first let's take a look with no explanation
The cuts, the camera angles, and the movements here are constantly trying to
implant the roots and the main core of the story in to the viewers unconscious mind
but before that lets see this minimal, yet powerful set design and art direction.
Which we can see it’s effects on the movies after that, like Martin Scorsese’s
Who’s That Knocking on my Door,
which has been released a year later. less is more
We all knew that, but here, we can also feel it, see it, and make the most out of it,
in designing a scene. The monologue is describing the incident at the theater
and then the movie cuts to that scene, we don’t see the stage, nor the audience,
not even any other actors, we don’t see any of the accessories, but with a bunch of
PAR lights in the background, and a close up of her face which is covered
with exaggerated make up we find out that here is a theater, yeah! Again,
less is more! Then we cut to the nurse, with the exact opposite angle, as if it is
a conversation scene between Elisabet and Alma, with a full regard to the rule
of 180 degrees. But there is no conversation, it is the doctor talking to
the nurse. The tricky part is here, when Bergman cuts to the scene which is still
the first scene, but in the opposite angle, as though it is a conversation between
Elisabet, and Alma, and then again Elisabet, which is in the shape of Alma
all through the cuts and masterful camera angles, it is only afterward that we see
Alma, with her back to the camera first we see a solid shot
everything seems balanced, but with a fast tilt down we see what
has been concealed: Alma’s hidden agitation and nervousness,
beautifully shown by the movements of her hands. But the doctor here is in eye level
her desk is decorated only with cigarettes, papers, and a phone
implying that unlike Alma, the situation is not gonna affect her at all.
Here Alma goes inside the room, after a pause, and making her hair ready, a mean
by which we can see her overcoming her nervousness. She enters the room
the camera is in classic theater mode, we are in the place of audience, watching
the whole stage, from it’s side. The room is also empty, but the bed
and a door, and that’s that! The style which can be seen in Andrei Tarkovsky’s Sacrifice.
We can also see this minimal theatre like set design in many of
Bergman’s works, He started from theater, and even after retiring from directing movies
he kept directing plays in theaters. He in his famous quote says that
theatre is like a faithful wife, while film is like a costly mistress.
that's it