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

2018 Blind Spot Series: The New Land

Based on the novels The Settlers and The Last Letter Home from The Emigrants novel series by Vilhelm Morberg, Nybyggarna (The New Land) is the sequel to the 1971 film The Emigrants that follows a Swedish family’s arrival in America where they hope to start a new life just as the country they arrived in is embarking into their own turmoil. Directed, shot, and edited by Jan Troell and screenplay by Troell and Bengt Forslund, the film is the second part of a two-part film series that follows a family trying to start anew in their new home. Starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Pierre Lindstedt, Monica Zetterlund, Hans Alfredson, Allan Edwall, and Peter Lindgren. Nybyggarna is an evocative and enchanting film from Jan Troell.

Picking up where the previous film left off in 1850 near the Chisago Lake in Minnesota, the film is about the life of a Swedish family settling in their new home as they deal with not just creating their new home but also maintaining their roots though ever-changing times. It plays into this family that is trying to start this new life in Minnesota having left Sweden years ago as they endure not just establishing their home but also deal with people changing and other circumstances. The film’s screenplay by Jan Troell and Bengt Forslund does follow the three-act structure yet there is so much that is happening as it play into the evolution of the Nilsson family led by Karl Oskar Nilsson (Max von Sydow) and his wife Kristina (Liv Ullmann). They would start off living in a shack with their children and Karl Oskar’s brother Robert (Eddie Axberg) where they struggle with the winter and other things including American currency which confuses Karl Oskar at first. The first act is about the family settling and Robert eventually leaving with his friend Arvid (Pierre Lindstedt) to go to California to find gold.

The second act is about the formation of a parish with Danjel (Allan Edwall) as more settlers from Sweden are coming as the Nilsson would have a slew of Swedish neighbors. Though it would be welcoming at first, it would later cause trouble in the third act as it would relate to the natives in a scene where Karl Oskar meets his old friend Jonas Peter (Hans Alfredson) who warns him about the natives. The second act is about Robert’s return after a two-year journey to California and back where he doesn’t exactly reveal what happened to him as it would play into what he had encountered as well as revelations about a world that is darker than he imagined. The second act also include Karl Oskar’s desire to wanting to be an American yet Kristina believes it will rob him of his identity just as their family is growing despite its risk for Kristina’s health. The third act is about not just this sense of change but also the emergence of hostile natives lurking as well as Karl Oskar coping with mortality.

Troell’s direction is engaging for the way it presents the world of mid-19th Century Minnesota as some of it is shot in areas in Sweden including Stockholm, Smaland, and Skane as well as some locations in America in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado for some scenes in the desert. It does play into this sense of emergence of a world that is starting for the Nilsson family in the way Troell uses hand-held cameras to get their point of view of their environment as well as how homes were built back then. The scenes in the home are shot with close-ups and medium shots to maintain that air of intimacy as well as wide shots for its exteriors and its surroundings that would play into the confusion that Karl Oskar and Kristina would encounter when they go to a nearby town where the latter’s friend Ulrika (Monica Zetterlund) lives in as she would marry the preacher (Tom C. Fouts) whom she had met years ago when he helped them find their way to town.

Also serving as the film’s editor and cinematographer, Troell would maintain something that is natural such as the sequence involving Robert’s journey to California which includes a scene at night where he and Arvid try to find a mule that had gotten loose. The sequence would have Troell use some stylish jump-cuts and montages to play into the chaos that Robert encountered as well as other dizzying cuts for a scene late in the film as it relates to the Dakota War of 1862 that involved settlers in Minnesota and nearby states. Troell would also play into the sense of change that emerges as he would provide little hints of what Karl Oskar and Kristina would face as well as its ending that play into not just what Karl Oskar and Kristina’s children have become but also a sense of loss relating to where they came from in this journey that their parents endured. Overall, Troell crafts a majestic yet rapturous film about Swedish settlers making a new home as well as try to maintain their roots in the New World.

Art director P.A. Lundgren does brilliant work with the look of the home that Karl Oskar would build for his family and the evolution of what it would become as well as the look of the small town they live nearby as well as the desert town that Robert would go to in his journey. Costume designer Ulla-Britt Soderlund does excellent work with the costumes from the lavish hat that Ulrika would wear after her marriage to simpler clothes of the settlers that would evolve during the course of time. The sound work of Eddie Axberg and Sten Norlen do superb work with the sound in capturing the sounds of nature in its different locations as well as play into moments of suspense as it relates to the natives. The film’s music by Bengt Ernryd is amazing for its rich score filled with lush strings and some organ music to play into the sense of drama and spiritualism that looms throughout the film while Georg Oddner creates an unsettling yet eerie theme to accompany Robert’s journey to California with lots of percussive instruments to play into the dark aspects of his journey.

