Eclipse Series 1: Early Bergman
- Matt
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm
Eclipse Series 1: Early Bergman
ECLIPSE SERIES 1: EARLY BERGMAN
Before The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries established him as one of the great masters of cinema, Ingmar Bergman created a series of devastating but less well-known psychological character studies, marked by intricate, layered narratives, gritty environments, and haunting visuals. These early films, which show the stirrings of the genius to come, remain the hidden treasures of a European cinema on the cusp of a golden age.
5-disc set includes:
Torment
The great Swedish filmmaker Alf Sjöberg directed Ingmar Bergman's first produced screenplay, the dark coming-of-age drama Torment. Widgren, a boarding-school senior, is terrorized by his sadistic Latin teacher. When he falls for Bertha, a troubled local girl, he finds himself caught up even further in a web of emotional mind games.
Crisis
Urban beauty-shop proprietress Miss Jenny arrives in an idyllic rural town one morning to whisk away her eighteen-year-old daughter, Nelly, whom she abandoned as a child, from the loving woman who has raised her. Once in Stockholm, Nelly receives a crash course in adult corruption and wrenching heartbreak.
Port Of Call
Berit, a suicidal young woman living in a working-class port town, unexpectedly falls for Gösta, a sailor on leave. Haunted by a troubled past and held in a vice grip by her domineering mother, Berit begins to hope that her relationship with Gösta might save her from her own self-destruction.
Thirst
A couple traveling across a war-ravaged Europe. A disintegrating marriage. A ballet dancer's scarred past. Her friend's psychological agony. Elliptically told in flashbacks, Thirst shows people enslaved to memory and united in isolation.
To Joy
An orchestra violinist's dreams of becoming a celebrated soloist and fears of his own mediocrity get in the way of his marriage to the patient, caring Marta. Played out to the music of Beethoven, To Joy is a heartbreaking tale of one man's inability to overcome the demons standing in the way of his happiness.
Before The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries established him as one of the great masters of cinema, Ingmar Bergman created a series of devastating but less well-known psychological character studies, marked by intricate, layered narratives, gritty environments, and haunting visuals. These early films, which show the stirrings of the genius to come, remain the hidden treasures of a European cinema on the cusp of a golden age.
5-disc set includes:
Torment
The great Swedish filmmaker Alf Sjöberg directed Ingmar Bergman's first produced screenplay, the dark coming-of-age drama Torment. Widgren, a boarding-school senior, is terrorized by his sadistic Latin teacher. When he falls for Bertha, a troubled local girl, he finds himself caught up even further in a web of emotional mind games.
Crisis
Urban beauty-shop proprietress Miss Jenny arrives in an idyllic rural town one morning to whisk away her eighteen-year-old daughter, Nelly, whom she abandoned as a child, from the loving woman who has raised her. Once in Stockholm, Nelly receives a crash course in adult corruption and wrenching heartbreak.
Port Of Call
Berit, a suicidal young woman living in a working-class port town, unexpectedly falls for Gösta, a sailor on leave. Haunted by a troubled past and held in a vice grip by her domineering mother, Berit begins to hope that her relationship with Gösta might save her from her own self-destruction.
Thirst
A couple traveling across a war-ravaged Europe. A disintegrating marriage. A ballet dancer's scarred past. Her friend's psychological agony. Elliptically told in flashbacks, Thirst shows people enslaved to memory and united in isolation.
To Joy
An orchestra violinist's dreams of becoming a celebrated soloist and fears of his own mediocrity get in the way of his marriage to the patient, caring Marta. Played out to the music of Beethoven, To Joy is a heartbreaking tale of one man's inability to overcome the demons standing in the way of his happiness.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
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I've only seen To Joy, I really enjoyed it. It's surprising to find such fine camerawork this early in Bergman's career. It's a wonderful blend of the kind of cynicism and bitterness that would later be seen in films like Scenes from a Marriage, and an optimism and warmth you don't often see in his work. Great music, too.
- godardslave
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- Cinephrenic
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- zedz
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Of these, I've only seen Torment. Sjoberg is a really important director, so it's nice to finally see Criterion acknowledge him, but the forthcoming masterpiece Miss Julie is a far better representation of his work.
For me, Bergman's script was the weakest point of the film (even at his best, he was no Strindberg), but Sjoberg handles it quite well. From my limited experience, he was a great director of actresses, and the teenage Mai Zetterling is memorable in the film. So this film is also an interesting collaboration between three generations of Swedish directors.
For me, Bergman's script was the weakest point of the film (even at his best, he was no Strindberg), but Sjoberg handles it quite well. From my limited experience, he was a great director of actresses, and the teenage Mai Zetterling is memorable in the film. So this film is also an interesting collaboration between three generations of Swedish directors.
- Matt
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm
Nothing, I would imagine. Eclipse releases are not expected to have any supplements. These are mainly for people who are not region free or who could never justify the expense of importing minor Bergman films on DVD.kekid wrote:I wonder what Criterion would offer to justify double-dipping for those who have the Tartans.
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- colinr0380
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- Jeff
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There are eleven Bergman introductions recorded for Swedish television. A few of these eleven have trailers with them as well. None of the introductions or trailers are for the films in the upcoming "Early Bergman" set. The only ones shown with Fanny and Alexander that have not yet been released by Criterion are Summer With Monika, Sawdust and Tinsel, and A Lesson in Love.Cinephrenic wrote:Does anyone remember what 11 trailers they included in the a Fanny and Alexander set?
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... but very interesting nonetheless. As a big fan of Bergman, I enjoyed these immensely. They forecast the later films quite well, and in many ways offer fascinating correlations with his biography (lots of young lovers on the lam, Birger Malmsten undergoing various degrees of twentysomething neurosis, etc.). It's a shame that the pleasantly clunky and deeply weird <em>It Rains on Our Love</em> is not among these.ellipsis7 wrote:These are very minor Bergman indeed, interesting historically more than artistically, probably an indicator of what is to be offloaded onto Eclipse in general....
- Felix
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Tartan Bergman are pretty much devoid of extras, just the same trailer reel/s. I have three of these releases, none have any add-ins other than that, though all look fine. Why worry about the box set? If price is an issue you'll find plenty of early Bergman on Amazon at good prices (for Scottish readers, they feature quite a lot in FOPP's shops.)colinr0380 wrote:I didn't get any of the Tartans (and there was no way I'd be able to afford the huge box set that just came out!) - does anyone know whether the films Eclipse is going to release had any extra features on the Tartan discs?
It's a disappointing first release for me, though I like early Bergman a lot and were it not for the fact that they have already been released I would be happy with them. But this is really only for people who have not got with Multi-region yet, and is a disappointment for the rest of us. MoC have also done this with films available via the likes of Kino, though to be fair they are usually improved.
I hope the next announcement from Eclipse is not a series of the same Ozu prints that Panorama have been releasing or the forthcoming MoC Mizoguchi's...