The final film from director Ingmar Bergman was a return to perhaps his most in-depth characters. Saraband, a sequel to Scenes from a Marriage thirty-three long years in the making, should have been a beautiful musing on age between not only cast members Liv Ullmann and Erlan Josephson, but also for its director. Instead, we don’t receive a beloved, touching or miserable sequel to the near-masterpiece the trio crafted in the 1970s, instead we get a meandering final effort from one of the most influential directors of all time.
By far the greatest problem of Saraband is its inclusion of supporting characters. They often detract from the meat of the subject, the relationship between Marianne and Johan often finds itself in the backseat as we find ourselves introduced to a variety of new characters. Henrik, Karin and Martha are all suitably well performed and offer up some tragic, beautiful scenes, but they still feel wholly out of place in a film focusing in on the relationship between two former partners. They’re surplus to requirement, adding meandering subplots to the already overflowing variety on display. Mixing in with some of the more enjoyable scenes, and taking such a hold on the happenings of the film, these subplots dilute any real enjoyment to be found within the leading storyline of Johan and Marianne’s reunion.
A reunion of the two leads from Scenes from a Marriage is such a delicate and marvellous idea. Shamefully squandered by the foolish inclusion of supporting characters and the less than solid performances of Ullman and Josephson, it all feels rather depressing. It adds to the misery already oozing from the screen, as we see these two beloved characters rekindle their feelings for one another. It’s such a tremendous showcase of perhaps Bergman’s most memorable characters, but they don’t seem up to the task of bringing together anything new or interesting. Even if it were just a recollection of their time spent together, Saraband doesn’t have the streamlined aim necessary to bring about any interesting or engaging ideas.
But the soft spot I have for these characters kept me going, and whilst the film is terribly muddled by its supporting performances and clear degradation regarding direction and leading stars, Saraband still has pockets of wondrous moments. Although underwhelming, it’s a certainly pleasing moment to see Marianne and Johan united, and their age brings out two completely different characters. We’re filling in the blanks of two leads that haven’t united on screen for three decades, their growth as people captured in a succinct enough direction from Bergman.
It’s not perfect, far from it, Bergman’s best work. But his return to directing and his final film at that is a fumbled send off to two of his most memorable characters. Feeling more and more like housekeeping and tidying up some of his loose ends, Bergman brings us through one last musing on all of his expected tones. Glimmers of brilliance lie in tatters throughout Saraband, but unless you’re a truly die-hard fan of Scenes from a Marriage, then this final offering won’t be much more than a measly and forgettable piece.
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