Scenes from a Marriage

Scenes from a Marriage

1973
Romance, Drama
TV Mini-Series
4h 43m
Johan reveals to his wife Marianne that he has been having an affair and intends to leave her. She is distraught, and the film follows the trials and tribulations of the couple from that point onward. Originally a TV series screened in Sweden.
Your probable score
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Scenes from a Marriage

1973
Romance, Drama
TV Mini-Series
4h 43m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 81.7% from 1195 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1195)
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Rated 20 Mar 2008
5
91st
Few movies have ever bothered less with plot, style, or conventional guidelines; in no movie have they ever mattered less. Bergman's triumph is to create two characters who are so convincingly fleshed out that to see them on screen is to know them intimately: to love them, hate them, and to share in their pain, sorrow, and redemption every step of the way. In its own way, through all the fighting and heartbreak, this is the most romantic movie ever made; it's the best romance I've ever seen.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
100
98th
The performances aren't just great, they are 100% convincing. The characters aren't just well developed, they are 100% real people, more so than many actual people I've met. The direction and cinematography aren't anything special, but they don't need to be, as any unusual tricks would only have served as distractions from the film's absolute realism.
Rated 07 Apr 2007
95
99th
Every relationship is essentially the same. We are mountains for eachother desperately seeking meaning in our Sisyphusian existence. Once again Bergman playing god with his petty subjects.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
98
99th
On infidelity. This is the greatest movie of the 1970s, and in a sense captures the essence of that decade. It is the greatest depiction of a relationship onscreen, and probably the greatest ever record of actors' performances. One of the greatest films of all time is a TV series! A singular achievement. Slightly more extended discussion here (from 1999): https://www.academia.edu/13143431/Scenes_from_a_Marriage_1999_ Re-watched: August 2021.
Rated 09 Feb 2008
10
99th
Powerful, real and often brutal, Bergman creates two characters that you will relate with no matter who you are. The acting is of course top-notch, and the camerawork is so subtle, you will actually forget you are watching a film. No other piece of cinema has affected me as much as this.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
97
99th
Yet another powerful work from Bergman. The things these characters say to each other ring so true... they're conversations that you've had, or at least feel you've had or could have. Amazing performances, too.
Rated 07 Apr 2008
90
99th
Lip-knawingly real. The complexes of life, love, and intellect. No one is safe, least so the viewer. The script of a wise man.
Rated 13 Jun 2010
10
97th
(2nd viewing) An emotionally resonant script of precision and unparalleled humility. A shame some people don't realise marriage is composed of these moments of uncertitude and commotion, and how working past them enforces its foundation together with heartfelt empathy. The lead actors give the most natural performances ever recorded on screen, though I guess the real star of this film is Bergman himself, who's in complete control of his visuals and subject matter. Highly recommended!
Rated 15 Jan 2009
95
96th
This is acting at its finest. Everything else in the film is in a back seat, kept muted and made almost irrelevant. They explore everything about love here, its ups and downs and it's tough to believe you're not watching two people who've been married for 10 years. It's stunning.
Rated 16 Sep 2009
99
99th
Two of the best performances I've ever seen. Bergman is absolutely brilliant. Almost definitely the best relationship in the history of the cinema (so far as one can really make that claim).
Rated 01 Nov 2009
10
98th
Extremely engaging and well made film. The camera is invisible, it's like we are watching moments from these people's lives without them knowing. The performances by Ullman and Josephson are two of the best ever. Arguably Bergman's finest.
Rated 10 Sep 2007
99
99th
Note that this rating is for the TV miniseries version, which is, in my opinion, far superior to the theatrical cut. Scenes From a Marriage is a complete masterpiece, and it is certainly a must-see film/miniseries for anyone with a serious interest in cinema.
Rated 18 Feb 2008
94
98th
An incredible movie on nearly every level. The characters are so real that it almost feels as if you're watching a documentary. While it's primarily about marriage and relationships it explores many aspects of personal motivations and fullfilment through characters that are genuinely complex.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
7
99th
Becomes more universal upon repeated viewings. This is the human condition, this is life.
