The Devil's Wanton (1949)

Synopsis: In this grim, sardonic drama--the first film conceived in its entirety by director Ingmar Bergman using his own original script--a filmmaker, Martin (Hasse Ekman), is approached by a former... In this grim, sardonic drama--the first film conceived in its entirety by director Ingmar Bergman using his own original script--a filmmaker, Martin (Hasse Ekman), is approached by a former professor of his (Anders Henrikson), who has just been released from a mental institution, to create a movie based on the concept that Earth is really hell, ruled by the devil. Martin passes this idea on to an alcoholic writer friend, Thomas (Birger Malmsten), whereupon the latter commences to write a script based on the tragic life of prostitute Birgitta-Carolina (Doris Svedlund), who has been mistreated severely by her pimp and is at the end of her rope. This noteworthy film (Bergman's sixth feature), occasionally reminiscent of Luis Buñuel in its surrealist-expressionist visual style, is usually considered a more serious effort than his previous works, which, in the opinion of some critics, reflected a mixture of contemporary Hollywood melodrama and European neorealism. In THE DEVIL'S WANTON, certain existential issues critical to the Bergman canon are addressed for the first time, as is the notion that, in a universe without God, evil always outranks good, a recurring theme in later works. [More]

Starring: Doris Svedlund, Eva Henning, Hasse Ekman

Starring: Doris Svedlund, Eva Henning, Hasse Ekman

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Director: Ingmar Bergman

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