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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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Wild Strawberries (1957)

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 4)

Road Scholar

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Wild Strawberries on DVD.

My favorite Ingmar Bergman film, without question. Most people regard The Seventh Seal as his greatest work, but that film seems to me an outdated collection of symbols aimed at coffeehouse intellectuals. Wild Strawberries deals with more human concerns and does so with extraordinary beauty and grace. Former film director Victor Sjöström (The Wind) stars as Professor Isak Borg who takes a road trip over one long day to accept an honorary degree. During the trip, shared by his distraught daughter-in-law (Ingrid Thulin), he experiences dreams and memories about his youth and the successes and failures of his life. The opening nightmare sequence still gives me chills. Max von Sydow, who had the lead in Bergman's previous film The Seventh Seal, has a small role here as a gas station attendant.

DVD Details: Criterion's black-and-white transfer is superb, though the commentary track by Peter Cowie can be rather dull. On the plus side, the disc contains a new feature-length documentary on Bergman and his work.

Starring: Victor Sjöström, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Max von Sydow
Written by: Ingmar Bergman
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
MPAA Rating: NR
Language: Swedish with English subtitles
Running Time: 91 minutes
Date: April 24, 2002