Autumn Sonata
- Director: Ingmar Bergman
- Writer: Ingmar Bergman
- Producer: Richard Brick
- Studio: ITC
- Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullman, Halvar Bjork
- Length: 99 min
- Genre: Drama
- MPAA Rating: PG
- My Rating: ****
- Oscar Nominations: Original Screenplay, Actress (Bergman)
- Nightbird Nominations: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Actress (Bergman), Actress (Ullman), Cinematography, Foreign Film
It seems almost ridiculous to call Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata a brave exercise in filmmaking, for Bergman was nothing if not brave in his artistic choices. His talent as a writer and director has helped him to become one of the most revered and respected filmmakers of all time. At the same time, however, some of his directorial choices have led several self-professed cinephiles to refuse to view the bulk of his filmography, stating that it’s ‘not for them.’ It is true that Bergman’s films are not for everyone, although they are for me. And Autumn Sonata is no exception.
Like most of the films Bergman made in the ’70s, Autumn Sonata is a ‘chamber drama.’ It is slow-moving, and incredibly claustrophobic, with the only outdoor scenes being placed at the very beginning and end of the film. It is 93 minutes long, and the main events occur over one day.
The film begins with Viktor (Halvar Bjork) giving a soliloquy directly to the camera (which is a brave move in and of itself). He speaks of his wife, Eva, whom he is completely enamored with, and confesses that he has become worried about her. She seems to be drawn into herself more and more each day.
We soon meet Eva (Liv Ullman), a slight, meek creature. She asks her husband’s opinion of a letter she has written to her mother, asking her to come for a visit. They haven’t seen each other in seven years, and Viktor thinks that such a reunion would be good for his wife when she seems to be in such a fragile state.
When Charlotte (Ingrid Bergman) finally arrives, we at first feel that Viktor is correct, that Charlotte’s presence will indeed have a positive effect. An attentive viewer, however, will notice that in their first scene together, after the initial happy greetings, this is not entirely so.
Charlotte is obviously a very theatrical person, a concert pianist who has grown used to engaging in pleasant banter with people whom she will most likely never meet again. There is nothing wrong with her demeanor, except that she speaks in this way to her own daughter, despite not having seen her in years. She is obviously completely self-obsorbed. When Eva convinces her that she must greet her other daughter, who suffers from a debilitating disease, Charlotte adamantly refuses, arguing that such a meeting would be too difficult for her to endure. After relenting, she quickly engages the poor girl in the same mindless, noncommittal chitchat that she gave to Eva.
The film continues on into a night of heartbreak, when many hurtful truths are revealed. There are many isolated sequences that ring completely true. The most astonishing of these features Eva playing a prelude for her mother. She plays it well, but very technically. When Charlotte plays the same piece, the difference in tone is astonishing. While we hear her play it with all of the emotion that she cannot seem to express in words, the camera stays focused on a close-up of Liv Ullman’s face, which subtly projects a sense of excruciating sadness at having been proved inept by her mother yet again. It is ten minutes of listening to two different takes on the same piece of music, intermingled with closeups which display a range of emotions. I have never before seen a director trust in his audience as much as Bergman does in this scene and it is truly magnificent.
Autumn Sonata was the lone teaming of Sweden’s two greatest national treasures, Ingmar and Ingrid Bergman. Having been recently diagnosed with cancer, it was Ingrid’s last feature film, and a fitting one at that. She hadn’t appeared in a Swedish film since her move to Hollywood nearly forty years earlier, and yet she fits in with Ingmar’s style perfectly. Although she was one of the most beloved stars for decades, she is able to portray Charlotte’s insincerity with ease. She never plays a false note, and always makes it known that while Charlotte may want to patch things up with her daughter, she would much rather avoid any real emotion or commitment.
Equally impressive is Liv Ullman, who is given the bulk of the emotional scenes. Although the plot may make it seem as if Charlotte is completely at fault, Ullman never lets the viewer take that position. She is perfect at eliciting the viewer’s sympathy, as well as contempt. She makes it clear that while Charlotte is not the sort of mother that Eva would have liked, Eva is also not an ideal daughter.
Bergman’s film is a brilliant dissection of the love and regret that is inherent in parent-child relationships. What is an easily-forgotten incident to a parent, can easily scar a child for life. A parent’s virtues can be passed onto a child, as can their weaknesses. These are not explorations that are easily translated onto film, but Autumn Sonata works. With Ingmar Bergman at the helm, how could it not?
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