You really nailed the analysis of the title there. In Swedish, “a place where wild strawberries grow” is used to describe a place or time where you feel particularly joyful and at home

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

thanks. and that place or time for Bergman is something fleeting moment/unreturnable point in the past.

On topic, I just watched this last night, and enjoyed it greatly. One thing I have noticed with Bergman's films is a very rare quality: They say a lot and are complex, yet remain around 90 minutes, and never feel too rushed. Not that I have anything against long, epic films (in fact, I typically prefer the three hour plus movie to most), but I think that getting that amount of complex ideas across in such a short length of time is a talent of its own. Wild Strawberries will definitely be a re-watch, and one I recommend to friends. And, well done on the video.

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

thank you.

@tjena5772

11 ай бұрын

You make a great point about squeezing profundity within around 90 minutes. The only Bergman I remember running into great lengths is Fanny and Alexander where the saga needed such length of time.

He's lonely because of how cold he is. We see some of it comes from his mother. The daughter in law makes the observation to Isak about how she's lonely and how only Isak visits her. Same goes for Isak's son. It's a repeating pattern and they all happen to be a bit shut off emotionally. This sort of existential dread. I think the larger reason as to why Isak's cold is because he resents and hasn't gotten over the fact that Sara chose his brother. This leads me to believe he was very emotionally distant from his wife which pushed her to cheat on him. This movie really begs the question, how are we to move on and accept the parts of truth that are uncomfortable. If we don't we because resentful and that leads to a bad life, a lonely life. I think this movie was just great. Gives me a lot to ponder.

@clumsydad7158

Жыл бұрын

And for me it's about how he comes to peace with all this in the end, and is able to offer good wishes and assistance to the youth, instead of staying frozen in an old bitterness

@EntertainmentKorner

Жыл бұрын

@@clumsydad7158 Exactly. He could've easily chosen to be the classic bitter old man to the end but the beauty of the film is seeing the change. It really bothers me when character study movies forget to do the most important part, which is have the character change in some significant way. Luckily, Ingmar Bergman knows what he's doing.

I’ve always found most connection (even since I was a kid) with older people and especially the elderly. Filial piety is a virtue in my culture. But it’s also always been easier for me to interact with them and I gravitate toward them over my own age group. I think that’s why I love movies about older people and hope to see more made. I also always supported elderly people in real life.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

I remember watching this film when I was younger, and fell in love with it so much!

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

excellent, thank you.

The girl Isak gives a lift to also plays the girlfriend of his youth in his dream and visions. She has two boyfriends and can't choose which of the 2 she really loves. That night after the ceremony when Isak just gets to bed, the girl and her two friends wake him up and serenade him as a thank you and a farewell gift. The girl then tells Isak that it is him she really loves - today, tomorrow, and always. I think this was a really sweet moment in the movie. Great film

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

excellent, thanks.

Every time I watch one of these films and don't understand why it's so highly regarded I come to you. Thank you for seemingly always having a video on these old flicks.

@LearningaboutMovies

8 ай бұрын

thank you very much

An absolutely great film. The ways in which Bergman can intertwine surrealist images with experiences and emotions that are universal is brilliant. The fact that he made this and the Seventh Seal in the same year is extraordinary.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

yeah, probably unmatched. we should consider what the best back-to-back efforts are, and within that short of a timespan. Only thing I'm coming up with off the top of my head is Shakespeare doing Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and Hamlet in about 18 months.

I remember reading that Victor Sjöstrom was hesitant to do the role, since he was old and tired. He agreed to do it only if Bergman could guarantee that he would be home by 5 every day, so that he could drink his daily whisky

@clumsydad7158

Жыл бұрын

Really was a great fit for the role, seemed like a natural

@poetcomic1

9 ай бұрын

He was a Swedish legend as an actor and director. He directed Greta Garbo, Lillian Gish and many other stars in 1920's Hollywood.

Just watched wild strawberries today and was amazed how it sucked me into its story. You did a great job of breaking it down and helping me gather my thoughts. Definitely a must see.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

thank you.

