Face to Face (1976 film)
| Face to Face | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Written by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Directed by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Starring |
Liv Ullmann Erland Josephson Gunnar Björnstrand Aino Taube Kristina Adolphson |
| Country of origin | Sweden |
| Original language(s) | Swedish |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Lars-Owe Carlberg |
| Running time | 114 minutes |
| Distributor | Paramount Pictures |
| Release | |
| Original release | 5 April 1976 (United States) 28 April 1976 (Sweden) |
Face to Face (Swedish: Ansikte mot ansikte) is a 1976 Swedish psychological drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It tells the story of a psychiatrist who is suffering from a mental illness. It stars Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson.
It is also the film debut of Lena Olin.
The film was conceived and produced as a four-part mini-series on Swedish television with a running time of 177 minutes. The episodes were entitled:
It was edited down for theatrical releases for running times from 114 to 135 minutes. However, the theatrical version premiered first. The film was later screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival held in May, but was not entered into the main competition. The television version aired in Sweden over four weeks in May and June of that year, and has not been released for home media.
Dr. Jenny Isaksson (Liv Ullmann) is a psychiatrist married to another psychiatrist; both are successful in their jobs but slowly, agonizingly, Jenny succumbs to a breakdown. She is haunted by images and emotions from her past and eventually cannot function as a wife, doctor, or individual.
Aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports 80% approval of Face to Face based on 10 reviews. Vincent Canby was highly favorable and wrote, "Mr. Bergman is more mysterious, more haunting, more contradictory than ever, though the style of the film has never been more precise, clear, levelheaded."Roger Ebert, while calling it "confused and sometimes overwrought", awarded it three out of four stars and lauded Ullmann's performance as "one of the greatest performances in an Ingmar Bergman film" up to that point.
Face to Face was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress (Ullmann) and Best Director (Bergman).
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