Shame Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Shame Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 8, 2024

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Criterion's Ingmar Bergman's Cinema set.

It understandably may be well nigh impossible to choose an "all time greatest filmmaker" of the 20th century, if for no other reason than that personal tastes differ, but I can't imagine any "devoted cineaste" not having Ingmar Bergman at least near the top of their own aggregation. Criterion has been feting some iconic creative forces with expansive box set compendia of films, including Essential Fellini and The Complete Films of Agnès Varda, but in terms of overall offerings and packaging extras, Ingmar Bergman's Cinema may itself be sitting atop a list of finest Blu-ray collection offerings. Some of the films in this impressive collection have in fact had prior releases by Criterion, as should probably be expected, but there are a fair number making their Blu-ray debuts. As tends to be the case with Criterion releases, technical merits are also generally excellent, and the supplements can be very appealing.

Shame is a perhaps self revelatory title, at least for those who understandably feel that so many of Ingmar Bergman's films are filled to the brim with feelings of remorse and regret. One way or the other, though, the film is an absolutely fascinating "combo platter" of ideas and situations, and probably even locations, offered in other Bergman films, including the professional musician aspect of outings like To Joy, the unhappy marriage underpinning of. . .well, too many Bergman movies to list, and the isolated quasi-island environment with an emphasis on the interplay between Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann that informed Hour of the Wolf. To that particular list, I might even add the kind of Kafka-esque bewilderment that suffuses such films as The Trial, where even seemingly "rational" plot machinations have a deliberately irrational and even nightmarish side.

For those wanting a plot summary, Randy Miller III provides one in his Shame Blu-ray review, to which I would only add that it can't be a coincidence that the married couple in this story bear the surname of Rosenberg, one that instantly at least alludes to both a Jewish identity as well as the supposedly treasonous activities of Julius and Ethel.

Shame Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shame is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.38:1. riterion's kind of overwhelming insert book offers nice summations of each film's transfer attributes, and the relevant data points for this film are as follows:

Picture element: 35 mm interpositive
Scanner: Scanity
Transfer resolution: 2K
Sound element: 35 mm optical track
Picture and sound restoration: Swedish Film Institute

Additionally, a brief text card at the beginning of this presentation offers a bit of additional information in that the digital restoration was accomplished in 2015. Randy was kind of underwhelmed with the quality of the standalone release, but in the latest iteration of my mantra "different reviewers means different opinions", I'm at least marginally more pleased with the look of things. I did notice at least a bit of the macroblocking Randy mentioned in his review, specifically in moments like the view of von Sydow's sweater back circa the 25 minute mark, but probably more noticeably in some of the smoky/misty scenes later in the film, but what actually caught my eye more than those anomalies were several signs of age related wear and tear, including quite a few noticeable (if admittedly minor) scratches, as well as what I'd call a somewhat digitally processed look overall. All of this said, contrast (which at times seems intentionally pushed) is strong, and Bergman's repeated use of close-ups helps to elevate fine detail levels materially.

Shame Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shame features an expressive LPCM Mono track in the original Swedish which perhaps offers a few more sound effects than one normally associates with Ingmar Bergman. The quasi-war setting offers occasional explosions and gunfire, as well as the cacophonous sounds of tanks roaring through villages or even soldiers on the march, but there's still often the spare, wintry ambience that seems to almost invariably suffuse so many of Bergman's soundtracks, where (in this case devastated) vistas can offer things like the wafting of wind and similar effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Shame Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This disc offers the same supplemental materials as Criterion's standalone release does. Randy's review of the standalone release offers some additional information.

• Shame in the News (HD; 5:20) is culled from a 1967 television broadcast and has some interesting behind the scenes footage. Subtitled in English.


• Ingmar Bergman (HD; 14:31) is another piece culled from television, in this case a 1968 interview with the legend. Subtitled in English.


• Liv Ullmann (HD; 21:02) is a newer piece produced in 2018 for Criterion.


• An Introduction to Ingmar Bergman (HD; 1:12:27) is a fantastic 1968 documentary done for New York's WNET featuring host Lewis Freedman, and cinematography by Gunnar Fischer.

Shame Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If early 1968 saw Bergman at least toying with tropes of the horror film in Hour of the Wolf, a few months later he could be seen as taking on that era's prevalent anti-war sentiment in this intriguing but frankly often baffling film. Bergman is often accused of being almost deliberately opaque, and that perception will certainly be front and center for many viewers here, especially those less acquainted with Bergman's overall filmography. This has somewhat less lustrous video quality than many of the other films in Criterion's expansive Bergman set, but audio is fine and, also unlike several other films in the set but on the more positive side, this has some really excellent supplements, including a fantastic documentary on Bergman. Recommended.