Autumn Sonata
| Autumn Sonata | |
|---|---|
 US theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Written by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Starring | Ingrid Bergman Liv Ullmann Lena Nyman Halvar Björk |
| Music by | Frédéric Chopin |
| Cinematography | Sven Nykvist |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures (US) |
| Release date(s) | 8 October 1978 (Sweden) |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | West Germany |
| Language | Swedish |
Autumn Sonata (Swedish: Höstsonaten) is a 1978 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann and Lena Nyman. It tells the story of a celebrated classical pianist who is confronted by her neglected daughter. It was Ingrid Bergman's last performance in a major theatrical feature film, and the film won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1979 Golden Globe Awards.
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Plot [edit]
The plot focuses on a prominent concert pianist, Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman), who has been neglectful and dismissive of her children, whom she has not seen in over seven years. Charlotte decides to make a visit to her eldest daughter, Eva (Liv Ullmann) at her remote house, where she lives with her husband, Viktor (Halvar Björk). Upon arrival, Charlotte discovers that her other daughter, Helena (Lena Nyman), who is mentally and physically disabled (and was placed in an institution by Charlotte) is living with and being taken care of by Eva. Wounded by the neglect and selfishness of her mother, Eva begins to spill all of the things she has ever wanted to say to Charlotte, and as the evening progresses, the tension culminates to a wave of harsh words and exposure of true feelings that change their mother–daughter relationship forever.
Production [edit]
Due to his battle with the Swedish tax authorities at the time, Ingmar Bergman produced Autumn Sonata through his West German company, Personafilm GmbH, with main financing from Lew Grade's British ITC Film, and shot the film in an old film studio outside Oslo in Norway.[1] Although formally a German production (with the German title, Herbstsonate, being the official original title), the dialogue is in Swedish, most of the crew and actors were Swedish,[2] and the world premiere was in Stockholm[3]
Cast [edit]
- Ingrid Bergman – Charlotte Andergast
- Liv Ullmann – Eva
- Lena Nyman – Helena
- Halvar Björk – Viktor
- Marianne Aminoff – Charlotte's private secretary
- Arne Bang-Hansen – Uncle Otto
- Gunnar Björnstrand – Paul
- Erland Josephson – Josef
- Georg Løkkeberg – Leonardo
- Mimi Pollak – Piano instructor
- Linn Ullmann – Eva as a child
Production [edit]
The film was shot in Norway because of Ingmar Bergman's tax problems with the government of Sweden.[4]
Soundtrack [edit]
The piano piece played in the film is Chopin's Prelude No. 2 in A minor.
Awards and nominations [edit]
The film won the 1979 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Ingrid Bergman) and Best Original Screenplay.
Remakes and stage adaptations [edit]
- Rituparno Ghosh's Unishe April (1994), an Indian film in Bengali, is loosely based on this movie.
- Tehzeeb (2003) is a Hindi film based on Autumn Sonata.
- In September 2008 a theatrical version entitled Sonata de otoño was performed in Madrid.
- In April 2011, a new theatrical adaptation of Autumn Sonata, based on Bergman's original screeplay, had its World Premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, CT, directed by Robert Woodruff.
References [edit]
- ^ Ingmar Bergman Face to Face: Autumn Sonata - Shooting the film Retrieved 2011-07-11
- ^ Ingmar Bergman Face to Face: Autumn Sonata - Cast and credits Retrieved 2011-07-11
- ^ Ingmar Bergman Face to Face: Autumn Sonata - Film facts Retrieved 2011-07-11
- ^ Autumn Sonata Reel.com
External links [edit]
- Autumn Sonata at the Internet Movie Database
- Autumn Sonata at the Swedish Film Database
- Autumn Sonata at AllRovi
- Autumn Sonata at the TCM Movie Database
- Autumn Sonata at Rotten Tomatoes
- Criterion Collection essay by Peter Cowie
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