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The Passion of Anna

R 1969 1h 41m Drama List
100% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Unsettled by his recent divorce, Andreas Winkelman (Max von Sydow) lives on a remote Swedish island. When he meets the unhappy married couple Elis and Eva Vergerus (Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson), Andreas begins a brief affair with Eva, which leads to a romantic involvement with their friend Anna Fromm (Liv Ullmann), who is grieving the loss of her family. As these relationships unfold, someone on the island is killing animals, lending the drama a mysterious backdrop.
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The Passion of Anna

Critics Reviews

View All (16) Critics Reviews
Penelope Gilliatt New Yorker Ingmar Bergman’s The Passion of Anna, which is a masterpiece, is one of the most specifically modern films I have ever seen, yet there is barely a modern object in sight. Jan 23, 2024 Full Review Judith Crist New York Magazine/Vulture The Passion of Anna is a complex and beautiful work, one which bears the pondering and probing that so few films merit. It is an encounter, above all, with a sophisticated and subtle mind concerned with mature human relationships. Oct 1, 2019 Full Review Michael Sragow New Yorker The performances and the staging have a risky, improvisatory edge; Bergman even cuts away to interviews with his four lead actors. Mar 5, 2018 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending Has so many different ideas to try out that it's not surprising that they don't end up working together all the time. Rated: 3.5/5 Nov 15, 2020 Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) Flawed, but still brilliant, The Passion is an essential. Rated: 4.5/5 Sep 5, 2007 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Sven Nykvist's color cinematography makes Ullmann's blue eyes a thing to behold. Aug 11, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dave S Late in Ingmar Bergman's The Passion of Anna, a character declares "I live without self-respect. I know it sounds pretentious since almost all people are forced to live without self-worth. Humiliated to the core, stifled and spat upon. They just live", pretty much summing up the vibe of the film. Set on a remote Swedish island, four individuals try to come to terms with their own significant demons, including a man (Max von Sydow) who seeks solitude after a divorce and a woman (Liv Ullmann) responsible for the death of her husband and son in a car accident. As with most Bergman films, the writing is intelligent, the cinematography from Bergman regular Sven Nykvist is brilliant, and Bergman's regular stable of characters are spot on. To its detriment, there are four shots that come out of nowhere of actors being interviewed about their characters, disrupting the narrative flow, but this is a minor complaint about an otherwise excellent film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review Eric E Not one of his most profound works, but still... It's a low-key affair for the most part. That said I still find myself wondering, "How does a mind come up with this stuff?" Like many of his movies it feels like a stage play that moves from one conversational scene to another. But somehow there is a deep film in there. I see movies by other directors that are similar to Bergman's works, but nothing is Bergman like Bergman. Also, this was is more for people familiar with his work rather than the uninitiated. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/23/23 Full Review william d Many of Bergman's movies involve close-ups of actors in conversation without much of anything on, In some movies, such as Scenes From A Marriage, it works. In others, like this one, it doesn't. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review william k A typically bleak Bergman drama explores once again the impossibility of true relationships and offers superb performances and excellent cinematography, but this time around the story seems construed and is quite heavy-going in execution. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review ari v Maybe I just didn't key into something, but felt mainly like an underinspired addendum to the wonderful "Shame" that preceded it. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review s r Another Bergman film showing the complications of relationships. Some powerful monologues, when it happens. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Passion of Anna

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Movie Info

Synopsis Unsettled by his recent divorce, Andreas Winkelman (Max von Sydow) lives on a remote Swedish island. When he meets the unhappy married couple Elis and Eva Vergerus (Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson), Andreas begins a brief affair with Eva, which leads to a romantic involvement with their friend Anna Fromm (Liv Ullmann), who is grieving the loss of her family. As these relationships unfold, someone on the island is killing animals, lending the drama a mysterious backdrop.
Director
Ingmar Bergman
Producer
Lars-Owe Carlberg
Screenwriter
Ingmar Bergman
Production Co
Cinematograph AB, Svensk Filmindustri (SF) AB
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Swedish
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2016
Runtime
1h 41m
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