Sound in the Virgin Spring, Essay Example

Ingmar Bergman’s 1960 film The Virgin Spring is the story of a young girl, Karin, who is violently raped and murdered on her way to church by three herdsmen. Later, the herdsman attempt to sell her fine clothing back to her parents, who consequently murder them for revenge before setting out to find their daughter’s body and give her a proper burial.  In the film, sound is used artistically to heighten the impact of actions or to portend danger. There are four scenes that stand out in the film in which sound is used to further the narrative.

The first scene that uses sound to further the narrative is when Karin enters the forest. In this scene, a crow is cawing loudly as though to foreshadow some evil or danger that is lurking in the forest. As the film progresses, the audience becomes aware that the crow was signaling danger and that Karin will not be allowed to leave the forest alive. The second scene that uses sound to further the narrative is when Karin meets the herdsmen in the forest. One of the herdsmen is playing a mouth harp, which produces an unnatural and unnerving tune. The music created by the mouth harp also portends that something unnatural is going to happen; the tune itself is creepy and gives the encounter a creepy feel.  Music is also used a second time, in the scene where the youngest herdsman is trying to sleep at Karin’s parents’ home before it is discovered he and his brothers murdered the young girl. The music in this scene is intended to highlight the uncertainty and guilt the boy is feeling.One of the most impactful scenes, however, is completely devoid of sound. In the scene where Karin is getting raped, she screams out but there is no sound.  By stripping the scene of sound, Bergman implies that what is happening to her cannot be described because of how heinous it is.

Bergman’s use of sound helps to further the narrative and provide insight into what the characters are thinking and/or feeling.