Film Great Ingmar Bergman Dies at 89

[John Trevethan]

Read about it HERE

Wow, I was beginning to think that old Ingmar was going to live forever, he outlived many of his (much younger) actors.

For me, he is the absolute top director of all time. Interestingly, it has only been about two years since I discovered what we call in the US - "foreign films" (I hate that term, I'd rather use "international films"). Up until that time I was like 99.9% of all Americans: raised on Hollywood cinema since day one. Oddly enough it was through the films of American director Woody Allen that I thankfully found international film. As a younger man I always hated Woody's movies, I thought they were just plain stupid. It took a while for me to realize that they were actually over my head, and then it took a while longer to find all of the hidden clues that Woody placed in so many of his films pointing to the international masters.

The first clue I got was the homage to Fellini's "8 1/2" in Allen's "Stardust Memories". Not long after that I discovered Bergman, Godard, Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Bresson, Dreyer, and on and on. I've now seen over 300 international films and they have become my biggest passion next to music. I had no idea of the depth of art that was possible in film until I experienced the works of these directors. I discovered that these films had incredible nuance, you had to pay attention to every word and every detail to understand the point. In most cases they reveal new things each time you watch them. I began to love that you are not spoon-fed how to feel or to react to a scene as is so common in Hollywood films. For example, in Hollywood they cue the swelling romantic music for the love scenes, use fuzzy edges and harp glissandos for the dream sequences, and have riducous things happen in the storyline to explain things in the most blatant manner.

Not so in an Ingmar Bergman film! He's not going to tell you how to feel or what to think... that's up to you. He's going to lay out the ambiguous ideas for you ponder, or ask questions that have no answer (or many answers). The best part of this is that Bergman makes you think, and I find myself thinking about his films long after I have finished watching them.

To tie this into Japan and David Sylvian - once I began to be familiar with the international film directors and their works I noticed the connections and references in David Sylvian's own work. For example "Cries and Whispers" from the Rain Tree Crow album is the title of a Bergman film, the phrase "The blood of a poet" from The Ink in the Well is a title of a Jean Cocteau film (as is Cocteau's Orpheus), and even "Secrets of the Beehive" is very similar to Spirit of the Beehive - a film by Victor Erice from 1973.

I've always been envious of those of you living outside the US because this is probably old news to you. You've been fortunate to have had much more exposure to these films than the typical person living in the US. For me, most of the "product" that Hollywood puts out is simply "entertainment" that plays to the lowest common denominator in an effort to generate the highest box office returns. Judging from the vast majority of Hollywood releases it would appear that they feel the average citizen is a total idiot. This all parallels the music industry to a frightening degree - mega powers such as the Hollywood movie machine or major record labels attempt to control what the public is exposed to. For the most part they are successful... up until only a few years ago I was brainwashed by Hollywood because that was all I was ever exposed to. Fortunately, just as in music you come to realize that there are other choices, and in film those other choices are international and independent films.

Sorry for the lengthy rant, but I can't talk about Ingmar Bergman without getting into all of this. For those unfamiliar with Bergman's work a good place to start might be "The Seventh Seal" from 1957. Many of Bergman's releases are available (for those in the US) from The Criterion Collection. Criterion are known for excellent restorations and fabulous packaging of many important films. Notable on the Bergman releases are the fine commentaries of Bergman expert Peter Cowie. If you are new to Bergman set aside and evening and watch the Criterion version of The Seventh Seal, then watch it again immediately with the Peter Cowie commentary to discover all of the things you missed, plus back stories and asides that Cowie presents in huge amounts.

R.I.P. Ingmar...

[Poisoned_Apathy]

All those are good and old friends of mine. But don't be wrong, europeans directors are also very unknown here. The theatres are full of american movies, but fortunately we have the film library where we can see all those great movies in big screen.

Rest in peace, Mr Bergman.
My father is a total fan of his movies, so I've watched many of them. And he and his cinema was one of the questions of my Cinema History final exam at college.

[sisterlondon]

Sad news

[godisinthesilences]

sad... R.I.P.

[Lady Arcadia]

First off, an amazing achievement - 89 years. I have just come back from a funeral of a 58 year old, so Mr Bergman was very lucky. Although it was reported he was in ill health for some time.

You are right about the "Seventh Seal", one of the best movies of all time.

It is the passing of an era, RIP Mr Bergman.

[proggrl]

This is both upsetting and shocking. I loved his films - he was a brilliant director and very talented man.

