Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Art Attack

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Hour of the Wolf on DVD

Full of ghosts and shock-cuts, Hour of the Wolf (1968) is the closest Bergman ever came to making a flat-out horror film. Max Von Sydow stars as a reclusive artist who retreats with his wife (Liv Ullmann) to a remote island to work. Abrasive and creepy "neighbors" begin to bother him, though they're all just spooks -- phantoms of his mind. Unfortunately, the artist's wife begins to see them too. Some of the images, such as one of a young boy staring at Von Sydow as he's fishing, will haunt you long afterwards. The film is told from Ullmann's point of view, after the artist is dead. She speaks directly to the camera, and "film crew" noises can be heard during the opening credits, reminding us from the start that it's only a movie.

DVD Details: MGM's Hour of the Wolf DVD comes with an audio commentary track by Bergman's American biographer Marc Gervais, a featurette, The Search for Sanity, an interview with Ullmann and actor Erland Josephson, photo galleries and a trailer.

Starring: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Gertrud Fridh, Georg Rydeberg, Erland Josephson, Naima Wifstrand, Ulf Johansson, Gudrun Brost, Bertil Anderberg, Ingrid Thulin
Written by: Ingmar Bergman
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Language: Swedish with English subtitles
Running Time: 88 minutes
Date: May 13, 2004