Product: Saraband (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Love Marriage and Divorce Bergman Style Part II
Ingmar Bergman's SARABAND could be considered a sequel to SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE. In the film Bergman returns to familiar territory. Marianne and Johan, the main characters of the earlier film, meet after thirty years. Marianne is the one who initiates the contact, through we never know why, we realize somewhat quickly that she still loves Johan deeply, or at least a part of her does. Johan is irascible as ever through most of the film. We meet Henrick, Johan's son from a previous marriage and witness a father/son relationship that is at best, hate filled and spiteful. We see the troubling relationship that Henrick has with his daughter Karin, a musically gifted young woman. We are also unsure of the tension between Henrick and Johan, assuming at first it is stemmed from abandonment issues on the part of Henrick and a failure of Henrick to live up to Johan's expectations, but as the film progresses we come to see it may be far more twisted. Marianne seems to get stuck in the middle of the arguments much to the resentment of Henrick and Johan, but she becomes indispensable for Karin.Needless to say, the film is complex, and Bergman handles the complexities by allowing them to puzzle and challenge the viewer which may be why the film is so engaging. It's also superbly acted by Bergman favorites Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson reprising their roles as Marianne and Johan from SCENES. Borge Alhstedt who plays Henrick has likewise has been cast in other Bergman films. As with so many Bergman films, meticulous attention is played to small details such as the vacation home, the country church, even the selection of music. In one scene we find Johan listening to Bruckner's Ninth in full volume, the bombast of the piece matching his personality. And of course, there's a "Bergmanesque" gut wrenching scream releasing more existential angst than imaginable, this time from Karin.The film is sophisticated as opposed to sentimental, and if this is Bergman's last film, it may not be as lavish as some of his other works, but it does encapsulate much of what is great about Bergman. It's certainly a film that can be seen more than once and lead to lively discussions.