Rated 16 Feb 2010
5
93rd
(TV cut) It's amazing that in its entire 5 hour runtime, this film stays relentlessly efficient, and Bergman never wavers emotional intensity. No time is wasted, and you're left hanging on every word. The absence of stylistic flourish, the insulated atmosphere, and two incredibly authentic performances provide total immersion. It's painstakingly realistic, and by the end I felt drained.
Rated 17 Oct 2007
94
92nd
Scenes From a Marriage is an epic of a completely different kind. It's internally intense and very emotional without being melodramatic or sappy at any point. Bergman captures the essence of a troubled relationship in a gripping state; it's extraordinarily powerful.
Rated 11 Nov 2008
5
96th
Wow. Brutally honest and emotionally naked film. Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson turn in amazing performances and Bergman utilizes close-up shots and silence to great emotional effect. I felt like I was physically beside Marianne and Johan through each phase of their highly tumultuous relationship. Highly recommended.
Rated 28 Jul 2009
4
93rd
What an insightful script, dealing with lies, self-deception, love, infidelity, obsessiveness, basically all the sources of struggle in people's lives, and at the same time what makes us human. Has some of the best acting performances I've seen. Everyone has or will be experiencing a lot of what these characters are going through, and it all feels almost unpleasantly real.
Rated 21 Jul 2010
80
68th
Man, I'm not even married and I want a divorce.
Rated 12 Dec 2006
96
99th
Of Bergman's films that I've gotten around to watching, this is the one I enjoy the most. You can relate to the characters, the close-ups are powerful yet not overwhelming, and you can actually take something away from this masterpiece. This film, to me, truly captures the "human spirit" in its range of emotions and character interaction.
Rated 11 Sep 2007
90
95th
Two of the best written characters in the history of cinema come courtesy of Bergman. To see Ullman and Josephson together on screen in this film makes you want to actually see their chats for entire days.
Rated 20 Jul 2009
95
87th
Showing the transformation and truely metamorphic timeline of marriage, from the first vows to divorce, Scenes from a Marriage is probably Bergman's most recital impelled and motivated film ever. There is barely anything else going on, but this is the entire proposition. What our legendary filmmaker was trying to come across was to prove than even without all the fabrics that the average movie requires, he manages to make a movie watchable from just the reciprocation of two people. Brilliant.
Rated 04 Sep 2009
93
96th
gets better and better as you get further into it - the final two "scenes" are sublime
Rated 05 Nov 2009
90
97th
Probably the most affecting film without a score that I have seen. The performances are so wonderfully nuanced and compelling that the stage play-like qualities of the film did not detract from the intimate reality it portrays.
Rated 04 Jan 2010
55
57th
Has some great moments but simply, there is not enough material to carry the movie through its 170 minute span. Despite the fact that I like this type of movies where everything is based on acting and dialogue, I got bored somewhere close to the second hour.
Rated 19 Jan 2010
38
34th
I'm pretty sure all the problems in this movie could have been avoided if Johan wasn't so lousy at sex.
Rated 10 Apr 2011
95
95th
This is Bergmans relentless statement about the institutionalization of love by the society and marriage with the two phantastic actors Erland Josephson and Liv Ullman.
Rated 10 Nov 2012
95
99th
A masterclass of acting and characterization. And no less than my favorite from Bergman.
Rated 11 Nov 2007
100
96th
Ingmar Bergman is a master at writing people as they really are, then directing the actors into giving powerful, realistic performances. I find the miniseries to be superior to the film, but both are excellent.
Rated 15 Feb 2010
100
99th
Acting is absolutely flawless. This movie nails the depiction of any relationship through the brilliant dialogue. It shows us two very level headed, intelligent people who go through what every couple must. The best part is there is very little shouting. Most of the debates between Johan and Marianne were two calm adults revealing feelings and fears that most people would bottle up. The level of honesty and openness can be hard to swallow but reveals how crazy true love really makes us.
