"The Silence" followed immediately "Winter Light.". It is the third of the trilogy that started with "Through a Glass Darkly." As with its two predecessors, "The Silence" is also a "chamber work," in the sense that Bergman uses only a few leading characters (Ester, Anna, and Johan), and the work takes place over a limited time period, about twenty-four hours, and very restricted in space.
"The Silence," although connected to the previous two films, announces a new style in Bergman's films. In this film, Bergman has reduced the dramatic substance to virtually nothing. Although almost nothing happens during the film, still viewers are captivated, not by the dialogue, which is sparse and spare, but by the images.
Sven Nykvist gives the movie the look of a dream, without indulging in dream effects. The images have a unique richness of shading, and their compositions and the play of shadows have a strong dramatic meaning. Of particular note is the shot which occurs when Anna is leaving for her final date with the young waiter. This shot is the precursor of the ying-yang shot that will later be used with great effect in Bergman's "Persona."
The soundtrack consists only of real sounds, as opposed to "wall-paper" music. There is no music in the film, except when Ester tunes in Bach's music on the radio. Also, just as a musician does, Bergman very effectively uses silences throughout the film.
As always, Bergman's choice of actors is inspired. Gunnel Lindblom gives a convincing performance of a lusty Anna, in sharp contrast with the intellectual and controlled character of her sister, brilliantly interpreted by Ingrid Thulin. For the first time, Bergman makes a child a major character. He treats this scared and at times even unattractive boy, sensitively but without sentimentality.
Ingmar Bergman's "The Silence" is arguably the most abstract and nihilistic film of the trilogy. The silence in this film goes beyond God's silence of "Winter Light:" it is now absolute silence, including the complete cessation of communication between human beings. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and suffocating. The film has for its setting Timoka, a strange city, in a strange land on the verge of a war. War is by definition the end result of total, absolute breakdown in communication. The war setting also symbolizes the feelings of antagonism, separation, and fear which engulf the two sisters. The language of this country is totally incomprehensible to the three travelers, even to Ester who is by profession an interpreter familiar with linguistics.
The communication breakdown in the film is universal. The three travelers can scarcely communicate their basic needs to the porter, and they must resort to hand gestures, grunts, etc, to express themselves. Attempts at communication between the two sisters are merely lacerating verbal jousts. The mother and son are worlds apart. Johan is repeatedly left to himself, as his mother goes about her business of arguing with her sister or fornicating with her lover. Anna and her lover cannot communicate except in a physical way, which Anna finds convenient.
The characters of the sisters could not be more dissimilar. They are the opposing elements of a single psyche. Anna is sensual and instinctive. Ester is an intellectual, afraid of her instincts, and pathologically driven by a need to control. She loves her sister, and feels responsible for her, yet needs to control her, as their father once controlled her (Ester) with his love. But Ester is also unable to express this love, which can be misconstrued at time as incestuous, to Anna. Anna loves Ester, but is unable to effectively express her feelings to her. She is overwhelmed by Ester's need to control and restrain her. Regarding Anna's attitude toward her son, she is at once caring and rejecting. Obviously, these mixed signals from his mother are both disturbing and overwhelming to Johan. She is the closest human being in his life and she is unable to communicate unambiguously her feelings to him. Clinging desperately to his mother, he is rejected and forced into the "real" strange and bewildering adult world. The only incident where Johan feels somewhat unthreatened is when he is accepted in the company of the dwarfs. The dwarfs are adults, but they are Johan's size, so he feels at ease with them as he would with children of his own age. Otherwise, Johan is an outside observer of the world around him.
The old floor porter is also struggling to communicate with his guests. He shows his genuine concern for Ester's welfare, but he is still powerless in establishing a real communication. With Johan he also fails, because of the language barrier, because of the age gap, and maybe because his friendliness is instinctively misunderstood by Johan (and I am sure by many viewers).
There is a brief moment of communion between the protagonists provided by few bars of one of the "Goldberg Variations" (the 25th). They are heard on Ester's radio and result in an instant communication between Ester and the old porter, but also with every one else present, as we see through the large doorway a "Pieta:" Johan is on Anna's lap being caressed and kissed. The old man pronounces the name of the composer "Johan Sebastian Bach," with a stress on the name "Johan," implying everyone's connection with and through the young boy.
God has totally disappeared from the scene. After a prolonged, suffocating attack, Ester implores God to allow her to die in her own homeland. But God is silent and she is left to die alone and abandoned in a strange land.
