Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: Swedish (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), SYNOPSIS: Produced and directed for German television, Ingmar Bergman's From the Life of the Marionettes starts out in color and switches almost immediately to black-and-white. This cinematic self-indulgence is ideally suited to the subject matter: the horrible consequences of a rapidly disintegrating marriage. The husband, Peter Egerman (Robert Atzorn) is unable to articulate his frustration through normal channels. Warped by his repression, Egerman ends up raping and murdering a prostitute. This outrage occurs at the very beginning of the film; the rest of the footage is devoted to a semi-documentary study of the failed marriage, the police investigation, and the husband's twisted psyche. Once again, Bergman's vision is superbly realized by the camerawork of Sven Nykvist. SPECIAL FEATURES: Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Production Notes, Scene Access, Trailer(s),

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #106128 in DVD
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Import, PAL, Subtitled
• Original language: German
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Customer Reviews

Brutally Honest Dysfunctional Characters Compel Attention

Why Watch This Film?

Most appealing in this movie, and what makes it really worth a thoughtful watch, is the honesty of the characters. This almost compulsive honesty provides deep insights into the characters. As unappealing as they might be as neighbors, the characters are interesting and compel your attention.

The Characters

The characters are not the cardboard cutouts being manipulated through a plot that frequent many scripts. The characters are multifaceted three dimensional personalities. In one instance a character answers a question during the police interview and gives numerous explanations for his actions, all of which are true. This building of depth makes sympathetic characters that other wise would be simply pathetic.

Structure

A recurring feature of the film is the use of the police interview. This is used to tie together various pieces of the story. The interviews are used as a vehicle for flashbacks that tell the story. In addition to flashbacks and interviews, Bergman makes use of dreams to add depth to his characters. The dreams are photographed beautifully. There is a surreal quality that slowly changes to stark realism as the dream reaches it climax. This is very subtle and quite effective.

The Story

The story itself is tragic. Fatal flaws abound in almost all the characters. No hero here. Dependency and habit bind a man and a woman together in a mockery of a loving marriage. The effects this has on the relationship and those surrounding it are explored.

The Setting

The contemporary urban setting is not unknown in Bergman's work but it is not the most common situation for his films. The film makes much of the noise of the city, the un-natural urban surroundings, the skewing of schedules that urban life requires. More than a mere setting, the city takes on a role. It is as if the locale is a character, one that contributes no small amount to the descent of the other characters in the film.

Bergmania

For those familiar with Bergman's work there is much that is. Among the familiar are some names that have been recycled from previous films (Eggerman for example). There is the usual use of ticking clocks, and marital infidelity. The characters are ordinary in many ways and extraordinary in their flaws. Life, death and madness are a part of most of Bergman's work. This is no exception.

Once more enter the darkness and meet Bergman.
"From the life of Marionettes" is a dark tale told by its multiple and unreliable characters. The plot begins with a shocking event through which the main character is introduced, where the audience is forced to judge him by the face value. What comes after is one of the most beautiful manifestations of Bergmanian prophecies: liberal, bitter, and extremely dark. This is a psychological hallucination, a bizzare experience in human relationship. Watch and levitate.

Even a lesser Bergman is a good picture.
In addition to two fine reviews, let me add that the misogynist plot (Peter hates his wife Katrina but kills a prostitute instead) and the incessant recording (done by the investigator, the psychiatrist, and the murderer himself) draw our attention to the one gay man. Tim is a person who does not want to record what he has to say and who, although nearly everyone knows the imminent danger intuitively and disregards it, chooses to look himself in the mirror and recognizes the horror of both what he has done and not done. Yet we don't care when Katrina acknowledges his shallowness despite his hand upon her cheek. Since we don't care about Tim, how are we to care whether Peter ever found him? Consequently, Peter's anguish remains vague and we're left grateful he's locked up--not typical for Bergman who more often yearns for escape.