Liv Ullmann Movies
Though born a citizen of Norway, Liv Ullmann did not set foot in her homeland until she was seven years old. The daughter of a Norwegian engineer stationed in Japan at the time of her birth, Ullmann moved to Canada when World War II broke out, then relocated to Norway in 1946, where she received the bulk of her education. Deciding upon an acting career, she studied at the Webber-Douglas academy in London. Ullmann began her stage work in Stavanger and Oslo, and in the late '50s, she starred in the Norwegian production of The Diary of Anne Frank.In films from 1959, Ullmann's breakthrough role was catatonic actress Elisabeth Vogler in Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966), a part she landed primarily because of her striking resemblance to co-star Bibi Andersson. Bergman became Ullmann's mentor and paramour; they lived together for several years, during which time Ullmann bore the director a daughter named Linn Ullmann, who has occasionally appeared in her mother's films. Ullmann was honored with numerous New York Film Critics Awards during the early '70s; she also earned Oscar nominations for her work in The Emigrants (1971) and Bergman's Face to Face (1976), and has received eight honorary college degrees.
An attempt to establish herself in Hollywood films was largely unsuccessful, though Ullmann received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in 40 Carats (1973). She fared rather better on Broadway, starring in a 1977 revival of Anna Christie and a 1979 musical adaptation of I Remember Mama. In 1977, she wrote her memoirs, Changing, prematurely as it turned out, since she had many years' work ahead of her. During the '90s, Ullmann turned to directing, helming the theatrical features Sofie (1992) and Kristin Lauransdotter (1995) (both of which she also scripted), and the 1996 Swedish TV miniseries Enskilda Samtal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond made his directorial debut with this drama. Gabor (Michael York), a stage actor living in Eastern Europe, receives a message from his family -- his father Raphael (also played by York), a world-famous archeologist, has just died in Israel. Traveling to the Holy Land to attend the funeral, he meets Katherine (Liv Ullmann), the woman who was married to Raphael at the time of his death, as well as Abu (Babi Neeman), a director who was making a film about the scientist's life and career. Gabor bears a striking resemblance to his father -- so much so that Abu asks him to play Raphael in a small role in his film. Gabor agrees, but playing the role forces him to examine a part of his life that he's been trying to leave alone all these years, and he also finds that Katherine, struck by his resemblance to her late husband, has become strongly attracted to him. The Long Shadow was filmed in part in Hungary, where Zsigmond was born and lived up until fleeing the country in 1956 following the political unrest of the nation's Soviet takeover. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Liv Ullmann, (more)
- 1973
James Hilton's beloved fantasy novel about the land of Shangri-La was given an awkward musical treatment in this extravagantly produced flop. Larry Kramer's screenplay stays close to the 1937 Frank Capra original, as a plane fleeing China crashes in the Himalayas and a mixed group of survivors discovers the magical, peaceful land of Shangri-La. Here the film becomes a full-fledged musical, with songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David illustrating the distant realm's nature and the conflict that happiness causes amongst the survivors. Curiosity-seekers may be intrigued by the film's reputation as a notorious dud, but fans of the story would be better served by the classic original, despite a cast of well-respected names, including Peter Finch (in the Ronald Colman role), John Gielgud, Liv Ullmann, and Charles Boyer. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Finch, Liv Ullmann, (more)
- 1982
This anthology film is comprised of six segments shot by four female directors. "Love from the Marketplace," explores the way food relates to love. "The Black Cat in the Black Mouse Socks" stars singer Joni Mitchell, who also wrote it and its music. "Julia" tells the tail of a vanquished affair that is renewed. In "Love on Your Birthday" a wife gives her husband a night with her best friend as a birthday present. She then gets jealous and the trouble begins. "Por Vida" follows the journey home of a WW II GI. "Parting" follows the love of an elderly man for his paralyzed wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Thomson, Joni Mitchell, (more)
