Review of Hour of the Wolf (1968) by Ben R — 05 Nov 2014

Hmm...interesting. Like most Bergman movies I've seen, there were some really beautiful haunting images throughout this movie. Specifically, I think of the growing horror as the boy stands still behind Johan, and the scene towards the end as Johan slowly runs his hand down Veronica's body. Those were two standout scenes.

I'm not sure how I felt about the horror and the mindfucks of the movie, though. As Roger Ebert pointed out in his review, this is a movie that succeeds more if you just sit back and take in the images, rather than really trying to make sense of the story. Many things are left unclear; how much of the story is actually taking place in real life, and how much is in Johan's mind? I like Alma's line about how, in long relationships, people begin to look like each other and see through each other's eyes, but that can't be applied literally, right? Maybe this movie is specifically about the horrors of if that COULD be applied literally; could falling in love with an insane person make you insane, too?

As interesting as those ideas are, they're not elaborated on much in the film. Mostly, the film is made up of those disturbing images. Normally, I enjoy slow-moving movies that are made up of strong imagery and vague thought-provoking ideas without necessarily telling a completely logical plot (see: Under the Skin). For this movie, though...I didn't get as much out of it as I could. For example, the scene with the man applying cosmetics to Johan's face didn't really scare me or enthrall me in any way. There were some great images, but not as many as the other Bergman dramas I've watched.