The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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Taken from a classic Swedish folk ballad, THE VIRGIN SPRING follows the daughter of a wealthy family who sets off on horseback through the woods to deliver votive candles to the church. Along the path, she is stopped by three goatherds, who proceed to rape and kill her. The murderers mistakenly seek refuge from the cold within her father's house, and upon learning of their misdeeds, the broken Christian takes his revenge against the men and then throws himself before God for forgiveness. Ingmar Bergman's transcendental tale of faith and forgiveness may be a minor footnote in his brilliant career, however it is still an excellent film for cineasts to deconstruct and discuss.

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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THE VIRGIN SPRING is built on dualities, both in style and in theme. Bergman contrasts light and dark, good and evil, faith and disbelief, civilization and savagery. His poetic symbolism finds religious iconography in everything down to the elemental forms of fire and water. The sweet, innocent Karin is also exceedingly vain and selfish. Elegant scenes of beauty are placed beside the horrible acts of rape and murder. There is a purposefulness with which Bergman defies the camera, using uneven compositions while turning away from his most emotionally-charged scenes to demonstrate the frailty and imperfection in mankind.

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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Although THE VIRGIN SPRING professes an undying devotion to God, it is also, in essence, a very godless picture. This is best evidenced by Tore's soliloquy in the end:

"You see it, God. You see it. The innocent child's death, and my revenge. You allowed it. I don't understand You. I don't understand You. Yet, I still ask your forgiveness. I know no other way to live."

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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These words spoken by a grieving father in an open field with his back to the world. He is alone. How often is this question asked in times of war and despair? How can a loving God stand idly by in the face of death and destruction? Bergman constantly questions the proposition of faith. The themes resonate with the audience, and they leave a lasting effect. As Karin's body is removed from the ditch, a bubbling spring forms where her head once laid, and each of her family members wash themselves of their sins in its waters, forming a cross in a final moment of resolve. This is obviously meant to suggest that God has granted his forgiveness, thereby delivering a sound moralistic ending to the tragic tale.

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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Above all else, it is Bergman's decisive timing that sets the film apart. Having been profoundly influenced by the work of Akira Kurosawa, Bergman deliberately slows his pace, and plays out many scenes with little or no dialog. It seems like an infinity as Tore contemplates his actions, set before the three villains with blade in hand. The tension runs deeper than his knife. Max von Sydow provides enough expressiveness in his performance as to eliminate the need for an excessive outpour, and the wide-eyed awakening of the goatherds is enough to affirm their guilt.

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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THE VIRGIN SPRING would receive a renewed interest from the unlikeliest of sources in the 1970's, when an unknown director named Wes Craven would produce one of cinema's most shocking exploitation films of all-time based on Bergman's work. THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT pits two unexpecting teens against a group of vicious criminals, who rape and kill the girls in graphic detail and nauseating realism before they are slain by one of the girl's parents. Craven's film is far more nihilistic, throwing out any chance for redemption in a downturn ending that reflects the political unease of the time.

Along with WILD STRAWBERRIES and THE SEVENTH SEAL, Ingmar Bergman's THE VIRGIN SPRING continues to stand the test of time as a classic in art house cinema.

I Like Horror Movies

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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Legendary Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman's probable precursor to Wes Craven's notorious 1972 shocker 'The Last House on the Left' is a far more compelling and emotionally draining film that adroitly and continuously switches the viewers sentiments up until the despondent, tranquil and haunting ending. While one minute the viewer is laughing along with the youthful, if naïve, exuberance of the young Karin (Birgitta Petterssen), the following minute will encourage different emotions as Bergman plunges the viewer into the middle of a nightmarish crime perpetrated by nothing less than the evil inside man. Although the portrayals of the acts committed in 'The Virgin Spring' are far less graphic than the modern viewer may have become accustomed to, they still retain an immense power to horrify as one cannot ignore the great lengths Bergman has gone to in order to give his characters a base in order to harden the impact of what we see. With just the simplest of dialogue, the viewer continues to learn about the relationships and personalities of each of the characters so that we may appreciate the consequences and, in some ways, forgive the actions that we see. This film is, after all, a tale of morality and repentance and therefore, even while in some cases the actions may be evil, it is necessary to accept the goodness that is still there. This thought is made no clearer than during the solemn and subdued final scene which fades out abruptly and leaves the viewer in a state of quiet reflection.

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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Bergman's pacing and subtle direction which at one point leaves the viewer in suspense for what seems like an eternity is surely the reason for the greatness of this film. As if he were playing chess, he manipulates not only the characters, but the emotions of the viewers with intelligent and surprising maneuvers while pressing home his own sentiments regarding the story so that we may at least take into great consideration the events that we have seen. Bergman has an amazing ability to flip the atmosphere of a movie in a split second using various lighting and camera angle techniques as well as motivating his performers to follow suit. The simple expression changes on the faces of Birgitta Petterssen, Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg and Gunnel Lindblom at various points throughout the film quickly alter the mindset of the viewer and indicate that all is not well; so beautiful in undeniable simplicity.

'The Virgin Spring' is nothing short of a masterpiece and a film that few will be able to forget.

IMDB Reviewer

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The Virgin Spring (1960) [The Criterion Collection #321] [Repost]

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Special Features:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Audio commentary by Ingmar Bergman scholar Birgitta Steene
- New video interviews with actresses Gunnel Lindblom and Birgitta Pettersson
- Introduction by filmmaker Ang Lee
- An audio recording of a 1975 American Film Institute seminar by Bergman
- Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- A 28-page booklet featuring essays by film scholar Peter Cowie and screenwriter Ulla Isaksson, the medieval ballad on which the film is based, and a letter from Bergman on the film’s controversial rape scene