VIRGIN SPRING (DVD) (SWEDISH W/OPT ENG SUB) DVD

The Virgin Spring
Inspired by a medieval Swedish ballad, Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukallan) begins with a scene of unspeakable brutality and ends with an image of uncommon beauty. 15-year-old Birgitta Peterson, on her way to church to light candles for the Virgin Mary, is raped and murdered by two older men. The men look for shelter at the home of Birgitta's father (Max Von Sydow), who murders the bestial killers in cold blood. When the deed is done, Von Sydow, a deeply religious man, begins to question the efficacy of a God that would allow his daughter's death, then permit so bloody a retribution. Then, a fresh, virgin spring bubbles from the ground where his daughter had been lying a few moments before. Taking this natural phenonenon as a sign from above, Von Sydow vows to erect a church on the spot where Birgitta met her doom. The winner of the "best foreign picture" Academy Award, The Virgin Spring currently exists in several versions of varying lengths; the longest, and most graphic, is the original Swedish cut. Believe it or not, this hauntingly beautiful film served as the basis of The Last House on the Left (1972). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Max von Sydow as Herr Tore Birgitta Valberg as Mareta Tore Brigitta Pettersson as Karin Tore Birgitta Pettersson as Karin Gunnel Lindblom as Ingeri Axel Duberg as Thin Herdsman Tor Isedal as Mute Herdsman Allan Edwall as Beggar Ove Porath as Boy Axel Slangus as Bridge Keeper Gudrun Brost as Frida Oscar Ljung as Simon Leif Forstenberg as Farm-hand

Crew P.A. Lundgren - Art Director Marik Vos-Lundh - Costume Designer Lenn Hjortzberg - First Assistant Director Ingmar Bergman - Director Oscar Rosander - Editor Eric Nordgren - Composer (Music Score) Sven Nykvist - Cinematographer Allan Ekelund - Producer Ingmar Bergman - Producer

The Virgin Spring
One of Bergman's simplest yet most powerful films, it fuses medieval Christianity with paganism in its enactment of rituals sacred and profane. Eschewing all but the most basic of symbols, the director roots his tale of death and transfiguration in the natural world, implying the unruly force of both instinctive human drives and the primitive beliefs that held sway long before the arrival of the Christian faith embraced by the family of Max Von Sydow's farmer. Bergman sketches the small joys and petty jealousies of the family with a bold economy, including some nasty foreshadowing in the prank played by spiteful servant Ingeri (Gunnel Lindblom) on the slightly spoiled daughter, Karin (Birgitta Pettersson). The director orchestrates the confrontation of her innocence and the shepherds' brutality with the utmost care and deliberateness, in fashioning a scene of sexual assault all the more disturbing for its naturalism. In the film's most indelible moment, Karin's mother leans back in frozen horror as one of the rapists unwittingly offers her the girl's bloodstained garment. But Von Sydow is the focal point here, a man of deep faith and strict self-discipline, he's shocked both by a God who would allow such a tragedy to befall him and by his own transgression, in savagely dispatching his daughter's murderers. In a denouement that restores the farmer's belief, Bergman pays tribute to the simple faith of the medieval world. While the flawless acting of the director's stock company and the outstanding work of Sven Nykvist is almost too familiar to require mention, the film's fortress-like set is particularly noteworthy in its evocation of an entirely foreign world. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

Marik Vos-Lundh: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Black and White Costume Design (nominated)

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Foreign Language Film (winner) Golden Globe, Best Foreign Film (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: New, restored high-definition digital transfer Audio commentary by Ingmar Bergman scholar Birgitta Steene Introduction by filmmaker Ang Lee New video interviews with actresses Gunnel Lindblom and Birgitta Pettersson An audio recording of a 1975 American Film Institute seminar by Ingmar Bergman Optional English-dubbed soundtrack New and improved English subtitle translation A 28-page booklet featuring essays by film scholar Peter Cowie and screenwriter Ulla Isaksson, the medieval ballad on which the film is based, and a letter from Bergman on the film's controversial rape scene DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 89 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Virgin Spring 1. Ingeri [3:49] 2. Prayers and Morning Chores [5:47] 3. A Malicious Gesture [1:58] 4. Spoiled Karin [6:26] 5. Traveling to Church [4:32] 6. Karin and Ingeri [4:06] 7. The Old Man in the Woods [4:17] 8. Three Goatherds [3:30] 9. Princess Karin [2:13] 10. Tragedy [7:01] 11. Keeping Watch [1:43] 12. Hospitality [7:58] 13. Frightening Words [4:31] 14. Märeta Worries [5:09] 15. The Truth/Ingeri's Confession [4:50] 16. Preparations [3:53] 17. Töre's Revenge [9:14] 18. Journey to the Site [3:21] 19. Töre's Vow [2:38] 20. The Virgin Spring [2:28] 1. Paganism and Christianity [3:49] 2. Ingeri [5:47] 3. Adapting the Ballad [1:58] 4. A Psychological Framework [6:26] 5. Family Dynamics/Cinematography [4:32] 6. Believability [4:06] 7. Religious Practices [4:17] 8. Dalecarlia [3:30] 9. Personal Reasons [2:13] 10. The Power of the Rape Scene [7:01] 11. The Boy [1:43] 12. Critique [7:58] 13. The Child Sees/Close-Ups [4:31] 14. Film and Theater [5:09] 15. Ritual and Influence [4:50] 16. Purification and Retribution [3:53] 17. Reception/Classical Period [9:14] 18. Atonement [3:21] 19. Anachronism/The Miracle [2:38] 20. Communication and Participation [2:28]