Bibi Andersson Movies
Swedish actress Bibi Andersson received her training at the legendary Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, then graduated to the Royal Theatre of Stockholm. While performing in a stage production in Malmo, the 17-year-old Bibi, she was discovered for films by Ingmar Bergman, who tested her in a TV soap commercial before casting her in a small but showy role in Smiles of a Summer Night (1955). Exhibiting a more capricious image than most Bergman heroines, Ms. Andersson played breezily insouciant characters in the otherwise sober-sided The Seventh Seal (1957) and Wild Strawberries (1958). Her first important all-dramatic assignment was the neurotic unwed mother-to-be in Bergman's Brink of Life, for which she was honored with a Cannes Film Festival prize. Arguably her finest work under Bergman's guidance was as garrulous nurse Alma in Persona (1966), who gradually exchanges personalities with her near-comatose patient Liv Ullmann. She was also featured in one episode of Bergman's made-for-television Scenes from a Marriage (1973). On the Swedish stage, Bibi has starred in such imports as Arthur Miller's After the Fall and Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Bibi Andersson's American film credits--on the whole, far less worthwhile than her European and Scandinavian efforts--have included Duel at Diablo (1966), The Kremlin Letter (1970), Airport 79: The Concorde (1979), and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideThis 1977 documentary feature closely examines the person, views and life of Norwegian actress Liv Ullman, perhaps best known for her many appearances in the famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's films. Clips of her films are included, as well as numerous interviews granted by her especially for this film, which was released shortly after her autobiography Changing was published. This documentary is subtitled: "Norway's Live Ullman/Liv Ullmann's Norway." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Well-known Danish film producer Per Holst turned director for this muddled psychological melodrama about a civil servant (Ove Sprogøe) who cannot admit to his unfaithful wife (Bergman regular Bibi Andersson) that he has just lost his job. In desperation, the quiet clerk murders the entire family. Again and again. Or is it all in his head? Is the timid civil servant indulging in a stress-relieving fantasy, or his he really a homicidal maniac? Holst, who kept to folksy comedies thereafter, apparently couldn't decide whether he was making a Bergmanesque piece on marital angst or a straightforward crime drama and the end result convinces no one. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
The fourth Airport film may be the silliest of them all, as George Kennedy returns, this time co-piloting with Alain Delon. The plane is on its way to the Moscow Olympics, has a bomb on board, and gets fired upon with missiles that necessitate flying upside-down. A look at the cast list resembles a bad episode of Fantasy Island, but it's always fun to see shameless touches like casting Mercedes McCambridge (Johnny Guitar) as the coach of the Soviet team. If you don't understand the significance of that choice, you may find this film more tedious than laughable, but fans of bad movies will have a field day, as Jimmie Walker, Charo, and -- oddly enough -- Bibi Andersson rub shoulders with high-altitude disaster. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Susan Blakely, (more)
Steve McQueen served as both star and executive producer for this film version of the drama by Henrik Ibsen, which was adapted by Arthur Miller. When Dr. Thomas Stockmann (McQueen) discovers that a tannery has dangerously polluted a hot spring in his community, he feels that it is his duty to share this information with the people. However, a number of prominent citizens (including Stockmann) intended to use the hot springs as the centerpiece of a health spa, and Tom's brother Peter (Charles Durning), the town's mayor, contends that a clean-up of the spring would be impractical, expensive, and would scare off potential customers. Stockmann is still eager to share his story with the community, but the town council is determined to silence him, and in time they turn public opinion against him. The outcry against Stockmann's activism eventually ruins his medical practice and drives a wedge between Stockmann and his wife Catherine (Bibi Andersson). While An Enemy of the People became a pet project for McQueen, it received indifferent reviews and poor distribution, opening in only a few scattered American cities several years after it was completed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve McQueen, Charles Durning, (more)
