| A Tribute to Ingmar Bergman | |
| Part 2: The Life and Films of Ingmar Bergman-Including "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries" |
"The Seventh Seal" (1957)
This allegorical film made Bergman famous as one of the giants of world cinema. In 14th century Europe, a disillusioned knight returns home from the Crusades to find his native land ravaged by the plague. When Death comes to claim him, the knight buys a little time by playing chess with Death. Before dying, the knight manages to distract Death just long enough to save the lives of a young man, his wife, and their child.
I've always loved the way the disarmingly simple story unfolds to reveal rich emotional, philosophical, and mythic resonance. Also, I think "The Seventh Seal" has a visual sensibility similar to that of the best silent films, where arresting imagery and the actors' expressive faces give the story the kind of depth that nothing else could.
Among the Bergman regulars appearing in "The Seventh Seal" are Max von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, and Bibi Andersson.
"Wild Strawberries" (1957)
Bergman followed the success of "The Seventh Seal" with this masterful character study, in which 78-year-old Victor Sjostrom gives the finest performance by an actor in any Bergman film. One June day in 1957, a retired medical professor (Sjostrom) makes a long automobile trip to receive an academic honor at a university. Between incidents that occur on the journey, the old man slips into memories and reveries that reveal much about his life.
This is a brilliant film on many levels, but when I start thinking about this movie, two things immediately surface in my mind. First, some of the close-up shots of Victor Sjostrom's face are painfully beautiful to behold, reflecting the depth of life's experience, wisdom, and loss. Second, the surreal, enigmatic dream sequence, where handless clocks seemingly mock the slippery nature of time and empty streets evoke the painful hollowness of a wasted, lonely life. To my mind, the most startling image of all is the grasping human hand that reaches out from a coffin that has just fallen into the street.
Bergman regulars appearing in "Wild Strawberries" include Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand, and Max von Sydow.