Rated 13 Sep 2010
100
99th
This is about everything one can imagine about a lifetime of faking feelings. I am not talking only about the marriage itself but about the feelings that a person can have and hide during the life and the will that every persons keeps behind their masks. A masterpiece from this genious Ingmar Bergman.
Rated 25 Apr 2011
95
98th
Remarkably insightful. Fantastic acting, especially Josephson. I don't know what to say, really - I've never been married but there are certain scenes and lines and expressions and certain feelings and anxieties bubbling here that ring so true... It is a marvelously written, horribly depressing, beautiful and genuine film.
Rated 02 May 2011
93
97th
An amazing film that is both simple and complex in its portrayal of love, marriage and life in general. The structure is simple, but how both characters interact with each other makes most other love stories look like elementary school plays.
Rated 02 May 2011
99
99th
Gosh.
Rated 25 Jun 2011
90
97th
Utterly brilliant in every way.
Rated 09 Jan 2012
98
97th
This is a great, great movie, and one I would give a perfect score to if not for the fact that it was such a draining experience. I don't know if I've ever been hit harder emotionally watching a film.
Rated 04 Mar 2012
97
99th
There is frankly nothing I could say about this film which would do it justice - but I think Bergman may be God.
Rated 26 Mar 2012
90
84th
Completely captivating. Josephson and Ullmann give complex, riveting performances. Love. Christ.
Rated 10 Jan 2013
100
99th
A brutally honest, relentlessly truthful, painful, exasperating, life-affirming, wise, thought provoking and highly challenging film.
Rated 25 Sep 2013
7
92nd
about as good as two people talking for five hours could ever be.
Rated 09 Feb 2014
90
96th
'In some fundamental way they have touched, really touched, and the memory of that touching will be something to hold to all of their days.' Roger Ebert nailed it with that one. I always thought of marriage as some weird, illogical social convention that suppresses the true fundamentals of human nature. The film agrees, but also shows that marriage is a framework for bonding. It's all so human and so close to our feelings that I'll have to reassess my point of view on the subject. A great film.
Rated 11 Aug 2014
100
99th
the ultimate screen love story
Rated 07 Mar 2018
100
99th
Perhaps one of the most intimate series that many can easily identify with. Two domestic characters that grow on a complete different spectrum as they face a sudden tragedy in their relationship. Bergman makes a wonderful and yet ghastly remark to the social subject that shapes human nature. There's evidence that one's childhood has an everlasting impact on emotional tendencies and views about life. The distinct characterization is brilliant and challenges viewers to reflect on themselves.
Rated 22 May 2018
83
93rd
One of the best of Bergman's later works, "Scenes from a Marriage" shows the tumultuous rollercoaster of a marital breakdown, up-close and intimate. Focusing almost exclusively on the bickering of the couple, it rests on the pure power of good dialogue.
Rated 15 Aug 2019
100
96th
I watched the 3 hour theatrical version of this and kind of want to immediately watch the 5 hour television version. This is beautifully frustrating in the way real people can be, and watching these two incredible actors, Ullman in particular, embody these characters is sublime.
Rated 29 Mar 2020
76
67th
For the whole thing to work I think you'd need the lead male character to have any semblance of redeeming characteristics (unless the whole thing is an exercise in what women have to put up with within a marriage but I'd reckon that's not it and that you're supposed to empathize with his nonsense). There's still a couple really touching scenes because of Liv Ullman and her mastery. Good camera work
Rated 30 Jun 2020
70
71st
I watched the TV-Series and it was an emotional watch, you really feel immerse and invested on this relationship and you kind of get the feeling that this people are incredibly lonely even though they are together, but then they realize they are alone together.
