Saraband
Y
Nov 4, 2004
NEW YORK -- Ingmar Bergman makes a distinguished farewell to his legendary cinematic career with this final effort, originally made for Swedish television and due to be released theatrically this year.
A sequel of sorts to his classic television miniseries and film "Scenes From a Marriage," "Saraband" fittingly marks a reunion with his longtime acting collaborator, Liv Ullman. The film was recently showcased at the New York Film Festival.
Shot in high-definition video but showing little visual evidence of it, "Saraband" is essentially a chamber piece for four actors, including Ullman and Erland Josephson, who repeat their roles as Marianne and Johan from the earlier film. The story begins with Marianne visiting her former husband, whom she hasn't seen in 30 years. Having inherited a great deal of money, the frail Johan is living in a remote country home, with his widowed 61-year-old son Henrik (Borje Ahlstedt) and 19-year-old granddaughter Karin (Julia Dufvenius) staying indefinitely in a guest house.
It quickly becomes apparent that the main theme of the film is the enmity between Johan and Henrik, which is depicted in a series of searing confrontations between the two. Marianne reluctantly finds herself caught in the middle of this tortured relationship, and caught also in that of Henrik and Karin, which seems to carry an uncomfortably sexual aspect.
Mostly utilizing intimate conversational scenes, some of which are virtual monologues, the film's themes and style are reminiscent of many previous Bergman efforts. Needless to say, extreme close-ups are employed liberally, and the lead performers are well up to the task. Although Josephson, now 81, is visibly aged, he nonetheless is well capable of expressing fury as well as pathos onscreen, and the still luminous Ullman demonstrates that her lengthy hiatuses from acting have done little to diminish her screen power.
If ultimately the highly talky "Saraband" comes across as a minor entry in the canon, it nonetheless marks a dignified farewell (and this time it really appears to be one) for one of cinema's greatest directors.
Saraband
A Sony Pictures Classics release
Sveriges Television, Svensk Filmindustri
Credits:
Director/Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Executive producer: Pia Ehrnvall
Photography: Per-Olof Lantto, Sofi Stridh, Raymond Wemmenlov
Editor: Syvia Ingemarsson
Production designer: Goran Wassberg
Costume designer: Inger Pehrsson
Cast:
Marianne: Liv Ullman
Johan: Erland Josephson
Henrik: Borje Ahlstedt
Karin: Julia Dufvenius
Martha: Gunnel Fred
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 107 minutes
A sequel of sorts to his classic television miniseries and film "Scenes From a Marriage," "Saraband" fittingly marks a reunion with his longtime acting collaborator, Liv Ullman. The film was recently showcased at the New York Film Festival.
Shot in high-definition video but showing little visual evidence of it, "Saraband" is essentially a chamber piece for four actors, including Ullman and Erland Josephson, who repeat their roles as Marianne and Johan from the earlier film. The story begins with Marianne visiting her former husband, whom she hasn't seen in 30 years. Having inherited a great deal of money, the frail Johan is living in a remote country home, with his widowed 61-year-old son Henrik (Borje Ahlstedt) and 19-year-old granddaughter Karin (Julia Dufvenius) staying indefinitely in a guest house.
It quickly becomes apparent that the main theme of the film is the enmity between Johan and Henrik, which is depicted in a series of searing confrontations between the two. Marianne reluctantly finds herself caught in the middle of this tortured relationship, and caught also in that of Henrik and Karin, which seems to carry an uncomfortably sexual aspect.
Mostly utilizing intimate conversational scenes, some of which are virtual monologues, the film's themes and style are reminiscent of many previous Bergman efforts. Needless to say, extreme close-ups are employed liberally, and the lead performers are well up to the task. Although Josephson, now 81, is visibly aged, he nonetheless is well capable of expressing fury as well as pathos onscreen, and the still luminous Ullman demonstrates that her lengthy hiatuses from acting have done little to diminish her screen power.
If ultimately the highly talky "Saraband" comes across as a minor entry in the canon, it nonetheless marks a dignified farewell (and this time it really appears to be one) for one of cinema's greatest directors.
Saraband
A Sony Pictures Classics release
Sveriges Television, Svensk Filmindustri
Credits:
Director/Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Executive producer: Pia Ehrnvall
Photography: Per-Olof Lantto, Sofi Stridh, Raymond Wemmenlov
Editor: Syvia Ingemarsson
Production designer: Goran Wassberg
Costume designer: Inger Pehrsson
Cast:
Marianne: Liv Ullman
Johan: Erland Josephson
Henrik: Borje Ahlstedt
Karin: Julia Dufvenius
Martha: Gunnel Fred
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 107 minutes
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