The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Per Oscarsson as Pastor Torner as a traveling Swede who arrives to Minnesota to lead a congregation, Tom C. Fouts as the American pastor Jackson whom Ulrika would marry as he would help everyone get settled, Agneta Prytz as the old woman Fina Kajsa who would live with her son who had emigrated many years earlier, Peter Lindgren as Kajsa’s son Samuel Nojd who deals with alcoholism to cope with his attempts to tend to his land, Halvar Bjork as another settler in Anders Mansson who helps out the Nilsson family, Pierre Lindstedt as Robert’s friend Arvid who joins him on the journey to California, and Hans Alfredson as the settler Jonas Petter as a settler who marries a native only to deal with the chaos that involves the natives warning Nilsson about what is to come. Allan Edwall is fantastic as Danjel Andreasson as a former preacher who has started a new life nearby the Nilsson though a falling out with Ulrika would complicate his relationship with Kristina.

Monica Zetterlund is excellent as Ulrika as a former prostitute who marries an American preacher as she would help out Kristina in finding things as well as to save money while being her own woman. Eddie Axberg is brilliant as Robert Nilsson as Karl Oskar’s younger brother who tries to forge his own path in life by going to California in the search for gold only to return to Minnesota a broken young man who encountered some of the darkest aspects of humanity and environments that would nearly kill him. Liv Ullmann is incredible as Kristina as Karl Oskar’s wife who finds some happiness in her new home as she also deals with her longing for Sweden while being worried about losing her roots and who she is where she turns to God for answers. Finally, there’s Max von Sydow in a phenomenal performance as Karl Oskar Nilsson as a man who has finally found his new home where he is determined to create a new life but he’s tempted to conform to the ideas of America only to struggle with some of its realities and later dealing with loss and his own struggles with faith.

Nybyggarna is a tremendous film from Jan Troell. Featuring a great ensemble cast, beautiful visuals, a mesmerizing music score, and stories of a family settling into their new home as well as try to maintain their identity. It’s a film that explores what a family from another country tries to do to find their place in the world but also struggling to adapt to this new world that they’re unsure if it belongs to them. In the end, Nybyggarna is a spectacular film from Jan Troell.

Jan Troell Films: (Here is Your Life) – (Who Saw Him Die?) – The Emigrants - (Zandy’s Bride) – (Bang!) – (Hurricane (1979 film)) – (Flight of the Eagle) – (Land of Dreams) – (Il Capitano: A Swedish Requiem) – (Hamsun) – (A Frozen Dream) – (As White as in Snow) – (Everlasting Moments) – (The Last Sentence)

© thevoid99 2018

2018 Blind Spot Series: The Emigrants

Based on the novel by Vilhelm Morberg, Utvandrarna (The Emigrants) is the story of a poor Swedish farming family who travel from a small village in Sweden to America in the hopes of finding a new life in a new world. Directed, shot, and edited by Jan Troell and screenplay by Troell and Bengt Forslund, the film is the first of a two-part film series that explore the life of a family who deal with the hardships of their homeland and the need to find something new. Starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Pierre Lindstedt, Hans Alfredson, Sven-Olof Bern, Aina Alfredsson, Ulla Smidje, Eva-Lena Zetterlund, and Monica Zetterlund. Utvandrarna is a rapturous and evocative film from Jan Troell.

Set in 1844 Sweden, the film revolves around a family of farmers who live in a small village as they decide to move to America in the state of Minnesota in the hopes of a new start. During the course of their long and arduous journey, they deal with so much that would challenge any kind of family in the course of a long period of time as well as this seaside journey from Sweden to America. The film’s screenplay by Jan Troell and Bengt Forslund does have this unique structure that play into the journey that Karl Oskar Nilsson (Max von Sydow) and his wife Kristina (Liv Ullmann) would take starting off in the Swedish province of Smaland in a small village where they try to tend the farm and its land that Nilsson got from his father which is unfortunately filled with large stones. Much of the first act is set in Sweden where the Nilsson family that include Karl Oskar’s younger brother Robert (Eddie Axberg) deal with not just the land of their family but also this sense of oppression among their authority figures including those who lead this strict idea of faith.

This idea of Lutheran faith and its rule would force Kristina’s uncle Danjel Andreasson (Allan Edwall) to leave town as he would join Nilsson and his family to go to America with a young farmhand in Arvid (Pierre Lindstedt) whom Robert met when they worked for a cruel farmer. The second act is set on the ship from Sweden to America as there is so much the passengers endure ranging from seasickness, bad food, horrible weather, and death. There is also question about whether the decision to leave Sweden was the right one as the third act is set in America where there is a sense of confusion over what to expect as well as the fact that they have to take another journey to the state of Minnesota where an old woman’s son is living at.

