Winter Light (1962)

Synopsis: The second film of Ingmar Bergman's trilogy on religion and the loss of faith--the other two being THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY and THE SILENCE)--is an unrelentingly austere minimalist drama that takes... The second film of Ingmar Bergman's trilogy on religion and the loss of faith--the other two being THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY and THE SILENCE)--is an unrelentingly austere minimalist drama that takes place in a small village surrounded by a bleak, wintry landscape. Local pastor Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Björnstrand) has been left cold and hardened by the untimely death of his wife, his religious convictions severely shaken. He is incapable of offering counsel to a suicidal member of the congregation who comes to him for help, fisherman Jonas Persson (Max von Sydow), and cannot return the affection of schoolteacher Märta (Ingrid Thulin) after she confesses her love for him. The characters' anguish, isolation, and despair at the prospect of an absent or uncaring God are mirrored by the film's stark setting, flawlessly captured by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, in one of many collaborations with Bergman. While the figure of the stern, unfeeling clergyman was probably at least partially inspired by memories of the director's own father, a strict Lutheran minister, Bergman based his script on a true story told to him by a small-town parson who suffered from severe guilt after failing to talk one of his parishioners out of committing suicide. [More]

Starring: Max Von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Ingrid Thulin

Starring: Max Von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Ingrid Thulin

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Director: Ingmar Bergman

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