BEST INTENTIONS, THE, PT. 2 {DEN GODA VILJAN} {SWEDISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES} (TV)
Summary
Continued from T:37401. Part two of four in this Swedish dramatic miniseries -- written by Ingmar Bergman and directed by Bille August -- which traces the stormy courtship and marriage of Bergman's mismatched parents between 1909 and 1918. In this part, after a terrible bout with tuberculosis and the death of her beloved father Johan, Anna finally becomes engaged to Henrik Bergman. As the program begins, Anna and Henrik unhappily live apart in the aftermath of his goodbye note and her having learned of his ongoing affair with Frida. In the winter, he turns up many times outside her family's Uppsala house but she angrily refuses to talk to him and grows increasingly withdrawn at home. One day she receives a note from Frida requesting to speak with her. They meet at a tea house and Frida explains she wants Anna to take Henrik back because, though Frida still loves him, she realizes he is falling apart without Anna and that he needs someone to love so he doesn't have to hate himself. Anna, who is sick with a very bad cold, feels overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility. She grows sicker, and when it is discovered that she has tuberculosis, she is sent to a sanatorium in Switzerland to recover. One of Anna's stepbrothers visits Henrik to tell him of her illness and that she never wants to see him again. Time passes and Anna slowly recovers while Henrik is finally ordained as a priest. One day at the Akerblom house, Johan shows Karin a sealed letter Anna wrote to Henrik which he found contained within a letter she sent to Ernst. Opening it, Karin learns that Anna still loves Henrik and that the two have slept together. Against Johan's objections, Karin burns the letter. To keep her away from Henrik, Karin then takes Anna on a trip to Amalfi upon her release from the sanatorium; but Anna is dismally unhappy there because she hasn't had a response from Henrik, and begs Karin to let her go home. The holiday is cut short when a telegram arrives with the news that Johan has died. Karin breaks down: She blames herself that Johan died alone, and then confesses to Anna about burning Henrik's letter. Anna cannot forgive her and declares she will see Henrik when they arrive home. Back in Uppsala, Anna visits Henrik's apartment and the two decide to become engaged after her father's funeral. Karin calls a family meeting to welcome Henrik into the family and forget old differences, but it is clear that Henrik will never forgive her. As Karin discusses the practical matters of Johan's will, the hidden resentment of her stepchildren and their wives towards her surface. Anna, Ernst, and Henrik depart the unhappy meeting early, leaving Karin very much alone with her stepchildren and her big house. Henrik and Anna take a trip to visit his mother Alma, who welcomes Anna warmly though Alma seems distraught and, at times, cries spontaneously. During the visit, Anna learns that Henrik is estranged from his father's family and clearly hostile towards them. Before bed that night, Alma tells her son that Anna is a beautiful princess he must take care of. In her own bed that night, Alma apologizes to God for not being able to love "that girl" and prays for Anna to disappear from her son's life forever. Continues with T:37402. This program is in Swedish with English subtitles.
(NOTE: Ingmar Bergman has stated that this is not a strictly factual record of his family history but a kind of re-imagining of the past: "Its unreliability with regard to facts, dates, names, and situations is total," he has said.)
(Edited for theatrical release, "The Best Intentions" won the Palme d'Or at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.)
Details
- NETWORK: Sveriges Television (Sweden)
- DATE: December 26, 1991
- RUNNING TIME: 1:12:44
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:37402
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Biography; Drama; Family; International Collection - Sweden; Marriage; Tuberculosis
- SERIES RUN: Sveriges Television (Sweden) - TV, 1991
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ingrid Dahlberg … Producer
- Bille August … Director
- Ingmar Bergman … Writer, Script by
- Stefan Nilsson … Music by
- Samuel Froler … Cast, Henrik Bergman
- August, Pernilla (See also: Ostergren, Pernilla) … Cast, Anna Akerblom
- von Sydow, Max … Cast, Johan Akerblom
- Ghita Norby … Cast, Karin Akerblom
- Bjorn Kjellman … Cast, Ernst Akerblom
- Mona Malm … Cast, Alma Bergman
- Lena Endre … Cast, Frida Strandberg
- Ernst Gunther … Cast, Freddy Paulin
- Borje Ahlstedt … Cast, Carl Akerblom
- Bjorn Granath … Cast, Oskar Akerblom
- Gunilla Nyroos … Cast, Svea Akerblom
- Mikael Segerstrom … Cast, Gustav Akerblom
- Eva Grondahl … Cast, Martha Akerblom
- Dan Johansson … Cast, Justus Bark
- Niklas Hald … Cast, Baltzar Kugelman
- Cecilia Lagerkvist … Cast, Fršken Siri
- Lena Brogren … Cast, Fršken Lisen