Rating: 
Summary: Bergman's Masterwork Poses the Important Question.
Review: In Ingmar Berman's film masterpiece Smultronstallet (or 'Wild Strawberries' B&W, 1957), the protagonist, an elderly professor who is facing death, has to come to face to face with a long life that has failed to answer the important questions. He is old now and faced with his own inadequacy and impotence. Bergman introduces three young people into the drama to introduce life's most important question - that of the existence of God. The old man gives them a ride. One of the young men is thinking about becoming a parson; the other argues that God doesn't exist. The old man offers no opinion to the debate. He is silent, but it is a loud silence. It's a silence that reveals an amazing dimension of loss - the loss of year upon year of not coming to terms with this all-important question. In one of the final scenes, Bergman masterfully closes in tight on the aged face of Professor Isak Borg (played by Victor Sjostrom). In that shot, we can see the whole universe in his eyes and all of its cares in the bags beneath them. Only Bergman could have directed that scene - only him. It makes Smultronstallet one of the most important films ever made. That one scene, better than any other that I know, captures 'loss' on celluloid for all future generations to witness and have to deal with. If you see it, you may find yourself having to look away. The imagery in Smultronstallet is unparalleled, except by Bergman's own Det Sjunde inseglrt (The Seventh Seal, 1957). Look for the handless watch, the corpse wagon, the sparseness of the first scene, the car windows turning to black - ominous signs are everywhere. Notice the clues that point to Bergman's existential philosophy (the twins write a song for a deaf man - as futile as Sisyphus' labor!) and the redemption themes (Izak pierces his hand as he looks into the window, or the line: "A doctor's first duty is to ask for forgiveness."). Notice also the outright defiance of the divine presence that he has bred into his son ("I will not be forced to live one day longer than I want to."). Izak is ready to die, but it seems that, for him, life is more forbidding than death. He is a living corpse, dead already. All of these factors conspire to create a film that is pure art, and one that gets richer with each repeated viewing. It is also ennobling and cathartic in the truest sense of the Greek drama - a warning to the men of ancient Greece to avoid the tragic flaw is the hero's undoing, and could be ours as well. We are made to look hard at Izak. Do we like what we see? Have we answered the important question that he has not? If not, Izak is us. To quote a line from the film: "Is there no mercy?" The reply comes: "Don't ask me." I hope that all of us will fare better when confronted with this important question.
Rating:
Summary: Bergman's Masterwork Poses the Important Question.
Review: In Ingmar Berman's film masterpiece Smultronstallet (or 'Wild Strawberries' B&W, 1957), the protagonist, an elderly professor who is facing death, has to come to face to face with a long life that has failed to answer the important questions. He is old now and faced with his own inadequacy and impotence. Bergman introduces three young people into the drama to introduce life's most important question - that of the existence of God. The old man gives them a ride. One of the young men is thinking about becoming a parson; the other argues that God doesn't exist. The old man offers no opinion to the debate. He is silent, but it is a loud silence. It's a silence that reveals an amazing dimension of loss - the loss of year upon year of not coming to terms with this all-important question. In one of the final scenes, Bergman masterfully closes in tight on the aged face of Professor Isak Borg (played by Victor Sjostrom). In that shot, we can see the whole universe in his eyes and all of its cares in the bags beneath them. Only Bergman could have directed that scene - only him. It makes Smultronstallet one of the most important films ever made. That one scene, better than any other that I know, captures 'loss' on celluloid for all future generations to witness and have to deal with. If you see it, you may find yourself having to look away. The imagery in Smultronstallet is unparalleled, except by Bergman's own Det Sjunde inseglrt (The Seventh Seal, 1957). Look for the handless watch, the corpse wagon, the sparseness of the first scene, the car windows turning to black - ominous signs are everywhere. Notice the clues that point to Bergman's existential philosophy (the twins write a song for a deaf man - as futile as Sisyphus' labor!) and the redemption themes (Izak pierces his hand as he looks into the window, or the line: "A doctor's first duty is to ask for forgiveness."). Notice also the outright defiance of the divine presence that he has bred into his son ("I will not be forced to live one day longer than I want to."). Izak is ready to die, but it seems that, for him, life is more forbidding than death. He is a living corpse, dead already. All of these factors conspire to create a film that is pure art, and one that gets richer with each repeated viewing. It is also ennobling and cathartic in the truest sense of the Greek drama - a warning to the men of ancient Greece to avoid the tragic flaw is the hero's undoing, and could be ours as well. We are made to look hard at Izak. Do we like what we see? Have we answered the important question that he has not? If not, Izak is us. To quote a line from the film: "Is there no mercy?" The reply comes: "Don't ask me." I hope that all of us will fare better when confronted with this important question.
