Ingmar Bergman

File:Ingmar bergman.jpg

Ingmar Bergman

(pronounced ˈbɛrjman in Swedish, but usually ˈbɝgmən in English, IPA in Unicode notation) (born July 14, 1918) is a Swedish stage and film director who is one of the key film auteurs of the second half of the twentieth century.

Biography and style characteristics

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, to a Lutheran minister, Bergman grew up surrounded by religious imagery and discussion. Bergman attended the Stockholm University and became interested in theater, and later in cinema. His films usually deal with existential questions about mortality, loneliness, and faith; they are also usually direct and not overtly stylized. Persona, one of Bergman's most famous films, is unusual among Bergman's work for being both existentialist and avant-garde.

Bergman is one of the acknowledged masters of modern cinema. His films are representative of the artistic, and sometimes non-linear storytelling techniques of European cinema in contrast to Hollywood, stressing the visual nature of the medium over more traditional plotting. During his early period, he worked exclusively in black and white. Some of his most loved files come from this period, including Sawdust and Tinsel (1955), Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal (both 1957), the latter two still recognised as early masterpieces.

In Wild Strawberries, Professor Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom) travels to his old university to receive an honorary degree on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversay of his graduation. The "wild strawberries" of the title refers to the family patch that Professor Borg associates with the good times of his youth. Much like the "madeleine" in Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past, the wild strawberries trigger a series of flashbacks in which Borg and viewer see episodes from his youth during a visit to his family home on the journey to receive his honorary degree. Unlike Bergman’s later set pieces, Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal use the picaresque form of the journey. But in Wild Strawberries the journey forward to the university is also a journey backward in time. The film is best known for its early dream sequence in which Professor Borg confronts fears of his own impending mortality. It is a good example of Bergman’s visual narrative, filled with symbols of life and death, including a hearse, a clock with no hands, and a coffin that contains a faceless man. As the dream concludes, the man in the coffin grabs Prof. Borg and tries to pull him in and causing him to awake in a great fright.

The Seventh Seal is another of Bergman’s early masterpieces. It starred several actors who were part of Bergman’s own “reperatory company,” such as Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson and Gunnar Björnstrand. Set in the Middle Ages during an outbreak of the plague (historically inaccurate, but symbolically significant), it weaves together the stories of the knight and his squire returning home from the crusades with the story of family of itinerant actors and circus performers. It is a religious allegory confronting the questions of faith and God’s existence. On his way home, the knight encounters Death. They enter into a game of chess for the knight’s life. The game is interrupted by a series of episodes, including the encounter with a troup of players that include Jof (Bjornstrand), Mia (Andersson), and baby. Jof (Joseph), Mia (Mary) and the baby represent a kind of idyllic family. Jof has visions of the Virgin Mary and they clearly represent the "holy family." The knight takes solace with the “holy family” on his journey home. The film confronts religious superstition as the knight and squire encounter a group of flaggelates, and later a woman burned as a witch. In the end, Death provides no answers. The knight arrives home and greets his wife, but in the end, Death comes and takes them, along with the squire and several others. The concluding shot is one of the most famous ones in all of cinema. It is an extreme long shot of Death as a kind of pied piper, taking the group hand in hand dancing up the side of the hill. The shot was emblematic of Bergman's style of working. The Scandinavian summer is short, but provided Bergman with interesting lighting conditions. On the afternoon that this scene was shot, conditions were unusually interesting, so he shot the unscripted scene to take advantage of the conditions.

Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence are generally considered a trilogy revolving around the existential themes of the meaningless of modern life and “God’s silence.” Bergman’s seeming obsession with the death of God was best received not in his homeland of Sweden, which by the was already a post-Christian society, but in America, where his films became very popular in art houses and especially on college campuses. Personna is generally recognized as Bergman’s masterpiece. The narrative is framed by an opening and closing sequence of apparently random shots, including a film strip, projector, and light, a spider, cartoons and other self-referential objects. These images dissolve into and out of the figure of a young boy, who appears to call forth the giant image of a woman. With lots of quick cuts, Bergman moves back and forth between the faces of two women. The imagery of the opening sequence foreshadows the narrative. An actress (Liv Ullmann) who refuses to speak is attended by a nurse, (Bibi Andersson) at a seaside cottage. In a reverse of the patient/therapist relationship, the patient’s silence eventually wears on the nurse. As the tension mounts between the two women, Bergman plays on the similarity of features, juxtaposing the two faces, eventually dissolving them into one another. This use of the extreme close up is a trademark of Bergman’s style.

