THE DANMAN CAN

Ingmar Bergman 's existential masterpiece  The Seventh Seal (1957) is one of a handful of perfect films, succinctly encapsulating the struggles and mysteries of life, love, and death with lyrical, poetic imagery and words. Ingmar Bergman Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors The Danman Top 100 Films (2019 Edition) My Criterion Top 10 [Vol. 7]

Ingmar Bergman spent much of his career making films brimming with (brilliant) dialogue. While The Silence (1963) isn't quite silent there are indeed very few vocal exchanges. It's a film that relies heavily on its images, its erotically charged nature and its dreamlike impressionism (something Bergman would explore even further in Persona (1966)). The Silence  concerns the unusual and volatile relationship between two sisters (one sensual and emotionally detached, one intellectual and seriously ill) plus the son of the first, as they travel by train, eventually staying in a hotel in a small undisclosed city where war is imminent. While it's certainly tame by today's standards, the film's frank depictions of sex and frequent nudity were highly controversial in its day and oddly enough—though being cut in many countries—caused the film to be financially successful, based on its reputation. You can find my  Ingmar Bergman Feature Films Ranked  list  here . ...

I tend to have difficulty relating to films that center on religion, myself not being religious in the slightest. But  Ingmar Bergman  always offers something in his stories which causes me to pause and ponder.  Winter Light  (1963) concerns a pastor's ( Gunnar Björnstrand ) crisis of faith, his subserviently dedicated lover ( Ingrid Thulin ), and his inability to alleviate the debilitative fears of one of his parishioners ( Max von Sydow ). I didn't connect with Winter Light  as deeply as the rest of Bergman's work that I've seen, but I appreciated many things about it—it's deliberately slow quality, its beautifully intimate cinematography by  Sven Nykvist , and most of all, its lack of resolution in regard to existential doubt. You can find my  Ingmar Bergman Feature Films Ranked  list  here .

Ingmar Bergman 's Through a Glass Darkly (1961) is a somber meditation on mental illness, faith, love, family, despair, and artistic expression. It's beautifully contained on an island location, strikingly shot by Sven Nykvist  (primarily in bright light contrasting its subject matter) and fantastically portrayed across the board by the film's only four actors— Harriet Andersson , Gunnar Björnstrand , Max von Sydow and Lars Passgård . You can find my Ingmar Bergman Feature Films Ranked list here .

I've never seen an opera in person (though I'd love to someday, particularly in Italy), but I've seen a few filmed operas. I wasn't familiar with Mozart and librettist Emanuel Schikaneder 's 1791 opera, The Magic Flute , but I've learned that it's one of the most popular operas in the world. Ingmar Bergman 's 1975 film version of The Magic Flute  was originally broadcast on Swedish television and later given a cinematic release. Bergman's Flute  is a playful rendition that takes some welcome liberties such as behind the scenes glimpses of the production of the opera (an actor taking a cigarette break, the two leads playing chess, a dragon lurking about backstage), pictures come to life, and close-ups that you can't get in a stage show. Having been fascinated by the opera since his childhood, Bergman never loses sight of the core of the story though—a tale of good vs evil, with a prince and princess, but with some interesting twists. The Ma...

Ingmar Bergman 's Shame  ( Skammen ) (1968) is a powerful and sad film about how war will cause human beings to do terrible things to one another. The scoreless and bleak film features more action than your typical Bergman film—full of explosions and gunfire. But the focus remains on stars Eva ( Liv Ullmann ) and Jan Rosenberg ( Max von Sydow ), a politically uninvolved couple whose marriage deteriorates when they become innocent bystanders caught in the middle of a civil war. While they both do their fair share of mistreating each other with verbal barbs and minor physical violence, it is Jan who causes the ultimate division, irreparably damaging their relationship by his unforgivable actions. There is always poetry in Bergman films and here he saves it for the climax of the film, as Eva recollects a dream that seems to mirror the emotion the film finally imparts its audience with—emptiness. You can find my  Ingmar Bergman Feature Films Ranked  list  here ...

Sawdust And Tinsel (1953) was considered by director Ingmar Bergman himself to be his first truly great film. Of the films of his that predate Sawdust that I've seen (those being the two Summer  films), I think they are also both great but Sawdust really feels like Bergman hitting his stride and seems to be regarded as his first true masterpiece. Central to Sawdust is circus ringmaster Albert—beaten down by life on the road and having abandoned his wife and children—and his younger mistress Anne—a bareback rider in the show, just as eager to escape the carnie lifestyle. During our time spent with them, they make each other jealous and angry through various acts of self and outwardly-aimed degradation. We also spend time (including in one very effective and memorable flashback near the very beginning of the film) with another couple, the pathetic clown Frost and his headstrong but empathetic wife Alma. As well, there is a key scene between Albert and his wife, now successf...

Scenes From A Marriage  (1973) is a fascinating portrait of two very human beings that treat each other mostly awfully but most definitely love each other. Full of long philosophical discussions and uncomfortable moments,  SFAM   is a depressing and sobering watch but a terribly compelling one brought beautifully to life by its two leads, Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson  and directed by one of cinema's true masters, Ingmar Bergman . You can find my Ingmar Bergman Feature Films Ranked list here .

I updated my Top 20 Directors Letterboxd list to include links to my Ranked list for each director. You can view the list (and access those additional lists) here .

Of the eleven Bergman  films that I've seen thus far, The Virgin Spring  (1960) is the most disturbing but also the most powerful. You truly feel the horror when Birgitta Pettersson 's Karin loses her innocence, without the director resorting to gratuity. You feel the rage and remorse when  Max von Sydow 's Töre enacts his revenge upon his daughter's rapist/killers, without the need for gore. And you feel the hope that springs eternal, when the world seems to offer nothing but darkness and despair. A haunting but beautiful ponderance on religion, guilt, and justice. Ingmar Bergman Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors My Criterion Top 10 [Vol. 5]

Filled with typically beautiful shots and lyrical writing, but my least favorite Bergman so far. I didn't find it as powerful and engaging as his other works. Granted, I've only seen 10 of his 60+ films.

I'm not sure what it is exactly about Ingmar Bergman , but long scenes of dialogue from his films (of which there are many), that if filmed by virtually any other director would bore me, manage to entrance, captivate and compel me. Perhaps it's his sense of loneliness, longing and the poetry inherent in his films. Perhaps it's the moods he sets, the painterly quality of his shots or the connection I feel to the emotions his characters portray. Whatever is it, I find that I have great patience and appreciation for everything he does. With each film I discover by him, my love for his work only grows. Truly a master.

At 5 hours and 22 minutes, the longest film I've ever seen and one of the best. Masterful.

3 reasons to see this film:

"Not a day has gone by in my life when I haven't thought about death. Or when the thought of death hasn't touched me in some way."

3 reasons to see this film: