Ingmar Bergman Vols. 1-4

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yoloswegmaster
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Ingmar Bergman Vols. 1-4

#1 Post by yoloswegmaster » Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:50 am

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Ingmar Bergman Vol. 1 (5-disc Blu-ray)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman, Alf Sjöberg and Gustaf Molander

For over 50 years, Ingmar Bergman produced ground-breaking works of cinema that established him as one of the world's most acclaimed, enduring and influential filmmakers.

Ingmar Bergman: Volume One marks the first of a four volume celebration of the auteur's work – available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK – and reflects on the opening stages of Bergman's career.

Presented over 5 discs, the set features 2K restorations of eight early written or directed by Bergman. Including initial partnerships with regular collaborators (such as cinematographer Gunnar Fischer and actor Birger Malmsten), these early works exhibit his burgeoning talents, introducing themes and tones that he would continue to develop over the next five decades.

The films:
Torment (Dir: Alf Sjöberg | Scr. Ingmar Bergman, 1944), Crisis (1946), Eva (Dir: Gustaf Molander | Scr. Ingmar Bergman, 1948), Music in Darkness (1948), Port of Call (1948), Prison (1949), Three Strange Loves(1949), and To Joy (1950).

Special Features:

• The Guardian Interview: Ingmar Bergman (1982, 62 mins, audio only): Ingmar Bergman pays tribute to Alf Sjöberg, the director of Torment, discussing his influence and impact on his own career
• Ingmar Bergman: First Cries, Early Whispers (2021, 20 mins): a new video essay by writer, filmmaker and film journalist Leigh Singer
• 100-page perfect-bound book featuring new essays by Jan Holmberg (CEO of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation), Philip Kemp, Geoff Andrew, Jessica Kiang, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Kat Ellinger and Laura Hubner

Product details
RRP: £59.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1423 / 15
Sweden / 1944-1950 / black and white / 736 minutes / Swedish, with optional English language subtitles / original aspect ratios 1.37:1 // 5 x BD50: 1080p, 24fps, LPCM 1.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)


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Ingmar Bergman Vol. 2 (6-disc Blu-ray)

For over 50 years, Ingmar Bergman produced ground-breaking works of cinema that established him as one of the world’s most acclaimed, enduring and influential filmmakers.

In the 1950s he firmly established himself at the vanguard of world cinema. Following his breakthrough success Summer with Monika (1953), Bergman continued with a series of ground-breaking productions, many of which are still considered some of the greatest films ever made.

Presented over six discs, Ingmar Bergman: Volume Two features eight landmark titles by the iconic filmmaker – presented together on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. These include the Palme d’Or-nominated comedy Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), the introspective meditation on old age and human existence, Wild Strawberries (1957) and the iconic exploration of faith and death, The Seventh Seal (1957).

The films:
Summer Interlude (1951), Waiting Women (1952), Summer with Monika (1953), A Lesson in Love (1954), Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Magician (1958)

Extras:

• Audio commentary on The Seventh Seal by film critic and editor-in-chief of Diabolique magazine, Kat Ellinger
• Perfect-bound book featuring new essays by David Jenkins, Ellen Cheshire, Leigh Singer, Kieron McCormack, Philip Kemp, Jessica Kiang, Geoff Andrew and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Other extras TBC


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The Seventh Seal 4K UHD + Blu-ray

As the plague tears through medieval Europe, a knight (Max von Sydow), returning from the Crusades, challenges Death to a game of chess in order to postpone his demise.
An allegorical masterpiece asking big questions about faith and superstition, Ingmar Bergman’s iconic The Seventh Seal remains one of cinema’s most important and influential films.
Presented here for the first time on 4K Ultra HD – the BFI’s first ever UHD release – experience Bergman’s timeless classic like never before.

Extras
• Presented on 4K UHD Blu-ray and High Definition Blu-ray
• Audio commentary on The Seventh Seal by film critic and editor-in-chief of Diabolique magazine, Kat Ellinger
• Other extras TBC


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Wild Strawberries Blu-ray

Opening with a starkly symbolic dream sequence, Wild Strawberries follows Professor Isak Borg as he journeys by car in the company of his daughter-in-law to collect an award from his former university. The trip occasions a series of reminiscences and reveries, as the ageing Borg revisits the scenes of his youth and reflects on an unhappy marriage.
Bergman pays tribute to his forebears by casting great filmmaker Victor Sjöstrom as Borg, but strikes out for a new form of intellectual cinema characterised by probing into the nature of existence.

