Autumn Sonata

Pros: great performances by Ingrid Berman and Liv Ullmann as mother and daughter
Cons: very talky with very lacerating talk, copout coda

As the opening credits of "Autumn Sonata" (1978) rolled, I was surprised that there were a number greater than two of cast. From 30 years ago, what I remembered was Liv Ullmann's character excoriating her mother, played by Ingrid Bergman with alternating ...

Pros: Liv Ullman and Ingrid Bergman; Ingmar Bergman's writing/direction
Cons: Very talky.

Tension between family members no doubt exist within every family group, but some situations are worse than others. I couldn’t imagine making a deliberate refusal to associate myself with close family members and to extend it for years at a time, ...

Pros: Eloquent. Speaks like a painting.
Cons: The crippled daughter is over-played.

Generally, either "Seventh Seal" or "Persona" is the film that a critic will name if s/he is stuck with the task of naming Ingmar Bergman's greatest achievement. A couple others might be named, but rarely do you hear a critic espouse the brilliance of...