The Serpent's Egg

Rating:
Summary: The Real KILL BILL
Review: Bergman most undenrrated film. This is a great film. Perhaps it doesn't look like an Ingmar Bergman film,and maybe never feels like one.

Sven Nykvist's cinematography is fantastic...and so is Liv Ullmann and David Carradine.In a weird way,they work good together .The dvd looks great,the extras are fine and Carradine audio track is priceless.

Rating:
Summary: Not a typical Bergman, but still a good film...
Review: I'd put this film in Bergman's "Catalogue of Dreams/Nightmares" alongside "HOUR OF THE WOLF", "FROM THE LIFE OF THE MARIONETTES", and (to a lesser degree) "THE PASSION OF ANNA". In this catalogue, narrative is less important than dream logic (Lynch fans will understand exactly what I mean) in that events don't so much happen from A to B, nor make absolute, logical sense (and advance the narrative in a traditional Hollywood sense), but they unfold, requiring the viewer to take in discontinuous images and a story which might not always make sense and find the meaning therein.

This film is notorious for its many problems so rather than discuss those, let's get to the point. No, this is not a Bergman classic nor does it fit with his other films dealing with the deterioration of spirituality/the mind. But then on the other hand, this film DOES deal with the oncoming deterioration of Germany pre-NSDAP, the general feeling in the air at the time. As another viewer pointed out, part of the problem WITH this film is that Bergman chose to put in too much context (Germany pre-NSDAP), which actually attaches the film to a historical context it doesn't need. As well, you can pretty much surmise that Bergman didn't know how to end this movie and so went with an idea, even though the ending used doesn't really feel like a part of the total experience.

As you'd expect, the acting is top notch. But more than that, this film is a masterpiece of cinematography. Sven is considered one of the world's best cinematographers and if you view this (or any other Bergman title) along with THE SACRIFICE, you'll know why. The scene where Bill (er, different film) walks through the "red crowd" where the band performs in blackface and he stuffs the money in the bartendar's mouth is straight out of THE SHINING as filtered through a Swede (that's a compliment, btw). The film is not without it's problems of course (hence the 3 stars) but for the fans of german expressionism, horror films, nazi-themed movies, or Bergman, it's definately one to own.
(BTW, this is the best transfer of this film you are likely to EVER GET! Halos are minimal and the blacks are fairly rich. This is one gorgeous picture.)

Rating:
Summary: Ahead Of Its Time
Review: Ingmar Bergman's "The Serpents's Egg" was met with critical derision and popular indifference when it was first released. Some thought cynically that it was an awkward attempt by Bergman to crack the commerical American market (it's in English, unlike all his other films other than "The Touch.") And it was on a trendy subject (Nazism) and in an unfamiliar genre for the director (the thriller.) As the years have gone by, however, we as the audience have become more used to post-modernism and genre self-reflection in movies, like the self-conscious referentiality to other films of the "Star Wars" series; or the work of Quentin Tarantino. It's now possible to see "The Serpent's Egg" more clearly as Bergman's homage to German Expressionist horror cinema. It's like "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" or "M" filtered through Bergman's own unique vision. It's a master critique of a genre by a master filmmaker who deploys his usual obsessions in a startlingly different way. Later films bear the same imprint as "The Serpent's Egg", like Steven Soderbergh's "Kafka", David Lynch's "Eraserhead" and "The Elephant Man", or Woody Allen's own "Shadows and Fog."

But maybe it's not such a big departure for Bergman as some thought. He had made genre films before. "Hour of the Wolf" and "Cries and Whispers" had elements of horror. "Shame" was a larger-than-usual-scale war film. "The Silence" is about political upheaval. It's thrilling to see Bergman's version of a more sleazy, horrific "Cabaret". David Carradine is oddly passive as the hero, the Jewish acrobat Abel Rosenberg, but his victimization fits the film's theme. One can argue that Bergman's unpleasant encounter with the Swedish tax collectors that led to his exile to Germany gave him a new appreciation of the dangers of totalitarian impulses even in a supposedly "benign" welfare state like Sweden. "The Serpent's Egg" is a terrifying portrait of the human hubris that eventually led to Nazi experiments of human beings in the concentration camps. And despite the "mad scientist" trappings, it's a convincing, despairing examination of the fascist world view. Bergman fans should definitely take another look at this film. It really is a neglected treasure.

