Torment (1944 film)
| Torment (Hets) | |
|---|---|
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theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Alf Sjöberg |
| Produced by | Victor Sjöström |
| Written by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Starring |
Stig Järrel Alf Kjellin Mai Zetterling Gösta Cederlund Olof Winnerstrand Hugo Björne Stig Olin |
| Music by | Hilding Rosenberg |
| Cinematography | Martin Bodin |
| Edited by | Oscar Rosander |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Svensk Filmindustri |
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Release date
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2 October 1944 |
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Running time
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101 minutes |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
Torment (Swedish: Hets) is a 1944 Swedish film, directed by Alf Sjöberg from a screenplay by Ingmar Bergman. The film, a tale of sex, passion and murder, was originally released as Frenzy in the United Kingdom, although later releases have used the US title.
A sadistic Latin teacher, nicknamed "Caligula" by his long-suffering students, rules his classroom at a school like his kingdom. He is exceptionally hard on the diligent Jan-Erik, one of his students. One night Jan-Erik is returning home and finds an intoxicated young woman crying on the street. He recognizes her as Bertha, the clerk in a tobacco store near the school, and he walks her home. Bertha has a taste for both men and liquor, and he spends most of the night on her bedside. He becomes very involved with her, and his schoolwork suffers. Bertha also has an older man whom she fears, although she will not reveal his name. It transpires that he is Caligula, and he learns of his student's involvement. He makes life harder still for Jan-Erik, and forces Bertha to do his will by threatening to suspend Jan-Erik. But Caligula is too violent with Bertha, and one day, Jan-Erik arrives to find her dead. He finds Caligula hiding in a corner, and calls the police. With no proof, however, Caligula is soon released, and quickly arranges for the expulsion of Jan-Erik, who accuses Caligula of murder, and finally strikes him in front of the principal of the school. He then goes to stay in Bertha's apartment. The principal of the school comes to the apartment, and offers his assistance in helping Jan-Erik back on track. Caligula comes to the apartment after the principal has left, seeking some sort of forgiveness, but Jan-Erik rejects him and instead walks out into the day to a view that overlooks the whole city.
On 16 January 1943, Ingmar Bergman had been appointed by the Svensk Filmindustri (SF) as an "assistant director and screenwriter" on a one-year initial contract. Bergman, who suffered illness and was hospitalized during the winter of 1942–43, wrote the screenplay for Torment, for which SF acquired the rights in July 1943. The Latin teacher Caligula is partly based on the Latin teacher Sjögren (also played by Stig Järrel) in the 1942 film Lågor i dunklet by director Hasse Ekman.
Filming, on which Ingmar Bergman served as an assistant director, took place in two stages. The first stage, for interior scenes, took place from 21 February to 31 March 1944 at the Filmstaden studios north of and the Södra Latin High School in downtown Stockholm. The second stage, covering the exterior scenes, comprised only ten days in late May of the same year. In his second autobiography, Images: My Life in Film, Bergman describes the filming of the exteriors as his actual film directorial debut:
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