WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957) B/W 90m dir: Ingmar Bergman

w/Victor Sjostrom, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Julian Kindahl, Folke Sundquist, Bjorn Bjelvenstam, Naima Wifstrand, Gunnel Brostrom, Gertrud Fridh

Sjostrom is the star of this film, possibly the director's finest work, as an elderly professor taking stock of his life as he travels by car to be presented with an honorary degree.

From The Movie Guide: "WILD STRAWBERRIES is viewed by many as Bergman's greatest achievement. Its most striking segment, which perhaps best illustrates Bergman's technique, is a dream sequence in which Isak [Sjostrom] walks through a desolate city, is approached by a faceless man, sees a clock without hands, and watches a funeral wagon crash and leave a coffin in the middle of the street. As he nears the coffin, it opens, and the corpse --- again Isak --- emerges and attempts to pull him into the afterlife. The visual and aural symbolism is chilling, and the entire scene is perfectly integrated into the 'reality' of the rest of the picture. Sjostrom, in his final film, delivers one of the finest performances in any Bergman film --- a major accomplishment considering the virtuosity that Bergman's actors consistently display."