B I RG I T TA S T E E N E

INGMAR
BERGMAN
A REFERENCE GUIDE
Amsterdam University Press
Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide
Ingmar Bergman, the Director. From the filming of The Magic Flute, 1975
(Courtesy: SFI/Cinematograph)
Ingmar Bergman
A Reference Guide

Birgitta Steene

Amsterdam University Press

This book has been published with support from the Swedish Research Council
(Vetenskapsrådet).
Research assistant: Per Olov Qvist

Cover design: Kok Korpershoek, Amsterdam

Lay-out: japes, Amsterdam

isbn 90 5356 406 3

nur 670

© Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam 2005

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no
part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner
and the author of the book.
 Content

Acknowledgements 9

Preface 11

Chapter I Life and Work 23

The Family Setting 23
Debut and Formative Years 33
Artistic Breakthrough at Home and Abroad 37
Religious Crisis 38
Discovery of Fårö 39
The Critical Sixties: The Artist Syndrome 41
Discovery of Television 43
Exile 44
Return to Sweden and Closure 45

Chapter II The Writer 49

Ingmar Bergman: Cinéma d’auteur 49
The Young Playwright 58
The Writer of Prose Fiction 63
Post-filmmaking Prose 64
List of Bergman’s Written Work 66

Chapter III The Filmmaker 131

Enter the Magician 132
Swedish Filmmaking during Bergman’s Formative Years 133
Ingmar Bergman: Filmmaking Credo 137
Ingmar Bergman’s Films: Grouping of a Lifelong Production 141

Chapter IV Filmography 155

Synopses, Credits, Commentaries and Reception Record 155
Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films 353
Ingmar Bergman as Film Producer 369

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 Content

Chapter V Ingmar Bergman and the Media 371

Radio Productions 371
Television Works 407

Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre 455

Part I An Overview 456
Part II Stage Productions by Ingmar Bergman 473
Mäster Olofsgården, 1938-40 473
Stockholm Student Theatre, 1940-43 485
North Latin School, 1941-1942 493
Civic Centre & Sago Theatre, 1941-42 495
Open Air Theatre (Folkparksteatern), 1943 505
The Dramatists Studio (Dramatikerstudion), 1943-44 506
The Boulevard Theatre, 1944 511
Hälsingborg City Theatre, 1944-46 513
Göteborg City Theatre, 1946-50 530
Intima Theatre, Stockholm, 1950-51 549
Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten), 1951 552
Folksparkteatern, 1951 554
Norrköping-Linköping City Theatre, 1951 555
Malmö City Theatre, 1952-58 556
Dramaten, 1961-1976 596
Head of Dramaten, 1963-1966 599
Munich Residenztheater, 1977-1984 650
Return to Dramaten, 1984-2003 668
Opera/Ballet 763

Chapter VII Theatre and Media Bibliography, 1940-2004 773

Chart over Bergman’s Theatre, Opera, TV, and Radio

Productions 816

Chapter VIII Interviews with Ingmar Bergman 827

Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman 879

Chapter X Varia 1031

Media Documentaries on Ingmar Bergman 1031
Stage and Screen Performances by Ingmar Bergman 1035
Awards and Tributes 1038
Awards for individual Films 1045

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Archival Sources 1049

Ingmar Bergman’s Writings 1049
Ingmar Bergman’s Films 1049
Ingmar Bergman’s Radio Play Productions and TV Work 1052
Ingmar Bergman’s Theatre Productions 1053

Indexes
Subject Index 1055
Subject Index Supplement: Literature on Bergman 1071
Title Index 1077
Name Index 1105

7
 Acknowledgements

The following organizations and institutions, listed in alphabetical order, have helped
support this Reference Guide, either financially or by offering research assistance: AFI
(American Film Institute); SALB (Statens arkiv för ljud och bild, Stockholm); AMPA
(Margaret Herrick Library in Los Angeles); BFI (British Film Institute); Cinecitta Film
Library in Rome; Cinématèque Française; Danish Film Museum; Swedish Theatre
Museum Library; Dramaten (Royal Dramatic Theatre) Library; Dutch Film Library in
Amsterdam; Filmoteca nacional, Montevideo; Holger and Thyra Lauritzen Founda-
tion, Stockholm; Göteborg City Museum (theatre section), HSFR (Humanistiska
samhällsvetenskapliga forskningsrådet); Malmö Musikteater Museum; MOMA (Mu-
seum of Modern Art in New York); Museum of Television and Radio, New York;
Museo de film, Rio de Janeiro/Sao Paolo; Nationaltheatret, Oslo; NEH (National
Endowment for the Humanities); NFI (Norwegian Film Institute); New York Library
for the Performing Arts; Stiftung Deutsche Kinematek in Berlin; SFI (Swedish Film
Institute); Sveriges Radio-TV (SR-SVT) Library and Archives; Theatre Record, Lon-
don; TIN (Dutch Theatre library); University of Washington Library; Vetenskapsrådet
(Swedish Science Council).
A very special thanks is due to film scholar Dr. Per Olov Qvist in Uppsala for his
research assistance in the film and media sections of the guide and for his unfailing
patience in checking and helping locate some of the material for this Reference Guide
to Ingmar Bergman. With his knowledgeable background, trustworthy and meticu-
lous scrutiny, and many good suggestions, Per Olov Qvist has been an invaluable
resource.
The following persons have facilitated my search for specific items in the Guide:
Kerstin Alfredsson, SR/SVT; Tatjana Beznik, Humboldt University, Berlin; Magnus
Blomqvist and Ursula Schlesser at the Swedish Theatre Library; Margaretha Brundin
at the Royal Library in Stockholm; Brita Carlsson at Göteborg City Theatre Library;
Else Barratt-Due at NRK (Norsk Rikskringkasting); Lone Erritzöe, Bergman research-
er in Copenhagen; Barbro Everfjärd and Elisabeth Helge at the SFI Film Library; Dag
Kronlund and Vera Govenius at Dramaten Library; Elzbieta Lejczak and Hans Lind at
Malmö Music Theatre Archive; Jens K. Nielsen and Virpi Zuck at the University of
Oregon; Henrik Sjögren who has generously exchanged information about Ingmar
Bergman’s work in the theatre; Agneta Sjöborg at Statens Arkiv för ljud och bild
(SALB); Egil Törnqvist, professor emeritus at the University of Amsterdam and
himself a Bergman scholar; Gurli Woods, Carleton University, Canada. In the final
stages of the manuscript, Associate Professor and Bergman scholar Maaret Koskinen

9
 Acknowledgement

shared information about material from Bergman’s Fårö library, now deposited at the
Swedish Film Institute. Maria Karlsson, Uppsala University, Tytti Soila, Stockholm
University, Kerstin Petterson, Amsterdam, and Adolfas Vecerskis, Vilnius, have helped
with some informational and organizational questions and Anna Karin Fredmer with
technical assistance. Dag Nordmark’s meticulous reading of the final manuscript
helped correct a few discrepancies. Rochelle Wright and Aleksander Kwiatkowski
assisted with some translation and linguistic transcription problems.
And of course a special thanks to Ingmar Bergman himself for his unique artistic
contribution.

10
 Preface
This Reference Guide to Ingmar Bergman offers a critical overview and annotated
record of the artistic career of a very productive filmmaker, stage director, and author.
Born in 1918 and still active in his mid-eighties, Bergman has made some 50 feature
films, directed more than 120 theatre presentations, a number of radio and television
productions, and has authored numerous scripts, plays, and prose works. Possessing a
great visual and narrative talent, combined with musical sensitivity and psychological
perspicacity, Bergman has projected a moral vision formed since childhood by the
values of his Lutheran family background and by a Swedish bourgeois lifestyle. But his
artistic production not only reflects the world he knew during his formative years; it
also constitutes a serious examination of it.
In addition to its personal roots, Bergman’s art has drawn creative stimulation from
a still young and expanding film medium and from a dynamic and challenging period
in the Swedish theatre, including opera, television, and radio drama. His deep sense of
belonging to a native tradition in film and drama with such names as Victor Sjöström
and August Strindberg as portal figures does not preclude an equally strong interest in
the classical European theatre and international cinema.
Bergman has today achieved a world reputation like few other Swedish artists
before him. A sign of this is the vast critical response that his work has elicited both
in his native country and abroad, manifesting itself in many hundreds of books,
articles, and dissertations. Bergman’s achievement has also been recognized in nu-
merous film and theatre awards and in tributes ranging from honorary doctorates to
special symposia and Bergman festivals. There are even poems published that testify
to his impact on viewers and audiences.
To assemble the critical record pertaining to Ingmar Bergman’s œuvre is no small
task and poses several questions. The first but not least is a general question: What is
the purpose of a Reference Guide? The immediate answer is simple: to provide
existing information to interested readers and scholars in a given field. That is, a
reference guide is to serve as a cumulative checkpoint where it becomes possible to
search and familiarize oneself with existing material on the subject. The second
question follows almost automatically: What should be the selective process behind
the presentation of the material? Metaphorically speaking, an editor of a Reference
Guide might be assumed to spread out a map of the entire territory covered by the
artist and his commentators, with roads that point in many different directions so
that all corners of the referenced subject’s territory become visible and accessible. But
in order for a map to be legible and useful, it must not only record but also describe
and define the objects found within its chosen boundaries. And it must also set up

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 Preface

limits for the amount of information to be provided. This is especially necessary with
a prolific artist like Ingmar Bergman whose work (and the critical response to it)
spans more than half a century.
A Reference Guide like this one is by definition a source book about things already
done, and an editor’s task is to track those who have already entered the Bergman
territory. But an editor, like a cartographer, must have a vision and must strive to
avoid getting caught and ensnared in too much underbrush. A great deal of trivial
material exists on Ingmar Bergman. Not all of it has been ignored here, for it too is
part of the response that his work has elicited. But serious efforts to examine Berg-
man’s work have naturally taken precedence over ephemeral treatments. Furthermore,
it has also been the editor’s intention to transmit an overview of Ingmar Bergman’s
career. For that reason the annotated bibliographical information in the Guide is
complemented by surveys of Bergman’s life and work and of his creative activity in
different art forms.
Much of the published response to Ingmar Bergman’s work, especially his film-
making, has come from outside his native Sweden. In that material there is often
more valuable criticism than Swedish examiners have recognized. But at the same
time, foreign studies of Bergman often reveal unfamiliarity with the language and
culture that have shaped his work. Both these factors are dealt with indirectly in the
Guide. The aim has been to make the volume internationally representative, but there
has also been an effort to select and annotate a great deal of Swedish material in order
to make non-Swedish students of Bergman aware of the response of his native culture.
Ingmar Bergman allegedly grew up with an equally strong interest in puppet
theatre and magic lantern experiments, which laid the foundation for a career as a
theatre and film director. In his late teens, before engaging in stagecraft in public, he
drafted a great many dramatic and prose vignettes, some of which were later devel-
oped into film ideas. In the early 1940s he gained a certain reputation as an up-and-
coming stage director in Stockholm and in 1944 he experienced a combined debut as a
writer, theatre man, and would-be filmmaker: he landed his first contract as a stage
director (and administrative head) at the Helsingborg City Theatre in southern Swe-
den; his film script to ‘Hets’ (Torment, Frenzy) catapulted him into notoriety as an
angry young man and social iconoclast; and his first piece of writing was published in
the Swedish avant-garde literary magazine 40-tal.
Ingmar Bergman was to pursue the areas of theatre, film, and literature throughout
his creative life. To these artistic activities he soon added work in radio and television.
During specific periods in his life, one or another of these areas may have dominated,
but on the whole they have remained interrelated or interdependent and, above all,
must be viewed as equally important to Bergman’s artistic persona. However, Berg-
man’s multifaceted production poses a special organizational challenge to a biblio-
grapher. The standard chronological set-up used in most registrations of an artistic
output is maintained in this Guide within the individual chapters, but the chapter
division in itself signals Bergman’s different creative fields and prevents an ongoing
sequential overview of his total oeuvre. Each individual chapter must start anew with
its own consecutive time line. To present Bergman’s entire artistic output as a single
continuous production might have had the advantage of suggesting more clearly the
interconnection between, for instance, his stage work and his filmmaking. But the
approach would make it difficult for a Bergman scholar to follow and assess his

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 Preface

development within a specific medium, especially in view of the sheer volume and
long time span behind each of Bergman’s artistic endeavors, be it in film, theatre,
television, radio, or writing.
To Bergman’s manifold creative activity one must also add the fact that a film, a
stage production, or a media transmission by him may have a multi-genre or multi-
media aspect to it, so that different versions of a given Bergman work may exist. Thus,
several of Bergman’s TV films, for instance, Scener ur ett äktenskap/Scenes from a
Marriage and Fanny and Alexander, have also been edited by him for circulation in
the commercial cinema, while some of his stage productions have been adapted for
television. Another multi-version example is that of Backanterna/The Bachae from the
1990s, which was first presented as an opera, then as a television performance, and
finally as a stage production. Furthermore, the dialogue scripts in a film and television
production involving Bergman’s name are seldom identical with the published scripts,
which are sometimes referred to as novels rather than screenplays by Bergman him-
self. Thus, a chapter-by-chapter genre or media presentation of Bergman’s oeuvre still
carries its own built-in problems, necessitating a system of cross-listings between film,
theatre, media, and interview chapters. An item may thus be listed in several different
chapters but is usually only annotated in one place. If, for instance, a given work has
been produced as a TV film but has also been shown as a feature film in the cinema, it
is listed in both the Filmography and Media chapters but with its accompanying
reference and reception record selected accordingly. For instance, the media impact
in Sweden of Scener ur ett äktenskap/Scenes from a Marriage is only recorded in the
Media Chapter, while the reception for the international film version appears in the
Filmography. Bergman himself does not seem to regard multi-versions of a given
work as a problem (as long as he had control of the procedure). In an interview with
Elisabeth Sörenson, he once said apropos of this matter: ‘Thus I have two different
manuscripts – but the film version is incorporated into the TV version. It is the very
steel pillar. [—] This is no more strange than when a composer makes an orchestra
version and a string quartet (of the same composition)’. [Sålunda har jag två olika
manuskript – men filmversionen finns inbakad i TV-versionen. Den är själva stålpe-
laren... Det är inte egendomligare än när en kompositör gör en orkesterversion och en
(version för) stråkkvartett]. On another occasion he looks upon his mixing of artistic
areas and choice of performance medium as a playful prerogative: ‘I think it is fun to
make a real witches’ brew of TV, theatre, film and music’ (Björkman, Cahiers du
cinéma, May 1978).
Opting for separate chapter divisions for Bergman’s various areas of creative ex-
pression raises the issue of their internal placement in the Guide. Since the incentives
for Bergman’s film, theatre, and writing activities are rooted in experiences connected
with his childhood and youth and since they have more or less run their continuous
course throughout his career, it becomes almost a moot point to try to decide which
one of these creative outputs should be listed first in a chapter by chapter presenta-
tion. However, there is good reason to begin this Guide – after an initial survey of
Bergman’s Life and Work – with an annotation of his penmanship, since it includes
material to subsequent chapters: Ingmar Bergman as a filmmaker (Chapters III and
IV), Ingmar Bergman as a media director (Chapter V), and Ingmar Bergman as a
contributor to theatre art (Chapter VI). Bergman established himself early on as an
internationally acknowledged auteur du cinéma whose screenplays formed the basis

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 Preface

for the majority of his films. After announcing his retirement from filmmaking with
the making of Fanny and Alexander (1982), he was to write several TV plays, screen-
plays, novels, and memoirs. Both his own scriptwriting and his adaptations of theatre
texts testify to a link between his literary penmanship and his visual directorial talent
operating in different performative contexts.
Since the Guide addresses itself to an international and not just a native Swedish
audience, it has seemed logical to present the material dealing with Bergman’s con-
tribution to the cinema before presenting his work as a theatre director. Internation-
ally speaking, his filmmaking forms the basis of his standing abroad, whereas his
stagecraft has been less known to foreign audiences and limited to a handful of
productions presented during guest performances throughout the world or during
his eight years of voluntary exile (1976-1984) when he worked as a director at Munich’s
Residenztheater.
In terms of his impact on Swedish culture, Bergman’s theatre work might be seen
as the most crucial part of his career. After declaring his withdrawal from the world of
commercial filmmaking in 1984 (but not from media work), he continued for almost
twenty years as a prominent stage director, stating again and again his great love and
need for the world of theatre. In fact, almost from the beginning of his career in the
theatre, Bergman’s stage productions have elicited a critical enthusiasm at home quite
comparable to the jubilant foreign reception of many of his films.
The rationale for placing the media chapter (V) right after the Filmography (Chap-
ter IV) is that its television section can be seen as an extension of Bergman’s work in
the cinema. At the same time, the radio section in the media chapter may serve as a
transition to the subsequent theatre chapter, for it includes many broadcast adapta-
tions of Bergman’s own plays and of productions first directed by him on different
theatre stages.

The following outline identifies the chapter-by-chapter content of this Reference Guide
to Ingmar Bergman:
Chapter I: Life and Work. This chapter is designed as a comprehensive juxtaposi-
tion of biographical data and professional output. Here it is wise to keep in mind that
over the years, the real person bearing the name of Ernst Ingmar Bergman has
‘fabricated’ a legend of his own, where family history and personal experiences have
undergone fictional transformations. At the same time, however, in presenting an
artist who possesses such a strong personal vision as Ingmar Bergman, it is difficult
not to link closely his private and public worlds. Bergman has not always lived the life
of a recluse on his island of Fårö but has, in fact, been a highly visible person in
Swedish culture from the very beginning of his career. Furthermore, he has, by his
own account, drawn his subject-matter both from his own background and from his
circle of friends and colleagues, including his close relationships with women, many
of whom have been active in his professional work. A Life and Letters account of
Ingmar Bergman becomes therefore both a personal life story and the artistic meta-
morphosis of an individual existence.
Chapter II: The Writer. The chapter begins with an overview of Bergman’s penman-
ship, followed by an annotated chronological listing of all his authored material, from his
early unpublished prose works in the late 1930s to his late television plays, novels, and
memoirs in the 1980s and on. Also included are scripts and articles that Bergman wrote

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 Preface

under the name of Buntel Eriksson (with Erland Josephson), Ernest Riffe, and other
pseudonyms. The annotated material comprises scripts, plays, prose fiction, essays, pro-
gram notes, and newspaper statements such as open letters (but not cited interview
material). Also listed are some items from Bergman’s private Fårö library now deposited
at the Swedish Film Institute (SFI), where drafts, notebooks, and the director’s copies of
scripts and plays have been organized. All items are annotated under their Swedish title,
but wherever applicable each entry also includes a list of published translations. Each item
is given an entry number, beginning with number 1. The numbering of entries continues
sequentially throughout the Reference Guide. When an entry number is referred to else-
where in the Guide, it is preceded by the symbol Ø.
Chapter III: The Filmmaker. An account of the personal motivations and historical
circumstances behind Bergman’s filmmaking is followed by a comprehensive over-
view of his entire film production. As an organizing principle, Bergman’s films are
presented in six major groups following a chronological and thematic outline: (1)
early films focussing on the young couple; (2) early family and marriage films, often
with women in central roles; (3) religious and existential quest films, often with a
male protagonist; (4) films portraying the role of the artist; (5) films focusing on a
haunting past, many of them depicting women in crisis; (6) the Bergman family saga.
This grouping is to be seen as practical rather than absolute, providing a structural
overview of Bergman’s film production but with the implied understanding that
many films could in fact be placed in more than one category.
Chapter IV: Filmography. Each individual item is presented with a plot synopsis, a
detailed credit list, reviews, and commentaries on the film’s reception. The filmogra-
phy lists all films that were authored and/or directed by Bergman, including some
documentaries and a set of soap commercials, as well as works originally made for
television but later released in the cinema. The total number of items in the Filmo-
graphy comprises some 60 entries, or more than one film for every year that Ingmar
Bergman was active in the field.
At the end of the Filmography is a list of films by other directors which were
produced by Ingmar Bergman and his company Cinematograph.
Also appearing at the end of the Filmography is a list of foreign distribution titles of
Ingmar Bergman’s films. Note that distribution titles are not always identical with
titles appearing in foreign translations of his screenplays.
Chapter V: The Media Director. Bergman began quite early to direct works for radio,
and he became an enthusiastic supporter and contributor to the TV medium soon after its
inception in Sweden in the 1950s. The media chapter discusses and annotates his many
productions on radio and television, with credits, notes, commentaries, and review
references. The chapter comprises: (1) productions of plays by other authors, either
originally designed for radio or television or adapted by Bergman for the media; (2) media
works authored or adapted by Bergman and originally conceived for radio or television,
such as Staden (1950, The City) and Riten (1969, The Ritual); and (3) works authored by
Bergman where separate film and TV versions were made, such as Scener ur ett äktenskap/
Scenes from a Marriage and Fanny and Alexander.
Chapter VI: The Theatre Director. The theatre chapter consists of two sections.
The first provides a chronological survey of Ingmar Bergman’s career as a theatre
director; the second gives an annotated listing of his entire work on stage, with
credits, commentaries, selective reviews, and guest performances for each item. In-

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 Preface

cluded at the end of the chapter are Bergman’s opera productions. As in the Filmo-
graphy and media chapters, the commentary sections to the individual productions in
the theatre chapter aim at giving background information while the Reception sec-
tions report on debates and other responses. Commentaries may vary in length. An
early radio production by Ingmar Bergman from the 1940s may not have elicited
much critical reaction, while his stage productions at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
after his return from exile in 1984 almost invariably resulted in substantial press
coverage. Items causing media debates tend to have longer commentaries (and recep-
tion segments). Such information may reflect both the aesthetic assessment by re-
viewers and the cultural impact of a Bergman production.
Productions of Bergman’s own plays are included, whether directed by the author
himself or by someone else. Note, however, that Bergman’s playwriting is discussed in
the introductory part of Chapter II.
Chapter VII: Theatre and Media Bibliography. This chapter includes an annotated
list of bibliographical material pertaining to Bergman’s contribution to the theatre
and to media arts. However, critical items referring to specific stage productions are
listed under the individual production entries in Chapter VI, section 2. Note also that
interviews that include references to theatre and media work appear in Chapter VIII
(Interviews).
At the end of Chapter VII is a chart showing Bergman’s stage and media produc-
tions in chronological order.
Chapter VIII: Interviews. Over the years, Ingmar Bergman has given innumerable
interviews and press conferences. A good many of these are referenced in the com-
mentary section of the individual entries in Chapters IV (Filmography), V (Media),
VI (Theatre), or theatre/media bibliography (VII). In this chapter the focus is on
interviews that cover several creative areas or pertain to Bergman’s lifestyle or
thoughts on his craftsmanship and artistic vision.
Chapter IX: Writings on Ingmar Bergman. This chapter consists of an annotated
bibliography listing in chronological order a major bulk of critical writings on Ingmar
Bergman. This material includes books, dissertations, special journal issues, and articles.
As in Chapter VII (Theatre and Media Bibliography), some of the bibliographical items
are grouped together according to subject matter. Such group items might include fre-
quently considered topics in the critical Bergman canon, such as his portrayal of women
(Ø 975), religious approaches to his films (Ø 997), or literary references to his works
(Ø 989). In addition, single events in Bergman’s life and career that have elicited extensive
press coverage, such as the tax debacle in 1976 and his subsequent voluntary exile, are
annotated as group items. All group items appear as the initial entry in the year when an
event occurred or when a group subject was first discussed. An alphabetical list of the
group items can be found at the beginning of the Title Index.
The editorial approach in selecting material for Chapter IX has been to include
critical material pertaining to all of Bergman’s various artistic activities but to be
comprehensive rather than all-inclusive. In the selection of the critical material, the
following general guidelines have been used:
1. Longer informative and analytical essays, book length studies, and dissertations have
been given priority over shorter news items or general presentations of Bergman’s
oeuvre.

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 Preface

2. A balance has been sought between well-known, oft-quoted articles or books and
items that seem representative of a given critic or group of critics; of a particular
national assessment of Bergman, or of a specific period in the reception of his works.
3. Special focus has been given to Swedish archival sources, simply because this is
where most Bergman material is to be found. At the same time, however, an
equally important goal has been to present the student with a fair international
sampling of critical writings on Bergman and to indicate how Bergman’s work has
been received in different (selective) parts of the world.
4. Critical material pertaining to single works by Ingmar Bergman has been listed in
the review or commentary sections following the individual credit listings in
Chapters II (The Writer), IV (Filmography), V (Media productions), and VI
(Theatre Director). Thus, critical items addressing, for instance, his play Trä-
målning/Wood Painting, his screenplay Fanny and Alexander, his stage production
of Hamlet, or his radio play Staden (The City) will be found under these entry
names in the respective chapters. Exceptions are made for longer analytical studies
of single works if they include important historical background, comparison with
other artists, or discuss inter-arts or inter-media issues. In such cases the items are
cross-listed in Chapter IX.
Finally, a special effort has been made to include items in the Bibliography that
deserve attention but may have appeared in publications with limited circulation
and do not always show up in databases. In fact, in scanning such electronic library
resources, it becomes clear that a discrepancy often exists between an item’s listing
frequency and its actual relevance in the Bergman critical canon. Repeated visibility is
not always tantamount to quality or importance; database bibliographical material is
unfortunately often the result of authorial self-promotion.
Chapter X Varia. This heading covers the following items:
A. Media documentaries on Ingmar Bergman.
B. Stage and screen performances by Ingmar Bergman (including film voice-overs),
most of them from the early part of his career.
C. A listing of awards, prizes, and other honors received by Bergman, including items
pertaining to his entire contribution to film and theatre or to his overall status as
an artist. This list is followed by a list of awards for individual Bergman films.
Similar information, including awards to members of Bergman’s film or stage
teams, can also be found at the end of film or stage entries in the Filmography
(Chapter IV) or Theatre chapter (VI).
D. Archival Sources. A list of addresses of archives and libraries holding Bergman
material, such as prints of his films, stills, scripts, and clipping files as well as
information about his theatre and media productions.
All quotations of Swedish origin have been translated into English by the editor
(unless a published translation title is noted). The translation is followed in brackets
by the original Swedish text. All other quotations regardless of language origin appear
only in English.

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 Preface

Newspaper and Magazine Sources

The following Swedish newspapers were checked (abbreviations used in the text are
listed in parenthesis and follow normal Swedish praxis):
STOCKHOLM PRESS: Aftonbladet (AB), Aftontidningen (AT), Arbetaren,, Dagens
Nyheter (DN), Expressen (Expr.), Morgontidningen Social-Demokraten (MT), Ny
Tid, Stockholms-Tidningen (ST), Svenska Dagbladet (SvD).
GÖTEBORG PRESS: Göteborgs-Posten (GP), Göteborgs-Tidningen (GT), Göteborgs
Handels- och Sjöfartstidning (GHT), Göteborgs Morgonpost (GMP).
MALMÖ (and vicinity) PRESS: Arbetet (Arb), Hälsingborgs Dagblad (Hbg), Kvälls-
Posten (KvP), Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällposten (SDS).
OTHER (spot-checked): Bohusläningen, Hallandsposten, Hufvudstadsbladet (Helsin-
ki), Lidingö Tidning, Nerikes Allehanda, Skånska Dagbladet, Upsala Nya Tidning
(UNT), Wermlands-Tidningen, Östersunds-Posten, Östgöta-Correspondenten.
The following Swedish magazines and trade journals were checked:
Biografbladet, Bonniers litterära magasin (BLM), Chaplin, Dramat, Entré, Film in
Sweden, Filmhäftet, Filmjournalen, Filmnyheter, Film och bio, Filmrutan, Films in
Sweden, Idun, Månads-Journalen, Perspektiv, Röster i Radio/TV, Scen och salong,
Skådebanan, Teatern, Teaterronden, Vecko-Journalen, Vi.

The following non-Swedish newspapers and magazines were checked:

AMERICAN and CANADIAN: America, Atlantic, Christian Century, Cinema (Kansas
City), Cinema (Toronto), Cinema Journal, Commonweal, Comparative Drama,
Drama Review, Film Comment, Film Criticism, Film Heritage, Film Quarterly, Films
in Review, Filmfacts, Hollywood Quarterly, Hudson Review, Jump Cut, Literature/
Film Quarterly, Modern Drama, Movietone News (Seattle), Nation, New Leader,
New York Magazine, New York Herald Tribune, New York Times (NYT), New Yorker,
Newsweek, New Republic, Saturday Review, Take One, Time, Theater, Theatre Quar-
terly, Tulane Drama Review, Variety, Village Voice, Wide Angle.
BELGIAN: Amis du film et de la télévision, Film en Televisie.
BRITISH: Films and Filming, Monthly Film Bulletin, Motion, Movie, New Statesman,
Sight and Sound, Spectator, Times (London).
DANISH: Berlingske Tidende, Information Jyllands-Posten, Kosmorama, MacGuffin,
Politiken.
DUTCH: Skoop, Skrien.
FRENCH: Arts, L’Avant-scène du cinéma, Cahiers du cinéma, Cinéma, Ecran, Etudes
cinématographiques, Image et son, Le monde, Positif, Télé-Ciné.
GERMAN: Die Deutsche Bühne, Filmkritik, Film, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Der Spiegel,
Theater heute, Die Welt, Die Zeit.
ITALIAN: Bianco e nero, Cineforum, Cinema nuovo, Dramma, Filmcritica.
NORWEGIAN: Aftenposten, Fant, Morgenbladet, Verldens Gang, Z.
SPANISH: Cinema novo, Film Ideal.
OTHER (spot-checked): Chicago Times, Cine cubano, Cinéaste (Canada), La cinéma-
tographie française, Critisch film bulletin (Netherlands), Die Asta (Denmark), Ecran
(France), Ekran (Poland), FIB (Folket i Bild, Sweden), Le Figaro, Film a doba
(Czechoslovakia), Film Journal (Melbourne), Hollywood Reporter, Horizon
(USA), Jeune cinéma, Listener, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Los Angeles Times,

18
 Preface

Manchester Guardian, Le Monde, Motion Picture Herald (Los Angeles), Observer,

Reporter (USA).
Clippings and/or printed programs were used from the following archives:
American Motion Picture Academy (AMPA), Los Angeles
Amsterdam Theatre Museum
British Film Institute (BFI)
Cinecitta Library, Rome
Cinemateca uruguaya (Montevideo)
Cinemateco do museo de arte moderna (Rio de Janeiro)
Cinemateco do museo de arte moderna (Sao Paolo)
Cinématèque française
Det danske filmmuseum (Danish Film Museum)
Dramaten (Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm)
Film Museum Amsterdam
Filmmuseum Berlin – Deutsche Kinemathek
Museum of Modern Art (Film Section), New York
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Suomen elokuvaarkisto (Helsinki)
Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
Sveriges Teatermuseum (formerly: Drottningholms Teatermuseum)

Press reviews or reportages from Bergman’s first decades in film, theatre, and media
were occasionally unsigned or reviewers used a signature only. The following signa-
tures have been identified:

A. A-l Alvar Asterdahl

A.Fbg/Fbg. Allan Fagerberg
AGE Anders Elsberg
Allegro Olle Halling
Armand Olle Olsson
Corinna Greta Bolin
Don José Josef Oliv
E.An. Elis Andersson
Elle Lisa Genell Harrie (?)
E. T. Ella Taube
E.v.Z. Eva von Zweigbeck
E.W.O/Eveo. Erik Wilhelm Olsson
Fale Bure Henning Olsson
Gvs. Herbert Grevenius
Hjorvard Gustav Johansson
Håge Herbert Gylling
Höken Marianne Höök
I.H. Ivar Harrie
I. O-e Ingvar Orre
Jerome Göran Trauung
J.L. John Landquist
Jolanta Margaretha Sjögren

19
 Preface

Kei Einar Nilsson

-ki/Koski Hartvig Kusoffsky
Lucia Louise Gräslund
M. S-g Martin Strömberg
O. R-t Oscar Rydqvist
Pavane Gerd Osten
Peo Sixten Ahrenberg
Perpetua Barbro Hähnel
P.E.W. Per-Erik Wahlund
PGP P.G. Pettersson
Pilo Ragnar Ehrling
S. Btl Sven Barthel
S. G-d Sten Guldbrand
S. S-r. Sten Selander
S. T-d Stig Tornehed
Tell. Thorleif Hellbom
Tom Åke Thomson
-yer Nils Beyer

Ingmar Bergman’s conception of what it means to be an artist is complex. First, he

has always emphasized the creative act as a source of pleasure and joy, an emotional
state of mind reminiscent of his childhood nursery games with a puppet theatre and a
laterna magica. Second, his artistic approach conveys a strong sense of absolute
commitment to his work, and a keen sensitivity to both performers and audiences.
Third, he combines an intuitive ‘radar’ feel for what is right and essential in a
production with a very conscious sense of craftsmanship, resulting in a firm esthetic
control of his material. He has always maintained that his directorial persona can only
function under self-discipline, careful preparation of a task and a sense of mutual
loyalty between himself and his ensembles. In this way he has been able to ward off
the personal chaos in his own psyche. Artistic creativity has then worked for him as a
form of self-therapy.
Over the years Bergman’s public image has undergone marked changes. In his
youth he was seen as a gadfly and iconoclast; in the 1960s he was viewed as an obsolete
artist and bourgeois traditionalist; in the 1980s he became an icon and master. Some
have termed him ‘demonic’ and dominant; some have talked about him as a ruthless
presence. But almost everyone who has worked closely with him has testified to his
ability to create a sense of comfort and security. By the same token, Bergman’s artistic
work has elicited a very divided response among his commentators. On one hand,
there has been a recognition of his indisputable talent and an almost jubilant sense of
experiencing a unique artist at work; on the other hand, one can notice a sense of
irritation at his ‘excessive’ temperament or a resentful feeling of being ‘manipulated’
by his controlling persona. The critical material on Ingmar Bergman also shows a
distinct difference between foreign commentators, who have tended to evaluate his
work in terms of its metaphysical and psychological thought content, and Swedish
reviewers who have often judged his contribution within a current ideological context
but who have also been more sensitive both to his theatre aesthetics and to his
filmmaking style.

20
 Preface

Relatively few studies of Bergman’s work have focussed on matters of form and
structure. There is an explanation for this: A major part of Bergman’s creative ma-
terial emerges as an example of what Isiah Berlin once termed ‘hedgehog’ authorship;
i.e., the work of an artist who is fixed on a relatively limited range of subject matters
and who seldom deviates from that personal vision. After half a century of amazing
‘hedgehog’ productivity, Bergman has created a cohesive universe of his own making,
a personal mythos where his commentators can ‘feel at home’ and can easily identify
such central Bergman subjects as: (1) an existential probing manifesting itself in
questioning a silent god figure who seems to have withdrawn from human life; (2)
an often ruthless unmasking process that discloses the lies and dead conventions that
control human beings and relationships and where language can easily be a deceptive
tool; (3) a deterministic portrayal of people as helpless and despondent marionettes,
yet so full of vitality that most of Bergman’s works leave some trace of hope behind;
(4) a portrayal of Woman as archetype – as the embodiment of strength and survi-
vability; and (5) an exposure of the modern (usually male) artist as a self-centered and
destructive individual, often frustrated in his metier and haunted by demons. These
themes continued to be explored by Bergman also after he left filmmaking, and they
constitute an essential part of his writing legacy.
Bergman’s visibility in the film and theatre world during the second half of the 20th
century has been considerable from the start. However, what the material collected
for this Reference Guide suggests is that Ingmar Bergman has been much more than a
media celebrity. He has in fact accomplished a cultural feat that no other Swedish
artist before him has realized to quite the same extent: bridging the gap between the
forms and expressions of high bourgeois culture and popular art. In the theatre his
productions have ranged from operettas like The Merry Widow to Shakespeare’s King
Lear or Goethe’s Ur-Faust. In the cinema he has created comedies like Smiles of a
Summer Night and The Devil’s Eye as well as somber existential quest dramas like The
Seventh Seal and harrowing psychological studies like Persona and Cries and Whispers.
And regardless of what Bergman’s own countrymen have thought of his international
reputation in the first half of his career, he indisputably came to play an extraordinary
role as directeur de conscience for many generations of filmgoers outside of Sweden.
Ingmar Bergman has definitely written himself into the annals of film and theatre
history. Today there is still a strong interest in his artistic contribution among stu-
dents of film, theatre, and literature. And despite the large output of Bergman scho-
larship to date, the subject is rich and much remains to be done. It is hoped that this
research guide will help facilitate such future studies about Ingmar Bergman.

Stockholm, June 2005

Birgitta Steene

21
Childhood toys become artistic emblems: the puppet theatre and the laterna magica

In Bergman’s production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
(Dramaten) in 1994, the boy Mamillius (Anna Björk) carried on stage a miniature puppet
theatre as if to reinforce Bergman’s vision of the play – as fantastic make-believe and play-
acting. (Photo: Bengt Wanselius. Courtesy: Dramaten)

In Bergman’s film Fanny and Alexancer from 1982, the magic lantern plays an important role for
the Ekdahl children, especially young Alexander (Bertil Guve). (Photo: Arne Carlsson. Cour-
tesy: Cinematograph/SFI)
 Chapter I

Life and Work

The Family Setting

Some dates of birth seem auspicious from the start. Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born
on Sunday, July 14, 1918. According to Swedish folklore, a child born on Sunday is
gifted with second sight, whereas July 14 – Bastille Day – is one of those historical
dates that have forever taken on symbolic meaning, signifying rebellion and protest.
No astrological prediction could have been more appropriate in Bergman’s case.
When he burst onto the Swedish theatre and film scene in the early 1940s, two things
became immediately clear: He was a remarkably intense and gifted young man drawn
both to the stage and the screen, and he also had a vision aimed at penetrating
beneath surface reality to reveal a world of metaphysical and depth-psychological
dimensions. Above all, he was a rebel spirit who challenged established social and
professional conventions. In youthful defiance he once declared:
It entails a great risk [...] to stare yourself blind at the limits set up by the public and the
critics, limits I do not recognize and that are not mine. [...] I am glad I am not born with
equal part reason and guts. [...] Who says you can’t make noise, tear down barriers, fight
with windmills, send rockets to the moon, be shaken by visions, play with dynamite and cut
morsels of flesh out of yourself and others? (‘Det att göra film/What is Filmmaking,’ 1954)

[Det medför en stor risk [...] att stirra sig blind på de gränser som sätts upp av publiken och
kritikerna, gränser jag inte erkänner och som inte är mina. [...] Jag är glad att jag inte är
född med lika delar förnuft och inälvor. [...] Vem säger att man inte kan föra oväsen, riva
ner barriärer, slåss mot väderkvarnar, skicka raketer till månen, skakas av visioner, leka med
dynamit och skära bitar ur en själv och andra?]

Such a self-confident outburst belies, however, the fact that Ingmar Bergman’s start in
life was rather problematic. The middle child in a bourgeois clerical family, he was a
sickly boy whose arrival in the world was overshadowed by a crisis in his parents’
marriage. His mother Karin had fallen out of love with her husband, Lutheran pastor
Erik Bergman, who showed signs of a nervous condition, which affected family life.

23
 Chapter I Life and Work

Erik was also ill with the Spanish flue, the epidemic that claimed many lives during
World War I. In her diary quoted by Ingmar Bergman in his memoirs Laterna magica
(1987), Karin Bergman reveals the unhappy and desperate mood of her family at the
time of Ingmar’s birth:
Our son was born Sunday morning, July 14. He had a high fever and severe diarrhea at once.
He looks like a little skeleton with a big fiery red nose. He stubbornly refuses to open his
eyes. After a few days I had no milk because of my illness. He was quickly christened here in
the hospital. His name is Ernst Ingmar. Ma [Karin’s mother] has taken him to Våroms
[family summer place] where she has found a wet nurse. Ma is upset at Erik’s inability to
solve our practical problems. Erik is upset at Ma’s interference in our private life. I lie here
powerless and miserable. Sometimes when I am alone I cry. Should the boy die, Ma says she
will take care of Dag [eldest son], and I should return to my job [nurse]. She wants Erik and
me to get a divorce as soon as possible ‘before he has hit upon some new madness in his
crazy hatred.’ I do not believe I have the right to leave Erik. He is totally overworked and has
had nervous problems all spring. Ma says that he is play-acting, but I don’t think so. I pray
to God without hope. (The Magic Lantern, p. 289-90).

[Vår son föddes söndag morgon den fjortonde juli. Han fick genast hög feber och svåra
diarréer. Han ser ut som ett litet benrangel med en stor eldröd näsa. Han vägrar envist att
öppna ögonen. Efter några dagar hade jag ingen mjölk på grund av sjukdomen. Då blev han
nöddöpt här på sjukhuset. Han heter Ernst Ingmar. Ma har tagit honom till Våroms, där
hon funnit en amma. Ma är förbittrad över Eriks oförmåga att lösa våra praktiska problem.
Erik är förbittrad över Ma’s ingrepp i vårt privatliv. Jag ligger här maktlös och eländig.
Ibland då jag är ensam gråter jag. Om gossen dör, säger Ma att hon tar hand om Dag och att
jag ska ta upp mitt yrke. Hon vill att Erik och jag skall skiljas så snart som möjligt ‘innan han
med sitt tokiga hat funnit på någon ny galenskap’. Jag tror inte jag har rätt att lämna Erik.
Han är alldeles överansträngd och har varit klen i nerverna hela våren. Ma säger att han gör
sig till, men det tror jag inte. Jag ber till Gud utan förtröstan.] (Laterna magica, p. 337).
The Bergman marriage, though once founded on love, was somewhat of a social
mismatch. Karin Bergman, née Åkerblom, came from a comfortable bourgeois class
of engineers and educators. Erik Bergman’s origin was far more humble; his father, an
apothecary, died relatively young and his mother had to make sacrifices and rely on
moneyed relatives to give her son a university education. But despite the social gap
between Erik Bergman and the Åkerblom family, Karin was determined to marry
Erik. Her parents disapproved. Their reservations were not based solely on Erik’s
modest background; they were also worried about the genetic consequences of the
fact that Erik Bergman and Karin Åkerblom were distant cousins in families with a
record of mental illness.
At the time of their son Ingmar’s birth, the Bergmans had just moved from a small
country parish in the province of Gästrikland to the prestigious Östermalm section of
Stockholm, where Erik held a position as junior pastor in the Lutheran state church.
As such he was both a congregational shepherd and civil servant, by tradition re-
spected occupations in Swedish society. He was well liked by his parishioners, and
Karin Bergman fulfilled her duties as a vicar’s wife so well that she later received a
medal for her voluntary work in the community. It added to the family status that
Erik Bergman was sometimes called on to serve as chaplain at the Swedish Royal

24
 The Family Setting

Court and as spiritual adviser to the Queen. Such connections were not unimportant
to Ingmar Bergman’s parents, for both were socially ambitious people. Hence, it was a
foregone conclusion that their children would pursue professional careers. The eldest
son Dag, though a defiant boy, complied, read Law at Uppsala and became a diplo-
mat. The daughter Margareta, Ingmar’s younger sister, also took a university degree
and became a librarian. She too showed signs of a rebellious and high-strung spirit,
became pregnant out of wedlock and had an abortion, which caused her parents both
worry and chagrin. The middle child Ingmar never completed a university degree or
any other formal education beyond the gymnasium. In reading Karin Bergman’s
diaries, one perceives a sense of sad resignation at her younger son’s choice of an
artistic career and a lifestyle that, from her point of view, seemed bohemian and
disorderly. (See Linton-Malmfors, Ø 1526.) But Ingmar Bergman had his goal set by
the time he finished high school:
I have never as far back as I can remember hesitated on this point of becoming a theater and
film director. I think my parents experienced this with a certain amount of anxiety. At first
they thought it would calm down, once I started at the university. But it did not. (Donner,
Three Scenes with Ingmar Bergman, 1975)

[Jag har aldrig så långt tillbaka jag kan minnas tvekat på denna punkt att bli teater och
filmregissör. Jag tror mina föräldrar upplevde detta med viss oro. I början trodde de att det
skulle lugna ner sig när jag väl började på universitetet. Men det gjorde det inte.]
The public duties of a clergyman’s household meant that the family was under much
scrutiny; theirs was a relatively small world, and what people said was not unim-
portant. Maintaining a proper and well-disciplined front became part of the lifestyle.
In later years Ingmar Bergman would compare this situation to a stage performance
where he, his parents and his siblings were assigned certain preconceived roles by the
community in which they lived:
A pastor’s family lives as if on a tray, unprotected from other eyes. The parsonage must
always be open. The congregation’s critique and commentary are constant. Both Father and
Mother were perfectionists who sagged under this unreasonable pressure. Their working day
was open-ended, their marriage difficult, their self-discipline iron-hard. Their two sons
reflected characteristics they unremittingly punished in themselves. (The Magic Lantern,
p. 9)

[En prästfamilj lever som på en bricka, oskyddad för insyn. Huset måste alltid stå öppet.
Församlingens kritik och kommentar är konstant. Både far och mor var perfektionister som
helt säkert sviktade under detta orimliga tryck. Deras arbetsdag var obegränsad, deras
äktenskap svårmanövrerat, deras självdisciplin järnhård. De båda sönerna speglade karak-
tärsdrag som de oavlåtligt tuktade hos sig själva.] (Laterna magica, p. 15)

Bergman’s earliest biographer, Marianne Höök, once stated that Ingmar Bergman had
grown up on a cultural reservation. With this she implied that he carried with him a
world whose moral and religious concerns were no longer part of mainstream Swed-
ish society. The emerging secularized folkhem (pre-welfare state) had more pressing
issues to deal with than questions of faith and doubt, and already Strindberg had
concluded, in his famous preface to Fröken Julie (1887, Miss Julie), that mankind had

25
 Chapter I Life and Work

eradicated conscience (guilt) together with the idea of a godhead. Höök suggested
that to most of his contemporaries, Bergman’s religious background and its moral
outlook placed him in an older grandparent generation.
Marianne Höök’s assessment of Ingmar Bergman’s obsolete status in Swedish
culture was colored however by her own times and failed to acknowledge the social
and cultural climate in Sweden during Ingmar Bergman’s childhood. When he grew
up, Sweden was still a fairly remote and provincial corner of Northern Europe, a
homogeneous society rooted in a Lutheran culture. The social structure was hier-
archic and class-divided. To all three of the Bergman children, it seemed that life was
regulated by a whole set of authoritative rules dictated by parents, teachers, govern-
ment officials, and by God himself. It was a world in which most children were still
expected to be quiet, silent, and obedient. They were taught self-castigation and
learned to look upon themselves as guilt-ridden creatures. Even though the Bergman
brood may have received a greater dose of the Lutheran ethos than other Swedish
children at the time, it is worth remembering that the last edition of a fundamentalist
Swedish explication of Luther’s catechism by Henrik Schartau was printed as late as
1925 and was used as compulsory religious instruction of the young. Its rigorous
Protestant moralism with its emphasis on obedience before authority is echoed by
Ingmar Bergman in his assessment, as an adult, of his own upbringing:
To humiliate and be humiliated, I think, is a crucial element in our whole social structure.
[...] If I’ve objected strongly to Christianity, it has been because Christianity is deeply
branded by a very virulent humiliation motif. One of its main tenets is ‘I, a miserable
sinner, born in sin, who have sinned all my days, etc.’ Our way of living and behaving
under this punishment is completely atavistic. I could go on talking about this humiliation
business for ever. It’s one of the big basic experiences. (Bergman on Bergman, p. 81)

[Att förödmjuka och att vara förödmjukad tycker jag är en vital beståndsdel i hela vår
samhällskonstruktion. [...] En stor del av min mycket starka protest emot kristendomen
är att där finns ett starkt och inbränt förödmjukelsemotiv. En av huvudpunkterna är ‘jag
fattig, syndig människa, jämväl i synd född, som i alla mina livsdagar haver syndat’. Detta
straff lever vi under och handlar under rent atavistiskt. Det här med förödmjukelse skulle
jag kunna tala om praktiskt talat hur länge som helst. Det är en av de stora grundupple-
velserna.] (Sw. ed., p. 86)

Central in such a culture was teaching a child never to lie. But Ingmar Bergman,
being an imaginative youngster, had some difficulty distinguishing between truthful-
ness and make-believe. He would concoct stories at school about joining a circus,
stories which in a more modern, psychologically sensitive context would seem like
compensatory daydreams, but which were punished as lies. As Bishop Vergerus ex-
plains to his stepson Alexander Ekdahl in Bergman’s film Fanny and Alexander, the
use of a lively imagination was reserved by God for great artists. Children on the other
hand had to learn to tell the truth, or they sinned against God’s purpose:
Imagination, you understand, is something splendid, a mighty force, a gift from God. It is
held in trust for us by the great artists, writers, and musicians. [...] I don’t know what you
imagine, Alexander. Do you believe that you can lie and shuffle without any consequences
and without punishment?

26
 The Family Setting

[Fantasin förstår du är något storslaget, en ofantlig kraft, en gåva från Gud. Den bevakas för
oss av de stora konstnärerna, diktarna, musikerna. [...] Jag vet inte vad du väntar dig,
Alexander. Tror du att du kan ljuga och vrida dig utan konsekvenser och utan straff?]
The 11-year old Alexander’s defiance of his stepfather, the Lutheran bishop, mirrors
Bergman’s confrontations with his parents’ values and methods of child rearing. In
fact, the film Fanny och Alexander (1982) might be called Bergman’s resurrection of his
childhood. It is a story set about ten years before his own birth in the university town
of Uppsala, where he spent periods of time as a child visiting his maternal grand-
mother. Alexander’s life oscillates between two families, the histrionic and fun-loving
Ekdahls and the stern Vergeruses, headed by his stepfather. These are two contrasting
milieus that represent much of the social contours and mindscape of Ingmar Berg-
man’s own background.
With its rigid moralism the Vergerus world bears a certain resemblance to the
Bergman home at Storgatan in Stockholm, facing the imposing Hedvig Eleonora
Church. The family dwelt literally in the shadow of its high cupola. In his teens
Ingmar Bergman came to feel increasingly alienated from this milieu. In an interview
from the 1970s he describes his feelings of estrangement after visits to his parental
home:
When I used to return to my parents [...] on Storgatan in Stockholm where I had grown up,
and saw how everything was the same, everything stood in the same place, I experienced a
petrified world that I no longer had any contact with. [...] It was just something dim and
infinitely sad, but nothing stimulating or challenging. (Bergman on Bergman, p. 147).

[När jag kom hem till mina föräldrar [...] på Storgatan i Stockholm, där jag hade vuxit upp
och allting var på samma sätt, allting stod på samma ställe, då upplevde jag att det var en
stelnad värld, något som jag inte längre hade någon kontakt med. [...] Det var bara något
skymmande och någonting oändligt vemodigt, men inte något stimulerande eller eggande.]
(Bergman om Bergman, p. 158). Cf this to quote in NYT, 17 October 1976, p. 15 (‘Bergman in
Exile’): ‘When I was in my 30s I never thought I would ever have any contact [with my
parents]. We made polite conversation. It was as if they were from another planet. We were
absolutely strange to each other.’

Ingmar Bergman only lived at the Storgatan address in his teens, but he turned it into
a metaphor for his own troubled adolescence. The Storgatan apartment became a
contrast to the yellow wooden vicarage in the Lilljans Forest where he had spent most
of his early childhood. The house stood next to the Sofia Hospital, a private dispen-
sary situated in a park-like setting, beyond which was the open countryside: ‘Even on
the ground floor’, Bergman once told an early biographer, ‘the blinds never had to be
drawn in the dark winter evenings; in Mother’s window there was a lamp with a pink
lampshade, which served as a beacon when we ran home in the evenings through the
windy, black park’. [Även på bottenvåningen behövde gardinerna aldrig dras för
under de mörka vinterkvällarna; i mors fönster fanns en en lampa med en skär
lampskärm, som tjänstgjorde som en fyr när vi sprang hem på kvällen genom den
blåsiga svarta parken]. (Höök, 1962, p. 22)
With time Ingmar Bergman was to become more tolerant about his parents and
acknowledge that life in the vicarage did also include moments of festivity and joy.

27
 Chapter I Life and Work

The fact is that neither Erik nor Karin Bergman were fundamentalist in their views on
the theatre and the cinema, but actually encouraged their children to engage in
dramatic activity, such as puppetry. Erik Bergman was somewhat of a pioneer in
using visual aids in his religious instruction of the young. He once arranged a visit
for his younger son to the Råsunda Studios, popularly referred to as the Film City on
the outskirts of Stockholm. Family gatherings at Christmas time included not only
Bible readings but also magic lantern shows and storytelling. Karin Bergman, in
particular, carried with her a cultivated interest in literature and theatre.
Ingmar Bergman made his debut on stage as a chanterelle mushroom in a chil-
dren’s pageant based on a popular text by classical Swedish writer and artist of
children’s books, Elsa Beskow. Still, Bergman’s first visit to the real theatre proved a
minor disaster. Watching a dramatization of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf on
stage frightened him so much that he allegedly had to be carried home screaming. A
few years later however he watched with fascination a production at the Royal Dra-
matic Theatre of Gustaf af Gejerstam’s dramatization of Hans Christian Andersen’s
tale ‘Big Claus and Little Claus’. The memory of this event lived on in sharp detail,
and even at an old age Bergman would point out the very seat where he experienced
his first visit to the Royal Dramatic, Sweden’s imposing Jugend-style national stage,
whose head he would one day become. Another reason for his recollection of the
event might be that the production was staged by Alf Sjöberg (1903-1980) who would
direct Bergman’s first screenplay, Hets (1944, Torment/Frenzy) and would become his
colleague at the Royal Dramatic.
In retrospect Ingmar Bergman would, for many years, associate his happy recollec-
tions of the past not with his parental home but with his maternal grandmother’s
huge apartment in Uppsala which he often visited as a child. Karin Bergman remi-
nisces in her diary about the special rapport that existed between her son and her
mother, Anna Åkerblom:
It seems to me at times as if Grandma’s Uppsala were the only protected world he possesses
and one he withdrew to like an oasis. Everything connected with the times he could stay
with Grandma in Uppsala has a shimmer to it.

I believe it is immensely important to Ingmar that Grandma treated him like an equal in
many respects. [...] Ingmar was allowed to stay up to talk in quiet with Grandma. They went
to the movies together, and they had tea when they came back home. She let him wander
around on his own long before he was let loose in Stockholm. – And he, he accepted her as
she was, old-fashioned strict and in her own way demanding but at the same time childishly
playful and humorous. [...] And pious in an old-fashioned way with morning prayers and
evening prayers with Christian principles in all her actions. And he still accepts her just like
that, and in some of the things he has written, Grandma or moods from her world crop up.

[Det verkar ibland på mig, som om Mormors Uppsala vore den enda hägnade värld han
äger, och som han drog sig tillbaka till som till en oas. Allt som hörde samman med de tider
då han fick vara hos Mormor i Uppsala har ett skimmer omkring sig.

Jag tror att det betyder oerhört mycket för Ingmar, att Mormor behandlade honom som en
jämnårig i många sammanhang. [...] Ingmar fick sitta uppe och språka i ro med Mormor.

28
 The Family Setting

De gingo på bio tillsammans, och de drucko té vid hemkomsten. Hon lät honom göra
vandringar på egen hand långt innan han släpptes lös i Stockholm. – Och han, han accep-
terade henne, som hon var, gammaldags sträng och på sitt sätt fordrande men samtidigt
barnsligt lekfull och humoristisk. [...] Och gammaldags from med morgonbön och afton-
bön med Kristna principer i allt sitt handlande. Och han accepterar henne ännu just sådan,
och i somliga saker som han skrivit, så dyker Mormor upp eller tongångar från hennes
värld.] (Karin Bergman. Åldrandets tid, p. 81). See Linton-Malmfors, Ø 1526)
Anna Åkerblom was a widow and matriarch who lived alone with her old house-
keeper. She was surrounded by the same furniture as when she moved into her
patrician apartment as a young bride. Hers was an obsolete world, but to Ingmar
Bergman it seemed not faded so much as suspended in time, a place where people
and objects had never been young and yet never aged. Like Alexander in the opening
sequence of Fanny and Alexander, Ingmar Bergman used to hide under his grand-
mother’s huge dining room table to eavesdrop on the adults or simply to follow the
traveling sunlight on the walls:
It is a wintry day in early spring, and he is sitting under the dining room table at his
grandmother’s. He has on an apron with a pocket in front, and he has just had the measles.
The sunlight is streaming through the high windows, and the beams are moving all the time.
They even have a strange buzzing sound, like extraterrestial machines. On the wall there is a
painting of Venice, and when the sunlight travels across the picture, the water in the canals
begins to flow. The pigeons lift from the square, and the people in the streets turn to each
other and begin to carry on whispering conversations. They are real and yet unreal; they can
be heard and yet remain silent.

[Det är en vinterdag tidigt om våren och han sitter under matsalsbordet hos mormor. Han
har ett förkläde på sig med en ficka där fram och han har just haft mässlingen. Solljuset
strömmar genom de höga fönstren och strålarna rör sig hela tiden. De har till och med ett
egendomligt surrande ljud, som utomjordiska maskiner. På väggen hänger en tavla av
Venedig och när solljuset färdas över bilden börjar vattnet i kanalerna flyta. Duvorna lyfter
från torget och människorna på gatan vänder sig mot varandra och börjar föra viskande
samtal. De är verkliga och ändå overkliga; de kan höras och förblir ändå tysta.] (‘I mormors
hus’, Ø 47, Chapter II)
To young Bergman his aging grandmother and her housekeeper took on mythic
proportions. As such they were to lend their features to many clever and wise old
crones in his works, pointing most obviously to the granny in the two plays Staden
(1950, The City) and Mig till skräck (1948, Unto My Fear), as well as to the half
allegorized figure of Mrs. Åström in Dagen slutar tidigt (1948, Early Ends the Day).
But they also lent their features to such portraits as the witty old Mrs. Armfeldt in
Sommarnattens leende (1955, Smiles of a Summer Night), Isak Borg’s old mother in
Smultronstället (1957, Wild Strawberries) who refuses to die; and the herb-collecting
granny in the Vogler entourage in Ansiktet, (1958, The Magician/The Face) whose
rapport with the innocent young Sanna takes on a fairy tale quality; and finally as
the wise and sensitive grandmother Helena Ekdahl and her grumpy old cook and
housekeeper Siri in Fanny och Alexander.

29
 Chapter I Life and Work

Childhood memories seem to dictate Bergman’s narrative approach – a form of

Proustian journey into the past, using flashbacks as a structural tool. In an early script
like Eva (1948) and in such films as Sommarlek (1951, Illicit/Summer Interlude) and
Smultronstället (1957, Wild Strawberries), repressed memories and subconscious fan-
tasies are unveiled with both painful and healing consequences. By reliving her youth,
the ballet dancer Mari in Sommarlek can finally come to terms with the loss of her
lover many years earlier; and in Smultronstället, the aging professor Isak Borg, whose
initials are the same as Ingmar Bergman’s, finds both peace of mind and self-recogni-
tion through visualized recollections of his youth and unhappy marriage. The very
genesis of the film is related by Bergman to an episode (later denied by Bergman)
when he stopped at his grandmother’s house long after she was gone. As he opened
the gate in the early morning hour, childhood memories flooded his mind:
It was autumn and a faint sun had begun to fall on the cathedral as the clock was striking
five. I went into the little cobblestone yard. Then I went up into the house and took hold of
the door knob to the kitchen door, which still had its colored glass pattern; and a feeling ran
quickly through me: suppose I open it? Suppose old Lalla (our old cook, she was) is standing
inside there in her big apron, making porridge for breakfast as she did so many times when I
was little. Suppose I could suddenly walk into my childhood? [...] Then it struck me:
Supposing I make a film of someone coming along, perfectly realistically, and suddenly
opening the door and walking into his childhood? And then opening another door and
walking out into reality again? And then walking round the corner of the street and coming
into some other period of his life, and everything still alive and going on as before? (Berg-
man on Bergman, p. 132-33)

[Det var på hösten och det började komma litet sol på domkyrkan och klockan slog just
fem. Jag gick in på den lilla gården som var kullerstensbelagd. Så gick jag upp i huset och tog
i dörrlåset till köksdörren, som fortfarande hade det där kulörta glasmönstret, och då gick
det en ilande känsla igenom mig – tänk om jag öppnar nu och gamla Lalla, alltså den gamla
kokerskan, står där inne i sitt stora köksförkläde och lagar frukostgröten, så som hon hade
gjort så många gånger när jag var liten. Att jag plötsligt bara kunde stiga in i min barndom.
[...] Så slog det mig – tänk om man skulle göra en film om det här att man bara kommer
alldeles realistiskt och plötsligt öppnar en dörr, och så går man in i sin barndom, och så
öppnar man en annan dörr och kommer ut i verkligheten, och sen svänger man om ett
gathörn och kommer in i någon annan period av sin tillvaro, och allting pågår, lever.]
(Bergman om Bergman, s. 139-41)
But the sensuous recollections of the past are perhaps captured most fully in later
Bergman films like Viskningar och rop (1972, Cries and Whispers) and Fanny och
Alexander (1982). These two films begin by letting the camera into rooms breathing
with old objets d’art, ticking clocks and faint, whispering voices. What is projected is a
luscious world of images and evocative sounds. Like ghosts these projections have no
clearly spoken language. In Cries and Whispers their spell is broken when the char-
acters awaken to a day of pain and are ushered into everyday reality. Glimpses of the
past lives of four women – three sisters and a housekeeper – are revealed in flashbacks
that are signaled by red fade-outs, a shade that Bergman associates with the color of
the soul – and with the realm of childhood. In Fanny and Alexander, Alexander’s
wandering through his grandmother’s apartment – opening creaking doors, breathing

30
 The Family Setting

on the frozen windowpane, calling out the names of family members, and willing
dead objects to life – becomes an invocation to enter the world of childhood, which is
both distant and absolutely present.
Childhood may have provided the adult artist Ingmar Bergman with major motifs
and a fundamental mindscape. But it also offered him the first rudimentary instru-
ments for his theatre work and filmmaking. Being a rather shy, somewhat stuttering
and withdrawn child, young Bergman found an outlet for his imagination in pup-
petry and film projection. The puppet theatre began as a simple play activity together
with his sister and two friends, using a sheet and a table as props. Ingmar was the
director and prime mover. Puppetry developed into a serious hobby lasting through-
out his teens and became crucial not only in teaching him the first steps in stagecraft
but in shaping his earliest notions of the human condition. His experience as an
amateur puppeteer whose performers were manipulated marionettes may have served
as a metaphor for an early deterministic view of life. In his plays for the theatre,
Bergman would often cast his characters as doomed creatures governed by forces
beyond their control. Dagen slutar tidigt is structured like a morality play in which all
the dramatis personae are predestined to die shortly. In Jack hos skådespelarna (1946,
Jack Among the Actors), which Bergman unsuccessfully submitted as a radio play, the
characters are in the hands of a satanic director who claims he has created a cosmos of
his own for a few people who have to obey him: ‘Now I sit here and pull my strings.
Pull, pull, jerk, jerk!’ [Nu sitter jag här och drar i trådarna. Drag, drag, ryck, ryck.]
The puppeteer/marionette concept, harboring one of the central motifs in Ingmar
Bergman’s works – the humiliation theme – is closely related to the clown motif,
which had been explored earlier by one of Bergman’s admired authors, Hjalmar
Bergman (no kin; 1883-1931), whose novel Clownen Jack portrays a performer, Jack
Trabac, as a humiliated buffoon until he revolts and turns the tables on the audience
(see Forslund, Ø 992). The most obvious analogy in Ingmar Bergman’s oeuvre is the
film Gycklarnas afton (1953, The Naked Night), sharing with Hjalmar Bergman’s novel
both the circus setting and a clown’s humiliation, but the theme survives in different
forms in many later works, for instance Ansiktet (1958, The Magician/The Face) and
Vargtimmen (1967, Hour of the Wolf). Towards the very end of his film career the
puppet/humiliation theme even provides the title of his German-produced screen
work, Aus dem Leben des Marionetten (1980, From the Life of the Marionettes), in
which ‘the protocol’ of a murderer, Peter Egerman, suggests his mental collapse as
the inevitable result of a lifelong series of human betrayals. Here friends and family
provide a psychologically motivated form of determinism, in contrast to the rather
abstracted concept of the demonic director in Jack hos skådespelarna. In varying
transformations, however, the diabolic puppeteer as well as the humiliated ‘clown’
figure keep returning in Bergman’s artistic vision as an essential force of evil, thus
supporting a statement he made in an interview in 1971:
What I believed in [...] was the existence of a virulent evil, in no way dependent on
environmental or hereditary factors. Call it original sin or whatever you like – anyway an
active evil on which man alone, unlike the animals, has the monopoly. [...] As a materi-
alization of this virulent, indestructable and – to us – incomprehensable and inexplicable
evil I manufactured a personage possessing the diabolic features of a medieval morality
figure. [...] His evil was one of the springs in the clockwork. (Bergman on Bergman, p. 40)

31
 Chapter I Life and Work

[Vad jag har trott på [...] var att det existerar en virulent ondska som inte på något sätt är
beroende av miljö eller arvsfaktorer. Vi kan kalla den arvsynden eller vad som helst – en
aktiv ondska, som människan till skillnad från djuren är alldeles ensam om. [...] Som
materialisation av denna virulenta, ständigt existerande och obegripliga, för oss ofattbara
ondska tillverkade jag en person som hade den medeltida moralitetens djävulsdrag. [...]
Hans ondska var en fjäder i urverket]. (Bergman om Bergman, p. 43]
Moved to a metaphysical level, the representation of an omnipotent puppeteer direc-
tor finds its counterpart in the silent god figure who gains such a hold over many of
Bergman’s characters. It is an invisible and distant god who takes possession of the
knight Antonius Block in Det sjunde inseglet (1956, The Seventh Seal) and turns him
into a fanatic quester, compelling him to leave his wife to participate in a futile ten-
year crusade. It is a similar power, imagined as a rapist god, who separates Karin, the
schizophrenic young woman in Såsom i en spegel (1961, Through a Glass Darkly) from
her husband. It is the same demonic force that emerges as ‘the spider god’ in the
mind of Pastor Tomas in Nattvardsgästerna (1962, Winter Light/The Communicants)
and leads him to fail his congregation.
The different ramifications of the puppeteer/marionette concept in Bergman’s
works might be juxtaposed to the significance of the magic lantern, the other im-
portant toy in his childhood. Around the age of ten he became the excited owner of a
kerosene-lit projector. It was a Christmas present from a rich aunt and actually meant
for his older brother, but Ingmar quickly obtained it in exchange for an army of tin
soldiers. Soon all his pocket money went to the purchase of film strips that were on
sale in local stores. Simultaneous with his earliest attempts at constructing film
sequences, Ingmar Bergman began to frequent the cinema on a regular basis. There
were several small movie houses in the vicinity of his home, which had matinee
showings on weekends. He went there together with his older brother Dag. But also
his grandmother in Uppsala proved a faithful companion to the movies. Though she
had the embarrassing habit of rubbing her boots in screeching disapproval of any love
scenes, her visits to the cinema with her grandson were highlights in Bergman’s
childhood. Within the same magical aura dwelt the machinist in the projection booth,
who seemed like a magician in a world next door to heaven, with young Ingmar
totally oblivious to the projectionist’s pedophile leanings.
The seeds of his future filmmaking were now planted. In his memoir book, fittingly
titled Laterna magic (1987, The Magic Lantern) Bergman still remembers his excite-
ment of turning on the projector and seeing images beginning to move on the nursery
room wall:
I turned the lever and the girl awakened, sat up, moved slowly, stretched out her arms,
swung around and disappeared to the right. If I continued to turn the lever, she lay there
again and went through exactly the same movements again.

She moved. (The Magic Lantern, p. 16)

[Jag rörde veven och flickan vaknade, satte sig upp, reste sig långsamt, sträckte ut armarna,
svängde runt och försvann till höger. Om jag fortsatte veva, låg hon där igen och gjorde
sedan om precis samma rörelser.

32
 Debut and Formative Years

Hon rörde sig.] (Laterna magica, p. 23)

Ingmar Bergman kept his magic lantern in a nursery closet, a space similar to the one
where he is said to have been locked up as a form of punishment when he was a child
and told that nasty goblins lived there, who chewed off the toes of naughty children.
Karin Bergman relates in a letter to her mother how she felt compelled to put her
older son Dag in the closet because of his defiant disobedience. It came to represent a
Bergman childhood trauma, while the presence of the magic lantern in the same
space constitutes a creative way of dealing with that trauma. The magic machine
could transform dark demons into dancing light beams. Film projection became in
fact an act of exorcism through which the frightening shadows of early childhood
could be controlled. The closet trauma appears as a central psychological reference in
a number of Bergman films: Fängelse (1949, Prison), Vargtimmen (1967, The Hour of
the Wolf), Ansikte mot ansikte (1975, Face to Face). For Ingmar Bergman as for his alter
ego Alexander Ekdahl in Fanny and Alexander, the fearful darkness was dispelled by
the hand that sets the projector in motion and by the mind that designs the images. It
is no exaggeration to claim that, thanks to his film apparatus, the frightened child
Ingmar was rescued by the creative artist and directorial ‘magician’ Bergman.

Debut and Formative Years

Ingmar Bergman’s school years were not very happy. He attended a local school run
by the Swedish Mission Society and seems to have been a fairly compliant student.
But he was picked on by his English teacher, a notorious classroom terror nicknamed
‘Kusken’ (the Coachman), who was later depicted as the sadistic instructor Caligula in
Bergman’s film script to Hets (1944, Torment, Frenzy). An older classmate, Gunnar
Lindblad, who became one of his early set designers, has described Bergman during
his high school years as socially rather reticent and more absorbed in finding tech-
nical solutions to his puppet theatre than participating in extra-curricular school
activities. The puppet theatre had by then grown from child’s play to an adolescent
passion.
But a rebellion was brewing. The most explicit sign came in the late 1930s when
Bergman left home under dramatic circumstances, after having knocked down his
father and insulted his mother. Soon thereafter – and after completing compulsory
military service – Bergman assumed his first assignment as a stage director at the
amateur theatre section of Mäster Olofsgården, a Christian settlement house in Stock-
holm’s Old City, at that time a poor section of town. He moved in with the newly
married manager of the settlement’s youth activities, Sven Hansson, who in turn kept
up a telephone communication with Bergman’s parents and received monetary com-
pensation for son Ingmar’s room and board. Soon Sven Hansson also had to solve
conflicts that arose at the settlement center as Bergman shocked the board members
with his foul language, his rehearsals on Sundays during morning service, and his
rigorous and long training sessions. All the same, Ingmar Bergman was chosen, a year
later, as the most valuable volunteer in the settlement’s youth work.
While at Mäster Olofsgården, Ingmar Bergman was also enrolled at Stockholm
University as a student of literature. Though never completing an academic degree, he

33
 Chapter I Life and Work

attended the lectures of Professor Martin Lamm, a prominent Strindberg scholar, and
wrote a seminar paper on Strindberg’s fairy play, Himmelrikets nycklar (1884, The Keys
of Heaven), which he had staged in his puppet theatre at home. The paper reads like a
prompt copy for a production; it is clear that it was the live theatre that attracted
Ingmar Bergman more than any academic pursuits. Soon he became involved with
the Student Theatre, which at this time was a lively organization that included a
number of future authors and actors.
In neutral but hemmed-in Sweden the theatre stage played an important role
during World War II as an emotional and intellectual outlet. For Bergman the early
1940s became a crucial apprenticeship period when he set up plays on a number of
different stages in Stockholm. Some of his productions were political dramas by
contemporary Scandinavian playwrights, but his main motivation was artistic. He
would always refer to himself as a non-political person and cites his own youthful
unawareness of rising Nazism in Germany as a sign of his political ignorance, despite
his stay with a German family for a couple of summers in the mid-1930s. Bergman’s
family expressed a sense of cultural affinity with Germany, the country of Martin
Luther, rather than loyalty to Nazi ideology. Had the latter been the case, they would
hardly have taken in a teenage Jewish refugee as their houseguest, a young man who
arrived in 1940 at age 17 and stayed with the Bergmans for seven years.
There is no trace of the contemporary political situation in Bergman’s own plays
which were performed at the Student Theatre in 1942 and 1943. ‘Kaspers död’ (Death
of Punch) and ‘Tivolit’ are projections of his metaphysical and eschatological con-
cerns. ‘Kaspers död’ attracted the attention of Stina Bergman, widow of author
Hjalmar Bergman and head of the manuscript department at Svensk Filmindustri
(SF). She hired him as a reader and ‘manuscript washer’ but also encouraged him to
work on scripts of his own. Only one of these was filmed, Hets (1944, Torment/
Frenzy), but it turned the spotlight on Ingmar Bergman. A year later, the head of
SF, Carl Anders Dymling, offered him the opportunity to shoot his first film, Kris
(1945). Bergman felt like ‘a kitten in a ball of yarn’ [en kattunge i ett garnnystan] (Från
A till Ö, 1973, Ø 154). At first he tried to cover up his novice status and sense of
insecurity with an overconfident attitude that alienated many of the studio workers
who had been in the profession for a long time. Feeling snubbed and ridiculed,
Bergman decided after shooting Kris that he would learn all the technical aspects
of filmmaking and master the film medium as a good craftsman.
While still engaged in the Student Theatre, Ingmar Bergman had become involved
in a stormy liaison with a would-be actress and poet, Karin Lannby, whose modern
lifestyle and experiences were light years removed from his own protected bourgeois
background. Karin Lannby was older than Bergman, had published a collection of
poetry and was rumored to have lived a fast life, married to a sheik and active in the
Spanish Civil War. Bergman alludes to her in his portrait of Rut in the script to ‘En
kvinnas ansikte’ [A woman’s face]. (See ‘Puzzlet föreställer Eros’, Ø 42, Chapter II).
The relationship was of short duration, and the femme fatale was replaced by waif-
like Else Fisher, a choreographer whom Bergman married in 1944. Else had created
and staged a successful children’s ballet and was considered very promising in her
field. The two collaborated on several productions at the Sago Theatre in the newly
built Citizens Hall (Medborgarhuset) in Stockholm. Even long after the marriage was
dissolved, Else Fisher would contribute to Bergman’s work, for instance in Det sjunde

34
 Debut and Formative Years

inseglet (The Seventh Seal), where she composed the dance performed by the acting
troupe (Jof, Mia and Skat) outside the tavern, just prior to the arrival of the train of
flagellants.
Bergman’s directorial activity continued at an intense pace. It included several
productions at a newly founded professional stage, the Dramatists Studio, whose
prime mover, an eccentric woman by the name of Brita von Horn, recognized Berg-
man’s talents. Then, at age 26, he was offered the post as head of the City Theatre in
Hälsingborg in southern Sweden. Else Fisher was now pregnant with daughter Lena
but also ill with TB and staying in a sanatorium. Within a year after Bergman’s
assumption of his new post, the marriage was dissolved. Soon thereafter he married
choreographer Ellen Lundström, whom he had met in Hälsingborg. This marriage
lasted for some five years. Four children were born, among them a set of twins. Three
of them – Jan, Mats and Eva Bergman – were to pursue careers in the theatre, Jan and
Eva as directors, Mats as an actor.
When Ingmar Bergman arrived in Hälsingborg, its theatre was in financial straits.
However, within a 2-year period, he had turned the tide and had gained considerable
local support for his undertaking. He assembled a young and energetic ensemble that
lived on a shoe-string budget and were totally committed to their theatre work. He
designed a repertory of considerable variety, ranging from Shakespeare and Strind-
berg to New Year’s cabarets. But despite his intense work schedule in Hälsingborg,
Bergman’s ties to Svensk Filmindustri were not severed. He came to follow an estab-
lished pattern within Swedish filmmaking by shooting films in the summer time
when the theatres were closed, and actors and directors could be contracted by the
film industry on an ad hoc basis. His oft-quoted statement that the cinema has been
his mistress and the theatre his faithful wife reflects this situation, where the stage
became his home base and filmmaking a less regulated form of involvement. Over the
years, he was to remain loyal to both his ‘mistress’ and ‘his wife’, setting up, in fact, a
mutually inspiring menage-à-trois. A study of his professional engagements in the
theatre reveals a rich thematic and stylistic interchange between his stage productions
and his work for the screen (see Törnqvist, Between Stage and Screen, 1995, and
Koskinen, ‘Allting föreställer, ingenting är’, 2002). The symbiotic relationship between
theatre and film may have dictated his tendency to concentrate the lighting on an
actor on stage as a variation of a filmic close-up, or conversely to build his cinematic
style on long acting scenes reminiscent of a stage performance.
After two years with the Hälsingborg City Theatre, Bergman moved in the fall
season of 1946 with his family to Göteborg. Its City Theatre had achieved a remark-
able reputation during the war years as Sweden’s leading political theatre and intro-
ducer of modern American drama. Bergman now faced a new situation with an
already established ensemble that had worked together for many years. The theatre
was administered firmly by an elderly director, Torsten Hammarén. Bergman worked
under someone who was more knowledgeable and strong-willed than he was.
Throughout the rest of his career in the theatre, he would refer to the advice and
work style of Torsten Hammarén as a model to follow. Together with scriptwriter and
playwright Herbert Grevenius, Hammarén was an incorruptible mentor: ‘When I was
green and uninformed, Torsten Hammarén and Herbert Grevenius stand like two
stern angels not to be bribed.’ (Magic Lantern, p. 156) [Vid min begynnelse står
Torsten Hammarén och Herbert Grevenius som omutligt stränga änglar.] (Laterna

35
 Chapter I Life and Work

magica, p. 185). From Hammarén, Bergman learned the simple, yet difficult basics of
working with actors: that some are to be encouraged to stay, others are to be asked to
leave. (See Sjögren interview with Bergman, titled ‘Dialog med Ingmar Bergman’, in
Ingmar Bergman på teatern 1968, pp. 291-316).
Through his own staging of two of his morality plays, Mig till skräck (Unto My
Fear) and Dagen slutar tidigt (Early Ends the Day) Bergman’s Göteborg experience also
gave him publicity as a playwright. Neither drama text received much critical acclaim,
however. Clearly, reviewers preferred Bergman as a director of works authored by
others, and Bergman himself soon became skeptical about his role as an instructor of
his own plays. Once he had established himself as a scriptwriter, he would stop
writing stage plays.
Some time after his move to Göteborg in 1946, Bergman’s second marriage was
already in trouble: ‘Our home was boiling over with baby cries, drying diapers,
whining women and furious scenes of jealousy’. [Hemmet kokade av barnskrik, blöjor
på tork, gråtande kvinnor och rasande svartsjukescener.] (Laterna magica, s. 182/Magic
Lantern, p. 154). A few years later Bergman met a journalist by the name of Gun
Hagberg (Grut), who was married and had two small sons. Leaving her children with
a Finnish nurse, she joined Bergman in Paris for three months in the spring of 1949,
where he had been sent by Svensk Filmindustri to serve as manuscript adviser for
would-be filmmaker Vilgot Sjöman. (See Sjöman, Mitt personregister. Urval 98, 1998,
pp. 56-91.) Gun was to report to her magazine editor from the fashion shows. Their
passionate relationship led to two painful divorces. In Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973,
Scenes from a Marriage) Bergman was to transfer to the screen the awkward moment
when he had to reveal his liaison to his wife Ellen (third scene in the film). Gun’s
divorce proceedings were ugly and drawn out in court because of the custody issue
over her children. This ordeal undermined the relationship. Soon after the birth of a
son, Ingmar, in April 1951, the couple separated. Later Bergman would refer to Gun as
strong, intelligent, and pragmatic, and used her as a model for the type of women
whom actress Eva Dahlbeck would impersonate as Karin Lobelius in Kvinnors väntan
(1952, Secrets of Women/Waiting Women), Desirée Armfeldt in Sommarnattens leende
(1955, Smiles of a Summer Night), and Stina in Nära livet (1958, Brink of Life/Close to
Life). Gun later took a doctorate degree and became a lecturer in Slavic Languages at
Uppsala University. She was killed in an automobile accident in Yugoslavia. (See
Laterna magica, p. 201; English ed. p. 170.) Memories of their troubled situation
and ensuing guilt feelings would live on in Bergman for a long time and resurface
in his script to the film Trolösa (2000, Faithless).
Bergman’s last production in Göteborg took place in 1948. Moving back to Stock-
holm after his sojourn in Paris, he made two films: Fängelse (1949, The Devil’s
Wanton/Prison), the first film he both scripted and directed, and Till glädje (1950,
To Joy). Neither was a box office success. To make matters worse, major film com-
panies in Sweden shut down their studios in 1950-51 in protest over the high enter-
tainment tax. This lockout crisis came at a time when Ingmar Bergman was still
searching for his footing as a filmmaker. To help support himself and his sizeable
brood, he had to borrow money from SF against a contract, stipulating that he would
later make five films for the company at two-thirds of his usual pay. He also wrote and
produced a series of commercials for Bris, a deodorant soap manufactured by the
Sunlight Corporation. It marked his first contact with teenager Bibi Andersson who

36
 Artistic Breakthruogh at home and Abroad

was to become part of his acting stable both on film and in the theatre, and with
whom he was to establish a Higgins-Eliza relationship, a Pygmalian liaison that the
actress eventually would withdraw from.
Though the Bris commercials were full of clever humor and wit, and were char-
acterized by a Bergman sense of timing, they also signified a very low point in his
career. The rescue seemed to come in 1950 when producer Lorens Marmstedt, for
whom Bergman had made the film Fängelse in 1949, opened the Intima Theatre, a
private stage in Stockholm (not to be confused with Strindberg’s stage of the same
name), Marmstedt was a glamorous figure in the city’s cultural life but also a hard-
nosed businessman. Bergman was invited as a director and his come-back to the
Swedish capital was much anticipated after his very successful time as a stage director
in Hälsingborg and Göteborg. But his production of Brecht’s Three Penny Opera at the
Intima Theatre, his only Brecht production ever, was no public success. He also
accepted a directorial assignment to stage Tennessee Williams’, The Rose Tatoo at
the Norrköping-Linköping City Theatre and directed a relatively new play by Swedish
author Björn-Erik Höijer, Det lyser i kåken (Light in the Shack) at the Royal Dramatic
Theatre. In vain, Bergman hoped for a permanent engagement at Dramaten. Instead,
it was a provincial stage that would offer him a contract. In 1952 he left Stockholm
again, this time to assume the artistic directorship at the Malmö City Theatre in
southern Sweden. He now lived with actress Harriet Andersson, whom he had fallen
in love with during the shooting of Sommaren med Monika (1952, Summer with
Monica). His marriage to Gun Grut was not dissolved until several years later, but
their separation was final.

Artistic Breakthrough at Home and Abroad

Bergman was to stay in Malmö for six years, during which time the tide turned for
him both in terms of his filmmaking and his stage work. He became one of Sweden’s
leading stage directors with productions of Goethe’s Faust, Molière’s Don Juan and
The Misanthrope, Strindberg’s Spöksonaten/Ghost Sonata, Kronbruden/The Crown
Bride and Eric XIV, Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an
Author. Shakespeare is the only one missing from Bergman’s Malmö repertory among
those playwrights who have been central to him as a stage director. It was also in
Malmö that he solidified his group of actors, welded together by a director who far
outpaced the head of the theatre that had hired him, Lars Levi Læstadius. Many of the
names to be associated with Bergman’s filmmaking in the mid-Fifties – Max von
Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, Åke Fridell – were actors at
the Malmö City Theatre under his tutelage.
Bergman’s Malmö period coincides with his major breakthrough as a filmmaker. In
Sweden he now gained a reputation as a maker of women’s films; besides Sommarlek
and Sommaren med Monika he wrote and directed Kvinnors väntan (1952, Secrets of
Women/Waiting Women), En lektion i kärlek (1954, A Lesson in Love), Kvinnodröm
(1955, Dreams) and Sommarnattens leende (1955, Smiles of a Summer Night). Many of
these films belong to Bergman’s ‘rose’ period, i.e., they project a tone of sophisticated
humor and erotic badinage in the tradition of such filmmakers as Mauritz Stiller
(1883-1928) and Ernst Lubitsch (1892-1947). It was a genre that attracted viewers and

37
 Chapter I Life and Work

pleased Bergman’s major producer, Svensk Filmindustri. After the international re-
cognition of Sommarnattens leende at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, Bergman’s re-
peated request to realize Det sjunde inseglet (1956, The Seventh Seal) was finally
granted. With its success abroad, Bergman’s financial and creative freedom was se-
cured. By the late 1950s, Bergman film classics were shown all over the world, films
like Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), The Seventh Seal (1956), Wild Strawberries (1957),
and The Magician (1958). He had become the epitome of an auteur du cinema (see
Chapter III) and his films were part of the international circuit, receiving prizes at
Cannes, Berlin, Los Angeles and elsewhere (see Varia Chapter). Internationally, it was
a period when, in the words of Time magazine, ‘Bergmania ruled the waves’ (14
March 1960, p. 60).

Religious Crisis

Sjunde inseglet/The Seventh Seal also signaled an oncoming crisis, in which Bergman
would dramatize his attempts to free himself from his religious heritage. One can
follow the process by juxtaposing the film to his play Trämålning (Wood Painting)
from 1954 on which The Seventh Seal is based. In the play the basic polarity of the two
travelling companions, the Knight and his Squire, expresses the intellectual dichot-
omy in Bergman's vision. The Squire's cynical humor in the face of death forms a
counterpart to the Knight's desperate search for divine certainty. A speech by the
latter that was cut from the subsequent screenplay clarifies the Knight's oscillation
between faith and doubt:
Each morning and evening I stretch my arms toward the Saints, toward God. [...] Again and
again I am shaken with absolute certainty. Through the mists of spiritual listlessness God's
nearness strikes me, like the strokes of a huge bell. Suddenly my emptiness is filled with
music, almost without a key but as if carried by innumerable voices. Then I cry out through
my darkness, and my cry is like a whisper: ‘To your glory, oh God! To your glory I live! To
your glory!’ So I cry in the dark. Then the dreadful thing strikes all my nerves. My certainty
dies as if someone had blown it out. The huge bell is silent [...]

[Varje morgon och afton sträcker jag mina armar mot Helgonen, mot Gud. [...] Gång på
gång skakas jag av en fullständig visshet. Genom dimmor av andlig slöhet drabbar mig Guds
närhet likt slag av en väldig klocka. Plötsligt är min tomhet fylld av musik, nästan utan toner
men liksom buren av tallösa röster. Då ropar jag genom alla mina mörker och mitt rop är
som en viskning: Till din ära, o Gud! Till din ära lever jag. Till din ära! Så ropar jag i
mörkret. Då händer det genom alla mina nerver fasansfulla... Vissheten slocknar som om
någon blåste ut den. Den stora klockan tystnar, ...]
The existential and metaphysical questioning reflected in Bergman’s major screen
works from The Seventh Seal (1956) to Tystnaden (1962, The Silence) could be called,
with a reference to Strindberg’s mental upheaval in the mid-1890s, an inverted ‘in-
ferno crisis’. While Strindberg emerged from his ordeal with a newborn religious faith,
Bergman liberated himself from his Lutheran background, though still recognizing
the presence of spiritual realities, which was confirmed as late as in a TV interview

38
 Discovery of Fårö

with Ingmar Bergman and Erland Josephson on 4 April 2000, Swedish TV Channel 4,
(See Interviews, Ø 950).
Inspired in part by Strindberg’s historical drama Folkungasagan (1899, The Saga of
the Folkungs), set in the Middle Ages, The Seventh Seal is structured like a medieval
morality play in which an Everyman figure, the Knight Antonius Block, returns from
the holy crusades to his native Sweden. Travelling with his skeptical Squire, the
Knight’s quest seems more modern than medieval, however, and the central idea is
closer to postwar existentialist thinking than to a 14th-century religious crusade.
Antonius Block’s strong, desperate, and defiant figure re-emerges as the medieval
farmer Töre in Jungfrukällan (1960, The Virgin Spring), whose young and beautiful
daughter is raped and murdered on her journey to church to offer candles to the
Virgin Mary. Unlike The Seventh Seal, which seems to end in futile prayer as Antonius
Block speaks for his entourage while facing the figure of Death who has come to claim
them all, Töre in The Virgin Spring expresses a quia absurdum est, telling God that he
cannot understand His cruelty, yet vows to build a church in His honor on the spot of
his daughter’s murder. In both The Seventh Seal and The Virgin Spring, God is a
taunting and distant God. In the subsequent so-called trilogy Såsom i en spegel (1961,
Through a Glass Darkly), Nattvardsgästerna (1962, Winter Light/The Communicants),
and Tystnaden (1963, The Silence), this godhead emerges as an usurping ‘spider god’
who spreads anguish among those who seek him and leaves behind a psychological
and metaphysical void. The three films tell their separate stories, but what they have
in common is the progression of the theme of God’s silence. In a motto, printed in
the published screenplays, Bergman suggests that ‘These three films deal with a
reduction. THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY – conquered certainty. WINTER LIGHT
– disclosed certainty. THE SILENCE – God’s Silence – the negative imprint’. [Dessa
tre filmer handlar om en reducering. SÅSOM I EN SPEGEL – erövrad visshet.
NATTVARDSGÄSTERNA – genomskådad visshet. TYSTNADEN –Guds tystnad –
det negativa avtrycket.] The setting of each film reflects this movement towards
nihilism. Today Bergman denies that the films form a trilogy. Nevertheless, they
depict a spiritual development that he himself experienced during this time in his
life, as he moved towards a position of agnosticism. It was also a process that freed
him from his earlier fear of death and God’s punishment. Death now became asso-
ciated with the blank moments of unconciousness he had gone through while in a
coma during surgery.

Discovery of Fårö

In 1958 Bergman turned forty. His six-year contract at Malmö was up. Leaving the city
and his relationship with actress Harriet Andersson behind, Bergman returned alone
to Stockholm. For the next three years he was engaged in filmmaking. He also turned
his attention to the opera and in 1961 presented a much-acclaimed production of
Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. It was an old dream come true, and the composer
himself came to Stockholm and gave his blessing. The production was later revived
(in 1966-67) and presented abroad, at the Montreal World’s Fair. In interviews Berg-
man talked about taking a year-long sabbatical leave to study Bach. The idea never
materialized, but it was nurtured for a while by his new love Käbi Laretei, an inter-

39
 Chapter I Life and Work

nationally recognized pianist. Käbi’s marriage to a music conductor was dissolved and
she and Bergman married in 1959. He dedicated his 1961 film Såsom i en spegel/
Through a Glass Darkly to her, writing the script for it on the island of Torö in the
Stockholm archipelago. Bergman was about to discover his Baltic landscape.
It was while looking for a location to shoot Through a Glass Darkly that he was
advised by his cinematographer Sven Nykvist to take a look at Fårö (Sheep Island). In
part a military reserve characterized by moorlands and strangely formed limestone
rocks called raukar, Fårö quickly became both a real and a symbolic place to Ingmar
Bergman. Though he lived in the wealthy Stockholm suburb of Djursholm during his
marriage with Käbi, in which a son, Daniel Sebastian, was born in 1963, he made Fårö
his permanent home after their divorce in 1965. At the edge of the Baltic Sea on an
isolated part of the island, he built a compound, including a private screening room
and some technical facilities. He would only return to Stockholm for professional
reasons.
Fårö is a sparsely populated outpost in a modern welfare state. In 1969 Bergman
tried to draw political attention to the island with a realistic TV film, Fårödokument
(Fårö Document). But Fårö functions also as the symbolic setting for a number of
screen works that could be called Bergman’s ‘island films’. Besides Through a Glass
Darkly they comprise Persona (1966), Vargtimmen (1967, The Hour of the Wolf),
Skammen (1968, Shame), En passion (1969, The Passion of Anna) and Beröringen
(1970, The Touch). These ‘island’ films depict haunted characters trapped in various
psychological crises. The mood, which is often despairing and nihilistic, is reflected in
Bergman’s essay from the mid-Sixties, ‘Ormskinnet’ (The Snakeskin). If one juxta-
poses this essay to an earlier one from 1954, ‘Det att göra film’ (What is Filmmaking?),
one can see how Bergman’s conception of the function of art changed over a ten-year
period. In ‘Det att göra film’ he formulates an image of the artist as an anonymous
worker sharing in the rebuilding of a great cathedral. When the medieval dome at
Chartres burned down, all the artisans in the neighborhood came together to restore
it to its former glory. They did so motivated by a common desire to honor God and to
work together, taking great pride in their craftsmanship. In ‘The Snakeskin’ essay
Bergman also refers to a collective form of artistic activity, now represented by the
busy bodyness of thousands of little ants moving about inside the skin of a dead
snake. No more church spires are being built; no religious faith unites the artist and
his collective of workers to a common goal; life has become like a hollow snakeskin,
and the ants moving inside it have no other raison d’etre than sustaining their own
existence. It is no longer the artist’s function to be a moral voice or uphold the
spiritual comfort of the human soul. God’s silence means that the artist is placed
not among the divinely inspired but ‘in a brotherhood which exists [...] in a selfish
fellowship on the warm and dirty earth, under a cold and empty sky’. [i ett brödraskap
som existerar [...] i självisk gemenskap på den varma, smutsiga jorden under en kall
och tom himmel.] The disillusionment represented by ‘The Snakeskin’ essay is epi-
tomized in the cynical figure of the architect Vergerus in A Passion of Anna, who is not
a builder of a cathedral of communal worship but reveals himself to be a constructor
of ‘a cultural mausoleum’ for people whom he despises. Thus one might suggest that
Fårö, while becoming Bergman’s personal retreat and his ‘smultronställe’ in life, also
inspires, through its isolation, both the stark form and stern vision of Bergman’s film
work in the Sixties.

