Written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Angst essen seele auf (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul ) is the story of an Arab worker who meets a lonely widow in Germany as they fall in love much to the shock of family and friends. The film is a melodramatic look into two people falling in love despite the ethnic tension that was happening in early 1970s West Germany. Starring Brigitte Mira, El Hedi Ben Salem, Barbara Valentin, and Irm Hermann. Angst essen seele auf is a ravishing yet captivating film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The film’s premise is very simple as it is this simple love story between a middle-aged German widow who meets a young Arab worker at a bar where they chat, dance, and fall in love. The relationship shocks not just friends of the woman including her fellow tenants in the apartment she lives but her three adult children are also in shock by this relationship. Notably as there’s tension towards Arabs over what happened at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich as many disapprove of the relationship which takes a toll on Emmi (Brigitte Mira) yet Ali (El Hedi Ben Salem) assures her that things will be OK. It’s a film that explores a relationship that just happens where many are surprised as well as disgusted by this union between a middle-aged German widow and a Moroccan in his 30s. Yet, it’s something that couldn’t be explained as Rainer Werner Fassbinder creates a story that is about this taboo relationship being told during a time where there is this ethnic tension emerging.
Fassbinder’s screenplay does have a very simple and traditional three-act structure in the way he develops the relationship between Emmi and Ali. The first act is about how they’ve met on one rainy night in Munich where they chat, dance, and he later accompanies her to her apartment where they fall in love. The news about the relationship shocks Emmi’s neighbors and co-workers as well as her daughter Krista (Irm Hermann) who is the first to hear about the news. The second act is about Emmi and Ali’s marriage and the reaction from family and friends where both of them endure prejudice. Ali is either ignored or treated with disdain while Emmi finds herself having to stand up for Ali to her friends and family who would ignore or sneer at her prompting her to act out. The third act would play into elements of the relationship where Emmi tries to get herself in the back of the good graces of her friends yet would alienate Ali in the process as it would start to affect the relationship.
It’s not just the structure of the script that is unique but also the way the characters are portrayed as Emmi is this woman who is old-fashioned but very lonely as she stumbles into this bar. She is intrigued by Ali’s kindness as she treats him in a very maternal manner and is eager to treat him with respect despite the prejudice she faces. Ali is a very sensitive yet quiet individual who speaks broken German yet he manages to deal with adversity in a very nonchalant way as he holds his head high and know it will pass. It would play into the complexity of their relationship until the third act as he’s being ordered to do things in the house and not treated kindly only for Emmi to realize how much she really needs him.
Fassbinder’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in the way he frames his actors into a shot and how he presents the melodrama. A lot of the melodrama is definitely inspired by Douglas Sirk as Fassbinder isn’t afraid to let the emotions play out that includes this very great scene where Emmi and Ali are all alone in a restaurant while waiters and other staff members are looking at them from a far. Emmi realizes how alone she feels as she starts insulting them as she’s still sitting at her table while Ali holds her hands where Fassbinder does a lot with so little to present these dramatic moments. Even as he would maintain some intimacy in these melodramatic moments that includes the scene where Emmi introduces Ali to her adult children where it’s about the framing and how the camera pans to capture the reaction of each of Ali’s children including her son-in-law Eugen (Rainer Werner Fassbinder).
The direction also has Fassbinder taking on some unique framing devices like the way he puts characters in the middle of a door frame or how they’re presented in a staircase. A lot of it is from afar where Fassbinder reveals a lot of what is happening though there isn’t much dialogue. Even as it would be prevalent in the third act as Ali seeks to find some companionship with the bartender Barbara (Barbara Valentin) who would make couscous for him when Emmi doesn’t want to. The framing devices of Fassbinder are quite entrancing as it would help amp up the melodrama where he doesn’t need to do any camera movements and such. Overall, Fassbinder creates a very sensitive yet visceral melodrama about a love affair between two people that is considered taboo by those watching from afar.
Cinematographer Jurgen Jurges does incredible work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the exteriors in the city of Munich in the daytime to some of the interior scenes including the bar where Emmi meets Ali. Editor Thea Eymesz does amazing work with the editing as it is quite straightforward while emphasizing on slow yet methodical cuts to play out some of the drama that occurs. The sound work of Fritz Muller-Scherz is excellent for its sound as some of it is intimate in the way the drama plays out while it also captures some of the great moments in the film involving the music as it features some Arabian style as well as classical and old-school German pop music.
The film’s cast is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Gusti Kreissl and Elisabeth Bertram as co-workers of Emmi, Walter Sedlmayr and Doris Mattes as a couple of grocers Emmi always shopped at, Katharina Herberg as a woman at the bar who likes to flirt with Ali, Marquard Bohm as the landlord’s kind son, Karl Scheydt as Emmi’s eldest son Albert, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder as Emmi’s very prejudice and lazy son-in-law. Irm Hermann is terrific as Emmi’s daughter Krista who is aghast by the news of her mother’s new lover while Barbara Valentin is wonderful as the bartender Barbara who acts as a secret companion for Ali as she also serves drinks to Emmi.
El Hedi Ben Salem is fantastic as Ali as a man who is intrigued by Emmi as he becomes her confidant as he helps her out as well while dealing with some of the prejudice he faces. Finally, there’s Brigitte Mira in a radiant performance as Emmi as a middle-aged widow who finds comfort in Ali as she falls for him where she treats him maternally while being his supporting when people criticize the relationship. The two together have great chemistry in the way they act as a couple as well as the sense of distance they create in the film’s third act as they’re the heart and soul of the film.
Angst essen seele auf is a magnificent film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder that features sensational performances from El Hedi Ben Salem and Brigitte Mira. The film is definitely one of the most compelling love stories in film where two different people face prejudices in their relationship as well deal with other forces. The film also showcases Fassbinder’s very sensitive portrayal into the world of melodrama told during a crucial time for Germany. In the end, Angst essen seele auf is a remarkable film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: Love is Colder Than Death - (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Merchant of Four Seasons - The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - World on a Wire - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) - Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) - The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) - Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the novel by Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady is the story of an American woman who travels to Europe with her inheritance to confront her destiny while meeting two American expatriates who would change her fortunes for the worse. Directed by Jane Campion and screenplay by Laura Jones, the film is an exploration of an independent woman who seeks to make something of herself only to be trapped by the world that she‘s chosen. Starring Nicole Kidman, Barbara Hershey, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Donovan, Viggo Mortensen, Christian Bale, Valentina Cervi, Richard E. Grant, Shelley Winters, Shelley Duvall, and John Gielgud. The Portrait of a Lady is an enchanting yet intoxicating film from Jane Campion.
