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The Rite

1969 1h 15m Drama List
75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Actors Thea (Ingrid Thulin), Sebastian (Anders Ek) and Hans (Gunnar Björnstrand) are sequestered in the offices of Judge Abrahamson (Erik Hell), who questions them about the play they have been performing, which has been accused of being obscene. As the judge interviews them separately and together, the three performers work through their considerable psycho-sexual baggage with each other, while collectively laying siege to the sensibilities of their authoritarian interrogator.
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The Rite

Critics Reviews

View All (8) Critics Reviews
Don Druker Chicago Reader A rarely seen but thoroughly captivating example of filmed chamber theater. Jul 22, 2013 Full Review Time Out A bold step forward in Bergman's analysis of human isolation. Jul 22, 2013 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending A rancid, jagged little piece of undiluted anger. Rated: 4/5 Nov 8, 2020 Full Review Lewis Teague Los Angeles Free Press Even in this TV show, with its obvious TV style, (huge close-ups, curtain backdrops) Bergman has created a drama of extraordinary force that works well on the big movie screen. Jan 17, 2020 Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) A recital whose monotony is due to the filmmaker or to the total predominance of the dialogue, which makes the actors brush against the limits of pure narcissism. [Full Review in Spanish] Jul 25, 2019 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion A virtuoso riff, played fast and close Sep 25, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (24) audience reviews
s r Bizarre and deep, but it wasn't one of my favorites of Bergman. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Gunnar Bjornstrand mais uma vez se destaca no elenco desse filme forte de Bergman sobre o papel da arte na sociedade. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Riten is a curious film, Bergman made it for Swedish TV and it definitely feels like it was made within constraints. The setting, cast and indeed the whole production is minimalist but it is full of Kafkaesque intrigue. Perhaps this one for more advanced Bergman fans but it's well worth 75 minutes of anyones time who is interested in the mans work. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member An extremely haunting and strangely fascinating film that counts as one of Bergman's great oddities. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member <a></a> <img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/stills/5923/original.jpg?1289442448" width="240" border="0" /> Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a somewhat odd and enigmatic film from Bergman; perhaps in keeping with many of the other films that he produced during the mid-to-late 1960's, and one that seems to be an extension of the artistic and psychological themes established in his more widely-acknowledged masterpiece, Persona (1966). Like that particular film, The Rite (1969) is a carefully structured drama built around a small cast of characters warring with one another in a close and claustrophobic environment that stresses the theatrical nature of the script. By refusing to extend on the material as many other filmmakers would when adapting one of their own works from stage to screen, Bergman creates a much tighter situation that gives the drama a stark, nightmarish quality that removes us completely from reality. Here, we are isolated with these characters, with all notion of the outside world or life beyond those drab, grey, minimalist locations having been removed completely, creating a void that overwhelms us. The film also extends on some of the director's more recognisable themes, such as performance and persecution, with the idea of actors playing actors creating a performance that is not simply a part of the film, but also a comment upon it. It's perhaps a little clumsy in some places, especially compared to the aforementioned Persona, or indeed, similarly themed films like Hour of the Wolf (1966) and A Passion (1968); with the deeply enigmatic nature and theatrical presentation working towards an incredibly cold and uncomfortable atmosphere that never quite explains itself. I suppose this is a result of the short-running time and the fact that it was produced quickly and cheaply for Swedish television. However, it is still an incredibly bold piece of work, and one that definitely needs to be experienced by those with a real taste and admiration for the filmmaker; with the typically "Bergmanesque" themes and the strong performances and intense and troubling characterisations created by the cast making this a much more interesting and rewarding film than the brief plot outline might suggest. The structure of the film is intended to somewhat distance us from the drama in a way that many of Bergman's better films would. Here, he uses chapter headings to disrupt the narrative; bringing to our attention the theatrical nature of the presentation and the artificiality of the world to, in effect, remove us from it. It works on a similar level to the self-reflexive interview sequences that punctuate the narrative of the previous A Passion, albeit, on a much more subtle level. Again, it is intended to add a further dimension to the film, but also to make the viewing process even more difficult. It also denies us a central character, with both the central government figure and the three performers all moving from hateful to sympathetic from one scene to the next. There are also at least two scenes that seem to be even further disconnected from reality. One such scene involves the youngest of the performers setting fire to his hotel room, lying back on his bed with his sunglasses on and staring up at the ceiling with a cool detachment as the room is engulfed by flames. It is never referred to or explained whether this scene actually takes place or if it is merely symbolic; though I suppose it could be read on an analytical level in regards to that particular character and his somewhat damaged and detached personality. The second scene I won't go into, as it's one of the most important moments in the film. However, it is interesting how it sets up the atmosphere for that troubling and enigmatic finale, which again, is never fully explained and seems to sway the film away from the performers and more towards the self-appointed judge. There's a definite Kafka-like influence developed here, not only with the characters but with the situation that they find themselves in. So, we have a small group of characters put on trial for what we later learn are "obscenity charges", but the actual scenes between the judge and the performers seems to be much more cryptic and personal. If you're fond of the mind games and psychological role-playing developed in Persona then you should get a real thrill out of the five interview scenes that form the backbone of the film in question, with each character playing up to their own emotional strengths and weaknesses whilst finding themselves in this hopeless and incomprehensible situation. Given the nature of the film I won't discuss the ending too much, though suffice to say it changes the way we look at those preceding scenes and seems to open up the narrative to further ideas of self-reflexive interpretation. So, we have the idea of a film within a film, or perhaps something more literal. Or is it a metaphor for the struggle of creativity in the face of government oppression. Indeed, at the time this film was made, Bergman was fighting his own battles against both theatre and cinema and how they were being developed back in Sweden at this particular time. It seems like he had lost faith in his audience and those who were paying for his work to be developed and these fears and anxieties are presented in the film alongside a rage of fury and aggression. For certain, this is a dark, troubling and enigmatic psychological piece that rewards patient viewers with a thought-provoking, Kafkaesque moral dilemma with room for personal interpretation. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Rite

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Cast & Crew

Hour of the Wolf 92% 86% Hour of the Wolf Persona 91% 94% Persona Wild Strawberries 94% 94% Wild Strawberries Monika 100% 83% Monika Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Actors Thea (Ingrid Thulin), Sebastian (Anders Ek) and Hans (Gunnar Björnstrand) are sequestered in the offices of Judge Abrahamson (Erik Hell), who questions them about the play they have been performing, which has been accused of being obscene. As the judge interviews them separately and together, the three performers work through their considerable psycho-sexual baggage with each other, while collectively laying siege to the sensibilities of their authoritarian interrogator.
Director
Ingmar Bergman
Producer
Lars-Owe Carlberg
Screenwriter
Ingmar Bergman
Production Co
Svensk Filmindustri, Cinematograph AB, Personafilm
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Swedish
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 20, 2018
Runtime
1h 15m
Sound Mix
Surround
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