Bergman first introduced us to Johan and Marianne in his 1974 masterpiece Scenes from a Marriage, one of the cinema’s most exacting dissections of our all-too-human failure to connect. Bergman and the heavenly Scandanavian actors Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann took us through Johan and Marianne’s marriage, divorce, and post-divorce reconciliation. In the waste, they live apart, but tranquil originate room for the bond between them.
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Three decades later, Bergman, Josephson and Ullmann have given us Saraband, a late-life gift. Marianne decides that even though she hasn’t seen Johan since the 1970s, it’s time to obtain contact again. Johan has inherited money from an aunt, and lives in resplendent isolation overlooking a lake. She literally wakes him with a kiss, but soon enough Marianne’s fantasy of an idyllic reunion evaporates as she gets drawn deeper into the power struggles in Johan’s family.
Henrik, Johan’s son, is staying in a nearby cottage with his daughter Karin. Both of them aloof mourn Anna, Henrik’s wife and Karin’s mother, who died two years before. Henrik, a music teacher, is preparing Karin, an accomplished cellist, for her conservatory entrance exams. The elderly Johan remains cold-hearted but charismatic (not unlike Bergman’s absorb father) and one of the questions the movie explores is why people are so attracted to him. Henrik wants his father’s affection and acceptance, even though Johan refuses to give it, ostensibly due to some cramped by Henrik when he was 19 years primitive. In a painful scene, Henrik goes to Johan to ask for money to serve Karin, and in his 61 year veteran face, we peruse the bewilderment of the boy who never came to grips with his self-absorbed father.
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For Karin, her grandfather is a counterweight to the suffocating embrace of her father. Karin struggles to figure out what she owes Henrik, what she owes to the memory of her mother, and what she owes to herself. She lets Marianne search for some, but not all, of the turmoil she’s going through. For Marianne, her attraction to Johan remains as difficult to pin down as it was when she was married to him. She’s always wanted something from him, but since she can’t interpret what it is, she’ll probably never rep it.
The struggles between the characters bag played out over ten riveting scenes bookended by Marianne’s opening and closing monologues. Karin makes her choices. Henrik reacts. Marianne throws herself once more against Johan’s emotional aloofness. As he’s done throughout his intelligent career, Bergman brings it alive through artful dialog, perfect dramatic timing, and riveting cinematic composition. The characters are not always likable, but they are never less than piquant.
The Criterion’s DVD includes a mini-documentary of Bergman making Saraband. We spy the 87 year mature director lope to the floor to illustrate some blocking, kid around with the crew, mosey and prod his actors into spot. It’s a treat to glimpse him work. One wonders if any other director will ever elicit such an emotionally mighty performance from Julia Dufvenius, the gorgeous young actress who plays Karin. One also wonders why Bergman keep himself through the grueling labor of making another film after he’d announced he was through.
Bergman spent his entire career obsessed by the difficulties of human connection. Apparently he wants to say one last thing about it, which seems to be this: after all the tears and shouting, all the posturing and cruelty, all the reaching out and pulling wait on, this is what remains: marriages of good minds (the photo of Anna faded in the film is a characterize of Bergman’s vast treasure, his deceased wife Ingrid) ; the fraught ties of fathers and sons; memories of former loves; what you give and catch from children; and the devolution of the flesh. None of it is easy, the master tells us, but all of it is vital. In the demolish, it’s all you have.
What’s truly dark is that Bergman, sixty years after embarking on his cinematic inch, claims that he’s done. He did for film what Shakespeare did for theater, took it to original levels by expanding the language frail to narrate the glories and follies of human striving. He will certainly be missed and he can’t be replaced.
But don’t explore Saraband for nostalgic reasons. It’s a challenging, insightful film that deserves a residence in the director’s canon. Saraband stands on its absorb, but it’s a deeper experience if you ogle Scenes from a Marriage first.
“Saraband” is the name of a movement in a classical portion of music by Bach. It is also the name of a dance and unbiased like a section of music Ingmar Bergman weaves his anecdote to a positive rhythm of emotions.
