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Master Rank #438

The Virgin Spring

1960

GCML Total8.5640% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Ingmar Bergman

CastMax von Sydow · Birgitta Valberg · Gunnel Lindblom

SwedenSwedishCrime / Drama89 minNot Rated
GCML CuratedNarrative FeatureModerate pace
Find Where to Watch
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Oscar · 1Globe · 1

Spoiler-free premise

In medieval Sweden, farmer Töre confronts faith and vengeance after men he shelters are linked to his daughter's disappearance.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Devout farmer Töre sends daughter Karin through the forest to deliver candles to church. She encounters three herdsmen who later seek shelter at her family's home, where an object they offer reveals their connection to her fate.

Why it belongs

Bergman stages faith and revenge with elemental severity, employing forest, ritual, water, and von Sydow's body to make conscience-bound contradiction physical.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Birch woods, bread, candles, rough stone, a slaughtering knife, prayer, and stark black-and-white light reduce the drama to acts and objects. Max von Sydow's strength makes Töre's collapse before belief terrifyingly concrete.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win1961 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Golden Globes1 win1961 · official film record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

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