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Lumière brothers' first films, filmmakers Sarah Moon and Philippe Poulet challenged 39 renowned international directors to each complete a 52-second film using the original Cinematographe camera under the conditions endured by the brothers. The result of the project was this film, Lumière et Compagnie. The film stock used was homemade from a slightly altered version of the Lumières' recipe. No synchronized sound was allowed and only natural lighting was permitted. The participating directors included John Boorman, Costa-Gavras, Peter Greenaway, Lasse Hallström, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Liv Ullmann, and Wim Wenders. Among the actors who performed in the films were Liam Neeson, Lena Olin, Aidan Quinn, and Alan Rickman. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- PG
A fictionalized depiction of the ecological and holistic teachings of the philosopher Fritjof Capra filmed by his brother Bernt, Mindwalk consists almost entirely of the verbal interplay between its three archetypal characters, physicist Sonia (Liv Ullmann), conservative politician Jack (Sam Waterston), and poet Thomas (John Heard). The trio meet for the first time at Mont Saint Michel, a medieval French abbey. Each is suffering misgivings about pivotal life choices; Sonia questions the role of ethics in her work, Jack harbors fears over the government's attitude toward the environment, and Thomas' wariness over an increasingly conservative society has prompted a permanent move to France. The question haunting all three: What now? ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Sam Waterston, (more)
- 1987
Liv Ullmann plays real-life Jewish dissident and astronomer Ida Nudel in this historical biography. Ida is denied papers to emigrate after her lover Yuli (Daniel Olbrychski) is release from a labor camp. When Yuli and Ida's sister Elena (Aurore Clement) receive their papers, Ida rides with them on a train bound for Vienna and jumps off before she crosses the border. Arrested for protesting in Moscow in 1980, Ida is sent to an all-male prison where she is in constant danger of assault. After being transferred to a woman's camp, Ida returns to Moscow to find that her apartment is occupied, Yuli has married, and she is banished from the city she loves. Ida wanders from village to village until she recalls her story to an American reporter. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Daniel Olbrychski, (more)
- 1972
- PG
This is the second installment of the Swedish epic which began with The Emigrants. Nybyggarna is a chronicle of the life and times of the Swedish immigrants in Minnesota, covering the time period up to and beyond the Civil War. Even though they did not come to America to become Americans, they are gradually drawn into the culture of their new country. Father Karl-Oskar Nilsson (Max Von Sydow) and his wife Kristina (Liv Ullman) battle the elements and political changes in order to survive. The family members have little contact with their neighbors, and because they know so little English, they have difficulty buying things from the nearby general store. Robert (Eddie Axberg), Karl's younger brother, wants to find gold and travels westward with Arvid (Pierre Lindstedt), the Nilsson's strange and skittish farmhand. The two lavish epics, The Emigrants and The New Land were the two most expensive films made in Sweden up to that time. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, (more)
Persona is difficult to characterize in simple terms, but it may be helpful to describe this complex film as being an exploration of identity that combines elements of drama, visual poetry, and modern psychology. The central story revolves around a young nurse named Alma (Bibi Andersson) and her patient, a well-known actress named Elisabet Vogler (Liv Ullmann). Elisabet has stopped speaking, and the attending psychiatrist treats the actress by sending her to an isolated seaside cottage under Alma's care. There the nurse, who must do all the talking for both women, becomes a little enamored of the actress. One evening Alma tells Elisabet about some exhilarating sexual experiences she once had and their unpleasant aftermath. Soon after sharing this confidence, the nurse reads a letter Elisabet has written and is shocked to learn that the actress thinks of her as an amusing study. The relationship between the women becomes tense, and they wound each other. Then Alma has a long dream in which her identity merges with that of Elisabet, but when the nurse awakes, both women have apparently come to at least temporary terms with their psychological problems. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, (more)
