Saraband (2003) (TV)

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Release Date:

1 December 2003 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Plot:

Marianne, some thirty years after divorcing Johan, decides to visit her ex-husband at his summer home. She arrives in the middle of a family drama between Johan's son from another marriage and his granddaughter.

Plot Keywords:

Visit | Cello Lesson | Marriage | Cello | Summer Home

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Liv Ullmann	...	Marianne
Erland Josephson	...	Johan
Börje Ahlstedt	...	Henrik
Julia Dufvenius	...	Karin
Gunnel Fred	...	Martha

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman

Cinematography by
Stefan Eriksson
Jesper Holmström
Per-Olof Lantto
Sofi Stridh
Raymond Wemmenlöv

Film Editing by
Sylvia Ingemarsson

Production Design by
Göran Wassberg

Costume Design by
Inger Pehrsson		(as Inger Pehrson)

Makeup Department
Cecilia Drott	....	makeup artist (as Cecilia Drott-Norlén)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Torbjörn Ehrnvall	....	assistant director

Art Department
Teddy Holm	....	painter
Åsa Persson	....	assistant production designer
Rasmus Rasmusson	....	set dresser
Håkan Sanchis	....	construction manager
Jan-Erik Savela	....	property master
Ulla Smith Örn	....	graphic designer
Jan Stenmark	....	graphic designer
Karin Söderberg	....	upholsterer

Sound Department
Anders Degerberg	....	sound (as Anders Degerman)
Carl Edström	....	sound (as Calle Edström)
Börje Johansson	....	sound
Göran Nylander	....	sound technician
Per Nyström	....	sound
Erik Näsman	....	sound technician
Ulf Olausson	....	sound
Gábor Pasztor	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Gabor Pasztor)

Visual Effects by
Mats Holmgren	....	digital colourist (uncredited)

Stunts
Kimmo Rajala	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Sven Jarnerup	....	assistant camera
Per Sturk	....	electrician
Lars Stålberg	....	electrician
Per Sundin	....	lighting technician
Mike Tiverios	....	Steadicam operator (as Michael Tiverios)
Bengt Wanselius	....	still photographer
Adrian Wester	....	grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Inger Eiserwall	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Ulf Nordin	....	color grader
Jesper Svedin	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Pia Ehrnvall	....	project manager
Gylla Ersson	....	publicist
Ann-Mari Langer	....	production accountant
Hanna Pauli	....	prompter
Kerstin Sundberg	....	script supervisor
Ola Westman	....	technical coordinator
Irene Wiklund	....	technical manager

Production Companies

• Danmarks Radio (DR)
• Network Movie Film-und Fernsehproduktion
• Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond
• Nordiska TV-Samarbetsfonden
• Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK)
• Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)
• SVT Fiktion
• Sveriges Television (SVT)
• Yleisradio (YLE)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
• Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)

Distributors

• Sveriges Television (SVT) (2003) (Sweden) (TV)
• CDI Films (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• IFA (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Mongrel Media (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Rézo Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) (2004) (Italy) (TV)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for brief nudity, language and a violent image

Runtime:

107 min | Argentina:120 min

Country:

Sweden | Italy | Germany | Finland | Denmark | Austria

Language:

Swedish | English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:MA | Japan:R-15 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R | Finland:K-11

Company:

Danmarks Radio (DR)

Trivia:

Last film project directed by Ingmar Bergman.

Goofs:

Plot holes: There are some interesting discrepancies in relation to the time line of the characters. The ages given for the characters are 63 (Marianne), 86 (Johan) and 61 (Henrik). Marianne says that she has not seen Johan for 32 years and that they had been married for 16 years. This means that she married Johan when she was 15 and he was 38. Johan had a falling out with his son when Henrik was 18/19, which must have been after Johan's marriage to Marianne.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Bergman Trilogy (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Trio Sonata for Organ no. 1 in E Flat Major, Movement 1: Allegro

The last film masterpiece? Quietness which speaks.

I am by no mean qualified to give a full range analysis of the film Saraband by Ingmar Bergman, but would like to give my personal comments.

This may be the last great film as an art genre, as opposed to film as entertainment. In the early days of film directors where trying to please a reading audience. No living director has protected this heritage better than Bergman. He can still compete with the best authors of his time.

The quietness which surrounds this film, the excellent actor performances, the long footages of close-ups of faces, the first cello sonato of Bach (Saraband), the old man who is a bit like Bergman himself; all this makes the film a masterpiece. The dialogs hold great literary quality. Bergman and his film crew are able to show people who are inactive on the outside, but active on the inside; it is quietness which speaks! There is no time for trivial dialog in the films of Bergman: Here you will find people who talk out about the great tragedies in life. The composition gives you a feeling of being in a theatre.

Bergman is a living challenge to anyone who wants to take film seriously as an art form!