Summer With Monika Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Summer With Monika 
Year: 1953
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish  

Ingmar Bergman is one of the most powerful directors to ever grace the screen. He has given us a career full of heartbreaking classics, all of which I intend to watch and review. So far I have personally reviewed Persona, Cries and Whispers, The Seventh Seal, Summer Interlude, Shame, The Virgin Spring, Fanny and Alexander and  Wild Strawberries, all of which received high praise. Summer With Monika is the most recent Bergman film I've watched, and it is quite astounding.

The main character Harry Lund (Lars Ekborg) is a nineteen year old young man who meets Monika (Harriet Andersson), a romantic, reckless and rebellious seventeen year old, and they fall in love. They leave their families and jobs in their small town, Harry gets his father's boat and they spend the summer together in an isolated island.However as time moves forward, their personalities clash.

Summer with Monika is definitely one of Bergman's finest achievements. It is a cautionary tale about the self destructive nature of escape into alternate states of mind or being seemingly cut off from the rest of the world; the troubled waters that the inability to deal with issues that need affronting lead onto. The inability to mature is ultimately a set back in this world. Not even the love between Harry and Monika can keep them together.

Some call this a pessimistic tale about love, I find this to be rather realistic. What happens when one person in a relationship matures and the other doesn't? Ultimately Summer With Monika is beautifully photographed by early Bergman collaborator Gunnar Fischer. Particularly during the boating scenes. The cinematography is breathtaking, perfectly capturing the freedom of young love and the outdoors, then portraying the isolation of a relationship gone wrong. It is a brilliantly written and wonderful character study.

In conclusion, while many won't feel that Summer With Monika is his best film and it certainly is not his most well known, it is certainly superb. Bergman never disappoints, he is surely a cinematic God. This is a film that can be watched over and over, I will definitely be buying the Criterion Collection Edition. Praise it! 5/5

Shame Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Shame
Year: 1968
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish 

Critics, cinephiles and even casual film-goers will agree that Ingmar Bergman is definitely one of the most prolific Directors of all time. His films have the power to shock, bring you to ecstatic joy and even bring you to tears. I have personally reviewed his Persona, Cries and Whispers, The Seventh Seal, Fanny and Alexander, Wild Strawberries, The Virgin Spring, and Summer Interlude so far, but I am just getting warmed up. I first saw Shame a few years ago and it has been on my mind ever since.

Shame is about two musicians who retreat to a rural island to farm during civil war. They love each other, but there are problems: the war upsets Jan (Max Von Sydow), he is weepy, too sensitive; Eva (Liv Ullman) wants children, he does not. The war suddenly arrives: rebels attack, neighbors die. When the other side restores order, Jan and Eva are arrested as collaborators. They are released, but soon the rebels return and Jan becomes murderous. They decide to flee.

This film is a bit different from every other Bergman film. It is not different due to characters, set pieces nor even cinematography. It is different because the conflict that drives the plot originates from an outside source. Most of Bergman's conflicts are created by his characters' struggle with inner demons or existential anxiety (The Seventh Seal, Persona, Cries and Whispers, Wild Strawberries) The conflict is provided by bombs, which force the characters to cope with their new life.

Bergman originally wanted to call this film The War, but eventually decided on Shame while he was writing the script. Why Shame? Perhaps this film is not about the shame of individual characters, but the shame of God. Perhaps if God were to look down at Earth and see all the misery, bloodshed, and the horrible circumstances innocent people like Jan and Eva are put through then perhaps he would feel great Shame. Though if that's the case then Bergman doesn't make the point clear enough, however it is widely known that Bergman was dissatisfied with this film, so he may have known he didn't make the point clear enough

In conclusion, the cinematography in this film is quite exquisite, brilliantly showing scarred landscaped, buring trees and powerful close-ups. It's a grim and haunting film, a likely realistic film for anybody who has had their town turned into a warzone. Even though Bergman wasn't impressed with this film it is still very well made. Shame is an emotionally gripping character study that's well worth a few views. 3.5/5

Summer Interlude Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Summer Interlude
Year: 1951
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish 

In 1957 Ingmar Bergman became an international sensation with his film The Seventh Seal, which in time inspired Woody Allen to become a director and make classics like Manhattan, Annie Hall and Midnight in Paris. What about Bergman's pre-Seventh Seal films? Are they any good? This review will be about Summer Interlude, a film I avoided until yesterday because I had an assumption that it would be a mediocre Bergman film, but I can happily admit that I was wrong.

