Good movie but grossly overrated

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

When I watched this film the first feeling I get is that it's like reading a great book. That's how comprehensive it is. That's how much depth there is, created by Bergman here. I normally say that films can't compare to books, but this film is something else. This film has characters that are fully formed.Bergman's created a magical, fantasy world that at times tends toward the supernatural, but then throughout the story is fleshed out as realistic as they come. This is what makes the extraordinary scenes even more extraordinary than it already is. I heard that this film is unlike Bergman's others. I'm not so sure about that. It's longer, yes but the longer version is far superior to the theatrical version. I loved the longer scenes that were added to the television release. There Bergman has more time for more magic, and more time to develop some of the secondary characters. The title gives away the two main characters, the two children Fanny and Alexander. However the film is also largely about their parents and relatives. You wonder why Bergman named the film after them then. It's probably to underline the difference in the attitudes of these two characters with Alex rising to the top, and Fanny in the background. I wonder whether this reflects with the realities that Bergman's painting for us. What I enjoyed the most is the relationship between the priest and one of the female characters. I won't give away the details, but some of the acting scenes between them and their family members is quite incredible. As is usual with Bergman, there's also some theatrical scenes but you'd expect that, again, from a family of actors. I love the way Bergman brings in the theatrical world into this family and it certainly rubs that magical touch that we come to love in his films. Fanny and Alexander may not be as fancy as Persona, but I feel that the quality here is much higher.

I loved and watched and re-watched re-re-watched the theatrical release of Fanny & Alexander on its original VCR tapes years ago. I was so looking forward to the 'uncut' version as filmed for Swedish television and was appalled at how it dragged. My main complaint is that numerous aspects of the edited version are mysterious and intensely cinematic but become un-mysterious, explained, talky and boring in the long version. I have had F & A fans attack me about this but stand my ground. It is worth remembering that it is Ingmar Bergman who edited the theatrical version and made all the choices - word for word and scene by scene for what we see. Bluntly put, the long version 'explains' too much and in doing so, makes the viewer less intrigued and less involved. I give this a '10' but only for the 'movie' not the Swedish mini-series.

Fanny and Alexander tells the the storied lives of the titular sibling. When death suddenly strikes the patriarch of the family, the Fanny, Alexander and their mother Emilie are forced to live on their own. Sadly, this is taken advantage by an affluent widower, causing the once colorful life of the family into a slow downward turn.A whimsical and colorful film, F&A simulates the tone of a simple fairy tale as it takes a precious look to the troubled period of the family all under the crisp direction of Bergman. It sure is dazzling to watch, I mean I am still lost of words to define how exemplary the film was. It just works in so many level. From its scripting, its phenomenal direction and acting, it is just perfect. A true piece of art[3/5]

A very broad story for Bergman, "Fanny & Alexander" contains a load of interesting themes and ideas, ranging from religion to sexuality to aging and the difficulty of growing up. It's visual style glows in warm tones of red, and the cavalcade of characters is diverse, with some nicely applied magical realism to spice things up even further.I did feel that the film kept the viewer at too great a distance to its characters, which are left a bit thin and vague for my taste. Could this be due to the alleged autobiographical components? Furthermore, I felt that the storytelling wasn't as tight or sharply directed as in Bergman's best masterpieces.