Bergman usually writes his own scripts, thinking about them for months or years before starting the actual process of writing, which he views as somewhat tedious. His earlier films are carefully structured, and are either based on plays or written with other authors, usually as a matter of convenience. Bergman states that in his later works, when his characters sometimes start wanting to do things different from what he had intended, he lets them, calling the results "disastrous" when he doesn't. Throughout his career, Bergman increasingly lets his actors improvise their dialogue. In his latest films, he has written just the ideas behind the dialogue, keeping in mind the general direction he thinks it should take.

Bergman developed a personal "repertory company" of Swedish actors whom he repeatedly cast in his films, including Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Björnstrand, Erland Josephson, and the late Ingrid Thulin. Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann was the last to join this group (in the 1966 film Persona), and ultimately became most closely associated with Bergman, both artistically and personally.

Bergman began working with Sven Nykvist, his cinematographer, in 1953. The two of them have sufficient rapport to allow Bergman not to worry about the composition of a shot until the day before it is filmed. On the morning of the shoot, he speaks to Nykvist briefly about the mood and composition he hopes for, and then leaves him to work without interruption or comment until they discuss the next day's work.

When viewing daily rushes, Bergman stresses the importance of being critical but unemotional, claiming that he asks himself not if the work is great or terrible, but if it is sufficient or if it needs to be reshot.

Bergman encourages young directors not to direct any film that does not have a "message," but to wait until one comes along that does, yet admits that he himself is not always sure of the message of some of his films. By Bergman's own accounts, he has never had a problem with funding. He cites two reasons for it: one, that he does not live in the United States, which he views as obsessed with box-office earnings; and two, that his films tend to be low-budget affairs. (Cries and Whispers, for instance, was finished for about $450,000, while Scenes from a Marriage—a six-episode television feature—cost only $200,000.) Bergman left Sweden for Munich when accused of tax evasion. Though he was later cleared of the charges, he remained in Munich and did not film again in Sweden until 1982. In 1982 he directed Fanny and Alexander. Bergman stated that the film would be his last, and that afterwards he would focus on directing theater. Since then he has directed a number of television specials and written several additional scripts, though he does continue to work in theater. In 2003, Bergman, at 86 years old, directed a new film, Saraband, that represents a departure from his previous works.

When asked about his movies, he says he holds Persona and Cries and Whispers highest in regard, though in an interview in 2004, Bergman said that he is 'depressed' by his own films and cannot watch them anymore. [1] In these films, he says, he managed to push the medium to its limit. He has denounced the critical classification of three of his films (Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence) as a trilogy: he had no intention of so connecting them, and cannot see any common motifs in them.

His daughter Eva Bergman (born 1945), is also a director, as is his son Daniel Bergman. He is also the father of writer Linn Ullmann, with actress Liv Ullmann.

In 1970, Bergman received The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy Awards ceremony.

