Persona (1966)

A nurse is put in charge of a mute actress and finds that their personas are melding together.

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Margaretha Krook

Top Rated Movies #198 | Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bibi Andersson	...	Alma
Liv Ullmann	...	Elisabet Vogler
Margaretha Krook	...	The Doctor
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	Mr. Vogler

Storyline

A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer. Alma eventually confesses her secrets to a seemingly sympathetic Elisabeth and finds that her own personality is being submerged into Elisabeth's persona.

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Plot Keywords:

experimental film | silence | sex on beach | sex talk | torn photograph | 

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Taglines:

One of the ten greatest films of all time

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish English

Release Date:

16 March 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Persona

Filming Locations:

Fårö, Gotlands län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

AGA Sound System

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the spring of 1965 Bergman was admitted to the Sophia Hospital, Stockholm, for double pneumonia and acute penicillin poisoning. While hospitalized, he created the basic script of "Persona". Inspired by August Strindberg's one-act play "The Stronger", an existence which consisted of dead people, brick walls and some dreary park trees and conceived as a sonata for two instruments.

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Quotes

Sister Alma: Karl-Henrik and I rented a cottage by the sea once. It was June, and we were all alone. One day, when Karl-Henrik had gone into town, I went to the beach on my own. It was a warm and lovely day. There was another girl there. She'd paddled over from another island because our beach was sunnier and more secluded. We lay there, sunbathing beside one another, complete naked, dozing now and then, putting suntan lotion on. We had those cheap straw hats on, you know? I had a blue ribbon around mine. I...

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Connections

Referenced in Stardust Memories (1980)

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Soundtracks

Adagio from Concerto No. 2 in E major for Violin, Strings and Continuo, BWV 1042
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Oh My! This is crap

Just hear me out. On a Bergman high with The Seventh Seal I went on a rampage to see the first Bergman film I could find - guess I have to look at what the film is about before I start searching.

The movie starts with flashy images, I don't mind art-house movies but I prefer them when they have focus more on what it's trying to say through plot (which this doesn't). I was like "well that was pointless - hopefully it gets better", No it doesn't. The movie continues with a nurse helping an actress regain her speech. They end up being alone together on a beach house. It's just one person talking, and talking, and talking, and talking... Just when Bergman almost pushed me over the edge midway - HE DID. By having those same flashy images there.

If you want to sit through one woman talking with flashy images then I suggest this to you. I have seen Bergman do SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS. Watch a movie like The Seventh Seal instead, at least that had a running storyline that was easy to comprehend and wasn't just there to add depth to nothing.