A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman (2003)

Angst Ridden

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman on DVD.

After the worldwide success of The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, the very hot Ingmar Bergman turned to a trio of films to try to ask some complicated questions about religion and faith. The results are Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Winter Light (1962) and The Silence (1963), and each is better than the one before.

In the first, schizophrenic Karin (Harriet Andersson) vacations on a remote island with her father (Gunnar Bjornstrand), her husband (Max Von Sydow) and her little brother (Lars Passgard). She learns that her father has been using her illness to write his books, and everyone broods a lot. Bergman's wintry film has beautiful moments and Andersson gives a great performance, but the film can't shake the weight of the disease-of-the-week movie feel.

Winter Light is a less hysterical, more closely observed film with a priest (Gunnar Bjornstrand) of a small village who questions the power of his own faith. True to its title, the film perfectly captures the numbing chill of the season through its superb black-and-white cinematography and meshes it with the priest's state of mind. As frosty as it is, Winter Light has grown to be one of my favorite Bergmans.

The Silence explores the tensions between two grown sisters, one intellectual and sickly (Ingrid Thulin), the other sensual and alive (Gunnel Lindblom). During an unexpected stopover on a trip, the two sisters try to pass the time while vying for the attention of the latter's son (Jorgen Lindstrom). This third film gets the most intertwined with its subjects and comes out the most uncomfortably truthful. One question: why all the dwarves?

DVD Details: The Criterion Collection has gorgeously restored all three black-and-white films in their full-screen aspect ratios, and the box set ($79.95) includes a fourth disc: a made-for-television documentary following the making of Winter Light. Critic/biographer Peter Cowie also provides plenty of information and insight into the trilogy.

Starring: Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Lars Passgard, Max Von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, Jorgen Lindstrom
Written by: Ingmar Bergman
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
MPAA Rating: NR
Language: Swedish with English subtitles
Running Time: 266 minutes
Date: January 31, 2004