Torment DVD (1944)

Torment

1944

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

from 138 members

The Swedish-language picture Torment (AKA Hets, 1944) marked one of the first credited screenwriting efforts of the then 26-year-old scenarist Ingmar Bergman, and one of the broadest international successes of the gifted Swedish director Alf Sjöberg; it also launched the onscreen efforts of two young Scandinavian actors, Alf Kjellin and Mai Zetterling. This tragic drama concerns the ill-fated romance between student Jan-Erik Widgren (Kjellin) and Bertha Olsson (Zetterling), a slightly older, alcoholic widow who works at a tobacco store, and whom Jan-Erik meets when he discovers her unconscious in the street. The premise of the film finds Jan-Erik struggling valiantly to maintain his ongoing sexual affair with Bertha, while grappling, on the side, with the machinations of a sadistic and abusive professor, Caligula (Stig Jarrel. Events take an ugly turn when Jan-Erik discovers that Bertha is actually Caligula's lover - setting the stage for tragedy on the night of her booze-soaked orgy with the old man. Ultimately, both lovers are relentlessly victimized by the professor's doings. The cast also includes: Olof Winnerstrand, Hugo Bjorne, Stig Olin, Olav Riego, Marta Arbin and Nils Dahlgren.~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Torment details

Format:	15 DVD
Starring:	Stig Jarrell, Mai Zetterling, Alf Kjellin
Director:	Alf Sjoberg
Genres:	Drama - General, World Cinema - Swedish
Studio:	PALISADES TARTAN

DVD 1 disc

Name	Discs
Torment	15 Feature

DVD Information

Run time:	1 hour 36 minutes
Rental release:	06 Dec 2004
Main languages:	Swedish
Subtitles:	English

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Most helpful review Torment

Triangle

By FrankIV (506 reviews) from Cirencester, England , 18 Jul 2005

[Highly rated reviewer]

This is directed by 'Alf Sjoberg' with a screenplay by Ingmar Bergman, and it's rather a melodramatic tale with a passing resemblance to 'The Blue Angel', although here, the girl is something of a victim - Mai Zetterling in her first film role - caught between a schoolboy and his sadistic, bullying nasty little creep of a Latin master. The actor really enjoys himself in this role as he alternates between tormenting others with a nice line in smirks, sneers and asides, and breaking down abjectly when he feels under threat himself. Personally, I wasn't convinced by the ending, but I might be alone there. The whole thing is beautifully filmed, with lots of shots looking down from high vantage points on to streets, staircases, courtyards etc. Interesting.
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Triangle

By FrankIV (506 reviews) from Cirencester, England , 18 Jul 2005

This is directed by 'Alf Sjoberg' with a screenplay by Ingmar Bergman, and it's rather a melodramatic tale with a passing resemblance to 'The Blue Angel', although here, the girl is something of a victim - Mai Zetterling in her first film role - caught between a schoolboy and his sadistic, bullying nasty little creep of a Latin master. The actor really enjoys himself in this role as he alternates between tormenting others with a nice line in smirks, sneers and asides, and breaking down abjectly when he feels under threat himself. Personally, I wasn't convinced by the ending, but I might be alone there. The whole thing is beautifully filmed, with lots of shots looking down from high vantage points on to streets, staircases, courtyards etc. Interesting.
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- (2) Yes |
- No (0)
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