Cries and Whispers (1973): Ingmar Bergman’s Masterful Chronicle of Pain and Death, Starring Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Ingrid Tulin

Thematically engaging, tonally grim and somber, beautifully photographed by ace lenser Sven Nykvist, and powerfully acted by Sweden’s best actresses, Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece Cries and Whispers tells the drama of a dying woman, a spinster in her 30s, her two sisters, and her servant, Anna, who’s unconditionally dedicated to her.

On the surface the film is hauntingly realistic drama about the long, painful process of dying and its impact on those close to her. The narrative unfolds as a series of emotionally charged images that express all kinds of inner and outer anxieties.

But it is also an allegory about different types of women and their diaparate approach to issues of family, honor, marriage, and love. Each of the three sisters represent a different side or facet of womanhood.

A lyrical films about pain in extremely stressful times, Cries and Whispers records in expressive detail the impact of death on each of the three sisters and their servant.

One of the few foreign-language films to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, “Cries and Whispers” received a well-deserved Oscar Award for Sven Nykvist’s brilliant cinematography, dominated by the color red and images that were integrated into the narrative emotionally as well as technically.

“Cries and Whispers” stars Harriet Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Ingrid Tulin and Erland Josephson, all accomplished performers of Bergman’s famed repertory troupe that appear in many of his films, separately or jointly.

While all the actresses are superb, it’s Ingrid Thulin who gives the standout performance in the most difficult role, as Karin, a suicidal, unhappily married, who once had mutilated her own vagina in order to avoid physical contact with her husband.

Liv Ullmann (Bergman’s real-life companion at the time and mother of his child) plays two roles, Maria, an earthy woman who once cheated on her husband, driving her husband into attempted suicide, as well as the women’s mother (in flashbacks).

The film’s most arresting seuences are silent, poetic evocations of love and pain, with the kind of imagery that’s not only breathtaking but also juxtaposed with the utterly stark and bleak subject matter.

The film, one of my favorite Bergman’s works, should be subjected to repeat viewing as it’s rich and dense and truly gripping.

Th film is one of a piece, a work of art in which the visual style is inseparable from the text and its meaning. The images that inform the story are so striking and poignant that’s possible to watch the film without even listening to the dialogue.

The visual style, d0minated by red backgrounds, is inspired by the paintings of Edward Munch. The images, which represent the height of Sven Nykvist’s distinguished career, offer a deeper view of each woman (through close-ups) and the relationships among the qaurtet of women.

One image is particularly haunting, showing Agnes, dying of cancer, in the arms of her loyal servant Anna, conveying pain and suffering in a way that no words can do.

Like Persona, Bergman’s masterpiece starring Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersen, Cries and Whispers relies on a recurrent motif of a human face split into two, suggesting the notions of divided personalities, hidden dimensions, and the inevitable tesnions between their personal and public selves.

The movie has the hypnotic power of a dream that, despite the grim subject, suggest erotic mystery.