Hour of the Wolf
Encyclopedia
Hour of the Wolf is a 1968 Swedish
film directed by Ingmar Bergman
and starring Max von Sydow
and Liv Ullmann
. It combines elements of the film drama
, surrealist film and horror film
.
The film is framed through the account of Alma (Liv Ullman), who addresses the audience directly while sitting at a picnic table. She tells of her husband's disappearance, which is explored in a flashback constructed of his diaries and her words.
Johan Borg (von Sydow) is a painter who is regularly approached by odd and suspicious people. He confides to his young, pregnant wife Alma (Ullman) that he believes them to be demons, and that his insomnia is growing worse. On the nights when Johan can't sleep, Alma stays awake by his side through the nights, especially during the vargtimmen ("The Hour of the Wolf
"), during which, Johan says, most births and deaths occur. Johan begins to give names to the figures who approach him, including the Bird-Man, the Insects, the Meat-Eaters, the Schoolmaster (with pointers in his trousers), and The Lady With a Hat. Throughout the film, Alma expresses her belief that two people who love each other, and spend their lives with each other, will eventually become alike. (See Persona
.)
It is implied to the audience that these figures represent Johan's shames, traumas, and vices. Johan's wife talks about wanting to grow old with him, and that night, a 76-year-old woman approaches him, taunting him about age. In one scene, he recounts to his wife meeting a small boy tanning himself on a rock. As the boy approached Johan, he "realized" it was a demon representing homosexuality (and sexual experimentation in his youth), and violently smashed the child's face against a stone before tossing him into the ocean to drown. Alma reacts to the story with shock, and sinks into despair. Johan tries to persuade her to leave so he might kill himself, but the couple are approached by a baron, von Merkens (Josephson), who lives in a nearby castle. The painter and his wife visit them and their surreal household: a castle, where Johan's ex-girlfriend Veronica lies waiting on a table. A man dresses Johan in make-up and women's clothing in preparation for a sexual encounter with her only for the baron's guests to laugh and mock him as they meet.
Johan panics, and flees into underbrush. In the last act of the film, Alma searches the forest for her husband, only to find his mangled body. In the final moments, she addresses the camera, "Is it true that a woman who lives a long time with a man eventually winds up being like that man? I mean, she loves him, and tries to think like him, and see like him? They say it can change a person. I mean to say, if I had loved him much less, and not bothered so of everything about him, could I have protected him better?", believing that her love of Johan spread his demons to her, so that she could not protect him.
and Hour of the Wolf. Together with the former work, Hour of the Wolf is probably one of Bergman's most personal films, though almost all of his films have autobiographical elements. The opening and final scenes are filmed as if it were a true story about an artist who has disappeared, based on interviews with his wife and on his diaries. Bergman confirmed that he felt the story being too personal and tried to create an artistical distance by including scenes of the shooting process and discussions with the actors. Except for the credits and the opening and final shot, Bergman removed these inserts prior to release. In The Passion of Anna
, Bergman again made use of this technique.
, The Serpent's Egg
and in the American release Persona (film)
and a bonus disc.
skit (12/2/78) as 'Whispers of the Wolf', with Andrea Martin
and Catherine O'Hara
as two sisters who meet in a hotel. Both of them are frightened of the 'hour of the wolf' as they talk about their personal lives.
"Hot Here Under the Roof" is a 2010 pop/rock song by The Sour Notes
that is themed and titled after the film.
American band Earth
took the name of their two-part song "A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge" on the album Extra-Capsular Extraction
from a line spoken in the film.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
film directed by Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
and starring Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
and Liv Ullmann
Liv Ullmann
Liv Johanne Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and film director, as well as one of the "muses" of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman...
. It combines elements of the film drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, surrealist film and horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
.
Plot
During the opening credits, Bergman can be overheard giving instructions to and discussing with his staff while preparing a shot.The film is framed through the account of Alma (Liv Ullman), who addresses the audience directly while sitting at a picnic table. She tells of her husband's disappearance, which is explored in a flashback constructed of his diaries and her words.