40
 The Critical Sixties: The Artist Syndrome

The Critical Sixties: The Artist Syndrome

Bergman’s life with Käbi Laretei, an artist whom he admired and respected greatly,
and with whom he was to maintain a lifelong friendship and professional contact, was
nevertheless a life together with a person totally committed to a field – musical
performance – where Bergman played second fiddle. But his own acceptance of the
post as head of Dramaten in 1963 was equally time-absorbing. Käbi predicted rightly
that his new task would spell the end of their marriage. After a few years, the island of
Fårö and the Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann loomed on the horizon. Ullmann
became Bergman’s leading actress in such films as Persona, Vargtimmen, Skammen,
En passion, Viskningar och rop, Scener ur ett äktenskap, Ansikte mot ansikte (1976, Face
to Face), Ormens ägg (1977, The Serpent’s Egg) and Höstsonat (1978, Autumn Sonata). A
daughter, Linn, was born to the couple in 1967. Liv Ullmann describes the relationship
in her book Forændringen (Changing). She disliked the isolation on Fårö, and by 1971
she and Bergman had separated. As in so many cases with Bergman’s former wives
and liaisons, Ullmann too would continue her professional relationship with him. In
the 1990s, having turned from acting to filmmaking, she would direct Bergman’s TV
plays Enskilda samtal (1995, Private Conversations/Private Confessions) and Trolösa
(2000, Faithless).
It was of course a triumph for Bergman to be invited to administer Dramaten, the
very stage that had been like a sacred place to him in his youth and Sweden’s national
theatre forum. What he did not realize at the time, however, was that Sweden in 1963
was at the beginning of a cultural revolution that was to question various forms of
elitist art, among them the role of the prestigious national stage. Bergman soon found
himself embroiled with government officials who failed to meet his demands for
increased subsidies. He also faced a new radical cadre of actors and other co-workers,
as well as long-term traditionalists, some of whom were forced to retire, among them
the directorial icon Olof Molander and the star actor Lars Hanson.
Bergman’s tenure as head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre was brief – only three
years, which he later referred to as ‘the worst brine bath in my life’ [mitt livs värsta
eklut]. It resulted in improved conditions for the staff but was marred by infighting.
The politicized cultural climate began to dominate the public media in Sweden and
was to involve much more than Bergman’s position at Dramaten (see Laterna magica,
pp. 231-32). But he became particularly disenchanted with the idealogical thrust of a
new generation in the Swedish theatre, to the point where he actually left the country
to direct a play in Oslo (see Ø 537, Chapter VII). As a filmmaker he encountered the
same atmosphere. Already in 1962, filmdirector Bo Widerberg had questioned Berg-
man’s approach to art. In a series of newspaper articles later pushlished as Visionen i
svensk film (Vision in the Swedish cinema), he advocated a social-conscious ‘hori-
zontal’ cinema, as opposed to Bergman’s inner-directed and ‘vertical’ filmmaking. In
the contemporary world, so the reasoning went among Swedish intellectuals, an artist
could no longer play the exclusive visionary role he once held during the Romantic
Age. His task was to engage himself in the service of his society and become com-
mitted to the political issues of the day. At the premiere of Bergman’s Vargtimmen
(Hour of the Wolf), the film about the haunted painter Johan Borg who withdraws to a
desolate island, one critic asked: ‘Will Ingmar Bergman ever let go of his view of the
artist, which is both martyrlike and aristocratic, and has more in common with

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 Chapter I Life and Work

Werther or Lord Byron than with our Sixties’. [Skall Ingmar Bergman någonsin släppa
sin syn på konstnären, vilken är både martyrlik och aristokratisk, och har mer
gemensamt med Werther och Lord Byron än med sextiotalet.] (Schildt, AB, 20 Feb-
ruary 1968).
None of the new generation of filmmakers and theatre workers who emerged in
Sweden in the 1960s followed in Bergman’s wake. He was a highly visible but isolated
phenomenon. His screen portrayal of the artist as a defeatist individual racked by
inner demons suggests not only a private dilemma but reflects his dislike of the rigid
intellectual climate in Sweden at the time. His international standing was not threa-
tened, but trends in the European cinema, represented foremost by French filmmaker
Jean Luc Godard, had a far more decisive impact on a younger generation of Swedish
filmmakers than Bergman’s contribution to the medium. In his native cinema, Berg-
man was often viewed as an outdated artist who had lost touch with his public. Rather
typical of the critical reception of him is the following excerpt from a Swedish review
of Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light:
Ingmar Bergman has reached the unique position that he can make exactly the films he
wants to make, and it only remains for the public to receive them as a kind of postcard
greetings from his private study. For those for whom his personal set of problems is of
current concern, Winter Light is perhaps a word on the way, but for the rest of us it appears,
to say the least, as an impressive proof of artistic isolation.

[Ingmar Bergman har uppnått den unika positionen att han gör precis de filmer han vill och
det återstår bara för publiken att ta emot dem som ett slags vykortshälsningar från hans
privata studerkammare. För dem som har hans personliga problematik aktuell är kanske
Nattvardsgästerna ett ord på vägen, för oss andra framstår den väl, mildast sagt, som ett
imponerande bevis på konstnärlig isolering.] (Öhrn, Ny Dag, 13 February 1962)

Thus, within twenty years Bergman’s profile as an artist had changed from that of an
angry young man who challenged authority (Hets, 1944) to a filmmaker whose vision
was considered passé and irrelevant.
Bergman’s decision to retire as head of Dramaten began to take root in 1964-65
after he fell ill with pneumonia and suffered from an ear infection that affected his
sense of balance. While hospitalized at the Sophia dispensary, Bergman could look out
over the same grounds where he once lived as a child. He began to fantasize that he
was a small boy ‘who’d died, yet wasn’t allowed to be really dead, because he kept on
being woken up by telephone signals from the Royal Dramatic Theatre’. [som var död
och som inte riktigt fick vara död ändå därför att han hela tiden väcktes av telefon-
signaler från Dramaten]. (See Bergman om Bergman, p. 219; Eng. ed. p. 199.) Out of
this fantasy grew Persona (1966) or what Bergman has called ‘a film poem’ about a boy
who, after waking up in what seems to be a hospital morgue, sets a film narrative in
motion about two women. One is the hospitalized actress Elisabet Vogler, who has
withdrawn from the theatre and her family, and the other is her naïve and flattered
nurse Alma who by feeding Elisabet her own life story revitalizes and challenges the
actress but also runs the risk of becoming an unsuspecting and humiliated prey for
having revealed her innermost self. The psychological tug-of-war between the two
women is implied in the ‘Snakeskin’ essay from the same time, where Bergman likens
his own role as an artist to that of an insect who captures food from his surroundings,

42
 Discovery of Television

a parasite who feeds on others for his own amusement. But what is also mirrored in
the film is the mutual vulnerability of an artist and his ‘public’. Bergman has repeat-
edly addressed his combined need and fear of the audience: ‘I hate the public, I fear it
and I love it. [...] In everything I do, these thousands of eyes, brains and bodies are
present. In embittered tenderness I give what I have’. [Jag hatar publiken, jag fruktar
den och älskar den. [...] I allt jag gör, är dessa tusende ögon, hjärnor och kroppar
närvarande. I bitter ömhet ger jag vad jag har.] (‘Det att göra film’, 1954). The
vulnerability of the artist is implied in Bergman’s reaction to the critical response
of his work: ‘One of the wounds that has been toughest for me in my adult life has
been the fear of being humiliated. Every time I read a review for example – no matter
whether it be a favorable one or not – that feeling is brought out in me’. [Ett av de sår
som jag haft svårast med i mitt vuxna liv, det är rädslan att bli förödmjukad. Varje
gång jag läser en recension till exempel – oavsett om den är berömmande eller inte –
lockas den där känslan fram.] (Bergman om Bergman, p. 86; Eng. ed. p. 81.)
But Bergman’s creativity is founded on an equally strong belief in the artist’s
function as a therapeutic stand-in for his public: ‘Thus, we [the artists] shall exist
to mirror human complications, behavior and happenings and serve as some sort of
support to other people or some kind of enlightenment or self-examination or what
have you’. [Vi (konstnärer) ska alltså vara till för att spegla mänskliga komplikationer,
företeelser och skeenden och vara andra människor till någon sorts stöd eller upp-
byggelse eller självprövning eller vad du vill.] (Sundgren interview, Röster i Radio/TV,
no. 12, 1968).

Discovery of Television

In the mid-Fifties while working at the Malmö City Theatre, television had come to
nearby Denmark but not yet to Sweden. Television sets were on display in Malmö,
however, since it was possible for Swedes living across the Sound from Copenhagen to
watch Danish TV programs. One day Ingmar Bergman passed a store in Malmö
where a televised concert program was on display. He could not hear the sound from
the TV set but watched a pianist on the screen with great fascination. What appeared
was a mutilated human being – now a head, now a couple of hands touching a
keyboard, now a grimacing face. Bergman had used close-ups in his early films, so
much so, in fact, that one of his producers had bawled him out for presenting human
beings like so many pieces of meat in a butcher shop (Steene, Focus on the Seventh
Seal, p. 43). But what he discovered on that day in Malmö was the intimacy of the
television medium and the closeness between viewer and screen figures. As soon as
the new medium established itself in Sweden, Bergman began to adapt play produc-
tions for television, the first ones being sent live from a studio in Stockholm with
actors from Bergman’s Malmö ensemble. Before long, reviewers hailed him as a
remarkable television director and predicted that with his visionary power he was
predestined to become Sweden’s foremost contributor to TV drama.
In 1969 Bergman presented his first authored television script, Riten (The Ritual), a
dramatization of an emotional duel between artist and public. Dealing with a trio of
actors who are interrogated by a local judge on charges of indecency, the legal ques-
tioning becomes a cruel sacrificial rite during which the judge collapses and dies. The

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 Chapter I Life and Work

film did not win much public acclaim among Swedish television viewers. In 1974,
however, Ingmar Bergman took Swedish spectators by surprise when he presented
Scener ur ett äktenskap (1974, Scenes from a Marriage), a realistic soap opera, serialized
in six Wednesday night episodes on prime time television. Visits to family counseling
agencies by Swedish married couples are said to have doubled as the series wore on,
and marriage handbooks based on Bergman’s television story were written both in
Sweden and Germany. He himself was taken by surprise at the popular response,
though it is clear from a reception survey of his entire production that Swedish
audiences have always favored his realistic relationship films and have only rarely
been flocking to see his more symbolic and metaphysical films.
Despite the Swedish success of Scener från ett äktenskap, Bergman could not rest on
his laurels. When he directed an elaborate TV version of Mozart’s opera The Magic
Flute in the following year (1975), he was publicly criticized for using up too much of
SVT’s public service budget. Funds, it was felt by some, should have been disbursed
among several artists and used to produce less exclusive or ‘elitist’ art. (See Com-
mentary, Magic Flute, Ø 247, 326). But The Magic Flute became an international
success and its production cost was regained. In the following year Bergman wrote
and directed Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to Face) for Swedish public television.

Exile

It may seem strange that someone with Ingmar Bergman’s international reputation
would have difficulty, as was the case in the early 1970s, to come up with financial
support for a film. He had founded his own film production company, Cinemato-
graph, in 1969. In making Viskningar och rop (Cries and Whispers) in 1971, he tapped
into his own personal funds, while the actors invested their salaries in the film, and
the SFI provided support money of half a million Swedish kronor. It was this latter
source that again created a public controversy, since many commentators felt that
Bergman had a big enough name to be able to find financing for his film elsewhere.
In the U.S. every major studio turned down offers to distribute Cries and Whispers
– even though Bergman reportedly asked for only $75,000 in down payment. The
project threatened to become a financial liability for Bergman. In the end it was Roger
Corman’s newly founded independent production company New World Films that
came to Bergman’s rescue. Cries and Whispers became a great critical success in the U.
S. and received both the National Society of Film Critics award and the New York
Film Critics award as well as an Oscar for best photography. But it was not until 1975-
76 that Bergman secured a co-production contract between an American company
and his own Cinematograph. His plan was to begin production of quality films
directed by filmmakers other than himself. His departure from Sweden in April
1976 put an end to this project.
In 1971 Bergman’s liaison with Liv Ullmann was over, and he was soon to marry an
earlier love, Ingrid von Rosen, who left behind a comfortable bourgeois marriage and
a number of children, one of whom was a daughter conceived by Bergman in 1959.
For the next 24 years, Ingrid would become the secure center in Bergman’s life. She
was his mother’s look-alike, a home-maker, and a very competent administrator. She
arranged for a reunion between Ingmar Bergman and his many children, but above all

44
 Return to Sweden and Closure

she handled his practical affairs and his correspondence with great skill and tact. She
became his comfort at home and his shield to the world. When she died of cancer in
1995, it was a grave blow to Ingmar Bergman; three years later, during an interview on
his eightieth birthday, he testified to his lasting sense of loss (Donner, 14 July 1998,
SVT, Channel 1).
Ingrid was particularly important to Bergman in early 1976 when he was suddenly
arraigned by the police during rehearsals of Strindberg’s Dödsdansen (1901, The Dance
of Death) at the Royal Dramatic Theatre and was charged with tax evasion. The tax
authorities were particularly interested in a Swiss holding company, Personafilm, into
which money had been channeled from such film productions as Cries and Whispers,
Scenes from a Marriage, and The Magic Flute. A prolonged and complex legal process
began. (See Chapter IX, entry Ø 1272.)
Ingmar Bergman’s arrest was an event that looked like a symbol. It could have been
an episode in one of his own films. Powerful bureaucrats were goaded by a legal
system that tempted them to pursue a well-known cultural figure to the point where
public exposure caused him the kind of humiliation he had often depicted in his own
works. Bergman had to endure virtually libelous attacks by part of the Swedish press
(especially from the Social-Democratic paper Aftonbladet) and felt haunted by visions
from his authoritarian childhood. Strindberg, his old mentor in the theatre, once
wrote in a letter during a period of inner turmoil that he felt like a somnambulist in
broad daylight, a sleepwalker dreaming and awake at the same time. Bergman ex-
perienced a similar sense of surreal forces overtaking reality, as if he were in Kafka’s
world of unapproachable civil servants. The final blow to his equilibrium came when
his passport was confiscated. His world collapsed, and he ended up in the psychiatric
ward at Stockholm’s Karolinska Hospital.
Ingmar Bergman was eventually acquitted on the initial charges of tax evasion, but
by that time, he had decided to leave Sweden. After publishing an open farewell letter
to a Stockholm daily (Ø 163), Bergman left for Paris and then for Los Angeles. But he
departed from both places in a hurry and eventually chose to settle in Munich where
his next film, Das Schlangenei (1978, Ormens ägg/The Serpent’s Egg), was going to be
shot. During the next several years Munich would remain Bergman’s domicile, where
he worked as a director at the city’s Residenztheater. The administrative set-up at the
Residenztheater was quite conservative. Bergman’s attempt to introduce more demo-
cratic procedures and involve the staff in discussions and decision-making backfired.
Infighting ensued, and Bergman’s relations with the head of the theatre grew tense. In
1981 he was asked to leave, and his production in progress was cancelled. But the final
outcome of the palaver was that a new head of the theatre was appointed, and
Bergman was invited back. He stayed under contract for another two years, despite
the fact that the German critical corps who reviewed his stage productions continued
to be rather harsh in their judgment.

Return to Sweden and Closure

All his life Ingmar Bergman was to feel secure only in familiar surroundings. He hated
to travel, and it is said that during one of his rare visits abroad, to Southern Methodist
University in Dallas in 1977, he spent his entire time outside the seminar room cooped

45
 Chapter I Life and Work

up in his hotel, watching television. Oversensitive to sharp sunlight, he has preferred

the misty climate of Fårö. Even during his exile, he arranged to return to Fårö in the
summer time. In fact, his exile cannot be considered absolute; rather it was an exile in
professional terms only, and even that must be modified since he continued to work
with his Swedish cinematographer Sven Nykvist and several other members of his
Swedish staff, including stage designer Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss.
When Bergman returned to the Swedish stage in 1984, an official governmental
apology had been issued. His re-entry marked the beginning of a truly remarkable
period in his creative life. Again, there is a curious parallel to the career of Strindberg,
who upon his return home in 1898 after many years abroad embarked on his most
productive period in life. Bergman’s career after his exile culminated at the Royal
Dramatic Theatre with a cycle of Shakespeare productions. It began with King Lear in
1984. On opening night Bergman made one of his rare appearances on stage. He was
met with standing ovations, and the actor Jarl Kulle, who played Lear, greeted him
with the words ‘Welcome Home’. Even 20 years later Bergman would remember this
moment with gratitude (see Interview Chapter, Nyreröd, Ø 948). He was back at
Dramaten, in the ‘Father House’ and for the next 20 years would stage, on an average,
one play per year. Apart from Shakespeare dramas like Hamlet and The Winter’s Tale
he returned to such old favorites as Molière (The Misanthrope), Ibsen (A Doll’s House
and Ghosts), and Strindberg (Miss Julie, A Dreamplay, and The Ghost Sonata). A
number of his Dramaten productions from this time went on an international circuit
tour, providing opportunities for non-Swedish audiences to become familiar with
Bergman’s stagecraft. He also directed a new opera (with music by Daniel Börtz),
based on Euripides’ The Bacchae, and as late as 2004 he expressed a wish that he could
set up an old opera project of his: The Tales of Hoffmann, which he had discussed
doing for the Hamburg Opera before his exile.
Bergman’s filmmaking days, on the other hand, seemed to be over with the making
of Fanny and Alexander (1982). He declared that big studio and on location produc-
tions were simply too taxing and cumbersome at his age. But he would continue to
make several TV films, most notably Efter repetitionen (1984, After the Rehearsal),
Larmar och gör sig till (1997, lit. ‘Struts and Frets’ but translated as In the Presence
of a Clown), and Saraband (2003). Each of these can be seen as a dramatization and
commentary on his life as a creative artist. In Efter repetitionen his alter ego, an old
theatre director, ruminates on his relationship to the stage. In Larmar och gör sig till,
his persona, Uncle Carl Åkerblom, reenacts his passion for the cinema. In Saraband,
the action harks back to Scener ur ett äktenskap, his breakthrough on television.
In addition, during the same period of time, Bergman also wrote his memoirs
Laterna magica (1987, The Magic Lantern) and Bilder (1990, Images. My Life in Film),
as well as ‘script novels’ that were made into films or TV productions, directed by
other directors: Den goda viljan (1992, The Best Intentions); Söndagsbarn (1993, Sun-
day’s Child); and Enskilda samtal (1994, Private Conversations). Much of his focus in
these works was on his own parental background – so much so that he made a special
point of announcing his script to Trolösa (2000, Faithless) as a piece that would not
deal with his family. (See report from press conference, SvD, 10 May 1998, p. 14.)
Today, the only area in which he has worked lately is radio. A production of Ibsen’s
John Gabriel Borkman was broadcast in 2001, and in the following year he directed
Strindberg’s Pelikanen and Toteninsel (The Isle of the Dead). But a planned broadcast

46
 Return to Sweden and Closure

of Ibsen’s Rosmersholm was cancelled. About the same time Bergman sold his apart-
ment in Stockholm and today rarely leaves his Fårö domicile.
Much of Bergman’s creative work after his homecoming forms an artistic and
psychological closure, constituting a final peace-making with the ghosts of his child-
hood and, in Trolösa (Faithless), with a painful episode in his adult life. In keeping
with such psychological house cleaning, Bergman also arranged to have his private
archive transferred to a foundation administered at the Swedish Film Institute (SFI).
In the novel Söndagsbarn (1991), which was made into a film in 1993 by his son
Daniel, Ingmar Bergman acknowledges a more forgiving view of his parentage: ‘I
began to look into my parents’ early life, my father’s childhood and upbringing and I
saw a recurring pattern of pathetic efforts and humiliating adversity. I also saw care,
concern, and deep confusion’. [Jag började forska i mina föräldrars tidiga liv, i min
fars barndom och uppväxt och jag såg ett återkommande mönster av patetisk an-
strängning och förödmjukande motgång. Jag såg också omtanke, ömhet och djup
förvirring.] The statement confirms Ingmar Bergman’s deep attachment to his roots
and their central importance in his long creative life, but also speaks of his greater
understanding of his parentage.

47
Above: Handwritten text by Ingmar Bergman to an early manuscript of a short story
titled ‘One of Jack the Ripper’s early childhood memories’. The somewhat difficult
handwriting reads in English translation:

One day Jack the Ripper died. Everyone in the theatre thought it was very sad and collected
money for a wreath and got ready to go to the funeral in top hat and rented tuxedo, black shoes
and white scarf and black stockings.
But Jack lay at home in his bed, covered with a white sheet and was sour and cold. For his
soul had not gone away but lingered at the intractable man, yet lived such a thing physical life
that no one noticed it any longer and everyone, including the doctor, thought that Jack was
dead. But Jack heard and saw everything though not the way Kasper or the Whore or the
Manager did but more like a small, small child or a flower or something.
 Chapter II

The Writer
Bergman’s writing encompasses his entire creative life. His earliest pieces were jotted
down in notebooks, some of them to be developed later into plays, film scripts, and
short pieces of fiction. The original drafts are deposited in a special Bergman archive
at the Swedish Film Institute, where the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, constituted in
2002, will administer, preserve and convey knowledge about Bergman’s collected
artistic work. A special database is being developed. Maaret Koskinen has recorded
and discussed some of this material in her book I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar
Bergman och hans tidiga författarskap (2002).
Some early stage plays by Bergman were published, and a few pieces of short fiction
appeared in literary journals – all of it in the 1940s and early 1950s. But the main part
of his writing consists of published and unpublished screenplays. Copies of scripts
(not to be confused with the deposited Fårö material) are kept in SFI’s library (see
introduction to Filmography). Some scripts may require Bergman’s permission to
use.
Chapter II lists not only Bergman’s fiction but also his program notes, prefaces,
essays, radio talks, and open letters. Bergman’s own plays are registered here, while
specific stage productions of these plays are recorded in the Theatre chapter (VI).

Ingmar Bergman: Cinéma d’auteur

During Ingmar Bergman’s lifetime, the concept of authorship has become more
tenuous. Traditionally, it signified a writer whose texts were autonomous enough
to be read and experienced as such, without requiring any other art form in order
to appear complete. But Ingmar Bergman’s authorship is usually not of this kind, for
most of his writing falls within the categories of stage plays and film scripts; i.e.,
written works that presuppose a theatrical or cinematic medium to become fully
realized. Bergman himself has suggested as much, referring to a dramatic or filmic
text as a musical score, as notes to be played on by a director and by an ‘orchestrated’
ensemble. For that reason, says one of his commentators, ‘Bergman’s scripts should
not be judged by criteria appropriate to more explicitly literary works. A Bergman
text is only a sketch for another and quite different creation...’ (Mosley, The Cinema as

49
 Chapter II The Writer

Mistress 1981, p. 19). Nevertheless, Bergman’s written texts must be seen as a very vital
part of an ongoing creative process. Acknowledging the subjective basis of his output,
he has described the process from initial impulse to manuscript writing as originating
deep down in his own subconscious. In the 1959 essay ‘Each film is my last’ [‘Varje
film är min sista film’] which is Bergman’s most complete statement on his own
scriptwriting, he describes the birth of a script in both biological and psychological
terms: it begins as ‘vague and indefinite fetal movements’ [vaga och obestämda
fosterrörelser] or as ‘a brightly colored thread sticking out of the dark sack of con-
sciousness’ [en skarpt färgad tråd som sticker ut ur medvetandets mörka säck]. The
moment of inspiration is no more than a visual impression or a bar of notes; it may
be a particular light illuminating a street scene or a face. It is like a fleeting dream that
may evaporate or come back to him ‘as fruitful associations and images’ [som frukt-
bara associationer och bilder]. The original motif seems to contain its own rhythm
which determines the sequential pattern of the film in the making (‘Varje film...’, p. 2).
This early stage in the creative process is an emotional state expressing itself in
visuals. Bergman distinguishes this from a later intellectual and cognitive stage when
the material is shaped into words. The first phase is characterized by the pleasurable
discovery of raw material for a film, while the actual shaping of that material into
words is a laborious process. In Bilder/Images. My Life in Film, his memoir book
about his filmmaking, he defines it as ‘a matter of arriving at how you should organize
the Epilogue’ [Det gäller att komma fram till hur man ska organisera Epilogen]. In
the earlier essay from the 1950s, he outlines the writing process as more complex and
difficult:
So I have decided to make a certain film. Now begins a complicated work, difficult to
control: to transfer rhythms, moods, atmosphere, tensions, [...] pitches and smells to words
and sentences in a readable or at least decipherable manuscript. It is difficult, if not im-
possible. The only thing that can be provisionally materialized is the dialogue, but even a
dialogue is a sensitive matter that can offer resistance. (‘Each Film is...’, p. 2)

[Jag har alltså beslutat mig för att göra en viss film och nu vidtar ett komplicerat och
svårbemästrat arbete: att överföra rytmer, stämningar, atmosfärer, spänningar, [...] tonarter
och dofter till ord och meningar i ett läsbart eller åtminstone tydbart manuskript. Detta är
svårt för att inte säga omöjligt. Det enda som till nöds låter sig materialiseras är dialogen
men även en dialog är en känslig tingest, som kan erbjuda motstånd.] (‘Varje film...’, pp. 2-3)

In interviews Bergman has dated the beginning of his authorship to 1941 though his
first notebook goes back to 1937-38. It was, however, during a sickleave from man-
datory military service in 1941 that he began to write, having withdrawn to his grand-
mother’s summer house in Dalecarlia:
As a pure diversion I began to write a play, and it felt immensely encouraging and stimulat-
ing. So I wrote one more play and still another, and suddenly I had written twelve plays in
the course of four months. That’s how it began. [...] Everything happened very suddenly and
was unplanned. I don't know why, but it was pure pleasure. It was a completely new feeling
that I had not experienced before, this business of just sitting down and writing in longhand
and seeing the words emerge. I liked it a lot. [...] It was just an enormous [...] comfort
(tröst). [...] Something opened up for me...

50
 Ingmar Bergman: Cinéma d’auteur

[Som ren förströelse började jag skriva en teaterpjäs och det kändes oerhört uppmuntrande
och stimulerande. Så skrev jag en pjäs till och ännu en, och plötsligt hade jag inom loppet av
fyra månader skrivit tolv pjäser. Det var så det började. [...] Allt skedde mycket plötsligt och
oplanerat. Jag vet inte varför, men det var bara ett nöje. Det var en helt ny känsla som jag
inte hade upplevt tidigare, detta att bara sätta mig ner och skriva för hand och se orden
komma fram. Jag tyckte mycket om det. [...] Det var bara en enorm [...] tröst. [...] Någon-
ting öppnades för mig [...] (Assayas-Björkman. Tre dagar med Bergman, 1992, pp.12-13).
Bergman’s statement points to the therapeutic function that the creative act would
come to have for him. The transformation of a subjective world into artistic form, be
it as a play, a script, a piece for television, or a novel, was to become a continuing
form of psychological purgation, without which he says he probably would have gone
mad. At the same time, his quoted remarks above suggest his joy in writing, its aspect
of a diversion, almost like a playful game. A lifetime later he would repeat his sense of
pleasure at formulating himself in words. In his memoir book Bilder/Images. My Life
in Film he writes (p. 228/216): ‘At the writing-desk I am [...] pleasantly entertained. I
write for my own pleasure, not for eternity’. [Vid skrivbordet är jag [...] angenämt
förströdd. Jag skriver för mitt nöjes skull, inte under evighetens synvinkel.]
Though many of his earliest writing efforts remained incomplete and/or unpub-
lished, Bergman had ambitions to be recognized as a literary author. In the early
1940s, concurrent with his debut as a stage director and his work as a reader of
screenplays at Svensk Filmindustri (SF), he brought out a couple of short pieces of
prose fiction in prestigious literary journals such as BLM and 40-tal. Later, Sweden’s
leading publishing firm Bonniers accepted a collection of his plays (Moraliteter, 1948);
other plays were published by Radiotjänst (Swedish Public Radio). But Bonniers
turned down a second volume of plays, giving as a reason the economic risk in
publishing works in this genre. Bergman would later recall how this rejection stunned
him and put a stop to his attempts to make a name for himself as a literary author: ‘It
really bruised me, for I felt like an outsider in literature and in my own generation’.
[det sved ordentligt i skinnet, därför att jag kände mig stå utanför litteraturen och
min egen generation] (see Hammer, Ø 699, Interviews). His way of dealing with the
disappointment was to deny that he had ever had any literary ambitions at all. Soon
he stopped writing plays and began to call attention to himself as a filmmaker. In his
essay ‘Det att göra film’ (1954), he writes somewhat defensively: ‘I myself have never
had any ambition to be an author. I do not want to write novels, short stories, essays,
biographies, or even plays for the theatre. I only want to make films. [...] I am a
filmmaker, not an author’. [Själv har jag aldrig haft någon ambition att vara författare.
Jag vill inte skriva romaner, noveller, essäer, biografier eller ens teaterpjäser. Jag vill
bara göra film. [...] Jag är en filmskapare, inte en författare.] More than 15 years later,
he still found it necessary to downplay the importance of the verbal aspect of film-
making; in a note to the published script of Beröringen (1970, The Touch), he says:
‘The words can never express what the finished film wants to convey [...] at any rate,
the manuscript is always a halfbaked-product, a pale and diffuse reflection’. [Orden
kan ju aldrig uttrycka det den färdiga filmen vill förmedla [...] under alla förhållanden
är manuskriptet alltid ett halvfabrikat, en blek och osäker spegelbild.]
Bergman’s defensive attitude about his writing also resulted in his refusal for a long
time to have his screenplays published in Sweden, claiming that there was no real

51
 Chapter II The Writer

tradition in his country for bringing out film scripts in print (see Jungstedt, Ø 736,
Interviews) and that the published film texts by his predecessor Hjalmar Bergman
(1889-1930) did not read very well. However, an American edition of four of his
screenplays from the 1950s was published in 1960. These scripts immediately achieved
a separate ‘print’ status; they were presented not as prompt copies or shooting scripts
but as texts to be read, and constituted what the American film critic Pauline Kael
once called ‘a hybrid genre’, part drama, part novel. In other words, Ingmar Bergman
began early on to evolve his own form of screenplays in which he dealt with the
subjects and themes that were of personal importance to him. Differing a great deal
from the standard technical shooting scripts developed by the film industry, they
usually included ‘non-cinematic’ features, such as references to color (in intended B/
W films) and smell. More significantly, they used metaphors and similes that give
literary significance to the text but were hardly transposable to the screen unless
transformed into a piece of visual surrealism. An example is the opening lines to
Det sjunde inseglet (1956, The Seventh Seal): ‘The knight [...] stares directly into the
morning sun which wallows up from the misty sea like some bloated, dying fish. The
sky is gray and immobile, a dome of lead’. [Riddaren [...] stirrar rakt in i morgonsolen
som väller upp ur det disiga havet som en uppsvälld döende fisk. Himlen är grå och
orörlig, en dom av bly.]
Bergman began his career in the cinema at a time when literary authorship had a
much higher cultural status in Sweden than filmmaking, especially in the solid bour-
geois circles where he grew up. In a concerted effort to find not only good stories to
transpose to the screen but also to raise the status of the cinema by aligning it to a
literary canon, Swedish film producers nurtured a nostalgic wish to resurrect the
native cinema’s old literary penmanship, which had lent prestige to the industry in
the silent era when Victor Sjöström, Mauritz Stiller, and Gustaf Molander had based
their most important films on the novels and stories by Selma Lagerlöf. In the early
1940s Swedish film producers voiced the view, like a mantra, that the key to recaptur-
ing the international scene was to locate a golden boy with a talent for good script-
writing. Hence, the emergence of Ingmar Bergman as one of the world’s foremost
cinéma d’auteurs is the story of a personal talent encountering the right cultural
circumstances during his formative years.
Also from an international perspective, Bergman’s screen authorship was an under-
taking whose time had come. In 1948, Alexandre Astruc launched a new concept for
filmmaking based on literary features, which he called ‘le caméra stylo’. The cinema,
argued Astruc, was no longer a fairground attraction or an offshoot of the boulevard
theatre. It was becoming ‘a form in which and by which an artist can express his
thoughts [...] or translate his obsessions exactly as he does in the contemporary essay
or novel.’ (See Alexandre Astruc, ‘The Birth of a New Avant-garde: “le caméra stylo”,
in Peter Graham, ed., The New Wave. London: Secker & Warburg, 1968, pp. 17-23.
First published in Ecran français, no. 144, 1948). Astruc’s ideas form the basis of the
concept of the ‘cinéma d’auteur’ as launched in Cahiers du Cinéma in the 1950s under
the editorship of such critics and filmmakers as François Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, Jean-
Philippe Comolli, and Jean-Luc Godard. Soon ‘auteurism’ became a prominent fea-
ture in the British film magazine Movie and was also advocated in the U.S. by film
critic Andrew Sarris. Sarris was co-editor of an English edition of Cahiers and was to
be instrumental in introducing Bergman’s films to American audiences.

52
 Ingmar Bergman: Cinéma d’auteur

‘Auteurship’ was not, however, tantamount to providing literary scripts to the film
industry. The concept coexisted with the demands by cinema purists to stress the
difference between word and image as artistic expressions and to refer to the one as a
literary (non-cinematic) instrument and to the other as the essence of filmmaking.
Ingmar Bergman came to reflect this dichotomous view on filmmaking as both a
literary-based tradition and a field whose serious practitioners emphasized the visual
hegemony of the medium. Bergman would for instance claim that ‘since long I have
felt a certain disinclination to tell stories on film. [...] I consider an attachment to epic
and drama one of the curses of the cinema.’ [jag har sedan länge haft en viss olust att
berätta historier på film. [...] jag anser att en av filmens förbannelser är bundenheten
till epik och dramatik]. Yet, at the same time he would dismiss the idea that story-
telling – usually associated with literary practice – would be detrimental to the film
medium: ‘I do not find storytelling itself objectionable’. [jag finner [inte] själva
berättandet förkastligt.] (‘Varje film är min sista film’, p. 4)
In the end and despite his ‘literary disclaimers’, what would be unique about
Bergman as a filmmaker was the extent to which he passed on a literary story-telling
tradition to the screen, combining it with the role of an image maker. Or as the
Danish critic Jesper Tang once noted apropos of Bergman’s screenplays: ‘Ingmar
Bergman is – there is no doubt – first and foremost the master of images and visual
rhythm, but on the other hand he makes use of the written word in his filmmaking in
a skillful way that is rare among directors.’ (Tang, Kosmorama, 24, no. 137, 1978, p. 39).
Clearly, Bergman needed, at least up to the writing of Persona (1966), to set down his
theme and vision not only in a minimal verbal way in order to clarify his cinematic
intention, but also in such a fashion that the printed text achieved its own autonomy
of being. It is not surprising therefore to find certain discrepancies between Bergman’s
screen dialogue and the printed (written) text.
By the mid-1950s Bergman had established himself as both the author and director
of films possessing an unmistakable personal voice. Few of his films after Gycklarnas
afton (The Naked Night) in 1953 were to be authored by writers other than himself.
Bergman could now be seen as a filmmaker whose personality could be traced in the
thematic consistency of his works for the screen. Eventually, his auteurship would also
result in a distinct Bergman film style with the close and sensitive registering of the
human face as a particular trademark. Bergman has always been an astute psycholo-
gical observer and narrator, focused on the inner turmoil of characters close to his
own psyche and life experience.
Bergman’s screenplays bear little resemblance to dialogue scripts (FIAF-designated
Script IV). What is clear however is that the writing stage for him is not the final
stage, for it is followed by the encounter between text and writer on the one hand and
director, performers and cinematographer on the other. In its last, practical moment
in the creative process, the Bergman script may undergo noticeable changes; however,
these are usually related to the respective medium of expression (cinema, radio,
television) and do not mean that the basic theme and personal vision differ when
transposed from script to realized performance. Bergman’s comments in a 1987 radio
program, ‘Vägen till Hamlet’ [The road to Hamlet], (SR, Channel 1, 17 April 1987),
suggest a similar process in his theatre work from original directorial interpretation
and early blocking of a play to his rehearsal encounter with the actors, which may
affect details in a production but not his basic conception of the play.

53
 Chapter II The Writer

Soon after his 1959 essay ‘Varje film är min sista film’, Bergman’s filmmaking began
to proceed much more unequivocally from the visual, with an increasing emphasis on
the human face. The final scene in Tystnaden/The Silence (1962) can serve as emble-
matic in this context: The camera registers the face of a child (Johan) whose lips move
to test some words in an unknown language. The words have been handed to him on
a piece of paper by his dying aunt who is a translator by profession, an interpreter of
words. But while the camera moves closer and closer to the boy’s face, the words on
paper remain inaudible when read by Johan. The ending of The Silence becomes a
clear statement of image superceding word as a communicative tool. Persona from the
mid-Sixties is the logical extension of this attempt to tell a story visually rather than
verbally. The opening ‘prologue’ to that film consists of a cavalcade of images, of
seemingly unrelated visual impressions that impact emotionally on the viewer but
‘make sense’ only when articulated intellectually. These images, loaded with symbolic
references to both film history and Bergman’s earlier screen works, apparently took
shape as the film was being shot. At any rate, they are not specified in the script,
where the images on the film strip are described as mutable nature images of trees,
clouds, moon landscapes, and mountains, while murmuring words ‘begin to surface
like shadows of fish in steep and deep waters’ [börjar dyka fram likt skuggor av fiskar i
ett bråddjupt vatten]. A comparison between Persona’s script and the finished screen
product conveys in fact an ongoing process of a script being transformed into a
motion picture. Bergman named the original script to Persona ‘Kinematografi’, thus
indicating that he viewed the manuscript as part of a filmic process and not as a self-
contained verbal/literary product. And yet, in a prefatory note to the script, he
addresses both readers and viewers (while talking about ‘Kinematografi’ as a musical
score to be realized in collaboration with his cast and crew):
I have not accomplished a film script in the ordinary sense. What I have written seems to me
more like a melody [melodistämma] that I think I can instrumentalize with the help of my
collaborators in the course of the shooting. I am uncertain on several points and, in at least
one instance, I know nothing at all. For I discovered that the subject I had chosen was very
big and that what I wrote or included in the final film (what a terrible thought!) had to be
very arbitrary. Therefore, I invite the reader’s or viewer’s imagination to freely use the
material that I have placed at their disposal.

[Jag har inte åstadkommit ett filmmanuskript i vanlig bemärkelse. Vad jag har skrivit tycks
mig närmast likna en melodistämma, som jag tror, att jag med mina medarbetares hjälp ska
instrumentera under inspelningens gång. På många punkter är jag osäker och på åtminstone
ett ställe vet jag ingenting alls. Jag upptäckte nämligen, att det ämne jag valt var mycket stort
och att vad jag skrev eller vad jag tog med i den slutliga filmen (ruskiga tanke!) måste bli
ytterligt godtyckligt. Därför inbjuder jag läsarens eller åskådarens fantasi, att fritt förfoga
över det material, som jag ställt till förfogande.]

Bergman’s ‘uncertainty’ about the outcome of the Persona project is built into the
script and is still reflected in the final film version with its enigmatic, unresolved
ending.
What ‘Kinematografi’ clearly suggests, however, and the film Persona confirms, is
Bergman’s abandonment of the traditional narrative of his earlier films in which he
would always prepare the reader/viewer for any shift in time or place through the

54
 Ingmar Bergman: Cinéma d’auteur

explicit use of dreams or clearly stated flashbacks. A prime example is Smultronstället/

Wild Strawberries, structured as a life journey on both conscious and subconscious
levels, where the aging protagonist’s nightmares and reminiscences are announced
through his own first person narrative. There is a cohesiveness and completeness to
Bergman’s written scripts from the 1950s that will change by the time he constructs
Persona. Descriptive passages become increasingly rare in the script, the dialogue
more cryptic or modernistic in its structure. There are also more marked differences
between the script and the final film. In Viskningar och rop/Cries and Whispers the
script is ‘no more’ than a ‘dear friends’ letter addressed to the film’s actresses. Here it
is as much the presumed response of his cast as Bergman’s sparse presentation in the
epistular text that constitutes the ‘script’.
Bergman’s development as a screenwriter describes in fact a textual pruning process
that culminates with the script for Cries and Whispers (1972). This process is analo-
gous to his development of the chamber film concept, beginning with Såsom i en
spegel (1960, Through a Glass Darkly), using only a handful of characters, a stark island
or closed-room setting, and music rather than words as fleeting moments of com-
munication between people. These ‘chamber film scripts’ are verbally frugal, suggest-
ing that the writer Bergman now worked in closer collusion with the image-maker
Bergman who sees the finished film in his mind but also seeks closer collaboration
with his performers. However, a reversal of sorts takes place in the mid-1970s, begin-
ning with the script to Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973, Scenes from a Marriage). Like the
later scripts to Ormens ägg (1977, The Serpent’s Egg) and Höstsonat (1978, Autumn
Sonata), the published screenplay to Scenes is a complete dialogue script but also
retains a feature that characterized the scripts to both Persona and Cries and Whispers:
Bergman’s own voice and commentary. The published volume of Scenes from a
Marriage contains a preface, an explanatory message from the author to his readers:
To prevent the constrained reader from getting lost in the text, I believe – contrary to my
habit – I should write a commentary on the six scenes. Those who are offended by such
guidance should skip the following lines.

First scene: Johan and Marianne are conventional and set in their ways and believe in
material security. They have never found their middle-class way of life oppressive or false.
They have conformed to a pattern which they are prepared to pass on ... etc.

[För att den nödtvungne läsaren inte ska gå vilse i texten tror jag att jag mot min vana bör ge
en kommentar till de sex scenerna. Den som upplever ett sådant dirigerande som en
förolämpning bör hoppa över följande rader.

Första scenen: Johan och Marianne är barn av fasta normer och den materiella trygghetens
ideologi. De har aldrig upplevt sin borgerliga livsföring som tryckande eller osann. De har
inordnat sig i ett mönster som de är beredda att föra vidare... etc.] (p. 5)

This ‘intrusion’ of the author’s persona serves the function of providing the unin-
itiated reader with information similar to the ‘Dear friends’ letter in Cries and Whis-
pers. The opening passage in the preface to Scenes is formulated like a polite
invitation, somewhat punctilious in its fear of seeming imposing. But the rest of
the preface is a synopsis and, above all, an interpretation of the plot, as if the author

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 Chapter II The Writer

Bergman distrusted his own screenplay as a self-contained story. In that sense it is still
a scriptwriter cum filmmaker at work, reasoning that without the screen, the reader
should at least have access to the guiding voice of the author. The preface might also
have been dictated by the fact that Scenes from a Marriage was Bergman’s first venture
into a new medium, a serialized television story, where he was still somewhat hesitant
about his ability to communicate. And communication has always been at the heart of
Bergman’s creativity. As a young man he once said in a radio interview (2 January
1947) that he had no interest in ‘closet writing’ produced for a select few. His artistic
output was always to be viewed as part of a communicative process where no creative
effort of his would be considered complete until performed and presented to a
responsive audience. In yet another radio interview (25 February 1950), he declared
his artistic goal to be ‘to speak simply about simple matters so that everyone will be
able to understand and grasp what I mean and perhaps think about it and about what
I perhaps have to contribute’ [att få tala enkelt om enkla saker, så att alla ska kunna
förstå och begripa vad jag menar och kanske fundera på det och på det jag möjligen
har att komma med].
It is probably this anxious desire to reach a reading or viewing audience that
resulted in the use of what might be called Bergman’s intercepting voice: The narrator
arresting his own narrative is an increasingly self-conscious feature in his writing. An
explicit example occurs in the published version of Enskilda samtal (1996, Private
Conversations), the fictional story of his mother’s marital crisis and love affair with a
young theologian. At a most critical moment when Anna Bergman sits ‘straight and
still with folded hands and a dry, wide-open look towards a dawn that never comes’
[rak och stilla med knäppta händer och en torr vidöppen blick mot en gryning som
aldrig kommer], the narrator interrupts his own account, hesitant about how to
proceed:
It is most necessary that I break off at exactly this moment to think over the situation.
Where do the waters well forth? What does truth look like? – Not the way it was in reality,
that is uninteresting. Rather, this one thing: how is truth shaped or – how do the main
actors’ thoughts, feelings, their anxious disposition shift, form and deform, and so on ad
infinitum. I must stop and become careful: You give me a deadly blow. I give you a deadly
blow. The main characters’ mental landscape is exposed to a violent quake – like a natural
catastrophe. Is that at all possible to depict, and most importantly: is it not the long-term
consequences in bodies, souls, minds and facial features that become visible little by little,
perhaps a long time after the collapse? Is an anticipated dispute of this kind particularly
verbalized? Rather, is it not fumbling, desperate and confused [...]? How do I depict the
poisoning that imperceptibly fills the home like a nerve gas and that eats away everybody’s
mind during a long time, perhaps the whole life? How do I depict partisan positions that of
necessity become blurred and vacillating since the other players never have the possibility of
sharing a factual truth? No one knows – everyone sees.

[Det är i högsta grad nödvändigt att jag hejdar mig just i detta ögonblick och tänker över
situationen. Var går källådrorna fram? Hur ser sanningen ut? – Inte hur det var i verklig-
heten, det är ointressant. Utan detta enda: hur gestaltar sig sanningen eller – hur förskjuts
och formeras, deformeras huvudaktörernas tankar, känslor, deras ångestbenägenhet och så
vidare i all oändlighet. Jag måste hejda mig och bli varsam: Du tillfogar mig ett dödligt hugg.

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 Ingmar Bergman: Cinéma d’auteur

Jag tillfogar dig ett dödligt hugg. Huvudpersonernas själsliga landskap utsätts för en våldsam
skakning – som en naturkatastrof. Går detta överhuvudtaget att skildra, och viktigast: är det
inte de långsiktiga konsekvenserna i kroppar, själar, sinnen och anletsdrag som blir synliga
så småningom, kanske långt efter själva sammanbrottet? Är en uppgörelse av den art som nu
förestår så särskilt verbaliserad? Blir den inte snarare fumlig, desperat och förvirrad...? Hur
beskriver jag den förgiftning som omärkligt fyller hemmet som en nervgas och som fräter
allas sinnen under lång tid, kanske hela livet? Hur skildrar jag ställningstaganden och
partiskheter som nödvändigtvis blir suddiga och osäkra eftersom de medspelande i andra
planet aldrig har möjlighet att ta del av en faktiskt sanning? Ingen vet – alla ser.] (printed
text based on Script I, pp. 61-62)
Here ‘the intercepting voice’ is different from the author’s address to the reader/
viewer in ‘Kinematografi’ which was an invitation to participate in the creative pro-
cess. In the instance just quoted, on the other hand, the author/narrator questions his
(and everybody else’s) ability to formulate a mental and psychological crisis. It is an
approach clearly associated with Bergman’s undertaking to depict his parents’ life. In
fact, Bergman’s authorial presence in his scripts begins to take a different turn when
he, after the making of Fanny and Alexander, abdicates his role as director in the
cinema (but not on stage or in the media) and turns over to others – Bille August,
Daniel Bergman, Liv Ullmann – the task of filming his own scripts. What was a voice
commentary or a direct address to performers and readers in Persona, Cries and
Whispers, and Scenes from a Marriage becomes in Den goda viljan (1992, Best Inten-
tions) and Enskilda samtal (1996, Private Conversations) the voyeuristic presence of an
aging son recreating his parents’ story with far more realism than when he projected
himself as Fanny and Alexander’s young title figure in a fantasy of his childhood. In
Trolösa (2000, Faithless), based on the memories of a painful event in his own adult
life, Bergman is both author and narrator, both inside and outside of his story. In the
script he decamouflages his narrative self by calling him Ingmar Bergman, but this
too is part fiction since it is understood that this figure named Ingmar Bergman will
be enacted by a professional actor, Erland Josephson. Given these convoluted author-
ial/narrative positions, so similar to modernistic meta-experimentations in contem-
porary fiction, it comes as no surprise that Ingmar Bergman begins to look upon his
scriptwriting as the work of a modern novelist – he refers for instance to Den goda
viljan/Best Intentions as a novel. It is a long and yet clearly staked road that Ingmar
Bergman, the filmmaker/writer, has travelled since his early insistence to have his film
scripts recognized as both narrative outlines and musical scores to be completed in
the film studio.

Relatively little has been written on Ingmar Bergman as a writer of scripts. See the
following items annotated in Chapter IX (Writings on Ingmar Bergman):
Alpert, Hollis. ‘Bergman as Writer’. Saturday Review, 27 August 1960, pp. 22-23;
Benedyktowicz, Zbigniew. ‘Obraz i słowo. O scenariuszach Bergmana’. Tygodnik Powszechny, no.
4, 1974;
Ingemansson, Birgitta. ‘The Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman: Personification and Olefactory
Detail’. Literature/Film Quarterly 12, no. 1 (1984): 27-33;
Koskinen, Maaret. I begynnelsen var ordet. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand, 2002, passim;

57
 Chapter II The Writer

Ohlin, Peter. ‘Through a Glass Darkly: Figurative Language in Ingmar Bergman’s Script’. Scan-
dinavian Canadian Studies/Etudes Scandinaves au Canada 3, 1988, pp. 73-88;
Scott, James. Film: The Medium and the Maker. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1975, pp.
11-13, 167-68, 179-83, and 211-14;
Tang, Jesper. ‘Bergman som scriptforfatter’ [Bergman as scriptwriter]. Kosmorama 24, no. 137
(Spring 1978): 39;
Törnqvist, Egil. Bergman’s Muses. Æsthetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television and Radio.
Jefferson, N.C. & London, 2003. Chapter 3, titled ‘From Screenplay to Film: Bergman’s The
Communicants’, pp. 46-64.
Viswanathan, Jacqueline. ‘Ciné-romans: le livre du film’. Cinéma IX, no. 2-3 (Spring 1999): 13-
36;
Welsh, James. ‘Symposium on Published Scripts: Bergman and Anderson for Sophomores’.
Cinema Journal 11, no. 1 (Fall) 1971: 52-57.
Winston, D. in his The Screenplay as Literature. London: The Tantivy Press, 1973, pp. 96-115 (on
script to Smutronstället/Wild Strawberries).

The Young Playwright

As a young artist in the making, Ingmar Bergman wrote both fiction and, above all,
drama. In fact, most of his earliest artistic ventures were those of a would-be play-
wright. Few of Bergman’s early dramatic efforts were ever published, but some of
them exist in handwritten drafts or typed manuscript form in SFI’s Ingmar Bergman
Archive. They have titles like ‘Reskamrater’ (Travel Companions, an adaptation of a
tale by H.C. Andersen), ‘Stationen’ (The Station), ‘De ensamma’ (The Lonely Ones),
‘Kaspers död’ (Death of Punch), ‘Tivolit’ (The Fun Fair), ‘Fullmånen’ (The Full
Moon), ‘Dimman’ (The Fog), ‘Om en mördare’ (About a Murderer). Of these ‘Tivolit’
and ‘Kaspers död’ were staged by Bergman in the early 1940s at the Stockholm
Student Theatre. When performed there in 1943, ‘Kaspers död’ was advertised as a
play that ‘breaks with all currently acceptable literature and theatre conventions’
[bryter med alla för tillfället vedertagna litteratur- och teaterkonventioner]. (See
program note titled ‘Möte med Kasper’, Ø 13). Contemporary reviews, though short,
suggested however an affinity with expressionistic Schrei-dramen of the 1920s; for that
reason, some critics found the play passé. Bergman responded by subtitling his next
work – ‘Tivolit’ – ‘ett teaterstycke från tjugotalet’ [a theatre piece of the Twenties].
Actually, these early plays from Bergman’s Sturm und Drang period adhere to a
mindscape in modern Swedish drama which began with Strindberg's post-Inferno
production and was revived in 1918 by the playwright and novelist Pär Lagerkvist, in a
series of one-act dramas called Den svåra stunden (The Difficult Hour). Lagerkvist’s
desperate, expressionistic cry for meaning in a world where God remains silent
certainly reverberates in Bergman’s early play production. A program note to one
of his stagings from the Forties – a dramatization of contemporary Swedish novelist
Olle Hedberg's work Bekänna färg (Show your cards) – suggests that Bergman was
well aware of Lagerkvist's metaphysical stance. Hedberg, says Bergman, did not even
have ‘the belief in Pär Lagerkvist’s blind and dead God who sits frozen in his heaven’
[tron på Pär Lagerkvists blinde och döde gud som sitter frusen i himlen].
However, in a volte face move at the end of ‘Kaspers död’, Bergman lets his title
figure face not a stern, silent god but a kind judge who proclaims the existence of

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 The Young Playwright

human love. What is depicted in ‘Kaspers död’ is a split image: ‘a god frozen in his
heaven’ and a providential force. Eventually the cold, satanic god figure would be-
come the dominant one in Bergman's metaphysical probing and emerge as the
possessive ‘spider god’ and ‘the god of silence’ in such films as Såsom i en spegel
(Through a Glass Darkly), Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light), and Tystnaden (The Si-
lence).
In the mid-1940s Bergman submitted a play titled Jack bland skådespelarna (Jack
Among the Actors) to the theatre section at the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation. It
was refused but later published by Bonniers (1946). Jack bland skådespelarna can be
seen as a sequel to ‘Kaspers död’, as suggested by the name of its central character, Jack
Kasparsson. A corporal in the army, Jack joins a provincial theatre group, led by a
director he has never met. The plot evolves like a Pirandellean game of identities until
the Director, still invisible, decides to dissolve the troupe. In the end he appears before
Jack and reveals his true ‘bergmanian’ nature: he is both god figure and devil.
Bergman's collection of three plays, published two years later (1948) under the
common title Moraliteter (Morality Plays), maintains the metaphysical probing of
his earlier works for the stage. His implied definition of a morality play suggests a
work that is a moral fable but not a religious allegory in the medieval sense of the
term. Bergman's ‘moralities’ do not have the abstracted juxtaposition of salvation and
damnation as do their generic Christian prototypes, such as Everyman and The Castle
of Perseverance. Rather, his Moraliteter are modern dramas where conflicts may be
unraveled in terms of profane psychology. This is especially true of the first play in the
collection, Rakel och biografvaktmästaren (Rachel and the Cinema Doorman), a con-
ventional melodrama about a tempting lover, a suicidal impotent husband, a protec-
tive wife (Rakel), and a childlike woman (Mia) who is shot and killed accidentally. In
a later screen version of Rakel och biografvaktmästaren that appears as one of the
episodes in Kvinnors väntan (1952, Secrets of Women), Bergman omitted Mia. But Mia
(Maria) surfaces again as the juggler Jof 's wife in Det sjunde inseglet. (1956, The
Seventh Seal).
The second dramatic work in the same volume, Dagen slutar tidigt (Early Ends the
Day), maintains a more explicit morality play pattern by using allegorized characters
and binary moral opposites typical of the genre. With its oscillation between worldly
decadence, clairvoyance, and metaphysical despair, Dagen slutar tidigt becomes a
dramatic hybrid, part mental thriller, part metaphysical fantasy. Again, an absolute
and invisible power determines human life. An old woman, Mrs. Åström, has heard a
voice ordering her to tell five different people that they are going to die the following
day. She is to accompany them on their journey, and as such she becomes an early
version of the figure of Death in Det sjunde inseglet. The play also bears a certain
resemblance to Sutton Vane’s drama Outward Bound, the first stage work to be
directed by Ingmar Bergman back in 1938 (see Ø 344).
The last of Bergman's three morality plays, Mig till skräck (Unto My Fear) raises a
question that was possibly provoked by his increasing involvement in the filmmaking
industry in the late Forties: To what a degree can an artist concede to popular demand
or production pressure without losing his creative integrity? Paul, the main character
in Mig till skräck, is a young writer of metaphysical novels who gives in to his
publisher’s wish that he change the religious ending of his book. This has fatal
consequences for Paul’s sense of self-respect. Soon betrayals and lies jeopardize the

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 Chapter II The Writer

future of his marriage and his relationship with other people. In a scene anticipating
the film Fanny och Alexander, made some 40 years later, an old Jew by the name of
Isak, who is a friend of Paul's grandmother, explains why Paul's artistic compromise
was unforgivable: ‘You went into futility with open eyes. Others don't see it. But you
chose it in full awareness and in clear possession of your senses’ [Du gick in i
meningslösheten med öppna ögon. Andra ser det inte. Men du valde det i fullt
medvetande och i klar besittning av dina sinnen]. It is a measure of Bergman's growth
as a dramatic artist that this rather simplistic moral exhortation in Mig till skräck
would, in Fanny and Alexander, develop into a complex encounter between the young
imaginative child Alexander – a potential artist – and the visionary Isak (and his
locked-up relative Ishmael). Isak shows his young protégé the profound power of
conviction, which can bring about miracles like self-illuminating mummies and in-
explicable rescues of imprisoned children.
From a dramaturgical point of view, Mig till skräck is still an apprentice work in
which Bergman tries to telescope a lifetime into Paul's conflict with his publisher.
When compared to a later confessional life journey by Bergman, undertaken by the
aging Isak Borg in Smultronstället (1957, Wild Strawberries), Paul’s situation in Mig till
skräck seems static, and he himself experiences no inner conflict but only a prolonged
sense of self-pity. However, the play contains a storehouse of Bergman role figures
that will appear in his later production. Two of the most colorful ones are Paul's
grandmother and her housekeeper, Mean, old women who perform the roles of evil
and good fairies (Mean’s name has no connection to the English word ‘mean’).
During his formative years as a writer and director, Ingmar Bergman was also
active in the radio theatre, by tradition a strong dramatic medium in Sweden. In
1951 he submitted and published Staden (The City), the same year Pär Lagerkvist
received the Nobel Prize in literature. Bergman’s play shares with Lagerkvist’s works
the central concept of ‘utplånande’ or ‘being wiped out/annihilated’. The main char-
acter in Staden is a failing artist with the symbolic name of Joakim (Jack) Naked. The
figure of Joakim Naken, whose name might be seen as an alternative to Jack Kas-
parsson (Jack Clownson) appears in a number of unpublished manuscript fragments
from the late 1940s. A complete manuscript dated 1949 and titled ‘Joakim Naken eller
Självmordet. Melodram i tre akter’ [Joakim Naked or the Suicide. Melodrama in three
acts] was submitted to Bonniers for publication but was refused. See (Ø 61). In a
radio interview in 1966, when Staden was rebroadcast, Bergman told his listeners that
the play was written after a crisis in his life. He had been ‘kicked out’ from Svensk
Filmindustri, he had left the Göteborg City Theatre, his affiliation with the Intimate
Theatre in Stockholm as a guest director was unhappy, and his private life was in
shambles after a second divorce. When he finally began to work his way out of his
depression, he felt a need to transform his experiences into a play. Writing as therapy
functioned as a valid principle for Bergman.
As in a number of Ingmar Bergman's early works for the stage and the screen,
which are structured as explorations of the past, Staden too is a psychological journey
back to the city of childhood and youth. Its protagonist, Joakim Naken, travels into
the surreal landscape of the subconscious. The contours of the city take on the
grotesque features of a painting by Hieronymous Bosch. Joakim encounters a pastor
who insists that life be regarded as a correctional institution; he runs into a former
mistress who has been through a painful divorce; he is confronted with his wife who

60
 The Young Playwright

is condemned to death for killing three of their children. Allegorical figures appear,
such as Oliver Mortis or ‘Döden i din ande’ [Death in your spirit]. A strange old man
named ‘The Pump’ makes predictions of a natural calamity that will destroy the city.
Spiritually bankrupt, Joakim learns however that a new city will be built on the
ruins of the one to be destroyed. His grandmother provides him with encouragement
and hope: ‘You must believe in a sense of fellowship, in the keen expectations of
tomorrow, in your own possibilities’ [Du måste tro på en sorts gemenskap, på mor-
gondagens starka förväntningar, på dina egna möjligheter]. But as in Mig till skräck,
Staden ends on a note of optimism that is not really motivated by the dramatic
context. A comparison with Ibsen's Peer Gynt comes to mind. Like Peer, Joakim
Naked is a self without integrity, who comes to realize the futility of his life, only
to be saved by a representative of womankind. In a speech reminiscent of Peer Gynt's
famous onion metaphor, where the peeling of one layer after another only reveals the
lack of a core, Joakim Naked admits: ‘Now I have stripped to the skin [...] and the
same thing happened to me as to a person I saw in a film. When he undressed and
took the bandages off his face and hands, there was neither body nor face nor hands.
There was nothing’. [Nu har jag klätt av mig in på bara skinnet [...] och samma sak
hände mig som en person jag såg i en film. När han klädde av sig och tog bandaget
från ansiktet och händerna, fanns det varken kropp eller ansikte eller händer. Där
fanns ingenting.]
The most obvious literary incentive for Staden is not Ibsen's play, however, but
Strindberg's drama Till Damaskus (1898, To Damascus). The second half of Bergman’s
play takes place at the house of Joakim Naked's grandmother where he runs into all
the people he has met earlier, though his first encounter with them took place in a
nightmare. There is a certain structural similarity here between Staden and Strind-
berg’s Till Damaskus, which is also conceived as a circular confessional journey. The
protagonists in both plays oscillate between self-accusation and reluctant penitence,
and both are engaged in a spiritual quest that starts at a low point in their lives. The
two works are station dramas with the dramatic action composed as a series of crucial
stops and encounters with people who serve as catalysts in a self-centered conflict.
Joakim Naked's excessively emotional attitude towards women and his mood swings
between strong hate and nostalgic love seem also quite Strindbergian in origin. Berg-
man himself has readily admitted his young dependence on Strindberg’s work, which
he deliberately copied:
The first time I came in contact with Strindberg, I was twelve. It was an enormous experi-
ence, and I believe my first plays... I quite simply copied Strindberg. I tried to write like him,
dialogues, scenes, everything. Beyond all comparison Strindberg was my idol. His vitality,
his anger, I felt it inside me. And I believe I wrote quite a few Strindberg-inspired plays.

[Första gången jag kom i kontakt med Strindberg var jag tolv år. Det var en enorm upple-
velse, och jag tror att mina första pjäser... jag kopierade Strindberg helt enkelt. Jag försökte
skriva som honom, dialoger, scener, allt. Utan jämförelse var Strindberg min idol. Hans
vitalitet, hans vrede, den kände jag inom mig. Och jag tror att jag skrev en hel del Strind-
bergsinspirerade pjäser.] (Tre dagar med Bergman, Ø 919, p. 14)
Bergman began his stage career with several remarkable productions of Strindbergian
dramas: Lycko-Pers resa (Lucky Per's Journey) in 1939; Pelikanen (The Pelican) and

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 Chapter II The Writer

Svarta handsken (The Black Glove) in 1940; Fadren (The Father) and Spöksonaten (The
Ghost Sonata) in 1941. From Strindberg's naturalistic dramas he learnt the rapid, high-
strung repartees in an emotional duel between man and woman. From Strindberg the
expressionist he absorbed both a modernist dramatic form and a revival of the
medieval morality play with its abstracted characters and Christian ethos. From
Strindberg the writer of history plays Bergman borrowed plot elements and took
similar liberties with historical events; an example is the play Trämålning (1954, Wood
Painting). Here Bergman telescopes history into a 14th-century setting that includes
references to the Crusades, the bubonic plague and witch burning, events which in
reality took place over several centuries. As with Strindberg in his medieval play
Folkungasagan (1898, Saga of the Folkungs), Bergman allowed dramatic expediency
to overrule historical fact.
A key word in the critical assessment of Bergman’s early stage plays is ‘excess’. This
becomes particularly apparent in his dark drama Mordet i Barjärna (Murder at Bar-
järna), which he presented at the Malmö City Theatre in 1952. This highly theatrical
production provoked a very harsh response from reviewers, many of whom felt that
Bergman’s grotesque spectacle about a 19th century murderer and priest could not be
redeemed by his virtuoso stagecraft. Members in the audience reportedly walked out
on opening night, a rare phenomenon in the Swedish theatre world.

Though sometimes performed in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Bergman’s early stage
plays have not been part of the theatre repertory since then. Bergman himself has
repeatedly announced his own lack of interest in reviving them:
I haven't staged my own plays very often. I am not particularly fond of them, so I am not all
that happy about having others stage them either. They are not very good. A few, two or
three are not so bad. But to stage your own works becomes a kind of unbearable masturba-
tion.

[Jag har inte särskilt ofta satt upp mina egna pjäser. Jag är inte särskilt förtjust i dem, så jag
ser inte gärna att andra sätter upp dom heller. Dom är inte särskilt bra, tycker jag. Ett fåtal,
två eller tre, är inte så dåliga. Men att sätta upp sina egna verk blir en sorts outhärdlig
masturbation.] (Tre dagar med Bergman, p. 17)

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 The Writer of Prose Fiction

Bergman’s early stage plays comprise the following titles (not including unpublished
drafts; for these, check the bibliographical record of Bergman’s writing after this
introduction):
Kaspers död (1940)
Tivolit (1941)
Reskamraten (1942)
Jack hos skådespelarna (1946)
Moraliteter (1948; includes Rakel hos biografvaktmästaren, Dagen slutar tidigt, and Mig
till skräck)
Kamma noll (1948)
Staden (1950)
Mordet i Barjärna (1952)
Trämålning (1954)

Apart from reviews, relatively little has been written on young Ingmar Bergman as a
playwright. See the following items:
Gado, Frank. The Passion of Ingmar Bergman. Durham: Duke UP, 1986, pp. 19-36;
Himmelstrand, Ulf. ‘Ingmar Bergman och döden’ [IB and death]. SvD, July 7, 1952, p. 4. (On
Dagen slutar tidigt);
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman: Allting föreställer, ingenting är. Stockholm: Nya Doxa, 2000,
pp. 24-29, and I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, pp. 157-172, 249-262.
Læstadius, Lars-Levi. ‘Kamma noll’. Röster i Radio, no. 28 (10-16 July) 1949, p. 6.
Ring, Lars. ‘Tidiga pjäser låter oss kika in i Bergmans verkstad’ [Early plays let us look into B’s
workshop]. SvD, 13 February 1998, p. 19-20.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergman as a Playwright’, in Ingmar Bergman. New York: Twayne,
1968, pp. 25-37.
Wallqvist, Örjan. ‘Puritanen och Kasperteatern’. AT, 6 September 1949, p. 2-3.

The Writer of Prose Fiction

Bergman’s earliest writing, both published and unpublished, is often composed as

short stories or fictional vignettes. In fact, many of his first film ‘scripts’ were subtitled
‘short stories for film’ and were conceived as prose narratives rather than screen
dramas. This is especially the case prior to his international breakthrough as a film-
maker in 1956. Many of these fragments and vignettes also suggest that some of his
early authorial figures, Kasper and Jack, first emerged in narrative prose form. One
work, ‘Kaspernoveller’ (1942, Punch stories) includes a fragment that appeared in the
modernistic magazine 40-tal. Titled ‘En kortare berättelse om ett av Jack Uppskära-
rens tidigaste barndomsminnen’ [A shorter tale about one of Jack the Ripper’s earliest
childhood memories], the piece is, like much of Bergman’s initial fiction, written in a
somewhat burlesque style, while revealing its roots in a personal world and function-
ing as a kind of urtext that embodies familiar Bergman conflicts: eschatological fears
and strident parent-child or man-woman relations. (See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var
ordet. Ingmar Bergman och hans tidiga författarskap 2002). The rhetorical pitch in this
early work is excessive and hysterical, the depicted world often nightmarish and
expressionistic. In that sense a story like ‘Jack Uppskäraren’ shares the tone of Berg-

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man’s early plays for the stage: there is a strong resemblance between Jack’s adult
memory of a nightmarish, sexually ambivalent encounter as a 3-year-old with a
miniature girl who turns out to be a boy he later murders, and the misogynist
tensions (as well as grandmother setting) of Paul’s personal drama in the play Mig
till skräck (1948). But Jack Uppskäraren’s child murder motif also lives on as a re-
current scene in several of Bergman’s later film scripts, sometimes involving the death
of an actual small person, sometimes presented symbolically as a rag doll or a fish. In
‘Eva’ the narrator’s child memory concerns the accidental death of a little blind girl; in
‘Fängelse’ the main character, Birgitta Carolina, has a nightmare in which her baby is
transformed into a fish whose neck is broken; in Smultronstället Isak Borg’s mother
pulls a rag doll out of a box of childhood mementoes in a scene alluding to emotional
atrophy; in Persona the ‘double take’ of Alma and Elisabeth is related to Alma’s
abortion and Elisabeth’s rejection of her boy; in Vargtimmen, in a flashback fishing
episode, the painter Johan reenacts Jack’s childhood memory in the drowning of the
boy who attacks him on the cliffs. Thus, Bergman uses one of the most famous
murderers in history, Jack the Ripper, to launch a recurrent motif and set of image
clusters that in retrospect can be seen to form a receptacle of Bergman themes.
In the milk-and-strawberry sequence in The Seventh Seal, the Squire Jöns offers to
sing a bawdy song about an amorous fish. Perhaps this is a humorous reference to
Bergman’s novella titled ‘Fisken. Fars för film’, originally published in Biografbladet 31,
no. 4 (Winter) 1950-51 and 32, no. 1 (Spring) 1951. In this absurd story about Joachim
who encounters a fairytale fish that gives him three wishes to be fulfilled, the plot
revolves around a sexual conflict between Joachim and two women (wife and mis-
tress). Condemned to death for having killed his wife’s lover, Joachim escapes execu-
tion because of a malfunctioning guillotine. His last wish is to return to the womb of
his mistress. There seems to be a foreshadowing here of Frost’s concluding lines in
Gycklarnas afton (The Naked Night) where he tells of a dream he has had in which he
returned to the womb of his wife Alma. Ultimately the fish metaphor is connected to
a creative process, to an archetypal moment of conception.

Post-filmmaking Prose

After declaring his exit from filmmaking with Fanny and Alexander in 1982, Bergman
continued to produce prose works of very conscious literary form, such as his mem-
oirs Laterna magica/The Magic Lantern (1987), structured like a Proustian series of
personal recollections interspersed with more contemporary events. His ‘novels’ like
Den goda viljan/Best Intentions (1991), Söndagsbarn/Sunday’s Child (1992/93), Enskilda
samtal/Private Conversations (1994/95) move freely between biographical fact and
reconstruction of an emotionally charged human story that happens to be his (fic-
tionalized) family’s. Den goda viljan depicts the early years in the marriage of a young
pastor and his wife; it signals upcoming marital problems, family tensions and ends
about the time of the birth of a second son, Ingmar. Söndagsbarn centers on the
childhood of this second son, nicknamed Little Pu, and focusses a great deal on the
relationship between father and son. Enskilda samtal, finally, tells the story of the
mother, approaching middle age and in love with a much younger theology student.
Together with the TV play Larmar och gör sig till/In the Presence of a Clown (1994), all

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these works form a compressed family history, not quite documentary, not quite
fiction. Names have been reshuffled and events telescoped for the sake of dramatic
convenience. Thus for instance, a crucial background incident in Den goda viljan –
the Queen hearing Pastor Bergman preach – did not take place until 1924 when young
Ingmar was six (Den goda viljan ends in 1918 just prior to his birth).
There is a clear difference between Bergman’s early plays and prose works from the
late 1940s and his depiction of his family saga after the making of Fanny and Alex-
ander. The early works are permeated with the often desperate and definitely rebel-
lious tone of an angry young man, presented in an intense and loud expressionistic
style. The later works are written by an old man whose main concerns are to seek
understanding and possibly reconciliation with those who gave him life and material
to create with. The urgent spirit at one time that shaped the adolescent outbursts by
the writer Bergman has not only mellowed, it has returned to using language as a
literary tool and recognizes that words employed imaginatively can shape and man-
ifest a universe as much as images in films. All of Ingmar Bergman’s literary works
after he left his large-scale filmmaking in 1982 have borne the signs of a writer who
can look upon his past with a certain distance but who has also rediscovered the
pleasure that lies in story-telling on paper. The narrator Bergman supersedes the
filmmaker but also closes the creative circle that began with his first literary sketches
in his notebooks from his late teens. Thus, there is both a psychological closure and a
creative completeness to Ingmar Bergman’s writing.
In the critical canon examining Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking, it is not uncom-
mon to find quoted samples of a Bergman ‘text’ which move back and forth between
his published script and the filmed dialogue. However, there are often important
discrepancies between the script and the finished film. This becomes accentuated
in the late prose works, which Bergman knew he was not going to film himself. If
the original Swedish manuscript has been translated, the refereed ‘text’ takes on an
even more nebulous status. (See Törnqvist, ‘Ingmar Bergman Abroad. The Problems
of Subtitling.’ 1998, 23 pp. Ø 1650). Any student of Bergman’s late prose faces in fact a
rich field of variations between the written and the filmed texts. On the one hand,
Bergman’s fiction after Fanny and Alexander contains self-conscious notes that cannot
be transferred to the screen. On the other hand, the very same texts borrow the
approach of a former filmmaker. Thus, Best Intentions, Sunday’s Child, and Private
Confessions seem built on three ‘filmic’ principles: (1) visualization of a scene through
concrete detail; a word written must be a word seen; (2) making people confront each
other in ‘close-ups’; making them face each other in sharp and direct dialogue; (3)
telling a story elliptically, using a cutting technique that forces the reader to fill in the
gaps and become a participant in the narrative. Emotional involvement, not intellec-
tual understanding is the ultimate purpose, so that reading the text is a little like
watching a (Bergman) film, i.e., being drawn into the magic of a world projected on
the screen in a dark cinema. For additional comments, see reception of Bergman’s
post-filmmaking prose, Ø 185, 188, 191, 192, 194, 199.
Bergman’s late prose works suggest that the further behind he left the film studio,
the more he moved towards an acceptance of himself as a writer. However, this is not
to say that he himself has regarded these late printed texts as words in search of a
reader only. In fact, in several cases he has directed his own late writings for television,
such as Sista skriket (The Last Scream), Larmar och gör sig till (In the Presence of a

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Clown) and Saraband. In the introductory piece ‘Monolog’ in the collection Femte
akten (2000, The Fifth Act) which includes Sista skriket, he suggests that the written
word is a flexible tool, as much an instrument for a performance as a reading
experience:
I wrote the texts in this book without giving a thought to their possible medium, using a
method something like that of the harpsichord sonatas by Bach – though they are otherwise
not comparable. They can be played by string quartets, wind ensembles, guitar, organ or
piano. I wrote them in the way I have been accustomed to writing for more than fifty years –
it looks like drama but could just as easily be film, television or simply texts for reading.

[Bokens texter är skrivna utan tanke på eventuellt medium vid ett framförande ungefär som
cembalosonater av Bach (utan jämförelse i övrigt). De kan spelas av stråkkvartett, blåsen-
semble, gitarr, orgel eller piano. Jag har skrivit som jag varit van att skriva sedan mer än
femtio år – det ser ut som teater men det kan lika gärna vara film, television eller bara
läsning.] (p. 8).
For discussions of Ingmar Bergman’s prose works, see the following:
Ekbom, Thorsten. ‘Ingmar Bergman tillbaka till det skrivna ordet’ [IB back to the written
word]. DN, 25 January 1993, p. B1-B2. (review of Söndagsbarn, contrasting it to Bergman’s
early short story ‘En kortare berättelse om en av Jack Uppskärarens tidigaste barndoms-
minnen’ [A short tale about one of Jack the Ripper’s earliest childhood memories]. 40-tal,
no. 3, 1944, pp. 5-9).
Haverty, Linda. ‘Strindbergman: The Problem of Filming Autobiography in Bergman’s Fanny
and Alexander’. Literature/Film Quarterly 16, no. 3, 1988: 174-80.
James, Caryn. ‘Bergman as Novelist’. In Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey, ed. by Roger W.
Oliver. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995, pp. 112-115.
Koskinen, Maaret. I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergman och hans tidiga författarskap. Stock-
holm: Wahlström & Widstrand, 2002, pp. 290-299 and passim.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Laterna magica’. Finsk Tidskrift, no. 2-3 (Spring 1988): 78-90.
—. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Bilder och den självbiografiska genren’. Finsk Tidskrift, no. 5 (Autumn
1991): 274-286.
Vinge, Louise. ‘The Director as Writer: Some Observations on Ingmar Bergman’s “Den goda
viljan”’. In A Century of Swedish Narrative: Essays in Honour of Karin Petherick’. Norwich:
Norvik Press, 1994, pp. 281-93.
Wright, Rochelle. ‘The Imagined Past in Ingmar Bergman’s The Best Intentions.’ In Ingmar
Bergman. An Artist’s Journey. On Stage, On Screen, In Print, ed. by Roger W. Oliver. New
York: Arcade Publishing, 1995 pp. 116-25.

List of Bergman’s Written Work

Listed below in chronological order are both published and unpublished works by
Ingmar Bergman. Some early unpublished items have been located by the editor, but
for the most part such material stems from Ingmar Bergman’s private papers at Fårö,
recently deposited at the SFI. Though annotated here, students are advised to check

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Maaret Koskinen’s inventory in her book I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergman och
hans tidiga författarskap. Ø 1681, p. 321 ff.
In addition to copies of Bergman’s film scripts included in his recent gift of
personal material, unpublished scripts are also available in the Swedish Film Institute
and, at times, in Uppsala Film Studio’s library. The manuscript designation for Berg-
man’s film scripts that is used here follows the international FIAF formula:

Script I describes action but not in terms of takes

Script II describes and divides action into takes but does not list length of
takes
Script III states length of each take
Script IV gives dialogue list only

Script titles are listed under their original title in Swedish. Translations of individual
scripts appear in the Swedish script entry. In addition, major volumes of translations
that contain more than one script are listed separately under the translated title and
under the year of publication. For instance, the volume Four Screenplays of Ingmar
Bergman, which contains translations of the scripts to Smiles of a Summer Night
(Sommarnattens leende), The Seventh Seal (Sjunde inseglet), Wild Strawberries (Smul-
tronstället), and The Magician (Ansiktet), is listed as a separate entry (Ø 110) under its
year of publication (1960), but there are also cross references to this volume of
translations in the individual entries to the four original film titles (Ø 91, 98, 101, 102).

1935-37
1. Studentuppsatser, Palmgrenska Samskolan [Student themes, Palmgrenska Ly-
ceum].
Bergman’s Fårö papers include some of his school essays on various assigned themes: ‘Hemmet
och de olika familjemedlemmarnas uppgifter’ [The home and various family members’ tasks],
dated 18 September 1935; ‘Är det berättigat att tala om den gamla goda tiden?’ [Is it justifiable to
talk about the good old days?], dated October 25, 1935; ‘Den moderna ungdomen’ [Modern
youth], dated 19 November 1935; ‘Recension av någon bok, jag nyss läst. Guy de Pourtales
“Richard Wagner”’ [Review of a book I have read recently. G. de P’s ‘Richard Wagner’], dated 5
February 1936. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, p. 336).
Not annotated among Ingmar Bergman’s Fårö papers is his graduation essay at the Palm-
grenska school, spring 1937, titled ‘Några huvuddrag i Selma Lagerlöfs författarskap’ [Some
main features in Selma Lagerlöf ’s authorship]. The Palmgrenska school no longer exists; its
student material has been transferred to Stockholms Stadsarkiv. This item is catalogued there
under Palmgrenska, Klass L III, volume F 1:21.
Bergman singles out the following aspects of Selma Lagerlöf ’s authorship: her love of people
and of nature, her interest in the supernatural, and her imagination.

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1938
2. Group Item: SFP, Mäster Olofsgården newsletter, 1938-1940
SFP was an abbreviation of ‘Storkyrkoflickorna och Storkyrkopojkarna’ (Great Church girls/
boys), an organized youth group at Mäster Olofsgården, a settlement house in Stockholm’s Old
City. See introduction, theatre chapter.
* During his two years as director at MO-gården’s amateur theatre section, Bergman wrote
several notices about his own productions and about film and theatre offerings in Stock-
holm. His first note, titled ‘Till främmande hamn’ [lit. To a foreign port], appeared in
SFP no. 3, 1938, and concerns his thoughts about his first production at MO-gården, Sutton
Vane’s Outward Bound. Cf. theatre chapter (VI), Introduction and (Ø 344). Material is
available at Mäster Olofsgården Archive. Bergman’s Fårö papers contain a small notebook
with references to Mäster Olofsgården. See also Henrik Sjögren’s Lek och raseri, 2002, pp.
43-60, for selective quotes from SFP notices.
Additional SFP items written by Bergman are listed below in chronological order:
* ‘Teatraliskt i stan’ [Theatrics in town], SFP, no. 2 (1939), p. 1.
Short presentation by Bergman of theatre and film offerings in Stockholm, recommending
Strindberg and several French films. Bergman’s comments are motivated by a desire to ‘prove
that there is much worthwhile to see on stage right now and that Stockholm’s theatre world has
stepped out of its mud bath level’ [bevisa att det finns mycket värt att se på scenen just nu och
att Stockholms teatervärld har tagit steget ut ur sin gyttjebadsnivå].
In another column in the same SFP issue, Bergman worries about the reception of his next
production (see next item) since it might be too ‘exclusive’ a repertory; he recalls the inap-
propriate laughter and insensitive response to his presentation of Outward Bound a year earlier:
‘We cherubs, raggamuffins and others have our own experience of a hard-to-please audience
and a strange, somewhat unappreciative corps of critics’ [Vi kyrkänglar, trashankar och andra
har ju våra erfarenheter av en hårdflirtad publik och en egendomlig, något oförstående kritik].
* ‘Experimentteater!’ [Experimental theater], SFP, no. 3, 1939, p. 24.
Announcement signed ‘B-man’ of two performances, to be presented at Nicolai Elementary
School on Ash Wednesday: Danish author Axel Bentzonich’s dramatic short story ‘Guldka-
rossen’ [The Golden Chariot] and Runar Schildt’s play Galgmannen [The Hangman]. This
column is juxtaposed to one expressing Bergman’s worries that the Mäster Olofsgården audi-
ence seems reluctant to accept an ‘exclusive repertory’ on its premises.
* ‘Lycko-Pers resa’ [Lucky Per’s journey], SFP, no. 3, 1939, p. 5.
Presentation of Strindberg’s play directed by Bergman at Mäster Olofsgården and focusing on
the moral content of the play. Cf. Commentary, Ø 347. See also SFP, no. 2 (1939), p. 1, for note
on rehearsals of Strindberg’s play; cf. Koskinen, I begynmelsen var ordet. p. 338.
* ‘Evenemang’ [Events] SFP, no. 8, 1939, p. 8.
Signed ‘Regissören’ (The Director) this is a brief presentation of an upcoming double bill:
Edmond Rostand’s 18th-century play ‘Romantik’ (Romance) and Doris Rönnqvist’s play ‘Höst-
rapsodi’ [Autumn Rhapsody]. Bergman proudly announces that Mäster Olofsgården’s theatre
section is now self-supporting with its own volunteer composer, light and art designers, photo-
grapher and PR-man.

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 List of Bergman’s Written Work

* ‘Experimentteatern igen’ [Experimental theater once more], SFP, no. 9 (1939), p. 3.

A personal presentation of Bergman’s forthcoming production at Mäster Olofsgården of Pär
Lagerkvist’s drama Mannen som fick leva om sitt liv (The Man Who Lived His Life Over/The Man
Who Lived Twice). Bergman is anxious to point out the ‘professional’ care behind the produc-
tion both in terms of stagecraft and character analysis. The article clearly shows his total
commitment to his directorial task, where the rehearsals had become ‘moments of spiritual
recreation’ [stunder av andlig rekreation]. His subsequent analysis of Lagerkvist’s drama is a
piece of moral exhortation to his presumed audience, asking them not to be turned away by the
high seriousness of the piece.
* ‘En saga’ [A fairy tale], SFP, no. 3 (1940), p. 4.
Presentation of Macbeth, scheduled for production in early April 1940; see Commentary in
(Ø 355).
* ‘Ringaren i Notre Dame’ [The Hunchback of Notre Dame], SFP, no. 4 (1940), p. 6.
Brief review of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Entry also includes a critical comment on Ingrid
Bergman’s performance in Juninatten (Night of June).
* ‘Ett spelår tilländalupet’ [A year’s repertory has come to an end], SFP, no. 5 (1940),
pp. 8, 14.
Summing-up of 1939-40 season at Mäster Olofsgården amateur theatre section. This is the most
telling of Bergman’s SFP notices, oscillating between self-defense and irony, and suggesting both
enthusiasm and frustration in his work. In addition to rehearsals of five productions (two of
them double bills), Bergman arranged regular film showings and a course where the goal was to
discuss the majority of Strindberg’s plays (!). Listing the past season’s repertory, Bergman
outlines the work schedule for the theatre group and next year’s program, with planned
productions of Strindberg’s Oväder (Storm), and John Masefield’s Good Friday, plus a filmmak-
ing project during the summer months. None of this materialized, since Bergman left Mäster
Olofsgården for other theatre activities.
* ‘Vår lilla stad’ [Our Town], SFP, no. 1 (1940), n.p.
Brief commentary on Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, produced at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.

3. ‘Vaxdukshäftet’ [The wax cover notebook]. Among Bergman’s Fårö papers, now
deposited at SFI.
Work book containing handwritten short stories and other prose fragments. Some of this
material seems to be early sketches for the film script to ‘Hets’. The undated notebook is
probably from the summer of 1938. ‘Vaxdukshäftet’ is discussed by Maaret Koskinen in her
book I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, pp. 23-60. Among its content is the following material:
* ‘En sällsam historia’ [A strange tale].
Short story about a young man’s encounter in a florist shop with a woman who turns out to be
a prostitute widow supporting her only child. She is later found murdered. 11 pp.
* ‘Familjeidyll’ [Family idyl]. Seven handwritten pp. Translated into German as ‘Aus einem
Notizbuch vom Sommer 1938’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, edited by Renate
Bleibtreu. Hamburg: 2002.

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About a high school student’s confrontation with his father who loses control and gets a
revolver. The boy hits the father with a chair, whereupon the father locks himself up in a
room. The boy, after trying to calm his mother, drifts around in the city and is later repri-
manded at school for his absenteeism.
* ‘Fragment’. 12 pp.
Story taking place in school, divided into four short chapters. Names of the main characters –
Jan-Erik Widgren and Caligula – are the same as in the film ‘Hets’.
* ‘Judas’. Synopsis of a play in five acts, 6 pp.
* Untitled short story in fourteen chapters suggesting the content of ‘Hets’. The manu-
script was inserted in the notebook but could be of a later date. 114 pp. In Bilder (Images. My
Life in Film) Bergman talks about revising the script for ‘Hets’ in 1942. The plot revolves
around the schoolboy Jan Erik Widgren and his conflicts at home and in school (with his
teacher Caligula). Story also deals with Jan-Erik’s divided attraction to two different wo-
men: the somewhat vulgar Vanja and the family girl Britt. Vanja may be an early draft for
Berta in ‘Hets’.
* Untitled story about a young boy’s decision to leave his girlfriend.
Fragment is of interest in that it suggests two later Bergman themes: Love as sacrifice and lying
as a form of self-deception.

1939
4. ‘Tivolit. Filmfantasi efter Hjalmar Gullbergs dikt med samma namn’ [The
Tivoli. Film fantasy after Hjalmar Gullberg’s poem with the same name].
This handwritten film synopsis consists of 104 short ‘takes’ and lists 15 characters. A text on the
front page reads: ‘Regi: Ingmar Bergman, Foto: Axel Bergström, Medverkande: Medlemmar ur
Mäster Olofsgårdens teatersektion’ [Direction: IB, Photo: AB, Participants: Members of MO
theatre section].
Title suggests Bergman’s early interest in the film medium but also his literary anchoring.
Hjalmar Gullberg was one of Sweden’s leading poets at the time. The brief poem ‘Tivoli’ is
included in his 1932 collection of poetry, Andliga övningar [Spiritual exercises]. Gullberg’s ‘tivoli’
is a carousel referred to as an earthly dance of death, a rather ‘pre-bergmanian’ metaphor.

1940
5. ‘Himmelrikets nycklar: Sagospel, drömspel, vandringsdrama’ [The Keys of
Heaven: Fairy play, dreamplay, station drama]. Unpublished undergraduate thesis (3-
betygsuppsats) for Professor Martin Lamm’s Strindberg seminar. Institute of Literary
History, Stockholm University, fall 1940, 22 typed pp. Among Bergman’s Fårö papers.
Bergman’s analysis of Strindberg’s play reads like a prompt copy for a stage production.

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 List of Bergman’s Written Work

1941
6. ‘Cirkusen’ [The Circus]. Undated handwritten manuscript in three acts, probably
identical with ‘Clownen Beppo’, a pantomime play staged in 1941 at the Sago (Fairy
Tale) Theatre (a children’s stage) in Stockholm’s Civic Hall. 25 pp.
Bergman’s first wife, Else Fisher, choreographed ‘Clownen Beppo’, and Bergman was respon-
sible for the dialogue. The dramatis personae in ‘Circusen’ are: Regissören, Lejonet, Beppo,
Dummer-Jöns, herr Bofvén, Camomilla (The Director, the Lion, Beppo, Clod-Hans, Mr.
Crook, Camomilla.) 25 pp., typewritten. (Cf. Ø 374), theatre chapter (VI). See also Koskinen,
I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, pp. 157-160, for brief discussion of ‘Cirkusen/Clownen Beppo’.

7. Stage adaptation of H.C. Andersen’s tale ‘Elddonet’ (The Tinder Box) for the
Sago Theatre at Medborgarhuset [Civic Hall], Stockholm.
Manuscript not located. Cf. Ø 367 & 385, Theatre chapter VI.

1942
8. Dramatikerstudions programblad, no. 1, 14 September 1943.
Untitled brief introduction by Bergman to his production of Kaj Munk’s play Niels Ebbesen (cf.
Ø 379), Theatre chapter.

9. ‘De ensamma’ [The Lonely Ones]. Alternate title: ‘Adjunkt Alman’ [High School
Teacher Alman]. Handwritten play manuscript. Dated Duvnäs, 12 August 1942. 50 pp.
There is also a handwritten 8-page dialogue fragment of the same play including the
following people: Bror, Lisa, the Father, Kreutz, Mr. Andersson. A type-written un-
dated ms covers only pp. 15-39.
Dramatis personae: Erik Alman, father and high school teacher; Alice Alman, mother; Bror
Alman, their son; Lisa Didricks, Bror’s girlfriend; Miss Alma Karlsson, housekeeper. A family
drama about a weak, yet authoritarian father’s confrontation with his son, Bror (same name as
younger son Widgren in ‘Hets’). Alman commits suicide.
Among Ingmar Bergman Fårö papers deposited at SFI.

10. ‘Fullmånen’ [The Full Moon]. Handwritten play manuscript in three acts with
following date notation: Skrivet i Sigtuna 17 oktober 1942 – forts. (förlovningsferie).
[Written in Sigtuna 17 October 1942 – cont. (engagement vacation).] In SFI Special
Ingmar Bergman Papers.
Play (apparently unfinished) contains Bergman’s first reference to the character of Jack the
Ripper (cf. Ø 26, below). The setting of Act I is an open square filled with a variety of people:
Businessmen, Vagabonds, Voices, the Mayor, the Devil (Hin), Grandma, a Girl and Jack the
Ripper. Second Act takes place in the palace with the King, the Jester, the Girl, Servants and
three Soldiers. Act III is set at the tavern amidst a gloomy Jack the Ripper, a blind Mother, the
Hero (‘sneezing and coughing’), the Town Cryer and some Individuals.

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11. ‘Kaspernoveller’ [Punch Stories]

These unpublished stories were long thought to be lost, but surfaced recently in Bergman’s Fårö
storage and are now deposited at SFI. They are dated 1942-43 and consist of three texts: ‘Om
varför gangstern skriver vers’ [About why the gangster writes poetry]; ‘Interiör från familjen
Kasper’ [A scene from the Punch family]; and ‘Berättelsen om när Kasper och Lebemannen
foro ut på landet’ [The tale of when Punch and Dandy travelled into the countryside]. Both the
Kasper and Jack figures – and their negative alter egos, Gangstern (the Gangster) and Lebe-
mannen (the Dandy) – are emblematic characters in many of Bergman’s early drafts; they
represent a combination of rebellious, bohemian, and self-destructive character types, moving
in an expressionistic setting with themes revolving around such subjects as death and woman-
hood. ‘Om varför gangstern skriver vers’ was published in German as ‘Warum der Gangster
Verse schreibt’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 25-39.
For more details, see Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, pp. 321-22].

12. ‘Kaspers död’ [Death of Punch]. Unpublished typewritten stage play, 22 pp.
Manuscript is structured as follows:
Prologue. Punch and Judy (Kasper and Kasperina).
Act I. Punch, two Prostitutes (Subba I and II), the Man of the World, the Sinner, the Gangster,
the One, the Other.
Act II. Punch, a Voice, the Gangster, the Man of the World, the One, the Other, Child I, Child
II, the Girl.
Play was produced at the Student Theatre, Stockholm University, 24 September 1942. (See
Ø 363).

