The Silence (1963 Film) - Interpretation

Interpretation

After Bergman's death, Woody Allen observed in a New York Times article that the film opens up when you realize that the two women represent different aspects of people.

In a scene, Johan stares out of the window as a lone tank rolls down the street at night; in Against Interpretation, Susan Sontag comments, "Again, Ingmar Bergman may have meant the tank rumbling down the street in The Silence as a phallic symbol. But if he did, it was a foolish thought." She then continues to say, "Those who reach for a Freudian interpretation of the tank are only expressing their lack of response to what is there on the screen."