tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post5459421905129614073..comments2023-10-11T03:42:59.033-07:00Comments on The Criterion Contraption: #101: Cries and WhispersMatthew Dessemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-51201235439627959752011-09-12T00:26:11.836-07:002011-09-12T00:26:11.836-07:00Cries and Whispers was made shortly after Bergman ...Cries and Whispers was made shortly after Bergman completed his sequence of deconstructionist films shot on the island of Faro (Persona, Hour of the Wolf, Shame, and The Passion of Anna) and shares a few characteristics with them. All of these films transition between scenes that explicitly cannot be objectively real and other scenes that might; all use isolated settings to force characters into PereKidAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08628523201187580985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-15323034182095004672010-12-07T17:28:29.582-08:002010-12-07T17:28:29.582-08:00Vlad,
I'll agree to call it "a film wher...Vlad,<br /><br />I'll agree to call it "a film where the lines between fact and fiction are blurred" if you will. Re: the unpleasantness vs. formal virtuosity -- I think that pleasure is an undervalued cinematic virtue, over here on the Criterion Collection watching side of the aisle (Hollywood, of course, cares about nothing else). Something I've been mulling over. I will Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-42034796059372458072010-11-29T12:17:47.040-08:002010-11-29T12:17:47.040-08:00Jonas,
Thanks!Jonas,<br /><br />Thanks!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-66970631606739503652010-11-24T21:36:03.200-08:002010-11-24T21:36:03.200-08:00Sorry it took me so long to respond; I had to find...Sorry it took me so long to respond; I had to find time to rewatch the movie for the umpteenth time to check what you said against what I remembered. <br /><br />Basically I think your point shoots a big (though not fatal) hole in my theory. I would still argue that the actual events of the cinematic interlude are at most a semi-real dramatization. But obviously it's harder to make that Vadimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-61836935537850059572010-11-13T11:56:24.366-08:002010-11-13T11:56:24.366-08:00I like to read the film, especially given the film...I like to read the film, especially given the film's conclusion, as a framing of all that came before it as completely and utterly absurd. In this sense, it is an existential comedy rooted in the existential tradition of accepting death and very much highlighting the absurd ways in which people are able to play out their own existences. For all I can remember, the only person who can find anyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-46986399642237324922010-11-05T06:06:00.015-07:002010-11-05T06:06:00.015-07:00Since no other Swedes seem to have commented, I ju...Since no other Swedes seem to have commented, I just wanted to confirm that you Google translation is correct.Jonashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02628127203901828167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-11406817284207585902010-11-02T17:13:53.335-07:002010-11-02T17:13:53.335-07:00Vadim,
That's fascinating, and you've con...Vadim,<br /><br />That's fascinating, and you've convinced me, at least when it comes to Karin's flashback. But Maria's dream sequence seems to take place at a particular time and contains some events that clearly *did* happen -- her affair with the doctor, right? She says something along the lines of "It's been so long," when she meets him, and the narration putsMatthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-29931846443254139402010-10-26T23:26:24.603-07:002010-10-26T23:26:24.603-07:00I found some support for the idea that none of the...I found some support for the idea that none of the character sequences are actually part of the reality in which most of the film takes place. In a letter that Bergman wrote to the cast before shooting, he included a synopsis of the four characters. Here's what he had to say about Karin: <br /><br />"KARIN, her [Agnes's] 2-years-older sister, made a wealthy marriage and moved to Vadimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-78815481756852810992010-10-26T18:22:30.282-07:002010-10-26T18:22:30.282-07:00I was referring to what can be called the three “c...I was referring to what can be called the three “character sequences,” each of which opens and closes with a red close-up shot (ie: your formalized structure thing). Here is my take on the significance of these three sequences: <br /><br />Each of the character sequences is ultimately a theatrical implausibility, and I think they’re like that for a reason. What the review calls the dream sequenceVadimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-56229339833225762332010-10-10T16:44:40.350-07:002010-10-10T16:44:40.350-07:00Yes, I was disturbed by this film for a long time ...Yes, I was disturbed by this film for a long time after I saw it. I'm convinced that no one does bitchy, dysfunctional, passive-aggressive families as well as Bergman.<br /><br />I like this film and The Silence because it is about sisters and Autumn Sonata because it is about a mother/daughter. Ingrid Bergman gave a great performance in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-76529637983632975862010-10-09T20:12:08.469-07:002010-10-09T20:12:08.469-07:00As usual, excellent review. One thing I noted fro...As usual, excellent review. One thing I noted from your stills.<br /><br />"Bergman and Nykvist abstract the actors' faces into something lunar and alien, but by the end of each flashback, we know some of the damage behind their eyes."<br /><br />It's interesting how these two shots play with our expectations of lighting. In traditional three-point lighting, the brighter key Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-50092481065528306032010-10-08T18:31:43.657-07:002010-10-08T18:31:43.657-07:00Daren,
