692. Fanny och Alexander

Fanny och Alexander
Fanny and Alexander
1982
Directed by Ingmar Bergman

For some reason I deluded myself into thinking we were done with Bergman.  I really thought he was out of my life.  Well, today he came crashing back into it, bringing with him a three hour long Christmas movie.  Fortunately, it wasn't quite as dull as I was expecting.

After the death of their father, Fanny and Alexander are forced to move in with their mother's new husband, a tyrannical bishop.  He is only slightly less creepy than Robert Mitchum.  It is obvious that Bergman was heavily influenced by Charles Dickens; the spanking scene seemed like it was right out of David Twist.

Was this supposed to be insanely creepy?  I feel like I keep saying this, so maybe I am getting soft in my old age.  But man, how fucked up was that ending?  And when the statue beckoned to Alexander?  If these directors are trying to get me to pee my pants they are getting dangerously close.  I did enjoy this more than previous Bergman entries, but why did it have to be so long?  Apparently the tv miniseries was even longer.  By the end of hour two I was just ready to say goodbye to these characters, especially the spineless wife.

Still, at least now I can finally point to a Bergman I kind of, sort of enjoyed.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

The first draft of the script contained 1,000 handwritten pages.

Bergman shot 24 hours of footage.