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Persona, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's brilliant but elusive '60s masterpiece about the mystery of identity, still stands as a monument in the history of world cinema. When stage actress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann) suffers a nervous breakdown that renders her mute, she is sent to a seashore cottage and put under the care of nurse Alma (Bibi Andersson). Ullmann and Andersson, standouts among Bergman's stock company, deliver intelligent, poignant performances as they develop one of the most intense and fascinating relationships ever seen onscreen. The film is also known as Masks, and for good reason: The human face has rarely been so thoroughly scrutinized for signs of flickering emotion and hidden identity. And these simple but powerful black-and-white images are hauntingly photographed by the legendary cinematographer (and frequent Bergman collaborator) Sven Nykvist. Less overtly allegorical and more intimate than the master's most well-known film The Seventh Seal, Persona painstakingly examines the limitations of all human relationships -- poetically illuminating the unbridgeable gulfs that separate us from one another. Monica McIntyre

All Movie Guide

Persona is difficult to characterize in simple terms, but it may be helpful to describe this complex film as being an exploration of identity that combines elements of drama, visual poetry, and modern psychology. The central story revolves around a young nurse named Alma (Bibi Andersson) and her patient, a well-known actress named Elisabet Vogler (Liv Ullmann). Elisabet has stopped speaking, and the attending psychiatrist treats the actress by sending her to an isolated seaside cottage under Alma's care. There the nurse, who must do all the talking for both women, becomes a little enamored of the actress. One evening Alma tells Elisabet about some exhilarating sexual experiences she once had and their unpleasant aftermath. Soon after sharing this confidence, the nurse reads a letter Elisabet has written and is shocked to learn that the actress thinks of her as an amusing study. The relationship between the women becomes tense, and they wound each other. Then Alma has a long dream in which her identity merges with that of Elisabet, but when the nurse awakes, both women have apparently come to at least temporary terms with their psychological problems. ~ All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 027616902221
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Presentation: B&W
• Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:23:00
• Sales Rank: 26,515

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Ingmar Bergman Special Edition Dvd Collection

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