Wild Strawberries (1957)
"Smultronstället" (original title)

After living a life marked by coldness, an aging professor is forced to confront the emptiness of his existence.

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Victor Sjöström, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin

Top 250 #128 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victor Sjöström	...	Dr. Isak Borg
Bibi Andersson	...	Sara
Ingrid Thulin	...	Marianne Borg
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	Dr. Evald Borg
Jullan Kindahl	...	Agda
Folke Sundquist	...	Anders
Björn Bjelfvenstam	...	Viktor
Naima Wifstrand	...	Mrs. Borg, Isak's Mother
Gunnel Broström	...	Mrs. Alman
Gertrud Fridh	...	Karin Borg, Isak's wife
Sif Ruud	...	Aunt Olga
Gunnar Sjöberg	...	Sten Alman / The Examiner
Max von Sydow	...	Henrik Åkerman
Åke Fridell	...	Karin's lover
Yngve Nordwall	...	Uncle Aron

Storyline

With the exception of his elderly housekeeper Miss Agda who he treats almost like a surrogate platonic wife, widowed seventy-eight year old Dr. Isak Borg, a former medical doctor and professor, has retreated from any human contact, partly his own want but partly the decision of others who do not want to spend time with him because of his cold demeanor. He is traveling from his home in Stockholm to Lund to accept an honorary degree. Instead of flying as was the original plan, he decides to take the day long drive instead. Along for the ride is his daughter-in-law Marianne, who had been staying with him for the month but has now decided to go home. The many stops and encounters along the way make him reminisce about various parts of his life. Those stops which make him reminisce directly are at his childhood summer home, at the home of his equally emotionally cold mother, and at a gas station where the attendants praise him as a man for his work. But the lives of other people they ...

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Plot Keywords:

professor | elderly | daughter in law | gas station | hitchhiker | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish Latin

Release Date:

22 June 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wild Strawberries

Filming Locations:

Dalarö, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer says that several scenes had to be shot indoors due to Victor Sjöström's poor health. "We had to make some very bad back-projection in the car because we never knew if Victor would come back alive the next day." Nevertheless, as long as Victor was home by 5:15 P.M. each day, "and had his whiskey punctually, all went well."

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Goofs

The front license plate on the VW disappears when untying the rope.

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Quotes

Sten Alman: Me and my wife are dependent on each other. It is out of selfish reasons we haven't beaten each other to death a long time ago.

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Connections

Featured in Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (1995)

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Soundtracks

"JA; MAA HAN LEVA!"
Traditional

User Reviews

Stunning Bergman Masterpiece -- Maybe His Best?

"Wild Strawberries" profoundly moved me. The theme -- an old man coming up fast on death and wondering if his life has had any meaning -- is an old one for Bergman, and one which he explored ad nauseum throughout the subsequent decades. But here Bergman approaches the question with an uncharacteristic optimism and sense of hope. For once, he seems to come close to finding some peace with the unknowns of life that obviously preoccupied him as an artist, and the movie he gives us is sad but immensely warm; resigned but calm and reflective.

An unequivocal masterpiece, and only one of a handful of Bergman films ("Persona" and "Cries and Whispers" being two others) that don't drive me over the edge when I watch them now.

Grade: A+