Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) was and will remain one of the greatest filmmakers ever. His eye for detail and, more so, his eye for poetically ...
Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) was and will remain one of the greatest filmmakers ever. His eye for detail and, more so, his eye for poetically capturing everyday life will remain unparalleled. His films were excessively bleak and depressing (he also made a comedy!) but also life-affirming. He passed away on July 30, 2007.
His greatest achievement (in terms of filmmaking) was the 1966 film Persona, starring Liv Ullman and Bibi Andersson. Persona is easily one of the most surreal films ever made (the meaning of which is still a topic of heated debate) — it’s baffling to think about. What does it mean? It could mean either of the two: Elisabet was just a part of Alma’s twisted psyche or vice versa. Gorgeous black-and-white photography makes the film an aesthetically pleasing treat, brushing aside the inherent ominous nature of the film. The film starts with an especially surreal montage of images showcasing a boy in a, as it seems, barren hospital, waking up and touching a giant picture of Elisabet, intercut with the picture of a penis (something which David Fincher used in his 1999 film Fight Club). The film ends the same way: a picture of a penis and then a shot of film burning. Persona is one of the greatest films ever made.
Another
one of Bergman’s films, a personal favourite of mine, Hour of the Wolf, is a
horror film. Nobody expected Bergman to make a horror film, but he did!
Hour of the Wolf, for me, is one of the greatest horror films ever made. It’s
terrifying because it’s real. Everything depicted in the film could very well
happen to anyone on Earth. The depression and the isolation play a big part in
the film (as it does in every Bergman film), along with the paranoia and
marital issues. Marital issues were another aspect of life Bergman was
fascinated by. Nearly every film of his had some sort of marital issue in it,
either it was the plot or the subplot, but it was present in the film, an
underlying theme Bergman tried to explore till the end of his career. Hour of
the Wolf is also Bergman’s most explicit film in terms of sexuality and
violence. It is, for me, one of the most effective Bergman films as it takes
real-life horror and turns it into something surreal.
Bergman
had this gift for turning everyday situations into something
otherworldly…surreal. His film Wild Strawberries is the best example of that.
The film is fairly simple (on paper, at least): it follows a professor as he travels with his daughter-in-law to receive an honorary degree, but it’s visually surreal. The film is basically him introspecting and
remembering sweet and sour memories. Beautifully photographed (like all of
Bergman’s films), Wild Strawberries is a gentle examination of memories and
regrets.
Beautiful
photography was an essential part of every Bergman film. The way he played with
lighting is simply something to marvel at. The way he directed his actors is
also something to marvel at. His direction will remain unparalleled till the
time cinema exists.
By
Ravit Mishra
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