Fanny och Alexander (1982)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (written by)

Release Date:

17 June 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

En film av Ingmar Bergman

Plot:

The title characters are children in the exuberant and colorful Ekdahl household in a Swedish town early in the twentieth century...

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Bishop | Theater | Period Piece | Dinner

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Pernilla Allwin	...	Ekdahlska huset - Fanny Ekdahl
Bertil Guve	...	Ekdahlska huset - Alexander Ekdahl
Börje Ahlstedt	...	Ekdahlska huset - Carl Ekdahl
Allan Edwall	...	Ekdahlska huset - Oscar Ekdahl
Ewa Fröling	...	Ekdahlska huset - Emilie Ekdahl
Gunn Wållgren	...	Ekdahlska huset - Helena Ekdahl (as Gun Wållgren)
Jarl Kulle	...	Ekdahlska huset - Gustav Adolf Ekdahl
Jan Malmsjö	...	Biskopsgården - Bishop Edvard Vergerus
Christina Schollin	...	Ekdahlska huset - Lydia Ekdahl
Kerstin Tidelius	...	Biskopsgården - Henrietta Vergerus
Emelie Werkö	...	Ekdahlska huset - Jenny Ekdahl
Marianne Aminoff	...	Biskopsgården - Blenda Vergérus
Sonya Hedenbratt	...	Ekdahlska huset - Aunt Emma
Svea Holst	...	Ekdahlska huset - Miss Ester
Kristina Adolphson	...	Ekdahlska huset - Siri

Also Known As:

Fanny and Alexander (UK) (USA)
Fanny et Alexandre (France)
Fanny und Alexander (West Germany)

Runtime:

188 min | Sweden:312 min (director's cut)

Country:

Sweden | France | West Germany

Language:

Swedish | German | Yiddish | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:T | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Norway:16 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Europa Studios, Bromma, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Cinematograph AB

Trivia:

Peter Stormare makes an uncredited appearance as one of the men helping Isak with the trunk.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The movie is set around 1905, as can be seen from the "contract" that Gustav Adolf gave Maj early in the movie, but Edvard tells Emilie that he heard that the universe is expanding. Slipher discovered the red shifts in some nebulae/galaxies in 1912, an observation that suggests that these objects are moving away from us; Hubble's law of the expanding universe was published in 1929; and the big bang theory become popular in the 1950s.

Quotes:

Ekdahlska huset - Alexander Ekdahl: [to his stepfather] Alexander does not wish the Bishop a good night.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Oi treis harites: Antistrofi metrisi" (1991)

Probably Bergman's best

Although I have disliked Bergman's earlier films and thought they were by far too overrated, that did not apply to this film. I saw the director's-cut version, over five hours. A little long, yes, and there is not much music, but it's not slow, like Tarkovsky's films can be.

The opening is great, and the first act, the first one and a half hour, was the part I liked the very most. The realism is utter, so is the casting; the best acting I have seen in a Swedish film, it's amazing. I can't complain about any actor, they were all extremely good. So is the dialog. Alexander had a typical upper class look, so did his grandmother, who looked extremely fresh and healthy and beautiful, for her age. All together, the language and milieus are very credible. No over-colorful costumes and silly dialogs, that is such a frequent element nowadays in historical plays, especially from America.

Bergman succeeds to capture the customs and behavior that were used (and to some extent still is used) within the Swedish upper class, as well as general Swedish customs and behavior. I know this, because I am familiar with it and have partly experienced it myself. The result is sometimes amazing. Bergman succeeds to capture the atmosphere of the old times, through language and decoration. The photo is at time dazzling; some scenes are identical to 19th century Swedish painting, and I get the thought that Bergman turned to these in search for the right setting of the film.

Unlike early works by Bergman, which tend to be somewhat theatrical, the keyword here is realism, which I appreciate greatly. The actors manage, like I said, to speak and play in a way that I feel was customary at that period of time. It might be too much to claim this work to be a Swedish Tarkovsky film, but I sensed it had some philosophical material, and it is definitely thoughtful. Otherwise, I think it is worth watching for the acting and dialog alone.

One of the best Swedish films ever made, and Bergman's best, in my opinion. (9/10)