Customer Reviews

The Silence (Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With its scenes of illicit sex and masturbation, descriptions of couplings in churches and the strongly implied lesbianism of one of the protagonists, _The Silence_ caused something of a scandal in Sweden upon its release (Bergman reportedly received a wad of used toilet paper in the mail from an outraged viewer). Those hoping to be titillated, however, should look elsewhere, for this is an unremittingly bleak film about the perversion of love in a god-forsaken world and every sexual contact in the film is joyless and empty. The plot concerns two sisters returning from vacation who must stop in a menacing hotel in an unidentified country on the brink of war when one sister, who we quickly realize is mortally ill, becomes too sick to travel. As in _Persona_, which this film somewhat prefigures, the two female leads represent in some sense fragments of the same divided self--Anna, played by the voluptuous Gunnel Lindblom, is all heedless concupiscence, while Ester, portrayed by Ingrid Thulin in a fearless performance (perhaps her greatest on screen), is the coldly remote intellectual, puritanical and moralistic. The fragmentation, it becomes clear, is complete and irreparable--the film suggests that no self can be whole in a godless, monstrous world. Yet love is not totally extinct, as we learn in the scene (perhaps _The Silence's_ emotional core) in which the desperately ill Ester, a professional translator, passes on to Anna's young son Johan the few words of the country's strange language she has managed to learn (her ignorance of the language underscores the failure to communicate that is one of the film's themes). But the quietly devastating conclusion leaves the viewer wondering whether their message can have any lasting effect. No film I have seen of Bergman's is more nightmarishly dark and despairing than _The Silence_.

Along with Cries and Whispers and The Seventh Seal , Ingmar Bergman's The Silence is his best work, a film mesmerising in its still potent power to disturb. The film charts the deterioration of the relationship between two sisters who book into a vast hotel in a nameless foreign region. Tensions mount and hostilities soon arise as both sisters can only find futility in their search for a warm, compassionate and tender relationship. Anna ( Gunnel Lindblom ) has a compulsive sexuality, which prompts her to have sex with strangers, while Ester ( Ingrid Thulin ), a cold repressed and alcoholic intellectual agonises over her lesbian feelings for her sister...

The Silence is a strange film fuelled by strange passions and emotions. It's rather minimalist in style, for Bergman rarely ventures outside the empty hotel, which is peopled only with a ghostly elderly porter and a troupe of circus dwarfs. With Sven Nykvist's camera exploring the space of the vast hotel corridors, it may for some recall Last Year at Marienbad but I think the film has more significant parallels with David Lynch's enigmatically bleak Eraserhead , both films sharing similar themes and a dark ambience. Symbolically, the film is not a difficult as other Bergman dramas. The sense of decay is omnipresent throughout the film - the sisters' relationship, Ester who is suffering with a terminal cancer, and the region itself with its streets patrolled by tanks, suggesting the whole damn thing is about to slip into war. And Bergman's superb use of the hotel, which the characters seemingly can't escape from, takes on almost Kafkaesque proportions. Made in 1963 The Silence still remains strong, with scenes of sex, nudity, ...and alcoholism. The film ended an extraordinary trilogy that began with Through a Glass Darkly and Winter Light ; a series Bergman made which addressed his evaporating religious faith.

Incidentally, look out for the funny scene in Woody Allen's Manhattan where Allen is horrified by Diane Keaton's merciless criticism of the film...

The title of a dark and erotic final chapter of "faith" trilogy may sum up Bergman's own philosophy regarding religion and God - "God has never spoken because He does not exist". Bergman mentioned that he wanted to make a film with as little dialog as possible because "he had made many films with a lot of talking". He wanted "The Silence" to be a pure cinematographic experience where the images do all the talking. The films centers on two sisters, Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna, (Gunnel Lindblom) to whom Ester is physically attracted. Esther, Anna and her 10-year-old son travel together and had to stop in a hotel located in an unnamed European country due to Esther's serious illness.

