BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

danmaiden In my opinion one of the best Bergman movies. The characters are weird that is what makes them unique, "The Seventh Seal" of course is much better but I think there is no point in comparing these two masterpieces by the master. Bergman knew how to build controversial characters that can make one ponder and think, this movie is very unique because all of the characters make you think. One of the most implicit things which Bergman points to here is the Christian thinking that lead to death many a innocent victims. We should also not forget the fact that it is based on a Swedish ballad of 13th century. Hence, one should really work hard on the features of a movie that will contain characters who really make an impression. Bergman did his best here, and explained the story from his own perspective. For those who really want to watch this movie read the ballad first, it is really fascinating and very poetical. After reading the ballad the movie will open up to you as a book and you can understand it easily, however keep in mind the fact that Bergman did not try to communicate some secret messages via this movie, movie is pretty straightforward in its' essence. Thus, try to comprehend it as it is and don't apply any other motives or ideas to it other than those of Bergman.

avik-basu1889 When you decide to watch a Bergman film, it is to be expected, that you are about to watch something extremely heavy with deep rooted subtle as well as larger than life symbolism. The Virgin Spring is no different.On the face of it, the film is about a terrible crime that transpires and the vengeful tendency that the father of the victim exudes. But it is so much deeper. The character of Karin represents Christianity and all its values while Ingeri represents Paganism. Both of them are sent on a journey to deliver candles to the church. But only one returns.This film is abundant with thematic symbolism even down to the horses which are assigned for Karin and Ingeri respectively for the journey. Max Von Sydow again appears in a Bergman film as Tore which I consider to be the most interesting character in the film. He has adopted the new religion of Christianity but throughout the film his lack of conviction with the beliefs of Christianity is ever so apparent but in a subtle manner. However this inner struggle gets harrowingly represented in a particular scene which is awe- inspiring.The silence of god and the futility of organised religion as well as the mysterious nature of the universe's plans again feature as a theme in The Virgin Spring like other Bergman films. The ending scene is extremely touching and yet utterly sarcastic and for me a diabolical representation of how human beings can be extremely naive and how they can blindly hold on to religion by ignoring everything that they think.

Ben Larson This film is a horror film that not only won an Oscar, but awards at the Golden Globes and Cannes. I can imagine it was the only horror film so honored. The pacing was perfect. Bergman took long shots that slowly developed. There was no rush as the young virgin (Birgitta Pettersson) rode through the forest, and the rape, when it took place was inevitable, but more a statement about the god who wasn't there than a source of titillation. This movie had strong religious overtones. The mother (Birgitta Valberg) was a religious fanatic that pured candle wax on herself as a sacrifice. The father (Max von Sydow) was much less religious; probably a convert from the pagan gods to the Christian one. But all their praying and self-flagellation helped them not when faced with the evil of the world. It was the housemaid, a bastard with a bastard in her belly, that had her hate satisfied as she witnessed the rape. The parents realized the travelers they gave shelter to were murderers, and retribution was swift and bloodless. The father, at the end, could not understand how god could let this happen. He could not understand how he could be driven to kill. Evil exists, and all the prayers and candles given to the church will not make it go away.

Mikel3 I watched 'The Virgin Spring' (1960) on TCM today. It's a Swedish film with English subtitles directed by Ingmar Bergman. If the definition of a horror film is one that scares you by what you see and hear in even just a few of the scenes, then this is a horror movie IMO. For instance there is one scene where the sweet and innocent victim realizes what is about to happen to her. That scene for me was spine chilling. Chilling because these horrors really happen, unlike monsters from space or whatever. It was mesmerizing to watch beginning to end, subtitles and all. I was never a big Bergman fan in years past, probably because I didn't devote the time to his films. I'm only now starting to appreciate his vast talent for story telling and imagery. This is one of those times I wish I was a decent writer so I could put into words what I want to express about this story. I''ll put it simply in my words. The story is about a well to do very religious small family in what I took to be the middle ages. The two parents have farmhands, servants and one young, maybe 17 year old, daughter who is their pride and joy. They send their daughter on a short sort of pilgrimage to bring candles to their church. She is expected back that same day. During the course of her short journey she meets with disaster because she is naive about strangers. Later by a strange turn of events, the parents get their revenge for what happens to her. And do that get even ! I don't want to say much more about the plot. I will say it's obvious that the 1972 horror film 'The Last House on the Left' was roughly based on this much superior story. 'TVS' can be taken as a straight plot of loss and revenge or it can be analyzed much deeper. With this story Mr. Bergman makes us think hard about the nature of God, jealousy, vanity, revenge, regret and even forgiveness. It's the kind of film that will stay with you long after it ends. I do my best to keep these comments short, this is getting long, so I'll end by saying 'The Virgin Spring' was an amazing example of film making at its best.