Ingmar Bergman's Through a Glass Darkly -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 108)

Sign up for my newsletter. KZbin channel updates, written reviews, and exclusive content -- free! -- eepurl.com/hbfI6v
Watch movies freely and securely with Atlas VPN. Sign up now for just $1.39/month!
atlasvpn.go2cloud.org/aff_c?of...
Twitter: / drjoshmatthews
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/joshmatthews/
Understanding Movies 101 Course: joshmatthews.org/learn-more-a...
The Great Movies Series: joshmatthews.org/what-makes-t...
Comprehensive List of the Great Movies Series: joshmatthews.org/what-makes-t...
Movie Cliches Series -- Video Playlist: • Why Pianos Transform C...
The Great Directors Series -- Playlist: • Werner Herzog's 10 Gre...
Shot for Shot Analyses: • Understanding Movies 1...
Great Science-Fiction Movie List: joshmatthews.org/great-scienc...
Other Movie Lists: joshmatthews.org/topics/movie...
Disclaimer: All reasonable comments are welcome, including reasoned disagreements. You will be banned for foolish talk, harassment, and hate speech on sight; it's a tremendous waste of life. I believe in freedom of association and, by extension, freedom of dissociation from you.

[@mirellavasileva2038]

I just realised that the three man can also relate to the father, the son and the Holly ghost, even as characters. The father writes the book (the Bible) without care for "his children". The son is unsure and tormented, but is genuinely caring for saving Karen. And I can't come up with something about Martin as the Holly ghost, but you got the point.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

this is excellent. please keep commenting here on this channel.

[@mirellavasileva2038]

@@LearningaboutMovies Sure, I consider myself a specialist on Bergman and recently found your channel, so now I am watching all your videos on Bergman films.

[@m.hughmungus121]

The father doesn't care for his children ? Have you never read the new testament? Or you just parroting what your marxist film professor told you ?

[@MissMeggarz142]

I went down a rabbit hole last summer in search of great films. I wanted to jumpstart my love of black and white films. Bergman was included on several lists I watched in order to catch up on the latest and greatest. Summer with Monika caught my eye and I finally watched it recently. However, this film is what sold me as a Bergman fan. I have a fascination with psychosis due to personal and educational experience. This film utterly captures schizophrenia in a raw, uninhibited light. I lived with someone who found themselves developing schizo effective disorder. I could relate to the husband in such a way, I was shaken. The father's attitude is what I had to adopt. When Karin said she did not want treatment and chose who she would become....it was like a death. I could go on, but I just rather sit back for a little while longer to ponder.

[@GrenvilleMelonseedSkiff496]

I’m just watching this movie and enjoying it very much … thanks for your insights.

[@judypolstra]

I just watched it yesterday....LOVED IT. I THOROUGHLY enjoy your reviews. Thank-you.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

Thank you very much

[@roaminronin7818]

Thanks for covering this movie. This is actually the 2nd Bergman movie I ever saw but I have not seen in while. I'm sure what drew me to it is the psychological & existential exploration I'm a sucker for. Despite the results of the characters, I seem to recall the feeling of the importance of empathy. Your description at the end immediately made me recall Dreyer's Ordet - the more I think about it, those movies do share a bit thematically.

[@achasingafterthewind]

I thought the same thing regarding “Ordet.” It would be interesting to see this channel do a video on that movie, especially to hear his interpretation of the ending, which deals with that mental illness/special connection to God question.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

yes, almost for sure. I think Ordet had some impact on Bergman, seemingly directly, and certainly indirectly.

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

Good stuff! I love this and Winter Light. TAGD does have a more natural feel. Never even noticed until you pointed it out.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you.

[@tonybechillin1026]

Such a great channel to discover almost 7 months after discovering Ingmar Bergman!

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you, and welcome to the channel.

[@SamDavies94]

Nice review! I juat watched the film today, on the point about mental illness, I had not realised until about 30-40 mins into the film Karin had a mental illness, and the way her father and husband talk about her made me think it was something like a cancer or terminal illness. I think, because of this I need to rewatch it, and then relate all the conversations and scenes to both mental illness and god/love/religion. The film reminded me of Breaking the Waves, the singular female, existing on an island who talks to God. I utterly loved the scene within the film where Karin sees God, or what she thinks is God. Tarkovsky is my favourite filmmaker, so catching up on Bergman's work is essential for me. The Tarkovsky rain, I often relate to baptism/refreshing.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

Thank you

[@vinvanveen]

Watched this film for the first time recently and was mesmerized. Great, beautiful-looking film.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you.

[@Lord_Heron]

I love this film. I think this was the first Bergman I watched and was hooked. The 'faith' trilogy are all great.

[@BibinIMPACT]

Bergman's Wild Strawberries too very organic film. Very touching movie.

[@marig9236]

I love this movie. There is something deeply sad about it

[@LearningaboutMovies]

Thank you.

