The Silence

Last night I watched The Silence by Ingmar Bergman.  Part of his trilogy on faith. It was a quiet wild ride. Two sisters, Esther, a translator of literature,  and Anna, traveling home by train have to stop their journey as Esther becomes sick. They check into a nearly vacant hotel. Accompanying them is Johan, 10ish,  son of Anna. They are in a foreign country that is on the brink of war. The sister's are distant with each other. Johan seems to be the glue but he is off on his own adventures while mom is out on the street looking for some action, she's bored and horny, and aunt Esther is smoking and drinking trying to cure what ails her in her suite. I read a bunch of reviews online that do a lot of discussion about the sisters actions and lack of interaction but no one really talks much about Johan. I think this is where the theme of faith, through the childs eyes, is seen. Even though he spies his mom getting it on with a local waiter she is there for him and she needs him as some sort of base to return to as she never quite finds satisfaction.  Johan gains faith from his distant aunt Esther who has no choice but being there for him and in the end helps Johan through a piece of paper with translations of words that will help him and his mom get home. There is a bunch of the film just following Johan around playing in the nearly abandoned hotel. Even the children are stoic in Bergman films. He is a quiet and observant child, but so sort of stone faced that you really wonder how much he is taking in or allowing himself to take in.  I have always been aware of the idea of how much you allow yourself to absorb and when it gets too uncomfortable or scary you back off and chalk up anything you don't understand as "foolishness" and that is something that is not necessary to living. A bad choice most of the time, missing out and not taking risks. A scandnavian trait? 

Johan comes across a band of dwarves who entertain him. They seem to be the group to hang with and are the most overtly human acting. Also there is a sort of bumbling, spooky hotel attendant who gives Johan some chocolate and time. No one can speak to each other, due to the language barrier. Even the translator, Esther, doesn't speak this countries language, creating arresting intimate interactions between all the characters.

 Esther is left on her own to die, I guess, alone. Sad.

I am most interested on how this story moves forward because of situation and not so much on dialog. An idea I can use when making my own movies. I would never get any images to the Mac for editing if I first had to write a script first. Yikes.

This DVD is released by Criterion Collection. For those who don't now this company, they take classic, obscure, interesting, films and put them into packages that could be used for graduate course level study. Including tons of extras about the films, discussions, anything they can find or produce their own documentaries to further explore the film's meaning or impact. I love this company. Buying any of their DVD packages are expensive, I know, because I have, usually around $35.00. Thank you Jesus for Netflix.  It would be my dream job to work for them. I am an extras nut. One of the most interesting piece's included on this DVD was the American trailer for The Silence. I know, it's just a trailer, which are on a lot of DVD's but this one makes the film out to be near porn with descriptions of the movie like " a world where people seek to communicate through the ruthless gratification of their sexual appetites" and "starring in a brilliant portrayal of the delicate and complexing intimacies of lesbian love" and "beautiful arrogant creature of the flesh, living only for lust and licentious pleasure" and "look into the hearts that indulge their carnal fancies".  Jeepers settle down. It has some sex in it and I suppose America in 1963 wasn't seeing Doris Day flailing around on a bed in sexual frustration, she just stood there with a smile on her face sexually frustrated all the same, but oh those Europeans know about sex and put it right up there in your face.  It is kooky and makes sense in a twisted American sort of way. As for lesbianism, there weren't none. Maybe I don't know the full definition of lesbian, but they were sister's who even sorta hated each other but were bound by being family. They sat close on a bed once. I would think the term incest would override lesbianism. There wasn't that but know if I was a 20 something dirty beatnik living in the village in NYC  in 1963 I would have completely fallen for the lies and went to see the film. It's worth the 95 minutes.

One more thing, the camera work is so beautiful. Oh that Sven Nyquist. Just a simple scene of Johan entering Aunt Esther room, a close up on him standing with the door behind him, then approaching the bed, the camera backs up through the brass foot rail and downy mattress pad keeping camera on Johan's face. It is amazing. How did he get the camera to move through that small space without disrupting the comforter or knocking it on the rail?  It was so smooth and gliding. His work is dreamy and brilliant.