PASSION OF ANNA (DVD/SPECIAL E/1969/WS/1.66:1/SWEDISH W/ENG-FR-SP-SUB) DVD

The Passion of Anna
Liv Ullmann plays the widowed, crippled Anna Fromm, who while traveling on a remote island calls upon reclusive ex-convict Andreas (Max von Sydow) in order to use his telephone. After Anna leaves, Andreas discovers she's left her purse behind; he opens it, hoping to find some identification. A letter in the purse details Anna's unhappy marriage and the depths of her loneliness. Eventually, Anna moves in with Andreas, who has become more closely acquainted with her through the intervention of Anna's friends Ellis and Evan Vergerus (Bibi Andersson and Erland Josephson). But tensions and conflicts ensue, and threaten to destroy the burgeoning relationship between Anna and Andreas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Liv Ullmann as Anna Bibi Andersson as Eva Max von Sydow as Andreas Erland Josephson as Elis Erik Hell as Johan Andersson Sigge Fuerst as Verner

Crew Mago - Costume Designer Ingmar Bergman - Director Siv Kanalv - Editor Siv Lundgren - Editor Cecilia Drott - Makeup P.A. Lundgren - Production Designer Sven Nykvist - Cinematographer Lars-Owe Carlberg - Producer Ulf Nordholm - Special Effects Ingmar Bergman - Screenwriter

The Passion of Anna
One of Ingmar Bergman's underrated chamber dramas, The Passion of Anna is basically a four-hander featuring a quartet of Bergman stalwarts, most importantly Liv Ullmann. Bergman's script pits her Anna and Max von Sydow's Andreas against each other, as two characters trying to outlive the damage they've done to themselves in the past. Anna is crippled from an accident which killed her husband and son, and Andreas is an ex-con; both retreat from the world by seeking refuge on an island. Guilt and regret gnaw at them, and they begin to see in the bourgeois lives of their mutual friends, Ellis and Evan (Bibi Andersson and Erland Josephson), something they might enjoy together. But Anna and Andreas' coming together proves only momentarily comforting and ultimately destructive, as Andreas knows more about Anna's past than she realizes. When the two quarrel and he uses that knowledge against her, the effect is devastating on them. Bergman's inclusion of a subplot, in which a loner on the island is falsely accused of vandalism and commits suicide under pressure from the community, reinforces the theme of isolation. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
 

National Board of Review, Best Foreign Film (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: Spanish Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: Brand-new film transfer presented in the original aspect ratio Original story reading by Elliott Gould "Disintegration of Passion" featurette On-camera interviews with Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, and Erland Josephson Audio commentary by Ingmar Bergman biographer Marc Gervais Photo gallery Original theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1: Vistavision MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 101 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Main Title/Disrepair [5:16] 2. Anna Come and Gone [4:13] 3. Max's Views on Andreas [1:06] 4. Dear Anna [3:20] 5. A Dog's Life [3:27] 6. Believers at Dinner [6:10] 7. A History of Catastrophes [4:10] 8. In Drunken Silence [5:38] 9. Liv's Views on Anna [:48] 10. Unloved and Neglected [10:16] 11. Never Any Children [5:22] 12. Cruelty to Animals [4:38] 13. Sharing Andreas [2:47] 14. Anna's Marriage [6:14] 15. Life Under Suspicion [2:00] 16. A Defenseless Creature [2:58] 17. Bibi's Views on Eva [1:27] 18. Warnings Underneath [4:06] 19. Andersson's "Confession" [6:45] 20. Cancer of the Soul [3:29] 21. A Humiliating Failure [4:20] 22. Erland's Views on Elis [:41] 23. The End Is Near [5:16] 24. Return to Solitude [6:07]