When a director is as critically revered and steeped in acclaim as Ingmar Bergman it can be difficult to know where to begin: viewers are faintly aware that they should like his work but often find the film presented to them leaving tinges of disappointment. When expectations are high, the reality can often be something of a let down. Fortunately, Wild Strawberries does not invest such feelings. The story of an old doctor’s journey with his daughter-in-law to collect an honorary degree for 50 years service to his profession, it is a journey full of introspection, of enquiries into youth and age, and of dreams of the past and present. At its base level, it is a film of life and death.
Its meditation on the need for relationships between human beings – explored through the different relationships presented on screen between father and son, husband and wife, brother and sister etc. – are familiar (and thus accessible) to all. Not here are there the artistic pretensions that can make a film ambiguous and hence not enjoyable. The performances, especially from silent-film star Victor Sjöström as the old doctor, lend an air of grace to a sumptuous film that is rich in allegory and symbolism.
A friend of a friend used to finish every film they watched with what became a nonchalant catchphrase – “It was all right, but it’s no Wild Strawberries”. I don’t think the film is quite that good, but I do believe it to be an elegant, accessible starting point for viewers interested in art-house cinema.
by Rich Watts | Source: Tartan Video DVD
10 Jun 2005 11:10 AM | Submit Comment