The Touch

Now restored in its original bilingual version, Bergman’s rarely seen chronicle of a passionate affair is a major rediscovery. A happily married mother of two, Karin (Andersson) surprises herself by responding in kind to an unforeseen profession of love from David (Gould), an archaeologist visiting Sweden whom her doctor husband Andreas (von Sydow) has befriended. But love, however toxically exhilarating, is seldom simple, and deceit and David’s volatile temperament take their toll… Due to dubbed prints and mixed reviews, The Touch all but disappeared for decades. Now, however, the psychological precision of Bergman’s script and the subtlety and intensity of the performances can be properly appreciated, along with the evocative autumnal colours of Sven Nykvist’s burnished camerawork. Utterly compelling; a revelation. (Geoff Andrew)

As part of the global celebrations of the centenary of Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007), the BFI will be making many of his films available on DCP for theatrical bookings in 2018. See full list of films here.