Ingmar Bergman

Posted by jeldobar on March 21, 2008 at 12:25am in Foreign Films

I'm Not Brand New to Foreign Films but definately Have Not even begun to scratch the surface !!!
My Introduction to Bergman was " The Virgin Spring " ... I liked it .. I didn't love it though..

The Next Bergman Movies on my Netflix Queue Are " The Trilogy of Faith " Films and '' Persona '' ....

What is your Rankings of Bergman Films??

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BitPart on March 21, 2008 at 7:22pm: My first focused Bergman film was 'Through a Glass Darkly'. I followed that with 'The Seventh Seal". I have the body of his work scattered throughout my NF queue so the jury is still out. As a Director, he definitely is an imagery and symbolism guy. So far like you, he's averaging a "like it" status. I did enjoy the Glass Darkly story the most (****). Ingmar is one of those old school directors, so I feel compelled to watch all his films.... and will. He at times is a little psycho on the what, why God and human existence theme as well as the darker elements of family relationships and human interactions. Of course, I don't know him personally, but my first impression is he's more the glass half empty kind of guy!! I'll give you my full take after I see everything else? Good thread topic. Later.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Criss on March 27, 2008 at 4:33pm: I liked The Magician . Its a lot more of a conventional film than a lot of Bergman's others.

Max Von Sydow, of course, is great in this one. It also doesn't ahve a nice, tidy explanation or ending either.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jeldobar on March 27, 2008 at 10:25pm: thank you for the suggestion; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mighty on July 24, 2008 at 4:15pm: I am not even sure you can get The Magician in the US. I could be wrong but I dont think it is released.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by joeoftexas on April 23, 2008 at 6:57am: Winter Light is my personal favorite, but it's a difficult film for many viewers...

Sawdust and Tinsel, Wild Strawberries, The Silence, & Persona are all worth watching.

You might also want to try The Passion Of Anna, Hour Of The Wolf, & Shame.

http://www.netflix.com/RoleDisplay/Ingmar_Bergman/20000363?lnkctr=s...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by flm.snb on April 28, 2008 at 9:42pm: Autumn Sonata (1978) was pretty accessible. Stars Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullman.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by beeswax on April 29, 2008 at 4:25pm: I think, if you're feeling cool toward Bergman, that these three films could change your mind.

Wild Strawberries - Along with The Seventh Seal, this helped give him his international reputation, and helped launch the mania for foreign films that started in the late '50s and continued strong through the '70s.
Autumn Sonata - I've had more people thank me for recommending this film than maybe any other single title in my long career of kibitzing about movies. Also, it is one of Ingrid Bergman's greatest performances, and her final film.
Fanny and Alexander - It may be too heavy a burden for me to say this, but I really cannot imagine anybody disliking this movie. It is beautiful, funny, frightening, magical, universal -- all the things we look for movies to be.

It's also fun to approach Bergman from the viewpoint of his most famous admirer, Woody Allen. A double bill of Smiles of a Summer Night and A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is not unheard of. And you've already seen enough Bergman to "get" Love and Death. (You'll know you're hooked on Bergman when you seek out Woody's Interiors.); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by staahsha on May 31, 2008 at 8:28pm: Hi Jeldobar, great topic.

I really love Cries and Whispers, Autumn Sonata is incredible, too. Winter Light, Through a Glass Darkly and Scenes from a Marriage are all really good.

A great book to read about Bergman on Bergman is The Magic Lantern.

I see that you posted your first question back in March, have you been able to see any more Bergman films, and what did you think?

I practically worship the guy and hated when he died recently, but I know he's not everyone's cup of tea....; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jeldobar on June 14, 2008 at 12:34am: I just finished the " Trilogy of Faith " Films.
I liked " Winter Light " the most out of all three. I think I might have to rewatch " The Silence '' . I was totally In love with the way that it was shot! But the story was a little lost on me. I felt like I could understand more of what was happening in the first two. But in " The Silence " the relationships were very strange. i.e. The Mother/Son and of course The Sisters was quite strange.

Next on the queue for Bergman is " Wild Strawberries "; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by staahsha on June 14, 2008 at 6:53am: Hi Jeldobar,
I liked Winter Light the best, too. I didn't care for The Silence, I like my surrealism like Bunuel's, with a sense of humor. Although, Wild Strawberries has that famous, great dream sequence in it that is deadly serious and very effective. Curious to know what you think.

Give Cries and Whispers a look if you like the way things are shot, it is amazing.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mighty on June 21, 2008 at 8:26pm: Bergman is a fave of mine. Persona is a well done film but often too confusing for most. If you watch it, don't expect to understand everything, it isn't the point. Wild Strawberries for the time it was made is a perfect Bergman film and follows many of his themes. The Seventh Seal, I really liked but feel it is overrated and has its flaws. Sawdust and Tinsel, I gave 3 stars. I liked it but didn't think it was that great. It is also one of his earlier films. Through a Glass Darkly is a great film. I loved it, but might seem a little out dated and mental illness has been covered many times.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Will on July 11, 2008 at 5:59am: Bergman's Best:

Shame
Fanny and Alexander
Autumn Sonata
The Passion of Anna
Persona
Smiles of a Summer Night
Scenes from a Marriage (I don't know if Netflix offers the television version, but try to get that rather than the theatrical release version)
Saraband

If you want a really incisive view of the master, read his autobiography, The Magic Lantern. Ullmann's autobiography, Changing, is good, too.; ▶ Reply to This