Eclipse Series 1: Early Bergman

[Tommaso]

If they release the godawful All These Women here, I'll buy it.

I think that movie's hilarious. I'd rather watch that than The Virgin Spring any day.

I think "All these women" is much underrated, probably because Bergman himself dismisses it and because it seems to be totally at odds with his other work. But you can see traces of its type of humour in "Smiles of a summer night" already, here expanded almost into the slapstick genre, but in any case its a feast for the eye with its glorious colours and sets . Sometimes I think Bergman should have done more in that lighter vein, as he clearly knows how to master it. That's why I want to see "The devil's eye" so much, because apparently it's another comical film, and one which he also dismisses.

[mteller]

The Devil's Eye is better, although somewhat disappointing and unfocused. All These Women just feels entirely awkward and way too broad (even obnoxious at times). I agree the color photography is nice though.

Check it out, Criterion's got the one-sheet up now

[Tommaso]

All These Women just feels entirely awkward and way too broad (even obnoxious at times).

I always thought the obnoxious quality (if you refer to the main character) was intended, and somehow I sympathize with Bergman's admittedly not always very subtle attempt of kicking the critics' bum with that film. But it's also a very formalized film, visually at least (with lots of 'architectural' compositions), and in that respect I find it surprisingly modern at times. I cannot help thinking of some Peter Greenaway visuals in places.

[tartarlamb]

The Devil's Eye is better, although somewhat disappointing and unfocused.

I think The Devil's Eye is far and away Bergman's worst comedy, and probably the worst of his films that I've seen. From what I recall, its a hammy little Moliere knockoff that looks like it was intended for the stage rather than the screen. It resembles his Bris soap commercials more than any of his other films.

The more I think about it, the more this set excites me (as a poor college student that hasn't gone multi-region). I haven't seen most of these films since I checked the ratty VHS out from my library almost a decade ago. Torment is an excellent bit of film-making by Sjoberg, although Bergman's screenplay is really amateurish and awful -- its not as good as Miss Julie, but together I think they'll bring a little more exposure to an overlooked and very talented director. But I'm most excited about Port of Call, if I remember right, reminded me a bit of Monika, and seemed like a nice try at neo-realism.

[Andreas]

I have seen "Torment", and I really like it, "Crisis" on the other hand... here is Bergmans own comment:

"Crisis is my first film. If someone had asked me to shoot the yellow pages I would have done it. The result would possible been a little better."

[Tommaso]

Just as an additional note, as we discussed this above: "The Devil's eye" has just been released in Germany via the arthaus Bergman edition under the very stupid title "Die Jungfrauenbrücke" ('The Virgin Bridge', guess someone's trying to cash in on the more successful "Virgin Spring" here...). And now that I've seen it, I have to agree with what was said above: probably the worst of his comedies, and perhaps his worst film ever apart from "The Serpent's Egg". Problem is that the dialogues are just not funny. Don't know whether this is because of the apparently bad play it was adapted from, but it shows that Bergman did not put a lot of effort into it, this having been more or less forced on him as a 'deal' for being able to do "The Virgin Spring". I quite liked the visuals, though. The rococo style Hell scenes (with more than one nod to Cocteau) were at least quite charming, and acting was also fine (and it's always such a pleasure to see the young Bibi...). But as a whole, rather disappointing.
If anyone cares to know: the transfer is flawless (on a par with the Tartan releases), but you cannot get rid of the German subs, and there are no English ones, too. Still the fact that they released this - while Tartan did not - gives me the hope that they will also do "Dreams" and "Farodocument", perhaps also "Sawdust and Tinsel".

[Lino]

Tartan is releasing The Devil's Eye later this year.

[Tommaso]

Tartan is releasing The Devil's Eye later this year.

Which is really surprising to me, as I thought they completed their collection with that 30-disc-box rip-off. Any news on individual releases of "Dreams" and "Farodokument" from Tartan, then?

[Lino]

Sawdust and Tinsel is coming too.

[Tommaso]

Lino, you just saved my day! Not just "Sawdust and Tinsel", but the three Jodorowsky's all in the same two weeks... CHAMPAGNE!

[domino harvey]

a lot of the Bergman Tartans are only £6.97 at Amazon.co.uk right now, I'm filling in my gaps as we speak

[arsonfilms]

Back cover on DVD Empire

[criterionsnob]

"Visit us at criterion.com"

I guess there won't be a separate website for Eclipse if this is part of the packaging.

[posto]

I just got an e-mail from dvdplanet - they shipped "Early Bergman Box Set" today - 3/14/2007.

[What A Disgrace]

Its worth noting that these transfers are not windowboxed. And that Eclipse has its very own intro; a spinning "e" and its dopplegangers.

[balzer]

I have watched the first four films and the prints look very good. There are a few artifacts that we wouldn't normally see on a Criterion release, but the picture and sound is excellent.

I am definitely pleased about Eclipse. It is very cool to watch the growth of a great.

I definitely feel "adventurous"

[kinjitsu]

DVD Beaver review

[HerrSchreck]

I hope those caps put to bed the erroneous assumption that "if a film is restored it can't be in Eclipse" i e only cruddy looking prints & transfers can make it in. Remember that they are not a film laboratory and do not do film restoration work in the commonly accepted sense (though Janus will fund 3d party restos here & there): they do digital restoration of magnetic images of film frames & audio, post-transfer.

Despite the lack of MTI'ing the Eclipse line, there are tons of pre-restored films just aching for NTSC distribution.

