Media gallery for
Saraband

Bergman's passion for music is clearly manifested in Saraband: "If I had to chose between losing my hearing or my sight – I would keep my hearing. I can't  imagine anything worse than having my music taken away from me."

Bergman directing Julia Dufvenius (Karin) and Liv Ullmann (Marianne) during the filming of Saraband.

Bergman was impressed by the new HDTV technology. However, the director was correspondingly annoyed by the noise generated by the cameras.

Bergman, Erland Josephson (Johan), and Liv Ullmann (Marianne) during the filming of Saraband.

Erland Josephson (Johan) is the actor with the longest-running collaboration with Ingmar Bergman, from The Merchant of Venice in 1940 to Rosmersholm in 2004.

Saraband is structured in pairs; a series of episodes, each comprising a tense dialogue between two people.

Saraband became Bergman’s last farewell to film.

When Saraband was shot, 25 years had passed since the last time Liv Ullmann (Marianne) had appeared in front of Bergman’s camera.

Bergman discovered Julia Dufvenius (Karin) through the television series Glappet. The director remembered the series as ’The Gush or The Gunk or whatever it was called.’

Börje Ahlstedt (Henrik) had undertaken several heavyweight roles for Bergman previously: as uncle Carl in both Fanny and Alexander, The Best Intentions and In the Presence of a Clown, as Claudius in Hamlet and as Peer Gynt.

It was a joyous reunion when Erland Josephson (Johan) and Liv Ullmann (Marianne) reprised their roles from Scenes from a Marriage 30 years later.

Johan (Erland Josephson): ’An old priest once told me that a good relationship has two components: a good friendship and unshakeable eroticism. No one can say you and I weren’t good friends. Kind and capable.’

Henrik (Börje Ahlstedt): ’He has a fortune and he won’t die. He’s probably mummified by his own nastiness.’

Sketch by set designer Göran Wassberg.

Sketch by set designer Göran Wassberg.

Sketch by set designer Göran Wassberg.

Bergman’s handwritten script.

The entire film crew during the last day of shooting.

Workbook no 46 contains script drafts for Saraband. Dated June 17th, 1998 – Thursday, September 6th, 1991.

Page from Workbook no 46.

Page from Workbook no 46.