It's interesting to me as a swede that Wild Strawberries is one of his most famous movies abroad. Here in Sweden his most famous movie by far (besides The Seventh Seal) is Fanny and Alexander, which SVT (the swedish version of the BBC) show every christmas. Fanny and Alexander is my personal favourite of his, but Wild Strawberries is a close second. Really like your channel btw, keep it up. I don't always agree but I love to hear other peoples perspectives on films I like! Your videos are fun and easy to watch!

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

Outstanding comment. I believe F&A is his masterpiece.

@clumsydad7158

Жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies I guess I really need to see it... the 5.5 hour version I suppose !!!

I remember seeing this in film school. Sadly, I fell asleep through most of it. Not because it was boring, but because I had sleep cycle issues back then. Now I feel I have to see it again.

This is a great movie that invites you to analyze the about the importance of the time and the actions that you take for live. It's a great film that motivates me to live and to spend the life in good actions and to optimize the time in the best way possible.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

for movies, hard to top that. thank you.

Excellent film! This and Ikiru bring out feelings of reflection & existential fears more than any other movies for me. Certainly an attempt to get us to think about the reality the elderly face & most everyone else will face (if we make it that long). A byproduct of that is thinking about your own mortality & those that you love..heavy stuff

@arifshahabuddin8888

3 жыл бұрын

I hadn't thought about Kurosawa's "Ikiru" but this absolutely makes sense. I was thinking more along the lines of Ozu's films such as "Tokyo Story" (especially the last scenes) and "Early Spring." In thinking about the life of Dr. Borg in "Wild Strawberries," Bergman takes elements from his own life, especially with regard to his relationship with his father. These themes are played out again in Billie August's "The Best Intentions" which is a semi-biographical recounting of Bergman's parents life and his earliest days as a child. When one looks back at one's life, what is being looked at? Regrets? Revisions? Amazing moments never to be had again? Dr. Josh made me think about similarities between Dr. Borg and my own father, who is an elderly retired physician who himself spends much of his day recounting his achievements and sorrows of the past eight decades. As people of his generation continue to pass on, including my mother, the sense of loneliness, isolation and futility to fate continues to grow. There is not much that I, nor anyone else, can do about it. I watch films like "Wild Strawberries" and the second episode of "The Dekalog" and listen to music like David Bowie's "Blackstar" and Leonard Cohen's "You Want it Darker" to get some ideas and may a blueprint as to how to deal with these issues.

@roaminronin7818

3 жыл бұрын

@@arifshahabuddin8888 Agreed, definitely. I think what distinguishes Tokyo Story just a lil bit is imo it very clearly tells the viewer to not take your parents for granted, almost like it hits hard for both from the child & parent perspective ....all great films & all similar themes

@roaminronin7818

3 жыл бұрын

@@arifshahabuddin8888 didn't catch all you wrote till just now, you got good taste my friend

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

excellent comments, all.

@awl7788

5 ай бұрын

@@arifshahabuddin8888 that second episode of Dekalog 🤯

Love "Wild Strawberries" Classic Movie. Thanks for this analysis!

Thanks Josh for such a sweet review. I have been a long standing student of Bergman’s movies and I was particularly schooled in his three early films, Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries and Silence when I got introduced to serious cinema. I’m grateful for the way you invoked the transient nature of wild strawberries that grown in Swedish summer. The other thing is the invocation of the pandemic times. I instantly connected with Seventh Seal at the onset of the pandemic in New Delhi, India and wrote a blog on Seventh Seal which drew instant attention. During my own isolation in lockdown periods I frequently thought of Wild Strawberries and understood the predicament of Prof Borg. It was so much because by the time I was myself matured getting into my sixties. Appreciate your perspective.

I just watched this as part of a film for my Film Club that meets monthly to discuss films. Thank you for helping me process the movie. This is my second Bergman film. My first - I saw over ten years ago - was The Seventh Seal. I found it very difficult to watch in terms of pacing. I feel like I need to watch it again. Thank you for unpacking this film!

