Torst (Thirst, Igmar Bergman, 1949)

This film was recently released by Criterion as part of an Early Bergman collection. The acting troop is not full of the familiar Bergman faces - which is good. This is a film about stress and tension...in relationships, marriages in particular, at work, in our heads. The central figure is a young dancer who is travelling with her husband across war-ravaged Europe. Flashbacks reveal scenes when her first love reveals he is married. When the wife of this man calls on her. When she is forced to have an abortion which leaves her sterile. And we know she is injured in such a way that has affected her career in the ballet. Not an uplifting film. A film, in fact, I didn't think I liked. But a day later some of the issues and scenes are still running around in my head so maybe there is more to this film than I wanted to give it credit for. Definitely worth a view if you are a Bergman fan as it gives some insight into issues he brings out in later films. Gunnar Fischer is the cinematrapher. His style too has not yet fully developed and that shows in this film.