Scenes From A Marriage

Ingmar Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage" is a masterpiece of scrutiny. Every shot is a curious, compassionate observation, especially when the camera zeroes in close to its subjects' faces and studies the emotions they're feeling in that specific moment, and perhaps every emotion they've ever felt in their life.

Our attention and empathy are photographically and performatively demanded by Bergman and his phenomenal leading pair, Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson. As Marianne and Johan, Ullman and Josephson flawlessly embody the passion and perils of a marriage's slow decline into infidelity and divorce. But perhaps the most fascinating element of "Scenes from a Marriage" is its inquisitiveness and subsequent portrayal regarding the nature of love and one's refusal to let it go.

"Scenes from a Marriage" showcases what happens when a relationship collapses, but it also begs the question, "What do you do with the memories?" It's one of the greatest works I've ever seen about the complexities of the human heart and soul.

New to the Criterion Collection in a high-definition digital transfer, Bergman's film is presented in both its 3-hour theatrical cut and 5-hour television version (in which it was originally conceived). A time commitment, for sure, but "Scenes from a Marriage" executes an interesting magic trick where you feel the hours passing, yet don't, at the same time. It flows at the pace of life, but just like our own existence, it seems to pass in the blink of an eye.

In addition to this compelling and masterful film, the "Scenes from a Marriage" Criterion release includes an array of fascinating bonus features, which include:

� Interview with director Ingmar Bergman from 1986
� Interviews from 2003 with actors Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson
� Interview from 2003 with Bergman scholar Peter Cowie comparing the two versions of "Scenes from a Marriage"
� An essay by author Phillip Lopate

"Scenes from a Marriage"
Criterion Collection Blu-ray
$39.96
https://www.criterion.com/films/710-scenes-from-a-marriage