Hour of the Wolf (1968) Vargtimmen (original title)

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:

Nightmare | Island | Artist | Homosexual Subtext | Isolation

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Agda Helin	...	Von merken's maid (uncredited)
Lenn Hjortzberg	...	Musical leader Kreisler (uncredited)
Mikael Rundquist	...	Boy in dream (uncredited)
Mona Seilitz	...	Corpse in mortuary (uncredited)
Folke Sundquist	...	Tamino (uncredited)

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman		writer

Produced by
Lars-Owe Carlberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Lars Johan Werle

Cinematography by
Sven Nykvist

Film Editing by
Ulla Ryghe

Production Design by
Marik Vos-Lundh		(as Marik Vos)

Costume Design by
Mago

Makeup Department
Kjell Gustavsson	....	assistant makeup artist
Tina Johansson	....	assistant makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lenn Hjortzberg	....	assistant director

Art Department
Karl-Arne Bergman	....	props

Sound Department
Evald Andersson	....	sound effects
Lennart Engholm	....	sound
Olle Jacobsson	....	sound mixer
Per-Olof Pettersson	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Anders Bodin	....	assistant camera
Roland Lundin	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eivor Kullberg	....	costume assistant

Other crew
Börje Lundh	....	mask
Bo Arne Vibenius	....	unit director

Production Companies

• Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Distributors

• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1968) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Vargtimmen" - Sweden (original title)

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 | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | 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)

Trivia:

Ingmar Bergman originally penned the script in 1964 under the title "The Cannibals". A serious bout of pneumonia led him to reconsider the project whilst lying in hospital; he deemed it to be potentially too expensive in concept and execution. Bergman revised the script idea into a more low budget piece to accompany Persona (1966).

Quotes:

Baron von Merkens:Now you are yourself, but not yourself; an ideal state for a meeting between lovers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Le sourire (1994)

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.