Glad you're enjoying the blog. For me...Daren,<br /><br />Glad you're enjoying the blog. For me, <em>Andrei Rublev</em> is the fiilm that resonates beyond all reason. I think if I were to watch <em>Cries and Whispers</em> five times in a row over a weekend, I'd jump off a bridge--it is, as you say, a painful movie. But also hypnotic and beautiful and amazing.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-5394633107327417202010-10-08T18:27:01.413-07:002010-10-08T18:27:01.413-07:00Jeffrey,
Yep, except for the exterior establishin...Jeffrey,<br /><br />Yep, except for the exterior establishing shots at the beginning and the flashback at the very end, we're stuck in that awful house—even when it doesn't make sense, like having the priest speak inside isntead of at a grave. Of course, that makes the flashback at the end all the more idyllic.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-46108937360371838162010-10-08T18:21:24.966-07:002010-10-08T18:21:24.966-07:00Mark,
Respect is a better word than "like&qu...Mark,<br /><br />Respect is a better word than "like" for this one, yeah. I think it does what it sets out to do masterfully, but when I think of movies I've "liked," I tend to think of hangout movies, not films that put you through the wringer. Let's put it this way: I won't forget this movie, but I'm not anxious to see it again soon, either.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-772738834169830292010-10-08T18:19:57.466-07:002010-10-08T18:19:57.466-07:00Vadim,
Do you mean the structural symmetry, the f...Vadim,<br /><br />Do you mean the structural symmetry, the flashback-flashback-death-flashback-dream thing? Or is there a symmetry I missed? As far as the "connect to Bach" scene--I really was not sure how to take it, whether it was meant to be sincere or not. What I did like, but didn't write about, was the way that Maria uses kindness as a weapon in the scenes leading up to it Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-78660949535416165922010-10-08T18:13:15.828-07:002010-10-08T18:13:15.828-07:00I have been reading your work here for a while but...I have been reading your work here for a while but I have been waiting to see what you would say about this truly amazing film. Le Ted said it right, there is something that just resonates with me in this film. <br /><br />I chose to watch it for a paper I wrote in a film class (along with the amazing Through a Glass Darkly and Wild Strawberries) and after watching it once I had to see it again. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-74422391075931978822010-10-07T14:13:01.160-07:002010-10-07T14:13:01.160-07:00This, along with Fanny and Alexander, are my two f...This, along with Fanny and Alexander, are my two favorite Bergman films. And this one is more devastating.<br /><br />Another point that I find important is the film's claustrophobia. Aside from the opening and closing, we're inside those red rooms through the entire film, as if we're stuck inside a cancerous body.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03722180261798235298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-47594068650187207242010-10-06T15:05:58.331-07:002010-10-06T15:05:58.331-07:00Matt,
Of all the films that I've watched as p...Matt,<br /><br />Of all the films that I've watched as part of my own criterion survey, this was the one that stuck with me the most. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days afterward. The images and the torment these characters are put through just isn't easily shaken off.<br /><br />I thought your review was very insightful, but I reread it trying to figure out whether you Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15698885393854345012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-57973420608268872132010-10-06T12:48:25.060-07:002010-10-06T12:48:25.060-07:00I've been looking forward to this one. Your re...I've been looking forward to this one. Your review was great, if a little short. To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't talk more about the Dostoevsky-style symmetry, given your writing background. I was very curious about what you'd think of the scene where Karin and Agnes connect to Bach. <br /><br />Save a little disappointment and avoid stratospheric expectations for Hour of Vadimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-91189726142722874392010-10-06T00:59:29.598-07:002010-10-06T00:59:29.598-07:00Le Ted,
Ulmann's scenes with the doctor are p...Le Ted,<br /><br />Ulmann's scenes with the doctor are pretty spectacular -- his monologue when he makes her look in the mirror is amazing. I didn't find their scenes together particularly erotic, mostly because he seems so indifferent to her--but she's definitely amazing. What's the other film in your top two?Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-43548606600724441612010-10-06T00:56:46.404-07:002010-10-06T00:56:46.404-07:00I've added "Hour of the Wolf" to my ...I've added "Hour of the Wolf" to my queue -- I have high hopes for this. Thanks for the tip!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-32360631583143715122010-10-05T17:47:59.608-07:002010-10-05T17:47:59.608-07:00Bergman actually did do at least one 'straight...Bergman actually did do at least one 'straight up' horror film in the form of Hour of the Wolf (think Polanski). Virgin Spring also got remade as Last House on the Left though it probably doesn't count.legatonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-44872249086520501962010-10-05T06:46:19.343-07:002010-10-05T06:46:19.343-07:00Watched this years ago, need to watch it again. Ex...Watched this years ago, need to watch it again. Excellent writeup.Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-12198774749882534302010-10-05T06:34:59.744-07:002010-10-05T06:34:59.744-07:00I don't know if it's the color scheme or t...I don't know if it's the color scheme or the performances, but something in this movie resonates very deeply with me. I hesitate to say it's my favorite, but . . . I consider it in the top two. <br /><br />I mean, grim as it is, it's just so beautiful - Nykvist certainly earned his name (and Oscar!) with this one.<br /><br />I also have to say Liv Ullman's kissing/biting theLe Tedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05242378351959159148noreply@blogger.com