13. ‘Möte med Kasper’ [Encounter with Punch]. Program note to production of ‘Kas-
pers död’ (Ø 12) at Student Theatre, September 1942.
Program note is available at Royal Library in Stockholm and in Swedish Theatre Museum
Library. ‘Möte med Kasper’ appears in German translation, ‘Begegnung mit Kasper’, in Ingmar
Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 40-42. For other Kasper frag-
ments from same period, see Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), pp. 322-23.

14. ‘Operan’ [The Opera]. Handwritten and unpublished opera libretto, dated Duvnäs, 9
August 1942. 49 pp. Among Ingmar Bergman Fårö papers deposited at SFI.
Dramatis personae: Sven, the Boys, the Girls, the Fiddler, Karin, the Old Gentleman, the huldra
(troll woman), näcken (water sprite).
This may be the opera that Bergman makes references to in several interviews and alludes to
indirectly in the film Såsom i en spegel/Through a Glass Darkly when the teenage boy Minus
relates his creative literary output to his father David.

15. ‘Reskamraten’ [The Travel Companion]. Play in three acts, based on Hans Christian
Andersen’s tale of same name. Dated August 1942. The play was submitted that year to
the Swedish Radio but was refused, though in fairly mild terms. Available in Swedish
Radio Archives. Also in Ingmar Bergman Fårö papers deposited at SFI.

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The cast includes the following characters:

Dying Father, The Old Woman, The Host, Johannes, The Old Man, The King, The One, The
Troll, Head of Council, The Other, The Princess, The King of Toads, The Travel Companion,
The Gnome, The Uncle.

16. ‘Rädd att leva’ [Afraid to live] and ‘En bekännelse’ [A confession]. Two versions
of same film script, dated October 1942. ‘En bekännelse’ has numbered set descrip-
tions to the left, dialogue to the right. There is also a typed manuscript in seven acts.
Among Bergman papers deposited at SFI. For more detail, see Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet,
2002, p. 323, 340.

17. ‘Stationen’ [The Station]. Handwritten, unpublished play in three acts, dated at end
Duvnäs, 9 August 1942. 93 pp. There is also a typed, undated version of same. 39 pp. In
Ingmar Bergman Fårö papers deposited at SFI.
Dramatic conflict revolves around a dysfunctional family consisting of a sick father (Station
Master Anders Bergström), a fun-loving mother (Brita), and their children Mary, 26, and
Cecilia, 18. Also among the dramatis personae is Jon Andersson, Bergström’s assistant and
successor. For discussion, see Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, pp. 62-64.

18. ‘Tivolit’ [The Tivoli]. Handwritten draft to a play, dated August 1942. 11 pp. In
Ingmar Bergman Fårö papers, deposited at SFI.
Consists of four separate fragments, of which Fragment III is a prologue and Fragment IV is
titled ‘Epilog’.
There is also an expanded fragment, titled ‘Några av dem. Pjäs i fem bilder av Ingmar
Bergman’ [Some of them. Play in five tableaus by IB]. Manuscript is typed, with the title in
Bergman’s handwriting, and dated 22 October 1942. Fragment also includes a Prologue.
A play titled ‘Tivolit’ was staged by Bergman at the Stockholm Student Theatre in October
1943. Plot follows a group of tivoli performers during the off-season until the day the fun fair
opens its gates again in late spring. See (Ø 366), and Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002),
pp. 71-79; 157-181.

1943
19. ‘Dimman’ [The Fog]. Handwritten, untitled and incomplete manuscript to a play;
most likely a draft to ‘Dimman’, a play mentioned by Bergman in an early interview
done by Jolo (see Ø 688) and in early theatre programs listing titles of Bergman’s
works, but never staged. The last scene in this draft takes place in a fog where the male
protagonist commits suicide. There is also a typed manuscript divided into 20 chap-
ters, 40 pp., and dated Gimo, 4 July 1943. In SFI Ingmar Bergman Papers from his
private Fårö archive.
A play about a problematic mother-son relationship. The son’s cousin, a young woman by the
name of Marianne, arrives from Germany. The mother shoots the girl, the son (Edgar) kills
himself. A play full of Strindbergian elements such as mother/vampire motif and the unmask-
ing theme. It was at this time that Bergman set up Strindberg’s Pelikanen (The Pelican) at
Stockholm Student Theatre (see Ø 361).

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20. ‘Dröm i juli’ [Dream in July]. Handwritten, undated, untitled, and incomplete play
in a tivoli setting. In three parts, ending with the text: ‘end of first act’. In SFI Ingmar
Bergman Fårö Papers.
Judging from the cast of characters, this fragment is a draft of Bergman’s 1946 unpublished play
of same title (see Ø 38).

21. ‘Hets’ [Frenzy]. Film script. At SFI/USF [Swedish Film Institute/Uppsala Student
Film Studio] libraries.
Script I, 47 pp. Bergman’s synopsis to Hets in its original form, written as a narrative with a
good deal of dialogue and dated 22 March 1943. Front page has a dedication to ‘Caligula and all
his likes, [teaching] dead as well as living languages, religion, geography and history.’ [Caligula
och alla hans gelikar (som undervisar) döda såväl som levande språk, religion, geografi och
historia].
Script II, 158 pp. Serialized as a novella in Filmjournalen, no. 51 (1944) through no. 8 (1945), and
in Bildjournalen, no. 12 through 15 (1959). On 7 November 1944, GP reported that Bergman had
been asked to write a novel based on his film script. He declined with these words: ‘It [Hets] is
conceived as a film and will not become a novel, short story, drama, or TV play.’ [Den är tänkt
som film och den blir varken roman, drama eller television.] In 1948 Peter Ustinov adapted the
film script to the stage. The play, Frenzy, opened at St. Martin’s Theatre in London 21 April 1948.
It was also performed in January 1948 in Oslo under direction of Per Gjersøe (see Ø 967).
London production was reviewed in NYT, 22 April 1948, p. 35: 2.
Script IV, dialog list, Swedish only, 25 pp.
A shooting script with minor notations is among Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI., as
well as several drafts and/or synopses of ‘Hets’ among them a prose version in fourteen
chapters. (See Ø 3) above. Another manuscript in the same collection is a mixture of play
and film script. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), p. 323 for more details. Koskinen
discusses the Hets material in same book, pp. 34-57. See also (Ø 24) and (Ø 27) below.

22. ‘Jack hos skådespelarna’ [Jack among the actors]. Handwritten play manuscript,
dated Gränna, 4 August 1943. Three typewritten samples among Bergman Fårö pa-
pers, one of them marked ‘Bonniers förlag’, the publishing house that published a
version of the play in 1946. (Stockholm: Bonniers, 1946. 101 pp.). The play was
submitted to the Swedish Radio in 1946 but was refused, together with ‘Rakel och
biografvaktmästaren’, later published (1948). The radio reader’s verdict was harsh:
‘Drama about existential anguish. [...] Expressionistically obscure in places, mystify-
ing lines. [...] Strong inclination towards the macabre. A great deal of offensive
material about drunkenness and sexuality. Uneven characterization. Unsuitable for
the radio’. [Drama om livsångest. [...] Expressionistiskt dunkel här och var, mystifier-
ande repliker. [...] Stark dragning åt det makabra. Massor av stötande saker om fylla
och sexualia. Karaktärsteckningen ojämn. Olämplig för radio]. Source: SR (Sveriges
Radio) archives.
Expressionistic drama in two acts about a troupe of actors who are treated like marionettes by
their director, an autocratic and diabolic figure. The title figure is a corporal, Jack Kasparsson,
who joins a theater troupe of three actors – husband, wife, and lover. In Pirandellean fashion
they perform a triangle drama of soap opera quality and become the parts they enact. As such
they are replaceable, and others can step in and assume their roles. When a husband in the
troupe dies, Jack Kasparsson takes over the part of lover, while the former lover now shoulders

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the cloak of married cuckold. The play, like life, can go on as before until the Director decides
to dissolve the ensemble.

23. ‘Matheus Manders fjärde berättelse’ [Mathew Manders’s fourth tale]. Untitled
handwritten manuscript in seven acts, dated Åkeslund 12.10.43 (12 October 1943), with
Author’s preface. Also a typewritten version, 52 pp. Cast of characters include Kerstin,
Krister, Erik, Gerd, Elna, Civil Servant, Officer, Mutti, Manfred. Plot revolves around
a mystical diabolical character by the name of Matheus Manders [possibly named
after Ibsen’s Pastor Manders in Gengangere/Ghosts ]. Bergman’s Manders is described
as a civil servant with ‘the face of a dancer of death’ [en döddansares ansikte] who has
a devastating impact on a group of young people.
The manuscript, in SFI Ingmar Bergman Fårö Papers, might be identical with an early, appar-
ently lost Bergman work called ‘Om en mördare’ (About a murderer). ‘Matheus Manders fjärde
berättelse’ has been translated into German as ‘Matheus Manders vierte Erzählung’ and pub-
lished in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 43-81.

1944
24. ‘Hets’: Kniv på en varböld’ [Torment: Knife on a boil]. SF (Svensk Filmindustri)
special program to ‘Hets’, n.d.
Program issued in connection with opening of Hets in October 1944 to celebrate SF’s 25th
anniversary as a production company. Bergman contributes with a statement outlining his
three ambitions with Hets: to expose a sickness but free the spectator from pain; to render
harmless the Caligulas in society; to elicit symphathy for Caligula because, though sadistic, he
acts out of fear.

25. ‘Samtal mellan en ekonomichef och en teaterchef’ [Conversation between a

head of finances and a theatre head]. Hälsingborg Theatre Program at end of fall
season 1944, pp. 1-7. Bergman promises more than Strindberg and Shakespeare on the
repertory.

26. ‘En kortare berättelse om en av Jack Uppskärarens tidigaste barndoms-

minnen’ [A short tale about one of Jack the Ripper’s earliest childhood memories].
40-tal, no. 3, 1944, pp. 5-9. Translated into French by A. Amlie (‘Un souvenir d’en-
fance de Jack L’Eventreur’) in Cinéma 59, no. 34 (March) 1959: 39-44. Also translated
into Polish by Tadeusz Szczepański in Kino, no. 287, 1991: 7-11.
Short story in which Bergman introduces once more the vulnerable, rebellious, and self-de-
structive Jack figure. (See Ø 11) above, ‘Kaspernoveller’ [Punch stories]).

27. ‘“Skoltiden” ett 12-årigt helvete’ [School a 12-year hell]. AB, 3 October 1944, pp.
1, 11.
In connection with the premiere of ‘Hets’ Bergman gave an account of his years in school,
which formed the background for the film. Cf. Commentary to (Ø 202) in Filmography.
Response by his former headmaster Håkansson at Palmgrenska School appeared in same paper
(AB) on 5 October 1944, p. 16. Reply by Bergman, same paper, 9 October 1944, p. 10.

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28. ‘Hösttankar’ [Autumnal Thoughts]. In Hälsingborg City Theatre program, Fall

1944.
Tongue in cheek dialogue in which theatre director foresees the dissolution of traditional stages
and a return to ambulatory performances on church steps. As director, Bergman wishes three
things for the Hälsingborg City Theatre:
That it be a platform of serious proclamations;
That it be a bulwark against stupidity, indifference, crudeness and dullness;
That it be a challenge and a playground for fun.

29. ‘Vi måste ge Macbeth’ [We have to present Macbeth]. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 14
November 1944, p. 7.
Before the opening of his second Macbeth production, Bergman discussed the circumstances
around his first presentation of the play in 1940 and his rationale for presenting it again. See
Theatre chapter (Ø 401).

1945
30. Group Item: Untitled program notes from Bergman’s tenure at the Hel-
singborg City Theatre, 1945-46 season. See also titled items (Ø 25, 28).
* Program note to production of Sune Bergström’s comedy ‘Reducera moralen’ [Reduce the
morals], 12 April 1945.
Bergman proudly announces that the theatre has got its state subsidies back and promises that
it will continue to be ‘the stormy center of our city’ [stadens oroliga hörn].
* Program note to production of Franz Werfel’s play Jacobovski och översten (Jacobowski and
the Colonel), 9 September 1945.
At the opening of a new theatre season, Bergman set down a Six-point Declaration concerning
the function of the Helsingborg City Theatre and its ensemble. See Theatre/ Media Bibliography
(Ø 502, Chapter VII), for fuller listing.
* Program note to production of Olle Hedberg’s ‘Rabies/Bekänna färg’ (Rabies/Show your
cards), 1 November 1945.
Could be called IB’s modernist manifesto, a defense of Swedish fyrtiotalist literature (see Ø 952),
which is said to be a truthful reflection of the disillusioned and desperate post-war generation.
* ‘Avskedsintervju’ [Farewell interview], in playbill program to Björn Erik Höijer’s play
Rekviem, at the Helsingborg City Theatre, 6 March 1946.
Tongue-in-cheek interview between a fictional journalist and Ingmar Bergman. For fuller
annotation (see Ø 507), Theatre/Media Bibliography, Chapter VII.

31. ‘En slags tillägnan’ [A kind of dedication]. Program note to Bergman’s Malmö
production of Strindberg’s Pelikanen (The Pelican), 25 November 1945.
Bergman pays homage to Olof Molander, prominent director of Strindberg’s dramas since the
mid-1930s. See Commentary, Ø 392.

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32. ‘Möte’ [Encounter], in printed theatre program to production of Ingmar Bergman’s

play Rakel och biografvaktmästaren [Rachel and the cinema doorman], produced at
Malmö City Theatre, September 1946, pp. 8-9.
A tongue-in-cheek dialogue between a playwright and the director of his play (Author Bergman
directed the production of ‘Rakel’). (Cf. Ø 43) below.

33. ‘Blick in i framtiden’ [Look into the future]. Unpublished manuscript, Swedish
Radio Archives, Stockholm, n.p. See Theatre/Media Bibliography (Ø 500).

34. ‘Kris’ [Crisis]. Film Script.

Script II, titled ‘Mitt barn är mitt’ [My child is mine], dated May-June 1945, SFI/USF Archives,
Stockholm, 161 pp. Copyright: SF.
Script IV (Dialogue list in German, titled ‘Krise’, with a synopsis of content), 18 pp.
Bergman’s script is an adaptation of Danish playwright Leck Fischer’s play Moderhjertet [The
mother heart]. Original title is sometimes referred to as Moderdyret [The mother animal].
Bergman also uses title Moderskärlek [Mother love]. (See Ø 2) in Filmography. There are some
divergencies between Script II and Script IV: in the latter, based on the released film, a voice-
over opens and ends the story; in Script II the speaker is only heard in the beginning.

35. ‘Marie’ Unpublished short story, available in SFI Library, and dated 1945. The story
was later expanded in collaboration with Herbert Grevenius to form the script for
Bergman’s film Sommarlek (1950, Summer Interlude).

1946
36. ‘Antagligen ett geni’ [Probably a genius]. Röster i Radio, 1946:50, p. 14.
Portrait of playwright Björn Erik Höijer whose radio play Sommar had been awarded second
prize in a radio contest. Bergman’s brief article is a defense of playwriting as an art form that
addresses the broad public and a critique of the modern Swedish poets (fyrtitalisterna), who
have at their best a readership of 300 people. (See Ø 952)

37. ‘Det regnar på vår kärlek’ [It rains on our love]. Film Script. SFI/USF Archives.
Copyright: Nordisk Tonefilm.
Script II. Unpublished and undated adaptation of Oscar Braathen’s play Bra Mennesker [Good
people], 127 p., plus some additional notes. Collaboration with Herbert Grevenius. One SFI
Script II copy is scriptgirl’s shooting script. Text indicates that Bergman changed the dialogue at
the end by extending the conversation between the young couple and the Man with the
Umbrella.
Script IV (dialogue lists) in English (36 pp.) and German (39 pp.).
Production lists are also available containing time and shooting schedules, plus some idiosyn-
cratic notes complaining about noise from airplanes and the troublesome search for extras: 18
cats!

38. ‘Dröm i juli. Filmmanuskript av I. Bergman.’ [Dream in July. Screenplay by I.

Bergman]. Referred to as Version I, January 1946. Date at end of manuscript is 24

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January 1946. Manuscript is among SFI Special Ingmar Bergman Papers. See Koski-
nen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), p. 324, for further details.
Violent drama in tivoli setting with drunkenness, fights, and involuntary manslaughter. The
‘dreamer’ of this nightmare is Gunnar, a 25-year-old musician. His wife Eva is expecting a child.
An old circus artist Folke, married to Alfhilda, may be an early portrait of Frost and his wife
Alma in Gycklarnas afton/The Naked Night (1953). Cast also includes the old owner of a variety
show, Mr. Kasparsson, who has artistic ambitions. He has a son, Paul, about 40. These names
resurface in Bergman’s stage plays from the 1940s.

39. ‘Kannibalen’ [The Cannibal]. Typed, unpublished and undated manuscript. In SFI
Special Ingmar Bergman Papers.
An absurdist parody of the holy communion. The dramatis personae are Chief of Police, Mr.
Fall, his Wife and a Prisoner named Samuel. Mr. Fall, who has committed 33 cannibalistic
murders in one day, asks the Chief of Police to arrest him and have him executed. Mr. Fall has
also cut open his own stomach to find his soul, which he keeps attached to a string and plans to
cook for dinner. God has walked into his room; Mr. Fall kills him with fire prongs, then drinks
his blood and tastes a piece of his flesh. He gives his soul to the prisoner Samuel.

40. ‘Komedien om Jenny’ [The comedy about Jenny]. In SFI’s Ingmar Bergman Fårö
Papers.
Unpublished early screenplay never filmed. Despite the comedy designation, the listed set of
characters suggests that this may be an early draft for Dagen slutar tidigt (Early Ends the Day),
one of three plays in 1948 collection Moraliteter (Ø 56).

41. ‘Om att filmatisera en pjäs’ [About filming a play]. Filmnyheter 1, no. 4, 1946, pp.
1-4.
About the genesis of ‘Kris’, the first film directed by Bergman, who reveals that he did not like
the original play by Leck Fischer, on which the film is based, until he invented the character of
Jack.

42. ‘Puzzlet föreställer Eros. Novell för filmen av Ingmar Bergman’ [The
Puzzle Represents Eros. A short story for the screen by IB]. Typed, unpublished
manuscript dated Persborg, Monday 7 October 1946, on the front page and on the
last page, 9 October 1946. 108 pp. SFI Library, Stockholm. This short story forms the
basis of a 201-page ‘Script II’ adaptation by director Gustaf Molander, titled ‘Kvinnan
utan ansikte eller puzzlet föreställer Eros’ [The woman without a face or the puzzle
represents Eros], written between 9 December 1946 and 15 January 1947. According to
notes in Molander’s copy, ‘Script II’ has a 5-page additional dialogue, which Bergman
was asked to provide. ‘Script IV’ (dialogue list) in English, 34 pp.
In connection with Molander’s filmatization, Bergman published an interview with himself
about the script to ‘Kvinna utan ansikte’. Titled ‘Rut’, the interview reveals that the main
character, Rut Köhler, is based on Bergman’s personal experience. See Filmnyheter 2, no. 11,
1947, pp. 1-4. Note that in the original short story, Rut’s last name is König, not Köhler.

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43. ‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren. Teaterpjäs i tre akter av Ingmar Berg-

man’ [R and the cinema doorman. Stage play in thee acts by IB]. Sveriges Radio
Archive. One handwritten and one typed manuscript among Bergman’s archival Fårö
papers.
This play was submitted to the Swedish Radio but was rejected in no uncertain terms: ‘He
wallows in crude and hellish aspects of life’ [Han frossar i alltings råhet och djävlighet]. This is
an early version of a published play with the same name, printed in Moraliteter, 1948 (Ø 56).
There is an unpublished English translation by Michael Meyer in Bergman’s Fårö papers.

44. ‘Svensk film och teater: Ett samgående eller motsatsförhållande’ [Swed-
ish film and theatre: Collaboration or opposition].
Unpublished lecture given 3 February 1946 in Höganäs City Hall. Arranged by Höganäs Före-
läsningsanstalt [H. lecture society]. Advertised in Helsingborgs Dagblad, 2 February 1946, p. 13
and announced in a note in same paper, 3 February 1946, p. 14, but no write-up on content.

1947
45. ‘Det förtrollade marknadsnöjet’ [The magic country fair]. Biografbladet 28, no.
3 (Fall) 1947: 1.
This is a Bergman tribute to Méliès and the magic dimension of filmmaking. Published in
French as ‘Le plaisir ensorcelé de la fête foraine’. Positif 421, March 1996: 68-71, and in German
as ‘Das verzauberte Rummelplatzvergnügen’. Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate
Bleibtreu, 2002), pp. 82-83.

46. ‘Ej för att roa blott’ [Not just to entertain]. Sveriges Radio (SR), 2 January 1947.
Bergman participating in a radio discussion with other young Swedish artists about the serious
ambitions of contemporary literature, sculpture, music, and theatre. Bergman’s contribution
takes the form of a dialogue with actor Anders Ek about the fyrtiotalism movement. (Cf. Ø 952),
Chapter IX.

47. ‘I mormors hus’ [In grandmother’s house]. Program note to Göteborg City Theatre
production of Bergman’s play Mig till skräck [Unto my fear], October 16 1947. Avail-
able at Göteborg Theatre Museum and Swedish Theatre Museum, Stockholm. Trans-
lated into German as ‘In Grossmutters Haus’, Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed.
by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 86-91.
Tobias, fictional author of a drama about the writer Paul, depicts Paul’s background, which is
reminiscent of the apartment of Bergman’s maternal grandmother in the city of Uppsala.

48. ‘Skepp till India land’ [A ship to India]. A film script. SFI Library, 138 pp.
Script II. Unpublished and undated adaptation of Martin Söderhjelm’s play of the same name.
With production lists. Serialized as a film novella in the popular magazine Fickjournalen,
beginning in no. 44 (1947).
Script IV. Dialogue list in English, titled ‘Land of Desire’, 28 pp.

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Among Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, are two typed copies of the script with set and
character descriptions to the left, dialogue to the right. One copy is unmarked, the other
appears to be assistant director’s copy. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), p. 326.

49. ‘Tre tusenfotingfötter’ [Three centipede feet]. Filmjournalen 29, no. 51-52 (De-
cember) 1947: 8-9, 53.
Bergman writes about filmmaking as teamwork and presents producer Allan Ekelund, set
designer P.A. Lundgren, and cinematographer Göran Strindberg.

1948
50. ‘Brev från Ingmar Bergman’ [Letter from IB]. Terrafilm 10 år. Stockholm: Terra-
film, 1948, p. 20.
Letter from Bergman in booklet celebrating the Swedish production company Terrafilm’s 10th
anniversary. Letter is adressed to producer Lorens Marmstedt and likens Terrafilm to ‘a beauti-
ful, capricious, lustful, and witty lady in the prime of her life’ [en vacker, nyckfull, vällustig och
kvick dam i sina bästa år].

51. ‘Ett dockhem’ [A doll’s house]. Unpublished screenplay adaptation of Ibsen’s fa-
mous play. SFI Library Archives, Stockholm, ca. 105 pp. Spring 1948.
This represents Bergman’s first contact with Hollywood. The script was commissioned in early
spring 1948 by David O. Selznick but never filmed. Alf Sjöberg was also contacted for the film
project. According to Selznick, plans were dropped later that spring because of difficulty in
finding a suitable cast. See GT, 29 January 1948; GHT, 13 March 1948, p. 9; DN, 30 April 1948, p.
3, and SvD, 2 May 1948, p. 9. Ingmar Bergman received $ 6,000 for the job, with which he
bought his first real 9.5 mm projector (see Bergman om Bergman [Ø 788], p. 137, Eng. ed.
p. 147).
Bergman introduces his adaptation of Ibsen’s play as ‘a tale about the little doll wife Nora and
her way out of dreams and lies to clarity and liberation’ [en berättelse om den lilla dockhustrun
Nora och hennes väg ut ur drömmar och lögner till klarhet och frihet]. The opening scene is
reminiscent of the Christmas scene in Fanny and Alexander, with giggling children, a big, tight-
lipped and sulking old housemaid, and father Torvald Helmer opening the season’s celebration
‘with patriarchal self-satisfaction’ [med patriarkal självtillfredsställelse], then feigning a stomach
ache, so that he can disappear and return as Santa Claus. The props include a music box – a
familiar Bergman emblem. On a sofa sits ‘Uncle Eyolf Rank’, and at the piano is Aunt Kristin.
The entire party dances a Swedish long dance through the apartment, then sits down to listen to
the Christmas gospel.
The script ends with Torvald crying and being consoled by the old housemaid. A train
whistle is heard. Torvald rushes out in his night shirt to the station. Nora is on board the
train. As it leaves, Torvald falls to his knees, crying out: ‘But she lives, she lives...’ [Med hon
lever, hon lever ...].

52. ‘Fängelset’ [The prison]. Unpublished Film Script. In SFI and USF Library Ar-
chives.
Script II for ‘Fängelse’ (The Devils’s Wanton/Prison), dated November 1948 and subtitled ‘En
moralitet för filmen’ (A morality for the cinema), ca. 200 pp.

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Script IV (dialogue lists) in English, titled ‘Prison’ (ca. 23 pp), and in German, titled ‘Gefängnis’
(ca. 57 half-size pp.), plus synopsis and Swedish press clippings, 2 pp.
Endings of ‘Fängelset’ in Script II and IV vary. Script IV ends with a conversation between
Martin, the director and Paul, the teacher about God and the meaning of life. Script II ends
with Martin and an actress, Greta, at work together in the film studio. Film title was changed
from ‘Fängelset’ [The prison] to ‘Fängelse’ [Prison]. ‘Fängelse’ dialogue was excerpted in
Filmrutan 1, no. 2 (March 1958), pp. 12-18.
Among Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, there is an early typewritten short story
version of ‘Fängelse’, titled ‘Sann berättelse. Novell för film av Ingmar Bergman’ [True tale. A
short story for the cinema] and dated Duvnäs, August 10, 1948. See also Ø 60 and Ø 62 below.

53. ‘Hamnstad’ [Port of call]. Unpublished film script. SFI and USF Library Archives.
Script II at SFI is an adaptation of Olle Länsberg’s voluminous (400 pages) manuscript ‘Guldet
och murarna’ [The gold and the walls]. Script II is dated 19 May 1948, 119 pp.
Script IV (dialogue list) in German, titled ‘Hafenstadt’, 23 pp.
Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, contain a typed director’s copy with some handwritten
notes and sketches by Bergman, as well as a map showing in some detail the interior and
exterior scenes from shooting the film in Göteborg and Stockholm.

54. ‘Kamma noll. Komedi i tre akter’ [Come up empty. Comedy in three acts].
Typewritten, unpublished play, produced at Malmö City Theatre, 8 December 1948;
directed by Lars-Levi Laestadius. SFI Library, Stockholm, ca. 47 pp. Three typewritten
copies, found among Bergman’s Fårö papers, are dated Hälsingborg, 17 April 1948.
Play has the following motto on front page: ‘Ger man djävulen rent spel förlorar han.
(kammar noll)’ [If you give the devil fair play he loses (comes up empty)].
The play is a three-act triangle comedy, set in the Stockholm archipelago, with a married
couple, their daughter and her boyfriend (both 17) and a femme fatale from the city, whose
arrival sets off a nasty intrigue. The comedy designation seems somewhat stretched and was
probably dictated by the play’s happy end.

55. ‘Kinematograf.’ [Cinematograph] Biografbladet 29, no. 4 (Winter), 1948: 240-41.

Bergman talks about his grandmother’s apartment, his aunt’s Christmas gift of a laterna
magica, and his first ventures into filmmaking. This article was published in French, titled
‘Le cinématographe’. Positif 421 (March) 1996: 68-71.

56. Moraliteter [Morality plays]. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1948. 256 pp.

Three plays published under the common name of Moraliteter. Individual titles are: Dagen
slutar tidigt (Early ends the day), Mig till skräck (Unto my fear), and Rakel och biografväktmäs-
taren (Rachel and the cinema doorman). Only the first of these is designed as a morality play
with a metaphysical vision. The second is a study of an author who sells his integrity for
commercial recognition; the third one is a Strindbergian marriage drama that later became
the Rachel episode in the film Kvinnors väntan (Secrets of Women/Waiting Women).
Review
Åke Runnquist, ‘Den demoniska silverpennan’ [The demonic silver pen]. BLM, April 1948, pp.
292-94.

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57. ‘Själva händelsen’ [The event itself]. Filmnyheter 3, no. 20, 1948, pp. 4-7.
Bergman writes about an automobile accident and the new sense of life that this brush with
death created in him. Out of this episode came the idea for the script to the film Eva. Translated
into German as ‘Das eigentliche Ereignis’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate
Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 86-91.

58. ‘Trumpetspelaren och vår herre’ [The trumpet player and our Lord].
Unpublished film synopsis and partly completed scenario, sold in February 1948 to SF. Later
completed by Gösta Stevens and Gustaf Molander as script for the film Eva, directed by
Molander. Script II, available at SFI, is subtitled ‘Novell för filmen’ (Short story for the screen)
and dated 10 May 1948, 153 pp. Two typed script copies titled ‘Eva. Novell för filmen av Ingmar
Bergman’ [Eva. Short story for the screen by Ingmar Bergman] are among Bergman’s Fårö
papers. With a note that film script is by Gustaf Molander. Cf. Next item.

1949
59. ‘Den lille trumpetaren och Vår Herre. Utdrag ur en prosaberättelse’
[The little trumpeteer and Our Lord. Excerpt from a tale in prose]. Maneten. Litterär
kalender, ed. by Claes Hoogland. Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag, 1949, pp. 63-75.
Excerpt from a short story. Episode depicts scene in film Eva where young Bo meets the blind
girl Marthe.

60. ‘Filmen om Birgitta-Carolina’ [The film about Birgitta-Carolina]. ST, 18 March

1949, p. 4. Reprinted in part in Röster i Radio/TV, no. 23 (1962), pp. 27-28 before TV
showing of film.
On the eve of the opening of ‘Fängelse’ (Prison/The Devil’s Wanton), Bergman published this
brief essay in a Stockholm daily, in which he talks about the genesis of the film and his
conception of the main character, the prostitute Birgitta Carolina.

61. ‘Joakim Naken eller självmordet. Melodram i tre akter (Sista akten i tre
tablåer) av Ingmar Bergman.’ [Joakim Naked or the Suicide. Melodrama in three
acts (Last act in three tableaus) by IB].
Handwritten manuscript dated Paris 23 October 1949. With a note reading: ‘This is a tragi-
comedy about the murderer and self-murderer Joakim Naked who lived and worked in Lyon
around the turn of the century’ [Detta är en tragikomedi om mördaren och självmördaren
Joakim Naken som levde och verkade i Lyon runt sekelskiftet]. Also in type-written sample, 102
pp. In Fårö papers. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, p. 325, for listing of other drafts
about Joakim Naked. Cf also (Ø 83), ‘Historien om Eiffeltornet’.

62. ‘På förekommen anledning’ [Upon request]. DN, 5 April 1949, p. 11. Reprinted in
Filmnyheter 4, no. 8 (1949): 3.
Open letter formulated as an advertisement and response to a department store complaint
about main character’s job affiliation. See Commentary to ‘Fängelse/Prison’, in Filmography,
(Ø 210).

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63. ‘Till glädje’ [To joy].Unpublished Film Script. In SFI and USF Library Archive.
Script II, dated June 1949, ca. 125 pp. Script II was serialized as film novel in Filmjournalen 32,
nos. 12 through 20 (1950).
Among Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, there is a director’s script dated June 1949
with some handwritten dialogue changes.

64. ‘Törst’ [Thirst]. Fårö papers, deposited at SFI.

Typed copy of director’s script with the standard format at the time (set and character descrip-
tions to the left, dialogue to the right). Contains some commentaries by Bergman and detailed
notes made before the shooting. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, p. 327.

65. ‘Vi ser på filmen’ [We look at the movies]. Swedish Public Radio, 1 November 1949.
Contribution to radio discussion about current film fare.

1950
66. ‘Blad ur en obefintlig dagbok’ [Pages from a non-existent diary]. SFI Library, 4
pp.
Unpublished impressionistic thoughts about filmmaking. Bergman talks about his mixed feel-
ings of panic, pleasure, and professional joy in making a film, and his sense of obsession with
the film medium. He likens directing to an organist playing on a huge organ with notes instead
of a script. What a director needs above all is know-how and a good condition. As for
inspiration, that is fine too, but nothing to rely on. ‘Diary’ ends with a pep talk at the end
of a week of filmmaking.

67. ‘“Fisken” Fars för film’ [The fish: A farce for film]. Biografbladet 31, no. 4 (Winter)
1950-51: 200-225; 32, no. 1 (Spring) 1951: 18-21, no. 2 (Summer) 1951: 85-88, no. 3 (Fall)
1951: 110-15. Reprinted in Aura IV, no. 4, 1998: 62-88. Translated into German as ‘Der
Fisch. Farce für den Film’. In Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate
Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 92-134. Translated into Polish as ‘Ryba. Farsa filmowa’ by T.
Szczepański in Kwartalnik Filmowy, no. 14, 1996.
An absurd story about an early Bergman prototype, Joachim (alias Jack, Johan), who encoun-
ters a fairytale fish that gives him three wishes to be fulfilled. The plot revolves around a sexual
conflict between Joachim and two women (wife and mistress). See introduction to this chapter.

68. ‘Frånskild’ [Divorced]. Film script by Bergman and Herbert Grevenius, dated 9
November 1950 for film directed in 1951 by Gustaf Molander. SFI and USF Library
Archives.
Script I (114 pp.) and Script II (169 pp.).

69. ‘Medan staden sover’ [While the city sleeps].

Script I (ca. 140 pp) and Script II (139 pp.). Scripts are dated 29 January 1950. Script II contains
location map and director’s (Kjellgren) notes. SFI and USF Archives.

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Adaptation by Ingmar Bergman and Lars-Eric Kjellgren of a short story by Per Anders
Fogelström titled ‘Ligister’ (Hoodlums).

70. ‘Sommarlek’ [Summer interlude]. Unpublished film script. Based on a short story
by Bergman called ‘Marie’ (see Ø 35) and completed together with Herbert Greve-
nius. In SFI and USF Library Archives.
Script II, titled ‘Sommarleken’ [The summer interlude] and dated 1 March 1950; 146 pp., plus 14
pp. additional text (takes 558-59) which introduces a ballet master masked as Coppelius, who
visits Marie in her dressing-room at the Opera. In the original version, David, Marie’s male
friend, appears instead.
Script IV (dialogue list) in English, titled ‘Summer interlude’, 29 pp.
Among Bergman’s Fårö papers there is a typed copy of the script marked ‘Film 3/50, Annalisa
Ericson Sommarleken’. Ericson plays a ballerina in the film. This copy, presumably Ericson’s,
also contains some stills from the film and location photographs. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen
var ordet, 2002, p. 327.
‘Sommarlek’ was translated into French (but with Swedish film title retained) in Oeuvres,
1962, pp. 23-101 (Ø 122).

71. ‘Untitled program’ note to Bergman’s production of Bertolt Brecht’s play, The
Threepenny Opera, which opened at Stockholm’s Intima Teatern, 17 October 1950.
Bergman points out his use of Brecht’s 1938 London edition of play, which he was introduced to
through Lotte Lenya’s record. Reveals strong reservations about the work. Fascinated by the
music, but text bothers him for its detachment and cynicism.

72. ‘Untitled manuscript’ in prose about a Monsieur Bazin and his wife, Madame B.
Seems inspired by Bergman’s stay in Paris in 1949. Plot somewhat reminiscent of Trolösa
(Faithless). See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), p. 325.

1951
73. ‘Bo Dahlins anteckningar angående föräldrars skilsmässa’ [Bo D’s notes re:
his parents’ divorce]. (See Ø 97), 1956 (‘Sista paret ut’).

74. ‘Bris’ Commercials.

Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, contain stenciled manuscripts to three of the Bris
commercials (see Filmography, Ø 215); they are titled ‘Operation’, ‘Uppfinnaren’ (The inventor)
and ‘Trolleriet’ (Magic act), each 2 pp.

75. ‘Mordet i Barjärna. Ett passionsspel av Ingmar Bergman’ [Murder at Barjär-

na. A passion play by IB]. Unpublished play produced at Malmö City Theatre in 1952.
Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Copy at Malmö City Theatre Archives. Cf. Sjögren,
Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968), pp. 113-18. Prologue is translated into German as
‘Ich stand auf dem Berg’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate
Bleibtreu, 2002), pp. 135-136.

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Historical play about a priest who gets involved in adultery and murder. An early draft, titled
‘Jonas och Mari’ [Jonas and Mari], has recently been located among Bergman’s Fårö papers,
now deposited at the SFI. Same source also contains a handwritten copy of the play in a brown
envelope marked ‘Obs! Farligt Obs! Detta kuvert får ej röras av någon’ [Note! Dangerous Note!
This envelope may not be touched by anyone]. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), pp.
325-326. Cf. Commentary and Reception to Malmö production of play, (Ø 414), Theatre
Chapter VI.

76. ‘Leka med pärlor’ [Playing with pearls]. In SF program for ‘Sommarlek’ (Summer
Interlude), issued at opening of film, pp. 5-7.
Bergman writes about the source of the script for ‘Sommarlek’, begun at age 18. Repeats that
filmmaking is teamwork: ‘A film is indeed like a centipede, and all the feet must keep the same
pace. I have figured out that 129 persons have been more or less involved in “Sommarlek”’. [En
film är verkligen som en tusenfoting och alla fötterna måste hålla jämna steg. Jag har räknat ut
att 129 personer har varit mer eller mindre involverade i Sommarlek.]

77. ‘Ni vill till filmen?’ [So you want to be in the movies?]. Filmjournalen, no. 36 (9
September), 1951, pp. 14, 26. Reprinted in French as ‘Vous voulez être comédien’
Positif, no. 447, (May 1998): 62-64.
Faked ironic telephone conversation between Ingmar Bergman and would-be actor who wants
to make it in the movies.

78. ‘Staden’ [The city]. In Svenska radiopjäser [Swedish radio plays]. Stockholm: Sveriges
Radios förlag, 1951, pp. 41-95.
Expressionistic drama and/or morality play in three acts about Joakim Naken, whose childhood
faith and security collapse during a nightmarish Sturm-und-Drang period while tin soldiers
drum a funeral march. The title refers to Joakim’s return to the city of his childhood, where he
listens to the wisdom of his grandmother.
At the time of the first broadcast of Staden on Sveriges Radio (SR), Bergman published an
account of the genesis of the radio play: ‘Anteckningar kring Staden’ [Notes about the City].
Röster i Radio, no. 19, 1951, p. 7. Bergman gives a brief account of how he assumed a protective
incognito called Joakim Naken, who was able to sense the present, the past, and the future at
the same time. With Joakim as his alter ego, Bergman explores a world without grace, which
became the play Staden.
The 1951 production was aired again on 20 February 1966 in a radio drama series called
‘Radioteater i 40 år’ [Radio Theatre during 40 years]. At that time Bergman was interviewed
about the play by Gunnar Ollén on Swedish Radio (15 minutes). (Cf. Ø 542)

1952
79. ‘Kvinnors väntan’ [Waiting women].Unpublished and undated film script. In SFI
and Uppsala Film Studio archives.
Script II, 185 pp. With prop list, credits, location list, and shooting plan, 18 pp. SFI Script II copy
is that of head of film inventory (propman) Gustav Roger. His copy includes notes about
exterior and studio shooting. Script has a total of 894 takes. Arne Sellermark adapted Script
II for serializing in popular magazine Allers, beginning in no. 49 (6 December 1952), p. 45.

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Script IV (dialogue list) in English, 31 pp.

80. ‘Sommaren med Monika’ [Summer with Monica]. Unpublished film script by Ing-
mar Bergman and Per Anders Fogelström, upon whose novel with the same name the
script is based.
Script II, titled ‘En sommar med Monika’ [One summer with Monica] and dated 9 July 1952
(124 pp.) at SFI Archives.
Script IV (dialogue list) in English, 15 pp., and in German, 16 pp. SFI and USF Archives.

81. ‘Spela pjäs. Tre lektioner av Ingmar Bergman’ [Performing a play. Three les-
sons by IB]. Several copies of an undated stencil marked Malmö stadsteater elevskola
[Malmö Theatre acting school], 46 pp. Malmö theatre archives; also in Bergman’s
Fårö papers.
Dramatic exercise for Malmö City Theatre acting students where a director and playwright
(Martin) presents his play about two (twin) characters, Mr. A and Mr. One, who compete for
his attention.

1953
82. ‘Gycklarnas afton’ [Eve of the clowns]. Unpublished film script. SFI Library
Archives.
Undated Script II but with final shooting date listed as 31 May 1953. Script II is subtitled ‘Ett
skillingtryck på film av Ingmar Bergman’ [A penny print on film by IB], 115 pp. One of two SFI
copies of script is the copy used by cinematographer Hilding Bladh; the other copy is probably
the director’s copy, containing inserted sketches and additional handwritten dialogue.
Script II has a different ending from the released film version: Albert, the circus owner, joins
Jens, the coachman, at dawn and falls asleep in a scene reminiscent of the opening sequence of
the film. In the film Albert joins Anne, and the two walk silently side by side as the circus
wagons roll on. In Script II, the last ‘shot’ of Anne has her look out the window at a picture of
the Virgin Mary, which appears on an emblematic sign listed as part of the circus inventory.
Script II of ‘Gycklarnas afton’ was serialized as a film novella in Filmjournalen 35, no. 25-26
through no. 38 (1953). Script II was used for the translation into French by C.G. Bjurström and
Maurice Pons, ‘La nuit des forains’, published in Oeuvres, 1962, pp. 102-60. Also translated into
Polish by A. Asłanowicz as ‘Wieczór Kuglarzy’ and published in Ingmar Bergman Scenariusze,
1973, pp. 32-93.
Script IV (dialogue list) – two copies in English, one titled ‘The Buffoon’s Evening’, 25 pp.,
with production notes; the other titled ‘Sawdust and Tinsel’, 25 pp.

83. ‘Historien om Eiffeltornet’ [The tale of the Eiffel tower]. BLM 22, no. 7 (No-
vember) 1953: 498-500.
Excerpt from Bergman’s play ‘Joakim Naken’ (see Ø 61), set in Lyon where Joakim is director in
an early film studio. Because of a troubled personal and professional life, Joakim has assumed a
new personality and has moved into a boardinghouse where he meets the landlady’s young
daughter Marthe. He describes a filmatization of the Eiffel Tower, where the tower is perso-

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 List of Bergman’s Written Work

nalized. An imaginary film producer demands a happy end. Joakim toys with the idea of having
the Eiffel Tower cross the Atlantic and marry the Statue of Liberty.

84. ‘Ingmar Bergman intervjuar sig själv inför premiären på Sommaren med
Monika’ [IB interviews himself before the opening of ‘Summer with Monica’]. SF
program to ‘Sommaren med Monica’. SF Archives, Stockholm. Reprinted in Filmny-
heter 8, no. 2 (1953): 4-5.
Tongue-in-cheek interview. Bergman suggests that nude bathing should become obligatory in
all Swedish films: ‘In a country where the climate seldom permits anything but tub baths, ice
baths and sauna, we should be given the illusion – with the help of the cinema – that there
exists some idyllic area where well-shaped girls splash around as God created them, without
getting goose pimples all over their bodies’. [I ett land där klimatet sällan tillåter annat än
karbad, isbad och bastu borde vi delges illusionen – med filmens hjälp – att det existerar någon
idyllisk plats där välformade flickor plaskar runt så som Gud skapade dem utan att få hönshud
på hela kroppen.] Bergman ends ‘interview’ with a nature vignette from the shooting of the
film, a moment at sea that he calls ‘evighetens sommar’ [eternity’s summer].

85. ‘En lektion i kärlek’ [A lesson in love]. Unpublished Film Script. SFI and USF
Library Archives.
Script II, dated 22 July 1953, 161 pp.
Script IV (dialogue list) in Swedish only, 33 pp. Dialogue excerpt in Filmrutan 1, no. 2 (March
1958): 12-18.
See also Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, p. 327, for reference to director’s copy in his
Fårö papers, dated 22 July 1953, which contains descriptions of dramatis personae.

86. ‘Vi är cirkus!’ [We are like a circus]. Filmjournalen, no. 4, pp. 7, 31. Translated into
German as ‘Wir sind ein Zirkus!’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate
Bleibtreu, 2002), pp. 137-39.
Short essay comparing filmmaking to the circus. Both are popular art forms that present
entertainment and illusion.

1954
87. ‘Det att göra film’ [Making films]. Filmnyheter 9, no. 19-20 (December): 1-9. SF
also brought out an English version. Available at SFI library.
Originally given as a presentation at University of Lund, 25 November 1954, this essay was also
presented as a radio talk in a slightly altered form on 17 April 1955, and reprinted under the title
‘Filmskapandets dilemma’ [The dilemma of filmmaking] in Hörde ni?, no. 5 (May 1955), pp.
427-33. It was delivered as a lecture in Copenhagen, 14 November 1959.
The essay outlines the practical and ethical aspects of being a serious filmmaker.
Translations
Danish: ‘Ingmar Bergman om att göra film’ in Kosmorama, no. 44 (April 1959): 182- 183;
Dutch: ‘Bekentenis van een filmmaker’ in Critisch Film Bulletin 12, no. 11 (November
1959): 83-84;

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English: ‘What it Means to Make a Film’ (Stockholm: SF, n.d), tr. by P.E. Burke and Britt
Halvorson and reprinted in part in the introduction to Four Screenplays of
Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110), pp. xiii-xxii, and in the September 1960 issue of
Horizon. Same version also appeared under title ‘Why I Make Movies’ in The
Emergence of Film Art, ed. by Lewis Jacobs (New York: Hopkinson & Blake,
1969), pp. 294-302. Essay appeared in two segments under titles ‘I am a Con-
jurer’, Films and Filming 2, no. 12 (September 1956): 14-15; and ‘Dreams and
Shadows’, Films and Filming 3, no. 1 (October 1956): 15-16. Also reprinted in a
translation by Royal S. Brown in Film Makers on Film Making, ed. Harry M.
Geduld (Bloom?ington: Indiana University Press, 1967), pp. 177-90. Still another
English translation by Alice Turner appeared in Interviews with Film Directors,
ed. Andrew Sarris (New York: Avon Books, 1967), pp. 34-45. Also referred to as
‘What Is Filmmaking’;
French: ‘Qu’est-ce que faire des films?’ Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 61, (July 1956): pp. 10-19;
German: SF issued a German translation by Dorothea Tribukeit, titled ‘Film Machen’ (n.
d), which also appeared in Filmklub-Cinéclub 5, no. 4 (November-December
1960): pp. 236-46;
Italian: Published as ‘Fare dei film e per me una necessita di natura’ in Cineforum 5, no.
45 (19 May 1965), pp. 366-72; it was also excerpted as ‘Il nostro lavoro’ in
Cinema Nuovo no. 83, (25 May 1956, p. 302).
Spanish: ‘Eso de hacer peliculas’, appeared in Film Ideal, no. 68 (1964), pp. 13-17, and as
‘El Cine segun Bergman’ in Filmoteca, no. 16 (1972/73).
There are certain discrepancies between the translated versions of this essay and the original
text.

88. ‘Kvinnodröm’ [Women’s Dream]. Unpublished film script.

Script II, 137 pp. At SFI Library Archives. Several copies. One copy is the scriptgirl’s copy and
contains ca. 100 pp. bound notes and ca. 10 loose pages, most of them technical and revealing
the fast tempo and sequence of shooting the film, as well as notes about disruptions caused by
bad weather and airplane noise.
Script II was the basis of the serialized novella in the Swedish magazine Allers 85, no. 50 (1961)
through 86, no. 1 (1962).
Script IV (dialogue list) in English, 21 pp. SFI and Uppsala Film Studio archives.
One handwritten and one typed copy titled ‘Kvinnodröm. Novell för filmen av Ingmar
Bergman’ [Women’s dream. Short story for the film by IB] are among Bergman’s Fårö papers,
deposited at SFI. The format is not that of a film script.

89. ‘Spöksonaten’ [The Ghost Sonata]. Program note in Malmö City Theatre program
to Bergman production of Strindbergs’s drama, 5 March 1954. Available at Malmö
Music Theatre library.
Bergman relates his earlier experiences with Strindberg’s play and reminisces about his reaction
to Olof Molander’s Dramaten production in 1942.

90. ‘Trämålning. Moralitet av Ingmar Bergman’ [Wood painting. Morality play by

IB]. In Svenska radiopjäser. Stockholm: Sveriges Radios förlag and Bonniers Uggle-
böcker, 1954, pp. 9-61. With a brief prefatory note introducing the author as a director
and writer.

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Trämålning is an one-act play originally written by Ingmar Bergman for his acting students at
Malmö City Theatre and later expanded into a script for ‘Det sjunde inseglet’/The Seventh Seal.
In the original play, the Knight’s role is relatively minor. Death does not appear in person; and
the Squire Jöns dominates the action. A narrator is included.
Early drafts of the play are among Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI. In one of these, a
41-page typewritten version, the narrator’s name is Martin. See Koskinen, I begynnelsen var
ordet, 2002, p. 326.
Translations
Danish: ‘Kalkmaleri’, tr. By Aage Henriksen. In Drama. En grundbog, ed. by Sejer An-
dersen. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1978;
English: ‘Painting on Wood’, tr. by Randolph Goodman and Leif Sjöberg. Tulane Drama
Review 6, no. 2 (November 1961): 140-52, reprinted in Focus on ‘The Seventh
Seal’, 1972 (Ø 1220), pp. 150-73. Paul Britten Austin did an English translation
for BBC broadcast on 12 February 1962 (not published);
French: ‘Peinture sur bois’, In L’Avant-Scène du Théâtre, no. 199 (June 1959), pp. 36-41;
German: ‘Holzmalerei. Stück in einem Akt von Ingmar Bergman’, tr. by Barbara Meyer &
Sibylle Rahm; among Bergman’s Fårö papers and not published. ‘Tafelbild’, in
Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, (Ø 1678) pp.
140-166;
Polish: ‘Malowidło na drzewie’, tr. by L. Kałuska. Życie Literackie, no. 39, 1960;
Spanish: An excerpt was published in Cuadernos de Cine Club del Uruguay (Montevi-
deo), 1961, 16 pp. and titled ‘El retablo de madera’, tr. by Michael Bibin.

1955
91. ‘Sommarnattens leende’ [Smiles of a summer night]. Film Script. SFI and USF
Library Archives.
Script II, subtitled ‘En romantisk komedi på film av Ingmar Bergman’ [A romantic comedy on
film by IB] and dated Rättvik, 27 May 1955, 184 pp. With production notes. Script II was
excerpted and published in Folket i Bild (FIB), no. 51 (1956), pp. 20-23. Script was also adapted
as a serialized novella in Allers, nos. 14 through 18, 1960. Script II has never been published in its
entirety in Swedish but has appeared in several translations, such as:
English: ‘Smiles of a Summer Night’, in Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110), pp.
5-94. This text is the basis of Steven Sondheim’s musical ‘A Little Night Music’,
1973. See New York Times, 26 February and 4 March 1973, p. 26:1 and sec. 2, p.
1:4, respectively;
French: ‘Sourires d’une nuit d’été’, Oeuvres, 1962, (Ø 122) pp. 161-246; reprinted in
L’Avant-Scène du Cinéma 454, 1996, 102 pp;
German: ‘Das Lächeln einer Sommernacht’. In Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by
Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, (Ø 1678) pp. 167-240;
Italian: ‘Sorrisi di una notte d’estate’, in 4 film di Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110), pp. 56-90.
Script IV (dialogue lists) in English (no title), 23 pp.; in German, titled ‘Das Lächeln einer
Sommernacht’, 56 pp.; in French, titled ‘Sourires d’une nuit d’été’, 23 pp.
See also Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), p. 327, for reference to Bergman’s typed
script containing his commentaries and sketches, plus a subtitle/note stating: ‘put together by B.
with great effort’ [med stor möda sammanskriven av Bergman].

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92. ‘Filmskapandets dilemma’. (See Ø 87).

1956
93. ‘Aforistiskt av Ingmar Bergman’ [Aphoristic by IB]. Bergman program note to
‘Det sjunde inseglet’ in Swedish and German. Did not appear in English and French
programs to the film. Reprinted in Swedish in program to ‘Sista paret ut’ [Last couple
out], 1956, and Vi på SF (Stockholm: SF, April 1957), n.p. Reprinted in German as
‘Aforistisches’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp.
241-243.
Aphoristic statement grouped under three headings: ‘The Forbidden, the Permissible, and the
Necessary’ [Det förbjudna, det tillåtna och det nödvändiga]. It is forbidden ‘to mourn the gifts
that the fairies did not give you. [...] To be tempted by your neighbor’s film and not steal it’ [att
sörja över de gåvor som feerna inte gav dig. [...] Att frestas av din grannes film och inte stjäla
den]. It is permissible ‘att begå vilket brott, vilket konstnärligt våld, vilka hissnande lögner som
helst så länge de är i sanning förföriska’. [to commit any crime, any artistic violence, any
dizzying lies you please, as long as they are truly seductive]. It is necessary ‘att vara så upptagen
att man inte har tid att tänka på vad som är förbjudet’ [to be so busy that you don’t have time
to think about what is forbidden].

94. ‘Anders de Wahl och den sista rollen’ [A. de W. and his last role]. FIB no. 18,
1956, p.11.
Account by Bergman of last role by grand old actor (‘the old lion’) in Swedish theatre, whom
Bergman directed in Björn-Erik Höijer’s drama ‘Det lyser i kåken’ [There is light in the shack].
Their work together was marked by arguments, ruthless exchanges, and strong commitment.
Having suggested one day that de Wahl quit his (small) part, Bergman discovered an actor who
‘was great, fearful, and inexplicable, a magician practicing his magic’ [var stor, rädd och out-
grundlig, en trollkarl som utövade sin trollkraft].

95. ‘Kära Eva och Harriet. Ingmar Bergman skriver brev till två “filmflick-
or”’ [Dear Eva and Harriet. IB writes a letter to two ‘film girls’]. FIB no. 12, 1956, pp.
12, 39.
Open letter to actresses Eva Dahlbeck and Harriet Andersson, both holding central parts in
Bergman’s films at the time (Dreams, Smiles of a Summer Night).

96. ‘Sex frågor till Ingmar Bergman’ [Six questions to IB]. Bildjournalen, no. 38,
1956, pp. 8-9. Appeared in French as ‘Bergman par lui-même’, Cahiers du cinéma, no.
85 (July 1958), p. 15; in German (untitled) in Action 4, no. 7 (October 1968): 36; in
Spanish in preface to ‘El septimo sello’, Cuadernos de Cine Club del Uruguay (Mon-
teviseo), 1961, pp. i-ii.
Brief statement in which Bergman talks about himself as a bourgeois person and ‘an actor not
born’ [en ofödd skådespelare].

97. ‘Sista paret ut’ [Last couple out]. Unpublished film script. Cf. Ø 73.
Undated Script II, subtitled ‘En film av Ingmar Bergman’ [A film by IB], 138 pp.

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Script IV (dialogue list) in German, titled ‘Junge Herzen im Sturm’, 25 pp. and 37 pp. The longer
version has synopsis and production notes.
A copy of Script IV is subtitled ‘Ur Bo Dahlins anteckningar angående föräldrarnas skilsmässa,
återberättade av Ingmar Bergman’ [From Bo Dahlin’s notes about his parents’ divorce as told by
IB]. SFI Library Archives, Stockholm. USF Archives, Uppsala, has a copy with a handwritten
addition by Ingmar Bergman. A typed copy of Uppsala version is also among Bergman’s Fårö
papers and dated 24 October 1951, with a 7 page addition presumably of later date, probably
1956 in connection with Alf Sjöberg’s filmatization of script. Cf (Ø 224) in Filmography.

98. ‘Sjunde inseglet’ [The Seventh Seal]. Film script. SFI and USF Library Archives.
Unpublished Script II, dated 5 June 1956 and dedicated to Bibi Andersson, 128 pp. There are
several copies of Script II at SFI, one of which has 6 pages of loose notes from the shooting of
the film, and another which is a director’s copy full of half-legible notes, all of them of a
technical nature.
Excerpts from Script II appeared in FIB, no. 51 (1956), pp. 20-23.
Script II was adapted as a serialized novella in Allers 84, nos. 14 through 18 (1960), but has
never been published in its entirety in Swedish. Script II has, however, appeared in numerous
translations:
Czech: ‘Selmá pecet’, in Filmové povídky, 1982, pp. 5-52;
English: ‘The Seventh Seal’ in Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman, 1960, (Ø 110), pp. 95-
164, reissued as a separate paperback in 1968, 92 pp.; also as Lorrimer paper-
back, London, 1968, together with last part of Ingmar Bergman’s essay from
introduction to Four Screenplays; new edition 1984, 82 pp. Script was excerpted
in Focus on The Seventh Seal (Ø 1220), pp. 154-58;
French: ‘Le septième sceau’ in Oeuvres, 1962, pp. 247-308;
German: ‘Das Siebente Siegel’, Cinemathek 7 (Hamburg: M. von Schröder, 1962), 85 pp.,
tr. by Thabita von Bonin (includes IB’s program note to The Seventh Seal,
originally issued by SF in 1956; and foreword by Jacques Siclier;
Italian: ‘Il settimo sigillo’, in 4 film di Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110), pp. 91-154;
Polish: ‘Siódma pieczęć’, in Ingmar Bergman Scenariusze, 1973, pp. 96-162;
Spanish: ‘El septimo sello’, Serie Cine, no. 10 (Barcelona: Colección Voz Imagen, 1965),
160 pp., tr. by Julio Acerete; excerpted in Cuadernos de Cine Club del Uruguay
(Montevideo), 1961.
Script IV (dialogue list) in Swedish, 27 pp. Excerpts from Script IV appeared in Filmrutan 1, no.
2 (March 1958), pp. 12-18.

99. Untitled program note to ‘The Seventh Seal’. Issued by SF (Svensk Filmindus-
tri) in connection with the American opening of the film, n.d. Reprinted in Focus on
The Seventh Seal, pp. 70-71. Also printed in French as ‘Ingmar Bergman explique Le
septième sceau’, Arts, no. 667 (23-29) April 1958, p. 4, and in Jacques Siclier. Ingmar
Bergman. (Paris: 1960), pp. 81-82. Appeared in German in ‘Das Siebente Siegel’, Ci-
nemathek 7 (Hamburg: M. von Schröder, 1962).
Bergman reminisces about mural paintings in Swedish country churches that he visited with his
parson father, and states briefly his intention with the film.

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1957
100. ‘Ingmars självporträtt’ [Ingmar’s self-portrait]. Se, no. 9 (3 March) 1957: 33-34.
Translated into German as ‘Ingmars Selbstporträtt’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift –
Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 243-246.
Asked by the tabloid Swedish journal Se to draw his own portrait, IB relates an alleged incident
at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956, when a Russian portrait artist drew a picture of him: two
faces, one showing an old man, the other a young boy. To these Bergman adds a third one,
called figuren [in the sense of ‘a real character’]. The essay is composed as an argument between
these three about Bergman’s real identity. As if in a Pirandellian game, the portraits change roles
with each other and contradict what they have stated earlier.

101. ‘Smultronstället’ [Wild Strawberries]. Film script. SFI and USF Library Archives.
Script II to ‘Smultronstället’ dated 31 May 1957, 159 pp, plus 8 handwritten pages.
There are several copies of Script II, one of which has one page of production notes and a
very detailed production chart, made by production manager Gustav Roger. One Script II copy
is Bergman’s and contains some additions, most notably an expansion of Alman’s examination
of Professor Borg in the second nightmare sequence, including the microscope episode and
Borg’s diagnosis of the ‘dead’ woman. In Script II Isak’s wife is called in by Alman and appears
as Marianne dressed in black. She accuses Isak of having killed her child.
Script IV (dialogue lists) in English, titled ‘Wild Strawberries’, 24 pp.; in German titled ‘Am
Ende des Tages’, 20 pp.; and in French ‘À la fin du jour’, 17 pp.
‘Smultronstället’ has never been published in Swedish as a screenplay. It appeared serialized as a
novella in Allers, nos. 16 through 20 (1962). It has been published in numerous foreign-language
editions:
Czech: ‘Lesní jahody’, in Filmové povídky, 1982, pp. 53-100;
English: ‘Wild Strawberries’ in Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110), pp. 165-239;
reprinted as a separate volume in 1970, 120 pp., and also translated by David
Kushner and Lars Malmström as Classic and Modern Filmscripts, no. 18 (Lon-
don: Lorrimer, 1970), 120 pp. [Lorrimer edition includes part of the introduc-
tion to Four Screenplays and Bergman’s homage to Victor Sjöström (Ø 109),
plus sample of cutting continuity, pp. 96-120];
French: ‘Les fraises sauvages’ in Oeuvres, 1962, pp. 310-78;
German: ‘Wilde Erdbeeren’ in Spectaculum 1, 1961, pp. 7-55, tr. Ingrid von Schering;
reprinted in 1964 in a separate volume (Frankfurt a.M: Suhrkamp), 100 pp.;
and in a new translation by Anne Storm in Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Film-
erzählungen, 1977, pp. 7-72. Also tr. by Conrad Maria Färber in Arbeitsge-
mainschaft der Jungendfilmarbeit und Medienerziehung, Regensburg 1962, and
excerpted in ‘Filmmaterialen’ Filmreihen 4, Psychoanalyse und Film. Aachen:
1980, pp. 61-65;
Italian: 4 Film di Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110), pp. 156-222. Also in Scene di vita conjugale:
L’immagine allo specchio; il posto delle fragole (Ø 174) and excerpted in Cinema
Nuovo, no. 144 (March-April 1960), pp. 169-78;
Persian: Title page not transcribed (SFI), tr. Houshang Taheri (Teheran: Ibn Sina, 1969),
n.p.;
Polish: ‘Tam, gdzie rosną posiomki’ in Ingmar Bergman Scenariusze, 1973, pp. 164-234;
Russian: See Gordonskaja, (Ø 1178), pp. 119-90;

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Spanish: Fresas salvajas, tr. E. Ripoli-Freixes (Barcelona: Ayman, S.A Editora, 1968), 140
pp.;
Turkish: Yaban lilekleri, Ankara: Bilgi yayeinever, 1965, 95 pp.

1958
102. ‘Ansiktet’ [The Face/The Magician]. Film script. SFI and USF Library Archives.
Script II, subtitled ‘Komedi av Ingmar Bergman’ [Comedy by IB] and dated 4 June 1958, 161 pp.
Script IV (dialogue list) in English, titled ‘The Face: A Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman’, 28
pp., with one page of production notes.
‘Ansiktet’ has never been published in Swedish. It has appeared in several foreign-language
editions:
English: ‘The Magician’, in Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman, 1960 (Ø 110), pp. 243-
325;
French: ‘Le visage’ in Oeuvres, 1962 (Ø 122), pp. 380-453;
Italian: ‘Il volto’ in 4 Film di Ingmar Bergman, 1960 (Ø 110), pp. 203-300.
A typed copy of ‘Ansiktet’ is among Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI. It is annotated in
Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet (2002), p. 328, with a quote from the front page: ‘Mitt hjärta
ängslar sig i sin litenhet för det som borde vara dess största längtan: Tre mäktiga floder vars
namn är GUD, KÄRLEK OCH DÖD..’. [My heart is anxious in its smallness for what ought to
be its greatest longing: Three mighty rivers whose names are GOD, LOVE AND DEATH...].

103. ‘Dialog.’ Filmnyheter 13, no. 11 (1 September) 1958: 1-3.

Conversation between Bergman and an imaginary writer, in part an early draft of the 1959 essay
‘Varje film är min sista film’ [ ‘Each Film Is My Last’] Main topic is filmmaker’s responsibility to
his public. IB expresses his ambivalent feelings towards his audience. This ‘conversation’ has
appeared in:
Dutch: ‘Bekentenis van een filmmaker’ in Critisch Film Bulletin 12, no. 11 (November
1959): 83-84;
English: ‘Conversation Piece’ in Films and Filming 5, no. 8 (May 1959): 31;
French: ‘Dialogue’ in Cahiers du cinéma, no. 93 (March 1959): 24-26;
German: ‘Dialog’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002,
(Ø 1678), pp. 247-249;
Spanish: (untitled) in ‘El septimo sello’, Cuadernos de Cine Club del Uruguay (Montevi-
deo), 1961, pp. xv-xvii.

104. ‘Jag vill vara med i leken’ [I want to be part of the game]. Röster i Radio-TV, no. 7,
1958, pp. 22, 53.
In connection with his early TV work, Bergman writes a brief essay in which he states his
‘readiness to rush in on the arena and do somersaults’ [beredskap att rusa in på scenen och slå
kullerbyttor] and hopes he will not be excluded from the TV medium in the future.

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1959
105. ‘Djävulens öga’ [The Devil’s Eye]. Film script. SFI Library Archives, Stockholm.
Script II, subtitled ‘Komedi av Ingmar Bergman’ [Comedy by IB] and dated Rättvik, 28 August
1959, 191 pp. SFI also has a longer copy of Script II with some photo-technical notes and a
location list. Script copy also among Bergman’s Fårö papers with some handwritten changes, as
well as assistant director Lenn Hjortzberg’s location and shooting list.

106. ‘Kära Allers familjejournal’ [Dear Allers family journal]. Allers, no. 49 (6 De-
cember), 1959, p. 45.
Letter to Allers in connection with magazine’s serializing of ‘Kvinnors väntan’ [Waiting women],
beginning in no. 49, 1959. Bergman maintains that film and literature are two different matters,
but hopes that Arne Sellermark’s adaptation of his film script for Allers’ readers will prove
entertaining.

107. Untitled editorial. Filmrutan 2, no. 1: 1.

Critical comment about high entertainment tax on film. Throughout the 1950s when Swedish
film production companies, some of which also owned movie house chains, were in financial
straits, a lively debate eventually led to a redistribution of tax revenues and the establishment of
SFI (Swedish Film Institute).

108. ‘Varje film är min sista film’ [Each film is my last]. Filmnyheter 14, no. 9-10 (19
May) 1959: 1-8. Also aired on SR, 1 January and 6 January 1960, and issued as a
pamphlet by SF in Swedish, English, French, German, and Italian, n.d.
This was originally a speech given at the Student Society at Copenhagen University on 14 March
1959 and printed in Danish film magazine Kosmorama no. 44, 1959, pp. 182-85. It was also
serialized under Danish title ‘Stadier på filmens vej’ [Stages on Film’s Way] in the Copenhagen
newspaper Politiken, 4 and 8 May 1959 (kronik page).
Best known among Bergman’s essays on filmmaking, ‘Varje film är min sista film’ [Each Film
Is My Last Film] is divided into three sections that might be subtitled: (1) the script, (2) the
studio, and (3) professional ethics. The first section discusses the creative process from im-
pressionistic vignette to completed film script; the second section deals with instruction of
actors; and the last section explains Bergman’s three commandments: Thou Shalt Be Entertain-
ing at All Times; Thou Shalt Obey Thy Artistic Conscience at All Times; and Thou Shalt Make
Each Film as though It Were Thy Last.
The last of IB’s three commandments was reprinted in the English, French, German, and
Italian SF programs to ‘Ansiktet’ (The Magician/The Face), 1959.
For additional translations of this essay, see:
English: ‘My Three Most Powerfully Effective Commandments’, tr. by P.E. Burke and
Lennart Svahn. Films and Filming 5, no. 10 (July 1959):8, 28. Also in Film
Comment 6, no. 2 (Summer 1970): 9-13; and in Film World (India) 1965/66,
pp. 145-47; and excerpted under the title ‘Bergman Tells How He Directs His
Actors’ in Making Films in New York 4, no. 5 (October 1970):16, 32-34; and under
the heading ‘Film and Creativity’ in American Cinematographer 53, no. 4 (April)
1972: pp. 427-31, 434;

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 List of Bergman’s Written Work

French: ‘Chacun de mes films est le dernier’, tr. Louis Marcorelles. Cahiers du Cinéma,
no. 100 (October 1959): 44-54; and in Cinématographie française no. 266 (1964),
n.p., and in Cinéma 59, no. 41 (November- December 1959): 39-49. Reprinted as
an introduction to French edition of Oeuvres (Ø 122);
German: ‘Jeder Film ist mein letzter Film’, in Der Film, ed. Theodor Kotulla (Munich: R.
Piper & Co., 1966), 2: 239-48; also published in German program to ‘Fängelse’
(Das Gefängnis). Die kleine Filmkunstreihe Hefte no. 22, 1961;
Italian: ‘Ogni mio film e l’ultimo’ (Stockholm: Svenska Institutet, n.d.);
Polish: ‘Każdi film jest moim filmem ostatnim’, in Ingmar Bergman. W opinii krytyki
zagranicznej. Ed. by Donata Zielińska, Warsaw: Filmoteka Polska, 1987, pp. 130-
139.

1960
109. ‘Extract in Memory of Victor Sjöström.’ Sight and Sound 29, no. 2 (Spring)
1960: 98. Reprinted in Wild Strawberries (London: Lorrimer, 1970). Also published in
Swedish in FIB no. 13 (25 March) 1960, p. 24.
Bergman’s homage to Victor Sjöström, filmmaker and actor.

110. Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman. Translated from the Swedish by David
Kushner and Lars Malmström; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1960. 330 pp; New York:
Garland, 1985. 384 pp; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989. 380 pp.
First publication of Bergman scripts in any language. Volume contains text to ‘Smiles of a
Summer Night’, ‘The Seventh Seal’, ‘Wild Strawberries’, and ‘The Magician’. This volume was
published in an Italian edition as 4 film di Ingmar Bergman, translated by Bruno Fonzi and
Giacomo Oreglia. Turin: Giulio Einaudo, 1961, 310 pp.
Reviews
Film Quarterly 14, no. 3 (Spring 1961): 61-62;
Films and Filming 7, no. 5 (February 1961): 42;
Le Soir, 20 April 1962;
Manchester Guardian, 1 December 1961, Arts Section;
National Review, 22 April 1961, pp. 257-8;
New York Times, 21 February 1965, sec. 7, p. 43.
Parool, 29 April 1961;
Times Literary Supplement (London), 20 January 1961, p. 8.
The NYT review listed above is written by Pauline Kael and pertains to the paperback release of
Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman. Kael is very appreciative of Bergman as a writer: ‘Just on
the basis of the printed page, Bergman is revealed to be a modern dramatist of considerable
stature, a man whose theatrical “effectiveness” is comparable to that of Tennessee Williams or
Edward Albee.’ Cf however Kael’s critical view of Bergman as a filmmaker (see Ø 1011).

111. ‘Förbön’ [Blessgiving]. Chaplin, no. 8 (November) 1960: 187. Reprinted as ‘Andlig
sömngångare och falskspelare’ (Spiritual sleepwalker and counterfeiter). Chaplin 1988,
no. 2-3, 76, 157. Translated into German as ‘Fürbitte’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift –
Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 250-254.

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‘Prayer’ by Ingmar Bergman before his ‘execution’ in special Bergman issue of Swedish film
journal Chaplin. The ‘execution’ was part of a hoax carried out by Bergman himself under the
pseudonym of Ernest Riffe. See also (Ø 128).

112. ‘Kära skrämmande publik’ [Dear frightening public]. Undated program note is-
sued by SF at premiere of Djävulens öga (The Devil’s Eye), 9 October 1960.
Bergman engages in a dialogue with an imaginery viewer. He is not sure the public will look
upon Djävulens öga/The Devil’s Eye as a comedy.

113. ‘A Page from My Diary.’ Program issued by SF in English and French (but not in
Swedish) at the opening of Jungfrukällan/The Virgin Spring. SF, Stockholm, 2 pp.
Translated together with ‘Why I Make Movies’ in The Emergence of Film Art, ed. by
Lewis Jacobs (New York: Hopkinson & Blake, 1969), pp. 294-302. Also appeared in
French as ‘Journal d’Ingmar Bergman’ in Cinéma 60, no. 51 (November-December
1960):
Brief account of an episode when Bergman and his crew stop their work to watch some cranes
flying above. IB realizes that he belongs in Sweden and decides to turn down an American offer.

1961
114. ‘Away with Improvization—This is Creation.’ Films and Filming 7, no. 12 (Sep-
tember 1961): 13.
Expressing skepticism about improvization in filmmaking, IB discusses the Russian film ‘Lady
with the Dog’, based on a Chekhov story. This article was originally published in Swedish in
Chaplin, no. 18 (March 1961), 61-63, and is based on an interview with Bergman by Bengt
Forslund: ‘Ingmar Bergman ser på film’ [IB looks at film]. See Interviews (Ø 734).

115. Cuadernos de Cine Club del Uruguay. Montevideo: Cine Club, 116 pp.
Spanish excerpts from scripts to Det sjunde inseglet/The Seventh Seal, and Jungfrakällan/The
Virgin Spring, plus play text to Trämålning/Wood Painting.

116. ‘Lustgården’ [Garden of Eden; also listed in English as ‘Pleasure Garden’]. Film
script. At SFI Library Archives, Stockholm, and Uppsala Film Studio Archive.
Script II (148 pp) of film comedy written together with Erland Josephson under the joint
pseudonym Buntel Ericsson, dated 15 August 1961. A film based on Script II was produced
by SF and directed by Alf Kjellin.
Script IV (dialogue list) in Swedish only, 28 pp.

117. 4 film di Ingmar Bergman. Tr. by Bruno Fonzi and Giacomo Oreglia. Torino:
Giulio Einaudo, 1961, 310 pp. See (Ø 110).

118. ‘Nattvardsgästerna’ [The Communicants]. Film script.

Two undated Script II, SFI and UFS Archives, 134/118 pp. Complete text with notes.
Script IV, British version titled ‘The Communicants’. 22 pp. In English at SFI.
SFI has costume sketches for the film by Mago.

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Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, include a director’s copy marked L-136, dated 1961/
62, with a biblical quote on the title page (Matthew 9:2); some handwritten notes and two maps
of location and shooting schedule.
‘Nattvardsgästerna’ was published in Swedish in En filmtrilogi, 1963, pp. 69-118; reissued as
PAN paperback in Filmberättelser 1, 1973. A serialized adaptation of ‘Nattvardsgästerna’ appeared
in Allers 87, no. 6 through no. 10 (1963).
Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light) has been published in numerous foreign editions:
Czech: ‘Hosté vecere páne’, in Filmové povídky, 1982, pp. 151-91;
English: ‘Winter Light’ in A Film Trilogy, 1965, pp. 62-101;
French: ‘Les communiants’ in Une trilogie, 1963, pp. 112-98;
German: ‘Licht im Winter’ in Wilde Erbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen, 1979 pp. 129-
74; also as ‘Die Abendmahlsgäste’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by
Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 255-303;
Italian: ‘Luci d’inverno’ in Sei film, 1979, pp. 3-58;
Russian: Excerpt in Gordonskaja (Ø 1178), pp. 191-239.

119. ‘Såsom i en spegel’ [Through a glass darkly]. Film Script. SFI Library Archives.
Script II, 148 typewritten pages, undated and marked ‘L-131: En film av Ingmar Bergman’ [L-131:
A film by IB]. There are three copies; one copy is studio manager’s copy (Gustaf Roger) and has
sketches and outline of studio and exterior takes. In this copy the script is still titled ‘Tapeten’
(The Wallpaper). This copy includes some minor changes in dialogue (not in IB’s handwriting)
and some indicated cuts.
No Script IV available, but a synopsis in English is included in SFI archival material to film.
Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, include several manuscripts: a director’s copy with a
quote from Corinthians 13:2 and a handwritten note by Bergman: ‘Tålamod. Jag måste ha
tålamod. Jag måste stilla mig och ha tålamod. Tålamod. Förutsättningen är tålamod’ [Patience.
I must have patience. I must calm down and have patience. Patience. Patience is the prerequi-
site]. Among the same papers is editor Ulla Ryghe’s copy with a map of locations and shootings.
See Koskinen. I begynnelsen var ordet, (2002), p. 328.
‘Såsom i en spegel’ was printed in Swedish in En filmtrilogi, pp. 7-68. PAN paperback ed. in
Filmberättelser 1. Excerpt in Chaplin, no. 23 (November 1961), pp. 199-209.
The following are translated editions of Såsom i en spegel:
Czech: ‘Jako v zicadle’ in Filmové povídky, 1982, pp. 101-149;
English: ‘Through a Glass Darkly’ in A Film Trilogy, 1965, pp. 15-61;
French: ‘Comme dans un miroir’ in Une trilogie, 1963, pp. 3-111;
German: ‘Wie in einem Spiegel’, Cinemathek 1 (Hamburg: Marion von Schröder, 1962), 85
pp., tr. by Thabita von Bonin, with postscript by Reinhold E. Thiel; also pub-
lished in Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen 1977, (Ø 167), pp. 73-128;
Italian: ‘Como en un espejo’ in Sei film, 1979, pp. 59-123; Also in Scene di vita conjugale:
L’immagine allo specchio; il posto delle fragole, 1979;
Persian: Title page not transcribed, tr. Houshang Taheri (Teheran: Ibn Sina, 1967), n.p.
Spanish: ‘Como en un espejo’, Serie cine 12 (Barcelona: Coleccion Voz Imagen, 1965), pp.
7-27, tr. Feliu Formosa, with foreword by Julio Acerete.

120. ‘Såsom i en spegel’. Program note issued by SF at opening of the film on 16 October
1961. Bergman claims that the performing artist is a priest and his performance a cult
act. The artist is simply an instrument serving his public.

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1962
121. ‘Min pianist’. [My pianist]. Vecko Revyn, no. 11 (pp. 16-18, 79).
Ingmar Bergman writes about his wife Käbi Laretei and the importance of music in his life.

122. Oeuvres. Translated by C.G. Bjurström and Maurice Pons. With a foreword by René
Micha. Paris: Laffont, 1962. 453 pp.
French edition of ‘Sommarlek’, ‘Gycklarnas afton’ (La nuit des forains), ‘Sommarnattens leende’
(Sourires d’une nuit d’été), ‘Sjunde inseglet’ (Le septième sceau), ‘Smultronstället’ (Les fraises
sauvages), and ‘Ansiktet’ (Le visage). This edition also includes Bergman’s 1959 essay ‘Varje film
är min sista film’ (‘Chaque film est mon dernier’). (See Ø 108).

123. ‘Tystnaden’ [The silence]. Film Script. SFI Library Archives, Stockholm.
Script II, subtitled ‘Opus 26: En film av Ingmar Bergman’, dated 18 April 1962, 115 pp.
Script IV (dialogue list) in English and French, 10 pp.
Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, contain several scripts on ‘Tystnaden’, among them a
bound script in grey felt, dated Djursholm, 18 April 1962; a typed script, same date, with some
cuts; a possible director’s copy in black binding, same date, with shooting plan, set and cast lists
and sequence division; a script titled Opus 26, part handwritten, part typed and with some
sketches. See Koskinen. I begynnelsen var ordet, (2002), p. 329.
‘Tystnaden’ was published in Swedish in En filmtrilogi, 1973, pp. 119-65; issued in PAN paper-
back Filmberättelser 1, 1973 (see Ø 153). It was also serialized in Swedish magazine Allers no. 4
through no. 8 (1967).
‘The Silence’ has been published in numerous translated editions. Samples:
Czech: ‘Mlcení’, in Filmové povídky, 1982, pp. 193-230;
English: ‘The Silence’ in A Film Trilogy, translated by Paul Britten Austin (London:
Calder & Boyars, 1965, pp. 101-43. This edition contains the screenplays
‘Through a Glass Darkly’, ‘Winter Light’, and ‘The Silence’. Also issued in U.
S. paperback, Orion Press, 1968;
French: ‘Le silence’ in Une trilogie, translated by J. Robnard (Paris: Laffont, 1963), pp.
199-270; also in L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 37 (1964), pp. 1-50, and in a
separate volume (Paris: Seghers, 1972);
German: ‘Das Schweigen’, Cinemathek 12 (Hamburg: M. von Schröder, 1965), 61 pp; also
in Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen, 1977, pp. 175-220;
Italian: ‘Il Silenzio’ in Ingmar Bergman by Tommaso Chiaretti (Rome: Lo Schermo,
1964), pp. 143-201; also in Sei film, 1979, pp. 127-76, and excerpted in Cineforum
4, no. 43 (February 1964): 133-65;
Polish: Bergman Scenariusze, 1973 (Ø 151), pp. 235-87.

1963
124. En filmtrilogi: Såsom i en spegel, Nattvardsgästerna, Tystnaden. Stock-
holm: Norstedt, 164 pp. Issued in PAN paperback as Filmberättelser 1 (1973). 168 pp.
First Swedish edition of any Bergman screenplays. Contains Swedish text to Through a Glass
Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence.

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Press Reception
This being the first collection of Bergman film scripts published in Sweden (cf. Four Screenplays,
(Ø 110), may have led reviewers to focus on two questions: Could the scripts revise the Swedish
ambivalence towards Bergman’s filmmaking, and what was the relationship of the scripts to the
finished films? Though Bergman’s real ‘literary’ breakthrough in Sweden was not to come until
1987 with the publication of Laterna magica, almost all reviewers of En filmtrilogi found positive
‘literary’ qualities in the published trilogy. At the same time they also pointed out that Berg-
man’s written dialogue needed his image-making to carry artistic weight. There was an element
of surprise at discovering the asceticism of Bergman’s written language as compared to his early
plays with their excessive emotionalism and occasional verbal bombasm. Bo Strömstedt’s re-
view with the headline ‘En diktare’ [A Poet] and Sverker Göransson’s discussion of ‘Ingmar
Bergmans kammarspel’ [IB’s chamber plays] are examples of a new recognition of Ingmar
Bergman, not as a literary writer but a filmmaking poet. This was an important observation in
that it paved the way for a greater sympathetic understanding of the film trilogy than had been
the case at its initial screen exposure.
Reviews (all of which also discuss Vilgot Sjöman’s book L 136, a diary from the shooting of
Nattvardsgästerna) include:
Axelson, Sun. ‘Tre liknelser’ [Three parables]. ST, 30 October 1963, p. 7;
Cornell, Jonas. ‘En bild av Ingmar Bergman’ [A picture of Ingmar Bergman]. KvP, 17 October
1963, p. 3;
Edström, Mauritz. ‘Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman’ [The auteur Ingmar Bergman]. DN, 22
November 1963, p. 4;
Göransson, Sverker. ‘Ingmar Bergmans kammarspel’ [Ingmar Bergman’s chamber plays]. GHT,
17 October 1963, p. 3;
Janzon, Åke. ‘Bullret kring Tystnaden’ [The noise around The Silence]. SvD, 21 October 1963, p.
3;
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Ingmar Bergman – skrivet och beskrivet’ [Ingmar Bergman – written and
described]. AB, 16 December 1963, p. 3;
Strömstedt, Bo. ‘En diktare’ [A poet]. Expr., 16 October 1963, p. 4.
Translated editions of this volume include:
Danish: En filmtrilogi. (Copenhagen: Det Schønbergske Forlag, 1966);
English: A Film Trilogy. Trans. by Paul Britten Austin (London Calder & Boyars, 1965)
and (New York: Grove Press, 1965, 1967). 143 pp.
French: Une trilogie. Trans. by C.G. Bjurström (Paris: Laffont, 1963). 270 pp.

125. ‘För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor’ [Not to speak about all these women].
With Erland Josephson.
Script II, undated, SFI and USF Library Archives, ca 100 pp. Several copies of Script II are
among Bergman’s Fårö papers, dated 1963: a handwritten director’s copy with a preliminary
shooting schedule, dated 21 March 1963; a bound script with the name of the editor (Ulla
Ryghe), and a separate dialogue list. For more detail, see Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002,
p. 129. Script II was adapted as a film novella in Allers 88, nos. 25 through 29, 1964.

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126. ‘Jag tvivlar på Filmhögskolan’ [I doubt the Film School]. Chaplin, no. 42 (De-
cember 1963): 304-5.
Plea by Bergman for a Swedish cinemateque and for a film school that would give novice
filmmakers more than one chance to make a film.

1964
127. ‘Bergman svarar på Ibsenkritik’ [B. responds to Ibsen Criticism], SvD, 4 De-
cember 1964, p. 16.
Response to critique by Olof Lagercrantz of Bergman’s 1964 production of Hedda Gabler at
Dramaten. See Theatre chapter VI (Ø 440), Reception. For Bergman’s full statement, see the
program to Ulla Isaksson’s play ‘Våra torsdagar’ [Our Thursdays], which opened at Dramaten
in early December 1964 (not directed by Bergman).

128. Riffe, Ernest [Ingmar Bergman]. ‘Recueilli’. L’Express, 5 March 1964.

Article in the form of a self-interview. Reprinted in L’Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 121 (January)
1971, p. 68, under title ‘Bergman parle des femmes’. (Cf. Ø 111).

129. ‘Seminarium om personinstruktion’ [Seminar about casting]. Unpublished notes

from a seminar held by IB at Stockholm Film School, 18 September 1964, SFI Ar-
chives, Stcokholm, ca. 6 pp.
Bergman begins the seminar by stating one basic premise: the professional actor is the alpha
and omega of filmmaking. He bases his talk on three scenes from his own films: (1) Tystnaden/
The Silence (Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom and Birger Malmsten in bedroom sequence); (2)
Såsom i en spegel/Through a Glass Darkly (Harriet Andersson and Lars Passgård in the attic); (3)
Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light (Ingrid Thulin’s long letter monologue).

130. ‘Trois textes pour Venice. Pour ne pas parler.’ Cahiers du cinéma, no.159 (Oc-
tober) 1964:12-13.
One of three texts written by filmmakers in connection with Venice Film Festival. Bergman’s
text gives his reason for declining an invitation to Venice Film Festival: ‘All artists except actors
should be invisible. [...] The artist should not appear at Christmas celebrations or festivals.’

1965
131. ‘Den fria, skamlösa, oansvariga konsten – ett ormskinn, fyllt av myror’ [The
free, shameless, irresponsible art – a snakeskin filled with ants]. Expr., 1 August 1965, p.
4. Also published as preface to Swedish edition of Persona. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1966.
This essay was originally written as a speech for the Erasmus Award ceremonies in Amsterdam
in Spring 1965, which Ingmar Bergman did not attend because of illness. The essay plays the
same central role for Bergman’s views on filmmaking in the 1960s as did ‘What is Filmmaking?’
and ‘Each Film Is My Last’ (Ø 87, 108) in the 1950s. Ingmar Bergman denies that art can have

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any healing or therapeutic function. He sees the artist as a self-absorbed but curious explorer of
the world within his reach.
The essay, usually referred to as ‘Ormskinnet’ (The Snakeskin) has been published in:
Dutch: ‘Credo van een Filmer’ in Supplement. Algemeen Handelsblad, 7 October 1965,
and as ‘Ingmar Bergman over kunst’. Baal + Frascati, no. 3 (April) 1986;
English: ‘The Serpent’s Skin’ in Cahiers du cinéma in English 11 (September 1967): 24-29.
Also appeared as ‘The Snakeskin’ in Film Comment 6, no. 2 (Summer 1970): 14-
15, and under the heading ‘Film and Creativity’ in American Cinematographer
53, no. 4 (April 1972): 378-79. Item is also included as a preface to American
edition of ‘Persona’ and ‘Shame’ (New York: Grossman. 1972), pp. 11-15. Excerpt
and summary in English, Sight and Sound, Autumn 1965, p. 176;
French: ‘La peau du serpent’ in Cahiers du cinéma, no. 188 (March 1967), pp. 16-18. An
excerpt titled ‘À propos de Persona’ appeared in Cahiers, no. 179 (June 1966), p.
10; in Arts, no. 27 (30 March 1966), pp. 16-17, under the title ‘Je suis un
boulinique’; and in Cahiers du cinéma 453, p. 89, titled ‘L’art est pour moi sans
importance’;
German: Excerpt appeared in Kurt Habernoll’s review article on ‘Persona’ in Abend, 29
December 1966. Also translated in full as ‘Die freie schamlose verantwortungs-
lose Kunst – eine Schlangenhaut voller Ameisen’. Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift –
Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 375-380;
Italian: ‘La priogione della mia solitudine’ in Cineforum 7, no. 61 (January 1967): 19-29;
Spanish: ‘La piel de serpiente’ in Filmoteca, no. 16 (1972-73), pp. 6-8.

132. ‘Kinematografi’ Film Script for Persona, dated Ornö 17 June 1965.
Two copies of typewritten ‘Script II’ titled ‘Kinematografi’ at SFI and one copy at USF Archives.
89 pp. One copy at SFI is copy left by Bergman to be typed up as final shooting script.
‘Kinematografi’ has a prefatory note by Bergman that is not included in published (1966)
version of Persona, which instead includes ‘Ormskinnet’ (Ø 131).
There are some notable differences between Script II and the final film. In the script the
famous prologue consists of only a short film strip with rapidly shifting images of nature
(clouds, trees, moon landscape), followed by atmospheric sounds of words. Nurse Alma’s face
emerges, followed by the main ‘story’. Unlike the film version, there is no boy and no hospital
morgue where he wakes up, and no doubling of Alma’s and Elisabeth’s face. Nor is there any
reference later on in the script that the film breaks during Alma’s and Elisabeth’s confrontation,
though there is a meta-filmic insert just before Alma and Elisabeth move to the doctor’s
summer house (scene 13). Script has some additional dialogue, most notably a fairly long
passage in which Elisabeth Vogler talks about her happy and hermetically close relationship
to her husband.
The book version of Persona was published in Sweden in 1966 (Stockholm: Norstedt), 94 pp.
Reprinted as Norstedt/Pan paperback in Filmberättelser 2, 1973, pp. 5-46.
Reception (of Persona as book)
Reviewers were as intrigued by Bergman’s preface (‘Ormskinnet/The Snakeskin’) as by the
script (which some referred to as a novel). Focus was on Bergman’s view of art as disguise
(förställning) and life as role-playing. One critic (Ericsson) thought Persona (the book) covered
up the fact that Bergman, as a director, always gave the impression of being greater than the
sum of his actors, a weakness according to the reviewer that revealed Bergman’s inability to be

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affected by his instruments; his actors merely confirmed his already shaped vision, formed by
his personal experience and feelings.
Reviews
Ericsson, Göran O. ‘Förkonstlingen och tystnaden’ [Artificiality and silence]. ST, 18 October
1966, p. 5;
Kruskopt, Erik. ‘Tystnaden ingen utväg’ [Silence no way out]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 27 October
1966, p. 7;
Leiser, Erwin. ‘Das Schweigen des Künstlers’. Die Weltwoche, 9 December 1966.
Perlström, Åke. ‘Den åldrande Ingmar Bergman’ [The aging IB]. GP, 18 October 1966, p. 2;
Wejbro, Folke. ‘Ingmar Bergmans “Persona” i bokform’. Gefle Dagblad, 19 October 1966, p. 6.
The script has also appeared in numerous foreign-language editions, such as:
Danish: Persona, tr. Claes Lembourn (Copenhagen: Det schönbergske, 1967), 82 pp.
(includes ‘Snakeskin’ essay);
English: ‘Persona’ in Persona and Shame, 1971, pp. 20-101 (includes ‘Snakeskin’ essay, pp.
11-15);
French: ‘Persona’ in L’Avant scène du cinéma, no. 85 (October 1968), 52 pp. (dialogue
only); complete script to Persona in French printed in ‘Cris et chuchotements’
suivi de ‘Persona’ et ‘Le Lien’ (Ø 169), 1979, pp. 64-132;
German: ‘Persona’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift-Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp.
304-342;
Italian: In Sei film (Ø 173), 1979, pp. 267-310;
Polish: ‘Persona’ in Bergman scenarieusze (Ø 151), 1973, pp. 288-321;
Russian: Iskusstvo kino, no. 8 (1991): 133-49.

1966
133. ‘Vargtimmen’ [Hour of the wolf]. Film script.
Script II, subtitled ‘L-165’. En film av Ingmar Bergman, dated Djursholm, August 1964 and April
1966, 89 pp. Also English copy, 62 pp.
Script IV (dialogue lists) in English, 22 pp. SFI and USF Archives.
One Swedish Script II copy, used as shooting script, has additions referring to ‘the marsh
sequence’ (last sequence, followed by final narrative vignette with Liv Ullmann). It replaces pp.
79-87 in other copies of Script II and consists of the grotesque voice of ‘The Mother’ who abuses
Johan, surrounded by various bird figures. This addition is retained in published version of the
script, as well as in English Script II copy, pp. 59-60.
Vargtimmen was published in Swedish in Filmberättelser 2, 1973: 49-85; and in English in Four
Stories of Ingmar Bergman, 1976, pp. 97-168. It appeared as Wolfsstunde in Ingmar Bergman. Im
Bleistift-Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 340-374.

1967
134. ‘Falskspelet’ [The fraud]. Allers, nos. 46-50, 1967, various pagination.
A narrative film script edited for Allers by Arne Sellermark. Setting is in a film studio. Plot
revolves around a middle-aged couple – an actor and his wife (a dancer) – whose marriage is
breaking up. In an introductory note, Bergman explains that the script was written after the

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making of ‘Sommarnattens leende’ (1955), which was such an ordeal that Bergman tabled the
thought of filming ‘Falskspelet’ (see Allers, no. 46, p. 29). A 90-page unpublished script with
same title is among Bergman’s private Fårö papers, now deposited at SFI.

135. A Film Trilogy. Tr. by Paul Britten Austin. London: Calder & Boyars, 1967. 147 pp.
Contains translation of screenplays to Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and The Silence.
Also issued in U.S. paperback by Orion Publishers, 1968.

136. ‘Skammen’ [The Shame]. Film script.

