Bibi Andersson Movies

A sister (Bibi Andersson) and brother (Per Oscarsson) become lovers in this incestuous costume drama set in 18th-century Sweden. The sex-starved siblings carry on their tawdry and illicit affair at a time when moral debauchery and decadence ran rampant. The literal translation of the Swedish title is Brother And Sister Bed. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this Scandinavian melodrama, a Swedish lieutenant journeys to a lonely island off the coast of Lapland for a summer of badly needed rest and relaxation. Once there, the soldier rents a hunting lodge from an aging local. Soon he encounters his landlord's lovely daughter who, while finding the stranger attractive, is put off by her innate distrust of men. With patience, he shows that men can indeed be trusted; he also introduces her to love. Unfortunately, the girl gets quite jealous when her father's lovely mistress also begins flirting with the stranger. The father is an abusive and jealous man; he cannot help but notice that his formerly passive daughter and mistress have begun standing up to him. To get even, he sends for the wealthy baron who once courted his daughter. He then informs his daughter that her lover, the soldier, has also been carrying on with his mistress. The lass disbelieves him until she sees the truth for herself, and the utterly distraught young woman agrees to marry the baron. The father then makes a play for his former mistress who spurns him and flees into the snowy mountains. It is an unfortunate coincidence that the soldier should choose that time to fire a signal shot to his lover, for his gun triggers off a deadly avalanche that sweeps the hapless mistress to her doom. The father goes mad with grief and burns down his hunting lodge. Later the lieutenant tries to smooth it all over with the daughter, but she is disconsolate and rejects him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Even into the 1960s, Yugoslavian films played up the contributions of their partisan underground during World War II. Square of Violence is a loose, unacknowledged reworking of the 1943 film Hostages. When partisans kill 30 Nazi officers in a bombing, the Germans respond by taking 300 Yugoslav hostages. Broderick Crawford, the man responsible for the bombing, must weigh the importance of keeping the identities of his comrades secret against the lives of the 300 captives. This is the directorial debut of Leonardo Bercovici. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Acceding to the literal interpretation of the folk-saying "A virgin is a sty in the devil's eye," Satan employs a reincarnated Don Juan (Jarl Kulle) to seduce Britt-Marie, the young daughter (Bibi Andersson) of a country parson. Poor Don Juan falls in love with the girl, however, while his servant Pablo (Sture Lagerwall) attempts to do the same with her mother. One of Bergman's few direct comedies (he even reassures viewers of the fact in a note titled "Dear Frightened Audience"), Devil's Eye also harks back to his stage experience by appearing in separate acts--with introductions by Gunnar Bjornstrand. The film is available in two video versions: subtitled and dubbed. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

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

After exploring his disillusionment with religion in his previous films, Ingmar Bergman adopted a humanistic approach for this classic study in isolationism. Legendary Scandinavian director Victor Sjöström stars as Isak Borg, an aging medical professor who reassesses his life while journeying to his former university to receive an honorary degree. Borg travels with his estranged daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) and revisits many of the landmarks of his past, conjuring up memories of his family and of his onetime sweetheart Sara (Bibi Andersson). Returning to the present, he meets a teenage girl who resembles the long-departed Sara. She hitches a ride with the professor and Marianne, as do a ceaselessly bickering married couple. These new characters eventually become intertwined with Borg's hazy flashbacks and fantasies, as the old man recalls the disappointments and disillusionments that have left him cold and guilt-ridden, attributes emphasized when he encounters his equally cold and resentful son. Bookending Borg's odyssey of self-discovery are a series of symbolic images at the beginning of the film (a clock without hands, a man without a face) and a hauntingly beautiful finale, in which professor is beckoned back to the "perfect" world he left behind so many years earlier. This classic art movie remains one of Bergman's most accessible films and one of the most influential European art movies of its generation. Its intense focus on one man's thoughts, regrets, and memories set the tone for innumerable psychological character studies in its wake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide