[.ca] Ingmar Bergman Trilogy (Through a Glass Darkly / Winter ...

From Amazon.com:
Between 1961 and 1963, Ingmar Bergman released a remarkable trilogy of so-called chamber dramas, each one concerned with the futility of sustaining faith in God, family, love, or much else. The series proved transitional for the internationally renowned Swedish filmmaker, securing his crucial collaboration with cinematographer Sven Nykvist (with whom Bergman would go on to make his many masterpieces--including Persona and Cries and Whispers--of the '60s, '70s, and early '80s), and underscoring a new preference for intimate, relationship-driven stories, austere settings, and haunting tones of emotional isolation and despair. Through a Glass Darkly concerns a psychologically fragile woman, Karin (Harriet Andersson), who seeks recovery from a nervous breakdown while on a remote-island vacation with her family. Unfortunately, her father (Gunnar Björnstrand), a successful writer, regards her with clinical detachment, her husband (Max Von Sydow), a doctor, feels unavailing in the effort to treat her, and her brother (Lars Passgard) is wrapped up in his own quest for sexual fulfillment. Karin's descent into further loneliness and delusion exacerbates the heretofore unspoken alienation at the heart of this entire family, and drives the characters to brood over the existence of God (or, in Karin's case, imagine that God is the chilling spider hidden behind an attic door). Through a Glass Darkly is a heartbreaking, powerful work of art. Winter Light reunites Björnstrand, this time playing a pastor suffering a crisis of faith while ministering to a shrinking congregation, and Von Sydow as a parishioner lost to acute anxiety over the possibility of a nuclear holocaust. Neither man can help or heal the other, or even inspire renewed confidence in practiced rituals and older, more certain views of the world. Set on a chilly, Sunday afternoon, Winter Light's heavy stillness, lack of music, preference for intense close-ups and distancing long shots, and barren setting all lead us inescapably into the core of a profound silence, an echo chamber in which love can't grow and religion rings hollow. The Silence is the most abstract entry in the trilogy, a somewhat eerie story of two sisters, Esther (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), and the latter's son (Jörgen Lindström), all traveling by train to Sweden but forced to stay in a foreign country when Esther's chronic bronchial problems require her to rest. A stifling atmosphere, a desolate hotel, encounters with a troupe of carnival dwarves, Anna's anchoring illness, and an empty sexual encounter for Esther underscore the unnerving feeling that God has abandoned these characters to dubious salvation in their own connection. A highly memorable film. --Tom Keogh

A life-changing faith examination...:
The trilogy consists of three seperate stories using the same actors, all telling a similar theme with different backgrounds, very little plot, intense angst and the literal silence of music, as well as at times, excruciating silence between the characters. It's as if the dialogue is, at times, and mostly in the third, what they don't say. The first, "Through a Glass Darkly", is off of what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (KJV) It is the story of a psychologically disturbed woman, her father who is a successful but struggling writer, her husband who is a doctor who cannot diagnose her, and her little brother who is starting to enter his phase of understanding human sexuality. In the end, she totally loses it and is convinced that, when the door to her closet mysteriously opens, God calls her over and shows himself as a tiny spider who crawls out. This was the easiest for me to watch, and the most blatantly theological, I think, though it comes close to the second one. The movie explains the concept of knowing there is a God, but wondering why He is so excrucuatingly silent at times. The second, "Winter Light", takes place one day in a small church in Sweden. A pastor, who is questioning God because of His silence, can barely give a sermon, let alone console his congregation. One man attends with his wife and stays after every service, asking the pastor to console his fears of nuclear war (the movies were made around the time of the cold war) and his paranoia. The pastor, wanting to tell him to put his trust in God, admits through his silence on the matter that he cannot tell him to have faith, for he questions his own. The man leaves, while the pastor is approached by a lover he had so long ago, wanting him back. He does not know what to keep, his love of God or love for her. She is an example of the earthly temptations that keep us from faith in God. Near the end, the man scared of nuclear war shoots himself in the head, causing the pastor to have to console the family of the man he couldn't help, to console with the faith he doesn't have that both he and the man wanted. The wife isn't disturbed, she saw it coming. I must say that this is the best of all that I saw, and excruciating to watch. It mirrors me, a person who sometimes has such strong faith but other times questions and feels he can be of no use to anyone to convey the glory of God through his living because I'm concerned, myself. Highly existential and brilliantly done, very theological. The movie makes a statement along the lines of mankind's doubt of God because of