The Rite

An irresponsible, infantile lecher, an orderly disciplinarian and a submissive, sensitive woman play to an officious but weak audience of one. Bergman, Images, p. 177: "These three characters are inextricably entwined; they cannot get away from each other and cannot function in pairs. Only in the tension between the three points of the triangle can anything be accomplished. It was an ambitious effort to divide myself and depict how I really function, what forces keep my machine going."

From the opening notes of dissonant piano, you know you're in for something strange. The intensity of the film is enthralling, but also hysterical to the point of ridiculousness. Certain events only make sense from a subjective, metaphorical viewpoint. There seemed to be three themes being juggled here: the nature of actors and their work, the tumultuous and twisted relationships between the characters, and some sort of anti-censorship message. It was a bit messy.

Messy, overly pretentious TV theatre that redeems a lot of what it struggles to do in the first 60 minutes with a brilliant last 15.

Tension and complexity between calculation and pursuit of the incalculable, between conformity and criminality, and how they necessarily meet in rites as performances, trials and confessions, which are hard to be distinguished from each other.

A killer play, literally! I like Bergman's films best when his characters rip shreds off each other through brutal verbal means while also minimising pseudo-psychological mumbo-jumbo and introspection. All of that is evident here, as a trio of borderline sexual deviant thespians join a depraved judge to confess their sins and harshly judge each other’s conduct. The finale is a fever dream and goes to show that Bergman can conjure dreams as cinema when constituted in explicit theatrical form.

A considerable effort from Thulin & Bjornstrand saves a less than worthy script. Unlike most everything else from this director, I could see a repeat viewing bringing this one down. The anti-authoritarian/censorship part of it is overtly displayed and kind of lame.

Typical uneven effort; there are some good parts about it, like the acting, but the divided story structure doesn't work.

Not much textual complexity regarding the moral policing of art, but imparted with a bit of weight by the wrinkles of each individual characterization, so that they may function as more (if not much more) than mere symbols. The complete paring away of mise-en-scene is bold but in effect somewhat sterile, though it does highlight unsuprisingly exceptional performances by Thulin and Bjornstrand.

Mês especial do centenário de Ingmar Bergman filme #8 Em pleno domingo em que o judiciário brasileiro está parecendo disputa de penaltis de final da copa do mundo, a escolha por esse filme não foi acidental. Espécie de vingança contra a censura sueca, não deixa de ser uma catarse contra o poder judiciário e sua pequenez moral e artística. Coleção Versátil Ingmar Bergman Volume 5