Filmography

• Saraband (2003)(TV)
• Faithless (2000)
• In The Presence of a Clown (1997) (Larmar och gör sig till)(TV)
• Karin's Face (1986) (Karins ansikte) (TV)
• Fanny and Alexander (1982) (Fanny och Alexander) (won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film)
• After Practise (1982) (Efter repetitionen)
• From the Life of the Marionettes (1980) (Aus dem Leben der Marionetten)
• Autumn Sonata (1978) (Höstsonaten)
• The Serpent's Egg (1977) (Das Schlangenei)
• The Magic Flute (1975) (Trollflöjten), first shown on Swedish television, followed by a cinematic release
• Face to Face (1975) (Ansikte mot ansikte)
• Scenes from a Marriage (1973) (Scener ur ett äktenskap)
• Cries and Whispers (1973) (Viskningar och rop) (won Academy Award for Best Cinematography)
• The Touch (1971) (Beröringen)
• The Passion of Anna (1969) (En passion)
• Hour of the Wolf (1968) (Vargtimmen)
• The Rite (1968) (Riten) (TV)
• Shame (1968) (Skammen)
• Persona (1966)
• All These Women (1964) (För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor)
• Winter Light (1963) (Nattvardsgästerna)
• The Silence (1963) (Tystnaden)
• Through a Glass Darkly (1961) (Såsom i en spegel) (won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film)
• The Virgin Spring (1960) (Jungfrukällan) (won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film)
• The Devil's Eye (1960) (Djävulens öga)
• Brink of Life (1958) (Nära livet)
• The Magician (1958) (Ansiktet )
• Wild Strawberries (1957) (Smultronstället)
• The Seventh Seal (1957) (Det sjunde inseglet)
• Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) (Sommarnattens leende)
• Dreams (1955) (Kvinnodröm)
• A Lesson in Love (1954) (En lektion i kärlek)
• Summer with Monika (1953) (Sommaren med Monika)
• The Naked Night (1953) (Gycklarnas afton)
• Secrets of Women (1952) (Kvinnors väntan)
• Summerplay (1951) (Sommarlek)
• To Joy (1950) (Till glädje)
• This Can't Happen Here (1950) (Sånt händer inte här)
• Thirst (1949) (Törst)
• Prison (1949) (Fängelse)
• Port of Call (1948) (Hamnstad)
• Music in Darkness (1948) (Musik i mörker)
• A Ship to India (1947) (Skepp till India land)
• It Rains on Our Love (1946) (Det regnar på vår kärlek)
• Crisis (1946) (Kris)

Screenwriting Works

• Hets (1944) (Directed by Alf Sjöberg)
• Kvinna utan ansikte (1947) (Directed by Gustaf Molander)
• Eva (1948) (Directed by Gustaf Molander)
• Medan staden sover (1950) (Directed by Lars Erik Kjellgren)
• Frånskild (1951) (Directed by Gustaf Molander)
• Sista paret ut (1956) (Directed by Alf Sjöberg)
• Lustgården (1961) (Directed by Alf Kjellin)
• The Best Intentions (1992) (Den goda viljan) (Directed by Bill August)
• Söndagsbarn (1992) (Directed by Daniel Bergman)

Documentary Works

• Fårö Documentary (1969) (Fårö dokument)
• Fårö Documentary 1979 (1979) (Fårö-dokument 1979)
• Fanny and Alexander Documentary (1985) (Dokument Fanny och Alexander)

See also

• List of directors

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Bergman on Bergman: Interviews with Ingmar Bergman. By Stig Björkman, Torsten Manns, and Jonas Sima; Translated by Paul Britten Austin. Simon & Schuster, New York. Swedish edition copyright 1970, English translation (c) 1973.
• Filmmakers on filmmaking : the American Film Institute seminars on motion pictures and television. Edited by Joseph McBride. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., (c) 1983.
• Images: my life in film. Ingmar Bergman. Translated by Marianne Ruuth. New York : Arcade Pub. (c) 1994. ISBN 1559701862

External links

Overviews

• Ingmar Bergman Face to Face
• A presentation of Ingmar Bergman from the website Sweden.se.
• Ingmar Bergman at the Internet Movie Database
• Bergmanorama: The magic works of Ingmar Bergman
• The Religious Affiliation of Ingmar Bergman
• Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database

Interviews

• The Guardian/NFT interview with Liv Ullmann by Shane Danielson, January 23, 2001
• Bergman talks of his dreams and demons in rare interview, by Xan Brooks, The Guardian, December 12, 2001

Other articles

• Derek Malcolm on Wild Strawberries, June 10, 1999
• Peter Bradshaw on Trolösa, The Guardian, February 9, 2001

