Famed director Ingmar Bergman passed away last week, (along with another legendary filmaker, Michelangelo Antonioni). Of course, there is acknowledgment of his talent and what he brought to film, but, frankly, I immediately felt this wave of nostalgia.
I associate Mr. Bergman with a black and white film about a chalk faced man in a black cloak. The movie was “The Seventh Seal”,(1957) with Max von Sydow and rest of Bergman’s stable of actors, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekero, Nils Poppe and Bibi Andersson. In short, the story is about a knight that returns from the crusades. After being followed home thru the devastation of a war torn and plague infested countryside, he plays a game of chess with “death” to save his life. Lots of stark landscapes, lots of symbolism. Terrific film.
In NYC, back in the day, you gained immediate “cred” if you had seen the “The Seventh Seal”. It established you as a serious person. In fact you were seen as a person with substance – you were not deterred by subtitles. (Yes, it seems silly and pretentious now, but, we saw great stuff! – Fellini, Truffaut, Antonioni, and Rosselini)
Anyway, nostalgia. A great director, and we still have his work. Hugely prolific, below are only some of Ingmar Bergman’s films that were seen here. We should all be grateful for DVD:
1950s: Smiles of a Summer Night, The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries
1960s: The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly, Persona
1970s: Cries and Whispers, Scenes from a Marriage , Autumn Sonata
1980s: Fanny and Alexander