Review of Fanny and Alexander (1982) by Edgar C — 08 Jun 2013

Any serious film buff has to consider the master Ingmar Bergman one of the greatest movie directors who has ever lived. He has made great film after great film, and I think Fanny and Alexander ranks among his top three finest achievements (along with The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries). It differs interestingly from every other movie of his I've seen in its taking in large part a child's point of view. This wasn't only rare for Bergman but it's rare to see a movie made by anyone that shows children, in their viewing of the adult world around them, in such a realistic and interesting way, involving both trauma and joy in these young lives. Yet the children (Alexander being more prominent than Fanny of the titles characters) don't get in the way of showing the great dynamics and complexities of the adult world as well. And these two worlds-those of children and adults-interact in pleasant and somewhat grim ways.

From the start with Alexander alone in his grandmothers apartment, through an extravagant Christmas party, to the richness of the theater, to the much darker residence of the next chapter of this family's life, the movie is simply an exquisite piece of artistic beauty of early 20th Century Sweden. On a visual level Bergman has always been a master, but here he showed a more lively and ambitious side than he had before. The performances are all terrific, and I'm particularly fond of Bertil Guv as Alexander, Gun Wallgren as his reserved grandmother, and Jarl Kulle as his boisterous uncle.

The movie, in spite of some quite dark elements, is quite a bit more upbeat than typical Bergman film. Those that may have admired his earlier works but felt them a little overbearing and depressing will likely welcome this ride with the great peaks and valleys of this family. Whether Alexander really has some power to see these images or if it's only a child's vivid imagination leaves room for exploration.

My rating here is based primarily on the over five hour version. The two separate versions of the movie are both great experiences, with slightly different moods and emphasis, though I prefer the longer television one and that's the one I will look forward to seeing more times in the future. I understand they wanted to get a reasonable length for the theaters, but for me the shortened version lacks a lot of the richness of the other, removing great scenes especially from the back half of the film. Though either way you view it it's very emotionally involving as a work of art. It's a must see.