The film is an exploration into the life of an American woman in the 1870s who craves independence and wants to explore the world as she’s been given an inheritance by her uncle. With her inheritance, Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman) travels through Europe where she meets Madame Serena Merle (Barbara Hershey) whom she met in England some time earlier as Merle would introduce her to another American expatriate in Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich). After rejecting several proposals from many suitors including her cousin Ralph (Martin Donovan), Isabel marries Gilbert only for the marriage to be not what it seemed as Isabel becomes concerned for the well-being of her stepdaughter Pansy (Valentina Cervi). Isabel is forced to face the destiny she’s chosen as she finds herself lost while coming to the conclusion that she’s driven away those she was close to but also couldn’t help those who really need her.
Laura Jones’ screenplay creates this very complex story as it plays into the world of Isabel Archer as the first act is about her in England as she’s approached by suitors including Lord Warburton (Richard E. Grant), Boston mill heir Casper Goodwood (Viggo Mortensen), and her cousin Ralph Touchett. They all mean well but Archer wants more as she knows that the world is changing as her friend Henrietta (Mary-Louise Parker) is already acting like a modern woman. Upon meeting Madame Merle and gaining her inheritance, Isabel is convinced that she will get the chance to live a life of great wonderment and independence where she meets Gilbert Osmond who shares her ideas about the world. Much of the first half is about Isabel’s search for herself and meeting Madame Merle and Osmond as they have plans about what to do with Isabel’s inheritance which brings a lot of suspicion from Ralph.
The film’s second half in the story is much darker where Isabel has to deal with not just the decision she made but also the people she unknowingly drove away like Ralph, Henrietta, and the suitors who still wanted her. The men would question about her happiness which Isabel chooses to dismiss them as she finds herself constrained by Gilbert’s world and what he wants as it takes a toll on her and his daughter Pansy who has fallen for a nice young man in Edward Rosier (Christian Bale) whom Gilbert dislikes. With Ralph becoming ill and Isabel realizing what she’s done, she finds herself in conflict about what to do and who to help. Even as she learns some truths about who is Pansy’s mother as well as into why Madame Merle would introduce her to Gilbert.
Jane Campion’s direction is really filled with exotic imagery and ravishing compositions in not just the way she creates the world of late 19th Century Europe but also a world that is changing where a woman like Isabel Archer seems to be part of these changes. It plays into this interesting conflict between the ideas of the Old World and New World where Campion creates a lot of scenes where it feels like the New World is emerging into the Old World and with new ideas. Even as she brings in some unique images in the way she puts the actors into a frame or how she captures a certain location like Italy and Britain where it’s starting to come in to the modern world. Even as Campion would use mirrors and glass to play into Isabel’s emotions as the world is changing where she’s oblivious to how bad things can become.
There’s also some unique visual effects sequences that Campion does that includes a montage of Archer traveling with Merle in different places of the world in surreal black-and-white images. All of which would play into the de-evolution of Archer as Campion’s presentation would become darker. Even as Campion would create slanted camera angles to play into a world that is returning to the old ways where things are becoming more complicated and constrained. Largely as the framing becomes tighter to play out the drama that is unfolding. Even as it would play into an ending where it’s not just about loss but uncertainty. Overall, Campion creates a very ethereal yet haunting film about a woman’s search for her identity in an ever-changing world.
Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh does fantastic work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the use of colors for many of the film‘s first half to play out something natural in some of its exterior and interior settings to more usage of filters in a few scenes set in the winter along with some lighting schemes for the interiors including Pansy‘s cotillion party. Editor Veronika Jenet does brilliant work in the editing as she incorporates a lot of stylistic cuts from the use of dissolves and jump-cuts along with transitional fade-outs to play with its structure. Production/costume designer Janet Patterson and supervising art director Martin Childs do amazing work with the set pieces and costumes from the look of the homes the characters live in to the dresses that Isabel and other female characters wear.
Hair/makeup designer Peter King does terrific work with the hair styles that the women wear in the film along with some of facial hair that some of the men sport. Visual effects supervisor Kent Houston does nice work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects to play up into Isabel‘s fantasies as well as her trip around the world. Sound designer Lee Smith does superb work with the sound to play into the intimacy of some of the locations and scenes as well as the parties that occur in the film. The film’s music by Wojciech Kilar is excellent for its flourishing and broad orchestral score that features sweeping string arrangements to play out the drama while its soundtrack also includes lots of classical pieces by Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
The casting by Johanna Ray is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features small yet notable appearances from Shelley Winters as Isabel’s aunt, Shelley Duvall as Gilbert’s flighty yet sympathetic sister Countess Gemini, and John Gielgud as Isabel’s uncle who would be the one to give her the inheritance. Viggo Mortensen and Richard E. Grant are terrific in their respective roles as Isabel’s suitors Caspar Goodwood and Lord Warburton where the latter is offered the chance to marry Pansy while Christian Bale is superb in a small but memorable role as Pansy’s young suitor Edward Rosier. Valentina Cervi is wonderful as Pansy whom Isabel cherishes as she’s a young woman who is confused by what she wants but to also please her father. Mary Louise-Parker is excellent as Isabel’s friend Henrietta who encourages Isabel to be independent only to realize where she ended up as she tries to help the ailing Ralph.
Martin Donovan is amazing as Isabel’s cousin Ralph who is devoted to her as he watches her be wooed by Gilbert from afar while dealing with his illness and what is happening to her. Barbara Hershey is fantastic as Madame Serena Merle as a woman who charms Isabel into confronting her destiny only to have things go too far as she realizes the damage that she caused. John Malkovich is marvelous as Gilbert Osmond as a man who marries Isabel in the hopes to become rich and powerful as he becomes controlling into ensuring what he wants and such. Finally, there’s Nicole Kidman in a tremendous performance as Isabel Archer as she goes from this independent yet ambitious woman wanting to seek new adventures in an ever-changing world only to fall prey by a couple of American expatriates who would trap her into something very dark as she tries to comprehend the decisions she’s made and who to help as Kidman brings a lot of grace and melancholia to her role.
