Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema

Disc 4, To Joy / Summer Interlude

Part of a multi-title set

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Synopsis

In honor of Ingmar Bergman’s one-hundredth birthday, the Criterion Collection is proud to present the most comprehensive collection of his films ever released on home video. One of the most revelatory voices to emerge from the postwar explosion of international art-house cinema, Bergman was a master storyteller who startled the world with his stark intensity and naked pursuit of the most profound metaphysical and spiritual questions. The struggles of faith and morality, the nature of dreams, and the agonies and ecstasies of human relationships—Bergman explored these subjects in films ranging from comedies whose lightness and complexity belie their brooding hearts to groundbreaking formal experiments and excruciatingly intimate explorations of family life.

Arranged as a film festival with opening and closing nights bookending double features and centerpieces, this selection spans six decades and thirty-nine films—including such celebrated classics as The Seventh Seal, Persona, and Fanny and Alexander alongside previously unavailable works like Dreams, The Rite, and Brink of Life. Accompanied by a 248-page book with essays on each program, as well as by more than thirty hours of supplemental features, Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema traces themes and images across Bergman’s career, blazing trails through the master’s unequaled body of work for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Picture 8/10

Moving on to disc four of Criterion’s box set, Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema, we are presented with two more early films from the filmmaker: To Joy and Summer Interlude. Both films are presented in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this dual-layer disc, and each film receives a 1080p/24hz high-definition encode. Both presentations also come from 2K restorations scanned from 35mm duplicate negatives.

Both films have been released previously by Criterion, with To Joy appearing on their Early Bergman Eclipse set. That DVD’s presentation was fine for the format but this new release offers a considerable upgrade. There is still a little bit of damage, including some shifts in the frame, but it’s far more minimal compared to what was on the DVD and there are large lengths where nothing ever pops up. The image is sharp and clean, delivering extraordinary detail (you can make out the fibers on Stig’s jackets) and film grain looks exceptional. Blacks and whites look perfect with excellent contrast and grayscale shifts smoothly finishing off that photographic look. Getting past some of the remaining print issues it’s an amazing upgrade over the DVD.

The bigger surprise on here, though, is Summer Interlude, previously released by Criterion on DVD and Blu-ray in 2012, which now makes use of a new 2017 2K restoration. The old one also came from a 2K restoration and the transfer notes pointed out the amount of work that had to go into the film due to the elements being in horrendous condition. I still think it turned out quite good even if damage was still heavy, so I wasn’t sure if a newer restoration was needed all that much. Apparently I was very wrong on that! Though still a little problematic in places the improvements are significant in spots and the image overall is better.

One noticeable difference is that this image is much brighter. Looking at the old one the darker contrast creates oppressive blacks which murder detail in the shadows that show up in this new presentation. The opening titles look a little sharper, less blown out, and issues with mold have been pretty much eradicated. The mid-section of the film was littered with extended sequences overrun by mold, and that is all gone now. There are still scratches and other issues on the edge of the screen, but just eliminating that mold helps significantly. Other flaws, like dirt and the like, as well as larger more prominent scratches, are gone as well. And like the old presentation details are still very sharp and film grain is rendered exceptionally.

Overall both look incredible, and it was a nice surprise to see Summer Interlude get another once-over.

To Joy (1949): 8/10 Summer Interlude (1951): 8/10

Audio 6/10

Both films present their Swedish soundtracks in lossless PCM 1.0 mono. While there is some audible background noise at times both tracks have been restored nicely, with no significant problems like pops or drops ever showing up. Dialogue sounds clear and music can have decent range, particularly To Joy, which of course centers around music.

To Joy (1949): 6/10 Summer Interlude (1951): 6/10

Extras 1/10

Criterion has been pretty good with supplements in this set, at the very least porting material over from previous editions if they exist. Though both films were released by Criterion previously neither one any supplementary material outside of essays. To Joy’s essay from the Eclipse release is missing from the set’s included 247-page book, but Criterion has at the very least ported over Peter Cowie’s essay from Summer Interlude’s individual release, with modifications to include To Joy in it (the essay ends up being more about To Joy in the end. It’s disappointing there still isn’t any material around this period in Bergman’s career, where the director felt he was better finding his voice, but at least the set makes up for this in other areas.

Closing

Another nice surprise, including gorgeous new presentations for both films.

