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IMDbPro

Through a Glass Darkly

Original title: Såsom i en spegel
  • 19611961
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
26K
YOUR RATING
Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer2:16
1 Video
89 Photos
Drama
Recently released from a mental hospital, Karin rejoins her emotionally disconnected family in their island home, only to slip from reality as she begins to believe she is being visited by G... Read allRecently released from a mental hospital, Karin rejoins her emotionally disconnected family in their island home, only to slip from reality as she begins to believe she is being visited by God.Recently released from a mental hospital, Karin rejoins her emotionally disconnected family in their island home, only to slip from reality as she begins to believe she is being visited by God.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
26K
YOUR RATING
    • Ingmar Bergman
    • Ingmar Bergman
  • Stars
    • Harriet Andersson
    • Gunnar Björnstrand
    • Max von Sydow
    • Ingmar Bergman
    • Ingmar Bergman
  • Stars
    • Harriet Andersson
    • Gunnar Björnstrand
    • Max von Sydow
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 85User reviews
    • 46Critic reviews
    • 84Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:16
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos89

    Harriet Andersson and Lars Passgård in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Max von Sydow, Harriet Andersson, and Gunnar Björnstrand in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Harriet Andersson and Gunnar Björnstrand in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Max von Sydow and Harriet Andersson in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Lars Passgård in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Harriet Andersson and Lars Passgård in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Max von Sydow and Lars Passgård in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Gunnar Björnstrand in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Harriet Andersson and Lars Passgård in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Lars Passgård in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
    Lars Passgård in Through a Glass Darkly (1961)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Harriet Andersson
    Harriet Andersson
    • Karin…
    Gunnar Björnstrand
    Gunnar Björnstrand
    • David…
    Max von Sydow
    Max von Sydow
    • Martin…
    Lars Passgård
    Lars Passgård
    • Minus…
      • Ingmar Bergman
      • Ingmar Bergman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first Ingmar Bergman film to be made on the island of Fårö. Bergman would later buy a home on the island.
    • Goofs
      As Minus paints the chair, the amount of paint on the chair changes between shots.
    • Quotes

      Fredrik: Father, I'm scared. When I was hugging Karin in the boat, reality was revealed. Do you know what I mean?

      David: I do.

      Fredrik: Reality was revealed, and I collapsed. It's like a dream. Anything can happen. Anything.

      David: I know.

      Fredrik: I can't live in this new world.

      David: Yes, you can. But you must have a support.

      Fredrik: What kind of support? You mean a God? Give me a proof of his existance. You can't.

      David: I can. But you gotta pay attention to what I say.

      Fredrik: Yes. I need to listen.

      David: I can only tell you a thought of my own hopes. It is to know that love exists for real in the human world.

      Fredrik: A sort of special love, I suppose?

      David: All kinds of it. The bigger and the smaller, the most absurd one and the most sublime one. All kinds of love.

      Fredrik: What about the desire for love?

      David: Desire and denying. Trust and distrust.

      Fredrik: Then love is the proof?

      David: I don't know if love is the proof of God's existance or if it's God itself.

      Fredrik: To you, love and God are the same thing.

      David: That thought makes me feel less empty; Makes my desperation less worse.

      Fredrik: Go on, dad.

      David: All of a sudden, emptiness turns into abundance, and desperation turns into life. It's like a temporary death's sentence strike.

      Fredrik: Dad... if it's like how you say it is, then God is all over Karin. We love her so much.

      David: Yes.

      Fredrik: Can't that help her?

      David: I think so.

    • Connections
      Featured in Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Sarabande from Suite No. 2 in D minor for Violoncello
      Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performed by Blondal Bengston.

    User reviews85

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A Haunting, Somber Movie That Stays With You Long Afterwards
    Bergman's haunting, somber feature "Through a Glass Darkly" is the kind of distinctive, sometimes uncomfortable, and carefully-crafted movie that can stick in the minds of its viewers long afterwards. Its combination of images, scenery, characters, and themes provides plenty of things to think about, more than could be assimilated in any one viewing. Bergman is one of the very few film-makers who had the knack for making this kind of feature coherent and memorable at the same time.

    The story could hardly be more efficient. The very small cast and the tight scenario place a premium on the writing, acting, and photography. The characters have a good balance of similarities and differences that makes for a wide range of possibilities, and the story makes good use of them. The seaside setting is used nicely, with the beautiful scenery and thematic images both complementing the story. The old shipwreck is skillfully worked into a psychologically harrowing sequence.

    The setting is combined with the family relationships, biblical allusions, philosophical questions, and much more, to raise a wide range of interesting and thoughtful questions. Although "Through a Glass Darkly" does not feature the extensive use of unusual imagery found in Bergman features like "The Seventh Seal" or "Persona", or the dream sequence from "Wild Strawberries", in its own way it is also effective.
    helpful•16
    7
    • Snow Leopard
    • Mar 21, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 1961 (Sweden)
      • Sweden
      • Swedish
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Fårö, Gotlands län, Sweden
    • Production company
      • Svensk Filmindustri (SF)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 30 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Mono

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