To Joy (Till glädje)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Written by Ingmar Bergman
1950/Sweden
Svensk Filmindustri
First viewing/Hulu
[box] No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul. — Ingmar Bergman[/box]
Ingmar Bergman allows a little bittersweet joy to seep into yet another of his early films about a failing marriage.
The opening of the film has violinist Stig Eriksson called to answer a phone call in the midst of rehearsal. We see him running frantically home. There he learns that his wife Marta was killed when a kerosene stove exploded and that his daughter is recovering from her injuries in the hospital. The story then segues into flashback.
Violinists Marta Olsson IMai-Britt Nilsson) and Stig Eriksson (Stig Olen) join the symphony orchestra of their provincial city on the same day. Its crusty old conductor (Victor Sjöström) is all business. Stig is a gloomy sort of Bergman hero who obsesses about his art and the meaninglessness of life. To make things worse, he is terribly insecure about his violin playing. Nevertheless, he manages to fall in love with and marry the more stable Marta. She soon reveals her pregnancy, which he does not welcome. But eventually he gets used to the idea and they end up having two children, a boy and a girl.
The marriage starts out very tenderly. Eventually, Stig is asked to replace a soloist for a concert at the last minute. His performance is a disaster. This setback causes him to wallow in self-pity and bitterness and he begins an affair with a much-older musician’s young wife. Marta patiently bears this initially but finally they separate. After some time, Stig comes to his senses and the couple reconciles. I’ve already told the way the marriage finally ends.
As I have come to expect from Bergman, this is beautiful, psychologically insightful, and well acted. Despite much vicious fighting and the downer ending, this is actually more optimistic and life affirming than some of his other early films. The ending is a really beautiful sequence of the orchestra rehearsing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy while Stig’s little son looks on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dulyYxJqrGE
Clip — love blooms
