The Passion of Anna (Swedish, Region 1 Import DVD)

Shot in striking, diffused color by master cinematographer Sven Nykvist, THE PASSION OF ANNA is one of several Ingmar Bergman films of the 1960s dealing with a limited number of characters in an isolated setting--filming took place on the remote island of Fårö, where Bergman was living at the time--whose emotional and psychological imbalances eventually lead to a crisis. Max von Sydow plays Andreas, a loner who (after an initial chance encounter) becomes acquainted with the crippled widow Anna (Liv Ullmann) through their mutual friends Eva and Elis Vergerus (played by Bibi Andersson and Erland Josephson), a troubled married couple. Andreas and Anna embark on a love affair but are soon confronted with disturbing revelations about each other's pasts. Their relationship suffers irreparable damage through mutual deception, insecurities, and violent outbreaks. Meanwhile, the atmosphere of malaise and menace surrounding the characters is heightened by the presence of an unknown perpetrator on the sparsely populated island who has been brutally torturing and killing farm animals. Bergman and Nykvist's technical mastery is evident throughout the film, especially in the closing shot, which has been referred to as one of the most extraordinary and innovative in modern cinema.