Description

A family stands divided in this epic tale set at the turn of the century when a charismatic preacher promises salvation to those who follow him to the Holy Land. Based on the novel by Nobel Prize winning author Selma Lagerlöf. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A deeply moving film worth watching.
I really enjoyed watching this particular film because it deals with intense religious conflicts challenging a small, rural Christian community. The director successfully captures the serene landscape including, forests, rivers, and the fields of rural Sweden as well as the crowded, ancient splendor of Jerusalem. It's definately a long, complex plot worth watching for those who enjoy thinking when watching a film!

Slow in getting started and never really gains focus.
After viewing this video I was very disappointed. The story was very slow in developing and never really did capture my interests. I was hoping this film would focus more on the story of the Overcomers and the dictatorial rule of Mrs. Spafford, instead it was a love story. It was much like Titantic in that the love story was in foreground and the ship was in the background. Jerusalem was much the same, with a love story in the foreground and the Overcomers and Mother Spafford in the background. If you liked Titantic dont watch this film, Jerusalem pales in comparison. I felt the acting was poor, the script was dull, and overall I could not recommend this film. The biggest warning I want to give is that this film is not a good telling of the story of the Overcomers like I had hoped it would be.

Jerusalem (1996, Swedish with English sub-titles) Insightful
This movie has the aura of an Ingmar Bergman production, with a series of twists and turns in the plot - along with thought-provoking motifs reminiscent of an ancient Greek tragedy. Is there any coincidence that the protagonist's name happens to be Ingmar Ingmarsson? It is based on a novel by Selma Lagelof, and portrays Swedish village life around the turn of the 20th century.

Christian viewers of this movie will likely be interested in the themes of: mainline versus apocalyptic-sectarian faith, the destructive potential of authority and power, discerning the truth, suffering and sacrifice, love, forgiveness, reconciliation and hope.

I highly recommend Jerusalem because of the theological grist for the mill that it provides. In fact, it has inspired my interest in Lagerlof's novel.

Slow getting started...should have ended sooner!!!
This film didn't stimulate any thought at all. Dull from the beginning to the end. This is the first Swedish film I've seen and will probably be the last.

Lacks Substance
I watched this film hoping the true story of the Overcomers would be told. I was very disappointed. If you are viewing this film to learn more about this particular cult you will not find information here. The story itself is very slow to develop, and resembles Titantic to the same degree the Titantic was really about a fictional love story, as opposed to the sinking of vast vessel. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

One of the Year's Best Films
In the case of 'Faithless,' as in the case of several works from the Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman, the film presents a story difficult to swallow - yet necessary. For 'Faithless,' Bergman declines the director's chair, presenting it to a familiar name: Liv Ullmann, one of his best actresses. Bergman has not directed film since the early eighties, but still continues to write and stage theater productions. With 'Faithless,' Ullmann manages to bring Bergman's script, which deals with universal issues on an intimate level, to life.

The narrative begins in the study of an aging director (played by Erland Josephson). The movie's course follows the recollections of his younger years, and pain surrounding them. Ullmann's direction in the film's first sequence ushers in the mental ghost of Marianne, whose significance in the director's life leaves a deep residue of guilt.

'Faithless' stars Lena Endre as Marianne, the wife of a successful orchestra conductor, Markus (Thomas Hanzon), with whom she has a young daughter named Isabelle. Marianne and Markus share a friendship with David, an aspiring director. It is the romantic affair between Marianne and David that begins the course of heartbreak and betrayal.

For the older version of the director, Marianne's presence is that of a fully realized memory. She emerges out from the shadows, takes a seat on the windowsill, and begins to recite the events buried within the director's mind. Without question, guilt serves as a key theme in Bergman's 'Faithless.'

It should be noted that the movie's situations do not deviate far from actual experiences in Bergman's own life. Ullmann depicts issue of infidelity and regret, the core of this story, with impeccable honesty. While many movies dealing with infidelity handle the subject matter in a light-handed tone, 'Faithless' refuses to ignore the sensitive nature of the subject.

One might be curious as to which direction the movie's sympathy intends to lean. Some might argue that Faithless lacks a single 'likeable' character. Marianne, Markus, and David all commit horrendous sins - hurting each other and themselves. Yet the film manages not to judge them too severely, choosing instead to empathize with them in light of their guilt. One must feel some degree of compassion for these individuals, considering how real they appear. These are people that we all know, and these are people that we are: Flawed, cruel at times, inconsiderate, selfish, but with a redeeming emotion of regret.

