There is something about period dramas that many people love. If done right, a good period drama can take the audience to a completely different era, showing them what life was like many, many years ago.
And one film does exactly that particularly well. It has a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a full 100 out of 100 on Metacritic. What’s more, it runs for just over three hours, but fans say it’s never boring.
The film is Fanny and Alexander, a 1982 period drama directed by Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.
It tells the story of two siblings and their large family in Sweden during the early 1900s.
When their father dies and their mother remarries a strict bishop, life takes a darker turn, especially for young Alexander, who is punished for his vivid imagination.
The film is partly based on Bergman’s own life. It won four Oscars, including Best Foreign Language Film, and is widely seen as one of the best period dramas ever made.
One reviewer wrote: “This film is long but never boring, both joyous and quite sad, harsh but also exuberant. It’s lushly filmed and the performances are solid.”
Another called it an “absolute masterpiece in every way.”
A third said: “My favorite movie of all time. Admittedly not for everyone, but I find every scene opulent and enchanting.”
Some say the film stands out for its emotion, magic and detail. One fan wrtoe: “An astonishingly beautiful, haunting and magical masterpiece.”
“One of the most amazing pieces of cinema I’ve ever seen and quite possibly the best film ever made,” said another.
Bergman is often described as one of the greatest directors of all time. One viewer wrote: “Any serious film buff has to consider the master Ingmar Bergman one of the greatest movie directors who has ever lived.
“He has made great film after great film, and I think Fanny and Alexander ranks among his top three finest achievements.”
Many critics agree. The New York Times called it “a big, dark, beautiful, generous family chronicle”.
Movie critic Roger Ebert gave it four stars and said it was “a big, exciting, ambitious film”.
Fanny and Alexander was originally made as a five-hour TV miniseries. The shorter three hour cinema cut came out first but both versions have since been released.