Vargtimmen (1968)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

9 April 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

"The Hour of the Wolf" is the hour between night and dawn. It is the hour when most people die. It is the hour when the sleepless are haunted by their deepest fear, when ghosts and demons are most powerful.

Plot:

An artist in crisis is haunted by nightmares from the past in Ingmar Bergman's only horror film, which takes place on a windy island...

Plot Keywords:

Artist | Nightmare | Island | Insanity | Possession

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Max von Sydow	...	Johan Borg
Liv Ullmann	...	Alma Borg
Gertrud Fridh	...	Corinne von Merkens
Georg Rydeberg	...	Lindhorst, archivist
Erland Josephson	...	Baron von Merkens
Naima Wifstrand	...	Old Lady with Hat
Ulf Johansson	...	Therapist Heerbrand
Gudrun Brost	...	Gamla Fru von Merkens
Bertil Anderberg	...	Ernst von Merkens
Ingrid Thulin	...	Veronica Vogler

Also Known As:

Hour of the Wolf (USA)

Runtime:

90 min | Sweden:99 min (original version)

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish | Norwegian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | France:-16 | Ireland:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 (video rating) (2004) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Hovs Hallar - Naturreservat, Skåne län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Quotes:

Baron von Merkens: You see what you want to see!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA (2000)

Genuine horror

This seems to be one that divides fans of the master, but I loved it. It's easy to see why people see this as being a bit of an odd-one-out in Bergman's output: it's very direct in it's depiction of disturbed states of mind, directly illustrating hallucinatory states rather than just hinting at them. Others have pointed to references to other films of the horror genre, which seem undeniable.

Not that you'd mistake this for a film by anyone but Bergman. It's rich in connections with other of his films and autobiographical references (such as the terrifying description of being locked in a cupboard as a child). It can be reasonably thought of as Bergman's 'horror film' but he takes on the genre very much on his own terms.

It's a film that lingers long in the mind, with many unforgettable scenes (including the amazing Magic Flute scene) aided by Sven Nykvist's wonderful chiaroscuro photography. The use of music is (as ever with Bergman, the most musical of directors) extremely intelligent: the scene with the boy is set apart from the rest as much by the music as the photography.

Given the quality of the cast, you'd expect superb performances. As ever, von Sydow and Ullmann are excellent, with equally good supporting performances.

At times I was reminded of Rilke's only novel, The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge. If you don't know this, I urge you to seek out a copy: there's a distinctly Bergmanesque atmosphere to the whole work, but there are specific images that seem to link to this film.

This is a film that repays repeated viewings. Despite it's extremely disturbing subject matter, to me it's not as emotionally draining as many of Bergman's other films (such as Shame or Winter Light), in spite of (or perhaps because of) the visual horrors on display. Still, I recommend it very highly.