
Wild Strawberries (1957) is widely considered one of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces. It mostly concerns a day in the life of of Professor Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom) who decides to travel by car across Sweden to accept an honorary degree. Throughout the day he is plagued by upsetting dreams in which he grapples with his past, aging, and oncoming death. These dreams allow him to revisit his past and relive the triumphs and downfalls of his past. It is something of a road movie as his daughter-in-law, Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) decides to accompany him on his journey and reveals discord in her own life. Along the way they pick up a trio of youngsters, who offer a sort of joviality to the proceedings-Bub Anderson play the pipe smoking Sara, as well as Isak's childhood love, Sara, in a dual role. Through the course of the day Isak come sot terms with his station in life and seems ready to face the next day. The Criterion edition includes: a new high-definition digital film transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack, audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie, an introduction by director Ingmar Bergman, Ingmar Bergman on Life and Work, a ninety-minute documentary by filmmaker and author Jörn Donner, behind-the-scenes footage shot by Bergman, and a booklet featuring an essay by film writer Mark Le Fanu.
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