Part of a multi-title set

BUY AT: Amazon.com Amazon.ca

 
 
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Featuring: Anita Björk, Inga Landre, Elliott Gould, Nine-Christine Jönsson, Josef Kostlinger, Ingrid Bergman, Ulla Jacobsson , Robert Atzorn, Bïörje Ahlstedt, Holger Löwenadler, Eva Henning, Liv Ullmann, Eva Dahlbeck, Maj-Britt Nilsson, Irma Urrila, Pernilla Allwin, Anna Lindhal, David Carradine, Christine Buchegger, Kari Sylwan, Ingrid Thulin, Lena Nyman, Hakan Hagegard, Gert Frobe, Stig Olin, Martin Benrath, Yvonne Lombard, Börje Ahlstedt, Ake Grönberg, Margaretha Krook, Mimi Nelson, Marianne Löfgren, Birgit Tengroth, Alf Kjellin, Stig Järrel, Harriet Andersson, Birger Malmsten, Bibi Andersson, Birgitta Valberg , Nils Poppe, Bengt Ekerot, Victor Sjöström, Hasse Ekman, Max von Sydow, Jarl Kulle , Jörgen Lindström, Berta Hall, Dagny Lind, Lars Passgård, Birgitta Pettersson, John Ekman, Ulf Palme, Nadja Palmstjerna-Weiss, Julia Dufvenius, Rita Russek, Halvar Björk, Georg Rydeberg, Sheila Reid, Håkan Jahnberg, Ewa Fröling, Margit Carlqvist, Annalisa Ericson, Elisabeth Eriksson, Gunnel Lindblom, Gunnar Björnstrand, Margit Carlquist, Gunnel Fred, Fritz Strassner, Lars Ekborg, Naemi Briese, Brigitta Valberg, Karin Kavli, Ingmar Bergman, Bertil Guve, Allan Bohlin, Mimmi Nelson, Lola Müthel, Jullan Kindahl, Arne Bang-Hansen, Anders Ek, Heinz Bennent, Erland Josephson, Gertrud Fridh, Jan Malmsjö, Walter Schmidinger, Karl-Arne Holmsten, Hjördis Petterson, Wenche Foss, Folke Sundquist, Erik Hell, Inga Gill, Ernst Eklund, Olof Winnerstrand, Hans Alfredson, Marianne Aminoff, Sture Lagerwall, Hans Quest, Annika Tretow, Allan Edwall, Bengt Eklund, Gudrun Brost, Naima Wifstrand, Sigge Fürst, Mona Malm, Ingvar Kjellson, Maud Hansson, Lasse Krantz, Mimi Pollak, Britta Billsten, Signe Wirff, Barbro Hiort af Ornäs, Björn Bjelvenstam, Gaby Stenberg, Birgitte Reimer, Edith Heerdegen, Anita Wall, Georg Funkquist, Inga Landgré, Henning Moritzen, Georg Løkkeberg, Ruth Olafs, James Whitmore, Aino Taube, Frank Sundström, Jan Molander, John Elfström, Ann-Marie Gyllenspetz, Ulf Johanson, Renée Björling, Kerstin Tidelius, Tovio Pawlo, Gunnel Broström, Glynn Turman, Karl-Heinz Pelser, Torsten Winge, Linn Ullmann, Georg Arlin, Håkan Westergren, Gunnar Sjöberg, Bertil Anderberg, Lena Olin, Dagmar Ebbesen, Sif Ruud, Axel Düberg, Vilgot Sjöman, Gaby Dohm, Åke Fridell, Erik Strandmark, Per Mattson, Heino Hallhuber, Gunnar Olsson, Gösta Prüzelius
Year: 1946-2003
Time: 4467 total min.
 
Series: The Criterion Collection
Licensors: Svensk Filmindustri  |  Folkets Hus och Parker  |  Buena Vista Home Entertainment  |  MGM Home Entertainment  |  Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: November 20 2018
MSRP: $299.95
 
Blu-ray
30 Discs | BD-50
1.33:1 ratio
1.37:1 ratio
1.66:1 ratio
1.78:1 ratio
1.85:1 ratio
English 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono
English 1.0 PCM Mono
Swedish 1.0 PCM Mono
German 1.0 PCM Mono
Swedish 2.0 PCM Stereo
Subtitles: English
Region A
 
