--- title: "Fanny and Alexander: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander" critics_score: 89 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Fanny and Alexander (1982): what the critics said Critics' score 89 from 13 reviews: 13 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. All thirteen reviews are positive, and the praise gathers in the same places. Most critics remark on the warmth and humour, which they find unusual for Bergman, and call this the most accessible of his films. The portrayal of childhood is the achievement named most often, along with the reading of the film as a summing-up of his lifelong concerns with family, faith and imagination. Sven Nykvist’s photography, the production design and the ensemble acting, the children in particular, are singled out repeatedly, as is the opening Christmas sequence. The spread is narrow and the reservations are mild. The New Yorker enjoys the film enormously but finds it straining for greatness and less alive than Bergman’s earlier work. Collider is warm but cooler than most, reserving its praise for the bishop as a complex antagonist. Several critics note the darkness under the warmth: The Guardian finds the depiction of abuse disturbing, and The Times describes a battle of wills with a memorable jump scare. ## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson Rating 5/5. The critic praises the film's warmth, humour and compassion as making it one of Bergman's most accessible works. They highlight the autobiographical elements and Sven Nykvist's Oscar-winning photography as key strengths in this magical family saga. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ogsxhm/fanny-and-alexander/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 8 July 1983. The critic calls the film big, exciting and ambitious, seeing it as a resolution of Bergman’s career-long exploration of human experience rather than merely its summary. He singles out its detailed, specific portrayal of a Swedish family across generations for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fanny-and-alexander-1983) ## Time Out — Melissa Anderson Rating 5/5. 2 January 2008. The review celebrates the film's compassionate and detailed portrayal of childhood as its standout achievement. It notes the summation of Bergman's lifelong themes around family, faith and the magical yet oppressive nature of growing up. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/fanny-and-alexander-1) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2011. The critic calls Fanny and Alexander a towering masterpiece that transcends Bergman's career, the best childhood or memory film ever made. They single out its powerful visual exploration of imagination, storytelling, and how fantasy helps mirror, deflect, and rearrange reality. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/fanny-and-alexander/) ## Empire — Alan Morrison Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls the film an accomplished masterpiece with excellent performances and rarely bettered direction. The Dickensian spirit is evident in the social and domestic landscapes of the story of two children trapped in a turbulent family. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fanny-alexander-review/) ## Evening Standard — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic describes the film as the culmination of a lifetime's work documenting one year in a well-to-do family in Uppsala. It is beautifully acted with superb production design and a magical take on childhood that shows Bergman understood the young. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/magical-take-on-childhood-7386482.html) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 1983. The critic praises the film as a superb, generous family chronicle that blends reality and imagination with serenity unusual for Bergman. It stands out for its enchanting portrayal of the Ekdahl family and its effortless storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/17/movies/ingmar-bergman-s-fanny-and-alexander.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 2 December 2022. The film is praised as Bergman’s autobiographical masterpiece and last great work, built around a battle of wills between a boy and his strict stepfather. It features exquisitely written set pieces and a memorable jump scare. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/fanny-and-alexander-1982-review-bergman-s-autobiographical-masterpiece-b29rffnjw) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1981. The review hails the film as a sumptuously produced period piece and rich tapestry of childhood memoirs, moods, fear and fancy that employs high and low comedy, darkest tragedy, gothic, ghostly and gruesome elements. It singles out the elegant yet intimate storytelling, subdued shocks, tempered nostalgia and authentic, professional performances by the entire cast, especially the children. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/fanny-och-alexander-1200425220/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2022. The critic calls the film a brilliant, unique fusion of Shakespeare and Dickens that is deeply personal and disturbing in its depiction of abuse and family dynamics. The stunning ensemble acting and emotional power stand out in this 40th-anniversary re-release of the theatrical cut. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/dec/01/fanny-and-alexander-review-ingmar-bergmans-dark-fusion-of-shakespeare-and-dickens) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 2020. The critic hails Fanny and Alexander as potentially the finest Christmas film of all, richer, warmer and funnier than many Hollywood seasonal classics despite its bleak moments. He singles out the vivid opening family Christmas sequences, Dickensian characters, and the director’s generous, reconciliatory spirit as its standout qualities. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/culture/fanny-and-alexander-christmas-b1769228.html) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 1983. Kael calls the film a festive, full-bodied dream play envisioning family life through a gifted child's eyes and praises its theatrical elements, marvellous things, and overall sanity as a warm-spirited summing-up of Bergman's obsessions. She enjoyed it enormously but found it a somewhat willed masterpiece that falls short of fully capturing her enthusiasm compared to earlier works like The Magic Flute. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1983/06/13/wrapping-it-up-2) ## Collider — Andre Dellamorte Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 December 2011. The critic finds the film an accessible and engaging farewell from Bergman, with humor and warmth in its family portrait that counters expectations of dour foreign cinema. The standout is the nuanced performance of the strict bishop as a complex antagonist whose beliefs drive real tension. [Read the review](https://collider.com/fanny-and-alexander-criterion-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/fanny-and-alexander.md