Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007)

[Gropius]

I guess what saddens me more is this isn't going to be front page news, and at best is going to warrant 15 seconds max on national news programs. Disgusting.

The death of an old man is never going to be front page news, unless his achievements involved maintaining the economic exploitation of millions.

[colinr0380]

I came into work at the video store today knowing that I would have to answer questions about this all day (not something easy for me, since I've honestly been a little teary since I heard the news - and I can't ever recall being truly upset about the death of someone I didn't know), and I knew I would have to clear some space to make a small tribute section - I'm sure some might see it as crassly selling product to those who read about Bergman's passing in the news this morning, but as someone who will never be asked to comment on Bergman's passing to the New York Times or the BBC, I feel like it's the most I can do to honor someone whose art quite literally changed my life.

Sadly I'll never be interviewed by them either!

I guess what saddens me more is this isn't going to be front page news, and at best is going to warrant 15 seconds max on national news programs. Disgusting.

I was actually going to say a similar thing, in that while it is very sad news at least the 'name recognition' factor will mean that he gets some tributes paid to him while other just as deserving names may not. It may also never happen to the same extent again, as I'm not sure even Godard, as much as film lovers recognise his importance, has that high a profile amongst the general public.

That said domino harvey is perhaps right in complaining about the news, as I get the impression they only mention him through obligation (he was big in the 50s introducing subtitled films to the masses with that film about the knight playing chess with death). I've just watched half an hour of the BBC News 24 for mention of him, and got two minutes at the end of the hour just before the weather! (with the incisive questions asked of Joe Queenan: "What was Bergman's secret?" and "Since you've watched all his films you are the right person to ask...which was his best film?")

But I don't suppose much more can be expected, and as I said, I'd be surprised if any other filmmakers get even that amount of coverage when they pass on.

What I'm hoping for is a good, comprehensive season of his films on television which could serve as a better tribute than any three minute news report.

[domino harvey]

Obit up on the front page of Criterion now.

Ingmar Bergman, 1918–2007

Ingmar Bergman, one of the greatest film artists of all time, died this weekend at age eighty-nine, at his home in Faro, Sweden. The director of over fifty films in a career that spanned from 1946's Crisis to 2004's Saraband, Bergman opened new doors for foreign-language films in the U.S. during the 1950s, when his masterpieces The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries introduced moviegoers to new forms of visual and metaphorical expressiveness. Bergman's dominance of the art film scene lasted through three more decades, with such riveting works as the Oscar winners The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly, Cries and Whispers, and Fanny and Alexander, among many others. As the filmmaking of Ingmar Bergman was something of a linchpin during the early days of Janus Films, we at Criterion and Janus are especially saddened by the news of this legend's passing. We send our thoughts to his friends, family, and fans, and give thanks for nearly sixty years of artistry that changed the landscape of cinema.

[souvenir]

Obit up on the front page of Criterion now.

...noticeably without links to the Criterion pages of his films, after the complaint in the Yi Yi thread on this board that "they never miss the chance to do an obituary/promo combination."

Edit: spoke too soon.

[tartarlamb]

I guess what saddens me more is this isn't going to be front page news, and at best is going to warrant 15 seconds max on national news programs. Disgusting.

This irritated me a little, too. I watched the network news channels for awhile, waiting for at least a blurb, until I saw a little mention pass by on the ticker. I guess it doesn't really mean much to have media giving brief blurbs with a hazy understanding of his work and a split second synopsis of his life and career, but a quick ave atque vale for the passing of an international cultural icon would be nice to see.

I'll never forget the day when I was 19 and wandered into the AV room at my local library and found The Seventh Seal on the shelves. I'd never had any interest at all in film, not even ordinary Hollywood fluff, until I discovered Bergman -- and every weekend after that, a few friends and I would get a new Bergman tape, sit down in my basement and fix our eyes on the screen in silent and reverent awe. I think we saw almost every Bergman film that year. I rarely revisit his films now, only because I've seen most of them a good number of times, but when I do its like meeting up with an old friend.

[evillights]

I guess what saddens me more is this isn't going to be front page news

It will be on the front page of tomorrow's New York Times. It's the second main-headline on the paper's website right now, and for much of the morning the headline photo on the site was an image of Bergman from the '50s, and then later in the morning Bergman and Ullmann in the '60s.

[Antoine Doinel]

An excerpt of Woody Allen's 1988 book review[/url] of Bergman's memoirs in the NY Times.

[patrick]

I wonder if we'll start seeing various quotes and tributes from other filmmakers start trickling in - I'm especially curious to see if Godard makes any sort of statement.

[Steven H]

I guess what saddens me more is this isn't going to be front page news, and at best is going to warrant 15 seconds max on national news programs. Disgusting.

It made Aljazeera's front page, here.

[Antoine Doinel]

Bergman wasn't a mainstream director in his life, so why do we expect it in his death? Let's just hope his films continue to be honored and cherished by those who appreciate them, and that he continues to be recognized in the circles where he was revered during his life.

[Mr Sausage]

I hesitate to call the death of an eighty-nine year old man who has achieved just about all one could within their artistic realm unfortunate, but the word just keeps intruding and the news just makes me sad, more so because it was unexpected. When someone reaches an advanced age, rather than continually expecting their death, habit makes us expect their continued existence, as they seem to have always existed. At least that's how it is with me.

Hmm. And I don't even own my favourite Bergman. I think I'll rewatch Through a Glass Darkly, a film that left me unmoved, and see if Bergman's spirit can lift it a little.

[Dylan]

An excerpt of Woody Allen's 1998 book review of Bergman's memoirs in the NY Times.

Magnificent, thank you for posting that. Quite simply, nobody is filled with more love for Bergman and his cinema than Woody Allen, and the two also became very good friends over the years.

