Ingmar Bergman

[tugmoose]

Film director Bergman dies at 89

Ingmar Bergman

Bergman was one of the foremost film-makers of the 20th Century

 

Legendary film-maker Ingmar Bergman has died aged 89, according to a Swedish news agency.

 

One of the key figures in modern cinema, his 60-year career has spanned intense classics like Cries & Whispers, The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries.

 

He was nominated for nine Oscars himself, while his films won the best foreign film Oscar three times.

 

Bergman died at his home in Faro, Sweden, the Swedish news agency TT said, citing his daughter Eva Bergman.

 

The director was married five times, most recently to Ingrid von Rosen.

 

He fathered eight children, including one who only found out she was his daughter at the age of 22.

 

Unsurprisingly, his work often explored the tensions between married couples.

 

Acting student

 

Bergman was born in 1918. His father was a Lutheran chaplain to the Swedish royal family and a strict disciplinarian.

 

As a child, Bergman used to help a local projectionist with film screenings and trained as an actor and director at the University of Stockholm.

 

He eventually became director of the Helsingborg City Theatre in 1944, the same year that saw his first film script, Frenzy, brought to the big screen by Alf Sjoberg.

 

Bergman made his own directorial debut with Crisis in 1946, the first of more than 40 films he directed in his career.

 

But it was not until the appearance of two tales of all-consuming love affairs - Summer Interlude in 1951 and Summer with Monika in 1953 - that his cinematic work was celebrated.

 

His reputation was sealed by the international art-house hit The Seventh Seal in 1957.

 

The movie, currently back in cinemas to celebrate its 50th anniversary, is famous for the often-parodied scene in which one of the characters plays chess with death.

[cryptique]

Who knew he was even still alive?

 

RIP, I.B.

[Beltmann]

I credit Ingmar Bergman with jumpstarting my lifelong infatuation with the movies. When I saw The Seventh Seal as a teenager, it completely exploded my notions of what movies could be. Later I tracked down dozens of his other films, and I feel fortunate to have seen a few, including his last film, Saraband, on the big screen. If Fellini is the great extrovert of the movies, then Bergman is its great introvert--for my money, he's one of the four or five greatest filmmakers in history.

[boywiththorninside]

Woody Allen must be bummed today. RIP.

[napoleon]

Woody Allen must be bummed today. RIP.

 

that's exactly what i was thinking. : /

[GtrPlyr]

Bergman was one of the greatest directors of our time. I always found his films to be thought provoking, whether they were tackling subjects like love and relationships, or questioning religion and God. Anyone who hasn't checked out the man's work should rush out and get: Persona, Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal, Fanny & Alexander, Scenes from a Marriage, Autumn Sonata, Cries and Whispers, The Silence... heck, start from the beginning and work your way forward.

[Beltmann]

The Virgin Spring is probably my favorite overall. Like many Bergmans, it's a philosophical inquiry of forgiveness wound up tight around the aesthetics of faith and suffering, but like few Bergmans, it has a magical, fable-like quality.

 

It's interesting to me that Bergman's reputation has nosedived over the last 10-15 years. For many film aficionadoes, Bergman has become rather passe--too introspective, too tormented, I guess--but when I first started getting into film, he was definitely top tier. Strange how things ebb and flow.

 

Three Bergman masterpieces that unfairly exist in the shadows of his better-known titles: Winter Light, Shame, and Smiles of a Summer Night. Actually, I really can't think of any Bergmans that I dislike, except for The Serpent's Egg. There are a minor handful that I still need to catch up with, too.

[GtrPlyr]

The Virgin Spring is probably my favorite overall.

The Virgin Spring is really fantastic, one of my favorites too. I believe it even won the Academy Award for foreign film at the time.

 

Three Bergman masterpieces that unfairly exist in the shadows of his better-known titles: Winter Light, Shame, and Smiles of a Summer Night.

Absolutely. I'd also add Through a Glass Darkly and Summer with Monika to that list of overlooked ones.

 

I just got this the other day. I'm quite looking forward to seeing these as I've never seen any of them before:

 

[Hi my name is Lee]

Can anyone suggest some Bergman to someone who's never seen one of his film's before? Or offer a short description of what he's like?

[Sir Stewart]

Can anyone suggest some Bergman to someone who's never seen one of his film's before?

Anyone who hasn't checked out the man's work should rush out and get: Persona, Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal, Fanny & Alexander, Scenes from a Marriage, Autumn Sonata, Cries and Whispers, The Silence... heck, start from the beginning and work your way forward.

 

Or offer a short description of what he's like?

The Virgin Spring is probably my favorite overall. Like many Bergmans, it's a philosophical inquiry of forgiveness wound up tight around the aesthetics of faith and suffering

 

his work often explored the tensions between married couples.

[Aeglos]

i'm not sure that there's an easy way into Bergman's films... start with anything except Persona?

 

his films are visually beautiful, though ascetic, but in terms of content tackle a pretty harsh philosophical terrain concerning the absence of god, and various intrinsic aspects of life which are ethically ambiguous, and the way in which they effect our relationships

 

he demands a fiar bit of his audience but its worth it - i'd try Winter Light and if that holds your interest the rest will just follow