'The Virgin Spring': The Power of Moral Filmmaking

Even though I live in a largely Christian country, I was taken aback by the Christianity and moral questioning of a Swedish movie made more than 40 years ago - Ingmar Bergman's "The Virgin Spring." This says a lot about Hollywood and our film culture. For decades, Hollywood has distanced itself from religious and moral filmmaking, and audiences have paid Hollywood well for its efforts. This observation is not a mean indictment; the movie tickets I've purchased do not provide me with any moral high ground. Nonetheless, "The Virgin Spring" is the kind of movie that should be made in the United States. Even something like Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," a genuine attempt to address spiritual concerns, is descriptive and mundane rather than provocative and transcendent.

We must look beyond the obvious. Yes, "The Virgin Spring" is an influential film. Every rape-and-revenge movie ("The Last House on the Left," "Straw Dogs," etc.) might owe it something. But if all we can say about "The Virgin Spring" is that it started the rape-and-revenge movie trend, and if we can say that with enthusiasm, we must question not only the film's worth but also our own culture's worth.

"Oh, but it's just a movie!"

The above mindset is the opposite of what Bergman wanted one to think after watching "The Virgin Spring." The film is like an untold story from the Bible - it's an emotional parable. We might root for the father in the story to take revenge for what happens to his daughter, but Bergman goes further than this: we are made to empathize with the father's guilt and his conviction to atone for his violence. I won't reveal how the film gets its title, but it's what miracles are made of.

"The Virgin Spring" didn't inspire blunt moral questions from its imitators. Sure, "Straw Dogs" and the remake of "The Last House on the Left" might bring up a moral discussion (much more than idiotic fare like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), but "The Virgin Spring" insists on moral examination. Whether you ultimately share the protagonist's spiritual concerns (illustrated beautifully by actor Max von Sydow) is immaterial. All of us, Christian or not, must justify and question our responses to the events of "The Virgin Spring." Such is the power of moral filmmaking.