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Summary: A typically playful Bergman masterpiece.
Review: 'Wild Strawberries' is a road movie. Whereas the American road movie moves forward through space, the Euroepan variant moves backwards through time, and the places and people 78-year-old Isak Borg meets are actually landmarks from his personal history, as he tries to find out how he ended up a cold, lonely old man alienated from his family. 'Strawberries' has been considered Bergman's most serene work, almost every frame lucidly monochrome, meticulously composed and bathed in light, the cinematic equivalent of a Chekhov play. But like the Bergman film to which it has most affiliations, 'Fanny and Alexander', the surface benevolence masks great emotional turbulence. The film is framed as a memoir, Borg looking back over the day's events, in control. But the different registers - between dream, reality, projection and memory - clear-cut to begin with, start to slip out of his control, so that what seem like 'real' scenes (e.g. the hitch-hiker Sarah, the petrol station) are labyrinthine in their ambiguity. The film's movement is less towards reconciliation and understanding than infantalisation, detachment and denial. In this light, Victor Sjostrom's swansong performance is less the embodiment of benevolent old age than a more complex (and, for the audience, truthful) kind of cunning.
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Summary: Enjoyable.
Review: 'Wild Strawberries' was an enjoyable movie to watch because of the clever dialogue between the characters. I did not think the main character was as awful of a human being as the movie protrayed him. The film doesn't seem to have much of a resolution or finish, nor does the main character grow or really learn anything. Might be worth the watch for some people.
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Summary: reason for title is called 'wild strawberries"
Review: ... The Swedish title [Smultronstaellet] means 'place of the wild strawberries;' it refers to a strawberry patch near the roadside, happened upon by old Dr. Borg, his daughter-in-law Marianne, and three young hitchhikers when they stop to take a break during their trip. When old Isak Borg sees the wild strawberry patch, he is transported back to scenes from his youth at his family's summer house --bittersweet scenes, especially of lost opportunity to love.
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Summary: The film that catapulted Bergman to fame
Review: >Wild Strawberries was the film that thrust Swedish director Ingmar Bergman into the spotlight. Filmed in 1957, the movie follows an elderly college professor on a car trip to receive an honorary degree. That is the metaphor for a trip through his own subconscious, a looking-back at his whole life through bright and lyrical flashbacks. Many of Bergman's films that followed this one were, IMO, a little abstruse, but Wild Strawberries isn't a difficult film at all. It's rich, deep, evocative, and most of all, humane.
Worth re-watching.
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Summary: A heart breakingly beautiful movie
Review: Although Ingmar Bergman is justifiably regarded as one of the great filmmakers in film history, this could be his most beautiful and moving film. It is the story of Professor Isak Borg as he journeys from his home to Lund University to pick up an honorary degree. Very often in film, a journey can stand for so much more than just a trip from one place to another, and so it is in this movie. The journey roughly parallels Borg's own life, and plays much the same role in causing Borg to reevaluate his life choices as the three ghosts in Dickens's A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Like Scrooge, Borg's life is one devoid of the most important human qualities, and like Dickens, Bergman has a happy story to tell. Although we normally associate Bergman with bleak and despairing themes as found in such films as THE SILENCE or PERSONA or WINTER LIGHT, in this film Bergman holds out hope. As Borg encounters individuals in his trip and struggles with painful memories of the past, he realizes the emptiness of his life, despite his many accomplishments, and comes at the end to embrace life and find love through rediscovering the bonds with his family members. At the center of the film is the magnificent performance by celebrated Swedish director Victor Sjöström. Although not well known outside Scandinavia, Sjöström was one of the greatest Swedish directors before Bergman. After he ceased directing, he embarked on a distinguished career as an actor, but this, his final role before his death in 1960, is perhaps his finest role. Balancing Sjöström is the remarkably beautiful Bibi Andersson as Sara, the young girl he gives a lift to. In addition to the wealth of memories that are continually assaulting his psyche, it is the unexpected friendship he finds with Sara that seems to make possibly his redemption at the end of the film. Bergman regulars, such as Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, and Max von Sydow, fill out the rest of the cast.
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Summary: vermooten!!
Review: An old man goes picking wild strawberries in a wood, and ends up playing chess with Death. But it turns out that Death can't play Battleships as well and Bill and Ted, so he becomes their slave. An interesting comment on human nature, and the on the varieties of vermooten that could be found in southern Sweden not long before the 60's reclaimed the word "prepuce".
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Summary: The Subtle Beauty of Life
Review: As Fellini would later do with 8 1/2, Bergman took all the elements of life (dreams, memories, fantasies, and reality), brewing them together, but not in the amazing, mind boggling way of Fellini. Instead Bergman approached his work in a modest, nostalgic way. Wild Strawberries does what all great films do... teach its viewer more about himself. It approaches its audience with life changing questions all persons must eventualy come to at some time in their lives. But it doesn't answer them, it simply presents in a subtle, warm way. The film has a sleepy, dream like quality, like reading a good novel in the very wee hours of the night, warm but potent. But its subtle beauty is presented not strikingly but quite mellow, instead of a shout a whisper in the ear. Don't expect instant results, contemplate, enjoy the rennasaince... and await your own.
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Summary: A contrarian view
Review: As I look at all the 5 star reviews that others have given this film I wonder if I am being foolhardy in daring to say something to the contrary. I am and have been for many years a Bergman fan. I eagerly saw most of his films as they were released. I love nearly all of them - this one being an exception.
