Product: Saraband (2005)
Rating: 5.0
The Monolithic Artistry of Ingmar Bergman
The problem with reviewing any Bergman title is that his work can only be assessed in light of his own oeuvre. That considered, I would venture that the very wise, and quietly disturbing Saraband, though admittedly not in the same league as Cries and Whispers, Persona, or The Passion of Anna, is a gift--to both the history of world cinema and those who love the monolithic artistry of Ingmar Bergman--that I would easily place alongside Autumn Sonata in stature.Visually, Saraband is gorgeous to look at, though I cannot deny missing Sven Nykvist's peerless cinematography. That the acting is superlative is no huge surprise of course. Ullman's performance is so subtle that it took a second viewing to begin to comprehend her intent. (And while I'm there: at least SIXTY cheers to a great and beautiful actress who has embraced with dignity the increasingly rare phenomena of aging naturally.) Börje Ahlstedt is devastating, as he was in Fanny and Alexander. It's terrific Bergman gave him the opportunity to shine in a larger role here. Julia Dufvenius deserved a "best supporting" actress nomination and one can only hope that the multi-critic buzz that international stardom awaits her will become a reality. But I feel that it is Erland Josephson, overlooked in many of the reviews I've read, who shines the most brilliantly here. His Johan is a monster of Shakespearian proportion, oh-so-skillfully humanized without diluting the character's venom. Josephson's has always been a gargantuan talent, a voice that has not "mellowed" with age one iota.Saraband's unsettling and enigmatic resolution is but one of the many reasons that Bergman, reconsidered in this, his final film, remains the artistic genius he has always been--in this instance authenticated, once again, by his ability to capture, and then relate, the catharsis that life so often denies us.Oh, and concerning the special feature, The Making of Saraband.... An 80-something Bergman? Down on the floor? Placing his actors? You expected LESS, perchance?