The Virgin Spring (1960)

Why do you want to see a movie of stone age? What is the magic flavor of it that films nowadays do not possess? Bergman's film reminds me of his profession of theatre constantly. His film, in every aspect, the theme, the setting, the scenes and the acting, is dedicated to a ritual intent. In many of the scenes, you might feel, if it's a 21 century movie, the original 5-min shots can be shortened to 30 secs. But strangely you seldom feel tedious watching these slow paced shots. Because more information (or feelings) is presented other than the set of plots. (Imagine how boring it would be if you simply tell a story of raping and revenge.) The extra information, in Bergman's case, is theatre- styled. It's not like the nowadays long shot that tries to give you a natural feeling or to immerse you in the setting, but more like a stage presentation. The position of actors, their reaction and their movements are subtly designed. The position implies the relation of people and makes part of the ritual. Every small reaction and movement conveys meaning, serving for communication, sometimes between characters, sometimes to themselves. This meaning is not meant to be life like, but more a symbolic one. The communications make most of the experience of the film, in another word, they do not serve story telling, they are the purpose of themselves. The modern technology changes story telling a lot, but this sense of theatre is timeless.

I guess to many viewers today, Bergman can be difficult to approach as he lived in his own world and did not follow any accepted cliché - the budget is fairly limited, there's nothing flashy or bombastic, not even a background music, the focus is entirely on story, actors and their faces. Myself, I watch all of this with amazement and thrill, but to my greatest sorrow and disappointment, this enthusiasm is not shared amongst my friends who have accepted movies as entertainment. I still remember the first time that I encountered "The Seventh Seal" and what a mind-boggling experience that was, I wanted to stop VHS tape and write down the phrases coming from the movie. "Virgin spring" mesmerized me at first because of its scenery - medieval Sweden, simple farm with lord and his wife, house help and world where old pagan religion has still not completely replaced with Christianity. Than there is a story itself - faith, guilt, sin, crime, punishment - full of close-ups of people's faces, terrors and fears. Lots of time we don't need any dialogue, everything is clearly shown on the faces. Come to think of it, it does feel like a silent movie occasionally, which in my eyes is even bigger achievement, like theater director working on a silent movie actually. Unforgettable.Again, seeing something so truly original, powerful and artistic but apparently my enthusiasm is not shared amongst the people around me. I love my friends dearly, but something I do feel like alien, to realize our ways of thinking differs so much. It is very interesting - I was born and raised here, so what on earth made my perspective so different? I guess life experiences, travels (real and imaginative) did made some differences after all. Perhaps I just continued to grow in my own, particular direction, just like they did.

As part of my Bergman marathon, some for the first time, some for more, I watched The Virgin Spring, and was blown away. The film is not just a stark study of the cruelty and superstition of the Middle Ages but also a very powerful revenge story that is dripping with symbolism, though not too much to overshadow the storytelling. The story may be bleak, this is often considered one of Bergman's bleakest and most hard-hitting films, but always compelling and moving, the ending especially is miraculous. As ever with Bergman, The Virgin Spring is superbly directed and very atmospherically photographed(I did have difficulty believing that this was Sven Nykvist's first collaboration with Bergman, and I mean that as a compliment). It also has a haunting score and a thought-provoking screenplay. The scene with Karin being murdered is harrowing, and I think it really stays with you. The acting also has a lot of intensity, I especially want to single out Max Von Sydow, who is magnetic in presence and equally telling in his facial expressions. Overall, a brilliant film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A powerhouse piece of filmmaking from one of the all-time great directors. This 14th-century exploration of good and evil, morality and chaos, love and revenge is pretty much a faultless viewing experience and one which retains its ability to shock and provoke thought in the viewer even today. I can only imagine what it would have been like to see this on first release.The story is deceptively simple and yet filled with harrowing imagery. The assault in the woods is difficult to watch, even in these jaded times, and of course Bergman wrings the maximum tension out of it right from the very beginning. The second half is, perhaps, even more tense, with the expectation of impending violence and the strong, subtle filmmaking techniques (think: lots of lurking shadow, religious iconography, haunted faces). The excellent use of black and white photography reminded me of Kurosawa's work on RASHOMON. Max von Sydow holds it all together as the brusque father and family man, but he heads a cast who can do no wrong.Wes Craven went for a lurid, contemporary remake in LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, but despite the graphic nature of Craven's film I don't think it holds a candle to this one.