Ansikte mot ansikte (1976)

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

5 April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

A woman's most intimate encounter with the one person she didn't know. Herself.

Plot:

A sensitive exploration of the tragic irony of the psychiatrist suffering with mental illness. Dr. Jenny...

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Television | Mental Breakdown | Affair | Hospital

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Liv Ullmann	...	Dr. Jenny Isaksson
Erland Josephson	...	Dr. Tomas Jacobi
Aino Taube	...	The Grandmother
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	The Grandfather
Kristina Adolphson	...	Nurse Veronica
Marianne Aminoff	...	Jenny's mother
Gösta Ekman	...	Mikael Strömberg
Helene Friberg	...	Anna
Ulf Johansson	...	Helmuth Wankel
Sven Lindberg	...	Jenny's husband
Jan-Eric Lindquist		(as Jan-Erik Lindqvist)
Birger Malmsten	...	Rapist
Sif Ruud	...	Elisabeth Wankel
Göran Stangertz	...	Rapist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lena Olin	...	Shop assistant
Rebecca Pawlo	...	Shop assistant
Gösta Prüzelius	...	Jenny's father
Tore Segelcke	...	The woman
Kari Sylwan	...	Maria

Also Known As:

Face to Face (USA)

Runtime:

114 min | Argentina:120 min | UK:136 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | USA:R | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Filmhusateljéerna, Filmhuset, Svenska Filminstitutet, Gärdet, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Cinematograph AB

Trivia:

Originally a four-episode TV series: 1. Separation; 2. The Border; 3. Twilight Land; 4. The Return. A total of 200 minutes cut down to 135 minutes.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 34th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1977) (TV)

Bergman at his best

Face to face is another example of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's masterful direction in order to penetrate into his actors' psyche. Bergman's sole intention in his movies is to convey the emotions, the interaction between different personalities and how they swift in the film. He uses long uninterrupted takes in such effect that many times throughout the film someone could get carried away and find itself present in the room with the protagonists. It's like Sven Nykvist forgets the camera somewhere recording, but the action continues... Bergman's usual partners are present obviously in Face to Face. Aformentioned cinematographer Sven Nykvist (who by the way has won two Oscars for Bergman's "Fanny & Alexander" and "Cries and Whispers" and was nominated for "face to face", does again superb job. But in my opinion the film is worth viewing mostly for Liv Ullmann's extraordinary performance, mominated for an Oscar as well. There is nothing that I could add, Bergman fans will find the master here in peak form. I hope all film fans will one day discover Ingmar Bergman's cinema, it would be an unpreceded experience. Better late than never...