Script II in Swedish, titled ‘Skammens drömmar’ [Dreams of Shame], dated Grindstugan, 21
May 1967, 123 pp. Two copies in English, 128 pp. and 114 pp., apparently translated at different
times; variance at length is due to typescript and differences in English usage. One copy has no
translator listed; the other (114 pp.) lists the name of Alan Tapsell.
Script II ‘Skammen’ was published in Filmberättelser 2, 1973: 87-140. It has appeared in the
following translations:
English: ‘Shame’ in Persona and Shame, 1971 pp. 105-91;
German: ‘Die Schande’ in Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen, 1977, pp. 221-72.
Script IV (dialogue list) in Swedish, 34 pp., SFI Archives, Stockholm.
Script IV was published in Italian in Cineforum 9, no. 83 (March): 177-83.
‘Skammen’s’ motto, listed in Script II and in some published editions, is a quote from the
German poet Christoph Martin Wieland (1733-1813): ‘Things Vanish: Become but Dreams.’

1968
137. ‘Fantastic is the Word.’ Film World, no. 3, pp. 4-5.
Account of genesis of Shame. Story was originally conceived as a civil war, with same setting as
in The Silence. Title of film refers to humiliation and degradation of human life in war.

138. ‘En passion’ [A passion]. Film script.

Script I, titled ‘En passion’, dated 11 August 1968, 56 pp.
Script II, titled ‘Annandreas: Förslag till scener ur ett äktenskap’. [Annandreas: Suggestions for
scenes from a marriage], dated 10 May 1968, 164 pp.
Script IV (dialogue list) in English, 31 pp. SFI, Stockholm.
‘En passion’ was published in Filmberättelser 2, 1973, pp. 141-80. The text was based on
Script I. Translations include the following language publications:
English: ‘The Passion of Anna’ in Four Stories by Ingmar Bergman, 1976 pp. 132-68;
French: ‘Une passion’ in L’Àvant-scène du cinéma, no. 109, 1970, 54 pp.

139. ‘Riten’ [The rite]. TV Film script.

Script II, SR/TV Archives, Stockholm, ca. 119 pp. Published in Swedish in Filmberättelser 3, 1973:
7-55;

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Translations
Danish: ‘Ritus’ in 4 Filmmanuskripter, 1975, (Ø 165), pp. 5-62.
German: ‘Der Ritus’ in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift-Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002,
(Ø 1678), pp. 382-427.
Italian: ‘Il rito’ in Sei film, 1979, (Ø 173), pp. 177-228.

140. ‘Schizofren intervju med nervös regissör’ [Schizophrenic interview with ner-
vous director]. Chaplin, no. 84 (October) 1968: 274.
First printed in Expr., 25 September 1968, p. 12, under the heading ‘Utför med Ingmar Bergman’
[IB downhill]. ‘Interview’ was printed in English and French in Film in Sweden no. 3, 1968, pp.
1-9 (with pictures from ‘Skammen’) and reprinted in English in Take One 2, no. 3 (1969): 11, and
in Making Films in New York 4, no. 3 (June) 1970: 12. It also appeared in Spanish in Nuova Film
(Montevideo), no. 4 (Winter/Autumn) 1969: 35-36, and in German under the title ‘Engeln und
Dämonen’ in Argus (Munich), 7 November 1968, n.p.
Under his old pseudonym, Ernest Riffe, Bergman prints a fictitious interview with himself in
which he comments sarcastically on the tendency among critics to define his political, religious,
and moral values.

1969
141. ‘Fårö-dokument 69’. TV Film script.
Script IV, in English at SFI, 19 pp. This is identical with text in film.
Script IV, ‘Subtitles’ in English, 66 pp. Several copies at SFI.

142. ‘Reservatet’ [The Sanctuary].

Unpublished typescript, subtitled ‘En banalitetens tragikomedi’ [A tragi-comedy of banality],
SR/TV2 Archives, Stockholm. Typed manuscript in English titled ‘The Lie’ and translated by
Paul Britten Austen is available at SFI Archives, Stockholm, ca. 40 pp.
‘Reservatet’ was published in Filmberättelser 3, 1973: 58-99. It has appeared in the following
translated volumes:
Danish: ‘Reservatet’ in 4 Filmmanuskripter, 1975, pp. 61-105.
German: ‘Das Reservat’ in Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen, 1979, pp. 273-
316.
‘Reservatet’ was planned as a Eurovision play, to be produced in a number of different national
TV versions in Europe. Swedish TV version was directed by Jan Molander and televised on 28
October 1970 and retransmitted on 9 April 1971. British version, directed by Alan Bridges, was
aired on BBC 1 on 29 October 1970. In the U.S. ‘The Lie’ was produced on 24 April 1973 by CBS
Playhouse and directed by Alex Segal. Cf Media Chapter V (Ø 324).

143. ‘Skrämd och illamående bevittnar jag TV-jakten’ [Horrified and sick I witness
the TV witch-hunt]. Expr., 8 June 1969, p. 4.
Open letter from Ingmar Bergman to SR/TV Corporation, stating his indignation at methods
used by a team of news reporters to track down a local politician and expose him to TV
cameras in a nervous and unprepared state.

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144. ‘Svenstedt och Korridoren’ [Svenstedt and The Corridor]. Expr., 11 October 1969,
p. 4.
Open letter from Ingmar Bergman, supporting removal of a member in a film jury (film critic
C.H. Svenstedt), because he had collaborated on a script for one of the films to be judged.
Ingmar Bergman calls Svenstedt ‘a clown and a tail-wagger. [...] Take him away. He stinks’. [en
clown och svansviftare. [...] Ta bort honom. Han stinker.]

1970
145. ‘Beröringen’ [The Touch]. Film script.
Script I, dated September-October 1970, SFI Archives, Stockholm, 86 pp., plus 20-page location
list.
This script was the basis of the version printed in Filmberättelser 3 (Stockholm: PAN/Nor-
stedt, 1973), pp. 103-149. Swedish published manuscript includes a preface by Ingmar Bergman
in which he cautions the reader that a script is a half-baked piece of writing, ‘a pale and
tentative mirror image’ [en blek och osäker spegelbild] of the finished film.
The text to ‘Beröringen’ [The Touch] has appeared in a number of translated editions:
Danish: ‘Berøringen’ in 4 Filmmanuskripter, 1975, pp. 107-56;
English: ‘The Touch’ in Four Stories of Ingmar Bergman, 1976, pp. 7-56;
French: ‘Le lien’ in ‘Cris et chuchotements’ suivi de ‘Persona’ et de ‘Le lien’, 1979, pp. 133-
203.

1971
146. ‘Min mors dagböcker avslöjar vem hon var’ [My mother’s diaries reveal who she
was]. Husmodern, no. 39, 1971, pp. 18-19, 65, 67.
Bergman talks about his discovery of his mother’s diaries after her death and how a more
complex portrait of her began to take shape in his mind. See also Linton (Ø 1526), and
Commentary to ‘Viskningar och rop’ in Filmography (entry Ø 255).

147. ‘Persona’ and ‘Shame’. Trans. by Keith Bradfield. (London: Calder & Boyars; New
York: Grossman, 1971), 191 pp.

148. ‘Viskningar och rop’ [Whispers and Cries]. Film script.

Script I, subtitled ‘En film av Ingmar Bergman’, dated 3 June 1971, 69 pp. This is the script
closest to the film version and contains dialogue.
Script II, 31 pp., has IB’s introductory remarks to his crew and a presentation of the characters.
SFI has English and French translations of Script II.
Excerpt of Script II was published in Chaplin, no. 114 (1972), pp. 88-89, as part of an article by
L.-O. Löthwall on ‘Cries and Whispers’. Same text appeared in French translation in Cinéma 72,
no. 171 (December 1972), pp. 25-27. Most complete published French version of ‘Viskningar och
rop’ can be found in L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 142 (December 1973), pp. 3-55, which contains
Bergman’s notes to his actors, his literary script, and the dialogue script. Swedish publication of
script appears in Filmberättelser 3, 1973: 153-71.

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The following translated editions of ‘Viskningar och rop’ are all based on Script II:
Danish: 4 filmmanuskripter, 1975, pp. 159-95;
English: New Yorker, 21 October 1972, pp. 38, 46. Also in Four Stories by Ingmar Bergman,
1976: 57-94;
French: ‘Cris et chuchotements’, L’Àvant-Scène du Cinéma. no. 142 (December 1973): 55
pp., and in volume titled ‘Cris et chuchotements’ suivi de ‘Persona’ et de ‘Le lien’,
1979, pp. 3-63 (Ø 169). Also as ‘Une lettre de B à ses collaborateurs de Cris et
chuchotements’, Cinéma 72, no. 171 (December 1972): 25-27, and in Ecran 73, no.
15 (May 1973): 11-12;
German: ‘Schrei und Flüstern’ in Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen, 1977,
(Ø 167), pp. 363-400;
Italian: ‘Sussuri e grida’ in Sei film, 1979, pp. 229-65;
Polish: ‘Szepty i krzyki’ in Bergman Scenarieusze, 1977, (Ø 164), pp. 323-55.

1972
149. ‘En själslig angelägenhet’ [A Matter of the Soul], dated Fårö, 11 August 1972.
Copyright 1990. Published in English translation by Eivor Martinus in New Swedish
Plays, ed. by Gunilla M. Anderman. (Norwich: Norvik Press), 1992, pp. 33-64 and in
French as Une affaire d’âme (see (Ø 199). The play was later included in a volume of
three pieces, titled Föreställningar (Ø 199), 2000.
‘En själslig angelägenhet’ is a monologue (broadcast in 1990) by a woman on the verge of a
breakdown who, having plunged a knife in her doctor’s throat, speaks in many different voices
about the emotional control she has experienced with her father and her lover.

150. ‘Scener ur ett äktenskap’ [Scenes from a Marriage]. TV script.

Script II subtitled ‘Sex dialoger för televisionen av Ingmar Bergman’ [Six dialogues for televi-
sion by IB], dated June 1972, SFI Archives, Stockholm, 230 pp., plus a 4-page preface.
Published editions of ‘Scener ur ett äktenskap’ follow original Script II format, i.e., Swedish
television format, except that Ingmar Bergman added a preface to the printed script, in which
he addressed his prospective reader. For a commentary, see introduction to this chapter.
Swedish script was published as Scener ur ett äktenskap (Stockholm: Norstedt, 1973), 196 pp.
Translated editions include the following:
Czech: ‘Scény z manzelského zivota’, Fílmove povídky, tr. Z. Cerník, D. Hortlová, J.
Osvald. (Prague: Odéon, 1982), pp. 231-332;
Danish: Scener fra et aegteskab, tr. Claus Lembourn (Copenhagen: Det Schønbergske,
1974), 172 pp.
Dutch: Scenes uit een huwelijk, tr. Cora Polet. (Utrecht: Bruna, 1975), 144 pp;
English: Scenes from a Marriage, tr. Alan Blair (New York: Pantheon Books, 1974), 199
pp;
Estonian: Stseenid hest abielust, tr. T. Saluläär. (Tallinn: Peridoodika, 1978), 138 pp;
French: Scènes de la vie conjugale, tr. C.G. Bjurström and L. Albertini (Paris: Gallimard,
1975), 202 pp, and 1992, 216 pp.;
Georgian: Scvenebi cvolkumrul cvxovrebidpn. (Tblisi: Xeloveba, 1992), 378 pp.;
German: Szenen einer Ehe, tr. Tabitha von Bonin. (Hamburg: M. von Schröder, 1974), 204
pp; (Berlin: Volk und Welt, 1976, and 1983), 378 pp.;

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Hungarian: Jelenetek egy hça zassfagbil. (Budapest: Europa könyvhiadi, 1977, 1987, and 1996);
Italian: Scene di vita coniguale, tr. P. Monaci. (Torino: Einaudi, 1974), 191 pp. Also in
Scene di vita conjugale; L’immagine allo specchio; il posto delle fragole (Ø 174),
1979;
Japanese: Aru kekkon no feukei, tr. K. Kazuo. (Tokyo: Herarudo-entëapuraizu, 1981), 246
pp.;
Norwegian: Scener fra et ekteskap, tr. C.F. Prytz. (Oslo: Gyldendahl, 1974), 195 pp.;
Polish: Sceny z życia małżénskiego, tr. Maria Olszańska and Karol Sawicki. (Poznań:
Wydawictwo Poznańiskie, 1975), 161 pp.;
Portuguese: Cenas da vida conjugal, tr. J. Bernardes. (Rio de Janeiro: Nirdica, 1974), 155 pp.
and as Cenas de um casamento sueco (Lisboa: Sécula, 1975), 190 pp.;
Russian: Sceny iz supruzjeskoj zjizni. (Moscow: Progress, 1979), 202 pp.;
Spanish: Escenas de un matrimonio, tr. J.P. Vega. (Barcelona: Fernando Torres, 1975), 191
pp.

1973
151. Bergman. Scenariusze. (Warszawa: Wydawnictwa artystyczne i filmowe, 1973), 288
pp.
Scripts to ‘Wieczir kuylarzy’ [Gycklarnas afton]; ‘Siodma pieczęć’ [Sjunde inseglet]; ‘Tam,
geziearosna poziomli’ [Wild Strawberries]; ‘Milczenie’ [Tystnaden]; ‘Persona’.

152. ‘Det var bara roligt’ [It was nothing but fun], Röster i Radio-TV, no. 15 (1973), pp
4-6; reprinted in part in Röster i Radio-TV, no. 35 (1974), p. 16. Article appeared in
Danish (‘Et par måneders arbejd men et livs erfaring’), Politiken, 13 May 1973, p. 42.
Bergman writes about the pleasure of making his first TV series, ‘Scener ur ett äktenskap’.

153. Filmberättelser [Film stories], Vols. 1-3. Stockholm: PAN/Norstedt, 1973. Paper-
back editions of the following Bergman scripts in Swedish:
Vol 1, Såsom i en spegel, Nattvardsgästerna, Tystnaden, 167 pp.;
Vol 2, Persona, Vargtimmen, Skammen, En passion, 180 pp.;
Vol 3, Riten, Reservatet, Beröringen, Viskningar och rop, 187 pp.
These texts, which contain not only the descriptions and dialogue of the films but also Berg-
man’s comments, are virtually unillustrated, possibly in an effort to present them as autono-
mous texts and allow the reader to visualize the text for himself. In line with this, the texts
contain no production information about the films.
Reception
Critics remarked on Bergman’s development from a tentative literary writer in the 1940s to
greater artistic self-assurance. What surprised the reviewers in particular was how reader-
friendly Bergman’s published scripts were with a simple syntax and word choice, the implica-
tion being that his films based on these scripts had been viewed as difficult and complex. This
in turn confirmed that the Swedish response to Bergman’s filmmaking was not very different
from the gloom-and-doom image of him among many foreign viewers.

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Reviews
Franzén, Lars-Olof. ‘Berättelser som förklarar’ [Stories that explain]. DN, 3 December 1973, p. 4;
Ohlsson, Joel. ‘Läsa filmmanus torr upplevelse’ [Reading film manuscripts a dry experience].
Arb, 23 April 1974, p. 2;
Svensson, Lars. ‘Bergman i bokform’ [B in book form]. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 23 November
1973, p. 21;
Tunbäck-Hanson, Monika. ‘Bergmans filmer i bokform’. GP, 8 December 1973, p. 2.

154. Kommentar till serie ö. [Commentary to Ö series]. SFI, Stockholm, 1973. 21 pp.
In connection with a retrospective showing of his films (3 September to 1 October 1973) at SFI
Cinematheque in Stockholm, Bergman offered brief comments on nine of his films, from Kris
to The Devil’s Eye.

155. Mandrup-Nielsen, Mads. ‘Jag skulle vilja slå ihjäl er’ [I’d like to kill you].
Röster i Radio/TV, no. 15 (7-13 April 1973], p. 6.
Mads Mandrup-Nielsen is introduced as a 28-year-old film scholar who has just started a new
company named Dansk Sandheds AS [Danish Truth, Inc.], which is a consortium of progres-
sive, politically conscious younger critics. The so-called interview consists of a long analysis of
Scenes from a Marriage. Bergman’s response consists of three no’s and an expressed desire to kill
the critic. One can assume that this interview is a hoax in the same spirit as his earlier Ernest
Riffe essays (Ø 111, 128, 140).

156. Strindberg. A Dream Play, Adapted by Ingmar Bergman. (Stockholm: Norstedt,

1973). 58 pp.
Bergman’s adaptation of Strindberg’s play for his 1970 Dramaten production, translated by
Michael Meyer.

157. ‘Trollflöjten’ [The Magic Flute]. TV Film script. SFI Archive.

Script II, 111 pp., dated November 1973. With additional 28 pp. of Bergman’s commentaries that
range from a presentation of Schikaneder’s old Vienna theatre, where the original ‘Magic Flute’
was performed, to an analysis of the characters and an explanation of the changes made by
Bergman. For anyone interested in his filmatization of Mozart’s opera, these commentaries are
very valuable source material. They appeared in a press folder presentation of the film in French
as ‘Comment j’ai découvert La Flute enchantée’, n.d.
Script I, 175 pp., dated 1974, is a music score to ‘Trollflöjten’ (The Magic Flute) referred to as ‘the
Ingmar Bergman version’.
SFI Archive material for ‘Trollflöjten’ also includes a typed sheet outlining the production
schedule.

158. ‘Un film pour vous divertir.’ Cinéma Québec 3, no. 1 (September) 1973: pp. 13-15.
Reprint of Bergman’s statements during press conference at Cannes Film Festival in
1973 when ‘Cries and Whispers’ was shown out of competition.

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1974
159. ‘Ansikte mot ansikte’ [Face to face]. Film script.
Script II, dated 7 December 1974, SFI Archives, Stockholm. Two copies are available: one 148
pp., the other 182 pp. Longer script reverses the opening sequences in the film but is otherwise
identical with film version. Shorter script is the one used as basis for printed editions of Script
II. Both versions include Bergman’s address to his fellow workers, which is also printed in
numerous foreign editions of the screenplay.
Ansikte mot ansikte was published in Swedish in 1975 (Stockholm: PAN/Norstedt), 106 pp.
Translations include the following
Bulgarian: Lice sieíy’l lice. tr. V. Ganyeva. (Sofia: Narodna kultura, 1984), 131 pp.;
Danish: Ansigt til ansigt. tr. C. Maaløe. (Copenhagen: Schønberg, 1976), 89 pp.;
Dutch: Van aangezicht tot aangezicht. tr. R. Törnqvist-Verschuur. (Utrecht: Bruna,
1976), 98 pp.;
English: Face to Face, tr. Alan Blair. (New York: Pantheon Books, 1976), 119 pp., and
(London: Marion Boyars, 1976), 116 pp.; also excerpted in Mademoiselle, no. 8
(April 1976), pp. 189-99;
French: Face à face, tr. C.G. Bjurström and L. Albertini. (Paris: Gallimard, 1976), 130 pp.;
German: Von Angesicht zu Angesicht, tr. Hans-Joachim Maass. (Hamburg: M. von Schrö-
der, 1976), 172 pp; (München: Heyne, 1978), 220 pp.;
Norwegian: Ansikt mot ansikt, tr. G. Nyqvist. (Oslo: Aschehough, 1976), 80 pp.;
Polish: Twarza w twarz, tr. by Z. Łanofski (Warszawa: no publisher listed), 1978), 110
pp.;
Spanish: Cara a cara, tr. A. Valiente, Angel Comas Puente and Enrico Ripoll-Freixes
(Barcelona: Ayma S.A. Editora, 1977), 147 pp.

1975
160. 4 filmmanuskripter Trans. by C. Maalboe. (Copenhagen: Det Schönberske 1975),
195 pp.
Danish editions of The Ritual, The Lie (Reservatet), The Touch, and Cries and Whispers.

1976
161. Four Stories of Ingmar Bergman. Trans. by Alan Blair. (London: M. Boyars;
Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday), 168 pp. Reissued as Anchor paperback, 1977.
Scripts to The Touch, Cries and Whispers, Hour of the Wolf, The Passion of Anna.

162. ‘Jeder Mensch hat Träume, Wünsche, Bedürfnisse.’ Goethepreis 1976: Ingmar
Bergman. (Frankfurt a.M.: Dezernat Kultur und Freizeit), 30 pp. (including all
speeches at the ceremony).
Bergman’s speech (ca. 2 pp.) delivered at Goethe Award ceremonies in Frankfurt an Main, West
Germany, 28 August 1976. Reprinted under the title ‘Der wahre Künstler spricht mit seinem

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Herzen’ in Filmkunst 74 (1976): 1-3. Also appears under entry title in Ingmar Bergman. Im
Bleistift-Ton, ed by Renate Bleibtreu, (2002), pp. 464-468.
Bergman discusses briefly the humanistic, psychological, and professional bases of artistic
activity.

163. ‘Nu lämnar jag Sverige’ [Now I leave Sweden]. Expr., 22 April, pp. 4-5.
In an open letter to the Stockholm tabloid Expr., Ingmar Bergman announces his immediate
intention of leaving Sweden in the aftermath of his arrest by tax authorities earlier in the year
(see Ø 1272). He feels compelled to depart because his sense of security at work has been
shattered, and states that he will leave his Swedish assets behind, dissolve his film company, sell
his property, and maybe write a farce about the whole affair. He ends his letter with a quote
from Strindberg: ‘Look out, you devil, so I don’t put you in my next play!’ [Se upp din djävel så
du inte hamnar i min nästa pjäs!].
A résumé in English of this letter appeared in Screen International, 8 May 1976, p. 23.

1977
164. Ingmar Bergman Scenariusze [Ingmar Bergman screenplays]. Trans. by A. Asła-
nowicz. (Warsaw: Wydawnitctwa Artystyczne i Filmowe), 355 pp.
Polish edition of Gycklarnas afton, Sjunde inseglet, Smultronstället, Tystnaden, Persona, and
Viskningar och rop (cf. Ø 151), 1973.

165. ‘Ormens ägg’ [The Serpent’s Egg]. Film script.

Script IV in English available at SFI. Undated.
Published in Swedish in paperback. (Stockholm: PAN/Norstedt, 1977). 129 pp. This text is the
basis of following translations:
Czech: ‘Hadí vejce’, in Fílmove povídky, 1982, pp. 333-99.
Dutch: Het slangeei. (Utrecht: Bruna, 1980), 315 pp.;
English: The Serpent’s Egg, tr. Alan Blair (New York: Pantheon Books, 1977), 150 pp.
Paperback ed. Bantam Books, 1978;
French: L’Oeuf du serpent, tr. C.G. Bjurström and L. Albertini (Paris: Gallimard, 1978,
and 1997), 137 pp.
German: Das Schlangenei, tr. Heiner Gimmler (Hamburg: Hoffman und Campe Verlag,
1977), 172 pp. (German script excerpt was also published in Fern und Fernsehen
VIII, no. 3 (March) 1988: pp. 44-49);
Italian: L’uvo del serpente, tr. R. Pavese. (Torino: Einaudi), 1980), 138 pp.;
Polish: Jajo weza, tr. by Z. Łanofski. (Warsaw: Dialog, no. 4, 1978; (Czytelnik, 1980);
Portugese: O ovo da serpente, tr. P. Johns (Rio de Janeiro, 1978), 111 pp.;
Spanish: El huevo de la serpiente, tr. L. Långström (Barcelona: Aymae, 1977). 152 pp.

166. ‘Den förstenade prinsen’ [The Petrified Prince].

Unpublished script. Currently at SFI Bergman archive but also circulating in U.S. in typescript
in an English translation by Alan Blair. ‘Den förstenade prinsen’ was planned as Bergman’s
contribution to a projected Fellini and Bergman film on the theme of love, produced by
Warners. See (Ø 1174).

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‘The Petrified Prince’ is a ‘pornographic’ fantasy, a grotesque variation of ‘The Magic Flute’. It
tells the story of a mute and paralyzed prince named Samson, who is enslaved by his queen
mother, an aggressive whore who repeatedly rapes her son. Samson makes an unsuccessful
attempt to murder his mother but is threatened by a newly arrived father figure who tries to
castrate him. Samson runs away with a young mother/whore to establish his own neurotic
family.

167. Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen. Trans. by Anne Storm. (Mu-
nich: Heine, 1977, 1980), 400 pp.; (Munich: Hanser, 1980), 444 pp.
German edition of Wild Strawberries, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, The Silence, Shame,
The Touch, Cries and Whispers, and The Lie.

1978
168. ‘Höstsonat’ [Autumn Sonata]. Film script
Script IV in Swedish at SFI library. There are several manuscripts in Bergman’s Fårö papers. See
Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet, p. 332.
The script was published in Swedish as Höstsonaten by Norstedt, 1978, and as PAN paperback
edition, 1980. 98 pp. This text is the basis of following translations:
Bulgarian: Esenna sonata, tr. V. Ganyeva. (Sofia: Narodna kultura, 1981), 73 pp. Also in Kino
Izkustvo XXXIV, no. 5 (May) 1979: 83-112, and in Film a Doba XXIV, no. 12
(December) 1978: 668-679;
Danish: Høstsonaten, tr. Asta Hoff-Jörgensen. (Copenhagen: Schönbergske, 1979), 95
pp.;
Dutch: Herftsonate, tr. by Jan Ogærts. (Utrecht: Bruna, 1979), 86 pp.;
English: Autumn Sonata, tr. Alan Blair. (New York: Pantheon Books, 1978), 84 pp.;
French: Sonate d’autonne, tr. C.G. Bjurström and L. Albertini. (Paris: Gallimard, 1978,
and 1997), 73 pp.;
German: Herbstsonate, tr. H. Gimmler. (Hamburg: Hoffman und Campe), 95 pp; and
(Munich: Heyne, 1980), 111 pp.;
Norwegian: Høstsonaten, tr. A. Amlie. (Oslo: Cappelen, 1978), 101 pp.;
Polish: Sonata jesienna, tr. by Z. Łanowski. (Warsaw, 1980);
Portuguese: Sonata do Outtono, tr. Bernardes. (Rio de Janeiro: Nordica, no date), 127 pp.;
Russian: Osennjaja sonata. Kinopovesti. (Moscow: Iskusstvo, 1988), 253 pp.

1979
169. ‘Cris et chuchotements’, suivi de ‘Persona’ et de ‘Le Lien.’ Tr. by J. Robnard and
C. de Seynes. (Paris: Gallimard, 1979), 203 pp and 1994, 231 pp.
French editions of Cries and Whispers, Persona, and The Touch.

170. ‘Fanny och Alexander’ [Fanny and Alexander]. Film script.

Script I, dated Fårö, 8 July 1979. This was the basis of published Swedish edition from 1982
(Stockholm: Norstedt), 224 pp.

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Among translations of this script are the following:

Czech: Fanny a Alexander, tr. Z. Cerncik. (Praha: Mladça fronta, 1988), 166 pp.;
Dutch: Fanny en Alexander, tr. R. Törnqvist-Verschuur. (Amsterdam: Manteau, 1984),
199 pp.;
English: Fanny and Alexander, tr. Alan Blair. (New York: Pantheon, 1982), 216 pp, and
(Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1982), 216 pp.;
Estonian: Fanny ja Alexander, tr. A. Aaloe. (Tallinn: Periodiodika, 1991), 142 pp.;
French: Fanny et Alexandre, tr. C.G. Bjurström and L. Albertini. (Paris: Gallimard, 1983),
237 pp.;
German: Fanny und Alexander: Roman im sieben Bildern, tr. Hans-Joachim Maass. (Mu-
nich: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1982), 235 pp., and (Berlin: Volk und Welt, 1984), 216
pp.;
Hungarian: Fanny és Alexander, tr. C.K. Lazli. (Budapest: Çarçadia, 1985), 226 pp.;
Italian: Fanny e Alexander, tr. P. Muscarello, R. Pavese. (Milano: Ubulibri, 1987), 145 pp.;
Norwegian: Fanny og Alexander, tr. G. Malmström. (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1983), 203 pp.;
Polish: Fanny i Aleksander, (Warszawa: Czytelnik, 1987), 294 pp.;
Portugese: Fanny e Alexandre, tr. J. Bernardes. (Rio de Janeiro: Nordica, 1985), 269 pp.
Hanif Kureishi in New Statesman & Society, July 7, 1989, reviewed the book version of Fanny and
Alexander, concluding that the printed version was ‘Bergman minus the magic’.

171. ‘Fårö-dokument 79’. TV film script.

Script IV. Dialogue list, 32 pp. plus 5 pp. of additional text that is also inserted in the far left
column of the script page. SFI also has a cut version of the script, which was used for an
international distribution copy of the dialogue.
SFI Archive has several Script IV copies in English (38, 39, and 47 pp.) and one in Spanish:
Lista de dialogos. Documento de Fårö 1979, 29 pp.

172. ‘Jag trivs nästan varje dag’ [I like it almost every day]. Expr., 31 March 1979, p. 4.
Letter from Ingmar Bergman to Stockholm evening paper Expr. The paper had published an
article on Ingmar Bergman by Björn Nilsson, 3 February 1979, p. 4, asking him to return home
after what was termed a highly critical reception of his theatre productions in Munich by West
German press. Bergman’s letter depicts the theatre life in Munich and refers to himself as a
somewhat suspect person in a foreign context. West Germans had difficulty understanding his
need for privacy. Letter ends with an homage to Fassbinder, not as a filmmaker but as ‘the
clown of German bourgeois life’ [det tyska borgerliga livets clown]. See also group entry (Ø
1272) in Chapter IX.

173. Ingmar Bergman. Sei film. Tr. by Giacomo Oreglia. (Turin: Guilio Einaudi, 1979),
320 pp.
Italian edition of The Ritual, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, The Silence, Persona, and
Cries and Whispers.

174. Scene di vita conjugale; L’immagine allo specchio; il posto delle fragole.
Tr. by P. Monaci. (Milano: Club degli editori, 1979), 388 pp.
Italian translations of Scenes from a Marriage, Through a Glass Darkly, and Wild Strawberries.

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1980
175. ‘Efter repetitionen’ (After the Rehearsal). TV-play, copyright in summer 1980.
Manuscript dated ‘Fårö, 5 August 1980’. Script IV in German titled ‘Nach der Probe’ available at
SFI, dated 1981. 56 pp. Published in Swedish in Femte akten. (Stockholm: Norstedt, 1994), pp. 17-
61. Femte akten was also published in French as Le cinquième acte in 1997 and in English as The
Fifth Act in 2001. (see Ø 195).
Other translations of ‘Efter repetitionen’ include:
Bulgarian: Kino (Sofia), 3 (July) 1993, pp. 1-80;
French: ‘Après la répétition’ in Théatre en Europe (Paris), no. 5 (January 1985), and in
L’Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 394 (July 1990); the latter publication was richly
illustrated, 79 pp.;
German: ‘Nach der Probe’, in Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu,
2002, pp 642-677;
Polish: ‘Po próbie’, tr. by Z. Łanowski in Dialog, no. 9, 1986.
‘Efter repetitionen’ was televised on SVT, channel 1, in 1983; (see Ø 332), Media chapter V.

176. Slangeei (Het), Het uur van de wolf, Een passie, Beroering, Schreeuw zon-
der antwoord. (Utrecht: Bruna, 1980), 315 pp.
Dutch edition of The Serpent’s Egg, Hour of the Wolf, A Passion, The Touch, Cries and Whispers.

177. Ur marionetternas liv [From the Life of the Marionettes]. (Stockholm: Norstedt,
1980), 171 pp. Manuscripts in Bergman’s Fårö papers with notes, dated 1979.
Translations
Dutch: Dans van de marionetten, tr. Jan Bogaerts (Utrecht: Bruna, 1981), 127 pp.;
English: From the Life of the Marionettes, tr. Alan Blair (New York: Pantheon Books,
1980), 98 pp.;
French: De la vie des marionettes, tr. C.G. Bjurström and L. Albertini, with a preface by
Ingmar Bergman (Paris: Gallimard, 1980), 112 pp. New ed. 1997;
German: Aus dem Leben der Marionetten. (Hamburg: Hoffman Campe, 1980), 107 pp. A
German version of Script IV is in SFI library;
Norwegian: Fra marionettenes liv, tr. A. Amlie. (Oslo: Cappelen, 1980), 139 pp.

1982
178. Filmové povídky. Prague: Odéon, 1982.
Czech edition of The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, The
Silence, Scenes from a Marriage, The Serpent’s Egg. With an afterword by J. Cieslar. Tr. by Z.
Cerník, D. Hortlová, J. Osvald.

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1983
179. Ingmar Bergman Seminar. Video Recording dated 2 December 1983, Dept of Ci-
nema Arts, Stockholm University, 2 December 1983.
Video recording from a seminar with Bergman in the Department of Cinema Arts at Stock-
holm University in December 1983.

1984
180. ‘Förord till en översättning’ [Preface to a translation]. Dramaten’s program to
Bergman’s production of King Lear. Also in published play text, Stockholm: Ordfront,
1984, pp. 5-6.
Brief commentary by Bergman to Britt G. Hallqvist’s new translation of Shakespeare’s play.

181. ‘Karins ansikte’ [Karin’s face].

Unpublished text is basis of a film about Ingmar Bergman’s mother. Visual text consists of
photographs of Karin Bergman, the last one being a passport picture, taken shortly before her
death in 1967.

1985
182. Cinéma, no. 327 (30 October 1885): 3.
Compilation of published quotes by Bergman on himself, the cinema, Sweden, and women.

183. ‘De två saliga’ [The Blessed Ones]. Manuscript to TV play adapted from Ulla
Isaksson’s novel with the same name. Cf. 180. Manuscript in SFI Bergman (Fårö)
archive includes director’s copy with shooting plan and group photograph, dated
1985.

184. ‘Propos.’ Positif 289 (March 1985): 17-19.

A collage of statements made by Bergman at a press conference in Venice on 9 September 1983.
Subjects deal with ‘Fanny and Alexander’, filmmaking versus filming for television, and impact
of Strindberg.

1987
185. Laterna Magica. (Stockholm: Norstedt). 337 pp. New edition 1988. There are several
different versions of manuscript among Bergman’s Fårö papers with alternate titles
such as ‘Peeling onions’ (Skala lök) – a reference to Peer Gynt – and ‘Tim Konfu-
senfej’. See Koskinen, (Ø 1681), p. 335.
Bergman’s memoirs, in English-speaking world usually referred to as his autobiography. Book
has a non-chronological structure, with alternating chapters on childhood, theatre work, the

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tax affair in 1976, marriage crises, teenage summers in Nazi Germany, encounters with artists
like Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, and Herbert von Karajan. Despite the title, the book
contains relatively little information on Bergman’s filmmaking.
Reception
Swedish reception was enthusiastic. Three aspects of the book dominated in the reviews: (1) Its
narrative structure, moving back and forth between past and present; a form that most com-
mentators referred to as cinematic but that actor Erland Josephson termed ‘theatrical’; (2) its
often ruthless self-revelation, painting its author in a rather negative light, a mea culpa moral
voice that made reviewers question the book’s purpose and sometimes its authenticity; (3) its
emphasis on bodily functions, which several critics related to Bergman’s directing method –
one that never rested on theoretical reasoning but on very concrete physical details. Bergman’s
stylistic talent seems to have come as a surprise to many, who mentioned his drastic humor, his
keen observations, and his ability to set the scene for an event in short, precise descriptions.
Foreign reception was by and large more ambivalent than the Swedish. Despite the English
subtitle ‘An Autobiography’, most commentators abroad expected the book to focus on an
account of Bergman’s experiences in the film trade. What fascinated many Swedish reviewers,
namely the book’s place in the Swedish literary canon with roots in Strindberg’s autobiography
Tjänstekvinnans son (The Son of a Servant), was of little interest to critics abroad, whose interest
in Bergman stemmed mostly from his filmmaking.
Reviews (Swedish)
Brohult, Magnus, ‘Bergmans brutala uppriktighet’ [Bergman’s brutal honesty]. SvD, 21 Sep-
tember 1987, p. 4;
Donner, Jörn. ‘Livet som skådespel’ [Life as a play]. SDS, 20 September 1987, p. 4;
Holmqvist, Bengt. ‘Ingmar Bergman mellan änglar och avgrund’ [Ingmar Bergman between
angels and abyss]. DN, 21 September 1987;
Josephson, Erland. ‘Kroppen mobiliserar själen’ [The body mobilizes the soul]. Expr., 21 Sep-
tember 1987, p. 4;
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Kärleken, konsten, det svåra åldrandet’ [Love, art, the difficulty of aging].
Arb, 21 September 1987, p. 4;
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Prosten Bergmans son har talat’ [Parson Bergman’s son has spoken]. AB, 20
September 1987, p. 4-5;
Zern, Leif. ‘Ur kaos och mörker’ [Out of chaos and darkness]. Expr., 20 September 1987, p. 4;
Wortzelius, Hugo. ‘Bergman kastar masken’ [Bergman discards the mask]. UNT, 21 September
1987, p. 14.
Note: Thomas Svensson at the Library School in Borås did a special study of the Swedish
reception of Laterna magica: ‘Mottagandet av Ingmar Bergmans självbiografi Laterna Magica.
Specialarbete.’ Bibliotekshögskolan. Borås: 1992, 26 pp.
Reviews (Foreign)
Bresser, Jean Paul. ‘Vrees doet het gevreesde werkelijkheid worden’. Elsevier, 10 October 1987, pp.
1-4;
Ciment, Michel. ‘Bergman juge d’Ingmar’. Positif, no. 324 (February 1988): 28-30;
Corliss, Richard. ‘Books’. Film Comment XXIV, no. 6 (Nov/Dec 1988): 77-79;
Friedrich, Regine. ‘Auf der Suche nach Beschädigungen’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 29 March 1988;
Haakman, Anton. ‘De autobiografie van Oedipus zelf ’. Vrij Nederland, 7 November 1987;
Horowitz, Mark. ‘Scenes from a Life’. American Film, XIV, no. 1, October 1988, p. 55-58;
Jenny, Urs. ‘Hals über Kopf durch den Abgrund des Lebens’. Der Spiegel, no. 38, 14 September
1987;

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Kousbroek, Rudi. ‘Ingmar Bergman en het theater. De monoloog van een orakel’. NRC Han-
delsblad, 12 February 1988;
Lane, Anthony. ‘The Guts of Greatness’. The Independent, 19 May 1988;
Meyer, Michael. ‘The Demonic Charm of a Complex Mind’. The Sunday Times, 15 May 1988;
Mosley, Philip. ‘Ingmar Bergman. The Magic Lantern’. Film Criticism XVII, no. 1 (Fall 1992): 54-
57;
Strunz, Dieter. ‘Ingmar Bergman ist der Philosoph unter den Leinwand Meistern’. Berliner
Morgenpost, 25 October 1987;
Note:
In connection with American edition of The Magic Lantern, Nelson Entertainment Inc. issued a
video release of nine of Bergman’s early films: Torment, Port of Call, To Joy, Summer Interlude,
Secrets of Women, Sawdust and Tinsel, A Lesson in Love, Dreams, and Smiles of a Summer Night.
Articles
Allen, Woody. ‘Through a Life Darkly’. NYT, 18 September 1988, sec 7, p. 1, 29, 30-34. (See Ø
1454).
Behrendt, Poul. ‘Tvånget att göra upp’ [The need to settle accounts]. SvD, 17 Jan 1988, Sunday
section, p. 10. Originally published in Danish Magazine Kritik. (See Ø 1456).
Fara, S. ‘La magia misteriosa della lanterna bergmania’. Cinema Nuovo XXXVII, no. 313 (May-
June 1988): 10-12.
Kosubek, G. ‘Bergman sucht Bergman. Freunde und Feinde’. Film und Fernsehen no. 7. 1988: 34-
35 and no. 8, 1988: 21-26. (Presentation of Laterna magica with excerpts from book).
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Laterna magica’. Finsk tidskrift, no. 2/3, 1988: 78-90.
See also
Jan Myrdal response to Bergman’s account of his political ignorance in Laterna magica (see
group entry Ø 1439).
Olle Svenning used the autobiography to bring up the 1976 tax case again: ‘Ingmar Bergman
väcker minnen’ [IB evokes memories]. Arb, 2 January 1988. See also reply by Harry Schein
in same paper, 15 January 1988.
Bergman’s brother-in-law, Paul Britten Austen, expressed concern that the subjective dimension
of Laterna magica as a memoir book would be viewed as truthful facts. ‘Apropå årets
bästsäljare’ [Apropos of the year’s bestseller], KvP, 23 December 1987.
Translations
Bulgarian: Laterna magica, tr. V. Ganyeva. (Sofia: Chemus, 1995), 310 pp; also excerpts in
Bulgarian Film journal Kinoizkustvo XLIV, no. 1 (January 1989), pp. 30-44;
Chinese: Baigeman zichuan, tr. Li Senayo. (Taipei: Yuanliu chuban gongsi, 1994), 270 pp.;
Czech: Laterna magica, tr. Z. Cernciu. (Praha: Odeon, 1991), 287 pp.;
Danish: Laterna magica, tr. I.E. Hammar. (Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof, 1987,
and 1997), 253 pp. Second edition: (Valby: Borgen, 1990) (2 vol). 268, and 252
pp.;
Dutch: Laterna magica, tr. Karst Woudstra. (Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1987), 283 pp;
published in Series ‘Grote Cineasten’;
English: The Magic Lantern, tr. Joan Tate. (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1988), 312 pp.
and (London: Penguin, 1989), 308 pp. and (New York: Viking, 1988), 308 pp.;
Estonian: Laterna magica. (Tallinn: Eesti Ramat, 1989), 254 pp.;
French: Laterna magica, tr. C.G. Bjurström, L. Albertini. (Paris: Gallimard, 1987);

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German: Mein Leben, tr. Hans-Joachim Maass. (Hamburg: Hoffman und Campe, 1987),
350 pp; (Berlin: Volk und Welt, 1988), 319 pp; (Frankfurt am Main: Gutenberg,
1989), 350 pp; (Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1992), 350 pp.;
Greek: Hëe magikëe kamera: mia autobiografia, tr. T. Kallifatides. (Athen: Kaktos, 1989),
286 pp.;
Hebrew: Laterna magikah. (Tel Aviv: Am oved, 1991), 222 pp.;
Hungarian: Laterna magica, tr. K. Lazli. (Budapest: Europa, 1988), 285 pp.;
Icelandic: Töfralampin: sjalsvisaga. (Reykvavik: Gjölvi, 1992), 269 pp.;
Italian: Lanterna magica, tr. F. Ferrari. (Milano: Garzanti, 1987, and 1990), 259 pp.;
Japanese: Bergman jiden, tr. K. Buich. (Tokyo: Shinchëo-sha, 1989), 349 pp.;
Latvian: Laterna magica, tr. I. Kagevska. (Riga: Liesma, 1993), 232 pp.;
Lithuanian: Laterna magica, tr. Z. Maleikaitele. (Vilnius: Alma Littera, 1994), 284 pp.;
Norwegian: Laterna magica, tr. S. Ness. (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1987), 232 pp.;
Polish: Laterna magica, tr. Z. Łanowski. (Warszawa: Czytelnik, 1991), 274 pp.;
Portuguese: Lanterna magica, tr. A. Pastor. (Lisboa: Caravela, 1988), 312 pp; Lanterna magica:
una autobiografia, tr. A. Pastor. (Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara, 1988), 292 pp.;
Roumanian: Lanterna magicela, tr. D. Shafran, E. Florea, C. Baneiu. (Bucuresti: Editura
Meridiane, 1994), 316 pp.;
Russian: Laterna magika. (Moskva: ‘Iskusstvo’, 1989), 285 pp.;
Serbo-Croatian: Moj livot: laterna magica, tr. M. Rumac. (Zagreb: Grafyki zavod Hrvatske,
1990), 303 pp.;
Slovakian: Laterna magica. (Bratislava: Slovenskij spiso valelij, 1991), 524 pp.;
Spanish: Linterna magica, tr. M. Torres, F. Uriz. (Barcelona and Buenos Aires: Tusquets,
1988), 319 pp; excerpts in El Pais, 14 February 1988;
Turkish: B y l fenar, tr. G. Tauskein. (Istanbul: AFA, 1990), 335 pp.

1988
186. The Marriage Scenarios: Scenes from a Marriage, Face to Face, Autumn So-
nata, tr. A. Blair. (London: Aurum), 347 pp. and (New York: Pantheon, 1988), 407 pp.

1989
187. ‘Mine danske engle.’ [My Danish angels]. Morgenavisen (Danish), 18 November
1989. Also in Universitetsavisen, 11 January 1990.
Speech (tr. by Henrik Egede) by Bergman at his reception of Danish Sonning Price for 1990 (see
Chapter IX, Ø 1477). His three Danish angels (= literary/critical influences) were (1) Søren
Kierkegaard’s Sickness unto Death, a book that fascinated him at age 16 for its dark streak and
humor; (2) Georg Brandes’ book about Shakespeare, which he read some 40 years later and
which opened a way for him into Shakespeare’s texts; and (3) Kaj Munk’s play Ordet, which
Bergman’s father took him to see in a small private theatre in Stockholm; Bergman was a
teenager and much moved by the play. Later he read and staged other works by Munk, whom
he felt close to for ‘his emotional strength, his intellectual confusion, and his dangerous
romantic love of strong individuals’ [hans känslostyrka, hans intellektuella förvirring, hans
farliga, romantiska kärlek till starka individer]. Bergman also talks about his visits (during
his Malmö period in the 1950s) to the Danish Film Museum in Copenhagen, which ‘seemed
to be administered by heaven’ [verkade administreras av himlen].

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1990
188. Bilder. (Stockholm: Norstedt, 1990), 435 pp.
Using his work books and filmmaking diaries, Ingmar Bergman analyzes a number of his own
films, grouped into thematic units. The book project started as a series of conversations with
Bergman’s editor, Lasse Bergström. It was in part prompted by Bergman’s dissatisfaction with
the earlier interview book Bergman om Bergman (1971) in which he felt he had been manipu-
lated by the interviewers. See article by Harry Schein, ‘Ingmar Bergmans filmer’. Dagens
Nyheter, 18 November 1990, p. A2, arguing that Bilder [Images] exposes the gap between critical
interpretors and the filmmaker.
Reception
Bergman’s negative reference to Bergman om Bergman (Ø 787) prompted many reviewers to
juxtapose it to Bilder. The consensus was that the two works complemented each other (some-
times to the point of repeating the same statements verbatim) and gave the impression of a
filmmaker for whom his films were still alive, almost like works in progress. This, it was argued,
gave an unusual vitality to a book that offered both remembered vignettes of the films’ genesis
and an account of a lifelong artistic process. (See Aghed, Koskinen, Zern) The book was termed
self-exposing, unusually engaging, and honest. (See Wortzelius.)
National Film Theatre (NTF) published a program (February 1994): 22-23, to celebrate
publication of Images – My Life in Film.
Reviews
Aghed, Jan. ‘Det blev en djävla promenad’ [It turned into a hell of a walk]. SDS, 22 October
1990, p. 4;
Arrhenius, Sara. ‘Bilder med hygglig skärpa’ [Images with adequate focus]. AB, 22 October
1990, p. 5;
Nasta, Dominique. ‘Images’. Revue du Cinéma, no. 33-35 (1993): 194;
Ellingsen, Thor. ‘Bergmans “jævla spasertur”’. [B’s hell of a walk]. Dagbladet (Norwegian), 25
March 1991;
Kell (Keith Keller). ‘Bilder’. Variety, 7 January 1991, p. 110;
Magny, Joel. ‘Bergman à la lettre’. Cahiers du Cinéma. no. 453, 1992: 84-88 (review article);
Nasta, Dominique. ‘Images’. Revue Belge du Cinéma, no. 33-35 (1993): 194;
Olsson, Sven E. ‘Med dämonerna som medarbetare’ [With the demons as collaborators].
Arbetet, 22 October 1990, p. 4;
Roy, André. ‘Images’. 24 Images, no. 81 (Spring 1996): 62;
Wickbom, Kaj. ‘Bergman naket uppriktig’ (B nakedly outspoken). Barometern, 22 October 1990,
p. 17;
Wortzelius, Hugo. ‘Ingmar Bergmans bilder. Självutlämnande och äkta’ [IB’s images. Self-ex-
posing and genuine]. UNT, 22 October 1990, p, 16;
Zern, Leif. ‘Vägen till mellangärdet’ [The road to the diaphragm]. Expr., 22 October 1990, p. 4-5.
Translations
Chinese: Baigeman lun dianyin. (Taipei: Yuanliu chuban gongsi, 1994), 350 pp.;
Danish: Billeder, tr. J. Stegelmann. (Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof, 1990), 435 pp;
also in (Copenhagen: Bogklubben 12 bøger, 1991), 435 pp.;
Dutch: Beelden: een leven in films, tr. K. Woudstra. (Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1992), 433
pp.;
English: Images: My life in film, tr. M. Ruuth. (New York: Arcade Publishers, 1994), 442
pp. and (London: Bloomsbury, 1994), 442 pp.;

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Estonian: Pildid. (Tallinn: Eesti Raamat, 1995), 367 pp, and Kartiny. (Tallinn: Alexandra,
1997);
Finnish: Kuvasta kuuvan, tr. H. Eskelinen. (Helsinki: Otava, 1991), 399 pp.;
French: Images, tr. C.G. Bjurström, L. Albertini. (Paris: Gallimard, 1992), 407 pp.;
German: Bilder, tr. J. Scherzer. (Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 1991), 378 pp.;
Hungarian: Képek, tr. K. Lcaszli. (Budapest: Europa, 1992), 390 pp.;
Italian: Immagini, tr. R. Pavese. (Milano: Garzanti, 1992), 406 pp.;
Norwegian: Bilder, tr. A. Amlie. (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1991), 437 pp.;
Polish: Obrazy, tr. T. Szczepański. (Warszawa: Wydawnictwa artystyczne i filmove,
1993), 439 pp.;
Portugese: Imagens, tr. A. Pastor. (Sao Paolo: Martin Fontes, 1996), 441 pp.;
Russian: Bilder was excerpted under title ‘Kartiny’ in seven issues of Iskusstvo Kino, no. 1-
7 (January-July 1993);
Serbo-Croatian: Slike, tr. L. Rajic. (Novi Sad: Promety, 1996), 338 pp.
Spanish: Imagenes, tr. J.Uriz Torres, F. Uriz. (Barcelona: Tusquets, 1992), 371 pp.

189. Ingmar Bergman, Seminar at Svenska Filmklipparförbundet [Swedish Film Editors

Association], 16 December 1990. Typewritten manuscript available at SFI.
Bergman discusses his editing experiences.

1991
190. ‘Backanterna’. Text adaptation by Ingmar Bergman for his staging of Euripides’s
play as an opera. Text is available as special program, Royal Opera, Stockholm.

191. Den goda viljan. (Stockholm: Norstedt. New edition: MånPocket, 1992), 394 pp.
First handwritten version of ‘Den goda viljan’ is dated 1988; last, typed version 1990 (2 Feb-
ruary), with subtitle ‘Fyra Akter av Ingmar Bergman’ [Four Acts by Ingmar Bergman]. Among
Fårö papers. Den goda viljan (Best Intentions) is a narrative of Bergman’s parents as young
adults. Their story takes place during ten years prior to Ingmar Bergman’s birth in 1918. It was
made into a film, directed by Bille August.
Reception (of the book)
‘The yet unborn child Ingmar Bergman is swishing about in the narrative’s fetal water, as if he
saw the whole thing from within the womb’ [Det ännu ofödda barnet Ingmar Bergman ligger
och skvalpar i berättelsens fostervatten, som såg han alltsammans inifrån livmodern]. Sverker
Andréason’s (GP) imaginative description of Ingmar Bergman’s narrative position in his novel
Den goda viljan sums up the focus among reviewers: the author was both an astute observer
and an empathetic participant in the drama about his parents up to the time of his own birth.
Many critics read the book as Bergman’s search to understand himself through his parents in a
portrait of them that was part fact, part fable. (See Kollberg, Westling, Zern) The book was seen
as Bergman’s attempt to understand and become reconciled with his parentage, a process that
had started with Laterna magica.
Bergman calls Den goda viljan a novel, but reviewers preferred to see it as a script or a play of
epic and dramatic dimensions; they pointed to the predominance of dialogue and referred to
descriptive passages as stage directions filled with color, smell, and physical presence or as a
form of visualizing fiction. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s prose is seeing’, wrote Leif Zern. ‘It comes quite

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close to the characters, depicting – not the emotion itself but its background; the result is both
very clear and inexplicable’. [Ingmar Bergmans prosa är seende. Den kommer helt nära perso-
nerna och beskriver – inte själva känslan men dess bakgrund; resultatet är både mycket tydligt
och oförklarligt.] Leif Zern, who referred to Den goda viljan as ‘one of the most moving love
stories in Swedish literature’ [en av de mest rörande kärleksberättelserna i svensk litteratur],
described Bergman’s approach as that of a director instructing his actors. Events were described
for the readers by an involved observer who retained a unique objectivity ‘as if we were face to
face with facts that openly reveal their secret’ [som om vi var ansikte mot ansikte med fakta som
öppet avslöjar sin hemlighet]. Lars Olof Franzén – somewhat more lukewarm to the work but
intrigued by its narrative method – suggested that Bergman forced the reader to participate as
an ‘actor’ by using a technique characteristic of Bergman’s manipulative filmmaking.
Den goda viljan confirmed the critical reception of Laterna magica. Ingmar Bergman was
recognized as a major writer in Swedish literature: ‘Best Intentions is a new artistic conquest for
Ingmar Bergman. As an innovative love novel it will become incorporated in Swedish literary
history’ [Den goda viljan är en ny konstnärlig landvinning för IB. Som en nydanande kärleksro-
man kommer den att införlivas med den svenska litteraturhistorien] (Magnus Brohult, SvD).
Another reviewer (Aghed, SDS) concluded that ‘as a literary creation, the book ‘Den goda
viljan’ stands securely and extremely convincingly on its own’ [Som litterär skapelse står boken
‘Den goda viljan’ stabilt och ytterst övertygande på egna ben].
Reviews, Swedish
Aghed, Jan. ‘Den goda viljans genuine arvtagare’ [The real inheritor of good intentions]. SDS, 4
December 1991, p. A 4;
Andreasson, Sverker. ‘Ljuset som förvandlar’ [The light that transforms], GP, 2 December 1991,
p. 4;
Brohult, Magnus. ‘Förnämligt verk om de stora livsfrågorna’ [Superb work about the big
questions in life]. SvD, 2 December 1991, sec. 2, p. 2;
Franzén, Lars-Olof. ‘Bergman berättarglad men ofarlig’ [B a happy narrator but harmless]. DN,
December 1991, p. B1;
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Släktkrönika om starka viljor och självutgivande kärlek’ [Family chronicle
about strong wills and self-exposing love]. UNT, 24 December 1991, p. 12;
Westling, Barbro. ‘Drömmen om att äntligen bli sedd’ [The dream of being seen at last]. AB, 2
December 1991, p. 4-5;
Zern, Leif. ‘Tystnad, tagning kärleksroman’ [Silence, take, love novel]. Expr., 2 December 1991,
p. 4.
Reviews, Foreign
‘Goede bedoelingen’. Groene Amsterdammer, 6 January 1993.
Translations
Czech: Dobrca veáule. (Praha: Argo-Panda, 1992), 415 pp.;
Danish: Den gode vilje, tr. A. Feilberg. (Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof, 1991), 228
pp; also in (Copenhagen: Bogklubben 12 bøger, 1992), 288 pp.;
Dutch: Goede bedoelingen: roman, tr. K. Woudstra. (Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1992), 377
pp.;
English: The Best intentions, tr. Joan Tate. (New York: Arcade Publ. and London: Harvill,
1993), 295 pp.;
Finnish: Hyvö tato, tr. M. Kyrö. (Helsinki: Otava, 1992);
French: Les meilleures intentions, tr. C.G. Bjurström, L. Albertini. (Paris: Gallimard,
1994), 482 pp.;

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German: Die besten Absichten, tr. H. Gimler. (Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 1993), 435 pp;
new ed. 1996, 436 pp.;
Greek: Hoi kalyteres protheseis, tr. A. Konidarëe, N. Serbetas. (Athens: Synchronaëe
epochëe, 1995), 361 pp.;
Hungarian: A legjobb szçandekok. (Budapest: Europa, 1993), 394 pp.;
Italian: Con le migliori intenzioni, tr. C.G. Cima. (Milano: Garzanti, 1994), 332 pp.;
Japanese: Ai no feukei, tr. O. Shinji. (Tokyo: Sekaibunka-sha, 1993), 430 pp.;
Korean: Choeseon-eui-e kido (Soeul: Hang gyeror, 1993), 373 pp.;
Norwegian: Den gode viljen, tr. G. Malmström. (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1991), 317 pp.;
Polish: Dobre chęci, tr. H. Thylwe. (Warszawa: Czytelnik, 1995), 326 pp.;
Russian: Blagie namerenija, tr. A. Afinogenova. (Moskva: Chudozjestvennaja literatura,
1996), 300 pp.;
Slovakian: Dobrca vueëla (Bratislava: Vydavat eelstvo, 1993), 326 pp.;
Spanish: Las mejores intenciones, tr. M. Torres. (Barcelona: Tusquets, 1992), 331 pp, and
(Barcelona: Circulo de lectores, 1993), 413 pp.

1992
192. ‘Söndagsbarn. 3 akter för bio’ [Sunday’s Child. Three acts for the cinema].
(1992). Film script.
Script II at SFI, 123 pp. Copyright: Cinematograph AB, Fårö.
Script II, at SFI, 216 pp. This longer version is a breakdown of original script (above) into 679
takes, with titles. Script includes one comment by director (Daniel Bergman) that he plans to
include shots of mural paintings from Det sjunde inseglet/The Seventh Seal (church sequence) in
young boy Pu’s visit to an old church where his father is to preach.
The first Script II above is the text used for publication of Söndagsbarn (Stockholm: Norstedt,
1993), 123 pp.
Söndagsbarn (Sunday’s Child) is a portrait of the boy Pu (Ingmar Bergman’s nickname) at
age eight. Pu is described in ways that bring to mind the boy in Persona: ‘His look is somewhat
sleepy, his cheeks childishly full and his mouth half open, probably adenoids’ [Uppsynen är
något sömnig, kinderna barnsligt fylliga och munnen halvöppen, troligen polyper]. Ingmar
Bergman’s text is a novelistic narrative rather than shooting script, sometimes kept in a hu-
morous ‘literary’ style, as when comparing the pastor who built the Bergman family’s rented
summer house to Noah and his Ark. ‘Noah was not a builder either but strictly speaking a
good-natured, somewhat alcoholic tugboat skipper on the Euphrates’ [Noa var inte heller
någon byggare utan strängt taget en godmodig, något alkoholiserad pråmskeppare på Eufrat].
Söndagsbarn is both a novella and a piece of autobiography, with an author who interrupts
the narrative to comment on it. Pu’s story is interwoven with flashforwards to an adult Ingmar
Bergman visiting his aging and dying father. In a note Bergman called Söndagsbarn ‘an exactly
retold memory.... the closest to anything I have ever dared to come’ [ett exakt återberättat
minne.... det närmaste jag vågat komma någonting någon gång].
Reception (of book)
‘Who would have thought’, wrote one reviewer (Ström), ‘that one could again be fascinated by
the rounds in the Bergman family?’ [Vem kunde tro att man åter skulle kunna fängslas av
turerna i den bergmanska familjen?] Once more, Bergman’s stylistic and narrative skills amazed
Swedish critics: ‘Here a language is born that more and more bears the genuine signs of
authorship; clear and lucid and [...] reflected in an unmistakable desire to tell stories’ [Här
föds ett språk som alltmer bär författarskapets äkta kännetecen; klart och genomlyst; [...]

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speglad i en omisskännlig lust att fabulera], wrote Asta Bolin in Vår lösen. She was seconded by
Eva Ström in SDS: ‘Bergman’s strength as an author lies in his self-evident confidence, knowing
that he will be able to spellbind and seduce an audience with his words. More than a literary
text, his story feels like it was brought to the reader orally, which is both unusual and refreshing
today’ [Bs styrka som författare är den självklara trygghet han har i förvissningen att han skall
kunna trollbinda och förföra ett auditorium med sina ord. Mer än som en litterär text känns
hans berättelse som muntligt framförd till läsaren, både ovanligt och uppfriskande i dag]. Some
even felt that Söndagsbarn was superior to Den goda viljan, more stringent and less wordy. What
was emphasized in particular was Bergman’s ability to juxtapose very concrete and evocative
vignettes, filled with color and smell, and to write dramatic dialogues signalling the dark forces
at work underneath an idyllic summer landscape.
The film version of Söndagsbarn (directed by Daniel Bergman, son of Ingmar Bergman and
Käbi Laretei) premiered prior to the publication of the book. Critics who compared the two
usually preferred the elder Bergman’s literary work (see Hansell, Expr. and Palmqvist, Arb).
Reviews (of book)
Andersson, Gunder. ‘Långt farväl till pappa’ [Long farewell to daddy]. AB, 25 January 1993, p. 4;
Andréason, Sverker. ‘En färd som försonar’ [A journey that reconciles]. GP, 25 January 1993, p.
4;
Axelsson, Bo. ‘Söndagsbarn’. Tidningen Boken, no. 2, 1993, pp. 7-8;
Bolin, Asta. ‘Den faderlöse fadern’ [The fatherless father]. Vår lösen, no. 2, 1993, pp. 99-100;
Brohult, Magnus. ‘Dödens oupphörliga närvaro’ [Death’s constant presence]. SvD, 25 January
1993, p. 22;
Ekbom, Torsten. ‘Ingmar Bergman tillbaka till det skrivna ordet’ [IB back to the written word].
DN, 25 January 1993, p. B1-B2;
Elam, Ingrid. ‘Berättelse från ett oändligt avstånd’ [Story from an immense distance]. GT/KvP,
25 January 1993, p. 4;
Hansell, Sven. ‘Metmask och högmässa’ [Fishing worm and Sunday sermon]. Expr., 25 January
1993, p. 4;
Kollberg, Bo Ingvar. ‘Självbilden hos ett söndagsbarn’ [The self-portrait of a Sunday child].
UNT, 8 February 1993, p. 10;
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Skimrande barndomsskildring’ [Shimmering childhood tale]. Arb, 25 January
1993, national ed., p. 4;
Ström, Eva. ‘Uppfriskande Bergman’ [Refreshing Bergman]. SDS, 25 January 1993, p. A4;
See also review article by Magnus Bergh, ‘Flodens sång: Dalälven från Selma Lagerlöf till Ingmar
Bergman’ [The song of the river: The Dala River from Selma Lagerlöf to IB]. BLM, no. 5, 1993,
pp. 39-41.
Translations
Czech: Nedelnaatka, tr. Z. Cernçik. (Praha: Volvox Globator, 1995), 78 pp.;
Danish: Søndagsbarn, tr. A. Feilberg. (Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof, 1993), 101 pp.;
Dutch: Zondagskinderen, tr. K. Woudstra. (Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1994), 140 pp.; also
(Den Haag: Stichting Kitgeverij, 1996), 157 pp.;
English: Sunday’s Children, tr. Joan Tate. (New York: Arcade Publ., 1994), 153 pp, and
(London: Harvill, 1994), 107 pp.;
Estonian: P hapäevalapsed. (Tallinn: Perioodika, 1997);
Finnish: Sunnuntailapsi, tr. M. Kyrö. (Helsinki: Otava, 1993), 138 pp.;
French: Enfants du dimanche, tr. C. G. Bjurström. (Paris: Gallimard, 1995), 155 pp.;
German: Sonntagskinder, tr. V. Reichel. (Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 1996), 160 pp.;

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Hungarian: Vascarnapi gyerekek (Budapest: Europa könyvkichi, 1994), 131 pp.;

Italian: Nati di domenica, tr. G. Cima. (Milano: Garzanti), 1993, 144 pp.;
Norwegian: Søndagsbarn, tr. A. Amlie. (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1993), 114 pp.;
Polish: Niedzielne dziecko, tr. H. Thylwe. (Warszawa: Prószyński i Ska, 1994), 100 pp.;
Portugese: Filhos de domingo, tr. I. Ribero. (Lisboa: Difel, 1995), 165 pp.;
Slovakian: Nedeliatko. (Bratislava: H & H, 1995), 134 pp.;
Spanish: Niños del domingo, tr. M. Torres. (Barcelona: Tusquets, 1994 and 1996), 142 pp.

1993
193. ‘Sista skriket. En lätt tintad moralitet’ [The Last Scream/The Last Gasp. A
Slightly Tinted Morality Play].
Undated manuscript of one-act play, SFI Archives. Includes pasted stills from the silent cinema
and a note referring to ‘Dramatens produktionsplan, söndagen den 24 januari 1993. Pjäs av I.
Bergman på Lilla scenen avsedd för säsongen 1996/97’ [Dramaten production plan, Sunday 24
January 1993. Play by I. Bergman on the Small Stage intended for the 1996/97 season].
Play depicts the encounter between Swedish filmmaker from the silent era, Georg af Klercker,
and film producer Charles Magnuson. The play premiered at the Swedish Film Institute’s
Cinema Victor in connection with the showing of the SFI restoration of two silent films by
Klercker. It was also performed a few times in Göteborg, Malmö, and Dramaten. (See Theatre
Chapter, Ø 474). It was also televised (see Media Chapter, Ø 338) and published in special
Bergman insert in Chaplin, vol. xxxv, no. 3, 1993, pp.19-26. ‘Sista skriket’ is also included in 1994
volume titled Femte akten (Ø 195).

1994
194. ‘Enskilda samtal.’ [Private Confessions/Conversations]
Script I, marked ‘Konfidentiellt’ in SFI Archive, 173 pp. Dated at the beginning of script ‘Fårö
1 juni 1994’ and at end ‘8 juni 1994.’ Script I is the text used for published version of Enskilda
samtal (Stockholm: Norstedt, 1996), 166 pp. New Månpocket edition in 1997.
Script II at SFI, 41 pp. plus 1 p. This is basically a dialogue manuscript and marked as the final
TV script, dated 5 May 1997. The script was made into a television film, directed by Liv
Ullmann. (See Ø 340), Media chapter.
Enskilda samtal (Private Conversations/Private Confessions) is a novel about Ingmar Bergman’s
mother, here called Anna Bergman. The book’s title refers to the Lutheran alternative to
Catholic confession: Anna Bergman has five private conversations with her pastor Jacob, whom
she has known since her first communion. The occasion is a marital crisis in her life: she has
fallen in love with a young theologian. At one point the narrator intercepts the conversations
with hesitant questions to himself. See introduction to this chapter. For genesis of novel, see
Christina Rosenqvist, ‘Karin Bergman & kärleken’ [Karin Bergman and love]. Vi, no. 47-48,
1996, pp. 59-62.
Reception (of book)
Like all of Ingmar Bergman’s films and books rooted in his childhood, Enskilda samtal was seen
by the critics as circling around two essential questions: Bergman’s relationship with his parents
and his questions of faith and doubt. His empathy with his subject, Anna Bergman, and her
unhappy life was felt to be so close to self-identification that one reviewer suggested a para-

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phrase of Flaubert’s famous phrase about his creation, Madame Bovary: ‘Anna, c’est moi’.
(Elensky)
With a language that one critic (Enander) called ‘brilliantly suggestive’ [briljant suggestivt],
Bergman emerged as ‘one of our country’s really great authors’ [en av vårt lands verkligt stora
författare]. Another reviewer (Schottenius, Expr.) called Enskilda samtal ‘autobiographical
grains of sand that take on a pearly glow in new mussel shells’ [självbiografiska sandkorn
som får en pärleglans i nya musselskal]. Like a mantra, reviewers repeated that in his focus
on images, cues and stage directions, Bergman revealed his filmmaking basis in his literary
works: ‘All that is, is visible. All that is said is spoken’ [Allt som är är synligt. Allt som sägs är
talat] (Schottenius). In fact a number of reviewers had a hard time separating Bergman’s literary
text from their own memories of his films. There was also a sense that Bergman had become his
own prisoner, forever returning to his childhood past (Jonsson). The reviewer in SvD (Elensky)
likened him to a snake in a new skin that had not completely shed its old.
Book Reviews
Elensky, Torbjörn. ‘Återigen nya masker för nya taskspelare’ [Once more new masks for new
entertainers]. SvD, 11 November 1997, p. 26;
Enander, Christer. ‘Bergmans hemlighet’ [Bergman’s secret]. Tidningen Boken, no. 1-3, 1997, p. 3;
Haryson, Kajsa. ‘Enskilda samtal’. Femina månadsmagasin, no. 12, 1996, p. 122;
Jonsson, Stefan. ‘Fånge i sitt eget hem’ [Prisoner in his own home]. DN, 11 November 1996, p. B2;
Lutz, Volke. ‘Ein Seitensprung macht die Ehe zur Hölle’. Berliner Morgenpost, 25 April 1997;
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Den sanna kärleken överlever inte sanningen’ [True love does not survive
truth]. Arbetet Nyheterna, 11 November 1996, national ed., p. 4;
Rudvall, Agneta. ‘Enskilda samtal’, Svenska kyrkans tidning, no. 48, 1996, p. 3;
Schottenius, Maria. ‘Lögn och bikt’ [Lies and confession]. Expr., 11 November 1996, p. 4;
Tunbäck-Hansson, Monika. ‘Regissören vinner över författaren’ [The director wins over the
author]. GP, 11 November 1996, p. 37;
Westling, Barbro. ‘Mamma än en gång’ [Mom once more]. AB, 11 November 1996, p. 5.
Translations
Danish: Personlige samtaler, tr. A. Feilberg. (Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof, 1996).
151 pp.;
Dutch: Vertrouwelijke Gesprekken, tr. Karst Woudstra. (Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1997),
159 pp.;
English: Private confessions, tr. Joan Tate (London: Harvill, 1996 and New York: Arcade
Publ., 1997), 161 pp.;
Finnish: Yksitysiä keskusteljuja, tr. H. Thylwe (Helsinki: Otava, 1996);
French: Entretiens privés, tr. Alain Gnaedig. (Paris: Gallimard, 1997), 167 pp.;
German: Einzelgespräche, tr. V. Reichel. (München: Hanser, 1996), 188 pp; new ed.
(Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 2001), 152 pp.;
Hungarian: Öt vallompas, tr. K. Lasszlo. (Budapest: Europa, 1996), 162 pp.;
Norwegian: Fortrolige samtaler, tr. K.O. Jensen. (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1996), 135 pp.;
Polish: Rozmowy poufne. (Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Warszawskie, 1996), 147 pp.

195. Femte akten. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1994, 175 pp.

Contains the following works: ‘Monolog’ [Monologue]; ‘Efter repetitionen’ [After the Rehear-
sal]; ‘Sista skriket’ [The Last Gasp/The Last Scream]; ‘Larmar och gör sig till’ [In the Presence of
a Clown].

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 List of Bergman’s Written Work

‘Monolog’ is a personal preface in which Bergman talks about his approach to the written
word. The remaining three works are written in dialogue form. ‘Efter Repetitionen’ became a
TV film, see (Ø 332); ‘Sista skriket’ a theatre and TV play see (Ø 474) and (Ø 338); and ‘Larmar
och gör sig till’ a TV film (see Ø 340), Media Chapter V. The book title is a reference to Ibsen’s
Peer Gynt where death (‘The Passenger’) in the last act jokes with Peer: ‘One does not die in the
middle of the fifth act.’
All of the works included in Bergman’s Femte akten have in common that they deal with
emotional and professional finales: an aging director summing up his views of his profession; a
has-been filmmaker dismissed by his producer; a would-be cinematographic inventor whose
grand performance ends in a short circuit explosion.
Reception
Almost all reviews consisted of plot and theme summaries of the works in the volume and had
few comments about Bergman as an author, except for references to his skills as a writer of
dialogue.
Book Reviews
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Konsten trotsar döden’ [Art defies death]. GP, 31 October 1994, p. 40;
Davidsson, Katarina. ‘Femte akten’. Montage, no. 35-36, 1995, p. 76;
Larsson, Lisbeth. ‘Fem akter är fler än fyra dramer’ [Five acts are more than four dramas].
Expr., 26 November 1995, p. 4;
Munkhammar, Birgit. ‘Det luktar och knarrar teater’ [It smells and creaks of theatre]. DN, 31
October 1994, p. B2;
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Fredsfördrag med levandet’ [Peace treaty with life]. Arbetet Nyheterna, 24
October 1994, national ed., p. 5;
Ring, Lars. ‘Filosofi, dödsrädsla och tarvligheter’ [Philosophy, fear of death and vulgarities].
SvD, 10 February 1995, p. 24;
Westling, Barbro. ‘En demon har blivit ödmjuk’ [A demon has humbled]. AB, 31 October 1994,
p. 4.
Translations include
English: The Fifth Act, tr. by Linda Rugg and Joan Tate. (New York: The New Press,
2001), 152 pp.;
French: Le cinquième acte, tr. C.G. Bjurström. (Paris: Gallimard, 1997). Also published
in L’Avant Scène du Cinéma, no. 394 (July 1990): 3-75 (with an analysis by Alain
Bergala and a filmography);
German: ‘Larmar och gör sig till’ is translated as ‘In Gegenwart eines Clowns’ in Ingmar
Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 754-830;
Hungarian: Az ötödik felvongas, tr. K Lasszlo. (Budapest: Europa, 1995), 171 pp.;
Polish: Piekąty akt, tr. E. Niewiarowska. (Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Warszawskie, 1997).

1998
196. 3 för en. Den goda viljan, Söndagsbarn, Enskilda samtal. (Stockholm: Nor-
stedt, 1998).
Swedish paperback volume of Best Intentions, Sunday’s Child, and Private Conversations.

197. ‘Vous voulez être comédien?’ Positif, no. 447 (May 1998): 62-64. (See Ø 77), 1951.

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 Chapter II The Writer

2000
198. Bergmans 1900-tal. En hyllning till svensk film, från Victor Sjöström till
Lukas Moodysson. (Göteborg: Göteborg Film Fesival), no pag. With a preface by
Gunnar Bergdahl. English edition titled Twentieth Century of Bergman (!), also pro-
duced by Göteborg Film Festival.
Bergman selects and comments on 35 Swedish films made in the 1900s.

199. Föreställningar. Trolösa, En själslig angelägenhet, Kärlek utan älskare

(Stockholm: Norstedt, 2000), 296 pp.
This volume contains three ‘performances’ [föreställningar] by Bergman, three ‘scores’ for
films. The first one (Trolösa/Faithless) was made into a film directed by Liv Ullmann (see
Filmography, (Ø 259). The second one (En själslig angelägenhet/A Matter of the Soul) became
a radio play; and the third one (Kärlek utan älskare/Love without Lovers) was never produced at
all.
‘Trolösa’ (pp. 5-126), dedicated to ‘Lena och Liv’ [actress Lena Endre and director Liv
Ullmann], is dated Fårö 10 September 1997 and is preceded by a motto, a quote from playwright
Bobo Strauss: ‘No form of common failure, neither illness nor ruin nor professional adversity,
gives such a cruel and deep echo in the subconscious as a divorce. It touches directly at the
roots of all anguish and revives it. With a single stroke a divorce penetrates as deeply as life itself
will reach.’
‘En själslig angelägenhet’ (pp. 127-58), dated Fårö 11 August 1972, is a monologue (broadcast
in 1990) by a woman on the verge of a breakdown. (Also listed in Ø 149)
The third text, ‘Kärlek utan älskare’ (pp. 159-296) was written in Munich and dated 4 March
1978. According to Bergman’s prefatory note it was refused by several film production compa-
nies. Printed text is dated Stockholm, 20 December 1999. The story tells of film director Marco
Hoffmann who has disappeared, leaving behind some fragments for a film. The editor Anna
Bergman tries to make a cohesive feature out of the material (the manuscript is gone). A
projection room displays sixteen undressing girls. Spectators buy time in a slot machine to
watch them. Peter Egerman visits one of them, Ka. An interim vignette presents a variation of a
classical love myth, Philemon and Baucis, an old married couple who don’t want to be sepa-
rated in death and are turned into a tree. The next scene shows a court theatre; excerpts from
Shakespeare’s The Tempest are performed. Peter works in Ludwigswerke, gets involved in busi-
ness machinations, buys out a newspaper editor. At a party he shoots Bauer, a police chief, and
is himself shot by Wolfgang, Bauer’s 12-year-old son. Back in the projection room, Marco
returns and puts a match to the reels. The ‘film’ goes up in smoke.
Reception
Reviews were more critical but also more perceptive than in the reception of Bergman’s pre-
vious collection of prose works, Femte akten. The focus was on Bergman’s fictional world, the
closed bourgeois room, and on his dramaturgical structure. The three pieces in the volume
were seen as a progression: From ‘faithless’ role-playing to the madhouse and the world of
creative chaos, and from a conventionally constructed realistic relationship drama in Trolösa to
a surreal inner-directed conflict in En själslig angelägenhet and a grotesque political caricature in
Kärlek utan älskare. Almost all reviewers regretted that Kärlek utan älskare had been rejected by
film producers (though Bergman used part of the story in From the Life of the Marionettes) and
suggested that this work in particular might have led him to pursue a new track in his
filmmaking rather than the classical route of bourgeois drama.

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 List of Bergman’s Written Work

Several reviewers pointed out that a reader’s reaction to such works as Femte akten and
Föreställningar was inevitably influenced by the faces of Bergman’s actors in his earlier film
and theatre productions. This implies a critical change from the response to such earlier
Bergman publications as Den goda viljan, Söndagsbarn, and Enskilda samtal, where reviewers
often stressed the autonomy of the literary text.
Book Reviews
Lindblom, Sisela. ‘Kött och blod bland boksidorna’ [Flesh and blood on the book pages]. DN 11
September 2000, p. B1;
Olsson, Ulf. ‘Bordellens bilder’ [Images of the brothel]. Expr., 11 September 2000, p. 4;
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Kunde ha inlett en ny epok’ [Could have inaugurated a new epoch]. Arb, 11
September 2000, p. 7;
Ström, Eva. ‘Hur bryter man sig ur det Bergmanska mörkret?’ [How does one break out of
Bergmanian darkness?]. SDS, 16 September 2000, p. A4;
Tjäder, Per Arne. ‘I det sammanpressade rummet’ [In the compressed room]. GP, 11 September
2000, p. 36;
Westling, Barbro. ‘Försoning? Aldrig i livet’ [Reconciliation? Never in your life]. AB, 11 Sep-
tember 2000, p. 5;
Wickbom, Kaj. ‘Föreställningar’ [Performances]. Filmrutan, no. 4, 2000, pp. 42-43.
Translations
Danish: Forestillinger, tr. by Ib Lindberg & Lise Skafte Jensen. (Copenhagen: Lindhardt
og Ringhof, 2000), 224 pp.;
English: Translation of ‘En själslig angelägenhet’ by Eivor Martinus titled ‘A Matter of
the Soul’, appeared in New Swedish Plays, ed. by Gunilla Anderman. (Norwich,
East Anglia: Norvik Press, 1992), pp. 33-64;
French: Une affaire d’âme, tr. by Vincent Fournier. (Paris: Cahiers du Cinéma, 2002),
320 pp. Includes, besides title text, a translation of Trolösa (Infidèles) and Kärlek
utan älskare (Amour sans amants).
German: Translation of Trolösa was published under title ‘Treulose’ in Ingmar Bergman.
Im Bleistift-Ton, ed. by Renate Bleibtreu, 2002, pp. 754-830.

2001
200. Gengångare. Ett familjedrama av Henrik Ibsen. Adaptation and Translation by
Ingmar Bergman. With an afterword by Ingmar Bergman. Dated Fårö in May 2001.
Printed in Dramaten Program 10 for 2001-2002. Stockholm: Dramaten, 2002.
See Commentary to 2002 production of Gengångare (Ghosts), (Ø 487), theatre chapter VI.

2003
201. ‘Saraband’. Script for TV feature film, directed by Ingmar Bergman. Televised on 1
December, 2003. Saraband was published by Norstedt (Stockholm: 2003), 107 pp.
Working title was also ‘Anna’. Original title – ‘Saraband’ – refers to Bach’s fugue. In a press
interview on 28 January 2002, Bergman presented the story as a free-standing continuation of
Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage), using the same actors – Erland Josephson and
Liv Ullmann – as in the 1973 TV version (see Ø 343), media chapter (V).

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 Chapter II The Writer

Translations
French: Sarabande, tr. by Vincent Fournier. With a preface by Jacques Aumont. Paris:
Edition des Cahiers du Cinéma, 2004-2005, 112 p.

2004
201a. ‘Sommarprataren’ [Summer speaker]. Radio talk. SR, 18 July 2004.
Bergman talks about his musical taste and the importance of music in his life and work.
Available for purchase on CD from SR.

201b. Tre dagböcker [Three diaries]. With Marie von Rosen. Stockholm: Norstedt, 2004.
Three diaries kept separately by Bergman, his wife Ingrid, and their daughter Maria during
Ingrid’s terminal illness in 1995. The diaries were edited by Bergman and Maria.

128
Bergman’s real international breakthrough as a filmmaker came with The Seventh Seal
(1956) and established him as a screen director whose personal vision focused on
metaphysical and religious issues. The still photo is taken during the shooting of the
film, as Bergman is seen talking with the figure of Death (Bengt Ekerot).
Photo: Gunnar Fischer. Courtesy: Svensk Filmindustri (SF)
 Chapter III

The Filmmaker
To follow a highly visible and prolific artist’s production is to partake in the making of
a creative persona, which may undergo different metamorphoses over the years,
depending upon the kind and degree of mythmaking that particular cultural contexts
help formulate. The public image of a young Ingmar Bergman in the emerging
Swedish folkhem of the 1940s differs from the critical view of him in the politicized
1960s or the portrait of him as an aging artistic giant in the early 21st century. For just
as personalities change and develop over the years, so do the esthetic and cultural
interpretations of such personalities. Yet, in the case of Ingmar Bergman, the object
himself has helped solidify his image through his own ability to shape his life into a
legend.
One expressive aspect of his self-created persona lies in the way Bergman has used,
again and again, his own childhood games as an entryway into an imaginary land-
scape. To the filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, a toy projector in the nursery closet
harbored features that would become important to him as a screen artist. In his essay
from 1954 ‘Det att göra film’, he writes about the lifelong spell of his ‘little rickety
projector’and about his sensuous recollection of his first encounter with it:
It was my first magic box. [...] I have often wondered what fascinated me and still fascinates
me in the same way. Something can occur to me in the film studio, or in the darkness of the
editing room, when I have the small frame in front of me and the film strip running
through my fingers, or during the fantastic birth process of mixing and the finished film
slowly unveils its face.

[Det blev min första trollerilåda. [...] Jag har ofta undrat över vad som fängslade mig så
restlöst. Och vad det är som fortfarande fängslar mig på exakt samma sätt. Det kan komma
över mig i ateljén eller i klipprummets skymning, då jag har den lilla bilden framför mig och
filmbandet löpande mellan mina fingrar, eller under mixningens fantastiska födelseprocess,
då den färdiga filmen långsamt avtäcker sitt ansikte.]

To Bergman his childhood projector came to signify a number of important aspects of

the film medium. First and foremost his ‘rickety’ toy suggested the magic of move-
ment. As in classical philosophy, motion became associated with the life process itself.
There was something miraculous just in his being able to initiate movement with

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mechanical means and thus simulate life. Second, the projected image was both copy
and mimesis, imprint and representation, fake and reality. Third, Bergman’s exposure
to the magic ‘box’ was analogous to his role as a young puppeteer: it gave him the
satisfaction of exerting the rudimentary control of a director, of shaping his own
world. Finally, the overriding importance of the magic lantern lay in its potential to
help him portray and at the same time transcend his own subjective world. Bergman
came to realize quite early that to him the essence of filmmaking lay in its potential to
go beyond the spatial and temporal limits of physical reality and depict an inner
mindscape. In the essay from 1954, ‘Det att göra film’ [What is Filmmaking?], he
speculates about the special power of the film medium:
I cannot help thinking that the medium at my disposal is so fine and complicated that it
should be able to illuminate the human soul more strongly, to reveal more ruthlessly, cover
new realms of reality of which we are still ignorant. Maybe we should even be able to find a
crack through which to penetrate the twilight land of suprareality...

[Det är en tanke jag inte kan värja mig för att jag sysslar med ett medium som är så
raffinerat att vi skulle kunna belysa människosjälen oändligt mycket skarpare, avslöja ännu
hänsynslösare, inmuta helt nya domäner i verkligheten åt vår kännedom. Kanske skulle vi
till och med finna en springa att tränga oss ut i öververklighetens skymningsland...]

Filmmaking: Enter the Magician

In keeping with his assessment of the magic potential of the film medium, Ingmar
Bergman’s earliest attempts at defining his position as a filmmaker centered on the
role of fantasy in the cinema. In a 1946 talk in a film club at Uppsala University, when
Bergman was at the very beginning of his film career, he attacked the new realism in
the American cinema and advocated a return to ‘magic’ and ‘illusionism’. He for-
mulated his views as an homage to Georges Méliès, ‘the first imaginative artist in the
cinema’ [den första fantasifulla konstnären inom filmen], who, in a bold and naïve
way, had challenged the use of the camera as a documentary recorder of reality. Méliès
was a practicing magician turned filmmaker. Though technically primitive compared
to modern film projection facilities, his apparatus embodied the essence of filmmak-
ing as a popular rather than sophisticated art. It is an approach defended by Bergman:
There is nothing shameful or degrading about the cinema having been at one time a form of
peep show entertainment, a clown and conjuring act. But it is wrong and denigrating to
deny its origin and make it lose its sense of magic and its clowning qualities, which are so
stimulating to our imagination.

[Det är inte fel och förnedrande för filmen att den ursprungligen varit ett marknadsnöje, ett
gyckel och taskspeleri, men det är fel och förnedrande att den förnekar detta sitt ursprung.
Att den håller på att förlora sin magi och sina fantasieggande gycklaregenskaper.]
(‘Det förtrollade marknadsnöjet’, Biografbladet 28, no. 3, 1947, p. 149).
Bergman’s somewhat defensive tone might be juxtaposed to the role of the cinema at
the time. Whether viewed as an escapist medium or valued for its potential as a

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 Swedish Filmmaking during Bergman’s Formative Years

serious social and psychological medium, the cinema was deemed to be an inferior
form of cultural expression that could not compete with the theatre in terms of
elegance, depth, or poetry. As one of the leading film and theatre critics in Sweden
at the time (and one of Bergman’s early supporters), Nils Beyer once wrote:
There is no romantic glow about the camera, the celluloid and the projector. [...] The
cinema cannot compete with the theatre as dream, playfulness or imaginative vision. [...]
Practically all movies we see are filmed naturalistic theatre.

[Det finns ingen romantisk glöd kring kameran, celluloiden och projektorn. Filmen kan inte
tävla med teatern som dröm, lekfullhet eller fantasifull vision. [...] Praktiskt taget alla filmer
vi ser är filmad naturalistisk teater.] (En bok om film, 1947).
Bergman, on the other hand, liked to point out from the start that the laterna magica,
as a precursor to the film camera, possessed the capacity to spellbind the viewer and
provide a spectacle of enchantment. In the past, viewers had been drawn like curious
and excited children to the laterna’s magic world. To Bergman an ideal audience was
one that preserved such a childlike willingness to let themselves be ‘duped’. He viewed
himself as a magician whose success was based on an ability to use his apparatus to
put the viewers in an emotionally intense state of mind and ‘make them laugh, scream
with fright, smile, believe in fairy stories, become indignant, feel shocked, charmed..’.
[få den att skratta, skrika av skräck, le, tro på sagor, indigneras, chockeras, bedåras...]
(‘Det att göra film’, 1954, p. 5) The seductive power of the camera would later be made
into a motif in a number of Bergman films. It serves as an important signifier in
Fängelse (1949, Prison), Ansiktet (1959, The Magician/The Face), Fanny och Alexander
(1982), and Larmar och gör sig till (1993, In the Presence of a Clown).

Swedish Filmmaking during Bergman’s Formative Years

To Ingmar Bergman, filmmaking was not only a playful and magical game. It could
also be a painful undertaking, a form of ‘self-combustion and self-effusion, a tape-
worm 2,500 meters long that sucks the life and spirit out of me’ (quoted in Time, 14
March 1962, p. 62). This observation refers both to the taxing filmmaking process
itself and to his own involvement in the script, which has almost always been a form
of personal statement. But Bergman’s description of the filmmaking situation also
refers to the structure of the film industry in Sweden when he entered the field.
Unlike the various subsidized city theatres where he was contracted to work as a
stage director, the cinema dwelt in a more commercial sphere that seemed to follow
the same box office guidelines as Hollywood. The Swedish film industry was in the
hands of private companies that relied on profit for their survival. Their final goal was
clearly expressed, in the alleged words of Olof Andersson, one-time head of Svensk
Filmindustri, the leading film company in Sweden at the time: ‘A good film is a film
that sells.’
Seemingly well aware of the commercial backbone of Swedish filmmaking at the
time, Bergman presented a talk at Lund University in the early 1950s (later to be
developed into the essay ‘Det att göra film’), in which he referred to the industry as a
‘brutal’ enterprise system and likened his own role in the cinema to that of an acrobat

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performing a rope dance, a balancing act prompted by popular demand and by

production company expectations. The filmmaker carried with him his personal skill
and vision, but he also had to appease a whole complex of investors, critics, and
entertainment seekers. Without bringing profits to the film industry coffers, a film-
maker’s magic touch might be dispelled overnight:
If I make [...] two or three films that are economic flops, the producer rightly claims that he
no longer dares invest his money in my talent. Suddenly, I find myself a suspect figure, an
embezzler who will have plenty of time to contemplate the usefulness of his so-called artistic
ambitions. The magician is robbed of his apparatus.

[Om jag således gör [...] två eller tre filmer som innebär ekonomisk förlust, anser produ-
centen med rätta att han inte längre vågar satsa sitt guld på mina talanger. Jag finner mig då
helt plötsligt vara en misstänkt figur, en penningförskingrare, och får god tid att tänka på
vad mina så kallade konstnärliga ambitioner egentligen hade för nytta med sig. Trollkarlen
är berövad sin apparatur.] (‘Det att göra film’, p. 4)
Bergman later acknowledged that during his early years in filmmaking he ‘went on
sawing away very furiously at the very branch I was sitting on’ [sågade väldigt häftigt i
den gren jag satt på] (Bergman om Bergman, p. 63; Eng. Ed. p. 57). He certainly did
not mince his words about the film production industry which, he said, left a film-
maker ‘trampling in a marshland with his nose above the water, a marshland of
economic troubles, conventional attitudes, stupidity, fear, insecurity and confusion’
[står och trampar i ett träsk med näsan ovanför vattnet, ett träsk av ekonomiska
bekymmer, konventionalism, dumhet, rädsla, osäkerhet och virrighet]. He did not
hesitate to rile the production companies for curtailing artistic freedom to safeguard a
lucrative success:
It would be desirable if film producers, as well as other captains of industry, would provide
laboratories for the creative artist. [...] But film producers have only faith in engineers and
imagine, in their stupid reverence, that the salvation of the industry comes about through
technical inventions. [...] I sometimes get a tired desire to accommodate myself and make
myself into what they want me to be, though at the same time I know that this would be the
end and totally meaningless. Therefore, I am glad that I am not born with equal part reason
and guts. [...] Why shouldn’t we scare the film producers? It’s part of their profession to be
scared, they get paid for their ulcers!

