Leah and Rachel
New talent Max von Sydow, recruited from Helsingborg City Theatre, makes his Bergman debut as Jacob in this Vilhelm Moberg play.
About the production
Much of the evaluation of the Leah and Rachel production concerned itself with giving out merit points to author, director, and/or cast. 'If one were to divide the great merits of the production, Moberg would have to be happy with one fourth, while the Bible, Bergman and the actors have a right to claim the rest'.
Sources
- The Ingmar Bergman Archives.
- Birgitta Steene, Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide, (Amsterdam University Press, 2005).
In a programme note, the author, novelist and playwright Vilhelm Moberg told of his reading between the lines in the sparse biblical account of Leah and Rachel, Jacob's two wives. He saw it as an opportunity to expound upon and dramatize the rivalry between two sisters. In his production, Bergman maintained Moberg's realism but confined the performance to a single setting: a desert-brown podium with a colossal stone and water jug as the only props.
Collaborators
- Max von Sydow, Jakob
- Åke Fridell, Laban
- Harriet Hedenmo, Leah
- Harriet Andersson, Rachel
- Björn Bjelfvenstam
- Gudrun Brost
- Berit Gustafsson, Silpa
- Gunnel Lindblom, Bilha
- Ingmar Bergman, Director
- Per Falk, Designer
- Vilhelm Moberg, Author