Summer Interlude stars Maj-Brit Nillson as Marie. a lonely twenty-eight year-old ballerina. While waiting for a rehearsal of Swan Lake she receives a diary in the mail. She then travels to an island near Stockholm and recalls her first love Henrik (Birger Malmsten) Thirteen years ago, while traveling to spend her summer with her aunt and uncle she meets her first love. Unfortunately tragedy separates them.

Bergman's talent shines in this film and it is very clear that he will be a household-like name less than a decade after this film is made. It is profoundly stimulating, the film is a subtle flashback that explains why Marie has put up walls in regards to her current relationships. Perhaps this plot device, the flashback to happier times, is over-used in modern romantic films but seeing it in a Bergman film is breathtaking. The innocence of both Maria & Henrik (in the flashbacks) is shown beautifully. Bergman's famous close-ups show heartwarming smiles and a love that may be somewhat superficial, but is still incredibly well captured.

Bergman has themes of religious doubt in this film, Marie asks why God is never around in her times of need, but it isn't too complicated of a film in that regard which is why it's likely a great started film for anybody who is interested in watching a Bergman film. The cinematography is well done, it captures the essence of love, Summer, life, death & tragedy. There is a lot of incredible foreshadowing that may only be noticeable during the 2nd or 3rd viewing of this film.

In conclusion, this review may not have given Summer Interlude justice mainly because I have only seen it once. Though I was astonished from my first impression, Bergman does doomed romance well. I'm convinced he could make any film into a brilliant work of art as he has done with Summer Interlude. Praise it! 5/5

The Virgin Spring Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Virgin Spring
Year: 1960
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish

 
Ingmar Bergman is undoubtedly one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He is to Swedish Cinema what Kurosawa is to Japanese Cinema or Fellini is to Italian Cinema.. Many agree that he is an ingenious man, including myself. I have personally reviewed Persona, Cries and Whispers, The Seventh Seal, Fanny and Alexander and  Wild Strawberries so far but I am just getting started. The second film that I saw of his was The Virgin Spring and boy was it challenging.

Bergman's film is set in beautiful 14th century Sweden. It is a sad yet powerful story about a pair of wealthy parents whose virginal daughter is brutally raped and murdered by goat herders after her half sister has invoked a pagan curse. In an odd twist it seems that these murderers ask for food and shelter from the dead girl's parents, who eventually discover the truth about these fiends and decided to exact revenge.

The Virgin Spring is one of Ingmar Bergman's most bleak and disturbing films, it won an Oscar for Bergman and has been remade several times; most famously into the 1972 exploitation horror film The Last House on the Left. Though while The Last House on the Left was made as a cheap shock film, The Virgin Spring  proves to be much more intelligent. It is layed and poetic, combining many themes such as Christianity, Paganism, questioning religious faith, vengeance, sexual innocence and justice. Themes of nihilism also run throughout the film, a displaying lack of human emotion particularly with the herdsman.

Very rarely in films is the theme of "revenge" ever handled carefully with emotional intelligence and incredible seriousness. Films like Django Unchained, Kill Bill and Death Wish are exploitative in their violence, only really serve to entertain and try their best to make the hero look like a...heroic figure. This film shows the consequence of violence and murder in an incredibly realistic way. It is also shot brilliantly with extraordinary pacing. The utmost seriousness of the story combined with the visual beauty of the film make this a rare treat even if you'll need a box of tissues.

 "God, you saw it...you saw it. The death of an innocent child and my vengeance. You allowed it to happen. I don't understand you. I don't understand you. Yet still I ask your forgiveness.

