Den goda viljan (1992)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Bille August

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

10 July 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

In 1983 after completing the Oscar winning "Fanny And Alexander", Ingmar Bergman retired from international cinema. Now, after 10 years of writing and reflection, he finds he has "one last story to tell"

Plot:

The story of Ingmar Bergman's parents. In 1909, poor theology student Henrik Bergman falls in love with Anna Åkerbloom...

Plot Keywords:

Theology | Forbidden Love | Edited From TV Series

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Samuel Fröler	...	Henrik Bergman
Pernilla August	...	Anna Åkerblom Bergman
Max von Sydow	...	Johan Åkerblom, Anna's father
Ghita Nørby	...	Karin Åkerblom, Anna's mother
Björn Kjellman	...	Ernst Åkerblom, Anna's brother
Börje Ahlstedt	...	Carl Åkerblom, Anna's half-brother
Björn Granath	...	Oscar Åkerblom, Anna's half-brother
Gunilla Nyroos	...	Svea Åkerblom, Oscar's wife
Michael Segerström	...	Gustav Åkerblom, Anna's half-brother
Eva Gröndahl	...	Martha Åkerblom, Gustav's wife
Mona Malm	...	Alma Bergman, Henrik's mother
Keve Hjelm	...	Fredrik Bergman, Henrik's paternal grandfather
Margaretha Krook	...	Blenda Bergman, Henrik's aunt
Irma Christenson	...	Ebba Bergman, Henry's aunt
Sif Ruud	...	Beda Bergman, Henrik's aunt

Also Known As:

Con le migliori intenzioni (Italy)
Den gode vilje (Denmark)
Die besten Absichten (Germany)
Hyvä tahto (Finland)
Les meilleures intentions (France)
The Best Intentions (UK)

Runtime:

Argentina:180 min | Spain:181 min | Sweden:180 min | USA:182 min

Country:

Sweden | Germany | UK | Italy | France | Denmark | Finland | Norway | Iceland

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-10 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Peru:14 | Germany:6 (f)

Filming Locations:

Dillnäs, Södermanlands län, Sweden

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

The first time a husband and wife both won awards at the Cannes Film Festival in separate categories for the same film, Bille August winning the Palme d'Or for Best Film and his wife Pernilla winning for Best Actress.

Movie Connections:

Edited from "Den goda viljan" (1991)

how much you like this film will strongly depend on whether or not you've seen many Bergman films

Having seen at least a couple dozen Bergman films, this biographical movie made a lot more sense to me than if I hadn't. I could see bits and pieces of his other films, particularly parallels with Fanny and Alexander. This movie was written by but not directed by Ingmar Bergman and tells about a portion of his father and mother's lives (with particular focus on the father). However, unlike the cruel and over-zealous preacher from Fanny and Alexander, Bergman's father is a flawed man full of dichotomies. A very pious and severe man with little sense of humor, he also apparently has no problem with premarital sex (with two different women) and is an advocate for the working poor. I think these inconsistencies and his father's difficulty with expressing normal human emotions lead to Bergman's earlier works (such as the professor in Wild Strawberries and the persistent theme of living in the barren wilds in movies such as The Passion of Anna and Shame).

So, why didn't I score the movie higher? Well despite the insights, the movie was very long and occasionally tedious--particularly for the Bergman novices. Plus, although the movie gave us some insights, the actual span of time covered in the film was rather limited. It was like a glimpse but an incomplete glimpse of the man.