Not available on dvd or Netflix. Ordered VHS copy from ebay. powerful moviemaking. 74 minutes long. Though this film was originally made for Swedish tv it is no second rate production from Bergman. It is small, tightly constructed-- played in one set - the stage on which ''The Dream Play'' is being rehearsed - and has a cast of three. They are Henrik Vogler (Erland Josephson), the aging director now working on his fifth production of ''The Dream Play''; Anna Egerman (Lena Olin), Henrik's very young, pretty, ambitious leading lady, and Rakel (Inrid Thulin) an over-the-hill, once-great actress, now made unreliable through drink, who has accepted a humiliating two-line role from Henrik, a former lover.
Though ''After the Rehearsal,'' produced for television, runs only 72 minutes, it's as much a survey of the human frailties of those in the Arts and drama Departments as Strindberg's play, even if that condition is seen from Mr. Bergman's particular point of view which is always the despair and psychological study. His words are so powerful as the actors utter them that its as if they are talking in a dream world as we humans almost never talk such psycho- bable to each other (or do we?? Maybe in the 70's they did while on LSD or today in the self introspection & character defect stuff of the AA NA or other 12 step rooms). The babel is such a physiologically profound utterance that I am always in a spell when I watch Bergman films. The artist/director is here (Volger) napping in the theater is woken by Anna daughter of his long time friend (and his friends wife was also his mistress). She is now an actress like her mother and somewhat famous. There with her he reviews and recounts some of the personal happenings of his time in the theater-and himself and her mother. The theater is his life and he otherwise is a solitary old man. They discuss at length Ann's mother and she appears in a long dream at the end of the play. She is dead from alcoholism. This young Anna is wanting to become sexually involved with him and he is saying no. After his long years toiling in the theater but not acting all else in life is an illusion. This is a very heavy psychologically laden 70 minute conversation they have. I am just aware of no one in the history of film whom makes films like Ingmar Bergman. Most viewers should shy away from this as it would probably seem a dull bore and also not recommend for families. AFTER THE REHEARSAL, directed by Ingmar Bergman; written by Mr. Bergman; director of photography, Sven Nykvist; edited by Sylvia Ingemarsson; produced by Jorn Donner; produced by Cinematograph for Personafilm/ Munich; released by Triumph Films, a Columbia/Gaumont Company. Running time: 72 minutes. In Swedish with English subtitles. This film is rated R.