The Portrait of a Lady is an exhilarating yet brooding film from Jane Campion that features an amazing leading performance from Nicole Kidman. Along with a great supporting cast as well as very strong themes on identity, destiny, and modernism. The film isn’t just this fascinating portrait of a woman trying to keep up and embrace the new world but also deal with the ideas of an older world that prove that some things don’t change. In the end, The Portrait of a Lady is a remarkable film from Jane Campion.
Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (TV miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion
© thevoid99 2013
On August 29, 2003 at the Telluride Film Festival, Sofia Coppola unveiled her second feature-length film about an aging movie star who goes to Tokyo to shoot a whiskey commercial as he meets a married young woman as they both endure loneliness and uncertainty in the city. The film was called Lost in Translation as it would also make its mark some days later at the 60th Venice Film Festival as well as the Toronto Film Festival around that same month. Then on September 12 on that same year, the film began its limited run in the U.S. where nine days later, I saw the film for the very first time at the AMC Phipps Plaza Theatre near Lenox Square at the Buckhead area in Atlanta where I saw the film for the first of three theatrical viewings.
I paid $8 for a 7:05 PM screening not really sure what I was going to expect as my only interest in the film was the fact that it was something different. It was directed by Sofia Coppola whose first film The Virgin Suicides that I liked and it would feature music by Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine which I was getting into at the time. I would see the film again at the same theater on October 18 at a 9:45 PM and for the third time at the now defunct Lefont Theatre at Buckhead on Christmas Eve of that year. I don’t know why I decided to see the film three times in the theater as I had never saw a film in the theaters more than once with the exception of Ladybugs back in 1992 (I was 11 years old, what was I thinking? Yet, I still have a soft spot for Rodney Dangerfield).
I would see the film every September 21st as it was that day I saw the film as it was also Bill Murray’s birthday as I made it an annual tradition. For me, it is the best film ever made. Why would I say it’s the best film ever made? Well, I can give 10 reasons why it is my all-time favorite film. Criterion Collection always have 3 reasons into why a certain film belongs in their library. Here are my 10 reasons for why Lost in Translation is the best film ever made:
1. Its Sensitive Portrait of Alienation & Not Knowing
Part of Sofia Coppola’s running theme with pretty much all of her films has been the idea of alienation and identity as she creates characters who are quite disconnected in one way or another. In this film, it’s about people who are definitely lost in their life. For Bill Murray’s Bob Harris, he is at a point where his career is winding down while his marriage is definitely on the rocks as he realizes he forgot his son’s birthday which makes him feel like shit. For Scarlett Johansson’s Charlotte, she’s a young woman who had just graduated from Yale but has no idea what to do next as she has no clue why she’s married. As they’re both in Japan, the sense of alienation becomes very deep for both characters that includes one of Coppola’s most mesmerizing shots of Charlotte sitting next to the window gazing at the city of Tokyo.
2. Its Humorous Take of Cultural Confusing and Mistranslation
The concept of Americans spending some time in Japan definitely brings up a lot of things that might happen. Here is where the film’s title comes into play in not just some of its humorous moments but also in some dramatic elements. The most notable scene is Bob Harris being directed by a Japanese filmmaker for the commercial where the director is talking in Japanese while the translator would only say “turn to camera with more intensity”. It’s a moment that is baffling as it’s clear that Harris is aware he’s been given more instructions than what his translator told him. Another scene that is very funny is when a prostitute is sent as a gift for Harris as she tells him to rip her stocking which he misinterprets as “lip them”. The sense of mistranslation and confusion would play into a very evocative scene of Bill and Charlotte talking in bed where Charlotte asks why do the Japanese switch the “r” and “l”.
3. Redefining the May-December Romance
Most films based on the May-December romance scenario often has an element of creepiness depending on who is cast. This film not only redefined that scenario but add something that would make it unconventional and engaging. Notably as it plays into the lives of two lost souls in an aging actor in his 50s and an uncertain woman in her 20s where they basically just talk and have fun. There’s no sex or anything that is expected in romantic films. Instead, the conversations lean on towards something that is existential as well as personal where both Bob and Charlotte express their frustrations with marriage as the former comes to the realization that it has indeed lost its romance.
4. The Beauty that is Japan
If there’s one character in the film that is just as important as Bob and Charlotte, it’s Japan from the city of Tokyo to the ravishing sequence of Charlotte in Kyoto. Through the naturalistic yet rapturous photography of Lance Acord, the city of Tokyo never looked any better nor as intimidating for the way it plays into Bob and Charlotte’s isolation. The shots set at night including that amazing sequence of Bob and Charlotte coming home from the karaoke onto the Rainbow Bridge at night are among the most exquisite that is later matched by the Kyoto sequence where it aims for naturalistic camera work as opposed to the more post-card look of Hollywood-driven films.
5. Kevin Shields’ Return to the Music World & Its Rapturous Soundtrack
For anyone who had paid attention to the indie music world, there was always the question of who would make the big return to the world of music. My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields would make his return with some new music for the first time in over a decade in contributing three amazing instrumental pieces and the song City Girl which is practically one of the most underrated songs of the 2000s. Yet, the film’s soundtrack is filled with an amazing array of artists as diverse as Phoenix, Happy End, Sebastien Tellier, Squarepusher, Death in Vegas, the Jesus & Mary Chain, Shields’ My Bloody Valentine, and Air. Ranging from indie-pop, noise-pop, Japanese folk, and ambient music. The film’s soundtrack from the supervision of Brian Reitzell just adds to the exotic quality of the film.
