Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Borje Ahlstedt

Marianne and Johan meet again after 30 years without contact, when Marianne suddenly feels a need to see her ex-husband again. She decides to visit Johan at his old summerhouse in the western province...( read more  read more... ) of Dalarna. And so, one beautiful autumn day, there she is, beside his reclining chair, waking him with a light kiss. Also living at the summerhouse are Johan's son Henrik and Henrik's daughter Karin. Henrik is giving his daughter cello lessons and already sees her future as staked out. Relations between father and son are very strained, but both are protective of Karin. They are all still mourning Anna, Henrik's much-loved wife, who died two years ago, yet who, in many ways, remains present among them. Marianne soon realizes that things are not all as they should be, and she finds herself unwillingly drawn into a complicated and upsetting power struggle.

Flixster Users

84% liked it

911 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

76 critics

R, 2 hrs.

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Release Date: December 1, 2003

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DVD Release Date: January 10, 2006

Stats: 177 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (177)


  • February 14, 2008
    What a shame that the last stand of the master turned out to be this un-tasty soup.
  • June 10, 2008
    Not at all interested
  • May 1, 2008
    It's Bergman, so it's worth seeing once at the very least.
  • March 2, 2008
    'Saraband can be seen as a concerto grosso, a concert for full orchestra - only, here, with four soloists, ' says Ingmar Bergman. 'The drama consists of ten dialogues that follow a particular pattern, and it's an attempt at analysis of a difficult situation.'
  • November 1, 2007
    Doesn't appeal to me.
  • October 16, 2007
    Comment ne pas aimer ce film? Impossible, Bergman a toujours eu un immense talent pour créer des climats de grandes tensions émotionnelles à l'aide seulement de 2 personnes qui se parle.

    Je t'aime.
  • August 25, 2007
    Dernier film du grand réalisateur suédois, Saraband reprend les personnages de Scenes from a Marriage, trente ans plus tard. On y retrouve tout ce qui compose la signature de Bergman, le jeu théâtral, les gros plans de visages, les questionnements profonds sur l'existence, les lo...( read more)ngues scènes de dialogue... Tout fonctionne très bien, et je le recommenderais possiblement comme une introduction soft à Bergman, vu son relatif niveau d'accessibilité. Les thèmes vont de la peur de la mort à l'inceste, en passant par les relations troubles entre parent et enfant. C'est un très beau film et il fait réfléchir. Je dois absolument le revoir quand j'aurai soixante ans.
  • August 16, 2007
    The sequel to Scenes from a Marriage took over 30 years to be made. Bergman's theatrical influence is evident. Impeccable performances.
  • July 27, 2007
    Recommended by; Mauricio.

Critic Reviews


August 5, 2005
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Saraband, flat and static both visually and thematically, doesn't begin to approximate the austere beauty of the director's art-house classics. full review

August 4, 2005
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Powerfully, painfully honest. full review

July 22, 2005
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

If Saraband is not one of the best Bergman films, it's a very good one and a valuable statement from a great artist in old age. full review

July 22, 2005
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Reminds us again that Bergman, in his camera choices and blocking of characters, remains unrivalled in revealing the sea of emotions between two people face-to-face. full review

July 15, 2005
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Think of Saraband ... as an after-dinner mint: a film that looks in on the same characters three decades later and finds their rage both cooled and passed down to the next generation. full review

July 8, 2005
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Like watching four people take turns trying to swim with one of the others clinging to an ankle. It's grim and gripping. full review

View more Saraband reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Saraband Trivia


  • What was Ingmar Bergman's last film?  Answer »
  • In which movie did Sophie Dorothea fall in love with a Swedish aristocrat, even though she was already married to a prince of Hanover?  Answer »

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