Piove sul nostro amore

The title sounds like another of Bergman's early dockland melodramas, but this - his second film - is more good-natured whimsy in an attractively photographed rural setting.

Some of the scenes and compositions feel like flash-forwards to Bergman's fifties work; two that specifically anticipate 'Wild Strawberries' are the courtroom setting it concludes with and the fairy godfather played by veteran actor Gösta Cederlund (billed as the "Man with Umbrella") who gatecrashes it to serve as the young lovers' defence counsel. Having emerged in the opening shot from behind an umbrella like the stranger in the dream sequence at the start of 'Wild Strawberries', Cederlund thereafter saunters in and out of the action - sometimes in a haze of cigar smoke like Leon Ames as Mr.Candle in 'Yolanda and the Thief' - occasionally breeching the fourth wall to comment urbanely on the action.

'It rains on our love" (1946) is an early film by Ingmar Bergman. Bergman was a director who had to learn his trade so the film is worth watching , but it isn't great.

The film is about two vagabonds, a man (David played by Birger Malmsten, a regular actor in Bergman films up till 1950) and a women (Maggi played by Barbro Kollberg), that are treated roughly by society. Of course (representatives of) society do see that differently. In their view the vagabonds fail to adapt to society's norms.

Films about vagabonds always remind me of "the little tramp", the ultimate vagabond, most certainly if a stray dog is involved, as is the case in "It rains on our love". See also "A dog's life" (1918, Charlie Chaplin). Chaplin however was much more competent in finding the right mix between comedy and sentimentality than the young Bergman, and also than the mature Bergman I guess, because Bergman quit making films in this genre after a while.

The film ends with a courtroom scene, and this is one of the most memorable scenes of the film. In the beginning the two vagabonds are on trial, but when their lawyer starts his defence the roles are quickly reversed and it almost seems that society is on trial.

This lawyer (Gosta Cederlund) is a remarkable appearance in "It rains on our love". He starts as a sort of narrator / guradian angel and all of a sudden becomes a character. Most unusual!

I love and admire Ingmar Bergman as well as a vast majority of his films. It Rains on our Love is not one of his very best, it starts off a little formulaic and slow and while there are some very interesting and well-explored themes they were even more fully explored later on. It Rains on our Love is beautifully shot and striking to look at, and Bergman's direction is adept and disciplined as usual. The dialogue provokes thought and the story is moving and compelling. I admired that It Rains on our Love didn't resort too much to melodrama and none of it felt cheap and overly-sentimental. The ending even has some optimism that doesn't feel forced in any way. And then there is the cast who are exemplary. Birger Malmstem and Barbro Kollberg are strong in the lead roles, but the wry performances from Bergman regulars Erland Josephson and Gunnar Bjornstrand were even better.

Overall, while not one of Bergman's very best, it is very good and well done and one of his better early films easily. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Bergman is still making his way here, with a story that revolves around the struggle to be accepted by society if one has a stain on one's past. A man meets a woman who's missed her train, and they have a fling which leads to deeper feelings. The trouble is, he's fresh out of prison, she's pregnant from some other one-night stand, and they're both broke. The fact that the man has trouble accepting the woman's pregnancy initially was an interesting touch, since he too is judged for mistakes he's made, and it's also refreshing to see the open treatment of premarital sex.

The couple seem to get a break from a guy who lets them stay in his cottage and sets him up with a job, but between those who can't accept that an ex-con can go straight or the couple living together "in sin," and those who prey on their simplicity, they have a tough go of it. The film is a condemnation of narrow-mindedness which I liked, but it gets a little heavy-handed in a courtroom scene towards the end, and in the film's final moments, as sweet as the gesture was. The leading couple (Barbro Kollberg and Birger Malmsten) make a good-looking pair and I appreciated what the film was going for, but guard your expectations.

This is a romantic and exciting feel-good movie about a lovable naive couple with a questionable background, trying to start all over together and adapt themselves to the society. The young star director Ingmar Bergman here effectively portrays typically good and bad sides of the human behaviour. The main theme returns over and over again - how do people live with their past, and how do they handle the resulting conflicts and moral dilemmas? Despite the age of this movie (released in 1946) it does not feel old fashioned in any way. Common to Bergman's movies to come, this one is way ahead of its time. The story and acting feel just as fresh as any modern movie and is a pure enjoyment to watch, without any boring or embarrassing moments.