Written & Directed: Ingmar Bergman

Cinematography: Sven Nykvist

Editor: Ulla Ryghe 

Cast: Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullman, Margaretha Krook, Gunnar Bjornstrand 

A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer. Alma eventually confesses her secrets to a seemingly sympathetic Elisabeth and finds that her own personality is being submerged into Elisabeth’s persona.

---

A recent watch for the first time and out of the 3 I have seen, my Favorite Ingmar Bergman film.. So far. 

For me a truly perfect film. Believe the hype. Even though it surpasses it. 

A movie I probably would not have even given a second to watching what I was younger I like line I like to think that my Taste has matured overtime, truly appreciate films such as these and discovering them so later in life allows to look a bit deeper into the film and notice as well as study different aspects of the film and the film making as well as a bit of the filmmaker too

Plus, for such a legendary epic film, it’s kind of short by today’s standards, which I’m finding happens with quite a few foreign classic films. Maybe that should be a lesson to some filmmakers that you can say all you need to say and don’t need a three-hour running time, the irony here is that I am long-winded usually myself, and most things

It’s a film taught and shown in film schools and art appreciation courses. Some Look at it as an achievement, Some look at it as work. few have the same Opinion of what it is truly about 

Made to seem so easy and seamless, no one really knows the work that went into it 

this is one of those striking films where it’s been analyzed numerous times, and you can’t help but try to make sense of it once you finally see it 

That’s hard to give a proper review without putting a little bit of your own mindset or interpretation into it. You can tell people the basics, but it doesn’t do the film justice. 

as it’s a film, some people might find boring pretensions or too Artsy, but watch it. It’s revolutionary and revelatory to the senses just the way the stories told and filmed and acted that have one meaning as a viewer, but also another meaning, watching the characters and the performances.

it’s way of telling a story, but also each character story from their own point of view in a connection is that they have that slowly comes into focus the way which story is told not to mention not expecting the way it’s filmed the way it’s edited and the way it all comes together it’s a daring experimental style that might have been imitated but been done sufficiently or clearly as it is done here

it reminds you when cinema for the most part was not only more experimental, but also more willing to challenge the audience and maybe even the artist itself like most artist Director has their own style and here you get that Egmar Bergman loves characters more than anything even stories or plots but also to a certain degree it feels like a Director analyzed like David Lynch

where people tend to put meaning onto certain things in the film that might actually not have as much significance as they think, and might have actually just been a mistake, or just how things went in there, not really meant to at least Bergman is or was, more vocal than David Lynch has been in interviews 

This is a film that, if you are a film fan, and especially if you want to get into film in any way, shape or form, you must see. I saw it recently for the first time and truly appreciate it as it is now one of my favorite films of all time, but also might be out of the previous few films of Ingmar Bergman. I’ve seen my favorite. Maybe I’m jumping on a bandwagon or just with fans

As it says so much, not only back then, but still, what film can be what cinema can be what writing can be what acting can be what characters can be so it’s very inspiring as you amazement.

there’s nothing quite like this film, except what a shock to the system or disorienting it might be at times that the beauty of it is that everything is so subtle and compose given to you in a manner and which most films try to disorient and jar you to get the same feeling here it feels a little more elegant, calm, and simple 

this is supposedly the film where Igmar Bergman fell in love with one of the stars liv Ullmann even though from the beginning, it seems like actress Bibi Andersson is doing all the work while live omen is in insane but or in the background and listening, but as the film goes on, it’s more Andersson occupies the first half of the film and Liv Ullman takes over or they switch rules and away so that then it becomes live once. Though Ullman is it quiet and still has developments in the second half of the film, she more or less shrinks so the other can grow.

The beauty of the film is that even though I was majorly hyped as a classic, it still doesn’t prepare you for how much you’re going to like the film or how good the film is. It still comes across as a surprise by the time you finish watching the film, how far you’ve come, it seems like you’re in the same place

even the camera work, lighting, editing, and film production are just so composed. It’s an art form in itself. Not to mention, of course, the acting, writing and directing. 

not to mention filming it in black-and-white, as I’ve always said if the film is truly good or great, it makes it timeless in itself, as it’s obvious around what time the film is taking place or the years that the film is taking place. A story that could still be told at any time and still have the same meaning as these characters, will always be identifiable to the audience, if not for themselves, they know somebody similar, as well as seeming like they know these characters from somewhere, might even have the same issues.

Sometimes you should believe the hype as even the hype doesn’t do it justice. It’s a film that manages to make so much out of what looks like very little.

At times we all need to take a break from the world, I watch or try to watch classic films, and classic foreign films to me. It’s the cinematic equivalent of reading the classics seeing what inspired or seeing if these films are worth the hype usually they are full of so much depth And amazed that they still hold up and are better some of the modern offerings there’s a  deep to them and it’s not only because with black-and-white they come across as timeless manages to do so much and say so much and under 90 minutes that some films can’t even muster with an over two hours of the revolutionary time, but even-still while watching it

Sometimes you want to get lost in their worlds, even if just for a few moments, not necessarily fees, but a certain beauty  and amazement

Happy I took my time and finally watched it and experienced it at the right time when I could more appreciate it as if I had seen it when I was younger. I might’ve even liked it, but it wouldn’t have made as much of an impact on me. I don’t believe, as I might not have had the patience or recognized certain identifiable aspects of the film

This is an excellent movie, another one to add to my favorites of all time, definitely a must-see for any film lover or film student, as well as a writer.

Either way you shouldn’t be reading this until after you’ve watched the film 

GRADE: A