The Serpent's Egg (film)

The Serpent's Egg
Directed by	Ingmar Bergman
Produced by	Dino De Laurentiis
Written by	Ingmar Bergman
Starring	David Carradine Isolde Barth Heinz Bennent Toni Berger Christian Berkel Liv Ullmann
Cinematography	Sven Nykvist
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures MGM Home Entertainment (DVD)
Release date(s)	28 October 1977
Running time	120 min.
Language	English German

The Serpent's Egg is a 1977 American-West German co-produced film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring David Carradine and Liv Ullmann. The story is set in 1920s Berlin and features English and German dialogue. This was Bergman's one and only Hollywood film. The title is taken from a line spoken by Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar:

And therefore think him as a serpent's egg/Which hatch'd, would, as his kind grow mischievous;/And kill him in the shell.

Synopsis

Abel Rosenberg is an American Jew in Berlin after World War I. Poverty and inflation have destroyed the German economy at the time. He lives with his sister-in-law Manuela, a prostitute and cabaret performer. The story takes place in the week following his brother's death. Abel takes a job offered by an acquaintance, Professor Hans Vergerus.

Cast

• Liv Ullmann (Manuela Rosenberg)
• David Carradine (Abel Rosenberg)
• Gert Fröbe (Inspector Bauer)
• Heinz Bennent (Hans Vergérus)
• James Whitmore (Priest)
• Glynn Turman (Monroe)
• Georg Hartmann (Hollinger)
• Edith Heerdegen (Mrs Holle)
• Kyra Mldeck (Miss Dorst)
• Fritz Straßner (Doctor Soltermann)
• Hans Quest (Doctor Silbermann)
• Wolfgang Weiser (Official)
• Paula Braend (Mrs. Hemse)
• Walter Schmidinger (Solomon)
• Lisi Mangold (Mikaela)
• Grischa Huber (Stella)
• Paul Bürks
• Toni Berger (Mr. Rosenberg)
• Erna Brunell (Mrs. Rosenberg)
• Isolde Barth
• Rosemarie Heinikel
• Andrea L'Arronge
• Beverly McNeely
• Hans Eichler (Max)
• Kai Fischer
• Harry Kalenberg
• Gaby Dohm
• Christian Berkel (Student)
• Paul Burian
• Charles Regnier
• Günter Meisner
• Heide Picha
• Günter Malzacher
• Hubert Mittendorf
• Hertha von Walther
• Ellen Umlauf
• Renate Grosser
• Hildegard Busse
• Richard Bohne
• Emil Feist
• Heino Hallhuber
• Irene Steinbeisser

Full credits

• Original title: Ormens ägg/Das Schlangenei/The Serpent's Egg.
• Production: Rialto Film (Berlin), Dino De Laurentiis Corp. (Los Angeles).
• Distribution: Fox-Stockholm.
• Director: Ingmar Bergman.
• Producer: Dino De Laurentiis.
• Set construction: Rolf Wilhelm.
• Editor: Petra von Oelffen.
• Sound: Karsten Ulrich.
• Artistic direction: Erner Achmann.
• Costumes: Charlotte Flemming.
• Make-up and hairdressing: Raimund Stangl and others.
• World premiere: 28 October 1977.
• Duration: 119 minutes.

External links

• The Serpent's Egg at the Internet Movie Database
• The Serpent's Egg at AllRovi
• The Serpent's Egg at the TCM Movie Database