Troell’s direction is mesmerizing in the way he captures mid-19th Century life in Smaland as well as the way America looked in that time. While much of the film was shot in Sweden with the scenes in America shot at Lake Krageholm in Scania, Troell uses the location to showcase not just the sense of wonderment that is America but also the struggle that Nilsson and his family would endure early on. The first shot of Nilsson’s father Nils (Sven-Olof Bern) trying to pull a big stone out of the ground on a rainy day is an example of the kind of troubles Karl Oskar would endure as there’s something mythical into this ongoing struggle where all of these stones are in the family’s fields. Troell’s usage of the wide shots play into the scope of the landscape as well as the sense of struggle that Nilsson has to cope with in relation to his land as well as providing for his family. Even as Robert would be forced to work for a cruel farmer as Troell showcases not just the day-to-day grind but also the lack of appreciation Robert and Arvid would get as Troell would shoot them in close-ups as well as medium shots to show their cramped living quarters.

Also serving as the film’s cinematographer and editor, Troell aims for a naturalistic look into the film in not just the landscapes but also the scenes on the ship. With much of the direction emphasizes on hand-held cameras to get that air of realism, Troell would shoot the scenes on the ship as if he was a passenger to get an idea of the danger of that journey. His approach as an editor isn’t just using dissolves and jump-cuts but also some fade-outs to help transition parts of the story that is grand not just in its 190-minute length but also to play into the struggle these characters endure. Even in the third act where they arrive in America as the confusion is shown in the editing where it is like a fish out of water but also in their attempts to communicate with Americans for direction as they still have trouble trying to speak English. The film’s ending has Troell play into the possibilities as well as the end of this journey that Nilsson takes over his desire for a new start. Overall, Troell crafts an intoxicating and riveting film about a Swedish family going to America to start over.

Art director P.A. Lundgren does brilliant work with the look of the homes the Nilsson family lived as well as the interiors of the ship they would board on to America and some of the locations in America. Costume designer Ulla-Britt Soderlund does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the period of the times where there isn’t a lot of color into the clothes that the characters wear that include the wooden clogs they would wear in Sweden. Sound mixers Eddie Axberg and Sten Norlen do superb work with the sound in capturing the sounds of the different locations in the film including the scenes on the ship as well as the natural sounds of nature. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that appear in some parts of the film as it play into the drama with its soft strings as well as some intense musical moments that help add to the drama.

The film’s terrific cast feature some notable small roles from Tom C. Fouts as an American pastor who helps out Nilsson and his entourage find their destination, Ake Fridell as the cruel farmer Aron who severely hits Robert’s left ear, Gustaf Faringborg as the local vicar Brusander who feels threatened by Andreasson’s teachings, Aina Andersson as Nilsson’s young daughter Marta, Bruno Sorwing as the local sheriff whom Nilsson has to deal with in relation to Robert’s issues with Aron, Eva-Lena Zetterlund as Ulrika’s daughter Elin who befriends Robert on the way to America, Ulla Smidje as Andreasson’s wife Inga-Lena who copes with the journey on ship, Hans Alfredson as a fellow traveling Swede in Jonas Petter, and Sven-Olof Bern as Nilsson’s father Nils who copes with the injury that would cripple him as well as realize the lack of future for his sons and their families in Sweden. Monica Zetterlund is fantastic as Ulrika as a former prostitute with an awful reputation who joins the journey as she is someone that Kristina isn’t fond of until she proves her worth as well as being someone that is helpful. Pierre Lindstedt is superb as Arvid as a farmhand that Robert meets as he’s a simpleton who is aware of the cruelty he’s dealing with as he’s eager to want something more as he joins Robert on the journey to America.

Allan Edwall is excellent as Daniel Andreasson as a preacher whose ideas of faith gets him in trouble with the local vicar as he decides to go America with his family where he deals with his own tests of faith through the circumstances he endures. Eddie Axberg is brilliant as Robert Nilsson as a Karl Oskar’s younger brother who likes to read and is more fascinated by science and social ideals rather than farming as he is eager to go to America in the hope of doing something that matters. Liv Ullmann is incredible as Kristina as a woman who endures a lot in her journey hoping for something good as she is also a God-fearing woman that believes God will bring something as she later copes with her own challenges towards faith. Finally, there’s Max von Sydow in a remarkable performance as Karl Oskar Nilsson as a man who is given his father’s farm to tend only to deal with the same struggles of his father prompting him to go to America with his family as a way to start all over as he would also cope with the wonderment and confusion of his encounter with America.

Utvandrarna is a phenomenal film from Jan Troell that features great performances from Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, and a gripping yet somber story about a family’s journey from Sweden to America in the mid-19th Century. It’s a film that captures a moment in time of a family dealing with uncertainty in their homeland as well as wanting to see if they can find something new in what was then known as the New World. In the end, Utvandrarna is a tremendous film from Jan Troell.

