The curse of memory?

Thirst (Törst, a.k.a Three Strange Loves, Swedish; 1949)
Director: Ingmar Bergman.

Do you really know what we want in our lives?  Are we dreaming up something and spending our whole lives trapped in a nightmare attempting to achieve the impossible? When mores in the society used to be so strict, perhaps it gave a certain amount of sanity to the general population. With empowerment and the decline in needing to conform, people started doing things as their wish. Happiness and self-contentment is the end-point. The problem is that the quenching of this thirst is an ever-elusive unattainable goal. 

The film, which is quite revolutionary at this time, in its cinematography and storyline is typical of Bergman's movies. It speaks of things that are considered taboo in the society at that time- suicide, infidelity, lesbianism and depression. It revolves around three love stories which are somewhat inter-related. It is narrated from the point of view of Rut, who is returning from her Italian vacation with her thrifty husband, Bertil, who counts every penny that they spent together. Their relationship is not really fantastic with constant bickering. Rut is frequently moody and nags most of the time. During their long train journey return home, the unhappy Rut reflects on the things that she has had. She used to be an up-and-coming ballet dancer who had an affair with an abusive married man. He scooted off at the first news of her pregnancy. After undergoing a complicated termination of pregnancy which doomed her to infertility, she yearns to be a mother. Bertil had a baggage of his own. He had previously married a widow, Viola, who nowhere really got over her deceased husband and needed therapy.

In another flashback, we see Viola being treated by a psychiatrist who could easily be labelled as a whacko himself. She runs away from the therapist's office only to meet a former schoolmate, Valborg. Now Valborg used to be Rut's confidantè in her ballet school when they were terrorised by a fierce instructor. 

The unstable Viola was overwhelmed by Valborg's unabashed romantic confrontations. It proved too much for her that Viola committed suicide by jumping off a pier.

Meanwhile, Rut-Bertil's shaky marriage gets more bizarre. Unable to stand the wife, Bertil actually has thoughts of throwing her off the moving train and at another instance, whacking her at the back of the head with the end of a beer bottle. 

It ends with a happy note with both parties secretly promising to work harder at making the marriage work.

Maybe our ability to remember things is a curse. Despite the leaps of progress we have made with our increase in our cognitive function over the aeons, in the emotional field,  our inability to forget our bitter experience impedes our desire to put our past behind and move on. Our daunting histories keep bringing up trapped like a rat whose feet are stuck in sticky glue. The more it tries to entangle itself, a bigger mess it creates for itself.

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Not so touching...

The Touch (1971)

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

This is one of Bergman's movies that bombed in the box office. Perhaps because its storyline is somehow bizarre, but then it does not create the kind of cerebral exercise that his films generally generate. It is said that the story is self-explanatory with a sort of poetic justice attached to it. The audiences are left as passive absorbers of the narration.

Andreas, a doctor, (Max Von Sydow) and Karin (Bibi Anderson), a homemaker are happily married with 2 preteen daughters.

Andreas invites his patient, David, for dinner. David, an American archaeologist, was in town to excavate an ancient statue of Mother Mary. Slowly, for no particular reason, Karin, a devoted mother starts a scandalous affair with David. We soon discover that David is a neurotic, abusive individual with baggage of disturbed childhood growing escaping the Holocaust.

Pretty soon, Karin (and David) become obsessed with their relationship, acting like teenagers in love. Her husband and children discover her clandestine activity, and on top of that, she is pregnant.

The irony of the whole scenario is how Andrea reacts to the news of her affair. He states that they should be civilised about the entire issue and go separate ways.

I thought that to be civilised means to understand one responsibility and to respect that respect should be reciprocated. Unfortunately, more often than not, to be civilised is often construed as having total freedom to express oneself, emphasising more on individual needs than the consensus of the age-old, albeit arcane beliefs. These appear primitive, but at least it managed to maintain equilibrium and assigns duties and responsibilities to one for their action. No one is neglected and is somebody's headache! To be uncivilised means to be not man (or woman) to wise up to your duties or to own up to the mess you created.

