Winter Light
1963 ‘Nattvardsgästerna’ Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Master craftsman Ingmar Bergman explores the search for redemption in a meaningless existence. In this stark depiction of spiritual crisis, small-town pastor Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Björnstrand) performs his duties mechanically before a dwindling congregation. When he is asked to assist with a troubled parishioner’s (Max von Sydow) debilitating fear of nuclear annihilation, Tomas is terrified to find that he can provide nothing but his own uncertainty.
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I've still got a few of his lower-tier movies to see, but I'm pretty confident in pronouncing Winter Light to be the most Bergman of Bergman films. It is perfectly photographed, brilliantly acted, economical, poetic, philosophical, and incredibly moving. It may not be my favorite film of his, but it would be the one I'd show to anyone trying to get a feel for his movies: if you like Winter Light, then you're definitely a Bergman fan.
As part of his "Silence of God" trilogy (along with Through a Glass Darkly and The Silence), Winter Light tells the relatively straightforward tale of a…
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The second part of Bergman's unoffical 'faith' trilogy Winter Light is a spartan tale of a village pastor's crisis of faith. Like the first of the trilogy, Through a Glass Darkly the story takes place over the course of one day and uses a limited cast of characters.
The film opens with Pastor Tomas (Gunnar Björnstrand) leading a Communion mass. The scene is played in real time, and the camera switches between Tomas' intonation of the scripture and the reactions of the sparse congregation. Bergman suggests that the mass is empty ritual, carried out automatically and without any real conviction.
It is revealed that Tomas' wife died four years prior and it had led to…
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Oh, the humanity. Woe the humanity.
It's best you prepare yourself before the Bergman onslaught. I cannot simply throw on the Bergmeister on a sunny afternoon and hope for a good time. Quite the opposite, actually. Abandon your hope. All of it.
It's deadly cold here in the Northeast. The flu isn't only ripe, but has mutated and evolved into an evil amalgamation. I have friends who work in schools (flu breeding grounds) who have become enslaved by this fucking virus and some have had nights of blood vomit. I can't even fathom that pain anymore. I had the flu once when I was 17. After one week of no appetite, my diet had changed. 3 months later and miles…
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Breaking up with God / Breaking up with each other
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Bergman's been on my mind a lot lately, particularly in relation to how important he was to my development as a movie lover. Which makes it sort of jaw-dropping that the last time I actually sat down to watch a Bergman movie was at least five years ago, when I wrote up his semi-infamous THE SERPENT'S EGG for the now-defunct Screengrab. Since that time, Bergman's reputation has dwindled to some extent- while he's still a major figure in cinematic history, he doesn't seem to be one of the titans the way he used to be- to the point where he was completely shut out of the top 100 in the Skuriels poll last summer, for example (so stop whining about…
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On my most recent rewatch, among the many incredible and seemingly perfect aspects of this film (cinematography, acting, editing, etc), the writing stood out for me this time. Every scene is driven by the words spoken...and the silence inbetween. I wonder which part of a Bergman film I will admire and cherish next time?
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Breaking up with God / Breaking up with each other
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Long first scene of the church service has the effect of making the audience a bored person looking around on others in the same room. It shows the spiritual boredom from which the characters are suffering.
There is a very obvious lack of continuity in the scene where the body of the fisherman is found. There is no trace of snow anywhere. Is it possible that this could have escaped Bergman? After all, the film is set in winter, so I'm inclined to think that it's deliberate, but the meaning of this is unclear.
As is typical of Bergman, the film is very wordy and can feel long at times, though it's actually quite short (77 minutes). -
The film distilled down to a single moment is the one when the great Max Von Sydow stares at Gunnar Bjornstrand. Watching the documentary included in the box set, Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie, definitely adds to the enjoyment of this film.
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A film about private struggle, cognitive dissonance, and the shortcomings of faith. It is so lovingly intimate, and rarely has a film come so close to being perfect.
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Questioning the existence of a God and the 'moral' rules of religion has never been made with such artistry. You can see how personal this film was for Bergman. An important film as much as it is perfect in every sense. And the 'unbroken' six minutes shot of Märta's monologue is among the best moments in Bergman's career.
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The second part of Bergman's unoffical 'faith' trilogy Winter Light is a spartan tale of a village pastor's crisis of faith. Like the first of the trilogy, Through a Glass Darkly the story takes place over the course of one day and uses a limited cast of characters.
The film opens with Pastor Tomas (Gunnar Björnstrand) leading a Communion mass. The scene is played in real time, and the camera switches between Tomas' intonation of the scripture and the reactions of the sparse congregation. Bergman suggests that the mass is empty ritual, carried out automatically and without any real conviction.
It is revealed that Tomas' wife died four years prior and it had led to…
-
Bergman's been on my mind a lot lately, particularly in relation to how important he was to my development as a movie lover. Which makes it sort of jaw-dropping that the last time I actually sat down to watch a Bergman movie was at least five years ago, when I wrote up his semi-infamous THE SERPENT'S EGG for the now-defunct Screengrab. Since that time, Bergman's reputation has dwindled to some extent- while he's still a major figure in cinematic history, he doesn't seem to be one of the titans the way he used to be- to the point where he was completely shut out of the top 100 in the Skuriels poll last summer, for example (so stop whining about…
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Holy mother of.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.