CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

gizmomogwai Ingmar Bergman made a trilogy, according to critics, later Bergman himself, and still later the Criterion Collection. The Silence (1963) is supposedly the last chapter of this trilogy which also includes Through a Glass Darkly (1961) and Winter Light (1963). They're all good films, but I question The Silence being linked with the others. It's possible to read The Silence as not having any particular relation to God, and there seems to be no direct reference to the Spider-God mentioned in the other two films and depicted on the Criterion DVD cover.Trilogy or no trilogy, The Silence is another solid film from Bergman. At first I found it kind of dull, as the two sisters Anna and Ester live with Anna's son Johan, with Ester being seriously ill. Not much seems to be happening to start with, there isn't much talking, and it seems a little strange when Johan goes into a room with several little people. At times it caught my attention with some open sexuality- the nudity (not quite as spectacular in black and white), the female masturbation, the sex in public. At any rate, the film eventually began to work for me, particularly with its conflict between the two sisters and the hints of lesbian incest. Anna is a sexual being, and her relationship with a strange man seems to be tearing Ester apart. With time, this film builds up undeniable atmosphere that ultimately wins me over. More people should see this film.

ZenShark This is an excellent film which in my mind handles the dual nature of man: the sensual and the rational. The story is told through the eyes of a small boy, who is innocent and his perspective is yet untainted by either of his sides. He is still curious about the world around him, and holds no preconceived notions. There are two women with him, sisters, one is his mother and the other is the mother's sister. One woman represents the sensual side of man, and the other the rational, and the movie is a journey of the mind to find peace within it self torn between these contrasting sides. absolutely fantastic film, the kind they don't make any more.

Claudio Carvalho While traveling back home by train, Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), her son Johan (Jörgen Lindström) and her sister Ester (Ingrid Thulin) that is very ill have to stop in a foreign country in Timoka City and checking- in a hotel until Ester recovers from a crisis of her illness. Ester is a translator but she does not speak the language, therefore they need to communicate by gestures with the locals. Ester is cult and controller and Anna is still attractive and very promiscuous. They are emotionally separated and without any sibling's feelings; therefore each sister just speaks to hurt the other while Johan wanders in the empty corridors of the hotel. "Tystnaden" is a film about lack of connection and communication that in certain moments seems to be a silent movie. There are very few, but sharp and ambiguous, dialogs between the two sisters and it is not clear whether they had an incestuous relationship in the past and the weird way that Anna treats her son, sleeping naked in the bed with him or asking him to soap her back (at least, for non-Swedish viewer). The performances are awesome as usual in a Bergman's film, with wonderful black-and-white cinematography, use of shadows and camera work. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Silêncio" ("The Silence")

pizzazzman2000 A nice change by bergman over several years. I have seen a few of his films, and this film was markedly different, as well as similar to his previous films. One theme which Bergman always harps upon is how human traits, which are normally suppressed by our ability to think straight, get manifested when schizophrenic frenzies take control and maneuver our minds.Here, we have 2 sisters and a young boy, visiting a foreign land on the brink of war, and unconsciously, all three are striving for a way out of this turmoil. Such Striving gives way to a search for a way to stop this quagmire of loneliness, communication gap etc, which acts as the driving force for all three. We see three different sub-stories-one for the little boy, and one each for the two sisters, which become intertwined and clash. The boy,wanders round the hotel with his toy revolver,coming across a group of dwarfs, an old man, etc. One sister is constantly gripped by states of frenzy, which cause her to become at times delirious, with plenty of tripe,and most of the time couped up in her little chamber. The other sister, ventures beyond the four walls, and goes outside, and we get to witness sexual acts, as well as her badmouthing her sister.Overall, a good source of entertainment, and a must-see.