God vs. Odin
Ingeri (Gunnel Lindblom) ignites the fire and brings it into fruition with her breath — just as she'll do by 'wishing' Karin's (Birgitta Pettersson's) death later on.
"Odin, come! Odin, come!" Ingeri pleads to the sky; moments later she chastises the mother for Karin's not waking up to attend mass. Ingeri is feral, savage, a "wildcat."
Jungfrukällan [The Virgin Spring, 1960] could be a western — the medieval is Bergman's Wild West. It's a film about morality, about the conflict of justice and cold-blooded vengeance as acted upon a wandering group of bandits. Does the rape of Karin justify the brutality, bringing it to its apex, or is it a reactive, contagious disease of the blood? Töre (Max von Sydow): "God forgive me for what I've done." Sin and culpability, justice and vengeance — God and Odin — the two entities in combination provide the gift of the spring in the stunning climactic shot, one of the great artificial miracles set to film. When Töre proclaims his oath — "I shall build you a church" — he promises, whether or not he is immediately aware, a Church of the World, where paganism and Christianity coexist in elemental terms.
The film concludes with Ingeri running her hands through the virgin spring. Begins with fire, ends with water. •
Other writing on Ingmar Bergman at Cinemasparagus:
Kris [Crisis, 1946]
Skepp till India Land [Ship to India, 1947]
Hamnstad [Port of Call, 1948]
Törst [Thirst, 1949]
Till glädje [To Joy, 1950]
Sommarlek [Summer Interlude, 1951]
Kvinnors väntan [Women's Waiting, 1952]
Sommaren med Monika [Summer with Monika, 1953]
Gycklarnas afton [Carnies' Twilight, aka Sawdust and Tinsel, 1954]
En lektion i kärlek [A Lesson in Love, 1954]
Kvinnodröm [Women's Dream, aka Dreams, 1955]
Sommernattens leende [Smile of the Summer Night, 1955]
Det sjunde inseglet [The Seventh Seal, 1957]
Smultronstället [The Wild Strawberry Patch, aka Wild Strawberries, 1957]
Nära livet [On the Brink of Life, aka Brink of Life, 1958]
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