Dreams (1955)In the early 20th century, Sigmund Freud posited that dreams represented the repressed wishes we bury in our hearts. Dreams (1955) follows a pair of women in the fashion industry--Susanne (Eva Dahlbeck), the owner of a modeling agency, and her popular model, Doris (Harriet Andersson). They travel from Stockholm to Gothenburg for a photography shoot, and end up confronting their respective desires over the course of their stay. While Doris is approached by an elderly consul named Otto Sönderby (Gunnar Björnstrand)--who lavishes gifts on the much younger woman--Susanne is paralyzed by her forlorn heart, and pines for the affection of her erstwhile paramour, Henrik Lobelius (Ulf Palme).
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Despite featuring two protagonists who work in fashion, little about their profession factors into Dreams. The film opens with a largely wordless photo shoot, where an annoyed Susanne looks on with annoyance, coiled like a spring. Her frustration comes from her urge to reunite with Henrik--an open secret that is the hot topic of gossip among her models as they dress backstage. Susanne makes an excuse to redo the shoot in Gothenburg--which just so happens to be where Henrik resides--and makes Doris accompany her. Unbeknownst to Susanne, the business trip inconveniences Doris' boyfriend, Palle Palt (Sven Lindberg), who had plans to enjoy a romantic dinner with his hard-working honey. The clash between love and work frustrates Doris, who takes out her frustrations on Palle, leading to a break-up. This leads to both women being in an emotionally vulnerable state on their trip, and their repressed desires crawl to the surface. Eva Dahlbeck has often played smart and confident women in other Bergman films who are more than capable of resisting the romantic machinations of the opposite sex, like in Smiles of a Summer Night. Yet despite being a savvy businesswoman, Susanne crumbles into a nervous, quivering mess at the thought of being reunited with Henrik. She is also given to morose fantasies aboard the train to Gothenburg, like fantasizing about throwing herself from the train if she cannot be with him, forcing her to stick her head out the window in the rain to collect herself. Conversely, Harriet Andersson has often played willful and impetuous women in Bergman's earlier works--like in Sawdust and Tinsel and Summer with Monika. (A frustrated Palle even accuses Doris of being "infantile", which loses its effect on her, since she doesn't know what the word means.) Doris is, however, rightfully suspicious when Otto approaches her outside of a dress shop displaying an elegant evening gown and he offers to buy it for her "just to make him happy". Despite her apprehension, he persists and plies her with a warmth and wit that melts her suspicions, and subsequently takes her on a romp through the city, buying her gorgeous gifts and hot chocolate, and taking her to an amusement park. While Susanne longs for the intimacy of her lover, Doris craves the simple joys of childlike innocence; yet each of their respective dreams mutates into a kind of nightmare--as Doris puts it--forcing them to reevaluate those inner desires.
Dreams bounces between the stories of the two women, but often stays with one or the other for an extended period. This gives the audience time to contemplate what the women's experiences mean for them and affords the chance to get to know them better in this comparatively short film (at approximately one and a half hours). When Susanne arrives in her hotel room, she abruptly dismisses Doris. And after Doris arrives an hour late for the photo shoot--emphatically apologetic--Susanne is unusually cruel and fires her. Susanne's reasons for this have less to do with Doris' lack of punctuality than a deep-seated jealousy of the young woman. Susanne seems to resent Doris from the very first photo shoot, dismissively tearing up a photo of her developed in the film's opening credits. This stems from her rejection by Henrik, compounded by the fact that Doris looks a bit like Henrik's wife (Inga Landgré). Susanne's distress is also the proximate cause behind Doris' sorrow; she realizes that models like her are a dime a dozen, so she refuses to disappoint Susanne by calling off of the shoot--as Palle suggests--which in turn leads to their argument and break up. Because of her vulnerability, Doris entertains the attentions of Otto, which leads to further suffering. She spends her day before the shoot window shopping to lift her spirits, which is how the elderly Consul notices her. Otto is the most enigmatic character in Dreams, largely because his true motivations for his generosity are so complex. Even when his sordid past with his wife and daughter are revealed, it is still murky if he desired Doris as a lover, surrogate daughter/wife, or just a friend who would keep a tired, old man company. He creeps up alongside her and is already prepared for her arguments that she should not "accept gifts from strange men". He counters that she wouldn't feel that way if he were a handsome, young man, and uses amiability and self-deprecating comments to wear down her resistances. He hurries her into a shop he clearly frequents--they know him by name, despite it being a dress shop for elegant women's fashion. Otto goes on to describe her as his "niece", which is an unconvincing lie that one of the regulars sees right through. He continues to draw Doris into his orbit with Canadian pearls and fine Italian shoes before she realizes she is late for the shoot. After she is fired, Otto magically arrives and seizes upon her despair, promising her that today is her "wishing day", and he will grant her anything she desires. The gleeful Doris implores him to take her to an amusement park with all of the giddiness of a child; and by the look on Otto's face on the roller coaster et al, "amusement" is farthest thing from his mind. After he brings her back to his opulent residence, he ramps up her excitement by offering her champagne and more gifts. She dons the fancy dress and they dance about to jazz, and the glowing embers presaging an erotic romp are always on the verge of bursting into flame at any moment. But even in this frivolous diversion, there is a lingering sorrow. A painting of Otto's wife--who was committed to an asylum more than twenty years before--reveals that Doris and she bear an uncanny resemblance. And after Otto's scheming, greedy daughter arrives unannounced--and subsequently insults then slaps Doris out of raw cruelty--Otto unceremoniously rejects Doris, leaving her more alone than she was before the day started. Susanne's experience at the end of her day parallels Doris'; despite a rendezvous with Henrik, his wife comes to collect him like he were her willful child. And Henrik's spineless refusal to choose between his women compounds Susanne's humiliation. So when Doris comes to Susanne afterwards for consolation, the two women accept that their journey to Gothenburg was a kind of "Road to Damascus" experience for them both, where they were forced to acknowledge what was truly important to them, and grow stronger from the lesson.
