Scenes from a Marriage (TV Mini Series)

Konsten att sopa under mattan (1973)

Barbro Hiort af Ornäs: Fru Jacobi

Quotes 

• Marianne : Forgive me for asking, but have you met someone?

  Fru Jacobi : No, I haven't.

  Marianne : What about your husband?

  Fru Jacobi : As far as I know, he's never been unfaithful.

  Marianne : Won't you be lonely?

  Fru Jacobi : I guess. But it's even lonelier living in a loveless marriage.

• Fru Jacobi : My husband is a responsible man. He's kind and conscientious. I have nothing to complain about. He's been an excellent father. We've never quarreled. We have a nice apartment and a lovely summer cottage we inherited from my mother-in-law. We're both fond of music. We belong to a chamber music society and play together.

  Marianne : It all sounds ideal.

  Fru Jacobi : Yes, it does. But there is no love between us. There never has been any.

• Marianne : In this first meeting we usually establish the issues and look at how to solve them.

  Fru Jacobi : I want a divorce.

  Marianne : How long have you been married?

  Fru Jacobi : Over 20 years.

  Marianne : Do you have a profession?

  Fru Jacobi : No, I'm a housewife.

  Marianne : Why do you want a divorce?

  Fru Jacobi : There's no love in our marriage.

  Marianne : Is that the reason?

  Fru Jacobi : Yes.

  Marianne : You've been married for a long time. Was this always the case?

  Fru Jacobi : Yes, always.

• Marianne : Have you told your husband you want a divorce?

  Fru Jacobi : Of course. Fifteen years ago I told him I didn't want to live with him anymore, since there was no love in our marriage. He was very understanding. He merely asked me to wait until the children had grown up. Now all three have grown up and left home. Now I can have my divorce.

  Marianne : So what does he say?

  Fru Jacobi : He keeps asking me what's wrong with our marriage. And I tell him I can't go on with a relationship that lacks love. Then he asks me what love is supposed to involve. But I tell him I don't know. How can I describe something that's not there?

• Fru Jacobi : I know just what you're thinking.

  Marianne : Really?

  Fru Jacobi : A spoiled woman with no sense of humor. She has everything she could possibly want but still she goes on about love. What about friendship, loyalty, security?

  Marianne : Something like that, yes.

  Fru Jacobi : Let me tell you something. I have a mental picture of myself that doesn't correspond to reality.

• Marianne : Have you been on good terms with your children?

  Fru Jacobi : Emotionally. I've never loved my children. I know that now. I used to think I did. You always do. But I know now that I never loved them. Still, I've been a good mother. I've done all I could, even though I never felt anything for them.

• Fru Jacobi : Something peculiar is happening. My senses--sight, hearing, touch--are starting to fail me. This table, for instance. I can see it and touch it. But the sensation is deadened and dry. Do you understand?

  Marianne : I think I do.

  Fru Jacobi : It's the same with everything. Music, scents, faces, voices. Everything seems puny, gray and undignified.

• Fru Jacobi : I tell myself I have the capacity to love. But it's been... bottled up. The life I've led has stifled my potential. The time has come to change all that. The first step is divorce. My husband and I... cancel each other out.

  Marianne : That sounds frightening.

  Fru Jacobi : It is frightening.