Through a Glass Darkly (1961)

Recently released from a mental hospital; Karin rejoins her emotionally disconnected family and their island home, only to slip from reality as she begins to believe she is being visited by God.

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harriet Andersson	...	Karin
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	David
Max von Sydow	...	Martin
Lars Passgård	...	Minus

Storyline

A young woman, Karin, has recently returned to the family island after spending some time in a mental hospital. On the island with her is her lonely brother and kind, but increasingly desperate husband ('Max von Sydow'). They are joined by Karin's father ('Gunnar Björnstrand'), who is a world-traveling author that is estranged to his children. The film depicts how Karin's grip on reality slowly slips away and how the bonds between the family members are changing in light of this fact.

---

Plot Keywords:

mental illness | father son relationship | father daughter relationship | brother sister relationship | schizophrenia | 

---

Taglines:

Winner Swedish Academy Award 1962

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish Latin

Release Date:

16 October 1961 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Through a Glass Darkly

Filming Locations:

Fårö, Gotlands län, Sweden

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,848

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Lars Passgård.

---

Goofs

As Minus paints the chair, the amount of paint on the chair changes between shots.

---

Quotes

Fredrik: I'm an artist.
Karin: Artist?
Fredrik: Yes, Princess, a thoroughbred artist: a poet with no poems, a painter with no pictures, a musician with no music. I despise ready... made art, the banal result of vulgar effort. My life is my work and dedicated to my love for you.

---

Connections

Referenced in Daria: Through a Lens Darkly (1999)

---

Soundtracks

Sarabande from Suite No. 2 in D minor for Violoncello
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

my first exposure to Bergman

This was the first Bergman movie I ever watched. Consequently, it holds sort of a special place in my catalogue of movie memories.

I enjoyed the depiction of the numerous relationships between people or objects which were kept apart by walls or a "dark glass." The artist and the fullness of what he/she is attempting to depict, mankind and God, and more particularly in the film, between Minus and women, Minus and David, etc..

The most gripping, however, were the relationship between David and Karin, and between Karin and "God." I'm not going to get into detail for the sake of those who haven't seen the film. But Bjornstrand's line about the "magic circle" we draw around ourselves instantly vaulted close to the top of my list of movie lines which have impacted me.

Lastly, I appreciated how the von Sydow character, Martin, acted as a representation of what love is not, i.e. his desire to always do the right thing, rather than the honest thing.