Ingmar Bergman

One of the greatest directors of the twentieth century. This page is primarily a small repository of information, movie reviews, and synopses of books related to his work in film, theater, and literature.

The best way to see his films in the US is on DVD from Criterion or from the UK studio Tartan. Both studios release films that are digitally restored, completely uncut, and (usually) in the original aspect ratio.

Here's the list of Bergman films in my collection.

The Films

The films are arranged chronologically, with the most common English title. Each has a very brief summary of the plot to give you an idea about the film. Some have longer reviews, which reveal substantial portions of the plot. If you prefer suspense, don't read the longer reviews until after watching the film.

Summer with Monika (1952): A shameless and pseudo romantic girl ensnares an impressionable boy and gets him to spend the summer with her. During their sojourn she gets pregnant but when he attempts to build a family life with her, she discovers that her inconstancy results in boredom and abandons him and their baby for an ex lover. Not very good, rated 4/10.
The Seventh Seal (1957): An allegory about a knight who returns from the Crusades only to find that Death is waiting for him. He borrows time by playing chess with Death and goes on a quest to find meaning in his life. Along his journey, he meets with various interesting characters. Perhaps Bergman's best film, rated 10/10.
Virgin Spring (1960): A Christian family in medieval Sweden is forced to deal with the rape and murder of their younger daughter. This misleadingly simple film has some profound implications about revenge, forgiveness, sin, and redemption. Rated 9/10.
Persona (1966): Highly metaphorical, and somewhat difficult to grasp, story about the difference between the inner and public personas of the same person. As a rumination about the nature of truth in behavior, this film is also a statement on Bergman's philosophy of cinematography. Rated 9/10.
Hour of the Wolf (1968): A very surreal horror outing about a painter who gradually loses his touch with reality and slips back into the bizarre world of his past obsessions and his wife, who's torn between jealousy of her husband's passion for another, and a desperate desire to understand, and perhaps save him, from his nightmares. Beautifully shot in glorious black and white. Rated 7/10.
A Passion (1969): Mistitled in the US as "The Passion of Anna," this film is an excursion into the lie that is the existence of a divorcee, an unhappy couple, and a woman recovering from the car accident that left her husband and child dead. Every person in this film searches for passion, but although every one finds a reasonable simile, no one manages to uncover the brand that would take him/her through the day. Rated 8/10.
The Magic Flute (1975): Coming soon.
Autumn Sonata (1978): One sleepless night of accusations, revelations, hatred, and forgiveness between a successful career-oriented concert pianist and her daughter, who has constantly lived in her shadow. Catch Ingrid Bergman's last performance; rated 9/10.
Fanny and Alexander (1982): Bergman's last film is a family saga set during the beginning of the 20th century. Highly autobiographical, it reveals the world of director's childhood as a place dominated by women and populated by weak, irresolute, and ultimately inconsequential men. Somewhat slow for the first half, but picks up pace for the second one; rated 8/10.

Reading Materials

This is a brief list of works that might be useful for understanding Bergman's work. I've included his indispensable personal statements (the two autobiographies), some of other people's analyses of his work, and plays by Ibsen and Strindberg, which had a profound influence on the director's work. In alphabetical order, by author's last name and publication date.

Bergman, Ingmar. 1987. The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography. Penguin Books.: Very impressionistic, without much story telling, but with lots of self-searching analyses, this book is the ultimate statement of the author's insightful and merciless analysis of relationships, people, and art. An absorbing read.
Bergman, Ingmar. 1995. Images: My Life in Film. Arcade Publishing.: A compilation of notes from IB's diary, with a section dedicated to each film. Not very informative (does not reveal much about the thinking behind the plot), but does include some gems, especially concerning first drafts of ideas. Useful to see how initial insights got eventually translated to film.
Bjorkman, Stig, Torsten Manns, and Jonas Sima. Bergman on Bergman: Interviews with Ingmar Bergman.: Coming soon.
Ibsen, Henrik. 1988. The Complete Major Prose Plays. New American Library.: There are literally dozens of editions of Ibsen's work, so choosing a particular one is both a headache and an easy task. This edition collects twelve plays, all in major and acclaimed translations. Note that I do not have this book, but an older (circa 1960) volume with collected works, which is regrettably and forever out of print. I picked it up at a cafe that sells used books, so you might be in luck, especially if you live in, or around, a university town. Almost any edition will do though.
Michaels, Lloyd. (Editor.) 2000. Ingmar Bergman's Persona. Cambridge University Press.: A collection of essays that explore acting technique, genre, and dramaturgy in one of the director's most acclaimed films: "Persona."
Oliver, Roger W. (Editor.) 1995. Ingmar Bergman: An Artist's Journey on Stage, on Screen, in Print. Arcade Publishing.: A collection of essays by noted directors, actresses, and Bergman himself. Interesting insofar as it provides an assessment and evaluation of his work from several different perspectives, but nothing earth shattering.
Strindberg, August. 1983. Five Plays. University of California Press.: Like Ibsen's case, there are many translations and editions of Strindberg's work. This one is particularly useful in three respects. First, it has the superior modern translation by Harry G. Carlson. Second, it brings together five of the author's major plays: "The Father," "Miss Julie," "A Dream Play," "The Dance of Death," and "The Ghost Sonata," which also have special relevance to Bergman's work. Third, the book has extra wide margins which are very suitable for taking notes or writing stage directions.