This movie is quite different from other Ingmar Bergman films for many reasons. First, it stars David Carradine--an actor very unlike the stock company actors and actresses Bergman usually uses. Second, instead of focusing on mental illness or death, it is a German Existential film about manipulation and murder. Third, because it is SO different, it will probably alienate many die-hard Bergman fans.

What did I think of it?! Well, based on the score of 3 (and that MIGHT have been a little generous),it wasn't a film I particularly liked. It seemed very cruel, bloody and violent compared to other Bergman films. Also, I have never been a fan of David Carradine, but he REALLY looked out of place here.

I say this with a heavy heart as I love Bergman and his films, but while it has good points and it is at least better than All These Women The Serpent's Egg didn't do it for me. It is an incredibly well made film, I cannot deny that, Sven Nykvist's cinematography is wonderful and adds so much to the atmosphere. The scenery is similarly evocative. On top of that, the opening sequence is a brilliant one and promises so much, Liv Ullman shows once more why she was and is one of Sweden's finest actresses and Heinz Bennett makes for an effectively sinister villain without it being too stereotypical.

The Serpent's Egg however is while quite different and interesting a disappointment, especially considering that we are talking about one of cinema's greatest directors here. Bergman does seem out of his depth, introducing some interesting ideas but not developing them enough and there are not enough I feel of his distinctive trademarks. The story is rather convoluted with an ending that comes across as rather heavy-handed, some intriguing ideas that come across as half-baked and a brothel scene that is among my least favourite scenes ever in a Bergman film. The dialogue is rambling and banal and David Carradine's performance is overwrought and stiff on the whole.

All in all, has its good and fascinating moments but one of Bergman's lesser films. 5/10 Bethany Cox

In November of 1923, in a Berlin where a pack of cigarettes costs four million marks and people has lost faith in the present and future days, the alcoholic and unemployed American acrobat Abel Rosenberg (David Carradine) loses his brother Max, who has just committed suicide after feeling depressed for a period. Seeing the modifications in the behavior of people, but without clearly understanding the reasons, Abel moves to the room of his former sister-in-law Manuela Rosenberg (Liv Ullmann),who works in a cabaret in the night and in a whorehouse in the morning. Together, they move to a small apartment near to the clinic of their acquaintance, Professor Hans Vergerus (Heinz Bennent),who gives a job opportunity to Abel in his clinic. While working in the place, Abel discloses the evil truth behind the researches of Hans.

"The Serpent's Egg" is an underrated, but also excellent work of Master Ingmar Bergman, one of my favorite directors. In the environment of a Germany with hyperinflation, where people in a moment exchanged marks in weight so fast the currency lost its value; lack of job opportunities, with massive unemployment; the great people and nation humiliated and hopeless, paying for the loss of World War I, Bergman presents his view for the seeds of the Nazism. He introduces the evil character of Professor Hans Vergerus and his sick experiments, and the common person Abel Rosenberg, who sees the modifications in a country where he has problems with communication, since he does not speak German, but can not understand. Unfortunately this movie has not been released on DVD in Brazil, and my VHS has a bad quality of image, impairing the magnificent cinematography, especially in the nocturnal shots. The cool David Carradine is in the best moment of his career and is amazing in the role of Abel Rosenberg. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Ovo da Serpente" ("The Serpent's Egg")