There’s more joy, energy and humour in this film than I ever expected to find in anything by Ingmar Bergman. After the disappointment of All These Women (the only other Bergman “comedy” I’ve seen so far) I imagined that this, too, would be a let down. Despite a slightly mixed-up structure (way ahead of its time) that makes (for me, at least – possible I just wasn’t paying attention early on) a repeat viewing necessary, and, I have to mention it ‘cos it was so glaring, a moment where the shadow of the camera crane is clearly visible in the background (bad Bergman! lol), I was pleasantly surprised.

Here, Bergman’s approach to comedy is actually very Hitchcockian – the movie reminds me a lot of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (not the Angie/Brad movie… Hitch’s early comedy :-P), and with its flashbacks and bitter-sweetness, it makes me think of one of my all-time favourites, Two For the Road.

Gunnar Björnstrand is quite startlingly Cary Grant-like in the lead, Harriet Andersson (another Bergman regular who’s still working – she was in Dogville recently) is wonderful as the tomboy daughter, and the ending is really quite beautiful. One I’ll definitely watch again.

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