Blu-ray Review Cries and Whispers Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Cries and Whispers Blu-ray Review

Ingmar Bergman’s angst-filled look at strained sibling relationships amid death and its aftermath offers intense, harrowing drama and superlative performances in Cries and Whispers, one of the legendary director’s most personal and heartfelt films. With a mesmerizing visual look which brought an Oscar to the film’s cinematographer Sven Nykvist and sparse sound which loads every ticking clock, piercing moan, or whispered thought with multiple layers of meaning, Cries and Whispers is one of those haunting films which is hard to forget even years after one’s initial encounter with it.

Studio: Criterion

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Audio: English 1.0 DD (Mono), Other

Subtitles: English

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 1 Hr. 31 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

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Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 03/31/2015

MSRP: $39.95

The Production Rating: 4.5/5

As she nears her pain-filled death from cancer, Agnes (Harriet Andersson) calls out for her sisters Karin (Ingrid Thulin) and Maria (Liv Ullmann) to help ease her pains and fears, but neither seems willing or able to offer much loving compassion: Maria is a shameless flirt with men and enjoys life to the fullest, so the thoughts of death are an anathema to her while Karin’s intense frigidity with her younger sister and her husband (Georg Årlin) means she also has no comfort to give her dying sibling. Housemaid Anna (Kari Sylwan), however, has been attending Agnes for twelve years and having experienced death before when her young daughter was taken from her, she is more than willing to provide Agnes with the comfort she craves.

Director Ingmar Bergman’s script while sparse on the surface actually contains quite a dense character portrait for each of the two sisters whose troubled personal lives (Maria’s husband played by Henning Moritzen tries to commit suicide; Karin’s spouse is unmoved by her own self-mutilation) color their behaviors throughout their horrific first-hand encounter with death. And Bergman’s production designer Marik Vos makes sure the atmosphere is as oppressive and combustive as possible by having Agnes’ sick room and outer parlor fashioned almost solely in blazing shades of red, a color which not only suggests blood and death but also the upsetting emotions churning within the women who would honestly rather be anywhere than with their dying sister. With so much red around, the black mourning clothes and white sheets and bed gown set the characters apart from their surroundings so the viewer can gaze his full at the humanity (or the lack thereof) on display. A succession of clocks ticking keeps us fully aware of the precious time passing that the sisters are wasting by wrestling with their own hang-ups while their infirm sibling cries out for their touch while small, momentary pleasures like a beautiful white rose, an apple, a sponge bath, or a favorite book being read aloud remind us that even life can offer the dying some small comforts. And Bergman performs his final miracle in a coda sequence in which a written passage in Agnes’ diary portrays a long ago wonderful fall afternoon where the sisters stroll peacefully down a lane and onto a swing: a complete sensory cleansing after the oppressive moods of the house of death and those overpowering reds in the home’s décor. It's like a terrific weight has been lifted off the viewer at long last.

The performances are all sensationally on target. Harriet Andersson’s looks and death moans will truly convince you her hours are numbered while Kari Sylwan’s loving Earth Mother Anna provides the warmth and tenderness so lacking in the other members of the family. Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann do career defining work each offering multiple colors of personality that will surprise and even shock during the course of the movie (Ullmann also plays the sisters’ mother in a flashback sequence). The men, as is usually (but not always) the case in Bergman, are less interesting with cold fish husband Fredrik played by Georg Årlin and weak-hearted Joakim played by Henning Moritzen appropriate to their barely seen characters. As Agnes’ doctor who once had an affair with Maria, Erland Josephson is quite good while Anders Ek as the priest is likewise more than serviceable. Stealing her one scene as the ebullient Aunt Olga is Inga Gill.

Video Rating: 4.5/5  3D Rating: NA

The film is framed at 1.66:1 and is presented in 1080p using the AVC codec. Sharpness is exquisite for almost all of the film except in moments where focus has been purposely pulled away. Color is vital to the film’s success, and it’s brilliantly realized in flesh tones even if the bright crimson coverlet on the bed might show just a touch of blooming in a shot or two. The transfer, however, manages all that red (the segues between scenes suffuses the screen with red) with startling dexterity. Black levels are surprisingly good, and contrast has been consistently maintained. The white subtitles are easy to read. The movie has been divided into 18 chapters.

Audio Rating: 4.5/5

The disc offers two sound mixes: the original Swedish is presented in PCM 1.0 (1.1 Mbps) while an English dubbed track is in Dolby Digital 1.0. I listened only to the original Swedish language soundtrack which is quite impressive for the film’s small budget (about $365,000) with dialogue, Bach and Chopin musical interludes, and sound effects (the ticking clocks, the whispers during lengthy periods of silence) all occupying the same track with great balance. There are little to no age-related artifacts present to take one out of the drama.

Special Features Rating: 5/5

Director’s Introduction (7:08, HD): filmed in 2003, Ingmar Bergman talks about the genesis of the story for the film.

Harriet Andersson Interview (20:00, HD): film historian Peter Cowie has a lively conversation with the actress about her work in Cries and Whispers as well as some of her other work for the director.

On-Set Footage (34:00, HD): over this silent behind-the-scenes footage shot during the production of the movie, historian Peter Cowie offers a marvelous audio commentary on the movie and its principal production staff.

Ingmar Bergman: Reflections on Life, Death, and Love (52:18, HD): a 1999 TV interview with the director and his dear friend and frequent collaborator Erland Josephson is conducted by Malou von Sivers. Disappointingly, she’s much more interested in the life and loves of the two gentlemen than in their professional career achievements, but the men certainly respond with complete candor.

On Solace (12:49, HD): a 2014 video analysis of the movie by film historian :: kogonada.

Theatrical Trailer (1:54, HD): in English introduced by Ingmar Bergman.

Enclosed Pamphlet: contains cast and crew lists, information on the film transfer, and professor Emma Wilson's analysis of the movie.

Timeline: can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc and the title of the chapter you’re now in. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

One of the great movies in the filmography of director Ingmar Bergman, Cries and Whispers among its many other honors won four New York Film Critics awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Liv Ullmann), and Best Screenplay, and its status as one of the true classics of the 1970s remains untarnished. This Criterion edition offers a gorgeous picture and solid sound with a raft of extras which will enhance one’s enjoyment of this most challenging but emotionally honest film. Highly recommended!

Reviewed By: Matt Hough

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