RIP Ingmar Bergman…

I’m not nearly as conversant with the work of director Ingmar Bergman as I ought to be.  He really was one of the greats of international cinema, a name to be conjured with on the order of Fellini or Kurasawa.  Yet sadly, I’ve seen only a few of his films.  (Ironically, I have a copy of Hour of the Wolf sitting atop my TV set, checked out of the libary last week.)

However, I am a big fan of The Seventh Seal.  (Yes, I know, not exactly taking a chance there.)  I’ve seen it in theaters several times, and it’s a glorious piece of work, well worth continued study.  If you have never seen it, you really should seek out a copy.  It’s a truly remarkable work, and without doubt one of the hundred greatest films of all time.  It’s also a great watch. 

In any case, anyone who considers themselves a lover of film could do worse than to seek out and watch a Bergman movie or two.  Another giant leaves the stage, leaving it to altogether lesser men.

  • Ed Richardson

    I really liked the Seventh Seal as a teenager when I had aspirations of acting and sought out “important” films. I know we all know him, like Kurosawa, for his expressionistic black and white films, but like Kurosawa his shot notable color movies, my favorite being Cries and Whispers.

    Coincidentally, this weekend I watched the MST3K episode of the Russian film “The Sword and the Dragon” where they do the “A joke by Ingmar Bergman” skit. Only the MST3K crew could pull off a parody of Bergman. It’s hilarious.

  • Shawn Pollock

    I’ve seen some of the more famous Bergman films (The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, The Virgin Spring) and thought they were okay, but he really turned my head with “Winter Light”. I found it interesting to hear that it was the only one of his films he was ever fully satisfied with. That and Dreyer’s “Ordet” make a heck of a double feature.