Scenes from a Marriage
Scenes from a Marriage | |
---|---|
Swedish | Scener ur ett äktenskap |
Written by | Ingmar Bergman |
Directed by | Ingmar Bergman |
Starring | |
Country of origin | Sweden |
Original language | Swedish |
Production | |
Producer | Lars-Owe Carlberg |
Cinematography | Sven Nykvist |
Running time | |
Budget | USD$150,000 |
Original release | |
Network | SVT |
Release | 11 April 16 May 1973 | –
Scenes from a Marriage (Swedish: Scener ur ett äktenskap) is a 1973 Swedish television miniseries written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Over the course of six hour-long episodes, it explores the disintegration of the marriage between Marianne (Liv Ullmann), a divorce lawyer, and Johan (Erland Josephson), a reader in psychology. The series spans a period of 10 years. Bergman's teleplay draws on his own experiences, including his relationship with Ullmann. It was shot on a small budget in Stockholm and Fårö in 1972.
After initially airing on Swedish TV in six parts, the miniseries was condensed into a theatrical version and received positive reviews in Sweden and internationally. Scenes from a Marriage was also the subject of controversy for its perceived influence on rising divorce rates in Europe. The film was ineligible for the
Episodes
The TV miniseries' six episodes ran between 11 April and 16 May 1973. At about 50 minutes per episode, the miniseries totals 282 minutes.[3]
Scenes from each episode appear in the film version, which is 168 minutes long.[3] The episode titles appear in the film version as chapter titles.[4]
# | Title | Original airdate[5] | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Innocence and Panic (Oskuld och panik)" | 11 April 1973 | |
An affluent couple, Marianne and Johan, are interviewed for a magazine series on love after having renewed their marriage contract after their 10th anniversary. In the interview, they come across as an ideal couple with two daughters. Afterward, they entertain the couple Peter and Katarina, who have a miserable relationship. Marianne reveals to Johan she is pregnant, and she winds up having an abortion. | |||
2 | "The Art of Sweeping Things Under the Rug (Konsten att sopa under mattan)" | 18 April 1973 | |
Marianne wakes up one morning determined not to visit her parents for dinner, as the family usually does each week, but backs down. At the university where Johan works, he shares poetry that he has not let Marianne see with a female colleague, who tells him it is mediocre. Later, Marianne and Johan debate the lack of joy they take in their sex life. | |||
3 | "Paula" | 25 April 1973 | |
Johan reveals to Marianne that he is having an affair with a much younger woman named Paula, an unseen character, and wants a separation. He intends to leave home for many months, and shares his frustrations about their marriage and longtime desire to leave. Upon phoning a friend for help, Marianne learns many of her friends knew about the affair before she did. | |||
4 | "The Vale of Tears (Tåredalen)" | 2 May 1973 | |
Johan visits Marianne, disclosing he intends to take a position at Cleveland University. Marianne then suggests they should finalize a divorce, hinting she is interested in remarrying. She shares what she has learned about herself in therapy, but Johan doesn't listen. | |||
5 | "The Illiterates (Analfabeterna)" | 9 May 1973 | |
Marianne and Johan meet to finalize their divorce, leading to more arguments over the division of their belongings, the upbringing of their daughters and Marianne's new enjoyment of sex with her current partner. After the arguments escalate into physical violence, Johan sadly signs the papers. | |||
6 | "In the Middle of the Night in a Dark House Somewhere in the World (Mitt i natten ett mörkt hus någonstans i världen)" | 16 May 1973 | |
Despite having both been remarried to other people, Marianne and Johan meet for an affair. Marianne reveals she had an affair in 1955, very shortly after they were married. It has been 20 years since they were married. Going to a friend's country house, Marianne has a nightmare, and wakes up fretting she has never loved or been loved. Johan comforts her that they share an imperfect love. |
Cast
- Liv Ullmann as Marianne
- Erland Josephson as Johan
- Bibi Andersson as Katarina
- Jan Malmsjö as Peter
- Gunnel Lindblom as Eva, colleague to Johan
- Anita Wall as Fru [Mrs] Palm
- Barbro Hiort af Ornäs as Fru Jacobi
- Rossana Mariano as Eva, 12-year-old daughter to Johan and Marianne
- Lena Bergmanas Karin, Eva's sister
- Wenche Foss as Modern [the Mother]
- Bertil Norström as Arne
Production
Bergman wrote the teleplay for Scenes From a Marriage over three months. He drew on his personal experiences, including his relationship with Ullmann; his unhappy, eventually dissolved marriages to Käbi Laretei and Gun Hagberg; and the marriage of his parents, Karin and Erik Bergman. As a boy, he had witnessed his parents violently wrestling, with Karin slapping Erik and Erik pushing her against a wall. Ingmar also found his mother could be manipulative.[6][7][8]
The budget for Scenes From a Marriage was approximately a third that of Bergman's previous film,
Ullmann compared performing in Scenes From a Marriage to appearing in a documentary, saying she "felt very connected to the role." She said she was becoming more involved in the feminist movement while making the miniseries.[11] Due to Ullmann and Erland Josephson's comfort with their parts, the crew saved time by not having rehearsals.[9]
Release
Scenes From a Marriage was broadcast as a miniseries in Sweden by SVT2 beginning on 11 April 1973.[12] Polls indicated most of the viewers were women.[10] A 169-minute theatrical version was screened in Sweden on 28 October 1974.[13]
In the United States, a 167-minute version of the miniseries was released in cinemas, with the
Reception
Critical reception
In Sweden, Scenes from a Marriage received positive reviews for its dialogue and realism, with Mauritz Edstrom calling it "one of Bergman's finest human portrayals".
