Bergman’s tenth movie proves there is a lightness of touch behind that camera. As the title suggest, we have a group of
‘Waiting Women’, sitting around the table, gossiping and awaiting for their loved ones to return for the start of their summer holidays.
The story unfolds with the aforementioned waiting women, they are idly chatting and Rakel (Anita Björk) mentions that she is sexually dissatisfied with her husband, Eugen (Karl-Arne Holmsten). She feels that they go through the motions of existing together but the love that once was is long gone and she examines what she has now. We see this in flashback and her story is told. She longs for excitement and is seduced by her once childhood love, Kaj (Jarl Kulle). She feels guilt about this and coldly throws it into the face of her husband. He is beside himself and grabs a gun and storms out of the house, Bergman revels here in the grim squalor of betrayal but there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Things end well, well kind of, both husband and wife find that it is better to be betrayed than to be alone, Rakel now acts like a mother to Eugen, providing him with a breast to console himself on rather than one to be passionate with.
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The others listen on and then Marta (Maj-Britt Nilsson) takes her turn. This is the longest of the stories and involves two flashbacks and some dramatic storytelling from Bergman. Marta recalls her time heavily pregnant and going through the pains of labour alone. This is interwoven with the tale of how that pregnancy happened, a short affair in the risqué and jazz strewn street of Parisian life. This section, in Paris, Bergman tells his tale almost without a word of dialogue, he lets his camera and the emotions on the faces of his characters tell all until the final section. It is this section also that caused the British censor major problems back in the 50’s with its topless can-can dancers. It is out one night in said club that Marta is with an American soldier; bored in his company and looking for a little more than just talking she catches the eye of Martin (Birger Malmsten) across the room. She meets him later and they embark on an affair. Their meeting in the apartment is caught on camera like a fairytale, full of dark corners and moody lighting but then cut with her pregnancy interwoven with blurred faces and axes smashing apart dolls this emphasises her angst and regret. Again there is a light at the end of this tunnel but it feels like a long time in coming.
Next is Karin's (Eva Dahlbeck) turn, she tells a story of an amusing incident and this is the movie high point. Returning home one night with her husband, Fredrik (Gunnar Björnstrand) in tow they get stuck in a lift. This double act is an absolute delight and one wishes that the whole movie could have these two characters bickering and playing off each other.
While the sisters-in-law recant their tales, young Maj (Gerd Andersson) is thinking of running away with her boyfriend, Henrik (Björn Bjelvenstam), the youngest of the Lobelius clan. They are eager to make the most of their lives and not let others tell them how too. And run away they do.
This is a witty look on life and all it’s agonies and quirks, infidelity, immoral behaviour, pregnancy outside of marriage, attempted suicide, and loves lost and found. Gloriously shot in black and white and Bergman shoots each vignette in a differing style. Kudos to cameraman, Gunnar Fischer, especially for the dream sequences, which vary between gothic fairytale fantasy and the stuff of nightmares.
The quality of the black and white print used is good, with hardly any distortion, scratched or grainy segments. It has clear white optional subtitles and is presented in its original Swedish dialogue (Dolby 2.0 channel) but with a little background hiss throughout. Just like
‘Eva’ there are few extras which do not amount to much, they are typed filmographies for Bergman, Nilsson and Björnstrand, and a few trailers for other Tartan Bergman releases. Accompanying this is a 4-page booklet with notes on the movie by Philip Strick.
It may not be the best of the classic Bergman, but this is definitely a worthy addition. In the US this is known under the title 'Secrets of Women'.
'Waiting Women' is out to own now and available via
Amazon UK in the UK and at present, there is no US release date.
You can read more about the DVD in our
database.
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