The movie's real power comes from the way in which we can identify with their nature and recognize it as our own. Consider David, an adulterer in the midst of an affair with Marianne. Regardless of his own infidelity, he should be so inclined to express feelings of jealousy over Marianne if she expresses interest in another - as if he owned her. These kind of actions hit a familiar note with most people.

One shouldn't shy away from a foreign film such as 'Faithless' out of the fear that it may be too artsy, pretentious, or boring. Ullmann has crafted a film that proves to be anything but exclusionary - it's a movie that can useful to all, if one keeps an open mind.

There's much left to be discussed after the film ends. Numerous images strike the nerves - in particular, one of Isabella weeping in her room as her mother spits obscenities at David. This scene struck a chord in several audience members, talking about the film later. Such unforgiving and honest sights serve as the true sign of an important movie.

Sleep Pill, different name
The movie is well produced (Despite most of the movie takes place in one location). I loved Lena Endre (Marianne) acting. But this is the most boring movie I have ever seen. There is not a strong infidelity issue, it is taken as a game. The husband kills himself but he also had a lover for years, and I donÂ't see why could he do that, if it was clear he was not happy with his wife, all was a masquerade.
I love foreign movies, but even though this was written by Bergman and directed by his ex-wife, Liv Ullman, it is not what I expected. I could see it again just to see Lena Endre acting, but still I would need a jar of coffee.

Fantastic film, but DVD chapter titling a problem
This film is moving and gripped me from beginning to end. I have one major gripe however about the DVD. The chapter title of the last segment, which you can read on the DVD case and when you go to "menu" and "chapters" while watching, gives away a crucial plot point. It would be much better for this to remain a surprise.

If you watch this film, keep your eyes averted from the case and the chapter titles until you've finished!

Bergman last gift ?
On this movie,Lena Andre proves that she's on the same level of all swedish actress from the past;Greta Garbo,Ingrid Bergman,Ingrid Thulin,Bibi Anderson etc...) The screenplay by Bergamn is one of his best.Liv Ullmann is a great director.5 out of 5.

Amazing....the work of 2 icons of cinema.
Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman.What can I say?With no fancy talk,let's get down to business.The screenplay (by Ingmar Bergman) is terrific as always.The director,Liv Ullmann,had a great teacher.A very few times in my life I saw the reviews that this movie had...I did not see one single bad review of this movie.The worst one was 3 and half out of 4 stars.Another work of art in the long and fruitful collaboration between Liv Ullmann (the first lady of cinema) and Ingmar Bergman.(maybe the greatest filmmaker of all time.) Lena Endre is amazing on it.Is that simple. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Tremendous Psychological Adventure Thriller!!!
Moller scores extremely high points once again with Zero Kelvin. Although the movie is supposed to take place in remote, brutal Greenland, the movie was actually shot in remote, brutal Svalbard, Norway.

Moller is particularly adept and assembling, perfectly managing , and directing exceptional actors. Skarsgard is more than first rate as the menacing, moody, sociopathic, and vicious Randbaek. This is certainly a departure from some of Skarsgard's more well known characters, and this role demonstrates his range and amazing abilities to present a multitude of characters in vastly different circumstances.

Gard Eidsvold is superb as a relatively innocent and decent man who is plunged into harsh reality and forced to adapt to survive. His character represents truth, decency, and love, but also represents what men are capable of in dire and seemingly hopeless circumstances where evil rules and goodness is fleeting.

Bjorn Sundquist, one of Norway's best actors, is great as the analytical, no nonsense, experienced scientist. He functions as the mediator between Skarsgard's and Eidsvold's contrasts, but is himself forced to take drastic measures in extreme circumstances.

This is a great film which combines extreme psychological contrasts and contradictions, beautifully filmed landscapes, and the brutal reality of sub zero temperatures where basic survival is the goal. In short, it is a harrowing game of psychological and physical survival with a lot of twists and surprises. Some of the hunting scenes, particularly the scene involving a nasty walrus, are amazing. The sledding with teams of amazingly stout and rugged sled dogs in extremely dangerous and perilous conditions are perhaps unprecedented.

