The Silence (1963) Tystnaden (original title)

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

3 February 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

"The Silence" is about the emotional distance between two sisters. The younger one is still attractive enough to pick up a lover in a strange city...

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Traveling | Boy | Hotel Room | Translator

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ingrid Thulin	...	Ester
Gunnel Lindblom	...	Anna
Birger Malmsten	...	The Bartender
Håkan Jahnberg	...	The Waiter
Jörgen Lindström	...	Johan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lissi Alandh	...	Woman in Variety Hall (uncredited)
Karl-Arne Bergman	...	The Paperboy (uncredited)
Leif Forstenberg	...	Man in Variety Hall (uncredited)
Eduardo Gutiérrez	...	Impressario (uncredited)
Eskil Kalling	...	The Bar Owner (uncredited)
Birger Lensander	...	The Doorkeeper (uncredited)
Kristina Olausson	...	Anna (uncredited)
Nils Waldt	...	The Cashier (uncredited)
Olof Widgren	...	The Old Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman		writer

Produced by
Allan Ekelund	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Ivan Renliden		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Sven Nykvist

Film Editing by
Ulla Ryghe

Production Design by
P.A. Lundgren

Costume Design by
Marik Vos-Lundh		(as Marik Vos)
Bertha Sånnell		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Börje Lundh	....	makeup artist
Gullan Westfelt	....	assistant makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lenn Hjortzberg	....	assistant director
Lars-Erik Liedholm	....	assistant director

Art Department
Karl-Arne Bergman	....	property master (as Karl Arne Bergman)

Sound Department
Stig Flodin	....	sound
Olle Jacobsson	....	sound mixer (as Olle Jakobsson)
Bo Leverén	....	sound
Tage Sjöberg	....	sound

Special Effects by
Evald Andersson	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Rolf Holmquist	....	assistant camera (as Rolf Holmqvist)
Harry Kampf	....	still photographer
Peter Wester	....	assistant camera
Gerhard Carlsson	....	electrician (uncredited)

Other crew
Lars-Owe Carlberg	....	location manager
Katinka Faragó	....	script supervisor (as Katherina Faragó)

Production Companies

• Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Distributors

• Janus Films (1964) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• atlas Film (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Gutek Film (2007) (Poland) (all media)
• Arthaus Filmverleih (????) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Royal Films (1964) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

"Tystnaden" - Sweden (original title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish | English | German | French | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (AGA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1963) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1964) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1965) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2004) | France:-12 | West Germany:16 (f) (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (f) (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Norway:16 (cut) | Norway:18 (1970) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Svensk Filmindustri, Filmstaden, Råsunda, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

The film was submitted to the rating bureau just weeks after the directions had been liberalized a bit: it went through without cuts, and made a real stir. It attracted huge audiences, was fiercely debated - and acquired a reputation for being the film that shot the first big hole in the "sex censorship wall" of Swedish moviemaking. Within five years, film censorship had become a formality.

Quotes:

Ester:Erectile tissue... it's all a matter of swollen tissue and secretion; a confession before extreme unction. Semen smells nasty to me. I've a very keen sense of smell and I stank like rotten fish when I was fertilized.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Heimat II: A Chronicle of a Generation: Weihnachtswölfe (#1.7)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS

One of the great movies

Do not be put off by some reactions to this movie. It is not easy to watch, as it is light on plot and deliberately obscure in places. But if you can go with the flow of the film, you will be rewarded with some top class acting, incisive argument and lots to think about afterwards. It reminds me a little of a Pinter play - if you like those you should also like this film.

The film also has one or two monumental pieces of cinematography - not least the scenes with the small boy in the large lobby of the hotel - far more effective in this film than in the "tribute use" by Kubrick in the Shining many years later. The shots of tanks rolling through the unnamed Southern European town will stick in my mind for a long time.

Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom were two of Bergman's best women and he works with them to terrific effect in this movie.

This is one of the great movies - highly recommended.