Extras
• Presented in High Definition
• Fully illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Geoff Andrew, original review and full film credits

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Ingmar Bergman Vol. 3:

For more than 50 years, Ingmar Bergman produced groundbreaking works of cinema that established him as one of the world’s most acclaimed, enduring and influential filmmakers.

Firmly established as one of cinema’s most original and artistic talents by the 1960s, Bergman continued his explorations of the human psyche with a series of increasingly provocative and stylised productions.

Including the Oscar-winning rape-and-revenge drama The Virgin Spring (1960), his assessment on the purpose and promise of religion in the Faith Trilogy (Through a Glass Darkly, The Silence, Winter Light), and the landmark psychological drama Persona (1966), through these films Bergman challenged audiences to confront and consider topics seldom explored with such depth.

The films:
The Virgin Spring (1960)
The Devil's Eye (1960)
Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
The Silence (1963)
Winter Light (1963)
All These Women (1964)
Persona (1966)
The Rite (1969)

Extras:
• Newly commissioned audio commentary on The Virgin Spring by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
• The Men and Bergman (2007, 52 mins): Eva Beling’s documentary featuring Erland Josephson, Thommy Berggren,
Börje Ahlstedt and Thorsten Flinck
• 100-page perfect bound book featuring new essays by Catherine Wheatley, Claire Marie Healy, Jannike Åhlund,
Philip Kemp, Ellen Cheshire, Geoff Andrew, Andrew Graves and Kat Ellinger
• Other extras TBC
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Ingmar Bergman Vol. 4 (6-disc Blu-ray set)

For more than 50 years , Ingmar Bergman produced ground breaking works of cinema that established him as one of the world’s most acclaimed, enduring and influential filmmakers.
By the 1970s and 80s, Bergman was recognised as the doyen of directors but continued to produce trailblazing films throughout the latter period of his career.
This final volume includes Cries and Whispers (1972), his examination of suffering and the female psyche, Autumn Sonata (1978), his heralded collaboration with Ingrid Bergman, and his epic, Oscar®-winning and deeply personal Fanny and Alexander (1982) (presented in both its theatrical and television versions).

The Films
Cries and Whispers (1972) | Scenes from a Marriage (1973) | Autumn Sonata (1978) | Faro Document (1979) | From the Life of the Marrionettes (1980) | Fanny and Alexander (1982) | Fanny and Alexander (TV series) (1983) | After the Rehearsal (1984)

Special features/extras:
•Extras TBC
•Newly commissioned artwork by Andrew Bannister
•Limited edition of 5,000
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Fanny and Alexander (2-disc Blu-ray)

On tumultuous year in the life of the Ekdahl family is viewed through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, whose imagination fuels the magical goings-on leading up to and following the death of his father. When his mother remarries a stern bishop, Alexander and his sister Fanny are banished to a gothic world.
Directed by Ingmar Bergman and drawing heavily on his own memories, it highlights the young protagonist’s fascination with storytelling, while also serving as a kind of confessional critique of Bergman’s films and reworked themes, with trademark scenes of martial infighting, desperate grief, and searching existential enquiry.
This two-disc Blu-ray features both the Oscar®-winning theatrical cut and original television mini-series, presented together on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

Special features / extras:
To be confirmed
Last edited by yoloswegmaster on Thu Nov 03, 2022 3:25 pm, edited 7 times in total.

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domino harvey
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#2 Post by domino harvey » Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:52 am

Which 8 films?

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yoloswegmaster
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#3 Post by yoloswegmaster » Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:55 am

Whoops, I thought I had them posted. It is Torment, Crisis , Eva , Music in Darkness, Port of Call, Prison , Three Strange Loves, and To Joy.

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#4 Post by EddieLarkin » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:01 am

Nice to see Torment (goodbye Eclipse Series 1!). Eva, Music in Darkness and Prison are also new to Blu-ray. The other 4 are already in Ingmar Bergman Cinema.

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domino harvey
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#5 Post by domino harvey » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:07 am

Nice, not a bad set when we can get the four remaining early Bergman Tartan DVDs upgraded

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Rayon Vert
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#6 Post by Rayon Vert » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:17 am

Damn, and of course I had just ordered Prison on dvd to buffer the Berman cinema set. (I had a rip of it.)

Why wasn't It Rains on Our Love included? Different studio?

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dustybooks
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#7 Post by dustybooks » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:28 am

Prison is such a major work and I really missed it in the Criterion box, so this is wonderful news.

