Smultronstället

English title: Wild Strawberries

Also known as: Fraises sauvages (les)

Genre: psychological study (in black and white)

With: Victor Sjöström (Dr. Eberhard Isak Borg), Ingrid Thulin (Marianne Borg), Bibi Andersson (Sara), Gunnar Björnstrand (Dr. Evald Borg), Jullan Kindahl (Agda the housekeeper), Folke Sundquist (Anders), Björn Bjelfvenstam (Viktor), Naima Wifstrand (Mrs. Borg, Isak's mother), Gunnel Broström (Berit Alman), Gertrud Fridh (Karin Borg, Isak's wife)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman

Release: 1957

Studio: Svensk Filmindustri

Rating: -

MBiS score: 9.0/10 

 

One Day in Your Life, Your Life in One Day 

 

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Story-line: at 78, Professor Isak Borg can look at his world in a philosophical light. ‟I have a son, also a doctor, in Lund. My mother, although old, is still alive. My wife Karin has been dead for many years. I am lucky, I have a good housekeeper.” While he suspects that death is not far off, he still has things to look forward to. Tomorrow, he will travel from Stockholm to Lund − a 300-mile journey with his daughter-in-law Marianne − to receive an honorary degree.

Pluses: magnificient acting by Victor Sjöström as the stern yet increasingly mellow Isak Borg, perfect support from Ingrid Thulin and an excellent cast, masterful direction by one of the greatest names in cinema, a serious, kind-hearted screenplay that rolls along efficiently and fully develops its characters with the aid of dark or whimsical flashbacks, spot-on dialogues and flashes of humour, a musical score attuned to the various moods of the story, very pretty cinematography and ravishing production values (detailed sets, attractive costumes and pertinent sound effects).

Minuses: if you find the movie uninspiring at first, take note that it all comes together − superbly so − in the last act. We’re dealing with one of cinema’s masterpieces here!

Comments: like several other films by Bergman, the exquisite WILD STRAWBERRIES does evoke mortality as a movie theme but focuses much more on relationships, reminiscences and the ups and downs of life. In this Swedish version of a road movie, characters come to see themselves and others in a different way, personal conflicts are examined and hopefully resolved, time is spent meeting new people and human frailty is accepted or at least tolerated. And the film left me with an implicit lesson that is well worth remembering: you can feel young whatever your age!

 

MBiS 

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Gravity

Genre: science-fiction drama

With: Sandra Bullock (Ryan Stone), George Clooney (Matt Kowalski), Ed Harris (Mission Control), Orto Ignatiussen (Aningaaq), Phaldut Sharma (Shariff), Amy Warren (Explorer Captain), Basher Savage (Russian Space Station Captain)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Screenplay: Alfonso and Jonás Cuarón

Release: 2013

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, Esperanto Filmoj, Heyday Films

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

‟Mission abort. Repeat: mission abort. Initiate emergency disconnect from Hubble.” 

 

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Story-line: at 600 km above planet Earth, astronaut Ryan Stone is making repairs outside the Explorer Space Shuttle, accompanied by Shariff Dasari and veteran Matt Kowalski. Generally speaking, things are going smoothly and Mission Control informs the three spacewalkers that the programmed destruction of a satellite some distance away won’t cause any problems since the cloud of debris it has created is not orbiting on the Shuttle’s trajectory. Even so, is caution warranted, considering that outer space is the most hostile environment possible for human beings?

Pluses: a scintillating performance by Sandra Bullock (who literally carries the movie) and excellent support from George Clooney, seasoned and focused direction, an ingenious and informative screenplay featuring genuine-sounding dialogues, very strong production values, Emmanuel Lubezki’s striking cinematography, remarkable special effects, meticulous editing (by Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger) and Steven Price’s effective, sometimes terrifying musical score.

Minuses: in the first few minutes, dialogues feel pat and one line in particular is insensitive to Indian culture.

Comments: this two-character movie hailed by cinema circles everywhere is a sensory experience, a spectacular, technically perfect film that clearly demonstrates how tragedy strikes as treacherously in the silence of outer space as on our noisy planet Earth. For all its suspense and technical prowess, however, it does not match 2001, A SPACE ODYSSEY or SOLARIS, two movies whose impact is more profound and universal. It is basically a disaster movie – a cosmic version of THE IMPOSSIBLE, for instance – that lacks somewhat in humanity. Thus, GRAVITY deserves a lower general score (8.8 for technical merit, 8.4 for acting and overall production and 8.0 for story and other elements). In spite of my slightly critical tone, Alfonso Cuarón’s fine film is worth your time as it makes you appreciate the talent (and risk-taking) of the people involved in our space programs and in the movie industry generally. 

 

MBiS

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