Tystnaden
As a result, I am totally into movies again these days, even though I barely watch any. Just thinking about them makes me crazy and happy, despite the fact that I haven’t actually seen a lot of good movies lately. I was quite ecstatic about “I Vitelloni”, but from what I wrote into my own blogpost, the film has a few weaknesses and would, without a doubt, never make it onto my top film lists. Maybe what I need to do is to revisit a few old movies, to convince myself of their goodness again. In fact, it’s been awhile since I saw “The Dreamers”, something that necessitates a re-evaluation every year.
Everything else besides “I Vitelloni” was a disappointment. Most likely this is because I have a tendency to watch other movies by some directors I already know. In the case of Rohmer, “Le genou de Claire” was fun but not half as good as “Ma nuit chez Maud”, Rohmer’s masterpiece (probably). “Körkarlen” was indescribably disappointing, and “Marionetten” can never be as good as “Scenes from a Marriage”. Last time I saw a surprisingly good film (“The Big Year”) was in Japan – and it feels like that was ages ago, plus it’s not exactly a film I would recommend.
“Tystnaden” is a must-see, perhaps the only important Bergman I have yet to touch apart from “Winter Light”. In fact, it is the only film which appears both on Shii’s as well as on 314’s list of favorite films. Unlike Shii and myself, or Pixelmatsch and myself, those two have practically independent tastes, so I take it as an extraordinarily strong recommendation. According to the 1000 Films list, “Persona” is Bergman’s best film, followed by “The Seventh Seal” and “Wild Strawberries”. I think the latter is my favorite, and I would place both “Fanny and Alexander” and “Scenes from a Marriage” much higher. However, the people who write the 1000 Films website put “Tystnaden” into a lower category, behind the likes of “Saraband”, “The Virgin Spring” and “Through a Glass Darkly”, even behind “Smiles of a Summer Night”.
I agree with them. As much as “I Vitelloni” resonated with me for unknown reasons, “Tystnaden” didn’t. I don’t think I failed to understand the movie (or perhaps I did?) but I know that I fail to understand its appeal. Why would anyone like this movie? Why do two people whose tastes I value highly independently put this film onto their favorite movie lists? It’s sad that I don’t get it. To me, it lacks the interesting premise of “Persona” and the redemption of “Wild Strawberries”, the smart dialogue from “Scenes from a Marriage” or even “Aus dem Leben der Marionetten”. More than anything else, the movie looked like a better “Cries and Whispers” to me. Both films deal with these family members who misunderstand each other and hate others for being different – gähn. “Tystnaden” owes its fairly high ranking almost entirely to its beautiful visuals, and the fact that it seems more meaningful than “Cries and Whispers” does. I liked the little boy and his interaction with the theater troupe, the butler who is probably the only character in the story who seems to be capable of human feelings (much like “Cries and Whispers” where it is also a servant who truly takes care of others) and the wonderful hotel the whole story is set in. The image of the film, quite masterfully shot, remains in my memory. But apart from that I think Tarkovsky is the only director where I accept the attribute “sparse dialogue”. Everybody else please write a nice script, or otherwise I will be bored.
I have a hard time expressing my disagreement in tastes with others, even when it’s, say, Shii. I tend to think that it must be me who is strange for not liking something. In this case it is even worse, because I am completely unable to understand the other party. I would love to hear about it, but apart from that I find it fortunate that the film was only roughly 90 minutes long.
But apart from that I think Tarkovsky is the only director where I accept the attribute “sparse dialogue”. Everybody else please write a nice script, or otherwise I will be bored.
lmao i love this. <3
on a different not: i do not watch films right now.
its sad to not have something like netflix here in israel, and frankly i kinda don’t like watching most things on my laptop. like, unless it is something uber-rare like Utopia, which basically only exists in some kind of bad quality rip on the web, i will of course watch it.
i am saturating my need with well produced entertaining american TV-shows these days (as you might have noticed LMAO) and i must say that i am fully satisfied. until i once again live in a place where they have something like the filmmuseum in munich, i think i am putting my cinephile on hiatus!
Actually, as soon as I read your post on Cries and Whispers I knew Tystnaden wouldn’t be your cup of tea either. They are the same kind of Bergman.
For me, Tystnaden doesn’t have the unquestionable importance of Scenes of a Marriage, which I regularly quote with people with whom I have interesting conversations. Here it’s more the emotional level that stands out. I should find good abbreviations for people too (Who is 314 btw? :D), but I guess you know with whom I immediately associate every single of the few sentences that’re said in this film – and especially Ester of course.
So apart from that, what’s so good about Tystnaden objectively? (= Which superlatives can I give the movie, so it justifies its entry into my favorites?):
1. It may not be Bergman’s masterpiece, but his best achievement in directing. There are so, so many details, if you look close enough. For example he wrote every word in all of the newspapers you see in the movie himself.
2. The ending is probably one of the best things Bergman has done. That Ester gives the little boy “words in the foreign language” before she dies, is amazingly beautiful. When I thought about the language motif throughout the film, the film’s goodness struck me. :D I can’t really remember what I thought of though (which, then again, means the film didn’t impress me all that much) – maybe I should keep a blog?
@Gorp: Move to Vienna! :D The Filmmuseum here is awesome.
@Gorp: Time for me to catch up with your cinephilia! XXXD <3 Okay, actually I believe that it is absolutely impossible. XD
I’m not surprised that you succumbed to TV shows! Actually everybody I know did. :D I also haven’t had a chance to tell you that I am sooo addicted to Mad Men now. I can’t wait to get up to date with it…
I totally understand what you mean with watching stuff on laptops. For me it depends on the movie, and that is strange because I still don’t really know why. Most silent movies work better on a bigger screen, whereas most other older movies work well on any screen. Some heavily visual movies are beautiful no matter how large or small the screen is, some only work on a large in a dark room and preferably laughing people. And then there are movies like “To be or not to be” or “One Two Three” which transcend everything. XD
@Shii:
On Cries and Whispers: Yeah… they are practically the same movie, just looking a little different. Without a doubt, Tystnaden looks much better.
On Scenes of a Marriage: I would not know how to quote the film, except for “You can attribute anything to anyone” (or so) because you have previously used it to give me a nice compliment. ;) And I actually thought the film was quite emotional – their words and actions transport it. It is perhaps THE movie on marriage, even though it is dated and its characters represent stereotypical gender roles.
Also… no I don’t. Who is Ester? XD
On 1. Yes, the details are great. In fact, the fictional language is perhaps the best idea in the film, and I am quite in love with it. It is especially interesting with respect to the boy, imho the best character in the film.
On 2. Why? What’s the beauty about it? And yes, of course you should keep a blog. You HAVE one. :D
Any 3XX number is someone who was in Paris, and since 314 is the only film buff amongst them and one of the few I am still in contact with, he is the only person who appears there. :)
On Vienna: Most European cities probably have a nice Filmmuseum, even Philadelphia has some arthouse cinemas (where I have never been). But I don’t think I would ever move somewhere because of its movie theaters. The Stummfilmfestival in Berlin was an eye-opener though – ahhhh!