The Passion of Anna (1969)
"En passion" (original title)

Andreas, a man struggling with the recent demise of his marriage and his own emotional isolation, befriends a married couple also in the midst of psychological turmoil. In turn he meets ... See full summary »

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson

5 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Max von Sydow	...	Andreas Winkelman
Liv Ullmann	...	Anna Fromm
Bibi Andersson	...	Eva Vergerus
Erland Josephson	...	Elis Vergerus
Erik Hell	...	Johan Andersson
Sigge Fürst	...	Verner
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Britta Brunius	...	Woman in dream
Lars-Owe Carlberg	...	Police officer
Malin Ek	...	Woman in dream
Barbro Hiort af Ornäs	...	Woman in dream
Svea Holst	...	Verner's wife
Marianne Karlbeck	...	Woman in dream
Annicka Kronberg	...	Katarina
Brian Wikström	...	Police officer
Brita Öberg	...	Woman in dream

Storyline

Andreas, a man struggling with the recent demise of his marriage and his own emotional isolation, befriends a married couple also in the midst of psychological turmoil. In turn he meets Anna, who is grieving the recent deaths of her husband and son. She appears zealous in her faith and steadfast in her search for truth, but gradually her delusions surface. Andreas and Anna pursue a love affair, but he is unable to overcome his feelings of deep humiliation and remains disconnected. Meanwhile, the island community is victimized by an unknown person committing acts of animal cruelty.

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Plot Keywords:

humiliation | isolation | couples | animal cruelty | reference to the vietnam war | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

28 May 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Passion of Anna

Filming Locations:

Fårö, Gotlands län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinematograph AB, Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) Black and White (dream sequence)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in the aftermath of Ingmar Bergman's break-up with Liv Ullmann on the island where they had lived together

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Quotes

Andreas Winkelman: Has it ever occurred to you that the worse of people are the less they complain?

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Connections

Referenced in Orada (2009)

User Reviews

It's wonderful to see a film made with such care

This is par for the course with Bergman, though. I have enjoyed all of his films that I've seen, which I admit is not many. This one touched me even more deeply than the others.

The topics touched on in this film include isolation, truth in relationships, mob mentality, but most importantly isolation from an emotional point of view. The interviews with the actors that are spliced into the film provide insight as well as divisions between sections of the narrative.

Perhaps what I liked best, however, is the inventive way the script reveals elements of the story. Sometimes a voice-over provides necessary information, and other times the information comes through the characters' conversations -- but never in an annoying "quick exposition" kind of way. For example: Although the affair between Anna and Andreas is the central story, it shows up in an odd place in the film.

But that is just one of the examples of the unusual construction that makes this film so unique and masterful. I recommend this to anyone who can read subtitles.