Criterion Collection: Wild Strawberries | Blu-ray Review

Produced fifty-six years ago, Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries remains a venerable warhorse in the hallowed halls of Arthouse. But unlike this reviewer, who shares a similar vintage, the film shows no loss of vitality or any sign of imminent creakiness. Despite its strengths, Wild Strawberries often gets a bit lost within the contrasty folds of Bergman’s legendary filmography. Sight and Sound’s vaunted list of The Greatest Films of All Time pegs Wild Strawberries at sixty-three; not exactly a diss but way far behind Persona. The film doesn’t even appear on Roger Ebert’s lengthy List of Great Movies, although the late critic partially compensated by including Bergman’s equally underrated Winter Light.

The inherent silliness of film ranking aside, Wild Strawberries is a stunning cinematic experience. Filled with mystical beauty and chewy philosophical constructs in a tidy, perfectly tailored ninety-two minute package, the film is a mandatory part of the syllabus for any serious cineaste. And even if you’ve experienced this recondite road movie in the distant past, it’s high time for a revisit thanks to Criterion’s sublime new blu-ray edition. With this disc, viewers will discover boundless new textures and detail, leaving that dreary 16mm print from college film class in the magical dust of Swedish high summer.

On the surface, Wild Strawberries is as simple and unadorned as its namesake; its narrative propelled by the most rudimentary of storytelling techniques. Sitting alone in his study one sunny morning is Dr. Isak Borg (Victor Sjöström), a retired professor preparing for a journey from Stockholm to Lund where he will receive an honorary award. At 78, Borg has reached an age where he spends a lot of time ruminating over his past and through voice over the professor’s rich internal musings establish his character with a rapid intimacy. Disappointed by family and friends, Borg has spent many years withdrawn from the world, a conscious decision he is beginning to question.

Through a surreal dream sequence, Bergman manifests Borg’s existential dilemma in images and objects that form a contextual mystery. As Borg travels to Lund accompanied by his daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin), who is grappling with her own life-altering decisions, the pair make several stops along the way, revisiting people and places from Borg’s youth. The elderly professor often falls into trances of reverie, where memories and emotions from the distant past fill in some of the blanks leftover from his vivid dream. Running on a dual track is the story of the journey and encounters with hitchhikers and an obnoxious couple. Bergman stock player Bibi Andersson is stellar as a vivacious young woman who sends Borg into disorienting spells of deja vu.

With sharp and elegant writing, Bergman develops his story and characters at such a hypnotic, stately pace that the film seems to end before it’s barely begun. Yet, by the closing credits, a tremendous amount of ground in the life of Isak Borg has been covered. Some of the mysteries established in film’s opening reel have been solved while others languish in ambiguity. Professor Borg’s journey is ultimately completed and his soul rewarded with a deeply personal sort of catharsis. That reward extends to the viewer as well. Through haunting rhythms and cunningly cryptic subtext, Wild Strawberries draws us all a little closer to a divine transcendence.

Disc Review

Wild Strawberries is a revelation in blu, with a clarity and sharpness befitting the subtle nuances of Gunnar Fischer’s images. Grain is remarkably minimal considering the disc’s intense acuity, and cleanliness is scrupulously maintained. Presented in the film’s original aspect of 1.33:1, it’s frankly difficult to imagine how this transfer could be improved upon. The mono audio track has been superbly restored as well, with Erik Nordgren’s strings seeming to originate from astral planes of deep emotion. The track’s excellent mix and dynamics serve to enhance Wild Strawberries’ mesmerizing affects and this disc represents another strong effort from Criterion.

Audio commentary featuring film scholar Peter Cowie
Cowie wastes no time getting to the film’s psychological core and his commentary reveals a learned intimacy with every aspect of Wild Strawberries. He carefully sets up Bergman’s mental state during the production of the film and clearly establishes the director as a lonely man with a foundering private life. Divorce, a souring relationship with Bibi Andersson and a tortured history with his father all played into the film’s creation. Cowie also goes into great detail on Victor Sjöström’s place in Swedish film history and the mentoring relationship he had with the young Ingmar Bergman. The commentary gets surprisingly technical with a discussion of various techniques Bergman used over the years to shoot scenes in moving automobiles. Cowie’s thoughts are well ordered and briskly paced and he seems to mine every bit of subtext out of every frame. This impressive commentary track is highly recommended.

Introduction by director Ingmar Bergman (Blu-ray only)
In this 4 minute video segment, Bergman and filmmaker Marie Nyreröd have a cozy chat prior to a showing of Wild Strawberries in the director’s screening room. The comments offer a general overview of the film’s themes and Bergman’s feelings about its success.

Ingmar Bergman on Life and Work, a ninety-minute documentary by filmmaker and author Jörn Donner
This 1998 production is must viewing for any Bergman fan and offers a sweeping, in-depth look at his career. Structured as an interview with cutaways to film clips, Donner probes ever deeper into the director’s psyche and pries some frank, at times heartbreaking, commentary from Bergman. The director expounds on the differences between theater and film, the importance of “fits of rage” to directing and the necessity of sticking to a shooting schedule along with a wealth of other topics. Donner pulls no punches in examining Bergman’s personal life and after some initial resistance, his subject offer a candid discussion of his issues with mediation abuse and mental health. In the program’s most poignant segment, Bergman regretfully looks at the family life he ignored to advance his career and solemnly admits he doesn’t remember the births of his children. This supplement stands as a superbly painted portrait of one of the giants of filmmaking and should prove invaluable to future generations.

Behind-the-scenes footage shot by Bergman (Blu-ray only)
Narrated by Jan Wengstrom of The Swedish Film Institute, this sixteen minute assembly offers a rare look at some “home movies” shot by Bergman during the filming of Wild Strawberries. We see actors and crew relaxing between takes, make-up artists plying their trade and the surprisingly low tech techniques used to create rain and other special effects. Bergman saw these 16mm scenes as a sort of family album and viewers will enjoy this peek behind the veil.

PLUS: A new essay by Peter Cowie on the DVD edition and a booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Mark Le Fanu on the Blu-ray edition
Le Fanu is a lecturer at University College London and his essay makes a number of excellent observations about Wild Strawberries, especially Bergman’s use of dreams to deliver backstory. The 16 page booklet also has production credits, notes on the transfer and a fine selection of film stills.

Final thoughts

Wild Strawberries’ intoxicating blend of the gleefully pastoral with the grimly Kafkaesque continues to confound, compel and enthrall. It is a journey that melds fantasy and reality, past and present with handcrafted directness. As Dr. Borg confronts his deepest flaws and innermost demons amid the glorious natural bounty of summer, viewers are treated to supernatural insights and spectral visions on the mysteries of existence. Wild Strawberries’ jagged veins of truth may never be fully unearthed, but a even a cursory exploration yields mental and emotional riches aplenty. With time, the film has achieved the depth and contours of a true classic and shot-for-shot, moment-for-moment, may well be Ingmar Bergman’s best.