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IMDbPro

The Touch

  • 19711971
  • RR
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
26,606
5,103
Bibi Andersson and Elliott Gould in The Touch (1971)
Drama
A Swedish housewife begins an adulterous affair with a foreign archaeologist. But he is an emotionally scarred man, a Holocaust survivor; consequently, their relationship will be painfully d... Read allA Swedish housewife begins an adulterous affair with a foreign archaeologist. But he is an emotionally scarred man, a Holocaust survivor; consequently, their relationship will be painfully difficult.A Swedish housewife begins an adulterous affair with a foreign archaeologist. But he is an emotionally scarred man, a Holocaust survivor; consequently, their relationship will be painfully difficult.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
26,606
5,103
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Ingmar Bergman(a film by)
    • Writer
      • Ingmar Bergman(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Elliott Gould
      • Bibi Andersson
      • Max von Sydow
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Ingmar Bergman(a film by)
    • Writer
      • Ingmar Bergman(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Elliott Gould
      • Bibi Andersson
      • Max von Sydow
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 22User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos33

    Bibi Andersson in The Touch (1971)
    Bibi Andersson and Elliott Gould in The Touch (1971)
    Bibi Andersson and Elliott Gould in The Touch (1971)
    Elliott Gould in The Touch (1971)
    Elliott Gould in The Touch (1971)
    Bibi Andersson in The Touch (1971)
    The Touch (1971)
    The Touch (1971)
    Bibi Andersson and Elliott Gould in The Touch (1971)
    The Touch (1971)
    Bibi Andersson, Elliott Gould, and Max von Sydow in The Touch (1971)
    Ingmar Bergman, Bibi Andersson, Max von Sydow, and Maria Nolgård in The Touch (1971)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Elliott Gould
    Elliott Gould
    • David Kovac
    Bibi Andersson
    Bibi Andersson
    • Karin Vergerus
    Max von Sydow
    Max von Sydow
    • Andreas Vergerus
    Sheila Reid
    Sheila Reid
    • Sara Kovac
    Margaretha Byström
    • Secretary to Andreas Vergerus
    • (uncredited)
    Elsa Ebbesen
    Elsa Ebbesen
    • Hospital Matron
    • (uncredited)
    Dennis Gotobed
    • English Civil Servant
    • (uncredited)
    Karin Gry
    • Neighbor
    • (uncredited)
    Staffan Hallerstam
    • Anders Vergerus
    • (uncredited)
    Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
    Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
    • Karin's Mother
    • (uncredited)
    Åke Lindström
    Åke Lindström
    • Dr. Holm
    • (uncredited)
    Ann-Christin Lobråten
    • Museum Employee
    • (uncredited)
    Maria Nolgård
    • Agnes Vergerus
    • (uncredited)
    Erik Nyhlén
    • The Archeologist
    • (uncredited)
    Bengt Ottekil
    • Bellboy
    • (uncredited)
    Alan Simon
    • Therapist at Museum
    • (uncredited)
    Per Sjöstrand
    • Therapist
    • (uncredited)
    Aino Taube
    Aino Taube
    • Woman on Stairs
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ingmar Bergman(a film by)
    • Writer
      • Ingmar Bergman(screenplay) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Last collaboration between Ingmar Bergman and Max von Sydow.
    • Quotes

      Sara Kovac: Are you going to have a baby? Is it David's child or your husbands?

      Karin Vergerus: Does it matter?

    • Connections
      Featured in Citizen Schein (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Liksom en herdinna
      Written by Carl Michael Bellman

      Performed by Jan Johansson

      Main theme

    User reviews22

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Lesser Bergman but far from bad
    Not one of Ingmar Bergman's- Sweden's greatest director and one of the greats in film history- masterpieces like The Seventh Seal, Fanny and Alexander, Wild Strawberries, Cries and Whispers and Persona. But it was better than I'd heard it was and it beats All These Women and The Serpent's Egg any day. The Touch is wonderfully shot by Sven Nykvist, no surprise as Nykvist's cinematography was always striking, complimenting the gritty yet beautiful locations just as well. There are moments where Bergman's inexperience in bilingual shows but he still directs capably and most thoughtfully with not many signs of heavy-handedness or pretensions if any at all. The music is appropriately atmospheric and takes care not to be intrusive. The story for the first two thirds is touching and mostly compelling, with themes and plot strands that are relatable to anybody going through the same thing, it didn't come across as heavy-handed to me, and have a sense of Bergman's style. Bibbi Anderssen is superb in a very nuanced portrayal, if there was a pick for the best thing about The Touch it would definitely by Anderssen's performance. Max Von Sydow is as enigmatic and stoic as ever, with facial expressions and eye contact that speaks volumes, a very sympathetic performance. The Touch is sadly hurt by mainly Elliot Gould as a rather stiff lead, and the awkward dialogue written for him(Anderssen and Von Sydow are not as badly affected though, though they have had much better material) and padding in the final third particularly that leads to literally nowhere are just as problematic. That is personal opinion though. Overall, not a bad film at all, in fact it is an interesting one especially for Anderssen and the cinematography but Bergman has done much better than this. 7/10 Bethany Cox
    helpful•7
    1
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Mar 30, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 14, 1971 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Sweden
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Swedish
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Berührungen
    • Filming locations
      • Film-Teknik Studios, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden
    • Production companies
      • Cinematograph AB
      • ABC Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,446
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Bibi Andersson and Elliott Gould in The Touch (1971)
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