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willoneill
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#8 Post by willoneill » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:36 am

4 not-on-blu Bergmans is value enough for me. Sold!

Will be interesting to see what the make-up of the other three volumes are.

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#9 Post by Nw_jahrles » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:51 am

BFI website will only be selling this to UK customers (and related territories). Hopefully it will be available from other retailers.

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JSC
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#10 Post by JSC » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:52 am

So Bergman's filmography (as director) will be nearly complete on blu. Minus the following.

This Can't Happen Here (probably will never see this anywhere, Bergman having disowned the film)
Stimulantia Omnibus film with contributions from Bergman, Vilgot Sjoman, et al.
Face to Face (Television / theatrical versions)
The Blessed Ones (television film)
In the Presence of a Clown (television film)
The Image Makers (television film)

halcf
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#11 Post by halcf » Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:37 am

Does anyone know where I can find a copy in any region of Bergman's complete Face to Face?

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rapta
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#12 Post by rapta » Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:57 pm

I thought Face to Face was with Paramount but according to Park Circus the rights are with StudioCanal...so ball's in their court.

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#13 Post by MichaelB » Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:18 pm

EddieLarkin wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:01 am
Nice to see Torment (goodbye Eclipse Series 1!). Eva, Music in Darkness and Prison are also new to Blu-ray. The other 4 are already in Ingmar Bergman Cinema.
Happily, three of them are not merely good films but a distinct cut above the other 1940s titles in the Criterion box. The fact that Torment, Eva and Prison are original Bergman screenplays makes a substantial difference - and, by his own cheerful admission, he wasn't an experienced enough director to do his own writing full justice at the time, whereas Alf Sjöberg (Torment) and Gustaf Molander (Eva) clearly were. And Prison is fascinating as his first full-blown auteur film (it's probably the most glaring omission from the Criterion box), although Bergman wasn't the least bit blind to its shortcomings - frankly, he bit off far more than he could comfortably chew given the restricted budget and schedule and what was still comparative inexperience, but the first few minutes rank alongside pretty much anything else that he ever did.

As for Music in Darkness... well, Bergman had to pay the rent somehow, and in fact he took on that project (a pretty glutinous melodramatic weepie about a musician struck blind after trying to rescue a cute ickle puppy that had foolishly wandered onto a firing range) specifically to atone for previous commercial failures. For someone so often painted as the archetypal aloof and distant artist, Bergman was in fact acutely conscious of the risks that his producers were taking on his behalf, and felt obliged to repay them somehow.

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domino harvey
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#14 Post by domino harvey » Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:22 pm

I wouldn't argue for Music in the Darkness as high art, but it's more entertaining than many of his other earlier films released by Criterion and subsequently included in this set. But no argument from me on Eva and Prison being the high points here. Plus, Godard is absolutely obsessed with one of the stills from Prison-- has anything been more consistently referenced in Godard's essay films than the image of the two leads with a camera?

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Rayon Vert
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#15 Post by Rayon Vert » Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:32 pm

Plus it contains that essential, meaning-rich devil-and-skeleton (death) film-within-the-film that Bergman quotes again in Persona.

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#16 Post by swo17 » Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:41 pm

Might be tangentially worth mentioning if some are unaware: the BFI's first Play for Today box includes the Bergman-scripted The Lie

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#17 Post by Calvin » Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:48 pm

JSC wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:52 am
So Bergman's filmography (as director) will be nearly complete on blu. Minus the following.

This Can't Happen Here (probably will never see this anywhere, Bergman having disowned the film)
You never know. It was restored for his centenery and received some theatrical screenings so I'd be surprised if Svensk Filmindustri played hard ball with it.

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JSC
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#18 Post by JSC » Thu Apr 29, 2021 2:14 pm

Does anyone know where I can find a copy in any region of Bergman's complete Face to Face?
To date the only release I'm aware of is the DVD that Olive Films put out a while back. It's the theatrical
version, though thankfully it has the original Swedish soundtrack rather than the very poor English dub. That
being said, the audio quality is not exactly stellar, but it's probably the only way of seeing it at present.

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#19 Post by phoenix474 » Thu Apr 29, 2021 8:52 pm

JSC wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:52 am
So Bergman's filmography (as director) will be nearly complete on blu. Minus the following.

