The Virgin Spring (1960)

just watch it!

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Why do you want to see a movie of stone age? What is the magic flavor of it that films nowadays do not possess? Bergman's film reminds me of his profession of theatre constantly. His film, in every aspect, the theme, the setting, the scenes and the acting, is dedicated to a ritual intent. In many of the scenes, you might feel, if it's a 21 century movie, the original 5-min shots can be shortened to 30 secs. But strangely you seldom feel tedious watching these slow paced shots. Because more information (or feelings) is presented other than the set of plots. (Imagine how boring it would be if you simply tell a story of raping and revenge.) The extra information, in Bergman's case, is theatre- styled. It's not like the nowadays long shot that tries to give you a natural feeling or to immerse you in the setting, but more like a stage presentation. The position of actors, their reaction and their movements are subtly designed. The position implies the relation of people and makes part of the ritual. Every small reaction and movement conveys meaning, serving for communication, sometimes between characters, sometimes to themselves. This meaning is not meant to be life like, but more a symbolic one. The communications make most of the experience of the film, in another word, they do not serve story telling, they are the purpose of themselves. The modern technology changes story telling a lot, but this sense of theatre is timeless.

I saw the 'remake' 'Last house on the left' by Wes Craven before this one, and in spite of that one having some odd comedic scenes in it, I still think it has more punch than 'Jungfrukallän'. One problem is that this film feels a bit like a play and lacks a certain rawness that 'Last house...' does have, although this does not apply when finally Töre (the father) exacts his revenge. Another problem is the ending: the choice of divine intervention (the miraculous spring that appears when the body is moved) is just not a believable one, it seems Bergman was mistaking the directing chair for the pulpit. One other thing that doesn't sit right, is that the thugs choose to knowingly offer Karin's robe to her family... such is just beyond ány reason.On the positive side, Max von Sydow and Birgitta Pettersson present us with some fairly iconic characters, and Bergman's attention to detail (for the most part) is a joy to watch.With a heavy heart, I can't go higher than 5 out of 10.

i have never been impressed by Bergman's work. I found wild strawberries and the seventh seal to be good but not exceptionally great work of cinema. but this one totally blew me away. The concept was copied by Wes Craven for "last house on the left". A girl is assaulted by a group of men and then they unknowingly take asylum in her home. The father, here played with a bone chilling intensity by Max Von Sydow, take revenge. the direction is fantastic and there is not a single dull moment to be found in the movie. The dialogues are minimal and tension is escalated in many scenes due to the lack of any background score. This won the Academy Award for the best foreign movie of 1960.4 out of 5 for this terrific tale of wrong doing and revenge.

As part of my Bergman marathon, some for the first time, some for more, I watched The Virgin Spring, and was blown away. The film is not just a stark study of the cruelty and superstition of the Middle Ages but also a very powerful revenge story that is dripping with symbolism, though not too much to overshadow the storytelling. The story may be bleak, this is often considered one of Bergman's bleakest and most hard-hitting films, but always compelling and moving, the ending especially is miraculous. As ever with Bergman, The Virgin Spring is superbly directed and very atmospherically photographed(I did have difficulty believing that this was Sven Nykvist's first collaboration with Bergman, and I mean that as a compliment). It also has a haunting score and a thought-provoking screenplay. The scene with Karin being murdered is harrowing, and I think it really stays with you. The acting also has a lot of intensity, I especially want to single out Max Von Sydow, who is magnetic in presence and equally telling in his facial expressions. Overall, a brilliant film. 10/10 Bethany Cox