MUBI

Marriage and human interaction have always been a key theme in the films of Ingmar Bergman, but nowhere in his canon is it so scrutinized, so emotionally dissected, than it is here in this landmark series, made for Swedish television in 1973, where it galvanized and hypnotized a national audience for five consecutive weeks. Bergman regulars Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson give the performances of their careers as a husband and wife who appear happy during the film’s initial interview phase, but as the scenes progress, as Josephson reveals an affair, and years of frustration and unhappiness, the façade crumbles, leaving two people that, although highly compatible, and still in love, find it next to impossible to carry on a binding relationship without physical and emotional attacks. Criterion’s brilliant box set features both the original five part television series (my preferred viewing), and Bergman’s painstakingly edited American theatrical release, which is just as good, but cuts crucial scenes that further illuminates the revelatory work of Josephson and the amazing Liv Ullmann, whose face is our gateway into the joy and incredible pain of a strenuous emotional partnership.