Rating:
Summary: When film was an art form
Review: In this symbolic tale of an old man's journey from emotional isolation to a kind of personal renaissance, Ingmar Bergman explores in part his own past, and in doing so rewards us all with a tale of redemption and love. Victor Sjostrom, then 80 years old, stars as Professor Isak Borg whose self-indulgent cynicism has left him isolated from others. Sjostrom, whose work goes back to the very beginning of the Swedish cinema in the silent film era, both as an actor and as a director, gives a brilliant and compelling performance. All the action of the film takes place in a single day with flashbacks and dream sequences to Borg's past as Borg wakes and goes on a journey to receive a "Jubilee Doctor" degree from the University of Lund. Bergman wrote that the idea for the film came upon him when he asked the question, "What if I could suddenly walk into my childhood?" He then imagined a film "about suddenly opening a door, emerging in reality, then turning a corner and entering another period of one's existence, and all the time the past is going on, alive." Bibi Andersson plays both the Sara from Borg's childhood, the cousin he was to marry, and the hitchhiker Sara who with her two companions befriends him with warmth and affection. The key scene is when the ancient Borg in dreamscape comes upon the Sara of his childhood out gathering wild strawberries. Borg looks on (unnoticed of course) as his brother, the young Sigfrid, ravishes her with a kiss which she returns passionately; and, as the wild strawberries fall from her bowl onto her apron, staining it red, Borg experiences the pain of infidelity and heartbreak once again. Note that in English we speak of losing one's "cherry"; here the strawberries symbolize emotionally much the same thing for Sara. Later on in the film as the redemption comes, the present day Sara calls out to Borg that it is he that she really loves, always and forever. Borg waves her away from the balcony, yet we are greatly moved by her love, and we know how touched he is. The two young men accompanying Sara can be seen as reincarnations of the serious and careful Isak Borg and the more carefree and daring Sigfrid. It is as though his life has returned to him as a theater in which the characters resemble those of his past; yet we are not clear in realizing whether the resemblance properly belongs in the old man's mind or is a synchronicity of time returned. Memorable is Ingrid Thulin who plays Mariana, the wife of Borg's son who accompanies him on the auto trip to Lund. She begins with frank bitterness toward the old man but ends with love for him; and again we are emotionally moved at the transformation. What Bergman does so very well in this film is to make us experience forgiveness and the transformation of the human spirit from the negative emotions of jealousy and a cold indifference that is close to hate, to the redemption that comes with love and a renewal of the human spirit. In quiet agreement with this, but with the edge of realism fully intact, is the scene near the end when Borg asks his long time housekeeper and cook if they might not call one another by their first names. She responses that even at her age, a woman has her reputation to consider. Such a gentle comeuppance meshes well with, and serves as a foil for, all that has gone on before on this magical day in an old man's life. See this for Bergman who was just then realizing his genius (The Seventh Seal was produced immediately before this film) and for Sjostrom who had the rare opportunity to return to film as an actor in a leading role many decades past him prime, and made the most of it with a flawless performance, his last major performance as he was to die three years later.
Rating:
Summary: Sensitive and Beautifully Directed
Review: Ingmar Bergman has always been one of my favorite directors, some of my favorites being "Cries and Whispers" and "The Virgin Spring" but for some reason I was hesitant to sit through "Wild Strawberries". In one of my film classes I was shown the famous "dream sequence" and afterwards I thought it was really well done but had no interest in seeing a movie about a man on the brink of death. About a month ago I finally sat down and watched the movie... "Wild Strawberries" is one of the most touching well-written films I have ever seen. Bergman has created a film that will touch anyone who has ever experienced loss or has had regrets in their life. Seeing that I am only in my young 20's and found the movie relevant I feel everyone will be able to take something from this movie. Bergman skilfully uses flashbacks from the protagonist's point-of-view, engulfing the viewer, allowing them to feel everything the main character is as he comes to terms with the mistakes of his life. I propose that "Wild Strawberries" is the true masterpiece of Ingmar Berman, even though "Seventh Seal" is given this title by many. It also compliments the movie that Criterion has provided a beautifully transfered version of the film. This is not only a movie worth owning and worth viewing every few months, it is a motion picture treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Ingmar Bergman that Fine Symbolist
Review: Ingmar Bergman is amazing as a filmmaker in the sense that he can create a complex movie using only three or four characters and a minimal number of ornately decorated sets. Wild Strawberries is no exception, telling the story of an aging doctor who to the city to receive an award from his university. On the way he goes through a metaphysical journey having dreams and nightmares (permeated by the ticking of clocks) that speak of the aging process, and he ventures into his son's life where he speaks to him of his failing marriage and attempts to offer him advice while at the same time opening up himself from his introverted and often unsociable ways. Throughout the film there are moving scenes that speak of the simple emotions one experiences in life: love, fear, a longing to put right a past we cannot return to. In one scene he attempts to console his daughter in law and understand what she and his son are going through while they sit in an old black car in the rain. For those of you who have enjoyed works such as The Seventh Seal and Cries and Whispers this film is certainly for you in terms of craft. But it also makes a much more accessible introduction to Bergman's work seeing as in Wild Strawberries there is much more humor accompanying the pathos than in any of those other films. It is truly a beautiful film and one that is certainly a necessity on DVD for collectors of great art.
Rating: 
Summary: "Can't you see you're the one I love?"
