321 The Virgin Spring

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flambeur
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321 The Virgin Spring

#1 Post by flambeur » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:52 am

The Virgin Spring

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Winner of the Academy Award for best foreign-language film, Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring is a harrowing tale of faith, revenge, and savagery in medieval Sweden. With austere simplicity, the director tells the story of the rape and murder of the virgin Karin, and her father Töre's ruthless pursuit of vengeance, set in motion after the killers visit the family's farmhouse. Starring frequent Bergman collaborator and screen icon Max von Sydow, the film is both beautiful and cruel in its depiction of a world teetering between paganism and Christianity.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary from 2005 by Ingmar Bergman scholar Birgitta Steene
• New video interviews from 2005 with actors Gunnel Lindblom and Birgitta Pettersson
• Introduction by filmmaker Ang Lee from 2005
• An audio recording of a 1975 American Film Institute seminar by director Ingmar Bergman
• Alternate English-dubbed soundtrack
• PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by film scholar Peter Cowie and screenwriter Ulla Isaksson and the medieval ballad on which the film is based

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peerpee
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#2 Post by peerpee » Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:18 am

flambeur wrote:From an email I received re: Ingmar Bergman Face to Face website
Criterion to release Virgin Spring
Persistent rumours have it that DVD producer Criterion is to expand their already impressive Bergman catalogue with Virgin Spring (1960).

Best regards,

Jan Holmberg & Mathias Rosengren
Editors Ingmar Bergman Face to Face
Roll on THE DEVIL'S EYE. Not out on DVD anywhere (well, maybe Japan for 100 quid, and no subs).

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Cinephrenic
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#3 Post by Cinephrenic » Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:22 am

Criterion is releasing The Virgin Spring and The Magician. I've seen it in a few places on the internet with Janus/Criterion credits. There should be doubts that anyone else will release it. Janus holds most of the unreleased Bergman material.

Here is one of them:
Bergman on a Summer Night — July 3, 10, 11, 17, 24, 31. New prints, from Janus/Criterion Collection, of eight dramas by Ingmar Bergman, including his lovely opera film The Magic Flute, the graceful childhood chronicle Fanny and Alexander, and the charming romantic roundelay Smiles of a Summer Night. The series underscores Bergman's talents as a director of actors, offering wonderful performances—by Max von Sydow in The Magician and The Virgin Spring; Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann in Autumn Sonata; Ullmann, Ingrid Thulin and Harriet Andersson in Cries and Whispers; and Swedish director and actor Victor Sjöstrom in Wild Strawberries.

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Lino
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#4 Post by Lino » Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:47 am

peerpee wrote:Roll on THE DEVIL'S EYE. Not out on DVD anywhere (well, maybe Japan for 100 quid, and no subs).
It's out now in Spain.

As for The Virgin Spring and The Magician, I knew these ones were forthcoming since I've just recently bought the Tartan editions of those two. You know how that works... :roll:

Anyway, good news I guess.

edit: about that Face to Face newsletter:
Launch

Only small adjustments remain until we launch the Swedish version of Ingmar Bergman Face to Face on 30 September, 2005. The English version will open in January 2006. With thousands of stills, video clips and newly-written texts, Ingmar Bergman Face to Face will be the world's largest collection of facts about Sweden's famous filmmaker, stage director and writer.
Oh well, we can still watch the clips there, I guess.

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tasog37
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#5 Post by tasog37 » Thu Sep 15, 2005 5:09 pm

Yessssssssssssssssssssssss

I've been dying for more Bergman stuff. Every time we find out new titles I get dissapointed that they're not Bergman. Eventually I get over it and realize that its awesome, but still. I hope they put out Face to Face one day, too.

I really hope these rumours come true. I've got almost all his R1 dvds and can't wait for more.

dspector
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#6 Post by dspector » Fri Sep 16, 2005 5:34 am

Yes, good news about The Magician and The Virgin Spring. But my great hope is that we see some of the films from pre-1955. "Monika", "Summer Interlude" (aka in the US "Illicit Interlude") and in particular "Sawdust and Tinsel" (aka in the US - cut version! - "The Naked Night"). Bergman's early work seems to have fallen in the shadow of his work from Smiles of a Summer Night onward - and unfairly.

