Erland Josephson Movies
A longtime friend of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, actor Erland Josephson starred in six of the director's best films, including The Passion of Anna (1970), Cries and Whispers (1972), Scenes From a Marriage (1973), and Fanny and Alexander (1982). In these films and others, the aristocratic Josephson came to embody one type of Bergman protagonist: the modern neurotic man, aloof, introspective, and thoroughly self-centered. Writing under the nom de plume of Buntel Erik, Josephson co-scripted The Pleasure Garden (1961) with Bergman and All These Women (1964), and under his own name has penned several novels, poems and plays. Active in films outside his native Sweden, Josephson's most famous non-Bergman film role was in the U.S. production The Unbearable Lightness of Being; he also played a prominent part in Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books (1991). From 1966 through 1975, Josephson was in charge of Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theater. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1958
Brink of Life (original Swedish title: Nara Livet) can be described as an Ingmar Bergman potboiler--keeping in mind that a potboiler from Bergman is better than a major production from almost anyone else. Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin and Bibi Andersson portray three mothers in a maternity ward. In the course of a few days, each woman reveals to the others their life stories and intimate thoughts. And each wrestles with the decision whether or not to keep their babies or give them up for adoption. Brink of Life was adapted by Bergman from an original story by Ulla Isaakson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingrid Thulin, Eva Dahlbeck, (more)
- 1958
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)
- 1949
Pride, ambition and creative temperament take their toll on a marriage in this drama written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Stig Eriksson (Stig Olin) is a violinist who, after being hired to perform with an orchestra led by demanding conductor Sonderby (Victor Sjostrom), meets another new members of the ensemble, fellow violinist Marta Olsson (Mai-Britt Nilsson). Stig is attracted to Marta, and she has similar feelings for him, though she needs to be assured his interest is not merely sexual before she invites him to move in with him. Stig believes he has the talent to become an orchestral soloist, while Marta plays for the love of music and has no illusions about her potential for stardom. After they marry and Marta gives birth to twins, Stig persuades Sonderby to give him the demanding assignment of lead soloist for a concert featuring Mendelssohn's String Concerto; Stig's performance is all but disastrous, and as his hopes are shattered he questions his talent and his potential, despite Marta and Sonderby's reassurances about his gifts as an ensemble musician. In time, Stig's disappointment and the responsibilities of parenthood lead him into an affair with Nelly (Margit Carlquist), the libertine wife of fellow musician Mikael (John Ekman). Till Gladje (aka To Joy) features a classical score dominated by the works of Beethoven, with Mozart and Smetana also included; Bergman's passion for classical music would also figure into his later films Autumn Sonata and his adaptation of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Filmed in 1948, Swedish filmmaker Gustav Molander's Eva gained an American release the following year. The eponymous Eva, played by Eva Stiberg, is the cast-off girlfriend of headstrong railroad engineer Bo (Birger Malmsten). When Bo's new bride is killed in a train accident, he returns to faithful Eva. Out of tragedy blossoms a new life for both hero and heroine. Unlike such previous Molander protegees as Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, Eva Stiberg did not go on to a particularly stellar career. Eva should not be confused with the 1962 French film of the same name, though both contain strikingly similar plot elements. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Birger Malmsten, Eva Dahlbeck, (more)
- 1946
Literally translated, the title of this early Ingmar Bergman effort is It's Raining on Our Love. Though hardly representative of the best that Bergman would have to offer, the film was highly regarded by critics and moviegoers alike when it first appeared in 1947. Put simply, the story theorizes that just because someone commits a criminal act, that someone isn't necessarily a criminal. Barbro Kollberg plays the unfortunate soul whose solitary indiscretion seriously jeopardizes his future happiness. The plot Det Regnar pa Var Karlek is "explained" throughout by an ersatz stage manager, the sort of theatrical device that Bergman would abandon as he became a more self-confident filmmaker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbro Kollberg, Birger Malmsten, (more)
