Scènes de la vie conjugale

"Scenes from a marriage (1974, Ingmar Bergman) is an adaptation of the TV mini-series from the same director a year earlier. At the moment of writing this review (december 2021) the film is the highest rated Bergman movie on the IMDB database.

The film can be interpreted as a sort of "When Harry met Sally" (1989, Rob Reiner) in reverse. In "When Harry met Sally" a man and a woman take a very long time finding out that they are destined for each other. In "Scenes from a marriage" a man (Johan played by Erland Josephson) and a woman (Marianne played by Liv Ullmann) take a very long time finding out that their breaking up and divorce is not the end of their relationship (and maybe not even the end of their love). When we add "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966, Mike Nichols) to the equation we can make the following mapping:

"When Harry met Sally" is about the pre marriage phase.

"Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" is about the marriage phase.

"Scenes from a marriage" is predominantly about the post marriage phase.

From this mapping it can be derived that in essence the naming of "Scenes from a marriage" is less fortunate.

Given the high rating the movie was a bit of a disappointment for me. I have seen better Bergman films, for example "Fanny and Alexander" (1982), also a TV mini series turned into a feature film.

The reason for the disappointment is I think the fact that in the movie the blame for the failure of the marriage is somewhat unilateral put on Johan. It is not a bad guy versus good girl movie, certainly not, but already in the first scene we see a confident Johan boasting at a journalist while Marianne is the modesty itself. Also in later scenes the man (not always Johan) is usually the one acting annoyingly. In the second scene for example Johan and Marianne are dining with a couple that starts quarilling with each other after a couple of drinks. By the way this scene owes a lot to "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf".

Disappointing for me or not the film has had a lot of influence. Sometimes the influence is on the whole oeuvre of directors such as Woody Allen and Richard Linklater. Sometimes the influence is on specific films about failed marriages such as in "Winter sleep" (2014, Nuri Bilge Ceylan) and "Loveless" (2017, Andrey Zviagintsev).

Very talky, almost all in close ups. Like being on stage. The couple is clearly depicted early on - he's full of himself and she's subservient.

The film will try to show how their lives unraveled over the years, but strictly from dialogue in rooms, as we never meet the mistress, children, parents, or anyone else. Basically, an essay not a film, on male/female values. Bergman has made much better films.

Originally a miniseries, it was edited down to 169 minutes. It concerns itself with Liv Ullman, a divorce lawyer, and academician Erland Josephson. Over the course of ten years their marriage breaks down. Written by director Ingmar Bergman in a reported three months, it was shot quickly; cinematographer Sven Nykvist later stated that, given its later theatrical release, he would have liked more moving shots. Given the short schedule and tiny budget, that seems impossible in retrospect. As it is, the transfer from videotape to film gives it an inconsistent look, even within individual scenes; that seems to contribute to its intimacy and subjectiveness.

I think the lack of rehearsal, and the central roles being played by two Bergman regulars give the performances a freshness and lack of polish that contribute to the truth of the movie. These are two people who change, hesitantly and unwillingly, in the throes of overwhelming emotions. The lack of polish, the enormous emotional shifts with scenes give it a documentary feel, even as the characters talk almost endlessly.

Unlike Bergman's earlier works, which are often theological musings on why G*d doesn't give us more directions, this shows two people trying to make their way in a world where G*d, if he exists, is irrelevant. It's a search for meaning without any hope of objective guide, of people trying to snatch some happiness desperately, in a existential world. It offers no grand messages, no singular route to happiness for all of humanity, just for two individuals.

... or at least until one of us has had enough, although that will more than likely be reciprocated. There's a good chance you'll recognise a lot of the characteristics, dialogue and awkwardness on show here although everybody's story is different, but it's the craft of the actors moulding the directors words and wisdom that creates a near perfect marriage made in heaven - as so many of Ingmar Bergman's films do, and as such, you'll struggle to divorce your eyes and ears from the conversation, your mind and memory from reflection.

Ten stars for the theatrical cut. One of my difficulties with the set-up is that I can't wrap my head around the notion that any man would walk out on Liv Ullman. But, of course, Johan really couldn't bring himself to do that, as it turns out. This is clearly a low-budget project, but one that Bergman also lavished attention on. The script, shot choice and direction are all both stunning and emotionally devestating. Bergman spent his whole career thinking about relationships. That theme dominated his early work, and even runs through the background of his dark magic realism films of the 1950s. By the 1970s he was able to approach the subject with a world-weary maturity that is missing from early films like Summer Interlude. And this may be the most mature and haunting study of the subject he or anyone else has ever managed. This is a cut-down from the five hour miniseries, so there are a lot of little nuggets that hit the cutting room floor. I noticed that the most in The Illiterates, but, even there, nothing essential got snipped. If you don't mind a film about the interaction between a couple, with no special effects or flash, if you appreciate honest studies of the range and depth of normal human emotional interaction, if you want to see brilliant actors working for a brilliant director all at the top of their game, and if you think you might not have the patience for the 5-hour version, watch this. It's worth it. 26 July 2021.