Clearly Marked Minor Spoiler
Nattvardsgästerna is dominated by Ingrid Thulin's virtuosic performance as Märta- the mistress of Pastor Tomas Eriksson who is played with superb control by Gunnar Björnstrand.It is not a difficult film to watch. It is not particularly gut-wrenching like "Viskningar och Rop" can be to some, and is much less ambiguous than works like "Persona" and "Tystnaden". Very tightly edited, the film moves with measured pace to a conclusion that, like those of Bergman's best films, offers hope for the characters- if they are willing to work for it.
As the film opens, Pastor Tomas Ericsson is mechanically performing his duties as Pastor to a shrinking congregation in remote Sweden. Like him, the Lutheran Church he serves is depicted as mechanically struggling to survive. Talk and action by Ericsson and other officials in the back rooms of the church are about collecting the offerings (donations), controlling costs and other mundane issues. The lack of concern over their missions or goals underscores how these men and their church have tumbled into the rut of existing for the sake of existing.
God is silent in this film. The silence envelopes and oppresses the main characters of the film because there is no voice of order or authority to drown out the incessant chatter of uncertainty and loneliness in their own hearts. What was mistook for the voice of God was only the echoes of their own pleas for comfort, rationality, and, more importantly, a sense of purpose. Since God is silent, a good deal of this film is about how individuals cope with that silence and, as two characters are able to show, this process of coping can bear valuable spiritual fruit.
Beautifully lit and photographed under the guidance of the famous Cenematographer Sven Nykvist, the film intersperses brief moments of simple beauty with long stretches of what I can only describe as magnificent unobtrusiveness. This unobtrusiveness is something one can appreciate in subsequent viewings when there is time and attention available for studying the film visually- it is the unobtrusiveness of near-perfection where scene after scene is believably and consistently lit so that the characters stand out in luminous clarity. We are, thus, able to forget that we are watching film and concentrate on the characters, their words, expressions, and actions.
While Björnstrand's Tomas Ericsson may be what one thinks of as the main character in this film, Ingrid Thulin's uninhibited performance as Märta is, by far, more gripping. The disciplined stiffness of the Ericsson character is very competently handled by Björnstrand- I can think of no better actor for the role because Björnstrand is so able to make Ericsson's mask of indifference ooze with the character's true inner pain. However, Märta, Ericsson's mistress, is far less inhibited than he is and her portrayal provided Ingrid Thulin with far more range which Thulin exploited in one of the greatest performances of her lifetime. Frustrated, hopeful, affectionate, and starving for affection, the Märta character injects the film with the human warmth and life that makes it work. Her pain and struggles are not those of the audience, but they are portrayed so believably by Thulin we cannot deny them.
About one-third of the way into the film we are treated to one of the great sequences in movie history- Märta's letter to Thomas. He starts to read the letter and the film cuts to Märta reciting her letter to us . In two long takes interspersed with a brief flashback, Ingrid Thulin addresses the camera so naturally and believably that she is clearly speaking to us. Add to this the before-mentioned magnificent unobtrusiveness of the cinematography and the sense that she really is speaking to us- the viewer- becomes eery. Furthermore, what she has to say is, at least, for mainstream media, thought-provoking- even touching.
Märta's hope and openness contrast to Ericsson's closed bitterness. His case seems hopeless since he seems, like another character, to have lost hope entirely. As unsympathetic a character as he is with his rudeness, whining, and selfishness, we still see a glimmer of hope for him in the end of the film. ((((((MINOR SPOILER)))))) He stands at the end of the film delivering a sermon to a church empty of all but Märta.((((((End Minor Spoiler))))))
Some viewers have expressed the opinion that the ending is distressingly pathological, that it represents Ericsson trapped in the empty and meaningless rituals of living. I see it as him being resolved to go on with life. The rut lies before him, if he chooses to remain in it. However, he could also chose to climb out and renew his quest for personal fulfillment. The choice is his and because he still has that choice, the film ends, for me, on a hopeful note. Of course, in a sequence just before the end of the movie, Ericsson has a conversation with the church Sexton- Algot Frövik- which does much to put Ericsson's suffering and unhappiness in context- we see that others live with far worse and still preserve themselves spiritually and morally.
Who should see this film? Bergman fans should. So should individuals who are not familiar with Bergman but who enjoy simple dialogue-driven stories that have their own statements about what could be called the Basic Questions of life- it's meaning and our role in it. Viewers who expect a definitively anti-God stance will be badly disappointed. While there are anti-religious elements- they are muted and set forth plainly in a manner that strikes not at religion so much as any institution that outlives its sense of purpose and direction. This is far more subtle than saying the story is anti-Christian- for it actually is not. Those expecting an exploration of God will be disappointed- this film is about human perceptions of God. Finally, some considerable appreciation can be had by those who enjoy watching beautifully shot and edited black-and-white films.
