidelity. In the end, En lektion i Karlek is an incredible 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 - 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 - The Devil’s Eye - 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

Bergman Island

Directed by Marie Nyrerod, Bergman Island is a documentary in which Nyrerod talks to the legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman in his home at Faro Island as he talks about his career. Shot in 2002, the film takes a look at the filmmaker in his final years as he would discuss many things in his life and his career. The result is a fascinating film about one of cinema’s great filmmakers.

The film isn’t just a simple story about the life and career of one of the greatest filmmakers in film but it is largely told from his own words in the island of Faro which he calls home as he talks to Marie Nyrerod. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes footage of the films he made as well as a look into him making his final film in 2003’s Saraband, Ingmar Bergman goes into great detail to talk about his life and career in film, theater, and television. Though the film version is a truncated 80-minute version of a much longer three-part documentary made for Swedish television, the result is still fascinating as it has Bergman discussing many things in his life.

Among them are his many affairs with his actress such as Bibi Anderssen, Liv Ullman, and Ingrid Thulin as well as his own relationship with his family. Even as he talks about some of the aspects of his own personal life and how he would put them in his own films as Nyrerod would put in some footage of Bergman’s films into the mix. While Bergman is primarily known for his work in film, Nyrerod does take time to showcase his work in television and theater as the latter is something Bergman really loves to do as some rare footage of his theater work are shown.

With the aid of a small crew that consists of cinematographer Arne Carlsson, editor Kurt Berkman, and the sound work of Per Nystrom, Nyrerod would create something that isn’t just an intimate portrait where Bergman would show rare family photos and such but also play into some insight into life with some humor which is sort of surprising considering how serious his films are. Most notably a moment where he drives Nyrerod to his little studio where he is making Saraband where he passes it and then drives around it to park. Much of the film’s music consists of classical piano sonatas as much of them had appeared in Bergman’s films as they provide a nice accompaniment to the interviews.

Bergman Island is a remarkable film from Marie Nyrerod about Ingmar Bergman. Though the 80-minute version is the only one available for American audiences as opposed to the three-hour Swedish TV version. It is still a fascinating documentary that explores Bergman and the island he calls home. In the end, Bergman Island is a sensational film from Marie Nyrerod.

Related: Liv & Ingmar

© thevoid99 2015

The Magician (1958 film)

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Ansiktet (The Magician) is the story of a traveling magician who arrives into a small town where he and his troupe are asked to perform a sample of their tricks to disprove suspicions of the supernatural. The film is an exploration into a man who wants to perform magic as he copes with those who believe that he’s up to no good. Starring Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Naima Wifstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Bibi Andersson, and Erland Josephson. Ansiktet is a whimsical and mesmerizing film from Ingmar Bergman.

Set in the mid-19th Century in Sweden, the film revolves a traveling magician and his troupe who arrive in a small town where they have to contend with a group of town officials who want to prove that their so-called magic is nothing but a ruse. It’s a film that plays into the idea of what is real against what is fantasy as it is told in the span of an entire day where this magician has to prove to these men of science and facts to see that he is not a fraud as he is given a night to prepare for what he does. It’s a film with a simple plot where it is about the people living in this lavish townhouse in the middle of this small town as this magician named Albert Vogler (Max von Sydow) observes a lot of what is around him as he remains silent despite the attempts of intellectual doctors who think he’s faking it.

Much of the film’s two acts revolves around the preparation of the act as a preview while members of the troupe socialize with maids and cooks along with the people in the house. Its third act isn’t just about the performance but also the aftermath where it plays into this reality vs. fantasy idea and how science sometimes can’t prove what is real. Ingmar Bergman’s script also plays into the characters and the roles they play as Vogler is a very ambiguous character whose assistant Mr. Aman (Ingrid Thulin) is really a woman in disguise while those who want to discredit them include the house’s host Consul Egerman (Erland Josephson) and Dr. Vergarus (Gunnar Bjornstrand). All of which are playing into this game of who can outwit who.

Bergman’s direction is quite simple in terms of his compositions yet manages to find ways to inject elements of humor, drama, and horror into an entire film. Notably as he maintains something intimate for scenes set at the carriage or inside the house where there is a lot of things that are going on. Even as some of the comical moments involve one of the troupe members in Tubal (Ake Fridell) who spends his time flirting with women or somber moment where Egerman’s wife (Gertrud Fridh) is trying to seduce Vogler. Bergman’s usage of medium shots do play into Vogler’s stage performance as well as the approach to comedy and intrigue while horror would come later in the film to play into the idea of fantasy vs. reality. Overall, Bergman crafts a very delightful and mesmerizing film about a magician going into a battle of wits against a group of intellectual scientist and town leaders. 

Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from his usage of shades and shadows for scenes at night including some rich interior shots with its usage of natural light as it is among one of the film‘s highlights. Editor Oscar Rosander does excellent work with the editing as it is very straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s suspenseful moments along with its comedic moments. Production designer P.A. Lundgren does fantastic work with the look of the carriage as well as the rooms in the house where many of the characters converge to.

Costume designers Greta Johansson and Manne Lindholm do brilliant work with the costumes that play into the period of the 1840s from the clothes the men wear to the dresses of the women. The sound work of Ake Hansson and Aaby Wedin is superb for the sound effects that are created for some of the film‘s eerie and suspenseful moments as it plays into what Vogler is able to do as a magician. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren is wonderful for its array of music scores from whimsical numbers to more somber, string-based pieces to play into the drama as it is among one of the highlights of the film.

The film’s phenomenal cast include some notable small roles from Axel Duberg and Oscar Ljung as a couple of servants where the latter would contribute to a trick, Ulla Sjoblom as a police superintendent’s wife who succumbs to a magic trick, Toivo Pawlo as the police superintendent, Sif Ruud as the house cook Sofia, Bengt Ekerot as a drunken actor named Johan Spegel Vogler would pick up early in the film, Naima Wifstrand as Vogler’s very brash and outspoken grandmother, Lars Ekborg as the troupe’s stagecoach driver, Ake Fridell as the troupe’s charismatic spokesman, and Bibi Andersson as a young maid named Sara who would fall for the stagecoach driver. Gertrud Fridh is fantastic as a consul’s wife who goes to Vogler as she is still reeling from the loss of her child while Erland Josephson is excellent as Consul Egerman who wants to discredit and disprove Vogler’s tricks.

Gunnar Bjornstrand is amazing as Dr. Vergerus as a minister of health official who wants to see if he can discredit Vogler while he attempts to seduce Mr. Aman knowing that Aman is a woman. Ingrid Thulin is brilliant as Mr. Aman as a woman posing as Vogler’s assistant in order to maintain a role that she doesn’t want to reveal while being Vogler’s conscious of sorts. Finally, there’s Max von Sydow in a remarkable performance as Albert Emanuel Vogler where it’s a very restrained performance von Sydow doesn’t say a word for most of the film as he presents someone that seems tormented and overwhelmed in what he needs to prove to these men who are skeptical of his work.

Ansiktet is a sensational film from Ingmar Bergman that features an incredible performance from Max von Sydow. While it is a film that mixes all sorts of genres as well as play into Bergman’s own views on skepticism vs. faith in the form of entertainment. It is also a film that has Bergman pay tribute of sorts to the world of magic and what it could be for those that just want a bit of escape. In the end, Ansiktet is an extraordinary 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 Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - 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 2015