Port of Call

ahlak, vicdan, sevgi, aile gibi bi cok konuda insani sorgulamalara maruz birakiyor. film, bergman 101 dersi icin ideal sanki. hem hikayesi hem altmetni dengeli ilerliyor

Bergman was influenced by the neo-realists here: he acknowledges that he was still more studio-bound than them, but aside from that a case can be made that he went further than someone like Rossellini in examining social (and women’s) issues, and did so more “realistically”. Perhaps Bergman’s real “sin” here was to hang on to some faith in progress, some hopefulness about the ability of modernisation to overcome bourgeois suffocation. Impressive use of camera in this one too. Really quite good.

Bergman takes another step towards knowing what he's doing; the characters (especially the female lead) get more depth, their issues are less easily solved (except by the sudden ending) and the relationship feels more believably messed up than in earlier films. A very distant prologue to Scenes From A Marriage it's... not, but it probably uses the same abortionist. And Fischer's photography is often stunning.

Viewed August 2, 2019.

I liked this film as the main character, Berit, is someone I felt both sympathy and respect for. Its a fairly grim watch but it has some reasonably good bits of dialogue and its thoughtful, in that it has a morality aspect to it too. There are some nice pieces of camerawork and I'd recommend it.

I came into this movie expecting a kind of cliche'd Hollywood style romantic story. And for the first 15 minutes or so that's what it felt like. But surprisingly, the story quickly becomes quite complex and nuanced. Bergit's relationship with her mother is tense and unhealthy. Even more-so with her absent father. We get a one night stand. We have a main character with serious psychological problems. You don't get any of this stuff in 1940s cinema. Bergman surpassed my expectations here.

Bergman cited Rossellini as a major influence for this and that exactly what you get; a young Bergman trying to do Rossellini. These outside neorealist parts are the best bits, the interior psychological bits, which are more reminiscent of later Bergman, are the weakest and clash with the neorealist style.

Star Rating: ★★★1/2

74.000

Probably the best I've seen of Bergman's really early work. I really enjoyed the drama and connected to the characters in a way that I couldn't in Thirst, and thought it even more successful than To Joy was. The photography is really striking, with great uses of shadows, lots of mature shots and fancy angles. The ending is a bit uncharacteristically upbeat, and I'm not sure how well it suits the tone of the movie, but it's not a huge detriment or anything.

Strong camerawork by Gunnar Fischer. Many of Bergman's early themes are on full display here, making this one of his stronger early works. Notably, Berit's desire to escape the reformatory school recalls the critique of boarding school as seen in Torment.

The photography is superb, the acting is excellent, and the script reveals much of Bergman's trademark style: bitter exchanges, frustrated outbursts, and contrite regrets. We also see a bit of the abortion issue that would come up again in Brink of Life, and frank handling of sexuality. The story itself is engaging, although it does take a while before it really gets cooking. Not an incredibly impressive film, but certainly a step up from Hollywood imitations like Crisis.

A simple melodrama, at turns quite sweet and quite bitter. Well-shot, solidly acted, and visually stimulating.

Ingmar Bergman continues with darker tones to his movies. Here focusing on a unhappy girl who is surrounded by people that triggers her anxiety. And then she meets a man which at least to some degree gives her stability, and we continue to see her trying to stand-up to the people that tries to keep her down. Something was lacking for it to be a story I found truly rewarding, but I'm not denying that there are interesting threads being pulled here.