Ingmar Bergman was an existential hero. His movies were imbued with the melancholy, philosophical renderings of fellow Scandinavian Soren Kirkegaard. His movies were not only extensions of existential thought, but were treatments of the absurd, sad, and bizarre aspects of human life.
He employed his actors in roles that often times were inscrutable and devoid of logical truths. Some of his most remarkable works were the most difficult to decipher. He had a long, fruitful career, and enjoyed a meaningful life. He was an inspiration to any filmmaker (Woody Allen cites him as his idol), and to cult and foreign film adorers alike. He made many, many films over the course of his 60 year career, and some of them I highlight below. If you were to glean anything from his oeuvres, it would be this: he is auteur theory exemplified.
The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet), 1957
Wild Strawberries (Smultronstallet), 1957
Persona, 1966
Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander), 1982
[commentary coming soon]
