After the Rehearsal (1984) (TV) Efter repetitionen (original title)

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Release Date:

9 April 1984 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Rational, exacting, and self-controlled theater director, Henrik Vogler, often stays after rehearsal to think and plan...

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Director | Mother Daughter Relationship | Human Relationship | Nudity

Cast

Erland Josephson	...	Henrik Vogler (older)
Ingrid Thulin	...	Rakel Egerman
Lena Olin	...	Anna Egerman (older)
Nadja Palmstjerna-Weiss	...	Anna Egerman (younger)
Bertil Guve	...	Henrik Vogler (younger)

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman

Produced by
Jörn Donner	....	producer

Cinematography by
Sven Nykvist

Film Editing by
Sylvia Ingemarsson

Production Design by
Anna Asp

Costume Design by
Inger Pehrsson

Makeup Department
Anna-Lena Melin	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Katinka Faragó	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eva Bergman	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kaj Larsen	....	props

Sound Department
Bo Persson	....	sound
Owe Svensson	....	sound mixer
Martin Kjellberg	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ulf Björck	....	electrician
Arne Carlsson	....	still photographer
Lars Karlsson	....	assistant camera
Bengt Lundgren	....	grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lenamari Wallström	....	costume assistant

Other crew
Lars-Owe Carlberg	....	administrator
Kerstin Eriksdotter	....	script supervisor
Eva Ivarsson	....	location manager
Nils Melander	....	laboratory manager

Production Companies

• Cinematograph AB
• Personafilm

Distributors

• Triumph Films (1984) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Palisades-Tartan Acquisitions (2008) (UK) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Efter repetitionen" - Sweden (original title)

Runtime:

70 min | Argentina:90 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | France:Unrated | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-8 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Sweden

Company:

Cinematograph AB

Trivia:

Ingmar Bergman was so impressed when he met Lena Olin for the first time that he wrote the part of Anna especially for her.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Bergman Trilogy (2004) (TV)

An Important Look At How The Theater Mirrors Life And How Life Mirrors The Theater

`After the Rehearsal', a film by Ingmar Bergman, is a reflective look at the art of theater and its practical implications in our lives. Bergman keeps to a relatively tight plot and cast - there are a total of three characters and one setting that endure over the course of 79 minutes. More than anything, `After the Rehearsal' is a study of our actions: their sincerity, what drives us to them, and how they are mirrored in the theater. It attempts to define human relationships and their high level of self-interest, at times appearing quite existentialistic. `After the Rehearsal' brazenly takes a look into social psychology, aging and theater. The story in `After the Rehearsal' focuses on playwright and director Henrik Vogler, his current star actress, Anna Eggerman, and her mother and Henrik's former lover - Rakel Eggerman. It all occurs after a rehearsal for Henrik's latest `Dream Play' when he is awoken by Anna Eggerman who is looking for her bracelet - a mere pretension to spend time with Henrik. While her desire for Henrik is obvious - he continuously refuses to yield to her flirtations. In the middle of the film, there is a long flashback where we witness Anna's alcoholic mother Rakel arguing with Henrik on the same backstage. Towards the end of the film, Henrik and Anna frenziedly create a romantic story of their future together, passionately delving deeper into their improvised story until Henrik stops it - he will never be able to carry out his desires in person at his age. Bergman's `After the Rehearsal' is not about a plotline, but rather, about unearthing the truth of our actions. During the course of the film, Henrik, while in conversation, will have a voice over which lays bare his thoughts and feelings towards who he is currently addressing. His dialogue is always an act - trying to make his words match his thoughts and thereby amassing a waste of energy. His words betray his thoughts and we learn how truly detached and distant he is from his surroundings. His words become no more than lines in a play; trying to express a thought in the most pleasing and successful way. Anna Eggerman is no better off than Henrik - she purposely lies to him so as to manipulate him and witness his various emotional responses. Rakel also epitomizes this separation from society by her professed desire for affection and company but consistent alcoholism and belligerent actions aimed towards Henrik - she is a mourner who has damned herself to wallow in her own pity. It would be accurate to dub `After the Rehearsal' as an existentialist work. Not only does it focus on man's separation from one another and the pointlessness of his actions, but it attempts to define why man acts as he does. In a self-revelation, Anna Eggerman supposes that she is acting only to please others - and that since childhood she has merely put on a stage face to get her own way. She is so absorbed by her subconscious actions that she does not realize she has become an actress offstage. Furthermore, it describes the plight of Henrik. In addition to the isolation Henrik suffers from the world, he is also plagued by his old age. As age has taken its toll, he no longer has the energy to have a relationship with Anna and can merely imagine it. His (and the film's) final words most exemplify his incapacity and detachment from the world, occurring when Anna tells him she can hear the church bells tolling as he says `I only wish that I was able to hear the bells'. `After the Rehearsal' is a meditative film that is not afraid to ask questions and propose answers. It eloquently expresses its views through a tightly-woven story that does not fail to hold its audiences attention. It dissects why man functions as he does through intense confrontations, philosophical ponderings and quiet revelations. Bergman unmasks the existential themes of distance and cold self-interest that lurk underneath our every word. `After the Rehearsal' is a complex and vital look at humanity that everyone should sit through at least once.