“Saraband” touched me on a deeply personal level. It is the greatest movie going experience of my life. Now I know what many of you are thinking. How dare you! What about the “Lord of the Ring” movies, the “Harry Potter” series, the “Star Wars” movies and of course “Ample”. How on earth could I possible define my reaction to dare say a great smaller film, a film that will go unseen by millions, yet alone, a Swedish film, is the greatest movie going experience of my life. Well you view I never really got caught up in the “Lord of the Ring” movies. I enjoyed them but I never read the books, nor have I ever read the “Harry Potter” books and I don’t intend to ever read them, I simply don’t have any interest. But what makes “Saraband”, for me, the ultimate experience is the fact it was the first film I ever saw by Ingmar Bergman in a theatre. It was such an experience to be able to go out and inspect a movie by my current director on the great veil. That is my explanation.
Bergman originally released this film two years ago on Swedish television unbiased as he did “Fanny and Alexander” relieve in 1983. “Saraband” though is quite a cinematic event for film lovers. It is the first film Bergman has directed since 1984′s “After the Rehearsal” to be released in theatres. Is that not cause for a celebration or what?
The film is a sequel to Bergman’s 1974 masterpiece “Scenes From A Marriage”. It is divided into 10 chapters and tells the record of Marianna (Liv Ullman) meeting Johan (Erland Josephson) 30 years after “Marriage”. It is explained that Marianna simply had a sudden hurry to visit him. Could it be as she grows older she wonders about what her life could have been like? Maybe. So the two meet as it turns out to be one of the most joyous moments in the film.
At this point it should be pointed out one doesn’t have to inspect “Scenes From A Marriage” to savor or understand this movie. But I must admit it does assist. If only because to glimpse these characters on-screen is like visiting venerable friends. When we first survey them meet our minds flood with images. We engage the first film and the impression it left on us. If you haven’t seen that movie “Saraband” may have a harder time putting you under its spell.
As the film goes on we come by out Johan’s son, Henrik (Borje Ahlstedt) and his daughter Karin (Julia Dufvenius) are staying in his guest house. We also obtain out Johan and Henrik are not really on the best of terms. At most it is polite conversation whenever they are in the same room. Which is something they both try to avoid happening.
Henrik plays cello and has been teaching his daughter, who has a stout gift for the instrument we are told. But their relationship is a exclusive one. After Karin’s mother died two years ago she feels she can not leave her father to go and look because it would fracture him. It is feared he might ruin himself. But Henrik is not letting his daughter live her contain life. The two net into an agrument which turns violent and suddenly I was thinking about the best friends and their marriage in “Scenes”.
“Saraband” begins to reveal the epic of fancy, the past, and reconciliation between broken-down husband and wife, father and daughter and father and son.
I wrote a review a long time ago for “Scenes From A Marriage” in it I said the movie has an intensity that few films have matched. Bergman unbiased seems to throw these characters in our face as we eye them explode. I also felt it was the greatest film I had seen on the subject of esteem and marriage. “Saraband” is the only film that comes closet to matching that film’s power.
I should though mention, in order to be pretty and balanced, that “Saraband” is not a better film than “Marriage” I seriously doubt many fans will assume it is either. That is not to say “Saraband” is not a wonderful film. Or a nice companion fraction to “Scenes”. Or a film without ravishing dialogue, strong performances, and much directing. It is a touching arresting film but it objective didn’t seem to hit me as hard as “Scenes” did.
Some of my popular scenes in the film include a conversation between Henrik and Karin about an agrument Henrik and his wife had. Another remarkable scene deals with Johan and Henrik. Here we can view what kind of relationship this father and son have. We can actually gain the loathe and disgust between them. And finally a scene with Marianna and Karin, as Marianna describes Johan to Karin is quite interesting. In fact all of the moments in this film are wonderfully expressed by this cast and Bergman’s ear for dialogue.
Are their faults with the film? Yes. The relationship between Henrik and Karin seems very curious and deserved an explanation but is given none. Also information about Karin’s future is never given and we are left with that same murkiness with Johan’s future. Though all in all “Saraband” is a masterpiece that is dominated by strong performances. It’s emotions are exact and we acquire what we are seeing. I can not recommend this film strongly enough.
Bottom-line: The greatest movie going experience of my life. Ingmar Bergman’s sequel to “Scenes From A Marriage” may not be as grand as that movie, but so few films are. “Saraband” though exceeds as its occupy film. It feels complete as is. It has mighty acting, strong directing, and some truly heavenly speeches all location to a amazing acquire by Bach.
Total Gym 2000