[Tommaso]

Excellent, indeed. I have never seen the Tartan discs of these particular films, but judging from the caps alone I think that Gary's words about the Eclipse releases being a significant improvement over the Tartans are very true (and those Tartans I actually did see are not bad at all). The caps look glorious, better than of many a film included in the main CCollection. Now I look even more forward to that Bernard box...

[fdm]

UK Tartans for some reason seem to be the ones that give my region-free Malata problems. Seem to be manufacturing defects on a couple of them, haven't had problems with others. (Example, the menu had a glitch while playing on 'Eva' (the film itself played fine (problem duplicated on Denon player)), and playback glitch on 'Sex and Lucia'). Hopefully just a fluke... but glad Eclipse is releasing the Bergmans here (finally).

[TCB]

I just bought series one last night at Kim's. Haven't had a chance to watch any seriously yet, but I'm pretty excited. The packaging is alright; the "box" is more of a sleeve for the slim cases, which have essays printed on the interior of the clear plastic (no booklets, at least with this series). The print of "Port of Call" looked pretty good, clear and dust free for the few minutes I popped it in; I think Criterion has overplayed how little or much restoration has been done on the discs, because they certainly, for the little bit I saw, seemed above serviceable. Has anyone else gotten a copy yet and can comment on the print quality?

[mbalson]

Did you read any of the posts previous to yours?

[TCB]

I just checked... my bad. It looked like they were talking about the Tartan prints. Answered my question then!

[eez28]

Out soon: Bergman begins

A five-disc set of little-seen films from the great director's early career starts a new line from the Criterion Collection.

By Susan King, Times Staff Writer
March 25, 2007

SEMINAL Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman had been making movies for more than a decade before he was introduced to American audiences with his 1956 masterwork, "The Seventh Seal." But until now, his early, influential works have rarely had exposure in the United States.

The five-disc set "Early Bergman," set for release Tuesday, is the first offering from Eclipse, a new DVD line of the Criterion Collection, the digital arm of the foreign and art house distribution company Janus Films. Janus first brought Bergman to our shores in the latter part of the 1950s.

Though none of the films in "Early Bergman" would rank as a masterpiece, they are assuredly directed, well acted and provocative and foreshadow the psychological themes — including morality, faith and loneliness — of his later classics such as "Wild Strawberries," "The Virgin Spring," "Through a Glass Darkly," "Face to Face" and "Fanny and Alexander."

Each month, Eclipse will present three to five films focusing on a particular director or theme — scheduled for next month are the documentaries of Louis Malle.

"The idea for Eclipse emerged from the sense that we had that there were a lot of films you didn't get to see if you didn't really have a good cinematheque in your town," says Peter Becker, president of Criterion. "In the common marketplace … you were only likely to see those classics that had been in the fixed canon."

Those are just the type of classics Criterion has been releasing on DVD.

"We were starting to get aware, after nine years into the DVD marketplace, there were a lot of great films that weren't getting seen because they didn't have that reputation, they weren't as well known, but that were in different ways really important and in some cases equally great," Becker said.

At a time when Hollywood films were firmly under the vise of the Production Code, the films emerging from Sweden were decades ahead in terms of content. Bergman frankly tackles mature and taboo Hollywood subjects such as suicide and abortion.

Bergman's first screenplay to be made into a film was 1944's "Torment," directed by Alf Sjoberg. The dark story is set in a claustrophobic boys' boarding school — modeled on the one Bergman attended — where seniors, especially a young man named Widgren, are terrorized by a sadistic Latin teacher. Widgren's life takes a turn for the worse when he begins to have an affair with a young woman who unbeknown to him is embroiled in a sadomasochistic relationship with the Latin teacher.

Two years later, he made his directorial debut with the melodrama "Crisis," based on Leck Fischer's 1944 play "The Maternal Heart." The plot line is pretty pokey — the 18-year-old foster daughter of a dying piano teacher decides to leave small-town life and move to the big city when the decadent mother who abandoned her as a baby returns for her.

In his autobiographical "Images: My Life in Film," Bergman even admits that Fischer's play was "grandiose drivel." Still, it's compelling fare and features a scene-stealing performance by Stig Olin, who would become an early member of the Bergman repertory company, as the troubled lover of the mother who seduces the daughter. (Olin is the father of actress Lena Olin.)

"Port of Call," from 1948, revolves around a sensitive young woman put into a reform school by her brutal mother, who falls in love with a young sailor now working on the docks.

Nine-Christine Jonsson is heartbreaking as the troubled young Berit, who seeks solace from her hideous existence through promiscuous behavior with men. Bengt Eklund plays the sailor-turned-stevedore who falls for Berit.

"Thirst," from 1949, is an arresting psychological drama — sort of a precursor of "Scenes From a Marriage." Told in the present and in flashback, the movie revolves around a marital squabble on a train between a man and his former ballet dancer wife.

Stig Olin headlines 1950's "To Joy" as an orchestra violinist whose unsuccessful attempts to become a successful solo artist puts a strain on his marriage to the patient, loving Marta (Maj-Britt Nilsson). Bergman described the film as an "impossible melodrama" in which Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is "shamelessly exploited. I do understand the techniques used in both melodrama and soap opera quite well."

Swedish director Victor Sjstrom, who would later star in "Wild Strawberries," plays the warmly wise orchestra conductor.

[colinr0380]

DVD Talk review.