Media gallery for
The Silence

Following the première in September 1963, the press competed – with headlines such as ’Moral outrage’ and ’Indignation and abhorrence for Bergman film’ – as to who could quote the most outraged viewer.

Bergman and Jörgen Lindström (Johan) during the filming of The Silence. Lindström remembered Bergman as ’a kind uncle’.

In large part due to the controversy surrounding the film, The Silence ended up becoming SF’s biggest box-office success of the day.

Ingrid Thulin (Ester) and Gunnel Lindblom (Anna) during the filming of The Silence. According to Bergman, the two actresses were ’almost always in a good mood’.

Bergman, Gunnel Lindblom (Anna) and Birger Malmsten (the waiter) during the filming of The Silence.

Bergman instructs the variety group that seems to be the only other guests at the hotel.

Anna (Gunnel Lindblom): ’ Nothing in particular. It's just that you always harp on your principles and drone on about how important everything is. But it's all just hot air. You know why? I'll tell you. Everything centers around your ego. You can't live without feeling superior. That's the truth. Everything has to be desperately important and meaningful... and goodness knows what.’

Johan (Jörgen Lindström) and Anna (Gunnel Lindblom).

Ester (Ingrid Thulin), the bitter, compulsivley masturbating invalid.

The siblings' relationship reaches its boiling point. (Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, and Birger Malmsten).

Anna (Gunnel Lindblom): A letter? Can I see? ’To Johan. Words in the foreign language.’ Well that’s nice.

Gunnel Lindblom (Anna) and Jörgen Lindström (Johan) unwind between takes.

Sven Nykvist recalled the film shoot as being ’child’s play’ compared to the rigours of Winter Light.

Shooting schedule for The Silence.

Floor plan of the hotel in The Silence.

Workbook no 20 contains script drafts and notes on The Silence. Dated Djursholm August 12th, 61- August 18th, 1962.

Page from Bergman’s handwritten script. Dated Djursholm April 18th, 1962.

Ester (Ingrid Thulin), Johan (Jörgen Lindström) and Anna (Gunnel Lindblom). ’Two women and a thirteen-year-old boy in a completely unknown city.’