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The 3 hour version of Fanny and Alexander is the only one of the four films which I've seen. Here's what I wrote on it a while ago:
I recently saw the 3 hour version of Fanny and Alexander, but after looking up what other people thought of it, I feel like the 5 hour version is the one which I probably should've watched. Is that true? Regardless, I still enjoyed this version a great deal due to its representations of how reality always surfaces behind fantasy and how every joy is balanced by hardship. Even the seemingly playful, extended Christmas celebration near the start of the film often cuts to hints that tragedy is drawing near if you pay close attention to it. Although minimal plot progression happens for the first hour of the film, this choice makes it feel strangely absorbing as there's the constant, looming threat that all the life bursting out of that sequence won't last much longer. After this act, the visual and sound design changed throughout the film to give it a somewhat eerie and nightmarish tone such as how the set design changed from vivid to lifeless and barren, how the music became spare during certain sections of the film, and the brief moments where the film focused on a clock ticking. This dreamlike quality continues on into the final act of the film to produce one of the most overwhelming and thought-provoking sequences I've seen in a while since, due to the various set pieces and the characters encountered throughout it, so much of it feels like one long dream itself, even more so than anything which comes before it. As a whole, this blend of intricate set design, music, and lack thereof makes for a constant bombardment on the audience which never lets up and causes you to feel just as welcomed and isolated as the characters do. As great as it is, I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that Fanny was basically a noncharacter, but this is the only aspect which I wasn't sold on. Everything else about the film is so great and I could see myself revisiting this one again.
I recently saw the 3 hour version of Fanny and Alexander, but after looking up what other people thought of it, I feel like the 5 hour version is the one which I probably should've watched. Is that true? Regardless, I still enjoyed this version a great deal due to its representations of how reality always surfaces behind fantasy and how every joy is balanced by hardship. Even the seemingly playful, extended Christmas celebration near the start of the film often cuts to hints that tragedy is drawing near if you pay close attention to it. Although minimal plot progression happens for the first hour of the film, this choice makes it feel strangely absorbing as there's the constant, looming threat that all the life bursting out of that sequence won't last much longer. After this act, the visual and sound design changed throughout the film to give it a somewhat eerie and nightmarish tone such as how the set design changed from vivid to lifeless and barren, how the music became spare during certain sections of the film, and the brief moments where the film focused on a clock ticking. This dreamlike quality continues on into the final act of the film to produce one of the most overwhelming and thought-provoking sequences I've seen in a while since, due to the various set pieces and the characters encountered throughout it, so much of it feels like one long dream itself, even more so than anything which comes before it. As a whole, this blend of intricate set design, music, and lack thereof makes for a constant bombardment on the audience which never lets up and causes you to feel just as welcomed and isolated as the characters do. As great as it is, I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that Fanny was basically a noncharacter, but this is the only aspect which I wasn't sold on. Everything else about the film is so great and I could see myself revisiting this one again.
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