Hour of the Wolf

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Jithin K @Jithin Aug 10 I feel like whatever positives I can say about this are just things I've felt watching all the other Bergman movies. But among the ones I've watched, this did feel like his weakest. Maybe this was a bit too personal, unlike most of his other works, and there is a disconnect there beyond the surrealist style that made this feel lesser than his other films. But it's still a really great film that is incredibly shot, directed and acted. See more Matthew A @iWupp Jun 28 Ingmar Bergman's style is so unique and recognizable. So many shots are focused squarely on the actors faces with tight closeups. In the case of this film it works beautifully because our characters are confined to a small island. It really helps demonstrate the sense of claustrophobia our characters would be feeling. No scene is a better example than the dinner at the castle. The camera is constantly panning back and forth between actors as they have a conversation. It once again gives a sense of claustrophobia and also overwhelms the viewer the same way our protagonist is at the time. Also the way Bergman does his blocking is fantastic. He seems to always manage to fit everyone's faces in the frame at once in scenes. Doing so allows every performance to shine. And that brings me to my last thing. All these techniques are great but what elevates them to the next level is Liv Ullman. Review continued on Letterboxd - @iWup See more Richard B @RichardB12314 Mar 2 A movie that can be viewed in many different ways. There are elements of unconscious intuition and habit repetition of a rigid identity. Can a person in a relationship shake off the stigma of their past, like a filmmaker from criticism by his audience? Can love heal the past? The way stigma from the past shames the present person from learning, development, and forgiveness, each later epoch of their lives is HAUNTED by the past. You also get the intimation that lovers don't really know each other until these eruptions bubble up over time as the new relationship develops. To heal shame and move on isn't something that always succeeds. There are symbolic scenes of murderous repression of these memories, childhood wounds, assaults of self-hatred, class shame, and necrophilism towards old dead relationships. There's a lot here. See more Dani G @RT81139271 03/18/2025 As always, Bergman ahead of its time See more Pierre G @RT95840526 06/14/2024 A fascinating, terrifying film. See more Wayne K @WayneKelso 03/12/2024 In a filmography as extensive and acclaimed as Ingmar Bergman's, there's going to be a lot of gems and a few lumps of coal, and for me, Hour Of The Wolf is definitely the latter. It wasn't so long ago that I watched Persona, one of Bergman's best know films, and I loved it. A psychological study of 2 individuals isolated together, finding their very essences becoming crossed and intertwined. HOTW tries to do psychology too, but to much lesser effect. The film does 2 things I've always hated in filmmaking. First of all, the characters, by and large, don't have conversations. Instead, they simply exchange monologues. So one character will prattle on about something, then another will do the same. It feels less like you're watching human beings interacting and more like you're stuck in a lecture with a bunch of smug intellectuals desperately trying to outsmart each other, a similar experience I had with I'm Thinking Of Ending Things. The second problem is our lead character and how his struggle is presented. I don't know why, but some films, or maybe some actors, have a difficult time trying to portray the feeling of being disturbed on screen, and they often just come across as mopey and boring. The film has some powerful scenes but little forward momentum, and the scenes at the castle with the intelligentsia are just tedious and irritating. I wanted to know more about our lead and why he's losing his mind. I wanted to see him being disturbed, wracked by fear, isolation and discontent. Instead, I just got a sad, laconic man that doesn't even look like he wants to be there. I'm very keen to visit more of Bergman's work in the future, but Hour Of The Wolf is one I have no problem leaving behind me. See more Read all reviews

Hour of the Wolf

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