Drama > Bergman, Ingmar Drama

"Nothing escapes me. No one escapes me"

Advantages: Iconic and engaging. Breathtaking performances and direction.
Disadvantages: Its pessimism may leave some bored.

...will surely be familiar with the iconic image of a knight playing chess with the grim reaper with a Swedish beach serving as the backdrop. It's been parodied, referenced and homaged to the point where you'd not be mistaken to think that you've seen the whole film. A notable cinematic salute that springs to mind is that of 'Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey' where the duo have to play off against death with a series of board games; Twister, Battleships ...
...the more impressive considering that it's a fifty plus year old foreign film. Set during the time of the Black Plague (circa 14th century), the narrative focuses on one man: Antonius Block (Max von Sydow). A knight during the crusades, Block and his squire Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand) return to Sweden to see a land ravaged by death and decay. Block wakes up on a beach disillusioned about the existence of god where he meets death himself (Bengt Ekerot) ...

Markula 24.02.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Seventh Seal (DVD)

One of Bergman's Finest

Advantages: Not a trace of banality there
Disadvantages: Misogyny

The first thing to mention is a little known fact. This film is part of a trilogy: it is followed by 'Winter Lights' and 'The Silence'. So if one really wants to come to terms with what Bergman has to say about religion and God then all three should be watched. In spite of this 'Through a Glass Darkly' can very easily stand alone as a cinematic masterpiece. Nykvist's cinematography is something purely beautiful and each individual actor, without ...
...Sanity, Love, Sexuality, Artistic production, philosophy and more the film itself is bursting with meaning and the intellectual achievement on Bergman's part should not be underplayed. Although there are rather assertive overtone's of Freudian misogyny in the use of female hysteria yet one cannot necessarily mark this negatively. All in all it is a beautiful and thought-provoking watch and I would recommend it to all. Especially so to the fan of ...

spanner131 17.07.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Through A Glass Darkly (DVD)

A film that makes you re-evalute your life

Advantages: Very good film, perfomances, ideas put across by Bergman
Disadvantages: Relationships needed to be defined clearly

This is an absolute gem of a film. It was written in 1957 by Ingmar Bergman, one of the most renowned director in the world. He may not be very well known by the mainstream but he is relished by the people who do actually know his films. From what I have seen of his films so far; he is a genius in ideas that are totally open to interpretion that the audience truly never know the full story. The themes such as bleakness, depression and hope, he tackles ...
...present in the 1950s were often jolly with a optimistic outlook on life. He displays many ideas in his films that seem to delve in the study of the human condition; how people cope with the inevitable events that occurs in their life. CAST Actors: Victor Sjöström, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Jullan Kindahl Directors: Ingmar Bergman PLOT This film is an emotional journey of a man who reaches the conclusion that ...

Annallon 03.07.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Wild Strawberries (DVD)

The Genius That Is Ingmar Bergman

Advantages: Powerful, Simple, Poetic, Beautiful
Disadvantages: to only those who want to see

...succumb to reviewing one of the most prized DVDs in my film collection. Jungfrukällan (original Swedish title) is based on a medieval fable about a girl who is raped and murdered by three herdsmen in the wilderness. Now this might sound like a B-grade thriller or even a disused porno-with-a-plot but be very surprised because what you get is actually a brilliantly woven composition of revenge, faith, purity, reconciliation, piety, evil, guilt, sin ...
...Wes Craven's "Last House On The Left" 1972 but being controversially violent does not always equal being successful. Bergman is simply amazing in this film! SYNOPSIS: In 14th century Sweden, a beautiful virgin daughter sets out to bring candles to the church only to be brutally raped and murdered by three goat-herders in the woods after her jealous half-sister partakes in an evil pagan spell. In a maze of poetic justice, the bandit trio unknowingly ...

habitualdamnation 11.07.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Virgin Spring (DVD)

Sex and the City

Advantages: funny, great performance
Disadvantages: long

...so many exciting reviews on Sex and the City that I decided I watch it. It is a real chick flick romantic comedy and that evening it was the perfect entertainment for me. The film was written and directed by Michael Patrick King. Actually he was the co-producer of the film as well with Sarah Jessica Parker and Darren Star. Michael Patrick King is an American film director and screenplay writer. Besides Sex and the City he wrote the screenplay of ...
...balance. She and Steve have sex about twice a year and even then she is not so involved. She is hurt and devastated when Steve confesses that he had sex with another woman. Miranda separates immediately from him and sees no chance to forgive him. Charlotte has a happy family since they adopted Lily. She is a beautiful girl. Charlotte soon realises that since they gave up trying to have a baby she is pregnant. Can she carry out the baby? My opinion ...

D_i_a_n_e 29.12.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Sex And The City - The Movie (DVD)