FACE TO FACE

Sweden, 1975, 136 minutes, Colour.
Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Gunnar Bjornstrand.
Directed by Ingmar Bergman.

The genius of Ingmar Bergman has proved multi-faceted over three decades. He continues to combine expert cinema techniques with extraordinary depth of content. In fact, this film has far too much for one viewing in its analysis of a psychiatrist at breaking point. Exploring visually her conscious world and her subconscious, especially in dream, the film is an important study of the contemporary person. Liv Ullmann seems at her peak here, performing many long sequences of demanding and changing emotions in one camera take. Director, actress and photography combine in compelling drama. Supporting roles are excellent. However, the experience is exhausting and requires at least a second sitting.

1. The impact and status of the work of Ingmar Bergman? The quality of his films over the decades. The importance of his content and the study of men and women, relationships, psychology, religion? The style, portrait of Swedish characters, their environment, their heritage? The study of individuals, relationships? Mutual help, suffering, breakdown, death, age? How well does this film fit into the canons of his films?

2. The style of the film; the use of colour, the Swedish environment and society? The interiors ? both old and new with Jenny's house, the hospital, the old house? The atmosphere of realism and the contrast with the world of fear, imagination, dream? The importance of close-ups and the study of faces, profiles? The sense of motion in portraying so much of the action? The importance of the contrast with the various tableaux?

3. The contribution of Liv Ullmann and her presence, appearance, acting skills, capacity for sympathy, intelligent interpretation of a role, her dialogue and monologues, her actions? The importance of so many of the long dramatic sequences in one take, especially her breakdown and change of moods so rapidly in Thomas' house?

4. The contribution of the musical score, its atmosphere? The concert and the overlap of the music?

5. The significance of the title and its overtones e.g. confrontation, facing oneself, facing others? The visual expressions of these meanings? (The significance of the credits coming over water ? and its symbolism?)

6. The variety of places used by Bergman for illustrating Jenny and her experiences? The use of cars and the streets, Jenny's grandparents' home with its old style, ecclesiastical touches, the dragon emblem, the stained glass flower? The use of rooms, of photo albums? The contrast with Elizabeth's apartment and the environment of a swinging party? Thomas' home? The new house? The hospital? The importance of such symbols as clocks and their sounds and silences? Introduction of symbolic characters who reappear in dreams e.g. the veiled woman?

7. The film's study of a process of Jenny's experience from mental health to teetering on the brink of breakdown, to breakdown, to despair and attempted suicide, to the healing of memories, to the ability to cope again? How credible was this process? Why should it happen to her at this stage of her life, age, work as a helper and healer, with her experience, the pressures? Her capacity for self-giving and love versus her insecurity? Maria and her comments on 'poor Jenny'?

8. The effectiveness of the introduction to Jenny, in the new house, the telephone call to her grandmother, her staying at the hospital and dealing with Maria and their mutual interaction, Maria as an image of Jenny: madness, sensuality, lack of communication, reaching out to touch, her understanding of poor Jenny? Jenny and her arrival at her grandparents, the friendliness of her grandmother, the concern for her grandfather? A return to the scenes of her early years? Her discussion of her profession especially with the doctor and her role while the summer vacation was on? The importance of the party and seeing her react to this ? her being late, relationship with Elizabeth and watching her and listening to her, watching the swinging aspects of Swedish society and being distant from them, the encounter with Thomas and her hesitation, the pause in the street, the meal and the interlude with him? Her interpretation of Thomas' seeming manoeuvres and her blunt description of seduction? Her sleep, her dreams. the introduction to the woman with the eyeless eyes? Jenny as a listener, as active, as liking and thriving wherever she was?

9. The early suggestion of the breakdown: the woman appearing to her, the dream and the stopping of the clocks. the warnings that all was not well?

10. The effect of experiences imposed on her, her concern for Maria, Maria's relationship to Thomas, the call in the middle of the night, her concern for Maria and rescuing her, the attempted rape and her response to this, the concert with Thomas as a contrast to her behaviour with him earlier? The preparation for her breakdown in Thomas' apartment? The skill of Liv Ullmann's acting in this sequence, the fact that it was a one-take breakdown? The range of her moods from sleepiness after taking the sleeping pills, to talk, to hysteria, to attempts at self-control, to breakdown and tears? The extremes of hysteria and composure? The contents of her monologue and her understanding of herself? The significance of her discussion about her feelings at the attempted rape?