6. Bill Murray
Everyone knows Bill Murray as one of the funniest actors ever. Then in 1993, something new was emerging in Murray with Groundhog Day where he displayed some dramatic range that later lead to some great collaborations with Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch. In this film, Murray exudes a man who is coming to the end of career where Murray adds this melancholia that is unexpected. He does have moments where’s funny but in the most subtle of ways from the way he engages in conversation with Charlotte to the his reactions of his surroundings. Yet, it is that element of sadness in the character of Bob Harris over the way he deals with a crumbling marriage and the fact that he’s not a good husband or father as it adds a great amount of weight into Murray’s performance.
7. Scarlett Johansson
Playing a 25-year old graduate at the age of 17, Scarlett Johansson’s performance as Charlotte was truly unlike anything. Especially for someone at that age and having been acting for almost a decade at that time. Yet, Johansson just adds this very evocative quality to her performance in the way she can express so much by doing so little in such moments as her visits to Buddhist temples and Kyoto as well as being the comfortable foil for Murray. Johansson also has this melancholia as she plays a woman with no sense of direction as well as someone who is alienated by the world like other Coppola protagonists as the Lisbon sisters in The Virgin Suicides and the titular character in Marie Antoinette . Yet, Johansson added something that was very adult to her character as well as a sense of hope in Coppola’s lost-woman trilogy.
8. Making Karaoke Cool Again
Karaoke for a time stopped being cool because people were either singing very bad songs or were singing very badly as it stopped being fun. Thankfully, it would take Coppola, Murray, Johansson, Brian Reitzell, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and some Japanese actors to make it cool again. Not only in the song choices ranging from the Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, the Pretenders, and Roxy Music but also having fun with them. Yet, it’s Murray’s rendition of Roxy Music’s More Than This that really steals the moment as it’s Murray just singing it straight where it is also very moving to display that even karaoke can make someone connect with another person.
9. Sofia Coppola’s Ethereal Direction
Only a filmmaker like Sofia Coppola would create a film that has a lot of visual beauty mixed in with startling images that conveys something real. From the way she presents Tokyo as something that is very foreign to Western audiences to the sense of intimacy that is captured in the Hyatt Hilton Hotel in Tokyo. With its use of hand-held cameras to capture the chaos of the Shibuya cross way as well as the trademark shots of sunlight gazing over nature and cars being shown outside in a close-up. It’s definitely the work of someone who is finally creating her own language as a filmmaker as it would evolve in her subsequent films as it would make her one of the best filmmakers working today.
10. The Mystery Over Its Ending
The film’s ending remains one of the great endings in film but also its most mysterious. Largely as it plays to Bob Harris leaving Tokyo as he sees Charlotte walking into the streets as he goes after her to say one final farewell. It’s a very touching moment that is captured with great simplicity but it’s what Bob whispers to Charlotte that to this day, has many wondering what he told her. What did Bob whisper to Charlotte? The only thing that was heard clearly was the last word in “OK”. They kiss and part as Bob leaves to return to the U.S. while Charlotte takes one last glimpse of him as she walks into the streets of Tokyo as the music of the Jesus & Mary Chain plays through that is followed by a montage of the highways and buildings of Tokyo.
To Bill, Scarlett, Sofia, and all of those who worked on the film and helped it make it one of the best films ever. Domo arigato. Ten years since it came out to the theaters all over the world, it’s still as exotic as ever. Yet, if there’s one way to close this piece on the film. I think it’s best if we let Mr. Bob Harris say these parting words…
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Related: Lost in Translation - Lost in Translation OST - Favorite Films #1: Lost in Translation - 10 Things I Want to See in a Criterion UHD 4K Blu-Ray for Lost in Translation
© thevoid99 2013
For the fourth part of Nostra’s Five Obstructions Blog-a-Thon , here is what I’m asked to do:
Well, I used to write reviews that were longer than 1250 words and sometimes even more than 2000 words but that was a long time ago. I’ve become much more minimalist in my approach as it’s part of this evolution for me as a writer. I thought it was going to be easy but there was that realization that I haven’t done that in some time. So I decided to retrieve an old review of mine that I wrote during my time at Epinions.com on 6/5/05 of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 film The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant but in a newly re-fashioned and re-edited form that is more to my liking as this new version features a total of 1398 words:
Written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Die Bitteren Tranen der Petra von Kant (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant ) is the story about a fashion designer who falls for a young model as the relationship would become tumultuous as her mute assistant watches from afar. The film is an exploration into the life of a woman who has a lot of disdain towards men while treating her loyal assistant cruelly in order to get what she wants only to deal with reality as the titular character is played by Margit Carstensen. Also starring Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake, Eva Mattes, Gisela Fackeldey, and Irm Hermann. Die Bitteren Tranent der Petra von Kant is a ravishing yet harrowing film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The film explores the life of fashion designer Petra von Kant as she has a mute assistant named Marlene (Irm Hermann) who helps her finish sketches and other duties for Petra. While Marlene seems to have feelings for Petra, Petra often treats her with disdain as she also deals with family issues as her mother Valerie (Gisela Fackeldey) needs money for a trip to Miami while Petra’s daughter Gabriele (Eva Mattes) is in boarding school. Even as her cousin Sidonie (Katrin Schaake) makes an unexpected arrival as she’s recovering from the end of her second marriage where Petra talks about her contempt towards men. Also with Sidonie is a young model named Karin (Hanna Schygulla) whom Petra is infatuated with as she invites Karin for a night at her cramped yet lavish apartment. Petra hopes to help Karin with her thriving modeling career as the two talk about their love lives as Karin is still married to a man working in Sydney.
Just as the relationship seems to go well, it eventually becomes troublesome as Karin starts to feel smothered by Petra who spends her time trying wigs and costumes. Yet, Marlene does a lot of the work where it only frustrates Petra who keeps lashing out at Marlene for everything as Petra cancels a flight to Madrid that Karin was supposed to be in. Karin’s activities outside Petra’s home would cause more tension until a call from Karin’s husband from Zurich would end the relationship as Petra becomes anguished. Even as her 35th birthday approaches as her family arrives to celebrate only for the party to go wrong when Sidonie reveals some news about Karin that forces Petra to realize who are her true friends and such.
