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Cries And Whispers Details

1972 DVD Certificate 18.gif
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 2020 members

Ingmar Bergman's acclaimed drama, which deals with the fractured relationships between three sisters, is set in a vast turn-of-the-century manor house where unidentified voices are continually whispering and mingle with a dying woman's cries of pain. Karin and Maria (played by Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann, respectively) have .. Read more

Starring Ingrid Thulin, Kari Sylwan, Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann
Director Ingmar Bergman
Genres Drama, World Cinema

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Cries And Whispers

Ingmar Bergman's acclaimed drama, which deals with the fractured relationships between three sisters, is set in a vast turn-of-the-century manor house where unidentified voices are continually whispering and mingle with a dying woman's cries of pain. Karin and Maria (played by Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann, respectively) have come to stay with their sister Agnes (Harriet Andersson), who is suffering from cancer, during the final stretch of her illness. Attending to Agnes is her faithful maid Anna (Kari Sylwan), who, in spite of her apparent social inferiority, is the only one who remains steadfast and dauntless until the very end--the two other women, plagued by guilt, loneliness, and jealousy of one another, are unable to offer assistance or even sympathy in their sister's hour of need. Lauded often for its innovative stylistic elements (such as flashbacks introduced by a fade to red--a color that dominates the picture as a whole--and extreme, expressive close-ups of the actresses' faces), CRIES AND WHISPERS features sumptuous period costume design and stunning photography by longtime Bergman cinematographer Sven Nykvist.

Starring Ingrid Thulin, Kari Sylwan, Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Henning Moritzen, Erland Josephson
Director Ingmar Bergman
Studio PALISADES TARTAN
Run time DVD: 1 hr 28 mins
Certificate DVD Certificate 18.gif
Genres Drama, World Cinema
Language Swedish
Subtitles English
Released DVD: 25 Feb 2002
Production year: 1972
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (2) of Cries And Whispers

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  • 5 stars out of 5

    Focusing on the failure of love and the agony of loss, this is one of Ingmar Bergman's finest achievements. Combining memories, fantasies and moments of intense family drama, this harrowing study of pain, passion, sisterhood and death brought Bergman a hat-trick of Oscar nominations, although it was Sven Nykvist who won the award for his luscious cinematography. However, it's the stunning art direction of Marik Vos that provides this disturbing chamber drama with its unforgettable manor house setting and its mesmerising red colour scheme. Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann dominate proceedings as the well-heeled sisters, but Kari Sylwan is every bit as impressive as the peasant maid.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • You can interpret Cries and Whispers through a whole religious metaphysic, and no doubt Bergman himself would; but... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of Cries And Whispers

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  • 18 out of 18 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Absorbing drama

    Ingmar Bergman's 'Cries and Whispers' is a compelling portrait of a family dealing with a relative's impending death, while also facing their own demons. Agnes(Harriet Anderssen) is slowly and painfully dying. She is cared for by her two sisters Karin(Ingrid Thulin) and Maria(Liv Ullman) and her devoted maid Anna(Kari Sylwan).

    As the sisters care for Agnes, we learn more about their pasts in flashbacks. Bergman reveals us Maria's flirty and unfaithful history and also shows Karin to be a repressed and potentially dangerous character. While the two sisters become more wrapped up in their own antagonism with each other, Anna continues to give herself fully to Agnes.

    How you take to 'Cries and Whispers' will depend on your level of patience and your reaction to Bergman's typically austere direction. It's an often painful film to watch(one particular sequence, involving a shard of glass, is incredibly shocking) and the central performances are devastating. Stunningly shot in reds, whites and blacks, the film is filled with with startling imagery and moments of haunting power. It may be hard to fathom exactly what Bergman is driving at here but a few days after seeing it, I can't seem to get it out of my head.

      • Philip Concannon from London
      • Posted 29 May 2004 19:01

  • Most recent members' review of Cries And Whispers

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  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Atmospheric

    This was a deep and intelligent film about the idea that families can breed contempt. The three sisters have put up walls around themselves to protect them. And whilst the situation leads to chinks appearing they can't break out of the prison in which they have put themselves. Whilst one is physically sick they are all emotionally sick and all dream of an escape from their illness. I enjoyed it because it was so well filmed, written and acted.

      • A customer from Manchester, England
      • Posted 15 Oct 2007 12:24

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      • Ingmar Bergman's acclaimed drama, which deals with the fractured relationships between three sisters, is set in a vast turn-of-the-century manor house where unidentified voices are continually ...