In conclusion, there is a lot to learn about life and humanity from The Virgin Spring. It is a film that may be difficult to watch due to the subject matter but it is necessary to watch. It is quite far from most film that you will see made nowadays, though that isn't necessarily a criticism of newer films as a lot are pretty good. This is a film for the spiritual and non-spiritual, also for anybody who thinks murder is a good revenge. Praise it! 5/5

The Seventh Seal Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Seventh Seal
Year: 1957
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish 

The Seventh Seal was my introduction to the films of Ingmar Bergman and The Criterion Collection which distributed this film. Every-time I see it my breath is taken away by how glorious it is. Cynical yet inspiring and imaginative, Bergman asks great philosophical questions that few dare to ask, such as the existence of an omnipresent, omnipotent & omniscient God. I have been very hesitant to give this and a few other films a review because I fear I won't give them justice. Nevertheless, here it is.

The Seventh Seal is about a knight (Max Von Sydow) who returns home from the crusades. The Black Death is sweeping the continent & people are dying left and right. Death (Bengt Ekerot) appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. As the seeming Apocalypse approaches we see the different people around them as they deal with their demise.

In most Introduction to Film classes there is usually a screening of The Seventh Seal sometime during the course. This is because, along with Fellini's 8 1/2, it is a staple in art-house film culture and regarded as Bergman's best film among most critics and film-goers. It is an incredibly bleak film that deals with the issues of good and evil and the absence of God. There are many questions, but few answers. Even Death can't precisely answer the questions laid in front of him, he says "you ask too many questions". Every human asks these questions, they eventually must face mortality & confront their own beliefs, this film pushes you forward.

"I want God to stretch out his hand to me, reveal himself and speak to me. But he remains silent, I call out to Him in the dark but no one seems to be there".

 The Seventh Seal is a technically masterfully made film, the performances are incredible. The costumes are astounding, the choice to make death into a literal character in the film was genius. Scenes go from comedic to dramatic very fluidly, a great example of this is when there are two clown-like people on a stage & they are singing a song. The song is light hearted, as is the scene and then all the sudden the actor's faces go from glee to utter horror. Silence fills the scene and moaning erupts, plagued people carry crosses and are wipping themselves, a priest comes up to tell people to repent or die as the apocalypse is night. It's pretty damn amazing.

"Faith is a torment. It is like loving someone who is out there in the darkness but never appears, no matter how loudly you call."

In conclusion, while the majority of the film is incredibly dark I feel the ending is very optimistic. We should not fear death nor religion, we should enjoy living and the good moments life has. It's difficult to write about the film & do it justice, it's not a film you can only watch one or six times for that matter, every time you see it you understand something new and exciting. It's ingenious and much bigger than itself. Praise it! 5/5

Fanny and Alexander Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Fanny and Alexander
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Year: 1982
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish

The great Swedish Director Ingmar Bergman started his feature length film career with the intriguing Crisis (1946) and ended with the long yet mesmerizing Fanny and Alexander (1982) never missing a beat in-between these films. His large body of work spanned over 50 feature films, many cited in critic's "Best Films" lists. He is often spoofed by comedians or comedic filmmakers such as Peter Hewitt, who made Bill and Ted's Bogus Adventure, as well as imitated by lesser dramatic filmmakers as well. His films usually show the darker side of the human spirit, but as in Wild Strawberries can also be quite optimistic. Fanny and Alexander is a perfect blend of light and dark, of pessimism and optimism, of good and evil.

The title characters, Fanny (Pernilla Allwin) and Alexander (Betil Guve) live in a colorful Ekdahl household in a Swedish town early in the twentieth century. Their parents, Oscar (Allan Edwall) and Emilie (Ewa Froling) , are the director and the leading lady of the local theatre company.Oscar's mother and brother are the leading operators. After Oscar dies, Emilie marries the bishop and moves with her children to his place. He turns out to be a brute of a man, and the children are miserable, however there is always hope.

