framptonhollis Ingmar Bergman has been one of my favorite filmmakers for quite some time. His films "Wild Strawberries" and "The Seventh Seal" were 2 of the first foreign films I'd ever seen, and they helped make me discover more international/art house films that I'd never heard of before.So, here comes "The Silence", a film that I finished watching about 5 minutes ago, and it is one of the most stunning films I've ever seen! It is weird, unsettling, and, at times, quite surreal. Bergman breaks taboos, and creates a film that is incredible in every way possible.The film is wonderful, unique scene after wonderful, unique scene. It doesn't really have much of a plot, but plot isn't always the most important part of a film. In some films, the plot is the most important element, but not here. Here, it is the direction, look, performances, atmosphere, and script.If you aren't a fan of Bergman, you obviously aren't going to enjoy the film, because it certainly looks and feels exactly like your average Bergman film, but it is somehow, even greater then your average Bergman film! Is it his best work? Not really, but, in my opinion, it is certainly one of his finest masterpieces!The film reminded me a lot of "Persona", they're both dark and unsettling looks at the relationship between two women, and are also equally strange and full of great atmosphere.I'm compelled to see this film again sometime soon, because, as you can tell, I absolutely loved it!

TheLittleSongbird The Silence is going to be an acquired taste- true of a lot of Ingmar Bergman's films- but if you know what to expect then I think you will be rewarded. I can understand definitely why some may not like The Silence, the plot is light, has moments of (purposeful) obscurity and is quite detached emotionally. But I wouldn't immediately go and "objectively" hate on it because it didn't entertain you, it is clear from the title, the plot summary and also from Bergman's other films that The Silence wasn't going to be that kind of film. Bergman's films are more of the thoughtful and compellingly real kind, and The Silence is exactly that, and of Bergman's early work and overall it is one of the better examples of doing that as well. Quite possibly my favourite of his "religious" trilogy, and all three are wonderful films in their own right. As ever it is superbly directed, and looks incredible with Sven Nykvist's haunting cinematography adding much to the tonal bleakness of the film. Apart from the odd moment where music is played, there is no score here which made the increasingly deafening silence even more effective. The dialogue is thought-provoking and intelligent, and while bleak and obscure the atmosphere in The Silence is largely symbolic and also enigmatic and very powerful. The themes of loneliness and objective desire with a want of emotional warmth and tenderness are thoroughly explored here and does resonate with you. Bergman's films are known for how real the characters are, and The Silence is no exception. Likable, no they aren't, but not all characters have to be to have the realism that the ones seen in Bergman's films do. I can't fault the acting either, Ingrid Thulin is just outstanding in the lead role. Overall, still packs a powerful touch but isn't going to be for everyone. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Chrysanthepop Bergman's 'Tystnaden' is not a comfortable film to watch because of its underlying dark and disturbing theme. He explores the devastating consequence of an incestuous relationship between two sisters, Ester and Anna. The destruction seems to have taken a toll on Esther's health while Anna seems to be mentally and emotionally shattered (unable to connect to others and engaging in casual sex). Amidst this is Anna's son Johan, who, like any curious child, is exploring his own world.Bergman's film starts off with the three principle characters in the train and then ends with Anna and Johan in a train as they have left Ester behind. Perhaps this last scene symbolizes Anna's escape from her traumatic experience. Bergman uses a lot of symbolism but he doesn't spoonfeed them to the viewer. It is all there in his subtle presentation. He also stresses on contrasts between different ideas such as Johan's youthful innocence (his way of seeing the world) vs the confused world interpreted by his mother and aunt. His display of the relationship between the two sisters is brilliant. A strong maternal bond is displayed in the relationship between the mother and child. It may seem as though her son is the only one with whom Anna has a stable relationship but at the same time she goes wandering off in the city leaving her child behind in the hotel. Even as a mother she is broken by the trauma. The movie has many silent moments (quite obviously given the title) but the contrast between these moments are noticeable because it is quite unsettling as the rawness of the tension is exposed. Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom and Jörgen Lindström are stupendous in their roles as they portray the complexity of the relationships through subtlety. The cinematography is outstanding. The closeups are particularly haunting. I was surprised by the amount of nudity and sexuality (I have nothing against it) but then again, this is no conventional 60's film. It is a brave and poignant film that was ahead of its time.

pizzazzman2000 A nice change by bergman over several years. I have seen a few of his films, and this film was markedly different, as well as similar to his previous films. One theme which Bergman always harps upon is how human traits, which are normally suppressed by our ability to think straight, get manifested when schizophrenic frenzies take control and maneuver our minds.Here, we have 2 sisters and a young boy, visiting a foreign land on the brink of war, and unconsciously, all three are striving for a way out of this turmoil. Such Striving gives way to a search for a way to stop this quagmire of loneliness, communication gap etc, which acts as the driving force for all three. We see three different sub-stories-one for the little boy, and one each for the two sisters, which become intertwined and clash. The boy,wanders round the hotel with his toy revolver,coming across a group of dwarfs, an old man, etc. One sister is constantly gripped by states of frenzy, which cause her to become at times delirious, with plenty of tripe,and most of the time couped up in her little chamber. The other sister, ventures beyond the four walls, and goes outside, and we get to witness sexual acts, as well as her badmouthing her sister.Overall, a good source of entertainment, and a must-see.