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SAWDUST AND TINSEL (Gycklarnas Afton/The Naked Night) |
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Ingmar Bergman's powerful and pitiless essay on passion, jealousy, and betrayal unfolds against the backdrop of an impoverished traveling circus in turn-of-the-century Sweden. Considered by many to be Bergman's first major work, Sawdust and Tinsel is often favorably compared with such classic tragedies as The Blue Angel and La Strada. The disturbing story revolves around an aging circus owner, who suffers heartbreak and humiliation at the hands of his young mistress and her brutal lover. Harriet Andersson exhibits the fierce sensuality for which she became known in her portrayal of the flirtatious mistress. Collaborating for the first time with master cinematographer Sven Nykvist, Bergman uses stark black-and-white visuals and inspired editing to construct this haunting allegory of human weakness and spiritual despair.
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