Ingmar Bergman Vol 1

This Vol 1 box set contains eight early films of acclaimed Swedish director/writer Ingmar Bergman, the grandmaster of ‘cheer and joy’ (only kidding). Often using the same actors and with repetitive themes of loneliness, despair, love, break-ups, death & redemption, religion and the occasional happy-ending watching this epic set can be a trifle on the demanding side although a stellar cast comprised of then stars like Stig Olin, Birger Malmsten, Mai Zetterling, Inga Landgré and many others add intensity and gravitas to each and every part.

The first film, TORMENT (1944) is actually directed by Alf Sjöberg though the screenplay is by Bergman and one can already see the themes which would manifest themselves in his films time and time again. This tale of ‘sex, passion and murder’ is predominantly set in a Stockholm school in which the students are subjected to the sadistic bullying of their Latin teacher (Stig Järrel), simply nick-named ‘Caligula’. In particular sensitive student Jan-Erik Widgren (Alf Kjellin) is constantly at loggerheads with the teacher, in fact he seems at loggerheads with his strict parents and his entire surroundings. Returning home from a bar one evening he spots a crying and highly intoxicated young woman in the street (in fact almost all women are either constantly crying, submissive, hysterical and utterly weak-willed in Bergman’s early films… something that will not sit well with modern female viewers). The ‘damsel in distress’ turns out to be Bertha Olsson (Mai Zetterling), a clerk in the local tobacco store (ah yes – chain smoking seems to be another passion which the characters in Bergman films indulge in). Worried for her well-being Jan-Erik walks Bertha home to her ramshackle abode and quickly realises that not only does she have a taste for men but for liquor (ah yes – drinking like fish also seems to be a passion which characters in Bergman films indulge in). Although she seems reluctant to reveal the reasons of her unhappiness, Jan-Erik senses that Bertha is terrified of someone… an older man who seems to control her every move. Despite the alarm bells ringing loud the student gets involved with Bertha and as a consequence his performance at school begins to suffer though worse is yet to come… Martin Bodin’s almost expressionistic b/w cinematography and outstanding performances from Kjellin, Zetterling and Järrel make this an accomplished albeit angst-ridden melodrama.

CRISIS (1946) is easily the golden egg in the set thanks to an engaging plot and ace performances especially from Stig Olin and a young Inga Landgré in the role of Nelly, a naïve young girl who lives a quiet life in a Swedish small town with her ill and worn-out by life foster mother Ingeborg (Dagny Lind). Nelly has a local admirer in Ulf (Allan Bohlin) though she’s not interested in him apart from friendship. One day, after many years of neglecting her, Nelly’s biological and glamorous mother Jenny (Marianne Löfgren) turns up out of the blue to lure her daughter into the big city with promises of excitement and a better life but receives a cool reception from Inge who has sacrificed a lot for Nelly’s sake. Inge is well aware of Jenny’s sordid past and is certain that her foster daughter won’t be happy moving away but Jenny is persistent with promises of a well-paid job in a beauty parlour, nice clothes and so forth. A couple of days later Jack (Stig Olin) arrives, an out-of-work actor and general hell-raiser who lives off Jenny’s money and is in fact a cousin of hers. Within no time Nelly falls hook, line and sinker for the dapper bohemian who brings a fresh breeze of air into the stifling small town atmosphere and eventually follows her mother into the city, much to the chagrin of Inge and Ulf. Despite earning good money and getting pampered by Jenny who showers her daughter with gifts to make up for lost time Nelly soon feels torn… not just because she misses her foster mother but because underneath Jack’s seemingly chirpy façade lurks a terrible secret which plunges him into an ever bigger conflict…a conflict that puts Nelly’s loyalties to the test. The film marks Bergman’s first feature as a director and he also wrote the captivating screenplay.

Next up is MUSIC IN DARKNESS (1948, screenplay by Dagmar Edquist) which features Birger Malmsten (one of Bergman’s favourite actors) in the role of Bengt Vyldeke, a talented classical pianist who is reduced to playing in cafés and hotel lounges after losing his eyesight during a military exercise. Mai Zetterling returns, here in the role of Ingrid, a working-class girl who works as a servant in Bengt’s parents house and who isn’t bothered by his blindness, far from it, she turns out to be a source of encouragement and strength and between all the dramas and tantrums a happy ending is looming on the horizon.

