Fanny and Alexander

Starring: Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Ewa Froling, Allan Edwall, Jan Malmsjo, Gunn Wallgren, Kristina Adolphson, Borje Ahlstedt, Carl Billquist, Jarl Kulle, Kabi Lareti, Mona Malm, Lena Olin, Christina Schollin, Pernilla August, Peter Stormare (uncredited)
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1983

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Alexander (Bertil Guve) and his sister Fanny (Pernilla Allwin) grow up surrounded by larger-than-life family, but see their existence uprooted when their father (Allan Edwall) dies and their mother (Ewa Froling) marries a strict bishop (Jan Malmsjo)

Review:
Tim: I recognize that many people consider Fanny and Alexander to be one of the greatest films ever made. Ingmar Bergman is certainly one of those iconic, top-tier directors. I agree that some of what he accomplishes here is dizzying in its scope and beauty. But, there are other aspects of the film that feel bloated and just a bit pretentious. In the end, I enjoyed and was impressed by this 3 hour, 8 minute film, but I'd stop short of calling it a great movie.

I'm not overly familiar with Bergman's work, but I did love The Seventh Seal. That feels like such a powerful film that touches on many of humanity's deepest themes. This is a different kind of film- it's semi-autobiographical and the scope is more narrow. It's focused on one family, primarily on the children, and the ups and downs of their life. It certainly was a personal work for Bergman, as he allows the characters ample space to breathe and live. You can almost see him reminiscing as he tells this story. On the one hand, this allows him to craft these memorable characters that feel large, unique, authentic. He captures the highs and lows of extended family, the closeness and the conflict. Some of these early scenes are absolutely dazzling in their depiction of humanity. On the other side of the coin, though, Bergman lingers too long here. The first hour is fantastic at introducing this family and all their quirks, but the story feels sluggish. It takes far too long to establish any kind of worthwhile narrative. By the time the story really kicks in, it's focused on two kids we haven't spent enough time with and introduces new characters, which pull us away from the ones we just spent an hour getting to know. Bergman eventually weaves these narratives back together, but it feels like he took a very roundabout way to get there. It's never completely dull, but this movie does drag in multiple places.

The length is definitely an interesting aspect of this film. It was originally conceived as a miniseries, but it's interesting how it was cut to create a feature film. It retains much of that television quality of having too much time and not enough story to fill it. The movie is expansive and impressive in its scope- we don't usually spend three hours focused on a family with relatively limited narrative points. We get to know the characters, but ultimately, Bergman doesn't spend enough time with many of them. It's a weird feeling, to spend so much time with so many characters but still feel like some of them were underutilized. For example, towards the end of the film, a character shows up with a servant who recently gave birth. I knew her from earlier in the film, but I couldn't quite remember if she was a daughter, cousin, how was she related to this family again? It's a small thing, but with a cast this big, a few characters really stand out and many others don't.

The most egregious of this involves the titular characters. It takes a really long time for us to establish a connection with Alexander. He's an odd boy, preferring to stay on the outskirts of the family circle. He has a vivid, active imagination. Eventually, during the second hour, we get to know him much better. It would have been nice to feel closer to him before his character really stepped into the limelight. Then, towards the end of the film, the story almost seems to forget about him, focusing again on the broader family, before pulling him back in right before the end. Fanny gets an even worse deal. She seems to exist only parallel to Alexander. We never get to know what she really thinks or feels. It's odd to have her character listed first in the title, to spend 3 hours with her family, and end the movie feeling like we don't know her and that she was shortchanged. It's almost as if Bergman wasn't interested in her. That seems like a miss to me. I thought Bertil Guve and Pernilla Allwin gave very strong performances in these roles. I just wish the movie focused on them a bit more.

I thought Allan Edwall was excellent as Oscar. A few of his scenes were startlingly powerful. He looks world weary, worn out by existence. He conveys these deep intelligence, this raw ability to feel that sticks with you. His performance is incredibly powerful. I loved nearly all his scenes. Ewa Froling was good in her role, too. She's thrust into the limelight in the middle of the film and while her character bothered me, her performance works. Jan Malmsjo was chilling in his portrayal of the bishop who is unaware of the evil in his heart. It's always fascinating to see religious characters who have lost the true meaning of their faith and his is a prime example. Most of his scenes were brutally difficult to watch, but Malmsjo plays this character exceptionally well. What's funny is that those are the most lasting scenes of the film- not the first hour of glee and life, nor of the eventual conclusion. The middle of the film, the dark, brutal depictions of a restrained life, fighting against the life of innocent children- that's what we remember the most. That's when the film is most powerful, even as we desperately want to look away.

Bergman does balance these scenes with a lot of levity earlier in the film. Jarl Kulle is excellent as the larger-than-life Gustav Adolf. His character is mesmerizing, a womanizing teddy bear who's given to righteousness and speeches, but in a buffoonish, easily dismissable way. Every time his character shows up on screen, he infuses energy and humor into the proceedings. His role was critical. Mona Malm works exceptionally well with him and is fascinating in her own right. She seems to exist a bit in his shadow, but she quietly shines with her own light as well. I certainly thought a lot about her character, Malm makes her so interesting to watch. Gunn Wallgren is incredible as the matriarch of the family. Her performance is stunning, the depth and the humanity that she brings to this character. I felt like some of the scenes with her character went on far too long, but I understand why Bergman would give her leeway. There's something beautiful about just watching her act in this role.

Bergman does create something unique here. It's a film that feels filled with life. It depicts a huge cast of characters and shows many highs-and-lows of life. I understand why so many critics would become believers of this film and I get the accolades heaped on it. It definitely feels worthwhile of winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It also won Best Cinematography, which I understand. The film is expansive in scope and is shot beautifully. Framing the characters in their frolicking is especially well done. Most scenes take place indoors, but they take on a life of their own. The Best Art Direction-Set Direction win makes sense for this reason, too. Finally, the film also won Best Costume Design, which again, seems well-deserved when you consider the number of characters and all their outfits throughout the film. I'm always impressed with international films that win Oscars outside of Foreign Language Film, and you have to applaud this one for walking away with 4 Academy Awards (it was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, too). That is quite impressive.

As for me, I really liked this film, but I didn't quite love it. I'm not sure it needed to be three hours long and I think it often spent its time focusing on the wrong characters. Did we need to understand Maj as much as we did, given how underdeveloped Fanny was? That's fine, Bergman made choices and we as viewers can decide what we think. I acknowledge Fanny and Alexander is a unique and memorable film. I liked it, but I never really loved it. I suppose I could continue to proceed with this review, but soon I'll be in danger of crafting a review that takes three hours to read and I don't want to be guilty of what I'm accusing Bergman of. So, I'll close by saying I recognize the strengths of this film, but I can't help but believe this movie is a bit overrated globally.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Seventh Seal