Review of The Virgin Spring (1960) by Conner R — 19 Apr 2011

When it comes to tales of revenge, there are few finer than this. With an incredibly well paced build up, this is one of the most visually disturbing pieces from Ingmar Bergman. Any fans of The Last House on the Left should check this out, due to it essentially being a medieval rendition of the story. It contains what might be the greatest feats of strength one man has displayed on camera. Max Von Sydow kills three men practically with his bare hands via burning, stabbing and raising someone above his head and throwing them. Him playing such a peaceful and religious father one minute and a warpath the next is a little shocking and a ridiculously well done tactic in terms of character development.

As always with Bergman, this is a truly beautiful looking movie. Every shot is so well composed and captures the landscape and characters so well. It sort've becomes the third part of the unofficial trilogy, also consisting of The Seventh Seal and The Magician. All are period pieces revolving around a group of characters having to face death in some form. In my opinion, these are Bergman's three greatest movies. They deliver on every level and seem to have endless life.