Jan Troell Films: (Here is Your Life) – (Who Saw Him Die?) – The New Land – (Zandy’s Bride) – (Bang!) – (Hurricane (1979 film)) – (Flight of the Eagle) – (Land of Dreams) – (Il Capitano: A Swedish Requiem) – (Hamsun) – (A Frozen Dream) – (As White as in Snow) – (Everlasting Moments) – (The Last Sentence)

© thevoid99 2018

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

Saraband

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Saraband is a sequel to 1973’s Scenes from a Marriage in which Marianne visits her ex-husband Johan to deal with family drama in their summer home. The TV film would be Ingmar Bergman’s final film of his career before his death in 2007 as he revisits two of his characters from Scenes from a Marriage as Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson reprise their roles. Also starring Borje Ahlstedt, Julia Dufvenius, and Gunnel Fred. Saraband is an exquisite yet chilling drama from Ingmar Bergman.

After having not seen Johann for thirty years, Marianne decides to make a visit at his cottage home in the woods where the two discuss their daughters as one of them in Martha (Gunnel Fred) remains ill as she’s living at a nursing home. Marianne admits she isn’t sure about why she’s visiting Johann as she deals with family drama as she meets Johann’s granddaughter Karin (Julia Dufvenius) who is upset over her father Henrik (Borje Ahlstedt) who remains anguished over the death of his wife two years ago. As Karin bonds with Marianne and discusses her upcoming audition for a prestigious European conservatory as Henrik later asks his father for a loan to buy a new cello for Karin.

Johann would later give Karin a tempting offer that she’s unsure about while Marianne notices Henrik’s behavior whenever his wife is mentioned as she becomes concerned for Karin who reveals her decision to Marianne. A decision that would later cause family drama as Marianne wonders about Johann’s reaction to its aftermath.

The film is about Johann and Marianne coming together again for a brief moment as Marianne finds herself in the middle of family drama when Johann’s son is still in grief over his wife’s death two years ago. Meanwhile his granddaughter becomes confused over taking a prestigious conservatory as a cellist while wondering what will happen to her father who is already losing his grip on life. It’s a film that explores a family on the brink of chaos as a man’s ex-wife carefully tries to observe all that is happening as she watches a young woman she never knew and a former stepson she barely know be in anguish while her ex-husband tries to smooth things out despite the issues he has towards his estranged son.

The screenplay is told in 10 chapters with a prologue and epilogue told that is told from Marianne’s perspective as her character breaks the fourth wall to explain everything she is doing and its aftermath while the only time she breaks the fourth wall in the rest of the story is in the first chapter as she wonders why she’s visiting a man she hadn’t seen in more than 30 years. The rest of the story is about this family drama with Marianne observing everything that she sees while Johann tries to stay away from it though his advice for both Henrik and Karin would each have some consequences.

Ingmar Bergman’s direction is very engaging in the way he opens and closes the film as well as shooting everything with striking compositions. Notably as characters are at the edge of the frame on a wide shot or in intimate close-ups to express their emotions. It’s compositions that are typical of Bergman’s work yet they remain so potent in the way he shoots an image such as Karin running through the woods in a tracking shot. The direction is always saying something as it also plays up to the drama that unfolds as Bergman makes sure that something will happen leading to revelations that are unexpected. Overall, Bergman crafts a compelling yet intoxicating drama that explores the dynamic of a dysfunctional family as well as the enduring chemistry between an old couple.

Cinematographers Stefan Eriksson, Jesper Holmstrom, Per-Olof Lantto, Sofi Stridh, and Raymond Wemmenlov do nice work with the film‘s photography from the lush look of the Swedish forest exteriors to the colorful look of the interiors that recalls the work of Bergman‘s old collaborator Sven Nykvist. Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson does excellent work with the editing in utilizing mostly straightforward cuts to play out the drama. Production designer Goran Wassberg does terrific work with the look of the cottages Johann and Henrik live in to express their personalities.

Costume designer Inger Pehrsson does very good work with the costumes as it's mostly casual for many of the actors that appear in the film. The sound work of Anders Degerberg, Carl Edstrom, Borje Johansson, Per Nystrom, and Ulf Olausson is superb for the way objects and doors sound as well as some of the music that is performed on location. The soundtrack consists of largely classical music from Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, and Robert Schuman to exemplify the world the characters live in.

The film’s cast is brilliant for the small ensemble that is created as it features a small appearance from Gunnel Fred as Johann and Marianne’s ailing daughter Martha in a flashback scene while Julia Dufvenius is great as the conflicted Karin who tries to cope with her father’s behavior as well as an upcoming conservatory audition. Borje Ahlstedt is excellent as Johann’s estranged son who is trying to deal with his wife’s death as well as the hostility he has towards his father.

Finally, there’s Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson as both give incredible performances in their respective roles of Marianne and Johann. Ullmann brings a gracefulness to her role as a woman observing all around her while pondering about everything she had been through with Johann in the past. Josephson brings a reserved performance as a man trying to deal with all of the family drama as well as the fact that he is an admitted failure. Both Ullmann and Josephson display an amazing chemistry that is still potent to watch proving that they still got it.

