Ingmar Bergman
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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
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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, becoming interested first in theater, and later in cinema. His films usually deal with existential questions about mortality, loneliness, and faith. 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 Isak Borg associates with the good times of his youth. Much like the madeleine in Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past, his visit to his family home on his journey to receive his honorary degree, and the wild strawberries which metaphoricaly stand for his youth, trigger a series of flashbacks in which Borg and viewer see episodes from his youth. Unlike Bergman’s later films, 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 Dr. 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. 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. 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. (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 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’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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