[@MrTonyPerkiss]

Great -thanks for this

[@LearningaboutMovies]

you're welcome.

[@filmbuff2777]

Great film.

[@Azor19]

❤

[@elisabetVoglerr]

*Spoiler alert* Dunno if it holds any significance but in the end Karin, while leaving, puts on shades- can it be a way to symbolise that she basically wanted to escape the world or something after she realised that her God is a spider.

[@hejskipejski5751]

Strangely enough, the title of the movie might be misleading. The bible in Swedish is translated as: "Now we see darkly, like through a mirror". As always, great content!

[@LearningaboutMovies]

Yes, I believe the King James Bible uses the word glass, which meant mirror, but glass doesn't mean that today.

[@hejskipejski5751]

@@LearningaboutMovies haha that is interesting. You learn something new every day!

[@achasingafterthewind]

I recall an interview with Bergman where he mentioned that mirrors at that time were made out of some sort of metal (brass was one, I think) so it wouldn’t be a perfect reflection, but one that was distorted by darkness. Could connect to the film with the idea of a healthy mind being clear, while one struggling with mental illness wouldn’t be able to view things as they really are.

[@liminal.thulean9012]

I would love to see your take on some of Jan Švankmajer's works, especially Alice from 1988, as well as his rendition of Faust from 1994.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

wow, interesting. would love to see any version of Faust and I had not heard of this before.

[@vampoftrance]

I got confused watching this and sped up to the end. I liked the scenes and consulted Wikipedia.

[@redpenink12]

I also have to admit I wasn’t sure what the point of the film is when watching it. It wasn’t really clear about the fact she had a mental illness or was recently released from an asylum or was it? That would have given a better context to the scenes in general.

[@ouriel]

I could not connect to that movie in anyway except to the glorious black and white cinematography. Am i alone?

[@imverydeadd]

Same

[@roypeabody]

I didn't connect to it the first time either, but rewatched it today and thought it was devastating. Not saying you will feel the same, but it's a movie you need to succumb to in order to appreciate it, so give it another try ten years from now.

[@PRODIGY2099]

how about incestous relantionship between Karen and Minus, dr Matthews? I mean it got me confusing seeing "typical" Bergman's movie about loneliness, God and all of a sudden, quite obvious and troubling scene on the boat between siblings. what do you think?

[@ommodak2712]

Sir can you review “Andhadhun" it's a Indian flim

[@LearningaboutMovies]

I'll look into it. Thank you.

[@sayan7903]

The visual storytelling of that movie was damn

[@tomislavcehajic9642]

Where is another Bergman, Kubrick, Lumet, Kurusawa, Hitchcock, Copolla, Altman,Fellini, Leone, Antonioni and others what the fuck Nolan be serius

[@LearningaboutMovies]

it's a good question.

[@Fabulous283]

我来自中国，非常不错，加油

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you.

[@tom_abbott]

Of the faith trilogy, I enjoyed this movie and the winter light, but I lost my patience with the silence, the only one I disliked

[@LearningaboutMovies]

I agree with that -- The Silence is perhaps his most abstract movie.

[@adamarens3520]

I just finished this movie tonight. Out of the 15 or so Bergman films I’ve seen this is my least favorite. I actually found it tedious with only a couple of bright spots, some you mentioned. I think I didn’t connect with any of the characters ( which never happens to me when watching a Bergman film 🤷‍♂️) and Karin’s psychotic break I found more tiresome as the movie progressed. I liked your review and I understand the film’s popularity and appeal but it just wasn’t for me. I will probably skip the other two in the trilogy as well.

[@LearningaboutMovies]

Completely reasonable. I believe everyone will be struck in the same way with all least some of his beloved movies.

[@ym6174]

Felt the same, bit too melodramatic at times, but watch winter light, has that personal relatable human touch along with bergmans existential themes and questions, a slow burn, but it's worth it.

[@drummersnail115]

I do like the natural feel that you pointed out. However I found myself disappointed in this film. As a Bergman fanatic, I just felt it didn’t hone in on the themes as precisely as his other works

[@LearningaboutMovies]

it's reasonable. return to it at some point, if you can. I suggest watching a couple of Tarkovsky's movies, if you like them enough, and then coming back here because A.T. definitely quoted this one a lot.

[@tomislavcehajic9642]

I will watch your video latter because you man knows the movies not only pop corn movies entertainment, but will be better if you made all trilogy in this video Through a glass darkly 1961, Winter light 1963 and The Silence 1963 all 3 are masteripices but first is about God and love, second is loosing a faith in God, and 3 is i dont belive in God mayby this will be better, for me The Silence is best but this is only me, great chanel, sorry for my english is not my first language

[@LearningaboutMovies]

thank you.

[@tomislavcehajic9642]

@@LearningaboutMovies i am seen this, please do last one and trilogy is done