His silence. The last one is titled, "The Silence", and all hell breaks loose in this one. There is little dialogue and no music. It is about two 20 something sisters travelling by train through Sweden with one's 10 year old son. They end up staying at a mostly empty hotel. One sister has bronchial problems and must rest in bed all of the movie, as well as take care of her sister's child. Her sister is a nihilist, she goes out and sleeps around with men, doesn't care much about responsibility or taking care of her child and at one point is raped by a man she thinks she likes...and has to accept it, despite her sister's attempts to save her from it. This is the hardest to watch for many friends of mine, I had to watch it in three half hour sittings because I could not bear to watch it all at once. The sister who is taking care of the child and who is sick soon realizes her sister's nihilism when they realize the silence of God. In the end, the sister and her son leave while the sick one stays behind in the hotel for awhile longer. This one strikes on the notion that God does not exist, and that is why there is silence. Or possibly, the silence of a world that doesn't believe God exists.

Three Brilliant Cinematic Experiences by Bergman...:
A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman probably considered one of the best cinematic trilogies ever, if not the films alone are considered to be some of the best film ever made. Criterion gives this trilogy an appropriate treatment as they release all three films together with a documentary. Through a Glass Darkly is the first installment of Bergman's Trilogy that takes place on an island off the coast of Sweden where a family is having a vacation at their summer home. The father, David (Gunnar Björnstrand), has recently returned from one of his many trips and his closest family is present. His family consists of his daughter Karin (Harriet Andersson), who is struggling with a mental illness that is gradually getting worse, his son Fredrik (Lars Passgård) who is in the middle of his scholarly diversion, and Martin (Max von Sydow) who is Karin's husband and a medical doctor. As the siblings rediscover the family home, they recall blissful moments from their childhood, however, the happiness brings back a strong sense of melancholy that threads their memories. These depressing memories of an absent father and his shortcomings as a care-giver have resulted in deep scars in the sibling's psyche. Reminiscence of their agonizing past affects Karin's mental health as it is deteriorating at a much faster pace, which brings the family members regret and grief. This then causes anguish among all the present family members as they are all affected by Karin in one way or another. Through a Glass Darkly is the beginning of a trilogy where grief and pain commence, which will be followed by Winter Light and Silence. Bergman demonstrates a thorough understanding of the human consciousness as he directs Through a Glass Darkly where he dissects the social structure of a family and its affects on its members. This results in an outmost brilliant cinematic experience. Winter Light is the second film after Through a Glass Darkly. Pastor Ericsson (Gunnar Björnstrand) is suffering an enduring cold and he must hold mass for an ever-shrinking congregation as he is facing a spiritual crisis of his own. After the mass, Pastor Ericsson attempts to withdraw due to his cold, but is confronted by Jonas Persson's wife. It appears that Jonas (Max von Sydow) is suffering from severe anxiety and depression. However, Pastor Ericsson is inept in helping Jonas's emotional distress and instead addresses his own divine doubts about God. The pastor is also pondering his current affair with Märta (Ingrid Thulin) that he is thinking of ending, but Märta insists that they should continue to see each other. As a result, Pastor Ericsson is meditatively squeezed in between God and Märta as he has difficulty deciding on what he wants. He desires Märta's love as he knows it offers him comfort on a daily basis, but it goes against his ideal perspective of how to serve as a minister. Winter Light is not as grandiose as Bergman's earlier films (e.g., Naked Night and Seventh Seal). It is apparent that he has taken a new path as he is directing this film in a much smaller milieu. The setting is a personal place where catharsis is permitted without interruptions as Pastor Ericsson is facing his own demons. Winter Light serves as an enlightening and purgative link between Through a Glass Darkly and Silence. In the end, Winter Light offers an ultimate cinematic experience for self-reflection as it opens doors where questions must be asked. Silence is the third film after the succession of Through a Glass Darkly and Winter Light. The sisters, Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), are stranded in a foreign city with Anna's son, Johan. Ester is a neurotic over-achiever that often attempts to look at the rationality of things and Anna is a careless thrill-seeker that acts on her impulses. The two of them have unresolved issues that reach as far back as their childhood which have left them in an emotional turmoil. These issues cloud their judgment on how to approach each other as if they were lost within the emotional confusion caused by these issues. This confusion is left in a vacuum where their bitterness is growing in silence. Johan is placed in the middle of this