Movie.

Since this blog is most likely going to be fueled mainly by boredom/indecisiveness/other things, I might as well start right off with a bit of inspired restlessness.

So, why not post a recommendation of one of my favorite films of all time?

Good point.

Anyway, here goes.

I just recently watched, for maybe the fifth or sixth time, Ingmar Bergman's Viskningar och rop (Cries and Whispers) (1972). The first time I watched it, I was dazzled by the look of it, and was left for days to ponder its depth. The second time, already being a step ahead by having analyzed the crap out of it, I was able to be a little less tense, and was giddy by the time it was over. The third, fourth, fifth, (and maybe sixth) time I watched it, my feelings continued on in this fashion.


The story, involving two women who return to their childhood home to visit their dying sister, is so simple, yet Bergman uses these bare bones to plunge headlong into the depths of spirituality, family, and, most importantly, the soul (and there's more, I'm sure). Or, as Roger Ebert stated in his review of the film, "[It] is about dying, love, sexual passion, hatred and death - in that order." Despite the brilliantly lush (and red. This is a very red movie.) cinematography by (one of my very favorites) Sven Nykvist and its old-fashioned composition, there is a visual element to the film that is incredibly disturbing and even horrifying. The use of emotional, mental, and physical imagery is nearly assaulting at times.



Really, after howevermany watches, I still can't claim to grasp every shred of meaning packed into it, nor will I ever, most likely. Like the strong majority of Bergman's films, Cries and Whispers is so intensely personal, there's an aspect to it that is impossible to possess, impossible to analyze and pick apart. You will watch, and sit back, and think. The pieces will come together. It will mean something to you. There are no compromises at all. You must take it as it is. And it is wonderful.



Oh! I almost forgot. The performances add a lot to all this "great film" business, too. Particularly Harriet Andersson as the dying sister, Agnes, and Bergman regular Ingrid Thulin as sister Karin. Ingrid Thulin also happens to be one of my favorite actresses ever:


Here is a lovely picture of her and Bergman.

Begin tangent:

Watching Thulin perform, for whatever reason, has always had an incredibly hypnotizing effect on me. She embodies her characters with such personality and depth. She owns them, but still gives them each their own uniqueness, so it's never like you're always watching Ingrid Thulin. At any rate, any movie she's in is worth a watch, if only for her performance.

End tangent!



So! If you had enough gusto to make it through that mess, then reward yourself by watching Cries and Whispers, seriously.

You deserve it.

Netflix it!