[Det vore önskvärt att filmproducenterna såväl som andra fabriksledare ställde laboratorier
till de skapande krafternas förfogande. [...] Men filmproducenterna har bara förtroende för
ingenjörer och inbillar sig med stupid vördnad att industrins räddning går genom tekniska
uppfinningar. [...] Jag får en trött lust att anpassa mig och göra mig sådan man vill ha mig,
samtidigt som jag vet att detta vore slutet och den fullständiga likgiltigheten. Därför är jag
ändå glad att jag inte är född med lika delar förnuft och inälvor. [...] Varför skall man inte
skrämma filmproducenter? Det hör till deras yrke att vara rädda. De har betalt för sina
magsår!] (‘Det att göra film’ p. 8)
Some 40 years later Bergman would depict the somewhat cynical commercial attitude
of the film industry in his one-act stage play, Sista skriket (‘The Last Gasp/Sream’).
Bergman imagines a meeting between Georg af Klercker, a Swedish filmmaker on the

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 Swedish Filmmaking during Bergman’s Formative Years

skid, and the mogul Charles Magnusson, the founder of Svenska Bio (1909), a com-
pany that reconstituted itself in 1919 as Svensk Filmindustri (SF). In the play, Mag-
nusson is not insensitive to the artistic potential of the medium, but he is an
entrepreneur who views a filmmaker’s contribution as an investment. Af Klercker
is really not much to stake his money on at this point. Therefore, Magnusson can
afford to ignore him. Bergman’s assessment of his own situation in the 1940s and
1950s is incorporated into Sista skriket, a fact that he confirmed in a program inter-
view: ‘Since I myself had several times been almost kicked out and dismissed, I really
understand how af Klercker must have felt’ [Eftersom jag själv vid ett flertal tillfällen
nästan hade blivit utsparkad och avskedad, förstår jag verkligen hur af Klercker måste
ha känt det] (see Åhlund, Chaplin, 1992, Ø 926, Interviews).
Magnusson, himself dismissed from his post in the late Twenties, was long gone
when Ingmar Bergman was hired in 1941 in the manuscript department at Svensk
Filmindustri. Gone were the golden years of Swedish filmmaking when the silent
Swedish cinema had established an international reputation with directorial names
like Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller and cinematographer Julius Jaenzon (Mr.
Julius), all of whom had been active in the U.S. Jaenzon’s fate is indicative of the
decline that took place in the 1930s. When Ingmar Bergman entered the scene,
Jaenzon had become an embittered alcoholic whose talent had gone to waste as
the talkies took over and Swedish filmmaking turned to a formula production of
mostly popular so-called ‘pilsner farces’ and elegant ‘champagne’ comedies and melo-
dramas.
The war years, however, offered a different perspective for Swedish film production
companies, since the influx of foreign movies diminished, while the box office de-
mand for new features increased. Filmmakers who had been ostracized in the 1930s
were now invited back. One of them was Alf Sjöberg, who was to direct Bergman’s
first script, ‘Hets’ (1944, Torment/Frenzy). The Swedish cinema also witnessed the
emergence of a new generation of producers who were on the lookout for young
talents. Carl Anders Dymling at SF, Lorens Marmstedt at Terrafilm, and Rune Wal-
dekranz at Sandrews all recognized Bergman’s potential. Victor Sjöström, the grand
old man of the Swedish silent cinema who had returned from Hollywood and become
one of the artistic advisers at SF, also supported Bergman, especially during the
shooting of the first film he directed, Kris (1946). By the early 1950s Bergman had
created a name for himself in the film studio as a determined young film artist whose
will was not easily ignored. As a matter of fact, there was a saying among those who
dwelt within the radius of Bergman’s studio work that ‘what Ingmar wanted, Dymling
always wanted, the producers always wanted it, God always wanted it’ [Vad Ingmar
ville, ville alltid Dymling, ville alltid bolagsherrarna, ville alltid Gud] (Lillie Björn-
strand. Inte bara applåder, Stockholm: Tiden, 1975, p. 144).
Bergman’s artistic career was also helped by the close connection between stage and
screen in the Swedish cinema, dating back to the silent era. The stage-cum-screen
tradition provided the filmmaker with an important asset – working with stage actors
who had, for the most part, a highly professional and disciplined training. This suited
the rather rigid work morale of Ingmar Bergman. Over the years he came to surround
himself with a ‘stable’ of actors. They did not constitute a film repertory company but
were nevertheless a team he knew well from his years as a theater director in Häl-
singborg, Malmö and Göteborg, and whose capacities and extraordinary skills he had

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 Chapter III the Filmmaker

been able to assess on stage. Without doubt these ties between stage and screen
contributed to the professional quality of Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking and also
helped establish certain specific aspects of his film style. As Törnqvist remarks in his
book Bergman’s Muses (see Chapter IX, Ø 1689), ‘Bergman’s interest in pictorial
composition rather than camera movement, his preference for continuity editing,
for panning above cutting, and for long takes may all be seen as theatrical character-
istics’ (p. 218). To this one might add his increasing focus on the actor’s dominant
space above that of panoramic nature scenes, so common in traditional Swedish
filmmaking.
The very timing of Bergman’s arrival in the film studio was perfect. Had he shown
up ten years later, he would have found a cinema in growing economic difficulties.
The Swedish film industry produced some 40 films a year in the 1940s. Ten years later
the number had diminished to less than half, and only a few film companies had
survived the industry’s financial crisis. With his passionate commitment to the med-
ium and his intense determination, Ingmar Bergman might eventually have suc-
ceeded at any time, but it is unlikely that he would have been given the same
opportunity to learn the trade and use the existing production facilities. His first five
years as a filmmaker can be seen as a trial-and-error period when he worked with
different production companies, cinematographers and actors while absorbing a
variety of film styles, from French film noir to Italian neo-realism. He once stated
that he would have been willing to make movies about anything, ‘even the telephone
directory’ [till och med telefonkatalogen] (Kommentar till serie från A till Ö, Ø 154).
Filmmaking was a craving ‘as primitive and elemental as hunger and thirst’. [lika
primitiv och elementär som hunger och törst] (‘Det att göra film’, Ø 87). But he
shared the film studios with a very talented group of filmmakers of his own genera-
tion, among them Hasse Ekman and Lars-Erik Kjellgren, who seemed to take much
more naturally to the medium. In fact, by the end of the 1940s, Bergman had come to
fear that his filmmaking days were numbered. He had tried his luck at three different
production companies: Svensk Filmindustri, Sandrews, and Terrafilm. A studio lock-
out in 1950-51 aggravated his situation. The final blow seemed to come in 1953 when
Gycklarnas afton (The Naked Night) – today considered one of Ingmar Bergman’s
early master-pieces – got a lukewarm reception. In an excessive response, one re-
viewer opened and closed his column with the following oft-quoted line: ‘I refuse to
dissect any further Ingmar Bergman’s latest throw-up’ [Jag vägrar att ockulärbesiktiga
Ingmar Bergmans senaste spya]. Bergman says in retrospect:
Of course I experienced both the public and critical fiasco as something catastrophic. I knew
that for each time things went to pot my subsequent chances to make film became more
limited. I knew that for each time my situation became more insecure and risky. The sector
narrowed. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. (Bergman on Bergman, p. 82)

[Det är klart att jag upplevde både publikfiaskot och kritikerfiaskot som något katastrofalt.
Jag visste att varje gång det gick åt pipan så var mina fortsatta möjligheter att få göra film
begränsade. Jag visste att för varje gång blev det osäkrare och riskablare. Sektorn blev
trängre. Och det var en mycket obehaglig känsla]. (Bergman om Bergman, s. 87)

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 Ingmar Bergman: His Filmmaking Credo

Ingmar Bergman: His Filmmaking Credo

Between 1945 and 1956, the year of his international breakthrough with Sommarnat-
tens leende (1955, Smiles of a Summer Night), Ingmar Bergman directed thirteen
feature films, of which he had written the script to eight. After his Cannes recognition
in 1956, SF finally let him make Det sjunde inseglet (1956-57, The Seventh Seal), giving
him the modest sum of 75,000 kronor (at the time about $15,000) and 35 shooting
days to complete the project. True to form, he disciplined himself to finish the takes
in 34 days and within the allotted budget. The film cemented his filmmaking reputa-
tion abroad, and The Seventh Seal was hailed in the U.S. as ‘the first truly existential
work for the cinema’ (Andrew Sarris, Film Culture, 1959).
During the 1950s Bergman also formulated certain fundamental principles that
would guide him as a filmmaker and keep him from undermining his artistic integrity
in a profit-oriented industry. His artistic credo, eventually published in the 1959 essay
‘Varje film är min sista film’ [Each Film is My Last] (Ø 108), was set down as three
‘commandments’ which were presented under the following headings:
– Always Be Entertaining. [Var alltid underhållande]
– Thou Must Follow Thy Artistic Conscience. [Du skall följa ditt konstnärliga
samvete]
– Every Film Is My Last Film. [Varje film är min sista film]
The first exhortation – to be entertaining – was dictated by the viewing and paying
public who had the right to demand a vital and enjoyable experience. This did not
mean however that the filmmaker had to give in to audience pressure: In his second
commandment Bergman chooses loyalty to his artistic vision as his number one
priority. This is, however, a rather tenuous and tricky dictum, since it implies all
kinds of moral transgressions in the name of poetic license:
...I am permitted to falsify if it is artistically defensible, I may also lie if it is an attractive lie, I
ought to murder my nearest ones or myself or anyone else if it helps my film, I may
prostitute myself if it is beneficial to the cause, and I have to steal if I don’t have anything
of my own to present.

[...jag tillåts förfalska om det är konstnärligt försvarligt, jag får också ljuga om det är en
attraktiv lögn, jag bör mörda mina närmaste eller mig själv eller vem som helst, om det
hjälper min film, jag får också lov att prostituera mig om det gynnar saken och jag måste
stjäla om jag inte har något eget att komma med]. (p. 7)
Yet, though all means were permissible as long as they served an artistic goal, it did
not imply a laissez-faire approach to filmmaking, one that seeks the easiest way out to
reach the end product. On the contrary, behind the second commandment lies an
absolute demand on the creative self to submit to whatever rigorous discipline and
humiliating circumstances necessary to maintain artistic integrity.
Bergman’s third commandment, finally, is one of caution, based on his own re-
cognition of the precarious economic basis of filmmaking which meant that each new
film he made might very well be his last. For this reason he decided that his only
loyalty had to be to the film in the making. But in return, such a focus on the work at
hand, precluding any looking back or looking forward, gave Bergman a sense of
artistic comfort, for he knew that only he and his team could influence the way a

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given film would take shape. By following his third commandment and relying on his
own creative strength and not worrying about future filmmaking opportunities or
about the day when the public might be indifferent to his art, Ingmar Bergman could
also maintain his sense of professional pride and his vitality as a film artist.
Bergman’s three commandments form his artistic catechism. But he also developed
certain fundamental concepts about the film medium, which can be distilled as
follows from several short essays, program notes, and interviews:
1. Filmmaking required of Bergman that he develop a narrative approach and a visual
style that could accommodate what he called ‘the dramaturgy of the juicy dream’ [den
smaskiga drömmens dramaturgi]. As a young script reader at SF, he had been trained
by his boss, Stina Bergman, in the realistic and formulaic American approach to
scriptwriting:
This technique was extremely obvious, almost rigid: The audience must never have the
slightest doubt where they were in the story. Nor could there be any doubt about who was
who, and the transitions between various points of the story were to be treated with care.
High points should be allotted and placed at specific places in the script, and the culmina-
tion had to be saved for the end. (Images. My Life in Film, p. 118)

[Denna filmdramaturgi var ytterst påtaglig, närmast rigid: publiken skulle aldrig behöva
sväva i tvivelsmål om var man befann sig. Ingen tvekan skulle råda om vem som var vem,
och berättelsens transportsträckor skulle behandlas med omsorg. Höjdpunkter skulle för-
delas och placeras på bestämda därför avsedda ställen i manuskriptet. Kulminationen skulle
sparas till slutet]. (Bilder, s. 118)
American film dramaturgy, which had gained international acceptance, was too linear
for Bergman’s purposes. To him the film medium should attempt to ‘penetrate into
hitherto unseen worlds’ [tränga in i hittils osedda världar]. But the transition from a
dramaturgy with roots in 19th-century realism to a modernistic structure that at-
tempted to depict the associative and fragmented pattern of the subconscious or
nocturnal psyche was not without problems. Bergman retained as guiding principles
some fundamental aspects of his first exposure to American-style scriptwriting: a
clear plot development and a sense of climactic timing. In fact, clarity in presentation
was to remain a self-imposed demand by Bergman throughout his filmmaking career.
But it created a certain tension in him between an artistic desire to experiment with a
new visual language and his equally strong desire to be understood and communicate
with an audience:
The result is a tug-of-war between my need to search for a filmically associative form to
express a complicated situation and my demand for absolute clarity. Since I do not create
my work for the edification of myself or a few people but for the entertainment of the
masses, the latter imperative usually wins out. Nevertheless, I sometimes try the riskier
alternative, and it turns out that the public also absorbs an advanced irrational style with a
keen sense.

[Det blir slitningar mellan mitt behov att söka ett filmiskt associativt uttryck för en kom-
plicerad situation och mina krav på absolut klarhet. Eftersom jag inte skapar mitt verk till
min egen eller fåtalets uppbyggelse utan till miljonpublikens underhållning segrar för det

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 Ingmar Bergman: His Filmmaking Credo

mesta det senare imperativet. Ibland prövar jag likväl det riskablaste alternativet och det har
visat sig att publiken förvånansvärt lyhört absorberar även en avancerad irrationell linjeför-
ing]. (‘Varje film är min sista film’ Each Film Is My Last, p. 4-5)
Bergman refers to his modernistic approach to film narration as walking ‘the danger-
ous roads’ [de farliga vägarna]. He knew that the medium had to be challenged and
the public tested. Yet, still towards the end of his career, he suspects that his filmmak-
ing approach ‘might not have been clear enough and simple enough’ [har kanske inte
varit tillräckligt tydlig och tillräckligt enkel] (Tre dagar med Bergman, Ø 919, p. 64).
2. Filmmaking is based on good craftsmanship. While the impulse to create for the
screen might spring from an inner drive and a desire to convey a personal vision, the
hard reality is that without a craftsman’s competence, the result will be disappointing.
Ever since the silent era of filmmaking, Swedish film production had had a well-
established crew of skilled craftsmen, many of whom reacted negatively to Bergman as
a temperamental novice. Bergman became convinced that some of them helped
sabotage his early filmmaking efforts. This challenged him to learn all the technical
aspects of the trade, so that he could better control a production: ‘I was all the time
declared an idiot until I stubbornly and step by step learnt everything that had to do
with my profession. Today there is no one who can rap me over the knuckles in
technical matters’ [Jag blev oavbrutet idiotförklarad tills jag benhårt steg för steg lärde
mig allt som hade med mitt yrke att göra. I dag är det ingen på det tekniska planet
som kan slå mig på fingrarna] (Bergman on Bergman, p. 58/Bergman om Bergman, p.
63). To achieve professional skill as a filmmaker became a matter of great pride to
Ingmar Bergman: ‘I say, my films are good craftsmanship. I am diligent, conscientious
and extremely careful. I make my work for daily use and not for eternity. My pride is
that of a craftsman’ [Jag säger att mina filmer är ett gott hantverk. Jag är flitig,
omsorgsfull och ytterst noggrann. Jag skapar mitt arbete för dagligt bruk och inte
för evigheten. Min stolthet är en hantverkares] (‘Det att göra film’/‘What is Filmmak-
ing?’ 1954, Ø 87).
3. Filmmaking is teamwork. Ingmar Bergman’s control of a film production was to
become legendary, but so would his sense of loyalty to his staff of co-workers. As a
director he seems to have functioned like an old-fashioned company leader who
demanded an absolute work morale from his employees but also shielded them in
moments of crisis. His actors have expressed, in a variety of different ways, the sense
of security and trust they have felt in his leadership. Actor Anders Ek, a man of strong
will and conviction, admired Bergman for his ability ‘to guide him towards profound
depths’ [att leda fram mot de stora djupen]. Actress Eva Dahlbeck once claimed that
working with Bergman was like being placed in a garden, around which the director
built a secure fence that prevented any disturbing visitors from entering the area. (See
interviews in Filmnyheter 9, no. 12, 1954: 4-6, 21.)
Bergman’s creative vision could never bear too much impulsive improvization.
Instead, he evolved a directorial approach where moments of concentrated and con-
trolled takes would alternate with relaxed pauses, often filled with laughter and small
talk. The filming itself had to proceed with careful planning, a precise and punctual
tempo; yet it should not be so strenuous as to cause fatigue:
Every limb in the big collective must know what is to be done. The whole mechanical
apparatus must be freed from all uncertainty. These preparations must not take too long,

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however; they must not tire or bore those involved. The rehearsals before a take must occur
in full awareness [of what needs to be done] and with technical precision. (‘My Three
Powerfully Effective Commandments’, Film Comment 1970, p. 11)

[Jag vet t. ex. att allt i en scen måste vara noga förberett, varje lem i det stora kollektivet
måste veta vad som ska göras. Hela mekaniken måste vara självklart befriad från all osä-
kerhet. Dessa förberedelser får inte ta för lång tid, de får inte tråka ut eller trötta de
inblandade. Repetitionerna till tagningen måste ske under klar medvetenhet och teknisk
precision.] (‘Varje film är min sista film’, Ø 108, p. 5).
In his adolescence Bergman experienced the important transition from silent cinema
to the talkies, from visual images accompanied by captions to sound tracks. Sound
and image came to share equal space in his imagination. To him this was part of his
own childhood experience. In Laterna magica, there are numerous references to
audiovisual impressions that used to fascinate him as a child: A swishing light beam,
a scratching ink pen, a creaky cart drawn by a horse on a cobblestone street. Such
recollections of sounds and images find their way into his filmmaking. Likewise his
use of music in his filmmaking goes far beyond serving as an emotional complement,
for it is built into the very montage and rhythm of a sequence. At times it seems to
dictate the very movement of a scene and determine the camera’s approach to the
photographed image. For instance, in a brief and fleeting reconciliation scene between
the two sisters Karin and Maria in Viskningar och rop/Cries and Whispers, a few bars
on a cello seem to guide the camera’s caressing pendulum between the women’s faces:
the music suppresses the sound of their voices and assumes the role of an invisible
conductor. As a result, there is, as Michel Chion has remarked, a tremendous differ-
ence in experiencing a Bergman film with or without sound. Bergman’s creation of
audiovisual illusion is, in Chion’s wording, ‘an added value’ to the optical illusion of
the image, an enrichment brought about by a synchronic use of sound and image.
(Michel Chion. Audio-Vision. Sound and Screen, ed. & transl. by Claudia Gorbman.
New York: Columbia UP, 1994, p. 5)
Bergman once speculated on how valuable it would be for him to have at his
disposal a musical method whereby to realize a film script. What he calls for is a
score that could transform his vision into notes:
So I have decided to make a particular film, and now begins a complicated work that is hard
to master: To transfer rhythms, moods, atmospheres, tensions, musical scores to words and
sentences in a [...] readible manuscript. [...] And then I come to the essential matter, I mean
the montage itself, the rhythm, the inner relationship of the images, the whole vital third
dimension without which the finished film will be a dead mechanical product. I cannot
specify distinct musical keys, [...] I don’t have the slightest chance of suggesting the breath-
ing and pulse of the work. I have often asked for a kind of musical score that would give me
the chance of translating all the shades and notes of my vision. . .

[Jag har alltså beslutat mig för att göra en viss film och nu vidtar ett komplicerat och
svårbemästrat arbete: Att överföra rytmer, stämningar, atmosfärer, spänningar, sekvenser,
tonarter, till ord och meningar i ett läsbart [...] manuskript. [...] Men så kommer jag till det
essentiella, jag menar själva montaget, rytmen, bildernas inbördes relation, hela den livs-
viktiga tredje dimension utan vilken den färdiga filmen är en död fabrikationsartikel. Jag kan

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 Ingmar Bergman’s Films: Grouping of a Lifelong Production

inte ange tydliga tonarter [...] jag har inte minsta möjlighet att antyda verkets andhämtning
eller puls. Jag har ofta efterlyst en sorts notskrift som skulle ge mig en chans att översätta
visionens alla dagrar och toner...] (‘Varje film är min sista’/Each Film is my Last, p. 3)
Ultimately, what Bergman implies in his reference to musical analogies is something
that lies beyond mere notes and technicalities. Filmmaking to Bergman is related to
music as an art built on creating a flow of harmony and balance, intercepted by
moments of dramatic climaxes or crescendos. All great art in fact is to Bergman like
capturing a sense of rhythm, a mood and a movement that tries to emulate breathing
itself:
All art has to do with breathing in and breathing out. Because our whole life consists of
rhythms of day and night; light and darkness; black and white; breathing in and breathing
out – and in this we live. If we don’t inscribe rhythm in every interpretation, every recrea-
tion – swiftly, slowly, restrained, you let loose, you make a pause, you maintain the whole
time a tension, so that the public is given an opportunity to breathe along – well, then it
does not function.

[All konst har med in- och utandning att göra. Därför att hela vårt liv består av rytmer med
dag och natt; ljus och mörker; svart och vitt; inandning och utandning – och i detta lever vi.
Om vi inte skriver in rytmen i varje interpretation, varje återskapande – snabbt, långsamt,
återhållet, man släpper lös, man gör paus, man upprätthåller hela tiden en spänning, så att
publiken hela tiden får en möjlighet att andas med – ja, då fungerar det inte.] (Interview in
Mikael Timm. Ögats glädje, 1994, p. 129)

Ingmar Bergman’s Films: Grouping of a Lifelong Production

Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking spans more than half a century or half the history of
the film medium. His prolific production demands some kind of organized classifica-
tion even though it is important to bear in mind that almost any categorization of
such a large and rich material will imply certain intellectual shortcuts. Yet, despite the
risk of oversimplifying, one might divide Bergman’s films into different groups where
the selected approach is both chronological and thematic. Other organizing principles
such as a focus on stylistic features or on clusters of actors and actresses/male and
female parts would be equally feasible. Sometimes a shift in theme also signals a shift
in style and milieu, and a given actor can serve as inspiration for a film narrative. The
classification used here should not obscure the fact that there are in Bergman’s entire
filmmaking what one might call certain primordial tensions and conflicts that perme-
ate his production from beginning to end; a strong moral viewpoint determines both
his metaphysical and psychological motifs; there is a continuous awareness of the
interplay, both on the social and personal level, between control and humiliation,
often presented as a series of shifting positions, so that his characters are seldom
either absolute winners or losers. Within the framework of such ‘constant themes’ as
the quest motif; the scapegoat or humiliation motif, the confessional motif, the
voyeuristic or parasitical motif, Bergman develops conflicts and situations that de-

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monstrate an emotional tug-of-war between human beings, and between individuals

and their gods and demons.
A number of important turning-points in Bergman’s filmmaking may be noted.
The first occurs after his international breakthrough in the mid-Fifties, which enabled
him to dictate his own terms and create his major auteur films of that decade: Sjunde
inseglet (1956, The Seventh Seal), Smultronstället (1957, Wild Strawberries), Ansiktet
(1958, The Magician/The Face), and Jungfrukällan (1960, The Virgin Spring). A second
turning-point takes place in the early Sixties when he moves from the epic journey
format and/or ‘historical’ films of the preceding decade to the chamber films, begin-
ning with Såsom i en spegel (1961, Through a Glass Darkly) and culminating with
Viskningar och rop (1972, Cries and Whispers). This shift coincides with Bergman’s
discovery of the stark Fårö landscape and with the definite establishment of Sven
Nykvist as his cinematographer. Yet another shift has to do with his recognition of the
intimate potential of the TV medium. Though he had explored television since the
1950s, it was at first reserved for adaptations of some of his play productions. But with
the documentary TV film Fårö-dokument (1969) and the television series Scener ur ett
äktenskap (1973, Scenes from a Mariage), he used the medium as a realistic form of
screen projection. Bergman’s next turning-point, finally, seems conditioned by his
homecoming in the early 1980s after several years in exile. It is now he begins to
explore his family history, which brings a new psychological intensity to his films
(including his TV films and his scripts). Color, which played such a vital part in
Viskningar och rop, is now explored to the fullest in Fanny och Alexander (1982).
In the charts below, Bergman’s role as either director or scriptwriter is divided into
six different group headings. Film titles are indicated as follows: Scripts revised by
Bergman but based on literary works by others are marked rev. plus author’s name.
Films originally conceived for television have script references marked TV. Titles listed
are original Swedish titles, followed by English distribution titles. For more details,
check individual films in the filmography chapter (IV) and in media chapter (V).
Group I. Films from the Forties and early Fifties. Focus: The Young Couple

Hets (1944, Torment/Frenzy) Script

Kris (1946, Crisis) Director & Script rev. from play by Leck
Fischer
Det regnar på vår kärlek (1946, It Rains on Our Director & Script rev. from play by Oscar
Love) Braathen
Skepp till India land (1947, Land of Desire/Ship Director & Script rev. from play by Martin
to India) Söderhjelm
Musik i mörker (1948, Night is My Future/Mu- Director & Script rev. from novel by Dagmar
sic in Darkness) Edqvist
Hamnstad (1948, Port of Call) Director & Script rev. from novel by Olle Läns-
berg
Eva (1948) Script
Fängelse (1949, The Devil’s Wanton/Prison) Director & Script
Sommarlek (1950, Illicit Interlude/Summer In- Director & Script
terlude)
Sommaren med Monika (1953, The Story of a Director & Script with P.-A. Fogelström
Bad Girl/Monica, Summer with Monica)

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 Ingmar Bergman’s Films: Grouping of a Lifelong Production

In this first group of films, which could also be referred to as Bergman’s apprentice
works, we find a variety of visual styles, from the neo-realistic study of lower class
urban life in Hamnstad to the Carné-inspired lyricism and film noir imagery of Det
regnar på vår kärlek, Skepp till India land and Fängelse. But the period also includes the
nostalgic though tragic Sommarlek, the first of Bergman’s films exploring a native
Swedish genre, the poetic summer film. The summer landscape is also the setting of
Sommaren med Monika.
The mood of these early films is often melancholy and escapist, though frequently
erupting into rebelliousness. The young couples are seldom integrated in a middle-
class lifestyle, but bourgeois authority casts its long shadow. The plots include a
number of minor characters who represent law, morality, and order: policemen,
members of the clergy, school teachers, and stern parents. Their function is to stall
and frustrate the young couples in their search for freedom and love; they stand for
repression. The couples bond together, sometimes with the blessing of a providential
figure like the Man with the Umbrella in Det regnar på vår kärlek but sometimes with
tragic outcomes as in Fängelse.
Group II. Early Family or Marriage Films, often with Women as Central Char-
acters

Törst (1949, Three Strange Loves/Thirst) Director/Script w. Herbert Grevenius, rev.

from story by Birgit Tengroth.
Frånskild (1951, Divorced) Script
Kvinnors väntan (1952, Secrets of Women/ Director & Script
Waiting Women)
En lektion i kärlek (1954, A Lesson in Love) Director & Script
Kvinnodröm (1955, Dreams) Director & Script
Sommarnattens leende (1955, Smiles of a Sum- Director & Script
mer Night
Nära livet (1957, Brink of Life/So Close to Life) Director & Script w. Ulla Isaksson

The generation gap that operated on both a family and social level in Bergman’s
earliest films, with an older generation seeking control over the young, becomes more
inner-directed in the films in the second group and often involves painful erotic
tensions between young and old. Mari’s bittersweet young love in Sommarlek is played
out against the cynicism of her lascivious uncle Erland. In Kvinnodröm and Sommar-
nattens leende the erotic desires of older men for young women remain unfulfilled:
The young are only in love with youth.
By the mid-Fifties Ingmar Bergman had become known as a connoisseur of wo-
men. His films were often advertised in the Swedish trade journals as particularly
appealing to the female public, and script excerpts were published in popular wo-
men’s magazines. In a whole series of films, Bergman explored the loneliness of
housewives and forlorn young girls. Stepping out of his adolescent spleen, he con-
cluded that the world of women was his universe. Bergman’s first biographer, Mar-
ianne Höök, states in her book Ingmar Bergman (1962):
The women in Ingmar Bergman’s films are usually more interesting than the men. In
contrast to the crudely cliche-like depictions of women in the Swedish cinema, where the

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vamp and the rosy peasant girl are amply represented, Bergman’s subtle view of women
came as a liberation.

[Kvinnorna i Ingmar Bergmans filmer är vanligtvis mer intressanta än männen. I motsats

till de grovt schablonlika porträtten av kvinnor i den svenska filmen, där vampen och den
rödkindade bondflickan finns väl representerade, kom Bergmans subtila syn på kvinnor
som en befrielse.] (Höök, 1962, p. 84)
Nära livet (1957, Brink of Life) is in some ways the epitome of Bergman’s portrayal of
women in the Fifties. Three women meet in the maternity ward – Cecilia, Stina, and
Hjördis. Bergman had depicted a female collective in an earlier film, Kvinnors väntan
(1952, Secrets of Women). But while the women in that film formed a cohesive unit of
mutual strength and confidentiality, Nära livet projects three different destinies
threatened by forces beyond the women’s control. Young Hjördis tries to abort a
pregnancy she did not want; Cecilia desperately wants her baby but miscarries; Stina,
although she is a glowing, healthy housewife, gives birth to a stillborn baby. To give
birth is a phenomenon rather than a biological function and becomes part of the
same puzzling existential situation as that facing Antonius Block in Det sjunde inseglet.
The philosophical mood is in some ways the same in both films: Death stalks nearby
and strikes inexplicably: ‘Chance becomes the deciding factor for the weal and woe of
mankind’ [Slumpen blir den avgörande faktorn i människors väl och ve] (Ulla Isaks-
son (author of script) in Vi magazine, no. 12, 1958, p. 20).
Group III. Religious or Existential Quest Films of the Fifties and early Sixties,
often with Male Protagonists

Det sjunde inseglet (1956, The Seventh Seal) Director & Script
Smultronstället (1957, Wild Strawberries) Director & Script
Jungfrukällan (1960, The Virgin Spring) Director
Såsom i en spegel (1961, Through a Glass Director & Script
Darkly)
Nattvardsgästerna (1963, Winter Light/The Director & Script
Communicants)

All of the films in the first and second groups, with the exception of Sommarnattens
leende, are set in contemporary Swedish society. But in several of the films in the third
group Bergman shifts the action, or part of the action, to the past. The setting ranges
in time from the early Middle Ages in Det sjunde inseglet and Jungfrukällan to the turn
of the last century in the flashbacks in Smultronstället. As an alternative to the
‘historical’ setting, Bergman introduces the stark and abstracted winter landscape
in Nattvardsgästerna (1962) and the isolated island setting in Såsom i en spegel
(1961). Both milieus are removed from today’s urban reality and provide a distancing
effect.
The focus in the third group of films is on a religious or existentialist quest,
dominated by male protagonists. It is now that Antonius Block, the brooding Knight
in Det sjunde inseglet, emerges as a Bergman prototype. In the disguise of a 14th-
century homebound crusader, he poses some basic questions about the nature of the
divine and the purpose of living. The bureaucratic authorities of the earlier films are

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replaced by an elusive divinity, alternately named the silent God or the spider God.
Even such a seemingly non-religious film as Smultronstället can be placed within a
similar framework. Its main character, Isak Borg, is really engaged in a struggle for his
own soul and peace of mind, as if participating in a Christian penitence drama.
Det sjunde inseglet and Smultronstället are road movies or station dramas in the
sense that much of the action is structured as a journey where different stops along
the way become moments of reflection and inner testing. One might compare such a
structure to the soul-searching of the medieval morality play, where different ‘sta-
tions’, i.e., encounters between the protagonist and other characters, represent a
choice of virtue or vice, good or evil. The Crusader Antonius Block in Det sjunde
inseglet is in fact an Everyman figure looking for a sign from God. Like a morality play
protagonist, he encounters a series of events and characters that signify different
options to pursue. Professor Isak Borg in Smultronstället sets out on a journey of
social recognition after a long life in the medical profession; but he too becomes a
quester in search of a deeper personal commitment to life. Töre’s daughter in Jung-
frukällan travels to church with offerings to the Virgin Mary. Her journey, abruptly
terminated by her murder, is completed by Töre in a defiant and absurdist act of faith
as he promises to build a church on the very spot where his only daughter was cruelly
ravished and killed.
Bergman’s so-called trilogy (Såsom i en spegel, Nattvardsgästerna and Tystnaden)
depicts the eventual demise of the providential god of Bergman’s religious heritage
but also exposes the failure of the earthly father. David in Såsom i en spegel is so
absorbed in his own frustrated efforts to write that he is tempted to use his own
daughter’s mental illness as an object of study. Tomas, the pastor in Nattvardsgästerna,
fails to be the father of his flock that his congregation has a right to expect. In
Tystnaden, the father of the child Johan is conspicuously absent and the substitute
father figure, the old waiter in the foreign hotel where the action takes place, is a kind
but doddering fool.
In the films that date from the 1950s, Bergman furthered the tradition of the so-
called Swedish style of cinematography that dated back to the silent cinema: a high
contrast photography with frequent use of back-lighting, silhouette shots, a serene,
somewhat theatrical scenography and rather slow pacing. Gunnar Fischer, trained in
this school of cinematography was the perfect instrument for that time. But a definite
change becomes noticeable in the early 1960s, which coincides with Bergman’s switch
of cinematographers. The lyrical nature poet Gunnar Fischer was then replaced by the
more robust though uniquely talented Sven Nykvist. In Jungfrukällan (1960) Nykvist
still seems to be following in Fischer’s tracks as he photographs a legendary Swedish
landscape with glittering waterways and sunlight filtering through birch trees, and
contrasts this to dark foreboding shadows in murky interiors. But as Bergman devel-
ops a new kind of cinematic structure, what one could call ‘the film of the confined
space’, Nykvist’s camera work becomes more subtle, using a great deal more greyish
tones than the earlier black and white contrasts. One can see the shift very clearly in
Såsom i en spegel (1961).
Bergman now discards the historical milieu of the central films of the Fifties, the
use of flashbacks, the physical journeys. Travelling, if it occurs at all, becomes more
confined and reflects the characters’ stymied situation. It is as though many of the
films of the Sixties emanate from the state of mind of Isak Borg during his night-

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marish dreams in Smultronstället. The defiant quester Antonius Block in Det sjunde
inseglet, who challenges Death to a game of chess, is now replaced by the frustrated
and insecure pastor Tomas in Nattvardsgästerna (1962); by the neurotic painter Johan
Borg in Vargtimmen (1967); the disintegrating artist Jan Rosenberg in Skammen
(1968); the forlorn islander Andreas Winkelman in En passion (1969). In these films
the road is no longer the main setting or spatial metaphor but is replaced by the
circumscribed island landscape, as bleak and confining as a sickroom, yet absolute in
its envelopment by the sea.
The Baltic setting of many of Bergman’s films from the 1960s is realistic in the sense
that it is geographically identifiable; yet it serves a symbolic function as an extension
of the troubled state of mind of the characters. This focus on interior psyches rather
than external action is noticeable in Bergman’s increasing use of the close-up. It was
in fact during the shooting of the first of his ‘Baltic’ films, Såsom i en spegel, that he
declared the importance of the human face to his filmmaking. At the same time, he
expressed his reservations of the beautifying imagery of his earlier films:
Our work in films must begin with the human face. We can certainly become absorbed in
the esthetics of montage; we can bring objects and still life into a wonderful rhythm; we can
make nature studies of astounding beauty, but the approach to the human face is without
doubt the hallmark and distinguishable feature of the film medium. (Hollis Alpert, ‘Style is
the Director’, Saturday Review, 23 December 1961, p. 40)

[Det mänskliga ansiktet är utgångspunkten för vårt arbete. Vi kan visserligen fördjupa oss i
bildmontagets estetik, vi kan sammanföra föremål och stilleben till underbara rytmer, vi kan
göra naturstudier av häpnadsväckande skönhet, men närheten till det mänskliga ansiktet är
utan tvivel filmens adelsmärke och särtecken.] (‘Varje film är min sista film’, p. 5)

With Såsom i en spegel Ingmar Bergman claimed to have found a new direction for
himself by concentrating on only four people (see Forslund, Chaplin no. 18, 1961). He
coined the term ‘chamber film’ for this new type of cinema focusing on few characters
and building up an intense and intimate atmosphere. The term ‘chamber film’ is a
direct reference to the chamber plays of August Strindberg (1849-1912), the Swedish
playwright whose strong influence Bergman has frequently acknowledged. Written in
1907-08, Strindberg’s chamber plays were dramatic attempts to convey, through the
portrayal and interaction of a small group of people confined to a single locale, a set
of associative relationships structured like a musical composition, as variations of a
leitmotif leading up to a concluding coda. In similar fashion, Bergman abandoned the
larger orchestration of his earlier films and discarded conventional film music. The
only music heard in his chamber films are a few bars of a Bach or Brahms composi-
tion, almost always played on a single instrument. Even the inclusion of a fragment
from Mozart’s Trollflöjten/The Magic Flute in a puppet scene in Vargtimmen is toned
down to the chamber music level.
The reductive process in terms of film acoustics in the chamber films marks their
contrast to the much more rhetorical, male-oriented films of the Fifties, which seem
to emanate from verbalized crucial moments in the protagonists’ life: Antonius Block
in Det sjunde inseglet speaks with Death in a confessional dialogue and addresses a
Christ figure in church in defiant words. Isak Borg in Smultronstället is quite analy-
tical about his journey into the past. Though he relives his life in visual dreams, he is

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presumably writing down the events of the day in his diary and retelling them to us.
Language then is an important vehicle in Bergman’s male universe. But with Såsom i
en spegel, dialogue becomes subservient to imagery and gesture. The first two words
learned by Ester in the unknown language in Tystnaden are naigo and kasi, face and
hand. Rapport comes not through verbal communication – words in fact are often
like missiles announcing warfare – but through touch and look. The reduction of the
spoken element in Bergman’s films culminates in such works as Persona (1966), where
one of the characters, Elisabet Vogler, acts mute, and Viskningar och rop (1972) where
the conversations are sparse and punctuated with long moments of silence or faint
whisperings from voices that never fully materialize. There is both a consciousness of
the visual medium and a philosophical aspect to this reduction of speech. The
relatively sparse dialogue of the chamber films is not only a manifestation of Berg-
man’s attempt as a filmmaker to free himself from verbal dominance, it is also his
questioning, through the cinema, of the trustworthiness of the spoken word. Finally,
silence can be interpreted as an absence of life – the whisperings in Viskningar och rop
are like the faint echoes of the dead, still in touch with the living. Silence also signifies
the Christian deity’s withdrawal from human destinies.
Group IV. Films Exploring the Role of the Artist and/or Directorial Persona

Till glädje (1949, To Joy) Director & Script

Gycklarnas afton (1953, The Naked Night/ Saw- Director & Script
dust and Tinsel)
Ansiktet (1958, The Magician/The Face) Director & Script
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor (1964, All Director & Script w. Erland Josephson
These Women)
Persona (1966, Persona) Director & Script
Vargtimmen (1967, The Hour of the Wolf) Director & Script
Skammen (1968, Shame) Director & Script
Riten (1969, The Ritual) Director & Script (TV)
Herbstsonate (1978, Höstsonaten/Autumn So- Director & Script
nata)
Ur marionetternas liv (1979, Aus dem Leben der Director & Script
Marionetten/From the Life of the Marionettes)
Efter Repetitionen (1984, After the Rehearsal) Director & Script
Larmar och gör sig till (1997, In the Presence of a Director & Script
Clown)
Trolösa (2000, Faithless) Script

Bergman’s artist is the central character in the fourth group of films. His role ranges
from the vulnerable circus director Albert Johansson in Gycklarnas afton to the
potential mesmerizer Albert Vogler in Ansiktet or the neurotic wreck Johan Borg in
Vargtimmen and the moral coward Jan Rosenberg in Skammen. Gone now is a naive
visionary like the juggler Jof in Det sjunde inseglet, whose second sight enabled him to
see the holy Virgin. What Bergman develops instead is the other aspect of Jof ’s
destiny: to be exposed to ridicule, a scapegoat figure forced to perform a table dance
in the tavern to the jeers of an onlooking crowd. There are in fact vestiges in Berg-
man’s portrayal of the artist of a Platonic pharmakos myth: Plato banished the artist

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from his utopian society for fear that his visionary power might excite the citizens and
bring chaos and madness. Bergman’s depiction of the artist and his audience main-
tains a more precarious balance: at times the artist is destroyed, at other times the
onlooker becomes the scapegoat.
It is part of Bergman’s conception of the relationship between artist and audience
that performer and spectator take part in a ritual, a cult act in which worship and
symbolic sacrifice constitute the essential elements. In the TV film Riten this conflict
is the very fabric of the film. Like participants in old religious rites, Bergman’s artists
can take possession of their audiences. The acting trio in Riten drives to death a Judge
who has been sent to question them on a charge of obscenity. Vogler in Ansiktet
brings the rational doctor Vergerus to the verge of madness by playing macabre tricks
on him in an attic; his namesake Elisabet Vogler in Persona takes possession of the
nurse Alma until Alma’s self-identity is threatened. A distinct element of eroticism
becomes part of such encounters. Elisabet Vogler and Alma take turns in representing
the two sides in a symbiotic relationship of would-be lovers exhibiting attraction and
repulsion, separateness of self and fusion of self. The actress feeds on Alma’s life story
vicariously; Alma’s identification with Elisabeth is so strong that she momentarily
replaces her in a meeting with Elisabeth’s husband.
Bergman’s artist may create illusions that provide pleasure and entertainment but
also cause irritation and anger. His audiences counter either by being mesmerized by
his performance or by exposing the artist as a fake and liar and ostracizing him from
their midst, from organized society. The humiliation motif is built into such an
encounter between artist and spectator. Albert Johansson, the pedestrian owner of
Circus Alberti in Gycklarnas afton and his clown Frost face in turn jeering crowds:
Frost in the flashback beach sequence where soldiers become cruel voyeurs of his
ordeal as he tries to rescue his wife Alma, and Albert during a performance in the
circus round, exposed to a taunting public. Albert Vogler in Ansiktet attracts the
mistress of the house but is insulted by the Egerman household, where his troupe
has stopped to perform a seance.
The self-absorption of the artist is a dominant motif in such Bergman films as
Persona, Vargtimmen, Skammen, and Höstsonaten, whose neurotic or egotistical pro-
tagonists confirm what Bergman suggests in his essay ‘The Snakeskin’ from 1965: that
artistic activity in a godless world is self-focussed and has lost its element of worship,
of meaningful ritual. A figure like the self-centered pianist mother in Höstsonaten has
lost all spirituality and can only fantasize about money and her next performance. In
earlier films, an artist like the hypnotist Albert Emanuel Vogler in Ansiktet was both
prophet and charlatan; wearing a Christ mask, he ‘acted’ mute before a 19th century
upper-class group of Pontius Pilates and performed ‘miracles’ before both susceptible
and skeptical people. Such Christ references in Bergman’s portrayal of artists are not
uncommon in his films from the 1950s. Frost, the clown in Gycklarnas afton, performs
his own Golgotha walk, barefoot and humiliated as he struggles to carry his wife on
his back like a cross; Jof, the visionary juggler and actor ‘Det sjunde inseglet’, assumes
a tortuous pose, half bear, half figure on a cross, as he is forced to dance on the table
in the tavern scene; David, the father and writer in Såsom i en spegel, breaks down in
anguish in front of the window, so that window frame and body form the pattern of a
cross. The same pose is used to define Tomas’s anguish in Nattvardsgästerna. But in
Persona the sacrificial implications of the artist’s role shift from Christian metaphors

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to old classical references. Elisabeth Vogler, the silent actress with ‘the cold eyes’ who
feeds on her nurse to regain vitality is clearly a pythia figure. In Vargtimmen, the
communal aspect of art is transformed into a ludicrous dinner party whose partici-
pants literally turn into the artist’s ‘consumers’, parasitical bird demons who canni-
balize the painter Johan Borg. But the artist is himself a ‘cannibal’, a detached observer
who feeds on other human beings.
In Persona Bergman’s alter ego is a young boy who wakes up in a morgue as if from
a deep sleep. Just before this scene, we have been introduced to a collage of images,
potential material for a film. The boy’s awakening and subsequent movements cul-
minating with his wiping a glass screen with his hand until a woman’s face becomes
visible set the ‘plot’ in motion; the boy is a creative consciousness who leads us into
the fictional story, which is at the same time his dream or his reminiscing. The rather
abstracted nameless boy in Persona, who serves more as a vehicle than actual parti-
cipant in the film narrative, may be juxtaposed to the title figure in Fanny and
Alexander (1982), who opens the film story by taking the spectator through his grand-
mother’s apartment, where the narrative develops. Persona’s boy figure may also be
juxtaposed to the male protagonist Peter Egerman in Ur marionetternas liv/Aus dem
Leben des Marionetten. Both these films grew out of a painful period in Bergman’s life
when he was trying to ‘relocate’ himself as an artist. In 1965-66 he had left his position
at the Royal Dramatic Theatre and was physically ill. In 1978-79, he was still looking
for a footing in exile and felt he had failed to convey his sense of pain and frustration
in his first foreign-made film Das Schlangenei.
The artistic persona appears much more camouflaged in the story of Peter Eger-
man than in Bergman’s other films in this group. Peter’s story revolves around
deception and self-deception and maintains a narrow distinction between reality
and fantasy or nightmare. Though Bergman chose to make Peter a German business-
man, he also provided him with a desperate aggressiveness and vulnerability that
makes him a kin to many of Bergman’s artist figures. Like Johan Borg in Vargtimmen
he is haunted by ‘demons’ from his past, and as in Ansiktet and Persona, Aus dem
Leben... depicts a world in which a sensitive individual is driven to despair by people
who abuse him or fail him. In probing deeper and deeper into Peter’s psyche, Aus dem
Leben... is much closer to a film like Persona than to the work preceding it, Das
Schlangenei.
When art loses its aspect of ritual and cult act, the artist is thrown back upon
himself. When the ‘director’ has no subject at hand, he may invent his own muse, like
Henrik invents an affair with his young actress in Efter repetionen or ‘Bergman’ invents
Marianne in Trolösa. What is depicted in these instances is actually the creative process
itself: an artist’s material beginning to take shape in his mind, not smoothly and
painlessly but as a complicated mixture of personal tensions and professional self-
awareness. The director in Efter repetitionen and the ‘Bergman’ coach in Trolösa both
resist the intrusion of personal matters and old memories and are fascinated and
revitalized by them.
Group V: The Haunting Past: Memories and Nightmares

En passion (1969, Passion of Anna) Director & Script

Beröringen (1970, The Touch) Director & Script
Viskningar och rop (1972, Cries and Whispers) Director & Script

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Scener ur ett äktenskap (1974, Scenes from a Director & Script TV

Marriage)
Ansikte mot ansikte (1975, Face to Face) Director & Script TV
Höstsonat/Herbstsonate (1978, Autumn Sonata) Director & Script
Trolösa (2000, Faithless) Director & Script
Saraband (2003) Director & Script TV

In his works from the 1970s onwards, Bergman’s characters have left their religious
baggage behind, but they seldom, if ever, seem able to free themselves from the
traumas of their past or from some mysterious force of the mind that takes possession
of them. Anna in En passion (1969) wreaks havoc on her lover Andreas Winkelman
and herself by her fixation on a marriage and an accident in the past that may or may
not be self-styled; the psychiatrist Jenny in Ansikte mot ansikte, almost succeeds in
committing suicide when the ghosts of her childhood begin to haunt her; the sisters
in Viskningar och rop all have their lives shaped by past circumstances beyond their
control, be it illness, rigid conventions and role playing, or unhappy but insoluble
marriages. Even young Alexander in Fanny och Alexander is pursued to the bitter end
by his stepfather’s evil ghost, who threatens to never let go of him. In Bergman’s world
no one escapes his or her destiny. The puppeteer director of his youth continues to
pull the strings of his human marionettes, but now the manipulator dwells inside
them like an internalized psychological demon.
The men and women of Bergman’s films from the 1970s have little in common with
the young couples in the very first films he made. Their relationships start where
those of the young couples ended: in marriage. But this is followed by ennui, a
drifting apart, impending divorce or break-up. Far from socially maladjusted like
their younger predecessors in the films of the 1940s, Bergman’s mature couples of
the seventies hark back to such marriage films as Kvinnors väntan and En lektion i
kärlek. Sophisticated and comfortable in their middle-class lifestyle, they have
achieved an economic status beyond what the working-class youngsters of such films
as Det regnar på vår kärlek, Hamnstad and Fängelse could dream of. Nevertheless, they
are seldom able to bond together but instead face loneliness and anxiety.
At the end of Scener ur ett äktenskap Marianne awakens from a nightmare that has
thrown her into a state of fright. The episode seems in a way to signal the exploration
of the troubled mind of Jenny, the psychiatrist in Ansikte mot ansikte. In two preced-
ing films, En passion and Viskningar och rop, Bergman portrays women who dwell in
the same anguished world as some of his leading male characters in the quest films of
the Fifties. More and more men and women share the dubious pleasure of inhabiting
the same angst-ridden bergmanian universe. Thus, a film like Viskningar och rop
could in some ways be seen as the female counterpart to Isak Borg’s encounter with
his impending death in Smultronstället. The women’s attempt to deal with the present
crisis of Agnes’ death takes the form of a series of flashbacks into their past, remi-
niscences as painful as Isak Borg’s reexamination of his life. Both films end on a
similar note of nostalgia and reconciliation. Isak is led by young Sara, the eternally
young sweetheart, through a verdant landscape where he discovers his long since dead
parents on a summer outing. Agnes, the dying woman in Viskningar och rop, pictures
herself, in a voice-over reading from her diary, together with her sisters in the luscious

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park on her estate. It is a moment of epiphany, a family communion that may be as

much dream and wishful thinking as was Isak Borg’s final vision of his parents.
The idealization of the maternal as embodied by the housekeeper Anna in
Viskningar och rop (culminating in a pietà scene when she takes the dying Agnes to
her bosom) is reinforced in the caring grandmothers in Ansikte mot ansikte and Fanny
och Alexander or in the competent ex-wife Marianne in Saraband. But it is counter-
balanced by the critical portrait of the mother in Höstsonaten (1978). Here Bergman
seems to launch on another examination of the parent motif, this time focussing not
on a critique of the father but on a scathing exposure of the mother. Charlotte, the
professional pianist, neglects her two daughters, one of whom is mentally retarded.
During a visit to her married daughter Eva, Charlotte’s self-absorption in her career
becomes the basis for violent accusations by Eva. Though Charlotte is portrayed more
superficially by actress Ingrid Bergman than the script suggests, she nevertheless joins
the league of selfish parents that used to appear in Bergman’s earlier films, but this
time the confrontation is far more ruthless, which made the film a target for feminist
critique.
Höstsonaten was made during Bergman’s exile from Sweden. Many had speculated
that his creativity would dry up outside of his native country or that the frustrations
he would face working with foreign crews would sabotage his future film projects.
Some saw signs of this when Das Schlangenei was released in 1977, a year after his
departure from Sweden. The film, set in pre-Nazi Germany in 1923, became his first
critical and public fiasco since the early 1950s. His second German-made film, Aus
dem Leben der Marionetten, did not reach mass audiences in Europe or the United
States, though it was well received in France. On the whole it fared better with the
reviewers in Sweden than elsewhere, perhaps in response to a need among the critics
to atone for their government’s treatment of Bergman. In retrospect, it is a film that
has, like Gycklarnas afton, attained a special place in the Bergman canon. It is also a
favorite of Bergman himself. In Tre dagar med Bergman (p. 66), he says to the
interviewers apropos of the making of From the Life of Marionettes:
I found myself in a difficult situation, far away from my homeland where I did not want to
return. I had already tried to express my pain and suffering in The Serpent’s Egg, but without
succeeding. That whole project was a big mistake. But in From the Life of the Marionettes I
found a way, a form, a very definite and distinct form to which I could transfer my pain, my
anguish and all my difficulties and reshape them into something concrete. I love that film.

[Jag befann mig i en vansklig situation, långt borta från mitt hemland dit jag inte ville
återvända. Jag hade redan försökt att ge uttryck för denna smärta och detta lidande med
Ormens ägg men utan att lyckas. Hela det projektet var ett stort misstag. Men i Ur Mar-
ionetternas liv fann jag en sätt, en form, en mycket bestämd och tydlig form till vilken jag
kunde överföra och omforma min smärta, min ångest och alla mina svårigheter till någon-
ting konkret. Jag älskar den filmen.]

None of Bergman’s films made outside of his native country can be said to spring
directly from his foreign experience. Ormens ägg was written before his arrest in
Stockholm in 1976. Höstsonaten was the fulfillment of a promise made long before
to actress Ingrid Bergman. Aus dem Leben der Marionetten was based on the couple
Peter and Katarina, who appeared briefly in the opening sequence of Scener ur ett

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äktenskap. As for the technical crew, Sven Nykvist and several members of the pro-
duction team remained part of Bergman’s staff for his foreign films and provided a
link to his previous filmmaking. In Das Schlangenei, the elaborate studio set reflects
more the ambition of American producer Dino de Laurentiis than Bergman’s own
intentions as these are indicated in the script. In both Herbstsonate and Aus dem Leben
der Marionetten, Bergman toned down any extravagance in the mise-en-scène. In fact,
Marionetten’s concentration on black-and-white close-ups brought the spectator back
to the world of Persona and seemed like an explicit visual statement by Bergman,
suggesting that he always carried his cosmos within him. (Bergman conceived the film
in black and white, but compromised with the German TV producer by opening the
film in color. See Tre dagar med Bergman, p. 64.)
As Bergman shifted his focus once more to women in such films as En passion,
Beröringen/The Touch, Viskningar och rop, and Hörstsonaten, he began to employ
color, which he had only done once before, in another woman-dominated film,
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor from 1964. In this ‘intermezzo’ in Bergman’s
filmmaking, color was used in a deliberately gaudy, pyrotechnical manner that fit the
farcical mood of the film. In films like En passion and Viskningar och rop color plays a
more subtle role. In En passion it serves to underscore the repressed emotions of the
characters on the Baltic island by projecting them against a subdued scale of earth
tones. In Viskningar och rop Bergman has stated that the use of red dissolves to signal
the flashbacks in the lives of the four women is connected with his own childhood
fantasies of the soul as a membrane of red. But red also connotes passion and sexual
arousal, as in the flighty Maria’s case, or blood when passionate emotions spell hatred,
self-destruction, and revenge, as in Karin’s case. Red is also the life force that is
draining from the cancerous Agnes’ frail body.
Finally, the shift from black and white to color in Bergman’s filmmaking is in
keeping with his memories of the male and female worlds of his childhood. The
male figures wear the stark black garb of a man of the cloth and move in the light of
harsh realities. The women dress more colorfully and their presence is associated with
the prismatic world of filtering light, a visualization of an inner world of passion –
sensuous, dangerous and spiritually redemptive.
Group VI. The Family Saga

Fanny och Alexander (1982, Fanny and Alexan- Director & Script
der)
Den goda viljan (1991, Best Intentions) Script
Söndagsbarn (1992, Sunday’s Children) Script
Enskilda samtal (1996, Private Confessions) Script
Larmar och gör sig till (1997, In the Presence of a Director & Script, TV
Clown)

With his reconciliation with the Swedish government in the early 1980s and the warm
reception he encountered upon returning to Sweden, Ingmar Bergman began to look
upon his distant past with less critical eyes. For his filmmaking, this mellowed view
resulted in Fanny och Alexander. The film can in fact be seen as his cinematic testa-
ment – a filmmaker’s homage to and exploration of his childhood, part fiction, part
retrospection. Thematically, Fanny och Alexander is a summation of long-established

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Bergman motifs and conflicts: the creative world of the laterna magica juxtaposed to a
world of repression and humiliation. A linkage is established between these two
milieus not only in terms of the widowed Mrs. Ekdahl’s marriage to Bishop Vergerus
but also in an explicit stress on ritual in both households: the one pertaining to the
theatre, the other to the church.
Ingmar Bergman’s work for the cinema, so often associated with a world of ex-
istential pain and anguish, ends with a celebration of human togetherness and family
bonding, and with an affirmation of the healing power of the imagination. With
Fanny och Alexander, Bergman restores magic and art as top priorities in his universe.
The film reconfirms his own loyalty to the playful fantasy-maker Méliès, his filmmak-
ing Vergilius whose name he invoked in his youthful lecture at the Uppsala Film
Studio some 40 years before making Fanny och Alexander.
After he bid farewell to filmmaking, Bergman wrote and directed a number of
works for television. Perhaps the most remarkable one is Larmar och gör sig till/ In the
Presence of a Clown. The plot revolves around a fictionalized relative, Uncle Carl, who
dabbled in film entertainment in the early days of the cinema. Partly set (for its
climax) in the wintry village of Frostnäs where Nattvardsgästerna once took place
and using some of the same characters (though not actors), the small group of
onlookers are exposed to the accidental short-circuiting of Carl’s film projector.
However, out of this provincial chaos amidst candle light and a clinking piano
emanates Schumann’s Aufschwung, and the would-be filmmaker and his mistress
assistant perform a kind of rite amidst a small crowd of spectators. For a brief
moment, the assembly hall in Frostnäs becomes a cult place. One is reminded that
the title of the first film set in the same god-forsaken part of the world was ‘Natt-
vardsgästerna’ or ‘The Communicants’. In that film, Tomas, the doubting minister,
never gave comfort to the villagers who came to his church, the way Carl’s primitive
and aborted film showing does, as it is miraculously metamorphosed into a secular
communion that brings about a healing stillness among the audience, as powerful as
any holy sacrament. Larmar och gör sig till depicts a spiritual moment on a small scale
and becomes a moving companion piece to the more flamboyant Fanny och Alexander
and, above all, a tribute to art as ritual and worship. Bergman executes a self-refer-
ential tour de force that forms a fitting finale to his wish expressed at the beginning of
his film career to participate in building ‘a cathedral on the plain’.

153
Bergman's early filmmaking took place under rather primitive circumstances, as
suggested in this photo during the filming of Summer with Monica (1953) where
Bergman and his crew are seen standing in the water by an island in the Stockholm
archipelago. To save on transportation costs, the rushes from each day's filming were
collected to be sent later by boat to the film laboratory. There, scratches were dis-
covered on the negatives, so that retakes had to be made.

From the shooting of Fanny and Alexander in 1982

(Courtesy: Arne Carlsson/Cinematograph/SF)
 Chapter IV

Filmography

Synopses, Credits, Commentaries and

Reception Record

The Filmography Chapter lists in chronological order all screen works that were
scripted and/or directed by Ingmar Bergman. Each film entry comprises a plot sy-
nopsis, credits, notes, critical commentaries, a reception summary, and reviews. The
credits include major crew members and a complete cast list. Names of Swedish
cinemas where a film first opened are usually limited to one or two samples. Com-
mentaries for those Bergman scripts that have been filmed by other directors tend to
be less extensive, unless the Bergman script became the subject of a media debate.
The title heading used in each entry is the Swedish distribution title, followed by its
year of release and, in brackets, by its English title. In the rest of the entry, only the
original distribution title is used, except in direct quotes where the refereed title appears.
At the end of the Filmography is a selective list of foreign distribution titles. Foreign titles
of Ingmar Bergman’s early films were often the invention of distributors looking for a
way to cash in on the reputation of the Swedish cinema as a producer of sexually
titillating films. Title explanations are included before the synopsis of the film narrative
when the foreign distribution title departs radically from the original or when the
Swedish title, though translated literally, carries connotations not conveyed in English.
A special organizational problem involves Bergman works that were originally
conceived for television but have also circulated (abroad) as commercial feature films
and then often in a specially edited, abridged version. As a rule, the original television
version has been seen by a Swedish or Scandinavian audience only, while the version
adapted for cinema viewers has had an international circulation but a limited or no
movie house showing in Bergman’s own country.
In an interview Bergman once commented on making parallel cinema and TV
versions of the same work (see preface, p. 19). However, his statement only applies to
works that were designed from the start to circulate in two different versions, i.e.,

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 Chapter IV Filmography

films like Scener från ett äktenskap/Scenes from a Marriage, Ansikte mot ansikte/Face to
Face, and Fanny and Alexander. But the fact is that in several cases, a Bergman film
made only for television was also sold as a movie house product – despite Bergman’s
protest. Examples are Riten/The Ritual from 1969 and Efter repetitionen/After the
Rehearsal, a TV film transmitted in 1984.
The procedure followed here with regard to both multiple-version and multiple-
distribution works has been to focus on the foreign reception in the Filmography
entry (i.e., on the internationally circulated cinema versions) and to single out Swed-
ish (or sometimes Scandinavian) reviews and comments in the media chapter (i.e.,
information that pertains directly to the TV transmission, including press debates).
For space-saving reasons, a full synopsis and complete credit list only appears once in
such cases, and then always, for the sake of consistency, in the Filmography listing. A
shorter synopsis and credit list is included for the same item in the media chapter.
Variations in length between the film and TV versions are noted in the respective
context. Date of entry may differ between the filmography and media listings. For
instance, Scener ur ett äktenskap has a 1974 title date in this chapter but a 1973 date in
the media chapter, thus referring to its first TV transmission. However an item
originally conceived for television may, occasionally, have a later release date than
the film version. The following works are involved [first date after the title refers to
first television showing, second date (if different) to its international release]:

Riten (The Ritual), 1969

Fårö dokument 1, 1969, 1970
Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage), 1973, 1974
Trollflöjten (The Magic Flute), 1975
Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to Face), 1976
Fårödokument 2, 1979, 1980
Fanny and Alexander, 1984, 1982-83
Efter repetitionen (After the Rehearsal), 1984
Den goda viljan (Best Intentions), 1991-92, 1992
Enskilda samtal (Private Confessions/Conversations), 1996, 1998-99
Larmar och gör sig till (In the Presence of a Clown), 1997, 1998
Saraband, 2003

For eighteen of Bergman’s feature films, documentary footage or ‘bakomfilmer’ are or

will be available in the Ingmar Bergman Archive at the Swedish Film Institute.
‘Bakomfilmer’ so far pertain to the following film titles:

Gycklarnas afton, 1953 Nattvardsgästerna, 1962

En lektion i kärlek, 1954 Persona, 1966
Kvinnodröm, 1955 Skammen, 1968
Sommarnattens leende, 1955 Viskningar och rop, 1972
Det sjunde inseglet, 1957 Scener ur ett äktenskap, 1973
Smultronstället, 1957 Ansikte mot ansikte, 1976
Ansiktet, 1958 Ur marionetternas liv, 1980
Nära livet, 1958 Höstsonaten, 1981
Såsom i en spegel, 1961 Efter repetitionen, 1984

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In addition, documentary footage from Bergman’s film Beröringen/The Touch, 1970,

was used in Stig Björkman’s portrait of Ingmar Bergman (see Chapter VIII, Inter-
views, Ø 796). A documentary was made by the American producer of The Serpent’s
Egg (see film entry in this chapter, Ø 249).
Special TV documentaries have been made using several of Bergman works. For a
complete list, see Varia, segment A.

202. HETS, 1944 [Torment, Frenzy], B/W

Director Alf Sjöberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The Swedish word hets implies stress, a tense atmosphere, an agitated mood. The verb hetsa
connotes the baiting of animals; as a reflexive verb, hetsa upp sig carries the meaning of
‘working oneself into a frenzy’. To have a hetsigt temperament means to be hot-tempered
and choleric. All of these connotations have a bearing on both the school situation and the
personal relationships in Hets/Torment, which is a film depicting teacher abuse, parental and
social pressure, young passion and frustration, and sexual promiscuity.
Synopsis
Hets, the first film scripted by Bergman, takes place in a boys’ school in Stockholm in the 1940s;
in the conservative upper-class home of one of the pupils, Jan-Erik Widgren; and in the cheap
lodging of a young girl, Berta Olsson, who works in a tobacco shop. The opening sequence,
establishing the use of film noir-inspired photography, depicts the late arrival of a young
schoolboy and the rigid school atmosphere during compulsory morning prayers. Later during
a Latin class the friction between Jan-Erik and a sadistic teacher nicknamed Caligula becomes
evident.
A love story develops between Jan-Erik and Berta, whom he has found drunk in the street.
Jan-Erik’s performance in school deteriorates, and he becomes the target of Caligula’s sarcasm
and despotism. The dramatic action reaches its climax when Jan-Erik finds Berta dead in her
bed. Outside in the hallway, Caligula is crouching like a frightened animal. Brought to the
police station, he becomes hysterical until an autopsy establishes that Berta died of natural
causes (a heart attack). Caligula turns the tables on Jan-Erik by reporting his affair with Berta to
the school principal. Jan-Erik responds by hitting Caligula and is subsequently suspended from
school.
When his classmates matriculate, Jan-Erik stands alone in the rain outside the school watch-
ing them emerge in their white student caps, symbolic of educational success. What follows is
an addition to the original script: Jan-Erik moves away from home to Berta’s apartment where
the school principal visits him, offering to help. Later, Jan-Erik finds Caligula on the stairs,
trembling with fear and self-pity. Ignoring him he steps out into the sunshine. The final shot
shows him standing on a hill overlooking the city. Slowly he begins to walk down towards it.
(The ending brings to mind the opening vignette in Strindberg’s novel Röda rummet/The Red
Room where an angry young Arvid Falk stands in the same location as he begins his exploration
of the city’s corruptive mores and institutions).
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Executive producer Harald Molander
Production manager Gösta Ström
Director Alf Sjöberg
Assistant Director Ingmar Bergman

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 Chapter IV Filmography

Artistic Director Victor Sjöström

Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Cinematography Martin Bodin
Architect Arne Åkermark
Music Hilding Rosenberg
Costumes Mimmi Törnquist
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, inc.
Editor Oscar Rosander
Cast
Caligula Stig Järrel
Caligula’s mother Hilda Borgström [part cut in released version]
Jan-Erik Widgren Alf Kjellin
Berta Olsson Mai Zetterling
School Principal Olof Winnerstrand
Teacher ‘Pippi’ Gösta Cederlund
Jan-Erik’s friend Sandman Stig Olin
Jan-Erik’s father Olav Riégo
Jan-Erik’s mother Märta Arbin
Jan-Erik’s brother Anders Nyström
Dr. Nilsson, physician Hugo Björne
Student Pettersson Jan Molander
Student Krantz Birger Malmsten
Student without hymn book Bengt Dalunde
Teacher proctoring late arrivals Gunnar Björnstrand
Student arriving late at school Bertil Sohlberg
Teachers at morning prayer Nils Hultberg, Rune Landsberg
Physicians at the morgue Torsten Hillberg, John Zacharias
Police Woman Lillie Wästfelt
The Pastor at Berta’s funeral Edvard Danielsson
Parish Assistant Selma Sandberg
Lina, Widgren’s housemaid Greta Stave
Student Extras Curt Edgard, Arne Ragneborn, Rolf Bergström, Paul
‘Palle’ Granditsky, Lennart Nyberg, Carl-Olof Alm, Sten
Gester, Allan Linder, et al.
Bergman’s voice is heard once on the radio in Berta’s apartment.
Filmed on location at Norra Latin School in Stockholm and Råsunda Studios, beginning 21
February 1944 and completed 25 May 1944.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. Distribution Oxford Films
Running Time 101 minutes
Released 12 September 1944
Premiere 2 October 1944, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm), et al
U.S. opening 21 April 1947
Commentary
Hets was part of SF’s 25th anniversary program aimed at quality production and introducing a
new policy of giving aspiring young filmmakers a chance to succeed in the industry. Bergman’s
original script, ending with the matriculation sequence, was considered too depressing, and he

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was asked to add the scene depicting Jan-Erik’s return to Berta’s apartment. During the shoot-
ing Bergman, who was more of a script boy than an assistant director, was however assigned the
task of handling the outdoor scene at the end, shot in South Stockholm. He describes the job in
Bilder/Images. My Life in Film, pp. 119-122.
The screenplay to Hets has never been published, but the story appeared as a novella in
Filmjournalen, nos. 51/52 (1944) – 8 (1945) and in Bildjournalen, nos. 12-15 (1959). Several early
drafts of ‘Hets’ are among Bergman’s Fårö papers, now deposited at SFI. These drafts are
discussed extensively in Maaret Koskinen’s book I begynnelsen var ordet, 2002, pp. 34-57.
Peter Ustinov made a stage adaptation based on the film, entitled ‘Frenzy’. It opened at St.
Martin’s Theatre in London, 21 April 1948. The script was also dramatized as a stage play and
performed in 1948 in Oslo by the city’s newly founded Studio Theatre. See Øyvind Anker
(Chapter IX, Ø 1141).
Upon the release of Hets, the production company (SF) issued a brochure (Stockholm: SF, n.
d., 11 pp.), which contains brief statements by Bergman (see Ø 24), Alf Sjöberg (director),
Hilding Rosenberg (composer) and Erik Tuxén (music director).
In connection with the premiere of Hets, Bergman published a brief newspaper account of
his own years in school: ‘Skoltiden ett 12-årigt helvete’ [School a 12-year hell]. Aftonbladet 3
October 1944, pp. 1, 11. A comment by his former headmaster (Håkansson) at the Palmgrenska
School in Stockholm appeared in the same paper (AB) on 5 October 1944, p.16. Reply by
Bergman in same paper, 9 October, p. 10.
Reception
Literary magazine BLM’s editor Georg Svensson reviewed Hets and praised SF for bringing
together so much talent. In the public response to the film there was more focus on Bergman’s
script than on Alf Sjöberg’s direction. Part of the film’s tremendous impact in Sweden can be
related to its timely story, which coincided with an intense discussion of the old-fashioned
structure of the Swedish school system and the need for democratic reform. For sample views
see the following:
Beklädnadsfolket 1, no. 11 (1944), pp. 18-19, (article by Elsa Brita Marcussen titled ‘Skolans
auktoritestro måste bort’ [School Authoritarianism must disappear], with a commentary
on the added ending of the film);
SF Nyheter, no. 30, pp. 4, 14 and no. 33 (1944), pp. 1, 4 (résumés of public response to Hets);
ST, 6 October 1944, p. 7 (article by Stig Järrel’s teacher);
SvD, 12 October 1944, p. 4 (editorial);
Svenska Morgonbladet, 13 October 1944, pp. 4 (Margot Wohlin, school pedagogue);
Tidning för Sveriges läroverk (Journal of the Swedish Teachers Association): no. 20 (21 October
1944), pp. 321-22 (editorial) and p. 330; no. 21 (4 November) 1944, p. 350, and no. 2 (20
January) 1945, pp. 36-37. Film was attacked in all articles in this teacher publication;
Vecko-Journalen, no. 43 (22 October 1944), p. 9 (editorial by Carl Björkman, leading Stockholm
film critic);
Vecko-Journalen, no. 45 (5 November) 1944, p. 32. Swedish author Frank Heller [Gunnar Serner]
wrote: ‘To air his antipathy for the Swedish school system, Mr. Ingmar Bergman mobilizes
both a triangle drama and a sample of Krafft-Ebing’s Psychopatia sexualis, a study that has
played a great and, most often, sad role in literature’ [För att lufta sin antipati för det
svenska skolsystemet, mobiliserar herr Ingmar Bergman både ett triangeldrama och ett
prov på Krafft-Ebings Psychopatia sexualis, en studie som har spelat en stor och oftast
sorglig roll i litteraturen].

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Hets/Torment opened to several devastating reviews in the U.S. on 21 April 1947 but later became
somewhat of a cult film. See also Filmnyheter, no. 8, 1947, p. 10, referring to positive reviews in
Newsweek (‘honest approach makes for unusual film’). According to head of Svensk Filmindus-
tri, Carl Anders Dymling, the Legion of Decency began a crusade against the film in New York
and other American cities. SF has no further data on this. Filmnyheter, no. 17 (1949), p. 15,
carries a news item about a similar reception of Torment in Canada, where local censorship
boards closed cinemas, and students in at least one city demonstrated by burning the head of
the censorship board in effigy.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 3 October 1944;
Göteborg press, 7 November 1944 (see especially GP, 7 November 1944, p. 4);
BLM 13, no. 9 1944, p. 785;
Vi no. 42 (1944), p. 11;
Vecko-Journalen, no. 42 (1944), pp. 28, 46.
Reviews
Cinématographie française, 13 November 1947, n.p. (no. 1285);
Monthly Film Bulletin, no. 150 (13 June 1946), p. 86;
New York Herald Tribune, 22 April 1947, p. 34:2;
New York Times, 22 April 1947, p. 34:2;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968 p. 2177;
Newsweek, 14 April 1947, pp. 96-97.
Interviews and Longer Articles
In connection with a Swedish TV broadcast of Hets in 1972, Torsten Jungstedt interviewed Alf
Sjöberg (director), Allan Ekelund (production manager), and Jarl Nylander (assistant photo-
grapher) about the filming of Bergman’s first film script. See Röster i Radio-TV, no. 11 (4-10
March 1972), pp. 16-17.
Peter Cowie interviewed Bergman in September 1982 about his memories of the shooting of
Hets and of Alf Sjöberg as a director. See Monthly Film Bulletin L, no. 591 (April 1983): p. 84-85;
item has somewhat misleading title ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Schooldays.’
Birgitta Steene published an essay on Hets titled ‘The Sjöberg-Bergman Connection: Hets.
Collaboration and Reception’ in Tijdsschrift voor Skandinavistiek 20:1 (1999): p. 85-102.
See also
Bergman, Karin. Detta underliga skådespel som heter livet (Linton, Ø 1526), pp. 152-53;
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 230-32;
Dansk Film Museum program note, 4 March 1953, 4 pp;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 61-69;
Filmnyheter 1, no. 11 (1946):17-9 (reception in England);
S. Krohn, Filmorientering (NFI/Norwegian Film Institute), no. 96. (March 1966), 4 pp;
SF-nyheter, no. 21 (1945), pp. 10-13;
Svensk filmografi, 1940-1949 (Ø 1314), pp. 385-88. Updated information on internet: www.
svenskfilmdatabas.se

203. KRIS, 1946 [Crisis], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, adapted from a radio play by Leck
Fischer

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 Synopses, Credits, Commentaries and Reception Record

Synopsis
Kris opens with a speaker voice-over introducing the idyllic town where 18-year-old Nelly lives
with her foster mother, Ingeborg. Nelly is courted by Ulf, a considerably older agronomist.
Preparations are under way for Nelly to attend her first ball, with Ulf as her escort. However, on
that same day, Nelly’s biological mother, Jenny, arrives in town and is later joined by her lover,
Jack. Jenny wants Nelly to work in her beauty parlour in the city.
At the ball Jack approaches Nelly and offers her a drink which he calls ‘Jack the Ripper’s
Evensong’. He and Nelly cause a scandal by interrupting the traditional entertainment with
modern improvised jazz. Escaping outdoors, Jack explains to Nelly that he is a ‘moonlight
creature’ who can love no one but himself. The rendez-vous is intercepted by Ulf, but Nelly
decides shortly thereafter to leave town. Arriving in the city she begins to work in her mother’s
beauty parlor. Ingeborg, now deathly ill, travels to the city in search of Nelly but has to return
home alone.
One evening Jack comes to the beauty salon where Nelly is alone. The couple is surprised by
Jenny. In a vengeful mood she tells Nelly that Jack is a mythomaniac who makes up stories
about himself to arouse women’s sympathy. Jack leaves very upset and shortly afterwards shoots
himself against the flickering neon signs of a theatre. Nelly is shocked by his suicide but returns
home to the small town where she is warmly received by Ingeborg and, somewhat more
hesitantly, by Ulf.
Credits
Production Company Svensk Filmindustri
Exexcutive Producer Harald Molander
Production Manager Lars-Eric Kjellgren
Director Ingmar Bergman
Artistic Advisor Victor Sjöström
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, based on radio play by Leck Fischer
entitled Moderhjertet [Mother heart], first produced by
Danish radio (DR) on 27 September 1944.
Alternate titles Drömmen om Nelly [The dream of Nelly],
Mitt barn är mitt [My child is mine],
Moderdyret [The mother animal]
Architect Arne Åkermark
Music Erland von Koch
Sound Lennart Svensson
Props Harry Malmstedt, Ragnar Carlberg
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Continuity Seivie Ewerstein
Cast
Nelly Inga Landgré
Jack Stig Olin
Ingeborg, Nelly’s foster mother Dagny Lind
Jenny, Nelly’s mother Marianne Löfgren
Ulf Allan Bohlin
Uncle Edward, physician Ernst Eklund
Aunt Jessica Signe Wirff
Malin, housekeeper Svea Holst
Mayor Arne Lindblad
Mayor’s Wife Julia Caesar

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 Chapter IV Filmography

Singer at ball Dagmar Olsson

Nelly’s dance partner Karl-Erik Flens
Beautician Siv Thulin
Assistant at beauty parlor Monica Schildt
Customers at beauty parlor Anna-Lisa Baude, Hariette Garellick
Man in the beauty parlor John Erik Liebel
Musician at ball Sture Ericson
Trumpet Blower Wiktor ‘Kulörten’ Andersson
Bass Tuba Player Gus Dahlström
Flute Player John Melin
Clarinet Player/Orchestra Leader Holger Höglund
Pianist Ulf Johanson
Wife of Town accountant at ball Margit Andelius
Young Woman on train Carin Cederström
Old Woman on train Mona Geijer-Falkner
Gypsy Woman Singoalla Lundbäck
Men in the street at Jack’s suicide Nils Hultgren, Per H. Jacobsson,
Participants at ball Rune Ottoson, Britta Billsten, Ullastina Rettig, Gustaf
Hedström, Gösta Qvist, Maud Hyttenberg, Otto Adel-
by, Hanna Adelby, et al.
Filmed on location at Hedemora in central Sweden, Stockholm (Djurgården) and at Råsunda
Studios, beginning 4 July 1945, and completed 31 August 1945.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running Time 93 minutes
Released 12 February 1946
Premiere 25 February 1946, Spegeln (Stockholm)
Commentary
Leck Fischer’s play was produced at the Helsingborg City Theatre during Bergman’s first season
there as head of the theatre. Directed by Ingrid Luterkort, it opened on 6 October 1944. The
foster mother in the Helsingborg production was played by stage actress Dagny Lind, who
appears in the same role in Bergman’s film version. Bergman’s screenplay shows some changes
from Leck Fischer’s play, such as a shift of focus from the struggle between mother and foster
mother to a love story between Nelly and Jack. Jack is Bergman’s own invention, and the most
dramatic figure in the film. For Bergman’s account of the genesis of the Jack character, see
Chapter II (Ø 41).
In a 1973 retrospective at SFI, Bergman commented on his debut as a film director in a
special series of program notes (see Ø 154): ‘If someone had asked me to film the telephone
book I would have done so. The result might have been better. I knew nothing, could do
nothing and felt like a crazy cat in a ball of yarn’. [Om någon hade bett mig filma telefonkatalo-
gen hade jag gjort det. Resultatet hade möjligen blivit bättre. Jag visste ingenting, kunde
ingenting och kände mig som en galen katt i en garnhärva.] See also comments on his novice
status in the film world in Laterna magica, pp. 81-88 (English edition, pp. 67-73), and remarks
about the shooting of Kris in Bilder/Images. My Life in Film, 1990, pp. 122-130.
Reception
Most reviews of Kris were critical; the film was termed unbalanced in style and juvenile in mood
and character depiction. But individual sequences, especially from the beauty parlor, were
singled out as showing great promise. Danish reviews, comparing the film to the original

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Danish play, were mostly negative. This is in line with most adaptation discussions at the time,
which tended to favor faithfulness to the literary original above cinematic criteria.
Kris got better reviews outside Stockholm. See positive write-up by Gerd Osten in GHT, 9
March 1946, sec. B, p. 2, and by Thorsten Eklann in UNT 5 March 1946, p. 7, including his
commentary in the same paper on 16 March, p. 9. A discussion of Kris between critics Bengt
Chambert, Gerd Osten (Pavane), and Gösta Werner appeared in Biografbladet 27, no. 2 (Sum-
mer 1946): 114-120. Such attention suggests that Bergman was not treated as an ignorant novice
among the film critics.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 26 February 1946;
BLM 15, no. 3 (March 1946): 246-47;
Vecko-Journalen 39, no. 10 (1946): 27;
Vi, no. 10 (9 March), p. 6.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 85 (July 1958), p. 6;
Variety 8 May 1946, p. 8.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 22-23;
Biografbladet 30, no. 4 (Winter 1949-50): 226-27;
Cahiers du cinéma no. 486 (December 1994), p. 9;
Danish Film Museum program, 7-11 November 1960, 4 pp;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 71-78;
Expr., 11 September 1973, p. 8;
Filmnyheter 3, no. 19 (1948):7-9;
Perspektiv 2, no. 8 (October 1951): 498-505;
SF program to Kris, 11 pp;
Svensk filmografi 1940-1949 (Ø 1314), pp. 512-14;
SDS (Malmö), 9 September 1945, p. 21.

204. DET REGNAR PÅ VÅR KÄRLEK, 1946 [It Rains on Our Love], B/W
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman & Herbert Grevenius.
Synopsis
The film opens with a Hitchcock-inspired shot (Foreign Correspondent) showing a crowd of
people under umbrellas waiting in the rain for a bus. An older man turns to the camera and
introduces himself as the Man with the Umbrella. He is the narrator of the story and also acts as
a providential character.
A young couple, Maggie and David, meet at Stockholm’s Central Station. David has recently
been released from prison. Maggie, who once had ambitions to become an actress, has made a
living as a prostitute. Now she is pregnant with a child whose father is unknown. David, as yet
ignorant of Maggie’s pregnancy, joins her, and the two leave the city. To find shelter, they break
into an empty pea patch cottage. The next day the owner, Håkansson, a nasty old man who lives
alone with a hoard of cats, appears and threatens to report them for trespassing. Later he
changes his mind and offers to sell them the cottage.
David has found employment at a garden nursery run by Mr. Andersson and his shrewish
wife. Two well-meaning Robin Hood-like characters keep leaving household utensils at David’s

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and Maggie’s front steps. They have stolen the items from the Andersson couple who accuse
David of the theft.
Maggie tells David of her pregnancy, which causes him to run off on a drunken spree. Later,
however, he offers to marry her. The two go to the local pastor to register and to ask him to
read the marriage banns in church. The pastor turns out to be a pedantic bureaucrat who
obviously takes unctious delight in stalling their plans.
Arriving back home, Maggie and David find yet another bureaucrat waiting in front of their
cottage. He is a civil servant, Herr Purman, who tells them to leave immediately. The cottage
had been expropriated by the town council before Maggie and David moved in and is now
going to be torn down for a new development. In a fit of anger, David hits Herr Purman, who
reports the incident to the police. Maggie, in shock, miscarries.
The last fourth of the film is set in a courtroom. The Man with the Umbrella appears, acting
as Maggie’s and David’s defense attorney. He gets David acquitted of Purman’s assault charge.
The film ends as the young couple take leave of the Man with the Umbrella at a crossroad. A
sign appears with arrows pointing in opposite directions, labeled City and Country. David and
Maggie choose the road to the City.
Credits
Production Company Sveriges Folkbiografer
Executive Producer Lorens Marmstedt
Production Manager Lorens Marmstedt
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Herbert Grevenius adapted Nor-
wegian playwright Oskar Braathen’s play Bra Mennesker
[Decent people], first produced at the Oslo National
Theatre on 9 September 1930
Cinematography Göran Strindberg, Hilding Bladh
Architect P. A. Lundgren
Music Erland von Koch
Sound Lars Nordberg
Editor Tage Holmberg
Continuity Gun Holmgren
Cast
Maggi Barbro Kollberg
David Lindell Birger Malmsten
Man with the Umbrella Gösta Cederlund
Per Håkansson, cottage owner Ludde Gentzel
Anderson, proprietor of nursery Douglas Håge
Mrs. Anderson Hjördis Pettersson
Hanna Ledin, a friendly neighbor Julia Cæsar
Mr. Purman Gunnar Björnstrand
Bicycle Mechanic, friend of David Magnus Kesster
His Wife Sif Ruud
The Pastor Åke Fridell
The Prosecutor Benkt-Åke Benktsson
The Judge Erik Rosén
Assistant to Judge Albert Johansson
Kängsnöret [Shoestring], bum Sture Ericson
Stålvispen [Eggbeater], bum Ulf Johanson

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Clerk Erland Josephson

Policemen Bertil Anderberg, Edvard Danielsson
Attendant at station Carl (Johansson) Harald
Ticket salesman at station Nils Hultberg
Men at Café John W. Björling, Einar Hylander
Women in Courtroom Karin Windahl, Britta Billsten, Margot Lindén
Filmed on location at pea patches near Hellasgården in South Stockholm and at Drevviken and
Sandrews’ Novilla Studios in the Stockholm nature park Djurgården in August 1946 (completed
on August 22nd).
Distribution Svenska AB Nordisk Tonefilm
Running time 95 minutes
Released 31 October 1946
Premiere 9 November 1946, Astoria (Stockholm)
Commentary
The Man with the Umbrella and other allegorical overtones in the film exist already in
Braathen’s play. Bergman’s work on the script confines itself to the trial, i.e., to the most
realistic part of the film.
Hilding Bladh started shooting Det regnar på vår kärlek but had to turn over the job to Göran
Strindberg because of a time conflict. Each one is responsible for about 50% of the footage.
Strindberg remembers shooting outdoor scenes and interior scenes from pea patch cottage.
Strindberg’s footage in the city scenes is typical of his film noir style. Cf. his footage in Fängelse/
Prison.
A Norwegian film based on Braathen’s play was made in 1937 with the title Bra mennesker
[Decent people], directed by Leif Sinding.
Reception
Reviews were mixed, but on the whole Bergman was praised for his playful and lyrical ap-
proach. Many pointed to the influences from French cinema of René Clair, Julien Duvivier, and
Marcel Carné. A longer analysis of Bergman’s film was published by Bengt Chambert in
Biografbladet 27, no. 4 (Winter 1946-47): 235-239, comparing it to Marcel Carné’s film noir
and noting Méliès’ influence on Bergman.
In early 1947 Det regnar på vår kärlek began a very successful round in the Swedish provinces.
Signature Björn in Hudiksvallsposten, 26 February 1947 p. 7, concluded: ‘We have to go back to
the era of Victor Sjöström to find anything comparable on the Swedish screen’ [Vi måste gå
tillbaka till Victor Sjöströms epok för att hitta något jämförbart på den svenska duken].
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 10 November 1946;
BLM 15, no. 10 (December 1946): 906-907;
Vecko-Journalen 37, no. 47 (1946): pp. 14-15, 45;
Vi no. 47 (1946), p. 28.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma no. 85 (July 1958): 6.
See also
Bergman, Ingmar. Bilder/Images. My Life on Film, pp. 132-33;
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 27-29;
Cahiers du cinéma no. 74 (August–September 1957);

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Danish Film museum program, 14-17 May 1962, 4 pp.;

Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 79-85;
Expr., 29 August 1974, p. 30;
Image et son, 1967 (Ø 1233), pp. 6-7;
Robin Hood, ST, 2 October 1964, p. 24;
SDS, 10 November 1946 p. 18;
Svensk filmografi, 1940-1949 (Ø 1314), pp. 542-544;
H. Wortzelius, Biografbladet 30, no. 4 (Winter 1949-50): 217-236.
Awards
1946: Ingmar Bergman won a Charlie (Swedish Oscar) for the film.
1947: Film was ranked best Swedish film for 1946-47 by Swedish Film Journalists Club
and the film magazine Biografbladet.

205. KVINNA UTAN ANSIKTE, 1947 [Woman without a face], B/W

Director Gustaf Molander
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Ragnar Ekberg, an author, sits at a hotel bar while his off-screen voice introduces him as the
narrator of a story whose main characters are Martin Grandé and his mistress Rut Köhler.
Seeing Rut leave the hotel alone, Ragnar checks on Martin and finds him dying after a suicide
attempt. Later at the hospital Ragnar meets Rut and follows her home. She shows him a portrait
she has painted representing the devil and tells him a fairytale called ‘The Three Chimney
Sweeps and the Changing of Guards’ [De tre sotarna och Vaktparaden]. In a flashback we see
Rut in her mother’s apartment as a caller arrives; it is Sam Svensson, a chimney sweep and
trumpeteer who offers Rut free tickets to a concert. Rut serves him beer, and later they climb up
on the roof to make love.
Ragnar’s voice interrupts Rut’s story while the camera introduces us to Martin, his wife Frida,
and their small son Pil. The family is gathered for dinner at Martin’s parents. A quarrel starts
over the way the grandparents spoil their grandson. Martin insults Frida. Later, feeling guilty, he
takes Pil with him in the car to buy flowers for Frida. At the florist he sees Rut for the first time.
She deliberately breaks off the heel on one of her shoes and accepts Martin’s offer to drive her
home. Some time later she waits for him outside the university where he is a student. They
begin an affair, with Ragnar providing an alibi for them. But Ragnar and Martin are drafted.
Worried that Rut will not be faithful, Martin deserts from the army and returns to Stockholm.
Rut takes him to Sam Svensson’s concert and persuades Sam to rent them a room.
Martin’s and Rut’s liaison is short-lived. Martin finds himself a cold shack, while Rut returns
to her mother, whose lover Victor is the model for Rut’s portrait of the devil. Rut tells her
mother how Victor tried to seduce her when she was only 12, and extracts 700 kronor from
Victor as compensation. She returns to Martin who flies into a jealous rage at the sight of the
large sum of money. He goes back to his family and avoids charges of desertion by claiming a
nervous collapse.
Rut pursues Martin who accompanies her to the hotel where the film started. In the hospital,
Martin’s parents suggest that he go to the United States. The film ends at the train station with
Frida saying goodbye to Martin who is leaving to board a ship for the US. They talk about their
future together. Rut is also at the station, but Martin does not see her. After he is gone, Frida,
expressing her pity, talks briefly to Rut.

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Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Director Gustaf Molander
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Åke Dahlqvist
Architects Arne Åkermark, Nils Svenwall
Sound Sven Hansen
Music Erik Nordgren
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Lucie Kjellberg
Cast
Martin Grandé Alf Kjellin
Rut Köhler Gunn Wållgren
Frida Grandé Anita Björk
Ragnar Ekberg Stig Olin
Martin’s father Olof Winnerstrand
Martin’s mother Linnea Hillberg
Rut’s mother Marianne Löfgren
Victor Georg Funkquist
Sam Svensson Åke Grönberg
Filmed at Råsunda Studios and at Märsta station, beginning 3 February 1947 and completed in
Spring 1947.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 100 minutes
Released 9 July 1947
Premiere 16 September 1947
Commentary
For genesis of script, see (Ø 42). According to an article in Filmnyheter 2, no. 4 (1947): 21-22,
Bergman followed part of the shooting of film. Director Gustaf Molander was one of SF’s grand
old men, known for his sober and elegant upper class comedies and melodramas.
Reception
Bergman’s script caught the limelight, just as had been the case with Hets. The leading film
critic Carl Björkman noticed Bergman’s dramatic and lyrical talents: ‘Ingmar Bergman’s “Kvin-
na utan ansikte” is the work of a poet. A bit uneven and jerky at times, charmingly immature at
times, often leaving question marks. But always inspired, with the brilliance of a very youthful
genius who has all the deviltry of film and theatre in his blood’. [Ingmar Bergmans ‘Kvinna utan
ansikte’ är en diktares verk. Lite ojämt och ryckigt någon gång, förtjusande omoget ibland, ofta
med frågetecken. Men nästan hela tiden inspirerat, gnistrande av ett mycket ungdomligt geni
som fått både teaterns och filmens alla djävlar i blodet.]
Björkman’s appreciative review might be juxtaposed to Artur Lundkvist’s negative reaction:
‘When faced with Ingmar Bergman’s fiery excitement, his convulsive furor, one easily gets a
feeling of being offered dramatic drugs, a violent storm in a teapot, a theatrical “much ado
about nothing”. In the midst of all the noise and all the rebellious gestures, one suddenly begins
to wonder if he actually has anything to say’ [Inför Ingmar Bergman med hans hetsiga upp-
rördhet, hans konvulsiviska furia får man lätt en känsla av att bli bjuden dramatisk narkotika,
ett våldsamt stormande i ett vattenglas, ett teateraktigt ‘mycket väsen för ingenting’. Mitt i allt

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bullret och alla de upproriska åthävorna kan man plötsligt börja undra om han egentligen har
något att säga.]
Reviews
Björkman, Carl. ‘Kvinna utan ansikte’. DN, 17 September 1947.
Lundkvist, Artur. ‘Film’. BLM XVI, no. 8 (October) 1947: 683.
Awards
1948: Stockholm film critics (and Uppsala critic Pir Ramek) voted Kvinna utan ansikte
best Swedish film of the year, followed by his Musik i mörker/Music in Darkness and
Skepp till India land/A Ship to India. See Biografbladet, Summer 1948.

206. SKEPP TILL INDIA LAND, 1947 [A Ship to India], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman after a play by Martin Söderhjelm
The original Swedish title is a direct reference to a poem by Gustaf Fröding (1860-1911), which
begins: ‘Jag ville jag vore i Indialand/och India vore sig själv’ (I wish I were in Indialand/and
India were itself). The Swedish name for India is Indien; by renaming it Indialand, the poet
converts a distant geographic spot to a melodious land of fantasy, a never-never land: ‘Jag ville
jag vore en drömlands son/en infödd av Indialand’ (I wish I were a dreamland’s son/a native of
Indialand).
Early American and British titles, ‘Frustration’ and ‘Land of Desire’, place emphasis on
psychological mood while ignoring the irony of the setting: a tug boat serving as a launch
pad for escapes to exotic lands. Final distribution title Ship to India places skipper Blom’s
unreachable destination firmly on the map. ‘Ship to Indialand’ or ‘Ship to Never-Never Land’
would come closer to the original meaning. Danish title – ‘Sømandstøsen’ or ‘The Sailor’s Gal’
– changes the conflict (as does one of the French titles, ‘Le port des filles perdues’) to the story
of a promiscuous woman.
Synopsis
The film opens seven years after the main action has occurred. Johannes Blom returns from
long service in the merchant marine. He looks up Sally, who is living alone. She tells him she
does not need his pity. Johannes goes down to the harbour where his father’s sloop used to be.
In a flashback he recalls his past, beginning on the day his father Alexander brought home Sally,
with whom he planned to sail for ‘Indialand’. Alexander Blom is going blind. His neglected wife
Alice hopes his condition will worsen to make him dependent on her and give up Sally.
Johannes falls in love with Sally. When Captain Blom discovers Sally’s interest in his son, he
forces Johannes to work as a diver against his will and attempts to murder him by cutting off
the air in the diving tube. Johannes is rescued at the last minute, and the father flees in panic to
a room he keeps in town, decorated with model ships and exotic objects which he now
proceeeds to destroy. He then makes an aborted suicide attempt, but becomes crippled and
totally dependent upon his wife.
The film ends as Johannes snaps out of his reveries and returns once more to Sally’s place. He
succeeds in persuading her to leave with him, and they depart together, not as lovers but as
mutual friends.
Credits
Production company Sveriges Folkbiografer
Executive producer Lorens Marmstedt
Production manager Allan Ekelund

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Director Ingmar Bergman

Screenplay Ingmar Bergman after Martin Söderhjelm’s play Skepp
till Indialand, first produced at the Swedish Theatre in
Helsinki, 23 October 1946
Photography Göran Strindberg
Architect P. A. Lundgren
Music Erland von Koch
Sound Lars Nordberg, Sven Josephson
Make-up Inga-Lisa Storthors, Arne Lundh
Editor Tage Holmberg
Continuity Gerd Osten
Cast
Captain Alexander Blom Holger Löwenadler
Johannes Blom, his son Birger Malmsten
Sally Gertrud Fridh
Alice Blom Anna Lindahl
Crewmen Hans, Bertil, Erik Lasse Krantz, Jan Molander, Erik Hell
Selma Naemi Brise
Sofi Hjördis Petterson
Manager of music hall Åke Fridell
A foreign crewman Peter Lindgren
Kiki, a dwarf Otto Moskowitz
Alexander Blom’s partners Gustaf Hiort af Ornäs, Rolf Bergström
Street girl Ingrid Borthen
Girl on beach Amy Aaröe
Young man on beach Gunnar Nielsen
Woman witnessing arrest Svea Holst
Black crew member Charles White
Old men in the street John W. Björling, Uno Larsson
Filmed on location at Ankarsudden, Torö, in Stockholm archipelago and at Sandrews’ Novilla
Studios in Stockholm’s Djurgården (Deer Park), beginning 28 May 1947, and completed 16 July
1947.
Distribution Nordisk Tonefilm
U.S. distribution Film Classics, Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 102 min
Premiere 22 September 1947, Royal (Stockholm)
U.S. Opening 29 August 1949, Rialto, NYC
Commentary
Bergman’s screenplay intensifies the father-son relationship in the original play by Söderhjelm
and adds a variety-show sequence, in which Ingmar Bergman can be seen as a man in beret (his
‘trademark’ for many years) watching a Punch-and-Judy show.
Bergman writes about the making of Skepp till India land in Bilder/Images. My Life in Film,
1990, pp. 136-139. In a reportage from the shooting of the film in Expr., 7 June 1949, p. 11,
Bergman stresses both the escapist motif and the theme of youthful rebellion.

