Vanità e affanni

Possible surpassing even "Fanny and Alexander". Demanding - naturally - and possible rather hard to understand for non-scandinavian. But free of clichés - even bergmanäs clichés.

Still full of the old Berman themes of death, the lack of God, etc.

Sometimes the symbols are a bit too heavy handed (including the titular presence of death as a clown). And the technical side of the production feels a bit limited, since the film was made for TV, and occasionally feels like a filmed play.

But that aside, as always with Bergman, the acting is terrific, and this tale of a half-mad inventor, inventing 'talking films' (by having actors stand behind the screen and speak the dialogue the characters on the screen are mouthing) is sometimes very funny, sometimes very sad, and sometimes very insightful – especially about the power of art both to redeem and obsess.

Not one of Bergman's great works, but among the best of his more minor films.

Telenovela-style shot, dementia-style farting dialogues, crappy overacting, and even the clown is just another gimmick - it would be maybe even good if it was nonsensical and absurd, but even there this movie fails.

Approaching towards the end of my Ingmar Bergman quest, he has rapidly turned into a director that I now love and admire. And I'd say the same for his films too, in fact although there is a small handful that I've yet to see there have only been two films of his I didn't care for, All These Women and The Serpent's Egg. While it is not one of Bergman's best(The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Fanny and Alexander, Cries and Whispers and Persona), sometimes I did find it a bit too heavy on the symbolism, it is still a very good film and evidence that Bergman still had it towards the end of his career. His direction here is incisive and intelligent as it always was, not once is there signs of a director out of his depth like All These Women for example. For a TV film it is certainly a very professional-looking one with evocative settings and handsome(if not as expansive as his cinematic films) photography. The dialogue provokes a lot of thought and the story is deliberately paced, very interesting and like with almost all Bergman films conveys a large range of emotions. The characters as ever are compellingly real, and the acting only adds to that effect. Borje Ahlstedt in the lead role is particularly outstanding. In conclusion, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When we were thinking that Ingmar Bergman, one of the greatest directors of all time, was not going to make any other films, we see this tv masterpiece, with a great plot and great performances by the actors. While I was seeing the movie, I remembered some of his classic movies, and instantly I recognized that "Bergman" unique touch for making films. This is a movie for every Bergman fan.