Cries and Whispers (1972)

In a house full of ticking clocks signalling the passing of time and rooms of bright red redolent of blood, three women wait for a fourth to die. Two of the women are the sisters of the dying woman , the other, their maid. Is "Cries and Whispers" Ingmar Bergman's greatest film? Perhaps not and yet it remains one of the towering masterpieces of world cinema which should tell you exactly where Bergman stands.His extraordinary use of colour, (mostly reds and whites; Sven Nykvist won the Oscar for his cinematography), goes some way in alleviating the almost unwatchable horror of the films central situation of a woman dying in agony while those around her are powerless to help her or lessen her pain. There are flashbacks to fleeting moments of happiness and a lot of grief in the women's pasts but for the most part this rigorous and unrelenting film concentrates on that terrible journey into what? Rarely has the cinema tacked the subject of death with such an intellectual compassion as here.As always Bergman's repertory company of players are extraordinary, down to the smallest part. The sisters are Harriet Andersson, (the one who is dying), Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Thulin, (the ones who wait), and Kari Sylwan as the maid. The men in their lives, (Erland Josephson, Henning Moritzen and Georg Arlin), also play a very significant role in shaping the lives of these women and yet they remain very much in the background. Of course, you could argue that only in Bergman's world could people behave as they do here. These people inhabit a world almost entirely devoid of joy, their only 'pleasure' stemming directly from some form of pain. This picture is grim enough to qualify as a horror film and it certainly isn't an easy watch. Indeed, if anything, this was the film that finally cemented Bergman's reputation as cinema's premier master of misery. However, once seen it can never be forgotten and it's a film that repays frequent visits. I reiterate, "Cries and Whispers" is one of the greatest films ever made.

A simple story, but I have never seen a more beautiful portrait of human intimacy. The story follows a women on her deathbed and the 3 women in her life, her two sisters and her maid. Each character is fabulously drawn and fleshed out. Each relationship is as unique as the characters, complicated and diverse. What is beautiful about Bergman's films is the care and precision that goes into every frame. Nothing is wasted, nothing is done by accident. Couple that with someone who truly knows how to pace and tell an interesting story and you have a master of the art. Put all that with his best work and you have a perfect film.

This is perhaps one of the most accessible Bergman films and one of the least pretentious, which is frankly a problem that I think some of his films have. It is a highly dramatic work of art. I should notice that I am very rigorous on my rating system: 8/10 is for an excellent film, indeed less than 100 films that I have seem score 9 or higher. So one shouldn't think that I found this film bad, only that it wasn't among my favorites ever.The camera work of this film is excellent and the cinematography looks like something from a late Kubrick film.Highly recommended for fans of art films that have a plot, characters and drama (which some Bergman films lack, such as The Seventh Seal).

"CRIES AND WHISPERD" Bergman this dark relationshipthat sisters have during the visit of Agnes that is dyingof cancer. Her maid Anna who is the only one who cares about Agnes and the only one who Agnes feels confident with. Demonstrates how a person prefer to get attach to the a person who show some kind of care, in this case the maidrather than the true blood. in the other hand great cinematography and colors to show this drama, specially in the red room where most of the moviedevelops.