Stimulantia Omnibus film with contributions from Bergman, Vilgot Sjoman, et al.
Bergman’s contribution, Daniel, is on the Fårö disc of IBC

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furbicide
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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#20 Post by furbicide » Fri Apr 30, 2021 1:51 am

I'm not so crazy about the early films (and already have the two of this lot that I like best, Prison and Music in Darkness, on DVD, and am not that desperate to get them on blu-ray), but I'm nonetheless really excited by this project and interested to see where it goes in subsequent volumes. Hopefully we finally get a decent edition of Face to Face, as well as some of the '80s/'90s TV movies and other stuff that didn't make it on to the Criterion set.

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#21 Post by MichaelB » Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:03 am

I wouldn’t hold your breath - there’ve already been strong hints that the other boxes will be all Svensk Filmindustri affairs. Basically, what was released in the old Tartan DVD box.

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#22 Post by TMDaines » Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:02 pm

I’ll be very happy to pick this up and complement the CC set at £30 or so. BFI sets usually drop to a very inviting price.

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Re: Ingmar Bergman Volume 1

#23 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:24 am

Full specs announced for volume 1:
INGMAR BERGMAN
VOLUME 1

Limited Edition (5,000 copies only) 5-disc Blu-ray box set containing eight films, released on 26 July 2021

Three films* from Volume 1 will be released on BFI Player Subscription on 9 August

All films in Volume 1 will be released on iTunes and Amazon Prime on 16 August

For more than 50 years, Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) produced groundbreaking works of cinema that established him as one of the world’s most acclaimed, enduring and influential filmmakers. Ingmar Bergman: Volume 1, released by the BFI on 26 July 2021, is the first of a four-volume celebration of the auteur’s work – available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK – and reflects on the opening stages of Bergman’s career.

Presented over five discs, this beautifully packaged box set features 2K restorations of eight early films (1944-1950) written or directed by Bergman, including initial partnerships with regular collaborators such as cinematographer Gunnar Fischer and actor Birger Malmsten. These early works exhibit his burgeoning talents, introducing themes and tones that he would continue to develop over the following five decades. The discs are packaged with a 100-page perfect bound book and contain additional special features, details below. The films in Volume 1 are:

TORMENT (1944): Directed by Alf Sjöberg, Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman

CRISIS* (1946): Directed by Ingmar Bergman, Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman

MUSIC IN DARKNESS (1948): Directed by Ingmar Bergman, Screenplay by Dagmar Edqvist

EVA (1948): Directed by Gustaf Molander, Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman

PORT OF CALL* (1948): Directed by Ingmar Bergman, Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman

PRISON (1949): Directed by Ingmar Bergman, Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman

THIRST (1949): Directed by Ingmar Bergman, Screenplay by Herbert Grevenius

TO JOY* (1950): Directed by Ingmar Bergman, Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman

Special features
The Guardian Interview: Ingmar Bergman (1982, 62 mins, audio only): Ingmar Bergman pays tribute to Alf Sjöberg, the director of Torment, discussing his influence and impact on his own career
Ingmar Bergman: First Cries, Early Whispers (2021, 20 mins): a new video essay by writer, filmmaker and film journalist Leigh Singer
• 100-page perfect-bound book featuring new essays by Jan Holmberg (CEO of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation), Philip Kemp, Geoff Andrew, Jessica Kiang, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Kat Ellinger and Laura Hubner

Product details
RRP: £59.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1423 / 15
Sweden / 1944-1950 / black and white / 736 minutes / Swedish, with optional English language subtitles / original aspect ratios 1.37:1 // 5 x BD50: 1080p, 24fps, LPCM 1.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)

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yoloswegmaster
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The Seventh Seal (4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray)

#24 Post by yoloswegmaster » Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:13 pm

Listing found on Deff.

As the plague tears through medieval Europe, a knight (Max von Sydow), returning from the Crusades, challenges Death to a game of chess in order to postpone his demise.
An allegorical masterpiece asking big questions about faith and superstition, Ingmar Bergman’s iconic The Seventh Seal remains one of cinema’s most important and influential films.
Presented here for the first time on 4K Ultra HD – the BFI’s first ever UHD release – experience Bergman’s timeless classic like never before.

Extras
• Presented on 4K UHD Blu-ray and High Definition Blu-ray
• Audio commentary on The Seventh Seal by film critic and editor-in-chief of Diabolique magazine, Kat Ellinger
• Other extras TBC

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ChunkyLover
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Re: The Seventh Seal (4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray)

#25 Post by ChunkyLover » Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:02 pm

I was waiting for a standalone release of the remaster but a 4K is even better!

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