silence as a compassionate shadow between the sisters, which encourages them to maintain a civil harmony. The sisters' only hope for healing is the innocence of Johan's curiosity which is untouched by the worldly cynicism that controls most of the sisters beliefs and values. Johan's innocence is full of acceptance, understanding, life, and love, which is something that Ester and Anna have difficulty in sharing. In addition, the silence between them sets their minds and thoughts pessimistically adrift and is elevated through their personal cynicism. Silence uses cinematography that is unmatched as it enhances emotional turmoil that the sisters are experiencing through the use of provoking camera angles, close-ups, and pans. In addition, the frequent play with light and shadows boosts emotional situations of the characters and enhances how they are perceived by the audience. The lack of sound enhances moments when sound is utilized. Overall, Bergman has manipulated elements of cinema in Silence to perfection as he leaves a brilliant cinematic experience for the audience. These three films are perfectly summed up with the fourth film, which serves as a documentary for the Trilogy, by Vilgot Sjöman (I Am Curious Yellow and I Am Curious Blue) who served as intern during the 50s for Bergman. In the end, I appreciate these films as they develops an understanding of why Bergman belongs with the cinematic geniuses of all time such as Antonioni, Chaplin, Clouzot, Fassbinder, Fellini, Godard, Kiarostami, Kieslowski, Kurosawa, Lang, Powell, Pressburger, Renoir, Truffaut and many others.

Elegant Box Set from Criterion:
The three films in this box set represent some of the best of Ingmar Bergman's work in the 'chamber drama' format. As the director's interest in classical music grew, the art house scene saw more and more films from Bergman with just a few characters interacting within one location, like the instruments in a string quartet. In __Through a Glass Darkly__, __Winterlight (aka __The Communicants__), and __The Silence__, Bergman exorcises the spiritual demons of his childhood within a very modern, every-day context. The themes that he deals with are the same ones which drove such classics as __The Seventh Seal__ and __Wild Strawberries__; however, while such movies were theatrical and featured archetypical characters, the films in the trilogy (and most of Bergman's subsequent works) are realistic and feature psychologically nuanced and complex characters. In __Through a Glass Darkly__, a vacationing family is forced to deal with its own disintegration. The daughter, Karin, played masterfully by Harriet Anderson, battles schizophrenia and attempts in vein to stay in touch with consensual reality, while her father David, played by the stoic Gunner Bjornstrand finds himself unable to resist the urge to use her illness as a means to drive his artistic and intellectual work as a novelist. Max von Sydow plays Karin's loving and simple husband, while her brother, Minus, played by Lars Pasgard, comes to represent the anxieties and insecurities of the family's next generation. This is a difficult film to watch. Emotionally, it is overwhelming (though Bergman never strays too far from his characteristic subtlety). The next offering in the trilogy is __Winterlight__. Here Gunner Bjorstrand plays Tomas, a mid-aged priest, whose own crisis of fate fails to save a parishioner in his church from committing suicide at the thought of nuclear holocaust. Meanwhile, in a superb performance, Ingrid Thulin plays Tomas's mistress, an atheist who attempts to save him from his own spiritual and personal failings. Finally, __The Silence__ is the controversial third move in the trilogy. While traveling through a mysterious foreign country, two sisters, the intellectual Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and the sensual Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), and Anna's 10-year-old son, are forced to stay in an almost abandoned hotel. Sexual tension rises as Ester and Anna (presumably intimate) cannot come to terms with their own diverging desires. Anna's son Johan, played by Jorgen Lindstrom, must discover the hotel, while attempting to understand the uncertainty of the world around him. I will not go into the deeper symbolic structures of each film and allow viewers to discover for themselves. __The Silence__, the most bleak AND most optimistic film in the trilogy, is my favorite, though __Winterlight__ will probably compel more viewers. The era of Bergman's auteurism is gone. Just as Antonioni, Dreyer, and other masters of high modernist cinema have lost their once immense popularity in the American and European art house scene, so have Bergman and the 'Bergmanesque' been long in decline. However, it is definitely a good idea to view these films. Even if the singular existential angst portrayed by Bergman is no longer the anxiety of the postmodern era, Bergman's technical abilities and his skills in drawing incredible perfomances from his troupe of actors are a wonder to behold. Each DVD contains a short discussion with film scholar Peter Cowie. Also included is __Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie__ on a separate disk. Bergman fans will enjoy more than two hours of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from the making of __Winterlight__. The box set contains just the right amount of extras. It is packaged elegantly and is a great buy.

