#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: EARLY BERGMAN: BERGMAN, Ingmar: To Joy (1949)

BERGMAN, Ingmar (Sweden)

To Joy [1949]
Spine #0000A/Eclipse Series 1

DVD/Blu-ray

2007 synopsis

An orchestra violinist's dream 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.

2018 synopsis

Taking its title from Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” adapted by Beethoven for his Ninth Symphony, this tragic romance opens with a violinist. Stig (Stig Olin), learning of the sudden death of his wife, Marta (Maj-Britt Nilsson). During a prolonged flashback, Stig remembers the delights and tribulations of their relationship, back to their early days in the orchestra conducted by the eminent Sönderby (Victor Sjöström), a time when Stig was riddled with self-doubt. An undeniably personal work for Bergman, To Joy is a compelling tale of a young man’s struggle with the demons standing in the way of his happiness.

99 minutes
Black & White

Monaural

in Swedish

1:33:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2007/2018

Director/Writer

Ingmar Bergman was 31 when he directed To Joy.

Other Bergman films in the Collection:

#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: Crisis (1946)
#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: Ship To India (1947)

#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: Port Of Call (1948)
#0000A/Eclipse Series 1: Thirst (1949)
#0000A/#613: Summer Interlude (1951)
#0000A: Waiting Women (1952)
#0000A/#614: Summer With Monika (1953)
#0000A/#412: Sawdust And Tinsel (1953)
#0000A: A Lesson In Love (1954)
#0000A/#237: Smiles Of A Summer Night (1955)
#0000A: Dreams (1955)
#0000A/#11: The Seventh Seal (1957)
#0000A/#139: Wild Strawberries (1957)
#0000A/#537: The Magician (1958)
#0000A: Brink Of Life (1958)
#0000A/#321: The Virgin Spring (1960)
#0000A: The Devil's Eye (1960)
#0000A/#209: Through A Glass Darkly (1961)
#0000A/#210: Winter Light (1962)
#0000A/#211: The Silence (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/#60: Autumn Sonata (1978)
#0000A: Fårö Document 1979 (1979)

#0000A: From The Life Of Marionettes (1980)
#0000A/#262: Fanny And Alexander -- The Television Version (1982)
#0000A/#263: Fanny And Alexander -- The Theatrical Version (1982)
#0000A/#264: The Making Of Fanny And Alexander (1982)
#0000A: After The Rehearsal (1984)
#0000A: Saraband (2003)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

99

By Director
By Spine #