Cries and Whispers (1972)

[Oscar Rothman]

Cries & Whispers Blu-ray

Cries & Whispers

This existential wail of a drama from Ingmar Bergman concerns two sisters, Karin (Ingrid Thulin) and Maria (Liv Ullmann), keeping vigil for a third, Agnes (Harriet Andersson), who is dying of cancer and can find solace only in the arms of a beatific nurse (Kari Sylwan). An intensely felt film that may be Bergman's most striking formal experiment, Cries and Whispers (which won an Oscar for the extraordinary color photography of Sven Nykvist) is a powerful depiction of human behavior in the face of death, positioned on the borders between reality and nightmare, tranquillity and terror.

Special Features:

New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Introduction by Ingmar Bergman from 2001
New interview with actor Harriet Andersson, conducted by film scholar Peter Cowie
New video essay on the film's visuals by filmmaker : : kogonada
Behind-the-scenes footage with commentary by Cowie
Ingmar Bergman: Reflections on Life, Death, and Love with Erland Josephson (2000), a 52-minute interview with Bergman and his longtime collaborator
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Emma Wilson