Often regarded as Ingmar Bergman's swan song (though he did make television features after this) , Fanny and Alexander was a quake of energy to fans who were enticed with his brooding films like The Seventh Seal which was made much earlier in his career. It is an almost Dickensian tale of ghosts and magic. There are also parallels to William Shakespeare's Hamlet, we see the ghost of Alexander's father more than once in the film, both Hamlet and Alexander's mothers marry nasty people and they both have quite a spiritual crisis. It's interesting that we see Oscar's illness creep in during a re-enactment of Hamlet where he plays Hamlet's father and completely forgets his lines, infact completely forgetting where he is at that time.

With this film Bergman moves beyond storytelling and into a strange series of events that could be considered dreams. It's as if you're transported to another reality when watching this film. The cinematography by Sven Nykvist is phenomenal and enchanting, it truly contributes to the overall mood of the film. The bishop (Jan Malmsjo) reminds me of another villainous religious man known as Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) from Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter (1955). Though I would argue that the bishop in this film is more vile because he seems more realistic and does more harm to the children than Powell does.

In conclusion, Fanny and Alexander is one of the most spiritual films I have ever seen. It is a real treat to own the 5 Disk DVD Box Set from the Criterion Collection so I be fully in awe whenever I feel like watching it. Well worth a buy and well worth the runtime (312 min). This is definitely in my top ten, as well as Bergman's other incredibly spiritual film known as The Seventh Seal (1957) Praise it! 5/5

Wild Strawberries Review- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: Wild Strawberries
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Year: 1957
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish

Victor Sjostrom is known as the father of Swedish Cinema, with films like the silent classic The Phantom Carriage (1921) he influenced great filmmakers like the legendary Ingmar Bergman who made this film. It is quite interesting that Victor Sjostrom agreed to be in not one, but two of Bergman's films. The first was To Joy (1950) and the second was Wild Strawberries. Bergman would only make this film if Sjostrom agreed to act in it, he did and to his delight won the National Board of Review's Best Actor award at 77 years old.

Wild Strawberries is about a seventy eight year old retired doctor and professor named Dr. Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom) who has retreated from all forms of human contact with exception of his elderly caretaker. He is traveling from his home in Stockholm to Lund to accept an honorary degree. Instead of sticking to his original plan of flying, he decides to take a long drive with his daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) instead. The many stops along the way remind him of his life, mainly his childhood and his cold mother.

Wild Strawberries reminds me of a Dicken's novel. Dr. Isak Borg starts out as a cold cynical old man but eventually becomes humbled. Through various important discussions, especially with his son Evald (Gunnar Bjornstrand) , we see the professor's journey to self discovery, self knowledge and the awareness of his own mortality. All these memories and flashbacks through his life shine a light on the character. We see his vulnerabilities and understand the reasons for his retreat from humanity.

While Ingmar Bergman is often seen as too pessimistic and dark, with this film we can see that it's not entirely the case. Wild Strawberries is  the most optimistic and heartwarming film Bergman has made in his four decade long career. Like all of his films, the dialouge is extremely important. Conversations and moments that radiate the screen surely remind us of this man's redemption. Sjostrom's performance is remarkable, made only a few years before his death we must wonder if Sjostrom was going through the same thoughts and emotions of his character.

In conclusion, this film will likely having you question your own life as well. Making you reflect upon your decisions and likely living for the better. Surely, it will have you in a self reflective state long after the film is over. It is honest, emotional and intense. A brilliant character study that deserves to be seen by generations of people. Praise it! 4.5/5

Persona Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Persona
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Year: 1966
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish 

Persona is one of legendary Swedish Director Ingmar Bergman's most peculiar films, even though it is not too difficult to understand as all the scenes, even the dream scenes, are perfectly clear. I find myself watching this film over and over again, in attempt to analyze the great cinematic style of Bergman. I also realize that this is a film of buried truths and complicated emotions, to uncover them all is a long yet fruitful endeavor. It's a film that if made by any other man could be labelled "pretentious", yet Bergman pulls it all off perfectly.

