7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
An American filmmaking couple retreat to the island for the summer to each write screenplays for their upcoming films in an act of pilgrimage to the place that inspired Bergman. As the summer and their screenplays advance, the lines between reality and fiction start to blur against the backdrop of the Island's wild landscape.
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Vicky Krieps, Anders Danielsen Lie, Joel Spira, Teodor AbreuDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There's a kind of cold, autumnal or even outright wintry ambience to many of Ingmar Bergman's most iconic black and white films, including kind of ironically even The Virgin Spring. Bergman hadn't quite set up shop on the island of Fårö when he made that 1960 masterpiece, but any number of his later legendary films, including such unforgettable entries as Persona, were in fact shot there, and Bergman more or less moved there in the mid sixties, ultimately dying there in 2007. The island has since become something of a Mecca for film fans, and there are annual Bergman Weeks filled with screenings, as well as what are evidently year round attractions for visitors like walking tours and the like. Bergman Island takes place on Fårö, and one of the first disconnects with at least the perception of Bergman as both a figuratively and literally "icy" figure in the annals of world cinema is how lush, green and downright sunny the place is (especially in this film's lustrous color cinematography). Bergman Island is kind of like (to unavoidably mix national metaphors) a Russian nesting doll in any number of ways, with not just an ultimate "film within a film" aspect, but also with regard to a certain "meta" propensity which may hint at some of the real life history of writer and director Mia Hansen-Løve.
Bergman Island is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. (While our theatrical aspect ratio database only includes 2.39:1, hence it being listed above as the "original", Hansen-Løve specifically mentions she shot this in 2.40:1, even if perhaps it wasn't exhibited in that aspect ratio.) I think this may be the first release from Criterion I've personally reviewed where there isn't any real technical information imparted in an insert booklet (or in this case accordion style foldout), but the back cover of the release at least offers a generic "2K digital master, approved by director". As Hansen-Løve mentions in her interview, she couldn't imagine doing this on anything other than good, old fashioned film, and this has an unusual depth and texture as a result. As can perhaps be gleaned from some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, while a lot of the outdoor material pops splendidly with a gorgeously suffused and natural looking palette, there are also regular grading choices that can tip slightly toward blues (or blue-greens) and yellows, kind of ping ponging between cooler and warmer hues. Detail levels are typically excellent throughout.
Bergman Island has a rather subtle but still incredibly effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The score features a number of perhaps anachronistic harp cues from Robin Williamson, which add a delicate beauty to several sequences. The surround channels are consistently engaged in the outdoor material in particular with some nicely rendered ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
Perhaps Bergman Island is "meta" in a way that Hansen-Løve didn't really intend, in that she shows two filmmakers at work in this story who keep journals or who are "sketching out ideas" with occasional writer's block (at least in the case of Vicky), and some may feel like this film is itself something of a sketch rather than a fully formed feature. Still, Hansen-Løve explores some potent subjects in terms of creativity and what might be called the "work life balance" of female artists in particular. One way or the other, the film is ravishing to look at and listen to, and Criterion provides a release with solid technical merits and some nice supplements. Recommended.
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