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Life, a living hell?

Prison (Fängelse, 1949)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Another early offering #6 from Bergman. It is a short film which has a very dark background, setting and story-wise, noir like. It is precursor to many of his later movie with dark themes like the silence of God, mental illness and the uncertainty of life. Here, it looks at the trappings of life.

A movie shooting is in progress. The director's old Maths professor who had just been released from mental asylum meets him to propose his bizarre story for consideration to be made into a film. The story narrates how Satan comes to Earth to declare it as Hell itself! The team politely declines the story. The happenings over the next few days actually makes everyone thinking. Perhaps, life on Earth is already a living Hell!

Tomas, a screenwriter, of late has been consuming more and more alcohol than he should. During one of his stuporous states, he suggested to his fiancé they should commit suicide together! Startled, the fiancé bolts for her life after knocking him out with the end of a wine bottle.

On the other side of town, a young prostitute, Birgitta, is pregnant. Her guardian promises to gives the baby for adoption. Birgitta is tormented in her guilt but feels helpless to expunge herself from her predicament. She longs for her lost childhood.

The baby was never given for adoption but was killed by Birgitta's pimp boyfriend and his partner. The police picks up the cue and are hot on her trail.

Tomas and Birgitta meet along the way. They find that they get along well but certain old memories from her past still torments her. The image of her dead child haunts her. She runs away from Tomas decides to continue her routine life.

The film crew realise that perhaps there is truth in the Maths professor's prophecy. Life on Earth has became tough for some, a real living Hell.

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Slip sliding away...

Face to Face (Swedish; 1976)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
This is a painstakingly slow film about an extremely difficult topic, of mental illness.
A psychiatrist, Dr Jenny Isaksson, comes to stay with her grandparents after her husband, also a psychiatrist, goes on a long conference. She had lost both her parents during her childhood to be cared by her grandparents.
Her grandfather is having senile dementia whilst the grandmother goes out of her way to care for her partner.
The environment of the house rekindled her suppressed childhood memories to ignite an episode of mental disorder that becomes quite debilitating, affecting her duties as a doctor, mother to her daughter and herself.
It shows the intricacies of a breakdown. It is difficult to pinpoint events that lead to it. In a world where we like to put a name to any disease and go down to the bottom of it, it makes us wonder if there is anything (or do we know everything) about this dreaded irritant. There seem no shortcut to put this ailment at bay. It is a case of the body being willing but not the mind. Individuals inflicted with worse life situations and misery somehow come out unscathed and in stronger form whilst others just keep slip sliding down the slippery pit of hopelessness and helplessness.

One failure leads to another!

To Joy (Till glädje, Swedish; 1950)
Director: Ingrid Bergman

One of Bergman's early offerings, good nevertheless. Here it is not about the silence of Creator but rather of the complicated dynamics of family life, specifically man and wife and its complexities.
The film starts with a violinist being interrupted from performing when an important phone call comes in. The call is for Stig. He receives a rather bad news about the death of his wife in a kitchen accident. The story goes back to 7 years previously...
A rather timid man, Stig, is a violinist in a philharmonic orchestra. He soon develops feelings for the only female violinist, Martha, in the group. Even though there were other suitors, Martha decides to settle down with Stig for his simplicity and straightforwardness.
Stig has big plans for his career, being a soloist and playing in Stockholm. Unfortunately, his skills do not match his ambitions. One by one, things happen and the young man is more disheartened. Martha gets pregnant and he is drawn into a hasty marriage. Even though Martha is doting wife, Stig is still listless. Inadvertently, he outpours his resentments of his failure on his wife.
The seemingly loving couple can be seen slowly growing apart.
Along comes an acquaintance and his flirtatious young wife. In the heat of the moment, he caves in and an affair ensues.
Martha, upon discovering the liaison, leaves with kids (2 by then).
The separation and the discovery of the mess that the affair had brought him, he repents. Letters after letters, Martha and Stig get back together, with the kids too. And later, the accident...
The movie ends with his orchestra's rendition of Beethoven's classics.