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Reception
In Bilder/Images (p. 139) Bergman calls the reception of Skepp till India land ‘a massive adversity’
[en massiv motgång], but actually the film received mixed reviews. Arne Sellermark in Film-
journalen 29, no. 40 (1947): 7, referred to it as ‘a horror ship of fyrtiotalism’ [ett fyrtitalistiskt
skräckskepp], i.e., full of the malaise of Sweden’s literary Forties (see Ø 952), but was in general
positive about the film. Nils Beyer in Stockholm MT, 23 September 1947, p. 11, criticized
Bergman for using a trendy literary cliché in his portrait of Sally, the good prostitute.
The only longer study of Skepp till India land was published by Hugo Wortzelius: ‘Ensamhet
och gemenskap. Reflexioner kring Ingmar Bergmans “Skepp till Indialand”.’ Biografbladet 28,
no. 4 (Winter 1947-48): 229-235. He sees family conflict in the film as a desperate human search
for contact rather than a generation battle. He also compares the film’s strong element of
escapism to so-called utbrytningsdröm [dream of breaking away], a common motif in Swedish
cinema at the time.
Variety, 22 October 1947, p. 13, carried a brief note about Ship to India, recommending the
film for the U.S. market. But Variety, 31 August 1949, p. 8, dismissed it as a ‘a slow murky film
with no appeal for the US market’. In France, the film became a modest success during the
Bergman vogue of 1958. See Cahiers du cinéma no. 86 (August 1958): 42-43.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 23 September 1947;
BLM 16, no. 8 (October 1947): 683;
Vecko-Journalen 38, no. 40 (1947): 39;
Vi no. 40 (1947), pp. 11, 22.
Foreign Reviews
Il giornale d’Italia (Rome), 3 October 1968, n.p. (SFI clipping);
New York Herald Tribune, 27 August 1949, p. 4;
New York Times, same date, p. 7:3;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, pp. 2355-56;
Variety, 31 August 1949, p. 8.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 30-31;
Danish Film museum program, 1964, 4 pp.;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 86-90;
Filmjournalen 29, no. 30 (1947): 10-11;
Filmorientering (Norwegian Film Institute), no. 79 (November 1964), 4 pp.;
Image et son (Ø 1233), pp. 7-9;
Scen och Salong no. 7 (1947): 8-10;
Svensk filmografi, 1940-1949 (Ø 1314), pp. 610-612.
Awards
1947: Honorable mention at Cannes Film Festival.

207. MUSIK I MÖRKER, 1948 [Music in darkness], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Dagmar Edqvist and Ingmar Bergman
The Swedish title has alliteration and cadence, lost in literal English translation. Early American
title ‘Night is my Future’ focusses on main character’s blindness and ignores importance that
music plays in the film.

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Synopsis
The film opens with an expressionistic dream sequence: young Bengt Vyldeke is blinded when
trying to save a puppy during a rifle drill in the army. Returning to his family residence in the
country, Bengt tries to adjust to a world of darkness and begins to play the organ in a country
church. One day when playing at a funeral, he meets a lower class girl, Ingrid, whose father is
being buried. Ingrid needs a job and becomes a servant in Bengt’s home. The two fall in love,
and Ingrid encourages Bengt to pursue his musical studies. He applies to the Academy of Music
in Stockholm but fails his entrance exam. Subsequently, he begins to play in a pub whose owner
exploits all the employees. One day Bengt is falsely accused of theft and loses his job.
In the meantime Ingrid has been admitted to a teacher’s college where she meets Ebbe. A
chance encounter brings Ingrid and Ebbe together with Bengt. The two men are jealous of each
other. In a contest of bending arms, Ebbe wins. Later he hits Bengt when discovering that
Ingrid is in love with him. Bengt is grateful, for he feels that Ebbe has treated him as an equal
and not as a handicapped person.
The pastor in the church where Bengt used to play the organ is Ingrid’s guardian after her
father’s death. He refuses to give his blessing to a marriage between Ingrid and Bengt, partly
because of their social differences and partly because of Bengt’s blindness. Bengt, however,
decides to pursue a career as a church organist and is accepted into such a program. Ingrid will
teach grade school. The pastor finally gives them permission to marry. The films ends as they
leave by train for their new life together.
Credits
Production company Terrafilm
Executive producer Lorens Marmstedt
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Dagmar Edqvist, after her 1946
novel of the same name
Photography Göran Strindberg
Architect P. A. Lundgren
Props manager Gösta Pettersson
Music Erland von Koch
Sound Olle Jakobsson
Make-up Inga Lindeström
Editor Lennart Wallén
Continuity Ulla Kihlberg
Cast
Bengt Vyldeke Birger Malmsten
Ingrid Olofsson Mai Zetterling
Ebbe Larsson Bengt Eklund
Kernman, pastor Olof Winnerstrand
Kruge, pub owner Douglas Håge
Klasson, musician at pub Gunnar Björnstrand
Mrs. Beatrice Schröder Naima Wifstrand
Augustin Schröder Åke Claesson
Agneta, Bengt’s sister Bibi Lindqvist-Skoglund
Lovisa, housekeeper at Schröder’s Hilda Borgström
Otto Klemens, blind worker John Elfström
Hedström, music director Sven Lindberg

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Einar Blom Bengt Logardt

Blanche Marianne Gyllenhammar
Sylvia Ulla Andreasson
Evert, boy in pub Rune Andreasson
Hjördis, his mother Barbro Flodquist
Anton Nord Segol Mann
Post office clerk Svea Holst
Jönsson, waiter Georg Skarstedt
Blind pianist Reinhold Svensson
Woman throwing out garbage Mona Geijer-Falkner
Chief cook Arne Lindblad
Train engineer Stig Johanson
Man at train station Ulf Johanson
Mrs. Else Klemens Britta Brunius
Hotel guest Otto Adelby
Filmed at Sandrews Studios at Lästmakargatan, Stockholm, beginning 1 November 1947 and
completed 30 December 1947.
Distribution Terrafilm/Stjärnfilm
U.S. distribution Embassy Pictures/Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 85 minutes
Released 15 January 1948
Premiere 17 January 1948
U.S. Opening 8 January 1963, Eight Street Playhouse, NYC
Bergman can be seen as a train passenger in the final scene.
Commentary
Bergman switched the focus of Edqvist’s novel from a love story across class barriers to a
psychological study of a traumatized young man. He talks briefly about the making of Musik
i mörker in his book Bilder/Images. My Life in Film, pp. 139-40. In a shooting reportage in Expr.
(11 December 1947, p. 16), he is described as a man who ‘aggravates, hates and acts in fear, agony
and anguish’ and only sees ‘the dark aspects of life’ [en man som hetsar och hatar och handlar i
skräck, vånda och ångest (och bara ser) livets mörka sidor]. Musik i mörker was said to be an
answer to his critics that he could also make ‘happier’ films.
Reception
Reviewers approved of Bergman’s adaptation of the original story but were somewhat divided
about the filmic result. Robin Hood claimed that the expressionistic opening was an obvious
imitation of Eisenstein (ST 17 February 1948, p. 6). Carl Björkman (DN, 18 January 1948),
though acknowledging Bergman’s obvious artistic ambitions, termed Musik i mörker no more
than ‘an altogether presentable film, it is proper in its smallest detail, as slick as drawing paper
[...] but narrated in a monotone, without joy and spontaneity. [en alltigenom snygg film, den är
proper in i minsta detalj, glättad som illustrationspapper [...]men entonigt berättad, utan glädje
och spontanitet]. Björkman suggested that Bergman look at the current Italian cinema for a
treatment of tragic subjects with warmth, humor and emotional involvement rather than
‘narrow anguish’ [snäv ångest]. Bergman’s next film venture, Hamnstad/Port of Call, was con-
ceived as an ‘Italian’ neo-realist film.
The film was a modest public success in Sweden, and, in fact, the first Bergman film to make
money. It has had limited distribution outside of Sweden but was not released in U.S. until 1963.

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Variety reviewed it on 29 July 1959 (p. 6), referring to it as an old picture showing some talent.
Time, 25 January 1963, p. 42 (Am.Ed. p. 59), compared its ‘silly plot’ favorably to Jane Eyre. NYT,
9 January 1963, p. 5:-6, dismissed it as ‘cinematic juvenilia of a painful sort’.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 18 January 1948;
BLM, February 1948, p. 153-154;
Vecko-Journalen 39, no. 5 (1948): 24;
Vi no. 5 (1948), p. 14.
Foreign Reviews
Filmfacts, 7 February 1963;
Films and Filming, 8 no. 7 (April 1962) p. 33;
Monthly Film Bulletin, March 1961, p. 32;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3371;
Time, 25 January 1963, p. 42 (Am.ed. p. 59);
Variety, 29 July 1959, p. 6.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 790), pp. 30-31;
Biografbladet 30, no. 4 (Winter 1949-50): 217-236;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1382), pp. 99-102;
Image et son, 226 (March) 1969: 9-10;
New York Herald Tribune, 31 December 1962, p. 15;
Svensk filmografi, 1940-1949 (Ø 1370), pp. 645-647.
Musik i mörker was an entry at the 1948 Venice Film Festival but won no prize.

208. HAMNSTAD, 1948 [Port of Call], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman after Olle Länsberg’s novel Guldet och
murarna [The gold and the walls]
Synopsis
A docu-style camera depicts the bustling port of Göteborg; the tenement housing where Berit,
the main character, lives and the factory where she works. The story begins as Gösta, a 29-year-
old sailor who has just returned home after eight years at sea, passes the spot where Berit has
just tried to commit suicide by jumping into the water. Later Gösta, a serious man who reads
contemporary Swedish poetry, meets Berit in a dance hall. He follows her home and spends the
night with her. It is a casual relationship, and no bonds are formed between the two.
In a flashback we learn that Berit is the product of a broken home. One scene depicts her
parents quarreling; another shows her strict mother moving about in the home, imposing her
meticulous sense of order and fundamentalist religion on Berit. Still another flashback tells how
Berit, who then attended a milliner’s school, is locked out by her mother when she returns
home late one night. On this occasion Berit has met a young man reminiscent of Jack in Kris.
She moves in with him, but her mother has her admitted to a juvenile institution. Berit escapes
but is caught and and sent back. When Gösta meets her, she has been released on probation and
is working in a ball-bearing factory. Berit’s mother reports her daughter’s encounter with Gösta
to the probation officer, Mr. Vilander.

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Gösta is uncertain about his feelings for Berit. He comes late to a second meeting. After they
have had a good time together at an amusement park, Berit tells him of her past. Gösta is upset,
runs away and gets drunk with a prostitute.
New complications arise. Gertrud, a pregnant friend of Berit’s, has arranged for an abortion
which fails. Berit takes the critically ill Gertrud to Gösta who helps her to the hospital. Berit is
now apprehended. In a plea-bargaining for her freedom, she divulges the address of the
abortionist. She and Gösta make plans to stow away on a ship, but just before boarding, they
change their minds and decide to stay in the harbour city.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindusti
Executive producer Harald Molander
Production manager Lars-Eric Kjellgren
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Stig Ossian Ericson
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, from Olle Länsberg’s Guldet och mu-
rarna [The gold and the walls]
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect Nils Svenwall
Propman (Studio manager) Gösta Ström
Music Erland von Koch
Sound Sven Hansen
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Ingegerd Ericsson
Cast
Berit Holm Nine-Christine Jönsson
Gösta Andersson Bengt Eklund
Berit’s mother Berta Hall
Berit’s father Erik Hell
Berit as a child Kate Elffors
Gertrud Ljungberg, hotel maid Mimi Nelson
Gertrud’s father Sture Ericson
Agneta Vilander, social worker Birgitta Valberg
Mr. Vilander, probation officer Hans Strååt
Man from Skåne Harry Ahlin
Gustav Nils Hallberg
‘Eken’, Stockholm kid Sven-Eric Gamble
Mrs. Krona, abortionist Sif Ruud
Police superintendent Nils Dahlgren
‘Tuppen’ [the Rooster], foreman Yngve Nordwall
Tuppen’s buddies Torsten Lilliecrona, Hans Sundberg
Gunnar Bengt Blomgren
Johan, his father Helge Karlsson
His mother Hanny Schedin
Thomas Stig Olin
A prostitute Brita Billsten
Girls from reform school Ernma Groth, Else-Merete Heiberg
Joe, a Negro Bill Houston
Salvation Army soldiers Britta Nordin, Estrid Hesse

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Captain on Dutch ship Herman Greid

Girl in dance-hall Vanja Rodefeldt
Swing kid at the dance-hall Rune Andreasson
Man at card game John W. Björling
A screaming girl Harriet Andersson
Police sister Inga-Lill Åhström
Voice reading court verdict Stig Ossian Ericson
Filmed on location in Göteborg and Hindås, and on the Södertälje-Stockholm train, beginning
27 May 1948, and completed 17 July 1948.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 99 minutes
Released 4 October 1948
Premiere 11 October 1948, Cosmorama, Kaparen (Göteborg)
18 October, Skandia (Stockholm)
U.S. opening as Port of Call, November 1959
Commentary
In late winter and early spring 1948, a labor conflict jeopardized shooting schedules. When SF
studios opened again on 27 May, two productions got under way: Eva, written by Bergman but
directed by Gustaf Molander, and Hamnstad, directed by Ingmar Bergman but not based on his
script. Why Molander got to direct the very personal script of Eva and why Bergman took care
of the social-realistic Hamnstad is not clear, except that the latter film was set in Göteborg,
where Bergman resided at the time.
Ingmar Bergman added one scene to the original script, the episode where Gösta gets drunk
with a prostitute.
Swedish censorship board cut about 30 seconds from a scene of violent abuse (in ‘act 3’).
Reception
Swedish reviews of Hamnstad were mixed. Mikael Katz (Expr., 19 October 1948, p. 9), usually
critical of Bergman, approved of a ‘new’ Bergman who subordinated himself to the docu-style of
the script. But Bergman’s supporter in ST (Robin Hood, same date, p. 12) was very negative: ‘One
is tired of abortions, women’s penitentiaries, social workers, cheap seductions and equally cheap
dance halls’ [Man är led vid aborter, ‘kvinnofängelser’, socialkuratorer, billiga förförelser och lika
billiga danshak]. Those who saw Hamnstad as an example of postwar neorealism favored it;
those who compared it to Swedish street-and-problem films of the Forties were negative.
Abroad, the film was shown too late to ride on the neorealistic wave of the Forties. It got
respectful though lukewarm reception during auteur-oriented Ingmar Bergman retrospectives
in France (1958), Britain, and the U.S. (1959).
Swedish Reviews
Göteborg press, 12 October, and Stockholm press, 19 October 1948;
BLM 17, no. 9. (November 1948): pp. 707-708 (review by Artur Lundkvist);
Vecko-Journalen no. 45 (1948), pp. 24, 4;
Vi no. 44 (1948), p. 20.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma no. 85 (July 1958): p. 6-7;
Films and Filming, October 1959, p. 25;
Monthly Film Bulletin, November 1959, p. 147.

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See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 32-33;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 103-107;
Danish Film Museum program, May 1960;
Filmnyheter 3, no. 15 (1948): 16-18; Vi 39, no. 47 (1952): 3-4;
L. Ernesto, Bianco e nero, nos. 8-9 (1964), pp. 58-72;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 10-11;
Svensk filmografi, 1940-1949 (Ø 1314), pp. 678-680 and 716-720 (H. Wortzelius).

209. EVA, 1948, B/W

Director Gustaf Molander
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Bo Fredriksson, a trumpeteer in the navy, returns home on leave. On the train he remembers
how he ran away at age 12 after quarreling with his father and joined an ambulatory theatre
company whose director had a 10-year-old blind daughter, Marthe.
Returning to the present, Bo receives a warm welcome from his parents. In the evening he
visits a neigbouring family, the Berglunds, whose niece Eva is working on the farm. Later Bo
makes love to Eva. At the same time old Berglund dies, cared for by his wife. This triggers a
second flashback in Bo who remembers bringing blind Marthe on board a locomotive and
setting it in motion. Their joy ride ends in disaster as the locomotive derails and Marthe is
killed. Ever since, Bo has felt that death follows him everywhere.
After his visit to his parents, Bo returns to Stockholm where he shares an apartment with a
musician, Göran, and his wife Susanne, who makes passes at Bo. After a night of heavy drinking
Bo has a nightmare in which, encouraged by Susanne, he kills Göran. The next morning Eva
comes to Stockholm to surprise Bo. The two decide to leave town and move out to the skerries.
Eva is pregnant, and Bo is a happy expectant father. But one day when the baby is almost due,
Bo and an old fisherman, Johansson, find the corpse of a German soldier who has washed
ashore on the Swedish coast. Eva watches the two men carry the soldier into a nearby storage
shack and goes to check on them. The shock of seeing the dead soldier precipitates the birth of
the child. Johansson helps Eva to a midwife who delivers her of a healthy boy. In the birth of
their son, Bo feels that death has ceased to be a threat. He now accepts death as an inevitable
part of life.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Director Gustaf Molander
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Gustaf Molander, from a synopsis
by Ingmar Bergman
Photography Åke Dahlqvist
Architect Nils Svenwall
Music Eric Nordgren
Sound Lennart Unnerstad
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Editor Oscar Rosander
Cast
Bo Fredriksson Birger Malmsten
Eva Eva Stiberg

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Susanne Bolin Eva Dahlbeck

Göran Bolin Stig Olin
Erik Fredriksson Åke Claesson
Mrs. Anna Fredriksson Wanda Rothgardt
Frida, Bo’s sister Inga Landgré
Frida at 7 Monica Weinzierl
Lena, Bo’s sister Yvonne Eriksson
Aron Berglund Olof Sandborg
Mrs. Maria Berglund Hilda Borgström
Mikael Johansson, fisherman Carl Ström
Bo at 12 Lasse Sarri
Marthe, the blind girl Anne Karlsson
Josef Friedel, Marthe’s father Sture Ericson
Josef ’s brothers Karl and Fritz Erland Josephson and John Harryson
Man in the train Hans Dahlin
Midwife Hanny Schedin
Train engineer in flashback Lennart Blomkvist
Waitress Barbro Flodqvist
Station Master Göthe Grefbo
Station Master in flashback David Erikson
Railroad Worker Birger Åsander
Filmed on location in Tylösand, Nynäshamn, Hudiksvall, Tvetaberg, Handen, Tumba, Boge-
sund, and Norrköping, and at Råsunda Studios, beginning 27 May 1948 and completed 28 June
1948.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 97 minutes
Released 6 December 1948
Premiere 26 December 1948, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm), Cosmor-
ama (Göteborg), Scania (Malmö), et al.
Commentary
Swedish censorship board cut about 1 minute from the seduction scenes, acts 3 and 4.
See (Ø 57) for Bergman essay on genesis of Eva. Bergman’s original working title was
‘Starkare än döden’ [Stronger than death] while original title of script was ‘Trumpetaren och
vår herre’ [The Trumpeteer and our Lord]. See also (Ø 58-59) for published prose excerpt called
‘Den lille trumpetaren och vår herre’ [The little Trumpeteer and our Lord].
In an article titled ‘Eva – en ingmar bergmansk vändpunkt?’ [Eva – a turning point for
Ingmar Bergman], Biografbladet vol. 30, no. 2 (Summer) 1949: 101-06, Hugo Wortzelius pro-
vided a rereading of the film, written in the aftermath of the release of Bergman’s Fängelse/
Prison in 1949.
Together with Bergman’s Gycklarnas afton (The Naked Night), Eva was chosen to represent
Swedish filmmaking in an arts festival celebrating the 500th anniversary of Saõ Paolo, Brazil, in
1954.
Reviews
Stockholm, Malmö and Göteborg press, 27 December 1948;
UNT, 18 January 1948;
BLM, January 1949, pp. 52-53 (Artur Lundkvist);
Biografbladet, no. 2, 1949, p. 101-06;

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Obs!, no. 1, 1949, p. 52;

Vi, no. 3, 1949, p. 19 (Gerd Osten/Pavane).

210. FÄNGELSE, 1949 [Prison], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The original title is symbolic, Bergman’s version of Sartre’s Huis clos [No Exit], i.e., a depiction
of human existence where hell is other people. The early American distribution title, ‘The
Devil’s Wanton’, while picking up on Bergman’s reference to the film as a morality play for the
screen, is too suggestive of promiscuous living and ignores the main character’s trapped life
condition and tragedy.
Synopsis
An old mathematics teacher tells the director, his former pupil, of an idea for a screenplay. The
film is to open with a proclamation by the Devil that human life is an inferno. The suggestion is
dismissed with laughter. Later, at the home of Tomas, a young author whose marriage has
brought him to the verge of suicide, the story turns to a prostitute, Birgitta-Carolina. Tomas’
account is visualized; the ‘real’ film begins, focusing on the young girl and demonstrating the
schoolteacher’s thesis. Mixing naturalistic details with expressionistic dream sequences, Berg-
man tells of a rendezvous between Tomas and Birgitta-Carolina in an old attic, where the
couple project an old silent farce they find in a movie projector.
In the attic, Birgitta-Carolina falls asleep and has a nightmare. In a bathtub she sees a doll
bobbing in the water; a hand lifts up the doll, but it changes into a fish that is squashed. In her
nightmare Birgitta-Carolina reenacts an earlier episode in her life when she had to surrender
her newborn baby to the sister of a pimp who drowned it.
Next the camera follows Tomas to the harbor. He sees a dead bird and kicks it into the water.
This anticipates Birgitta-Carolina’s suicide after she has been tortured with cigarette butts by a
former lover. Tomas returns home to his wife. Birgitta-Carolina has been his vicarious sufferer.
The film ends in the film studio. The teacher comes back to ask the director about his
opinion of the original plot idea. The answer is that it would never work.
Credits
Production Company Terrafilm
Executive producer Lorens Marmstedt
Production manager Gösta Pettersson
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Göran Strindberg
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Property Sven Björling
Music Erland von Koch
Sound Olle Jakobsson
Make-up Inga Lindeström
Editor Lennart Wallén
Continuity Chris Poijes
Cast
Birgitta-Carolina Söderberg Doris Svedlund
Tomas Birger Malmsten

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Sofi, Tomas’ wife Eva Henning

Martin Grandé, director/narrator Hasse Ekman
Peter, Birgitta-Carolina’s pimp Stig Olin
Linnéa, Peter’s sister Irma Christenson
Paul, mathematics teacher Anders Henrikson
Mrs. Signe Bohlin, landlady Marianne Löfgren
Arne, actor in film studio Carl-Henrik ‘Kenne’ Fant
Greta, actress Inger Juel
Alf, Peter’s friend Curt Masreliez
Magnus, opera singer Åke Fridell
Anna, landlady’s young relative Anita Blom
Anna’s fiance, postman Arne Ragneborn
Lasse, young boy Lasse Sarri
Lasse’s mother Britta Brunius
Cinematographer Torsten Lilliecrona
Lighting crew Segol Mann
Police superintendent Börje Mellvig
Plainclothes policemen Åke Engfeldt, Gösta Ericsson
Man in Birgitta-Carolina’s dream Ulf Palme
Voice of B-C’s mother in nightmare Britta Holmberg
Man in Birgitta-Carolina’s nightmare John W. Björling
Dark woman Gunilla Klosterborg,
Guest at boarding house Birgit ‘Bibi’ Lindkvist
Workers in film studio Sven Björling, Kalle Öhman, Harry Karlsson
Make-up artist in film studio Inga Lindeström
Scriptgirl in film studio Chris Poijes
Minister Rune Lindström [cut]
Performers in film projector farce The Brothers Bragazzi
Filmed on location in Stockholm’s Old Town and at Sandrews’ Studios at Lästmakargatan/
Gärdet, Stockholm, beginning 16 November 1948 and completed 4 March 1949.
Distribution Terrafilm
U.S. distribution Embassy Pictures, Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 80 minutes
Released 18 March 1949
Premiere 19 March 1949, Astoria (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 4 July 1962, 55th St. Playhouse, NYC
Commentary
Structurally, Fängelse was Bergman’s most complex film to date, with a metafilmic frame
showing scenes from a film studio, and a plot narrative constructed as a series of flashbacks.
Original title of film was ‘Fängelset’ (The Prison). The script was based on an unpublished
novella by Bergman called ‘Sann berättelse’ [True story]. An episode using a wallpaper motif
was not included in the film but was used many years later in Såsom i en spegel/Through a Glass
Darkly (1961).
One copy of the script in SFI Archives has an added ending with Kenne Fant’s name on it, 4
pp. It suggests a dissolve on Tomas, then a ‘postludium’ that takes place in the film studio,
showing the arrival of the old teacher. This is closer to the finished film than Bergman’s original
script, in which the tone in the studio is more serious, with Greta, the actress, saying to Arne

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(her co-actor) and Martin (the director): ‘In spite of everything one must seek God. That’s the
last chance’. [Trots allt måste man söka Gud. Det är sista chansen.]
There are some ironies in the film that are probably lost on a non-Swedish audience: The
song heard on the radio when Alf, a pimp, burns Birgitta-Carolina with a cigarette is ‘När lillan
kom till jorden’ [When baby arrived on earth], a nursery rhyme by Alice Tegnér known to all
Swedes of Bergman’s generation.
On the eve of the opening of Fängelse, Bergman published a brief newspaper essay, ‘Filmen
om Birgitta-Carolina’ (see Ø 60), reprinted in part in Röster i Radio/TV, no. 23 (1962), pp. 27-28.
In it he mentions trimming the budget for Fängelse by cutting down the number of studio days,
limiting the sets and supplies for the outdoor shooting, using no extras and little music,
avoiding overtime, doing rehearsals outside of scheduled shooting time, starting work earlier
in the morning and trimming the manuscript minutely. He also reveals a decision to follow
Hitchcock with long takes and few cuts or by using cuts-in-the-camera. Prior to a 1962 TV
showing, Bergman was interviewed about the film, SVT, 14 June 1962. He now responded to a
question about his Hitchcock technique: ‘My present technique is not the same. Hitchcock’s
technique was originally a fascinating thought, but it no doubt implies a few weird conse-
quences when carried to the extreme’ [Min nuvarande teknik ser inte ut på samma sätt.
Hitchcocks teknik var urprungligen en fascinerande tanke, men den för onekligen med sig
en del besynnerligheter när man följer den in absurdum]. Bergman discusses the same material
in Bilder/Images, pp. 145-53.
Bergman made Fängelse without any pay; instead, he was supposed to receive 10% of the
profits, but the film was an economic flop.
Swedish censors cut ten meters from Birgitta-Carolina’s suicide scene.
Reception
Fängelse caused a lively debate in Swedish press. See editorial in Filmnyheter, no. 8 (1949), pp. 1-
3, and Expr., 1 April 1949, pp. 1, 9, for discussion of the lawsuit threatened by the Turitz
Corporation over the fact that the film’s prostitute is said to work in one of its chain stores
(EPA). For Ingmar Bergman’s response, see a newspaper ad signed by Bergman in DN, 5 April
1949, p. 11 (reprinted in Filmnyheter 4, no. 8 (1949):3). Film was shown to the employees at EPA.
Though still dissatisfied, EPA decided not to take any action (see DN, 2 April 1949, p 7).
Humorist Erik Zetterström (Kar de Mumma) wrote a column about the incident in SvD, 6
April 1949, p. 8, calling Ingmar Bergman ‘one of the leading men in the Swedish Angst Union’
[en av de ledande männen i Svensk Ångestunion U.P.A.] and telling EPA to relax, knowing that
‘in Ingmar Bergman’s films all the main characters are usually prostitutes, pimps, child mur-
derers, alcoholics, demented people, etc’. [i Ingmar Bergmans filmer är samtliga huvudpersoner
i regel gatflickor, sutenörer, barnamördare, alkoholister, sinnesrubbade o.s.v.].
Most Swedish critics rejected Ingmar Bergman’s bleak view of life in Prison, and many saw it
as flirting with the metaphysical spleen of Sweden’s literary Forties. Thorsten Eklann in an
article titled ‘40-talistisk filmmoralitet’, Biografbladet 30, no. 1 (Spring 1949): 15-23, argued that
Bergman’s film represented a stylistic analogy to Swedish modernist poetry by breaking with
traditional linear cinema and using an associative technique built on an intricate flashback
structure. See also Robin Hood’s defense of film in ST, 7 April 1949, p. 9. For ‘fyrtiotalism’ issue,
see (Ø 952).
Prison received a favorable review in Variety, 6 April 1949, p. 6, written by its Stockholm
correspondent. But after its release in France on 17 March 1959, the European correspondent in
Variety (25 March 1959, p. 22) called it ‘loaded with private symbolism and expressionistic bric-a
brac’. The most extended foreign analysis of Fängelse is by Marsha Kinder (Ø 1373) and a review
article in Télé-Ciné no. 83 (July 1959), F. 351 (12 pp).

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Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 20 March 1949;
BLM 18, no. 4 (April 1949): 315-317;
Vi, no. 14 (2 April) 1949, p. 20.
Foreign Reviews
Arts (French), 18 March 1959, n.p. [SFI clipping];
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 61 (July 1956), p. 53; no. 85 (July 1958), pp. 7-8; and no. 95; (May
1959), pp. 51-53;
Cinéma 59, no. 35 (April 1959): 100-102;
Films and Filming, no. 7 (April 1962): 33;
Films in Review 13, no. 6 (June/July 1962): 360-361;
Filmfacts 3 August 1962, pp. 161-162;
Filmkritik, no. 1 (1962): 22-25;
Image et son, no. 122-123 (May-June 1959): 34;
Kosmorama, no. 77 (December 1966); pp. 78-79;
Monthly Film Bulletin, April 1961, p. 43;
Motion Picture Herald, 11 July 1962, n.p. (American Motion Picture clipping);
New York Herald Tribune, 5 July 1962, p. 12;
New York Times, same date, p. 21-2;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3333;
Positif, no. 31 (November 1959), pp. 58-59;
Variety, 6 April 1949, p. 6, and 25 March 1959, p. 22.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 38-44;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 61 (July 1956), p. 53;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1314), pp. 113-129;
Die kleine Filmkunstreihe Hefte, no. 22 (1961), 13 pp.
Filmjournalen 31, no. 14 (1949): 7 and no. 16 (1949): 31 (portrait of Doris Svedlund);
Films in Review 4, no. 9 (November 1953): 461-464;
Filmorientering (NFI), no. 23 (1961), 3 pp;
Image et son, 226 (March) 1969: 11-14;
Isstkustvo Kino, no. 10 (October 1989): 92-94;
Kosmorama, no. 39 (November 1958): 70, and Kosmorama (394), pp. 34-36;
New York Herald Tribune 31 December 1962, p. 15;
Neue Filmkunst, 1962, 3 pp. (German program to ‘Gefängnis’);
G. Osten, Värld utan nåd (Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand), 1951: 28-37;
A.Plebe, Filmcritica, no. 133 (May 1963): 255-262;
Röster i Radio-TV, no. 23 (10-18 June) 1962, pp. 26-28, and no. 46 (8-15 November) 1970, pp. 21-
22;
Svensk filmografi, 1940-1949 (Ø 1314), pp. 713-720.

211. TÖRST, 1949 [Thirst], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Herbert Grevenius, Birgit Tengroth
Synopsis
Törst begins in a hotel room in Basel, Switzerland, in 1946. A couple, no longer young but not
yet middle-aged, are about to return home to Sweden after a trip abroad. The husband, Bertil, is

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an art historian and coin collector; his wife Rut is a former ballet dancer who is now too old to
perform.
As Rut and Bertil travel through bomb-devastated Germany, their private war escalates. Rut
displays her frustration and messiness. Bertil shows his pedantry and stinginess. The focus is on
Rut, whose past is revealed in flashbacks, the first one depicting her love affair many years
earlier with Raoul, an army captain. At a summer outing in the archipelago, he tells her of his
intention to return to his wife and children. But the affair continues, and one day Rut tells the
captain that she is pregnant. He denies his paternity and forces her to have an abortion. As a
result, Rut has become sterile.
A second flashback depicts Rut’s life as a student in ballet school. She is completely absorbed
in her work and has no time for love. Her best friend is Valborg, who is lesbian.
The film shifts to Viola, Bertil’s former wife, whose story runs parallel to Bertil’s and Rut’s.
Lonely and unhappy, she seeks the help of a psychiatrist who tries to seduce her. As she flees
from his office, she meets Valborg who follows her home and tries to approach her sexually.
Horrified, Viola escapes and begins to drift through the city. She walks past groups of dancing
couples, celebrating Midsummer, and continues down to the waterfront where she commits
suicide.
The two plots now coalesce. Viola’s death is juxtaposed to Rut’s and Bertil’s quarrels, which
climax in a nightmarish sequence with Bertil dreaming that he has murdered Rut. Waking up in
a cold sweat, he finds her alive and realizes that in spite of their incessant arguments, he does
not want to lose her. The film ends on a note of resigned reconciliation.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Helge Hagerman
Studio manager Hugo Bolander
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Herbert Grevenius, from Birgit Tengroth’s short story
‘Resa med Arethusa’ (1948)
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect Nils Svenwall
Sound Lennart Unnerstad
Music Erik Nordgren
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Choreography Ellen Bergman
Costumes Gösta Ström
Props Hilmer Peters
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Ingegerd Ericsson
Cast
Rut Eva Henning
Bertil Birger Malmsten
Viola Birgit Tengroth
Dr. Rosengren, psychiatrist Hasse Ekman
Valborg Mimi Nelson
Raoul, captain, Rut’s former lover Bengt Eklund
Astrid, his wife Gaby Stenberg
Dance teacher Naima Wifstrand

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Workman Sven-Erik Gamble

Male nurse Gunnar Nielsen
Nurse Britta Brunius
Patient Estrid Hesse
Swedish pastor on train Helge Hagerman
Danish pastor on train Calle Flygare
Woman on train Else-Merete Heiberg
Her little girl Monica Weinzierl
German train conductor Verner Arpe
Train passengers Erik Arrhenius, Carl Andersson
German policeman Peter Winner
Hotel guest Oscar Rosander
Porter in Basel Hermann Greid
Widow in cemetery Sif Ruud
Piano teacher Inga-Lill Åhström
Ballerinas Inga Norin, Ingeborg Bergius, Laila Jokimo, Öllegård
Wellton
Filmed on location in Stockholm, on Ornö in the Stockholm archipelago, and at Råsunda
Studios in Stockholm, beginning 15 March 1949 and completed 5 July 1949. Many of the foreign
exteriors were shot using back projections.
The film’s depiction of a lesbian relationship involving Valborg was cut by the censors.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. Distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 88 min
Released 24 September 1949
Premiere 17 October 1949, Spegeln (Stockholm)
U.S. Opening 11 July 1961
Commentary
Törst was the collective title of a volume of three short stories published by author/actress Birgit
Tengroth in 1948. Herbert Grevenius chose one of them, ‘Resa med Arethusa’ (Journey with
Arethusa), as the narrative basis of his film script but retained the book title, probably for PR
reasons, for Tengroth’s work had caused quite a stir in Sweden, and several film production
companies were bidding for it. According to Rune Waldekranz, Tengroth had a verbal agree-
ment with Sandrews to film her book, provided Ingmar Bergman got to direct it. Sandrews
entered into negotiations, but SF retained Bergman and signed a contract with Tengroth behind
Sandrews’s back.
Herbert Grevenius discussed his and Bergman’s adaptation of Birgit Tengroth’s Törst in
Filmnyheter, no. 9-10 (1949), pp. 4-7 (also in German program note issued by Superfilm).
Grevenius wrote the script in Göteborg while Ingmar Bergman was rehearsing a play there.
Together they discussed the script in the evenings. In the film, Tengroth’s uncompromising,
often erotic thirst for life is replaced by repressed hate, despair and resignation.
Birgit Tengroth played Viola in the film. Bergman discusses their collaboration in Bilder, pp.
154-57. She introduced him to the close-up of the lighted match against the human face, which
was to be used again in Vargtimmen/Hour of the Wolf.
Ingmar Bergman appears for a split second in a train scene depicting a Swedish and a Danish
pastor conversing about trivia while ruins from World War II pass by before their eyes. An
article about shooting the studio-built train compartment scenes appeared in AB, 10 April 1949,

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p. 9, describing Bergman’s use of long takes (like Hitchcock and the earlier Bergman film
Fängelse/Prison) and the difficulties he had in varying the scenography in such a limited space.
Filmnyheter, no. 14 (1949), pp. 4-6, carried a reportage about Thirst, in which Bergman was
presented as a real connoisseur of women.
Script to Törst was published as a novella in Filmjournalen 31, no. 51-52 (1949) through 32, no.
13 (1950).
Reception
Swedish reviewers spoke of Ingmar Bergman’s controlled intensity and Grevenius’ sober hand-
ling of sensationalist material. An exception was Mikael Katz in Expr., 18 October 1949, p. 9,
who referred to the film as ‘meaningless digging in angst’ [meningslöst rotande i ångest]. Robin
Hood in ST, 23 October 1949, p. 9, replied: ‘To call “Törst” meaningless is [...] to rule out Goya
who poked around among Spanish idiots, and Dostoyevski who focussed on prostitutes in St.
Petersburg’. [att kalla ‘Törst’ meningslös [...] är att utdöma också Goya, som rotade i spanska
dårar, och Dostojevskij som rotade i gatflickor i S:t Petersburg.] Mikael Katz replied in Expr., 25
October 1949, p. 9, and Robin Hood retorted in ST, 1 November 1949, p. 9.
Törst had limited circulation abroad. Released in France in 1961, it was considered of interest
only to Bergman cinephiles. It ran into trouble in West Germany when the film industry’s self-
censorship (Filmbewertungstelle in Wiesbaden) first refused to pass it because of its lesbian
motif. Bergman was interviewed briefly by the Düsseldorf paper Der Mittag, 20 October 1953, in
which he responded: ‘No one can claim that my film makes such matters desirable. On the
contrary! My only task is to see to it that people who watch my films do not remain indifferent.’
After an appeal from the West German distributor and further negotiations, the Filmbewer-
tungstelle changed their decision on the ground that the ‘destructive moments’ in the film could
be seen as a deterrent (see report in Dagens Nyheter, 23 February 1953, p. 7).
The most extensive discussion of Törst can be found in the Danish Film Museum program by
F. Jüngersen, Jr., 6 May 1963, 4 pp.
Reviews
Stockholm press, 18 October 1949;
BLM 18, no. 9 (November 1949): 731-732;
Vi, no. 44, 1949, p. 22;
Arts (French) 3 May 1961, n.p.
Cinéma 61, no. 57 (June 1961): 105-106;
Cahiers du cinéma no. 85 (July 1958), pp. 8-9 and no. 120 (June 1961), pp. 52-53;
Image et son no. 142 (June 1961), p. 38;
Télé-Ciné no. 97 (July 1961), p. 47;
Variety 15 March 1950, p. 12.
See also
Bianco e nero 25, no. 8-9 (August–September 1964): 58-72;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 131-38;
Image et son 226 (March) 1969: 14-15;
Svensk filmografi, 1940-1949 (Ø 1314), pp. 740-42.

212. TILL GLÄDJE, 1950 [To Joy], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman

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Synopsis
During rehearsals of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony – ‘Ode to Joy’ – the young violinist Stig
Ericsson gets a telephone message that his wife Marta has been killed in a kerosene explosion at
their summer cottage. Returning home to an empty apartment, Stig spots a doll he once gave
his wife and begins to remember their life together. The rest of the film is a single flashback,
starting seven years earlier when Stig and Marta were novices in the orchestra. Marta saves Stig
from the clutches of an evil couple, Mikael and Nelly Bro.
Eventually, Stig and Marta get married and have children. Marta soon discovers that Stig is
an ambitious egotist, a view confirmed by their music conductor, Sönderby. When Stig fails as a
soloist, he blames Marta and deserts her. Gradually, Stig accepts his artistic limitations and is
reconciled with his wife. He remembers their quiet moments of happiness. It is shortly there-
after that Marta is killed.
The final sequence brings us back to the present. As Stig returns to the orchestra for a
rehearsal, Sönderby talks about the joy that Beethoven wanted to express in his music, a joy
beyond pain and despair. In the last scene, Stig’s small son enters the concert hall. He sits down
to listen to the orchestra as it bursts into ‘Ode to Joy’.
Credits:
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect Nils Svenwall
Sound Sven Hansen
Music From Mozart, Mendelssohn, Smetana, Beethoven (Eg-
mont Overture, First and Ninth Symphonies)
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Props Tor Borong
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Ingegerd Ericsson
Cast
Stig Eriksson Stig Olin
Marta Olsson Maj-Britt Nilsson
Lisa, their daughter Berit Holmström
Lasse, their son Björn Montin
Sönderby Victor Sjöström
Mikael Bro John Ekman
Nelly Bro Margit Carlquist
Marcel, cello player Birger Malmsten
Stina Sif Ruud
Persson Rune Stylander
Bertil, actor Erland Josephson
Anker Georg Skarstedt
Man performing marriage ceremony Allan Ekelund
Two housewives Carin Swensson, Svea Holm
Nurses Svea Holst, Agda Helin
Salesgirl Maud Hyttenberg

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Doorman Ernst Brunman

Lisa, at 3 Eva-Fritz Nilsson
Lasse, at 3 Staffan Axelsson
Man waiting in maternity ward Tor Borong
Guests at Marta’s birthday party Astrid Bodin, Marianne Schüler, Marrit Ohlsson
Grandmother Dagny Lind [cut]
Filmed on location in Hälsingborg and Arild, southern Sweden, and at Råsunda Studios in
Stockholm, beginning 11 July 1949 and completed 2 September 1949.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 98 minutes
Released 17 February 1950
Premiere 20 February at Spegeln (Stockholm)
Foreign Opening Paris, 30 April 1971
To Joy has only been released in U.S. on video.
Commentary
Bergman appears briefly as an expectant father in the maternity ward.
Filmjournalen 32, nos. 12 through 20 (1950), published Bergman’s script as a novella.
SF’s Filmnyheter, IV, no. 18, 1949, pp. 4-5, published a reportage from the shooting. Bergman
discusses the film in Bilder (pp. 277-82) where he calls it ‘an impossible melodrama’ [en omöjlig
melodram].
Reception
Swedish reviews were mixed and somewhat contradictory. AT, 21 February, p.12, advised Berg-
man to stop trying to be a writer, while SvD (same date) thought Bergman wrote the best
dramatic dialogue since Strindberg. Summation of Swedish reception of Till glädje can be found
in Filmjournalen 32, no. 11 (1950): 7, 27.
Film had a limited circulation abroad. See review section below.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 21 February 1950;
BLM 19, no. 3 (March 1950): 232-233;
Teatern, no. 3 (1950), p. 15;
Vi, no. 9 (1950), p. 21.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 85 (July 1958), pp. 9-10;
Cinéma 74 no. 187 (May 1974), pp. 124-126;
Filmblätter (East Berlin), 1 August 1950, n.p. (SFI clipping);
Filmforum (Emsdetten) July 1954, p. 8;
Image et son, no. 299 (October 1975), pp 15-16;
Radio-Cinéma-Télévision, 27 July 1958, n.p;
Télé-Ciné, no. 189 (June 1974), p. 26;
Variety, 6 October 1971, p.22.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 45-47;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 74 (August–September 1957), p. 21;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 139-145;

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Image et son, no. 272, pp. 15-16, and no. 299 (October) 1975: 391;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 64-67.

213. MEDAN STADEN SOVER, 1950 [While the city sleeps], B/W
Director Lars-Eric Kjellgren
Screenplay L.-E. Kjellgren/Per Anders Fogelström. Synopsis by
Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
A gang of young boys brought to court on charches of car theft and rabble-rousing are given
suspended sentences. They decide to break with their criminal past and continue without their
leader Jompa. Jompa’s girlfriend Iris hopes she can change his antisocial lifestyle. When she
becomes pregnant, her father forces Jompa to marry her. On her wedding night, Iris finds a
large sum of money in Jompa’s wallet, but does not know that he has stolen it from her father’s
boss, a decent man who has found Jompa a job as a car mechanic. Jompa quits his job
afterwards and goes downhill rapidly. He drags other members of the old gang with him
and sabotages their attempt at social rehabilitation.
During a break-in in a pawn shop, Jompa and his companions are surprised by the owner. In
panic Jompa kills the man and flees with Iris to a hideaway cabin. But the police track them
down, and after a wild chase, Jompa is caught.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Director Lars-Eric Kjellgren
Screenplay L-E. Kjellgren/Per Anders Fogelström from the latter’s
novel Ligister [Hoodlums], 1949. Synopsis by Ingmar
Bergman
Photography Martin Bodin
Architect Nils Svenwall
Location manager Gustav Roger
Sound Sven Hansen
Music Erik Nordgren
Editor Oscar Rosander
Cast
Jompa Sven-Erik Gamble
Iris Inga Landgré
Her father Adolf Jahr
Her mother Märta Dorff
Jompa’s father John Elfström
Rut Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Doorman Carl Ström
Kalle Lund Ulf Palme
A Cad Hilding Gavle

Distribution Svensk Filmindustri

Running time 101 minutes
Released 29 August 1950
Premiere 8 September 1950

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214. SÅNT HÄNDER INTE HÄR, 1950 [High Tension], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Herbert Grevenius
Spy thriller, based on the idea that dangerous political spies can operate also in idyllic and
neutral Sweden. British title High Tension seems like a witty reference to the villain’s final fate:
suicide in a fall over high tension wires. West German title Menschenjagd suggests the politicized
man hunt from East to West Germany that took place during the Cold War.
Synopsis
A voice-over announces the location of a small, sheltered country. Atkä Natas, an engineer from
the country of Liquidatzia, arrives by plane on a diplomatic passport. From his hotel he calls the
American Embassy. The police, investigating the attemted suicide by an old Baltic woman, find
a note adressed to Baltic refugees, warning them about a third world war and urging them to
return to their homeland. Björn Almqvist, one of the policemen, looks up one of the woman’s
relatives. A Baltic wedding is under way. One of the guests is Vera, a lab technician and refugee,
wife of Natas. She has adjusted to her new country. She knows Björn from before.
Vera asks Natas about the fate of her parents but receives evasive answers. During the night,
she tries to murder Natas with an injection. She discovers and copies an important paper in
Natas’s briefcase, then calls a doctor who pronounces Natas dead. But before the ambulance
arrives, Natas’s body is stolen. He has been picked up by an agent from his own country.
Recovering consciousness, he is tortured and confesses his plans to defect to the United States.
Björn Almqvist discusses Natas’s ‘death’ with Vera. He suspects her of foul play and orders
her followed. She meets with a group of Baltic refugees in a small movie theater. The groom
from the wedding is there and accuses Vera of working for the authorities back home. He is
revealed to be an agent spying on the refugees.
Almqvist visits Vera at her lab. They are surprised by Natas, now working for his torturers. To
protect Vera, Almqvist arrests her for attempted murder. But the phone has been cut, and the
house is surrounded by Natas’s people. Natas knocks Almqvist unconcious and disappears with
Vera. Recovering, Almqvist takes up the chase in a black Chrysler parked outside. The police
find Vera drugged and hidden in a lifeboat on board an East European steamer, Mrofnimok
Dagyn. In the meantime, Natas tries to escape but is cornered on top of an outdoor elevator
and jumps to his death.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Helge Hagerman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Hugo Bolander
Screenplay Herbert Grevenius, after a novel by Waldemar Brøgger
[pseud. Peter Valentin], I løpet av 12 timer [Within 12
hours], published in 1944
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect Nils Svenwall
Props Tor Borong
Sound Sven Hansen
Music Erik Nordgren
Orchestrations Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Editor Lennart Wallén

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Continuity Sol-Britt Norlander

Speaker Stig Olin
Cast
Vera Irmelin Signe Hasso
Björn Almkvist Alf Kjellin
Atkä Natas Ulf Palme
A doctor Gösta Cederlund
Policeman Yngve Nordwall
Refugee pastor Hannu Kompus
Vanja, refugee Sylvia Tael
Speaker at meeting Els Vaarman
Leino, alias Sander, informer Edmar Kuus
Refugee, woman at wedding Helena Kuus
The ‘Shadow’ Rudolf Lipp
Agents for Liquidatzia Segol Mann, Willy Koblanck, Gregor Dahlman, Gösta
Holmström, Ivan Bousé
Hotel manager Hugo Bolander
Young neighbour Stig Olin
Filip Rundblom Ragnar Klange
Mrs. Rundblom Lillie Wästfeldt
The house owner Magnus Kesster
Captain on Mrofnimok Gadyn Alexander von Baumgarten
Disturbed woman Hanny Schedin
Switchboard operator Gunwor Bergqvist
Woman in rental flat Mona Geijer-Falkner
Caretaker Erik Forslund
Old, shocked woman Helga Brofeldt
Worker with hang-over Georg Skarstedt
Stage manager/laboratory attendant Tor Borong
Student at Charles XII statue Maud Hyttenberg
Young girl Mona Åstrand
First mate on ship Fritjof Hellberg
Engineer on ship Eddy Andersson
His assistant Harald Björling
Policeman Ingemar Jacobsson
Projectionist Wiktor ‘Kulörten’ Andersson
Estonians Agnes Lepp-Kosik, Helmi Nerep, Hilma Nerep, Marja
Parkas, Riina Reinik, Priit Hallap, Haari Kaasik, Teet
Koppel, Hans Laks, Gustav Laupman, Elmar Nerep,
Karl Sööder
Filmed on location in Stadsgården and Ängby, Stockholm, and at Råsunda Studios, beginning 6
July 1950 and completed 19 August 1950.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 84 minutes
Released 18 October 1950
Premiere 23 October 1950, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)

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Commentary
Read backwards, Atkä Natas becomes Äkta satan [Real Devil], while the name of the ship,
Mrofnimok Gadyn, becomes Kominform Nydag (Ny Dag [New Day], title of Swedish Com-
munist daily).
Sånt händer inte här was a commissioned work, using returning Hollywood actress Signe
Hasso as a major drawing card. Bergman is said to have had his doubts about her participation
in the film from the moment he met her at Stockholm airport (she was ill with a thyroid
infection; see Bergman om Bergman, p. 54/ Bergman on Bergman, p. 48), but in Bilder (1990, pp.
285-90) he attributes his difficulties in making the film to his own illness (sinusitis) and his
encounter with the Baltic refugees that appear in the film, whose real life stories made Sånt
händer inte här appear ‘almost obscene’ [nästan obscen].
Sånt händer inte här has been withdrawn from circulation by Bergman. It was shown briefly
in England under the title High Tension.
Reception
Swedish reviews were unanimous in their view that this type of secret-agent film was not
Bergman’s forte.
Twelve years after the original release, the German film journal Filmkritik (no. 7, 1962, p. 325)
reviewed the film and found it interesting as a marriage drama pointing forward to later
Bergman films.
In 1972, Robert Stiernevall wrote an undergraduate paper on the film, titled ‘Sånt händer inte
här: Detaljer och synpunkter kring en thrillerfilm av Ingmar Bergman’ [This doesn’t happen
here: Details and views about a thriller film by Bergman]. Stockholm Univ. Film/Theatre Dept.,
Autumn 1972, ca. 25 pp. (SFI library).
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 24 October 1950;
BLM no. 10 (1950): 799-800;
Perspektiv 4 no. 3 (March 1953): 132-133.
Foreign Reviews
Filmkritik, no. 7 (1962), p. 325;
Monthly Film Bulletin, January 1953, p. 9;
Der Neue Film, 20 June 1959, n.p. (SFI clipping).
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 47-50;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 74 (August 1957), p. 20;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 147-55;
Filmjournalen 32, no. 32 (1950): 10-11;
Furhammar, Leif & Folke Isaksson: Politik och film. Stockholm: PAN Norstedt, 1968, pp. 182-186,
tr. as Politics and Film. London: Studio Vista, 1971, pp. 133-135;
Image et son 226 (March) 1969: 19;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 87-90.

215. BRIS-FILMERNA, 1951-53 [Breeze soap commercials], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplays Ingmar Bergman
In 1951, in protest over the high entertainment tax on box office receipts, Swedish film produ-
cers closed their studios and began a year-long lockout of their film crews. To have an income

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Ingmar Bergman signed a contract with the Sunlight & Gibbs Corporation to make nine
commercials for one of its products, Bris soap. The films were made in 1951, 1952, and 1953.
According to Bergman om Bergman (p. 57), each commercial had to contain one of two
slogans: ‘Perspiration alone does not smell; it is the skin bacteria that cause the smell when they
come in contact with perspiration’ [Svett i sig själv luktar inte, det är bakterier, som gör att när
de kommer i kontakt med svetten blir det lukt] or ‘Bris kills the bacteria – no bacteria – no
smell’. [Bris dödar bakterierna, inga bakterier, ingen lukt]. Ingmar Bergman had fun making
the commercials, though he had some difficulty fitting the Bris text into the films. In fact,
though commissioned, these commercials reflect on a small scale Bergman’s filmmaking at the
time by pinpointing two of his favorite themes: the magic of the film medium and the deceptive
nature of filmmaking.
1. ‘Gustavianskt’/‘Gustav III’ [‘King Gustavus III’]. A historical setting, only seemingly splen-
did, for in the 18th-century Bris soap was not yet invented, and the stench, even in the royal
court, was quite unbearable.
2. ‘Tennisflickan’/‘Magisk teater’ [‘The Tennis Girl’/‘The Magic Theater’]. Evil monsters – the
skin bacteria – fight harmless creatures – the perspiration drops – and the contact produces
a nasty smell that only Bris soap can eliminate.
3. ‘Tvålen Bris’/‘Bris tvål’ [‘Bris Soap’]. In the most conventional of the nine commercials,
Bergman introduces an old man, played by veteran comedian John Botwid, whose task it is
to misunderstand the name of the soap, which has to be repeated over and over again.
4. ‘Operation’/‘Filminspelning’ [‘Operation’/‘Film Shooting’]. Three of the commercials uti-
lize the film medium self-consciously. In this one, Bergman shows the viewer how a
commercial film is made.
5. ‘Uppfinnaren’ [‘The Inventor’]. A man dreams that he has invented a marvellous soap that
can work miracles. The film is conceived as a Méliès farce.
6. ‘Trolleriet’/‘Trolleriföreställningen’ [‘The Magic Show’]. Miniature people in a puppet show
are engaged in a struggle between good and evil forces. Again Bris soap comes to the rescue.
7. ‘Rebusen’ [‘The Rebus’]. The first half of the commercial shows images without any text, so
that the viewer is challenged to interpret them. A voice asks if the film was difficult to
follow, whereupon it is shown a second time, now with the Bris slogan as text.
8. ‘Prinsessan och svinaherden’ [‘The Princess and the Swineherd’]. A variation on the Hans
Christian Andersen tale of the princess who promised the swineherd one hundred kisses in
exchange for a music box. Bergman’s swineherd possesses a remarkable soap, which neither
the princess nor the king can resist.
9. ‘Tredimensionellt’/‘Filmföreställningen’ [‘Three-dimensional’/‘The Film Showing’]. In this
metafilm we witness the projection of a commercial in a movie theater. It is intended as a
spoof on the three-dimensional film, much discussed at the time, for which the viewers
needed special glasses. The starlet who presents Bris steps out of the screen-within-the-
screen and falls on a spectator.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri for AB Sunlight
Producer Ragnar M. Lindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplays Ingmar Bergman
Photographer Gunnar Fischer
Production year 1951 (no. 1-3), 1952 (no. 4-6), 1953 (no. 7-9)
Distributor AB Filmkontakt

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Cast
1. Introducer Doris Svedlund
King Gustav III Åke Jensen
The valet Börje Lundh
Negro valet Charles White

2. Introducer Ulf Johanson

Girl in the shower Barbro Larsson

3. Introducer Erna Groth

A girl Barbro Larsson
The old man John Botwid
Man in white coat Gösta Prüzelius

4. The actress Barbro Larsson

The husband Lennart Lindberg
Botte, stage manager John Botwid
Grips Gösta Prüzelius, Torsten Lilliecrona

5. Teodor Georg Adelly

His wife Emy Hagman

6. The man Lennart Lindberg

The woman Berit Gustafsson
The magician Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt

7. The introducer Barbro Larsson

8. The king John Botwid

The princess Bibi Andersson
The valet Curt ‘Minimal’ Åström

9. The spectator John Botwid

Woman in shower Marion Sundh
Narrator Gösta Prüzelius
Bergman’s Bris films have only rarely been shown. This, plus the fact that they represent a film
artist’s concession to make commercials, has made them somewhat of a cult phenomenon
among Bergman commentators. Sight and Sound, XIII, no. 1 (January 2003), p. 8, mentions the
making of a documentary about the Breeze films, but this has not been confirmed elsewhere.
Other material on the same matter include the following:
Bergman’s Fårö papers, deposited at SFI, contain stenciled manuscripts to three of the Bris
commercials, titled ‘Operation’, ‘Uppfinnaren’ (The inventor) and ‘Trolleriet’ (Magic act), each
2 pp.
Maaret Koskinen analyzes the commercials in ‘Tvålopera à la Bergman’ [Soap-opera à la B.].
Chaplin no. 215-216 (1988) pp. 84-88. Translated in English in Chaplin special issue titled
‘Ingmar Bergman at 70 – a Tribute’, pp. 30-34; also published in Il giovane Bergman, 1992
(Ø 1521) pp. 21-28.

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Susan Vahabzadeh writes about the Bergman commercials in ‘Kleine, schäumende Auto-
renfilme’, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 7 June 1996.
Gertrud Wennström’s article ‘Ingmar Bergman gjorde reklam för tvålen Bris’ [Bergman
made commercials for Bris soap] appeared in Unisont. Tidning för Unilever-anställda i Sverige,
no. 6 (December) 1978: 10-11.

216. SOMMARLEK, 1951 [Summer Interlude], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The second half of the title (lek) means play as in children’s play. But the coined word
sommarlek suggests the Swedish word for love, kärlek (lit. dear-play). Early American title, Illicit
Interlude, is a misnomer for a film that according to Ingmar Bergman depicts the best there is,
namely summer, young love and the Swedish archipelago. Cf. Bosley Crowther in NYT, 27
October 1954, p. 32:6: ‘The film no more merits the pornographic word ‘illicit’ than it deserves
to be labelled smut.’
Synopsis
This structurally intricate film begins and ends at the Opera in Stockholm where the main
character, Marie, is a ballerina. During a dress rehearsal of Swan Lake, a diary is delivered to
Marie written on an island in the Stockholm archipelago many summers ago when she had a
love affair with a young student, Henrik. The diary is being returned to her by her Uncle
Erland, an embittered old man who has been in love with her for a long time. As Marie opens
her diary, the face of young Henrik appears as if in a mirror, next to hers. She imagines his
return, but instead is surprised by her ballet master, dressed in his role as magician in Coppelia.
He appears twice in the film, both times to remind Marie of her commitment to dancing, but
also to warn her of the ephemeral nature of her work.
After ballet practice Marie quarrels with her present boyfriend David, a journalist. On the
impulse of the moment, she leaves on a small steamer headed for the island where she and
Henrik were once lovers. The rest of the film consists of three flashbacks and a final sequence in
the present. The first recollection occurs on the steamer and is seen partly from Henrik’s
perspective. The seond flashback takes place when Marie returns to the small shack where
she stayed that summer. The camera recaptures the lyrical beauty of the summer landscape and
the sequence ends as Marie takes Henrik to her secret wild strawberry patch.
The third flashback is triggered by Marie’s meeting with Uncle Erland on the island. In her
memory she is back in his villa, rehearsing while young Henrik sits on the floor, passive and
waiting. Annoyed, he runs away. When Marie goes to look for him, she meets an old black-clad
woman, Mrs. Calwagen, who is dying of cancer. She is playing chess with a clergyman. This
flashback is filled with tension and pain, and ends as Marie relives Henrik’s fateful leap into the
sea. Hitting his head on an underwater rock, he breaks his neck. He struggles ashore and dies in
Marie’s arms.
The plot returns to the present. David comes to Marie’s dressing room, and she gives him the
diary to read. In the final scenes Marie stars as the lead ballerina at the opening night of Swan
Lake. She dances off the stage, and comes upon David in the wings. The two embrace.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Helge Hagerman
Director Ingmar Bergman

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Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Herbert Grevenius from an un-

published story by Bergman, ‘Marie’
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect Nils Svenwall
Props Gösta Ström
Music Erik Nordgren
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Ingegerd Ericsson, Sol-Britt Norlander
Working titles Sentimental Journey, Sommarleken [The summer play]
Cast
Marie Maj-Britt Nilsson
Henrik Birger Malmsten
Marie’s boyfriend David Nyström Alf Kjellin
Uncle Erland Georg Funkquist
Aunt Elisabeth Renée Björling
Mrs. Calwagen, black-clad woman Mimi Pollak
Kaj, ballerina Annalisa Ericson
Ballet master Stig Olin
Clergyman Gunnar Olsson
Nisse, doorkeper at the theater Douglas Håge
Karl, workman at the opera John Botwid
Maja, dresser Julia Caesar
Sandell Carl Ström
Lighting man Torsten Lilliecrona
Kerstin, ballet dancer Marianne Schüler
Captain on steamer Ernst Brunman
A doctor Olav Riégo
A nurse Fylgia Zadig
Uncle Erland’s housekeeper Emmy Albiin
Delivery boys Sten Mattsson, Carl-Axel Elfving
Carlsson, stage manager at opera Gösta Ström
Marie as ballerina Gun Skoogberg
Ballet dancers Monique Roeger, Gerd Andersson, Göte Stergel with
the ballet at the Royal Opera in Stockholm.
Filmed in the Stockholm archipelago (Dalarö-Rosenön, Saltsjöbaden, Sandemar) and at Rå-
sunda Studios, beginning 3 April 1950 and completed 18 June 1950.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Gaston Hakim Productions, Inc.
Running time 96 minutes
Released 2 April 1951
Premiere 1 October 1951, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 26 October 1954, Plaza, NYC
Commentary
The film was withdrawn from the Venice Film Festival in 1951 because SF wanted to test it out in
Sweden first. Resubmitted in the following year, it won no prize.

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SF issued an undated program to Sommarlek with notes, excerpts from reviews, and short
essay by Ingmar Bergman (see Ø 76), which also appeared in the Danish program issued by
Nordisk Film Kompagnie. Filmjournalen 32, no. 9 (1950): 25, 29, contains interview/article with
Ingmar Bergman where he reports that the earliest draft for the film was written in a Latin
notebook at age 18. Bergman writes briefly about Sommarlek in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 283-85,
where he mentions a teenage love story as the background of the film.
The script to Sommarlek was serialized as a film novella in Allers Familjejournal, nos. 26-30,
1960, illustrated with photographs from the film. The screenplay has been published in French
in Oeuvres (see Ø 122), pp. 5-100.
Reception
Sommarlek was Ingmar Bergman’s first real critical success in Sweden, a film in which he helped
solidify and give depth to the native ‘summer film’ genre. Stig Almqvist in Filmjournalen 33, no.
41 (1951): 18-19, 29, praised Bergman’s filmmaking: ‘Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking method is
miraculous. [...] He belongs to a handful here and there in the world who are now discovering
the future articulation of film, and the result can be revolutionary’ [Ingmar Bergmans metod
att göra film är mirakulös. [...] Han hör till dem – en handfull benådade här och där i världen –
som nu upptäcker filmens framtida artikulation, och resultatet kan bli en revolution]. Harry
Schein in BLM 20, no. 9 (November 1951): 713-714, suggested the emergence of a new Ingmar
Bergman, freed from his earlier metaphysical brooding. This view was reported in Variety, 28
November 1951, p. 6.
Sommarlek was not released in the U.S. until 1954. The earliest American version is rumored
to have had inserts of silhouetted nude bathing scenes filmed on Long Island Sound but
removed in later distribution copies. This has not been verified.
In France, Télé-Ciné published a special issue on Jeu d’été in no. 78 (fiche no. 339, October
1958), 12 pp., containing credits, character analysis, plot synopsis, and critical comments. In
Italy, newspapers carried analyses and comments about the film on 3 October 1968, in con-
nection with Italian TV broadcast. Film a Sogetto, Centro S. Dedelle dello Spettacolo, Milan, 28
December 1964, 8 pp., is an Italian fact sheet on Un’ estate d’amore, listing openings worldwide,
credits, review excerpts, plot synopsis, and a bibliography.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 2 October 1951;
Teatern no. 5 (1951), p. 2;
Vecko-Journalen no. 43 (1951), p. 44.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 7-15 May 1958 (C. Givray);
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 84 (June 1959), pp. 45-47;
Cinéma 58 no. 28 (June 1958), pp. 116-17;
Filmkritik no. 6 (June) 1964, pp. 311-312;
Films and Filming 6, no. 3 (December 1959): 25;
Monthly Film Bulletin, December 1959, p. 156;
New York Herald Tribune, 27 October 1954, p. 21;
New York Times, same date, p. 32-6;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 2820;
Positif no. 18 (November 1956), pp. 26-28;
Variety, 28 November 1951, p. 6.
Longer Review Articles
C. Bretteville, Filmorientering (Norwegian Film Institute), no. 108 (November 1966), 4 pp.;

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E. Comuzio. ‘Un estate d’amore’. Cineforum no. 294 (May) 1990: 47-50;
J. Donohoe. ‘Cultivating Bergman’s Strawberry Patch: The Emergence of a Cinematic Idea’.
Wide Angle 2, no. 2, 1978: 26-30;
G. D’Orazio in 1975 dissertation (Ø 1265);
B. Gråsten, Danish Film Museum program, April 1963, 4 pp.;
J. Rivette. ‘Die Seele im Bauch’. Cicim. Revue pour le cinéma français, January 1989, pp. 133-137.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 51-54, 63-67; Sw.ed., 65, 68-71;
Biografbladet 32, no. 2 (Summer 1951): 55-59;
Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 16 (October 1952): 7;
Cine Club del Uruguay, program 114, 25 August 1952, n.p.;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 162-67;
Etudes cinématographiques no. 10-11 Autumn 1961, pp. 207-216;
Filmnyheter 5, no. 9-10 (1950): 23-35, and 6, no. 12 (1951): 2, 8-10, 24;
Image et son, no. 214 (March) 1968: 173-178;
Kosmorama 137, 1978, pp. 48-51;
Museo de arte cinematografica (Brazil), program no. 21 (12 October 1956) n.p.;
Perspektiv 2, no. 10 (December 1951): 625-633;
Röster i Radio-TV, no. 8 (1978), pp. 20-21;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 160-163.
Wide Angle 2, no. 2 (1978): 26-30.
Awards
1952: Honorary mention for script and direction by Svenska Filmsamfundet (Swedish
Film Society).

217. FRÅNSKILD, 1951 [Divorced], B/W

Director Gustaf Molander
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman & Herbert Grevenius
Synopsis
Gertud Holmgren, a middle-aged woman, has been married to Tore Holmgren, an engineer, for
20 years. Of their two children, a son died at an early age and a daughter is living in a modern
student marriage. Gertrud considers herself happily married, but one day Tore asks for a
divorce. He wants to marry a colleague with whom he can share his professional interests.
Gertrud is surprised to find that her rival is neither younger nor prettier than she is.
Gertrud moves into a rented room. Her landlady’s son, Bertil Nordelius, takes an interest in
her. He is a young doctor engaged to Marianne Berg, a socialite. On Christmas Eve, Gertrud’s
daughter and her husband come to visit but soon leave to spend the holidays with Tore and his
new wife. Gertrud is invited to share Christmas with the Nordelius’s. Bertil and Marianne
quarrel. Later Bertil seeks Gertrud’s company. She rebuffs him, and soon afterwards he leaves
for work at a regional hospital.
On Midsummer Eve, Gertrud visits friends in the country, but leaves when Tore and his wife
arrive. Returning to her room, she finds Bertil waiting. They make love. The next day Gertrud
decides to leave while Bertil is at work. Marianne arrives and accuses Gertrud of stealing Bertil
from her. Gertrud gives some advice and departs. On the train, a man her own age shows an
interest in her. She discovers that she is loooking forward to her first vacation in 23 years, paid
with her own money.

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Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Director Gustaf Molander
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Herbert Grevenius, from a syn-
opsis by Bergman
Photography Åke Dahlqvist
Architect Nils Svenwall
Music Erik Nordgren
Editor Oscar Rosander
Cast
Gertrud Holmgren Inga Tidblad
Tore Holmgren Holger Löwenadler
Dr. Bertil Nordelius Alf Kjellin
Tore’s new wife Irma Christenson
Marianne Berg Doris Svedlund
Mrs. Nordelius Hjördis Petterson
Ingeborg Marianne Löfgren
Hans Stig Olin
Man on the train Håkan Westergren
Filmed on location in Stockholm and Uppsala, and at Råsunda Studios, beginning 15 November
1950 and completed 30 December 1950.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 103 minutes
Released 25 September 1951
Premiere 26 December 1951, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
Note
Frånskild was an entry in the Berlin Film Festival, 1952. It has had limited circulation abroad.

218. KVINNORS VÄNTAN, 1952 [Waiting Women/Secrets ofWomen], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
American title Secrets of Women has an unfortunate, titillating suggestion of female freema-
sonry.
Synopsis
Kvinnors väntan is made up of three separate stories told by a group of women who live with
their families in a summer compound in the Stockholm archipelago. Four of the women are
married; the fifth is the teenage sister of one of them. To pass the time, each of the married
women agrees to tell the others a crucial episode from her marriage. Annette, the oldest of the
women, claims that their marriages will not stand up to the close scrutiny of a long summer
together. Her own story never gets told, but her somewhat bitter view is that married women’s
consolation lies ‘in Jesus or the grandchildren.’
The first episode is related by Rakel whose marriage to Eugen is childless. She tells of an affair
she had with a former lover, Kaj, who had come to the summer house on a visit. When Eugen
finds out, he gets desperate and, hiding in a woodshed, threatens to shoot himself. He tells

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Rakel that it is his sense of shame and loneliness rather than her unfaithfulness that plagues
him. Rakel calms him, and they continue their marriage.
The second episode concerns a young woman, Marta, and her husband Martin. The setting is
Paris. When Martin, a painter and the family’s black sheep, meets Marta in a nightclub, she
leaves her Amercan fiancé. Marta and Martin become a couple, and soon she is pregnant. In a
flashback within a flashback, Marta’s lonely delivery is depicted in nightmarish vignettes from
her life with the immature Martin who abandons her. Later Martin returns to her, and they get
married. Like Rakel, Marta looks upon her husband as a big child.
The third story, comical in tone, is a visual tour de force set in an elevator. Karin Lobelius
and her husband Fredrik, a successful and preoccupied businessman, return home from a party.
When the elevator gets stuck, husband and wife tease each other with their infidelities, and then
make love for the first time in many years. They decide to go on a second honeymoon, but
when the elevator is repaired in the morning, Fredrik discovers that he is late for a business
meeting and rushes off to work, forgetting the entire incident. Karin muses over the fate of
women.
The film ends as the younger sister of Marta, having learned nothing from the older women’s
accounts, decides to elope with her boyfriend. They set out in in a small boat just as the
husbands arrive from the city. Nothing is done to try to intercept the young couple.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Studio manager Gustav Roger
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect Nils Svenwall
Sound Sven Hansen
Music Erik Nordgren
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Props Walter Sarmell
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continutity Bente Munk
Cast
Rakel Anita Björk
Kaj, her lover Jarl Kulle
Eugen Lobelius, her husband Karl-Arne Holmsten
Marta Berg Maj-Britt Nilsson
Martin Lobelius, her husband Birger Malmsten
Karin Lobelius Eva Dahlbeck
Fredrik Lobelius, her husband Gunnar Björnstrand
Maj, Marta’s younger sister Gerd Andersson
Henrik Lobelius, her boyfriend Björn Bjelfvenstam
Annette Aino Taube
Paul Lobelius, her husband Håkan Westergren
Anesthesiologist Carl Ström
Rut, nurse Märta Arbin
Bob, American pilot Kjell Nordenskiöld

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Nurse Lena Brogren

Nightclub waiter Torsten Lilliecrona
Old Mrs. Lobelius Naima Wifstrand
Doorman Douglas Håge
Newspaper distributor Mona Geijer-Falkner
Garbage man Wiktor ‘Kulörten’ Andersson
Stranger outside Marta’s door Sten Hedlund
Åke, Marta’s boy Leif-Åke Kusbom
Karin’s boys Jens and Peter Fischer
Nurse Rut Karlsson
Young man by the elevator Sten Mattsson
Man outside nightclub Gustav Roger
Dancers at night club Inga Berggren, Carl-Gustaf af Verchou
Trumpet players at night club Rolf Ericson, Bengt-Arne Wallin
Filmed on location on Siarö in the Stockholm archipelago, in Paris, and at Råsunda Studios,
beginning 3 April 1952 and completed 20 June 1952.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 107 minutes
Released 22 October 1952
Premiere 3 November 1952, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 11 July 1961, Fifth Ave. Cinema, NYC
Commentary
Bergman appears briefly as a man on the stairway outside a gynecologist’s office.
Bergman had been scheduled to direct Hon dansade en sommar (One Summer of Happiness)
but was replaced by Arne Mattsson. Instead he was given the go-ahead with Kvinnors väntan, a
script inspired by his third wife (Gun Grut) who had experienced a similar situation in a
summer family compound. Bergman discusses the genesis of the film in Bilder, (1990), pp.
290-291.
In a brief interview in Vecko-Journalen no. 46, 1952, Bergman talks in private terms about his
motivation to make Kvinnors väntan: He had long planned to make a film about women and to
try his hand at a comedy. In an unsigned article from the shooting of the film in ST 22 June
1952, p. 7, Kvinnors väntan was said to be Bergman’s brightest and most optimistic work so far.
In magazine Se, no. 48 (1952), pp. 22-25, G. Olsson provided an insider reportage: ‘Det får
publiken aldrig se’ [What the audience will never get to see], with reprinted pages from script.
The script of Kvinnors väntan was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familje-
journal, nos. 49-52/1959 and no. 1/1960, illustrated with photographs from the film.
The film was shown at the Venice Film Festival in 1953; it created little attention. F. Koval
discussed it briefly in a report from the festival in Films in Review, October 1953, pp. 390-391.
Reception
Kvinnors väntan received glowing reviews in the Swedish press and established Ingmar Berg-
man’s reputation as a filmmaker with a unique understanding of women and their emotional
crises. Surrealistic Paris flashback and elevator episodes were singled out as visually outstand-
ing. It was ranked Best Swedish Film in 1952/53 by Swedish film critics in a poll taken by
magazine Filmnyheter.
Like most Bergman films of the early Fifties, Kvinnors väntan made its first international round
in Latin America (1956 in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay). It opened in France in 1959, riding on

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Cahiers’ Bergman wave in 1958-59; and in the U.S. in 1961 where it was treated as a museum piece.
Appearing in West Germany in 1962, it received quality rating by the West German Classification
Board. It opened in East Germany in 1972. A review in Filmblätter (East Berlin), no. 108 (1972),
predictably called it ‘a sad film... revealing the limitations of bourgeois society’.
Institut des hautes études cinématographiques issued a fiche (no. 157) on Kvinnors väntan.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 23 October 1952;
BLM 21, no. 10 (December 1952): 796-797;
Hörde ni?, January 1953, pp. 41-43;
Perspektiv 3, no. 10 (December 1952): 475-476;
Vecko-Journalen no. 46 (1952), p. 42.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 3-10 December 1958 (C. Gauteur);
Bianco e nero, no. 2-3 (February 1961), pp. 121-22;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 85 (July 1958), pp. 10-11 and no. 92 (February 1959), pp. 46-48;
Cinéma 59, no. 33 (February 1959), pp. 119-122;
La cinématographie française, 20 December 1959, n.p;
Critisch Film Bulletin 12, no. 6 (1959):44;
Filmfacts, 6 October 1961, pp. 221-222;
Film Quarterly, no. 1 (Fall 1961), pp. 45-47;
Filmkritik no. 6 (June) 1962, pp. 266-268;
Films and Filming 6, no. 3 (December 1959): 24;
Image et son no. 118 (January 1959), p. 15, and no. 214 (March 1968), pp. 173-178.
Monthly Film Bulletin, March 1960, p. 33
National Review, 4 November 1961, pp. 311-313;
New York Times, 12 July 1961, p. 36:1;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3266;
New York Herald Tribune, same date, p. 15;
Télé-Ciné no. 80 (January–February 1959), p. 11, 15
Time, 14 July 1961, p. 92 (A.E. p. 70);
S. Kauffmann, A World on Film (112), pp. 279-280;
Variety, 24 December 1958, p. 6.;
See also
SF program, 1952, 11 pp.;
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), p. 55, 67 et passim;
Camera, January–March 1968, pp. 7-8;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 176-186;
Filmnyheter 7, no. 9-10,1952: 12-14 (reportage from shooting);
Image et son, 226 (March) 1969: 19-21:
Museo de arte cinematografica (Rio De Janeiro), program no. 19, 5 October 1956;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 234-237.

219. SOMMAREN MED MONIKA, 1953 [Summer with Monica], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Per Anders Fogelström & Ingmar Bergman

For early foreign distribution titles, see section on ‘Foreign Reception’ below.

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Synopsis
The film is set in the working-class section of South Stockholm and in the archipelago. Two
young people, Monica and Harry, meet in a café. She is working for a wholesale fruit and
vegetable dealer, and he in a store selling glass and china. They don’t like their jobs. At the
movies on a date, Harry and Monica have divergent visions of the future. Harry wants to study
and improve his social status; Monica dreams of film stars.
Monica lives at home in narrow quarters. Her father drinks, her mother is worn out. She
herself finds escape in sleep and in romance magazines. One day after a quarrel she gives up her
job and leaves home. She looks up Harry, and they spend the night in his father’s small motor
boat. The next morning Harry arrives late for work and is fired. He and Monica leave the city in
the boat and spend a leisurely summer in the archipelago. Lelle, Monica’s former boyfriend
arrives and sets the motorboat on fire. With Monica’s help, Harry beats up Lelle.
Monica becomes pregnant and grows increasingly desperate about it. When food gets scarce,
she steals from a summer resident but is caught in the act. The upper-class owner is full of
contempt for Monica and calls the police. But Monica escapes, and she and Harry return to
Stockholm. They get married. Harry goes to night school and gets a new job in the contruction
business.
Monica, however, has difficulty adjusting to her role as wife and mother. She neglects the
baby and the housework, and takes up with former boyfriends. One morning after returning
home from a trip with the construction team, Harry finds Monica in bed with another man.
They quarrel, and Harry hits Monica. She decides to leave him. The film ends with shots of
Harry walking past a display window, carrying his baby daughter in his arms. He lifts her up
and the reflection of both of them is seen in the window.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Per Anders Fogelström, from a
novel by the same name by Fogelström, 1951.
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect P.A. Lundgren and Nils Svenwall
Props Tor Borong
Sound Sven Hansen
Music Erik Nordgren. Waltz ‘Kärlekens hamn’ [Haven of
love], composed by Filip Olsson, Ornö
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Make-up Carl M. Lund, Inc.
Editors Tage Holmberg and Gösta Lewin
Continuity Birgit Norlindh
Cast
Monika Eriksson Harriet Andersson
Harry Lund Lars Ekborg
Mrs. Lindström, Harry’s aunt Dagmar Ebbesen
Lelle, former boyfriend John Harryson
Harry’s father Georg Skarstedt
Forsberg, Harry’s boss in store Gösta Ericsson
Forsberg’s accountant Gösta Gustafsson
Johan Sigge Fürst

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Salesman in glass shop Gösta Prüzelius

Ludvig, Monika’s father Åke Fridell
Monika’s mother Naemi Briese
Monica’s boss Arthur Fischer
Driver Torsten Lilliecrona
Monicas’s male colleagues at work Bengt Eklund, Gustaf Färingborg
Messenger boy at Monika’s work Hans Ellis
Owner of summer home Ivar Wahlgren
His wife Renée Björling
Their daughter Catrin Westerlund
Hasse, Monika’s young brother Carl-Uno Larsson
Mrs. Boman, café owner Hanny Schedin
Movie star Kjell Nordenskiöld
Movie star Margaret Young
Lindevall, parson Nils Hultgren
Tobacconist Ernst Brunman
Harry’s buddy Sten Mattsson
Harry’s construction boss Åke Grönberg
Harry’s workmates Magnus Kesster, Carl-Axel Elfving
Bums Wiktor ‘Kulörten’ Andersson, Birger Sahlberg
Monica’s boyfriends Anders Andelius, Gordon Löwenadler
Monika’s date at café Bengt Brunskog
Scrap dealers Nils Whiten, Tor Borong
Ladies in backyard window Mona Geijer-Falkner, Astrid Bodin
Nurse at maternity ward Gun Östring
House owner Harry Ahlin
His daughter Jessie Flaws
A girl Mona Åstrand
Filmed on location at Sadelöga, near the island of Ornö in the Stockholm archipelago, and at
Råsunda Studios, beginning 22 July and completed 6 October 1952.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc./Gaston Hakim Prod.
Running time 96 min
Released 6 February 1953
Premiere 9 February 1953, Spegeln (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 3 February 1956, The Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles
Working title En sommar med Monika [One summer with Monica]
Commentary
In a first synopsis (SFI Archives), Fogelström presents Harry as a 17-year-old daydreamer and
schoolboy who lives with his father, an artist. He meets Britt (later named Monica) in a café;
she comes from a dysfunctional family. The two live part of the time in a boat that belongs to
Harry’s father. There are several confrontations between father and son. When Britt becomes
pregnant, Harry’s aunt insists they get married. Soon they are part of the social system and feel
a loss of freedom. Britt leaves Harry and child. Harry’s father calls him a good-for-nothing, and
his aunt takes care of the child. Harry is told he has only himself to blame. In Ingmar Bergman’s
screen adaptation of Fogelström’s novel, the emphasis shifts from Harry to Monica. Fogelström

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accepted this; see FIB, no. 1 (2-8 January) 1953, pp. 10-11, 38, for his response to the film. Swedish
censors cut a love-making scene between Monika and Harry after their fight with Lelle.
Bergman talks briefly about the shooting of Sommaren med Monika in Bilder/Images (1990),
pp. 295-96. Most of the film was shot on location during a summer that Ingmar Bergman and
his crew recall with nostalgia. To save the transportation costs from the archipelago to the
photo lab in Stockholm, Bergman let the daily rushes pile up over a three-week period. But
once the film was developed, it showed a bad scratch on the negative, necessating 75% retakes.
See (Ø 84) for Bergman vignette from the shooting.
Filmnyheter 7, no. 13 (1952): 8-10, 24; Filmnyheter 7, no. 17, pp. 8-10, 23; Filmnyheter 7, no, 19-
20 (1952), pp. 32-35; and Filmnyheter 8, no. 1 (1953): 20-23, contain interviews with Harriet
Andersson and Lars Ekborg and a series of articles titled ‘Männen kring Monika’ [The Men
around Monica].
Swedish Reception
Swedish reception of Sommaren med Monika was rather lukewarm. Though critics praised its
realism, they found the film uneven, the editing poor, the tempo dull, and the typecasting
unfortunate. The summer landscape was termed trite and overused. The film became known
mostly for Harriet Andersson’s pouting portrayal of Monika; the sexy image of the actress in a
décolleté sweater launched the film both in Sweden and abroad.
After Sommaren med Monika was rediscovered in 1958 by Jean-Luc Godard in France (see
below), the film became recognized by the Swedish social-conscious generation of the Sixties.
A television showing of Monika in Sweden in 1977 led to a feminist reader exchange in GP, 28
January 1977, p. 3, and 7 February 1977, p. 2. One viewer saw Monika as defiant of a male
chauvinist society, while another argued that Monika’s escape from marriage was a flight into a
tough male world that would destroy her.
Foreign Reception
In a review in Variety, 7 July 1954, p. 22, Mosk[owitz] suggested cutting the nude bathing scene,
an ironic piece of advice in view of the film’s later fate in the U.S. On 5 February 1956, AB (pp. 1,
5) carried a front page news report from Los Angeles about the arrest of Morton Lippe,
manager of the Orpheum Theatre in L.A., during a showing of Summer with Monica or The
Story of a Bad Girl, which was the first American distribution title. Lippe was booked on
misdemeanor charges; the film was confiscated by local police. Apparently, the American
distributor had added scenes of nudist bathing to Bergman’s original version. Los Angeles Times,
7 February 1956, n.p. (American Motion Picture Academy clipping) reported further confisca-
tions in the Los Angeles area. On 26 April 1956, Variety, Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles
Herald Tribune all reported that L.A. film distributor Jack Thomas was fined $750 and sen-
tenced to 90 days in jail. The Los Angeles Examiner quoted from Judge Byron J. Walter’s
summation of the case: ‘Monica appeals to potential sex murderers. [...] Crime is on the
increase and people wonder why. This is one of the reasons.’ The distributor, however, was
acquitted from the charge one year later in higher court. In AT, 6 February 1956, p. 6, SF head
Carl Anders Dymling denied rumors that SF had made a special export version of the film with
added nude shots. However, pirated copies of the film circulated at drive-in theaters in the
American midwest as early as 1954. For details, see Jack Stevenson in Chaplin 258, no. 3
(Summer) 1995: 18-22 (Ø 1596).
Sommaren med Monika was released again in the U.S. in 1960, under the original Swedish
title, but its old reputation as pornography lingered. Films in Review, March 1960, pp. 173-174,
called it ‘a clumsily, carelessly directed sexploiter about a stupid teenager’.

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In 1989, American Film, vol. 14, no. 7, p. 68, gave Monica an A rating in a review of a released
video recording by Connaisseur Video Collection. Review concluded: ‘This is one of the
director’s rare movies of which it can truly be said: hubba, hubba.’
In France the release of Sommaren med Monika in 1954 as ‘Le sac du douchage’ or ‘Monique
ou le désir’ led to a lively press debate after Cahiers du cinéma, no. 36 (1954), p. 45, had termed it
‘the most erotic film since Gustav Machaty’s L’Extase’. Four years later Monika was shown on a
commercial rerun in Paris and received overwhelming support by Jean-Luc Godard (Arts, 30
July-5 August 1958, p. 6), who termed it the cinematic event of the year: ‘You must dash to the
Cinéma Panthéon as you dashed to the van Gogh exhibit. Monica is the most original picture
by the most original of filmmakers.’ In an extensive analysis of Monika in Image et son, no. 205,
1967, pp. 113-120, Hubert Arnault suggests that the tremendous critical success of the film on its
second round in France depended on its combination of two features dear to French cineastes
at the time: the exoticism of the Nordic summer and the handheld cinéma-verité camera, which
anticipated the nouvelle vague by several years. François Truffaut includes a poster reference to
Monika in his film Les 400 coups (The 400 Blows).
In England, the realism of Monika resulted in a glowing response from I. Quigly, usually a
severe Bergman critic. See Spectator, 19 December 1957, pp. 88-89.
In (West) Germany, the Film und Mode Revue, no. 19, 1953, called many scenes in the film too
constructed and excessive but saw in Bergman’s filmmaking the work of ‘a personality with
whom every film fan should get acquainted.’
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 10 February 1953;
BLM no. 3 (March 1953): 233-34;
Perspektiv IV, no. 3 (March 1953): 129-30;
Teatern, no. 2 (February 1953): 6.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 30 July – 5 August 1958, p. 6; Godard review appeared in English in Godard on Godard (ed.
J. Narboni, T. Milne). London: Secker & Warburg, 1972, pp. 84-85;
Bianco e nero, no. 11-12 (November-December 1961): 82-85;
Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 36 (1954): 50; and no. 85 (July 1958): 11;
Critisch Film Bulletin 12, no. 10 (1959): 78;
Film und Mode Revue, no. 19, 1953;
Films and Filming 5, no. 5 (February 1959): 25;
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 24 February 1956;
Monthly Film Bulletin, February 1959, p. 16.
See also
G. Allombert, Image et son, no. 122-123 (May-June 1959), pp. 19-20 (in special issue on the
portrayal of adolescence in the cinema);
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 72-79; Sw.ed. 76-80;
Cahiers du cinéma 14, no. 84 (June 1958): 11;
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 187-195;
Image et son, 1967 (Ø 1233), pp 21-24;
‘Mabuse’ (Stockholm Film Festival program), August 1992, p. 5 (interview with Harriet An-
dersson);
SF program, 1953, 11 pp.;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 267-270;

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SVT, channel 1, 17 November 1990 (five minute introduction to TV showing of film by Ulrika
Knutsson and Maaret Koskinen).

220. GYCKLARNAS AFTON, 1953 [The Naked Night/Sawdust and Tinsel], B/W
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The Swedish word gycklare is often used by Ingmar Bergman in its original medieval sense of an
itinerant performer. Gycklare were people who used to entertain the public with gyckelspel at
fairs and in market places. It is likely that Bergman intended the title of his film to refer to
circus performers as a collective group. John Simon’s English translation ‘The Clown’s Evening’
in his book Ingmar Bergman Directs (pp. 50-105) seems to point to the single character of Frost.
American distribution title The Naked Night has a certain relevance probably not intended by
its original distributor: Film depicts a night of unmasking when circus owner Albert Johansson
is deprived of professional dignity and faces personal despair. Visually, this is a night film, with
dawn, twilight and darkness enveloping its main characters from the opening shot to the final
vignette. British title, Sawdust and Tinsel, is a more direct reference to the film’s circus milieu.
Most misleading foreign title is the Italian one: Una vampata d’amore.
Synopsis
Gycklarnas afton opens with a bleak shot of Circus Alberti arriving in a small Swedish town at
the turn of the last century. The owner, Albert Johansson, wakes up in his cramped wagon,
walks outside and climbs up next to the coachman, Jens. The film’s only flashback follows as
Jens tells the story of Frost the Clown and his wife Alma. One summer seven years earlier, Alma
went swimming in the nude before a group of soldiers on artillery practice. When notified,
Frost sheds his clown suit and carries Alma out of the water and back to the circus. The
flashback sequence is an overexposed white-out, and the diegetic sound effects – the jeering
laughter of the soldiers and the firing of the cannons – have a surreal quality. The sequence has
no dialogue but is accompanied by Karl Birger Blomdahl’s modernistic music.
The humiliation of Frost and Alma is soon to be felt by Albert and his mistress, Anne. Setting
out in their Sunday best to borrow costumes for their dilapidated circus from the repertory
theatre in town, they face the ridicule of Mr. Sjuberg, the theatre’s manager. Later Albert leaves
the circus to visit his wife, who operates a small store in town with the help of their two young
boys. Albert pleads with her to take him back but is rebuffed and pitied. As he leaves his wife,
he sees Anne exit from a pawn shop. She has been visiting Frans, an actor in the repertory
theatre, who has made love to her in his dressing-room and given her a worthless trinket in
return.
Back in the circus wagon, Albert vents his frustration on Anne, but is interrupted by Frost
who arrives with a bottle. Both men get drunk. Albert takes out his pistol and threatens Frost,
who tells him to shoot Alma’s sick bear instead. Suddenly, Albert tumbles ouside; his mood
changes. He orders the circus tent raised. He and Frost sing a popular broadsheet song.
The theatre company has been invited to the circus performance. Frans and the audience
taunt Anne during her performance as a Spanish equestrienne until she falls off her horse. With
his long riding whip Albert flips off Frans’s hat. In an ensuing fight, Frans kicks sawdust in
Albert’s eyes until he is like an enraged, blinded animal. Anne intervenes, and Albert is carried
out. Back in his trailer, he takes out his pistol and shoots his own image in the mirror. Then he
walks outside to the cage that houses Alma’s bear. Despite her protestations, he kills the animal.
Afterwards he goes to the stables to seek the company of the horses.

