Hour of the Wolf (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Woefully underrated
Review: "Hour of the Wolf" is one of Bergman's finest films, but it is relatively little-known even among his fans. It is a dark, disturbing portrait of encroaching insanity that skillfully blurs the line between reality and increasingly deranged fantasies. The supporting cast is especially memorable, blending Gothic horror with black humor. The leader of the fantasy creatures bears a strong resemblance to Bela Lugosi, and it's hard to believe that the likeness is coincidental.

Some viewers have complained that this film lacks the meaningful symbolism of many other Bergman works. Though arguably true, this criticism doesn't seem relevant here. The images in "Hour of the Wolf" are chosen for their disquieting gut-level impact, not for grand symbolic reasons. People who enjoy surrealism, 1930s horror movies, and intimate character studies will find this film thoroughly rewarding.

Rating:
Summary: One of his best
Review: A famous painter, Johan (Max von Sydow), and his wife (Liv Ullmann) arrive on a small island where Johan plans to recollect his thoughts and find himself in his painting. He suffers from insomnia and bad nerves, and his nights are spent waiting in horror for the magical hour before dawn, the hour of the wolf, when a flood of memories, anxieties, and regrets transcend thoughts and appear as demonic apparitions which threaten to consume him. Johan's wife, Alma, must help him overcome his dangerous obsessions with his ghosts before the manifestations become too real, and its too late...

The Magician and Hour of the Wolf are my two favorite Bergman movies -- the reason being the flaws of these films only make them stronger by serving the point. In the Magician its an artist's fear of having his cheap trickery exposed for what it is, and his inability to make "pure" art. The fact that Bergman had to sell the film as an "erotic comedy" with a silly subplot doesn't make the film weaker: it just reinforces it with irony.

In the same way, the Hour of the Wolf was clearly made by a nervous and overworked artist: at this point the critics were out for blood with Bergman, ready to declare his career over and his movies indulgent exercises in his popular image. Bergman himself was having a rough time, with a theatre and a film career exhausting him and his marriage falling to pieces. But for Hour of the Wolf, any resignation, nervousness, or indulgence merely serves to strengthen the film's message. Hour of the Wolf is a desperate film, and because of that, I think its in this film that Bergman comes closest to his own artistic vision: That place where dreams, memories, and anxieties come together and become indistinguishible (something he would have a harder time conveying in films like Face to Face).

The film is beautifully made, with Sven Nykvist collaborating as usual. Bergman and his cohort were cutting close to perfect in craft around this period. The flood of images is overwhelming. Some favorite scenes: Johan struggling with a small boy while fishing, the dinner party (the pressure!), and of course, the famous "Magic Flute" scene, with the small puppet moving almost imperceptibly as a real man. And that prevalent Bergman talking point, Mozart, and the chorus' breathless chanting: "Pamin-na still lives." (lit. "Love still lives")

An emotional and personal film, one of his best.

Rating:
Summary: Bergman's only horror film and what a treat...
Review: Johan Borg (Max von Sydow) seeks refuge with his wife Alma (Liv Ullman) on a remote island where Johan can get the solitude that he requires and where he can focus on his art. However, Johan is frequently interrupted by haunting demons both in the flesh and in the mind. These demons visit Johan in the hour of the wolf. This hour is when most babies are born and the most people die, it is also hour of the night when people wake up from their nightmares. Hour of the Wolf is a very unusual film for Ingmar Begrman as it is his only horror film and it begins with with Alma staring into the camera as she informs the audience that all the events pictured took place on the island and are all written down in her husbands diary. This beginning presents an atmosphere with an eerie hollowness full of questions and mysteries as to what information the diary holds. Bergman does this purposely as he crafts his story with canny imagination that haunts the audience visually as it is full of symbolism and suggestive themes. Nevertheless, it is the audience's imagination that creates the true horror in the story as Johan slowly steps toward his own doom. This leaves the audience with a significant cinematic experience of horror that will linger in the their minds as they will close their eyes before sleep.

Rating:
Summary: Kudos to MGM for correcting OAR problem
Review: MGM recalled the original issues of "Hour of the Wolf" and "Shame" because they were presented in a fake widescreen that cropped the top and bottom of the film. These are masterpieces that should not be missed, and they are now beautifully presented in their proper aspect ration of 1.33:1 with the entire image now intact.

Rating:
Summary: The "Hour" Of Truth!
Review: Why someone would refer to this film as one of Ingmar Bergman's "lesser" films totally suprises me. I find it to be one of the directors most harrowing,& powerful films! "Hour of the Wolf" from the very first scene tries to set itself up as a true story. And from that very moment we are in a way left senseless,for what's real and what isn't. How can we judge? I have never seen a movie that has been able to suspend our rational senses the way this film does. There are many memorable moments in this film. I'm constantly reminded of a dream sequence which deals with Max von Sydow (Johan Borg) and a small boy by a stream. I think it's one of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen only to be rivalled by the "Russian roulette" scene in "The Deer Hunter" and the final moments in "The Exorcist". I don't want to reveal what happens in the scene, but, I was truly unable to take my eyes off the screen. I'm pretty sure my chin was on the ground as well. It's such a strong scene.
Bergman has been known by some to be very sparing with music. He likes to have the characters emotions speak to us, not have some song create the mood that the actors are unable to achieve. But, in this movie, the music really helps certain scenes, this is not to say that the acting is poor by Sydow & Ullman. It most certainly is not! The cinematography by Sven Nykvist is wonderful as well, then again, I can't think of a movie he filmmed that wasn't wonderful. "Cries and Whispers", "Shame", "Fanny & Alexander"....ect.
The ONLY bad thing I can say about this film is, it's too short! At 1 hour and 28 minutes. Liv Ullman and Sydow are supported by a wonderful cast including Erland Josephson, Gertrud Fridh and the beautiful Ingrid Thulin, a Bergman regular as well. "Hour of the Wolf" is a strong film that really could be described as a series of nightmares that showcase the acting talents in the film. And that by no means makes this a "lesser" film by Bergman. A film of deep meaning that should be enjoyed by all.

Rating:
Summary: MGM keep ruining movies!!
Review: Why, MGM!? After CORRECTING the aspect ratio from 1.66:1, they've made the same mistake with "Hour of the Wolf" and "Shame" as they did with "Persona"; they've presented the movies in aspect ratio 1.33:1 instead of the original aspect ratio 1.37:1!! 11.5% of the image of "Persona" is missing, so naturally that is the case with these films as well. These are great movies that should not be messed with in this unprofessional manner. MGM have no respect for this art. Incidentally, "Persona" is available in its original aspect ratio on "Tartan" (region-free DVD) through amazon.co.uk. These movies were not intended to be watched this way, but if you are curious about these fine Bergman classics, don't own a VCR, and have a lot of money to spare, go ahead and support MGM's economy.