Persona is about a young nurse named Alma (Bibi Andersson) who is put in charge of Elizabeth Volger (Liv Ullman); an actress who seems like she is at the peak of her health, with the exception that she refuses to talk. As they spend time together, Alma constantly finds company in speaking to Elizabeth, even though she never receives an answer. She reveals a lot of her deep secrets to the seemingly sympathetic Elizabeth. Slowly Alma's personality is emerging with Elizabeth's Persona.

This film opens with a series of quite unusual images a spider, a montage from silent comedies, a spike being driven through a man's hand, and faces in a morgue. Then it cuts to a picture of a young boy watching women's faces appear on a giant screen in front of him. The montage intentionally distorts reality and gets us ready for one hell of a psychological film. Persona is somewhat of a female power game. Alma starts off as a confident nurse who does all the talking in their "relationship", though who really knows if Elizabeth is actually listening? Therefore Alma feels in control of the silent woman. However over the course of the film, Alma's stability seems to disintegrate Her talks that were designed to help Elizabeth end up becoming confessions of secrets, desires and guilt. Eventually her mask or "persona" is taken away, and we see a completely different side of the character.

It is quite interesting that words begin the downfall of a rather healthy woman. Perhaps Elizabeth was never really sick, what it wrong with not wanting to talk? Alma's language begins to break down and we see her struggling to perform coherent phrases. Bergman's brilliant use of close-ups show the  intricate details of her emotionally fragile state. Steady movements of the camera show the emerging ambiguity of each woman's identity. It can also be seen as a study about loneliness and what that can do to a human being. Alma's chatter shows a desperate need for human contact and I guess Elizabeth will be this "victim". She goes as far as to describe an orgy she had on the beach, it's interesting to see how far times have changed.

In conclusion, while this may not be Bergman's best (many agree that title would belong to The Seventh Seal) I think it is Bergman's most psychological. Certainly the optic effect of fusing the woman's faces into one haunting image is intense and unique to Swedish film. Again, I must applaud the director for making such a great film dominated by women. Praise it! 5/5

Cries and Whispers Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Cries and Whispers
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Year: 1972 
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish

Cries and Whispers is the film that both introduced me to the wonderful world of Swedish film, and the genius of a legendary Swedish Director known as Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007). His feature film career started with Torment (1944), which is considered one of the greatest films of all time, and ended with Fanny and Alexander (1982) which is often his most praised film. Throughout his four decade long career it appears that he has never missed a beat. His films always impressed and still continue to inspire even after his death.

Cries and Whispers is set in turn of the century Sweden where a woman dying of cancer named Agnes (Harriet Andersson) is visited in her large isolated mansion by her sisters Karin  (Ingrid Thulin) and Maria (Liv Ullman). As Agnes' condition worsens and her pain becomes increasing unbearable, fear and distance grab hold of the sisters who seem unable of showing any empathy. As the end of Agnes' life draws near we see all the repressed feelings of the sisters come to a boil and then surface.

Aside from The Seventh Seal (1957) and Persona (1966) no other Bergman film has made an impact greater than Cries and Whispers. It received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Cinematography. It is complex yet there aren't as much interpretations of the film as there are in more popular films. Which is great, the emotions within the film are explanation enough. The screen is filled with such powerful emotion that it's easy to understand why many people claim this is Bergman's most painful film. His use of closeups and extreme close-ups are masterful, Often stopping the camera on a still and silent face for a few seconds, showing us a window into the character's soul.

The use of colour in this film is used incredibly well, it is perhaps the most important, unique and memorable aspect of Cries and Whispers. Red is dominant throughout the film, in the furnishings and on the walls. Eve in the color of the fade out which in most films is usually black. Bergman had always explained that he imagined the human soul was this particular shade of red. Certainly it intensifies the study of death and the particular emotions it evokes on the living.

In conclusion, Cries and Whispers is definitely a thought and mood provoking film that will have you reflecting on it long after you've seen it. The performances by all the women are utterly fantastic if not, phenomenal. It is incredibly refreshing to see a film completely dominated by women rather than a male driven film. Bergman blends "horror" with poetry in a truly accomplished way. Praise it! 5/5