A sad day for serious film lovers everywhere. Ingmar Bergman dead at 89.
Bergman was in many ways a launching point for my love affair with art cinema, his film "The Seventh Seal" opening a vast world for a bored suburban teen almost 10 years ago. I'm sure the story rings true for many, many people.
One scene in particular always stands out in my mind. The knight meets the traveling caravan of performers and sits down in a meadow with them to share their berries and cream. A distinct hush of peace fills the scene- smiles, a laughing baby, and a faint breeze rustling the grass. A moment of pure worldly bliss that momentarily lifts the knight's existential angst (and my own).
Of the many I've seen and enjoyed, my personal very favorites:
Autumn Sonata - 1978
The Serpent's Egg - 1977 (can I really be the only Bergman fan that genuinely likes this one?)
Scenes from a Marriage -1973
Cries and Whispers - 1972 (favorite of favorites)
Hour of the Wolf - 1968
Persona - 1966
The Seventh Seal - 1957
...so many greats in his oeuvre, the above are my personal picks. Some films I feel bad about excluding, like "Wild Strawberries" for instance, but they didn't resonate as much as the above on first viewing. To be perfectly honest, I think Bergman is at his best when he addresses deep existential, spiritual, and psychological issues-- so I have to admit I've neglected his early comedies.
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