Review of Fanny and Alexander (1982) by Mirko B — 07 Jan 2011

This was a true challenge. Three whole hours of Bergman. But the Egdahl family, the center point of the story, makes forsuch a delightful company that you don't even notice the excessive length of the vehicle. "Fanny and Alexander" is the jewel in Mr. Bergman's cinematic crown. The two from the title are the children of Emilie and Oscar Eckdahl, members of a large Swedish family full of quirky lover boys, melancholic women and kids who see dead people. The Egdahls gather in their huge, cozy home for lavish Christmas festivities, but the good times don't last. After Oscar's premature death,Emilie marries the local bishop and moves with Fanny and Alexander to his cold, dungeon-like palace where the kids are terrorized by her new husband and his sister. What Emilie doesn't know is that Alexander keeps seeing Oscar's ghost who turns up whenever he's bored. The troubles of the kids last until the rabbi Isak comes up with a solution...

A bit of Hamlet, a bit of Oliver Twist, Bergman's film is a take on the usual subject of unhappy marriages and its effect on those who are the least to blame, the children, but a wonderful one at that. The whole production is a coup de force: from the beautiful, lavish interiors, to the rich, flowing costumes and lighting. An important part of the film's appeal are its contrasts-the cold colors of the bishop's palace vs the warm textures and colors of the family house; the over-cluttered Wunderkammer of Isak's house vs the Calvinist minimalism of the palace. The characters are constrasting too: the melancholic, troubled Emilie vs the flirty and sensual maid Maj; the constantly horny, aged Casanova of Gustav Adolf vs the innocent, albeit creepy Alexander.

Some of the best scenes are Alexander's in Isak's house after the escape from the bishop, they possess a near-surrealist quality where the whole story of the Egdahls turns into a dream crowded by dead fathers, talking puppets, bosomy maids and cruel stepfathers. All in all, this is most definitely a film you don't want to miss.