Wayne K
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.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/12/24
Full Review
Alec B
The autobiographical aspects of the movie are perhaps a little too obvious but the final act is brilliantly surreal.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/09/24
Full Review
Il B
This is an Ingmar Bergman film and one of his best.
Acting, direction, dialogue, themes, score, set design - everything is sublime, pure perfection.
I absolutely enjoyed this film for its simplicity and its calmness as the tension grows and grows before the ultimate climax unleashes everything it was building.
My only issues with this masterpiece, yes it's a masterpiece, is the pacing.
Now, Bergman's films aren't known for their fast pacing, in fact the complete opposite and I have no issue with that. However in this film, there were some sequences, especially during the first half, where I thought it could have been a bit faster, just a bit.
Now this being Bergman's first-ever horror film, I'm impressed. This was absolutely phenomenal. The slow burn, the themes, the character developments were absolutely astonishing. Everything worked perfectly as a horror film. In the end I felt like Bergman tried out something that is very popular in today's horror films, I do however feel it was out of place in this film. This film is mostly psychological horror, in this scene however it felt a bit like body-horror, it's a very slight point and it's no big deal.
Overall this is a masterpiece and one of the best films ever made.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
07/10/23
Full Review
Shioka O
Surreal. I wished I understand Swedish.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
10/01/22
Full Review
william d
I'm not sure I would really call this a horror movie, more like a bizarre movie. In a good way though.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
dave s
Ingmar Bergman's Hour of the Wolf is a departure from the rest of his oeuvre, a dark fable of inner torment, psychological horror, and repression. Painter Johan Borg (Max von Sydow) and his wife Alma (Liv Ullmann) spend their summers on a remote island with little contact to the outside world. Johan is tormented by unseen entities and a fear of the dark and is ultimately drawn to the other inhabitants of the island who may hold the clues to the cause of his mental anguish. While Bergman's foray into the supernatural is unlike anything he has ever done, the film remains true to the themes he pursued elsewhere and his clearly defined style, including beautiful black and white cinematography from long time collaborator Sven Nykvist, creative lighting and effective, economic blocking, is evident throughout. While it's not up there with many of his timeless classics, it remains an interesting and challenging film.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
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