The Serpent's Egg

Ingmar Bergman’s The Serpent’s Egg, made me feel like I had just had a night of smoking two packs of Marlboro Lights, a six pack of Coors Light, and multiple shots of Jack Daniels. The darkness of this film reminded me of another film, Metropolis. I felt immense despair during the entire film. The only pleasant surprise is that Rosenberg survives although he may desire death himself.

The Serpent’s Egg begins with cabaret music. The first frames of the film show a crowd of people. The film is black and white suggesting nostalgia. The crowd has pale, expressionless faces and resembles clowns. With the music blaring in the background I sense that this is a weird film. The title suggests a horror film. For the serpent represents evil and an egg represents birth or life. Therefore is this the birth of evil? I think so.

The characters of this film are disoriented and bland. Abel Rosenberg is an ex-trapeze artist whose brother just died and he believes he murdered him. He spends his days and nights drunk and miserable. He steals money from Manuela after she had allowed him to stay with her.

Manuela Bergman is a nieve prostitute. She appears to have a heart of gold but not the strength to pull Rosenberg out of his drunken stupor. Manuela is too confused herself to do anything but survive.

Hans Vergerus is the character that pulls the film together. He is romantically involved with Manuela. He is the Nazi scientist who performs experiments on humans. He does not have the courage to be killed by others when they discover his experiments so he swallows a sinanide capsule and dies. We find out that Rosenberg’s brother was one of his experiments.

The state of mind these characters are in is evident in the scene where the Nazi police come barging into the cabaret. They seize the owner and beat him to a pulp while the others watch. They do not attempt to help him. There is a sense of fear and depression that encompasses this scene.

The characters accept their fate because it is 1923 in Berlin. The devastation of World War I affects the economy and the Nazi regime has formed. People are murdered and their bodies are found in the alleys. They have lost all hope and the desire for acceptance and love.

I thought this film was too controversial for the general public and that is why it did not do well when it was first released. It addressed issues involving Nazis, which is a taboo. The film was dark and hopeless and people desire to be entertained. I like the thought provoking challenge but it’s like going to a funeral when you want to attend a wedding.