Hour of the WolfFeature Film, 1968 Plagued by nightmares, a reclusive artist living on an isolated island has visions of demons."I call myself an artist for lack of a better name. In my creative work is nothing implicit, except compulsion. Through no fault of mine I've been pointed out as something extraordinary, a calf with five legs, a monster." - Johan Borg (Max von Sydow) in Hour of the Wolf |
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By autumn 1964 Bergman had completed a screenplay entitled "The Cannibals". However, in the spring of 1965 he fell ill with pneumonia, and the project was shelved. On his recovery, he pressed ahead with Persona in the late summer the same year. Various themes from The Cannibals were subsequently incorporated into The Hour of the Wolf, shot in 1966 from the end of May until late September. By the time of its premiere in 1968, his next feature The Shame had already been completed.
The title of the film is explained in the opening credits:
"The hour of the wolf is the hour between night and dawn. It is the hour when most people die, when sleep is the deepest, when nightmares feel most real. It is the hour when the demons are most powerful. The hour of the wolf is also the hour when most children are born."
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