As Eva continues to confront her mother about her abandonment, her sense of inferiority and her soft but seething resentment, both women speak almost in hushed tones. At times Autumn Sonata almost plays like an Ingmar Bergman parody. Ingmar Bergman was never known for flat-out comedies but rather for bleak journeys into the dour recesses of the heart, stories where despair physical,emotional and/or spiritual dominated this empty universe.
Her face registers its own conflict between longing for approval and knowing how short she falls.Īs both of them dominate Autumn Sonata, their story of reproach and rapprochement is at the heart of the film, so much so that at times such things as Viktor addressing us directly in the opening voiceover and/or Helena's grunts take second place.Īnd here is where I struggle with Autumn Sonata. This is Ullmann's moment to showcase she is more than able to hold her own against a titan like Ingrid Bergman.
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Shortly after, it's Eva's turn to listen as her mother plays and discusses how to play Chopin. Without saying a word, we see the complex and contradictory emotions swirling within Charlotte. She struggles between loving her daughter and being appalled at the piano playing. You can see in Bergman's face the struggle she has between attempting to be a supportive mother and the artist who finds the weak playing almost intolerable. Take the scene where Charlotte sits listening to Eva play a Chopin prelude. It is extremely well-acted, particularly as it is almost a two-woman show between Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann. This last part is what passes for hope in Bergman's utterly dystopian, despairing, utterly meaningless universe.Īutumn Sonata is a film I would call brilliant in terms of craftsmanship. Charlotte then leaves to go on a concert tour but privately confesses to her manager how she hopes Helena dies.Įva for her part continues her private mourning for Erik and writes to Charlotte, saying she was too harsh with her and hopes for a reconciliation. However, in a long night of the dark soul, Eva reproaches Charlotte for being a terrible mother who made her insecure about herself and putting herself ahead of Eva, Helena and Papa. Eva, married to pastor Viktor (Halvar Bjork) also cares for her disabled sister Helena (Lena Nyman) while still mourning her son Erik, who drowned at age four.Īlready we can see how Ignmar Bergman spreads the jollies in his stories.Ĭharlotte is not thrilled to be there but does the best she can. It's a well-crafted and well-acted film, but it is also probably a terrible date movie.Įva (Liv Ullmann) is somewhat eagerly awaiting a visit from her mother Charlotte (Bergman), a famous pianist. Autumn Sonata is very much in the Ingmar Bergman style: morose, despairing and filled with hushed screams. One of the big selling points in Autumn Sonata is that it is the only time the two most famous Swedish Bergmans worked together on a film: actress Ingrid and director Ingmar. This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon sponsored by Journeys in Classic Film and Musings of a Classic Film Addict.
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