Much better known in the U.S. as The Magician, this award-winning, surreal, evocative drama stars Max von Sydow as the title character and features several of Sweden's top performers. Set in the 1840s in Stockholm, the mystery and enigma of life and death itself are embodied in Vogler, the magician who runs "Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater." When his traveling show arrives in town, the police commissioner, a doctor, and a civil servant are intent on putting his supernatural powers to the test. As the pendulum swings between fearful images and moments of comic relief, the mysterious Mr. Vogler defies analysis. In 1959, Ansiktet was given the "Best Film" prize at the British Academy Awards, the "Best Foreign Film" prize at the New York Film Critics Awards, and two prizes at the Venice Film Festival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, (more)
The Danish/French Babette's Feast is based on a story by Isak Dinesen, also the source of the very different Out of Africa (1985). Stephane Audran plays Babette, a 19th century Parisian political refugee who seeks shelter in a rough Danish coastal town. Philippa (Bodil Kjer) and Martina (Birgitte Federspiel), the elderly daughters of the town's long-dead minister, take Babette in. As revealed in flashback, Philippa and Martina were once beautiful young women (played by Hanne Stensgaard and Vibeke Hastrup), who'd forsaken their chances at romance and fame, taking hollow refuge in religion. Babette holds a secret that may very well allow the older ladies to have a second chance at life. This is one of the great movies about food, but there are way too many surprises in Babette's Feast to allow us to reveal anything else at this point (except that Ingmar Bergman "regulars" Bibi Andersson and Jarl Kulle have significant cameo roles).. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stéphane Audran, Jean-Philippe Lafont, (more)
A little girl (Ann Smith) daydreams of being a grown-up in this sentimental drama. From her early days at kindergarten, she escapes reality with her fertile imagination. Although her mother (Bibi Andersson), father (Rolf Skoglund), and young grandmother (Annalisa Ericson) are thoughtful and concerned, the little girl feels more comfortable in her own fantasy world. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Smith, Bibi Andersson, (more)
This flawed biographical drama captures the turbulent love affair between the famous Russian mathematician Sonya Kovalevsky (Gunilla Nyroos) and her (unrelated) compatriot Maxim Kovalevsky (Thommy Berggren), while both were teaching at a university in Sweden (she was Sweden's first female professor, from 1883-1891). Although Sonya's brilliant mind could work easily with partial differential equations, she was alternately wildly jealous or angry at Maxim because he insisted they never marry, and in the end, he was to prevail. Sonya died of pneumonia at 41, leaving behind a sad and somewhat neglected daughter, well-interpreted here by Lina Pleijel. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gunilla Nyroos, Tommy Berggrren, (more)
This French film has nothing to do with Chick Young's cartoon series about the Bumstead family; neither does it relate to the 1980's pop group Blondie. In this political drama, Rod Taylor appears as a United Nations official, active in the effort to ban chemical weapons and to promote the use of nuclear power. He makes speeches around the world on these topics, which are met with protests and demonstrations. He also has a waif-spouse, whom he neglects, and a mistress. His wife has a sadomasochistic affair with a young man while he is away. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Jourdan, Bibi Andersson, (more)
- Starring:
- Bibi Andersson, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, (more)
Mans Herngren directs this quiet, sad family comedy about love and jealousy. The film focuses on a trio of sisters: Sophia (Josefin Nilsson), who is expecting a child with her significant other Freddie (Jacob Ericksson); Gina (Marie Richardson), who is married to Roffe (Peter Dalle) and remains childless in spite of their best efforts; and Tina (Cecilia Frode), who has had several kids by larcenous deadbeat Pulver (Peter Wahlbeck). The sisters' mother Solveig (Bibi Andersson) remains an overbearing presence in their lives, continually giving out unwanted advice, while their father Tage (Gosta Ekman) is a withdrawn man who quietly longs for something new. After Sophia gives birth, she accepts a starring role on a TV crime drama, though she tells Freddie that it will not interfere with her child-rearing duties. Soon, however, Sophia's job demands more and more of her time, forcing her to fob off her baby onto her mother and Tina. Meanwhile, Gina seethes with envy over her elder sister's biological productivity, straining her marriage to Roffe. At the same time, Tage suddenly takes up jogging -- to the surprise of everyone. Later, the women of the family discover the reason for his sudden interest in exercise -- he as a much younger mistress. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josefin Nilsson, Marie Richardson, (more)