Also made in 1948 are EVA and PORT OF CALL. The former once again stars Birger Malmsten in the lead, this time as a Bo, a young man who returns home to his little village after completing military service. Although one part in him looks forward to returning home the other part seems terrified due to a particularly traumatizing childhood experience which we then see in a flashback scene and which prompted him to run away from home. However, after being re-united with his folks it’s not all doom and gloom as he makes the acquaintance of Eva (Eva Stilberg), a goody-goody-two-shoes-type who stands in stark contrast to Susanne (Eva Dahlbeck), the sultry and seductive wife of Bo’s ‘libertine’ friend Göran (Stig Olin again). Cue for mind games, surreal dream sequences and the usual philosophical Bergman topics concerning the meaning of God, life, love, death and existence itself. Heavy stuff!
PORT OF CALL features Bengt Eklund (another one of Bergman’s regulars) as Gösta, a sailor returning to a drab little working class town who witnesses a young woman jumping into the sea just as he leaves ship – what a welcome! The suicidal lass is rescued by dockworkers and turns out to be Berit Holm (Nine-Christine Jönnson) and to say that she is a troubled soul with a troubled past is an understatement! Nonetheless both her and Gösta embark on a relationship though her constant self-loathing and the fact that demons of the past won’t leave her alone soon puts their happiness in jeopardy…

Disc 4 offers two rather depressing films (depending on ones personal viewpoint of course) with PRISON (1949) and THIRST (1949, screenplay by Herbert Grevenius). In PRISON we have a film within a film, very clever opening credits and themes of faith and identity crisis. We find ourselves on a film set where the director is (obviously perhaps) surprised to receive a visitor in the shape of his former maths teacher! Not only that but the teacher proposes a strange concept for a new feature in which life on earth is Hell and humans are governed by the Devil. After the director discusses the concept with Tomas the scriptwriter (Birger Malmsten) he plans a suicide pact with his wife who – quelle surprise – leaves him! He then hooks up with young prostitute Birgitta (Doris Svedlund) who is severly traumatized after her no-good pimp boyfriend (Stig Olin) and his female accomplice talk her into giving her new-born baby away… which later is found killed. Despite their best joint efforts to find happiness together this cannot happen for Tomas and the increasingly desperate and suicidal Birgitta. Admittedly the film’s surreal dream sequences are captivating but as for the plot… hand me the bottle please!
In THIRST we have in fact a similar scenario starting with couple Rut (Eva Henning) and Bertil (Birger Malmsten) traveling home to Sweden by train after a vacation in Bella Italia. During a stop in post-war Germany Rut, who suffers from unpredictable mood swings and drinks heavily (not to mention smokes heavily) recalls the source of her unhappiness triggered by memories of an unhappy affair with arrogant and domineering military officer Raoul (Bengt Eklund) who forced her to abort her child, resulting in her infertility. Meanwhile Bertil is also haunted by memories past, in his case by an affair with Viola (Birgit Tengroth), a widow who becomes more and more depressed after her smug shrink Valborg (Mimi Nelson) tries to seduce her. Finally a pass from a lesbian lady pushes her over the edge and into suicide. You will be surprised (shocked even!) to learn that despite all this the film has a happy ending, well, of sorts.

Last but not least we have TO JOY (1950) on Disc 5-disc. Stig Olin (father of Lena Olin btw) delivers a tour de force performance as Stig Eriksson, a driven and ambitious violinist who receives the dreadful news that his wife Marta (Maj-Britt Nilsson) has been killed in a gas explosion, with the daughter injured in hospital. The film then goes into flashback and tells how Marta (also a violinist in the same orchestra) and Stig became married and their subsequent trials and tribulations until tragedy struck. Most memorable perhaps is a sentence uttered by Sönderby (Victor Sjöström), the conductor, in response to Marta (a woman!) joining the orchestra: “It’s silly and it’s against nature”. Say no more! One must wonder whether classical music lover Bergman, who wrote the script, held similar opinions?

For all its strong and compelling performances this Limited Edition Blu-ray box set (which also features bonus material including a video essay, a Guardian interview with the maestro and a 100-page book) will perhaps only appeal to die-hard Bergman fans thanks to the films sombre overtones. Or perhaps it is best summed up by a remark which the actor Charles Bronson once made after he turned down an offer to star in a Bergman film (preferring DEATH WISH 1-5 and such like): “Everything is sickness and weakness with Bergman.”