The Virgin Spring

Movie Information

In Brief: Highly regarded, but little loved, Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1960) was a title the director himself seems to have had little fondness for. I tend to agree with that. The fact that it was successfully marketed on the exploitation value of its story — rape and revenge — should perhaps tell you that this an ugly film. No, I don't mean visually. Though more austere than the films that preceded it, The Virgin Spring is visually striking, though in a drab way (which I can only assume was deliberate). It is Bergman stripped to his essentials. Unlike the films that came before it, there's not a hint of humor in The Virgin Spring. It exists in a grim world and is grimly presented. Is it a bad film? By no means, but it's one I can do without. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke published on Oct. 6, 2015.  
Score:

Genre: Drama
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg, Gunnel Lindblom, Birgitta Pettersson
Rated: NR

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present The Virgin Spring on Friday, Jan. 12, at 8 p.m. at Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 2160 U.S. 70, Swannanoa.

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About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

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One thought on “The Virgin Spring

  1. Snorii Thorfinnsson

    Loved it and my favorite Ingmar Bergman film that I’ve seen. Very powerful and left a lasting impression on me many years later.

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