(Swedish Restored Version) This film is generally unlikeable. The tone shifts violently, like a child throwing a tantrum. It's angry. It's frustrating. It has no focus, no structure, and no ending. It's probably like a real adulterous affair. Thing is, the film monumentally fails at specific moments, undercutting any kind of legitimate intimacy - which a film with this subject needs to survive. The result leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Bergman hated this film, and it's not hard to see why. A bland, empty melodrama with only a few signs of the master's touch. Gould is clearly in way over his head. It's not all his fault; the script is stiff and lifeless, and seems to struggle with the language. I thought the symbolism of the Virgin Mary statue was WAY too blunt, but perhaps I missed some element of subtlety. The cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable. A generally unpleasant and mindless film, although not unbearable.