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Scenes from a Marriage is about entropy in a relationship whose passion has been replaced by propriety. The film opens with Johan and Marianne being interviewed for a magazine article about their perfect marriage. After ten years of marriage, they appear the "perfect couple." They seem to enjoy one another's company, have all their material wants, two young daughters, and the envy of all their friends.

In the third episode, however, Johan suddenly reveals, with brutal honesty, that he's been having an affair and intends to leave Marianne and their children. Worse, Marianne learns that many of their friends had known about the affair for some time but chose not to tell her about it. Subsequent episodes follow the couple as each considers reconciliation and prepares to finalize the separation.

Shot in intense, intimate close-ups by master cinematographer Sven Nykvist, the film chronicles ten years of turmoil and love that bind the couple despite their divorce and subsequent marriages.

These sets contains two versions of the film: the full 299-minute version originally broadcast on Swedish TV and the abridged U.S. theatrical version (169 min).

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Cast: Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson
Country: Sweden
Genre: Drama, Romance

Scenes from a Marriage (1973) Criterion Collection 2018 Edition
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2 x BD50 | 1080p AVC | 04:59:50, 2:49:56 | 46.4 Gb + 45.3 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Svenska
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• 2003 interviews with actors Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson. The two actors both had prolific careers working with Ingmar Bergman and other esteemed directors and both went on to direct projects of their own.
The success of Scenes from a Marriage catapulted them to international celebrity. Liv Ullmann was interviewed in New York and Josephson in Stockholm.

• "Ingmar Bergman" is a 1986 interview for Swedish television, with Bergman reflecting on the making of Scenes from a Marriage, discussing the characters he created and the strong responses they elicited from their audience. Scenes from a Marriage was originally filmed as a six-part television series; it was then edited by director Ingmar Bergman into a feature film.

• "On the Versions" is a 2003 program with Bergman biographer Peter Cowie discussing the two versions of the film and the choices the director made in the editing process.

Scenes from a Marriage (1973) Criterion Collection 2004 Edition
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3 x DVD9 | NTSC 4:3 | 299 min. | 23.5 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Svenska, Russian
Subtitles: English, Russian

Extras:
• 1986 video interview with Ingmar Bergman
• 2003 video interviews with stars Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson
• 2003 video interview with scholar Peter Cowie comparing the two versions