Quotable quote: We second-raters also necessary. Without worker bees, no beehive!

We all grow old!

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A letter by Akira Kurosawa in 1988 that deserves to be read in full, as we grow older in 2014 ~

Dear Mr. Ingmar Bergman,

Please let me congratulate you upon your seventieth birthday. Your work deeply touches my heart every time I see it and I have learned a lot from your works and have been encouraged by them. I would like you to stay in good health to create more wonderful movies for us.

 
In Japan, there was a great artist called Tessai Tomioka who lived in the Meiji Era (the late 19th century). This artist painted many excellent pictures while he was still young, and when he reached the age of eighty, he suddenly started painting pictures which were much superior to the previous ones, as if he were in magnificent bloom. Every time I see his paintings, I fully realize that a human is not really capable of creating really good works until he reaches eighty.

A human is born a baby, becomes a boy, goes through youth, the prime of life and finally returns to being a baby before he closes his life. This is, in my opinion, the most ideal way of life.

I believe you would agree that a human becomes capable of producing pure works, without any restrictions, in the days of his second babyhood.

 
I am now seventy-seven (77) years old and am convinced that my real work is just beginning.

Let us hold out together for the sake of movies.

With the warmest regards,

Akira Kurosawa

 

On motherhood...

Nara Livet [1958, Swedish; Brink of Life(US), So Close to life(UK)]

Director: Ingmar Bergman

A drama which earned 1958 Cannes award for Best director and awards for Best Actress (all three main characters), this is a story of the concept of having children, the guilt, the acceptance and the problems associated with them. 

It narrates the occurrences in the maternity ward over a span of a day. 

Not every child is born in the world wanted, sometimes their loss wrecks relationship, other times so much hope is placed on them which leads to disappointed when expectation is not met!

The film starts with Cecilia Ellius, at three months' pregnancy being wheeled in to the ward after experiencing bleeding. A guilt stricken Cecilia has a miscarriage and blames herself for her predicament. She never wanted the child in the first place. Her husband too, in midst of completing his thesis was not really ready.

Mr and Mrs Ellius' relationship take a dive for the worst and are contemplating separation.

Cecilia, not a young person, feels that she is not fit to be a mum. She feels that at her age, solitude and loneliness just suits her fine.

Sharing her same room are two expectant mothers; Stinas Andersson, a first timer who had way past her due date and is waiting for the baby to pop out and Hjördis Petterson, a unmarried teenager whose boyfriend takes no responsibility of her pregnancy.

Stinas and her husband are so excited to receive the addition to the family and have made plans for the newborn. During visiting hours, the Anderssons discuss the baby's room and the paraphernalia that needs to be added.

Hjördis, on the other hand, was admitted as she was unwell and some time more to deliver. She is generally a frustrated young lady. She had left her mother's house as she could not see eye to eye with her. Her mother was displeased with her behaviour and they had parted on bad terms. Now, at ends' wit and lack of cash, she yearns to go back home but has no courage to face her mother.

In the meantime, later that night, Stinas goes into labour. Unfortunately, her big plans came tumbling. Complications during labour ended with untimely demise of loved child.

Hjördis laments her condition to the welfare officer who, herself subfertile, feels happy for her being pregnant and discouraged her to undergo a termination. Hjördis herself cannot understand she should be happy with her pregnancy as she has been a disappointment to everyone around her.

Along the movie, the three ladies do communicate and give each other support. Cecilia coaxes Hjördis to call her mother for encouragement. She picks up some courage to call her and to her astonishment she willingly asks her to return home. Together, they were going to usher the newborn.

