Bergman's Persona: beach orgy narrated in words only
example · film: Persona (Bergman) ·
retold in 3 talks
In Persona, Bibi Andersson narrates a beach orgy to Liv Ullmann using only words, no flashback, Žižek reads this as the purest illustration of jouissance of the Other, demonstrating that women can achieve jouissance through the symbolic/narrative act of telling.
≤2000talks it is told in, per year2026
As told 3
“the genius of Bergman was not to go just words no flashback and everybody admits it's this is what Lacan calls jouissance of the other the other is language here”
“probably one of the most erotic scenes in the entire history of cinema — precisely because bergman successfully resisted the temptation of a flashback.”
“jouissance of the other... talking about it gives you basically more pleasure almost than the thing itself.”
What it carries
one story, many jobs: the ideas this anecdote is deployed to argue, one tally mark per use (an idea page shows the same relation from the other end, as its shelf of stories)
Its cast and sources
populated by
Anna Netrebko2Michael Powell1Rider Haggard1Lino Ventura1Simone Signoret1Rade Šerbedžija1Jean Cavaillès1"Jean-Pierre Melville"1
alongside works
Every retelling 3
In Persona, Bibi Andersson narrates a beach orgy to Liv Ullmann using only words, no flashback, Žižek reads this as the purest illustration of jouissance of the Other, demonstrating that women can achieve jouissance through the symbolic/narrative act of telling., illustrating jouissance of the Other,feminine relation to fantasy,non-all
In Persona, Bibi Andersson narrates a beach orgy to the mute Liv Ullmann with no flashback, one of the most erotic scenes in cinema precisely because eroticism resides in words, not bodily depiction., illustrating sexuality and language,narrative distance,fantasy
In Bergman's Persona, Bibi Andersson narrates a beach orgy without flashbacks; Žižek reads this as exemplifying jouissance of the Other, pleasure in telling surpasses pleasure in doing., illustrating jouissance of the other,no sexual relationship