The film may be viewed on several levels -as the story of two sisters who apparently used to be close but are not able to communicate and understand one another anymore. Or it can be interpreted as a parable of Sensuality, Intellect, and Innocence, that cannot coexist in the world where God does not exist. As with every great and intelligent work of art, "The Silence" has so much to offer to its viewer, it's got so many questions to ask and it does not provide the easy answers.

Complex, suffocating, screaming through the silence, poignant, passionate, harrowing yet strangely hopeful and even funny sometimes - this is an unforgettable film, a masterpiece, a hidden treasure that has to be rediscovered and to receive as much praise and admiration as "Persona" and "Cries and Whispers" - for both of which "The Silence" was an inspiration. The acting by two Bergman's actresses is a miracle (as usual) as well as Sven Nykvist's camera work in creating the claustrophobic world where silence cries, whispers, and kills...

***** 1963. Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Three Swedish Academy awards (Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress). Two sisters argue in an hotel room while Johan, a 10 years old kid, is discovering the corridors and the strange guests of the hotel. The train compartment, the hotel room and the town, three claustrophobic places that Ester and Anna can't leave while Johan seems to be the only one able to open doors and communicate. THE SILENCE is a huge film which, like some books, can be enjoyed again and again. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful films ever made and one of my most intense experiences in a theatre, ever. Masterpiece.

I'm an Ingmar Bergman neophyte and have seen about ten of his films to date, and I think this one haunted me the most. It couldn't leave my mind for a few days. It's crammed with hopelessness and emptiness, and to put it bluntly, is quite depressing. I was able to put up with Persona, Cries and Whispers, The Seventh Seal, and a few others with a fierce motivation to assess and analyze, but this one left me quite deflated. I think it was because of the way the little boy was used; he is left to roam the hotel occupied by weird hotelkeepers and dwarves that like to dress him up in girl clothes while his mother is out all day on sexual rampages with complete strangers, while his dying aunt spends her last days in a room upstairs. The pain displayed is so raw and unflinching that one is inclined to feel uncomfortable and wondering. I think the capper was the ending of this film on the train: mother and son leave the country and leaves the aunt alone to die, and the son, who has openly worshipped his mother all along, looks up at her with such open contempt that she visibly reacts, putting her hand to her throat. And then he looks down at this picture that aunt has given him. It ends on such an enigmatic note that one has no choice but to feel depressed for some time.

The Silence by Ingmar Bergman-

like a Bergman picture, a story based in the images presented & not enough backround to really make any concrete sense out of the story. He means to raise questions in your mind as a primary purpose.

The story revolves around two sisters that stay in a foreign country at a hotel. The country is either at war, preparing for war or experiencing civil unrest as your shown tanks in the street more than once. There doesn't appear to be any war damage though. One sister has a son of about 8 to 10 years old. His mother is very sensual & motivated by oils, perfumes, baths, nudity & men. The other woman is the older & responsible sister motivated by work, yet enjoying masturbation as men & their equipment along with the physical act of sex repulse her. She is also dying of a lung disease. The boy loves both his mother & his aunt but lives in a childs world avoiding the adult context of it. When he does see some of it he is more mystified than anything.

The two womens relationship is complex & subject to many interpretations. I bought the Criterion edition & it of course has an overview of the movie in it's booklet. I disagree with a lot of what is said there but most notably that the story is told through the eyes of the boy. So much do I disagree with it that I feel you must be brain dead to reach that conclusion.

The why of the younger sisters sexual activity can be taken as being anything from wanting out from under her older sisters babying of her to a desperate attempt to deal with the fact her sister is slowly dying in front of her eyes. She takes her boy & leaves the country on a train while leaving her sister dying in a foreign land while being watched over by hotel staff that do not speak her language.

There are tons of religious, famalial & societal questions raised by this movie but since you never get a clue as to why they were traveling, why they stopped in a foreign country where they didn't speak the language or even why they have come to the point where they can barely speak to each other you cannot make a coherent story out of it.

You watch a movie like this for the wonderful images put on screen & the upclose & personal, though unexplained actions of the individuals. A great Bergman movie but not a great story as he never intended to tell a complete story.