Cecilia's problem is also solved when her sister-in-law gives her some words of wisdom. She resolves to mend her relationship with her kind husband.

Stina, on the other hand, was sleeping her woes away when the film ended.

It is all a package!

Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten, Swedish;1978)
Director: Ingmar Bergman

How long can you go on blaming your parents for your behaviour, misbehaviour and emotional wellbeing? Sure, they provided the building blocks upon which you blobbed up to a multi-billion celled organism but did they not undergo all that psyche and physique altering 9 months. Then there were the phenomena of maternalistic instinct and the ever embracing comfortable bosoms that she provided. What about the story of the mother and the burning house? She would rush in to grab you from the raging fire even when the beam of the house is in the verge of collapse and even jump into a lake without knowing to swim, just to save you.

And the sleepless days and nights caring for you during your time of being under the weather. All these were done without any expectations of return. Now, you are big and strong and you blame all your failures and underachievements on her. And you say that it was not your choice to be born but your parents had a choice...

Bergman's movies as always make you think about life and you end up more confused than ever as there are no self-help and no directions in the voyage of life.

This film is the ramblings of a daughter to her seemingly aloof mother on the turn of events in her recent life and the horrible childhood that she had. Eva (Liv Ullman) is living with her pastor husband (Victor) in a lonely home and in a loveless relationship. Eva invites her mother, Charlotte (Ingrid Bergman), to stay with her after the demise of her partner.
Charlotte, a renowned pianist, spend a lot of time during Eva's childhood away performing much to the chagrin of little Eva. The lonely days that Eva spent with her father, a quiet man, resulted in her in having a resentment to her mother. During the time the mother is back home, she is too busy practising for hours on end. Eva also has a sister, Helena, who has been inflicted with some neurological condition needing constant care, whom she feels her mother had abandoned when she left her in a nursing home.


Being constantly left alone, Eva had apparently befriended a guy who impregnated her. Charlotte decided that this would not do for an 18year old lass. The ensuing termination further infuriated the young mind against her mother.
Charlotte, this time around, has to face the bitter truth of reckoning. She finds that Eva had taken the severely handicapped Helena into her home to care for. Charlotte had to answer to her now-grown daughter, after staying away for 10 years. She had to 'face the music' to all her actions or inactions.
On her defence, Charlotte had to bring in the money and the joy and the attention that she received at the keys. Eva's marriage had also become unhappy after the drowning of her 4year old boy.

This showdown did not really end with a kiss-and-all forgotten kind of finale, however.
After the confrontation, the mother left the house after facing the demons. She is quite happy just corresponding with her daughter. Absence does not really make the heart grow fonder. Out of sight, out of mind is more like it. Time heals.

We do not choose our relationships, we do not choose to be born. The relationships and bonds that come to us can good, bad or ugly. It is up to us to sieve the favourable to the undesired ones and make the best that what life has in store for us...

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Symbolism of life...