Review: Ingmar Bergman's "Wild Strawberries" explores the twilight years of a person's life when an individual cannot help but reflect on his or her past personal triumphs and regrets. It is a time of introspection when one acknowledges the limitations of a mortal existence. It is also an experience that is not easily translatable to film. Professor Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom) is about to receive an honorary degree for his fifty years of work as a doctor. On his way to the ceremony, he decides to visit places that had played major roles in his life in his younger days. Accompanied by his daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin), Borg stops at his family's summer cottage, the town in which he previously worked at as a doctor, and his mother's house. Memories come flooding back at each stop and his reminiscing becomes even more intimate when he picks up a young hitchhiker named Sara (Bibi Andersson) who bears an uncanny resemblance to his first love. If you enjoy abstract films loaded with symbolism then "Wild Strawberries" is the film for you. You will have an absolute ball deconstructing the sequence where Borg comes across the clock with no hands. However, if you have trouble warming up to films with unconventional narratives then "Wild Strawberries" will be an ordeal to sit through. Sjostrom is absolutely wonderful as the aging doctor but his gem of a performance loses some of its impact because the film is more concerned with giving tangible form to ideas than telling a story. "Wild Strawberries" is cinematic surrealism with a vengeance. Bergman wants to translate profound and universal themes into a mass medium but the result is awkward because film cannot truly capture the pure essence behind these themes effectively. The great director should be commended for his ambition in making this film, but the end result is a disorienting viewing experience. "Wild Strawberries" ultimately plays more like an experiment than a work of art.
Rating: 
Summary: BERGMAN'S TIMELESS MASTERPIECE
Review: Ingmar Bergman's contemplative examination of the interior landscape of mortality and meaning reached an artistic high with "WILD STRAWBERRIES" (Criterion), his 1957 masterwork. Newly transferred in a pristine print with improved subtitles, this beautiful, haunting, black and white film from Sweden's most acclaimed director stars Victor Sjostrom (also a Swedish film director) as Isak Borg, an aging, egocentric, university instructor haunted living alone with his housekeeper who is haunted by nightmares of death and his own past. When he decides to drive instead of fly to a ceremony at which he is to be honored, he is accompanied by his equally troubled daughter-in-law (Ingrid Thulin). Along the way, he picks up a youthful hitchhiker who bears a striking resemblance to his one true love. Bibi Anderson is terrific in both roles. As Borg bravely seeks the seeds of his failure as husband, lover and father, he somehow redeems himself by his honesty and renewed acceptance of his humanity. After the success of "The Seventh Seal," this film sealed Bergman's reputation in the paantheon of world class filmmakers. What might seem dreary and depressing in simple summary is anything but. This is a thoughtful, even inspiring film that has an almost timeless quality as it addresses some of the most fundamental, universal questions of life, relationships and the inexorable impact of passing time with a capital T. Film scholar Peter Cowie delivers a fascinating commentary on the origins of this production as an extension of Bergman's own emotional crisis and nightmares. Additional bonus items on this disc include production stills and an outstanding 90 minute documentary "Ingmar Bergman on Life and Work" that was seen on Swedish TV in the late 90s. This foundation stone for any respectable digital library, is a profoundly humane, startling journey of self-discovery that will continue to enlighten and entertain, even after multiple viewings.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterpiece?
Review: Is it me, or is there anyone else out there that can't understand what qualifies this movie as a timeless masterpiece. The questioning of God is not deeply moving, but almost comical. The old man's rigidness is reminiscent of Ebineezer Scrooge, but you don't feel his pain as you do ... say...Henry Fonda(On Golden Pond). I guess you have to really study film to understand. However, if a movie is as great as this is supposed to be shouldn't it transcend all boundaries and be felt by all?
Rating:
Summary: Formidable Film at Start of Formidable Career
Review: It is hard to imagine living up to this film with the rest of your career with this one in its beginning. Fortunately, director/writer Ingmar Bergmann was up to that challenge. I didn't appreciate this film as much when I first saw it decades ago as I do now. It is a stunning look at an aged professor's long journey inward, exploring where he is from the prism of his past through his underlying consciousness. The dream sequences alone in here are absolute masterworks. Plus I was startled to discover that Woody Allen's scenes of a character's visiting his childhood home and family in his older self ("Crimes and Misdemeanors") was used first by Bergmann in this film, decades earlier. The wild strawberries grow around the house where the professor had his early, formative experiences, especially with the young woman he loved and didn't get to marry. The scenes with her, where he walks back into the past and interacts with her in his old body, while she is still in her young one, are stunning. He also has to bring some sort of closure to the troubled relationships in his present life, chiefly with his son and daugher-in-law. I've read some of Bergmann's screenplays and there is a clarity and simplicity to them that is surprising given the complexity of his films. A great, great talent and I stronly recommend that you also track down his "Fanny and Alexander," which is every bit as stunning but made later in his career.
Rating:
Summary: It's in Swedish!
Review: It's in Swedish, with English subtitles. That's fine if you understand Swedish, which I don't. It was a total waste of money for me.
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