Recommended for: Fans of an introspective drama about a pair of women who confront their respective crises and overcome them. Dreams may be a lesser known entry into filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's body of work, but it recalls some of his earlier works--like his directorial debut, Crisis--and deals with similar themes.
Dreams bounces between the stories of the two women, but often stays with one or the other for an extended period. This gives the audience time to contemplate what the women's experiences mean for them and affords the chance to get to know them better in this comparatively short film (at approximately one and a half hours). When Susanne arrives in her hotel room, she abruptly dismisses Doris. And after Doris arrives an hour late for the photo shoot--emphatically apologetic--Susanne is unusually cruel and fires her. Susanne's reasons for this have less to do with Doris' lack of punctuality than a deep-seated jealousy of the young woman. Susanne seems to resent Doris from the very first photo shoot, dismissively tearing up a photo of her developed in the film's opening credits. This stems from her rejection by Henrik, compounded by the fact that Doris looks a bit like Henrik's wife (Inga Landgré). Susanne's distress is also the proximate cause behind Doris' sorrow; she realizes that models like her are a dime a dozen, so she refuses to disappoint Susanne by calling off of the shoot--as Palle suggests--which in turn leads to their argument and break up. Because of her vulnerability, Doris entertains the attentions of Otto, which leads to further suffering. She spends her day before the shoot window shopping to lift her spirits, which is how the elderly Consul notices her. Otto is the most enigmatic character in Dreams, largely because his true motivations for his generosity are so complex. Even when his sordid past with his wife and daughter are revealed, it is still murky if he desired Doris as a lover, surrogate daughter/wife, or just a friend who would keep a tired, old man company. He creeps up alongside her and is already prepared for her arguments that she should not "accept gifts from strange men". He counters that she wouldn't feel that way if he were a handsome, young man, and uses amiability and self-deprecating comments to wear down her resistances. He hurries her into a shop he clearly frequents--they know him by name, despite it being a dress shop for elegant women's fashion. Otto goes on to describe her as his "niece", which is an unconvincing lie that one of the regulars sees right through. He continues to draw Doris into his orbit with Canadian pearls and fine Italian shoes before she realizes she is late for the shoot. After she is fired, Otto magically arrives and seizes upon her despair, promising her that today is her "wishing day", and he will grant her anything she desires. The gleeful Doris implores him to take her to an amusement park with all of the giddiness of a child; and by the look on Otto's face on the roller coaster et al, "amusement" is farthest thing from his mind. After he brings her back to his opulent residence, he ramps up her excitement by offering her champagne and more gifts. She dons the fancy dress and they dance about to jazz, and the glowing embers presaging an erotic romp are always on the verge of bursting into flame at any moment. But even in this frivolous diversion, there is a lingering sorrow. A painting of Otto's wife--who was committed to an asylum more than twenty years before--reveals that Doris and she bear an uncanny resemblance. And after Otto's scheming, greedy daughter arrives unannounced--and subsequently insults then slaps Doris out of raw cruelty--Otto unceremoniously rejects Doris, leaving her more alone than she was before the day started. Susanne's experience at the end of her day parallels Doris'; despite a rendezvous with Henrik, his wife comes to collect him like he were her willful child. And Henrik's spineless refusal to choose between his women compounds Susanne's humiliation. So when Doris comes to Susanne afterwards for consolation, the two women accept that their journey to Gothenburg was a kind of "Road to Damascus" experience for them both, where they were forced to acknowledge what was truly important to them, and grow stronger from the lesson.
Recommended for: Fans of an introspective drama about a pair of women who confront their respective crises and overcome them. Dreams may be a lesser known entry into filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's body of work, but it recalls some of his earlier works--like his directorial debut, Crisis--and deals with similar themes.