Comments on: Ingmar Bergman: an Annotated Webliography and Top 10 Quotes

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:30:42 +0000

To be fair, the local council libraries do have a few Bergman films, but they are all out on loan every time I check and I'm too impatient to wait! The BFI in London has a Ingmar Bergman film 'The Lie' which is available to view for free at their Mediatheque so I might try and fit that into my next visit to London.

By: alsolikelife

alsolikelife — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:20:43 +0000

“none of the Glasgow city libraries, or my University library, have any Bergman films!”

Wow, how is that possible???

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Thanks so mcuh for all the advice. I've now ordered 'Wild Strawberries' and 'Persona' off Amazon and am awaiting their arrival. I would like to see more but none of the Glasgow city libraries, or my University library, have any Bergman films! So I'll need to make do with two at the moment, at least till next pay day. Thanks again.

By: alsolikelife

alsolikelife — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:07:05 +0000

I guess I can give a qualified answer since I've seen most of Bergman's filmography. I agree with Antonius that SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT is an excellent film, probably my favorite of his early works, though I'm not sure if it's one that gives you a clear idea of what he's about – it's a film that fits as easily into Renoir's filmography as Bergman's. Probably the best introduction to Bergman's early works would be either SUMMER WITH MONIKA (the one that had the Cahiers du Cinema critics stand up and take notice) or WILD STRAWBERRIES. I also appreciate Antonius' advice to work through his career from period to period, though it's also worth jumping around just to get a sample of how varied his filmmaking was. If I were to pick one film from each decade, I would go with WILD STRAWBERRIES from the '50s, PERSONA from the 60s (I'm actually not a fan of his '60s work but this is pretty much the pinnacle of his output from that period), CRIES AND WHISPERS from the '70s (I prefer SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE but CRIES represents his greatest work with color cinematography) and FANNY AND ALEXANDER from the '80s.

By: Antonius

Antonius — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:09:37 +0000

I've always felt that Smiles of a Summer Night is the perfect introduction to Bergman — in part because it's a comedy, and that squashes some of the misconceptions about him being a dour, humorless filmmaker. From there, I'd move on to The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. These three all belong to his lighter 50s period, and they're all relatively short (~90 minutes) and entertaining. After those, I'd place Winter Light and Persona as his most indispensable 60s works; they're darker and more ambitious but still relatively short. In the 70s he moved further away from philosophical issues and focused even more on human relationships; Cries and Whispers, though harrowing, is generally considered the most accomplished of these. And if you still have time, I consider Fanny and Alexander (in its full 5-hour form) to be his masterpiece; a fantasy-ridden summary of so many of the themes and ideas he dealt with throughout his career, seen from the perspective of a young boy. But I also think that film takes on much more resonance if saved for last, or at least until after one is familiar with most of his others. Hope that helps, and have fun.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:10:43 +0000

I have a confession to make – I've not seen any Ingmar Bergman films. I have one month until our 'Archives and Auteurs' conference here at Stirling University, and with four papers relating to Bergman, I better get viewing but I don't have a lot of time to catch up! Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to start? A small selection of films that would be a good representation of his work? I would really appreciate any suggestions.

By: bradw

bradw — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:06:15 +0000

As a staunch admirer of 50's era Bergman I'd love to see a second Eclipse set that rounded up the missing pieces of the early part of the decade (including the “Summer” films you mentioned) and a full bells and whistles Criterion edition of The Magician…

By: Antonius

Antonius — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:19:15 +0000

Thanks for the feedback. I agree, The Magician is probably the most important of his films not to have a Region 1 release, though it is available on a very nice PAL DVD from Tartan in the UK. The same goes for Summer Interlude and Summer with Monika, probably the most noteworthy of those early 1950s pictures not in the Eclipse set. Those aside, Bergman has been fortunate to be so well represented on DVD. What I'd most like to see in the future is a set featuring both versions of Face to Face, in the mold of the Criterion editions of Scenes from a Marriage or Fanny and Alexander.

By: Antonius

Antonius — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:06:10 +0000

You're very welcome, Kathryn. That panel sounds fascinating, with the twin focuses on Bergman and this very unique archive he created. It looks like multiple speakers from the Ingmar Bergman Foundation will be presenting; wish I could be there!

By: bradw

bradw — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:47:10 +0000

Many thanks for this great post. It's hard to believe there are still some key Bergman films from the 50's (particularly The Magician) that aren't yet available on DVD. The Eclipse set nicely compiled some of his very earliest films, but there are others from just after that period that are even more worthy of release.