Pauline Kael (who she? They cry in unison) denounced this stunning film as revolting and the subject matter is harrowing and explicit for it's day. Just because it is, doesn't mean the story, although a legend; is not worth telling. The murdered girl is just like a dear friend of mine so it's particularly distressing to sit through. I can see where Tarkovsky got his floating pollen from, or maybe both he and Bergman were influenced by Dreyer. Great scenes include the guilty boy staring up at the stars while a grandfather torments him with a speech about conscience and the cruelty of the heavens, and Sydow's stabbing of one of his daughter's killers. It happens unsparingly in front of the camera, and is absolutely searing and indelibly imprints itself upon the memory, as it shows the slow, hard reality of taking a man's life from him. Sydow is also superlative after he has killed the child and stares down at his hands, unable to reconcile them as being his own. He brilliantly conveys a man who expected to be rewarded for his virtuous life in service of the lord and his bitterness over God's perceived betrayal. Or is it about betraying ones self?
Bergman admitted that the ending with the spring was somewhat tacked on and over didactic, even bogus, as he had already said what he had wanted to say on the matter of religion in previous films and that the matter was 'closed' in his mind to a certain extent. Perhaps this is why Kael questioned whether the film really needed to exist. I can't answer that one but it is a film of authority and power which makes you question what you would do in similar circumstances, and how you might reconcile your actions with your faith. Leaving aside the religious issue, which Bergman does appear to be half hearted about, it unquestionably sides itself with the need for forgiveness and the moral duty to do good. Recommended, and great performances.
Bergman admitted that the ending with the spring was somewhat tacked on and over didactic, even bogus, as he had already said what he had wanted to say on the matter of religion in previous films and that the matter was 'closed' in his mind to a certain extent. Perhaps this is why Kael questioned whether the film really needed to exist. I can't answer that one but it is a film of authority and power which makes you question what you would do in similar circumstances, and how you might reconcile your actions with your faith. Leaving aside the religious issue, which Bergman does appear to be half hearted about, it unquestionably sides itself with the need for forgiveness and the moral duty to do good. Recommended, and great performances.