Nattvardsgästerna is dominated by Ingrid Thulin's virtuosic performance as Märta- the mistress of Pastor Tomas Eriksson who is played with superb control by Gunnar Björnstrand.It is not a difficult film to watch. It is not particularly gut-wrenching like "Viskningar och Rop" can be to some, and is much less ambiguous than works like "Persona" and "Tystnaden". Very tightly edited, the film moves with measured pace to a conclusion that, like those of Bergman's best films, offers hope for the characters- if they are willing to work for it.
As the film opens, Pastor Tomas Ericsson is mechanically performing his duties as Pastor to a shrinking congregation in remote Sweden. Like him, the Lutheran Church he serves is depicted as mechanically struggling to survive. Talk and action by Ericsson and other officials in the back rooms of the church are about collecting the offerings (donations), controlling costs and other mundane issues. The lack of concern over their missions or goals underscores how these men and their church have tumbled into the rut of existing for the sake of existing.
God is silent in this film. The silence envelopes and oppresses the main characters of the film because there is no voice of order or authority to drown out the incessant chatter of uncertainty and loneliness in their own hearts. What was mistook for the voice of God was only the echoes of their own pleas for comfort, rationality, and, more importantly, a sense of purpose. Since God is silent, a good deal of this film is about how individuals cope with that silence and, as two characters are able to show, this process of coping can bear valuable spiritual fruit.
Beautifully lit and photographed under the guidance of the famous Cenematographer Sven Nykvist, the film intersperses brief moments of simple beauty with long stretches of what I can only describe as magnificent unobtrusiveness. This unobtrusiveness is something one can appreciate in subsequent viewings when there is time and attention available for studying the film visually- it is the unobtrusiveness of near-perfection where scene after scene is believably and consistently lit so that the characters stand out in luminous clarity. We are, thus, able to forget that we are watching film and concentrate on the characters, their words, expressions, and actions.
While Björnstrand's Tomas Ericsson may be what one thinks of as the main character in this film, Ingrid Thulin's uninhibited performance as Märta is, by far, more gripping. The disciplined stiffness of the Ericsson character is very competently handled by Björnstrand- I can think of no better actor for the role because Björnstrand is so able to make Ericsson's mask of indifference ooze with the character's true inner pain. However, Märta, Ericsson's mistress, is far less inhibited than he is and her portrayal provided Ingrid Thulin with far more range which Thulin exploited in one of the greatest performances of her lifetime. Frustrated, hopeful, affectionate, and starving for affection, the Märta character injects the film with the human warmth and life that makes it work. Her pain and struggles are not those of the audience, but they are portrayed so believably by Thulin we cannot deny them.
About one-third of the way into the film we are treated to one of the great sequences in movie history- Märta's letter to Thomas. He starts to read the letter and the film cuts to Märta reciting her letter to us . In two long takes interspersed with a brief flashback, Ingrid Thulin addresses the camera so naturally and believably that she is clearly speaking to us. Add to this the before-mentioned magnificent unobtrusiveness of the cinematography and the sense that she really is speaking to us- the viewer- becomes eery. Furthermore, what she has to say is, at least, for mainstream media, thought-provoking- even touching.
Märta's hope and openness contrast to Ericsson's closed bitterness. His case seems hopeless since he seems, like another character, to have lost hope entirely. As unsympathetic a character as he is with his rudeness, whining, and selfishness, we still see a glimmer of hope for him in the end of the film. ((((((MINOR SPOILER)))))) He stands at the end of the film delivering a sermon to a church empty of all but Märta.((((((End Minor Spoiler))))))
Some viewers have expressed the opinion that the ending is distressingly pathological, that it represents Ericsson trapped in the empty and meaningless rituals of living. I see it as him being resolved to go on with life. The rut lies before him, if he chooses to remain in it. However, he could also chose to climb out and renew his quest for personal fulfillment. The choice is his and because he still has that choice, the film ends, for me, on a hopeful note. Of course, in a sequence just before the end of the movie, Ericsson has a conversation with the church Sexton- Algot Frövik- which does much to put Ericsson's suffering and unhappiness in context- we see that others live with far worse and still preserve themselves spiritually and morally.
Who should see this film? Bergman fans should. So should individuals who are not familiar with Bergman but who enjoy simple dialogue-driven stories that have their own statements about what could be called the Basic Questions of life- it's meaning and our role in it. Viewers who expect a definitively anti-God stance will be badly disappointed. While there are anti-religious elements- they are muted and set forth plainly in a manner that strikes not at religion so much as any institution that outlives its sense of purpose and direction. This is far more subtle than saying the story is anti-Christian- for it actually is not. Those expecting an exploration of God will be disappointed- this film is about human perceptions of God. Finally, some considerable appreciation can be had by those who enjoy watching beautifully shot and edited black-and-white films.