Bibi Andersson

John Guare mentioned the story that you said that Milos had told him.

And he said that during, it was a dinner where Milos Forman was there together with Bibi Andersson, the Swedish actress, of course, famous for her work with Ingmar Bergman.

And they were sort of dating at the time.

And then John Guare was there together with Liv

In the tradition of Bergman is drawing from the physical destruction of the film strip is the point.

By placing that gesture inside a high-profile psychological drama with Bibi Andersson and then unknown Liv Ullmann, he announced that these techniques were no longer fringe, that this was now a part of art house cinema.

So when you watch the opening or the burning sequence or even the, the, the faces merging, and I'm gonna start with Hamish on this, um, does it s- feel-- did it feel radical on this viewing, or has the language of materialist cinema become so familiar that it now reads as Bergman being Bergman? Does anyone experience it as a formal rapture or more of an atmospheric texture? And the reason I wanna t- come to Hamish first is 'cause you said that you had a more personal reaction to this film.

And so I, I think you would have, um, be the best person to turn to in terms of did these techniques, uh, uh, help you form that personal reaction, or was it the performances and the relationship between Liv Ullmann and, and Bibi Andersson?

Um, yeah, that is a lot of questions.

I can't tell you if it's Bergman being Bergman, 'cause this is the first Bergman film I've watched.

Uh, um, Kum, you can clear, clear me on this.

You might know better than me than about this, but I do not think he ever had a relationship with Andersson.

That said, there's a few regular...

I, 'cause I recognized, uh, Bibi Andersson, who's in this, whose name I only know 'cause I looked her up, 'cause I, she looks familiar.

It's because she was in, uh, Seventh Seal, she was in Persona.

She's, you know-

... he's, he's the, just the simple showman, and she's responding to it.

Yeah.

And then I think the younger woman, uh, Sarah, played by Bibi Andersson, who ends up in a relationship with Simpson, uh, the driver-

Mm

However, this is, like, a little bit of a walk.

Uh, so Liv Ullmann's character, if you recall, in Persona, um, c- cannot stand, um, uh, when Bibi Andersson's character gives her the photograph of her child, she can't fucking stand it.

She tears it up, right? A- a- and part of what, um, oh sh- I'm getting all confused 'cause Ullmann in that film is, is Bibi.

[laughs] Um, so but, but, um, you know, Bibi kind of, like, in Persona, like, um, uh, gives this kind of like...

Um-

Just use the actress's name in the movie

... yeah, so L- Liv Ullmann, of course, in Persona i- is like, h- her thing that eventually gets under her ribs is when Bibi Andersson's like, "You didn't wanna be a mother, and you fucking hate it.

You, you fucking hate it, and y- you know, you, you desp- you despise your child." Um, uh, and that's how, you know, uh, uh, uh, you know, Bibi Andersson kind of repays her, um, r- repays the, the kind of cruelty that, uh, is visited upon her.

Her story is a stark reminder of the emotional weight that can accompany the loss of a child.

Alongside Cecilia, we meet Hjördis, played by Bibi Andersson, a young, unwed mother who is conflicted about her pregnancy.

Her initial desire to terminate the pregnancy gives way to a reluctant acceptance of her situation.

Hjördis' story highlights the societal pressures and personal fears that can accompany unexpected motherhood.