Scenes from a Marriage [Scener ur ett äktenskap] ***** (1974, Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson) – Classic Movie Review 9925

Writer/ director Ingmar Bergman draws on his personal experiences for his 1974 feature Scenes from a Marriage [Scener ur ett äktenskap], the ideally condensed theatrical version of his triumphant six-part 1973 Swedish Television miniseries.

Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson star as divorce lawyer Marianne and university teacher Johan in an epic story exploring the disintegration of their marriage over a period of 10 years, from love and matrimony to infidelity and divorce, and their later partners.

Bergman wrote the script over three months, drawing on his relationship with Ullmann, his dissolved marriages to Käbi Laretei and Gun Hagberg, and the marriage of his parents. It was shot on a small budget in Stockholm and Fårö in 1972. Scenes from each episode (filmed one a week) appear in the 168 minute film version, with the episode titles appearing as chapter titles.

Bergman’s script is powerful, poignant and penetrating, and his handling is commanding, while Ullmann and Josephson are obviously very connected with the material and apparently effortlessly show their comfort with their roles. They give brilliant performances. Both the feature film version and the miniseries are extremely satisfactory and satisfying, equally so in their different ways.

It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The TV miniseries’ six episodes totalling 282 minutes ran between 11 April and 16 May 1973. The feature, with the 16 mm film modified to 35 mm, opened in New York City on 21 September 1974.

The main cast are Liv Ullmann as Marianne, Erland Josephson as Johan, Bibi Andersson as Katarina, Jan Malmsjö as Peter, Gunnel Lindblom as Johan’s colleague Eva, Anita Wall as Mrs Fru Palm, Barbro Hiort af Ornäs as Fru Jacobi, Rossana Mariano as Johan and Marianne’s 12-year-old daughter Eva, Lena Bergman as Eva’s sister Karin, Wenche Foss as Modern [the Mother] and Bertil Norström as Arne.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9925

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