The
Virgin Spring
(1960/Criterion Collection Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: B
Max
Von Sydow stars in Ingmar Bergman's The
Virgin Spring
(1960) that now gets the deluxe treatment on Blu-ray disc thanks to
the good people at Criterion in advance of a massive Blu-ray box set
the label is issuing in late 2018 to celebrate the director's
centennial. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language
Film in its year of release, the film is a bit of a downer but is
important to cinema history regardless.
The
story is set in a darker time in medieval Sweden (the 14th
Century) innocent virgin girl Karin (Birgitta Pettersson) and her
family's pregnant servant are sent to send candles to a church. On
the way, the women get attacked and raped (one dying) very ugly all
around, but then an unexpected twist happens with profound
ramifications. All the while, the film is a commentary on paganism
and Christianity in this time period.
At
this point, Bergman was a huge international success, breaking wide
with Smiles
On A Summer Night
(1955), The
Seventh Seal
and Wild
Strawberries
(both 1957), all classics that assured that all of his future
theatrical films for the rest of his career were considered not just
his latest films, but major events that would deliver a major,
personal, groundbreaking vision of life and living few directors
would ever achieve. That has him in powerful form early on and this
became his next classic.
The
Virgin Spring
is presented in 1080p high definition with its original 1.37:1 full
frame aspect ratio in black and white. Remastered in 2K from its
original film elements, the sound mix is an uncompressed monaural
soundtrack that captures the film like never before and offers
remarkable playback that fans and even non-fans will be shocked by.
The film looks magnificent here on Blu-ray and is a definite must for
Bergman fans or film scholars.
Special
Features include...
Audio
commentary from 2005 by Ingmar Bergman scholar Birgitta Steene
Interviews
from 2005 with actors Gunnel Lindblom and Birgitta Pettersson
Introduction
by filmmaker Ang Lee from 2005
Audio
recording of a 1975 American Film Institute seminar by Bergman
Alternate
English-dubbed soundtrack
PLUS:
A booklet featuring essays by the great film scholar Peter Cowie and
screenwriter Ulla Isaksson and the medieval ballad on which the film
is based
Cover
by Eric Skillman
If
you're a fan of the film, then you'll definitely enjoy this release,
so in advance of more Bergman Blu-rays, including two excellent
earlier films of Bergman's. We not only recommend Criterion's
amazing Blu-ray of Autumn
Sonata,
but their Blu-ray releases of Summer
Interlude
and Summer
With Monika,
both covered at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11767/Summer+Interlude+(1951)/Summer+With+Monika
Also
try our coverage of Criterion's Blu-ray of Bergman's Cries and
Whispers here...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13448/Cries+and+Whispers+(1972/Criterion+Blu-ray)/A
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