Persona (Swedish, 1966)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
A highly complex film which showcases the human emotions in a rather abstract manner. Viewers of left to interpret the story in their own way.
It starts with Elizabeth, a famous theatre actress who is brought in to the psychiatric ward after she just went blank during a performance and just refused to speak afterwards. Sister Alma is assigned by the psychiatrist to get close to her and tries to get to the root of her problem. All the while, Elizabeth does not talk, refuses to talk when spoken to. She does her own things, she reads, watches TV etcetera. She is visibly shaken by violence shown on TV - self immolation of a monk in Vietnam, pictures of Auschwitz. In the meanwhile, Sr Alma seem to be talking all the time revealing a lot about herself. She is engaged to be married soon to a doctor. Secretly, in her bed, Alma is grateful with her life, apparently complete and soon to have a few kids. Within the next second, she questions herself whether that is what she really wants.
One day, Elizabeth receives a letter with the picture of her son in it. She is disturbed and tears it away.
The psychiatrist in charge suggests a beach bungalow for Elizabeth's recovery. Sister Alma accompanies her there.
Things improve there. Elizabeth becomes more chirpy, they do things together and they get close. It is only Alma who speaks all the time whilst the patient remains mute. In an evening, after too much of drinks, Alma confides in non talking Elizabeth some of her inner secrets -  her one time impulsive infidelity, her pregnancy and her clandestine termination of pregnancy. And Alma breaks down. Wait! It looks like the role had reversed; Alma the confused and Elizabeth the silent listener.
The next day, life goes on as if nothing happened. In fact, on the night previously, Elizabeth had broken her silence but Alma was too drunk to appreciate. Elizabeth passed some letters for Alma to post. Unable to resist her temptation, Alma sneaks into an unsealed letter to find a letter to her doctor telling about Alma's health condition instead. Realizing and angry that she is being psychoanalyzed, a cat and mouse game starts. Alma tries to hurt Elizabeth and abhors her silence.
Then, in the next bizarre scene (dream scene?), somebody calls for Elizabeth. It is supposed to be Elizabeth's husband and he starts talking to Alma and becomes quite passionate with her right in front of Elizabeth!
The climax of the movie is a scene which is repeated, each showing each character's facial expression as Alma delivers a monologue. In this scene, both actresses look almost alike at their faces are superimposed. Elizabeth is accused to be a renowned theatrical icon who cannot leave the limelight of the stage but the inner desire to fulfill her need to conceive. When she actually conceived, she realized that the mistake she has made- the change in body shape, size and absence from work etcetera. She tried unsuccessfully to abort the child and secretly hope the child would be a stillbirth. The child was born after a long difficult labour. The cry of the newborn was torturous to her that she left the child to be cared by relatives to continue her work in the theatre! And that is when she had that catatonic episode!
Alma behaves in a way unbecoming of a person of the medical profession. She physically abuses Elizabeth. Looks like that they had switched roles - the healer and the patient!
In the next scene, Alma leaves the retreat alone with her luggage on a bus. The camera rolls on towards the ground. We are left to wonder whether the nurse buried her patient!
This film is full of symbolism. It is supposed to show the eternal conflict that broils within an individual. It is something like the constant fight between Id, Ego and Super-Ego or the battle between the conscious and sub-conscious! Alma and Elizabeth are one and the same individual. Elizabeth is internal core of a person and Alma signifies the external appearance (persona) of a person that always changes and this film is a study of introspection of one's self!
If it sounds very complicated, you should watch it and draw your conclusion.

What Man wants?

En Passion (The Passion, Swedish; 1969)
Director: Ingmar Bergman

As the camera rolls in, the loneliness of the protagonist is made apparent. He is only greeted with the sounds of birds, winds and nature. There are no company of people for miles around, and the weather is not so refreshing. This is the backdrop of the start of this film which, one questions the very things that all individuals ask after they have achieved a certain level in life. They lay down specific guidelines for people around them to follow, and the boundary is breached; they cannot accept it, and pandemonium is the order of the day. People around them, affected by them, who long for their companion, who look at them for guidance and love, are the direct victims of their actions. If this explanation sounds confusing, watch it yourself and draw your conclusions. Answers in life are neither black nor white; they come in shades of grey.

Andreas Winkelman (Max von Sydow, a regular in Bergman's films) is a lonely divorcee leading his own lonely life himself where his only company is solitude and sounds of nature. He does his personal things at his own snail's pace. His occasional acquaintance is bronchitic cart pulling man, Sigge, with a prior stint at the mental asylum.
On one fateful day, a visitor from his friend's (Eva and Elis) home (Anna, Liv Ullman, another regular feature in Bergman's films) comes in using his phone as the friend's line was out of order. Andreas eavesdrops on the emotional conversation where she spills her emotion to her ex-husband about money issues.

