It hardly needs to be said that Ingmar Bergman (pictured), who died today at 89, was one of the greatest filmmakers who ever lived, and yet I wonder if today’s audiences are familiar at all with his work, with pillars of world cinema like The Seventh Seal, Persona, and Cries and Whispers. Deserved or not, Bergman’s films have a reputation for being as chilly and forbidding as the stark Swedish landscapes where many of them were set. After all, for more than half a century, Bergman’s movies defined (at least for American audiences) the parameters of the European Art Film: unafraid to tackle the biggest philosophical questions (life, death, faith, man’s place in the universe) and equally unafraid to explore sex and the darkest corners of relationships. Fifty years ago, Bergman’s movies helped convince American audiences that European fare was smarter and sexier than anything Hollywood dared to make; today, his work still has the power to challenge viewers’ preconceptions by showing them the often unforgiving consequences of human behavior in extreme situations.
Still, even if you haven’t seen Bergman’s movies, his legacy is inescapable. Besides inventing the art-house film as we know it, he made huge international superstars of Max Von Sydow and Liv Ullmann; he enabled a generation of Scandinavian filmmakers — including Bille August, Lasse Hallstrom, and Lars Von Trier — to find worldwide success; and he influenced filmmakers all over the globe — especially Woody Allen, who often borrowed from Bergman his plots (for movies from A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy to Deconstructing Harry) and even his luminous cinematographer, Sven Nykvist. His influence was felt not just in the art-house, but even in the grindhouse; slasher-movie king Wes Craven launched his career by remaking Bergman’s The Virgin Spring as Last House on the Left. And of course, the influence extended to Broadway, where Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night became A Little Night Music and spawned Stephen Sondheim’s "Send in the Clowns."
After the jump: the Bergman films you must see, and more Bergmanalia on the Internet.
Don’t let Bergman’s grim and forbidding reputation keep you from seeing the movies of his that are cornerstones of world cinema. You’ll be rewarded with surprising humor and eroticism, along with some of the most sublime images ever committed to film. Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), a wise and gentle sexual farce, is still pretty delightful. Wild Strawberries (1957) is the archetypal film about looking back on a lifetime of memories. The Seventh Seal (1957), featuring the famous image of Death playing chess against a medieval knight (Von Sydow), is surprisingly jaunty and picaresque for an allegory about mortality set during the Black Plague. Persona (1966) is still shocking for its sexual candor and for its haunting and pioneering use of close-ups to explore the psychology of the two heroines’ shifting identities. Deathbed tale Cries and Whispers (1972) is as wrenching as it sounds, but it’s also unmissable. Same with Scenes From a Marriage (1973), the definitive film about marital strife. (Bergman revisited the couple 30 years later in the remarkable made-for-TV drama Saraband, his last project.) And finally, you should see Fanny and Alexander (1982), a lush and vibrant film about childhood that serves as a career summation and Bergman’s farewell to the big screen.
Clips from several of these movies are collected at the Guardian‘s film blog. It’s also worth checking out Bergman’s official website. The New York Times has the best Bergman obituary I’ve yet read, as well as Woody Allen’s reminiscences of how much Bergman meant to him. Your own reminscences you may share below.
A genius of cinema in the truest sense of the word. He will be missed.
My ex and I bonded over Bergman films, and although he and I don’t speak very much anymore – he immediately sent me the Times obituary this afternoon! Spectacular director…he will be missed.
One delightful film not mentioned in the article is Bergman’s production of Mozart’s Magic Flute. Besides the clever staging, Bergman adds dialogue and some bits of business that add depth to the story. One typical Bergmanesque touch comes at the end, when Saratro takes the flute and begins his own journey, leaving the young couple to rule in his stead. In Bergman’s world, things are never settled entirely. The game of life always goes on.
For me, the movie is definitive, and whenever I think of Parageno, I picture Håkan Hagegård.
I just watched “Scenes From A Marriage” on Saturday! It’s sad he’s gone, but his amazing artistry will live on.
I haven’t seen as many Bergman as I’d like (I’ve seen about 6 or 7), but my favorites are Through a Glass Darkly and Winter Light. Those are both amazing films. Bergman’s going to be missed dearly.
Seventh Seal, even with his other great work, is how I will remember him. A piece of cinema like no other, that remains in my head for weeks every time I watch it. He will be missed but remembered.
Fanny & Alexander is one of the greatest movies of all time. Bergman was incredible, and will be missed.
WE have lost our most talented and versatile director. today is the most pale day in the cinema world.every moviegore submurched in a deep sorrow.
he is now in the lap of god.
I watched all the entertainment shows last night, and not one did even a cursory mention of Bergman’s death. Here was one of the most influential and important filmmakers in history, and these shows are more concerned with who wore what. Ten years ago, Leonard Maltin would have done a brief retrospective on Bergman on Entertainment Tonight. Now, nothing. It’s a sad commentary on modern pop culture.
I certainly would have expected more clamor given his stature in the film world. But times have changed. Culture has changed. For me he holds a place with Shakespeare, Da Vinci, Joyce. One of THE great minds and artists whose soulful and philosophical explorations rank with the most important in the western canon. Sadly, most will probably encounter his work only in college film courses or graduate seminars. But, then that is fine, too. I wish people were more brave in their choices of movies, but it is what it is. I am at least thankful that future film students will learn his work. I hope and pray they will have the guts to occasionally dazzle our minds as well as our eyes.
The Seventh Seal may be the greatest film of all time. I think it beats “Citizen Kane” frankly. It makes my head hurt to think how good it is, although I must confess I didn’t really understand its true impact until I was over thirty and realized that I wasn’t going to be young and alive forever. RIP Mr. Bergman, I hope you and Mr. Antonioni are dancing with the Grim Reaper.
From an artistic point of view, “Cries and Whispers” is still the greatest film I’ve ever seen. It isn’t that one that I enjoyed the most, nor is it one I would watch over and over…just the best use of cinema as art. Unforgettable, as was the man, and a goody many of his films. Thanks, Mr. Bergman!
I grew up in Denmark and when I was young, I didn’t get his films. Watching them as an adult, I realized you have to have lived in order to understand and when you do, they are soul-shakingly brilliant. I love the stillness in Bergman’s movies – it grabs you, sucks you in and usually, I don’t move until the final credits. Then man’s a legend. I will miss him.
Such a sad loss for every lover of film. Bergman was one of our finest filmmakers. He, and the late great Antonioni, shall be missed.
Not surprisingly, Turner Classic Movies has scheduled a speedy tribute to Ingmar Bergman for the early morning hours of August 1.
At 2:15 a.m. EDT, TCM will re-air Dick Cavett’s 1971 hour-long interview with Bergman (featuring an appearance by actress Bibi Andersson).
It will be followed at 3:15 a.m. by “The Seventh Seal,” the great Swedish director’s 1957 classic, starring Max von Sydow.
At 5 a.m., the Cavett interview will be aired a second time.
I hope we’ll be seeing more of Bergman’s films on television in the weeks ahead.