The Silence Details

The Silence

In THE SILENCE, sisters Anna and Ester (Gunnel Lindblom and Ingrid Thulin, respectively) are passing through an unspecified European country on their way home from a trip, accompanied by Anna's young son, Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom). They check into a hotel, where the kindly old maitre d' (Hakan Jahnberg) ministers to the ailing, alcoholic Ester and attempts to befriend Johan, who has been exploring the empty halls of the stately building alone. It soon becomes apparent that the sisters are engaged in a strange, oppressive love-hate relationship, and the younger, livelier Anna attempts to escape her terminally ill sister by pursuing an affair with a stranger. The silence of the title refers to the impossibility of communication between the sisters but also between the three travelers and everyone they encounter in the foreign city, whose language they don't speak--as well as the devastating silence of God in the face of human despair. The third chapter of Ingmar Bergman's faith trilogy, THE SILENCE was considered extremely controversial at the time of its release because of its frank depiction of sexuality and hints at incest and lesbianism; at the same time Bergman was praised for his level of cinematic sophistication, and the media attention helped make the film a box-office success in Sweden.

Starring	Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, Birger Malmsten, Hakan Jahnberg, Jrgen Lindstrm
Director	Ingmar Bergman
Studio	PALISADES TARTAN
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 31 mins
Certificate
Genres	Drama, Gay/Lesbian, World Cinema
Language	DVD: Swedish
Subtitles	DVD: English
Released	DVD: 19 Nov 2001 Production year: 1963
Format	DVD