On Bergman's Jungfrukällan

The Virgin Spring in English. Another movie about sex, violence, loss and revenge set in the medieval era, this time in the northern Eden of 14th century Sweden. Maz von Sydow plays a father with two daughters, one a black haired pagan who at the beginning of the movie invokes the god Odin, the other a blond haired innocent whose kindness towards travelling swineherds leads to trouble. Cinematically this has to be one of the most beautiful films ever made. The cinematographer Sven Nykvist is a true master of the art; the black and white film has a silvery quality that is radiant. Girard could probably be brought to bear on the subject matter here as well, but that's a project for another day.