Rating:
Summary: Bergman in Exile
Review: The story behind this film is almost as strange as the film itself. Bergman had become good friends with famous Hollywood producer Dino de Laurentiis, and after his self-imposed exile from Sweden, decided to finally marshall some financial muscle to make a film he'd long been thinking of, based on a dream he had of Berlin in the 1920s. This was his second and last English language film. It stands alone in Bergman's canon; its a large production, with lavish sets and hundreds of extras, and an American film star. Critics and fans have always given this film mixed, or even ambivalent, reviews, but I've always liked it. The common reaction to this film (the one I had the first time) is that its "unBergman" in some way. Its a mistake, I believe now. Its just Bergman on another scale. The drama of two American circus performers caught in pre-war Germany; a place where penny-prophets and revolutionaries thrive in a chaotic pit of poverty, self-destruction, and lechery; delineates brilliantly into a mad expressionist nightmare. The pacing in this film is spectacular -- its great to see that a huge production didn't damage Bergman's narrative gifts.

It'd be hard to reduce this film to a concise intellectual statement. The traditional Bergman themes of a distant God, indifferent Man, and a foundationless destructive nature in man and community, are all represented. But beyond that, Bergman doesn't add new dynamics. I think this is because the aim of this film was different than his others -- he was trying to capture the essence of his dream, a feeling, not a statement. The problems with the presentation arise because Bergman throws in too much context, historical foreshadowing, and an awkward plot resolution. This film would've done better to have disposed of its logic and any pretentions it had to an intellectual statement, operating solely as a cinematic poem. I think Bergman realized this when he criticized the film in his Images: My Life in Film, when he stated that he'd made the actual Berlin, rather than the one in his dream.

The transfer here is beautiful. This is the best I've ever seen the film. Liv Ullmann is absolutely incredible, but Carradine is stiff, and his performance is too stagey and American to really fit in. But his physical prowess did add a new dimension to the film, particularly since the sometimes too-static Bergman needs all the help he can get in that departement.

*Extras:
"Away From Home" is an interesting segment of interviews with Ullmann, Carradine, and Bergman (the latter interview from 1970, seven years before this film was made). Carradine, in particuar, is interesting to hear for his sheer egomania. "German Expressionism" is Marc Gervais trying, painfully, to relate his realization of this films referential nature to German expressionism and Noir. It takes him 10 minutes to spit it out. Trailer is beautiful. Carradine gives the film commentary, which is rife with factual errors, and mostly deals with his own acting style and career (what an ego this guy has!). Toward the end, he stops commenting for entire segments. However, its still very interesting and a welcome change from Gervais.

Not Bergman's best by a longshot. But Bergman fans will like it, and others should find it extremely interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Not a typical Bergman, but still a good film...
Review: This film is notorious for its many problems so rather than discuss those, let's get to the point. No, this is not a Bergman classic nor does it fit with his other films dealing with the deterioration of spirituality/the mind. But then on the other hand, this film DOES deal with the oncoming deterioration of Germany pre-NSDAP. As you'd expect, the acting is top notch. But more than that, this film is a masterpiece of cinematography. Sven is considered one of the world's best cinematographers and if you view this (or any other Bergman title) along with THE SACRIFICE, you'll know why. The scene where Bill (er, different film) walks through the "red crowd" where the band performs in blackface and he stuffs the money in the bartendar's mouth is straight out of THE SHINING as filtered through a Swede (that's a compliment, btw). The film is not without it's problems of course (hence the 3 stars) but for the fans of german expressionism, horror films, nazi-themed movies, or Bergman, it's definately one to own.
(BTW, this is the best transfer of this film you are likely to EVER GET! Halos are minimal and the blacks are fairly rich. This is one gorgeous picture.)

