Friday, January 16, 2009

Scener ur ett atkenskap (Scenes From a Marriage)

So what is this one about?
Widely considered one of Ingmar Bergman's best, this intense drama follows the marriage of Marianne (Liv Ullmann) and Johan (Erland Josephson) as it deteriorates. When Marianne learns of Johan's infatuation with another woman, the relationship unravels, yet through it all, a deep, underlying love keeps the couple connected. This is the theatrical version of the film; also included is a theatrical-TV comparison and other extras.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Some amount on my Netflix account (aka: I am too lazy to figure it out)

And what did I think?
When I watched the extra features explanation I realized I may have gotten the wrong version of this movie. There are two, one is the theatrical version (the one I watched) and the other one is the miniseries. I think I might have enjoyed the miniseries version better. But, the third episode, or vingette (since I got the theatrical version, not the television version), titled 'Paula' was beyond shocking. I couldn't believe it! I think I actually gasped!

I guess one of the interesting things about this movie was that it showed how complex relationships, and marriages, are. These characters, the husband and wife, were so tied to each other in so many ways, it was impossible for them to completely detach from each other. Even if they wanted to!

Overall it was a very interesting film. I can see why American audiences of the time liked this movie so much, I don't have much experience with Swedish film but I thought this was a good introductory film (though I have seen some Bergman, including The Seventh Seal, which is amazing!!!!!)

Also, the actors weren't what I expected of Swedes. They were less Aryan than I expected them to be. Though, when I went to Norway (the fatherland) I had the same problem...

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
It was good--long, but good. I give it an 8. Watch more Bergman. He is amazing.

1 comment:

sickboy said...

You mean they weren't blond hair and blue eyes. Real Swedes are not as we are led to believe, they are not all Victoria Silvstedt. Apparently Finish people are more attractive.

Norway, why does everyone have Norwegian connections nowadays? It's like the new Ireland.