The Rite was Ingmar Bergman's first made-for-television project. It explores an issue that he continued to return to throughout his career: the artist's place in society and the often troubled relationship betwen men and women. Filmed with a cast of just four principal actors, the story revolves around three close friends, including a husband and wife, who make up a theatre troupe. They have been prohibited from performing a short play called 'The Rite' and are brought before the local magistrate on charges of obscenity. Through ruthless interrogation and humilitaion, innermost secrets are revealed and hidden relationships disclosed, but they still convince the judge to allow them a private peformance just for him. Sombre, sexually explicit and surreal, The Rite was made during Bergmans' tenure as head of Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre.
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