@aravis72

2 ай бұрын

Am I the only one who sees a connection to The Christmas Carol?

Wild strawberries is a masterpiece

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

agreed.

My favorite Bergman movie

Excellent analysis and comments, thank you!

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

thank you, Toni.

Thank you for your videos. I had a cinema history class this year and your videos were really usefull to study and to complete my knowledge !

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

glad to be of service. keep enjoy movies!

I've watched "Fannie and Alexander" every year since it first came out in the US. I decided to branch out and watch more of Ingmar Bergman's movies now that I have time on my hands. Great analysis. It made me think a lot about this movie.

I watched it last night and now i see you post video about it. Gotta love your channel.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

thank you, and good synchronicity, as I made the video and uploaded it three months ago.

I felt like the movie was a window into being elderly and the way that a long life’s perspective can shift you priorities and the ways in which you appreciate things. Borg seems to reflect on his life, both the good and the bad of it, and ultimately he remembers it fondly. It seems that he only relives the guilt and remorse for some of the choices he’s made after these conversations about God. I think he’s no longer worries about this earthly plane and what it thinks of him, I think he’s wondering what comes next. I also think he’s realizing how little time he may have left and so he wants to connect to people now, he wants to live in the moment, and he doesn’t care what people think about it.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

excellent, thank you.

@clumsydad7158

Жыл бұрын

excellent summary, i agree

My grandmother passed away months ago...I wish I had spent more time with her...she never complained that she's was being ignored many times by everyone may she accepted the fact and we were busy on our own hustles...may be it's life we all have to deal with it someday at the end loneliness is all we got 🍁🍁🍁🍁

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

RIP.

I really love Bergam, so happy you also love his movies.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

I respect more than love, but thanks. Many videos on Bergman will appear on this channel in the next four months.

@Space-nb7dr

3 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies Hello sir, do you have the website that full of esays and article about movies ?

Good review, and a worthy attempt to nail the Film title 's meaning: the fleeting ,momentary moments which define our existence, the purpose of our life.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

thank you.

I'm really fond of black and white movies. I think they offer depth colored film cannot bring.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

indeed. there's a video on black-and-white coloring on the channel.

Great analysis. I just watched the movie and you helped me to understand it a little bit better

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

thank you very much.

Your review is exceptionally helpful in understanding this movie. I just watched it and I couldn’t quite understand it. I originally thought it was the professor’s stream of consciousness but your review has filled in the many blanks. Thank you

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

you're welcome. I appreciate this.

Wild strawberries are found throughout the U.S. and Canada. I still search for them with my grandchildren. (82 year old grandmother)

Everything makes it unique!

I think you Were spot on with the themes

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

thank you.

I learned about this movie through the Vatican's Best Films list. I bought a blu-ray copy from Criterion and I am looking forward to watching it.

It is certainly a depressive movie but an important one... Difficult to see the elderly the same way after this. And it does feel bittersweet in the end. There is a feeling of doubt coming from the others, which makes us feel as if it is too late..

@clumsydad7158

Жыл бұрын

For me I think it's that he comes to peace with his own life ... and is able to extend good wishes and assistance to the youth/the future

Off topic, I like your book collection.

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

thanks. on the left side of the screen are my early American books, right side are a hodgepodge of different topics that I need here.

One of my very favorite movies..It made me think if,when you are facing death did you add anything to the lives of others?

I'm so happy with your analysis... Not an easy thing to do but you nailed it...

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

thank you very much.

Good analysis, but one point is that Borg is 75 in the film, not 78. This fact is stated in the film. Also “His mother must be 100”: in fact she’s 96, also mentioned in the film.

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

thanks.

love the movie ,,, an all time favorite which first mystified me when I watched at a younger age. I thought the ending was transcendent ...beautiful. I just rewatched it at age 79 ... more or less the same age as the professor. Hard to analyze and perhaps not even necessary for me. But thanks for trying.. In some strange way the movie is redemptive for the "older" professor. He returned to the place where he began and knew it for the first time.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

that makes me wonder whether Bergman knew and read and referred to TS Eliot.