Bibliographies

• Ingmar Bergman Bibliography (via UC Berkeley)

bg:Ингмар Бергман cs:Ingmar Bergman da:Ingmar Bergman de:Ingmar Bergman et:Ingmar Bergman es:Ingmar Bergman eo:Ingmar BERGMAN fr:Ingmar Bergman hr:Ingmar Bergman io:Ingmar Bergman id:Ingmar Bergman it:Ingmar Bergman he:אינגמר ברגמן hu:Ingmar Bergman nl:Ingmar Bergman nds:Ingmar Bergman ja:イングマール・ベルイマン no:Ingmar Bergman pl:Ingmar Bergman pt:Ingmar Bergman ro:Ingmar Bergman ru:Бергман, Эрнст Ингмар fi:Ingmar Bergman sv:Ingmar Bergman tr:Ingmar Bergman uk:Берґман Інґмар zh:英格玛·伯格曼

Ingmar Bergman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jump to: navigation, search

Ingmar Bergman Ingmar Bergman [▶] (pronounced ˈbɛrjman in Swedish, but usually ˈbɝgmən in English, IPA in Unicode notation) (born July 14, 1918) is a Swedish stage and film director who is one of the key film auteurs of the second half of the twentieth century. Contents[hide]· 1 Biography and style characteristics · 2 Filmography · 3 Screenwriting Works · 4 Documentary Works · 5 See also · 6 References · 7 External links o 7.1 Overviews o 7.2 Interviews o 7.3 Other articles · 8 Bibliographies

[edit]

Biography and style characteristics

Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (1973) is his masterwork of his later films. In contrast to the minimalist sets, black-and-white photography and frequent cutting of Persona, Cries and Whispers is almost lavish by comparison. It makes extensive use of the color red, including filtered fades. The red color is associated with each of the three sisters, around whom the film revolves, especially the dying Agnes. The film explores the complexities of familial relation and emotions, which run the gamut from love to hate. The most famous shot is the recreation of the Pieta with Agnes cradled not by one of her sisters, but the maid Anna. Bergman’s obsession with religious themes persists, including the apparent resurrection of Agnes, an echo of Ordet by Carl Dreyer, the most important influence on Bergman. Bergmann was known for his collaborative style of directing. Bergman developed a personal "repertory company" of Swedish actors whom he repeatedly cast in his films, including Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Björnstrand, Erland Josephson, and the late Ingrid Thulin. Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann was the last to join this group (in the 1966 film Persona), and ultimately became most closely associated with Bergman, both artistically and personally. Throughout his career, Bergman increasingly let his actors improvise their dialogue. Bergman began working with Sven Nykvist, his cinematographer, in 1953. The two of them had sufficient rapport to allow Bergman not to worry about the composition of a shot until the day before it is filmed. On the morning of the shoot, he would speak to Nykvist briefly about the mood and composition, and then left him to work without interruption or comment until they discuss the next day's work.

Bergman left Sweden for Munich when accused of tax evasion. Though he was later cleared of the charges, he remained in Munich and did not film again in Sweden until 1982. In 1982 he directed Fanny and Alexander. Bergman stated that the film would be his last, and that afterwards he would focus on directing theater. Since then he has directed a number of television specials and written several additional scripts, though he does continue to work in theater. In 2003, Bergman, at 86 years old, directed a new film, Saraband, that represents a departure from his previous works.