Rated 18 May 2021
95
96th
Okay, so this is mostly just two actors in the same setting discussing the dissolution of their marriage. I'd put on a 50-minute episode, and then moments later, those 50 minutes would be complete. How the hell is this so engaging? I learned that Swedish relationships are weird as hell. When Ullmann finds out her husband is not only cheating on her, but leaving her the next day, it is the most tempered reaction.
Rated 02 Oct 2023
100
98th
Just - wow. Blown away. Still digesting the impact. True art - true life - I am so grateful to experience this mirroring of aspects of the human condition & relationship already reverberating in my soul, so grateful for the insights into how life can be - has been - for others, and me had I been born into a different time or circumstance... and a sense of being let in on Lessons From The Elders, the weary and tender ones, bewildered and open. Exquisitely portrayed and executed. Gratitude
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
Mês especial do centenário de Ingmar Bergman filme #14 Deixei esse pra rever justamente no dia do seu centenários porque é um desbunde, um deslumbramento, um épico, uma obra-prima tão imensa que não fosse Persona seria a obra máxima do Bergman. Grandiosidade define. Coleção Versátil Ingmar Bergman Volume 6
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
96th
Brutally honest like no other film I've seen. The characters say the devastating things we've all thought but never had the courage to utter, but at the same time they're both plausible and sympathetic (thanks to both the writing and the great performances of Josephson and Ullmann).
Rated 30 Oct 2007
92
88th
I have to admit, I've had the Criterion Collection edition sitting on my shelf unwatched for some three or four years now. And right now, Bergman's film seems shelted, isolated and less relevant to my life than something like Ron Howard's Parenthood. But I still maintain, that you need to see this before you die. I should certainly see it again so I can remember why I hold it in such high regard.
Rated 02 Mar 2008
66
45th
# 672
Rated 17 Jul 2008
93
87th
This rating is for the TV miniseries version.
Rated 18 Sep 2008
52
76th
Svensk så det batter
Rated 19 Dec 2008
63
26th
738
Rated 21 Jul 2009
86
82nd
Depicts a failing relationship about as realistically as one could possibly hope for. By the end of this film I felt like I knew these two characters intimately. That's what Bergman does so well - tell stories about people that feel more like real life acquaintances than characters.
Rated 14 Jan 2010
75
50th
499
Rated 06 Jun 2010
0
0th
It's like watching some random family's home movies. Where's the soundtrack? How can this movie possibly sustain itself for nearly 3 hours with the most matter-of-fact, un-exhilarating dialogue? Maybe I have to be married to endure this borefest. Not trolling, I swear!
Rated 21 Nov 2010
88
92nd
Excellent film.
Rated 14 Jun 2011
88
92nd
In Bergman's most straight-forward film, Scenes From a Marriage is a wonderfully honest narrative on the delicate nature of relationships. The two leads are flawless in their expression of love and brutality. Often cringe inducing, but always an absolute pleasure to watch.
Rated 24 Sep 2011
79
89th
The biggest problem for me was that despite all these reviews claiming the characters are so relatable, they just weren't. Johan is a manchild who complains about everything, laying the blame for his own actions on others and then smacks his wife around. It seems like he's set up as a strawman so you can sympathize with Marianne, whose continued attraction to him I didn't understand. The performances are phenomenal but with these characters I wasn't sold on this as a masterpiece.
Rated 14 Oct 2011
80
76th
I was sadly not as impressed by this as I should have been. It was obviously incredibly well-written and acted, and Bergman perfectly achieves what he intended to do, but I just didn't really give much of a shit about the characters (particularly Johan). Basically, a brilliantly made film that does very little for me personally.
Rated 30 Nov 2011
78
56th
#437
Rated 27 Mar 2012
80
85th
Impecabbly written and acted, sharply observant and achingly realistic, "Scener ur ett äktenskap" is an occasionally fascinating examination of a failing marriage. Although the relative lack of dramatic intensity (as opposed to another dialogue-driver Bergman chamber drama "Höstsonaten") and the overall monotony somewhat lessen the overall emotional impact, the film still packs a wallop merely thanks to the sheer authenticity of the conversations and situations it depicts.
