{"id":2685,"date":"2005-07-25T22:26:00","date_gmt":"2005-07-25T22:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2005\/07\/saraband\/"},"modified":"2005-07-25T22:26:00","modified_gmt":"2005-07-25T22:26:00","slug":"saraband","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2005\/07\/saraband.html","title":{"rendered":"Saraband"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I\u2019m not sure I want to write about Saraband<\/a><\/i> (2003) just yet. I\u2019m still chewing over what the significance of some scenes might be. Heck, early on, this film brings back that weird paper sun that hung over the final meeting between the two protagonists in Scenes from a Marriage<\/a><\/i> (1973) three decades earlier \u2014 and I still haven\u2019t figured out what that object was supposed to signify in that<\/i> film!<\/span><\/p>\n

But I might as well toss out a few comments. Ingmar Bergman officially \u201cretired\u201d with Fanny and Alexander<\/a><\/i> in 1982, but since then he has directed an assortment of short films, documentaries, and TV productions, in addition to writing feature films for other directors, such as his longtime muse and onetime lover Liv Ullman. Saraband<\/i> apparently began as one of his TV projects, but it has been making the rounds theatrically, largely no doubt because of its connection to one of his earlier classics.<\/p>\n

But this is no mere sequel. Saraband<\/i> has a rigorous structure that sets it firmly apart from Scenes from a Marriage<\/i>. Whereas that film consisted of several episodes focused almost exclusively on the two main characters, the new film is a series of two-person scenes, only three or four of which concern the duo from the earlier film; the other scenes feature either Johan (Erland Josephson) or Marianne (Liv Ullmann) with one of the film\u2019s two new characters, or the two new characters by themselves. And whereas the earlier film implicitly sided with Marianne more than Johan, the new film makes this identification explicit; the entire film is bookended by scenes of Marianne looking at photos and addressing the camera directly, and she even looks at the camera in the middle of one or two of the more \u201cdramatic\u201d scenes.<\/p>\n

The two new characters are Henrik (B\u00f6rje Ahlstedt), Johan\u2019s son by his wife before Marianne, and Henrik\u2019s daughter Karin (Julia Dufvenius). Henrik is a widower \u2014 his wife died one year ago \u2014 and a bit of a loser, whose professional life is now well on the way to being as sad and pathetic as his personal life. Henrik is obsessed with teaching Karin how to play the cello, and one of the questions that hangs over the film is whether he is more interested in Karin herself<\/i> \u2014 his dependence on her is practically incestuous at times \u2014 or in her musical ability, which will only truly begin to grow if she leaves him and goes to some sort of music school. Does he have the strength to let her go \u2014 or, for that matter, to send her away? And does she have the strength to leave him, knowing she is not responsible for what he does to himself in her absence?<\/p>\n

This is the situation that awaits Marianne when she shows up, out of the blue, and visits Johan for the first time in decades. She cannot explain why she made the visit \u2014 it was an \u201cirrational\u201d impulse, she says \u2014 but she made it all the same, and it becomes the catalyst for some significant changes in certain people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

In another context, I would almost suggest that there is something \u201cmiraculous\u201d about Marianne\u2019s visit. But I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s what Bergman intends. I do know that I would very much like to know what is going on in the scene where Marianne is standing inside a church, and then a bright light suddenly comes in through a window, and she turns to look at the altar \u2014 and at the portrait of the Beloved Disciple reclining on Jesus\u2019 chest in particular \u2014 and then she clasps her hands together, as if in prayer.<\/p>\n

One other element that intrigues me is the frequently seen photo of Anna, Henrik\u2019s dead wife. The IMDB reports that this is actually a photo of Ingrid Von Rosen, who began an off-and-on affair with Bergman in 1957 that became a marriage in 1971 \u2014 a marriage which lasted until her death in 1995. Anna is admired by everyone who speaks of her, but if she was capable of choosing Henrik for a hubby, then she must have had her flaws. And I wonder what point Bergman is making by enshrining his dead wife\u2019s image in this film, and by \u201ccasting\u201d her as this particular character.<\/p>\n

Only time will tell how this film ranks among Bergman\u2019s other efforts, but its deliberate theatricality \u2014 watch those doors that slam all by themselves! \u2014 and emotional depth are certainly of a piece with his other works. Catch it if you can.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not sure I want to write about Saraband (2003) just yet. I\u2019m still chewing over what the significance of some scenes might be. Heck, early on, this film brings back that weird paper sun that hung over the final meeting between the two protagonists in Scenes from a Marriage (1973) three decades earlier \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSaraband<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I'm not sure I want to write about Saraband (2003) just yet. I'm still chewing over what the significance of some scenes might be. 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