While the story is a bit hard to follow with its very intricate yet talkative dialogue. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s theatrical background brings the claustrophobic yet theatrical approach to his film since it revolves entirely with an apartment filled with lavish things and naked mannequins that plays off as some kind of metaphor. The strength of the story is in both Fassbinder's taciturn approach to writing and directing. In the writing, he crafts a five-act structure where he explores the manic obsession of Petra von Kant along with her surroundings like her gossip-filled cousin, her idealistic daughter, her conservative rich mother, and Marlene. Even in its look, Fassbinder is also making fun of the lavish, luxurious look of Douglas Sirk’s films as well as commenting on social classes though its commentary and dark humor is layered underneath the dramatic tone of the film.
When Karin arrives, she starts off as this nice, naive woman living in pain only to turn into someone who studies Petra and use her youth against Petra. The real eye that serves as our third-person perspective from Fassbinder's view is Marlene where in the opening credits, he dedicates the film to the caricature of Marlene. The film's lesbian overtones and subtle sadomasochistic references only to show the hatred and self-absorbed world of Petra. It's really a character study piece on a woman trying to live in a world with love and a lifestyle that would later turn on her as she lashes out on those who care about her.
The directing approach of Fassbinder is very succinct since he is trying to get into the characters and figure out their behaviors and motivations. Yet, there are several scenes where he does long takes where he would at one minute, focus on Sidonie and then to Petra, and then zoom his way into Marlene who watches and listens everything without uttering a single word. There, Fassbinder uses both his expertise in theater and films to craft a vision that is unpredictable with metaphoric references around Petra’s chaotic world as she falls apart right till the end. Even the ending has something that is realistic to pinpoint as Petra wonders how everything has fallen apart for her and who are really there for her while realizing how she fails them.
Helping Fassbinder is his unique yet stark vision is longtime cinematographer Michael Ballhaus who uses a lot of colors and lighting to convey scenes that are shot in the day while using very little in the darker scenes where it's nighttime. The production design work of Kurt Raab is well presented from its shaggy carpeting and lavish look along with the mannequins and the painting in Petra's bedroom that serves as a metaphor. The editing of Thea Eymesz is brilliant for its methodical approach to editing to play out the drama as it unfolds as well as keeping up with the film‘s very talkative dialogue.
Maja Lemcke’s costume design helps play out the film’s visual style with its costumes to display the world that Petra lives where it is lavish but also detached from reality. The sound work of Gunther Kortwich is superb for the intimacy that is played in the apartment including all of the emotions that come out from Petra and the sound of objects being touched and such. Fassbinder also shines in his choice of music with wonderful tracks from the Walker Brothers, Guiseppe Verdi, and a couple of cuts from the Platters in Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and The Great Pretender .
While the film fills only six actresses, Fassbinder's ability to choose actresses shows more of his brilliance in casting. Eva Mattes is wonderful in the role of Petra's young, idealistic daughter who goes into shock in seeing her mother fall apart while Gisela Fackeldey is also great in the role of Petra's stern, posh mother who despite her conservative views, supports her. Karin Schaake is also great in the role of Petra's cousin Sidonie with her understated performance in the role of a gossip-monger whose marriage is falling apart as she seeks advice from her cousin. Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla gives a mesmerizing, brutal performance as young and spoiled Karin with her graceful beauty and her complex turn from a naive model to an ungrateful woman who boils the pot around Petra.
The film's best supporting performance aside from Schygulla is another Fassbinder regular in Irm Hermann as Marlene. Her performance represents not just Fassbinder but the eyes and ears of the audience. Never uttering a word, we see Hermann convey a loyalty and heartbreak as she continues to stand on her own, even as Petra verbally abuses her. Even in the film's final moments, we see Hermann given something but again, she doesn't speak and let her actions do the talking while throughout the entire film, she wears the same black clothes throughout in an amazing performance.
Finally, there's Margit Carstensen in the title role of Petra von Kant. Carstensen brings a troubling yet powerful performance as the embittered Petra with her commanding approach early on and sly seduction in the film's first half. By the second half, Carstensen shows more in her powerful, dramatic range with a bit of sympathy as she deals with heartbreak even though her actions and words make her more un-likeable. This is really one of the best yet brutal performances to ever grace the European cinema of the 1970s.
Die Bitteren Tranent der Petra von Kant is a dark yet mesmerizing film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder thanks to its amazing ensemble cast led by Margit Carstensen, Irm Hermann, and Hanna Schygulla. The film is definitely one of Fassbinder’s most compelling dramas in the way it explores relationship as well as the life of a woman who faces the reality of her empty and demanding lifestyle. In the end, Die Bitteren Tranent der Petra von Kant is a majestic film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: Love is Colder Than Death - (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Merchant of Four Seasons - World on a Wire - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) - Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) - The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) - Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Nattvardsgasterna (Winter Light ) is the story of a small town pastor who deals with a crisis of faith as he is convinced that he’s failing those in his small town as his congregation grows smaller. The film is the second part of a trilogy based on the theme of faith where Bergman explores the loss of faith. Starring Gunnar Bjornstrand, Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, and Allan Edwall. Nattvardsgasterna is a chilling yet rapturous film from Ingmar Bergman.
What happens to small town pastor who notices the small number of people attending churches as there are a few who are troubled as the pastor is unable to help them? That is essentially the premise of the film as it is told in the span of an entire day in the life of Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Bjornstrand) who starts to question his doubt as a suicidal fisherman named Jonas Persson (Max von Sydow) and a loving woman named Marta (Ingrid Thulin) all come to him for help. Yet, Ericsson has no idea how to help them as Marta tries to help with his doubts only to create more trouble as the film goes on. Even as Ericsson also notices the growing decline of people coming to the church as he believes that he’s failing everyone including God.
Ingmar Bergman’s script has a unique structure as much of the first half is spent inside the church that Ericsson lives and serves at where the film begins and ends with a church service. Yet, both scenes would play into Ericsson’s growing sense of doubt as well as the feeling of decline about faith and religion in a world that is changing and filled with hopelessness. In the beginning of the film, there’s only 11 people in the church including Ericsson, Jonas Persson and his wife Karin (Gunnel Lindblom), Marta, the organist, and other locals. Only five would go come in to eat the body of Christ and drink his blood as it plays into Ericsson’s growing doubt as he later meets the Perssons and Marta as its first half has Ericsson asking questions to himself and God about this lack of faith as well as his inability to really help those in need. Even as he reads a letter from Marta who expresses her lack of faith and anger towards Ericsson over his neglect though she remains devoted to him.