The acting is dynamic, real & a joy to watch. Ingrid Thulin as the older sister Ester & Gunnel Lindblom as the younger sister are perfect in their roles, few others really matter at all. The is very little dialogue & only the words of the main characters are in the subtitles so be ready for a slow paced but well constructed movie with great acting & cinematography. I give it 4 Amazon stars.

A bit of nudity but nothing at all by todays standards. It was very racy when made though. Recommended for at least one viewing & more than one to try & put it together.

'The Silence' is an art film as opposed to being an entertainment movie. I would personally characterize it as being interesting, rather than entertaining. There is little that is amusing in this dark, somewhat menacing tale, and the few humorous moments are alloyed with a bit of the grotesque.

Two sisters who obviously have been lesbian lovers, along with one's son of around 10 years old, are traveling on vacation. The relationship between the sisters has broken down. The dominant, more intellectual sister has lost her control over the sensuous one, who is rebelling by flaunting her sexual escapades with men. The once-proud and controlling Ester has been reduced to a state of groveling humiliation. Anna's cruelty is fueled by having been so long intimidated and made to feel inferior. She has found a way to assert herself with her promiscuity against Ester's superior attitude, and she is exulting in her power.

That is the most obvious focus of the film. But the effect of this conflict on the boy, Anna's son Johan, is also a very important element. A good portion of the story is seen from Johan's point of view. The world is strange and forbidding enough to children, and this conflict between his mother and his aunt has added even more insecurity, as well as anger. Though the two women shower him with superficial signs of affection, they are too consumed with their power struggle to really pay him much attention.

It is touchingly shown how much children love and need their parents, even when those parents may be reprehensible , or even worthless. Johan does not overtly express his anger, but reveals it in a violent Punch and Judy puppet show which he performs for Ester.

However, I do not mean to suggest that this is like some of those made-for-tv movies which deal in domestic situations and are simply moralizing clothed in a so-so drama. Unlike those types of presentations, there is no padding in this film. Each scene contributes in an important way to the development of the story. And perhaps 'story' is even too strong a description. The progression of the film is more of an ongoing exploration and revelation of the complexities of the relationship between these three characters.

The visual aspects of the film are not merely incidental scenery, but reinforce the psychological states of the players. The militaristic nature of the country they are visiting, with its tanks and aircraft, reflects the aggressive impulses of Anna toward Ester, and Johan toward Anna and Ester. The seething population outside their hotel room seems to represent the untidy world which Ester has always kept at bay with her cool and logical mind.

The conditions of life of the three main characters is out-of-balance in almost every respect compared to conventional ideas. This is shown not only by the relationship between the sisters, but in the escapades of Johan, when he is not being monitored very closely by the adults. He develops a dubious relationship with the hotel steward, whose intentions may or may not be predatory. He has an encounter with a troupe of vaudevillian dwarfs, who entertain him with zany antics, but who are in the process of dressing him up as a girl when they are interrupted and reprimanded by their leader.

There is a destitution of healthy human relationships among these people because of their inability or lack of desire to communicate meaningfully with one another. The irony is that Ester is a translator of foreign languages, but cannot effectively communicate with Anna in their own language. Anna is glad that her lover and she do not speak one another's language. Therefore, they can form no relationship, and he is totally expendable.

'The Silence' is a very nuanced movie, with camera work, visual cues, and music all contributing to reinforce the dialogue. Watching the film a second time, it still seemed interesting because of these contributing elements, which provide a stimulus for the viewer to ponder the depths of the story. It should be noted, for those who might be offended, that the film contains some scenes with strong sexual content.

