The Best Intentions (1992)
"Den goda viljan" (original title)

The story of Ingmar Bergman's parents. In 1909, poor theology student Henrik Bergman falls in love with Anna Åkerbloom, the daughter of a rich family in Uppsala. After their wedding Henrik ... See full summary »

Director:

Bille August

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Samuel Fröler, Pernilla August, Max von Sydow

6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel Fröler	...	Henrik Bergman
Pernilla August	...	Anna Bergman
Max von Sydow	...	Johan Åkerblom
Ghita Nørby	...	Karin Åkerblom
Lennart Hjulström	...	Disponent Nordenson
Mona Malm	...	Alma Bergman
Lena Endre	...	Frida Strandberg
Keve Hjelm	...	Fredrik Bergman
Björn Kjellman	...	Ernst Åkerblom
Börje Ahlstedt	...	Carl Åkerblom
Hans Alfredson	...	Kyrkoherde Gransjö
Lena T. Hansson	...	Magda Säll
Anita Björk	...	Drottning Victoria
Elias Ringquist	...	Petrus Farg
Ernst Günther	...	Freddy Paulin

Storyline

The story of Ingmar Bergman's parents. In 1909, poor theology student Henrik Bergman falls in love with Anna Åkerbloom, the daughter of a rich family in Uppsala. After their wedding Henrik becomes a priest in the north of Sweden. After a few years Anna can't stand living in the rural county with the uncouth people. She returns to Uppsala, Henrik stays in the north.

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Plot Keywords:

theology | forbidden love | edited from tv series

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Taglines:

Ett filmepos av Bille August efter Ingmar Bergmans egna ord

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Sweden Denmark Finland France Germany UK Italy Norway Iceland

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

10 July 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Best Intentions

Filming Locations:

Dillnäs, Södermanlands län, Sweden

Box Office

Gross:

$1,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

SVT Drama, Danmarks Radio (DR), Yleisradio (YLE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

182 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

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.

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Connections

Edited from The Best Intentions (1991)

User Reviews

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.