A Lesson in Love

Wry, witty and amusing example (more or less) of what Stanley Cavell calls "comedies of remarriage", in which a couple, having discovered the depths of each others's flaws and childishness, relearns how to live together with fewer illusions. The narrator opens by calling it a "comedy for grown-ups": twenty years ago, I ended a review of Bergman's greatest dramatic if not tragic version of this tale, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, by describing it as "a movie that is resolutely about and for grown-ups".

I am unsure if some of these scenes were weird in 1954, or if the passage of nearly 70 years has made, for example, the wedding scene exist in a completely different reality. It was interesting to see trans representation, even if Bergman was probably not intending that. The scene with Cupid probably played HUGE in Swedish theatres in 1954.

A delightful romantic comedy in which Bergman proves that not only can he do comedy, but he can do comedy very well. As can his troupe of actors. If only all comedies were half as well written as this film; Bergman switches from verbalised existential dread to lighthearted banter to ad hominem attacks with ease. Like all the best rom-coms - I am thinking the likes of 'The Philadelphia Story' - this film critiques gender and class stereotypes while not taking itself too seriously.

Its a shame that, staying only from the perspective of the male main character, it suddenly shifts to a bias for him in the last 30 minutes, despite the film being as much about his fidelity as his wife's, causing its ending to have a slightly sour taste to it, but this is still a great film. Bergman has a very sharp sense of humour which, mixed with references to sex, would have probably shocked viewers back then. After this too, Gunnar Björnstrand has become one of my favourite actors.

Expectedly very well made and sapient, even bold here and there, but doesn't really stand out from the early Bergmans. Swipes at comedy usually didn't work so well for him.

Bergman watched his own Secrets of Women and came to the obvious conclusion: if 20 minutes of Björnstrand and Dahlbeck bickering is fantastic, then 90 minutes of the same must be even better. Sadly, diminishing returns set in; some great scenes (the wedding!) but all in all it feels a tiny bit disjointed and overlong. That said, Bergman would do better comedies (and pretty soon too) but this is still rather delightful.

85.50

I mean, as much as it is a joy to see Gunnar Björnstrand as a lead in a Bergman film, this one is too dense for my liking. An hour felt like 2

Mês especial do centenário de Ingmar Bergman filme #9. Essa overdose de Bergman dos últimos dias está me deixando completamente apaixonada pelo Gunnar Björnstrand. Que homem lindo, charmoso e talentoso é esse? Adoro essas comédias sexuais homenageando Lubitsch que Bergman fazia nos anos 50, o charme de Björnstrand e Dahlbeck ajudam muito e a Harriet Anderson como proto-trans é inestimável. Coleção Versátil Ingmar Bergman Volume 5

Gets carried away towards the end but temperate enough for a successful crazy comedy.

The best Bergman comedy. What makes it so delightful is the freewheeling touch with which these characters encounter their mid-life crisis, i.e. their infidelities. He would bring similar situations down to agony soon enough, only here he might even have the grandfather voice his most sophisticated ideas on death, almost as a throwaway in the middle of all these farcical confrontations.

84.500

An odd attempt at light humour from Bergman. 'A lesson in Love' is neither particularly light or funny, but it's still a compelling watch. The dialogue, acting and photography are all fantastic, and very much need to be to make up for the few horrifying moments of slapstick. Luckily the slapstick is limited to very few scenes and Bergman concentrates most of the humour to conversations between the characters.

The best parts are the give-and-take quarrels between Bjornstrand and Dahlbeck (recalling their roles in Secrets of Women). That's where most of the humor lies. The other attempts at comedy aren't very successful, but they have a certain charm to them. At its low points (the goofy music cues, the "okay it's all over now" bit at the end of the wedding fight) it's a little bit stupid, but for the most part the worst you can say is it just isn't all that funny. But it's decent.