Rent Torment (1944)
3.7 of 5 from 62 ratings
1h 41min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Torment (aka Frenzy) was based on Ingmar Bergman's first screenplay and was directed by another great Swedish director, Alf Sjoberg. The film charts the relationship between sensitive school boy Jan-Erik (Alf Kjellin), his sadistic overbearing school master nicknamed Caligula (Stig Jarrel), and his older girlfriend Bertha (Mai Zetterling). Jan-Erik discovers that he is not the only man Bertha is seeing, is being stalked and harassed by a mysterious older man. A visit to Bertha prompts a confrontation with his school master which leads to the boy making strong indictments against the master and the master becoming increasingly vindictive. Set at the height of World War 2 the character of Caligula was based hevaily upon Heinrich Himmler and portrays him as a character of weakness using cruelty to cover his shortcomings. The harsh pessimism and darkly surreal visuals offer a glimpse into the brilliance that Bergman would show in his later works. - Actors:
- Stig Järrel, Alf Kjellin, Mai Zetterling, Olof Winnerstrand, Gösta Cederlund, Hugo Björne, Olav Riégo, Märta Arbin, Jan Molander, Hilda Borgström, Gunnar Carlsson, Anna Olin, Carl-Olof Alm, Gunnar Almqvist, Ingmar Bergman, Rolf Bergström, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Carenborg, Nils Dahlgren, Bengt Dalunde
- Directors:
- Alf Sjöberg
- Producers:
- Harald Molander, Victor Sjöström
- Writers:
- Ingmar Bergman
- Aka:
- Frenzy / Hets
- Studio:
- Tartan
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- 21 Reasons to Love, 21 Reasons to Love... Ingmar Bergman, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Cannes Palme d'Or Winners, Top Films, Topping the Music Hall Bill
- Countries:
- Sweden
More like Torment
Reviews (1) of Torment
Caligula in the Classroom - Torment review by griggs
School makes for a brutal stage, and few films show it with as much sting as Torment. Though not directed by Ingmar Bergman, it was the first feature he wrote—at the precocious age of 25. While most of us were fumbling through first jobs, Bergman was already putting sadistic Latin masters on screen. It’s enough to make you want to burn your old school reports out of envy.
The master in question is nicknamed “Caligula,” and he rules the classroom like a petty Caesar—humiliating, berating, crushing any flicker of spirit. Bergman sets this schoolyard tyranny against a melodramatic, almost noir-tinged subplot involving a doomed affair, giving the film a feverish duality: the stark light of the classroom against the murkier corners of Stockholm. Alf Sjöberg’s direction sharpens the contrasts, but the sting lies in the script’s youthful rage.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.