I used to go down to the local video rental (OK, it wasn't so local, a couple towns over - but this place had the coolest selection) place and rent a couple of his films every other week. I did a report on him for one of my film classes (kind of a cheaty thing to do cos it meant doing something I enjoyed and already had a background in - so research was v pleasant!!)

Some of my favourites from him were Thru a Glass Darkly, Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage), och Sommarlek (Summer Interlude). Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal), I agree is brilliant and probably a good place to start. Dreams, Persona - so many good ones. I'm gonna have to go rent some more films.....

Man, that is tragic news. My heart goes to his family, freinds, collegues and fellow fans.

Peace.

[Poisoned_Apathy]

'Wild strawberries' is one of my favourites.

[John Trevethan]

Proggrl - Scenes From a Marriage is so brutal, yet so dead-on realistic! And to think that it was made for Swedish Television (gives a new meaning to "TV Movie"). Apparently after the 6 episodes ran on TV the divorce rate rose sharply in Sweden for a time. Bergman loved this as he felt that Scenes encouraged people to make the move and get out of bad marriages.

Poisoned_Apathy - Wild Strawberries was my introduction to Ingmar Bergman, based on a recommendation that Woody Allen gave in an interview. I think it was also a good place to start as Wild Strawberries is a bit more warm hearted and has as close to a happy ending as any Bergman film. Coming straight from Hollywood movies this sort of eased me into the world of Bergman. I don't think I could have taken "Cries and Whispers" or "The Virgin Spring" as my first Bergman film!

I love just about everything Bergman has done, but for some reason his Trilogy consisting of "Through a Glass Darkly", "Winter Light" and "The Silence" always stands out to me. It was a great period for him: he was living on his island, using the brilliant cinematographer Sven Nyquist, still working in gorgeous black & white, and at the height of questioning religion, the purpose of existence and the relationships between men and women.

A nice article entitled "Farewell Bergman" can be found over at The Criterion Collection.

Also, I just read that Michelangelo Antonioni died Monday at his home in Rome at the age of 94.

[Sylvie]

interesting, very interesting this topic. being swedish means that I've grown up with bergman, but it doesn't mean I've seen that many of his films. as a child I wasn't allowed to see Fanny and Alexander because my mother thought it was too terryifying.
I think it is difficult for the general swede to relate to his films (as typical swedish), but the world seems happy to connect bergman with a depressed and gloomy scandinavian. bergman portrayed his childhood, his fear of death, his women and his demons like few others have done. but he was one of a kind, and I very much doubt the world will see anything like him for a very long time.

he was old and he was loved, which is all you can ask for really. he wanted to reunite with his late wife and apparently he believed he would.

a few years back he ended a radio programme with the questions: where does music come from? why do we have music?
maybe we should think about that and not take it for granted.

[John Trevethan]

a few years back he ended a radio programme with the questions: where does music come from? why do we have music?
maybe we should think about that and not take it for granted.

I don't want to take this thread off-topic (because I love talking about Bergman)... but you've raised another interesting topic:

Robert Fripp describes music as a benevolent force, always available, always waiting "just outside the door". Our task is to simply realize how to get up, walk across the room and open the door.

[Poisoned_Apathy]

I don't think I could have taken "Cries and Whispers" or "The Virgin Spring" as my first Bergman film!

I agree!! The Seventh seal was my first Bergman movie. It took me a while to really enjoy it and appreciate it, but I think I was eleven or twelve when I first watched it
I think his Trilogy stands out in his career too. I studied that he made it after a period in which he felt the critics and his public had stopped paying attention to his work, so he decided to explore the deepest obssessions and fears of the human beings in that particular historical moment.

Thinking about the Bergman - Sweden identification. Well, I think that happens because there aren't any other swedish cultural figure as strong as Bergman in the world (apart from ABBA). But I can understand very well your point of view, since I'm spanish and outside my country still exists the Romantic myth and all the topics around the spanish charisma etc that were created in the 19th century And everyone in Sweden has to be like Bergman or his characters, the same way everyone in Spain has to be like Almodovar's ones.

Also, I just read that Michelangelo Antonioni died Monday at his home in Rome at the age of 94.

I didn't know that!! He was very old too. I love his movies too, specially 'Blow up' which is a Pop Icon in itself.

[Sylvie]

well, i suppose i rather be reminded of bergman than ABBA as a representative of swedish culture....

[Poisoned_Apathy]