THE TOUCH, acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's first film in English, stars Bibi Andersson as Karin Vergerus, a Swedish housewife trapped in a stable but somewhat unsatisfying marriage with a small-town surgeon (Max von Sydow). When the lively, engaging Jewish American... [More]

THE TOUCH, acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's first film in English, stars Bibi Andersson as Karin Vergerus, a Swedish housewife trapped in a stable but somewhat unsatisfying marriage with a small-town surgeon (Max von Sydow). When the lively, engaging Jewish American archaeologist David Kovac (Elliott Gould) enters the picture, Karin gives in to her attraction and begins an affair. But Karin's new relationship turns out to be less fulfilling than she had hoped, and she is torn between staying with David and returning home to her husband and children. THE TOUCH was not very well received at the time of its release, mainly because of the casting of American actor Gould alongside Bergman regulars Andersson and von Sydow, which struck many viewers as inappropriate. This simple but effective love story is looked upon more favorably by contemporary critics, however, while Andersson's performance has been singled out as one of the finest of her career. [Less]