Fanny and Alexander*

• 1982 ----- color ----- 188 min ----- vhs
• (Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman; with Pernilla Allwin, Bertil Guve, Ewa Froling, Erland Josephson, Jan Malmsjo, Gunn Wallgren) It's a turn-of-the-century in a Swedish village and the exuberant and colorful Ekdahl household with the children, ten-year old Alexander and eight-year old Fanny, are celebrating the Christmas in grand style. Their parents, Oscar and Emilie, are the director and the leading lady of the local theatre company. But the new year ushers in a tragic change when their father dies and their mother marries the bishop and moves with her children to his austere and forbidding chancery. The children are immediately miserable, longing for the life they left behind. Luckily, an old family friend comes to their rescue, wielding some special magic to spirit the children on an adventurous journey home. (In Swedish with English subtitles) (Restricted to classroom use only)
• Topics: (Family Life, Motion Pictures: Features, Psychology: Social, Scandinavian Languages and Literature)