11. Did Jenny expect to recuperate after such a long rest? Her grandmother's excuses for her absence from the hospital? The Sunday morning and her grandmother's absence? The church bells? The importance of the phone call and talking with Thomas? The possibility of recovery - and the suddenness to the attempted suicide? Why did the eyeless woman appear at this moment, have such an effect on Jenny, drive her to suicide? The note to Eric? (And the importance of her relationship with Eric, with her daughter. her husband's absence in America, her having confessed to Thomas to having an affair - and the telephone call putting off the man from a meeting?) The importance of the suicide sequence - her comments on it and her feelings, her taking so many pills, the symbol of her finger tracing on the wall and the possibility of death?

12. The character of Thomas, his presence at the party and his later explanation, his sympathetic treatment of Jenny and not intruding on her privacy, the shared experience of the concert. his skill as a doctor and as a man in helping her through the hysterical phase? The phone call and his concern? His bond with Jenny and his telling his story - the significance of the story about the burp? The experience of his divorce, his relationship with the actor, the break-up of the friendship and his explanation of his moods, jealousies? His presence in Jenny's dreams as a guide? How realistic was this in Jenny's consciousness and unconsciousness? His ordinariness in manner, speech, dress in her dreams? The significance of his homosexuality and the male/female relationship with Jenny? Not a threat but being fond of her and restoring her? The significance of his off-screen comments in her dream? His standing and watching? How well did he help to restore her? The significance of his going to Jamaica and his seemingly cynical remarks? His final words of fondness for her?

13. The importance of the dreams and their visual impact, their relating to the themes of the film? The various phases of the dream and the cumulative effect on Jenny, on the audience? The significance of her being dressed in red, of her becoming a child again, of the places of her childhood, of the people in her dream? Comment on the various phases and what they contributed to her self-understanding:
The red dress, the barren terrain, the cries and whispers. the importance of the smells and her comment, the heat and oppressiveness, the need for opening the door and the fear of what would be on the other side? Thomas' voice and his interrogation?
The going through the door and the fears, the cupboard and the later significance of her being put in the cupboard, the terrorising lady and her lack of fearsomeness and her offering the shawl? The importance of the visualising of Jenny's parents, their appearance, timid manner?
The revelation of so much of the past about their love for her, lack of love, her reaction to their death, her fears, feeling of their absence, anger, guilt? Her grandmother and her strong dominance? Her resentments of her grandmother? Her grandfather and his love, his being in the cupboard, his having to count from one to ten? The great variety of patients and the lady with the face which was removed, the lady with the sores, her daughter and her presence there? Her trying to be brave in coping with all these patients?
The final confrontation with her parents, her re-enacting her childhood attitudes, the parents and their fear, appearance and disappearance, her love-hate relationship with them?

14. How significant was the parental relationship with Jenny? Her dramatising of her feelings, within the dream, on the floor at the hospital in the presence of Thomas? Her parents and their death, love and hate? Her love of her father? The quality of love for her mother, Her rage and her comments on feeling guilty? Her grandmother and the ways of blackmailing her emotionally? The horror of the cupboard?

15. The importance of Eric and his presence at the hospital, her facing what she had done in his presence? The hope for the future?

16. Anna's visit and her preparing herself for that? The politeness between the two, her daughter putting her off, accusing her of never really loving her? The repetition in the generations of parental relationships? would Jenny redeem her love for her daughter?

17. How credible was her going back to work so soon? The importance of her final insight by watching her grandparents? How important was the earlier watching of them as each helped the other, old people in the middle of the night, the looking at the photo albums, Grandma taking Grandpa back to bed, promising that he would not go to a home? The final scene in the middle of the night and her insight into love, age, the nature of death?

18. The film as a portrait of a woman and Bergman's writing and direction in understanding a woman and her feelings? His comments that he experienced what it was like to commit suicide by sharing in Liv Ullmann's acting experience? The interaction of Liv Ullmann with Bergman to create this insight?

19. The film's presentation of psychology? Jenny's attitudes, the help from others, self-help, as illustrated in Jenny's treatment of Maria, as illustrated in the psychodrama of the dreams? The early discussion with the cynical doctor? The test case of Elizabeth with her flings, lovers, happiness and unhappiness? Jenny's attitude towards Elizabeth? The critique of psychology, the commendation of psychology?

20. The moral stances of the film? The place of the individual and mental and emotional help? Needs, relationships, strengths and weaknesses?

21. Themes of middle age? Youth as illustrated by Anna and her relationship to her mother? The ageing process and the portrait of the grandparents?

22. The effect on the audience of this kind of experience? Identification, understanding, catharsis?