The Virgin Spring (1960)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Starring Max von Sydow, Birgitta Valberg, Birgitta Pettersson, Gunnell Lindblom, Axel Düberg, Tor Isedal, Axel Slangus, Ove Porath, Allan Edwall.

Dark, engrossing fable set in a medieval countryside. The daughter of prosperous and pious von Sydow is raped and killed by goatherders Düberg and Isedal, who later unknowingly take shelter at her parents’ home. Faith and guilt are torn asunder before the end, allowing not only an innocent to be broken to ruin but a man of faith to commit horrible acts of vengeance; the conclusion details the cruelest breed of miracle, which may restore belief, but trust and love are forever compromised. Even if the symbolism is laid on a bit thick at times, it’s among the most viscerally impactful of Bergman’s career, and Sven Nykvist’s photography is simply luminous. Screenplay by Ulla Isaksson, based on a 13th-century ballad (“Töre’s Daughters in Vänge”), making this one of the rare occasions where Bergman directed a film that he did not also write. Original Swedish title: Jungfrukällan; Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film. Later served as the inspiration for Wes Craven’s exploitation horror debut, Last House on the Left.

90/100