This artistically produced Swedish philosophical drama, filmed in black-and-white, is adapted from Strindberg's 1902 play. Using a combination of Biblical reference, classic mythology, and poetry it depicts God's daughter as she reflects upon the state of humanity. Agnes descends from Heaven to survey earthbound mortals about the cause of their pain and sadness. Initially, Agnes is carefree, but she cannot remain unaffected by the surrounding tragedy and becomes more serious. She ends up marrying an impoverished and dour lawyer. They dwell in a claustrophobic cellar with their new baby. The feature film at the local cinema stars Victoria. A frequent movie-goer tells Agnes of his love for the beautiful actress Victoria. He soon gets to meet her. Agnes then meets a dark poet who warns her that if she continues to wade in the morass of human existence the effects upon her may be permanent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingvild Holm, Bjorn Willberg Andersen, (more)
Frontier scout Jess Remsberg (James Garner) is crossing the desert when he spots a dead army scout and group of Apaches pursuing someone -- it turns out to be a white woman, Ellen Grange (Bibi Andersson); he gets her away from them and returns her to her home and her husband Willard (Dennis Weaver), who seems much more upset that the horse she was riding when she left is dead than he is glad that she is back. Ellen was kidnapped by the Apaches two years before and rescued a year after that, and had fled a town where her husband and everyone else had treated her as an outcast since her return. Apart from preventing her from being raped by some drunken townsmen, however, Remsberg barely has time to worry over what goes on between them, as he has a mission of his own -- tracking down the men who murdered his wife, a Comanche woman. A key clue is in the hands of the town marshal in Fort Conchos and to get there he has to scout for a cavalry unit bringing horses, ammunition, and fresh recruits to the fort, with Grange and his wife -- and the infant son she had by the Indian chieftain who took her as his squaw -- going along, with ex-buffalo soldier-turned-horse wrangler Toler (Sidney Poitier). Their party ends up under siege by Chata (John Hoyt), the Apache Indian chief and grandfather to Ellen Grange's baby, who has jumped the reservation; he wants his grandson back, and the ammunition the troop was carrying, and also intends on killing Ellen for inadvertently causing the death of his son. They all end up trapped in a box canyon while Remsberg tries to survive to get help from Fort Conchos. If this all sounds complicated, it's not, especially as told by director Nelson, in a straightforward, unpretentious, brisk, and decidedly violent fashion that anticipates his own Soldier Blue, made four years later. Every plot element links up neatly in this script, which quite effectively recalls (and weaves together) elements of the book and the movie Hondo as well as any number of revenge westerns of the 1960's. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Sidney Poitier, (more)
- Starring:
- Natalie Minnevik, Bibi Andersson, (more)
Exposed is the film in which concert violinist Rudolf Nureyev grabs his bow and "plays" the lissome body of Nastassja Kinski. This may well stand as the silliest bit of erotica in screen history, but in the context of the film it's a model of restraint. We're asked to believe that Kinski is Elizabeth Carlson, a Wisconsin girl who has come to the big city to make it as a pianist or model. We're also supposed to be convinced that Nureyev is part-time espionage agent Daniel Jelline, who is determined to bring terrorist Rivas (Harvey Keitel) to justice. Much of the film takes place in Paris, where at least the scenery is lovely. The various plotlines and characters never quite congeal. Despite the fact that director James Toback is given sole screenplay credit, the film seems more like a "committee" project. To its credit, Exposed is never dull; with that cast, how could anyone fall asleep? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nastassja Kinski, Rudolf Nureyev, (more)
The prolific and highly celebrated Swedish playwright (August Strindberg (1849-1912) wrote a number of plays which have become standards in the repertory of European theater, including Miss Julie, which in 1950 was made into a classic film by Alf Sjoberg. This movie is a straightforward filming of one of Strindberg's lesser known one-act plays, Fordringsagare. It depicts the complex relationships among three people - - Tekla (Bibi Andersson), a well-known woman novelist, her husband Adolf (Tomas Bolme), a crippled artist, and her former husband Gustav (Keve Hjelm). Gustav is bitter over Tekla's unflattering portrayal of him in one of her novels, and he sets out to destroy her current marriage. The entire film takes place in an almost empty hotel where Tekla and Adolf are residing. The format is a series of two character scenes, in which sometimes the third character spies on the others unseen. Strindberg's dialogue is faithfully and beautifully rendered by the trio of outstanding actors. This is essentially the filmed record of a play, and as such will be highly prized by fans of the playwright. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bibi Andersson, Keve Hjelm, (more)
