From The Life Of The Marionettes

This DVD release is part of The Bergman Collection. Obviously, Metro Tartan is taking the task of repackaging these discs seriously.

The print is sharp and clear, with a neat opening menu and easy to navigate submenus. The subtitles are clear and sound crisp. The excerpt from Bergman's book is easy to read and shines some light on the film which, he says, is based on a theme "that had haunted me for a long time, how two human beings who are insolubly and painfully united in love at the same time try to rip themselves free of their shackle".

Philip Stick's film notes are interesting, too, and add a sense of completion to the contents. The stills are somewhat disappointing - there are only six - but that's better than none. The Bergman Collection trailer is nothing more than an advertorial puff for the other discs in the series and offers no insight into the works. The star and director filmographies is probably only for connoisseurs.