Hour of the Wolves

Hour of the Wolves / Ingmar Bergman / Sweden 1968 / 90 min - Persona has intense light, unbroken sharpness. Hour of the Wolves unfolds in a land of twilight. Moreover, it employs elements that are new to me - romantic irony, techniques of film horror, playing with them. At a formal dinner in the castle, demons appear normal. They wander through the park, converse, perform puppet theatre. Everything is relatively peaceful. Yet they live the lives of the damned, in unbearable pain, forever entangled with one another. They slash at each other and consume each other's souls. For a brief moment their torment eases. This happens when The Magic Flute is performed in a small puppet theatre. The music grants them momentary peace and comfort. The camera touches the faces of all present. The rhythm of the text is a code: Pamina means love. Does love still live? Pamina lebet noch, love still lives. The camera on Liv: it is a double declaration of love.