The second half of the story takes place outside of the church where it would play into Ericsson’s inability to help as well as the sense of him not being needed with the exception of a few people. Even as he has to do a nighttime service at a nearby church as he wonders if anyone is going to show up. It would also play into the complex relationship between himself and Marta where a lot is revealed but also into how Ericsson is still mourning the death of his wife four years earlier. The film’s final moments where it is at a church where Ericsson is to perform a service is about not just the story of the Passion but also its meanings where it would play into the doubt that Ericsson is going through.
Bergman’s direction is very entrancing in the way he plays up a world where faith is prevalent in the film. Notably in the opening service scene where Bergman has the camera right at Ericsson as he performs his service while using slow, tracking medium shots to feature those who are attending including a wide shot of the church to see who is there and how it feels sort of empty there. Bergman would also use close-ups for a few moments including in some intimate shots while he also creates this amazing sequence where Marta reads her letter in scene that sort of breaks down the fourth wall. There’s also an intimacy in some of the conversations that Bergman plays out including the way he puts his actors into a frame where Jonas is in front of the camera and Ericsson is in the foreground talking.
Bergman’s direction in the second half where Ericsson steps out of the church has this element of realism that is happening. Notably as it showcases the chaos of the world where Ericsson is aware of the indifference towards the church in the small town. Even as those who turn to him realize how powerless he’s becoming where Bergman uses some wide and medium shots to create something that feels like a world is changing and faith has dwindled. By the time the film returns to another church towards the end, the intimacy becomes far more intense during a scene where the church’s handicapped sexton Algot (Allan Edwall) talks about the story of the Passion. It’s a moment that would finally make a decision for Ericsson about what to do as it also raises question into who will show up for the nighttime service or will there be one? Overall, Bergman creates a very fascinating yet engrossing film about a pastor’s doubt in a world that is changing.
Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the entrancing look of the church interiors in the day as well as the daytime exterior scenes to the more haunting moments in the film‘s final moments where Nykvist uses a lot of shading to play up the chilling atmosphere of the film. Editor Ulla Ryghe does excellent work with the editing as it‘s mostly straightforward while using some methodical cuts to play out the intensity of the drama. Production designer P.A. Lundgren does amazing work with the look of the churches as well as the schoolhouse that Marta works at. Costume designer Mago does nice work with the clothes as it‘s mostly straightforward including Ericsson‘s uniform. The sound work of Stig Flodin and Brian Wilkstrom is superb for the intimacy that is played out including the scenes at the church as the only music that is played are organ church pieces inside the church.
The film’s cast is fantastic as it features some noteworthy small performances from Elsa Ebbesen as an old widow who is one of the few that attends the services and Olof Thunberg as the church organist who feels melancholic about the indifference the church is getting. Allan Edwall is excellent as the handicapped sexton Algot who is still devoted to the service despite the decline of the congregation while Gunnel Lindblom is wonderful as Jonas’ wife who comes to Ericsson for help about her husband. Max von Sydow is great as the troubled Jonas as a man disturbed by the chaos of the world as he seeks guidance from Ericsson. Ingrid Thulin is brilliant as Marta as a loving woman who tries to help Ericsson despite some anger towards him as she later deals with her doubt as well as Ericsson’s growing resentment towards her. Finally, there’s Gunnar Bjornstrand in a tremendous performance as Tomas Ericsson as a man consumed with doubt and hopelessness as he feels like he’s failing those around him where Bjornstrand puts a lot of weight into a very difficult character who tries to deal with indifference and a world that is changing.
Nattvardsgasterna is a magnificent film from Ingmar Bergman. With a great cast and amazing technical work highlighted by Sven Nykvist’s cinematography, it’s a film that is definitely one of Bergman’s best. Notably as it raises the idea of faith and doubt in a world that is changing as Bergman asks big questions about the idea of faith. In the end, Nattvardsgasterna 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 & 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 - 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 Marionettes) - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (Karin’s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Jane Campion and screenplay by Campion and Gerard Lee from a story by Campion, Sweetie is the story of a twenty-something woman and her tumultuous relationship with her troubled sister as well as their family. The film explores the dysfunctional world of family as well as one woman’s desire to define herself in that chaos as she also has a sister who emotionally-unstable. Starring Genevieve Lemon, Karen Colston, Tom Lycos, and Jon Darling. Sweetie is an entrancing yet captivating film from Jane Campion.
The film explores the life of a buttoned-down yet superstitious woman who has finally found herself in a relationship but is still repressed by her superstitions. When her younger yet emotionally-unstable sister makes an unexpected arrival, it only adds to the multitude of problems that Kay (Karen Colston) is having as she also learns that her parents had split up when her father (Jon Darling) also makes an unexpected arrival. For Kay, she has to think about how the presence of her sister Sweetie (Genevieve Lemon) is affecting her already dysfunctional family as well as her relationship with Louis (Tom Lycos). It’s a film that explores not just a woman’s repression but also the fears and insecurities she has while being unaware of how troubled her sister is who is the exact opposite of Kay.
The screenplay by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee is largely told from Kay’s perspective as she is a woman who is trying to find answers through a fortune teller in order to maintain a life that is safe and without complications. It is there that Kay would meet Louis as she unknowingly steals him away from a co-worker as there’s love in the relationship but Kay’s fear of sex and omens started to strain things. The arrival of Sweetie only adds more strain as Louis is fascinated by her but Sweetie is essentially a human tornado who acts very childlike and likes to have fun while hoping she would get a break into the music industry. Yet, Sweetie is also uncontrollable and vigorous where Kay and Sweetie’s father Gordon would eventually make an arrival as he is the only one that can talk to Sweetie though he’s admittedly guilty of indulging her and such. Even to the point that his wife Flo (Dorothy Barry) finally returns as the family tries to figure out how to help Sweetie.