In 1970, Bergman received The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy Awards ceremony. [edit] Filmography · Saraband (2003)(TV) · Faithless (2000) · In The Presence of a Clown (1997) (Larmar och gör sig till)(TV) · Karin's Face (1986) (Karins ansikte) (TV) · Fanny and Alexander (1982) (Fanny och Alexander) (won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) · After Practise (1982) (Efter repetitionen) · From the Life of the Marionettes (1980) (Aus dem Leben der Marionetten) · Autumn Sonata (1978) (Höstsonaten) · The Serpent's Egg (1977) (Das Schlangenei) · The Magic Flute (1975) (Trollflöjten), first shown on Swedish television, followed by a cinematic release · Face to Face (1975) (Ansikte mot ansikte) · Scenes from a Marriage (1973) (Scener ur ett äktenskap) · Cries and Whispers (1973) (Viskningar och rop) (won Academy Award for Best Cinematography) · The Touch (1971) (Beröringen) · The Passion of Anna (1969) (En passion) · Hour of the Wolf (1968) (Vargtimmen) · The Rite (1968) (Riten) (TV) · Shame (1968) (Skammen) · Persona (1966) · All These Women (1964) (För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor) · Winter Light (1963) (Nattvardsgästerna) · The Silence (1963) (Tystnaden) · Through a Glass Darkly (1961) (Såsom i en spegel) (won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) · The Virgin Spring (1960) (Jungfrukällan) (won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) · The Devil's Eye (1960) (Djävulens öga) · Brink of Life (1958) (Nära livet) · The Magician (1958) (Ansiktet ) · Wild Strawberries (1957) (Smultronstället) · The Seventh Seal (1957) (Det sjunde inseglet) · Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) (Sommarnattens leende) · Dreams (1955) (Kvinnodröm) · A Lesson in Love (1954) (En lektion i kärlek) · Summer with Monika (1953) (Sommaren med Monika) · The Naked Night (1953) (Gycklarnas afton) · Secrets of Women (1952) (Kvinnors väntan) · Summerplay (1951) (Sommarlek) · To Joy (1950) (Till glädje) · This Can't Happen Here (1950) (Sånt händer inte här) · Thirst (1949) (Törst) · Prison (1949) (Fängelse) · Port of Call (1948) (Hamnstad) · Music in Darkness (1948) (Musik i mörker) · A Ship to India (1947) (Skepp till India land) · It Rains on Our Love (1946) (Det regnar på vår kärlek) · Crisis (1946) (Kris) [edit] Screenwriting Works · Hets (1944) (Directed by Alf Sjöberg) · Kvinna utan ansikte (1947) (Directed by Gustaf Molander) · Eva (1948) (Directed by Gustaf Molander) · Medan staden sover (1950) (Directed by Lars Erik Kjellgren) · Frånskild (1951) (Directed by Gustaf Molander) · Sista paret ut (1956) (Directed by Alf Sjöberg) · Lustgården (1961) (Directed by Alf Kjellin) · The Best Intentions (1992) (Den goda viljan) (Directed by Bill August) · Söndagsbarn (1992) (Directed by Daniel Bergman) [edit] Documentary Works · Fårö Documentary (1969) (Fårö dokument) · Fårö Documentary 1979 (1979) (Fårö-dokument 1979) · Fanny and Alexander Documentary (1985) (Dokument Fanny och Alexander) [edit] See also · List of directors [edit] References

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ingmar Bergman · Bergman on Bergman: Interviews with Ingmar Bergman. By Stig Björkman, Torsten Manns, and Jonas Sima; Translated by Paul Britten Austin. Simon & Schuster, New York. Swedish edition copyright 1970, English translation (c) 1973. · Filmmakers on filmmaking : the American Film Institute seminars on motion pictures and television. Edited by Joseph McBride. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., (c) 1983. · Images: my life in film. Ingmar Bergman. Translated by Marianne Ruuth. New York : Arcade Pub. (c) 1994. ISBN 1559701862 [edit] External links [edit] Overviews · Ingmar Bergman Face to Face · A presentation of Ingmar Bergman from the website Sweden.se. · Ingmar Bergman at the Internet Movie Database · Bergmanorama: The magic works of Ingmar Bergman · The Religious Affiliation of Ingmar Bergman · Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database [edit] Interviews · The Guardian/NFT interview with Liv Ullmann by Shane Danielson, January 23, 2001 · Bergman talks of his dreams and demons in rare interview, by Xan Brooks, The Guardian, December 12, 2001 [edit] Other articles · Derek Malcolm on Wild Strawberries, June 10, 1999 · Peter Bradshaw on Trolösa, The Guardian, February 9, 2001 [edit] Bibliographies · Ingmar Bergman Bibliography (via UC Berkeley) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingmar_Bergman" Categories: 1918 births | Erasmus Prize winners | Lutherans | Swedish film directors Views · Article · Discussion · Edit this page · History Personal tools · Create account / log in

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