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Secrets of Women (film)

1952 film by Ingmar Bergman

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 19, 2026
Entity authorityQ1078811 ↗
Source-derived summary

Secrets of Women (Swedish: Kvinnors väntan), also known as Waiting Women, is a 1952 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The film, which was screened within the official selection of the Venice Film Festival in 1953, is centered on youthful relationships, told in flashbacks by a group of women.

Since its release, Secrets of Women, while not regarded as one of Bergman's strongest efforts, has nonetheless received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

While waiting at a table for the arrival of their husbands who happen to be the Lobelius brothers, three women, Rakel, Karin, and Marta, begin talking and share secrets.

Rakel's story

Rakel is married to Eugen, and is having an affair with Kaj. One day, Kaj and Eugen return home from a shooting excursion. Rakel, professing to be disgusted by Kaj, reveals she has cheated on Eugen. Rakel tells Eugen she is not looking for his forgiveness; Eugen says he intends to expel Rakel from the house, with her possessions and an allowance. Rakel replies she is not Eugen's property. Eugen storms out with a rifle, with Rakel chasing after him, fearing he will commit suicide.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Secrets of Women (film)” as 1952 film by Ingmar Bergman. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1952, 1953—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1952-11-03. The account is most persuasive where Secrets, Women and film can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1952 film by Ingmar Bergman. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1078811. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1952 and 1953.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Secrets of Women (film)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Secrets of Women (film) primary sources, Secrets of Women (film) archive and Secrets research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Secrets of Women (film)”?
  2. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Secrets of Women (film)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.