Campion’s direction is truly mesmerizing in the way she presents the life of a young woman and her dysfunctional family including her sister. Notably in the way it plays into Kay’s life as she often narrates the film express not just her repression but also the sense of fear that she’s been living. A lot of the compositions that Campion creates is often full of close-ups and wide shots to play into the sense of fear that Kay is living in as she has a hard time trying to get into the next step of her relationship with Louis. Even to the point where Campion would bring in some sexual imagery to showcase Kay’s attempt to take that step but she feels uncomfortable in being fully nude to Louis. A lot of the first act has a sense of claustrophobia that is prevalent until the arrival of Sweetie where the film is carried with this new sense of energy that is unpredictable, exciting, and dangerous.
Shot largely in Sydney with parts of the film shot in New South Wales, Campion infuses the film with a lot of symbolism such as the porcelain horses that Kay has to the small tree that she pulled out of her backyard that she put under the bed because of an omen she might’ve had. Even as the film would have this very calm sequence of Gordon, Kay, and Louis going to the New South Wales desert to find Flo as it would be a moment to reinforce the idea of family but not everything is perfect where Campion goes to great lengths to display a depth of field to show how apart the family really is. Notably as Sweetie would find a way to get the family together but in the most troubling circumstances that forces Kay to realize more about herself. Overall, Campion creates a very tender yet harrowing film about family dysfunctions and a repressed woman’s relationship with her sister.
Cinematographer Sally Bongers does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the exteriors to some of the more sepia-drenched look of some of the flashback scenes involving a young Sweetie as well as some lighting schemes for the interior scenes. Editor Veronika Jenet does excellent work with the editing in creating some montages that plays to Kay‘s fears as well as some simplistic yet steady cuts to play into the drama that unfolds throughout the film. Art director Peter Harris does superb work with the look of the house that Kay and Louis live in to the home that Flo and Gordon live in that includes the tree house that Sweetie loved as a child.
Costume designer Amanda Lovejoy does nice work with the costumes with the more buttoned-up clothing of Kay to the more punk-Goth clothes that Sweetie wears. Sound supervisor John Dennison does terrific work with the sound to play up some of the craziness that Sweetie causes in Kay‘s home as well as the low-key moments in the beaches and deserts. The film’s music by Martin Armiger is wonderful for its mixture of choir-based orchestral music that plays into the drama as well as a music soundtrack that includes elements of rock, alternative, and country music.
The film’s cast is fantastic as it features some notable small appearances from Jean Hadgraft as the fortune teller, Paul Livingston as the fortune teller’s mentally-challenged son, Louise Fox as Louis’ old girlfriend Cheryl, Emma Jane Fowler as the young Sweetie, Andre Pataczek as the adolescent neighbor Clayton whom Sweetie likes to play with, and Michael Lake as Sweetie’s boyfriend/music producer Bob who is always inebriated to the point that he later goes missing. Jon Darling and Dorothy Barry are excellent as Kay and Sweetie’s parents Gordon and Flo, respectively, with Darling providing a vulnerability as a father dealing with his guilt while Barry showcases a woman in need of a break while showcasing a remarkable talent that Kay never knew. Tom Lycos is superb as Louis as a young man who is attracted to Kay but becomes frustrated with her repression as he tries to deal with her family as well as Sweetie whom he is intrigued by as he later becomes overwhelmed by her.
Karen Colston is amazing as Kay as a woman who is driven by fear and superstition as she is upset about the arrival of her sister while dealing with herself as it would affect her relationship with Louis as Colston is engaging to display Kay’s issues and her reluctance to face up to them. Finally, there’s Genevieve Lemon in a sprawling performance as the titular character as a young woman who is a real firecracker as she does things that are very off-the-wall as she would sometimes act like a dog or do all sorts of things that is quite shocking. It’s definitely a performance that is a mixture of comedy, horror, and drama as it really indicates a look into a woman who is clearly troubled and in need of help.
The 2006 Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a newly-restored high-definition digital transfer under the supervision of filmmaker Jane Campion and cinematographer Sally Bongers. Presented in its 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio as well as a new 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound mix, the DVD includes many special features in relation to not just the film but also a trio of Campion’s early shorts.
The audio commentary track that features Jane Campion, co-writer Gerard Lee, and cinematographer Sally Bongers has the trio talk about the film as well as their years in film school. Campion and Bongers do a lot of the talking early on while Lee would later pop up into the conversation 25 minutes into the film. Lee admits that the Louis character is based on him while Campion said some of Kay is based on herself while Sweetie is sort of based on her sister Anna whom she dedicated the film to for helping her deal with their manic-depressive mother on the last days of shooting when Jane wasn’t available. Campion and Bongers point out a few technical things while Campion and Lee talk about the story and such. Even as all three reveal the inexperience they had which they admitted was fruitful as they had people that were supportive of them. It’s a very lively and fun commentary track that is full of laughter but also some sobering moments that relates to the dramatic elements of the film.
The 23-minute video conversation with actresses Genevieve Lemon and Karen Colston has the two actresses talking about their experience in making the film. Notably as it was their time doing a film as they both discuss the characters as well as working with Jane Campion. Even as Lemon reveals some making-of footage that she made during the film’s production. The two also talk about the film’s reception at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival where it did get some boos but also some cheers. Yet, the film did manage to give them vital careers in Australia with Lemon still working with Campion while Colston has become a producer. The 19-minute conversation between Jane Campion and film critic Peter Thompson entitled Jane Campion: The Film School Years is from a 1989 TV Australian TV special. It’s a short piece that includes clips from Campion’s trio of shorts as she talks about her experiences in film school as well as her thoughts about her filmmaking style. Even as she was on the verge of developing her cinematic style with her first feature film.
Three of Campion’s early shorts films are included in the special features. The first of which is the 9-minute An Exercise in Discipline: Peel . The short revolves around a family going on a road trip when a boy gets in trouble by throwing orange peels out of the car as his father orders to pick up the peels. It’s a very entrancing short that explores the dynamic of family as well as the idea of discipline where things don’t go exactly as the father has planned. Filled with some entrancing close-ups and images, it’s definitely the work of someone who clearly has ideas of her own.
