Cries and Whispers
1972 ‘Viskningar och rop’ Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
When a woman dying of cancer in turn-of-the century Sweden is visited by her two sisters, long repressed feelings between the siblings rise to the surface.
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"All my films could be filmed in black and white, except for Cries and Whispers. In the screenplay, I say that I have thought of the color red as the interior of the soul. When I was a child, I used to see the soul as the shadow of a dragon, greyish-blue, hovering like an enormous winged creature, half bird, half fish. But inside the dragon, everything was red."
BERGMAN, Ingmar. "Imagens", 1994. Martins Fontes. (Free translation)I believe that Cries and Whispers is Bergman's most enigmatic film.
The initial idea for this film was the "vision" about this punishment room. However, the sources are never exactly clear about how this movie happened to Bergman. When young, he said it…
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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Does for close-ups and indoors what DAYS OF HEAVEN did for nature and the outdoors. It's like you've never seen the color red before.
Oh right, and the acting and the story are perfection too, blah blah etc etc.
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This is the 3rd Ingmar Bergman film I’ve seen (the other two being The Seventh Seal & Shame) and I don’t really care for any of them. His films tend to become so self-serious that they almost border on parody. To call Whispers melodramatic would be an extreme understatement. Bergman is one auteur I just can’t get behind. I’ve never cared for films in which the abstractions and metaphors completely overtake the narrative/characters. But that’s just me.
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Another masterpiece in Bergman's masterful career. A deep and complex analysis of the psyche of human being, as viewed by the eyes of a woman in her deathbed, with her sisters dealing with it as well.
It's not easy. It's dense, painful, extremely uncomfortable and rather traumatic. You can't 'unsee' it, you know? It stays with you for better of for worse. Death is something we will have to deal with sooner or later, but most of the time its portrayal in films is, well, softened. Bergman just said: "Let's be fucking honest". And this is the result.
Amazing. -
"Come what may, this is happiness. I cannot wish for anything better. Now, for a few minutes, I can experience perfection. And I feel profoundly grateful to my life, which gives me so much."
It's been a couple years since I've watched a Bergman film I haven't seen, so I'm trying to reorient myself to his approach. Watching Persona again was a great reminder of how startling and impactful Bergman can be, and Cries & Whispers is in turn a great reminder of how emotionally overwhelming Bergman frequently is.
The performance by Harriet Andersson as the dying Agnes is incredible. Her cries of agony are hard to take, her sweetness even as she nears death heartbreaking. Her sisters, played by Ingrid…
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Affecting and, at times, disturbing, Bergman's Cries and Whispers is about two women who come together to care for their dying sister. There is something profoundly wrong here, though. Emotions are repressed and it often seems that the only one who cares for the dying Agnes is her maid, Anna. Her sisters, Karin and Maria remain emotionally distant, both from Agnes and from each other. Karin comes off as cold and repressed, and shows little emotion or care for anyone. Maria is much more affectionate, but her actions don't often ring true. Throughout the film, these women rarely speak to one another; nearly everything we learn about them comes through traumatic moments (cries) and the few words they utter (whispers).…
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I think there are a few things where Bergman is unbeatable: ability to make women look painfully gorgeous (maybe Bunuel is very close), depicting physical emotions and his expertise in the treatment of Death. This monumental piece of art is a cinema lovers delight; the way it deals with love, lust, death, guilt, betrayal, loyalty is phenomenal! What Bergman achieved in 1972, people can only dream to the same, even today. It's so raw in parts that you'll be forced to look away. Really powerful.
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With scenes of haunting unrest and languid tranquility, Bergman presents the disfunctional interpersonal relationships and misgivings of two sisters as they watch vigil over their cancer-ridden sibling.
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Another masterpiece in Bergman's masterful career. A deep and complex analysis of the psyche of human being, as viewed by the eyes of a woman in her deathbed, with her sisters dealing with it as well.
It's not easy. It's dense, painful, extremely uncomfortable and rather traumatic. You can't 'unsee' it, you know? It stays with you for better of for worse. Death is something we will have to deal with sooner or later, but most of the time its portrayal in films is, well, softened. Bergman just said: "Let's be fucking honest". And this is the result.
Amazing. -
It's terrifying in such an odd way. It's all about love and death and life but it makes you scream.
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First-rate zombie flick.
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Well made film with good acting. I mostly remember this movie using the color red a lot.
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Why It’s Essential — A masterful and heartbreaking dissection of faith and mortality, and a notable masterpiece from Bergman’s oeuvre.
Why You’ll Want to Skip It — It’s not an easy watch; the subject matter may prove too depressing for some.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.