I hadn't seen this in quite some time, and when I had originally I was distracted, and though I recognized the brilliance of the film it didn't fully grasp me until I watched it yesterday, and then again today without the subtitles.
It's one of the greatest films ever. Better than most of the Bergman classics that are heavily lauded (not to take anything away from them, because they're still masterpieces), and way too underrated. Ingrid Bergman in her final yet for my money best performance, and the always good (but especially here) Liv Ullman, who is just heartbreaking. Sven Nykvist demonstrates mastery of the camera yet again. What amazes me are his abilities to be absolutely perfect in black and white, and then perfect in a completely different way in vivid color. It's a very, very dark film even for Bergman, which is masterfully contrasted by the very vivid color and mise en scene which has to have had a huge impact on any number of prominent directors of all genres. Hell I could even see Wes Anderson borrowing from this film. The performances, though, are the backbone. Absolutely unbelievable work from both Bergman and Ullman. Some of the best performances I've ever seen. The way the film is put together and shot is so brilliant, disturbing and personal in a way that only Bergman can pull off. Seems like a lot of praise, but this is truly a great film.
The trailer itself is something to behold. Luckily youtube has it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHd4ymdGAGA
Watch this if you ever have the chance.
It's one of the greatest films ever. Better than most of the Bergman classics that are heavily lauded (not to take anything away from them, because they're still masterpieces), and way too underrated. Ingrid Bergman in her final yet for my money best performance, and the always good (but especially here) Liv Ullman, who is just heartbreaking. Sven Nykvist demonstrates mastery of the camera yet again. What amazes me are his abilities to be absolutely perfect in black and white, and then perfect in a completely different way in vivid color. It's a very, very dark film even for Bergman, which is masterfully contrasted by the very vivid color and mise en scene which has to have had a huge impact on any number of prominent directors of all genres. Hell I could even see Wes Anderson borrowing from this film. The performances, though, are the backbone. Absolutely unbelievable work from both Bergman and Ullman. Some of the best performances I've ever seen. The way the film is put together and shot is so brilliant, disturbing and personal in a way that only Bergman can pull off. Seems like a lot of praise, but this is truly a great film.
The trailer itself is something to behold. Luckily youtube has it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHd4ymdGAGA
Watch this if you ever have the chance.