What is so rare, and cherishable, as an Ingmar Bergman comedy? All These Women concerns the sexual misadventures of cello-playing Jarl Kulle. Amidst his many romantic pursuits, the egotistical Kulle endeavors to get his life story published, "bribing" a writer by agreeing to perform the latter's musical compositions. Bergman regulars Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson and Bibi Andersson costar in All These Women, while the screenplay was cowritten by another stalwart member of the director's stock company, Erland Josephson. Originally titled For Att Inte Talla om alla dessa Kvindor, All These Women is better known in English-speaking countries as Now About All These Women. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bibi Andersson, Carl Billquist, (more)
Though Rod Taylor chooses to leave Germicide off his official resume, the film isn't really that bad. Taylor plays a dedicated scientist who learns that a bacterial weapon is at the ready to wipe out most of mankind. He tries to warn the authorities, but is thwarted at every turn by terrorists and extortionists. Even his mistress Bibi Andersson (how did she get involved in all this?) turns against him. Andromeda Strain it isn't, but Germicide does provide a few good scares and gasps. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Human nature and the inhuman cruelties that come with war are the focus of this challenging, pensive, well-photographed drama. Lt. Leimu (Jukka Puotila) is in charge of a prison camp in an unnamed country. A civil war is drawing to a close; in fact, there are only two days left in the fighting. Each day, the lieutenant is forced to interrogate prisoners and then send those who belong to the "enemy" to the execution block. He cannot help but get personally involved with some of the prisoners in the camp, which makes his job of judge, jury, and hangman all the worse. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jukka Puotila, Katja Kiuru, (more)

- 1977
- R
- Add I Never Promised You a Rose Garden to QueueAdd I Never Promised You a Rose Garden to top of Queue
Without ever revealing the diagnosis, this film chronicles the inner life and outer circumstances of Deborah Blake (Kathleen Quinlan), a young mental patient. As the film opens, she is being accompanied by her subdued parents to yet another mental hospital. This one looks clean and cheerful, at least. Her treatment is handled by Dr. Fried (Bibi Andersson), a very skillful therapist who gets past her deranged defenses and reveals that Deborah harbors some very violent fantasies about some of her relatives. The movie is based on the best-selling autobiographical novel by Joanne Greenberg. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bibi Andersson, Kathleen Quinlan, (more)
Those with a special love for Swedish films and who are familiar with actresses Harriet Andersson and Bibi Andersson and Gunnel Lindblom will be most delighted by this documentary interview held at the palatial French retreat of noted late filmmaker Mai Zetterling. The trio of actresses have ostensibly gathered to pay tribute to Zetterling, but during the course of their day also reminisce about their own careers and the illustrious figures, including Ingmar Bergman, they have worked with. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This European existential drama utilizes complex symbols inspired by abstract psychological theories to explore the effects and reasons behind a young classical actor's decision to stop talking. No one knows why Massimo has vowed to stop talking. Other than speaking dialog from classical plays, Massimo refuses to say a single word. His father, a classic-literature professor believes it reflects to a disappointing love affair. His new girlfriend thinks Massimo is rebelling against his mother, a poet. A director learns of Massimo and commissions his mother to write a play about him. Though Massimo plays himself in the play, and does speak, he returns to silence when the play is finished. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thierry Blanc, Simona Cavallari, (more)
Salvador Allende was a Marxist who became the President of Chile. Forces within that country and from outside, including the U.S.'s CIA, conspired to bring about an end to his rule, and his life, on September 11, 1973. This French/Bulgarian drama explores the events leading up to his election and ultimate overthrow and is highly sympathetic to his aims and intentions. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bibi Andersson, Maurice Garrel, (more)


















