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Persona
starring: Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Margaretha Krook, Gunnar Björnstrand, Jörgen Lindström
directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Off The Bookshelf's Price: $9.98

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Used Price: $0.47
Collectible Price: $14.99
Third Party New Price: $0.48

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302641882
Format: Black & White, Color, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 6302641888
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: October 03, 2000
Running Time: 81 minutes
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 1967
Sales Rank: 14348

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.com essential video:
Ingmar Bergman's 1966 film, photographed by Sven Nykvist, begins when famous actress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann) freezes on stage in the middle of a performance. Struck dumb by an unknown cause, she winds up in the care of young inexperienced nurse Alma (Bibi Andersson), and together they retreat to the seaside for the summer, where they enter into an uncommon intimacy and clash of wills. Bergman's study of the fragility of the human being and the treachery of life is incredibly moving in its perception and unrivaled imagery. And as always with Bergman and his reappearing ensemble of actors, the performances are flawless. Especially notable is the scene in which Alma recounts for the silent Elisabeth a morally and emotionally ambivalent erotic encounter she had experienced on a beach with a friend and two teenage boys. It is one of the most strangely erotic scenes ever filmed, and not a stitch of clothing is removed. Also of interest, and one of the most intriguing scenes in the film, perhaps among the most intriguing in all of cinema, is when Elisabeth paces barefooted back and forth over a patio on which we know there to be broken glass. It is an achievement in simple suspense from which many an aspiring director of thrillers could learn a bit. For those who've had their fill of predictable plots, irrelevant matter, and apish acting and are looking for something a little more sensual, poetic, and relevant to what life is about beyond the daily grind, this may be a good place to start. --James McGrath

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- One of Bergman's most thought-provoking films, straighforwardly entertaining for auteur fans but with endless interpretation
PERSONA ranks as one of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces. Released in 1966 after a three-year hiatus following his "chamber films" of the early 1960s, PERSONA is Bergman's first mature film focusing entirely on human psychology and interpersonal relationships, leaving behind the religious angst of his earlier output.

Even before the action of the film begins, we are treated to an incredible mix of images. We see an arc lamp come to life and film rolling through a projector. A silent comedy film pops up for a few moments, only to be replaced by enigmatic footage of a slaughtered lamb and a hand being nailed to a cross. Finally, a boy wakes up (incidentally the same actor as the child protagonist of Bergman's earlier film TYSNADEN), puts his glasses on, and picks up a book (incidentally ... Read More

Rating:

- A masterpiece, perhaps, with a pathetic commentary
I didn't like this movie at all, I found it way too complex and I just did not understand it. I can see why it's considered to be a masterpiece, though, because the camera work and the acting are really impressive. Still, the script is so obscure that I do not feel like awarding five stars just to acknowledge that, after all, if I didn't appreciate the movie it was all my fault.

So, no five stars, but why only two? Because of the pathetic commentary. I am no film expert, and when I watch complex movies I enjoy listening to good commentaries. The Criterion Collection has so many of these, several indeed of Bergman's movies: The Seventh Seal or Wild Stawberries to name two. Or the commentaries of Fellini's 8 1/2 or of all of Kurosawa's movies I have seen in Criterion edition.
... Read More

Rating:

- Self punishment
Two beautiful actresses, almost identical in their physical appearance, bettle it out on screen. Liv Ullman plays an actress, Elizabeth, who during stage play goes silent (probably every director's nightmare). There is nothing wrong with her physically or empotionally according to the doctor, so she is assigned a young nurse Alma (Bibi Anderson) to take care of her. There is no need for them to stay in the hospital, so doctor let's them use her summer house in hopes that fresh air and rest will aid patient's recovery from the unexplainable illness. As two women settle in house, it is amazing to see them interact in spite of the fact that Elizabeth does not speak at all and the young nurse is doing all the talking. As the time goes by, it is the young nurse who opens herself up bare to her silent ... Read More

Rating:

- Unique
Persona, Ingmar Bergman's 1966 black and white film, reminds me of Herman Hesse's novella Siddhartha. Not in the subject matter, but in that both works of art perfectly marry their messages with their forms, and both say so much with so little a narrative spine. In that sense, both are great works of art that transcend any of the discomfit their often dubious artistic and social claims make. Persona has only four main actors, two of which dominate the film, and only one of which speaks. That would be a 25 year old nurse, sister Alma (Bibi Andersson), who is hired to take care of a famous stage actress who has had a nervous breakdown and refuses to speak. This is Elisabet Vogler (Liv Ullman). The other two actors who appear and speak are Mr. Vogler (Gunnar Björnstrand), who makes a brief hallucinatory ... Read More

Rating:

- The subject of "Persona" is spite.
They say that Bergman is a complex director. But he's really all about one thing: cruelty. Almost all of his major films are about people hurting other people. The violence can be physical, like in "The Virgin Spring," but usually it plays out through lengthy dialogues and monologues. The characters choose their words very carefully, in order to construct the most devastating phrasing. In all of cinema, Bergman is the absolute master of the art of hurting people with words.

About halfway through his career, Bergman stopped dressing up the emotional abuse with religious allegory. His films became less dependent on plot, their settings became narrower and more intimate. But the more they were reduced to their cruel essence, the more shockingly convincing they became. The later films are Bergman's ... Read More

VHS : Persona