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Cast

Liv Ullmann
as Eva Rosenberg

Max von Sydow
as Jan Rosenberg

Gunnar Bjornstrand
as Col. Jacobi

Sigge Fürst
as Filip

Gunnar Bjrnstrand

Birgitta Valberg
as Mrs. Jacobi

Hans Alfredson
as Lobelius

Sigge Fuerst
as Filip

Ingvar Kjellson
as Oswald

Raymond Lundberg
as Jacobi's Son

Frank Sundstrom
as Chief Interrogator

Karl-Axel Forsberg
as Secretary

Willy Peters
as Elder Officer

Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
as Woman on Boat

Ulf Johansson
as Doctor

Åke Jörnfalk
as Condemned Man

Axel Duberg
as Pilot

Gosta Prnzelius
as Pastor

Rune Lindstrom
as Stout Man

Vilgot Sjöman
as Interviewer

Bengt Eklund
as Guard

Per Berglund
as Soldier

Lars Amble
as Officer

Åke Jörnfalk
as Condemned Man

Bjorn Thambert
as Johan

Stig Lindberg
as Assistant doctor

Karl-Axel Forssberg
as Secretary

Brita Oberg
as Woman in Interrogation Room

Agda Helin
as Shopkeeper

Gösta Prüzelius
as The Vicar

Frej Lindqvist
as Stooping Man

Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
as Woman on Boat

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Critic Reviews for Skammen (Shame)

Audience Reviews for Skammen (Shame)

• Dec 21, 2010

  A brilliant look at what war does to man. The ending is haunting and will stay with you forever.
  

  Jonny B Super Reviewer
• Dec 13, 2009

  A gruelling watch, but one of Bergman's finest films. Interesting to compare this with The Hour of the Wolf, as both feature the same lead actors as artists (or an artist and his wife) who have taken sanctuary on an island. In the earlier film it's largely inner demons that lead to von Sydows disintegrating personality (at least that's how I read it) whereas here it's very much circumstances beyond his control. Much has been written about the unsympathetic central characters, particularly von Sydow's. For me there are flashes of a good (if flawed) man early in the film, but one who copes badly with adversity. The flaws become all that is left as his humanity is gradually eroded by one horror after another. I watched A Passion (Ullmann and von Sydow on their island again) soon after this, and was amazed to recognise many of the same locations. And then there's a dream sequence...
  Cassandra M Super Reviewer
• Nov 05, 2009

  "Skammen" ("Shame") is less famous than some other Ingmar Bergman classics, but it's among his finest work. One of many Bergman films shot on his home island of Faro (others include "Hour of the Wolf," "Persona," "Scenes from a Marriage" and "Through a Glass Darkly"), "Shame" is actually a war movie with a surprising amount of "action" by Bergman standards. Though it was reportedly plagued by budget problems, the parade of shell explosions, gnarled corpses and hulking military vehicles marks a film much splashier than the usual drawing-room character study. The casting is nothing new -- Bergman regulars Liv Ullman, Max Von Sydow and Gunnar Bjornstrand again dominate. Ullman and Von Sydow play Eva and Jan Rosenberg, two former classical musicians who have been married for several years. Their quiet life consists of puttering with domestic chores, selling homegrown berries and lazily sharing each other's company (for better or worse -- their erratic relationship often drops into ugly bickering). But their simple world is thrown into chaos when enemy planes suddenly buzz overhead, announcing a violent attack. Land troops soon follow, posing a dramatic threat to the couple's home and lifestyle. Though Eva and Jan are politically neutral, they are interrogated and taken prisoner by the invaders (who self-righteously label themselves "liberators"). The two veer in and out of danger as the destruction increases. Scared and bewildered, they struggle to be compliant with their captors, but the unstable Jan is tempted to join the madness. His deterioration is disturbing, and the film's unresolved ending offers no assurance of a secure future for anyone. The embattled country is never named (the enemy speaks the same language, suggesting an internal conflict), nor are the contentious issues ever mentioned. This is not a film about policy, but a more timeless story about war's toll on civilians. Sven Nykvist's cinematography is typically exquisite, capturing both intimate dialogue and wartime spectacle. "Shame" is among Bergman's last black-and-white films, and the poetry of Ullman's and Von Sydow's weary faces is compelling even without the story. Ambivalent Bergman fans should be forewarned, however -- the action slows down considerably with about 40 minutes to go, and returns to the bleak, tortured conversation that is his trademark.
  

  Eric B Super Reviewer
• Jan 16, 2008

  Another powerful bullseye from Bergman.
  Anthony V Super Reviewer

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