Port of Call

Bergman himself admitted the strong influence of Rossellini and Neo-Realism on this dockside drama, filmed partly on authentic Gothenburg locations. A striking opening sees heroine Jönsson saved from drowning herself, before flashbacks fill out her desperate plight: repressive treatment from a mother embittered by the failure of her own marriage, a history of institutional care insensitive to her emotional needs. After spending the night with her and sparking the embers of a human connection, merchant seaman Eklund stumbles towards an attuned responsibility which might allow him to accept her for all her faults - in marked contrast to the authorities. It's no less schematic than it sounds, but solid performances and straightforward handling make Bergman's fourth feature the most fully achieved, though hardly most characteristic, of his fledgling film career to that point.