Medieval legend about the rape of an innocent young girl and the revenge carried out by her father. [20] The film was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1960. Three women in a maternity ward reveal their lives and intimate thoughts to each other while in a maternity ward together, where they face the choice of keeping their babies or offering them for adoption. The Virgin Spring (1960). Time Out says. placeholder. THE VIRGIN SPRING directed by Ingmar Bergman. Revenge and guilt are a layered and shared affair. Yet, this is the gist of "The Virgin Spring", a film based on the 13th century Scandinavian ballad "Tore's Daughter at Vange", recounting the rape of a virgin girl, the father's revenge and a spring miraculously flowing from the spot where she is killed. So what a shock to learn that Jungfrukällan ["The Virgin Spring"] is a rape and revenge story. Soon after, Karin's parents, along with the members of their household, set out to find their daughter's body with Ingeri leading the way. “The Virgin Spring” tackles a heavier topic; why does God allow bad things to happen to good people, and can good things come out of horrible circumstances. When they try to sell Karin's clothes to her mother, Mareta (Valberg), they are exposed as the culprits. Isaksson and Bergman explored a number of themes in The Virgin Spring, questioning morals, vengeance, and religious beliefs. Winner of the Academy Award for best foreign-language film, Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring is a harrowing tale of faith, revenge, and savagery in medieval Sweden.With austere simplicity, the director tells the story of the rape and murder of the virgin Karin, and her father Töre’s ruthless pursuit of vengeance against the three killers. Film, Action and adventure. 167 people like this. January 17, 2019 David Nusair Review, V 0. Based on thirteenth-century folklore, Ingmar Bergman's film explores themes of religion and guilt in a medieval setting. In 1972, Wes Craven began his long career as a horror filmmaker with The Last House On The Left, an uncredited adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring. Skip to content. Revenge and guilt are a layered and shared affair. Set in beautiful 14th century Sweden, it is the sombre, powerful fable of wealthy land-owning parents whose daughter, a young virgin, is brutally raped and murdered by goat herders after her half sister has invoked a pagan curse. The biggest metaphor in this film is crossing the river. Share. [6] Film scholar Marc Gervais elaborated that Töre's revenge is "ritualized pagan vengeance", adding "Töre is torn between two ritualized imperatives: pagan vengeance, Christian repentance and forgiveness". Topic. [5] Töre, played by Max von Sydow, loses his Christian values to commit the act of revenge, and offers to build a church as redemption. Meanwhile, Karin meets three herdsmen, two men and a boy, and invites them to eat her lunch with her. [4] Ingeri uses it to wash her head, which she used to plan the spell, and her eyes, which she used to watch the rape, and drinks the water, symbolizing absolution. (1960). Ingeri proceeds to wash herself with the water while Karin's mother cleans the dirt from her daughter's face. Set in beautiful 14th century Sweden, it is the somber, powerful fable of peasant parents whose daughter, a young virgin, is brutally raped and murdered by goat herders. [29] Robin Wood wrote, "The Virgin Spring is Art; Last House is Exploitation". In a 1960 review, Bosley Crowther wrote, "Mr. Bergman has stocked it with scenes of brutality that, for sheer unrestrained realism, may leave one sickened and stunned. The above considerations spring from an examination of the Virgin Mary's relationship with God-the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit-and with the Church. Set in medieval Sweden, it is a tale about a father's merciless response to the rape and murder of his young daughter. This film, while bleak and horrible to watch at times, comes with an underlying theme of salvation and redemption. [28] Stanley Kauffmann wrote that "The vengeance scene is so long that it verges on the ridiculous". Forgot account? The Virgin Spring. Description. [27] Aftonbladet's review called it "somewhat loose in execution". This movie, like any other Bergman's works, has some spectacular performances from its cast. Isaksson had written a novel set in Medieval times and was acclaimed for its realism, which Bergman felt might prevent repeat of some criticisms of his 1957 film The Seventh Seal. This lesser known Ingmar Bergman masterpiece, the first of his many Oscar wins, ties his early expressionist treatment, best known in “The Seventh Seal” (1957), to his later psychological approach… Dec 2014. contact / help. The Virgin Spring is bigger than that, and especially in its deeply uncomfortable rape scene, I think it goes too far into pure misery for misery's sake, and only the way that it's being channeled through Ingeri's POV helps to make it at least somewhat productive for the character drama. Discover something for everyone this month with some choice picks for the best movies and TV to stream in April. The Virgin Spring is set in medieval Sweden, a time when Christianity was ascendant, but some people still prayed to their old pagan gods. or. W elcome to the Virgin Spring Cinefest. Ingeri, after having caught up to the group, witnesses the whole ordeal hidden from a distance. The younger boy is left with the body, but he takes the situation poorly, and is racked with guilt. Find the latest tracks, albums, and images from The Virgin Spring. [22] In Fort Worth, Texas, the film was banned as obscene, and the Texas Supreme Court declined to hear the case. 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