Review of The Virgin Spring (1960) by Mithil B — 18 Nov 2012

Film-making. Film-making is a beautiful legacy. A legacy that has been handed over from one generation of film-makers to another and there are countless "good" examples of that...

Recently while reading an article related to renowned Director Ang Lee's upcoming epic "Life of Pi", Ang Lee in his interview mentioned Ingmar Bergman's Virgin Spring and how it had changed his opinion about cinema when he was just 18. It was also his first R film and he briefly explained how it had a huge impact on his life and how the subtly horrifying images of Virgin Spring totally stunned him. I was very intrigued. I have to check this film out, I told myself. I haven't seen many films of Bergman. My first was The Seventh Seal which I barely remember now and my second was Persona which I watched recently. So I decided to give Virgin Spring a higher priority and today I finally watched it.

Beautiful. Flawless. Thought-provoking. Haunting. Masterpiece. I was left spellbound by the film but at the same time a little surprised at how underrated it is. Sure, I haven't watched Bergman's most well-known works yet so I won't say it's his best. But it surely and easily is one of his best! The Virgin Spring is haunting revenge story that not only questions our faith on God but also gives us hope. While experiencing this film, I felt a little like I was watching Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon again. Ingmar Bergman's direction is superb and, my God, the camera work, the acting everything is perfect.

Highly Recommended. A clean 5/5.