IMDb > Nattvardsgästerna (1962)

Nattvardsgästerna (1962) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   4,691 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 19% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Ingmar Bergman (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Winter Light on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 December 1962 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Plot:
On a cold winter's Sunday, the pastor of a small rural church (Tomas Ericsson) performs service for... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
Ingmar Bergman: 1918-2007
 (From IMDb News. 30 July 2007)

User Comments:
Grim, dry, depressing and visually stunning, but Pastor Tomas Ericsson is really hard to relate to more (39 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Ingrid Thulin ... Märta Lundberg, Schoolteacher
Gunnar Björnstrand ... Tomas Ericsson, Pastor
Gunnel Lindblom ... Karin Persson

Max von Sydow ... Jonas Persson
Allan Edwall ... Algot Frövik, Sexton
Kolbjörn Knudsen ... Knut Aronsson, Warden
Olof Thunberg ... Fredrik Blom, Organist
Elsa Ebbesen ... Magdalena Ledfors, Widow
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Winter Light (International: English title)
more
Runtime:
81 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When she saw the completed film, Ingmar Bergman's then wife Kabi Laretei said, "Yes, Ingmar, it's a masterpiece. But it's a dreary masterpiece." more
Quotes:
Algot Frövik, Sexton: The passion of Christ, his suffering... Wouldn't you say the focus on his suffering is all wrong?
Tomas Ericsson, Pastor: What do you mean?
Algot Frövik, Sexton: This emphasis on physical pain. It couldn't have been all that bad. It may sound presumptuous of me - but in my humble way, I've suffered as much physical pain as Jesus. And his torments were rather brief. Lasting some four hours, I gather? I feel that he was tormented far worse on an other level...
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Riisuttu mies (2006) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
35 out of 52 people found the following comment useful.
Grim, dry, depressing and visually stunning, but Pastor Tomas Ericsson is really hard to relate to, 14 December 2005
6/10
Author: debblyst from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In his not-to-be-missed, detailed interviews to Scandinavian filmmakers/critics Jonas Simas, Torsten Manns and Stig Björkman published in France as "Le Cinéma Selon Bergman" (1973) -- inspired by the Hitchcock/Truffaut/Chabrol interviews, and with material selected from over 50 hours of conversations in the span of 5 years -- Bergman reassesses "Winter..." in affectionate but moderately critical terms. He quotes his wife (as of 1962) Käbi Laretei's comment about it: "Yes, Ingmar, it's a masterpiece, but a boring one!" (or "dreary one", according to another translation).

Not that it is really boring, at least not for IB's fans (as myself); and not that it's REALLY a masterpiece. It IS one of his driest, grimmest, most depressing films along with "Shame". As usual, there are magnificent scenes: every one Max Von Sydow is in (what an actor -- with barely a single line to speak he builds a very complex character); Åke Fridell's character, who's got the best lines; the argument between Gunnar Björnstrand and Ingrid Thulin at the cottage. Bergman's and Nykvist's visual conception is riveting: you can FEEL the cold of the bleak Swedish winter. However, there are other scenes that seem to drag longer than necessary (even for Bergman), especially the opening church service, and, yes, the letter scene (which is the source of the great letter scene in "Persona"). But I think the main difficulty with "Winter Light" is that Bergman paints his protagonist (Pastor Tomas Ericsson, played by Björnstrand) mercilessly, making it hard for us to make any connection with the selfish bastard, whether you're religious or not. The question of faith -- that should be the important issue here -- is compromised by the incredible level of egotism of Pastor Ericsson; it's hard to believe that man has ever experienced Christian compassion. Bergman despises him and makes us despise him too; I, for one, couldn't manage to feel the smallest degree of sympathy for the man.

In those interviews, Bergman talks about how difficult shooting "Winter Light" was, with Gunnar Björnstrand ill and detesting his role (no wonder!!) and the influence of Bergman's traumatic religious upbringing (his father was a strict Lutheran pastor), which made it hard for him to convey sympathy for Björnstrand's character. The idea for the film came when a bishop of a small-town church told Bergman of his failure in preventing a fisherman in anguish from committing suicide. Bergman also said that Thulin's character was partly based on his second wife, who had serious eczema in her face and hands.

Christian faith has been the subject of superior films by great filmmakers -- Dreyer, Rossellini, Bresson, Buñuel, Pialat, Melville, Pasolini, and, of course, Bergman himself. With "Winter Light", I found myself thinking a lot about Bresson's masterpiece "Diary of a Country Priest". Both "Winter..." and "Diary..." deal with lonely, depressed Christian clergymen who struggle to come to terms with faith-shattering issues within themselves and the ones around them. Both live in small, bleak, grim villages and cannot find solace in people around them, or give them sound advice. Both strive for an evidence of God — a signal, a word, an inspiration to help comfort people. Both face the peak of their religious crisis in winter time (no wonder!!) and when faced with suicide (the doctor in "Diary", the fisherman in "Winter..."). But the major difference is that Bresson's priest ultimately finds a way to trust his God, while Bergman's pastor is abandoned by his ("God's silence in an empty church"). And, of course, that Bresson's priest is impossible to dislike whereas Bergman's pastor is a s.o.b. Bergman himself had been very impressed by Bresson's movie, which, in my opinion, is superior and "thicker" than "Winter....", although both display some of the most magnificent b&w cinematography the movies have ever shown (and Bergman talks proudly about the great amount of work it took to reach the right lighting for the film).

The second of the so-called "Silence Trilogy" (it was never planned as such, but you know, it was the trilogy fad -- S.Ray, Antonioni etc), "Winter Light" is, IMHO, the least satisfying of the three, overshadowed by the powerful study in schizophrenia and incest with richly elaborated characters of "Through a Glass Darkly" and the incredibly daring, close-up approach of female sexuality, childhood innocence, war threat and terminal sickness of "The Silence". Anyway, "Winter Light" is film by Ingmar Bergman — stratospheres above most mortal filmmakers. My vote: 6 out of 10 (considering it's Bergman!).

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (39 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Nattvardsgästerna (1962)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Can someone help me with the ending? pixiegurl78
Question about 'Silence of God' Trilogy youdontseeyouwant
Absence of Harriet Andersson? teapotasterism
What's written on his wife's head in the photos? moodtobestewed
Demographic breakdown? spinaned
Tomas' and Marta's relationship (spoilers) fredlafaire
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Roma, città aperta Johnny Got His Gun Det sjunde inseglet Au hasard Balthazar Water
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb Sweden section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.