First viewing of the director's cut. It's on home video again at last! Thank you, Vinegar Syndrome!
The score is kept from my youth and applies on a kind B-Movie scale
One of the rare horror films that to me stands out for being equal parts effective and risible.
Some of the so-bad-it's-good element is stripped in this version, the sound mix is most definitely better, but extreme overacting remains.
Knee-jerk review:
Object lessons in dramatic use of source music, following up on visual cues, and use of a five-act structure.
The treatment of the subjects is rather vignette via interview, but it does tie together into one unifying theme that could address the concerns of many of those Bergman inteviewed in his adopted home. Having seen Bergman Island before, it’s great to see his perspective on the place and the people. It’s also fascinating to watch in hindsight knowing there’s a followup ten years later, making it somewhat like the Up series.
It's a sprawling topic, which makes it hard to hold together. However, it was informative, and clarified some things I wondered about. It can communicate with the uninitiated, and as per usual makes a mockery of prejudice through science. However, some of the sociological insights, especially from other cultures, are what is most telling. Some of the subjects' stories are quite moving and communicate volumes.