DVD version worth the price and wait:
Of late, I have developed an interest in Bergman movies. I can't seem to get myself away from them, as the "artfullness" of Bergman's movies transcend time and even Bergman's weightly "popularity". When he was allowed to pursue his "art" by being given the "poetic license" of his popularity i.e. he could write, direct, attract stars that he wanted, I feel he produced what one would hope, all he was capable of as an artist. Yes, this sounds grandiose on my part to give such an uninhibited glowing review of what would seem to be such stark movies. But folks, these DVD's are worth it, because the viewer is given the opportunity to see the behind the scenes making of the movies, and more than a peek at Bergman himself. Bergman appears to be an artist not afraid to look at himself beyond the curse of Narcissus. What he was able to see and show through these movies is remarkable. I bought these DVD's with some trepidation, thinking that I may be pursuing my interest to nurture my proclivity to wallow in depressive affect or worse to try to in my older middle aged years imbibe as much art as I can tolerate as the trash that is produced and maketed by the media is exponential. I'm afraid to say that much of the "art" sits on my bookshelves or in a pile here or there, gleaned once and put away for another time. I could not do that with these movies, or any other Bergman DVD's that I have watched. I bring up the DVD issue, as the VCR versions are nice, but do not offer the "extras" of the DVD's i.e. interviews with Bergman, etc. I have VCR versions of some of his movies, but will buy DVD as well of some of them i.e. Persona when they are available. Enough said, anyone with an interest in Bergman should own this exceptional Trilogy plus "Ingmar Bergman makes a movie".

"To Johan--words in a foreign language":
As with Beckett's trilogy of novels _Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable_ this trilogy of novels seems to imitate Baroque music in its structure--at the time, through Bergman's marriage with Kabi Laretei (sorry if this is misspelled), Bergman became even more interested in Baroque music, especially the music of Bach. Bach was a master of chamber music--that is, music with few musicians that give the viewer/listener a sense of intimacy. And the trilogy seems to have, in its three films, the three movements of a traditional chamber concerto. And Bach's music figures prominently in at least two of the films--in the first, with the soundtrack lifted from Bach, and in the last, with one of the few moments of communication centered around Bach's music. (I am not sure if the organ music in the second film is also Bach; it seems a reasonable hypothesis.) The trilogy represents a cinematic break for Bergman from the large, intricate productions exemplified by _Wild Strawberries_ and _The Seventh Seal_. But the trilogy seems to represent a transition for Bergman from problems of theology to those immediate problems people experience. This is the reason for the necessity of cinematic intimacy--to be close to these people's problems, one must first be close to the people represented. I have attempted, here, to avoid obscurities. The interpretation of such details has gone on apace, as with all Bergman's films. But these obscurities are often not too dificult to understand, as Bergman often uses the same themes of religion and despair in all his films. The point is that these three brilliant films represent a complete change in structure and technique for Bergman--he even began, here, to use more radical cinematic methods (an example is the revolutionary six minute close up on Ingrid Thulin's character in the misnomered _Winter Light_). The importance of these films from an historical standpoint is their evidence of a paradigm shift for Bergman, as discussed above. That, and their thematic genius.