Vince The Cinephile’s review published on Letterboxd:
Ingmar Bergman’s seminal 1973 television miniseries Scenes of a Marriage did not only inspired a lot of divorces back in the day, but it also opened a new wave of radical ideas on how people perceive marriage, relationships, and roles that men and women partake in a relationship. Backed by outstanding performances from Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson, this six-hour long miniseries takes us deep into the core of this marriage between these two people. This freedom of format allowed Bergman to fully excavate the psychologies between a man and a woman: their desires, their passions, their dreams, and most of all their wicked selves—in short, the full humanity of these individuals.
Scenes of a Marriage is all about the actors, and the pure honest acting. From the camera shots to the presentation of text, the drama is about its two actors. Both Ullmann and Josephson courageously take every bit of raw emotion there is to their characters. The characters are demanding for an actor to play and both managed to succeed in bringing focus and clarity to their emotional torment. The acting makes the fire burning as they say, and with this, all I will remember are these two magnificent performances.
Liv Ullmann is ferocious as Marianne, and many times I’ve said before, the camera loves Ullmann’s face. This might be one of my favorite performances by Liv and it stands out because of the depth of raw emotion, and feeling that she evokes. Ullmann extends to the emotional extremes of what she can bring as a performer, projecting behaviors that are somewhat alien to us and make it relatable and personal which why makes her struggle even more powerful. The exceptional Erland Josephson puts up an equal fight against Ullmann and again it’s a performance that is depended with the other. A symbiotic relationship that makes everything a success. While Bergman muse Bibi Andersson gives a scene-stealing performance in Episode 1, and her presence is unforgettable.
Overall, Scenes of a Marriage is a tough watch but easy to love by the end. Bergman makes us fall in love with these two, whatever they’ve done good or bad to each other. They deserve some bit of love and understanding after all they’re just human like us.
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