@clumsydad7158

Жыл бұрын

Yes, redemptive, but it may not be he didn't know it (the place), but maybe his memories were colored/faded/adulterated by some bad things that occurred. Or maybe he was once again able to see it in an idealized and pure way, as he once did as a youth. It is wonderful though to see triumph over the bitterness that older age can bring. This is the power of the individual transcending themselves, and the remembrance that life is about the great chain of being, not just 'us', not just our small 'I'.

Thank you for this analysis. I participate in a Film Club hosted by Justine Bateman on Clubhouse and we'll be discussing this on Monday at 4 pm PST. It would be great to have you there if that sort of discussion interests you.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

you're welcome. I admit I'm old and don't know exactly what this entails. Please email me and feel free to describe further -- thank you.

@greghuffman3061

7 ай бұрын

hmmm. may look into this

Another excellent analysis. Thanks for posting this. I have to admit it has left me with mixed feelings. Part of me really wants to watch this movie again. But another part of me is feeling a sense of trepidation, particularly after I thought about some of the points in your video. If that makes any sense.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

It does. I would never go into any Bergman movie lightly.

I just got the name "Wild Strawberries" in my literary terms book and thought to watch some videos or the movie itself but after listening you,I think got the theme completely and I don't need to watch the movie now ❤️ Thank you so much ❤️

Brilliant commentary.

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

thank you.

I think maybe...I liked it more than The Seventh Seal? Kind of a three-way tie with Persona?

Ingmar Bergman have at least 15 masterpices, this is one of his best movie, but is very hard to rank Bergman movies to me i love the most God trilogy, same director in same year this movie and Seventh seal

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

that's great. more Bergman videos on this channel are coming.

@tomislavcehajic9642

3 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies Bergman great movies are Summer With Monika9/10,Smiles of a summer night 9/10,Wild Strawberries 10/10 masterpice, The Seventh Seal 10/10 masterpice, The Virgin Spring 9,5/10,Through a glass darkly 10/10 masterpice, Winter light 10/10 masterpice, The Silence 10/10 masterpice this 3 are known as God Silence trilogy, Persona 10/10 masterpice this is Munholland drive before Munholland drive my 3 best movie ever even better than Persona, Hour of the Wolf 8,5/10 very good, Shame 8,5/10 very good, Chries and Whispers 10/10 masterpice ask Woody Allen ho made his one of best movie Hannah and her sisters,, Scenes from a marriage 10/10 masterpice, Autumn Sonata 9,5/10 great movie with 2 ever best actress Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann, Fanny and Aleksander 10/10 masterpice, Face to face 9/10 great movie, The Passion of Anna 9/10 great movie, The Magician 9,5/10 great movie, Sawdust and Tinsel 8,5/10 good movie, and this only some of Bergman movies but i think the best, Ingmar Bergman is one of best movie director ho ever lived without any doubt

❤️♥️❤️!

I loved wild strawberries more than the seventh seal

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

excellent!

I thought the film was alright, may have to sit with it longer or rewatch it but idk, I don't really understand why everyone loves it so much? Could someone explain it to me or something, I would like to understand because It may just be me being dumb.

@clumsydad7158

Жыл бұрын

I saw it many years ago and didn't think much of, I don't think I even finished. This time I felt more the entirety of the story, and the message of coming to terms with things, even at an advanced age, and therein offering some assistance and good wishes to the next generation, the young, instead of an intransigent bitterness.

This movie inspired Satyajit Ray to make Nayak .

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

thanks.

To me the most endearing angle of the film was Borg trying his level best not to let his son go down the same path as him. His childhood love snatched away, his wife cheated on him, despite all of this he wants happiness for his son and daughter in law, when they reconciled Borg is off screen and never comes to know of it through the run time (if memory serves me correctly). Would have been too ham/ corny I guess.

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

yes, that's good!