I gave the movie 4 stars for a few reasons. First, although sled dogs and animals are a commodity in the brutal world of the North, I thought the cruelty was a bit overdone. I think a few scenes could've been eliminated. I'm not an animal rights activist, but once again, just a few scenes should've been left out. Second, Skarsgard's performance is tremendous, but I also thought the production went a little too far with some of Randbaek's violent and sexual rantings. We got the point that Randbaek was a vicious, disturbed sociopath, and the character was developed quite well, but we didn't need to have it reiterated all the time.

Zero Kelvin - a rare, and authentic work
In 1995 while reading the New York Times I saw a review for a movie called Zero Kelvin. I think more out of curiosity about the name I began to read it. Kelvin is a temperature scale whose "zero" equals -271 celsius. An allusion to the world in which the story takes place. Set in Greenland, it is the story of 3 men and the forces both from their pasts and from within which collide in a squalid hunting cabin by the sea. Stellan Skarsgard is the "foreman" of the group and they are charged with doubling the previous season's pelt quota. The two experienced men are joined by a writer who hires on for the experience, but does not count on the realities he finds there. The realities not just of the environment, but also of drunkenness, brutality, his own character flaws and the near edge of madness at which the leader of the group is poised.
A bit of a punk, and unable to forgive perceived wrongs - Larsen, the writer - refuses the opportunities he's given to make peace with the other two men and the anger and mutual retributions are explosive. Finally, their passions lead to all out war with tragic and final results. This has been billed as the thinking man's adventure, which it certainly is. There is psychological and gut-level tension here, finely acted by this ensemble cast. If Jack London or Hemingway suit your tastes, then this fine film will not disappoint. - JK -

Good story...but those who love animals, stay away from it..
First off, a movie being filmed in the Svalbard archipelago of arctic Norway (though SET in East Greenland) captured my attention to watch this movie for Svalbard is one of my favourite travel destinations. I find that this movie has a good story-line, however, for animal-lovers, this might not be the film for you. It's based on a small fur-trading station in East Greenland where only sources of food are through hunting...and perhaps, of course, their job there is to kill wildlife...as simple as that. Hunting wildlife has never been my thing and I am an animal-lover, that is why I didn't really like this movie much (but what I did I expect eh), though interesting, showing how the 3 men stuck in a small cabin cut off from the rest of the world, but at the same time, not being able to get along with each other.

Overall, the movie was okay...just the fact of trapping and killing animals hit my weak points (though of course I knew thats what this movie is about). But I wouldn't say I regret seeing it...

NOT ONE TO WATCH WITH THE GIRLFRIEND!!
One of my favorite films is also probably the most misogynistic film ever made. Be warned: this film has nothing nice to say about humanity what-so-ever. A young, idealistic innocent, in love with his girl back home in Norway, has his heart and soul ripped apart in the frozen wastes of Greenland by the psychological (and before long, physical) torture of his employer, a huge, bitter misanthrope with an axe to grind with humanity and women in particular. The movie is a tour de force of mankind's most cruel philosophies in action, and our hero learns that there are few things colder than the human heart, including his own. The films visuals are a mind and soul numbing repetition of animal gore, awesome icy wastes and the dilapidated hovels where our protagonist lives, with the brutal and majestic shadow of practical survival hovering over all. This is a place with zero remorse, zero sentiment, zero love. It's as cold as it gets. Zero Kelvin.

A REAL CHILLER
A tough, tense, psychological thriller set in the bleak, frozen wilds of Greenland.

A young writer leaves Oslo and his girlfriend behind and joins a fur-trapping expedition that includes two mysterious men. Cut off from civilization, the once naive youth must use all his wits to survive the elements and a savage human enemy.

A rare, thoughtful adventure in an extreme setting starring the great Scandanavian actor Stellen Skarsgard.

Directed by Hans Moland from a screenplay by Lars Lundholm.

Visually stunning and mentally engaging. Highly recommended.

One UK reviewer (Bernard in THE DAILY MAIL) said it was "a Norse version of 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly.'"

Hard core Arctic adventure that goes all the way.

ZERO KELVIN delivers! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

One of the Year's Best Films
In the case of 'Faithless,' as in the case of several works from the Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman, the film presents a story difficult to swallow - yet necessary. For 'Faithless,' Bergman declines the director's chair, presenting it to a familiar name: Liv Ullmann, one of his best actresses. Bergman has not directed film since the early eighties, but still continues to write and stage theater productions. With 'Faithless,' Ullmann manages to bring Bergman's script, which deals with universal issues on an intimate level, to life.

