DramaHorror

Hour of the Wolf

- The hour of the wolf is the hour between night and dawn. It is the hour when most people die, when sleep is the deepest, when nightmares feel most real.

While vacationing on a remote German island with his pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.

Release Date : 1968-02-19

Language :NorwegianSwedish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : SF Studios

Production Country : Sweden

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Johan Borg

Original Name : Max von Sydow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alma Borg

Original Name : Liv Ullmann

Gender : Female

Character Name : Corinne von Merkens

Original Name : Gertrud Fridh

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lindhorst

Original Name : Georg Rydeberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Baron von Merkens

Original Name : Erland Josephson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Lady with Hat

Original Name : Naima Wifstrand

Gender : Female

Character Name : Heerbrand

Original Name : Ulf Johansson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gamla Fru von Merkens

Original Name : Gudrun Brost

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ernst von Merkens

Original Name : Bertil Anderberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Veronica Vogler

Original Name : Ingrid Thulin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Von Merken's Maid (uncredited)

Original Name : Agda Helin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kreisler (uncredited)

Original Name : Lenn Hjortzberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boy in Dream (uncredited)

Original Name : Mikael Rundquist

Gender : Male

Character Name : Corpse in Mortuary (uncredited)

Original Name : Mona Seilitz

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tamino (uncredited)

Original Name : Folke Sundquist

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Now is when most nightmares come to us... Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen) is written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It stars Max Von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Gertrud Fridh, Georg Rydeberg and Ingrid Thulin. Music is by Lars Johan Werle and cinematography by Sven Nyquist. While vacationing on a remote Scandanavian island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires. Is this really Ingmar Bergman's only genuine horror movie? I would argue that pretty much most of his movies have horrific elements. That said, this one is haunting in its dissection of a fragmented mind, to see the unravelling of an artistic persona tortured by repression, doubt and a nightmarish world that he, or us, are not sure exists or not. When Bergman was at his pomp, he had this knack of drawing in his audience to be part of his plays, so it be here. Sydow yet again gives his all for his director, absolutely sinking into the role of troubled artist Johan Borg. Ullman (playing pregnant and genuinely pregnant with Bergman's child), yet again hits all the emotive discordant notes of a woman in love but fearful of where both her sanity - and that of her husband - is heading. As Johan's drawings start to take on disturbing overtones (we don't see them, he narrates to his wife but we get the picture), we then get pulled into Bergman's world of flashbacks and the question of reality or nightmares?. Here the director unleashes his weapons of choice, human demons - grotesques, all cloaked magnificently by cinematographer Nyquist who once again follows his leader down the road of chilly expressionism. Alma (Ullman) quite early on announces that couples who are together for so long start to resemble each other, so is it any coincidence that as things reach fever pitch Johan is wearing lipstick? Are we to buy into the notion that Sydow's character's under Bergman are in fact his alter egos? Does it matter? No it doesn't, for Bergman is a fascinating director (I personally don't like all his films), what you do come away with is a feeling of being invaded mentally - and joyously so. 8/10