Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Hour of the Wolf

Original title: Vargtimmen
  • 1968
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
While vacationing on a remote Scandanavian island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.
Play trailer2:12
1 Video
96 Photos
DramaHorrorMystery

While vacationing on a remote German island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.While vacationing on a remote German island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.While vacationing on a remote German island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.

  • Director
    • Ingmar Bergman
  • Writer
    • Ingmar Bergman
  • Stars
    • Max von Sydow
    • Liv Ullmann
    • Gertrud Fridh
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ingmar Bergman
    • Writer
      • Ingmar Bergman
    • Stars
      • Max von Sydow
      • Liv Ullmann
      • Gertrud Fridh
    • 94User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:12
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos96

    "Hour of the Wolf" Liv Ullmann, director Ingmar Bergman 1968 Svensk Filmindustri
    "Hour of the Wolf" Liv Ullmann, director Ingmar Bergman 1968 Svensk Filmindustri
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Liv Ullmann in Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Liv Ullmann in Hour of the Wolf (1968)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Max von Sydow
    Max von Sydow
    • Johan Borg
    Liv Ullmann
    Liv Ullmann
    • Alma Borg
    Gertrud Fridh
    Gertrud Fridh
    • Corinne von Merkens
    Georg Rydeberg
    Georg Rydeberg
    • Lindhorst
    Erland Josephson
    Erland Josephson
    • Baron von Merkens
    Naima Wifstrand
    Naima Wifstrand
    • Old Lady with Hat
    Ulf Johansson
    Ulf Johansson
    • Heerbrand
    Gudrun Brost
    Gudrun Brost
    • Gamla Fru von Merkens
    Bertil Anderberg
    Bertil Anderberg
    • Ernst von Merkens
    Ingrid Thulin
    Ingrid Thulin
    • Veronica Vogler
    Agda Helin
    Agda Helin
    • von Merken's Maid
    • (uncredited)
    Lenn Hjortzberg
    • Kreisler
    • (uncredited)
    Mikael Rundquist
    • Boy in Dream
    • (uncredited)
    Folke Sundquist
    Folke Sundquist
    • Tamino
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ingmar Bergman
    • Writer
      • Ingmar Bergman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Shame
    8.0
    Shame
    The Passion of Anna
    7.6
    The Passion of Anna
    The Silence
    7.8
    The Silence
    Through a Glass Darkly
    7.9
    Through a Glass Darkly
    Cries & Whispers
    8.0
    Cries & Whispers
    The Virgin Spring
    8.1
    The Virgin Spring
    Winter Light
    8.0
    Winter Light
    The Magician
    7.6
    The Magician
    Autumn Sonata
    8.1
    Autumn Sonata
    Summer with Monika
    7.5
    Summer with Monika
    Smiles of a Summer Night
    7.7
    Smiles of a Summer Night
    From the Life of the Marionettes
    7.2
    From the Life of the Marionettes

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ingmar Bergman originally penned the script in 1964 under the title "The Cannibals". A serious bout of pneumonia led him to reconsider the project whilst lying in hospital; he deemed it to be potentially too expensive in concept and execution. Bergman revised the script idea into a more low budget piece to accompany Persona (1966).
    • Quotes

      Baron von Merkens: Now you are yourself, but not yourself; an ideal state for a meeting between lovers.

    • Alternate versions
      There exists an earlier version of the film with an additional, meta-cinematic framing device. In the prologue (lasting about 7 minutes), Bergman is seen on the set directing his actors. The epilogue (lasting about 1 minute) shows us the set being torn down and the crew leaving. These sequences are the only differences to the commonly seen version. Bergman has stated in an interview that he cut off these sequences himself before the general release of the film, as he came to the conclusion that they were just "self-deception". Despite this, a Swedish 35 mm print of the original, longer version does exist, although it's not available on home video in any format.
    • Connections
      Edited into 365 Days, also Known as a Year (2019)

    User reviews94

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Genuine horror
    This seems to be one that divides fans of the master, but I loved it. It's easy to see why people see this as being a bit of an odd-one-out in Bergman's output: it's very direct in it's depiction of disturbed states of mind, directly illustrating hallucinatory states rather than just hinting at them. Others have pointed to references to other films of the horror genre, which seem undeniable.

    Not that you'd mistake this for a film by anyone but Bergman. It's rich in connections with other of his films and autobiographical references (such as the terrifying description of being locked in a cupboard as a child). It can be reasonably thought of as Bergman's 'horror film' but he takes on the genre very much on his own terms.

    It's a film that lingers long in the mind, with many unforgettable scenes (including the amazing Magic Flute scene) aided by Sven Nykvist's wonderful chiaroscuro photography. The use of music is (as ever with Bergman, the most musical of directors) extremely intelligent: the scene with the boy is set apart from the rest as much by the music as the photography.

    Given the quality of the cast, you'd expect superb performances. As ever, von Sydow and Ullmann are excellent, with equally good supporting performances.

    At times I was reminded of Rilke's only novel, The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge. If you don't know this, I urge you to seek out a copy: there's a distinctly Bergmanesque atmosphere to the whole work, but there are specific images that seem to link to this film.

    This is a film that repays repeated viewings. Despite it's extremely disturbing subject matter, to me it's not as emotionally draining as many of Bergman's other films (such as Shame or Winter Light), in spite of (or perhaps because of) the visual horrors on display. Still, I recommend it very highly.
    helpful•109
    14
    • neil-313
    • Jul 30, 2005

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 9, 1968 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Sweden
    • Languages
      • Swedish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Die Stunde des Wolfs
    • Filming locations
      • Hovs Hallar - Naturreservat, Skåne län, Sweden
    • Production companies
      • Cinematograph AB
      • Svensk Filmindustri (SF)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Hour of the Wolf (1968)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Hour of the Wolf (1968) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.