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The next day the circus is on the road again at early dawn. Albert walks beside Frost who
relates a dream he has had: he became smaller and smaller until he was only a seed in Alma’s
womb and then he disappeared altogether.
Frost goes into his wagon to join Alma. Albert and Anne come together alongside the circus
wagon. Without a word they walk off towards another day.
Credits
Production company Sandrews
Executive producer Rune Waldekranz
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Hilding Bladh, Göran Strindberg and Sven Nykvist
Architect Bibi Lindström
Sound Olle Jakobsson
Music Karl-Birger Blomdahl
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Nils Nittel, Sture Höglund wig shop
Editor Carl-Olov Skeppstedt
Continuity Marianne Axelsson
Cast
Anne Harriet Andersson
Albert Johansson Åke Grönberg
Frans Hasse Ekman
Teodor Frost Anders Ek
Alma, his wife Gudrun Brost
Agda, Albert’s wife Annika Tretow
Mr. Sjuberg, theatre director Gunnar Björnstrand
Jens, the coachman Erik Strandmark
Dwarf Kiki (Otto Moskowitz)
Officer Åke Fridell
Blom, stage manager Curt Löwgren
Mrs. Ekberg, circus musician Majken Torkeli
Mrs. Ekberg’s son Vanje Hedberg
Aunt Asta, circus performer Hanny Schedin
Albert and Agda’s oldest son Göran Lundquist
Little Albert, their youngest son Mats Hådell
Policeman Eric Gustafson
‘Beautiful Anton’, circus performer Michael Fant
Tightrope dancer Julie Bernby
Fager, circus performer Conrad Gyllenhammar
Mrs. Fager, circus performer Mona Sylwan
Mrs. Meijer, circus performer Naemi Briese
Theatre actors Lissi Alandh, Karl-Axel Forsberg, Olav Riégo, John
Starck, Erna Groth, Agda Helin
Meijer, circus performer Sigvard Törnqvist
Uncle Greve, circus performer John W. Björling
Mrs. Tanti, circus performer Gunborg Larsson
Policeman Gunnar Lindberg

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Filmed on location in Arild, southern Sweden, at Kullaberg and Ystad, in the Gävle City
Theatre, and at Sandrews’s Studios, Gärdet, Stockholm, beginning spring 1953 and completed
in early summer 1953.
Distribution Sandrew-Baumanfilm
U.S. distribution Times Film Corporation/Janus Films
Running time 92 minutes
Released 11 September 1953
Premiere 14 September 1953, Grand (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 9 April 1956, Little Carnegie, NYC
Commentary
Bergman writes about the genesis of the film in Bilder (1990), pp. 184-88. The script of Gyck-
larnas afton was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familjejournal, nos. 40-44,
1960, illustrated with photographs from the film.
Producer Rune Waldekranz has given an account of the origin of the film in an article titled
‘Birgit Tengroth svek men plötsligt stod Ingmar Bergman där med sina gycklare’ [Birgit T. failed
but suddenly Bergman was there with his jesters], Kulturens värld no. 4 (November 1995): 50-57.
Waldekranz had tried earlier to engage Bergman for a film project with Sandrews but had lost
out to SF (see Commentary to Törst, Ø 211). Bergman still felt obliged to make a film for
Sandrews, and a few years later he proposed his script, Gycklarnas afton. Though he expected
no immediate box office success, Waldekranz persuaded his boss, Anders Sandrew, to produce
the film.
The film is shot by three different cinematographers. During the shooting, Göran Strindberg
had to make a study trip to Hollywood to learn the new cinemascope technique. Sven Nykvist
was proposed as his substitute. Nykvist passed Bergman’s test and eventually won his approval.
Cinematographer Hilding Bladh shot the flashback sequence; Göran Strindberg shot the out-
door scenes and most indoor scenes; Nykvist shot scenes in the circus tent.
This film marks the first time that Mago (Max Goldstein) worked as Bergman’s costumier.
Reception
The Schreiber Circus in Örebro, Sweden, accused Ingmar Bergman of giving circuses a bad
reputation by showing ‘pornographic trash in which the female circus artists are depicted as
prostitutes’[en pornografisk smörja i vilken kvinnliga cirkusartister porträtteras som prosti-
tuerade]. See Örebro Dagblad, 29 September 1953, p. 1.
Robin Hood in ‘Filmskott’, ST, 20 September, p. 4, discussed the mixed response to Gyck-
larnas afton. Critical reactions oscillated from enthusiasm to abusive remarks. The most notor-
ious review was by Filmson [Sven Jan Hanson] in AB, 15 September 1953, p. 11: ‘I am of the
opinion that one should not defecate in public even if one has a lot to get rid of – unless one
can sublimate one’s miseries like August Strindberg’. [Jag anser att man helst bör undvika att
orena offentligt även om man har mycket att bli av med, såvida man inte som en August
Strindberg kan sublimera sitt elände.] Other negative assessments were made by Viveca Hey-
man in Beklädnadsfolket, no. 7, 1956, p. 12, and by I. Olsson in Lantarbetaren, no. 5, 1956, p. 17.
By contrast, Nils Beyer, MT (Stockholm), same date, p. 7, called Gycklarnas afton Ingmar
Bergman’s best film. Generally, the film got better reviews in the press outside Stockholm.
Sandrews issued a program to Gycklarnas afton (no. 106, n.d., 8 pp.), with credits, excerpts
from Swedish reviews, and presentation of leading actor Åke Grönberg. An English version is
available at SFI archives, but contains only credits and plot synopsis.

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Foreign Response
Bergman visited Oslo and Bergen in connection with the Norwegian opening of the film. He
became upset over Norwegian cuts. See Bergen Morgenavis, 18 March 1954, p. 1. Norwegian
censor Bernt A. Nissen claimed that only two meters had been cut beyond the 25 meters already
omitted by Swedish censors. In both cases, the cuts were from the fight in the circus arena and
from Albert’s suicide attempt.
Variety, 8 February 1956, p. 6, presented The Naked Night as ‘a controversial Swedish import
with stress on sex and morbidity’. This view was echoed in Newsweek, 23 April 1956, p. 53, and
New York Herald Tribune, 10 April 1956, p. 20, where W. Zinsser wrote: ‘The Naked Night... is a
rueful tale. The climate is cold and drizzly, everybody is seething with passion and remorse.’
The review in NYT, 10 April 1956, p. 27: 5, was devastating, calling the film an offensive
imitation of the worst aspects of cinematic expressionism, referring in particular to the flash-
back sequence of Frost and Alma in the beginning of film.
In retrospect, Gycklarnas afton, which at first was only appreciated in cineast circles in Latin
America, has become an Ingmar Bergman classic, winning several awards (see below, Awards).
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 77 (December 1957), pp. 48-50, dubbed La nuit des forains a remarkable
auteur film, and in 1958, Télé-Ciné published a special issue on the film (no. 73, fiche 324, pp. 1-
12), including a discussion of Bergman’s use of the circus as an emblem of life.
In November 1961, Danish Film Museum issued a five-page program on Gycklarnas afton,
comparing it to Dupont’s Variété.
Film a soggetto, Centro S. Fedelle dello Spettaculo, Milan, 4 February 1965, 10 pp., is an Italian
fact sheet on Vampata d’amore, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot
synopsis, and a bibliography.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 12 September 1953;
BLM 22, no. 8 (October 1953): 638-639;
Perspektiv 5, no. 8 (October 1953): 380-381;
Teatern 20, no. 4 (1953): 13-14.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 15-22 October 1957 (Eric Rohmer);
Bianco e nero, February-March 1961, pp. 121-127;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 77 (December 1957) and no. 85 (July 1958), pp. 11-12;
Cinema Nuovo, no. 144 (March-April 1962), pp. 154-155;
Films and Filming 1, no. 11 (August 1955): 18;
Filmkritik, no. 1 (January) 1959, pp. 10-14;
Filmkritik Jahrbuch 2 (1960): 3-5;
Le Monde, 31 October 1957;
Monthly Film Bulletin, June 1955, p. 83;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 2919;
Positif, no. 27 (February 1958), pp. 38-41;
Revista de cinema, no. 22 (April-May 1956), pp. 10-13.
Longer articles/discussions
Doorman, Joseph. ‘The Naked Night’. Film Notes (Wisconsin Film Society), 1960, pp. 102-105;
Holmer, Per. ‘Förnedringsmotiv i femtiotalsfilmen’ [Humiliation motifs in Fifties film]. Svensk
filmografi, 1950-1959, pp. 302-308;
Ramseger, Georg. ‘Ein Film der uns den Atem verschlägt’. Die Welt, 6 December 1958;

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Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Den allvarsamma leken’ [The serious game]. Perspektiv IV, no. 8, 1953: 380-382.
Schildt’s review article recognizes Bergman’s visual talent, but the script is said to be full of
trite statements about art and life. This view of Bergman as a gifted image maker but a poor
writer represents a very common view of him among Swedish commentators in the 1940s
and 1950s;
Simon, John. Offers the most extensive (and also the finest) analysis of the film in his book
Ingmar Bergman Directs, pp. 50-105, and in his collection of reviews Private Screenings, pp.
17-18;
Wolf, S. ‘Abend der Gaukler’. Praktische Hinweise für die Jugenfilmarbeit: Filmbesprechungen, n.d.,
12 p. With credits and a presentation of film as one of several Bergman movies selected for
young people.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 81-96;
Etudes cinématographiques 1, no. 1-2 (1960): 109-114;
Film Culture no. 29 (Summer 1963): 23-24;
Filmorientering (Norw. Film Inst.) no. 2 (December 1960);
Der frühe Bergman (Ø 1326), pp. 197-213;
German program to Abend der Gaukler (Göttingen: Walter Kircher Filmkunst) 1959, 12 pp.;
Image et son no. 125 (November) 1959: i-xi (special supplement 17), and no. 226 (March) 1969:
24-28;
Kosmorama no. 137, 1978, pp. 51-54;
Svensk Filmografi (Ø 1314), 1950-59, pp. 302-05.
Awards
1954: First prize in Montevideo Film Festival, 1954;
1957: L’Etoile du Cristal de L’Académie du Cinéma, Paris;
1958: Gold Plaque in Buenos Aires Film Festival; Highest quality rating by the West
German Classification Board;
1959: German Film Critics Award for Best Direction, Frankfurt am Main.
Second Prize by Polish Film Critics’ Society;
1999: Listed in Swedish Filmrutan survey as one of the ten best Swedish films of the
century.

221. EN LEKTION I KÄRLEK, 1954 [A Lesson in Love], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
As the credits roll across the screen, an ironic voice announces: ‘This is a comedy that could
have been a tragedy.’ The plot of En lektion i kärlek begins with a bet made by two men about a
woman with whom they share a train compartment. One of the men is David Erneman, a
gynecologist; the woman, unknown to the viewer, is his wife Marianne.
David and Marianne have been married for 16 years. David is having an affair with his former
patient, Suzanne. In a series of flashbacks we see the development of their relationship, from
their first romantic summer together to a farcical episode when Marianne surprises them in
bed at a tourist inn. David has now broken off his affair and tries to regain Marianne’s love. He
pursues her on the train to Copenhagen where she is scheduled to meet her lover Carl-Adam, to
whom she was once engaged. It is at this point in the film that the bet occurs.

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Another flashback gives us a glimpse of the first encounter between David and Marianne,
which ocurred in Copenhagen. David was sent by Carl-Adam to fetch Marianne, who was a
tardy bride-to-be. David and Marianne fell in love. In a farcical scene, a powerless pastor has to
witness how all the ceremonious preparations for the wedding are smashed to pieces.
Two flashbacks on the train focus on David’s family. In the first, he is walking on the beach
with his 15-year-old daughter Nix, who reveals her disgust with the erotic interests of her friends
and with her parent’s extramarital affairs. David responds by telling Nix of his boredom.
The next flashback takes place a year before the present events on the train. It is an early
summer morning in the country home of David’s parents, Henrik and Svea Erneman. It is
Henrik’s seventy-third birthday; his children and grandchildren serve him morning coffee in
bed. Later in the day they all go on a traditional automobile excursion. Nix talks to her
grandfather about her fear of death. In the evening there is a dance at which the mutual trust
of the older Erneman couple becomes a lesson to David and Marianne.
The film ends in Copenhagen. Marianne decides not to pursue her relationships with Carl-
Adam. She and David check into a hotel room where Cupid himself hangs a ‘Do Not Disturb’
sign on the door. A cherub comes through the hotel corridor, turns the sign, and opens the
door. David and Marianne are seen sitting on the bed, toasting in champagne. When the door is
closed, the text on the turned sign reads: ‘Silence! A Lesson in Love’.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Rolf Carlsten
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Martin Bodin
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Props Gustaf Roger
Sound Sven Hansen
Music Dag Wirén
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Birgit Norlindh, Bente Munk
Cast
Marianne Erneman Eva Dahlbeck
David Erneman Gunnar Björnstrand
Suzanne Verin, his ‘affair’ Yvonne Lombard
Nix, Erneman’s daughter Harriet Andersson
Carl-Adam, Marianne’s former fiance Åke Grönberg
Henrik Erneman, grandfather Olof Winnerstrand
Svea Erneman, grandmother Renée Björling
Lise, maid Birgitte Reimer
Sam, chauffeur John Elfström
Lisa, nurse Dagmar Ebbesen
Traveling salesman Helge Hagerman
Pastor Sigge Fürst
Train conductor Gösta Prüzelius
Uncle Axel, potter Carl Ström

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Hotel manager Arne Lindblad

Jönsson, hotel clerk Torsten Lilliecrona
Bartender Georg Adelly
Wedding guests Julie Bernby, Wera Lindby, Henning Blanck, Olof Ek-
bladh, Gustaf Färingborg, Kaj Hjelm, Vincent Jonasson,
Georg Skarstedt, Bengt Thörnhammar
Dancer at cabaret in Copenhagen Yvonne Brosset
Pelle, Marianne and David’s son Göran Lundquist
Hotel maid Margareta Öhman
Clarinet player at cabaret Torbjörn ‘Tompa’ Jahn
Man looking for his wife at cabaret John Starck
Young men at cabaret Kjell Nordenskiöld, Tor Åhman
Taxi driver in Copenhagen Tor Borong
Piano player at cabaret Mats Olsson
Bellboy Björn Näslund
Filmed at Filmstaden (Råsunda), in Copenhagen (Nyhavn), on the Malmö-Copenhagen ferry,
in Hälsingborg, Arild, Ramlösa, Pålsjöskog, the Mjölby train station, Beatelund, and Saltsjö-
baden, beginning 30 July 1953 and completed 16 September 1953.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus
Running time 94 minutes
Released 23 August 1954
Swedish premiere 4 October 1954, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 14 March 1960, Murry Hill Theatre, NYC
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman appears briefly in the train sequence, reading a newspaper.
Bergman writes about the film in Bilder/Images, 1990, p. 342.
The script of En lektion i kärlek was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers
Familjejournal, nos. 6-10/1960, illustrated with photographs from the film.
Reception
En lektion i kärlek was Ingmar Bergman’s first popular success in Sweden. AB called the film
‘capricious and entertaining’; DN termed it an ‘unpretentious’ film combining joie de vivre and
esprit; ST referred to it as a spontaneous and visually conceived comedy bubbling over with
fresh ideas and dialogue. But SvD termed the film a disappointment after the more subtle
‘woman’s film’ Kvinnors väntan. Several months later Hanserik Hjertén in Arbetaren (4 January
1955, p. 4) questioned an earlier statement by film critic Marianne Höök in Vecko-Journalen (no.
44, 1954) that Ingmar Bergman was a genius in depicting women.
The film was not distributed in U.S. until 1960, in the aftermath of such major Bergman
successes as Sjunde inseglet/The Seventh Seal, Smultronsstället/Wild Strawberries, and Ansiktet/
The Magician/The Face. Perhaps inevitably, this made it seem a minor work. Films in Review,
February 1960, p. 103, called it ‘pointless adolescent tom-foolery’ and Film Quarterly, no. 4
(Summer 1960), pp. 52-53, did not find ‘Bergman doing a turn of Ernst Lubitsch [...] very
funny’. New York Herald Tribune, 15 March 1960, p. 15, voiced a rare appreciation: ‘[It is] like
Schopenhauer giggling. It is enough to make one want to learn the language.’
Télé-Ciné, no. 95 (April 1961) published a fiche on the film (no. 380), 11 pp.
Image et son, no. 214 (March 1968), pp. 173-178 contains a longer analysis of film.

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Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 5 October 1954;
BLM 23, no. 9 (November 1954): 762;
FIB no. 43 (1954), p. 47;
Perspektiv no. 2 (1955), p. 78;
Vecko-Journalen no. 44 (1954), p. 16.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma no. 85 (July 1958), p. 12 and no. 103, pp. 58-60;
Cinéma 60, no. 43 (February 1960): 121-123;
Filmfacts 1 April 1960, pp. 53-54;
Filmkritik no. 2 (1963), p. 95 and no. 3 (1963), pp. 133-4;
Image et son no. 126 (October 1959), pp. 18-9;
Monthly Film Bulletin June 1959, p. 68;
New Republic, 25 April 1960, p. 20;
New York Times, 15 March 1960, p. 46;
NYT Film Reviews 1913-1968, p. 3178;
Positif, no. 17 (June-July 1956): 51-53; (part of a presentation of Scandinavian film in Paris);
Variety, 4 Nov 1959, p. 7.
See also
Arts, 16-23 December 1959, p. 7;
Atlas Filmheft, no. 14 (1960);
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 74 (August-September 1957), p. 26;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 28-29;
Kosmorama, no. 137, 1978, pp. 34-35;
SF program in Swedish and English, 1954, 5 pp.;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314) pp. 384-87.
Awards
1955: Punta del Este Festival Award;
1963: Unspecified award at Film Comedy Festival in Vienna.

222. KVINNODRÖM, 1955 [Dreams/Journey into Autumn], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The American title, Dreams, ignores that this is a film about women. The British title, Journey
into Autumn, is hardly applicable to one of the main charachters, Doris, a teenage model.
Neither title, however, is as offensive as the Argentine one: Confeción des pecadores.
Synopsis
Kvinnodröm begins and ends in a fashion photographer’s studio in Stockholm; the rest of the
film takes place in Göteborg, where the main characters, fashion designer Susanne and her
model Doris, travel on business. Opening sequence is silent and tense. Doris is getting ready for
the photographer. Only the drumming fingers of Magnus, an obese businessman and fashion
director, can be heard.
Susanne’s tension continues on the train trip to Göteborg. In a wordless sequence (the only
sound being that of the train’s wheels) Susanne fights an impulse to commit suicide. Her
struggle is reflected in quick images of her face against a rain-swept train window.

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Arriving in Göteborg, Susanne and Doris go their separate ways. The plot follows two tracks,
one involving Susanne and her attempt to get her lover Henrik Lobelius, a businessman, to
make a commitment to her; the other depicting Doris and her brief encounter with a much
older man, Consul Sönderby. The dreams of the two women are thus revealed: Susanne wants
to get married and have children; Doris wants to be rich and live the life of a movie star.
Henrik Lobelius arrives at Susanne’s hotel room. Preoccupied with his faltering business, he
admits his economic dependence upon his wife. When Mrs. Lobelius arrives unexpectedly,
Susanne realizes that Henrik will never seek a divorce.
In a parallel episode, we follow Doris’s excursions in the city. Consul Sönderby buys her
clothes and jewellery. They go to an amusement park where a roller coaster ride brings out the
age difference between them. Returning to the Consul’s villa, Doris gets tipsy on champagne
and reveals her completely materialistic dreams. Sönderby’s motives are also self-centered: he
wishes to rejuvenate himself through Doris, who reminds him of his dead wife. Their fantasies
are interrupted by Sönderby’s cold and offensive daughter. Doris decides to leave without the
gifts bestowed upon her by the Consul.
Back in Stockholm, Susanne receives a letter from Henrik Lobelius, suggesting that they
continue their clandestine affair. Susanne tears up the letter. Doris returns to her former
boyfriend, Palle, a young student. Both women seek solace from their ruptured dreams through
hard work.
Credits
Production company Sandrews
Executive producer Rune Waldekranz
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Hans Abramson
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Hilding Bladh
Architect Gittan Gustafsson
Props Sven Björling
Sound Olle Jakobsson
Make-up Sture Höglund
Editor Carl-Olov Skeppstedt
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Susanne Frank Eva Dahlbeck
Doris Harriet Andersson
Consul Otto Sönderby Gunnar Björnstrand
Henrik Lobelius Ulf Palme
Marta, his wife Inga Landgré
Palle Palt Sven Lindberg
Magnus, fashion director Benkt-Åke Benktsson
Marianne, Sönderby’s daughter Kerstin Hedeby-Pawlo
Mrs. Arén Naima Wifstrand
Mrs. Berger Renée Björling
Women aides in fashion studio Git Gay, Gunhild Kjellqvist
Ferdinand Sundström,
photographer in Göteborg Ludde Gentzel
Sundström’s aides Maud Hyttenberg, Folke Åström

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Sundström’s assistant photographer Curt Kärrby

Make-up girl Jessie Flaws
Fanny Marianne Nielsen
Katja Siv Ericks
Fashion photographer Bengt Schött
Photographer in Stockholm Axel Düberg
Model Viola Sundberg
Mr. Barse, jeweler Tord Stål
Hotel clerk Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt
Man at Liseberg Richard Mattson
Shop assistant at café Inga Gill
Taxi driver Per-Erik Åström
Ladies in a café Ninni Arpe, Margareta Bergström, Elsa Hofgren, Millan
Lyxell, Inga Rosqvist, Greta Stave, Ella Welander, Gerd
Widestedt
Filmed at Sandrews Studios, Stockholm, beginning 15 June 1954 and completed 4 August 1954
(additional takes in February 1955).
Distribution Sandrew-Bauman Film
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 86 minutes
Released 28 May 1955
Premiere 22 August, Grand (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 31 May 1960, Fith Ave. Cinema, NYC
Bergman appears briefly in train corridor during Susanne’s and Doris’s journey to Göteborg.
Commentary
The role of the Consul (Sönderby) was written by Bergman for the actor Anders Henrikson,
who, however, refused to work with Bergman. Instead, the part went to Gunnar Björnstrand.
Reportage from filming Kvinnodröm by Arne Sellermark appeared in Allers, no. 35 (1954), pp.
6-7, 37-38, with statements by Ingmar Bergman about his views on women and how to depict
them on the screen.
Reception
Bergman’s Kvinnodröm had been rumored to be a continuation of his rose-colored period. It
was a term used by reviewers for such films as Kvinnors väntan and En lektion i kärlek, with
reference to French playwright Jean Anouilh’s division of his own plays into pièces noires and
pièces roses. But Marianne Höök (Vecko-Journalen, no. 36, 1955, p. 14) found Kvinnordröm to be
a dark and brooding film. To her, it confirmed Bergman’s strength in depicting women.
However, B. Ehrén in Ny Dag, 23 August 1955, p. 3, objected to Bergman’s female portraits,
calling them ‘a sexist presentation’. This typifies a divided critical view that was to surface many
times during Bergman’s career, up to and including Herbstsonate (1978, Autumn Sonata). See
group entry (Ø 975).
In France Kvinnodröm/Rêve des femmes was shown in early fall of 1958 during the peak of the
Ingmar Bergman vogue. It was reviewed by Eric Rohmer in both Cahiers du cinéma, no. 89
(November), pp. 46-49, and Arts, 15-22 October, n.p. Rohmer called Bergman a truly interna-
tional filmmaker. Télé-Ciné no. 80 (January-February 1959) published a fiche (no. 342), 11 pp.,
on the film.

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Kvinnodröm was discussed extensively in the Argentinian press during the summer of 1959, but
was considered a minor film. See Buenos Aires El Pueblo, 17 June 1959 (SFI clipping). U.S.
reception of Dreams, released out of sequence in the 1960s, echoed the Latin American evalua-
tion.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 23 August 1955;
BLM no. 7 (1955), p. 567;
FIB no. 38 (1955), p. 42;
Perspektiv no. 10 (1955), pp. 465-466;
Teatern no. 3 (1955), p. 6;
Vecko-Journalen no. 36 (1955), p. 14;
Vi no. 35 (1955), p. 23.
Foreign Reviews
Bianco e nero, February-March 1961, pp. 120-127;
Cahiers du cinéma no. 85 (July 1958), pp. 12-13, and no. 89 (November 1958): 46-49;
Cinéma 58, no. 32 (January 1958), p. 114;
Films and Filming 5, no. 12 (September 1959): 22-23;
Filmfacts 15 July 1960, pp. 143-144;
Filmkritik no. 9 (1963), pp. 426-428;
Image et son no. 118 (January 1959), p. 17;
Monthly Film Bulletin, August 1959, pp. 100-101;
New York Times, 1 June 1960, p. 42: 1;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, pp. 3192-3193;
New York Herald Tribune, same date, p. 20;
Positif no. 30, (July 1959);
Time 13 June 1960, p. 67;
Variety, 19 November 1958, p. 6.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 44-45; Sw.ed., 102-104;
Dansk Film Museum program, January 1965, 4 pp;
Filmorientering (NFI), no. 34 (April 1962), 4 pp;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 29-31;
Kauffmann, A World of Film (Ø 1011), pp. 279-280;
Musikern, no. 9 (1954), p. 5;
Sandrews’ program no. 134, 22 August 1955 (also in English);
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 456-459.

223. SOMMARNATTENS LEENDE, 1955 [Smiles of the Summer Night], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Sommarnattens leende is an erotic masque set in southern Sweden in 1901. The action takes
place in the Egerman household; in the local theatre and the lodgings of Desirée Armfeldt, an
actress; and at the Ryarp manor house owned by her mother. The various tours of love
matching create an intricate plot pattern and represent the three smiles of the summer night.

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Anne Egerman, virgin wife of middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman, rebuffs her husband’s
physical advances. Fredrik goes to visit his former mistress Desirée Armfeldt, falls in a puddle of
water and borrows a nightshirt and cap belonging to Desirée’s current lover, Count Malcolm. A
young child appears, and the astounded Fredrik learns that he is the father. Soon afterwards,
Count Malcolm makes a stormy entrance. Jealous charges and countercharges follow.
Early the next morning Desirée persuades her aged mother to arrange a party on her estate.
The Malcolms and the Egermans, including Fredrik’s adult son Henrik, a student of theology,
are to be invited. In the meantime, Count Malcolm has hinted to his wife Charlotte that Fredrik
Egerman is an intimate friend of Desirée Armfeldt. Charlotte conveys this information to Anne
Egerman during a visit, but Anne proudly declares that she is already aware of her husband’s
liaison. Henrik Egerman is approached by Petra, the maid, but wards off her advances while
quoting the Scriptures. Anne and Henrik are attracted to each other.
At the gathering at Ryarp, old Mrs. Armfeldt serves a love potion at dinner. Fredrik Egerman
notices Anne’s tender feelings for Henrik. Charlotte Malcolm, having made a bet with her
husband, tries to seduce Henrik. Henrik is upset over the cynical conversation at the dinner
table and leaves. Later he tries to commit suicide, but his attempt ends in a surprise. Planning
to hang himself from a damper, he accidentally touches off a mechanism on the wall. Bells
begin to chime and the bed in an adjoining room comes rolling into Henrik’s room. In the bed
lies Anne, asleep. Later that night the two elope with the willing assistance of Petra, while
Fredrik Egerman, without their knowledge, watches from a distance.
To defend his honor, Count Malcolm has challenged Fredrik Egerman to a game of Russian
roulette in a pavillion on the estate’s park grounds. The lawyer is the unlucky player who ends
up shooting himself. Outside, Charlotte and Desirée are waiting. Suddenly, Fredrik Egerman
stumbles out, black in the face; the pistol was loaded with soot. Charlotte is reconciled with her
husband, and Fredrik Egerman, sad and lonely, returns to Desirée, which was the scheme set up
by the actress and her mother.
The film ends with the sun rising over the summer night. Petra, the maid, and Frid, the
groom, are seen romping in the hay.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Location manager Gustav Roger
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Lennart Olsson
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Props Ove Kant
Sound P.O. Pettersson
Music arrangement Erik Nordgren
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Music Robert Schumann, ‘Aufschwung Opus 12’
Frédéric Chopin, ‘Fantasie-Impromptu Opus 66’
Franz Liszt, ‘Liebestraum Opus 62, no. 3’
‘Bort med sorg och bitterhet’ (Text: Ingmar Bergman)
‘Freut euch des Lebens’ (sung by Eva Dahlbeck)
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.

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Editor Oscar Rosander

Continuity Katarina (Katherina) Faragó
Cast
Desirée Armfeldt Eva Dahlbeck
Fredrik Egerman Gunnar Björnstrand
Anne Egerman Ulla Jacobsson
Henrik Egerman Björn Bjelfvenstam
Old Mrs. Armfeldt Naima Wifstrand
Petra Harriet Andersson
Count Malcolm Jarl Kulle
Charlotte Malcolm Margit Carlqvist
Frid Åke Fridell
Beata, the cook Jullan Kindahl
Malla, Desirée’s maid Gull Natorp
Actresses Birgitta Valberg, Bibi Andersson
Desirée’s son Anders Wulff
Niklas, Malcolm’s aide Gunnar Nielsen
Butler Gösta Prüzelius
Dresser Svea Holst
Adolf Almgren, photograper Hans Strååt
Mrs. Almgren Lisa Lundholm
Policeman Sigge Fürst
Maids to old Mrs. Armfeldt Lena Söderholm, Mona Malm
Dinner guest Josef Norman
Notary Börje Mellvig
Tobacconist David Erikson
Actor Arne Lindblad
Curtain puller Einar Söderbäck
Servants Sten Gester, Mille Schmidt
Mrs. Armfeldt’s butler John Melin
Aide at lawyer’s office Ulf Johanson
Clerks at lawyer’s office Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt, Georg Adelly [cut]
Filmed on location at Jordberga estate in Skåne (southern Sweden) and at Råsunda Studios,
Stockholm, beginning 28 June 1955 and completed 29 August 1955, plus two days in November
1955.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. Distribution Bank Film Distributors of America
Running time 108 min, British version 104 min
Released 14 December 1955
Premiere 26 December 1955, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 23 December 1957, Sutton, NYC
Ingmar Bergman appears briefly as a bookkeeper at Egerman’s legal office in a scene that was
cut from the final version of the film.

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Commentary
The script of Sommarnattens leende was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers
Familjejournal, nos. 16-20/1960, illustrated with photographs from the film. The script is in-
cluded in an English translation in Four Screenplays by Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110).
Reportage from filming Sommarnattens leende appeared in ST 31 July 1955, p. 9. Bergman
writes briefly about it in Bilder/Images (1990), pp. 345-46.
Assistant director Lennart Olsson kept a two-volume diary during the shooting of Sommar-
nattens leende (deposited in SFI Library). See also KvP 27 January 1974, Sec. 2, p. 16, for Olsson’s
account of filming: ‘Bergman was like a thundering cloud’ [Bergman var som ett åskmoln].
Olsson’s diary is a detailed, rather dull day-to-day recording of Bergman’s production, and lacks
the element of personal involvement evident in Vilgot Sjöman’s record of the shooting of
Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light, some years later (see Ø 1100).
Arne Sellermark interviewed Bergman during the shooting of Sommarnattens leende: ‘Tre
nattliga leenden’ [Three nightly smiles]. Filmnyheter 10, no. 19-20, 1955: 4-7, 10. Bergman states
his satisfaction with having found an expressive comedy form. In yet another Sellermark
interview article, titled ‘Är han tyrannregissör?’ [Is he a tyrant director?], Vecko-Journalen,
no. 41 (15 October) 1955, pp. 26-29, Bergman reveals that he got the idea for Sommarnattens
leende from his Malmö staging of Lehar’s operetta The Merry Widow. He also states that the film
could have been a tragedy but that he chose the comedy form as better suited for a costume
film.
In February 1973, a musical by Steven Sondheim titled A Little Night Music based on Berg-
man’s Sommarnattens leende opened in New York. Swedish premiere took place in Göteborg’s
Stora Teatern on 11 January 1974. A Little Night Music was in turn made into a movie, directed
by Harold Prince and starring, among others, Elizabeth Taylor.
Reception
Reception of Sommarnattens leende was very favorable. Bergman supporter Nils Beyer consid-
ered it one of the best Swedish films ever. His review is important since it recognized Bergman
as an auteur before the term became fashionable. Nevertheless, Sommarnattens leende elicited a
rather intense negative press debate after the jury in FIB (Folket i Bild) gave the film several
awards (Best direction, Best script, Best film, Best actor, and Best supporting actor). Hanserik
Hjertén wrote an open letter to Ingmar Bergman in Expr., 3 February 1956, p. 4, charging him
with pornography. Bergman was asked to respond, and did so with a limerick (same date):
Det var en gång en sköka uti Mykene [There once was a broad in Mykene
Skicklig och vacker, nota bene Clever and beautiful, nota bene
Som hade som sin gäst Who had as her guest
Stadens överstepräst The City’s high priest
Men allt är ju rent för de rene. But then, all is pure to the pure]
Hjertén persisted; in an article titled ‘Bergmanfallet eller sommarnattens falska leende’ [The
Bergman Case or the False Smile of the Summer Night], Filmfront 4, no. 1 (1956), pp. 4-5, he
accused Bergman of making egocentric and hysterial films. In the meantime Olof Lagercrantz,
influential editor of Stockholm paper DN had jumped on the bandwagon with an editorial
protest (‘Ett filmpris’, 10 March 1956, p. 4), in which he referred to Bergman’s film as ‘the bad
fantasy by a young man with acne, the obscene dreams of an immature heart, a boundless
contempt for artistic and human truth’ [en finnig ynglings dåliga fantasi, ett omoget hjärtas
fräcka drömmar, ett gränslöst förakt för konstnärlig och mänsklig sanning]. To Lagercrantz,
Bergman did not have ‘enough wit to fill a doll’s thimble’ [nog av ande att fylla en dockas
fingerborg]. Anti-Bergman critic Viveca Heyman supported Hjertén (and Lagercrantz) in

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Arbetaren, 14 March 1956, p. 4. Lasse Bergström, member of the FIB jury, responded on FIB’s
behalf in Arbetaren, 16 March 1956; this was followed with repartees by Heyman and L. Mat-
thias, Arbetaren, 16 March 1956, p. 4, and again in same paper, 22 March 1956, p. 4. This in turn
elicited responses from film critics Mauritz Edström and Gunnar Oldin, and finally Heyman
again, same paper, 26 March 1956, p. 4. Comments were also made by Nils Beyer in MT, 11
March, p. 3; C.J. Björklund in Scen och Salong no. 4 (1956), p. 27; and by Thorsten Eklann in
UNT 22 March 1956, p. 5 (see also Eklann’s positive comment, same paper, 16 January 1956, p.
7). In an editorial in Vecko-Journalen no. 17 (1956), p. 15, film critic Stig Ahlgren called Som-
marnattens leende ‘A Swedish pilsner film in a champagne bottle’ [en svensk pilsnerfilm på
champagnebutelj]. Swedish comedian, filmmaker, and vaudeville artist Povel Ramel made a
parody of the dinner sequence at Mrs Armfeldt’s estate in his film Ratataa eller The Staffan
Stolle Story (1956).
However, Sommarnattens leende led to Ingmar Bergman’s international breakthrough as a
maker of sophisticated film comedy. Isabel Quigly in The Spectator described Bergman’s film as
‘a series of dazzling stills, lit by a silvery Scandinavian light’. The film was awarded the Special
Jury Prize for its ‘poetic humor’ at Cannes Film Festival in spring 1956.
Released in the U.S. in late 1957, Smiles... was viewed as a risqué comedy, Swedish style. A
review by J. O’Neill, Jr., in Washington Daily News (22 February 1958, p. 12) was used in its
entirety as an advertisement for U.S. distributors. Sample quote: ‘Smiles of a Summer Night, a
Swedish smorgasbord of sex, sin and psychiatry, is available – for the grown-ups please – at...’.
The Legion of Decency labelled the film ‘immoral’ (class C). Contributing to the reaction was
probably the fact that English subtitles in the British and American distribution copies of
Smiles... were inaccurate and sparse. Harmless pieces of dialogue, such as a giggling exchange
in a bedroom scene between Anne and Petra, were left untranslated, suggesting frivolities that
supposedly had been silenced by the censor.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm/Göteborg press, 27 December 1955;
BLM no. 1 (1956), pp. 83-84;
FIB no. 3 (1956), p. 42;
Perspektiv no. 6 (1956), p. 273;
Teatern 22, no. 1 (1956): 13, 16; Vi no. 3 (1956), pp. 4-5;
Vecko-Journalen no. 2 (1954), p. 4.
Foreign Reviews
Arts 1956: 573;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 61 (July 1956), pp. 40-42;
Cinéma 73, no. 181 (November 1973): 44-45;
Critisch Film Bulletin 12, no. 4 (April 1959): 28-29;
Films and Filming 3, no. 2 (November 1956): 26;
Filmkritik no. 3 (1958), pp. 49-51;
Filmforum, November 1958, p. 6;
Image et son, no. 109 (February 1958), p. 10;
Kael, Pauline. I Lost It at the Movies (Boston: Little, Brown & co., 1965), pp. 105-108;
Kosmorama no. 20 (October 1956), p. 45;
Monthly Film Bulletin November 1956, pp. 138-139;
Motion Picture Herald, 2 January 1958, p. 698;
New York Herald Tribune, 24 December 1957, p. 6;
New York Times, same date, p. 11:3;
New York Times Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3030;

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Positif, no. 18 (November 1956), pp. 26-28;

Sight and Sound 26, no. 2 (Autumn 1956): 98;
Spectator, 28 September 1956, p. 418;
Time, 27 January 1958, pp. 90-91.
Longer Studies and Special Issues include the following
Baron, James. ‘The Phaedra-Hippolytus Myth in Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night’.
Scandinavian Studes 48, no. 2 (Spring 1976): 169-180;
Brown, Anita. ‘Undermining the Gaze: Voyeurism in Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer
Night’. Unpublished paper, Ohio State University Germanics Dept., Spring 1992;
Grabowski, Simon. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 29, no. 2 (Winter) 1970: 203-207.
(argues that Bergman’s use of still photographs of Anne Egerman can provide a key to the
film’s stylization);
Lefèvre, R. ‘Sourires d’une nuit d’été’. Image et son no. 233 (November) 1969: 179-91;
Livingston, Paisley. Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of Art, 1982, (Ø 1384), pp. 110-142;
Simon, John. Includes perceptive discussion of Smiles of a Summer Night in his book Ingmar
Bergman Directs, 1972, (Ø 1218), pp. 108-143.
Fact Sheets
L’Avant-scène du cinéma 454 (July 1996) is a special 102 pp. issue on Sommarnattens leende
including French text of the film, sequence and dialogue outlines, a compilation of press
clippings from original release of film in 1956 and from later retrospective showings in France
(pp. 72-76). Issue also includes an article by David Alman, ‘Les jeux de l’humor’, pp. 1-6;
De Filmkrant 207, January 2000, p. 6. Credits and brief critique of Glimlach van een zomernacht;
Film a sogetto. Centro S. Fedele della Spettacolo, Milan (10 January 1965), 10 pp. An Italian fact
sheet on Sorrisi di una notta, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot
synopsis, and a bibliography;
Svensk Filmografi, 1950-1959, pp. 501-05;
Télé-Ciné no. 62 (December 1956), F. 289 (10 pp) is a fact sheet in French, ed. by J. d’Yvoire;
See also
Annotations on Film (Melbourne), Term 1 (1964), p. 5;
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 99-112;
Cinema (Bucharest) 10, no. 2 (February 1972): 11;
Le cinéma moderne (Lyon: Serdoc, 1964), pp. 146-50;
Filmorientering (Norw. Film Inst., C. Jacob A Rawlings) no. 99 (March 1966);
Films and Filming 8. no. 7 (April 1962): 38;
Image et son 226 (March) 1969: 31-36;
Kael, Pauline. In Movie Comedy, ed. S. Brown and E. Weiss (New York: Grossman, 1972), pp.
281-283;
Mast, Gerald. In his The Comic Mind (Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill, 1973), pp. 313-316;
Svensk Filmografi, 1950-1959, pp. 501-05;
Variety, 16 May 1956, p. 6, 24 July 1957, p. 6.
Awards
1956 Sommarnattens leende received FIB’s film trophy (FIB = Folket i Bild, Swedish
cultural magazine) in March. For reaction in DN, see above commentary.
Special Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival for ‘its poetic humor’. See Cahiers du
cinéma, no. 60 (June 1956), pp. 13-14.
1962 Cinéma 62, no. 66 (May 1962): 108, chose Sommarnattens leende/Sourires d’une nuit
d’été to represent year 1955 in an annual selection of best films.

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224. SISTA PARET UT, 1956 [Last couple out], B/W

Director Alf Sjöberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman & Alf Sjöberg from a story by Berg-
man
Synopsis
The film opens on a Saturday in May in a Stockholm senior high school. The last class is
dismissed, and Bo Dalin, an 18-year-old student, walks home with his girlfriend Kerstin. But
they cannot agree on how to spend the evening; Kerstin wants to go to a party that her friend
Anita is giving, and Bo wants to attend the opera.
Returning home, Bo eavesdrops on his parents who are having a violent argument and learns
that his mother has a lover, Dr. Fårell. Bo takes his younger brother Sven with him to visit his
grandmother, who lives in the same apartment complex as Dr. Fårell. He gets the keys to the
apartment where his mother and her lover usually meet. Arriving there, he finds his mother
waiting. He persuades her to return home with him, but in the evening she departs together
with Dr. Fårell. Depressed, Bo goes to the opera, but is too unhappy to stay very long. He drifts
over to Anita’s party where he meets Kerstin. The party is getting rowdy, and Kerstin and Bo
decide to leave. Bo accompanies Kerstin home. He has no intention of staying but when
Kerstin’s mother arrives suddenly, she misunderstands the situation and accuses Bo of seducing
her daughter. The two argue, and Bo leaves deeply hurt. He goes back to Anita, a girl without a
family. But scared of her rootlessness, Bo returns home. Contrary to his earlier decision, he goes
back to school on Monday morning. His father provides some paternal support.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Director Alf Sjöberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, Alf Sjöberg from a story by Bergman
Photography Martin Bodin
Cast
Bo Björn Bjelfvenstam
Bo’s grandmother Märta Arbin
Kerstin Bibi Andersson
Kerstin’s mother Aino Taube
Anita Harriet Andersson
Bo’s father Olof Widgren
Bo’s mother Eva Dahlbeck
Dr. Fårell Jarl Kulle
Teacher Hugo Björne

Distribution Svensk Filmindustri

Running time 98 minutes
Released 8 November 1956
Premiere 12 November 1956, Fontänen, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
Commentary
As in Hets from 1944, also directed by Sjöberg, this film has an unmistakable adolescent Berg-
man quality to it, with a young man torn between idealism and resentment, and depicting a
parental crisis where the wife has a lover. The script dates back to Bergman’s earliest writing
efforts; see (Ø 73 and 97) in Chapter II.

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225. DET SJUNDE INSEGLET, 1956 [The Seventh Seal], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman from his play Trämålning [Wood
Painting], 1955
Synopsis
The setting of Det sjunde inseglet is 14th-century Sweden, a country ravaged by the Black Plague.
The Knight Antonius Block and his squire Jöns are returning home after ten years in the
Crusades. The film opens with oratorio music and a shot of the grey sky, against which can
be seen a lonely bird. A voice reads from the Book of Revelations, putting the title of the film in
its biblical context. The Knight is seen kneeling on the shore. The Squire is asleep. Suddenly, the
black-robed figure of Death appears. He has come to claim the Knight who asks for a respite by
challenging Death to a game of chess.
The Knight and the Squire ride past a covered wagon in which Jof the juggler, his wife Mia,
their small son Mikael, and their companion Skat are all asleep. Jof is a visionary. In the early
morning he sees the Virgin Mary walking in a rose garden.
The Knight and the Squire arrive at a church. While Block goes to pray, Jöns, a non-believer,
strikes up a conversation with a church painter, whose murals depict the dance of death and
penitents flogging themselves. Unaware that Death has taken the confessor’s place, the Knight is
tricked into revealing his chess game strategy. He also expresses his frustration in his search for
a God that does not speak to him.
Outside the church, a young girl is tied to the stocks. She is thought to be a witch and will
later be burned at the stake. Next, the Knight and Jöns come to a farm where Jöns rescues a
young woman from a former priest, Raval, now turned thief. The woman, who remains silent
until the very end of the film, joins the Knight and the Squire for the rest of the journey.
The next stop is outside a tavern where Jof, Mia, and Skat are performing. They are inter-
rupted by a train of flagellants whose somber singing of Dies Irae ends the sequence. In the
meantime Skat has taken off with Lisa, wife of a smith, Plog. After a palaver, Lisa returns to
Plog, and Skat performs a mock suicide. Moments later, his life ends for real as Death saws
down the tree in which Skat has taken refuge for the night.
Having enterered the tavern, Jof is approached and tormented by Raval to the cheers of other
tavern guests. Jöns appears amd marks Raval’s face with a knife. Jof escapes and returns to Mia,
who has been befriended by the Knight on a sunny hillside. They are later joined by Jöns and
the silent woman he rescued earlier. Mia offers them a bowl of milk and wild strawberries. The
Knight vows to remember the moment, then leaves to resume his game of chess with Death.
Later, the Knight and his companions, now including Jof, Mia, and their child as well as Plog
and his wife, encounter Raval who is dying from the plague. They witness the burning of the
witch, whom the Knight asks for objective proof of the devil’s existence. The Knight gives her a
sedative to soothe her fear and pain.
The Knight has one more encounter with Death at the chess board. Jof spots them and
escapes with his family while the Knight overthrows the chess pieces to distract Death’s atten-
tion. Death announces that the Knight will be checkmated at their next meeting.
Later that night, Antonius Block and his companions arrive at the Knight’s castle and are
greeted by his wife, who prepares supper and reads to them from the Book of Revelations. A
knock on the door announces Death. While the Knight prays, the others stand up to face ‘the
stern master’.
In the meantime, Jof and Mia have sensed ‘the Angel of Death’ sweeping by their wagon. At
dawn, Jof sees the Knight and his companions in a silhouetted Dance of Death across the
horizon. Film ends as Jof, Mia, and their child walk off towards a new day.

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Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Lennart Olsson
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman from his play Trämålning [Wood
Painting], 1955
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Props (Studio manager) Carl-Henry Cagarp
Sound Aaby Wedin
Special sound effects Evald Andersson
Music Erik Nordgren
Orchestration Sixten Ehrling
Choreography Else Fisher
Costumes Manne Lindholm
Make-up Nils Nittel (Carl M. Lundh, Inc.)
Editor Lennart Wallén
Continuity Katarina (Katherina) Faragó
Cast
Antonius Block, the Crusader Max von Sydow
Jöns, the Squire Gunnar Björnstrand
Death Bengt Ekerot
Jof Nils Poppe
Mia Bibi Andersson
Jonas Skat Erik Strandmark
Plog, the smith Åke Fridell
Plog’s wife, Lisa Inga Gill
Tyan, the accused witch Maud Hansson
Karin, Knight’s wife Inga Landgré
Mute girl Gunnel Lindblom
Raval Bertil Anderberg
Doomsday monk Anders Ek
Church painter Gunnar Olsson
Monk outside church Lars Lind
Merchant in tavern Benkt-Åke Benktsson
Tavern hostess Gudrun Brost
Peasant in tavern Tor Borong
Merchant in tavern Harry Asklund
Old man at tavern Josef Norman
Soldiers involved in witch burning Ulf Johanson, Sten Ardenstam, Gordon Löwenadler
Cripple Karl Widh
Mikael, Jof and Mia’s son Tommy Karlsson
Flagellants Siv Aleros, Bengt Gillberg, Lars Granberg, Gunlög Hag-
berg, Gun Hammargren, Uno Larsson, Lennart Lilja,
Monica Lidman, Helge Sjökvist, Georg Skarstedt, Rag-
nar Sörman, Lennart Tollén, Caya Wickström
Pregnant young woman Mona Malm

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Dark-haired woman Catherine Berg

Old man watching procession Nils Whiten
Other men in crowd scenes Tor Isedal, Gösta Prüzelius, Fritjof Tall
Filmed on location at Östanå, Viby, Skevik, Gustafsberg, and Skytteholm outside of Stockholm;
at Hovs hallar in southwestern Sweden; and at Råsunda Film Studios, Stockholm, beginning 2
July 1956 and completed 24 August 1956.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 95 minutes
Released 12 December 1956
Premiere 16 February 1957, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 13 October 1958, Paris, NYC
Commentary
Original film title was Riddaren och döden [The Knight and Death].
Bergman’s first mention of a project to make a film set in the Middle Ages is in an interview
in AB, 26 July 1954, p. 8. On this occasion he also refers to his one-act play Trämålning, on
which Det sjunde inseglet was to be based. An article in Expr., 3 February 1957, p. 15, compares
the play and the film. Trämålning (Wood Painting) has been published both in Swedish and
English (see Ø 90). It has also been produced on stage (see Ø 424, 425) and on the radio
(Ø 283).
In radio program ‘Tidsspegeln’, produced by Erik Goland and transmitted 26 February 1957,
Bergman is interviewed about the film. Later Bergman writes about the shooting in Bilder/
Images. My Life in Film (1990), pp. 233-38, and talks about it in Bergman om Bergman/Bergman
on Bergman (1971, pp. 121-22/114-15). A reportage from the shooting of the film appeared in ST, 5
July 1956, p. 4. Max von Sydow discusses his role as the Knight in E. Sörenson’s biography
Loppcirkus. Max von Sydow berättar, pp. 90-94.
The screenplay has never been published in Swedish but is included in Four Screenplays by
Ingmar Bergman (Ø 110); see list of foreign translations in Chapter II (Ø 98). The script to Det
sjunde inseglet was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familjejournal, nos. 14-18,
1961, illustrated with photographs from the film. Bergman introduced the script with a short
‘message’ to the magazine’s readers. An excerpt from the script appeared in FIB no. 51 (1956):
20-21, 53. L’Avant scène du cinéma no. 410, March 1992, contains the manuscript in French.
A 15-minute American film parody of The Seventh Seal (and Wild Strawberries) entitled Da
Duwe [The dove] was made in 1972 by Sidney Davis, George Coe, and Anthony Lover (Coe-
Davis Ltd. Productions; Pyramid Distributors). Humorous references to the film appear in
Woody Allen’s Love and Death (1980).
Reception
Det sjunde inseglet opened in Stockholm with pomp and circumstance. All major reviews
recognized the film as an ambitious undertaking, but reaction ranged from Robin Hood’s
panegyrics in ST, 17 February 1957, p. 13, to Hanserik Hjertén’s advice in Arbetaren, 19 February,
p. 4, that Ingmar Bergman should stop filming for a while. On the whole, Bergman the image
maker was praised, and Bergman the scriptwriter lambasted. See Ivar Harrie, Expr., (2 March
1957, p. 4) and responses in GHT (1 March 1957, p. 7) by actor Keve Hjelm and author Bengt
Anderberg; Bergman’s writing style was also critiqued by Harry Schein, BLM 26, no. 4 (April
1958): 350-353.
Det sjunde inseglet elicited a media debate about Ingmar Bergman’s originality as an artist.
John Landquist (AB, 25 February 1957, p. 3) charged Bergman with plagiarizing Strindberg’s

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Folkungasagan/The Saga of the Folkungs. Landquist aired his views again on Swedish radio in a
discussion with filmmaker Vilgot Sjöman (26 February 1957; typescript in SR Archives, Stock-
holm). Bergman declined to comment. See also comment by Marianne Höök in SvD, 28 Feb-
ruary 1957, p. 5. The Strindberg-Bergman connection was also discussed by L.-O. Franzén in
Ghöteborgske spionen, no. 1 (1957), pp. 13-14, and by Paul Patera in Arbetaren, 19 March, pp. 4-5.
Religious and philosophical implications of Det sjunde inseglet aroused little interest in
Sweden. Influential reviewer Carl Björkman (DN, 17 February 1957, p. 20) declared that he
found Bergman’s metaphysical worries monotonous. A. Svantesson in Svensk Kyrkotidning, no.
11 (1957), pp. 163-164, attacked the film for conveying ‘the emptiness ecstasy of the Fifties’
[femtiotalets tomhetsextas], a nihilistic state of angina temporis. A television production of
Trämålning, planned to air on Easter Sunday 1963, was stopped by Henrik Dyfverman, head
of TV Drama Department at SR/TV and was moved to a later date (22 April 1963). See AB,
‘Dödsdans och pest stötande’ [Dance of death and plague are offensive], 20 March 1963.
In 1999, a poll in Swedish magazine Filmrutan (no. 4, 1999) asked Swedish film critics to list
the best feature films of the century. None of Ingmar Bergman’s films scored any top place. Best
among his works was Det sjunde inseglet as number 26 (after such films as Singing in the Rain,
The Wild Bunch, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, Taxi Driver, Barry Lyndon). How-
ever, in yet another poll confined to listing the ten best Swedish filmmakers and films of the
century, Bergman topped the list, but now Gycklarnas afton, Smultronstället, and Persona got
more votes than Det sjunde inseglet.
The Seventh Seal established Bergman as an international filmmaker and auteur of rank. The
film was referred to as ‘Bergman’s Faust’ by Eric Rohmer (Arts, 23-29 April 1957, p. 4), who
became one of Bergman’s most ardent admirers (see Ø 982, French Reception). The film was
called ‘the first truly existential film in the history of the cinema’ by Andrew Sarris in Film
Culture, no. 19 (April) 1959: 51-61. In the UK Films and Filming (April 1958, pp. 18-19) chose The
Seventh Seal as ‘the film of the month’, and in same journal’s February 1963 issue (pp. 37-38)
Peter Cowie termed The Seventh Seal one of ‘the great films of the century’, listing as its special
qualities: historical authenticity, universal theme, and original imagery. Several monographs
and longer articles have been published on the film (see below).
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 17 February 1957;
FIB no. 21 (1957), p. 21;
Teatern no. 2 (1957), p. 12;
Vi no. 9 (1957), p. 4;
Vecko-Journalen no. 9, pp. 40-41.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 23 April 1958;
Bianco e nero, February–March 1961, pp. 121-127;
Cahiers du cinéma no. 72 (July 1957) and no. 83 (May 1958), pp. 43-46;
Cinéma 58 no. 28, pp. 115-16;
Cinema Nuovo, no. 143 (January-February 1960), pp. 45-46;
Daily Telegraph (London), 8 March 1958, p. 11;
Film Ideal, no. 68 (1964), p. 26;
Film Quarterly, no. 3 (Spring 1959), pp. 42-44;
Films and Filming 5, no. 7 (April 1958), pp. 22-23;
Films in Review 9, no. 9 (November 1958), pp. 515-517;
Filmfacts no. 42 (19 November 1958), pp. 194-195;
Filmkritik no. 2 (1962), pp. 70-74;

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Image et son no. 112 (May 1958), p. 16;

Kosmorama no. 48 (February 1960), pp. 12-13;
Monthly Film Bulletin, May 1958, pp. 59-60;
New York Herald Tribune, 14 October, sec. 2, p. 5;
New York Times, same date, p. 44:1;
New York Times Film Reviews, 1913-1968, pp. 3088-3089;
New Statesman, 8 March 1958, p. 303;
Positif, no. 25-26, 1957;
Saturday Review, 18 October 1958, p. 58;
Sight and Sound 28, no. 4 (Spring 1958), pp. 199-200;
La stampa (Turin), 10 October 1968. n.p.;
Süddeutsche Zeitung (Munich), 16 April 1962, n.p. (Roos).
Longer Studies and Special Issues
Anderson, John Drew. ‘Individualism, Communion, and Significance in The Seventh Seal’, MA
thesis: Pacific Lutheran University, 1972. 54 typed pp.;
Bragg, Melvyn. The Seventh Seal. BFI Film Classics, 1993, 72 pp. Monograph on the film.
Reviews: Film Quarterly, no. 1 (Fall) 1994: 38-39; Positif, no. 408, 1994: 75-77; and Skrien,
(August–September) 1994: 79;
Cebollado, Pascual. Ingmar Bergman y El septimo sello. (Madrid: ABC del Cine, 1960). 104 p.
Monograph on the film;
Douchet, Jean. ‘Le septieme sceau: une analyse’. Videocassette issued by Ministère de la Culture
et de la Communication, 1991. VHS;
Ericsson, Arne. ‘Film är inte litteratur’ [Film is not literature], SDS, 8 March 1957, p. 4 Ap-
proach to The Seventh Seal as a musical piece of four symphonic movements and a coda;
Gessner, Robert. ‘The Obligatory Scene’, in The Moving Image (New York: E.P. Dutton, pp. 203-
11); reprinted in Focus on The Seventh Seal (Ø 1220), pp. 127-132;
Grandgeorge, Edmond. Le septième sceau, Ingmar Bergman. (Paris: Nathan, 1992). 127 p;
Holland, Norman. ‘Iconography in The Seventh Seal’. Hudson Review 12, no. 2 (Summer 1959):
266-270; reprinted in part in Journal of Social Issues 20, no. 1 (January 1964): 71-96; and in
Renaissance of the Film, ed. by Julius Bell. New York, 1970, pp. 239-243;
Liggera, Joseph and Lanayre. ‘Going Roundabout: Similar Images of Pilgrimage in Ibsen’s Peer
Gynt and Bergman’s The Seventh Seal’. West Virginia University Philological Papers 35, 1989,
pp. 21-27;
Malmnäs, Eva Sundler. ‘Art as Inspiration’. In Ingmar Bergman and the Arts. Nordic Theatre
Studies, Vol 11, 1998: 34-45. (Traces Dance of Death motif in The Seventh Seal to its medieval
representations in mural art and engraving);
Merjui, Darius. ‘The Shock of Revelation’. Sight and Sound 7, no. 6 (June) 1997: 69. (Iranian
filmmaker writes about the impact of Bergman’s film on his own conception of cinema as
art);
Osterman, Bernt. ‘De stora frågornas sorti och Antonious Block’ [Exit the big questions and
AB]. Finsk Tidskrift, 3/1989: 177-86. (Analysis of film using Wittgenstein’s philosophy);
Pressler, Pressler. ‘The Ideal Fused in the Fact: Bergman and The Seventh Seal’. Literature/Film
Quarterly 13, no. 2 (1985), pp. 95-101;
Slayton, Ralph E. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal’. Diss., University of California, Santa
Barbara, 1972, 220 pp. (Analyzes film and play/script as allegory for stage and screen). Univ.
Microfilm International 1980, no. 7331294;
Sonnenschein, Richard. ‘The Problem of Evil in Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal’. West
Virginia Philological Papers 27, 1981, pp. 137-143;

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Steene, Birgitta. ‘The Milk and Strawberry Sequence in The Seventh Seal’. Film Heritage 8, no. 4
(Summer 1973); pp. 10-18;
—. ‘Det sjunde inseglet: Filmen som ångestens och nådens metafor [The Seventh Seal: Film as
metaphor of angst and grace]. Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959, pp. 592-595;
—. ‘Från subjektiv vision till tidsdokument och arketyp: Ingmar Bergmans Det sjunde inseglet i
mentalitetshistorisk belysning’ [From Subjective Vision to Time Document and Archetype:
Bergman’s The Seventh Seal in the Light of Mentality History’. In Nordisk litteratur och
mentalitet, ed. by Malan Marnersdottir and Jens Cramer. Annales Societatis Scientiarum
Færoensis XXV, Torshavn: 2000, pp. 493-99.
Special Issues and Study Guides on The Seventh Seal
L’Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 410 (March 1992), pp. 1-94. Special issue on Le septième sceau.
With credits, filmography and bibliography;
Burvenich, J. ‘Het zevende zegel’. Media C 50, n.d., pp. 1-13. Fact sheet analysis of sequences
dealing with natural sounds/music, characters, excerpted dialogue;
Film a sogetto, Centro Fedelle Spettacolo, Milan (25 March 1958), 5 pp. An Italian fact sheet on Il
settimo sigillo, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot synopsis, and a
bibliography;
Films and Filming 9, no. 4 (January 1963): 25-29. Special section on The Seventh Seal;
Folkuniversitets Filmbyrå, Uppsala, 1969. Study guide (in Swedish) with teacher and student
manuals. 11 & 15 pp respectively;
Image et son no. 331bis (numéro hors series), 1978, pp. 229-34. Contains study material and
excerpts from French reviews of the film;
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Det sjunde inseglet: en filmhandledning’. Zoom 1/1998, pp. 37-9. Brief study
guide (in Swedish) for high school students;
Lumière du cinéma, November 1977 and L’Avant scène du cinéma, March 1992 are special issues
on Le septième sceau;
Steene, Birgitta, ed. Focus on the Seventh Seal, 1972, ( Ø 1220). Extensive source book on the film
in English;
Télé-Ciné, no. 77 (August-September) 1958, fiche 333, 13 pp. A special issue on the film, includ-
ing biographical note, synopsis of script, and an analysis of its dramatic structure and
religious implications.
Many religious discussions of Bergman’s work in the cinema include analyses of The Seventh
Seal. See special group item, Ø 997.
Film Classics (Rockleigh, N.J.) brought out a video cassette of The Seventh Seal in its Great
Directors Series. 1992, 1995. Paired with Night is My Future (Musik i mörker).
See also
Filmnyheter 11, no. 17 (1956): 4-6, and no. 18 (1956): 1-3;
Sight and Sound 26, no. 4 (Spring 1957): 173;
Cinéma 57 no. 18 (May 1957), pp. 30-33;
Positif no. 25-26 (1957), pp. 24-25;
Variety, 29 May 1957, p. 22, and 22 October 1958, p. 6;
Image et son, no. 119 (February 1959), ii–vii;
Etudes cinématographiques, no. 10-11, Autumn 1961, pp. 207-216;
Cine cubano 4, no. 22 (1964), pp. 55-60;
T. Wiseman, Cinema (London: Cassel, 1964), pp. 146-147;
Filmorientering (NFI), no. 107 (November 1966);
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 36-39;

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B. Crowther, The Great Films: Fifty Golden Years of Motion Pictures (New York: G.P. Putnam’s
Sons, 1967), pp. 218-222;
Röster i Radio-TV no. 13 (1981), pp. 88-89;
J.C. Stubbs, Journal of Aesthetic Education 9, no. 2 (1975): 62-76 (script excerpt and study
questions);
E. Törnqvist. Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman, 1995, pp. 22-42;
Robin Wood, Ingmar Bergman, 1969, pp. 82-95;
Bergman on Bergman, (Ø 788), pp. 112-119;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959, (Ø 1314), pp. 589-592.
Awards
1957 Cannes Film Festival; Jury’s Special Prize (shared with Andrzej Wajda’s Kanal). For
more prizes, see film title in varia, segment C.

226. SMULTRONSTÄLLET, 1957 [Wild Strawberries], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The Swedish title is difficult to convey in English. Literal translation would point to a spot
where smultron or wild strawberries grow. Since these berries are rare in Sweden, places where
they grow are often kept a secret in the family. But the word smultronstället also carries symbolic
meaning and refers to a person’s ‘jewel of place’, a favorite or special retreat. Bergman’s beloved
Fårö could be his ‘smultronställe’ in life. A ‘smultronställe’ is often a place associated with a
sense of roots and self-identity. Bergman’s title carries this meaning for Isak Borg, the film’s
main character.
Synopsis
Set in present-day Sweden, Smultronstället depicts one day in the life of a medical professor in
his seventies (Isak Borg), who is about to receive a jubilee degree at the University of Lund for
his long service to medical science. A set of daydream reminiscences and nightmare sequences
interrupt the account. The first of these occurs early, after Borg has introduced himself as an old
pedantic widower. Finding himself wandering alone in a surreal landscape, Borg encounters a
hearse. A coffin slides off, its lid opens and a corpse bearing his likeness tries to pull him in.
Driving to Lund with Marianne, his daughter-in-law, Borg stops at a big country house
where he and his large family used to spend their summers when he was a child. In a reverie,
Isak, still an old man, witnesses a breakfast gathering from his youth. He sees his sweatheart
Sara picking wild strawberries while being courted by Isak’s brother, Sigfrid.
A young girl wakes him up. Her name is also Sara, and she is the look-alike of Isak’s
sweetheart. Sara is hitchhiking with two boyfriends, Anders and Victor. All three join Isak
and Marianne in the drive south. Stopping for gas, Isak meets the Åkerman couple whom he
knows from the time he was a country doctor in the area. They praise him for the work he did,
and Isak wonders to himself if he should not have stayed there.
At an outdoor luncheon Isak recites a poem by 19th-century Swedish poet and bishop Johan
Wallin, a recitation Marianne helps him to finish. Anders and Victor have an argument about
God. Afterwards Borg and Marianne leave to visit his old mother who is 95. The visit is a
chilling experience, especially for Marianne, who believes she sees the same emotional atrophy
in old Mrs. Borg as in her own husband Evald, who does not want to have children.
Back on the road Isak’s car narrowly escapes colliding with a VW, driven by an engineer
Alman and his wife Berit, an actress. The two join the group for a short while but carry on an
argument until Marianne asks them to leave the car.

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Marianne has taken over the driving, and Isak falls asleep. In a nightmare he is examined by
Mr. Alman. He fails the test and is found ‘guilty of guilt’. Alman brings him to witness how his
wife, dead since many years, is seduced by her lover.
Awake again, Isak finds himself alone with Marianne in the car, now parked by the roadside.
She tells him of her marital problems: she is pregnant and does not want to abort the child. In a
flashback we witness her discussion with Evald on this matter. This sequence is followed by a
return to the present, with Sara and her boyfriends presenting a bouquet of wild flowers to Isak.
Arriving in Lund, Isak and his travel companions are greeted by Agda, Isak’s housekeeper,
who has flown there, as was also the original plan for Isak. Evald and Marianne are reconciled.
The academic ceremony at which Isak Borg becomes a jubilee doctor is stately and solemn. But
Isak’s thoughts wander; he decides to write down the strange events of the day.
At night, Isak is serenaded by Sara and her friends before they continue to Italy. As he is
about to fall asleep, he has a comforting vision: young Sara, his sweetheart of long ago, takes
him by the hand and leads him to a lake where he sees his parents on an outing in an idyllic
countryside. They wave at him. The film ends as Isak Borg falls asleep.
Credits
Production Company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Location manager Sven Sjönell
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Gösta Ekman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect Gittan Gustafsson
Props K.A. Bergman
Sound Aaby Wedin
Music Arrangement Eric Nordgren
Music Johann Sebastian Bach, ‘Fugue in Ess Minor’
‘Royal Södermanland Regiment March’ (Carl-Axel
Lundwall)
‘Marcia Carolus Rex’ (W. Harteveld)
‘Parademarsch der 18:er Husaren’ (Alwin Müller)
‘Under rönn och syren’ (Z. Topelius/Herman Palm)
Costumes Millie Ström
Make-up Nils Nittel, Carl M. Lund, Inc.
Mixing Sven Rudestedt
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Isak Borg Victor Sjöström
Sara Bibi Andersson
Marianne Ingrid Thulin
Evald Borg Gunnar Björnstrand
Anders Folke Sundquist
Viktor Björn Bjelfvenstam
Isak’s mother Naima Wifstrand
Agda, Isak’s housekeeper Jullan Kindahl
Sten Alman Gunnar Sjöberg

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Berit, his wife Gunnel Broström

Karin, Isak’s wife Gertrud Fridh
Her lover Åke Fridell
Henrik Åkerman, gas station owner Max von Sydow
Eva, his wife Anne-Marie Wiman
Aunt Olga in breakfast sequence Sif Ruud
Uncle Aron Yngve Nordwall
Sigfrid Per Sjöstrand
Sigbritt Gio Petré
Charlotta Gunnel Lindblom
Angelica Maud Hansson
Anna Eva Norée
Kristina and Birgitta, the twins Lena Bergman, Monica Ehrling
Hagbart Per Skogsberg
Benjamin Göran Lundquist
Elisabet, Isak’s mother’s nurse Vendela Rudbäck
Chancellor, University of Lund Professor Helge Wulff
Isak’s father Ulf Johanson
Bishop Jakob Hovelius Gunnar Olsson [cut]
Professor Carl-Adam Tiger Josef Norman [cut]
Filmed on location at Vida Vättern and the Gyllene Uttern Inn (at Lake Vättern), at the
university town of Lund, and at Dalarö and Ägnö in Stockholm; indoor shooting at Råsunda
Film Studios, Stockholm, beginning 2 July 1957 and completed 27 August 1957.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 90 minutes
Released 6 December 1957
Premiere 26 December 1957, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 22 June 1959, Beekman Theater NYC
Commentary
In Bilder/Images (1990), pp. 11-24, Bergman outlines the personal background of Smultronstället.
In Bergman om Bergman, pp. 159-160 (Eng. ed. pp. 131-33) he relates the genesis of Smultron-
stället to an early morning visit to his grandmother’s living quarters in Uppsala many years after
she died. (See Chapter I.) In Bilder he claims the story was made up.
The screenplay was serialized in Swedish in FIB 25, no. 7 through no. 16, 1958, and also
appeared as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familjejournal, nos. 16-20/1962, illustrated
with photographs from the film. Its first publication as a script was in Four Screenplays of
Ingmar Bergman (see Ø 110). It has never been published in book form in Swedish.
For articles during the shooting of the film, see DN 5 July 1957, p. 12; ST, 1 August, p. 9; SvD,
16 July, p. 14; KvP, 16 August, pp. 10-11; Filmnyheter 12, no. 18-20 (1957): 16-19.
At the release of the film, Svensk Filmindustri (SF) published a program in Swedish, English,
and German, 14 pp., available in SFI library. It contains a Bergman interview with himself titled
‘Dialog’, a presentation of Bergman, Sjöström, and Gunnar Fischer, and a plot synopsis.
For an assessment of the Sjöström-Bergman relation, see Bergman om Bergman, pp. 144-45/
Bergman on Bergman, pp. 131-133 (Ø 788) and Bilder (Ø 198); Ingrid Thulin in Cinéma 60, no. 45
(April 1960), pp. 38-39; and Bengt Forslund in Filmrutan 25, no. 3 (Autumn) 1982: 2-7. In an
article in Sight and Sound (Spring 1960), Bergman honors Sjöström. He also comments on his

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 Synopses, Credits, Commentaries and Reception Record

talent in Gösta Werner’s film Victor Sjöström (SFI, 1981). L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 331-332
(1984), 98 pp., is a special Sjöström issue, with a discussion that includes his role as Isak Borg.
At a revival of the film in 1981, Expr. (7 December 1981, pp. 24-25) and again in 1988 (16 July
1988, pp. 16-17) carried interviews with actors Bibi Andersson and Gunnar Björnstrand remi-
niscing about the shooting of Smultronstället. See also comments by assistant director Gösta
Ekman in Interviews, 1993 (Ø 927) and a presentation in Röster i Radio-TV, no. 50, 1981, p. 62 ff.
Reception
Smultronstället received very fine reviews in Sweden. Critics praised the script, acting, and
photography, and saw the film as the meeting of two generations in Swedish filmmaking.
Earliest foreign reception of film focussed on Victor Sjöström’s performance. See for instance
New Yorker, 25 July 1959, p. 44, and Films and Filming 5, no. 3 (December 1958): 24. A number of
American reviews expressed puzzlement at the story and found the film mystifying. See Films in
Review 10, no. 4 (April 1959): 231-232, and NYT, 23 June 1959, p. 37:1.
In retrospect, Smultronstället has elicited a great many longer articles and has been regarded,
beyond doubt, as one of Bergman’s major films. The analyses have concerned both the narrative
structure and the psychological content of the film.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 27 December 1957;
Beklädnadsfolket no. 3, 1958, p. 22, 31;
FIB no. 4 (1958), p. 50;
Ord och Bild. ‘Ny film’, no. 2, 1958: 150;
Teatern, no. 1, 1958, pp. 14-15;
Vi, no. 3 (1958), p. 50;
Vecko-Journalen no. 2 (1958), p. 36.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 22 April 1959, n.p.;
Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 95 (May 1959);
Cinéma 58, no. 27 (May) 1958: 79-83;
Film News 31 (February-March 1974): 23;
Films and Filming 5, no. 3 (December) 1958: 24;
Filmfacts 2, no. 28 (12 August 1959): 157-159;
Filmkritik no. 7 (1961), pp. 355-359;
Filmkritik Jahrbuch 3 (1962): 30-32;
Monthly Film Bulletin, December 1958, pp. 151-152;
New York Herald Tribune, 23 June 1959, p. 15;
New York Times, same date, p. 37:1;
New York Times Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3133;
Positif no. 31 (November) 1959): 59-60;
Reporter, 9 July, pp. 37-38;
Sight and Sound 28, no. 3 (Winter 1958/59): 35;
Village Voice, 1 July 1959, pp. 6, 11;
Télé-Ciné no. 82 (April-May) 1959: 9.
Monographs
Diane Borden and L. Letter, Wild Strawberries: A Critical Commentary (New York: Syllabus
Press, 1975) (a basic close reading of the film);
Pierre and Kersti French. Wild Strawberries. London: BFI, 1975. 78 pp. (the most concise
monograph study of the film);

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Margareta Wirmark, Smultronstället och Dödens ekipage (Stockholm: Carlsson, 1998).

Articles
Albano, L. ‘Il visible e il non visible’. Filmcritica (June-July) 1986: 272-282;
Andersson, Lars Gustaf. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Smultronstället och Homo Viator motivet’ [Berg-
man’s Wild Strawberries and the Homo viator motif]. Filmhäftet no. 63 (1988), pp. 26- 39;
Archer, Eugene. ‘Rack of Life’. Film Quarterly 13, no. 1 (Fall 1959), pp. 44-47; (notes the Proustian
flashback structure of the film);
Béranger, Jean. Cinéma 58, no. 27 (May 1958), pp. 79-83 (on Smultronstället and the journey
motif);
Blake, Richard A, SJ. ‘Salvation without God’. Encounter 28, no. 4 (Autumn 1967): 313-26
(discusses Lutheran concept of salvation in Wild Strawberries);
Bolin, Asta. ‘Bakvänd predikan’ [Sermon in reverse]. Vår lösen, no. 2, 1958, pp 69-71;
Denitto, Dennis. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries: A Jungian Analysis’. In CUNY English
Forum, ed. by Saul Brody and Harold Schechter. Vol. 1, 1985, pp. 45-70;
Eberwein, R. ‘The Filmic Dream and Point of View’. Literature/Film Quarterly 8, no. 3, 1980: 197-
203;
Erikson Erik H., ‘A Life History. Isak Borg in Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries’. In Vital
Involvement in Old Age by Erik Erikson et al. New York: Norton, 1986, pp. 239-292. Re-
printed from Dædalus 105:2 (Spring) 1976: 1-28 see item Ø 1281;
Greenberg, Harvey. ‘The Rags of Time’. American Imago 27, no. 1 (Spring) 1970: 66-82. Re-
printed in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp. 179-194. With a response by Seldon Bach, pp. 194-200. (A
close psychoanalytical reading of Wild Strawberries);
Holland, Norman. ‘A Brace of Bergman’s’. Hudson Review 12, no. 4 (Winter 1959/60): 570-577
(on Wild Strawberries and parenthood);
Hoveyda, F. in Cahiers du cinéma, no. 95 (May 1959), pp. 40-47. (Focus on dream sequences);
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘En odyssé i minnets landskap’ [An odyssey in the landscape of memory].
DN, 18 August 1990, p. B2; (On Smultronstället as a road movie; cf. Béranger and Andersson
above);
—. ‘Minnets spelplatser. Ingmar Bergman och det självbiografiska vittnet’ [Locations of mem-
ory. Bergman and the autobiographical witness]. Aura IV, no. 4, 1998: 15-33;
Malmberg, Carl-Johan. ‘Åldrad och återfödd’ [Old and reborn]. Chaplin 234, 1991, p. 15;
McCann, Eleanor. ‘The Rhetoric of Wild Strawberries’. Sight and Sound 30, no. 34 (Winter 1960-
61): 44-46; (charging Bergman with using a set of clichéd oxymora in Wild Strawberries);
Rhodin, Mats. ‘Väl börjat, hälften vunnet: Tankar kring prologen i Smultronstället’ [Well begun,
half won: Thoughts about the prologue in Wild Strawberries]. Aura IV, no. 4, 1998, pp. 4-14;
Scheynius, I. ‘I det undermedvetnas labyrint’. [In the labyrinth of the subconcious]. Filmrutan
XXVIII, no. 4, 1985: 6-8. (on Isak Borg’s psychological quest; cf. Archer above);
Solomon, S. in The Film Idea (New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1972), pp. 344-347;
(discussion of the dialogue and visual context of Borg’s and Mariannne’s first conversation
in the car);
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Archetypal Patterns in Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman’. Scandinavian
Studies 37, no. 1 (February) 1965: 58-76;
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Long day’s journey into night: Bergman’s TV version of Oväder compared to
Smultronstället’. In Kela Kvam, ed. Strindberg’s Post-Inferno Plays. Lectures given at the 11th
International Strindberg Conference (Copenhagen: Munksgaard/Rosinante, 1994), pp. 186-
195. Törnqvist discusses the same subject in his book Between Stage and Screen, 1995, pp 128-
136;
Tulloch, J. ‘Images of Dying’. Australian Journal of Screen Theory, no. 2 (1978): 33-61;

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Winston, D. in his The Screenplay as Literature (London: The Tantivy Press, 1973), pp. 96-115.
Special Issues and Fact Sheets
L’Avant-scène du cinéma no. 331-332 is a special issue on Smultronstället;
Film a sogetto. Centro Fedelle dello Spettacolo, Milan (10 July 1962), 14 pp., is an Italian fact
sheet on Smultronstället, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot synopsis,
and a bibliography;
Image et son, no. 314 bis, 1979, is a fiche on Les fraises sauvages;
Kastalia (Dutch). ‘Smultronstället’. (Amsterdam: Kastalia, 2001). 50 pp. Presentation in con-
nection with film festival: Schrijvers Kiezen Film;
Télé-Ciné published a fiche on Les fraises sauvages: no. 85 (October 1959), F. 356 (12 pp).
See also
Filmnyheter 12, no. 18-20 (1957): 1-3;
Films and Filming 4, no. 9 (June 1958): 31-32;
Cinema Nuovo, no. 144 (March–April 1960), pp. 169-178 (excerpted dialogue and commentary)
and no. 151 (MayJune 1960), pp. 210-224;
P. Tyler, Classics of the Foreign Film (New York: Citadel Press, 1962), pp. 232-235;
Kauffmann, A World of Film (Ø 1011), pp. 270-273;
Cairo Cineclub Bulletin, 23 March 1967, n.p.;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 42-45;
Kosmorama 24, no. 137 (Spring) 1978: 58-59;
Filmrutan, 13, no. 1 (January) 1970: 37-40 (about music in the film);
Filmorientering (NFI) no. 100 (March 1966);
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959, pp. 654-657.
See also Peter Cowie, Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography, 1982, pp. 156-166; J. Donohoe
(Ø 1321); F. Gado, The Passion of Ingmar Bergman, 1986, pp. 211-227; Lundell and Mulac
(Ø 1374); E. Törnqvist, Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman, 1993, pp. 43-61;
E. Murray includes Wild Strawberries in his selection of Ten Film Classics (New York: Frederick
Ungar, pp. 102-120;
James Limbacher brought out a video recording based on reviews of Wild Strawberries; see
Journal of Popular Film and Television, XX, no. 3 (Fall 1992): 86.
Awards
Smultronstället remains to date Ingmar Bergman’s most decorated film. It was nominated for an
Oscar in category ‘Best Story or Screenplay written directly for the screen’. (Prize went to Pillow
Talk). See list in Varia, C.

227. NÄRA LIVET, 1958 [Brink of Life/Close to life], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Ulla Isaksson, based on her short
story ‘Det vänliga, det värdiga’ [Kindness, dignity] in
her 1954 book Dödens faster [The aunt of death].
Nära livet takes place in the maternity ward of a modern Swedish hospital, where three women
share the same room. Cecilia Ellius is a professional woman who suffers a miscarriage in the
third month of her pregnancy; Stina Andersson is a 25-year-old wife of a workman, whose baby
is overdue; and Hjördis Pettersson is a 19-year-old pregnant unmarried girl who wants to have
an abortion.

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The attitudes of the three prospective fathers are reflected in the women’s different feelings
about childbirth. Anders Ellius sees little point in bringing children into the world and finds
Cecilia’s fear of losing the child hysterical; she blames herself for her miscarriage. Stina’s
husband is all excited about the baby, and Stina is happy and impatient about the arrival of
the child. Hjördis’ boyfriend never comes to visit her, and she does not want to bear his child.
The film opens with Cecilia’s arrival in the hospital. She is left alone in the examination
room, where she miscarries. For the rest of the film she is in bed. Hjördis wanders listlessly in
the hospital corridors. She meets with a social worker who tries to persuade her not to have an
abortion. After a long wait Stina is ready to give birth. Her delivery is long and painful. The
midwife calls for the doctor, but his intervention is fruitless: the baby is stillborn.
Back in the ward, Hjördis tries to befriend Stina but receives a slap in the face. Stina is
depressed and embittered. When the doctors make their round, she asks for an explanation for
the stillbirth but receives no answer. Medical expertise finds the tragedy a mystery.
Hjördis is persuaded to call her mother who invites her home to have the child. She accepts
and decides against having an abortion. Cecilia in the meantime has become fond of both Stina
and Hjördis, and no longer cowers in self-accusation before her husband.
Credits
Production company Nordisk Tonefilm
Production manager Gösta Hammarbäck
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman and Ulla Isaksson
Photography Max Wilén
Architect Bibi Lindström
Props (Studio manager) Gunnar Lundin
Sound Lennart Svensson
Make-up Nils Nittel
Editor Carl-Olov Skeppstedt
Continuity Ingrid Wallin
Medical adviser Dr. Lars Engström
Cast
Cecilia Ellius Ingrid Thulin
Stina Andersson Eva Dahlbeck
Hjördis Pettersson Bibi Andersson
Anders, Cecilia’s husband Erland Josephson
Greta Ellius Inga Landgré
Harry, Stina’s husband Max von Sydow
Sister Britta Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Dr. Nordlander Gunnar Sjöberg
Gran, social worker Anne-Marie Gyllenspetz
Sister Mari Sissi Kaiser
Dr. Larsson Margaretha Krook
Dr. Thylenius Lars Lind
Night nurse Gun Jönsson
Hjördis’s friend Monica Ekberg
Maud, assistant nurse Maud Elfsiö
A nurse Kristina Adolphson
A doctor Gunnar Nielsen
Woman with newborn baby Inga Gill

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Father with injured child Bengt Blomgren

Filmed on location at South Hospital, Stockholm, and at Nordisk Tonefilm Studios, Stockholm,
in 1957. Exact dates not available.
Distribution Nordisk Tonefilm
U.S. distribution Ajay Film Co./Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 84 minutes
Released 19 March 1958
Premiere 31 March 1958, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 8 November 1959, Little Carnegie, NYC
Commentary
The script was published by Ulla Isaksson in FIB (Folket i Bild), beginning in no. 19 (2 May
1958), pp. 10-11, 48, and continuing through no. 25. The script was also serialized as a novella in
Swedish magazine Allers Familjejournal, nos. 37-41/1961, illustrated with photographs from the
film. Vi, no. 12 (1958), pp. 20-21, 44, contains an interview with Bergman and Ulla Isaksson on
their collaboration. Bergman added the character of Hjördis Pettersson (young girl who wants
an abortion) to Isaksson’s original story.
Bergman researched the film in the Söder (South) Hospital in Stockholm and also consulted
a medical adviser. He writes about the shooting of the film in Bilder/Images. My Life in Film,
1990, pp. 311-314.
Reception
All Stockholm critics praised the film, some in superlative language. Many felt that Bergman’s
collaboration with novelist Ulla Isaksson meant an improvement: ‘Bergman’s pretentious lan-
guage has been replaced by a poet’s’ [Bergmans pretentiösa sprsåk har ersatts av en diktares],
Arbetaren, no. 14 (5-11 April 1958), p. 9. Also approving was the usually critical Bergman
reviewer Viveka Heyman in Beklädnadsfolket no. 7 (1958), p. 18.
Many welcomed Nära livet’s realistic style and subject matter. A number of brief press
interviews were made with doctors, social workers and nurses, who were asked to comment
on the film. See Arbetet, 17 April 1958, p. 7. See also Perspektiv, no. 5 (May 1958): 224 and Films in
Review 10, no. 10 (December 1959): 624-25. After a showing on Swedish TV, Nils Petter Sund-
gren argued in Röster i Radio/TV, no. 12 (1968), pp. 10-11, 48, that Nära livet shares its ascetic
style with Bergman’s later films but that the realistic setting links it with his earliest production.
Foreign reception of Nära livet was respectful. Most critics treated it as a semi-documentary
about childbirth or as an auteur movie (especially in France). See E. Rohmer, Arts, 11 March
1959, p. 8, and Image et son, no. 189, 1959, pp. 101-105. A curiously sexist assessment appeared in
Sight and Sound 30, no. 4 (Spring 1961): 90-91, by John Russell Taylor, never much of an Ingmar
Bergman supporter: ‘Close to Life is a superior woman’s picture, i.e., a film calling for some
intelligence but not too much.’
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 1 April 1958;
FIB no. 17 (1958), p. 28;
Vi no. 15 (1958), p. 7.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 85 (July 1958), pp. 13-14, and no. 94. (April 1959), pp. 48-51;
Cinéma 58 no. 28 (June 1958), pp. 10-12 and no. 29 (1958), pp. 33-35;
Cinéma 59, no. 59 (May 1959), pp. 100-2;
Cinema Nuovo, no. 144 (March-April 1960), p. 155;

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Critisch Film Bulletin, April 1959, pp. 255-56;

Film Quarterly 13, no. 3 (Spring 1960): 49-50;
Films and Filming 7, no. 7 (April 1961): 25;
Filmfacts, 9 December 1959, pp. 271-72;
Image et son no. 122-123 (May-June) 1959: 32;
Monthly Film Bulletin, April 1961, p. 45;
Newsweek, 23 November 1959, p. 116;
New York Herald Tribune, 9 November 1959, p. 13;
New York Times, same date, p. 36: 2;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3155;
New Yorker, 21 November 1959, pp. 172-73;
Positif, no. 30 (July 1959);
Télé-Ciné, no. 78 (October 1958).
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 18-19;
Filmnyheter, no. 7 (14 April) 1958, pp. 1-3;
FIB, 4 April 1958, pp. 10-11, 60;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 84 (June 1958), pp. 26-27;
Films and Filming (July 1958), p. 11;
Variety, 21 May 1958, p. 16;
Film Journal, no. 22 (October 1963). pp. 14-18;
Image et son no. 189 (December) 1965: 101-105;
Motion, no. 1 (Summer 1961), pp. 18-20;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 683-686;
R. Wood. Ingmar Bergman, 1969, pp. 124-133;
Awards
1958: Best Director and Best Actress (jointly to Ingrid Thulin, Eva Dahlbeck, Bibi An-
dersson and Barbro Hjort af Ornäs) Cannes Film Festival.
1958: Venice: Film Critics Award (out of competition).

228. ANSIKTET, 1958 [The Magician/The Face], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
In view of the original film title, ‘The Face’, and Bergman’s great emphasis on face vs. mask,
nakedness vs. camouflage, the American title ‘The Magician’ might seem unfortunate in its
suggestion of hocus pocus. However, when juxtaposing this title and Bergman’s discussion of
himself as an illusionist using a modern variation of the old magic lantern, ‘The Magician’
becomes an appropriate name for the film, referring not only to the main character’s deceptive
tricks, but also to the magic potential of his art.
Synopsis
Ansiktet is set in Sweden in July 1846. Albert Emanuel Vogler arrives with his ‘health theatre’ at
the middle-class home of Consul Egerman. With him are his disciple Aman-Manda, his
manager Tubal, an herb-collecting old woman called Granny, the coachman Simson, and the
actor Spegel, whom the troupe has found en route in a state of delirium tremens. Spegel has
collapsed and is presumed dead.

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At the Egerman house, Vogler, who is said to be mute, is examined by Dr. Vergerus, the
town’s medical counsel. Vergerus dismisses Vogler’s muteness as a hoax. Humiliated, Vogler
joins the rest of the troupe in the kitchen, where Tubal and Granny sell love potions to Sofia
Garp, the cook, and to Sara and Sanna, two maids. Later Sanna, frightened by the troupe, is
consoled by Granny, who sings her an old ballad. Sofia is attracted to Tubal, and Sara flirts with
Simson. Suddenly the ‘dead’ Spegel comes sweeping into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of
liquor.
In Vogler’s bedroom, Aman-Manda, now unmasked as Mrs. Vogler, is visited by Dr. Ver-
gerus. Vogler appears in the room and becomes enraged at seeing Vergerus there. When alone
with Aman-Manda, Vogler removes his wig and false beard, and confesses to his wife that he
fears the public whose scrutinizing eyes make him feel powerless.
The next day a performance takes place in the Egerman living room. It consists of two
numbers: Mrs. Starbäck, wife of the town’s chief of police, is put in a trance and reveals her
husband’s gauche manners; and Egerman’s coachman, Antonsson, is tied with the invisible
chain. Powerless and fettered, Antonsson tries to strangle Vogler and apparentely succeeds.
Antonsson dashes out and is later found dead, having hanged himself. Dr. Vergerus decides to
perform an autopsy on Vogler, who – having feigned death – has substituted the body of Spegel,
now really dead, for his own.
The autopsy takes place in the attic where Vogler proceeds to play a number of frightening
tricks on Vergerus until the medical doctor screams in fright and stumbles down the stairs.
Later, as he meets the unmasked Vogler in the hallway, he denies having been affected by the
‘seance’ in the attic and continues to ridicule the troupe. But the tables are turned once more as
Vogler and his companions are suddenly called to the Royal Palace. Granny and Tubal decide to
stay behind, but young Sara joins the troupe. The film ends as Vogler’s Health Theatre departs
in triumph to gallant music suggesting royal pomp and circumstance.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Gösta Ekman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Studio manager Carl Henry Cagarp
Props K.A. Bergman
Sound Aaby Wedin
Music Erik Nordgren
Orchestration Eskil Eckert-Lundin
Costumes Manne Lindholm, Greta Johansson
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Inc.
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Albert Emanuel Vogler Max von Sydow
Aman/Manda, his wife and assistant Ingrid Thulin
Tubal Åke Fridell
Granny Naima Wifstrand
Dr. Anders Vergerus Gunnar Björnstrand

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Spegel Bengt Ekerot

Sara Bibi Andersson
Sanna Birgitta Pettersson
Consul Abraham Egerman Erland Josephson
Mrs. Ottilia Egerman Gertrud Fridh
Police Chief Frans Starbäck Toivo Pawlo
Mrs. Henrietta Starbäck Ulla Sjöblom
Simson Lars Ekborg
Antonsson Oscar Ljung
Rustan Axel Düberg
Sofia Garp Sif Ruud
Customs officials Frithiof Bjärne, Arne Mårtensson, Tor Borong, Harry
Schein
Filmed at Råsunda Film Studios, Stockholm, beginning 30 June 1958 and completed 27 August
1958.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 100 minutes
Released 13 December 1958
Premiere 26 December 1958, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 27 August 1959, Fifth Ave. Theater, NYC
Commentary
On the frontpage of Bergman’s shooting Script II to Ansiktet there is a crossed-over quote from
the ‘Sound and Fury’ monologue in Act V in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It is the same passage that
Bergman refers to in the original title of his TV film Larmar och gör sig till (In the Presence of a
Clown).
Filmnyheter 13, nos. 16-18 (1958), published a series of interviews with the actors in Ansiktet. See
also interview with Bergman during making of film in L.-O. Löthwall: ‘Ett nytt ansikte’ [A new
face]. Svenska Morgonbladet 28 August 1958, pp. 1, 4. In Cahiers du cinéma, no. 88 (October 1958),
pp. 12-20. Jean Béranger reports on a meeting with Bergman during shooting of the film;
reprinted in English in Focus on The Seventh Seal (Ø 1220). Bergman was also interviewed on
Swedish public radio about the film; see ‘Biodags’, SR, 23 September 1958. In ‘Biodags’, SR, 20
January 1959, Torsten Jungstedt and Marianne Höök discuss the film. Max von Sydow talks in
retrospect about the film in Elisabeth Sörenson’s biography Loppcirkus, 1989, pp. 96-100 (Ø 1493).
SF published a 14-page program in English on Ansiktet (SF: Stockholm 1959). Bergman writes
about Ansiktet in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 161-172.
Reception
In Sweden Ansiktet elicited a lively press debate. In a learned article in SvD, 4 January 1959, p. 4
(reprinted in Kosmorama no. 43 (March 1959), pp. 151-153), Stig Wikander compared Bergman’s
film to the gnostic legend of Simon Magus. See Birgitta Steene, Ingmar Bergman, 1968, p. 85 for
resumé in English. Carl-Eric Nordberg in Vi (no. 3 1959, p. 14) interpreted Vogler as a Christ
figure, and H. Lindström in UNT (15 January 1959, p. 4) contrasted Bergman’s illusionist to the
19th-century hypnotist Mesmer, as did Gunnar Eddegren in Gaudeamus, no. 1, 1959, p. 4.
Åke Runnquist in BLM 28, no. 9 (November 1959): 784-787, saw Vogler as Bergman’s persona
in his role as public artist. Cf. Bergman’s statement in Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), p. 127.
Jurgen Schildt wrote an open letter to Bergman, titled ‘Brev till Ingmar Bergman’, asking him
about his face and mask. See Vecko-Journalen 49, no. 15 (April) 1958: 22, 44.