 Video introduction to Smiles of a Summer Night by Ingmar Bergman   New video conversation between Bergman scholar Peter Cowie and writer Jörn Donner, executive producer of Fanny and Alexander, about Smiles of a Summer Night   Original theatrical trailer for Smiles of a Summer Night   Audio commentary for Wild Strawberries featuring film scholar Peter Cowie   Introduction to Wild Strawberries by director Ingmar Bergman   Ingmar Bergman on Life and Work, a ninety-minute documentary by filmmaker and author Jorn Donner   Behind-the-scenes footage for Wild Strawberries shot by Bergman    Introduction for Summer with Monika by director Ingmar Bergman   New interview with actress Harriet Andersson, conducted by film scholar Peter Cowie   New interview with film scholar Eric Schaefer about Kroger Babb and his distribution of Monika, the Story of a Bad Girl! as an exploitation film   Images from the Playground, a half-hour documentary by Stig Björkman featuring behind-the-scenes footage shot for Summer with Monika by Ingmar Bergman, archival audio interviews with Bergman, and new interviews with actresses Bibi Andersson and Harriet Andersson   Trailer for Summer with Monika   Introduction for A Lesson in Love by Ingmar Bergman   Video interview with Ingmar Bergman from 1986   Video interview with Scenes from a Marriage's stars Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson   Video interview with Bergman scholar Peter Cowie comparing the two versions of Scenes from a Marriage   Interviews with director Ingmar Bergman and a brief excerpt from a press conference for Shame, recorded in 1967 and ’68 for Swedish television   New interview with actor Liv Ullmann   An Introduction to Ingmar Bergman, a 1968 documentary made during Shame's production, featuring an extensive interview with Bergman   Daniel, a rarely seen documentary short by Bergman   Karin's Face, a rarely seen documentary short by Bergman   Introduction for Bergman's Trilogy by director Ingmar Bergman   Exploring Bergman's Trilogy: Video discussions with Ingmar Bergman biographer Peter Cowie   Interview from 2012 with actor Harriet Andersson   Original theatrical trailer for Through a Glass Darkly   Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie, a five-part documentary by Vilgot Sjöman made for Swedish television during the production of Winter Light   Original theatrical trailer for Winter Light   Poster gallery for the trilogy films   Original theatrical trailer for The Silence   Audio commentary for The Virgin Spring by Ingmar Bergman scholar Birgitta Steene   Video interviews from 2005 with actors Gunnel Lindblom and Birgitta Pettersson   Introduction for The Virgin Spring by filmmaker Ang Lee   An audio recording of a 1975 American Film Institute seminar by Ingmar Bergman   Introduction to The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman, recorded in 2003   Audio commentary for The Seventh Seal by Bergman expert Peter Cowie   Afterword for The Seventh Seal by Peter Cowie   Bergman Island (2006), an 83-minute documentary on Bergman by Marie Nyrer   Archival audio interview with Max von Sydow   A 1989 tribute to Bergman by filmmaker Woody Allen   Theatrical trailer for The Seventh Seal   Bergman 101, a selected video filmography tracing Bergman   Audio commentary for Sawdust and Tinsel by Bergman scholar Peter Cowie   Video introduction for Sawdust and Tinsel by Ingmar Bergman from 2003   Visual essay for The Magician by Peter Cowie   Brief 1967 video interview with director Ingmar Bergman about The Magician   Rare English-language audio interview with Ingmar Bergman conducted by filmmakers Olivier Assayas and Stig Björkman in 1990   Interview with director Ingmar Bergman recorded in 1974 for Swedish television   New interview with film scholar Peter Cowie about The Magic Flute   Tystnad! Tagning! Trollflöjten! (1975), a feature-length documentary produced for Swedish television about the making of The Magic Flute   Ingmar Bergman, a documentary by Stig Björkman shot on location during the making of The Touch in 1970   Away from Home, excerpts from a 2004 program on The Serpent's Egg, featuring interviews with actors David Carradine and Liv Ullmann, and film historian Marc Gervais   Visual essay on the film’s prologue by Ingmar Bergman scholar Peter Cowie   Interviews from 2013 with actor Liv Ullmann and filmmaker Paul Schrader   Excerpted archival interviews with Ingmar Bergman, Liv Ullmann, and actor Bibi Andersson   On-set footage, with audio commentary by Bergman historian Birgitta Steene   Liv & Ingmar, a 2012 feature documentary directed by Dheeraj Akolkar   Trailer for Persona   Illustrated audio interview with cinematographer Sven Nykvist, recorded in 1981   Introduction for Cries and Whispers by director Ingmar Bergman from 2001   2012 interview with actor Harriet Andersson, conducted by historian Peter Cowie   Behind-the-scenes footage from Cries and Whispers with commentary by Peter Cowie   Ingmar Bergman: Reflections on Life, Death, and Love with Erland Josephson (2000), a fifty-two-minute interview with Bergman and his longtime collaborator   On Solace, a video essay by filmmaker ::kogonada   Trailer for Cries and Whispers   A lavishly illustrated 248-page book, featuring essays on the films by critics, scholars, and authors including Peter Cowie, Alexander Chee, Molly Haskell, Karan Mahajan, Fernanda Solórzano, and many others; selections from Ingmar Bergman’s own writing and remarks on his work; and detailed guides to the feature films and supplements included in the set