Cinema - Swedish films

Swedish cinema: All genres (Page 1 of 2)

A Lesson in Love (1954)

Ingmar Bergman

David, a gynaecologist, has been married to Marianne for 15 years. When she discovers that her husband has been sleeping with one of his patients, Marianne begins an affair with a close family friend. Realising that he must save his marriage, David hurries to catch the train by which his wife intends to elope... [More...]

After the Rehearsal (1984)

Ingmar Bergman

On a stage set after a rehearsal of Strindberg’s A Dream Play, ageing theatre director Henrik Volger is reflecting on his life and his art. His peace is disturbed by the unwelcome return of Anna, a young actress who finds herself drawn to the cantankerous old director. Henrik is reminded of Anna’s mother, who was also an actress as well as his mistress, before alcoholism destroyed her career and her life..... [More...]

All These Women (1964)

Ingmar Bergman

Before the coffin of a once great virtuoso cellist, a series of beautiful women come to pay their last respects. They are joined by Cornelius, a composer and critic who had been writing a biography of the musician before he died. Cornelius recalls the days leading up to the great man’s death. Determined to hear him play, the critic inveigled his way into his house, only to have his efforts thwarted by his entourage of mistresses, one of whom appeared to have murder on her mind..... [More...]

Autumn Sonata (1978)

Ingmar Bergman

After a period of separation, Eva invites her mother, Charlotte, a world class pianist, to spend a few days with her and her husband Victor, a parish priest. The joy of the reunion is short-lived, however. The rift begins when Charlotte discovers that her other daughter Helena is in the house. Years before, when Helena fell ill, Charlotte had her put into a nursing home... [More...]

Cries and Whispers (1972)

Ingmar Bergman

In the bedroom of a large country house in the 19th Century, a young woman, Agnes, is enduring the last excruciating days of a terminal cancer. She is tended by her faithful servant, Anna, and her two elder sisters, Karin and Maria. Agnes’s physical ordeal prompts her sisters to reflect on the misery in their own lives and allows them to make an unexpected reconciliation..... [More...]

Crisis (1946)

Ingmar Bergman

18-year old Nelly lives an idyllic life with her adopted mother Ingeborg in a small provincial town. One fateful day, her real mother, Jenny, appears, with the intention of taking her back to Stockholm. At the town ball, Nelly succumbs to the charms of Jenny’s erstwhile lover, Jack, who is a much more exciting proposition than her current suitor, Ulf... [More...]

The Devil’s Eye (1960)

Ingmar Bergman

Few things annoy the Devil more than a woman’s chastity – it always brings on a painful stye in his eye. Irked by this affliction, he summons Don Juan, who is still serving his 300 year sentence in Hell, and sends him back to Earth on a vital mission – to divest a pastor’s 20-year old daughter, Britt-Marie, of her virginity... [More...]

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

Ingmar Bergman

December 1907. The once-famous actress Helena Ekdahl welcomes her family to her home to celebrate Christmas. Her sons – Gustav Adolf, Carl and Oscar arrive with their wives and children. Helena’s favourite is Oscar, who runs the family’s repertory theatre. During a rehearsal of Hamlet, Oscar falls ill and dies soon after... [More...]

Les Grandes personnes (2008)

Anne Novion

To celebrate his daughter Jeanne’s 17th birthday, Albert, a divorced librarian, takes her to the Swedish island Styrsö for their summer holiday. Of course, he has an ulterior motive for choosing this particular island. Equipped with the best metal detector that money can buy, Albert sets about looking for the lost treasure of the famous Viking Jon-Olof Vitfoen... [More...]

Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Ingmar Bergman

A painter, Johan Borg, and his young wife Alma move into a small cottage on a remote island. Some time after their idyllic first weeks on the island, Alma notices a change in her husband. He is disturbed by strange visions and insists that the couple stay awake during the night. Curious to know the cause of Johan’s breakdown, Alma reads his secret diary and discovers that he had a passionate affair with another woman, Veronica Vogler, some years previously... [More...]

