THE SERPENT'S EGG

West Germany/US, 1977, 119 minutes, Colour.
Liv Ullmann, David Carradine, Gert Froebe, Heinz Bennent, James Whitmore, Glyn Turman.
Directed by Ingmar Bergman.

The Serpent's Egg was made after Ingmar Bergman had to leave Sweden because of accusations of tax evasion. Bergman has not made this kind of film before - a portrait of a depressed society (with elaborate re-creating of Berlin, November 1923 and many crowd sequences) and explicit social comment. Reminiscent of Cabaret, yet in David Carradine's excellent Abel Rosenberg echoing Kafka and the victimised individual, the film also echoes the themes of the German films of the '20s with their ordinary people maniuplated by mesmerisers, big business. And Hitler is in the background. Within this, Bergman's themes of guilt, responsibility, remote God and suffering are all present with purgatorial and hellish tones. Liv Ullmann gives yet another different performance. One of Bergman's grimmest and most pessimistic. The film is reminiscent of The Shame in its preoccupation with an atmosphere of war. It also reminds viewers of The Silence with its atmosphere of menace in a town in an atmosphere of war.

1. Ingmar Bergman's work over the decades? His reputation, audience interest? His status as one of the main directors of the 20th. century - style, issues of life, the nature of man, the presence and absence of God? His films as psychodramas - dramatising the problems of life, mysteries? The therapeutic and healing effect of his dramas? His work in Sweden? The film as work outside Sweden (and his experience with bureaucratic attacks for tax evasion?)

2. The film being made in Munich, the large budget, the sets especially the Berlin streets, the cabaret atmosphere, the musical score and the cabaret sequences? The special effects? The colour photography, light and darkness, shadows? The editing? Liv Ullmann and her work in Bergman's film? The
use of David Carradine as the American Everyman?

3. The film reflecting the mood of the '70s in cinema - the atmosphere of cabaret, the preoccupation with fascism and the '20s and '30s? The fascist period as a conscience point for 20th. century audiences? The emphasis on hell? The emphasis on nightmare - and Abel's comment on waking from a nightmare to find reality is worse?

4. The significance of the title, its explanation by Dr. Vergerus? The thin membrane of the egg and the reptile-to-be quite visible? The reference to human beings and society producing serpents which will sting, poison, destroy? The credits sequence with the slow-shuffling crowds, the resumption of these images later in the film? The comment on 20th. century society, politics? The specific reference to Germany after World War One, the ironic comments on German democracy, Hitler's rise, seeirdng failure, later success? The dramatic foreshadowing of Hitler's regime, the war, oppression, concentration camps, medical experiments with human beings? Ultimate destruction and cruel death? The serpent's venom in society?

5. The focus on November 1923 - the atmosphere at the time in Berlin, the ironic comments (reminiscent of B movies) and the description of the facts, the atmosphere, economic and social comment? Hitler and his pervading the film? The irony of the future? The films of the time - especially those of Fritz Lang? The impressionistic films and Bergman's echoes of these? His use of film (anachronistically) for recording the human experiments? The sound records along with the visuals?

6. The credits and the clash of moods ~ the slow-shuffling people with the chord and silence? The cabaret music? The late 20th century audience looking at the past, interpreting it, judging it? The past presented in the guise of prophecy? The importance of Dr. Vergerus' explanation and the elements of horror?

7. The focus on Abel - an Everyman figure: his age, middle of life, crisis? The American background and what it implied, European Latvian origins, the Jewish background and the way this was used - and emotional audience response to the plight of the Jews in Germany? The wandering man, his role in the circus and his particular skills, his relationship with his brother and Manuela? The breakdown of relationships? A performer? His decline, money, drinking? His presence in Germany, his disenchantment, fears, hysteria? His observing what was going on and his often seeming lack of interest? The grief for Max, his having fought with him? The relationship with Manuela - friendship, love, clash? His values? The power of observation, audiences observing with him, being involved with him? The choice of David Carradine for the role?