Saraband is an extraordinary film from Ingmar Bergman that features top-notch performances from Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson. While the film might be considered minor Bergman, it is still a cut above most dramas about lost love and family dysfunction as it’s a worthy sequel to Scenes from a Marriage. For a film that serves as Bergman’s finale, there is no better way for him to go out as he does it with class and grace. In the end, Saraband is a marvelous film from Ingmar Bergman.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music is Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Be 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 - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - 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) - (Karin‘s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers)

© thevoid99 2012

Autumn Sonata

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Hostsonaten (Autumn Sonata) is the story of a celebrated classical pianist who gets an unexpected visit from her estranged daughter leading to a confrontation between the two. The film is an exploration into the dynamics of mother and daughter who are driven apart by ambition. Starring Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Lena Nyman, and Halvar Bjork. Hostsonaten is a chilling yet intense drama from Ingmar Bergman.

After having not seen each other for seven years, Eva (Liv Ullmann) has asked her famous concert pianist mother Charlotte (Ingrid Bergman) to visit for a few days at her home. Charlotte arrives hoping the visit would be great as she’s greeted by her daughter and son-in-law Viktor (Halvar Bjork) as also there is Charlotte’s youngest daughter Helena (Lena Nyman) who has become physically and mentally disabled due to an illness. The meeting becomes tense due to lingering tension between mother and daughter as both try to be civil until later on at night where the two vent out their frustrations towards one another leading to revelations about their fragile relationship.

The film is about a mother-daughter reunion that eventually turns sour due to resentments as it’s told largely in the span of one day with some flashbacks in the story. Especially when a daughter asks her mother to visit in hopes of a reconciliation yet the lingering tension between the two eventually seeps in as the mother deals with her own regrets and wonder if she’s guilty for everything. Even as the daughter reveals her own hatred for her mother and the fear that she was consumed by for many years. It’s a film that explores the troubled relationship between mother and daughter as the mother is grieving the loss of a friend while the son-in-law tries to deal with the tension as well as caring for an ill sister-in-law who is also plays to the tension between Eva and Charlotte.

The film’s unconventional screenplay allows Ingmar Bergman to create a film that is quite intimate but also intense in the way he frames the actors and have Viktor open the film talking to the camera as if he’s talking to the audience about how he met Eva as she is in the background writing a letter. The way Bergman frames his actors in a scene or how he stages the conversations is among the many highlights of the film. Including the way he uses close-ups to play out the emotions that occur where he waits for something to explode. Even as he would have scenes where characters talk to themselves or flashback scenes to help tell the story.

Shot on location in Norway during Bergman’s tax exile period in Sweden, the film has few exterior shots as a lot of it takes place inside where Bergman allows the camera to be shot from afar or up close to see how the drama will unfold. Notably as it includes a lot of his stylized close-ups that plays up to the quiet tension between mother and daughter that includes a scene where they both play Frederic Chopin’s Prelude No. 2 in A Minor to establish the different emotions of these two women. It’s a key scene that shows who these women are in their personas where both present unique interpretations of Chopin’s piece. Overall, Bergman has crafted a truly mesmerizing drama that explores the troubled dynamics between mother and daughter.

Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does an amazing job with the film‘s photography where many of the interior lighting schemes play to different color palettes to display the look of autumn while using a similar light with dashes of green and gray for its exterior scenes as Nykvist‘s work is a true highlight. Editor Sylvia Ingmarsdotter does excellent work with the editing in using a few dissolves to introduce the flashback scenes while a lot of the cutting is straightforward. Production designer Anna Asp does extraordinary work with the sets for the home that Eva and Viktor live in as it includes a wonderful room to display the personalities of the characters including Eva and Viktor‘s late child Erik.

Costume designer Inger Perhsson does wonderful work with the costumes to display the different personalities of the two women with Eva wearing plain clothes while Charlotte wears more stylish, posh clothing to display her personality. The sound of Owe Svensson is superb for the intimacy created in the film as well as the volume of the conversation that plays out throughout the film.

The film’s cast is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features appearances from Linn Ullman as the young Eva, Georg Lokkeberg as Charlotte’s old friend Leonardo, Bergman regulars Gunnar Bjornstrand as Charlotte’s agent Paul and Erland Josephson as Eva’s father Josef in the flashback scene. Lena Nyman is excellent as the physically/mentally-disabled Helena while Halvar Bjork is great as Eva’s husband Viktor who tries to keep his distance from the tension between Eva and Charlotte.