Johan Borg (von Sydow) is a painter who is regularly approached by odd and suspicious people. He confides to his young, pregnant wife Alma (Ullman) that he believes them to be demons, and that his insomnia is growing worse. On the nights when Johan can't sleep, Alma stays awake by his side through the nights, especially during the vargtimmen ("The Hour of the Wolf
Hour of the wolf
The hour of the wolf is the hour between night and dawn during which the wolf is said to lurk outside people's doors. In Swedish and Finnish folk religion it is the hour when most people die and are born.-In popular culture:...
"), during which, Johan says, most births and deaths occur. Johan begins to give names to the figures who approach him, including the Bird-Man, the Insects, the Meat-Eaters, the Schoolmaster (with pointers in his trousers), and The Lady With a Hat. Throughout the film, Alma expresses her belief that two people who love each other, and spend their lives with each other, will eventually become alike. (See Persona
Persona (film)
Persona is a film by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, released in 1966, and starring Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. Bergman held this film to be one of his most important; in his book Images, he writes: "Today I feel that in Persona—and later in Cries and Whispers—I had gone as far as I could go...
.)
It is implied to the audience that these figures represent Johan's shames, traumas, and vices. Johan's wife talks about wanting to grow old with him, and that night, a 76-year-old woman approaches him, taunting him about age. In one scene, he recounts to his wife meeting a small boy tanning himself on a rock. As the boy approached Johan, he "realized" it was a demon representing homosexuality (and sexual experimentation in his youth), and violently smashed the child's face against a stone before tossing him into the ocean to drown. Alma reacts to the story with shock, and sinks into despair. Johan tries to persuade her to leave so he might kill himself, but the couple are approached by a baron, von Merkens (Josephson), who lives in a nearby castle. The painter and his wife visit them and their surreal household: a castle, where Johan's ex-girlfriend Veronica lies waiting on a table. A man dresses Johan in make-up and women's clothing in preparation for a sexual encounter with her only for the baron's guests to laugh and mock him as they meet.
Johan panics, and flees into underbrush. In the last act of the film, Alma searches the forest for her husband, only to find his mangled body. In the final moments, she addresses the camera, "Is it true that a woman who lives a long time with a man eventually winds up being like that man? I mean, she loves him, and tries to think like him, and see like him? They say it can change a person. I mean to say, if I had loved him much less, and not bothered so of everything about him, could I have protected him better?", believing that her love of Johan spread his demons to her, so that she could not protect him.
Production
Hour of the Wolf originated from a manuscript with the working title "The Cannibals". Bergman began work on it in the spring of 1965, during which time he suffered a minor nervous breakdown. In the end, the manuscript resulted in not one but two films, PersonaPersona (film)
Persona is a film by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, released in 1966, and starring Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. Bergman held this film to be one of his most important; in his book Images, he writes: "Today I feel that in Persona—and later in Cries and Whispers—I had gone as far as I could go...
and Hour of the Wolf. Together with the former work, Hour of the Wolf is probably one of Bergman's most personal films, though almost all of his films have autobiographical elements. The opening and final scenes are filmed as if it were a true story about an artist who has disappeared, based on interviews with his wife and on his diaries. Bergman confirmed that he felt the story being too personal and tried to create an artistical distance by including scenes of the shooting process and discussions with the actors. Except for the credits and the opening and final shot, Bergman removed these inserts prior to release. In The Passion of Anna
The Passion of Anna
The Passion of Anna is a 1969 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Bergman was awarded Best Director at the 1971 National Society of Film Critics Awards for the film.-Plot:...
, Bergman again made use of this technique.
Cast
- Max von SydowMax von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
– Johan Borg - Liv UllmannLiv UllmannLiv Johanne Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and film director, as well as one of the "muses" of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman...
– Alma Borg - Gertrud FridhGertrud FridhGertrud Fridh was a Swedish stage and film actress.Born in Gothenburg, Fridh later studied acting at Gothenburg City Theatre's acting school from 1941 to 1944. She worked in the 1940s and 50s at the city theatres in Gothenburg and Malmö...