In the United States, Roger Ebert gave the theatrical version a full four stars, calling it "one of the truest, most luminous love stories ever made"[22] and "the best film of 1973".[23] Vincent Canby, chief critic for The New York Times, called the theatrical version "a movie of such extraordinary intimacy that it has the effect of breaking into mysterious components many things we ordinarily accept without thought, familiar and banal objects, faces, attitudes, and emotions, especially love. [...] Ullmann again establishes herself as one of the most fascinating actresses of our time." Canby also wrote that "Josephson gives an equally complex performance" but found the character less admirable.[4] Don Druker of Chicago Reader criticized the editing for the cinema, saying that the film "shows its reassembled status rather badly" and that "moments of searing insight" were provided mainly by Ullmann.[24]
The film was included in "The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made" in 2002.[25] In 2004, essayist Phillip Lopate wrote that Scenes from a Marriage showed Bergman moving on from exploration of God's silence to the subject of men, women, love and intimacy. Lopate found the film version "more harrowing and theatrical," while the miniseries "has the tendency to intersect with and form a more quotidian relationship to viewers’ lives; its characters become members of the family, and their resilience over time, regardless of the incessant crises thrown them by the script, induces a more good-humored, forgiving atmosphere."[26] In 2007, Kristi McKim of Senses of Cinema wrote that the film "stunningly exemplified" the "tension" in "the emotional causes and effects of feeling incompatible desires within the modern world."[27] The film has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews.[28] It was included on BBC's 2018 list of the 100 greatest foreign-language films.[29]
Accolades
The
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BAFTA Awards | 1976 | Best Actress | Liv Ullmann | Nominated | [32] |
Golden Globes
|
25 January 1975 | Best Foreign Language Film | Scenes from a Marriage | Won | [33] |
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Liv Ullmann | Nominated | |||
National Society of Film Critics | 5 January 1975 | Best Film | Scenes from a Marriage | Won | [31][34] |
Best Screenplay | Ingmar Bergman | Won | |||
Best Director | Runner-up | ||||
Best Actress | Liv Ullmann | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Bibi Andersson | Won | |||
New York Film Critics Circle | 28 January 1975 | Best Film | Scenes from a Marriage | Runner-up | [35] |
Best Director | Ingmar Bergman | Runner-up | |||
Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
Best Actress | Liv Ullmann | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Bibi Andersson | Runner-up |
Legacy
Bergman's 1980 television film
In an April 2011 New York Times Opinionator article titled "Too Much Relationship Vérité",
In June 2013, actor
References
- ^ "Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973)". Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Scenes from a Marriage (AA)". British Board of Film Classification. 4 November 1974. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ a b Vermilye 2002, p. 142.
- ^ a b Canby, Vincent (16 September 1974). "Scenes from a Marriage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ Gado 1986, p. 530.
- ^ Hart 2008, p. 116.
- ^ Hart 2008, p. 117.
- ^ Cardullo 2012, p. 221.
- ^ a b c Gado 1986, p. 399.
- ^ a b c d e f Steene 2005, p. 425.
- ^ a b c De Vito & Tropea 2010, p. 202.
- ^ Steene 2005, p. 424.
- ^ "Scener ur ett äktenskap (1974)". The Swedish Film Database. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Tannen 1994, p. 142.
- ^ Galbraith, Stuart IV (16 March 2004). "Scenes From a Marriage – Criterion Collection". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Steene 2005, p. 426.
