Review of The Virgin Spring (1960) by Matthew B — 20 Aug 2007
Perhaps the most sumptuous example of Bergman's visual genius. It is not as visceral as Cries and Whispers; visually and dramatically it is more sedate (though the rape scene and subsequent murder remain disgusting, even after forty years).
Max von Sydow makes the transition from a doting patriarch to a terrifying, wrathful titan with predictable elegance and ease; Birgitta Valberg proves that less is certainly more as the tortured Mareta.
Gunnel Lindblom, Birgitta Pettersson (achingly beautiful), Allan Edwall, Axel Duberg, Tor Isedall, and Ove Porath (very acute in a starkly silent role) form an arrestingly brilliant Bergman cast. Sven Nykvist's photography is indescribably beautiful.
A definite masterpiece.
This review of The Virgin Spring (1960) was written by Matthew B on 20 Aug 2007.
The Virgin Spring has generally received very positive reviews.
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