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Deeply moving and profoundly intellectual Bergman films are made to be watched again and again, and savored long afterward.
If you’ve ever taken a course in film criticism, then you’ve probably studied the surreal works of Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish filmmaker died recently at age 89, leaving behind a legacy of some of the darkest, deepest, most compelling dramas ever made. Dark and SymbolicRich with symbolism, his films concern the visible versus the unseen, separation versus blending, young versus old, light versus dark, and the living versus the dying, Bergman may be remembered most for his examination of religion in The Seventh Seal (1956), his much-analyzed chess match on a beach between a knight fighting for his life and a cloaked figure of “Death.” Woven throughout many of Bergman’s films (including one of his early films titled Dreams [1955]) is the exploration of what is real and what is an illusion – either dreamed, fantasized, or hallucinated. In his classic Hour of the Wolf (1968), one character says,” Dreams can be made known.” The filmmaker attempts to make dreams known throughout much of his work, forcing characters to drift in and out of consciousness until they are often uncertain about whether or not they have gone insane or have merely become more enlightened. Representative WorksWith more than 30 Bergman films to choose from, you can start with these representative works if you haven’t seen any of his films – or haven’t seen them lately. Like most of his other movies, these four masterpieces contrast mundane realities of the everyday world with bizarre altered states of the mind. Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop 1972): An intellectual chick flick about three sisters and their servant. While one sister lies dying of tuberculosis, each woman retreats into a fantasy world to escape the cruel reality. Dreams, fantasies, and memories of the women overlap with each other in this dark, brooding piece. Stars: Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Kari Sylwan. Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen): A frightening look at the life of a tormented artist haunted by nightmares and humiliations who lives with his wife on an isolated island. The title of the film refers to the hour when most people die, when most people are born, and when most people have nightmares. The film provides an intense study of issues such as art, love, suffering, time, isolation, and observation. Stars: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Ingrid Thulin. Persona (1966): Through dreams and hallucinations, a pretty young nurse and her manipulative patient, a famous actress who refuses to speak, blend identities in this unsettling look at self-imposed isolation. This film is fascinating to watch, though slightly difficult to decipher. Stars: Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Gunnar Bjornstrand. Wild Strawberries (Smultronstallet 1957): One of Bergman’s more accessible films, this movie is marked by an aging professor’s nightmares and daydreams about his lost youth and mistakes of his past. Filled with deep symbolism, intricate details, brilliant dream sequences, and layered performances, this film packs an emotional punch. Stars: Victor Sjostrom, Bibi Andersson, Max von Sydow. For more information about dreams on film, read Dream Images in Paprika and Behind Spider-Man's Mask.
The copyright of the article Films of Ingmar Bergman in Foreign Films is owned by Leslie Halpern. Permission to republish Films of Ingmar Bergman in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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