"Represents the primary nexus between Bergman's austere but accessibly recherché works of the 1950s and his downright ascetic 1960s cinema." - Eric Henderson

Beautiful and brutal. Enjoyed the spiritual questions it raises. Highly recommended.

One of the hardest films I've seen.

In a way The Virgin Spring embodies everything that is great about Bergman. It's intimate and quiet, and yet grandiose, even operatic simultaneously. The film is structurally simple in a way that I found kind of humbling and beautiful. That's true of most of Bergman's films, but it really stood out here.

Bergman decides to make a Christian parable out of the Middle Ages. That's it. It's simple and straightforward and wonderfully succinct.

707

This movie is all about asking the question "Why believe in the idea of a god that lets such terrible things happen?" The ending might seem ambiguous, but it may very well be a joke an Bergman's part, as it shows how easily people turn to god even though they have witnessed a true sign of his absence. If there is a god, he is a more evil being than you and I are.

the ending's a bit of a letdown

Focused movie about faith and the cause and effects of vengeance. The characters are real people with flaws which makes it all the more chilling and sad.

Max Von Sydow picks up and throws a dude. That should be enough.

Another outstanding religious drama from Bergman. He takes on vengeance and the silence of God. It covers a lot of ground that his other films do, but is crafted with his usual expertise so it's never a bother. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, though.

Fucking amazing.

Bergman's works are often overambitious and overburdened with symbolism. The Virgin Spring is arguably his masterpiece, a very powerful film and his most focused, purest, most economic. With all due respect to the marvelous directing, I guess the one to thank for this is Ulla Isaksson, to whom Bergman should probably have gone for more scripts.

I might get tired of repeating how brillant Bergman and Nykvist were but i cannot see me getting tired of watching their magic. The Virgin Spring might be some sort of an 'easy Bergman' but got all one could expect from the two magicians. Brillant pace, mindblowing cinematography and of course Max von Sydow who is outstanding. 05/01/2010

Max von Sydow looks more like a Norse god than a person. This is a beautiful film. The cinematography is stunning. I adore black & white. There is one particularly effective scene that has the most moving black & white visual I have ever seen. The story is vibrant and the characters even more so.

Not as dense as other Bergman masterpieces, but it isn't weak in any spots. While a bit simplistic sometimes, I was completely swept away by the film's pacing and acting. Max von Sydow is a god in human form, and it's utterly devastating in every way, concerning the plotline.