The narrative begins in the study of an aging director (played by Erland Josephson). The movie's course follows the recollections of his younger years, and pain surrounding them. Ullmann's direction in the film's first sequence ushers in the mental ghost of Marianne, whose significance in the director's life leaves a deep residue of guilt.

'Faithless' stars Lena Endre as Marianne, the wife of a successful orchestra conductor, Markus (Thomas Hanzon), with whom she has a young daughter named Isabelle. Marianne and Markus share a friendship with David, an aspiring director. It is the romantic affair between Marianne and David that begins the course of heartbreak and betrayal.

For the older version of the director, Marianne's presence is that of a fully realized memory. She emerges out from the shadows, takes a seat on the windowsill, and begins to recite the events buried within the director's mind. Without question, guilt serves as a key theme in Bergman's 'Faithless.'

It should be noted that the movie's situations do not deviate far from actual experiences in Bergman's own life. Ullmann depicts issue of infidelity and regret, the core of this story, with impeccable honesty. While many movies dealing with infidelity handle the subject matter in a light-handed tone, 'Faithless' refuses to ignore the sensitive nature of the subject.

One might be curious as to which direction the movie's sympathy intends to lean. Some might argue that Faithless lacks a single 'likeable' character. Marianne, Markus, and David all commit horrendous sins - hurting each other and themselves. Yet the film manages not to judge them too severely, choosing instead to empathize with them in light of their guilt. One must feel some degree of compassion for these individuals, considering how real they appear. These are people that we all know, and these are people that we are: Flawed, cruel at times, inconsiderate, selfish, but with a redeeming emotion of regret.

The movie's real power comes from the way in which we can identify with their nature and recognize it as our own. Consider David, an adulterer in the midst of an affair with Marianne. Regardless of his own infidelity, he should be so inclined to express feelings of jealousy over Marianne if she expresses interest in another - as if he owned her. These kind of actions hit a familiar note with most people.

One shouldn't shy away from a foreign film such as 'Faithless' out of the fear that it may be too artsy, pretentious, or boring. Ullmann has crafted a film that proves to be anything but exclusionary - it's a movie that can useful to all, if one keeps an open mind.

There's much left to be discussed after the film ends. Numerous images strike the nerves - in particular, one of Isabella weeping in her room as her mother spits obscenities at David. This scene struck a chord in several audience members, talking about the film later. Such unforgiving and honest sights serve as the true sign of an important movie.

Sleep Pill, different name
The movie is well produced (Despite most of the movie takes place in one location). I loved Lena Endre (Marianne) acting. But this is the most boring movie I have ever seen. There is not a strong infidelity issue, it is taken as a game. The husband kills himself but he also had a lover for years, and I donÂ't see why could he do that, if it was clear he was not happy with his wife, all was a masquerade.
I love foreign movies, but even though this was written by Bergman and directed by his ex-wife, Liv Ullman, it is not what I expected. I could see it again just to see Lena Endre acting, but still I would need a jar of coffee.

Fantastic film, but DVD chapter titling a problem
This film is moving and gripped me from beginning to end. I have one major gripe however about the DVD. The chapter title of the last segment, which you can read on the DVD case and when you go to "menu" and "chapters" while watching, gives away a crucial plot point. It would be much better for this to remain a surprise.

If you watch this film, keep your eyes averted from the case and the chapter titles until you've finished!

Bergman last gift ?
On this movie,Lena Andre proves that she's on the same level of all swedish actress from the past;Greta Garbo,Ingrid Bergman,Ingrid Thulin,Bibi Anderson etc...) The screenplay by Bergamn is one of his best.Liv Ullmann is a great director.5 out of 5.

Amazing....the work of 2 icons of cinema.
Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman.What can I say?With no fancy talk,let's get down to business.The screenplay (by Ingmar Bergman) is terrific as always.The director,Liv Ullmann,had a great teacher.A very few times in my life I saw the reviews that this movie had...I did not see one single bad review of this movie.The worst one was 3 and half out of 4 stars.Another work of art in the long and fruitful collaboration between Liv Ullmann (the first lady of cinema) and Ingmar Bergman.(maybe the greatest filmmaker of all time.) Lena Endre is amazing on it.Is that simple. ... Read more