@prashunpcchakraborty70

3 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies May I recommend some Luis Bunnel films? I think he never gets enough talk in these modern times unlike Bergman and other greats. His films have this erotic atmosphere which I don't think many filmmakers are able to replicate. For instance I saw one of his lesser films (El,1951) a couple of weeks back in which a middle aged man our protagonist is checking out women by their legs in a mass church gathering, while holy hymns are being sung, he always seems to be pushing the envelope without actually going over.

Did Siskel or Ebert ever review this movie?

@LearningaboutMovies

2 жыл бұрын

no, the movie was released well before they got started. I bet Ebert has a "Great Movie" essay on it, though.

@gransasso2912

2 жыл бұрын

Watch this: kzread.info/dash/bejne/m5qHtbGOg5O8n5c.html

There was a famous German surgeon named Ferdinand Sauerbruch, who died in 1951 and introduced many surgical innovations and was widely known. He died when he was about the age of Isak Borg. Some of his relation to the 3rd Reich is debated. I wondered if he could have been a model for Borg or an influence on Bergman in developing the doctor in the film. Or was there some Swedish model?

I mostly liked the movie, although I feel like the themes about religion portrayed through the two young men they picked up was a bit superfluous and made the movie a bit too broad. The seventh seal is already one of the definitive pieces of art that ponder the question of faith so it is unnecessary for Wild strawberries to tackle it in such an episodic manner. Also, I was wondering if you ever thought of talking about the movies of Ernst Lubitsch in the future? Love your vids!

@LearningaboutMovies

3 жыл бұрын

yes to Lubitsch. Probably will start with To Be or Not to Be -- love that one. He made so many that it is hard to choose. Thank you.

@dietrichnordston5526

3 жыл бұрын

@@LearningaboutMovies I agree! Thanks!

Late in life in an interview Bergman still loved this film except rewatching it the 'cute' young people and their shenanigans made 'his flesh crawl'.

I'm not sure if Dr. Borg was actually rude to Marriane either. It is just a general sense of shrewdness that comes with age universally. He had lent some money to his son and probably asked for it back which isn't unfair and was the one think Marriane brought up when she said Dr. Borg was rude. I don't think it's justified. But anyways, this is my favourite movie and always compels me to look inwards and think about so many things so innate and so overwhelming.

The pandemic isolated everyone regardless of age all over the world. Why just in America?! Thanks for the analysis.

@LearningaboutMovies

Жыл бұрын

not sure if I said just America or not. If so, then yes, it really applies to all who were affected.

i like chocolate or creme on my strawberries

@greghuffman3061

7 ай бұрын

condensed milk for example

İ didn't understand vhy Sara choice hiss brother , not him

@helvete_ingres4717

Жыл бұрын

b/c he's boring and 'proper', a guy like that has no appeal to a young girl - his cousin is a bad boy she can feel a spark for

@adsoyad7165

Жыл бұрын

@@helvete_ingres4717 but when the old man remember his youth. In the garden Sara and he kiss. He also says these words about his brother. I think his brother should be boring. I think in the movies the guy about which the girls speak well are those they don't love 😂😂😂 but which they are nervous they love 😂 and here Sara can't resiste to this man in the garden it was that man who kissed Sara .

im watching it roght now... what do i feel? i think its great how it is filmed... it reminds me to 8 1/2 by fellini... or la strada.. maybe even to a jodorowsky fillm in a way... maybe somehow to harold and moud... but.. something hapend.. like.. whats the trama??? when the plot hapend?? like.. it has no story... whats the deal in the movie??? it like a road movie in a way... or maybe i think that just because of the car... it reminds me meyba a hitchcok movie in a way.. but i dont understand whats the deal in the movie.. thats why im here... yes.. i see the things about old people and that.. but.. what about it... what about dreams..? i dont know.. i like some things about the movie.. but i dont like how the flow of the movie goes... i understand its mede in 60`... no internet life.. but still.. i dont see the "problem " the main character has to confront... it just goes.. and some things go by... i dont like how he goes whit that..