Although a rather depressing film, "The Silence" nevertheless ends on a hopeful note: Ester and Johan have been able to communicate with each other. Before leaving, Johan hugs his aunt, in the only display of love in the film, and Ester is able to translate few words from the strange language of Timoka into Swedish, which she passes on to Johan.
"The Silence," although connected to the previous two films, announces a new style in Bergman's films. In this film, Bergman has reduced the dramatic substance to virtually nothing. Although almost nothing happens during the film, still viewers are captivated, not by the dialogue, which is sparse and spare, but by the images.
Sven Nykvist gives the movie the look of a dream, without indulging in dream effects. The images have a unique richness of shading, and their compositions and the play of shadows have a strong dramatic meaning. Of particular note is the shot which occurs when Anna is leaving for her final date with the young waiter. This shot is the precursor of the ying-yang shot that will later be used with great effect in Bergman's "Persona."
The soundtrack consists only of real sounds, as opposed to "wall-paper" music. There is no music in the film, except when Ester tunes in Bach's music on the radio. Also, just as a musician does, Bergman very effectively uses silences throughout the film.
As always, Bergman's choice of actors is inspired. Gunnel Lindblom gives a convincing performance of a lusty Anna, in sharp contrast with the intellectual and controlled character of her sister, brilliantly interpreted by Ingrid Thulin. For the first time, Bergman makes a child a major character. He treats this scared and at times even unattractive boy, sensitively but without sentimentality.
Ingmar Bergman's "The Silence" is arguably the most abstract and nihilistic film of the trilogy. The silence in this film goes beyond God's silence of "Winter Light:" it is now absolute silence, including the complete cessation of communication between human beings. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and suffocating. The film has for its setting Timoka, a strange city, in a strange land on the verge of a war. War is by definition the end result of total, absolute breakdown in communication. The war setting also symbolizes the feelings of antagonism, separation, and fear which engulf the two sisters. The language of this country is totally incomprehensible to the three travelers, even to Ester who is by profession an interpreter familiar with linguistics.
The communication breakdown in the film is universal. The three travelers can scarcely communicate their basic needs to the porter, and they must resort to hand gestures, grunts, etc, to express themselves. Attempts at communication between the two sisters are merely lacerating verbal jousts. The mother and son are worlds apart. Johan is repeatedly left to himself, as his mother goes about her business of arguing with her sister or fornicating with her lover. Anna and her lover cannot communicate except in a physical way, which Anna finds convenient.
The characters of the sisters could not be more dissimilar. They are the opposing elements of a single psyche. Anna is sensual and instinctive. Ester is an intellectual, afraid of her instincts, and pathologically driven by a need to control. She loves her sister, and feels responsible for her, yet needs to control her, as their father once controlled her (Ester) with his love. But Ester is also unable to express this love, which can be misconstrued at time as incestuous, to Anna. Anna loves Ester, but is unable to effectively express her feelings to her. She is overwhelmed by Ester's need to control and restrain her. Regarding Anna's attitude toward her son, she is at once caring and rejecting. Obviously, these mixed signals from his mother are both disturbing and overwhelming to Johan. She is the closest human being in his life and she is unable to communicate unambiguously her feelings to him. Clinging desperately to his mother, he is rejected and forced into the "real" strange and bewildering adult world. The only incident where Johan feels somewhat unthreatened is when he is accepted in the company of the dwarfs. The dwarfs are adults, but they are Johan's size, so he feels at ease with them as he would with children of his own age. Otherwise, Johan is an outside observer of the world around him.
The old floor porter is also struggling to communicate with his guests. He shows his genuine concern for Ester's welfare, but he is still powerless in establishing a real communication. With Johan he also fails, because of the language barrier, because of the age gap, and maybe because his friendliness is instinctively misunderstood by Johan (and I am sure by many viewers).
There is a brief moment of communion between the protagonists provided by few bars of one of the "Goldberg Variations" (the 25th). They are heard on Ester's radio and result in an instant communication between Ester and the old porter, but also with every one else present, as we see through the large doorway a "Pieta:" Johan is on Anna's lap being caressed and kissed. The old man pronounces the name of the composer "Johan Sebastian Bach," with a stress on the name "Johan," implying everyone's connection with and through the young boy.
God has totally disappeared from the scene. After a prolonged, suffocating attack, Ester implores God to allow her to die in her own homeland. But God is silent and she is left to die alone and abandoned in a strange land.
Although a rather depressing film, "The Silence" nevertheless ends on a hopeful note: Ester and Johan have been able to communicate with each other. Before leaving, Johan hugs his aunt, in the only display of love in the film, and Ester is able to translate few words from the strange language of Timoka into Swedish, which she passes on to Johan.