History Film / TheVirginSpring

''The Virgin Spring'' was written by Ulla Isaksson (who was specialized in medieval history), and thus is one of the few Ingmar Bergman films that Bergman did not write as well as direct. It won the MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestForeignLanguageFilm. Twelve years later, it was remade by Creator/WesCraven, with a lot more blood and gore, as ''Film/TheLastHouseOnTheLeft''.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The movie goes a long way in reproducing the mentality of the medieval Swedish countryside, a lot of which will appear strange to a modern audience. At the same time [[RealityIsUnrealistic it averts this trope]], exposing the rather liberal and cheerful relationship between Karin and her parents, standing in a striking contrast to the sheep-like obedience expected of every child that, according to most people, was prevalent in that time period.

* HarmfulToMinors: The youngest of the shepherds helps his older brothers capture Karin when she tries to flee but is completely traumatised by her rape and murder. It's rather obvious he had no idea what they where going to do to her. For the rest of the film [[GuiltRiddenAccomplice the guilt drives him nearly insane]]. Märeta tries to shield him from her husbands rage to no avail.

* IdiotBall: The parents are depicted as reasonable characters but they decide to let their [[TheIngenue naive teenage daughter]] travel in a PimpedOutDress without a male guardian across the woods and beyond. What could possibly go wrong?

* ItsAllMyFault: Ingeri and Märeta both blame themselves for Karin's rape and murder, Ingeri because she wished for Karin to be harmed and then did nothing to help her and Märeta, because she was envied Karin's closer relationship with her father.

* PimpedOutDress: Karin's heavily embroidered yellow silk gown, especially by the standards of the 14th century. (Until the 16th century, silk had to been imported from the Middle or Far East and therefore was extremely expensive.)

* ForegoneConclusion: The reason nothing on this page is spoiler-tagged. By the time a viewer comes across this film nowadays they will probably know that Karin will be raped and murdered and Töre then kills the rapists when they come to his farmstead.

** AdaptationDistillation: The film drops the twist at the end of the song where the rapists turn out to be the estranged sons of Töre and Märeta.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The movie goes a long way reproducing the mentality of the medieval Swedish countryside, a lot of which will appear strange to a modern audience. At the same time [[RealityIsUnrealistic it averts this trope]], exposing the rather liberal and cheerful relationship between Karin and her parents, standing in a striking contrast to the sheep-like obedience expected of every child that, according to most people, was prevalent in that time period.

* ForegoneConclusion: The reason nothing on this page is spoiler tagged. By the time a viewer comes across this film nowadays they will probably know that Karin will be raped and murdered and Töre then kills the rapists when they come to his farmstead.

* HarmfulToMinors: The youngest of the shepherds help his older brothers capture Karin when she tries to flee but is completely traumatised by her rape and murder. It's rather obvious he had no idea what they where going to do to her. For the rest of the film [[GuiltRiddenAccomplice the guilt drives him nearly insane]]. Märeta tries to shield him from her husbands rage to no avail.

* SpoiledSweet: Karin is pampered and spoiled, especially by her mother, but she's still essentially good-hearted and kind young girl.

* WouldHurtAChild: In his rage (and acting on false information from Ingeri) Töre kills not only the two rapists but their traumatized little brother as well.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: The youngest of the shepherds help his older brothers capture Karin when she tries to flee but is completely traumatised by her rape and murder. It's rather obvious he had no idea what they where going to do to her. For the rest of the film the guilt drives him nearly insane. Märeta tries to shield him from her husbands rage to no avail.

* BigBadDuumvirate: The two unnamed shepherds who raped and killed Karin.

* [[ShowerOfAngst Sauna Of Angst]]: Töre purifies himself by taking a sauna bath before becoming a murderer.

* ArchEnemy: Tore has the two shepherds who raped and murdered his daughter.

''The Virgin Spring'' was written by Ulla Isaksson (who was specialized in medieval history), and thus is one of the few Ingmar Bergman films that Bergman did not write as well as direct. It won the UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardForBestForeignLanguageFilm. Twelve years later, it was remade by Creator/WesCraven, with a lot more blood and gore, as ''Film/TheLastHouseOnTheLeft''.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/virgin-spring2_5690.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:DontGoIntoTheWoods.]]

!!Tropes:

* FinnsWithFearsomeForests: The old bridge keeper is a creepy finn.

* KnifeNut: Töre has the opportunity to kill the rapists with a sword, but opts for a knife instead.

* AdultFear: A reasonably happy and successful couple's young (and only) daughter is raped and killed by strangers.

%% * SpoiledSweet: Karin is pampered and spoiled, especially by her mother, but she's still essentially good-hearted and kind.

''The Virgin Spring'' (''Jungfrukällan'') is a 1960 [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Swedish]] film directed by Creator/IngmarBergman and starring Creator/MaxVonSydow. It is partly [[OlderThanTheyThink based on the]] Swedish [[OlderThanPrint medieval ballad]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Töres_döttrar_i_Wänge ''Töre's daughters in Vänge'']]. Von Sydow is Töre, a prosperous 14th century Christian farmer who sends his innocent virgin daughter Karin off to carry candles to church for matins. Accompanying her is Ingeri (Creator/GunnelLindblom) the servant girl, who is heavily pregnant. Ingeri is a secret pagan, and she resents Karin so much that she prays to Odin to bring a curse down upon Karin.

* DeathOfTheOldGods: The Sweden of this movie is almost completely christianized, and Odin is reduced to hanging out in a shack in the woods trying to sucker in stray worshippers.

* SpoiledSweet: Karin is pampered and spoiled, especially by her mother, but she's still essentially good-hearted and kind.

* CreepyCrows: A creepy raven squawks as Karin and Ingeri approach the creepy old man's sinister cabin.

* NoNameGiven: The old man in the cabin, who says he has no name "these days", and who may be the god Odin (his raven, his one eye and his apparently magic high-seat are clear indications of this).

* VirginSacrifice: Seemingly alluded to with the visual TitleDrop at the end. After Töre pledges to build a church on the spot where his daughter died, they lift up her body, and a spring bursts forth from the ground.

Meanwhile, Karin encounters three shepherds, two adults and a boy. They have a pleasant picnic together, until the mood darkens, the two adult shepherds turn mean, and they rape her. One of the rapists then bashes Karin in the head with a rock, killing her. The two shepherds take Karin's possessions and strip the fine silk dress from her body before heading south. They then stop to take shelter--at Töre's farm.

** AdaptationCondensation: The film drops the twist at the end of the song where the rapists turn out to be the estranged sons of Töre and Märeta.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: The youngest of the shepards help his older brothers capture Karin when she tries to flee but is completely traumatised by her rape and murder. It's rather obvious he had no idea what they where going to do to her. For the rest of the film the guilt drives him nearly insane. Märeta tries to sheild him from her husbands rage to no avail.

* NoNameGiven: The old man in the cabin, who says he has no name "these days", and who may be the god Odin (his raven, his one-eye and his appearently magic high-seat are clear indications of this).
* The three shepards are never named.

* TheUnintelligible: The mute shepard only speaks in unintelligible sounds which are interprented by the thin shepard.
* ViolenceIsDisturbing: The mute shepard clubbing Karin to death is done in a brutish manner and Karin crawls in the dirt for a moment afterwards with blood on her face. Töre's subsequent killing of the shepards is dirty and primitive, especially when he wrestles the boy from his wife's hands and hurls him straight into a wall.