I believe the very first classic foreign film I watched was The Seventh Seal with my father when I was 14 or 15, and naturally I just loved it. Foreign cinema was something of my rite of passage to becoming an adult, and Bergman has been there since the very beginning. To date I've seen nearly 25 of his films, which is merely half of his filmography. The last Bergman film I watched for the first time was "The Passion of Anna," one of his very best.

I will absolutely delve further into his body of work later this week. By the end of the month, I also want to revisit the trilogy (Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, The Silence), which (along with Persona) I consider to be his very finest work.

[Rich Malloy]

Tonight, I think it'll be "Wild Strawberries".

(although "Saraband" may render the more accurate portrait of Bergman very late in life)

[Michael]

Tonight, I think it'll be "Wild Strawberries".

Same here. I will think of Bergman fishing across the lake.

[lord_clyde]

Tonight, I think it'll be "Wild Strawberries".

(although "Saraband" may render the more accurate portrait of Bergman very late in life)

I just finished watching it for the first time, and now I can't decide on 'Scenes from a Marriage' or if I should crack open that Eclipse set.

[David Ehrenstein]

Well I'd much rather read about Ingmar Bergman than Iraq, Dubbya, and Lindsay Lohan.

Here's my two cents.

[Greathinker]

No other director scaled such heights artistically while being grounded in the here and now. Say what you will but he always had a thread of common sense and saw the critical importance in acknowledging relationships, which maybe all there is-- he never floated away and found a new orbit elsewhere like so many other artists.

[exte]

One thing that gives me great comfort is knowing the great wave of response his death will trigger from other directors. I look forward to reading everything from Scorsese to Spielberg to Woody Allen to Herzog to Kar Wai to on and on and on... Sometimes they say death can be a gift, and I think people finding his work again is only a good thing. He lived to be 89, not 29, which is a beautiful thing. Still, I'm glad Criterion's website was reserved enough to hold back, though I will be curious to see Amazon's best seller's list after today...

For me, Bergman has been mainly inaccessible until I saw Scenes From a Marriage about a year ago. I posted in that thread about it, and only hope to discover more from the director soon. It seems his 'trilogy' should be worth revisiting, as many have pointed out. As for the media, I think you've got it wrong. For someone of his stature, it takes time to compile all the footage and interviews and clips relevant to all that he was. And that can't be done as soon as you think. I'm sure the evening news will have more, though I agree a blurb hardly suffices right now. Anyway, I'm glad this passing has its own thread. The man is simply too huge to contain in that all in one thread...

[tryavna]

For someone of his stature, it takes time to compile all the footage and interviews and clips relevant to all that he was. And that can't be done as soon as you think.

The unsavory truth is, however, that most media organizations prepare obits well in advance of public figures' deaths. I'd be surprised if the BBC, the New York Times, etc. didn't already have a template drawn up and just filled in the blanks.

That being said, I'm most looking forward to seeing what TCM might do. Their brief tribute to Marlon Brando was quite moving, and they have lots of beautiful material to work with for Bergman.

BTW, I'm not usually saddened to hear of the passing of most public figures, especially if they've lived long, full lives. But I'm genuinely saddened today. As with other posters, The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries were among the first classic foreign-language films I ever saw. So losing Bergman is a bit like hearing about the death of a favorite high school teacher and realizing just how much you owed him.

[exte]

The unsavory truth is, however, that most media organizations prepare obits well in advance of public figures' deaths. I'd be surprised if the BBC, the New York Times, etc. didn't already have a template drawn up and just filled in the blanks.

While that may be true initially, I believe the story of his death and life is so large that first comments and reactions from directors and critics alike will be news items that will continue to pour in... I'm saying, the story isn't over, it has just begun.

[patrick]

Still, I'm glad Criterion's website was reserved enough to hold back, though I will be curious to see Amazon's best seller's list after today

I've gotten non-stop calls asking if we have The Seventh Seal in today, oddly enough no one seems interested in our 20-odd other Bergman films (although one guy did ask if we had "that other one...'Night,' 'Blight,'...'Winter something?'" - of course, the trilogy are the only available Bergman films we don't have). It makes me sad that people seem to be overlooking Scenes From A Marriage and Fanny & Alexander, which are the two Bergman films that have affected me the most.

[Lino]

I still feel him. It's strange. Like he hasn't died. Maybe the news was too powerful for me and I'm still coping.

I know what I'll watch tonight. The Silence. That's exactly how I feel like right now. Silent. And grieving.

[MichaelB]

That being said, I'm most looking forward to seeing what TCM might do. Their brief tribute to Marlon Brando was quite moving, and they have lots of beautiful material to work with for Bergman.

BBC4 did a sensational tribute, but as it was two weeks ago it was worryingly prescient. My guess is that they'll repeat all three documentaries as soon as they find a gap in their schedule.

Oh, and Bergman is being discussed on BBC2's Newsnight in an hour or so. The BBC have had him on the front page of their website all day (still there as of a minute ago), though he's dropped out of the top three stories. Amusingly, for a few minutes this morning the death of EastEnders' Mike Reid was more prominent, but they very quickly swapped them round!

My guess is that the news will also be on the front pages of at least the Guardian and Telegraph tomorrow and possibly the Times as well. Probably not the Independent as they do single-issue front pages, and there isn't a global warming angle that I can see.

[Person]

Bergman and his cinematographers created images that will endure for a long, long time. I have gone off his films in the last few years, but I would never take anything away from them or from he, one of the True masters of Cinema.

[Commander Shears]

DVDBeaver refers to him as 'one of the more important figures of modern film'. I guess this is Understatement Day, and I didn't even realize. Seriously, could that statement contain any more qualifiers?