Originally titled God's Silence. This is a film of loneliness and despair. It is a film where there is great pain in existence. Three primary characters: Anna, Ester and Johan (Ester's son). The film opens on a train. This snapshot is telling - Anna coughing up blood and emotional, Ester comforting her son yet shooing him away minutes later, Johan the acute observer noting happenings in each cabin, noting the tanks careening by. They get stuck in a village where a language is spoken that they do not understand. They get stuck in a very old hotel where it appears that other than a troop of little people, they are the only one's in the place. Three auxillary players come into play - the maintenance man, the bartender and the hotel waiter. Most of the film is silent - except for some ambient music in the bar; and a very critical scene where Bach's Brandenburg Concerto is featured on the radio. While this is a piece representing Bach's highest achievement - the people we are exposed to in The Silence are all at their lowest. Seeking comfort in base desires. For Ester it is within that she seeks comfort from loneliness, sickness and despair. She turns to cigarettes, liquor, her intellect and her work translating great literature, and she brings pleasure to herself sexually. Anna, on the other hand, seeks to ease the pain of loneliness through others. Through the attentions and affections of her son; and when that doesn't work through the company of a stranger - in this case a bartender. Her efforts fail to ease her pain as well. Ultimately there is no relief. It is worth noting here Francis Schaeffer's comments on this film in "The God Who Is There." He points out that: this film is a statement of utter nihilism. Man, in this picture, does not even have the hope of authenticating himself by an act of the will. The Silence is a series of snapshots with immoral and pornographic themes. The camera just takes them without comment...That is all there is. Life is like that: unrelated, having no meaning as well as no morals." Is there any hope in this film. I'd like to say that the waiter has some redeeming qualities to him. But he too is but a charicature of who he once was. The film ends back on the train with just Ester and Johan as they travel there is a storm raging outside. Ester opens the window to feel the rain on her face. Maybe the rain is God. Cleansing. Baptising. What she needs. The answer to her despair.

Watching this movie, I am reminded of the old Biblical story of the prophet who sought the word of God in many places but found it in the great silence. This unsentimental movie tells the tale of two sisters on their return from a vacation, one of whom suffers gravely from lung disease perhaps cancer, the other is accompanied by her little boy. While many questions lie realistically hidden in the shadows of silence--most importantly the understandable pain of the two sisters--nevertheless there is unexpected tenderness, remarkably from a stranger and a child.

Released in 1963, TYSNADEN (The Silence) is the last in Ingmar Bergman's "chamber trilogy", a loose series of films of the early 1960s marked by small casts, limited plots, and meditations on God. Note that the best way to get the chamber films is in the Criterion Collection box set.

As the film opens, two very different sisters sit in a train compartment. Anna (Gunnel Lindblom) is scantily dressed, animal in her sexuality with her profuse sweating and panting and unkempt hair. Her young son Johan sits beside her. Esther (Ingrid Thulin) is prim and polite. As Esther coughs up blood, we discover that she is also terminally ill. These three are travelers returning home through a foreign land, a country on the brink of war to judge from the train carrying tanks which passes by in the opposite direction. The three check into a hotel while Esther can rest in bed. Anna explores the city as if shopping for meat, while Johan is left to wonder around the eerily quiet himself, running away from the eccentric caretaker and briefly hanging out with a circus troupe of Spanish dwarves. Anna's escapades torment Esther, who can do nothing but drink and writhe in pain.

Bergman called TYSNADEN the "negative imprint" on the other two films of the chamber trilogy. While in SASOM I EN SPEGEL and NATTVARDSGAESTERNA the characters express angst over life in a world where God is distant, TYSNADEN has no mention of God at all. Against the previous two films, we can see that this is really what life is reduced to when religious faith is unsustained. THE SILENCE is the first of Bergman's films to focus mainly on psychology and human relationships, inaugurating a style which was to continue through the 1960s and early 1970s.

The key to TYSNADEN, increasingly clear on repeated viewings, is that these two sisters, the one Apollonian and the other Dionysian, are but two parts of one personality. But once that became clear, I have to admit my evalution of the film suffered. While even a poor Bergman film is light-years beyond most cinematic efforts, TYSNADEN now seems to be like a clunky prototype for 1966's PERSONA, one of Bergman's greatest achievements. Indeed, one wonders all the more if Bergman considered PERSONA a more advanced take on these thems when book Johan reads while sitting in bed is Lermontov's "A Hero in Our Time", the same book read by the older boy in the stunning opening montage of PERSONA.