the main problem with this film is the egregiously miscast carradine .bergman was disconcerted by his opaque and disconnected behaviour and night owl habits[he did learn his lines though] carradines performance bertrayed an absence of insight into his character ,which was compounded by his uneasy on film bond with the other actors.[the fact is, liv ullmans english was not that great]
Oh man…. this is the only Bergman film I think I dislike…. I felt Bergman was trying to make a “different” kind of movie… more plot-driven and literal….. but I didn’t feel it was a success, somehow…
It may sound awful, but I can never quite take any of the Carradine brothers seriously….
so there you go, it really was carradine’s fault
I agree with David…..only Bergman film I have seen that i have not loved let alone liked.
I found everything about it unmemorable.
I don’t think it is as bad as To Joy. And I actually enjoyed the premise of the couple being used as geniea pigs.
to joy ,despite its melodramatic conclusion,is the first important semi autobiographical study of bergman the temperamental artist[stig olin is always an edgy joy]
Lia,
No offense but zzzZZZzzzzZZzzz
I think Thirst is more representative than To Joy.
I also thought it pretty awful, the only Bergman I have disliked out of the 6 I have seen. It’s not just David Carridine either, it’s everything it just does not feel in any way like a Bergman film it’s poorly crafted, has a bad screenplay and is generally just sloppy as hell – only good thing I have to say is most of it looked pretty nice.
I view The Serpent’s Egg as Bergman’s take on Italian horror, messily wrapped in pre-Nazi atrocities. And as such, it’s moderately successful.
Count me among those who like the film, and think it may be slightly underrated. I’m no Bergman devotee and I haven’t seen more than a handful of his films, so maybe that has something to do with it. I didn’t carry the baggage of Bergman expectations before going to see this film.
I felt like there was something ticking under the surface of the film. Some sort of prescient critique. I really loved the metaphor of the serpent’s egg. It worked on a lot of levels for me.
I rate it too – it engaged all of me. The scene near the end showing the experiment on a woman and a screaming baby was for me one of those rare moments when a film shifts one’s view of humanity – albeit along a much darker axis. Does anyone know if these ‘experiments’ were based on fact at all? I sincerely hope not, but can’t help but be fascinated.
johnny
i love this movie. it has everything that appeals to me: bergman, 1930s germany, kafkaesque horror, and david carradine.
i can’t understand the hatred. it’s creepy, the color schemes and sets are awesome…
but i do admit the ending was like… what the fuck?
“and he was never seen again” the end.
those like 30 seconds of the movie almost seemed like joke, but other than that… possibly my favorite bergman.