The Magician (1958)

Ingmar Bergman

The year is 1846. A troupe of travelling performers, the Magnetic Health Theatre, is making its way across Sweden. The troupe consists of Dr Vogler, a mute magician, his assistant (who is in truth his wife Manda), an elderly woman resembling a witch and Tubal, the show’s talkative barker. Arriving in Stockholm, the troupe is taken to a grand house to meet the town’s officials, who include minister of health Dr Vergerus, police chief Starbeck and councilman Egerman... [More...]

Music in Darkness (1948)

Ingmar Bergman

Whilst attempting to rescue a puppy, Bengt, a young army cadet, gets himself shot on a rifle range. Awaking from a coma, he discovers that he is blind. Rejected by his fiancée, he finds comfort in the friendship of a peasant girl, Ingrid. Bengt’s hopes for a career as a musician are shattered when he fails to enter the Royal Music Academy... [More...]

The Passion of Anna (1969)

Ingmar Bergman

After the break-up of his marriage, Andreas Winkelman takes to a life of solitude on a bleak Scandinavian island. His neighbours are Elis, an architect, and wife Eva, who are taking care of Anna, a woman who recently lost her husband and son in a terrible car accident. Eva confides in Andreas that her marriage is a sham – Elis is only interested in his work and his hobby as an amateur photographer... [More...]

Persona (1966)

Ingmar Bergman

Whilst performing a stage play, a well-known actress Elisabeth Vogler loses the power of speech. There follows a mental breakdown throughout which she is bed-ridden and unable, or unwilling, to speak. Her doctor sends her to a house by the sea, to be cared for by a young nurse, Alma. The latter becomes fascinated by her silent patient and reveals intimate secrets about her own past... [More...]

The Phantom Carriage (1921)

Victor Sjöström

As she lies on her deathbed one New Year’s eve, salvation army worker Edit insists that a man named David Holm be brought to her. The previous year, David, an ill-humoured down-and-out, fell on her charity, but Edit’s intervention in his life had a far from happy outcome. Unaware of Edit’s interest in him, David is drinking with his friends, preparing to toast the new year... [More...]

Port of Call (1948)

Ingmar Bergman

Shortly after landing at the port of Gothenburg, a merchant seaman named Gösta prevents a young woman from drowning herself. Some days later, he meets the same girl, Berit, at a dance and they become friends. Afterwards, Berit invites Gösta back home, but regrets doing so the next day when her domineering mother finds out... [More...]

Prison (1949)

Ingmar Bergman

A film director is visited by his erstwhile mathematics teacher, who offers him an idea for a film: life on Earth is Hell, governed not by God, but by the Devil. The director discusses the idea with a writer, Tomas, who finds himself living out the scenario a few months later. Depressed, Tomas invites his wife to join him in a suicide pact; when she walks out on him, he hooks up with a young prostitute, Birgitta, who has just run away from her pimp boyfriend soon after the latter killed her newborn baby... [More...]

The Rite (1969)

Ingmar Bergman

Three members of a theatrical troupe are brought before a judge, charged with committing some unspecified act of obscenity. Hans, the troupe leader, is the most mature and restrained of the three actors. Thea is his wife, a neurotic who is having an affair with the third member of the group, Sebastian... [More...]

Saraband (2003)

Ingmar Bergman

Some thirty years after their divorce, Marianne decides to pay a visit to her former husband, Johan, who lives alone in his country house. The reunion is soured by the on-going feud between Johan and his son Henrik. After the death of his wife Anna, Henrik lives with his daughter Karin, who shows great promise as a cellist... [More...]

Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)

Ingmar Bergman

A travelling circus that has obviously seen better days arrives at a provincial town, but the weary performers are gloomy about the reception they will receive. Manager and ringmaster Albert Johansson takes his mistress Anne to see the owner of the town’s theatre, hoping to borrow some costumes to replace their worn out garments... [More...]

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