Ingmar Bergman was a director who had to learn his trade. Therefore his first films are not his best ones. The problem with "Kvinnodröm" (1955) however is that it was made nearly 10 years after his debut "Crisis (1946).
"Kvinnodröm" is about two women, Susanne played by Eva Dahlbeck and Doris played by Harriet Andersson, who both have an affair during a business trip. Two other women (the daughter and the wife of their respective lovers) open them the eyes for the real personality of their lovers.
"Kvinnodröm" is a rather shallow and predictable movie. A real "in between". This means for the oeuvre of Ingmar Bergman an "in between" between "Smiles of a summernight" (1955) and "The seventh seal" (1957), two fils that are widly regarded as superior.
The only real interesting scene was in my opinion the scene in which it becomes clear (by way of showing a painting) that the old man is wooing Doris primarily because she is very similar to his former wife. This makes film lovers automatically think of Hitchcock films such as "Rebecca" (1940) and "Verigo" (1958). It is however also this comparison with the aforementioned masterpieces that shows the mediocrity of "Kvinnodröm".
That is not to say that there are no good performances in "Kvinnodröm". Gunnar Björnstrand is rather convincing as a dirty old man well above his age at that time. Despite her very short appearance I also liked Inga Landgré as the cheated wife. Inga Landgré was not a regular choice of Bergman, but she was the lead actress in his debut movie "Crisis" (1946).
"Kvinnodröm" is about two women, Susanne played by Eva Dahlbeck and Doris played by Harriet Andersson, who both have an affair during a business trip. Two other women (the daughter and the wife of their respective lovers) open them the eyes for the real personality of their lovers.
"Kvinnodröm" is a rather shallow and predictable movie. A real "in between". This means for the oeuvre of Ingmar Bergman an "in between" between "Smiles of a summernight" (1955) and "The seventh seal" (1957), two fils that are widly regarded as superior.
The only real interesting scene was in my opinion the scene in which it becomes clear (by way of showing a painting) that the old man is wooing Doris primarily because she is very similar to his former wife. This makes film lovers automatically think of Hitchcock films such as "Rebecca" (1940) and "Verigo" (1958). It is however also this comparison with the aforementioned masterpieces that shows the mediocrity of "Kvinnodröm".
That is not to say that there are no good performances in "Kvinnodröm". Gunnar Björnstrand is rather convincing as a dirty old man well above his age at that time. Despite her very short appearance I also liked Inga Landgré as the cheated wife. Inga Landgré was not a regular choice of Bergman, but she was the lead actress in his debut movie "Crisis" (1946).