Certainly the film is worth seeing - any Bergman film is. But this one is often cited as his best, and there I would strongly disagree. It is about an academic and although professor Borg has to face some of his demons, he comes out on top in then end. I understand why this film is so popular. Academics see themselves in professor Borg and academics have a lot of infulance on what is considered art and what isn't. Borg ends up looking good at the end of the film, and academics, although they have their faults like anyone else, like to think that they are worthy of respect that their position commands. In many cases they are and this is not a diatribe against academics. I just think that Bergman let this character off too easily, particulary when you compare the way he treats his other characters in movies like "The Hour of the Wolf", "The Silence", "Shame" and so on. He plumbs the depths of the soul and takes no prisoners. "Wild Strawberries" starts out that way, when the professor flashes back to the key points in his life where he turned away from love, life and reality in favor of academic honor. But ultimatly he backs down. The professor, having seen the errors of a lifetime in a few short hours, is shown to be wiser and a better man now as he receives his honory award. Bergman does not do this in his other films. For me this gives a certain falsity to "Wild Strawberries" that I don't see in "Persona" for example.
Well, everyone will probably disagree with me, - this is such an acclaimed film - but sometimes it is valuable to hear a contrarian opinion even when you don't agree with it.
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Summary: WONDERFUL STRAWBERRIES
Review: Bergman is one of my favorite director and for my money, this is his best movie. I love the way he tells the story with narration and great dream and nightmare sequences. The wonderful thing is, it's a serious and dramatic film but also entertaining at the same time. Sometimes it moves slow (like the main character, a 78 year old professor) and it also moves faster when younger people are involve in the story. The great Victor Sjostrom gives such a superb human performance that you feel everything he's feeling and I think this is why I love this movie so much, he takes you with him on an emotionnal journey that you don't forget. Other strong points: the beautiful and touching performance of the daughter in law (Ingrid Thulin), the energetic performance of the beautiful young girl (Bibi Anderson), great photography, wonderful screenplay and the score is perfect. I heard often that Bergman made depressing movies, maybe they're not like the musicals of the 50's but I've seen a lot of his work and I don't find it depressing at all, if you watch and listen closely you will always find a message of hope somewhere.
Like Kurosawa, Fellini and Carné to name a few, his movies are great art full of symbolism and humanity, almost inexistant today in cinema. This is a must buy if you like this movie cause the transfer by Criterion is great and they give us a 90 minutes interview with Bergman (very serious but fascinating if you want to know more about the man). Also an audio commentary by Peter Cowie (who also did one on the seventh seal) and photos of the production.
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Summary: Another great Criterion DVD
Review: Bergman's WILD STRAWBERRIES is often accompanied by films like Kurosawa's IKIRU, Ozu's TOKYO STORY, and de Sica's UMBERTO D whenever great films about old age are discussed. In this DVD's audio commentary, film scholar Peter Cowie also adds the recent Cannes winner AN ETERNITY AND A DAY to the list of such films. But what Bergman's film resembles the most, in my opinion, is Fellini's 8 1/2. Both films open with an nightmare sequence, and audaciously mix dreams and reality throughout the course of the narrative. Both are about a lonely and disillusioned intellectual who embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Both men in the films are haunted by the past and tormented by the present, and have to deal with unsettling issues about their lives, their work, and their religions. And both ultimately manage to reach some sort of emotional closure. The two films differ, of course, mainly in the tone with which the director presents the subjects. Fellini's film is exhilarating, ireverent, and ironic, while Bergman's is sedate, gloomy, depressing... There is nothing depressing, however, about the quality of the new Criterion DVD version of WILD STRAWBERRIES, which is yet another standard-setting release from the company that has been setting such standards for the past 18 years. The DVD's spotless video transfer -- the result of a new print and frame-by-frame digital cleanup -- has made the film look at least 40 years younger. It is a tremendous improvement over Criterion's laserdisc release in 1991 in that it looks much sharper, has much better contrast (evident in the stark photograhy used in the opening nightmare sequence), and much clearer details. The mono audio track has also gone through restoration, and it sounds much cleaner, stronger, and clearer. The original Swedish opening credit sequence has also been restored for this DVD (the LD has English credits). The DVD is all-region, with newly translated optional English subtitles. In the audio commentary, Peter Cowie (who also recorded a commentary on the THE SEVENTH SEAL DVD) analyzes the film's characters, themes, and styles, and, with his experience as a Bergman biographer, is able to attribute many of the film's elements to details in Bergman's own life. The opening dream sequence, he says, shows Bergman's homage of German Expressionist films. And the character of Isak Borg is based not on Bergman's father as most would believe, but Bergman himself. Cowie also includes observant remarks such as those regarding Bergman's comedic touches and loathing of action scenes. Other extras include 30 or so photos taken from the set of the film, and a 90-minute interview of Bergman recorded for Swedish TV in 1998. In the interview, the pensive 80-year-old director, like Isak Borg in his film, undergoes a profound self-examination of his own. He speaks candidly about his strict upbringing as a child, says how he wishes he were not famous, recalls bitterly his being arrested (and later acquitted) for tax offenses in 1976, and grieves over his wife's death in 1995. One gets the impression from this interview that he is (still) not quite a happy man. But of course, it is precisely his pessimistic view that has resulted in many of his great films. But one hopes that, like Isak Borg, he will eventually find the inner peace that will enable him to see the world, however gloomy it is, simply as it is.
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