Nattvardsgästerna (1962)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

11 December 1962 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

On a cold winter's Sunday, the pastor of a small rural church (Tomas Ericsson) performs service for...

Plot Keywords:

Faith | Winter | Priest | Existentialism | Religion

Cast

Ingrid Thulin	...	Märta Lundberg, Schoolteacher
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	Tomas Ericsson, Pastor
Gunnel Lindblom	...	Karin Persson
Max von Sydow	...	Jonas Persson
Allan Edwall	...	Algot Frövik, Sexton
Kolbjörn Knudsen	...	Knut Aronsson, Warden
Olof Thunberg	...	Fredrik Blom, Organist
Elsa Ebbesen	...	Magdalena Ledfors, Widow

Also Known As:

Winter Light (International: English title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Dalarnas län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

When she saw the completed film, Ingmar Bergman's then wife Kabi Laretei said, "Yes, Ingmar, it's a masterpiece. But it's a dreary masterpiece."

Quotes:

Algot Frövik, Sexton: The passion of Christ, his suffering... Wouldn't you say the focus on his suffering is all wrong?
Tomas Ericsson, Pastor: What do you mean?
Algot Frövik, Sexton: This emphasis on physical pain. It couldn't have been all that bad. It may sound presumptuous of me - but in my humble way, I've suffered as much physical pain as Jesus. And his torments were rather brief. Lasting some four hours, I gather? I feel that he was tormented far worse on an other level...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Riisuttu mies (2006)

Keep some hot coffee or tea nearby.

"Winter Light" (Swedish, 1962): Just prepare yourself. Bergman is at his depressive best here. If you've ever lived in an environment that is perpetually cold, wet, and gray, you'll understand. If not, well, this film will illustrate it for you. A preacher, in serious depression himself, is losing his flock. His flock has rampant depression too. He tries to help, but it's useless. He starts looking for answers from them. No one has answers. Things happen. Nothing happens. It's the same old thing today, and tomorrow. This film requires patience. Expect no action. Even a scene change begins to seem like excitement – which is exactly what Bergman wanted for you. One scene, in which a major character "narrates" a letter she wrote to the preacher, is amazing. With a blank background, she stares into the lens of the camera, and talks "at" you – for pages. What a gutsy thing to do in a MOVING PICTURE. Avoid this film if you want more than thinking and feeling as results.