This is as bitter and despairing an exploration of the human spirit as any of [Bergman's] films, and it is just as vibrantly written and directed.
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07/08/05
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Saraband (2005)
93
%
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Reviews Counted:76
Fresh:71
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: If Saraband appears to be a minor entry in Ingmar Bergman's filmography, it's still an accomplished piece of work from one of cinema's greatest masters.
Theatrical Release:Jul 8, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $478,554
Synopsis: After their divorce, Johan and Marianne lost touch for many, many years. Johan, now a retired professor, has withdrawn to his grandparents' summerhouse in the western province of Dalarna. He... [More]
Starring: Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Borje Ahlstedt, Julia Dufvenius
Director: Ingmar Bergman
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Reviews for Saraband
Top CriticIn his final summation of the guilt, alienation and ennui that is the stuff of life, Bergman ends with a glimpse of hope in this, his last film.
07/08/05
Both a valentine to [Liv] Ullmann and a star-making film debut for [Julia] Dufvenius
07/08/05
Like the original, this film was originally produced for television, but the film seems far deeper and more complex than any TV movie.
07/08/05
Bergman has never been an ordinary filmmaker, and what he's given us is no genial last hurrah but rather an intensely dramatic, at times lacerating examination of life's conundrums that is exhilarating in its fearlessness and its command.
07/07/05
Top CriticIts leisurely, deliberative style is a perfect complement to the emotions it deals with - emotions so penetrating that I warn you at the outset how jarringly intense you may find Bergman's most brilliant drama in decades.
07/07/05
The performances are -- no surprise -- subtly spectacular.
07/07/05
Top CriticThe movie's title -- a lovely word that describes a sexy dance for two -- is either mordantly ironic or another instance of Bergman doffing his cap to the eros that courses through the most baleful of human relations.
07/07/05
Like a wedge of low-grade Stravinsky, revived and performed, the movie could be considered an addendum to a looming and unique catalog, in which no work is insignificant.
07/06/05
Top CriticAs Marianne becomes a bystander to his cruelty, you feel the pull of Bergman's craft, but also the sting of his sourness.
07/06/05
Top CriticAn excoriating and revelatory experience, scrubbing away yet another layer of skin from the image that the director has created for himself.
06/21/05
A wrenching story of family pain.
06/08/05
A small made-for-TV project by some guy named Bergman that could well be one of the best films (perhaps even the best film) released in theatres this year.
06/01/05
The venom remains strong; however, since Bergman has vowed this will be his last film, cineastes probably won't mind the sting.
04/23/05
An extraordinary movie.
04/22/05
Bergman hasn’t lost his touch. But he has lost his vigor.
12/18/04
Makes for fascinating viewing, with Bergman regulars Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann encoring their roles and in top form.
11/04/04
If ultimately the highly talky Saraband comes across as a minor entry in the canon, it nonetheless marks a dignified farewell (and this time it really appears to be one) for one of cinema's greatest directors.
11/04/04
This is 'Scenes from a Marriage' thirty years later.
10/17/04
In Ingmar Bergman's magisterial last film, we watch family members bare their souls and in their faces we see intimations of the grand emotions which animate us all.
10/15/04
Latest News for Saraband
July 30, 2007:
Legendary Director Ingmar Bergman dies at 89
Ingmar Bergman, the "poet with a camera," died in his sleep at his home in Faro, Sweden Monday at the age of 89. The director of such influential films as The Seventh Seal,... More...
October 05, 2005:
Summer Tomatometer Wrap-up #3: The Best of the Limited Releases
In the hot summer months, everyone's looking for a way to cool down. This summer, movie audiences decided one of the best places to beat the heat was in the barren,... More...
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