Quick takes on 5 CLASSIC BERGMAN films

Ingmar Bergman is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time, directing over 60 movies in his life, as well as being heavily involved in theater. He won a boatload of awards including 3 Oscars (all for Best Foreign Language Film, in his native Swedish), and was even nominated in the Best Picture category once, one of only 10 foreign films to ever receive such a nomination. I recently sat down to watch 5 of his greats, four of which were for the first time for me.

Through a Glass Darkly is a 1961 film. There are just four characters, being centered on Karin, her husband Martin, her brother Minus, and her Papa, David. Karin suffers from schizophrenia and was recently released by an asylum, and seems to be clinging to sanity through the sheer force of will of her husband. Her and her brother have lacked for attention from their father, who has always put his career as a writer first and foremost. The film follows Karin’s slow and painful circle towards madness. The movie oozes with trepidation and tensity, and along with Karin, we feel the inevitable approaching, with seemingly nothing to prevent it. Beautifully acted, written, and, of course, directed, this is a haunting masterpiece.

It is hard to do a “quick take” on a film that approaches five and a half hours long, as Fanny and Alexander does (Bergman did edit out a “short” three hour version for theatrical release, but that is for chumps). The full version was released in Sweden as a TV miniseries, and was intended to be Bergman’s final film in 1982, though as all the greats find, he couldn’t stay away and came back to make 8 more movies. Despite the title, this one is mostly about the boy, Alexander, who lives a dream-filled existence as he teeters on the edge of childhood and manhood. Amusingly, we really don’t even get to know Alexander well until two hours into the movie, as we start with introductions to his vast family first. Though this might seem a bore, it later becomes essential to know what makes all of these varied characters tick. When Alexander’s and his sister Fanny’s father dies, and their mother marries a staunch, austere Bishop, their carefree and happy lives are torn apart. Their stepfather is strict and cruel, but by now it is too late for the mother to leave. The film borders on the magical as Alexander sees ghosts around him, the imaginary machinations of a boy’s mind at work, but in the end, the movie feels very real and tangible. I’m not going to lie, five hours is a long time to sit through any movie, and since most of the “action” takes place in the last 2 hours of this one, it can be a challenge to get through. But for any film lover with the patience to see this one play out, with all of its nuance, it is well worth it.

Bergman did what many filmmakers do, which is create very personal films. On the surface, The Magician (1958) doesn’t seem so. It is about a traveling troupe led by an illusionist, Dr Vogler. Vogler’s band travels from city to city performing acts of mysticism, but is recently down on its luck. They are stopped at the estate of Egerman to put on a show. Egerman, along with a scientist, Dr Vergerus, and the local chief of police, wish to expose Vogler as a charlatan. While the other members of Vogler’s group provide comic relief (Tubal flirts with the older cook, the old witch provides love potions to estate’s workers, and the driver Simson has a dalliance of his own), it is Vogler who provides the thrills. A mute, his penetrating stares create tension and a sense of foreboding, leading to a terrifying conclusion when he is “unmasked.” Bergman wrote this film as an allegory on his own career. Vogler is the center of a grand play, the director, but he has little power left in him anymore, relying on falsehoods to trick his viewers (audience), but in reality lives in fear of being exposed. Many of the other characters in the film have muses of their own in Bergman’s professional life. While this film wasn’t heralded in its time, it has grown in stature over time, and has all of the characteristics you expect from a good Bergman movie.

Smiles of a Summer Night is a classic comedy by Bergman, with few of the fantastic elements he often employed. It follows four distinct couples over the course of the movie, whose relationships all intermix. Fredrik, an older man, is married to the much younger Anne, with whom he has not consecrated their marriage due to her youth an unease. Fredrick’s former mistress, the beautiful and popular actress Desiree, is now seeing the Count. The Count’s wife, Charlotte, happens to be best friends with Anne. Fredrik’s son from his first wife, Henrik, is infatuated with his step-mom Anne, but also flirts with the family housekeeper, Petra, who in turn seeks a more worldly man, whom she finds later in the film as Frid. If it sounds like a whole lot, that is just the introductions! This is a love triangle set to the extreme, and while fun even when taken on a superficial level, it still has plenty of the deeper elements you’d expect from a Bergman film.

The Seventh Seal is the film that put Ingmar Bergman on the map in the USA, in 1957, and one that is still parodied and “borrowed from” today. It is the fantastic tale of a knight returning to Sweden from the crusades in the middle ages, only to have his fate decided by a chess match with none other than Death himself. Antonius Block is a man at a crossroads. He has spent 10 years fighting for the church, but now questions God’s intent, or even the existence of Him at all. Even Death will not answer his questions, so he challenges him to a game of chess to try to save himself some time, time he wants to use to do something truly great, as he feels to this point his life has been meaningless. Jons, his squire, has already given up the idea of God, and while still a caring man towards others, he has no use for faith anymore. The two set out through the country, coming across evidence of the plague sweeping through the country. Throughout the film, they meet a traveling family of jugglers/entertainers, a thief, a woman being falsely persecuted by the church as a witch, a scapegoat for bringing the plague, and others. Antonius continues to look for hope in all of these places, but finds none. When it becomes apparent that he will lose his chess match, he makes sure to see the traveling family away safe, so they will not share his fate. This becomes his one good act, but whether he sees God in his work or not, is left to the audience to decide. Again, a personal film for Bergman, who grew up in a strict, Christian home, as the son of a devout and unyielding Lutheran minister. Bergman questions the blind faith of others, though as the film itself states, it wouldn’t be faith if we had all the answers. A masterful and moving film, one that deservedly cemented Bergman’s reputation.