Rating:
Summary: Carradine's Commentary is One of the Best Parts
Review: This is definitely one of those art films that few people will "get" and even fewer will like. I think it is worth watching in order to see what Bergman did with an unlimited budget, his first Hollywood producer, and an international cast.

Some people may not realize that when Bergman chose Carradine to star in THE SERPENT'S EGG he was fresh off the success of tv's KUNG FU and had 35 state plays, two tv series, and numerous starring and leading roles in movies under his belt. He was nominated for the Academy Award for his role as Woody Guthrie in BOUND FOR GLORY (1976). While researching Carradine's movies, over and over again I read the phrase, "Who would have thought that David Carradine could turn in such an excellent performance?" Yet he does, time and time again, and has moved under the radar of public and critical attention for over 25 years.

As Carradine says in his commentary, it's a hard movie to watch twice, yet I was fascinated by his insight into the production, Bergman's style and methods, and the plot. THE SERPENT'S EGG is a mixture of 1920's style German expressionism, human despair, psychothriller, political commentary, and science fiction. It tackles the subject of proto-Nazi human experimentation in a world where the government controls every detail of a man's life. When the opening scene involves a man discovering his brother's suicide, you know you're in for a bumpy ride.

I found the commentary sparing and insightful. I hate those commentary tracks where actors and others talk, talk, talk but say very little. It was refreshing that when he had nothing to add, Carradine was quiet and let the movie speak for itself.

The DVD Savant says of the commentary, "A relaxed and friendly David Carradine provides an informative commentary. He treats the experience as if he were an explorer returned from a strange land with a story he barely expects people to believe. I wasn't expecting such insights from this year's KILL BILL, and the track makes me want to revisit older Carradine performances, like his interesting cop in the oddball monster movie Q THE WINGED SERPENT. I never met an oddball movie I didn't like."

Neither have I. THE SERPENT'S EGG qualifies as one oddball movie, and I hope you'll see it and give the commentary a chance.

Rating:
Summary: Carradine's Commentary is One of the Best Parts
Review: This is definitely one of those art films that few people will "get" and even fewer will like. I think it is worth watching in order to see what Bergman did with an unlimited budget, his first Hollywood producer, and an international cast.

Some people may not realize that when Bergman chose Carradine to star in THE SERPENT'S EGG he was fresh off the success of tv's KUNG FU and had 35 state plays, two tv series, and numerous starring and leading roles in movies under his belt. He was nominated for the Academy Award for his role as Woody Guthrie in BOUND FOR GLORY (1976). While researching Carradine's movies, over and over again I read the phrase, "Who would have thought that David Carradine could turn in such an excellent performance?" Yet he does, time and time again, and has moved under the radar of public and critical attention for over 25 years.

As Carradine says in his commentary, it's a hard movie to watch twice, yet I was fascinated by his insight into the production, Bergman's style and methods, and the plot. THE SERPENT'S EGG is a mixture of 1920's style German expressionism, human despair, psychothriller, political commentary, and science fiction. It tackles the subject of proto-Nazi human experimentation in a world where the government controls every detail of a man's life. When the opening scene involves a man discovering his brother's suicide, you know you're in for a bumpy ride.

I found the commentary sparing and insightful. I hate those commentary tracks where actors and others talk, talk, talk but say very little. It was refreshing that when he had nothing to add, Carradine was quiet and let the movie speak for itself.

The DVD Savant says of the commentary, "A relaxed and friendly David Carradine provides an informative commentary. He treats the experience as if he were an explorer returned from a strange land with a story he barely expects people to believe. I wasn't expecting such insights from this year's KILL BILL, and the track makes me want to revisit older Carradine performances, like his interesting cop in the oddball monster movie Q THE WINGED SERPENT. I never met an oddball movie I didn't like."

Neither have I. THE SERPENT'S EGG qualifies as one oddball movie, and I hope you'll see it and give the commentary a chance.