#0000A/#60: BERGMAN, Ingmar: Autumn Sonata (1978)

BERGMAN, Ingmar (Sweden)

Autumn Sonata [1978]

Spine #0000A/Spine #60

DVD/Blu-ray

1999 synopsis

A stunning union of two of Sweden's national treasures, Autumn Sonata pairs Ingmar Bergman with Ingrid Bergman for their only joint effort. Ingrid plays a mother who, after forsaking her family for a music career, attempts a reconciliation with her oldest daughter (Liv Ulmann) through a night of painful revelation. Sven Nykvist contributes glorious Eastmancolor cinematography to this quietly beautiful story of forgiveness. Criterion is proud to present Autumn Sonata in a gorgeous digital transfer.

2018 synopsis

Autumn Sonata was the only collaboration between cinema’s two great Bergmans: Ingmar and Ingrid, the monumental star of Casablanca. The grande dame, playing an icy concert pianist, is matched beat for beat in ferocity by the filmmaker’s recurring lead Liv Ullmann, as her eldest daughter. Over the course of a day and a long, painful night that the two spend together after an extended separation, they finally confront the bitter discord of their relationship. This cathartic pas de deux, evocatively shot in burnished harvest colors, ranks among the director’s major dramatic works.

92 minutes
Color

Monaural

in Swedish

1:66:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 1999/2018

Director/Writer

Ingmar Bergman was 60 when he wrote and directed Autumn Sonata.

Other Bergman films in the Collection:

#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: Crisis (1946)

#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: A Ship To India (1947)

#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: Port Of Call (1948)

#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: Thirst (1949)

#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: To Joy (1950)

#0000A/#613: Summer Interlude (1951)

#0000A: Waiting Women (1952)

#0000A/#412: Sawdust And Tinsel (1953)

#0000A/#614: Summer With Monika (1953)

#0000A: A Lesson In Love (1954)

#0000A: Dreams (1955)

#0000A/#237: Smiles Of A Summer Night (1955)

#0000A/#11: The Seventh Seal (1957)

#0000A/#139: Wild Strawberries (1957)

#0000A: Brink Of Life (1958)

#0000A/#537: The Magician (1958)

#0000A: The Devil’s Eye (1960)

#0000A/#321: The Virgin Spring (1960)

#0000A/#209: Through A Glass Darkly (1961)

#0000A/#211: The Silence (1963)

#0000A/#210: Winter Light (1963)

#0000A: All These Women (1964)

#0000A/#701: Persona (1966)

#0000A/#961: Shame (1968)

#0000A: Hour Of The Wolf (1968)

#0000A: The Passion Of Anna (1969)

#0000A: The Rite (1969)

#0000A: Fårö Document (1970)

#0000A: The Touch (1971)

#0000A/#101: Cries And Whispers (1972)

#0000A/#229: Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

#0000A/#71: The Magic Flute (1975)

#0000A: The Serpent's Egg (1977)

#0000A: Fårö Document 1979 (1979)

#0000A: From The Life Of The Marionettes (1980)

#0000A/#262: Fanny And Alexander — The Theatrical Version (1982)

#0000A/#263: Fanny And Alexander — The Television Version (1982)

#0000A/#264: Fanny And Alexander — The Making Of Fanny And Alexander (1982)

#0000A: After The Rehearsal (1984)

#0000A: Saraband (2003)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

#0000A: Essay by Farran Smith Nehme.

#60: Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by Peter Cowie.

Commentary

#0000A: By film scholar Cowie, recorded in 1995.

Introduction

#0000A: By Bergman, recorded in 2003.

The Making of Autumn Sonata

#0000A: A documentary by Arne Carlsson (207 minutes).

Interview

#0000A: With actor Ullmann, recorded in 2013 (19 minutes).

Conversation

#0000A: Between actor Bergman and critic John Russell Taylor, recorded at the National Film Theatre in London in 1981 (39 minutes).

#60: Audio essay

By noted film historian Cowie.

#0000A/#60: Original theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

99

By Director
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