Perhaps my favourite Bergman to date - it's close behind The Seventh Seal, at the very least.

It's unlike his other films in that it's rather straight forward in its approach and meaning - probably because it wasn't written by him - but I don't think that hurts it. Rather, I appreciated the no-nonsense take on the story, as it befitted the classical nature of the themes it was dealing with. The whole thing is a kind of epic religious struggle - paganism vs. Christianity - and it needs strong dialogue, grand gestures, and - dare I say - hamfisted direction to accomplish this.

But of course, the direction's not really hamfisted. The cinematography is stark and natural and iconic, even more than his previous works (a testament to Bergman's change of cameraman), and it suits the archetypal, mythical essence of the tale. As such, the whole thing is rife with imagery and symbolism and meaning, and I do love my films with more than a touch of allegory. The journey through the forest is dark and scary and dangerous; the father's revenge is horrible and terrifying and horrific. It's a weighty film dealing with weighty issues, and I loved it.

For whatever reason, though, my class didn't. Huh.

Will you watch its re-imagining this year?

I'll probably see the Wes Craven version first.

VIRGIN SPRING

I finally watched this after having the netflix dvd sit around my room for almost 2 weeks. I really enjoyed this movie. I knew nothing but the synopsis going into it and of course a Bergman film always attracts one's attention when looking for something to rent. Of all the characters I enjoyed most was the mother of Karin. Her faith and her love for her daughter and then the scene when she realizes her daughter was killed by those psychos is just money. The whole encounter Karin has with the 3 evildoers was very suspenseful and thrilling and pretty sick at the end with her rape. I was kind of shocked. Overall, I thought it was a well acted, excellent story and good film.

grade - A