Review of Sawdust and Tinsel (1953) by A.j. S — 16 Aug 2010

Ingmar Bergman often claimed there was not much to say about â??Sawdust and Tinselâ??, although he had a special place in his heart for it. This little contradiction actually says a lot about the circus and theater dramedy considering it is an extremely personal film for the imminent Swedish master that fails to translate well to his audience.

His narrative is almost entirely built around one idea: the jealousy that arises when recklessly delving into a current loverâ??s past sexual transgressions. This was Bergmanâ??s original fascination, but he takes it a step further by documenting an aging circus ringleader losing his virtuous mistress to a seductive theater actor.

Ã?ke Grönberg appears almost entirely miscast as the gullible and ungainly protagonist while Harriet Andersson handles her designated, childish object of desire with great versatility. Everything before their central climax does little to advance the story â?? albeit with intriguing anecdotes â?? and the conclusion seems rushed even if it is more interesting than the first act.

The story wants to break free of the confines it is subjected to at points, yet is usually contained or liberated at the wrong moments. There are attractive contents found in Bergmanâ??s personal tale as most of them lie within this fact of it being entirely delicate in substance; saving the film from falling anywhere near what was famously dubbed â??Bergmanâ??s latest vomitingâ?? by a Swedish critic.