Cries and Whispers

Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Cries and Whispers?

Directed by Ingmar Bergman, with Liv Ullmann, Ingrid Thulin, Kari Sylwan leading the cast, Cries and Whispers was produced by Cinematograph AB with a confirmed budget of $400,000, placing it in the ultra-low-budget category for drama films.

At $400,000, Cries and Whispers was produced on a lean budget. Lower-budget films benefit from reduced break-even thresholds, with profitability achievable at approximately $1,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975): Budget $400,000 | Gross $5,763,644 → ROI: 1341% • Napoleon Dynamite (2004): Budget $400,000 | Gross $46,118,097 → ROI: 11430% • 12 Angry Men (1957): Budget $397,751 | Gross $4,360,000 → ROI: 996% • Threads (1985): Budget $420,000 | Gross N/A • A Matter of Life and Death (1946): Budget $450,000 | Gross $1,750,000 → ROI: 289%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Above-the-Line Talent Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances. Securing award-caliber actors and experienced directors represents the single largest budget line item, often consuming 30–40% of the total production budget.

▸ Location Filming & Period Production Design Authentic locations — whether contemporary or historical — require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period. Period dramas add the cost of era-accurate props, vehicles, and set decoration.

▸ Post-Production, Color Grading & Score The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone. Color grading, a nuanced musical score, and detailed sound mixing are critical to achieving the emotional resonance that defines the genre.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Liv Ullmann, Ingrid Thulin, Kari Sylwan, Harriet Andersson, Erland Josephson Key roles: Liv Ullmann as Maria; Ingrid Thulin as Karin; Kari Sylwan as Anna; Harriet Andersson as Agnes

DIRECTOR: Ingmar Bergman CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sven Nykvist EDITING: Siv Lundgren PRODUCTION: Cinematograph AB, Svenska Filminstitutet FILMED IN: Sweden

Box Office Performance

Theatrical box office data is not publicly available for Cries and Whispers (1972). This may indicate a limited release, direct-to-streaming, or a release predating modern box office tracking.

Profitability Assessment

Insufficient publicly available data to assess profitability.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

In 1981, PostNord Sverige issued a postage stamp of the scene where Anna holds Agnes as part of a series commemorating the history of Swedish cinema. Woody Allen's later films, including 1978's Interiors and 1986's Hannah and Her Sisters, were influenced by Cries and Whispers, as was Margarethe von Trotta's 1979—1988 trilogy: Sisters, or the Balance of Happiness, Marianne and Juliane and Love and Fear. In 2017, Hallwyl Museum exhibited costumes from Cries and Whispers and other Bergman films. Robert Eggers cited it as an influence on his version of Nosferatu.

It has been adapted for the stage. Andrei Șerban directed Cries and Whispers in 2010 for the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj, dramatising Bergman's story and the film's production. Ivo van Hove directed a 2009 adaptation at the Bergman Festival in Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theatre, and in 2011 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with Chris Nietvelt as Agnes, moving the story to a contemporary setting, reducing the use of red and replacing the film's classical music with modern songs, including Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby".

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Casting

! Actor ! Role

When Bergman wrote the screenplay, he intended from the start to cast Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Thulin. He explained his choice of Harriet Andersson for Agnes: "I would very much like to have Harriet, too, since she belongs to this breed of enigmatic women". Ullmann described receiving a 50-page "personal letter" from Bergman describing the story which began, "Dear Friends: We're now going to make a film together. It is a sort of a vision that I have and I will try to describe it". Andersson did not receive a backstory about Agnes; Agnes' sisters were married with children, but Andersson was uncertain whether Agnes had ever married or became ill at an early age and lived with her mother.

Bergman and Ullmann had a previous romantic relationship, and their daughter Linn Ullmann appears as both Maria's daughter and Anna's daughter in the picture. Another of Bergman's daughters, Lena, also appears as young Maria.

The director initially said that he hoped Mia Farrow would be in the film: "Let's see if that works out. It probably will; why shouldn't it?" However, Farrow was never cast. Kari Sylwan, a novice in Bergman's films, had what would have been Farrow's role.

▸ Pre-Production

Few of Bergman's previous films were shot in colour. Red was particularly sensitive, and cinematographer Sven Nykvist made many photography tests to capture balanced combinations of reds, whites and skin colours. Since the mansion's interior was dilapidated, the crew was free to paint and decorate as they saw fit.

▸ Filming & Locations

Principal photography took place from 9 September to 30 October 1971. Nykvist used Eastmancolor film, which reduced graininess and would be the most sensitive to colours. The final, outdoor swing scene was shot early in production so the filmmakers could have sunlight before the darker season set in. Ullmann said that every scene was shot in natural light, using large windows for indoor scenes.

Andersson described the on-set mood as light, an antidote to the film's heavy subject matter. She said that although she usually read the screenplay and went to bed early during a production, the filmmakers kept her awake late to enhance her tired, ill appearance. The actress modeled her death scene on the death of her father, and Bergman directed her deep, violent inhalations.

[Filming] Principal photography took place from 9 September to 30 October 1971. Nykvist used Eastmancolor film, which reduced graininess and would be the most sensitive to colours. The final, outdoor swing scene was shot early in production so the filmmakers could have sunlight before the darker season set in. Ullmann said that every scene was shot in natural light, using large windows for indoor scenes.

Andersson described the on-set mood as light, an antidote to the film's heavy subject matter. She said that although she usually read the screenplay and went to bed early during a production, the filmmakers kept her awake late to enhance her tired, ill appearance. The actress modeled her death scene on the death of her father, and Bergman directed her deep, violent inhalations.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: Won 1 Oscar. 22 wins & 12 nominations total

Awards Won: ★ Academy Award for Best Cinematography — Sven Nykvist (46th Academy Awards)

Nominations: ○ Academy Award for Best Costume Design (46th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Director (46th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay (46th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Picture (46th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Cinematography (46th Academy Awards)

Additional Recognition: Cries and Whispers won three categories at the 9th Guldbagge Awards in Sweden, including Best Film. At Cannes, it won the Technical Grand Prize. It was the fourth foreign-language film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, in addition to four other nominations at the 46th Academy Awards; Sven Nykvist won for Best Cinematography.

The film was nominated for, and won, several other awards from critics' associations and festivals. At the 27th British Academy Film Awards, Sven Nykvist was nominated for Best Cinematography and Ingrid Thulin for Best Supporting Actress;

!scope="row" | Cannes Film Festival

!scope="row" | Golden Globes

!scope="row" rowspan=3| Guldbagge Awards

!scope="row" rowspan=2| National Society of Film Critics

!scope="row" rowspan=4| New York Film Critics Circle