#LIV ULLMANN MAX VON SYDOW MOVIE#

The fear in her eyes, the intensity of her gaze and the pain and strength of her characters resonate universally.

Even so, Ullmann’s talent transcends the language barrier, and this may be because she doesn’t depend on language as a means of expression. It can be hard for people to connect with actors and characters on screen when they’re busy reading subtitles. It is through these glances that we truly begin to understand the meaning behind her words – her deep concern for her husband, her desire to just make things the way they were before.Īll too often, non-American actors don’t get the credit they truly deserve from American audiences. Or even the opening and closing scenes of HOUR OF THE WOLF, when she speaks directly to the camera and occasionally breaks eye contact to glance off into the distance. All of her feelings about her mother-the resentment, the regret, the love-are channeled into one quiet, sad gaze. Consider the breathtaking scene in AUTUMN SONATA where her character Charlotte watches her mother play piano.

Some of her most memorable moments in these films are silent. Perhaps the most striking thing about Ullmann’s performances is how much she is able to communicate with just her face.

#LIV ULLMANN MAX VON SYDOW MOVIE#

There was no shyness between us.” They are so natural with each other and within their own characters, that at times you forget that you’re watching a movie and lose yourself in their world. Years later, when reflecting on her work with von Sydow in these films, Ullmann said, “We knew each other so well. It’s hard to imagine any other actors taking on the demanding roles of Kristina and Karl Oskar.īy the time they made these films, von Sydow and Ullmann had worked together for long enough to have developed a comfort with each other to believably portray a married couple. THE EMIGRANTS chronicles their difficult voyage to New York and their subsequent journey from New York to Minnesota. Although it ends on a note of hope, this is merely a happy stopping place, and as the story continues in THE NEW LAND, we see the new struggles that the Nilssons face in Minnesota. These films, which have a combined running time of about six and a half hours, tell the story of Kristina and Karl Oskar Nilsson, two Swedish farmers who immigrate to America in search of a new life. Once again, the extreme nature of Bergman’s screenplay works because of the strong central performances, and Ullmann and von Sydow are able to ground the film’s dream logic and dreamlike events in reality.Īfter HOUR OF THE WOLF, the two appeared as couples in two more Bergman films before appearing in Jan Troell’s epic two-part saga THE EMIGRANTS (‘71) and THE NEW LAND ('72). In this bizarre film, von Sydow plays a painter tortured by nightmares and hallucinations, and Ullmann is his concerned wife who lives with him on a small island. The first film in which they appeared together was HOUR OF THE WOLF (’68), another Bergman film. Though Ingrid is the film’s true star and it is her performance which ultimately dominates AUTUMN SONATA (her final film role), Ullmann delivers an excellent, nuanced performance as well.Īnother one of Ullmann’s notable collaborators is Max von Sydow, who appeared with her in seven films, four of which will also be shown on the 14th. The emotional intensity of Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay would be laughable if attempted by lesser actors, but the realism that Ingrid Bergman and Ullmann bring to the characters is what creates such a harrowing experience. The film is so intense that it is almost hard to watch at times, but this is a testament to the powerful performances that drive the film. Over the course of one emotional, exhausting night, they try to reach a reconciliation for their anger towards one another.

In the film, Ingrid plays Ullmann’s somewhat estranged mother, a renowned classical pianist who has come to visit her. One of her collaborations with Bergman, AUTUMN SONATA (’78), pairs Ullmann with another great actress: Ingrid Bergman. Four of those films will be shown on the 14th. Eleven of her films will be shown, including the 2012 documentary LIV & INGMAR, which chronicles her artistic and romantic partnership with Ingmar Bergman, who directed her in 11 films. On August 14, Liv Ullmann, one of the greatest actresses of European cinema, will make her first ever appearance on TCM’s annual Summer Under The Stars programming.

Liv ullmann max von sydow