- 1979
- PG
A young man and an older woman wonder if tennis is the only place where love means nothing in this romantic drama. Twenty-something Chris (Dean Paul Martin) is a rising star on the professional tennis circuit. Nicole (Ali MacGraw) is an artist in her early 40s who's involved with a wealthy man. Chris falls for Nicole, but while she's certainly attracted to him, she's not sure if she should give up her life of luxury in order to follow Chris in his uncertain future. Players is loaded with cameos from major tennis stars, including John McEnroe, Guillermo Vilas, and Ilie Nastase; Pancho Gonzales has a major supporting role as Chris' coach. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ali MacGraw, Dean Paul Martin, (more)
Liv Ullman portrays a female pope -- based on a long-held rumor that the papacy was held by a woman between the reigns of Leo IV and Benedict III -- in this rambling saga directed by Michael Anderson. The British version of the film has been cut, not only removing twenty-one minutes of the film but also an entire contemporary framing story. In the full version, a modern-day woman evangelist, played by Ullman, who feels an affinity to the legendary Pope Joan, pays a visit to her psychiatrist (Keir Dullea). Searching through her past lives to see whether she is the reincarnation of Pope Joan, the film then flashbacks 1000 years to pick up Joan (Ullman in an earlier incarnation of her character) undergoing a succession of trials and tribulations. Joan then meets up with and becomes the mistress of Adrian (Maximilian Schell), a monk with an artistic bent. After the death of Charlemagne when roving bands of Saxons are raping women and ransacking the countryside, Joan flees the country by cutting her hair short and dressing like a man. Together Joan and Adrian escape to Greece. In Greece, Joan's street-corner preaching draws the attention of Pope Leo IV (Trevor Howard), who is impressed by her impassioned rendering of the Gospel. Still disguised as a man, Pope Leo, clueless as to her true sex, hires her as his secretary. From there, she rises up the ladder of the Roman Catholic Church, becoming a cardinal and then Pope Leo's successor. But then she becomes pregnant by a lover from her past (Franco Nero) and Joan must hide her delicate condition from the papal authorities and the rowdy masses. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Trevor Howard, (more)
- 1980
- R
In this grim drama, a grieving widow finds herself seeking solace in the arms of her late husband's lover, a woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Amanda Redman, (more)
- 1991
Based on the book by Eleanor Coerr, this is the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl stricken with leukemia after the bombing of Hiroshima. While in the hospital, Sadako learns about an ancient Japanese legend and begins folding paper cranes in the hope that when she completes 1,000 cranes, the gods would grant her wish to be well again. There is a statue of Sadako in Hiroshima's Peace Park which to this day is covered with paper cranes made by children from all over the world who believe in her message, "This is our cry, this is our prayer, peace in the world." Relating a terrible truth in a beautful manner, Sadako is brought to life by the soft pastel illustrations of Caldecott Medalist and children's author Ed Young and by Liv Ullmann's sweet and expressive narration. This award-winning movie by George Levenson is a true melding of art and film. Levenson also created How to Fold a Paper Crane, a companion video designed to illustrate how to create Sadako's origami birds. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide
As the final masterwork of Ingmar Bergman, the world's most revered cinematic craftsperson, Saraband (2003) embodies the sequel to the director's 5-hour Scenes from a Marriage, produced and directed 30 years after that original epic. Here, Bergman revisits the two characters from that film, divorcees Johan (Erland Josephson) and Marianne (Liv Ullmann), after years of estrangement from one another. Marianne now lives alone; of her two middle-aged daughters from the marriage to Johan, one lives in Australia, while the other suffered a mental breakdown. Marianne has contact with neither. After leafing through an assemblage of old photographs and waxing nostalgic, Marianne decides to revisit the now-wealthy Johan, who lives in the country with an adjoining cottage and two descendants: his 61-year-old widower son Henrik (Borje Ahlstedt of I Am Curious - Yellow) and Henrik's 19-year-old daughter, Karin (Julia Dufvenius). The relationships in Johan's family are broken and deeply dysfunctional; Johan resents Henrik, whom he perceives as worthless in every capacity other than fatherhood; Henrik resents Johan for his niggardly attitudes about his wealth; Karin feels bound by familial shackles and yearns to escape the confines of the life that ensnares her, ultimately hoping to move to the city and pursue her dream of becoming a cellist. Bergman uses the central narrative to examine how parents can damage one another by wielding the demands of their own selfish egos and refusing to grant joy and contentment to themselves or their children. