Fanny and Alexander
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Fanny och Alexander is a 1982 Swedish film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It is one of the longest running mainstream films; the theatrical version is 188 minutes long, while the television version is 312 minutes long.
The story is set in the early twentieth century in Sweden and deals with a young girl named Fanny, her brother Alexander, and their well-to-do family. Fanny and Alexander's mother and father are both involved in theater and are happily married until the father's sudden death. Shortly thereafter, the mother finds a new suitor in a bishop and accepts his proposal, moving into his ascetic home and putting the children under his stern and unforgiving rule.
In addition to its themes of Christianity, repentance, and submission to authority, the film deals with love, estrangement, ghosts, and magic, as well as the more common Bergman theme of existentialism.
The film was released in the United States in 1983 as Fanny and Alexander and received Oscars for best foreign film and cinematography (Sven Nykvist).
Bergman announced that the film would be his last feature, and as of March 2004 it has been the last he has directed, although he has written several scripts since 1986 and has directed a number of TV specials, including After the Rehearsal and Saraband, a sequel to Scenes from a Marriage.