Face to Face (1976)
"Ansikte mot ansikte" (original title)

A sensitive exploration of the tragic irony of the psychiatrist suffering with mental illness. Dr. Jenny Isaksson is a psychiatrist married to another psychiatrist; both are successful in ... See full summary »

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Aino Taube

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Liv Ullmann	...	Dr. Jenny Isaksson
Erland Josephson	...	Dr. Tomas Jacobi
Aino Taube	...	The Grandmother
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	The Grandfather
Kristina Adolphson	...	Nurse Veronica
Marianne Aminoff	...	Jenny's mother
Gösta Ekman	...	Mikael Strömberg
Helene Friberg	...	Anna
Ulf Johansson	...	Helmuth Wankel
Sven Lindberg	...	Jenny's husband
Jan-Eric Lindquist	...	(as Jan-Erik Lindqvist)
Birger Malmsten	...	Rapist
Sif Ruud	...	Elisabeth Wankel
Göran Stangertz	...	Rapist
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lena Olin	...	Shop assistant

Storyline

A sensitive exploration of the tragic irony of the psychiatrist suffering with mental illness. Dr. Jenny Isaksson is a psychiatrist married to another psychiatrist; both are successful in their jobs but slowly, agonizingly, she succumbs to a breakdown. Jenny is haunted by images and emotions from her past and eventually cannot function, either as a wife, a doctor or as an individual.

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatrist | hospital | affair | suicide | maniac | 

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Taglines:

A woman's most intimate encounter with the one person she didn't know. Herself.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Sweden Italy

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

5 April 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Face to Face

Filming Locations:

Filmhusateljéerna, Filmhuset, Svenska Filminstitutet, Gärdet, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinematograph AB, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Sveriges Radio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 181 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally a four-part TV mini-series: 1. Uppbrottet (Separation); 2. Gränsen (The Border); 3. Skymningslandet (Twilight Land); 4. Återkomsten (The Return). A total of 181 minutes cut down to 130 minutes (25 fps).

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Quotes

Dr. Jenny Isaksson: What do you mean by "real"?
Dr. Tomas Jacobi: To hear a human voice and trust that it comes from a human who is made like me, to touch a pair of lips and at the same time know that it is a pair of lips.

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Connections

Featured in The 34th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1977)

User Reviews

Bergman at his best

Face to face is another example of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's masterful direction in order to penetrate into his actors' psyche. Bergman's sole intention in his movies is to convey the emotions, the interaction between different personalities and how they swift in the film. He uses long uninterrupted takes in such effect that many times throughout the film someone could get carried away and find itself present in the room with the protagonists. It's like Sven Nykvist forgets the camera somewhere recording, but the action continues... Bergman's usual partners are present obviously in Face to Face. Aformentioned cinematographer Sven Nykvist (who by the way has won two Oscars for Bergman's "Fanny & Alexander" and "Cries and Whispers" and was nominated for "face to face", does again superb job. But in my opinion the film is worth viewing mostly for Liv Ullmann's extraordinary performance, mominated for an Oscar as well. There is nothing that I could add, Bergman fans will find the master here in peak form. I hope all film fans will one day discover Ingmar Bergman's cinema, it would be an unpreceded experience. Better late than never...