The Passion of Anna
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Movie Reviews of The Passion of Anna
Movie Review: Darkness of human soul
Summary: 5 Stars
Master director Ingmar Bergman tells a story about four people who meet on a small Scandinavian island. All four are in a sort of self-imposed exile. Middle aged, worn out from life experiences and throwen into each other's company they form a bond that forces them together as much as it separates them apart.
Andreas is a loner, living on the island with limited income and increasing dread of loneliness. Anna on the other hand is a widow whose son and husband died in a car accident and she was seriously injured. Anna's friends, married couple of intellectuals are nursing thier troubling marriage intermingeled with codependency.
Bergman explores theme of truth in this film. What is truth, how do we as individuals perceive it and do we make out our own truth in order to avoid daily suffering of our seemingly ordinary life? And if the truth is accepted only in terms we are ready to accept it, does that lead person to madness? Is it possible for love to survive such maddness?
Such explorations are unique to Bergman and his fabulous cast of actors deliver a memorable performance.
Movie Review: One of the twelve pearls films of Bergman!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fascinating psychological exploration, and unflinching statement into man 's hidden dragons of the human being and the always unstoppable tendency toward the self destruction. Four people, a desert island, will interact showing their fears,insecurities, frustrations, emotive status and personal bunkers.
In a very similar way employed by Bergman in Persona, he maintains an increasing physical tension with his accustomed and inimitable style.
Personally, I recommend to watch the following tetralogy in this order: The hour of the wolf, Persona, The passion of Anna and finally Shame, because as you know Strindberg 's influence is more than obvious.
An unforgettable film!
Movie Review: The Passion of Anna
Summary: 5 Stars
In "Passion", Bergman addresses the recurring theme of human isolation. Eva is a vulnerable woman in search of identity, Elis a successful architect whose cynical, assured veneer is a barrier to intimacy. Anna deals with her own plight by righteously proclaiming the value of "honesty" in relationships, yet deceives herself about her own unsuccessful marriage. Soon, Andreas remembers why he'd craved solitude in the first place. In this multi-layered character study, Bergman includes sequences where the actors comment on the roles they're playing--a fascinating touch. Beautifully photographed by the immortal Sven Nykvist, "Anna" is a stunning accomplishment.Movie Review: Another fine Bergman film of the 60's
Summary: 5 Stars
I would have to agree with Marc Gervais when he says on the documentary to this movie that it is perhaps one of Bergman's most successful efforts of the period. Persona opened the door, but 'the passion of anna' completely explodes with innovation. This is one of Bergman's first color movies - and Sven Nykvist proves that he is also a master in this medium.Movie Review: A "Passion" For Bergman
Summary: 4 Stars
Hearing about the recent death yesterday of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman I felt compelled to review one of the master's films as a sort of tribute. But which one? I've reviewed so many of his films on Amazon. "Wild Strawberries", "The Seventh Seal", "Persona", "Scenes From A Marriage" and "Fanny and Alexander". Then I suddenly thought about this movie.
Bergman was and still is my all time favorite director. No filmmaker in the history of cinema has shown the human condition in such poetic ways. Many times when watching a Bergman film it is as if we are staring into a mirror of society. Moments become so realistic we turn away. It's uncomfortable when faced with such grim truths. I've always thought that was the strenght of films such as "Scenes From A Marriage", the most intense film I have ever seen on the subject of love and marriage.
Though there were those who claimed Bergman was pretentious. His work was boring and depressing. I suppose that's the risk you run when you make films concerning man's relationship to God and question the very existence of God's being. But, I must admit, so called "depressing" films never depress me. After you watch a great film, say "Cries and Whispers", which is undoubtedly a sad movie, I never felt depressed afterwards. When I watch a great work of art I become inspired. It's like after reading a good book, you find that you want to share your discovery with others. You tell all you see about it. That's how I feel about movies. You may think of them as depressing but I become moved by them. It could be because I'm a filmbuff and an amateur filmmaker, but great art doesn't depress me.
Ingmar Bergman made a career out of asking the big questions. His films were either about the relationships between men and women, i.e. "Scenes From A Marriage", "Secrets of Women", "A Lesson in Love" or about man's place in the world and God's silence which surrounds us as was the case with his "faith trilogy"; "Winter Light", "Through A Glass, Darkly", and "The Silence". "The Passion of Anna" falls somewhere inbetween.
The first image we see in "The Passion of Anna" is of a flock of sheep. Next we meet Andreas Winkelman (Max von Sydow) as is does some roof repairs. Andreas we discover lives the life of a hermit. His wife left him and he is faced with financial woes. One day a lady, Anna (Liv Ullman) comes to his door asking if she can use his phone. He agrees and lets her in.
There's something about Anna that intrigues Andreas. There is a sense of sadness on her face. Anna was in a car accident with her husband and son and now walks with a limp. She speaks fondly of her marriage. All she has are her memories since her husband and son died in the accident.
Anna lives with Eva and Elis Vergerus (the beyond beautiful Bibi Andersson and Erland Josephson). And Andreas strikes up a friendship with Elis and soon finds himself having an affair with Eva which ends soon as Andreas starts to see Anna.
Now while all of this is going on a madman has been killing animals in this empty village. Sheep are found mutilated, Andreas finds a dog that was hung, a barn is set on fire killing all the cattle. The townspeople try to investigate what is going on and soon blame a friend of Andreas, Johan (Erik Hell).
There is a parable between the destruction of the animals and the slow, emotional destruction of the characters in the film.
But Bergman never answers the question of who is behind the killing of the animals. It always remains a faceless, unseen person. I think the statement Bergman is making is that it is mankind who is killing the animals and everything else. Mankind has violent tendencies within him.
At times Bergman breaks the dramatic tension he builds in scenes by showing us interviews of the actors speaking about their characters. While at first this may distract some viewers or at the very least confuse some, I think this device works on two levels. For one, it is a reminder this is all only a movie. Bergman did something similar at the beginning of his film "Persona". But the interviews also serve another function. One of the themes of "The Passion of Anna" is self-examination and having the actors speak of their characters gets this point across. During Max von Sydow's interviews he says of his character, he tries to block out his identity. And soon we think of that first image of sheep. Are these characters like the sheep? A flock of wandering, aimless people who simply get lost in the flock? One sheep looks like the next, thus losing their identity.
"The Passion of Anna" is a movie dealing with some strong themes. Violence and God's silence is one of them. These characters are surrounded by violence. First the violence against the animals, the violence Anna witness after the crash which killed her family (it is one of the most painful scenes in the film), and the violence which in inflicted upon Johan. And through it all, where is the justice? Where is God? This all culminates to a powerful ending between Andreas and Anna.
During the seventies it seemed as if Bergman could do no wrong. Starting the decade with this film he would also release "The Touch", "Cries and Whispers", "Scenes From A Marriage", "The Magic Flute" and "Face to Face" among others. "The Passion of Anna" won Bergman a National Society Film Critics award for "best director" and was placed on Siskel & Ebert's top ten films of the year list.
Bergman will be missed by film lovers all over the world. His films will not be forgotten and will continue to inspire young filmmakers for years to come.
Bottom-line: One of the great Bergman films dealing with self-examination, violence and God. Powerful performances and beautiful cinematography highlight this Bergman masterpiece.
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