Bergman 3: Port of Call (1948)

Bergman's fifth film as director, the third (chronologically) in the Criterion box, and apparently his first box-office hit. Essentially a simple love story (the kind of love story that's full of jealousy, guilt, and shame - isn't that most of them?), told with a little more stylistic consistency than its predecessors. Although a few more Bergmanisms are crystallising - there are some pretty spectacular close-ups of faces in particular - and the fact that it is a more accomplished work across the board, I'm not entirely sure I found this as interesting as I did both of its predecessors, at least in places. Early patchiness can be more intriguing than early polish, perhaps. But this is nonetheless a very fine film, and I particularly enjoyed Nine-Christine Jönsson's performance, particularly in its wearier moments. (Moments of performing weariness, rather than moments of weary performance, I should perhaps clarify.)