A landmark film from master filmmaker Ingmar Bergman that still remains potent today, "The Virgin Spring" understandably won the Best Foreign Film Oscar for its year. Haunting and unforgettable, it's pull of literate dialogue, attempting to ask some hard questions when it comes to good and evil, and faith and religion. Even at the end, the film does make clear the message that even with vengeance comes a price to pay.
The luminous Birgitta Pettersson plays Karin, the lovely & virginal daughter of a farming couple (Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg). The striking Gunnel Lindblom plays Ingeri, the pregnant wild child whom they've taken in. One day, the two girls set off to transport some candles to church, and the nearest church is a LONG ways away. During the journey, Birgitta makes the acquaintance of two travelling herdsmen (Axel Duberg, Tor Isedal) and their much younger "brother" (Ove Porath). The two young men rape and murder poor Karin, and as luck would have it, they find shelter and food at the nearest abode: the von Sydow and Valberg household. Once the two parents put two and two together, they're ripe for revenge.
Shot in gorgeous black & white by the great Sven Nykvist, "The Virgin Spring" will attract curious viewers if they are like this viewer and are horror fans who have already seen the crude and crass Wes Craven reimagining, "The Last House on the Left". Inevitably, comparisons will be made; while each version is quite memorable in their own way, this film retains the power to shock and depress despite cinema becoming progressively more graphic as the years have gone by.
The performances are excellent. Pettersson is such an appealing presence that it's gut-wrenching what happens to her. Von Sydow is his usual tower of strength as the father who learns that vengeance is not all it's cracked up to be. Duberg and Isedal may not quite make one want to take a bath afterwards the way that Krug and company did in Cravens' film, but they're still sufficiently creepy.
Vivid and credible, this does leave its viewers with some things to think about afterwards, and offers no easy answers.
Inspired by a 13th century Swedish ballad, and scripted by Ulla Isaksson.
Eight out of 10.