Rated 06 Sep 2012
93
94th
A powerful portrait of a changing relationship. This film could be delved for truth for many years.
Rated 09 Sep 2012
87
60th
The intimacy build by this couple had no ways of ending. It is a close look to a real marriage. With no frills.
Rated 25 Dec 2012
93
93rd
It changed my outlook on relationships forever - though Johan seems to be set up by Bergman to be a jerk for him to bash.
Rated 23 Feb 2013
88
95th
Incredibly well-acted (Ullman's unexplained and obvious accent notwithstanding) and relentless. Suffers, perhaps, a bit from being ripped off by everyone making a "social realist" divorce drama ever since.
Rated 03 Dec 2014
88
95th
A honest and unflinching portrayal of marriage in all it ups and down, that is at it best when focuses entirely on its two protagonists locked almost episode long scenes discussions. Both are purely flawed humans, and therefor immensely recognizable. Of course all this stands or falls with the acting, luckily Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson give what surely rank among their career best performances.
Rated 30 Jun 2015
95
91st
Holds up as one of Bergman's best, working as an examination of both marriage in all its pros and cons as well as the human condition. Never once lost my attention over five hours and doesn't feel like a televised play, despite lengthy 40 minute scenes mostly involving the same two lead characters. This is mostly due to the strength of the acting and dialogue, but also brutal emotional honesty pouring from every moment.
Rated 05 Oct 2015
90
90th
Having only seen the theatrical version.
Rated 15 Jan 2016
80
68th
1: 07 Gener 2015 - Interessant. Diàlegs densos que voldria escoltar a poc a poc; sembla que s'estigui parlant de temes importants. Agressivitat continguda, i també desfermada.
Rated 14 Jun 2016
80
74th
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Exceptional acting and/or writing throughout. With only two characters it can be hard to get through the whole thing in one 3-hour sitting. But take any 30-minute segment and you get engrossed, it's just great film-making. People who marry will remain a mystery to me but Bergman seems to understand them pretty well.
Rated 27 Nov 2016
96
98th
Wearing a mask certainly can be scary if invisible to its carrier, and if only detectable by inferring what others treat it as being.
Rated 10 Apr 2017
60
71st
An amusing mother/child relationship that is very engaging until the last quarter or so where my belief and interest in the characters completely disappeared.
Rated 01 May 2017
65
41st
kotu bir film degil aslinda film degil yoruldugumla kaldim soylenmemesi gereken herseyi duydum
Rated 11 Jun 2017
100
99th
A masterpiece.
Rated 27 Jul 2019
92
98th
"biz duygusal açıdan çok cahiliz. bize anatomi, pretoria'daki tarım, hipotenüsün karesinin dik kenarların karelerinin toplamına eşit olduğu gibi her tür haltı öğrettiler. ama insan ruhuna ilişkin tek bir şey öğrenmedik.”
Rated 10 Jan 2020
87
81st
Essentially a teleplay, the performances captured with an unflinching eye over the course of this assortment of scenes in continuous time. The leads are visceral in their lived-in, controlled spontaneity of emotion. A few details in story and backstory occur without consequence or payoff, making it short of a masterpiece. Beautiful, monologue-heavy eulogy on love.
Rated 18 Feb 2021
99
97th
Painful, searing and near unbearable portrait of the erosion and disintegration of a "happy" marriage - Josephson as the loathsome instigator gives the bravest, ugliest portrait of a vapidly narcissistic monster, with Ullmann doing her utmost to match him beat for beat as the more reactive member of the couple. Like watching a slow moving train wreck at times, but you still gain a complete insight into the full lives lived from both parties.
Rated 08 Jul 2022
72
81st
good
Rated 11 Feb 2023
73
82nd
While I found the performances to be amazing and raw and I found the movie absorbing and even fascinating at times, these people in no way felt like real people, this felt like a play where the people in it are just espousers of concepts and ideas of the director.

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