The Serpent's egg DVD 1977 / Directed by Ingmar Bergman / Starring: David Carradine, Isolde Barth, Heinz Bennent, Toni Berger, Christian Berkel, Liv Ullmann

UPC 5038456410055 / CHV 1005

REGION 0 PAL DVD

MADE IN ENGLAND

AUDIO: English 2.0 MONO

SUBTITLES: Hungarian

Total Runtime: 120 minutes

English Summary:

The Serpent's Egg is a 1977 American-West German drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring David Carradine and Liv Ullmann. The story is set in 1920s Berlin and features English and German dialogue. It was Bergman's only Hollywood film. The title is taken from a line spoken by Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: And therefore think him as a serpent's egg / Which hatch'd, would, as his kind grow mischievous; / And kill him in the shell.

The scene is Berlin in late 1923. Abel Rosenberg (David Carradine), an American-born Jew, is an unemployed alcoholic and former trapeze artist who uses alcohol to help him deal with the horrific nature and uncertainties of life in post-war Germany, poverty and inflation having crippled the German economy at the time. He returns home one night to discover that his brother Max has committed suicide. Abel meets up with his old boss who gives him some money in an attempt to persuade him back to his now successful circus. Abel realizes he will not be as good as he was with his brother and so declines but his boss allows him to keep the money anyway. The Jewish community is being portrayed in the media as a drain on society; despite being a Jew himself, Abel has little sympathy for anyone, Jewish or otherwise, who gets themselves into trouble for "acting stupid". He goes to see his brother's wife Manuela (Liv Ullmann) to break the news of Max's death to her. She asks what triggered Max's suicide, but Abel is unable to provide a solid answer. The only sentence in Max's suicide note Abel can make out reads: "There is a poisoning going on".

In an attempt to drown his sorrow Abel goes on a drinking binge which lingers into the early hours and spends the night at Manuela's house. The next morning the two discuss possible new career paths Abel could look into. After Manuela leaves for work Abel steals from her in order to buy alcohol. He is later taken by police to the mortuary in order to identify a series of bodies, the first of which turns out to be that of Gretha Hofer, his brother's former fiancée who died by drowning. He is also shown the body of another man who was murdered by a lethal injection; he does not know the man but comments that he looks remarkably like his deceased father. Next he is shown the body of an old lady whom Abel identifies as a woman who used to deliver papers to his village, who he is told committed suicide. Finally he is shown the body of a young boy who was killed after being hit by a truck, but does not recognize him either. Abel asks why he is being shown all of these horrific bodies and is told that all of the mysterious deaths happened within the vicinity of his home. He is told that he will have to remain in police custody until they are convinced of his innocence. Convinced that he is being set up due to his Jewish heritage he tries to escape the police station, but is quickly recaptured.

Manuela visits Abel in hospital where she informs him that all her money is gone but Abel does not confess. Abel is released due to lack of evidence and returns home with Manuela. However, on returning home Manuela is told by her landlady that Abel must leave because he and Manuela aren't married which the authorities do not approve of, so Manuela decides to leave with Abel. As they prepare to leave, Manuela confesses to Abel that she actually works as a prostitute and merely made up her office job out of shame.

Cast