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Scenes From a Marriage - Criterion Collection Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 15 Reviews)

my man berg man
i watched one episode while my mom was in the room and it was kind of awkward. i was glad she fell asleep about ten minutes in. i watched 'em all with rapt attention, boy are they cool.

Scenes from a Marriage - Criterion Collection
After seeing the recent release Saraband in the theatre, it was an absolute necessity to see the start of the saga. I was delighted to enjoy the intense emotions portrayed by the actors. It was a riveting look inside a marriage that is working well, or is it?

Spectacularly...DEVASTATING!
I watched this film in two sittings, in part because of the length (2:48) but also because of the sheer density and weight of the material onscreen. Like all Bergman films this one takes you deep into the psyche of its main characters with a mix of intensity and realism AND surrealism that is absolutely breathtaking, original and refreshingly unpredictable.

One of Bergman's trademarks is his slow camera that lingers over closeups of the actors' faces, as if thrusting their naked, twisted and unknowable emotions straight into our own faces. There is an element of ruthlessness but also of compassion in this type of camera work. So many times during the movie I found myself thinking, "Now this is where most directors would pull back for a full body or medium or long-distance shot rather than stay in uncomfortable and intrusive closeup range. The aesthetic here is both spare and unsparing...unlike most of today's movies it does not have any musical score at all to lean on, instead Bergman relies on the depth of his characters and the skill of his camera and cast to keep the viewer riveted.

A true masterwork from a true master! This is one film definitely worth owning, like a good novel it has many many layers and nuances and undefinable moments that you can go back to again and again and notice new things each time.

Deserves 10 stars, really. Next to Bergman, today's directors are children.

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