In the Presence of a Clown

In 1925, eccentric inventor and Franz Schubert devotee Carl Åkerblom is confined to a psychiatric ward in Uppsala after attempting to murder his fiancée. Obsessed with death, music, and the future of cinema, he joins forces with a fellow patient to create a “living talkie,” an experimental film performance with live-spoken dialogue. As the project unfolds, art, madness, and mortality collide in a tragicomic reflection on creativity and human frailty.

7

119 min

Cast

Börje Ahlstedt

as Uncle Carl Åkerblom

Marie Richardson

as Pauline Thibualt

Erland Josephson

as Osvald Vogler

Pernilla August

as Karin Bergman

Anita Björk

as Anna Åkerblom

Agneta Ekmanner

as Klovnen Rigmor

Lena Endre

as Märta Lundberg

Gunnel Fred

as Emma Vogler

Anna Björk

as Mia Falk

Peter Stormare

as Petrus Landahl

Gerthi Kulle

as Sister Stella

Johan Lindell

as Johan Egerman

Folke Asplund

as Fredrik Blom

Inga Landgré

as Alma Berglund

Alf Nilsson

as Stefan Larsson

Harriet Nordlund

as Karin Persson

Tord Peterson

as Algot Frövik

Birgitta Pettersson

as Hanna Apelblad

Sticko Attermark

as Mental patient

Ingmar Bergman

as Mental patient

Director

Ingmar Bergman