The Touch

Ingmar Bergman certainly ranks among the elite of film directors, yet missteps with this, his first (of two) English language film. The Bergman regulars, Bibi Andersson and Max von Sydow star as an upscale Swedish married couple whose lives are altered by the seemingly mysterious appearance of American Elliot Gould. After a series of (not so) discreet passes, Andersson finds herself falling for the moody, unpredictable Gould.Sven Nykvist's cinematography and one surprisingly tender love scene nearly save this, but, the film is unable to overcome two glaring flaws: the awkwardness of the dialogue (written by Bergman) and the poor performance by Elliot Gould. Gould, I suppose, can be an engaging actor, but is way out of his league; this film is, ultimately, only for completists.

Bloody hell, that was bad. I love most Bergman films, but this was shocking. I lay most of the blame with Elliott Gould. Admittedly, he was dealing with a dreadful script, but he took wooden recitation to new lows. To be fair, the Swedish actors made a far better fist of the risible script, considering that they were using a second language (raising my rating from one star to two). This verges on a Monty Python parody at times - watch it and chortle.

In "The Touch", Bergman almost seems to take his vaudeville seriously, but without giving it substance. For once, the master doesn't seem to be able to deal with either his story or his characters, whose psychology is reduced to their desires and impossibilities. We wait for them to reveal themselves, but nothing will come out of it other than their conventional discomfort. A disappointment.

I guess the ones who are most apt to truly understand the depth of this movie are those who live a situation similar as Anderson's character - a housewife, dutiful to her husband and children, living a normal, stable, yet boring life. Then bursts into her life a charming, attractive, mysterious and intriguing man. Elliott Gould gives an amazing performance - different from the usual type of character he portrays, still perfect and natural. Thinking back at the movie, I cannot imagine any other actor doing playing the role the way he does. The movie is simply wonderful.

Obviously meant for the US market starring Gould. Hardly a notable Bergman production, but much above most comparable run of the mill Hollywood production. Is it worth seeing now? For curious viewers and Bergman fans, mostly. Ghee those actors are sexy.

My wife and I just saw Elliott Gould's private copy of "The Touch" at a film festival. We both thought it was a fantastic movie. Scenes were so realistic and true to life. I also thought that the cinematography was a work that I would rate very high. I have discussed this movie with friends and it seems that quite a few of us could relate to a few of the characters in our own lives. The movie was directed superbly in my opinion. The intensity throughout the movie was an emotional roller-coaster to me. I found that afterwards I had sweated profusely but this was a good thing. Elliott said that this movie was not available to buy or rent. I would be interested in knowing if anyone out there knows of its availability. Thanks

Not as bad as the recently watched The Serpent's Egg (1977) made in West Germany but still enough of a Curate's egg to ensure that the bad parts infect the whole. The English dialogue, written by Bergman is wretched and it is an indication of the man's dictatorial attitude that it should have got through to the screen. Elliott Gould seems terrible but that may be in part because of the words he has to spout, well maybe he should have said something, or improvised like he has before. Not with God in the room, perhaps. Bibi Andersson does better and truly apart from the stunning cinematography is the only reason to watch this abomination. Starting appallingly, the film does pick up, probably as with any bad film, we almost get used to the unconvincing dialogue but then the last third is almost laughable. The director has, of course made great films, before and after this, so we will put it down to having been 'lost in translation' and leave it to the completists.

Maybe I finally found my recommendation for a first Bergman movie to watch, if you are not aware of his output. Just because it is considered a lesser Bergman does not mean, it is a bad movie. Actually I thought it was a pretty decent one, to say the least. Elliot Gould has a really tough role to portray, though it is the woman in the lead again who has more convincing to do, with her character. But both are really good in conveying their feelings, as weird as they may seem to some. And while this again is not an easy movie or story, it is one that can be followed really easy. Not many Bergman fans are fond of it (as you can see by that rating), but that shouldn't put you off. Try it for yourself