– Corinne von Merkens - Georg RydebergGeorg RydebergGeorg Rydeberg was a Swedish film actor. He appeared in 75 films between 1932 and 1981.-Selected filmography:* Hem från Babylon * Two Womena * For the Sake of My Intemperate Youth...
– Lindhorst, archivist - Erland JosephsonErland JosephsonErland Josephson is a Swedish actor and author. He is best known to international audiences for his work in films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Theodoros Angelopoulos.-Biography:...
– Baron von Merkens - Naima WifstrandNaima WifstrandNaima Wifstrand was a Swedish film actress, operetta singer, troubadour, director and composer. Internationally, she was most notable for strong supporting parts in her later years in a number of Ingmar Bergman-films.-Biography:...
– Old Lady with Hat - Ulf Johansson – Therapist Heerbrand
- Gudrun BrostGudrun BrostGudrun Lisa Johanna Brost was a Swedish actress.-Selected filmography:* The Heavenly Play * Sawdust and Tinsel * The Seventh Seal * The Virgin Spring...
– Gamla Fru von Merkens - Bertil AnderbergBertil AnderbergOtto Bertil Anderberg was a Swedish film actor.He was born in Malmö, Sweden and died in Gothenburg.-Selected filmography:* It Rains on Our Love * The Seventh Seal * Hour of the Wolf...
– Ernst von Merkens - Ingrid ThulinIngrid ThulinIngrid Lilian Thulin was a Swedish film actress.-Biography:Thulin was born in Sollefteå, Ångermanland, northern Sweden, the daughter of Nanna and Adam Thulin, a fisherman...
– Veronica Vogler - Agda Helin – Von merken's maid (uncredited
- Lenn Hjortzberg – Musical leader Kreisler (uncredited)
- Mikael Rundquist – Boy in dream (uncredited)
- Mona SeilitzMona SeilitzMona Seilitz was a Swedish film and television actress and entertainer. She was considered to be a veteran of both Swedish dramatic and comedic television....
– Corpse in mortuary (uncredited) - Folke SundquistFolke SundquistFolke Sundquist was a Swedish film actor. He appeared in 21 films between 1951 and 1968.-Selected filmography:* One Summer of Happiness * For the Sake of My Intemperate Youth...
– Tamino (uncredited)
DVD releases
In America MGM released Hour of the Wolf as a special edition but in the UK it has been released without even a trailer as a special feature. In both countries they have been released in a box set with Shame (film), The Passion of AnnaThe Passion of Anna
The Passion of Anna is a 1969 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Bergman was awarded Best Director at the 1971 National Society of Film Critics Awards for the film.-Plot:...
, The Serpent's Egg
The Serpent's Egg (film)
The Serpent's Egg is a 1977 United States / West German co-produced film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring David Carradine as Abel Rosenberg, which is set in 1920s Berlin. This was Bergman's one and only Hollywood film...
and in the American release Persona (film)
Persona (film)
Persona is a film by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, released in 1966, and starring Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. Bergman held this film to be one of his most important; in his book Images, he writes: "Today I feel that in Persona—and later in Cries and Whispers—I had gone as far as I could go...
and a bonus disc.
In popular culture
Hour of the Wolf was satirized in a 1978 SCTVSecond City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
skit (12/2/78) as 'Whispers of the Wolf', with Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
and Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
as two sisters who meet in a hotel. Both of them are frightened of the 'hour of the wolf' as they talk about their personal lives.
"Hot Here Under the Roof" is a 2010 pop/rock song by The Sour Notes
The Sour Notes
The Sour Notes are an American independent rock band.Based in Austin, Texas, The Sour Notes consists of members Jared Boulanger, Chris Page, Amarah Ulghani, Elaine Greer & Andrew Stevens...
that is themed and titled after the film.
American band Earth
Earth (band)
Earth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's music is nearly all instrumental, and can be divided into two distinct stages...
took the name of their two-part song "A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge" on the album Extra-Capsular Extraction
Extra-Capsular Extraction
-Personnel:*Dave Harwell - bass guitar*Dylan Carlson - guitar, vocals*Joe Preston - bass guitar, percussion*Guests: Kelly Canary and Kurt Cobain - vocals...
from a line spoken in the film.