- ^ Shargel 2007, p. xxv.
- ^ Fouché, Gwladys (30 July 2008). "Do Swedes still blame Bergman for upping the divorce rate?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (22 September 2014). "A Marriage in Trouble, in Triplicate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Taylor, Paul (25 September 2013). "Theatre review: Scenes from a Marriage – 'A merciless dissection on the state of matrimony'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Halliburton, Rachel (25 September 2013). "Scenes from a Marriage". Time Out. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (15 September 1974). "Scenes from a Marriage". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Ebert's 10 Best Lists: 1967–present". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2006.
- ^ Druker, Don (26 October 1985). "Scenes From a Marriage". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made". The New York Times. 2002. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ Lopate, Phillip (15 March 2004). "Scenes from a Marriage". The Criterion Collection. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ McKim, Kristi (August 2007). "Marriage as Cinematic Movement, or Loving the Face in Close-Up: Scenes From a Marriage". Senses of Cinema Issue 44. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Scenes From A Marriage (Scener Ur Ett Äktenskap) (1974)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Foreign Language Films". bbc. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ "National Board of Review of Motion Pictures: Awards for 1974". National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
- ^ a b c Gates, Anita (15 January 1995). "There Are Movies, And Then There Are Movies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ Long 2006, p. xvi.
- ^ "Scenes from a Marriage". Golden Globe Awards. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "National Society of Film Critics Hails 'Scenes From a Marriage'". The New York Times. 6 January 1975. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "1974 Awards". New York Film Critics Circle. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ Steene 2005, pp. 151–152.
- ^ Luko 2015, p. 209.
- ^ Maltin 2017, p. 507.
- ^ Gado 1986, p. 400.
- ^ Sundholm et al. 2012, p. 74.
- Today.com. Archivedfrom the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-135-94325-7.
- ^ Dasgupta, Chidananda (1993). "Rudali (The Mourner)". Cinemaya. pp. 30–31.
- ^ Eno, Richard (30 November 2014). "10 Strong Cinematic Links Between Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen". Taste of Cinema. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Scenes from a Mall". Variety. 31 December 1990. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (18 September 1992). "Review/Film Husbands and Wives; Fact? Fiction? It Doesn't Matter". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (21 April 1977). "Movie Review – Annie Hall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ McBride, Joseph (29 March 1979). "Variety Reviews – Annie Hall". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ Heffernan, Virginia (17 April 2011). "Too Much Relationship Vérité". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
- ^ Film Society of Lincoln Center (6 June 2013). "Summer Talks: "Before Midnight"". Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- The Calvert Journal. Archivedfrom the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (17 May 2017). "Loveless review – eerie thriller of hypnotic, mysterious intensity from Leviathan director". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
- ^ Semerene, Diego (12 October 2017). "BFI London Film Festival 2017: Andrey Zvyagintsev's Loveless". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
- ^ Lane, Anthony (1 November 2019). "End Times in 'Terminator: Dark Fate' and 'Marriage Story'". The New Yorker. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ Rose, Steve (11 November 2019). "Microaggressions and misery: why Marriage Story is a rare example of a Hollywood divorce film". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
Bibliography
- Cardullo, Bert (2012). "Ingmar Bergman". European Directors and Their Films: Essays on Cinema. Lanham, Toronto and Plymouth: The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810885264.
- De Vito, John; Tropea, Frank (2010). Epic Television Miniseries: A Critical History. Jefferson, North Carolina and London: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786457335.
- Gado, Frank (1986). The Passion of Ingmar Bergman. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 0822305860.
- Hart, Kylo-Patrick R. (2008). "The Auteur Filmmaker as Star: Reading the Films of Ingmar Bergman as Autobiographical Acts". Film and Television Stardom. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- Long, Robert Emmet (2006). Liv Ullmann: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 157806824X.
- Luko, Alexis (2015). Sonatas, Screams, and Silence: Music and Sound in the Films of Ingmar Bergman. Penguin. ISBN 978-1135022747.
- Maltin, Leonard (2017). Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era, Previously Published as Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0525536314.
- Shargel, Raphael, ed. (2007). Ingmar Bergman: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1578062188.
- Steene, Birgitta (2005). Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 9053564063.
- Sundholm, John; Thorsen, Isak; Andersson, Lars Gustaf; Hedling, Olof; Iversen, Gunnar; Møller, Birgir Thor (2012). Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810855243.
- Tannen, Deborah (1994). Gender and Discourse. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195089758.
- Vermilye, Jerry (1 January 2002). Ingmar Bergman: His Life and Films. McFarland & Company Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-1160-3.