Liv Ullmann is incredible as the troubled Eva who tries to make some reconciliation with her mother only to feel disturbed by her own emotions over the neglect and resentment she’s faced as a child as it’s a truly terrifying role from Ullmann. Finally, there’s Ingrid Bergman in her final film appearance as Charlotte where Bergman displays a wonderful sense of grace but also regret as a woman dealing with her own life as a classical pianist as well as her own failings as a mother where Bergman also displays a realism that is chilling to watch.

Hostsonaten is a marvelous yet haunting film from Ingmar Bergman that features magnificent performances from Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann. The film is definitely one of Ingmar Bergman’s most essential films of his career as he gives Ingrid Bergman one of her great performances of her glorious career. It’s also a film that explores the unique mother-daughter dynamic despite the film’s dark tone. In the end, Hostsonaten is an exhilarating film from Ingmar Bergman.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music is Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Be 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 - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - 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) - (From the Life of Marionettes) - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (Karin‘s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband

© thevoid99 2012

Cries & Whispers

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/24/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Viskningar och rop (Cries & Whispers) tells the story of two sisters watching over their third sister as she is dying on their deathbed. With a maid watching over the dying sister, the two sisters become haunted by their own fractured relationship as well as the sister that is dying. The film is a meditation on death as well as the complex relationship of sisters as it plays on to one of Bergman's exploration into the themes of death. Starring Bergman regulars Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Liv Ullmann, and Erland Josephson plus Kari Sylwan and Anders Ek. Viskningar och rop is a haunting yet entrancing film from Ingmar Bergman.

It's a quiet autumn day in the 1800s as Agnes (Harriet Andersson) is dying of cancer as she recalls memories of her mother (Liv Ullmann) and the moment they connected as a young girl (Rossana Mariano) despite times that they weren't because she was more attentive to her younger sister Maria (Lena Bergman). Staying in the family mansion are Maria (Liv Ullmann) and eldest sister Karin (Ingrid Thulin) along with their maid Anna (Kari Sylwan). A doctor (Erland Josephson) visits to check on Agnes where he tells Karin about Agnes' condition. Meanwhile, Maria tries to seduce the doctor who refuses. Especially as Maria recalls a time when she tried to seduce the doctor when he was trying to take care of Anna's child, who was gravely ill at the time. Maria's infidelity forced her businessman husband Joakim (Henning Moritzen) to stab himself because of her infidelity and selfishness.

With Agnes falling very ill and clinging on to her ever-so loyal maid Anna, the two sisters help out but what happens would be horrific. After the priest (Anders Ek) arrives to perform a service, he reveals about Agnes' faith which was far stronger than his own faith in God. Karin meanwhile, thinks of her troubled relationship with her husband Fredrik (Georg Arlin) who is a diplomat. Karin's sexually-repressed nature forces her to mutilate herself in such a shocking manner. Maria, desperate to have some sort of reconciliation with the repressed Karin, asks her sister to reform some bond as Karin refuses as she says cruel things to her youngest sister. During this emotional moment, Anna suddenly hears something as Agnes is desperate for her sisters to help her. What happens would enforce the true nature of the sisters with Anna watching all that is going on.

Bergman's interest in death and face has been prominent in many of his films. Yet, none of them could reach the level of such terror and high emotion that he displays in this film. While the film is mostly shot inside the manor that mostly features four prominent characters, all of them being women. It is a film about estranged sisters and how they all cope with the upcoming death of one of their own. Watching all of this is Anna, the good-natured, loyal maid who takes care of the dying Agnes as she is laying on her final moments. Amidst all of this drama, the other two sisters are dealing with guilt and shame as each of them recall some horrible moments in their own past. In the youngest, Maria, she is a woman who is shallow, flirtatious, and never really considers any idea of loyalty as she hurts her husband and the doctor who she tries to seduce. Then there's Karin, a woman who is all business but is very cold at heart with suppressed feelings towards everyone including her own sexual desires.

Bergman's screenplay definitely delves into the themes of morality, faith, and death along with its emphasis on character study. The story is structured to capture what each major character is feeling as it's told in theatrical kind of style through Bergman's direction. In fleshing out the structure of the story, Bergman uses red-fade outs to get the story going into either a flashback or to get the story to move forward. Bergman's camera is very engaging into all of the drama as his compositions feature some striking moments from the close-ups of the individuals present in the film. Even as half of their face is covered in black. Yet, he even moves the camera with tracking shots to capture the intensity of what is happening. Bergman's staging and presentation truly shows the director at the height of his power as he creates film that is entrancing as well as mesmerizing in its images and drama.

Longtime cinematographer Sven Nykvist does spectacular work with the film's cinematography with gorgeous, colorful exterior shots in some of the film's dreamier sequences. Nykvist's interior work whether its day or night definitely plays up to the tone of the film while the usage of red is very striking to emphasize the feeling of death. Even through some dark nighttime scenes, there's a haunting tone to the shot and lighting as Nykvist's photography is truly exquisite as he creates some of his best work in his long, influential career. Editor Siv Lundgren does great work with the editing in the use of smooth transitions, dissolves, and most of all, the fade-to-red cuts to flesh out its structure while giving the audience of a flashback or as a transition cut to move the story forward.

