Face to Face

Swedish screenwriter, playwright, producer and director Ingmar Bergman`s 37th feature film which he wrote, premiered in USA and was screened Out of competition at the 29th Cannes International Film Festival in 1976. It was shot on locations in Stockholm, Sweden and is a Swedish production which was produced by Swedish production manager and film producer Lars-Owe Carlberg (1923-1988). It tells the story about Jenny Isaksson, a psychiatrist who moves in with her grandparents in the locality of Bollnäs, Sweden after getting a temporary job as a psychiatrist at a psychiatric clinic. While her husband Erik is at a conference in Chicago and her 14-year-old daughter Anna on a horse camp, Jenny goes to a party held by her colleague Hermuth Wankel`s wife Elisabeth. There she meets a doctor named Tomas Jacobi who turns out to be her patient Maria`s half-brother. Jenny and Tomas starts seeing one another and becomes friends, but all of the sudden Jenny begins to have nightmares that lead her into a trauma.Distinctly and acutely directed by Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated from the main character`s point of view, draws a pervasive and involving portrayal of a woman`s relationship with a doctor and her struggle with coming to terms with her childhood and maintaining her sanity while being tormented by unsettling dreams. While notable for its colorful and interior milieu depictions, stellar production design by Swedish production designer Anne Terselius-Hagegård and film producer Peter Kropénin, cinematography by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, editing by Swedish film editor Siv Lundgren, use of sound, use of colors and the music by Estonian-born Swedish concert pianist Käbi Laretei, this character-driven, narrative-driven, existentialistic and at times severe story about an emotionally scarred mother and wife who goes face to face with herself and her agonizing childhood memories, depicts a multifaceted and internal study of character.This at times atmospheric, somewhat surreal and in-depth psychological chamber drama from the latter part of Ingmar Bergman`s career, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, interrelating stories, substantial character development, the versatile and dedicated acting performance by Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann who gained her second Academy Award nomination for this role, the subtle acting performance by Swedish writer and actor Erland Josephson (1923-2012) and the fine supporting acting performances by Swedish actress Sif Ruud (1916-2011) and Swedish actress Aino Taube (1912-1990). A scrutinizing and afflicting modernist character piece which gained, among other awards, the NYFCC Award for Best Actress Liv Ullmann at the 42nd New York Film Critics Circle Awards in 1977, the NBR Award for Best Actress Liv Ullmann and Best Foreign Film at the 49th National Board of Review Awards in 1977 and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 34th Golden Globe Awards in 1976.

This is a good (and quite forgotten/hard to get) film by Master Bergman. It has some wonderful dream sequences and surrealistic elements but is in many ways a traditional Bergman ride (psychological problems because of childhood trauma and so on). Some have compared it to Persona and Hour of the Wolf but that is misleading. It is in no way as surreal as those masterpieces. Liv Ullmann is quite good in it. The film feels a little long drawn at times, even though this is the shorter version (it was originally a 200 minute mini series but was cut down to 135 minutes).Regarding the transfer. It was filmed on 35 mm so it should not be too hard to make a good transfer. Sadly Olive Films have not done their job. The picture quality is weak and the sound is really terrible. It reminds one more of an 80s VHS version than what one would expect today on a DVD. The film has never been published on DVD before and Olive Films are trying to cash in on that fact, counting on Bergman fans to buy it no matter what, since it is so hard to get. Sadly, they are probably right there.So if you can't wait for a better copy then go ahead. If you can then do so. It is bound to come out in a better transfer sooner or later.

I saw this film when it first came out in the 1970s and loved it, as I loved many of Bergman's films, through the 60s and 70s. When he died in the 1980s, world cinema lost its greatest genius. I had certain memories of this film, and thought for a long time that it was totally unavailable in this country. Every time I wrote Criterion Collection with suggestions of what to get rights to and release, FACE TO FACE was on the top of the list. Suddenly, I stumbled across this DVD, and while it's not Criterion quality by any means, it IS an available copy of a film all Bergman fans should see. I still wouldn't at all mind if Criterion (which has released so many Bergman titles and collections) could get the rights to take this on and do it with lots of extras and its standard tender loving care. But at least I got to see it again! DVD quality is by no means awful -- just not what it could be with a really good transfer and some TLC in the DVD/Blu-ray production process.

I fist saw this Bergman masterpiece at Madison,Wisconsin when it first came out. Bergman was still at the height of his powers (but did his powers ever diminish?)and this film gave ample evidence of why he is considered one of the greatest - if no THE greatest - filmmaker of all time. Liv Ullmann, at the height of her powers and beauty, gives a naked (in the psychological sense) peformance that earned her an Oscar nomination. Then the film vanished and although virtually every film Bergaman ever made is out on DVD, this is the first time FACE TO FACE has appeared. I had hoped the Criterion people would have got hold of this one and, perhaps, issued the original Swedish TV version along with the movie, as it did with FANNY AND ALEXANDER. This release will have to do. Hopefully, this will be the subtitled version and not the abysmal dubbed version.

I've long been an avid fan of Ingmar, Liv, Erland, Gunnar, Harriet, Max, Bibi etc. etc...but, while I admire the incredible acting and screen craft here, I do have misgivings about the very end of this film. As someone who has been suicidal several times while mentally ill, it doesn't quite work like that.It's a shame because what precedes it is excellent. Particularly Liv's contribution.I expect a very high standard from Ingmar. This one doesn't conclude authentically (I refuse to give the ending away!). Or was it all indeed a dream?

At least this masterwork by Bergman is available on DVD. The questions dealing with the quality of the transfer appear to be irrelevant. Of course it is not a high definition DVD, and this is originally a film done for the Swedish television in 1975, but fortunately one could also see it on a larger screen in the last seventies (in France) and I remember the first time I saw it more than 35 years ago. That was a shock, and it remains one. The performance of Liv Ullmann is definitely overwhelming and terrifying, may be in her best one among her breathtaking roles in other film by Bergman. The movie itself questions about love, death, illness, depression and "how death and love permeate each other" as written in the English subtitles. Bergman plays with light and dark in a magical way. Close-up shots emphasize the drama. The only small technique critic about this DVD is the chosen 16:9 format whereas the original was not so wide. Anyway, this is the first time I can watch this movie in such good conditions. One can evoke here Woody Allen who pays homage to "Face to Face" in "Annie Hall" in his own way. To summarize, if you don't know this movie, please seize the opportunity to discover it. You will not regret this human experience which talks about the essential question of life. Thank you Bergman and deep respect for Liv Ullmann.

Another intriguing look at a shattered mirror warped by the minds ability to bend itself into the will of its own confusion. Another love story thrown into the wisps of human emotionA fascinating film you'll want to revisit

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