Aus dem Leben der Marionetten (TV Movie 1980)

Aus dem Leben der Marionetten: Directed by Ingmar Bergman. With Robert Atzorn, Christine Buchegger, Martin Benrath, Rita Russek. An account of the events before and after a murder committed by Peter Egermann (Robert Atzorn), a disturbed businessman in a strained marriage, and what led Peter to perform such a shocking act.

“Bergman made this film in Germany, while in exile from Sweden for tax-related reasons. Itu0026#39;s a dark and disturbing psychological portrait of a man, Peter, who murders a prostitute in the opening scene. The film moves back and forth in time, using title cards to establish the setting in time, trying to explain Peteru0026#39;s troubles. Itu0026#39;s reminiscent of Scenes from a Marriage, as Peter has problems relating to his wife, Katarina. A few weeks before the murder, he started having fantasies and dreams about murdering her. The prologue, depicting the murder (or, more precisely, the moments before the murder) and the epilogue (Peter in prison) are filmed in color, but everything else is in black and white. The composition is generally not showy, but there is an amazingly filmed dream sequence, the filmu0026#39;s centerpiece. The script is generally brilliant, very observant. The only thing I felt was a little underdeveloped was the homosexual character, Tim, and Peteru0026#39;s supposed latent homosexuality, which the psychoanalyst character describes near the end. I wasnu0026#39;t quite sure what to make of that material. 9/10.”