Director: Igmar Bergman, Script: Ulla Isaksson, Cast: Max Von Sydow (Tore), Birgitta Valberg (Mareta), Gunnel Lindblom (Ingeri), Brigitta Pettersson (Karin), Axel Duberg (herdsman), Tor Isedal(mute herdsman), Ove Porath (boy)
Midieval tale about a wealthy Sweedish family. They send their privileged and rather spoiled daughter on a journey to the church to deliver candles as an offering for the virgin mother. Her less fortunate pregnant step sister is asked to go along. While on their journey, the step sister develops a fear of the forest and also complains of being sick. Karin,the privileged daughter, has her stay with a hermit in the forest while she continues the journey alone. Along the way she runs into a three goatherds,two man and a young boy who are brothers. They complain of being hungry due to their long journey so out of kindness, she offers to picnic with them in which she shares her bread with them. The two man proceed to rape her and then kill her while the young boy watches helpless. Her step sister had left the cabin where she was staying and witnessed the whole thing but did nothing to help Karin. By chance, the three brothers turn up at Karin's parents farm. The herdsman tries to sell Karin's valuable garments that they had removed from her to her mother. This leads the father to take revenge on the herdsman.
This is a film I would strongly recommend to anyone especially lovers of classic cinema. The only other Bergman film I have seen is The Seventh Seal which is also outstanding. This film was extremely troubling to me not only because of the brutal act but also because Karin did not deserve this. We have a young innocent naive girl whose trust was betrayed. In this film we see the dynamics of these two sisters. Karin was privileged and spoiled by her parents especially her mother. Her father is more stern but she is still able to break him down with her charm. The step sister is of a much lower stature. She works as a servant and farm hand while Karin doesn't have to do any work. As a result, the step sister has a strong resentment toward Karin. Unlike the Cinderella storey, Karin is very kind to Ingeri, her step sister. She is also very concerned for her as a result of her being pregnant. When she comes across the herdsman, being from the wealthy upper class, she could have easily blown them off but instead she spends time with them and offers them her food only to get violated and murdered in return. In actuality, seeing three men(while two men and a boy) in the forest should have caused her to run away.
As an example of her gullibility, right before she is about to be raped, the men say things like "what white hands you have" and she replies buy saying something to the likes of "because a princess never has to work" then they proceed by saying "What a lovely neck you have" while sitting very close to her. She than says something to the likes of (I am going to be way off here!) "how else can a lovely princes wear her bracelets". She then goes on to tell them about their farm and her well to do life. She is not saying all this in a stuck up way trying to brag. Again she is a very naive girl who has lived like a princes. She expects the men to share her enthusiasm! The step sister did not do anything possibly out of resentment to her step sister or it could have been out of fear. When the herdsman arrive at Karin's parents farm and her father finds out what they have done to Karin, he kills them including the boy. This is another very tragic part of the movie. Like Karin, the boy was also innocent. He had nothing to do with the rape and murder of Karin. One could argue that he could have stopped his brothers instead of just watching. In reality, their is absolutely nothing he could have done. His older brothers are grown men while he is just a small boy. As a matter of fact, they physically abuse him. Not only is the boy a victim like Karin but he is also an outcast like Ingeri, the step sister. He is treated bad by his brothers and Ingeri is treated bad by her family although not by Karin. After Tore,the father, kills the two man and goes after the boy, he runs to Mareta, the mother, for protection. She tries to protect him from Tore but is unable to do so and the father proceeds to kill him.
Tore immediately feels remorse for what he had done. The parents and farm hands go to find Karin's body led by Ingeri. When Mareta lifts Karins body from the ground, a spring arises from the site. Tore vows to God to build a church there.
Midieval tale about a wealthy Sweedish family. They send their privileged and rather spoiled daughter on a journey to the church to deliver candles as an offering for the virgin mother. Her less fortunate pregnant step sister is asked to go along. While on their journey, the step sister develops a fear of the forest and also complains of being sick. Karin,the privileged daughter, has her stay with a hermit in the forest while she continues the journey alone. Along the way she runs into a three goatherds,two man and a young boy who are brothers. They complain of being hungry due to their long journey so out of kindness, she offers to picnic with them in which she shares her bread with them. The two man proceed to rape her and then kill her while the young boy watches helpless. Her step sister had left the cabin where she was staying and witnessed the whole thing but did nothing to help Karin. By chance, the three brothers turn up at Karin's parents farm. The herdsman tries to sell Karin's valuable garments that they had removed from her to her mother. This leads the father to take revenge on the herdsman.
This is a film I would strongly recommend to anyone especially lovers of classic cinema. The only other Bergman film I have seen is The Seventh Seal which is also outstanding. This film was extremely troubling to me not only because of the brutal act but also because Karin did not deserve this. We have a young innocent naive girl whose trust was betrayed. In this film we see the dynamics of these two sisters. Karin was privileged and spoiled by her parents especially her mother. Her father is more stern but she is still able to break him down with her charm. The step sister is of a much lower stature. She works as a servant and farm hand while Karin doesn't have to do any work. As a result, the step sister has a strong resentment toward Karin. Unlike the Cinderella storey, Karin is very kind to Ingeri, her step sister. She is also very concerned for her as a result of her being pregnant. When she comes across the herdsman, being from the wealthy upper class, she could have easily blown them off but instead she spends time with them and offers them her food only to get violated and murdered in return. In actuality, seeing three men(while two men and a boy) in the forest should have caused her to run away.
As an example of her gullibility, right before she is about to be raped, the men say things like "what white hands you have" and she replies buy saying something to the likes of "because a princess never has to work" then they proceed by saying "What a lovely neck you have" while sitting very close to her. She than says something to the likes of (I am going to be way off here!) "how else can a lovely princes wear her bracelets". She then goes on to tell them about their farm and her well to do life. She is not saying all this in a stuck up way trying to brag. Again she is a very naive girl who has lived like a princes. She expects the men to share her enthusiasm! The step sister did not do anything possibly out of resentment to her step sister or it could have been out of fear. When the herdsman arrive at Karin's parents farm and her father finds out what they have done to Karin, he kills them including the boy. This is another very tragic part of the movie. Like Karin, the boy was also innocent. He had nothing to do with the rape and murder of Karin. One could argue that he could have stopped his brothers instead of just watching. In reality, their is absolutely nothing he could have done. His older brothers are grown men while he is just a small boy. As a matter of fact, they physically abuse him. Not only is the boy a victim like Karin but he is also an outcast like Ingeri, the step sister. He is treated bad by his brothers and Ingeri is treated bad by her family although not by Karin. After Tore,the father, kills the two man and goes after the boy, he runs to Mareta, the mother, for protection. She tries to protect him from Tore but is unable to do so and the father proceeds to kill him.
Tore immediately feels remorse for what he had done. The parents and farm hands go to find Karin's body led by Ingeri. When Mareta lifts Karins body from the ground, a spring arises from the site. Tore vows to God to build a church there.