Though he made allusions to his own life in all of his films, Fanny and Alexander was the first overtly autobiographical film by Ingmar Bergman. Taking his time throughout (188 minutes to be exact), Bergman recreates several episodes from his youth, using as conduits the fictional Ekdahl family. Alexander, the directors alter ego, is first seen at age 10 at a joyous and informal Christmas gathering of relatives and servants. Fanny is Alexanders sister; both suffer an emotional shakedown when their recently-widowed mother (Ewa Froling) marries a cold and distant minister. Stripped of their creature comforts and relaxed family atmosphere, Fanny and Alexander suddenly find their childhood unendurable. The kids grandmother (Gunn Wallgren) kidnaps Fanny and Alexander for the purpose of showering them with the first kindness and affection that theyve had since their fathers death. This purge of the darker elements of Fanny and Alexanders existence is accomplished at the unintentional (but applaudable) cost of the hated stepfathers life. Ingmar Bergman insisted that Fanny and Alexander, originally a multipart television series pared down to feature-film length, represented his retirement work, though within a year after its release he was busy with several additional Swedish TV projects. Oscars went to Fanny and Alexander for best foreign film, cinematography (Sven Nykvist), costumes and art direction/set decoration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide