Ingmar Bergman's - The Silence

(aka "The Silence")

Sweden 1963

Two sisters—the sickly, intellectual Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and the sensual, pragmatic Anna (Gunnel Lindblom)—travel by train with Anna’s young son Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom) to a foreign country seemingly on the brink of war. Attempting to cope with their alien surroundings, the sisters resort to their personal vices while vying for Johan’s affection, and in so doing sabotage any hope for a future together. Regarded as one of the most sexually provocative films of its day, Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence offers a brilliant, disturbing vision of emotional isolation in a suffocating spiritual void.

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 23rd, 1963 - Sweden

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DVD Comparison:

Tartan - Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC

Tartan Captures thanks to Nick Wrigley of Masters of Cinema

(Tartan - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Tartan DVD Region 0 - PAL	Criterion Collection - Spine # 211 Region 0 - NTSC
Video	133:1 Original Aspect Ratio PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
Audio	Swedish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	Swedish (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono), DUB: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English, and none	English and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Video Aspect Ratio: Standard - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Star and Director Filmographies • Philip Strick Film notes • Extract from Bergman`s book `Images - My Life in Film` DVD Release Date: November 19th, 2001 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Standard - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • New high-definition digital transfer •Exploring the film: Video discussion with Ingmar Bergman biographer Peter Cowie •Poster gallery for the trilogy films •Essay by film scholar Leo Braudy •Original theatrical trailer •Optional English-dubbed soundtrack •New and improved English subtitle translation DVD Release Date: August 19th, 2003 Box set Chapters 22 Includes the following films: • Through a Glass Darkly, 1961 (91 minutes) • Winter Light, 1962 (80 minutes) • The Silence, 1963 (95 minutes) • Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie • Number of discs: 4

Comments:

Like our Winter Light comparison, the image quality here is very close. Criterion is darker and shows more grain... but someone's ratio is off. With the captures below of the circle in the rug, I suspect it is the Criterion. If the Tartans have contrast boosting, it is most prevalent here. The Criterion appears cropped on the lower edge a shade and is really quite dark in some scenes. In this film, we are going with the Tartan version as a recommendation for image, but of course, everything else goes Criterions way - audio, menu, Extras. The differences are quite negligible in the image, but purists may want to know.

- Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

(Tartan - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Screen Captures