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Inga Landgr_,
Stig Järrel,
Eva Henning,
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Ingmar Bergman,
Alf Sjöberg,
Ingmar Bergman
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: Criterion
: Drama, Foreign, Scandinavia
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Crisis (Eclipse Collection) (1946)
Based on Modherjertet, a play by Leck Fischer, Kris is historically important as the first directorial effort by Ingmar Bergman. The title literally translates to Crisis, though the film was also known as A Young Girl's Troubles. The girl in question is Nelly, played by Inga Landgre. As was typical of Bergman's early works, the plot deals with young Nelly's attempts to find romance and happiness in a village populated by tradition-bound elders. Throughout the film, Bergman draws upon his theatrical background by having the action "interpreted" by an all-knowing narrator. At the time of the film's release, Bergman was lauded by reviewers in both Sweden and the US as a promising newcomer (though Variety identified the director as "Ingmar Bergmar"!). While Kris hardly represents Bergman at his best, it must be remembered that at the time he was merely a hired hand at Svensk Filmindustri, with little control over the properties assigned him: his talents would not fully blossom until his 1949 effort Fangelse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Early Bergman Box Set (1944 - 1949)
Before The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries established him as one of the great masters of cinema, Ingmar Bergman created a series of less well known, devastating psychological character studies, marked by intricate, layered narratives, gritty environments, and haunting visuals. These early films, which show the stirrings of the genius to come, remain the hidden treasures of a European cinema on the cusp of a golden age.
Port of Call (Eclipse Collection) (1948)
Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman seldom had much to say concerning his early feature Port of Call (Hamnstad), perhaps because of the film's unsatisfying shift of tone from grim to upbeat towards the climax (one gets the feeling that this was dictated by Bergman's financiers). Still, this stark tale of the waterfront contains several elements that would come to full fruition in Bergman's later works, notably the troublesome necessity to break away from tradition. The story involves a romance between dockhand Ivine-Christine Jonsson and ex-prostitute Bengt Eklund, and the problems faced by Jonsson in coming to grips with his own puritanical attitudes concerning his beloved's past. While the ending is technically "happy," it is clear that the problems are not completely resolved, and we are invited to speculate on the couple's future. Port of Call would not be released in the US until 1960, after Bergman's reputation had been affirmed by such classics as The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Thirst (Eclipse Collection) (1949)
The introspective aspects of womanhood, a theme common to the mature works of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, was first explored in Bergman's 1949 production Three Strange Loves. Originally titled Torst (Thirst), the film tells a basic love-triangle story from a female perspective. In the manner of Bergman's later Persona, at one point the personalities of two separate women mesh as one. As in the case of most of his pre-Summer Interlude works, Bergman has had little to say on the subject of Three Strange Loves, and even less on his brief cameo as a train passenger. The film was not released in the US until after the extraordinary successes of Bergman's Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
To Joy (Eclipse Collection) (1949)
This relatively minor film by legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman examines the progress of the marriage of two violinists. The film's title, To Joy, refers to the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the "Ode to Joy," and the film itself ends on what is (for Bergman) a cheerful note. Stig (Stig Olin), the husband, despite having great ambitions, simply does not have what it takes to be a violin soloist. He is unable to accept this reality and is given to childish outbursts when the issue arises. The conductor (Victor Sjostrom) of the orchestra tries to counsel Stig, but his difficulties of getting through to the boy are compounded by the his awe at the joy Stig and his wife (Maj-Britt Nilsson) take in each other's company. The film covers the entire extent of their marriage. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Torment (Eclipse Collection) (1944)
Written by Ingmar Bergman and directed by Alf Sjoberg, Torment is the tale of a schoolboy (Alf Kjellin) and the young woman (Mai Zetterling) he loves who are both being tormented by the boy's evil schoolteacher (Stig Jarrel). Torment has the distinction of being the first script of Bergman's to be filmed. Torment has also been released with the title Frenzy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
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