Port of Call (1948)

Synopsis: Ingmar Bergman's early romantic drama PORT OF CALL is set in the depressing milieu of the harbor slums of Göteborg, where much of the filming also took place. Nine-Christine Jönsson plays Berit, a young woman who has lost her self-respect and her will to live. At the beginning of the movie, a... Ingmar Bergman's early romantic drama PORT OF CALL is set in the depressing milieu of the harbor slums of Göteborg, where much of the filming also took place. Nine-Christine Jönsson plays Berit, a young woman who has lost her self-respect and her will to live. At the beginning of the movie, a sailor (Bengt Eklund) prevents her from committing suicide, and a relationship develops between the two. Berit tells her newfound confidant of her troubled reform school past, and as other characters are introduced, the film touches on controversial issues such as illegal abortion and the dire consequences of a limited social welfare system. Like much of Bergman's work, it can also be construed as an indictment of a morally oppressive cultural environment. Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer's contribution to the artistic success of this movie, which represents his first collaboration with Bergman, has been noted by critics, and the director himself has acknowledged the stylistic influence of renowned Italian neo-realist Roberto Rossellini. [More]