The Rite

1969 • 76 minute

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Ingmar Bergman conceived this experimental work as a response to his controversial tenure at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Focusing on four characters-a trio of actors charged with obscenity (Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Anders Ek), and the judge assigned to try them (Erik Hell)-The Rite alternates between criminal interrogations and interpersonal confrontations shown in flashback, leading to a final "performance" that makes for one of the most bizarre moments in Bergman's filmography. Staged on bare sets and shot almost entirely in close-up, The Rite condenses a decade's worth of cinematic exploration into seventy-five tense, unsettling minutes.