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Brink of Life (1958)

Nära livet (original title)
| Drama | 31 March 1958 (Sweden)
Brink of Life Poster
Three women in a maternity ward reveal their lives and intimate thoughts to each other while in a maternity ward together, where they face the choice of keeping their babies or offering them for adoption.

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3 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
... Stina Andersson
... Cecilia Ellius
... Hjördis Petterson
... Nurse Brita
... Anders Ellius
... Harry Andersson
... Dr. Nordlander
... Counsellor Gran
... Greta Ellius
See full cast »
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Storyline

Three women in a maternity ward reveal their lives and intimate thoughts to each other while in a maternity ward together, where they face the choice of keeping their babies or offering them for adoption.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

maternity ward | baby | no music | stirrups | still birth | See All (25) »

Taglines:

INGMAR BERGMAN presents another startling and outstanding achievement in the film art...

Genres:

Drama

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Details

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Release Date:

31 March 1958 (Sweden)  »

Also Known As:

Brink of Life  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

There is no musical score, just a few bars from a radio at 10.55 pm. The tune played is Sweden's national anthem indicating the end of the broadcast that day. See more »

Quotes

Cecilia Ellius: Mothers aren't always that way we think. They were young once, too, and can't have forgotten about it...
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Connections

Featured in Minns Ni? (1993) See more »

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User Reviews

 
a turning point in my film going life
19 January 2013 | by – See all my reviews

This film is one of the most important of all those that I have seen in my movie going, spanning fifty years, for it was the first Bergman film I saw in the early sixties at Auckland's only cinema for foreign films. I was struck by its humanity, by its clear eyed view of what it is to be human. Not only did it open up the whole body of Bergman's subsequent work, but I saw the themes first explored in this film deepened and enriched (with a few disappointments to be sure) throughout his career. I first learned here that more difficult and challenging films keep giving long after they have been first seen. Those who say Bergman is gloomy and depressing, all I can say is that the MOST depressing experience in the cinema EVER for me, was being persuaded to join a group of people "just for a laugh" to see the truly execrable "Sex and the City 2" Compare the insulting view of women in that piece of rubbish with this gem.
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