La Honte / Skammen

by Ingmar Bergman

(Fiction, Sweden, 1968, 103’, BW, Fr ST)

with Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow, Sigge Fürst

La Honte

Eva and Jan, two ex-musicians, lead a modest life on an island, oblivious to the sounds of a war that for them has existed forever, in the distance. But one day that war arrives on their doorstep, and they can no longer pretend that it is no concern of theirs…


Shame (1968) depicts a couple of musicians who never play any music. God is silent and the earth is hell; war transforms the world into chaos. Bergman was reproached with denouncing an abstract conflict, with no ideological debate, but that is what guarantees this dazzling film’s relevance today.” N.T.Binh

“Underestimated on its release, Shame with Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow embodies the atrocity of war, already fearsome in Winter Light, or perceived out the windows of the train in The Silence. Here it “disturbs” a couple of artists, who do not have the possibility, like Elisabet in Persona, to take refuge in silence when confronted by the horrors of this world.”  N.T.Binh, Ingmar Bergman, le magicien du Nord

Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) was born in Sweden into the family of a pastor. He developed a precocious passion for cinema.  He studied literature and history, but his true passion was for the theater, to which he devoted himself as early as 1938. In 1945, he directed his first feature film, Crisis, adapted from a Danish radio play, thereby launching his very prolific career. He first evoked the mysteries of couples’ lives of couple in 1949 with Thirst and then with Summer with Monika (1953). Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) and The Seventh Seal (1957) brought him international recognition. In 1958, he won the Golden Bear in Berlin for Wild Strawberries. Persona (1966) marked his encounter with Liv Ullmann, whom he would direct in many films, among which Cries and Whispers (1972) or Scenes from a Marriage (1973). He made Fanny and Alexander in 1982. He was distinguished with the “Palme des Palmes” at the 50th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2003, he directed Sarabande, his last feature film, for television.

Other movies: THEMA : Black & White

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