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Lino
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#7 Post by Lino » Fri Sep 16, 2005 7:58 am

The Magician and The Virgin Spring are true Bergman masterpieces. The former marking the last colaboration between Ingmar and DP Gunnar Fisher and the latter, announcing his famous association with Nykvist.

It's quite amazing if one thinks about it, the amount of high quality material Bergman was delivering at the time. And once a year, no less. And at times, even twice. And I'm not even counting the stage work. Great times indeed.

Let's hope Criterion delivers the goods in the extras department.

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#8 Post by Funkadelic Funkmasta » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:40 pm

I'd gladly give up having sex if criterion ever releases Face to Face

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Subbuteo
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#9 Post by Subbuteo » Fri Sep 16, 2005 4:49 pm

Funkadelic Funkmasta wrote:I'd gladly give up having sex if criterion ever releases Face to Face
Are you sure you've had sex?

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DrGerbil
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#10 Post by DrGerbil » Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:29 pm

Subbuteo wrote:
Funkadelic Funkmasta wrote:I'd gladly give up having sex if criterion ever releases Face to Face
Are you sure you've had sex?
You've obviously never had sex with a DVD! :roll:

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Cinephrenic
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#11 Post by Cinephrenic » Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:34 pm

He only uses the inserts and rings. =P~

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godardslave
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#12 Post by godardslave » Fri Sep 16, 2005 7:23 pm

Funkadelic Funkmasta wrote:I'd gladly give up having sex if criterion ever releases Face to Face
the psychoanalyst in me cries out...tell me more!

DrGerbil wrote:You've obviously never had sex with a DVD! :roll:
I have tried. I would only have sex with a criterion... of course. :?
Although i once felt dirty after a night spent with a Fox lorber.

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Cinephrenic
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#13 Post by Cinephrenic » Fri Sep 16, 2005 9:39 pm

You mean Koch Lorber. Lol.
Last edited by Cinephrenic on Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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justeleblanc
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#14 Post by justeleblanc » Sat Sep 17, 2005 1:15 am

Did anyone notice that you can see what Koch Lorber releases on the DVDbeaver?

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tasog37
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#15 Post by tasog37 » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:22 pm

Funkadelic Funkmasta wrote:I'd gladly give up having sex if criterion ever releases Face to Face
I dont know if I would go that far, but that's the dedication we need! :) I really hope they put it out, I've wanted to see it for a few years now.

Also:

Just got this in an email:
Dear Taso,

Look for more Bergman in 2006.

best,
JM
I can't even tell you how happy that makes me!! :D :D

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godardslave
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#16 Post by godardslave » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:41 pm

Dear Taso,

Look for more Bergman in 2006.

best,
JM
how ridicously tantalizing.

I'm hoping for some of the early ones.

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pauling
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#17 Post by pauling » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:54 am

I'm rooting for Face to Face.

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Penny Dreadful
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#18 Post by Penny Dreadful » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:37 pm

Ooooh, I've been DYING for a release of The Virgin Spring. This makes me very happy indeed.

viciousliar
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#19 Post by viciousliar » Fri Sep 23, 2005 4:23 am

pauling wrote:I'm rooting for Face to Face.
I believe that Paramount still hold the rights to that title, they put it out on VHS a long time ago. It's not exactly a commercial entry, Ullman's Oscar nod notwithstanding - I seriously doubt that a DVD will surface from them.

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Gordon
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#20 Post by Gordon » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:01 am

The subtitled, letterboxed, DVD-R of Face to Face that I have starts with the Paramount logo. It's from a VHS.

I don't find The Virgin Spring particularly that great, to be honest. Yes, it's a powerful story, but I don't think that it is executed very well, cinematically. I am a huge admirer of Bergman, but The Virgin Spring was a little disappointing to me.