Anna leaves the house in a hurry, leaving her handbag behind. Anna had allegedly been involved in a nasty accident 3 months previously where her husband and son had perished, and she needed multiple surgeries and was walking with crutches.

The curious Andreas took the liberty to look into the handbag to discover a letter from her husband about her dogmatic attitudes, their incompatibility and separation.
Andreas' friends Eva and Elis have problems of their own. Eva is a chronic insomniac who never got over her previous miscarriage, and her marital bed has been unkindled for a mighty long time. Elis is a keen photographer who is inspired by snapping emotions. Andreas becomes his model.

On the side, the village has a spate of cruel killings and snaring of animals. Bewildered on the perpetrator's identity, the accusing hands of the villagers pointed at Sigge because of his past mental condition. Constant threat and harassment pushed him to suicide, only for the mindless killing to continue even after his demise!

How do human emotions push us to do the unthinkable?

Andreas befriends Anna. After an initial good going, both expressed insecurity and resentment towards each other. Andreas felt freedom in his solitude. Anna's deception about her spouse was uncovered- they divorced! They finally went separate ways, just as the way before.

The take-home message that I draw from here is that one should not be so egoistic in only wanting to attain self-gratification to his own content. Perhaps he should look around at all the good things he has around him and make the best available - less pain, more to gain. Well, it worked well for generations before us! Or maybe being dogmatic, steadfast in our beliefs and set in doing things in a way and insisting on others to do it may just push us off our or others' minds? 

What war does to man?

Skammen (Swedish, Shame; 1968)
Director: Ingmar Bergman

Another powerful anti-war movie by master film maker which shows the emotional impact of war on human behaviour and relationship. There are many untold subtle messages in the movie that are left to viewers' discretion. And it does aim to solve any of world problems!
Jan and Eva Rosenberg are a childless couple of 7 years' marriage who probably decided to leave the city life, as the were instrument players in the philharmonic orchestra, to live a quiet life near to nature in a lonely island. War, probably civil war, is looming with the sight of flying fighter planes and sounds of gunshots.
The film starts off depicting Jan as a unstable guy who needs prodding and suggestion. Eve, the wife, seem to be losing her patience with his indecision but loves him still the same.
They carry on life, supplying produce to clients. The talk around village is the worsening of war. Many are drafted into army, reluctantly. Jan is exempted for health reasons, with is not told to us.
The passion between the couple is depicted not so much as physical lust but rather small talks about the plans for future, seeing a doctor for fertility and the like.
The war draws near. Fighter planes are seen over their roof and bombs are dropped. The paratrooper is trapped on a tree. Arguments start between them to save him - Jan fearing of being shot and Eve on saving a dying man.
The Rosenbergs were on the brink of leaving their home when enemy soldier intercept them. The faint-hearted Jan faints at sight of soldier, derailing their plan. As the shower of gunpowder continue their shower around the vicinity, the couple make another dash to safety but in vain as their path is blocked by death and destruction. They return home to be accompanied by a barrage of bomb blasts all through the night.
The following morning, they were apprehended by the army for helping the paratroopers. They were interrogated. An acquaintance, Jacobi, a powerful figure in the army releases them. He keeps on visiting them at home with gifts and favours. Jacobi's relationship is more of manipulative than cordial. The Rosenberg's relationship slowly crumbles; with Eva accusing Jan of not standing up and Eva of fawning all over him!
Jacobi even beds the young wife for a bundle of cash! When the army questions Jacobi for corruption, he tries to pay off but the money had been pocketed by Jan.

Jacobi is placed in the firing squad and Jan is ordered to fire the first shot. The usually meek Jan obliges.
With the whole house burnt down by the army, the Rosenberg decide to hitch a boat ride to the mainland with Jacobi's money. We can see Eva slowly crumble under the turn of events. Paradoxically, Jan takes over the rein and takes charge.
The boat that they travel has engine failure and the occupants of the boat float aimlessly with dehydration as the the captain commits suicide due to hopelessness...