Production/costume designer Marik Vos-Lundh does amazing work with the film's art direction in decorator main parts of the house from the walls and ceiling with red while putting on 19th Century appliances and objects around the house. The look of the house inside is truly mesmerizing as it reveals a haunting quality of the film that is played throughout. The costumes is filled with some great work from the lavish, cleavage-baring dresses that Maria wears to the more tightened up, black clothing to display her personality. Overall, the costume and set design work is phenomenal. The sound work of Tommy Persson, mixers Owe Svensson and Sven Fahlen is mesmerizing with the sounds of winds, screams, and whispers that play throughout the entire film. Even as it plays out to something that can be described as chilling to give a feel of terror. The film's music features compositions from Johan Sebastian Bach in its dramatic presentation played by violinist Pierre Fournier along with the striking, somber piano composition from Frederic Chopin.

The cast is definitely well-assembled with some notably small roles from the daughters of Ingmar Bergman (who briefly serves as a narrator) as Lena as the young Maria and Ingrid (not the famous actress) as a spectator along with producer Lars-Owe Carlberg as a spectator in a flashback scene. Other small roles include Rossana Mariano as the young Agnes, Monika Priede as the young Karin, Linn Ullmann as Maria's daughter, and Malin Gjorup as Anna's daughter. Other memorable key small roles include Anders Ek as the faithfully-challenged priest, Georg Arlin as Karin's loveless husband Fredrik, and Henning Moritzen as Maria's distraught husband Joakim. Longtime Bergman collaborator Erland Josephson is excellent as the doctor, a man who is concerned with Agnes' health while trying to evade the seductive flirtations of Maria.

Kari Sylwan is brilliant as Anna, the loyal maid who is willing to comfort Agnes by any means while being the only character with a good heart. Sylwan's mostly silent yet entrancing performance is really the performance that holds the film altogether as it's really one of the best performances ever presented. Harriet Andersson is great as Agnes, the dying sister dealing with her illness as well as some regrets she have wishing for a full-scale union with her sisters. Andersson's performance is mostly physical as she sells the despair and struggle of her ill character as it's definitely one of the most haunting performances captured on cinema.

In a dual role as both Maria and the mother of the sisters in flashback, Liv Ullmann brings in one of her greatest performances to date as two different women. In the role of the mother, Ullmann presents a character who is quiet but also loving while as Maria. Ullmann uses her beauty as both entrancing but also disgusting. Ullmann brings a flighty, seductive quality but underneath all of that vanity is a woman who is truly horrible in not being devoted to anyone at all. It's a mesmerizing role from one of Bergman's great actresses. Another of Bergman's longtime collaborators is Ingrid Thulin as the cold, hostile Karin. Thulin's performance is very restrained as she plays a woman extremely repressed in her emotions and not wanting to be touched by anyone. Yet, there's something really horrifying about Karin as she mutilates herself and smears blood on her face that shows that the character really needs help. Thulin's performance is really amazing in both its sense of terror but also sympathy as a woman is really crying for help.

Viskningar och rop is a haunting yet eerie film from Ingmar Bergman. Thanks in part to some great art direction, costume design, sound work, editing, the eerie cinematography of Sven Nykvist, and the performances of Kari Sylwan, Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann, and Ingrid Thulin. It's a film that will definitely question the viewer's thoughts on death, faith, and family. For fans of Ingmar Bergman, this film is without a doubt one of his best films of his career. Those new to Bergman will see this as a nice introduction though his earlier late 1950s films are much better intros to the late, great director. In the end, Viskningar och rop is a must-see film from Ingmar Bergman as it confronts death and faith to its sometimes, horrifying core.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music in 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 - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - All These Women - Persona - (Stimulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968)) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) - 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 2012

Persona

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/27/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written, produced, and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Persona tells the story of a successful actress who suddenly becomes a mute. After this traumatic period, the actress is now in the care of a nurse as the two connect during a period where the two live in a secluded home. A film that explored identities and self-exploration, it's one of Bergman's most provocative yet seminal feature films that would influence directors in the years to come. Starring Bergman regulars Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, and Gunnar Bjornstrand. Persona is an eerie yet mesmerizing film from Ingmar Bergman.

After a performance of Electra one night, actress Eilsabet Vogler (Liv Ullmann) has suddenly become mute. Now ill, Elisabet is now in the care of a young nurse name Alma (Bibi Andersson) under the orders of her head doctor (Margaretha Krook). Alma believes she can help Elisabet but the state of mind of the theater actress forced the doctor to make a drastic move. The doctor makes the decision for Alma to accompany Elisabet to the doctor's secluded summer home for a period of time. Things start out well as Alma starts to talk about her own life and such. Then one night, Alma talks about a vacation in which she recalls an affair with a married man and another sexual encounter with a friend and two boys.