Does anyone want to state why they think it's worthy of the Criterion Collection? Other than it simply being a critically sanctified Bergman 'masterpiece'. The Magician is certainly superior, I feel; it has a greater complexity, thematically and has a stronger visual style, although the ending is a little weak. I'm not bashing The Virgin Spring, I just don't think it's that great.

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Lino
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#21 Post by Lino » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:47 am

I wonder if you already knew how it was going to end (by reading liner notes or something)? That can be a big turn-off on this film.

For me, this is definitely worthy of a CC spine number which is more than I can say about some titles in the Collection. It was made by a true master of cinema, it introduced his famous collaboration with Nykvist like I said above, it's gorgeously shot, the performances are jaw-dropping as always and its theme is sure to prove itself worthy of discussion for many decades to come. Plus, it was Bergman's first Oscar win.

I only wish that they would invite Wes Craven to make an introduction (a la Tales of Hoffman with Romero) as he himself has repeatedly said that this particular Bergman film was the main inspiration for his debut feature film, Last House on the Left. That would be one cool extra.

As for Face to Face, I seem to have the same bootleg that Gordon has and like him, I don't think that the Paramount logo at the beginning bodes well for a CC release. But stranger things have happened.

BTW, who owns the rights in Europe?

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ellipsis7
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#22 Post by ellipsis7 » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:53 am

Not Wes Craven, but some nice commentary on Bergman by a cluctch of current directors in todays "The Guardian"... VIRGIN SPRING singled out by James Schamus...

http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/fea ... 37,00.html

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Gordon
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#23 Post by Gordon » Fri Sep 23, 2005 1:34 pm

Hi, Annie.

I do like The Virgin Spring, but I have always felt that it was not up to Bergman's high standards. The theme of Paganism contra Christianity in the Middle Ages is an old chestnut, but I feel that it has been dealt with in a more interesting manner in better films. As a revenge film, it can appear pretty mild in light of subsequent films. I might actually watch it again soon (I have UK disc) though.

Keep Wes Craven away from the Criterion disc, please! I can't stand him. A pretentious hack if ever there was one in the horror genre. Last House on the Left is disturbing, effective film, but it is one of those films where I really wonder why people want to rewatch it, own it on DVD, etc. The weak end of the horror spectrum, in my eyes.

I believe that Face to Face is also owned by Paramount in the UK. I am not sure about other European countries. Swedish TV has broadcast a
4-hour (2-part?) version in the past. My version is 147 minutes, I think.
Last edited by Gordon on Fri Sep 23, 2005 3:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Lino
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#24 Post by Lino » Fri Sep 23, 2005 1:53 pm

I do agree with you that The Magician is by far a more interesting work on a thematic point of view than The Virgin Spring is but I've always felt that the former is much more stage-y than the latter.

The Virgin Spring looks and feels naturalistic and primal as opposed to The Magician, who is more cerebral and interiorized. Both are great and God forbid me to choose one over the other! Some things are indeed impossible in this world! :)

Anyways, looking forward to seeing how they turn out on the CC. This year, we had ZERO Bergman releases - let's hope that 2006 changes that accordingly.

One last thing: Face to Face is nowhere to be found in the world on DVD. Not even in Sweden. The whole TV series comprised itself of 4 episodes with a total running time of 200 minutes. I've said this before and I'll say it again: this masterwork and my personal favorite Bergman is my holy grail on DVD. The day that a release date is disclosed, I think I will either burst or collapse. Looking forward to it, though.

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#25 Post by viciousliar » Fri Sep 23, 2005 5:04 pm

Annie Mall wrote:One last thing: Face to Face is nowhere to be found in the world on DVD. Not even in Sweden. The whole TV series comprised itself of 4 episodes with a total running time of 200 minutes. I've said this before and I'll say it again: this masterwork and my personal favorite Bergman is my holy grail on DVD. The day that a release date is disclosed, I think I will either burst or collapse. Looking forward to it, though.
I've never seen it, unfortunately, but I think I read somewhere that the US theatrical release actually played better than the TV series, since the condensing brought Ullman's performance into sharper focus, and the editing enhanced it, too. Has anyone seen both versions, and thus able to comment?

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