![]() ![]() Autumn Sonata is slightly flawed but certainly top tier Bergman and one of his best films. The POV reversal scene displaying the mother and daughter reaction to one another playing Chopin's preludes is one of my favorite scenes in the whole film. Nykvist's camerawork switches from the intensity of the close ups within the house to wide shots in the flashback scenes. In glorious color cinematography this time, treated with the oranges and reds of autumn leaves, the film is also a technical marvel. I love Bergmans work and this movie scene touches me in ways I cant describe. ![]() In fact I almost wished the husband would have played a more pivotal role in the film but then I understand it would have taken away from the mother/daughter dynamic. However at the same time it was vital to have the husbands input as his character along with the debilitated sister were strong components for audience sympathy given their innocent roles in the destruction. As insightful as the opening 4th wall broken barrier was to the plot of the film, it was so incredibly out of place to have a Bergman character speaking directly to the audience. Yet for all of the essential Bergman qualities that Autumn Sonata houses, there is still many stark differences that not all of the time fit well with what one would expect from his persona. There is so much psychology to these characters that it could possibly be among the greatest Bergman has ever conceived. Her agonizing screams of contempt fill the house as the husband stands quietly atop the stairs as helpless as usual. Liv Ullman is devastating in perhaps her greatest performance as well in which she is more outward with her emotions compared to Ingrid. Ingrid carries the much more subdued performance yet she visibly bears a heavy weight of guilt. To see the two women square off is undeniably exciting. This film is indeed Ingrid's swan song to cinema as it would be her last theatrical released film (she finished with a television made film) but she was already with knowledge of her fatal cancer at the time and her pain and anxiety is ever so present in her role here. It's a performance film above all and Nykvist photography and Bergman's dialogue just elevates the quality and stature of the movie. Most of all and given the claustrophobic setting, this film gives chance for Bergman to film two of the greatest actresses full power to unleash all of the pent up raw tenacity that they possess. The film is nothing short of a heart stopping chamber drama, luring the audience in to seize them by the throat and suffocate them in this mother and daughter warfare. Just as any Bergman dialogue, Autumn Sonata is layered in symbolic metaphor, straightforward angst, despair, and unflinching emotional brutality. Which is also apt in describing Eva (Ullman) living an emotionally conflicted life haunted by distrust and devoid of the affection she yearned for but never received. It hurts, but he doesn't show it." - Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman) Feeling is very far from sentimentality, The prelude tells of pain, not reverie. ![]()
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