Review of Fanny and Alexander (1982) by Ejana : — 19 Nov 2009

One giant generalisation about Ingmar Bergman was that his films were always "depressing and cold", and on some occasions that would be correct. But to really understand Bergman, to look into his career, tracing his filmography and his autobiography together, you will find a director who used his own films as a stage to battle his insecurites, his fears, his worries, his feelings. He may have questioned the existence of God directly in his younger days, moving on to the lack of communication between human beings in his later work. But you sensed that as he got older, these questions became less and less important to him. Bergman's films were autobiographical in a way, but while his earlier work was more direct in its themes than his later work, one of his final works "Fanny And Alexander" is the most directly autobiographical film he ever made.

The prologue features Alexander Ekdahl, alone in his grandmother's gigantic mansion, at first he plays with a miniature theatre, before imagining himself as an actor, seeing a statue move and the grim reaper, foreshadowing 3 worlds that Alexander will visit: The world of theatre, the world of strict Religion, and the world of magic and the supernatural.

It is Christmas time, where every year Christmas Dinner is held at Alexander's Grandmother Helena's mansion, an extravagantly rich house filled with life and luxury. Invited to the dinner are Helena's 3 sons and their families: Oscar, a "very poor" actor who works at the family's theatre where his Dad was "much better than he ever was". He's married to actress Emilie, and is the father of Fanny & Alexander. Gustav Adolf is the philandering cafe owner, married to the extremely understand Alma (they openly discuss one of Gustav's mistresses later in the film). Carl the Professor is deep in debt, married to Lydia, a German woman he now seemingly despises, yet they somehow make it work. Along with the maids and servants is one of Helena's oldest friends, "Uncle" Isak, an elderly man who will have an important part to play in the later part of the film.

These early Christmas scenes are wonderful to watch, as singing, dancing, farting, pillow fights, even the odd bit of adultery occurs. It may take a long time, but it's very necessary to show the genuine love the family has for each other. There are countless scenes that make you admire it in slack-jawed awe, but one particular scene is at night, where Oscar attempts to get the children to sleep by inventing a story about one of the chairs being the most important chair in the world. It may seem silly to the older viewer, but when you're the same age as the children, you have nothing else to believe, and this film is told from the perspective of the children, mainly Alexander (who acts as a young Bergman, although the director admitted that all of the male characters have a little bit of his personality in them).

The reason these scenes feel so extended is to announce the gigantic drop in emotion when Oscar collapses while rehearsing "Hamlet". To say that he passes away is not a spoiler, but it does lead to the disturbing scene of Emilie's mourning, her animalistic cries of grief are distressing to say the least. But as time goes by, Emilie finds herself becoming more and more involved with the local Bishop, Edvard Vergerus (the bad guy's last name is almost always Vergerus in Bergman's films). Believing that she is doing right for her children, she agrees to marry the Bishop, who wants Emilie and her kids to have a clean slate and move in to his new estate.

Suffice to say, this new household is rife with rules, discipline and a complete lack of fun, warmth or any sort of goodness. Alexander's animosity towards his new stepfather grows as he uses his imagination to conjure up rumours about Vergerus (the rumour is left ambiguous for the viewer). Bishop Vergerus doesn't take kindly to these accusations, as he canes Alexander with Fanny watching.

While Alexander & co. are with the Bishop, the rest of the Ekdahl's are in the summer home, where a touching scene involving Grandma Ekdahl talks to the ghost of the deceased Oscar, who relays his fears over Emilie's new husband and his children. The rest of the Ekdahl Family believe that this new marriage will not last long, while Grandma's good friend Uncle Isak has a plan.

The major and pivotal scene involving Uncle Isak's plan shall not be ruined by me, but it is definitely one of the best scenes Bergman ever filmed, forging a couple of interpretations that remain lucid and ambiguous. Later on, another scene involving Uncle Isak is masterfully executed by Bergman, paying homage to "The Seventh Seal" in glorious colour, but still, there's an arguably even better scene involving Uncle Isak's mysterious son Ishmael that also shall not be ruined. It's quite surprising how many wonderful scenes there are in "Fanny And Alexander", it's also surprising that Alexander is the main focus of the film while Fanny is a mere spectator. I believe Fanny's name is in the title in order to show how deep family ties go in Bergman's life: She is an important part of Alexander's life, and she always will be, no matter how much or how little she says or does.

Available in the quadruple Oscar winning 3 hour theatrical version, or the extended 5 hour TV version, I'd pick the TV version for it leaves no stone unturned, flows much better and feels nowhere near as long as its 300 minute running time suggests. Ingmar Bergman called it "The sum total of my life's work", and in a stellar career that has shaped his own life as much as his audience's perceptions of theirs, "Fanny And Alexander" is a triumphant not-quite-a-finale film (He directed plays and made some TV movies as well, releasing "Saraband" in 2005). It's a rich family drama where Bergman creates his own Universe, fills it with people who he knows, understands and loves, and makes us fall in love with all of them (Apart from The Bishop).

Sven Nykvist rightly deserved his 2nd Oscar for "Best Cinematography", it's not just the sumptuous look of the Ekdahl's house that he effortlessly captures, it's the lack of colour in the Bishop's house that he captures effectively, he really was an outstanding DP. The art/set and costume design deservedly won Oscars too. But take away the flashy exteriors and you're still left with some terrific acting across the board. There are a lot of characters in this film, and all of the major ones get enough screentime to develop, the standout performances are Bertil Guve as Alexander, perfectly portraying his innocence, hatred and amazement with childlike wonder, also Jan Malmsjo gives his Bishop Vergerus a truly complex villain who is easy to hate yet easy to understand and pity. But for such a complex and large production, for simply orchestrating all of it into such a fantastic ensemble, Ingmar Bergman deserves the plaudits: For putting his soul into the screenplay (which in its original draft was 1,000 pages long), once again taking from his own life, infusing it into his work and creating something truly magical. For getting such wonderful performances out of everyone, for keeping the film interesting for over 5 hours, it's a fantastic achievement, a real testament to the strengths of arguably Cinema's finest ever auteur.

A stunning, magnificent work of art, a place where entire worlds coexist with one another, where everyone seems to have their own place, their own role in life, for themselves and for other people. Instead of pondering the bigger questions, Ingmar Bergman has reached a place in his life where he merely accepts that there is something bigger going on that will forever remain elusive. "Fanny And Alexander" is simply unforgettable, an enchanting, engrossing and magical experience to be cherished for all time.