Haunted by the conversation, Alma reads a letter from Elisabet about the conversation and such where Alma is convinced that she's being used. The days become longer as Alma starts to have a breakdown, waiting for Elisabet to speak. Even as Alma tries to do things which end up being violent reactions to Elisabet's quiet personality in order for her to speak. Eventually, the relationship between the two women starts to disintegrate. Their identities become troubling when Elisabet's husband (Gunnar Bjornstrand) visits as Alma ends up playing Elisabet. When Alma starts to have another confrontation with Elisabet in order for to speak, Alma starts to mention Elisabet's son where the result would leave both women weary and unable to figure out who they are.

The film is essentially a psychological drama about a nurse trying to help a mute actress speak out. What happens instead is a nurse starting to unravel through her own persona life while both of their identities merge to the point that the nurse starts to speak as Elisabet. The film's title lives up to its name but also something more as Bergman goes deeper into his story. The film in fact, doesn't begin with that narrative but rather a collection of images into a montage which includes a shot of an erect penis, dead bodies, nails into a hand, and other things. Then it cuts to a sequence of a boy (Jorgen Lindstrom) reading a book and then looking at a movie screen. The montages appear again in the middle and right at the end with the boy looking at the screen.

Bergman's direction is definitely hypnotic from the first frame to its final shot. Its first fifteen minutes, minus the opening montage sequence, begins at the hospital which includes a scene where Elisabet watches the chaos of the Vietnam War. What happens would distress her while Alma would have the same affect into her own breakdown. The compositions Bergman creates delves into psychological, eerie tone where there's close-ups and shots that are really distinctive to the theme he's displaying. There's not a lot of moments where the camera moves except in a few scenes with tracking shots. Yet, the camera remain in stillness for its protagonists to understand what they're going through and their own reactions. The result is a film that is mesmerizing and evocative in its themes and images from Ingmar Bergman.

Bergman's longtime cinematographer Sven Nykvist does amazing yet entrancing work with the film's black-and-white look. With Bergman's unique, nearly-theatrical-like setting, Nykvist' camera is truly enchanting from a scene where Alma sleeps with Elisabet appearing in a ghostly presence. The camera work of Nykvist is truly mesmerizing in times when its' moving or when it remains still. Especially as it plays to a certain darkness and needs to have light to up the mood a bit. The overall work of the late Sven Nykvist is definitely brilliant in every shot that is created as it features some of his finest work of his career.

Editor Ulla Ryghe does excellent work with the film's rhythmic cutting to go from one shot to another in a quick transition with little uses of dissolves except for stylistic use to maintain a haunting quality for its theme of identity. Production designer Bibi Lindstrom does fine work with the look of Elisabet's hospital room which has a weird, claustrophobic feel while the summer house is more open but also ghostly at night with its curtains and mirrors. Costume designer Mago does great work with the black clothes that both women wear from the black, shiny jacket that Alma wears to black sweaters and pants that both wear in an emotional, dramatic scene. Sound mixer Olle Jacobsson and crew members Lennart Engholm and Per-Olof Pettersson do great work with the sounds of wind and ocean to capture the tense atmosphere that goes on between the two women.

The music of Lars Johan Werle filled with ominous arrangements of percussions, chimes, and other hollow instruments with strings is definitely mesmerizing. Especially in its level of suspense and horror to play up to the haunting quality of the film as the score is truly magnificent.

The casting is excellent though it's mostly a small cast with Jorgen Lindstrom as the boy and Margaretha Krook as the doctor are both very good while Bergman regular Gunnar Bjornstrand is excellent in his small role as Elisabet's husband. Yet, the film truly belongs to the performances of Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson. While Ullmann's role is mostly silent with a few nods, head shakes, and grunts, the restraint that Ullmann gives is intriguing and intoxicating to watch. Especially in the idea of whether or not she will speak and how she plays around with Bibi Andersson as it's a great performance from Ullmann. Though Ullmann had a more physical role, it's Bibi Andersson's performance that really shines from this naive, determined nurse to a woman who unveils herself only to go into a breakdown. Andersson's performance is more theatrical yet she manages to display every moment of emotion, even as her character becomes darker as it's one of her finest performances of her career.

Persona is an entrancing yet provocative film from Ingmar Bergman. Thanks in part to Bergman's haunting direction, Sven Nykvist's evocative cinematography, Lars Johan Werle's score, and the performances of Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. It's a film that will stick with viewer with its eerie images, strange montages, and high-octane drama. Fans of Bergman will no doubt rank this high while those new to him will see this as a nice starting point. In the end, for a film that revels in identity and all of its layers, Persona is the film to go see from the late, great Ingmar Bergman.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music in Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Be 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 - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - All These Women - (Stimulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968)) - (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 2012