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
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