If only for watching INGRID BERGMAN play up her dark side, THE VISIT makes an interesting film to watch, given the fact that it tends to move too slowly toward the moralistic conclusion.
ANTHONY QUINN is the anti-hero, a man Ingrid wants to destroy for ruining her life years ago when she was a young woman. The back story makes her motives seem plausible but still, there's an unreal quality about the whole story that nothing can dispel which may be attributed to either the script or the direction. Nevertheless, it's an interesting parable of greed and evil.
Quinn is the shop keeper in a dying town who thinks Bergman will reward the town with a gift of money--a huge amount since, by her own admission, she "owns the world." Little does he, or the viewer, know what her real intentions are as the film very gradually makes us understand the purpose of her visit.
Bergman plays the role with a hardening of her features but is still regally costumed and given an elegant hairdo. The townspeople all think she is about to award them a great sum of money and are led to believe so by Quinn who is under the false impression. The intrigue is nicely sustained and your enjoyment of the film will depend on whether you are hooked into the story at this point.
"Let us go from gracious lies to brutal truth," she announces to a room full of admirers. Bergman's two million offer is made after she reveals why she wishes Quinn to be put to death. But it is at this point in the story where reality fades and we realize we're watching a parable about the good and evil in men. She gives the town time to make up its mind.
Bergman and Quinn are both excellent, each giving a variety of nuances to their roles.
Summing up: Sets up an unusual, intriguing premise but fails to deliver on it. Worth watching for Bergman's performance.
ANTHONY QUINN is the anti-hero, a man Ingrid wants to destroy for ruining her life years ago when she was a young woman. The back story makes her motives seem plausible but still, there's an unreal quality about the whole story that nothing can dispel which may be attributed to either the script or the direction. Nevertheless, it's an interesting parable of greed and evil.
Quinn is the shop keeper in a dying town who thinks Bergman will reward the town with a gift of money--a huge amount since, by her own admission, she "owns the world." Little does he, or the viewer, know what her real intentions are as the film very gradually makes us understand the purpose of her visit.
Bergman plays the role with a hardening of her features but is still regally costumed and given an elegant hairdo. The townspeople all think she is about to award them a great sum of money and are led to believe so by Quinn who is under the false impression. The intrigue is nicely sustained and your enjoyment of the film will depend on whether you are hooked into the story at this point.
"Let us go from gracious lies to brutal truth," she announces to a room full of admirers. Bergman's two million offer is made after she reveals why she wishes Quinn to be put to death. But it is at this point in the story where reality fades and we realize we're watching a parable about the good and evil in men. She gives the town time to make up its mind.
Bergman and Quinn are both excellent, each giving a variety of nuances to their roles.
Summing up: Sets up an unusual, intriguing premise but fails to deliver on it. Worth watching for Bergman's performance.