Stars: Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, Victor Sjostrom, Max Von Sydow, Max Von Sydow, Gunnar Bjrnstrand

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Summary: WILD STRAWBERRIES is among Ingmar Bergman's most rich and contemplative films, a lyrical reflection on guilt and disappointment in the form of a spiritual journey. The movie stars Victor Sjostrom as Professor Isak Borg, an elderly academic who takes a trip by car from Stockholm to Lund to receive an honorary university degree, accompanied by his daughter-in-law (Ingrid Thulin). Along the way, they meet various passengers who seem to be weighed down by unresolved ethical dilemmas. Meanwhile, Borg's own existential crisis is triggered by dreams and memories in which he is confronted with past disappointments, missed opportunities, and troubled personal relationships with those close to him--his son (Gunnar Bjornstrand), his mother (Naima Wifstrand), and his late wife (Gertrud Fridh). The film features stunning imagery, most notably in the flashback, dream, and nightmare sequences, as well as an outstanding final film performance by Sjostrom (who is also a famed Swedish director of the silent era).<BR>This film was released soon after THE SEVENTH SEAL, which had earned Bergman accolades from film critics and moviegoers the world over. Though similarly challenging and philosophically complex, WILD STRAWBERRIES is often considered the more accessible of the two movies because of its ultimate warmth and affirmation of life.

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Wild Strawberries, Ingmar Bergman's 1957 follow-up to the The Seventh Seal, is a "journey" movie. Victor Sjostrom plays Isak Borg, an elderly retired professor of medicine, setting out by car to the University of Lund to receive a Jubilee doctorate degree. With him on the journey is his daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin). Along the way, they pick up a bickering couple and three hitchhikers, including effervescent sprite Sara (Bibi Andersson). Borg also experiences some troubling and beautifully realised dream sequences, as well as flashbacks evoked by a visit to the country house of his youth. Through these, we learn of Borg's awareness of his imminent demise and his underlying regret that his personal relationships have always been distant and reserved, especially with his wife and son.

With his magnificently aged and infinitely expressive emotional range borne of his years as a silent movie actor, Sjostrom superbly conveys a dawning sense of remorse and self-realisation. However, the performance is almost too good. The central accusation of the film--that the doctor is "utterly cold"--hardly squares with what we see of him on screen. We just have to take Bergman's word for the doctor's past aloofness. Wild Strawberriesis so overpoweringly rich and ruminative a film, however, that what should be a major flaw is reduced to a barely visible crack.

On the DVD:the text-only extras are notes from Bergman's own memoir, in which he discusses his own estrangement from his parents (the autobiographical inspiration for Wild Strawberries) while critic Geoff Andrews' additional comments are helpful. He hails the film as "one of the first great road movies".--David Stubbs

Aspect Ratio:	Full Screen
Main Language:	Swedish
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Star And Director Filmographies, Scene Selection, Geoff Andrew Film Notes, Extract From Bergmans Book Images My Life In Film, The Bergman Collection Trailer
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1957
Release Date:	February 25, 2002
Runtime:	87 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	T V D 3369
Label:	The Bergman Collection
Keywords:	Swedish, Wild, Subtitled, General, Strawberries, Drama, Smultronstallet
Genre:	Drama