The 12-minute Passionless Moments is a short co-written and co-directed with Gerard Lee that features many vignettes about the lives of various people doing mundane things. It’s an interesting short that features some unique compositions as well as some strange stories such as a fat man doing yoga, a woman thinking about a pig, and a man cleaning his jeans as he thinks about the Monkees’ song Daydream Believer . Shot in black-and-white that includes camera work from future Australian filmmaker Alex Proyas and featuring a narrator, it’s a short that is quite engaging to way people do things in their lives.
The 27-minute A Girl’s Own Story is a black-and-white short film that explore two young girls fascination with sexuality in the 1960s. Notably as one girl becomes pregnant while another is dealing with the marriage of her parents as it is a coming of age film that features an entrancing musical section towards the end of the film. It features a lot of strange images and compositions that would be a trademark of Campion’s work as it’s definitely the best of the three shorts.
The DVD special features also include the film’s original theatrical trailer as well as a photo gallery from Regis Lansac on the film’s production. The DVD also features a booklet that includes an essay by film scholar Dana Polan called Jane Campion's Experiment . The essay has Polan talking about the film and its quirkiness and how the film seems to be the bridging point between Campion’s trio of shorts that she made in films school to the subsequent films she would make in the years to come. Polan also discusses the film’s unique style of narrative as it relates to the titular character and how crucial she is to play into Kay’s development as a person as it’s a wonderful read that accompanies a great DVD release.
Sweetie is a remarkable film from Jane Campion highlighted by the performances Karen Colston and Genevieve Lemon. The film isn’t just a compelling portrait of a dysfunctional family as well as a look into the relationship between two sisters. It’s a film that also explores a woman’s journey into self-discovery through her dysfunctional family as she had been constrained by her fears. In the end, Sweetie is an enchanting film from Jane Campion.
Jane Campion Films: An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (TV Miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the book by Per Anders Fogelstrom, Sommaren med Monika (Summer with Monika ) is the story about two runaway teenagers who flee their working-class environments in Stockholm to spend the summer at a beach in hopes to escape from their reality. Written for the screen and directed by Ingmar Bergman, the film is an exploration into young love as well as the realities that is set upon by these two people. Starring Harriet Andersson and Lars Ekborg. Sommaren med Monika is a ravishing film from Ingmar Bergman.
The film is about two working-class teenagers from Stockholm who meet and fall in love as they become tired of the lives they live in. There, the two escape the city when the boy Harry (Lars Ekborg) takes his father’s boat as he and Monika (Harriet Andersson) go to the Stockholm archipelago for a summer that is idyllic and without rules. When the summer winds down, reality starts to come in as well as the different personalities of Harry and Monika once they return home with something that would change their lives. It’s a film that is about young love and the idea where there are no rules but it would later turn out that isn’t the case. Even as Harry becomes aware of what is happening where he starts to accept what is to happen though Monika is someone who is younger than Harry and wants to have fun. The conflict would eventually emerge in the third act once they return home and have to deal with the aspects of the real world where one of them makes a drastic decision.
Ingmar Bergman’s direction is very engaging for the way he explores young love as much of the first act is set in Stockholm where it’s very intimate in the setting. Even as there’s moments where it feels claustrophobic considering the constraints that both Harry and Monika live in as Harry has an ailing father while Monika is from a dysfunctional family. Their attraction to each other and desire to escape would allow Bergman to create ideas of how oppressive city life can be when the film’s tone changes a bit in the Stockholm archipelago as it feels loose and entrancing. Bergman would create not just some gorgeous compositions to play out this sense of freedom but also allow the film to do some things that are daring that includes a moment where Monika skinny dips as he isn’t afraid to show some nudity which was quite daring during the early 1950s.
The film’s tone would change in the second act where Bergman creates some suspense such as a sequence of Harry and Monika stealing food from a nearby country home where the moment would create some tension between the two. Particularly where they have to deal with the realities of low food and such that forces them to return to Stockholm as they also have to deal with something that changes them completely. A lot of the third act features some close-ups that play into not just where these characters are going but also some truths about them as there’s elements of melodrama that would occur. Overall, Bergman creates a very captivating film about young lovers who escape the real world only to return and deal with life as young adults.
Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography from the beauty of the archipelagos in the day and a few scenes at night to some of the more gorgeous lighting schemes for the city scenes at night. Editors Tage Holmberg and Gosta Lewin do amazing work with the editing as it‘s stylized with some fade-outs and dissolves to play up the sense of longing as well a few montages to showcase the scenes of the boat sailing through the city of Stockholm. Production designers P.A. Lundgren and Nils Svenwall do superb work with the set pieces from the work places that Harry and Monika worked at to the country home that Harry and Monika encounter.
The sound work of Sven Hansen is terrific for the atmosphere it creates in many of the scenes set in the beaches and forests along with some sound effects for some of the active moments such as a few fights that Harry is involved in. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren, with orchestration by Eskil Eckert-Haden, is wonderful as it features a mix of serene orchestral scores as well as brooding pieces while the soundtrack also features as a waltz theme by Filip Olsson and some jazz cuts from that period.
The film’s cast is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Ake Fredell and Naemi Briese as Monika’s parents, Dagmar Ebbsen as Harry’s aunt, Ake Gronberg as a co-worker of Harry’s late in the film, John Harryson as a co-worker of Monika whom Harry dislikes, and Sigge Furst as Harry’s boss from the porcelain shop early in the film. Lars Ekborg is fantastic as Harry as a young man frustrated with his job as he falls for Monika as he later tries to deal with the reality of their situation as he becomes the one person who matures and tries to do what is right. Finally, there’s Harriet Andersson in a radiant performance as Monika as a 17-year old girl whose love for the nightlife and going to movies has her wanting to escape the world of her family as she is very adventurous while using her sex appeal to get what she wants. It’s definitely a performance that is really intoxicating to watch as she brings a lot of personality to an immature young woman who is still yearning to live out her youth to the fullest as Andersson is a major highlight of the film.
Sommaren med Monika is a sensational film from Ingmar Bergman that features a smoldering yet seductive performance from Harriet Andersson. The film is definitely one of Bergman’s great early triumphs as well as a very daring film during the early 1950s where it wasn’t afraid to entice and excite through sex. In the end, Sommaren med Monika 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 - 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 - (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 2013
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