Have You Seen It?

Country of Origin:Sweden; Sveriges Folkbiografer(production company); written and directed by Ingmar Bergman; based on the play by Martin Soderhjelm; starring Holger Lowenadler, Anna Lindahl, Birger Malmsten, and Gertrud Fridh. USA release 1949.

A Ship Bound for India, Ingmar Bergman’s third film as director, is worth viewing even though it is not one of his masterpieces.

Johannes(Birger Malmsten), a naval officer, returns to his hometown port, hoping that Sally(Gertrud Fridh) will join him on his next sea voyage. Seven years before, he promised to take her out of the town when he returned. (Admittedly, seven years is a long time for anyone to wait.) The movie tells the story of how they met and how their relationship developed through dramatic and indirect paths.

Although this screenplay is adapted by Bergman from a Martin Soderhjelm play, it has two of the hallmarks of Bergman’s originally-scripted work: characters in psychological and emotional torment and an intimidating, imposing father. It has another Bergman trait: it is courageous as it tackles messy, emotionally-charged, and complex issues. In one scene, Johannes’s father, a ship’s captain, selfishly brings his mistress on board the ship to needlessly “help” his wife. The drama that this choice creates illustrates one of the film’s virtues: by placing two or more characters with distinct desires in direct conflict with each other, Bergman creates difficult and dramatic moments around the characters and scenes he develops. This can be an emotionally challenging experience. It is a very interesting way to tell a story.

A Ship Bound for India is visually warmer, with the frame more full, than the visually stark later Bergman films. It also uses more straightforward storytelling instead of the highly symbolic narratives he utilized later.

This movie has a quality that even reminds me of the films of John Ford. These characters, as in Ford’s work, come from a sense of community. Although here the main characters feel isolated and lonely, they are clearly each a part of a greater community.

A Ship Bound for India lacks the stunning uniqueness of Bergman’s later work, but it is a good, courageously told drama that is immediately and unfailingly engaging. This one is worth a look.