Saraband (2003) (TV)

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

1 December 2003 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Marianne (Ullman), some thirty years after divorcing Johan (Josephson), decides to visit her ex-husband at his summer home. She arrives in the middle of a family drama between Johan's son from another marriage and his granddaughter.

Plot Keywords:

Family Relationships | Dysfunctional Family | Father Son Relationship | Church | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Liv Ullmann	...	Marianne
Erland Josephson	...	Johan
Börje Ahlstedt	...	Henrik
Julia Dufvenius	...	Karin
Gunnel Fred	...	Martha

Also Known As:

Anna (Sweden) (working title)
Saraband (Finland)
Sarabanda (Italy)
Sarabande (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief nudity, language and a violent image.

Runtime:

Singapore:107 min | UK:107 min | Sweden:220 min (TV version) | Argentina:120 min | Hong Kong:107 min

Country:

Germany | Italy | Denmark | Sweden | Austria | Finland

Language:

Swedish | English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Japan:R-15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R | Finland:K-11

Company:

Danmarks Radio (DR)

Trivia:

Although not acknowledged as a sequel to Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973), the characters Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson portray have the same names and occupations as they did in Bergman's acclaimed Swedish television miniseries and the action takes place 30 years after their divorce; the same amount of time that had passed since "Scener ur ett äktenskap" was filmed. Ullman's character also refers to the "idiot" that he had left her for as Paula, the character he left her for in "Scener ur ett äktenskap".

Movie Connections:

Follows Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973)

Soundtrack:

Cello Suite no. 5 in C Minor, Movement 4: Saraband

Master Bergman at his best

Ingmar Bergman goes on trying to find the meaning of life and the world and what means sentiment after all. Do we love when we think we hate? What's going on in the deepness of human soul? What justifies our actions? Which truth commands human relations mainly family and marital ones? This quest is pursued by formal means and themes different of those used in some of his previous movies such as The Seventh Seal or Persona but the same interrogation is always there. A sexagenarian lady decides to pay a visit to her ex-husband whom she had not seen for more than 30 years. She will be then the spectator of a series of events involving his ex-husband, his son of a previous marriage and the latter's young daughter in a tempest of violent feelings and psychological outbursts against which her serenity and wisdom make an interesting counterpoint. There is also another character whose presence is overwhelming despite the fact that she is already dead when the movie begins: Anna the former wife of the ex-husband's son. She still lives in the heart and of the two men and the young girl with her words and deeds. The love-hate relationship between father and son and father and daughter is very intense. The scene where the character played by Erland Josephson yields one night to anguish and anxiety and seeks refuge in her ex-wife's bed ( without any sex being involved) is extremely moving. We are indeed in the presence of a masterpiece.