Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007), Swedish film, theatre, radio, and television director, and writer. The son of a Lutheran pastor, Bergman studied literature and art history before working as a production assistant at the Royal Opera, Stockholm. A production of Bergman's play The Death of Punch (1942) brought him to the attention of Svensk Filmindustri (SF), where he entered the script department in 1943. The following year, Bergman's first screenplay, Hets (Frenzy), was filmed by Alf Sjöberg.

From 1944 to 1952 Bergman was artistic director of the Hälsingborg City Theatre, during which period he directed his first film for SF, Kris (Crisis; 1946), and a series of adaptations for the independent producer Lorens Malmstedt. Of the latter, Fängelse (Prison; 1949), with its existential interests, established a narrative concern that brought international recognition for Bergman in films such as Gycklarnas Afton (Sawdust and Tinsel; 1953) and Det Sjunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal; 1957). Although Bergman directed lyrical films—in this context, Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries; 1957) evidences an affinity with the work of Victor Sjöström in its use of nested narratives—his position as cinema's heir to August Strindberg was consolidated by the two film trilogies he directed in the 1960s: firstly, Sasom i en Spegel (Through a Glass Darkly; 1961), Nattvardgästerna (Winter Light; 1962), and Tystnaden (The Silence; 1963); and, secondly, Persona (1966), Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf; 1968), and Skammen (Shame; 1968). Persona, with its disjointed prologue, compositional symmetries, extreme close shots, and sparsely evocative use of sound and music, exemplifies this new stringency in his work.

The 1970s brought Bergman international acclaim for his direction of films (Viskningar Och Rop, Cries and Whispers, 1973; Trollflöjten, The Magic Flute, 1975; Höstsonaten, Autumn Sonata, 1978), television (Scener ur ett Äktenskap, Scenes from a Marriage, 1973; Ansikte mot Ansikte, Face to Face, 1976), and theatre (The Wild Duck, 1972; The Ghost Sonata, and The Misanthrope, both 1973; and To Damascus, 1974). During the 1980s Bergman largely withdrew from film and television production, but continued to direct for Swedish theatre. Fanny och Alexander (Fanny and Alexander; 1982) stands as a testimony to his work in film and theatre.

Later, Bergman concentrated on writing, publishing autobiographical works (The Magic Lantern, 1987, and Images, 1990), and scripting Den Goda Viljan (The Best Intentions, directed by Bille August), Söndagsbarn (Sunday's Children, directed by his son, Daniel), both 1992; and Trolösa (2000; Faithless, directed by Liv Ullmann). He completed work on a new film for Swedish television, Saraband, in 2003, which revisited the characters of Scenes from a Marriage. He also directed Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen at the Barbican Theatre in 2003.

Awards made to Ingmar Bergman include: Golden Bear, Berlin Festival, 1958; Gold Plaque, Swedish Academy, 1958; Oscars, 1960, 1961, 1983 (Best Foreign Language Film), 1970 (Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for lifetime achievement); Erasmus Prize, The Netherlands, 1965; and honorary doctor of philosophy, University of Stockholm, 1975.