Starting this week and continuing into next week at the Adelaide Cinémathèque is Lives of Shadow and Light: The Films of Ingmar Bergman. I’ve written about the Cinémathèque recently, and also wrote about Bergman here. One of the highlights of last year’s program was Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and this year we’re lucky enough to get three of his films. If you’ve not yet been to the Cinémathèque then now would be a good time to go. I’ll quote the descriptions of the three films from the Cinémathèque website, together with some relevant Youtube videos

7:30pm Monday 24 August

THE VIRGIN SPRING

Sweden 1960 88mins 35mm
When a devout young girl is raped and killed by goat herders, the most sacred beliefs of her deeply religious parents are challenged as they become consumed by a violent need for justice and revenge. Based on a medieval ballad set in 14th century Sweden, this allegorical tale examines the conflicts of a society transitioning from Paganism to Christianity. It is also notable for being the unlikely inspiration for Wes Craven’s notorious nasty Last House on the Left. Stars Birgitta Valberg and Max von Sydow. Print courtesy of the ACMI collection.

7:30pm Thursday 27 August
CRIES AND WHISPERS

Sweden 1972 91mins 35mm
Terminally ill Agnes is joined at her bedside by sisters Maria and Karin as she waits to die. But as her sisters’ jealousies and resentment surface, much of Agnes’ emotional comfort is left to Anna her devoted and fatalistic maid. Through a series of flashbacks, the inner lives of these women are examined as each one recounts a painful moment in their lives in this intense, disturbing and powerful family drama about repression, spirituality, sexual passion, hatred and death. Stars Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann. Print courtesy of the ACMI collection.
Listed in 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die

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7:30pm Monday 31 August
WILD STRAWBERRIES

Sweden 1957 93mins 35mm
As a cynical, ageing academic, travels with his daughter-in-law to receive an honorary University degree, he also embarks on a journey from emotional isolation to personal redemption. Reliving his past through a series of memories and dreams that blur reality and imagination, Professor Borg recalls his childhood with its wild strawberry patch and his childhood sweetheart, his elderly mother alone in her large house, and his long-dead wife, bitter and disappointed by her husband’s inability to love. Stars Bibi Andersson, Max Von Sydow and Victor Sjöström. Print courtesy of the ACMI collection.

Winner Golden Berlin Bear Berlin Film Festival 1958
Listed in 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die

[youtube 3Lg-0HeDLAQ]

Also an interview with Woody Allen about Ingmar Bergman (he talks about Cries and Whispers in particular in part 2)

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