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, (more)
Originally created as a six-part series for television, this film -- widely regarded as one of Ingmar Bergman's most powerful later works -- offers a close-up examination of a relationship as it slowly falls apart, and investigates the toll it takes on both parties. Johan and Marianne (Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann) are a seemingly successful professional couple who have juggled careers as (respectively) a doctor and an attorney with marriage and children; when we first encounter them, they're being interviewed by a television reporter about what makes their marriage a success, an event contrasted by a later meeting with an openly bitter and combative couple (Bibi Andersson and Jan Malmsjö). But things are not always what they seem on the surface, and Johan announces he has become involved with a younger woman. Johan seems to give little thought to the harm he has done to Marianne, while she is devastated by his abandonment of her. After a stay in Europe, Johan returns to Sweden and visits Marianne; eventually, the divorced couple briefly comes together, but the damage done is too severe to mend. Focusing less on narrative than on a deep-focus portrayal of the thoughts and emotions of two characters, Scenes From a Marriage originally ran nearly 300 minutes in its original television edition; Bergman later edited the film to 168 minutes for theatrical release in Europe and North America. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, (more)
Shame demonstrates the futility of escaping the consequences of war. In 1971, the Rosenbergs, Jan (Max von Sydow) and Eva (Liv Ullmann), have retreated to an island off the coast of their unnamed country, which is embroiled in a civil conflict. Trained and employed as classical violinists, they make a modest living raising and selling lingonberries, though they continue to play their instruments. When a plane carrying soldiers crashes on the island, Jan and Eva see their lives changed in an instant as soldiers from both sides of the conflict overrun the island and fighting breaks out. The couple is arrested and charged with collaborating with the rebel forces. Colonel Jacobi (Gunnar Bjornstrand), an old friend of the couple, is in charge of the army defending the island, and he agrees to have the couple released if Eva will have sex with him. Shortly after Jan learns of Eva's betrayal, rebel forces gain the upper hand and order Jan to execute Jacobi, which he readily agrees to do. Not sure which side is safe to throw in with, the couple agree to leave on an early morning boat for another island, which is presumably sheltered from the conflict. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow, (more)
- 1992
Based on the 1932 novel Mendel Philipsen and Son by Henri Nathansen, Sofie was adapted for the screen by celebrated actress Liv Ullmann, making her directorial debut. Beginning in Copenhagen during the late 1880s, Sofie (Karen-Lise Mynster) is a devoted Jewish daughter who falls in love with the Gentile painter Hojby (Jesper Christensen). Her parents, Semmy (Erland Josephson) and Frederikke (Ghita Nørby), don't approve of the relationship, so they encourage her to marry her mentally ill cousin, a Swedish shopkeeper named Jonas (Torben Zeller). She gives birth to a son, but their already loveless marriage becomes further complicated when Sofie develops an interest in her brother-in-law Gottleib (Stig Hoffmeyer). Jonas is inconsolable after the death of his mother (Kirsten Rolffes), so much so that Sofie has him institutionalized and takes over his business. Years later, Sofie returns to Copenhagen with her son to help her aging parents and attend an auction where she reunites with Hojby. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen-Lise Mynster, Erland Josephson, (more)
- 1985
