"Gycklarnas afton" is from the early directing career of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. In the U.S., the film was shown in theaters under the title "The Naked Night", and on television with the title "Sawdust and Tinsel". The film explores romantic relationships, reaching a pessimistic conclusion. There are many close-ups, but there is little action. The major characters deserve neither sympathy nor particular interest.
Ake Gronberg is the obese, depressive, middle-aged owner of a struggling circus. His lover is Harriet Andersson, who is young and beautiful, but lower class. His estranged wife is Annika Tretow. Gronberg attempts a reconciliation with Tretow, while Andersson begins a tawdry romance with self-assured, pallid actor Hasse Ekman.
It is difficult to emotionally connect with the characters. Ekman is the least credible. He begins his courtship with Andersson with begging, but soon reveals a sadistic nature. He quickly loses interest in her. Andersson is an unlikely match for the unattractive, unstable, abusive, and impoverished Gronberg. Gronberg is jealous of Andersson, yet is anxious to trade her in for his indifferent wife.
The point that Bergman is making is clear. Love is a mirage that vanishes before you can reach it, and is driven by selfish motives such as lust, vanity, and security. Unfortunately, this pessimistic evaluation is supported by characters who lack sufficient credibility in their actions, and are too loathsome for the viewer to develop an interest in their fate.
While the film is mostly imagery and dialogue, there is a brief action scene. Gronberg and Ekman have a fistfight, and these few minutes are easily the film's best. It is a welcome change of pace from the unrelenting gloom that fills the rest of the film. (51/100)
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