8. The visuals of Max's suicide and the effect on Abel and on the audience? Abel's drinking, his finally weeping with Manuela (and the landlady's questioning him about weeping)? The inspector and the interrogation, his being under suspicion, the interrogation at the flat, at the inspector's office, the long survey of the bodies and the ugly visuals of violent deaths? Suspicion and Abel's hysteria and going berserk? His inability to escape from the prisons no matter where he ran? The visit to Manuela at the cabaret, the cabaret as a refuge? His wandering Berlin and encountering the violence e.g. the crowd attacking the man and the police standing by? The imprisonment and yet his being allowed to go free - by the inspector from the prison, at the end? Abel and the times? Victim? His suspicions? The irony of the explanation of what had happened through Dr. Vergerus? Max's note with the emphasis on poison, Manuela and Abel going to the clinic and becoming victims, the explanation of the deaths, the suicides much later after the poison had been taken? Abel and his being poisoned - the irony of his freedom and the possibilities for his own death? The irony of the name of the drug -Thanatotoxin, poison of death? Abel and his background, family story, his weaknesses, strengths, fears? His presence at the cabaret, the encounter with the prostitutes, his drinking? His talking with Manuela and being heard - the comments about the nightmare and waking up to reality? His looking out the window and observing the trucks in the city, the people in the trams? His manner of interrogating people especially Manuela? His concern for her, her job? His reaction to her work in the brothel? Manuela’s illness? His living with her in the hospital? His presence in the destruction of the cabaret and the denunciation of the decadent Jews? His breaking the window of the shop? His work in the archives and its sinister atmosphere? His being on the brink of going berserk? The encounters with Vergerus earlier at the cabaret, later? The landlady and Manuela's money? The people at the clinic and the encounter with Manuela at the kitchen? The people in the archives? The violent outburst and killing in the archives? The final confrontation with Vergerus and the explanation? The atmosphere of apocalypse and collapse - the burning of the cabaret, the encounter with the impotent black and his desperate attempt to assert his potency. Abel and the prostitute? The discovery of the cameras and the indication that he hiwelf was riddled with poison? His sleep, the possibility of peace, his escape and disappearance? The fate of so many 20th century men?

9. The effect for the audience of seeing the Germany of the '20s - the streets, the darkness, the comments by the voice-over speaker, the points made by the inspector and his description of the social situation, economics, the streets, the rain, fire, denunciations? Hitler? The atmosphere of hunger, the horses and the starvation? Depravity? Experiments? Vergerus' statement that this was a temporary situation but that there would be revolution and a new society?

10. The character of Manuela and Liv Ullmann's style? Her relationship with Max, with Abel? The cabaret song? Relationship with Vergerus? Helping Abel. giving him a how., the discussions with the landlady who professed she loved Manuela and her being sent away? Her work? Presence at the cabaret? At its destruction? The feelings of oppression about guilt towards Max, towards Abel? Her accosting the priest? The mutual forgiveness? The apartment at the clinic, her work in the kitchen? Her growing edginess with Abel and her inability to cope? Her wanting to love Abel, pleading for him to be nice to her? The suddenness of her death? What type of 20th. century character did she represent?

11. The inspector, doing his job, his interrogation, his observations on society? His reaction to Abel's going berserk? Showing him the bodies? The final explanation and letting him go?

12. The significance of the priest, the glimpse of the ending of Mass, the priest in a hurry, his not taking Manuela seriously, his comments about prayer, the remote and absent God, the only possibility being for mutual forgiveness? How serious, comic? His fussy remarks about being late for the parish priest? (The Graham Greene type of priest?)

13. The cabaret acts in themselves, for the audience responding, the tawdriness, decadence, accusations of depravity and the denunciation? The people involved? Bizarre echoes of sexuality? The owner and his attitudes? The violence in bashing his head? The final burning - echoes of holocaust?

14. The landlady and her attitudes towards Manuela and Abel, her spying on Abel, Manuela's money? Her saying that she was crippled? Her denunciation of both?

15. The ordinary people in Berlin - the people at the cabaret, the people at the hospital, the police assistants, the people in the archives, the people in the streets - violence, the dead horses, hunger? The contrast with the rich - the short glimpse of the wealthy restaurant with the circus entrepeneur, Abel walking through the wealthy people at their dance?

16. The realism and surrealism of the film? Waking sequences, nightmares? (The nightmare of Abel's reaction in the archives and his killing - did it happen or not in realistic terms?) ? The symbols of nightmare e.g. Bergman's focus on clocks and time?

17. Bergman's point of view of an exploration of themes of human nature: hope, hopelessness, the meaning of life, relationships, the presence and absence of God? Cruelty, violence (and the appropriate visualising of blood, gore, death?)

18. Bergman's point of view on society - incipient evil and its effect? Society poisoned, death, murder, suicide? Vergerus - the master of experimentation (and the effect of so many visuals of experiments?) finally watching himself die?

19. Bergman's point of view on the significance of life and death? The purpose of human existence?