Originally titled Speriamo che sia Femmina, Let's Hope It's a Girl is a multifaceted exploration of the pointlessness of sexual stereotypes. Liv Ullmann is a countess who, after her divorce, takes over the family farm. Realizing that she can't rely on the patriarchal society structure for assistance, Ullmann runs the farm herself with the help of her female servants and relatives. When the Count (Philipe Noiret) comes back into her life, he and his male buddies find themselves outclassed by the expertise of the ladies. The flawless cast of Let's Hope It's A Girl includes Catherine Deneuve and Bernard Blier, the latter superb as a doddering old nobleman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Catherine Deneuve, (more)
- 1974
- PG
In this historical drama based on actual events, Sweden's Queen Christina (Liv Ullmann) decides in 1654 to give up her throne in order to embrace Catholicism. However, as she studies the faith, she falls in love with Cardinal Azzolino (Peter Finch), a cleric being considered for the papacy. Greta Garbo previously played the same abdicating monarch in the film Queen Christina. Michael Dunn, who plays the dwarf in The Abdication, died during production, and several of his scenes had to be shot with another actor doubling for him. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Peter Finch, (more)
- 1984
Kiefer Sutherland won the Canadian equivalent of the Academy Award for his performance in Bay Boy. In 1937 Nova Scotia, Donald Campbell (Sutherland) lives with his dirt-poor parents (Liv Ullmann and Peter Donat). His folks hope that Donald will enter the priesthood, but he isn't keen on this. For one thing, he harbors "unnatural" feelings towards a nun; for another, one of the local priests has made sexual advances towards him. Donald prefers to spend his time with pretty sisters Saxon and Dianna (Leah Pinsent and Jane McKinnon) -- but even this becomes untenable when the boy witnesses a homicidal hate crime committed by the girls' father, police constable Tom Coldwell (Alan Scarfe). It is in this intolerable atmosphere that Donald finally comes of age, which is the point to which the film is leading. Weighed down with an unnecessarily complex script, Kiefer Sutherland comes off quite well in Bay Boy; the other performers -- even the estimable Liv Ullmann -- tend to be one-note stereotypes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
The Norwegian-born, Montreal-based animator Torill Kove helms the animated short The Danish Poet. The film weaves the tale of a young poet battling a case of severe writer's block. As a last resort, the poet travels to Norway to seek inspiration from an encounter with the Nobel Prize-winning Norwegian novelist Sigrid Undset. Liv Ullmann narrates. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
Director/writer Jan Troell's expansive saga deals with the Larsen family, who during the 19th century famine in Sweden emigrate to the more fertile fields of Minnesota. With painstaking detail, the director follows the Larsens as they make the perilous (and, to some of their fellow immigrants, fatal) journey by foot, steamer, train, and paddle boat. The film, which originally ran 190 minutes but was pared down to 150 by its director for American consumption, earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Direction, and Best Actress (Liv Ullmann). The Emigrants was followed by a sequel, Nybyggarna ("The New Land"); both films have been edited together for TV release under the title The Emigrant Saga. The subsequent American TV series The New Land (1974) starred Bonnie Bedelia in the role created in The Emigrants by Liv Ullmann, and Scott Thomas in the patriarch role originated by Max von Sydow. In 1991, Sven Nykvist directed a "prequel" to The Emigrants titled The Ox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, (more)
- 1991
Ingrid Bergman was both one of Hollywood's most sought after stars and a controversial public figure. Her bright and acclaimed acting career came to a halt after a very public scandal caused her to leave the country and live in Europe for a time. Resilient and strong, Ingrid Bergman did not let her public humiliation end her career or prevent her life from moving on. She came back to America determined to put her past behind her and succeeded with her performance in Anastasia, for which she won a Best Actress Oscar. This documentary on her life, narrated by Sir John Gielgud, includes clips from 25 of her films and interviews with friends and people who worked with her, including Liv Ullmann, Angela Lansbury, Anthony Quinn, and Jose Ferrer. Also included are rare early screen tests, home movies from the 1940s, and footage from her press conference after she returned from Europe. ~ Cecilia Cygnar, All Movie Guide
