Persona

I docked half a star for the (although well shot) seemingly gratuitous images in the intro and outro. Other than that, this film is excellent with some of the best acting (Bibi Andersson) I have ever seen. All in all a heavy, but beautifully shot piece of cinema.

Cinema is,essentially,a collection of sounds and images which come together to form an intellectual whole; in Bergman films,these images can be demanding to 'read' in one's attempts to get to the intellectual core of the piece. This film is no exception. The story is basic. Elisabeth Vogler, an actress,goes completely dumb during a performance of 'Electra' and becomes a subject for psychiatric care. A nurse, Alma, tries to probe into the inner woman by talking to Elisabeth about her life. The two women go off to an isolated coastal haven, filmed beautifully in clear black-and-white, to ascertain the truth behind Elisabeth's sudden dumbness and withdrawal from the world. At the beginning of the film and during it,there is a collection of sometimes disturbing images accompanied by loud,dissonant music. These feature close-ups of an old woman, nails through a hand, a bird's eye squished, a fence with spear-like pointed palings all seemingly unlinked. Alma does all the talking,trying to get a reaction from Elisabeth, to draw her out in some way. It is at this point that, perhaps, Elisabeth may be acting a part and,although she says nothing, begins the dominate the younger nurse. The nurse too may be fantasizing, especially when she relates the story of how she and another girl, Katherina, had spontaneous sex on a beach with a young boy. This graphic description was enough for anyone to picture the scene - or dream? Elisabeth is still unresponsive,however but she too is studying her carer. When taking one of Elisabeth's letters home to be posted,Alma takes the unfortunate step of opening the unsealed envelope and reading the actress' thoughts about her. 'It's fun studying her', Elisabeth wrote and puts the story into another dimension and causes dissension. Alma is desperate to communicate,even to the extent of losing her'cool' and launching into a tirade born out of her frustration. Further images follow, the one link being a child being part of a group perhaps heading towards a concentration camp - is this significant? Because the women are beginning to merge into a single personality, perhaps the images reveal a lost,perhaps a dead child, of one of them. The act is complete near the ending but the film poses more questions than it answers - not atypical of Bergman. So much was going on in his head that the film cannot really be 'translated' into a whole philosophy, a denouement. What we have left is a sometimes bewildering collection of modern art pieces which appeal to the intellect if not to the eye. However, it is a fascinating film which draws us into the 'soul' of the actress whose white eyes glint in the darkness. What is she seeing in her head?

Stunning, pure perfection.

I can't even speak. To speak, to try to convey something of this outstanding piece of art, seems to degrade it somehow.

Bergman was a master. This film is outstanding.

That is all.

This was the first Bergman film I have watched so wasn't sure quite what to expect. And having just watched it, I'm not entirely sure what I thought of it. The good: the two actresses, some of the dialogue, the account of what happened on the beach, the photography/cinematography, the way the silence of the actress caused others to project their own feelings and thoughts, the general feeling of existentialist angst. The not so good: there is a need for a fairly major suspension of disbelief at times, the opening short scenes were unnecessarily violent - for anyone who is squeamish there is a sheep being slaughtered and someone pressing a finger into its open, dead eye & a nail being hammered into someone's hand (I guess to link in with the themes of death and suffering but still rather unnecessary I thought so this is a warning to you before you watch). I look forward to seeing how other Bergman films compare with this one.

I didn't find either of the women likeable. The weird art scenes were distracting and the ending wasn't an ending. Confusing just for the sake of it.