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In Filmrutan 2, no. 2 (1959): 5-7, Bengt Forslund summarized the Swedish discussion of
Bergman’s film. Bergman responded in a reported telephone interview (SvD, 13 January, p. 16):
‘My reply is my film. What the viewer gets out of it is his personal business’ [Mitt svar är min
film. Vad åskådaren får ut av den är hans personliga ensak].
In U.S., Variety (14 January 1959, p. 16) considered The Magician a rather exclusive product,
and Time (7 September 1959, p. 78 [Am. Ed., p. 60]) termed it Bergman’s least successful film to
date: ‘’Just what this Gothic hoedown signifies is anybody’s guess.’ Henry Hart in Films in
Review 10, no. 8 (October 1959): 486-89, saw the film as ‘the impetuous outpouring of a
demonic poet’. Most extensive American critiques of The Magican are: Norman Holland, ‘A
Brace of Bergmans’, Hudson Review 12, no. 4 (Winter 1959/60): 573-577; Vernon Young’s review
in Film Quarterly 13, no. 1 (Fall 1959): 47-50, slightly abridged in Cinema Borealis: Ingmar
Bergman and the Swedish Ethos (306), pp. 174-87, and reprinted in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp.
201-214.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö press, 27 December 1958;
FIB no. 4 (1959), p. 38;
Ord & Bild no. 1 (1959), pp. 71-73;
Teatern no. 1 (1959), pp. 11-12;
Vi no. 3 (1959), p. 14,
Vecko-Journalen no. 2 (1959), pp. 4-5.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma no. 101 (November 1959), pp. 45-46;
Cinéma 59, no. 40 (October 1959), and no. 41 (November-December 1959), pp. 130-132;
Cinema Nuovo, no. 141 (September-October 1959), pp. 430-431;
Filmfacts, 30 September 1959, pp. 203-205;
Filmkritik, no. 11 (1960), pp. 323-325;
Films and Filming 6, no. 2 (November 1959): 20-21;
Films in Review 10, no. 8 (October 1959): 486-489;
Image et son no. 126 (December 1959), p. 19;
Monthly Film Bulletin, November 1959, p. 146;
Nation, 26 September 1959, p. 180;
New Statesman, 17 February 1961, p. 272;
New York Herald Tribune, 28 August 1959, p. 9;
New York Times, same date, p. 27:1;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1969, pp. 3145-3146;
New Yorker, 5 September 1959, pp. 76-77;
Positif, no. 31 (November 1959);
Sight and Sound, 28, no. 3-4 (Autumn-Winter 1959): 167-68.
Fact Sheets
Film a sogetto, Centro S. Fedelle dello Spettacolo, Milan (11 July 1962), 88 pp., Italian fact sheet
on Il volto, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot synopsis, and a bib-
liography.
Télé-Ciné no. 86 (Nov-Dec 1959). F. 354 (16 pp), special issue on Le visage.
See also
Cowie, Peter. Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography, 1982, pp. 173-178;
Etudes cinématographiques, no. 10-11 (Autumn 1961), pp. 207-216;
Film Ideal, 15 December 1961, pp. 5-9;

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Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 46-48.

International Film Annual 1959, pp. 91-102;
Kauffmann, A World of Film (Ø 1011), pp. 273-275;
Kosmorama, 24, no. 137 (Spring) 1978: pp. 51-54;
National Review, 22 April 1961, pp. 257-258;
Svensk filmografi, 1950-1959 (Ø 1314), pp. 727-730.
Tulane Drama Review 5, no. 2 (December 1960): 94-101;
Variety, 20 January, 16 March, 6 July, pp. 11, 15, and 26, respectively.
Educational Dimensions Corporation (Great Neck, N.Y.) issued a cassette analysis of The
Magician in agreement with Janus Films Inc, in 1973.
Several book-length studies of Bergman’s filmmaking pay particular attention to Ansiktet as a
film portraying Bergman’s view of the artist. See: Paisley Livingston, Ingmar Bergman and the
Ritual of Art, 1982, pp. 66-109, and Birgitta Steene, Måndagar med Bergman, 1996, pp. 33-37.
Awards
1959: Venice Film Festival: Special Jury Prize;
Pasinetti Award, (Best Foreign Film);
Cinema Nuovo Award;
Acapulco Film Festival: Unspecified Award.

229. JUNGFRUKÄLLAN, 1960 [The Virgin Spring], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ulla Isaksson
Synopsis
Jungfrukällan is based on a 13th-century Swedish ballad called ‘Töre’s Daughter in Vänge’, which
relates the rape and murder of a young maiden, Karin, and the miracle – the welling forth of a
fresh spring – that occurs on the spot of her death. The ballad ends by telling of the subsequent
violent revenge by Karin’s father, Töre.
The film opens as Ingeri, Karin’s dark-haired foster sister who is big with child, prepares the
morning meal. Blond Karin wakes up and gets ready to ride to church with candles for the
Virgin Mary. Ingeri accompanies Karin on her ride to church. But in the forest she stays behind
to consult with an old sorcerer who practices pagan charms. Karin rides on alone through the
pastoral landscape. She meets three shepherds, and innocent of their motives, she offers to
share her lunch with them. The meal was prepared by Ingeri, who in a fit of envy has put a toad
between two loaves of bread. As Karin begins to cut the bread, the toad jumps out. This
becomes the incitement for the shepherds to violate Karin. She is raped by two of them and
afterwards killed with a blow to her head. The youngest shepherd, who did not rape her, gets
sick and vomits. Ingeri has watched the violent deed from a distance.
The shepherds collect Karin’s expensive clothing and ride on. Unwittingly, they arrive at the
house of Karin’s parents. They are received hospitably and invited for supper. During the meal
the youngest shepherd gets sick again. After supper the two older shepherds try to sell Karin’s
clothing to her mother, who recognizes her daughter’s robe but says nothing. Instead, she
notifies Töre, who begins to prepare for revenge. Going outside he fells a birch tree with his
bare hands and beats his body with the twigs. Ready to kill, Töre wakes up the shepherds. He
overcomes the two oldest ones while the young boy rushes to Karin’s mother for protection.
She is willing to save him, but Töre dashes him against the wall.
After the killings, Töre sets out with his household to find the body of young Karin. When
they come upon it in the forest, Töre kneels and promises God to build a church on the site. As

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he prays, a spring wells forth at the spot where Karin’s smashed head has been resting on the
ground.
Credits
Production Company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Location manager Carl-Henry Cagarp
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Lenn Hjortzberg
Screenplay Ulla Isaksson
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Props Tor Borong
Sound Aaby Wedin
Music Erik Nordgren & Alexander Surkevitz
‘I himmelen, i himmelen’ (rev. text: Ingmar Bergman)
‘Tiggarens visa’ (text/music: Ingmar Bergman/Erik
Nordgren)
Costumes Marik Vos
Make-up Börje Lundh
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Ulla Furås
Cast
Karin Birgitta Pettersson
Ingeri Gunnel Lindblom
Töre Max von Sydow
Märeta, Töre’s wife Birgitta Vallberg
Shepherd/rapist Axel Düberg
Mute shepherd Tor Isedal
Shepherd boy Ove Porath
Bridge keeper Axel Slangus
Frida, housekeeper Gudrun Brost
Simon of Snollsta Oscar Ljung
Farmhands Tor Borong, Leif Forstenberg
Stand-in for Birgitta Vallberg &
Gunnel Lindblom Ann Lundgren
Filmed on location at Styggeforsen and Skattungsbyn, Dalarna and at Råsunda Studios, begin-
ning 14 May 1959 and completed in late August 1959.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 88 minutes
Released 19 January 1960
Premiere 8 February 1960, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 14 November 1960, Beekman Theater, NYC
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman first toyed with the idea of writing his own screenplay based on the medieval
ballad, ‘Töres dotter i Vänge’ [Töre’s daughter in Vänge], which he had read as a student. He

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later turned to Ulla Isaksson as a collaborator. She conceived of the story as a novel and
changed the order of events by placing the miracle at the very end, after Töre’s revenge, and
explains the change in the American preface to her novel The Virgin Spring (New York:
Ballantine Books, 1960, p. vi): ‘It is of great importance that the spring wells forth when all
need it. In that sense the film is very Lutheran. That this possibility exists is the very meaning of
the film.’ The English preface to Isaksson’s book was actually an 8-page program issued by
Svensk Filmindustri (SF) in English and French (available in SFI archives). French version,
titled ‘La Ballade de la fille de Töre à Vänge’ was published in a special issue on the film in
Cinéma 60, no. 51 (November-December 1960), pp. 33-43. This issue also contains a brief note
from Bergman’s diary during the shooting of the film. L’Avant-Scène du cinéma 444 (July) 1995
includes the full manuscript in French (La source). A long segment of the script in English, with
a concluding synopsis, appeared in Continental Film Review, December 1959, pp. 14-15.
Ulla Isaksson talks about her novel in ‘Boken jag minns’ [The book I remember], Expr. 3
December 1972, (läsbilagan/reading supplement), and discusses her collaboration with Bergman
in NYT, 13 November 1960, sec. 2, p. 9 (‘Source of a Spiritual Spring’). The same statement
appears in French in the above-mentioned special issue of Cinéma 60.
Reportages from shooting of Jungfrukällan appeared in DN, 22 May 1959, p. 14; in Hemmets
Journal no. 44 (1959), pp. 6-7, 50-51 (by Arne Sellermark), and in Expr., 22 May 1959, p. 22. An
interview with the actors appeared in DN, 10 February 1960, p. 12. Gunnar Oldin interviewed
Ingmar Bergman about Jungfrukällan on Swedish TV (SVT) on 14 February 1960. An interview
with Jean Béranger, published in Danish translation, appeared in Kosmorama, no. 49 (October
1959), pp. 14-17.
In the American release of the film, less than ten seconds of the rape scene was cut.
Reception
Next to Tystnaden/The Silence (1963), Jungfrukällan became Bergman’s most controversial film
in Sweden. In an editorial on 10 February 1960, two days after the Stockholm opening, SvD (p.
9) reported the decision by the Swedish Film Censorship board not to cut anything in the
submitted version of the film. Agreement was unanimous; the board denied rumors that
Ingmar Bergman had threatened to withdraw his film if any cuts were made. A public request
that the Swedish attorney general examine the rape sequence was denied.
On 12 February 1960, an editorial comment by Olof Lagercrantz in DN (p. 5) started a
month-long debate on Jungfrukällan. To Lagercrantz, Ingmar Bergman was a master of his-
trionics and not an authentic artist. Lagercrantz charged Swedish reviewers, who praised the
film, with a loss of critical acumen. Among the many responses to Lagercrantz’s editorial, see
AB, 26 February (p. 3), and 4 March 1960, (p. 3); DN, 13 February (p. 4), 16 February (p. 5), and
2 March 1960 (p. 5); ST, 15 February 1960 (p. 4); and SDS, 7 March 1960 (p. 4). An editorial
comment in Arbetet, 13 March 1960, p. 2, concluded that Bergman lacked artistic integrity when
he chose to ‘arrange brutally murdered people in such exquisitely aesthetic settings’ [att arran-
gera brutalt mördade människor i så raffinerat estetiska positioner]. SvD, 21 February 1960, p.
14, published a public poll on audience response to the film.
Two issues crystallized during the Swedish discussion of Jungfrukällan. One concerned Berg-
man’s standing as a film artist: was he an authentic artist or a sensationalist? The other matter
focussed on violence and censorship, but dwelt more on the rape scene than on Töre’s savage
vengeance. For discussions of the rape sequence, see AB, 9 February 1960, p. 2 (review), and
Vecko-Revyn, 11 March 1960, p. 15. Kristianstadsbladet, 17 January 1961, claimed that the real rape
was the artistic violation of the ballad source.
Stig Ahlgren in Vecko-Journalen, no. 8 (19 February 1960), p. 15, did not object to the much-
publicized rape scene but questioned the use of a toad in the bread prepared by Ingeri, arguing

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that what we witness is not rape but a caricatured cult act, toads being the devil in disguise.
Ahlgren claimed to have seen ecstacy in Karin’s eyes as she is raped by the shepherd who wears
a Mephistopheles mask. Ahlgren’s folklore reference was elaborated on in a newspaper essay by
historian Sven Ulric Palme (ST, 8 October 1960) in which he discusses the medieval use of toads
as host in witch sabbaths. In Scandinavian folklore, troll women who had sex with the devil
gave birth to toads. Toads and frogs were represented in medieval drawings as a metamor-
phosed uterus and were thought to have special sexual power.
The Swedish debate of Jungfrukällan/The Virgin Spring was summarized in Sight and Sound,
Spring 1960: 66-67.
Other issues raised about Jungfrukällan concerned its literary and philosophical parallels.
Jörn Donner in BLM 19, no. 3 (March 1960): 254-59, related its artistic vision to that of
Strindberg, Hjalmar Bergman, Pär Lagerkvist, and Swedish poets of the Forties. B. Andresen
in Arbetaren, 17 March, p. 11, saw the film as Bergman’s (rather than Ulla Isaksson’s) expression
of a religious and moral vision. Birgitta Steene in Ingmar Bergman, 1968, pp. 94-97, discusses
The Virgin Spring as a Kierkegaardian credo quia absurdum est. [Excerpted in Kaminsky, 1975 (Ø
1266), pp. 215-221]. Cf. this to Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic, 5 December 1960, pp. 21-22, pp.
179-82, who refers to Bergman in a derogatory way as ‘a cinema Kierkegaard’; and Brendan Gill,
New Yorker, 19 November, pp. 152-54, who calls the film ‘supernatural mumbo-jumbo’.
U.S. reviews were mixed. New York Herald Tribune, 15 November 1960, p. 17, thought The
Virgin Spring was ‘Bergman’s most lucid film’, while NYT, same date, p. 46:1, felt that the film
was more ‘brutal and less sophisticated than earlier Bergman’.
Educational Dimensions Corp. (Great Neck, N.Y.) issued a cassette analysis of The Virgin
Spring (and The Magician) in agreement with Janus Films, Inc., 1973. Title on the container is
‘Two Films by Ingmar Bergman’. The journal Granta, LXIV, no. 1204 (26 November 1960)
contains a special write-up on The Virgin Spring (BFI info).
In France, the film marked the beginning of the Cahiers group’s disenchantment with Berg-
man. (See Ø 982.) See also Agence France-Press, no. 12 (17 May 1960) for a compilation of
international reviews of Jungfrukällan/La source in connection with its showing at the Cannes
Film Festival.
Cuadernas de Cine Club Mercedes no. 1 (May 1963), 50 pp., contains sample reviews in
Spanish.
L’Avant Scène du Cinéma no. 444 (July 1995), is an issue devoted to La source in connection
with a Bergman revival in Paris.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm/Uppsala press, 9 February 1960;
Teatern no. 2 (1960), pp. 1-2, 16;
Vi no. 8 (1960), p. 22.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 14-21 December 1960, n.p;
Cahiers du cinéma no. 116 (February 1961), pp. 51-53;
Chaplin, no. 9 (March 1960), pp. 62-63;
Cinéma 61, no. 53 (February 1961), pp. 98-100;
Definition no. 3 (1961), pp. 26-31;
Filmkritik no. 7 (1960), p. 1955, and no. 10 (1960), pp. 292-295;
Film Ideal, 1 December 1961, pp. 22-26;
Films and Filming 8, no. 10 (July 1961): 26-27
Filmfacts 9 December 1960, pp. 277-279;
Films in Review 11, no. 9 (November 1960): 556-557;

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Film Quarterly 13, no. 4 (Summer 1960): 43-47;

Kosmorama no. 49 (April 1960), pp. 154-155:
New Republic, 5 December 1960, pp. 21-22;
New York Herald Tribune, 15 November 1960, p. 17;
New York Times, same date, p. 46;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3223;
New Yorker, 19 November 1960, pp. 152-154;
Positif, no. 38 (March 1961), p. 78;
Spectator, 9 June 1961, p. 839;
Télé-Ciné no. 91 (September-October 1960), pp. 39-40;
Time, 5 December 1960, p. 63 (A.E. p. 40);
Variety, 24 February 1960, p. 6.
Longer Articles and Special Issues
Ambjörnsson, Ronny & Anna-Karin Blomstrand. ‘Jungfrukällan. Saknar innhållet intresse?’
[The Virgin Spring. Does the content lack interest?]. Götheborgske Spionen, no. 4, 1960,
pp. 18-19;
Madden, David. ‘The Virgin Spring: Anatomy of a Mythic Image’, Film Heritage 2, no. 2 (Winter
1967): 2-20;
Palme, Sven Ulric. ‘Fotnot till Jungfrukällan’ [Footnote to the Virgin Spring], ST, 8 October
1960, p. 4;
Pechter, William. ‘The Ballad and the Source’, Kenyon Review, Spring 1961, pp. 332-335; also in
Filmkultura, no. 4, 1983: 37-41;
Stolpe Sven. ‘En vårnatt i Dalarne’ [A spring night in Dalecarlia], Vecko-Journalen no. 7 (12
February) 1960, pp. 26-27);
Young, Vernon. ‘UCLA Art Films’, Los Angeles 1961. 4-page program analysis of film.
See also
Cine cubano, no. 21 (1964), pp. 57-59;
Cinéma 59, no. 40 (October 1959): 93-100;
Cinéma 60, no. 46 (May 1960): 85-88;
Etudes cinématographiques, no. 10-11 (Autumn 1961), pp. 207-216;
Film Ideal, no. 85 (1 December 1961), pp. 22-26;
Filmnyheter, no. 1 (January 1960), pp. 4-7;
Films and Filming, April 1962, pp. 13-15;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969, pp. 48-51;
Motion, no. 1 (Summer 1961), pp. 18-29;
N. Silverstein, ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Religious Film’, Salmagundi II, no. 3 (Spring-Summer
1968): 53-66;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 65-66;
Temas de cine, no. 26 (January-February 1963), pp. 29-33;
Variety, 13 February 1960, p. 4.
Awards
1961: Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. After Jungfrukällan received an Oscar, SR
(Sveriges Radio) interviewed Bergman in ‘Dagens eko’, 18 April 1961.
Golden Globe Award by Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
For more awards, see Varia, C.

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230. DJÄVULENS ÖGA. 1960 [The devil’s eye], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
The theme of the film is an ‘Irish’ motto invented by Bergman: ‘A young woman’s chastity is a
stye in the Devil’s eye.’ Designed in four acts like a stage play, the film is introduced in a theatre
by a speaker dressed in formal attire, who provides a Brechtian commentary during three
‘intermissions’. The main action is set in Hell and in a vicarage in the Swedish countryside.
The actual plot concerns the legendary Don Juan who has spent 300 years in Hell. One day, the
head of ‘this inverted parish’ gets a stye in his eye. The reason is that a young girl of 20, Britt-
Marie, remains a virgin though she is engaged to be married. Don Juan, whose punishment in
Hell is to remain forever aroused and never sexually fulfilled, is ordered by Satan to return to
Earth, accompanied by his jovial servant Pablo.
The two men emerge from the underground into an earthly paradise. The pastoral beauty
intensifies their agony, for they realize the temporal nature of their visit and become aware once
more of what they have forfeited in an earlier life through their lecherous living. Arriving at the
vicarage they meet Britt-Marie. She is the daughter of the parson, a totally naive and innocent
man, and his frustrated wife, Renata. During a stormy night, Don Juan seduces Britt-Marie
while Pablo devotes himself to her mother.
His mission accomplished, Don Juan must return to Hell. But this time – unlike his earlier
erotic escapades – Don Juan has actually fallen in love with the object of his seduction, which in
turn causes consternation among the Devil and his advisors, since it spells defeat for the
infernal principles that rule the underworld.
Still another defeat occurs for Satan when the parson, contrary to all infernal calculations,
forgives his wife for her infidelity. However, in a final flashback to the vicarage on the occasion
of Britt-Marie’s wedding, Satan learns that the young girl lies to her husband during their
wedding night. This is a minor victory for the forces of Hell, and the stye disappears from the
Devil’s eye.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Studio manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Lenn Hjortzberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, from a Danish radio play by Oluf
Bang, Don Juan vender tilbage [Don Juan Returns], 1940
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Props Karl-Arne Bergman
Sound Stig Flodin
Music Erik Nordgren, selections from sonatas by Domenico
Scarlatti, played by Käbi Laretei
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Börje Lundh
Mixing Olle Jakobsson
Editor Oscar Rosander
Continuity Ulla Furås

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Cast
Don Juan Jarl Kulle
Britt-Marie Bibi Andersson
The Parson Nils Poppe
Pablo Sture Lagerwall
Speaker Gunnar Björnstrand
Renata Gertrud Fridh
Satan Stig Järrel
Count Armand de Rouchefoucauld Georg Funkquist
Marquis Guiseppe de Maccopazza Gunnar Sjöberg
An old man Torsten Winge
Jonas, Britt-Marie’s fiancé Axel Düberg
A demon Allan Edwall
Woman with veil Kristina Adolphson
Demon keeping watch Ragnar Arvedson
The hairdresser Börje Lundh
Doctor giving enema Lenn Hjortzberg
Cosmetics doctor John Melin
Assistant to tailor Arne Lindblad
Maid Inga Gill
Tailor Sten-Thorsten Thuul
The Metamorphosis Expert Svend Bunch
Negro masseur Tom Olsson
Filmed at Råsunda studios, Stockholm, beginning 19 October 1959 and completed 1 January
1960.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 86 minutes
Released 8 October 1960
Premiere 17 October 1960, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 30 October 1961, Beekman Theater, NYC
Commentary
The script of Djävulens öga was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familjejournal,
nos. 50-52/1960 and nos. 1-2/1961, illustrated with photographs from the film.
Life, 15 and 22 February 1960, published a pictorial reportage by Lennart Nilsson from
shooting of The Devil’s Eye. Similar reportage appeared in Swedish in Vecko-Journalen, no.
10, 1960, pp. 16-24. Text-based reportages also appeared in Röster i Radio/TV, no. 52 (1959),
pp. 10-13 (Matts Rying); and in ST 6 December 1959, p. 21.
Reception
Djävulens öga was well received by Swedish critics who regarded the film as an entertaining
intermezzo in Bergman’s production. Carl Björkman (DN, 18 October, p. 18) called it ‘a placebo
in a Swedish vicarage park’ [ett lusthus i en svensk prästgårdspark]. Foreign opinion also tended
to view the film as an interlude in Bergman’s career, though Cinéma 62, no. 63 (February 1962),
pp. 102-3, published a review that denounced not only the film, but Ingmar Bergman as a
filmmaker.

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Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 18 October 1960;
FIB no. 47 (1960), p. 19;
Vi no. 44 (1960), p. 4;
Vecko-Journalen, no. 43 (1960), p. 9.
Foreign Reviews
Bianco e nero, no. 11-12 (November-December 1961), pp. 82-85;
Cinéma 62, no. 63 (February 1963);
Film (Hannover), no. 4 (April 1966), p. 35;
Filmfacts, 8 December 1961, pp. 283-284;
Filmkritik no. 4 (1966), pp. 204-205;
Films and Filming 10, no. 5 (February 1963): 37-38;
Films in Review 12, no. 12 (December 1961): 620-621;
Image et son no. 148 (February 1962), p. 36;
Kosmorama no. 51 (December 1960), pp. 74-75, and no. 53 (April 1961), pp. 151-152;
Monthly Film Bulletin, no. 2 (February 1963), p. 16;
New York Times, 31 October 1961, p. 27:4 and NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3286;
New Yorker, 4 November 1961, pp. 207-208;
Positif no. 45 (May 1962), p. 72;
Spectator, 11 January 1963, p. 45;
Time, 22 September 1961, p. 116;
Variety, 9 November 1960, p. 19.
Longer Articles
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman and Don Juan’. In Sormova, Eva (ed). Don Juan and Faust in
the XXth Century. Prague: Department of Czech Theatre Studies, 1993, pp. 244-49. Proceed-
ings from Theatre Conference, 27 September – 1 October 1991. (Article deals primarily with
the Don Juan motif in Bergman’s film but with some references to same motif in his theatre
productions of Molière’s Don Juan.)
See also
Kauffmann, A World of Film (Ø 1011), pp. 280-282;
P. Gilliatt. Unholy Fools (New York: Viking Press), 19 pp. 244-245;
Cinéma 60, no. 46 (May 1960), pp. 85-88;
Ord & Bild 69, no. 10 (December 1960): 521-527;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969, pp. 51-52;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 78-79.

231. SÅSOM I EN SPEGEL, 1961 [Through a Glass Darkly], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The film title is a direct quote from the Bible (Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, 13:12).
English translation uses King James’ version.
Synopsis
The film occurs during a 24-hour period on an island in the Baltic. It concerns a family of four:
Karin, a young woman who suffers from schizophrenia; her husband Martin, a medical doctor;
her younger brother Minus; and their father David, a novelist and widower.

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The film opens as these four characters emerge from a swim. Minus and Karin go to fetch
milk at a nearby farm. Minus reveals his uneasy feelings about sexuality. Karin tells him of
voices that speak to her.
The scene changes to a rowboat in which Martin and David discuss Karin’s illness. David
reveals having made a suicide attempt during a recent stay in Switzerland and claims it filled
him with a new sense of love.
David’s homecoming is celebrated with an outdoor dinner during which David presents gifts,
obviously bought at the last moment. He also reveals his intent to leave soon, this time as a tour
guide in Yugoslavia. His children are unhappy about this announcement. David leaves the table
and goes inside, where he breaks down crying.
After dinner Karin and Minus put on a play for David: a poet promises to follow the Princess
of Castille into the realm of death. But he regrets his promise, and the princess departs alone.
David is visibly shaken by the play. Karin and Martin retire to bed.
Early the next morning Karin wakes up to the shrieks of seagulls. Worried, she goes to the
attic where she communicates with her voices. Her posture suggests sexual rapture. Later, she
falls asleep in her father’s study after David has tucked her in. Martin appears at the window
and asks his father to go fishing. After they have left, Karin wakes up. Rummaging around in
David’s desk, she comes upon his diary, in which he has written about his fascination with her
illness.
Later in the day, Martin and David leave in the motorboat to go to the city. Karin helps
Minus with his Latin lesson, then takes him to the attic. Suddenly she asks him to leave her
alone. Waiting outside the room, Minus hears Karin talk to imaginary voices. A scene from
within the attic shows Karin standing against its papered wall. When the sun’s rays hit the
wallpaper pattern, it seems to move and come alive.
Karin recovers her sense of reality briefly, but soon voices call on her again, and she with-
draws to the hull of an old, stranded ship. There Minus finds her and comforts her. There is a
suggestion of incest. Later when David and Martin return from the city, Martin makes arrange-
ments to have Karin moved to a hospital. The final sequence begins with David, Martin and
Minus discovering Karin in the attic again. She asks Martin to kneel beside her. A helicopter
arrives to pick her up and is seen descending outside the window. The air vibrations from its
rotating wings force a closet door to open in the attic. The sound from the helicopter is
deafening, and Karin cowers in a corner of the room, screaming hysterically. David and Martin
overpower her, and she receives a tranquillizing injection. Quieted she reveals her vision to
them: God emerged from the closet in the shape of a huge spider and tried to penetrate her.
The film ends with Karin’s departure. Minus listens to David talking about the human love
that surrounds Karin. The positive implication of this is shown in Minus who seems over-
whelmed that his father has confided in him: ‘Father spoke to me’.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Studio manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Lenn Hjortzberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Props Karl-Arne Bergman
Sound Stig Flodin

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Sound effects Evald Andersson

Music Erik Nordgren; J.S. Bach, Suite no. 2, D minor for cello,
played by Erling Blöndal Bengtsson
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Editor Ulla Ryghe
Continuity Ulla Furås
Cast
Karin Harriet Andersson
Martin Max von Sydow
David Gunnar Björnstrand
Fredrik, called Minus Lars Passgård

Filmed on location on the island of Fårö and at Råsunda Studios, beginning 12 July 1960 and
completed 16 September 1960.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 89 minutes
Released 4 October 1961
Premiere 16 October 1961, Fontänen and Spegeln (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 13 March 1962, Beekman Theater, NYC
Commentary
Bergman discusses the film in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 243-256.
Såsom i en spegel was the first Bergman script to be published in book form in Sweden. See
(Ø 124), Chapter II.
Bergman held a press conference on 13 July 1960, announcing his intention to shoot his next
film on Fårö. The working title was Tapeten [The Wallpaper], based on an idea that had been
omitted in Bergman’s film Prison: a mad painter thought the wallpaper in his room moved. Cf.
Holden below. As this motif remained in Bergman’s mind, he searched for a new name for his
film and almost opted for Bekänna färg [Show your hand] but remembered that this title had
already been used by Swedish novelist Olle Hedberg.
At the time of the press conference Bergman viewed Såsom i en spegel as the last film in a
trilogy, the first two being Smultronstället and Jungfrukällan. All three works dealt, step by step,
with the idea of atonement (försoningstanken): ‘The God problem has always been my concern
and is perpetually present to me. Here in [Through a Glass Darkly] I have found a solution’
[Gudsproblemet har alltid varit angeläget och ständigt närvarande för mig. [...] Här har jag
kommit till en lösning]. See SvD, 14 July 1960, p. 11, and ST, same date, p. 9.
The press conference was also covered by Philip Scheuer in Los Angeles Times (1 August, sec.
4, p. 13) who reports on reasons for Bergman to abandon earlier plans to shoot the film in color.
In a Swedish newspaper write-up a few weeks before the press conference, it was reported that
the so-called Color Film Club (consisting of Bergman and his collaborators), which had
experimented with color for some months, had decided with eight votes against two to shoot
Bergman’s next film in black and white (see ‘Ingmar Bergmans färgfilmklubb röstade svartvitt
för “Tapeten”.’[Bergman color film club voted black and white for ‘The Wallpaper’], DN, 16
June 1960, p. 14). Report also states that during the shooting, footage in color would be done as
an experiment, and that Bergman would begin to give color a dramatic role in his filmmaking
as soon as he ‘felt comfortable with the new medium’ [kände sig hemmastadd med det nya

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mediet]. For a report of the shooting of Såsom i en spegel, see Jean Béranger, Cinéma 62, no. 69
(September-October 1962), pp. 41-45.
There were other specific challenges in photographing the film. See Sven Nykvist, ‘A Passion
for Light’ in American Cinematographer, April 1972. Nykvist had taken over as Bergman’s main
cinematographer with Jungfrukällan. In Såsom i en spegel he (and Bergman) began to develop a
new ‘chamber film’ style. For an explanation of the term, see the following: Bergman on Berg-
man (Ø 788), p. 168; Spectator, 16 November 1962, p. 761; and Birgitta Steene, Ingmar Bergman,
1968, p. 96. Cf. Chapter III, pp. 22-23. In an interview in DN, 19 January 1962, p. 24, Bergman
talks about the importance of the new intimate format of Såsom i en spegel and how it changed
his approach to his characters: ‘Earlier I played the guardian. [...] My fictional people were not
left alone; I interfered with their actions and their destinies. Since Through a Glass Darkly I can
let them live their own lives’ [Förr spelade jag förmyndare. [...] De människor jag diktat upp
fick inte vara i fred, jag lade mig i deras handlande och deras öden. Sedan ‘Såsom i en spegel’
låter jag dem leva sitt eget liv].
Reception
Swedish critical reception of Såsom i en spegel was enthusiastic. Reviewers stressed Bergman’s
masterly control of the medium and labeled the film his most essential work to date. But
questions were raised about whether the film was not too exclusive, both in its preoccupation
with the role of the artist and its examination of religious issues. See Sven E. Olsson in ‘Berg-
man som Guds spegel’, Götheborgske Spionen, no. 9-10, 1961, pp. 46-47. Reaction to the film in
the U.S. was mixed. Time (23 March 1962, p. 67) called it Bergman’s most mature creation to
date, and Arthur Knight in Saturday Review (17 March 1962, p. 34) felt it surpassed Bergman’s
previous work in its clarity and directness. But Stanley Kaufmann (New Republic, 16 March
1962, pp. 26-27, reprinted in A World on Film, pp. 282-284) found the film confusing, its themes
undefined, and its resolution unconnected to the plot. Vernon Young in Film Quarterly 15, no. 4
(Summer 1962): 52-3, regretted that Bergman had relinquished his visual talent and created a
movie that was basically uncinematic.
Over the years Bergman critics have frequently singled out Through A Glass Darkly, especially
its ‘forced’ ending, as a target. See Ø 1680.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 17 October 1961;
BLM 39, no. 9 (November 1961): 760-762;
Chaplin, no. 23 (November 1961), pp. 210-211;
FiB, no. 44 (1961), pp. 28-29;
Vi, no. 43 (1961), p. 16;
Expr., 5 November 1961, p. 4.
Foreign Reviews
Arts, 5 September 1962;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 137 (November 1962), pp. 48-50;
Christian Century, 3 October 1962, p. 1198;
Cinéma 62, no. 69 (September-October 1962), and no. 70 (November 1962): 106-108;
Le Figaro, 19 September 1962, p. 6;
F-Dienst 30, no. 7 (March 1977), p. 12 a-d;
Film Quarterly 15, no. 4 (Summer 1962): 52-53;
Filmfacts, 13 April 1962, pp. 59-61;
Films and Filming 10, no. 4 (January 1963): 47-48;
Films in Review April 1962, pp. 230-31;

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Filmkritik no. 8 (1962), pp. 375-78;

Jeune Cinéma, no. 8 (June-July) 1965;
Le monde, 19 September 1962, p. 4;
Monthly Film Bulletin, January 1963, p. 5;
Movie, no. 6 (January 1963), pp. 30-31;
New Republic, 26 March 1962, pp. 26-27;
New York Herald Tribune, 14 March 1962, p. 21;
New York Times, same date, p. 45:1 and NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, pp. 3311-3312;
New Yorker, 17 March 1962, p. 123;
Saturday Review 17 March 1962, p. 34, and 18 May 1963, p. 37;
Sight and Sound 32, no. 3 (Winter 1962/63): 38-39;
Temps Modernes, no. 198 (November 1962);
Time, 23 March 1962, p. 67;
Variety 3 January 1962, p. 3.
Longer Discussions
Most longer discussions of Såsom i en spegel are parts of essays on what became known as The
Trilogy (Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and The Silence). See the following:
Buzzonetti, R. Revista del cinematografo 36, no. 6 (July 1964): 255-58 (analysis of philosophical
progression of the Trilogy);
Cohen, Hubert L. Ingmar Bergman. The Art of Confession, 1993, (Ø 1546), pp. 171-82;
Cowie, Peter. Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography, 1982, (Ø 1381), pp. 196-202;
Gado, Frank, The Passion of Ingmar Bergman, 1986, (Ø 1432), pp. 267-80;
Gervais, Marc. Ingmar Bergman. Magician and Prophet, 1999, (Ø 1657), pp. 72-77;
Gibson, Arthur. The Silence of God, 1969, pp. 77-133;
Persson, Göran. Chaplin, no. 40 (October 1963), pp. 239-241;
Schlappner, Martin. ‘Die Trilogie der Anfechtung’ in author’s Filme und ihre Regisseure. (Bern:
H. Huber, 1963, 1967), pp. 63-78. Also issued in 1966 under title Bilder des Dichterischen
Themen und Gestalten des Films;
Sjöman, Vilgot. L-136: Dagbok, 1963, (Ø 1100), passim;
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Archetypal Patterns...’, 1965 (Ø 1129), pp. 96-113;
Wood, Robin. Ingmar Bergman, 1969, (Ø 1185), pp. 106-139;
Special Studies
French, Tony. ‘Suffering into Ideology: Bergman’s Såsom i en spegel (Through a Glass Darkly)’.
CineAction, no. 34 (June 1994): 68-72. (Ideology referred to in title is ‘a suspect ideology of
Love out of someone else’s anguish’);
Holden, D. F. ‘Three Literary Sources for Through a Glass Darkly’. Literature/Film Quarterly II,
no. 1 (Winter 1974): 22-29 see Ø 1252
Lundell, Torborg and A. Mulac. ‘Husband and Wives in Bergman’s Films’. Journal of the Uni-
versity Film Association 1(Winter) 1981: 23-37. (Analysis of student response to Bergman’s
film);
Steene, Birgitta in ‘Bergman’s Movement towards Nihilism’. In The Hero in Scandinavian
Literature, ed. by Robert Rovinsky and John Weinstock. Austin: University of Texas Press,
1975, pp. 87-105.
Fact Sheets and Special Journal Issues
Cineforum, no. 14 (April 1962), a special issue on Como in uno specchio, contains a review of the
film by Stig Björkman; bio-presentation of Bergman; and excerpts from the script. Part of
the same material appears in Cinema Nuovo, no. 159 (September–October 1962), which also

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has an article entitled ‘L’aut-aut di David nell’opera di Bergman’ by G.A. (Guido Aristarco)
on Kierkegaardian aspects of the film;
Film a Sogetto, Centro S. Fedelle dello Spettacolo, Milan (22 April 1965), 16 pp., is an Italian fact
sheet on Come in uno specchio, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot
synopsis, and a bibliography.
Media C, 105, no date, pp. 1-7, is a dossier with credits and other information on the film.
Brussels: Cedoc-Film and Amsterdam: Centraal Filmberaad, n.d.;
Télé-Ciné, no. 120 (March 1965), pp. 1-11, is devoted to A travèrs le miroir;
W. Zurbuch edited a special program for West German release of the film, issued by Nora
Filmverleih, July 1962, 11 pp.
See also
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 160-72; Sw.ed., pp. 174-186;
La Biennale 7, no, 48 (1963): 29-44;
Etudes cinématographiques, no. 46-47 (1966), pp. 3-13 and 42-56;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969, pp. 52-56;
Kosmorama, no. 56 (February 1962), pp. 91-97, and Kosmorama, 24, no. 137 (Spring) 1978:59-61;
Röster i Radio-TV no. 42 (1970), pp. 22-23;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 102-105, including retrospective evaluation by Jörn
Donner;
Western Humanities Review, no. 1 (Winter 1964), pp. 65-66.
After Såsom i en spegel received an Oscar as Best Foreign Film, SR (Swedish Public Radio)
discussed the matter briefly in ‘Dagens eko’, 10 April 1962.
Awards
1962: American Motion Picture Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Film
For additional awards, see Varia, C.

232. LUSTGÅRDEN, 1961 [The Garden of Eden], Eastmancolor

Director Alf Kjellin
Screenplay Buntel Ericsson (joint pseudonym for Ingmar Bergman
and Erland Josephson)
Synopsis
For several years Samuel Franzén, a high school teacher in a small Swedish town around the
turn of the last century, has had an affair with Miss Fanny, a waitress at the local hotel. His
colleague Mr. Lundberg has a mistress, Miss Astrid who manages the town bookstore. Both
men are anxious not to reveal their liaisons, though the whole town knows about them.
When the bookstore receives a few copies of a romantic collection of poetry, ‘Secrets of the
Heart’, Mr. Lundberg spreads the rumor that Mr. Franzén is the author. The book sells out in
no time. At first Franzén denies having anything to do with the book, but encouraged by Miss
Astrid, he reveals his poetic ambitions and his affair with Miss Fanny. He sends for Miss Fanny’s
20-year-old daughter, who has been living with her grandmother, and proudly introduces
Fanny to the townspeople. But they frown upon the whole matter, and Franzén begins to
regret his action. Hurt and disillusioned by her lover’s ambivalent attitude, Miss Fanny decides
to leave town. Miss Astrid and Mr. Lundberg have an argument and break off their liaison. In
the meantime Fanny’s daughter falls in love with the local pastor and becomes secretly engaged.

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Mr. Franzén soon discovers he needs Miss Fanny and asks her to marry him. Mr. Lundberg
approaches Miss Astrid, and they are reconciled. But Miss Fanny refuses to marry Mr. Franzén.
She prefers that they go back to their old arrangement.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Director Alf Kjellin
Artistic advisor Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Buntel Ericsson (joint pseudonym for Ingmar Bergman
and Erland Josephson)
Photography Gunnar Fischer
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Music Erik Nordgren
Sound Lars Lalin
Editor Ulla Ryghe
Cast
David Franzén Gunnar Björnstrand
Fanny Sickan Carlsson
Anna, her daughter Bibi Andersson
Lundberg Stig Järrel
Ellen Hjördis Petterson
Astrid Kristina Adolphson
Emil, young Pastor Per Myrberg
Liljedahl Gösta Cederlund
Wibom Torsten Winge
Innkeeper Lasse Krantz
Berta Fillie Lyckow
Ossian Jan Tiselius
The volunteer Stefan Hübinette
Bishop Sven Nilsson
Mayor Rolf Nystedt
Principal Sten Hedlund
Principal’s wife Stina Ståhle
Postmaster Lars Westlund
Dr. Brusén Ivar Uhlin
Policeman Birger Sahlberg
Filmed on location at Vadstena, Arboga, Skänninge, and at Råsunda Studios in Stockholm,
beginning early summer 1961 and completed late summer 1961.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 93 minutes
Released 5 December 1961
Premiere 26 December 1961, Fanfaren and Röda Kvarn (Stock-
holm)
Commentary
The script of Lustgården was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familjejournal,
nos. 3-7/1962, illustrated with photographs from the film.

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Though Lustgården was not directed by Ingmar Bergman but by Hollywood emigré Alf
Kjellin during a return visit to his native Sweden, Bergman was engaged in the project and
particulary sensitive about it, this being his first attempt to use color film. He insisted that SF
buy new projectors for the opening of the film at Röda Kvarn to avoid ‘piss yellow and cadaver
blue shades’ [pissgult och likblått ljus]. The press showing, however, took place on the Råsunda
Film-Teknik premises and was apparently a disaster. In an interview in connection with a 1970
TV showing of the film, Bergman commented on the event: ‘It was a terrible day: snow storm
and slush. A bitter northerly wind, grey and dark, a weather for catching colds. Walking across
the backyard at Film Teknik I saw the critics streaming out. [...] It was an extraordinary
gathering of black ravens who had watched our little summer comedy. And I said to myself:
This film is dead!’ [Det var en ohygglig dag, storm och snöglopp. En hård nordostan, för-
kylningsväder och gråmörkt. Jag kom över gården utanför Film-Teknik när kritikerskaran
strömmade ut. [...] Det var en enastående samling svarta korpar som hade sett vår sommarlätta
lilla komedi. Och jag sa till mig själv: ‘Den filmen är död’!]. Bergman was right but claims he
has retained a certain faiblesse for the film, referring to it in the same interview as ‘an almost
white sin, the easiest one to forgive’ [en nästan vit synd, den lättaste att förlåta] (Röster i Radio-
TV, no. 13, 1970, p. 17).
Erland Josephson comments briefly on the origin of the pseudonym Buntel Ericsson in the
memoir collection Rollen, Sanningslekar, Föreställningar, 1990, p. 368 (from Sanningslekar). (See
Ø 1498.)
The film has never been released internationally.

233. NATTVARDSGÄSTERNA, 1963 [Winter Light/The Communicants], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The American title, Winter Light, is well chosen in terms of the landscape and mood of the film,
which is shot in a bleak, wintry light. The British title, The Communicants, is the dictionary
meaning of the Swedish title, but seems very abstract in comparison to the poetic Swedish
word, a compound noun meaning ‘guests at the last supper’.
Synopsis
The film, set in the present, opens with a service in Mittsunda church where Tomas Eriksson, a
middle-aged widower, is officiant. Only a few parishoners are present, among them the local
schoolteacher Märta Lundberg, who is in love with Tomas; fisherman Jonas Persson and his
wife; Fredrik Blom, the church organist; Algot Frövik, the church warden; and the sexton Mr.
Aronsson.
After the communion, fisherman Persson and his wife come to see the pastor. Persson is
depressed, and his wife suggests that he come back to church alone later. Märta Lundberg
arrives with hot coffee and sandwiches. Tomas shows only irritation. Märta leaves. Tomas
ponders the photographs of his dead wife, then opens a letter that Märta has sent him earlier.
The camera shifts to a long close-up of Märta’s face as she recites the letter, in which she reveals
her agony over her unrequited love for Tomas. She gives an account of how she, a nonbeliever,
began to pray for a cure of her eczema after Tomas had failed to do so. She ends by asking
Tomas to use her.
Though visibly upset over the letter, Tomas who has a bad cold dozes off, his head and arms
resting on the table. Jonas Persson suddenly appears. He reveals his angst, but Tomas can only
respond by talking about his own anguish, his feeling that God has abandoned him.

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Jonas Persson leaves, and Märta returns. Tomas breaks down coughing and crying in Märta’s
arms before the altar. An old woman enters and informs them that Jonas Persson has shot
himself down by the rapids. Tomas leaves in the car to help take care of Jonas’s body. Märta
later joins him; together they head back to the schoolhouse where Märta lives in an upstairs
apartment. While Märta goes to fetch some medicine, Tomas stays below in the classroom. A
boy comes in to get a book; he has a brief and stilted conversation with Tomas.
When Märta returns, Tomas again shows his irritation over her concern for him. Märta cries
but later (upon Tomas’s request) accompanies him to the church at Frostnäs for the afternoon
service. On the way there, Tomas pays a visit to Mrs. Persson and informs her of her husband’s
death. Back in the car, Tomas begins to tell Märta of his past, but the noise from a passing
freight train drowns his voice.
The last part of the film takes place inside the church at Frostnäs. The rheumatic Algot
Frövik comes to talk with Tomas. Frövik has read the Gospels and has come to the conclusion
that his own prolonged physical suffering is probably comparable to the physical pain endured
by Christ on the cross. Christ’s real suffering, says Frövik, was his sense of being abandoned by
all those he loved, including God himself.
While Frövik talks to Tomas, Märta listens to the organist Blom, who advises her to leave and
seek employment elsewhere. The church bells, calling the congregation to service, stop ringing,
but no one has come to church. Under such circumstances Tomas could cancel the service but
decides to conduct it. His decision comes at the same time as Märta, kneeling in a pew, asks for
peace of mind for both of them. The film ends as Tomas pronounces the words of the church
ritual: Holy, holy, holy, Thy Name be Honored, in Heaven as on Earth.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Studio manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant directors Lenn Hjortzberg, Vilgot Sjöman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Sound Stig Flodin
Sound effects Evald Andersson
Music Nos. 508, 14, 520, 400 in Swedish hymn book from 1937;
Postludium (Johan Morén)
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Börje Lundh
Props Karl-Arne Bergman
Editor Ulla Ryghe
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Pastor Tomas Ericsson Gunnar Björnstrand
Märta Lundberg Ingrid Thulin
Jonas Persson Max von Sydow
Karin Persson Gunnel Lindblom
Algot Frövik Allan Edwall
Fredrik Blom, organist Olof Thunberg
Knut Aronsson, sexton Kolbjörn Knudsen

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Old woman in church Elsa Ebbesen-Thornblad

Johan Åkerblom, farmer Tor Borong
Hanna Appelblad, baker Bertha Sånnell
Doris, her five-year-old daughter Helena Palmgren
Johan Strand, schoolboy Eddie Axberg
Stefan Larsson, policeman Lars-Owe Carlberg
Persson’s daughter Ingmari Hjort
Persson’s son Stefan Larsson
A man Johan Olafs
Two boys Lars-Olof Andersson, Christer Öhman
Filmed on location in Dalarna, Skattunge Church in Orsa, and at Råsunda Studios, beginning 4
October 1961 and completed 14 January 1962.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 80 minutes
Released 19 November 1962
Premiere 11 February 1963, Fontänen and Röda Kvarn (Stock-
holm)
U.S. opening 13 May 1963, Beekman Theater, NYC
Commentary
The script to Nattvardsgästerna was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familje-
journal, nos. 6-10/1963, illustrated with photographs from the film. The script was published in
book form in En filmtrilogi (1963), later issued in paperback as Filmberättelser 1 (1973).
Bergman writes about the film in Bilder/Images (1990), pp. 256-274. He describes Nattvards-
gästerna, filmed only in fog and cloudy weather, in a way that confirms a common (non-
Swedish) view of his filmmaking as a whole: ‘Det är den svenska mänskan vid den svenska
verklighetens slut och den svenska väderlekens lågpunkt’ [It is the Swede at the end of Swedish
reality and at the low point of Swedish weather].
Reportage from filming of Nattvardsgästerna appeared in DN, 19 January 1962, p. 14. Film-
maker Vilgot Sjöman who followed the entire shooting of the film later published his extensive
notes as L-136: Dagbok; see (Ø 1100). In a series of TV programs called ‘Återsken’ (Reflections)
by Lennart Ehrenborg, an excerpt from the shooting of Nattvardsgästerna was shown in seg-
ment 14 (SVT, 18 October 1979). SR (Swedish Public Radio) reported on the same subject in
‘Dagens eko’, 3 October 1961 (Bergman interviewed by Lennart Swahn). The shooting of
Nattvardsgästerna seems to have been troublesome for actor Gunnar Björnstrand, a Catholic
convert cast as a doubting Protestant minister. See Lillie Björnstrand, Inte bara applåder, 1975
(Ø 1263); same matter also discussed in Expr., 25 October 1975, p. 18, and by Bergman in Bilder/
Images (1990), p. 264. Björnstrand’s daughter Gabriella touched on the subject in Expr., 2
December 2003, p. 4. (See Ø 1685.)
Reception
Nattvardsgästerna has remained a film with a rather narrow but special appeal. Variety, 20
March 1963, p. 6, summed it up: ‘An extremely moving and fascinating film for the religiously
aware, and a somewhat boring one for the religiously indifferent.’ In his review of the film in
DN (12 February 1963, p. 14), Mauritz Edström – though praising the film’s artistry – referred to
Bergman as a ‘religiously infected’ person, oscillating between faith and doubt whose world
view had few contemporary followers. For a similar mixed response to film, see Chaplin, no. 35
(February 1963), pp. 55-58, which contains two reviews of the film, one by Lutheran pastor

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Ludvig Jönsson, the other by agnostic author Margaretha Ekström. See also review by Robin
Hood, titled ‘Bergman, vad rör oss prästerna?’ [B., what concern to us are the priests?], ST, 12
February 1963, p. 32, followed by interview comments by four ministers of the Swedish Luther-
an State Church (a fifth minister, Bergman’s own father, declined to answer). Bergman re-
sponded on Swedish Radio, 25 February 1963; see comment entitled ‘Ingmar Bergman och
kritiken’ by Robin Hood in ST, 26 February 1963, p. 22. See also discussion by theologians M.
Lönnebo and P.O. Lundberg in UNT, 27 February 1963, p. 2; and between Leif Furhammar and
T. Henriksson in Ergo (Uppsala University student publication), no. 5 (1963) pp. 6-7. In an
interview, Göteborg bishop Bo Giertz commented on Nattvardsgästerna as a deeply degrading
document on the church (GP, 13 February 1963, p. 14). Articles appeared in church publications
Vår kyrka, no. 9, 1963: 9, 24; and Evangeliskt drama, nos. 1 & 4, 1963. A debate on religious
implications of the film was published in the Lutheran state church magazine Svensk Pastoral
Tidskrift, nos. 10, 13 and 15, 1963.
In SvD, 21 April 1963, p. 4, theologian Hans Nystedt interpreted Nattvardsgästerna as a
religious parable with Märta Lundberg, the schoolteacher, portrayed as a Christ figure. To Sven
E. Olsson in Scen och salong 48, no. 4 (1963): 22-23, the pastor’s role depicted a psychological
transference of the concept of God from father-fixation to mother-dependence. Bengt Landgren
published an article in DN, 6 July 1973 (p. 3) comparing Bergman’s Nattvardsgästerna and the
modernist work of Swedish poets Gunnar Ekelöf and Erik Lindegren.
J. Jönsson, B. Lidström and L. Lönnroth wrote a joint reception study of Swedish public
response to Nattvardsgästerna: ‘Ingmar Bergmans film Nattvardsgästerna’ (with summary in
English). Available at Department of Literature, Lund University, 1969, 110 typed pp.
The most thorough discussion of Nattvardsgästerna outside of Sweden took place in Italy and
the U.S. In Bianco e nero 24, no. 5 (May 1963): 51-55, Mario Verdone analyzes the film as an
extension of literary works by Scandinavian writers Ibsen, Kaj Munk, and Strindberg. Renzo
Renzi in Cinema Nuovo, no. 163 (May-June 1963), pp. 166-168, saw Luci d’inverno as a para-
doxical film about atheism played out in a religious setting. In Cinema Nuovo, no. 166 (No-
vember-December 1963), pp. 443-445, Guido Oldrini discussed Tomas Ericsson’s crisis in terms
of the Protestant emphasis on individual salvation rather than on symbolic congregational rites.
See also group item ‘Religious Approaches to Bergman’s Filmmaking’ (Ø 997). Film a Sogetto,
Centro S. Fedelle dello Spettacolo, Milan (23 April 1965), 16 pp, is an Italian fact sheet on Luci
d’inverno, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot synopsis, and a bibliogra-
phy.
With the exception of Henry Hart in Films in Review 14, no. 5 (May 1963): 299-301, for whom
Winter Light redeemed all previous Bergman films, American press reception of the film was
rather negative. Time, 24 May 1963, p. 98 (A.E. p. 40), referred to Bergman as ‘Sweden’s
cinematic poltergeist haunting the dark and chilly corridors where Man loses God’; and Judith
Crist in the New York Herald Tribune, 14 May 1963, p. 13, called Winter Light ‘bleak and cold in
its abstract ideas’, while Brendan Gill in the New Yorker, 18 May 1963, pp. 169-73, dismissed the
film as ‘the latest installment of Ingmar Bergman’s running debate with God’.
A Dutch reassessment of the film was published in 1988 by Willem Jan Otten, ‘Fantomen op
kousevoeten’ in N.R.C. Handelsblad, 7 October 1988.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 12 February 1963 (AB, 11 February);
BLM 32, no. 2 (February 1963): 158-61;
Vi no. 7 (1963), p. 11.

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Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 168 (July 1965), pp. 88-89;
Cineforum, no. 17 (July 1962): 681;
Cinéma 65, no. 97, pp. 112-14;.
Cinema Nuovo, no. 166 (November-December 1963), pp. 443-45;
F-Dienst XXX/11, May 1977, p. 10 a-d;
Filmfacts, 23 May 1963, pp. 85-87;
Filmkritik no. 3 (1963), pp. 135-38;
Films and Filming 9, no. 9 (June 1963): 27-28;
Films in Review 14, no. 5 (May 1963): 299-301;
Jeune cinéma, no. 8 (June-July 1963), pp. 21-23;
Kosmorama no. 67 (October 1964), pp. 35-36;
Monthly Film Bulletin, June 1963, p. 79;
New Republic, 11 May 1963, pp. 26-27;
New York Times, 14 May 1963, p. 32:1 and NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, pp. 3386-87;
Newsweek, 27 May 1963, p. 103-4;
Saturday Review, 18 May 1963, p. 37;
Sight and Sound, Summer 1963, p. 146;
Times (London), 1 May 1963, p. 5.
Longer discussions
Lacy, Allen. ‘The Unbelieving Priest: Unamuno’s Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr and Berg-
man’s Winter Light’. Literature/Film Quarterly 10, no. 1 (1982): 53-61;
Schreckenberg, E. ‘Wenn Filme Texte sind’. Filmbulletin no 196, 1994: 44-51;
Simon, John. Extensive analysis in Ingmar Bergman Directs 1972, (Ø 1218), pp. 145-206;
Törnqvist, Eqil. ‘Från manus till film. – Ingmar Bergmans Nattvardsgästerna’, 2003 (Ø 1690).
Young, Vernon. ‘Films to Confirm Poets’. Hudson Review 16, no. 2 (Summer 1963): 262-264
(reprinted in On Film: Unpopular Essays on a Popular Art (Chicago: Quadrangle Books,
1972), pp. 214-16).
See also
Chaplin, no. 35 (1963), pp. 52-55, and no. 37 (1963), pp. 224-38;
Hubert Cohen. Ingmar Bergman. The Art of Confession, 1993, pp. 182-94;
J.-L. Comolli, Cahiers du cinéma, no. 156 (June 1964), pp. 30-39;
Jörn Donner in Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969, pp. 138-40;
M. Estève, Etudes cinématographiques, no. 47-47 (1966), pp. 56-75;
Frank Gado, The Passion of Ingmar Bergman, 1986, pp. 280-94;
Marianne Höök, SvD, 4 October 1961, p. 5;
Britt Hamdi, Vecko-Revyn, no. 10 (1962), pp. 19-23;
Image et son, no. 192 (March 1966), pp. 99-102, and no. 226 (March) 1969, pp. 56-58;
Torsten Jungstedt, ‘Biodags’, Sveriges Radio (SR), February, 1962;
Kosmorama, no. 56 (February 1962), pp. 97-99;
Birgitta Steene, Ingmar Bergman, 1968, pp. 102-108;
Télé-Ciné, no. 124 (October 1965), pp. 21-29;
Ingrid Thulin, American Film, no. 3 (1972), pp. 15-27 (interview);
Leif Zern, Se Bergman, 1995, pp. 130-36.
Awards
1964: David O. Selznick Silver Laurel. For additional awards, see Varia, C.

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234. TYSTNADEN, 1963 [The Silence], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
The setting of Tystnaden is an imaginary foreign country. Two sisters, Anna and Ester, are on
their way home to Sweden with Anna’s young son Johan, when Ester’s illness forces them to
interrupt their journey and check into a hotel in a city named Timoka.
Except for the opening on the train and a sequence in a cabaret hall and bar, the film takes
place in the hotel. Soon after arriving there, Anna and Johan take an afternoon nap, while Ester,
in an adjacent room, starts drinking. She learns a few words in the foreign language, such as
kasi, hand, and naigo, face, from an old waiter who brings her another bottle of liquor. The
radio is on, playing Bach. Ester goes to see Anna and Johan, caressing them in their sleep.
Returning to her room, she falls down on her bed and begins to masturbate.
Johan wakes up at the sound of air raid sirens. He dresses, puts a toy pistol in his belt, and
goes exploring in the hotel corridors. A painting depicting a satyr seducing a woman catches his
attention. Later, he pretends to shoot down an electrician who is repairing a light fixture in the
ceiling. He spies on the old waiter but is discovered and invited to share a piece of chocolate
with him. The waiter gives him a set of photographs showing a woman, presumably his wife, on
a bier. When alone, Johan hides the pictures under the hotel carpet.
Johan discovers a room occupied by a group of dwarfs. He joins them in their funmaking
and is dressed up in a girl’s frock. The game is interrupted by the arrival of the leader of the
troupe, who sends Johan out of the room.
In the meantime, Anna has gone to a cabaret hall where the dwarfs are performing. Across
the aisle from her, a couple is copulating. She leaves and goes into a bar, where she attracts the
attention of a waiter. When she returns home, she is questioned by Ester about her where-
abouts. Angered, Anna tells her a story about making love in a church. Soon afterwards, Anna is
ready to leave again. She quarrels with Ester; Johan is sent out of the room.
Left alone, Ester has a severe attack of suffocation. Drinking and smoking, she finally
collapses on the floor. The old waiter brings her fresh bedding and food. Johan comes to
her bed and shares her meal. He draws a picture of a sad face, then performs a pantomime
with two hand puppets, a man and woman fighting.
Johan is in bed reading Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time. Ester, coming in to check on him,
learns of Anna’s meeting in the hotel with the café waiter. Upset, Ester goes in search of her
sister. A bitter scene ensues. Anna is enraged and hysterical. Ester leaves but collapses outside
the room. The dwarfs pass her, now dressed up in strange costumes, including a bride, a groom,
and the figure of Death.
The last sequence in the hotel depicts Ester resting in bed, with Anna and Johan visible in the
adjacent room. Bach is heard on the radio. Johan comes to borrow cigarettes from Ester for his
mother. Soon afterwards Anna announces that she and Johan are leaving to go home. Ester will
stay behind. Johan says goodbye to his aunt and embraces her. She gives him a list of words in
the foreign language. The film ends as Johan is seen lip reading the list silently on the train,
while his mother opens the window to let the rain wash over her face. The last shot is a close-up
of Johan, his lips barely moving.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Studio manager Lars-Owe Carlberg

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Director Ingmar Bergman

Assistant directors Lars-Erik Liedholm, Lenn Hjortzberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Sound Stig Flodin
Sound effects Ivan Renliden
Music Excerpts from J.S Bach’s ‘Goldberg Variations’;
R. Mersey’s ‘Mayfair Waltz’, ‘Club Cool’,
‘Coffee Bean Calypso’, ‘Jazz Club’, and ‘Rock in the
Rough’. ‘Sing, Baby, Sing’ (text/music: Yellen/Pollack)
Costumes Marik Vos Lundh
Make-up Gullan Westfeldt
Props Karl-Arne Bergman
Editor Ulla Ryghe
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Ester Ingrid Thulin
Anna Gunnel Lindblom
Double for Lindblom Kristina Olavsson
Johan Jörgen Lindström
Old waiter Håkan Jahnberg
Anna’s lover Birger Malmsten
Electrician in corridor Olof Widgren
Woman in cabaret Lissi Alandh
Her lover Leif Forstenberg
Usher Birger Lensander
Cabaret doorman Nils Waldt
Bar owner Eskil Kalling
Newspaper salesman Karl-Arne Bergman
Dwarfs The Eduardini
Their manager Eduardo Gutierrez
Filmed at Råsunda Studios, Stockholm, beginning 9 July 1962 and completed 19 September 1962.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 96 minutes
Released 4 July 1963
Premiere 23 September 1963 Fontänen and Röda Kvarn (Stock-
holm)
U.S. opening 3 February 1964, Rialto and Translux East, NYC
Commentary
The script’s working title was ‘Tiimoka’, an Estonian word meaning ‘Belonging to the Execu-
tioner’. Bergman discusses the genesis of the film in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 104-112. He talks
briefly about the film in a radio interview in program ‘Filmkrönika’ [Film Chronicle]. Swedish
Public Radio, 20 September 1963.

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The script of Tystnaden was published in book form in En filmtrilogi (1963), later issued in
paperback as Filmberättelser 1 (1973). The script was also serialized as a novella in Swedish
magazine Allers Familjejournal, nos. 4-8/1967, illustrated with photographs from the film.
Variety ran several notices on the actual running time of The Silence, the first one on 6
October 1963, p. 6, listing the length as 105 minutes. This was corrected to 96 minutes in the
issue of 19 February 1964, p. 17. American distributor of The Silence, Janus Films Inc., lists length
at 95 minutes, but only a few frames were cut. Rumor that ten minutes of the original film were
cut in U.S. is apparently false. The February 19, 1964 issue of Variety also reports that Bergman
edited a special ‘international’ version of the film, which Janus Films, Inc. refused to accept.
The same commentary appears in Svensk Filmografi 6 (Ø 1314), p. 154.
Reception
Tystnaden caused more discussion, both in Sweden and abroad, than any previous Bergman
film. Becoming a test case for the Swedish Censorship Board, it passed uncut; from then on
‘pornography of violence’ rather than ‘explicit eroticism’ was the key criterion in censoring
films to be released in Sweden. But the head of the Censorship Board later revealed that he
would have censured the film, if he alone had been in charge of the decision. (See SvD 3
November 1963, p. 12.) The Swedish Ombudsman of Justice received several complaints on
the issue (See ST, 29 October 1963, pp. 1, 24, and DN, same date, p. 16). It also caused a debate in
the Swedish Riksdag, 30 October and 3 December 1963 (printed protocols A4, no. 35, pp. 33-39,
and B5, no. 31, pp. 32-34). An editorial in Expr., 3 November 1963, p 2., claimed that Tystnaden
had made the Censorship Board an impossible institution.
The public debate followed three directions: (1) a moral approach, which either condoned or
condemned the film; (2) an assessment of Bergman as a ‘film dictator’ whom no one dared
oppose; and (3) a gender approach charging Bergman with sexism and hostility towards
women’s liberation. See the following press sources: Dagen, 27 September 1963, pp. 1, 12; 28
September, pp. 1, 10; and 4 October 1963, pp. 1, 12; ST, 2 October 1963, p. 7; same paper, 7
October 1963, p. 7; 9 November 1963, p. 7, and 13 November 1963, p. 7; Expr., 16 October and 25
November 1963, p. 4. Norwegian paper Morgenbladet (Oslo) carried on a debate about Tystna-
den during the same period of time, in which, among others, the Swedish author Sven Stolpe
participated, claiming that Bergman’s film might serve as a warning and a deterrent against
decadence. See Kurt Almkvist’s article ‘“Tystnaden” och Hermesstaven’ [The Silence and the
Hermes staff] in Horisont XI, no. 1, 1964: 10-12.
Two influential editorial voices – Bo Strömstedt (Expr., 3 November 1963) and Olof Lager-
crantz (DN, 29 October 1963) – defended the film; for the latter this represented a shift in
attitude towards Bergman’s filmmaking, the reason being that ‘Bergman did not try to force a
pattern of salvation on the viewer’. Lagercrantz’ assessment of Tystnaden as a non-religious
work of art was attacked in an article by Torsten Strömner (‘Ingmar Bergmans nihilism’) in the
journal Origo 4, no. 1, 1964, p. 24.
On 17 November 1963 (p. 18), AB tried to summarize the vast number of articles and letters to
the editor that the film had elicited. On 14 January 1964, (p. 20), the same paper reported that
the film had been seen in Sweden by 1.4 million people and had been sold to 19 countries.
Swedish public reaction to Tystnaden is the subject of a sociological paper by Jan Ekecrantz,
‘Tystnaden och publiken: En sociologisk studie’, University of Uppsala Department of Sociol-
ogy, 1964, typescript, 50 pp. Swedish magazine Året runt, no. 17 (1964), pp. 10-11, 66, 68, 70,
published an interview with Bergman about the film and its reception.
Swedish media discussion was reported in Films and Filming, December 1963, pp. 53-55; Time,
15 November 1963, p. 72 (A.E. p. 60) (very glib); NYT, 1 December 1963, sec. 2, p. 5; and by
Martin Ripkens in ‘Kein Licht im Winter’. Filmkritik, no. 1, 1964, pp. 43-45.

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Bergman reports on receiving hate mail and threatening phone calls about Tystnaden. See
Bergman on Bergman, p. 179. He discusses the film in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 104-112.
Tystnaden caused a controversy in a number of countries after its foreign release in 1964,
especially in West Germany, where it was discussed in the Bundestag and became a test case for
West German Censorship Board. See Film (München) 2, no. 6 (1964): 13-20, no. 7 (1964): 4-5,
and Filmkritik no. 2 (1965), pp. 99-102. Die Information: Nachrichten für die Film Wirtschaft, 31
March 1964, 10 pp, contains a report of the Bundestag discussion on the film. Atlas Filmhefte,
no. 32 (1964) is a special issue on Das Schweigen, which contains the West German censorship
statement, releasing the film uncut; also a synopsis of the plot; two unsigned articles on the film
and one signed by I. Flatow; and excerpted West German reviews. There were several German
interviews with Bergman on the same subject: ‘Ingmar Bergman bricht Schweigen’. Weltwoche,
20 March 1964; Michael Salzer, ‘Das Schweigen soll für sich sprechen’. Welt am Sonntag, 29
March 1964; and Dieter Strunz, ‘Ballade der Einsamkeit’. Berliner Morgenpost, 25 March 1964.
Variety, 25 March 1964 (p. 19), 27 May (p. 15), and 30 June (p. 21), also reports on West German
debate and success of film. Gert H. Theunissen published a book-length study of West German
public response to Tystnaden, titled Das Schweigen und sein Publikum (Cologne: M du Mont
Schauberg, 1965), 187 pp.
For the response to Tystnaden in Israel, the first foreign country to purchase the film, see
Variety, 1 January 1964, pp. 2, 52. For reports on the film’s reception in the U.S., see AB, 21 March
1964, p. 18 (mostly on its economic success); NYT, 2 February 1964, p. 48; Variety, 8 July 1964, p. 11
(reporting on attempt by police chief in Braintree, Mass., to stop showing of the film).
Critical response to The Silence in the U.S. ranged from Henry Hart’s dismissal of the film as
‘one of Ingmar Bergman’s sexploiters’ (Films in Review 15, no. 3 (March 1964): 176-78) to Stanley
Kauffmann’s cautious assessment in New Republic, 22 February 1964, pp. 24-26, reprinted in his
A World on Film, 1966, pp. 286-89: ‘Bergman is a director who knows more and more about less
and less.’
The Argentinian distributor of Tystnaden received a one-year prison sentence (on probation)
according to Expr., 4 December 1964, p. 5.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 24 September 1963 (reviews by Robin Hood in ST and Mauritz Edström in DN
were translated by H. Lundberg in Atlas, no. 2 [1964], pp. 119-21);
BLM no. 8 (October 1963), pp. 684-87;
Chaplin, no. 40 (October 1963), pp. 239-41 (preceded by article by psychiatrist Göran Persson on
the Trilogy, pp. 224-38);
Perspektiv no. 10 (1963), pp. 460-61;
Vi no. 40 (1963), pp. 18, 37.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 153 (March 1964), pp. 42-44, no. 154 (April 164), p. 48 and no. 168 (July
1965), p. 88;
Cineforum, no. 32 (February 1964), pp. 122-30;
Cinéma 64, no. 86 (May 1964), pp. 115-17;
Cinema Nuovo, no. 168 (March-April 1964), pp. 117-22;
Film Comment, 2 no. 3 (Summer 1964), pp. 56-58;
Filmfacts, 12 March 1964, pp. 21-23;
Filmkritik no. 3 (1964), pp. 133-35;
Film Kritik Jahrbuch 65 (Emsderfen: Verlag Lechtl, 1965), n.p;
Films and Filming 10, no. 9 (June 1964): 22;
Kosmorama no. 66 (April 1964), pp. 166-69;

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Le monde, 18 March 1964, p. 10;

Monthly Film Bulletin, June 1964, p. 91;
Movie, no. 12 (Spring 1965), p. 38;
New York Herald Tribune, 4 February 1964, p. 10;
New York Times, 4 February 1964, p. 28:1 and NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3444;
New Yorker, 8 February 1964, pp. 106-8;
Saturday Review, 8 February 1964, p. 23;
Sight and Sound 33, no. 3 (Summer 1964): 142-43;
Télé-Ciné no. 115 (February-April 1964), p. 45;
Time, 14 February 1964, p. 70;
Times (London), 23 April 1964, p. 5;
Variety, 2 October 1963 (sign. Denk).
Longer Review Articles and Special Journal issues
Abenius, Margit. ‘Tystnaden’. BLM 33, no. 10 (December) 1963: 820-822 (pursues religious
symbolism in film and sees waiter as an obsolete and powerless God figure);
Adams, Sidney P. ‘The Silence’. Film Culture 76 (June) 1992, pp. 35-38;
Amis de la télévison, no. 237 (February 1976), pp. 46-47 (reassessment of film);
L’Avant-scène du Cinéma, no. 37 (15 May 1964), pp. 1-50 (special issue with dialogue sequences);
Blackwell, Marilyn Johns. ‘The Silence: Disruption and Disavowal in the Movement beyond
Gender’. Scandinavica 35, no. 2 (November) 1996: 233-68;
Brightman, Carol. ‘The Word, the Image and The Silence’. Film Quarterly 17, no. 4 (Summer
1964), pp. 3-11; reprinted in Kaminsky, 1975 (Ø 1266), pp. 239-52;
Business Week, 22 February 1964, pp. 128-30 (on financial success of film);
Buzzonetti, R. Revista del cinematografo 36, no. 6 (July 1964): 255-58 (analysis of philosophical
progression of the Trilogy);
Cineforum 4, no. 32 (February 1964): 120-73 (special issue on Il silenzio with excerpts from
scenario; a review article by J. Burvenich; and discussion of music, sound, and silence in the
film by E. Comuzio);
Cinema Nuovo no. 186 (March-April 1967), pp. 104-7 (Guido Aristarco analyzes the film as a
Borghesian form of atheism, producing no liberation from Christian dogma, but a deep
sense of abandoment);
Hamilton, J.W. ‘Some Comments About Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence and its Sociocultural
Implications.’ Journal of Academy of Child Psychology, 1969, pp. 367-73;
Hiroshi, K. ‘Symbolical Understanding of Ingmar Bergman’s Tystnaden’, Japan, 21 July 1966
(English transl., 4 pp., in SFI library);
Kieslowski. ‘Kan Kieslowski lösa Tystnadens gåta’ [Can K solve the riddle of The Silence?]
Chaplin, no. 254, 1994: 26-30. Also in Kinoerzählungen, ed. by Vernea Lueken. Munich:
Hanser, 1995;
Labraaten, B. ‘Meningen med ‘Tystnaden’’ [The meaning of ‘The Silence’]. Filmrutan 6, no. 4
(1963), pp. 123-25 (sees Johan as a contemporary Everyman figure and the old waiter as a
naive representation of God; cf. Abenius above);
Lee, Gordon. ‘Perceiving Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence through I Ching’. M.A. thesis, San Jose
State University, 1995, 150 leaves;
Lehman, B. ‘Analyse structurale: Le silence’. Institut national supériur des arts du spectacle et
technique de diffusion, Brussels, June-August 1966, 32 pp. (structuralist study of Johan’s
‘conversion’ from innocence to insight);

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Some stills from Ingmar Bergman’s films can serve as emblematic samples of his
filmmaking: the shot of the knight playing chess with Death in the Seventh Seal, the
split face of the two women, Elisabeth and Alma, in Persona; and the pietà scene in
Cries and Whispers when the maid Anna takes the dying Agnes in her lap. Photo
shows Kari Sylwan as Anna and Harriet Andersson as Agnes. (Courtesy: SFI)

Sammern-Frankenegg, F. ‘Learning “A Few Words in a Foreign Language”: Ingmar Bergman’s

“Secret Message” in the Imagery of Hand and Face’. Scandinavian Studies 45, no. 3 (Summer
1977): 301-10;
Sjögren, Olle ‘Kammarspels- och trilogibegreppen i Ingmar Bergmans filmtrilogi’ [Chamber
play and trilogy concepts in Bergman’s film trilogy], Institute of Literary Science, University
of Uppsala, 45 pp., available in stencil, SFI library;
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Bergman’s Movement towards Nihilism’, in The Hero in Scandinvian Literature,
1975 (Ø 1269).
Fact Sheets
Film a Sogetto, Centro S. Fedelle Spettacolo, Milan (30 July 1965), 20 pp. Italian fact sheet on Il
silenzio, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, plot synopsis, and a biblio-
graphy;
See also
Abraham, H., Commonweal, 29 May 1964, pp. 209-12;
Cinema (Zurich), no. 39 (1964), pp. 496-517;
Cinéma 64, no. 85 (April 1964), pp. 83-88;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 155 (May 1964), p. 34, and no. 156 (June 1964), pp. 30-39;

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 Synopses, Credits, Commentaries and Reception Record

Gado, Frank. The Passion of Ingmar Bergman, 1986, pp. 295-307;

Gervais, Marc. Ingmar Bergman. Prophet and Magician, 1999, pp. 80-86;
Hamilton, W., Motive, no. 2 (November 1966), pp. 36-44;
Hartman, O. in Jordbävningen i Lissabon [Earthquake in Lisbon] (Stockholm: Raben & Sjögren,
1968), pp. 158-67;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 58-59;
Koskinen, M., Spel och speglingar, 1993, (Ø 1552), pp. 104-117 & passim;
Kosmorama 24, no. 137 (Spring) 1978: 59-61;
Ladiges, P.M., Film (München), no. 6 (February-March 1964), pp. 43-44;
Motbilder, 1978 (Ø 1317), pp. 239-45;
Penlington, N., University College Quarterly (East Lansing), no. 3 (1966), pp. 30-33;
Playboy, June 1964, pp. 61-68;
Positif no. 61-63 (June-August 1964), pp. 133-34;
Schlappner, M. in Filme und ihre Regisseure (Bern: Hans Huber, 1967), pp. 63-78;
Steene, B. Ingmar Bergman, 1968, pp. 87-105;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 152-54;
Variety, 1 January 1964 (pp. 2, 52), and additional notices on 26 February (p. 18), 25 March (p.
19), 3 June (p. 21), 8 July (p. 11).

235. FÖR ATT INTE TALA OM ALLA DESSA KVINNOR, 1964 [Not to speak about all
these women/All These Women], Eastman Color
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, Erland Josephson
Synopsis
The plot catalyst is the death of Felix, a famous musician. Passing by his lit de parade are all the
women of importance in his life and his manager Jillker. His biographer, Cornelius, places a
manuscript on Felix’s body.
In a flashback, Cornelius is seen arriving at Felix’s house to collect material for his biography.
He meets Cecilia, the musician’s young cousin, and Adelaide, Felix’s wife, as well as Bumblebee
who shows him the master bedroom. This results in an amorous affair, which is depicted as a
dance to tango music to appease the censors. The next morning Cornelius wakes up in
Bumblebee’s bed and discovers a woman dressed in black who is about to murder him,
mistaking him for Felix. Cornelius escapes to warn Felix, but is refused access to the music
room by Isolde, the chambermaid. As a last resort, Cornelius jumps out a window, only to
encounter Adelaide firing shots at busts that resemble Felix. In the evening, he looks up
Bumblebee but gets lost and ends up kissing Beatrice, Felix’s accompanist. The scene is photo-
graphed by Jillker. Apprehensive, Cornelius flees again, dropping his cigar, which touches off a
spectacular fireworks display.
The next day, Jillker persuades Cornelius to dress up as a woman in order to get close to
Felix. He succeeds, though the viewers never see Felix. Cornelius learns that Felix will play his
composition, ‘The Song of the Fish, or Abstraction No. 14’. Jillker now threatens to resign, but
before he can put his threat into action, Felix dies.
After Felix’s death, Cornelius examines his manuscript and is forced to admit that he has not
captured Felix’s personality. He is accosted by Felix’s ‘widows’, and part of his manuscript
disappears. A young man enters the scene. The women flock around him. Felix is already
forgotten, and so is his biographer.

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Credits
Production Company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Allan Ekelund
Studio manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant directors Lenn Hjortzberg, Lars-Erik Liedholm
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, Erland Josephson
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Propman Karl-Arne Bergman
Sound P.O. Pettersson
Sound effects Evald Andersson
Music Erik Nordgren; selections from J.S. Bach, ‘Suite no. 3 in
C major’ and ‘Suite no. 3 in D minor’; Beethoven’s
‘Adelaide’, Offenbach’s ‘La belle Hélène’; Massenet’s
‘Thaïs’, Frank Silver (music)-Irving Cohen (text): ‘Yes!
We have no bananas’
Orchestration Charles Redland
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Börje Lundh, Britt Falkemo, Cecilia Drott
Editor Ulla Ryghe
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Cornelius Jarl Kulle
Bumblebee Bibi Andersson
Isolde Harriet Andersson
Adelaide Eva Dahlbeck
Madame Tussaud Karin Kavli
Traviata Gertrud Fridh
Cecilia Mona Malm
Beatrice Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Jillker Allan Edwall
Tristan Georg Funkquist
A Young Man Carl Billquist
English radio reporter Jan Blomberg
French radio reporter Göran Graffman
German radio reporter Jan-Olof Strandberg
Swedish radio reporter Gösta Prüzelius
Men in black Ulf Johanson, Axel Düberg, Lars-Erik Liedholm
Chauffeur Lars-Owe Carlberg
Waitresses: Doris Funcke, Yvonne Igell
Filmed on location at Norrviken’s Gardens, Båstad, southern Sweden, and at Råsunda Studios,
beginning 21 May 1963 and completed 24 July 1963.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 80 minutes
Released 28 May 1964

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Premiere 15 June 1964, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)

U.S. opening 5 October 1964, Cinema Village, NYC
Commentary
The script was serialized as a novella in Swedish magazine Allers Familjejournal, nos. 25-29/1964,
illustrated with photographs from the film.
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor, the first color film directed by Ingmar Bergman, was a
costly enterprise, with his highest budget so far (1.7 million Swedish crowns). It was also a kind
of ‘test case’ for his lab experimentation with color (ST 13 July 1963, p. 9; cf. Commentary to
entry Ø 227, Såsom i en spegel).
Bergman held a press conference about the film on 11 July 1963. On same occasion he was
interviewed by news program ‘Dagens eko’, SR (Swedish Public Radio), 12 July 1963, 4 min.
Reception
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor did not fare well among Swedish press critics, who found
it artificial, spiteful, and boring. Ingmar Bergman was interviewed about this in Se no. 26
(1964), pp. 32-33 (‘Jag gjorde filmen i hat och förakt’ [I made the film in hatred and disdain]).
He claimed he had wanted to attack not just the critics but also a type of ‘puffed up’ [uppblåst]
artist.
Chaplin, no. 48 (1964), pp. 254-58, asked three critics (L. Krantz, T. Manns, and S. Björkman)
to review the film; they were more generous than the daily press and called the film elegant,
humorous, and seductive. See also DN, 19 June, p. 4. Film received SFI Quality Subsidy of Skr
153,535 in 1964.
För at inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor was shown at the Venice Film Festival in 1964, but was
no international success. See F. Kovac’s report in Films in Review, October 1964, p. 458. Only the
French seem to have liked it, though Cinéma 64, no. 90 (November 1964), pp. 117-18, claimed
that the film confirmed Bergman’s total lack of humor. In response to this, see Cinéma 65, no.
93 (February 1965), pp. 109-10. Mario Verdone gave it an extensive review in an article titled
‘Bergman ad Antonioni’. Bianco e nero, no. 8 (August-September) 1964, pp. 7-29. (För att inte
tala om alla dessa kvinnor is discussed on pp. 7-10.)
English and American critics were mostly negative, thus confirming Variety’s prediction (1
July 1964, p. 22) that All These Women ‘might sell because of Bergman’s name’ but that ‘there
was not much chance of success’. Judith Crists’s review in the New York Herald Tribune, 6
October 1964, p. 19, is indicative of the U.S. response to the film: ‘If Homer nods, why not
Ingmar Bergman? But the trouble is the Swedish master has not only nodded – he has fallen fast
asleep.’ For a rare positive review of All These Women, see Tom Milne, Sight and Sound 34, no. 1
(Summer 1965): 146-47, who regarded the film as a complex statement on the function of art
and the artist as a genius.
Film a sogetto, Centro S. Fedelle dello Spettacolo, Milan (7 November 1965), 8 pp., is an
Italian fact sheet on Per non parlare di tutte questa donne, listing openings worldwide, credits,
review excerpts, plot synopsis, and a bibliography.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 16 June 1964
Foreign Reviews
Bianco e nero, August-September 1964, pp. 7-10;
Filmkritik, no. 10 (1964), pp. 527-28;
Films in Review 15, no. 10 (December 1964): 637;
New York Times, 6 October 1964, p. 35:1 and NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3497;
Time, 9 October 1964, pp. 109-10;

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Variety, 1 July 1964, p. 22;

Cahiers du cinéma, no. 161-62 (January 1965), pp. 144-45;
Positif, no. 66 (January 1965), pp. 91, 145-46;
Télé-Ciné no. 119 (January-February 1965), pp. 44-45;
Filmfacts, 1 January 1965, pp. 337-38;
Films and Filming 12, no. 9 (June 1965): 28;
Monthly Film Bulletin, May 1965, pp. 68-69;
Times (London), 1 April 1965, p. 5.
See also
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 159 (October 1964), pp. 12, 16-18;
Image et son, no. 176-177 (September-October 1964), pp. 174-76, and no. 226 (March
1969), pp. 59-60);
Movie no. 13 (Summer 1965): 6-9;
P. Cowie, Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography, 1982, pp. 220-23;
M. Doneux, APEC – Revue belge du cinéma, no. 4 (1975), no. 4 (1975), pp. 11-19;
S. Kauffmann in A World on Film, pp. 289-90;
J. Leirens, Amis du film et de la télévision, no. 228-29 (May-June 1975): 37;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 178-80.

236. PERSONA, 1966, B/W

Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Persona opens with a precredit segment of projector noise and an image of an old projector coal
lamp, followed by seemingly disconnected shots in rapid sequence: a shorn lamb, a crawling
spider, an animated drawing of a girl rowing upside down, a nail driven into a hand, spikes on a
railing, a snowy parklike setting. Next are interior shots of a morgue; there are distant sounds of
hospital utensils and of dripping water. A boy and an older woman, both seemingly dead, lie on
beds covered with sheets. A phone rings sharply; the boy wakes up and tries in vain to go back
to sleep. Moments later, he gets up and begins to wipe the transluscent glass on a door; a
woman’s face emerges slowly. The credits are displayed, interspersed with rapid shots from the
precredit sequence and recurring flashes of the face of the boy.
The film now shifts to a hospital. Alma, a young nurse, is being briefed by a doctor about the
case of Elisabet Vogler, an actress who has withdrawn from her profession and her family, and
has become mute. After having expressed doubts about her suitability as Mrs. Vogler’s nurse,
Alma introduces herself to her patient, who does not respond. She turns on the radio to Bach
music, Elisabet covers her face with her hand while the camera gradually darkens and obliter-
ates her features. At home in bed, Alma gives herself a pep talk about her own life: she is
engaged to be married, and she has a job she likes. Next Alma reads a letter to Elisabet from her
husband. Mrs. Vogler tears to pieces an enclosed picture of her son. Later, alone in the room,
she turns on the TV set. A newscast shows a monk in Vietnam burning himself to death.
Horrified, Elisabet retreats into a corner of the room.
The doctor talks to Elisabet about her condition, suggesting that her silence is just another
role she has assumed, which she will soon discard. Upon the doctor’s advice, Alma and Elisabet
move to the doctor’s summer place on an island. Bergman’s voice-over describes their life as
harmonious. While Elisabet remains mute, Alma becomes more and more talkative. After an
evening of drinking, she tells of a sexual orgy in which she took part. Later the same day she

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made love to her fiancé, became pregnant, but had an abortion. At this point in her story, Alma
breaks down crying, embraced by Elisabet.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Alma tells Elisabet that they are look-alikes. Drowsy with wine,
Alma hears Elisabet’s voice urging her to go to bed. That night, Elisabet visits Alma in her
bedroom. But when Alma asks her about it the following day, Elisabet denies it.
Driving to post some mail, Alma reads a letter from Elisabet to her doctor, which she has
forgotten to seal. In it Elisabet talks about her recovery and about Alma’s devotion to her. The
scene ends with a shot of Alma in a slick raincoat, her figure reflected in a pond.
Back at the house, Alma deliberately neglects to pick up some broken glass on the patio.
Observed by Alma, Elisabet steps on a piece and cuts herself. At this point of crisis, the film
strip breaks; when the film starts again, it is in slow motion and out of focus. Once adjusted, it
shows the two women, both dressed in black, reading on the beach. Alma is restless, Elisabet
seems at peace. Entreating Elisabet to talk to her, Alma becomes hysterical, yet also realizes her
own histrionic behavior. Indoors, in the kitchen, she threatens Elisabet with a pot of boiling
water and is triumphant when she elicits a frightened response.
Next, Elisabet is seen walking fast on the beach, pursued by the stumbling Alma who asks for
her forgiveness. Elisabet ignores her, and the scene ends with Alma crouching alone among the
rocks. The same night, Mr. Vogler visits the two women. Alma takes Elisabet’s place in bed.
The second half of the film consists of scenes within an obscure narrative context. Alma and
Elisabet are seen, seated at a table. Alma slits her arm, and Elisabet sucks her blood. In the next
scene, Alma comes into the room dressed in a nurse’s uniform. On the table in front of Elisabet
is the torn picture of her son. Sitting opposite her, Alma begins to speak about Elisabet’s feelings
for her child. Next, the camera projects the same scene from Elisabet’s angle, now focusing on
Alma’s face. At this point, Alma’s composure breaks down as she begins to deny her likeness to
Elisabet. The scene ends with the merging of the two faces into one.
The next scene takes place in the hospital room. Alma asks Elisabet to speak the word
nothing. Mrs. Vogler’s silence is broken. The scene then shifts back to the summer house where
Alma is carrying in garden furniture and locking up the house. Later, she departs alone by bus.
The film screen flickers. A brief shot shows Elisabet in a film studio. The projector lamp dies,
the arc lamp is extinguished, the amplifier switched off. The film has ended.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Studio manager Bo A. Vibenius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Lenn Hjortzberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect Bibi Lindström
Props Karl-Arne Bergman
Sound P.O. Pettersson
Sound effects Evald Andersson
Mixing Olle Jakobsson
Music Lars Johan Werle. Excerpts from J.S. Bach, ‘Violin Con-
certo in E major’
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Börje Lund, Tina Johansson
Editor Ulla Ryghe

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Continuity Kerstin Berg

Cast
Elisabet Vogler Liv Ullmann
Alma Bibi Andersson
The doctor Margaretha Krook
The husband Gunnar Björnstrand
The boy Jörgen Lindström
Filmed on location on the island of Fårö and at Råsunda Studios, Stockholm, beginning 19 July
1965 and completed 15 September 1965.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Lopert Pictures
Running time 84 minutes
Released 31 August 1966
Premiere 18 October 1966, Spegeln (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 6 March 1967
Commentary
Persona had several working titles: ‘Sonat för två kvinnor’ [Sonata for two women]; ‘Ett stycke
kinematografi’ [A piece of cinematography]; ‘Opus 27’; ‘Kinematografi’. Bergman was inter-
viewed on Swedish Public Radio, 15 July 1964 (‘Dagens Eko’) about his early plans for the film.
He discusses the genesis of the film in Bergman om Bergman/B on B (Ø 788), pp. 212-21/195-98,
and writes about Persona in Bilder (Images. My Life in Film), 1990, pp. 44-65.
On 21 April 1965, Variety (p. 25) reported on Ingmar Bergman’s delay in shooting Persona
because of prolonged illness. The same news was published by Gerhard Meissel, ‘Um Ingmar
Bergman wird es still.’ Tagesspiegel, 23 May 1965.
At a press conference on Persona on 15 July 1965, Bergman introduced ‘the gals’, i.e., Liv
Ullmann and Bibi Andersson (see Stockholm press, 16 July 1965). For the Ullmann-Bergman
relationship during shooting of Persona, see Peter Cowie, Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography,
1982, pp. 228-31. In connection with the opening of Persona, Bergman was interviewed on
Swedish TV by Gunnar Oldin, 26 October 1966 (transcript available, SFI). Almost forty years
later he comments on the film in a TV interview by Marie Nyreröd, SVT, April 8 2004, stating
that he favors Persona, together with Viskningar och rop/Cries and Whispers, as his most suc-
cessful challenge of the film medium.
The script to Persona was published in book form in 1966, later issued in paperback in
Filmberättelser 2 (1973). See (Ø 153), Chapter II.
A television spoof on Persona reportedly appeared in the late 1970s on Canadian SCTV.
Search for details has been unsuccessful, but SCTV apparently ran a whole series of Bergman
parodies.
Reception
Reviews of Persona in Stockholm press were respectful, labeling the film a new artistic victory
for Bergman, though hard to analyze. For a resume in English of the Swedish response, see W.
Wiskari, ‘Ingmar Bergman Tries New Theme’, NYT, 20 October 1966, p. 52. Film in Sweden, no.
3 (1966-67), pp. 1-13, contains excerpted reviews from the Swedish press and a presentation of
the film in English, French and German. On 23 October 1966, Olof Lagercrantz commented in
DN (Sunday Sect., p. 2, not signed) on what he called the ‘Person(a)kult’ among Swedish film
critics. Two months later, Chaplin, no. 68 (1966), p. 366, used the same coined word in a

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headline reporting the foreign reception of Persona. The critical implication was that Bergman’s
reception had reached the stage of idolatry.
Swedish press discussion of Persona lasted into December 1966 and focussed on two issues:
(1) the symbolic meaning of the film and (2) the legitimacy of its subjective premises. In SvD
(28 October 1966, p. 5) theology professor Stig Wikander analyzed Persona as ‘a gnostic quest
for divine nothingness’, contrasting it to Ansiktet, where God descended on earth in Albert
Vogler’s person. On 19 November 1966, theologian Hans Nystedt responded (‘Ingmar Bergman,
religionen och rollerna’, SvD, p. 4), suggesting that Bergman might be influenced by Hjalmar
Sundén’s book Religionen och rollerna [Religion and role-playing, Stockholm: Diakonistyrelsen,
1959] according to which our early religious impressions, coded in our brain, dictate our
perception of the divine. To Nystedt, Ingmar Bergman’s religious background was coded in
Persona, with Elisabet Vogler representing God or Christ and Alma being our human con-
sciousness. The film reveals God as an illusion; Elisabet disappears from Alma’s reality, and
Alma (Bergman’s persona) can return to work. For related discussion, see theologian Olof
Hartman in Vår lösen 58, no. 1 (1967): 56-60.
Swedish Persona debate among film critics coincided with the political consciousness-raising
of the 1960s, during which Bergman’s filmmaking was to become a frequent target. See Torsten
Manns in Chaplin no. 67 (1966), p. 301, and C.-E. Nordberg in Vi, no. 40 (22 October) 1966, p.
10. Nordberg, making a comparison to engagé writer Sara Lidman, wrote that unlike Bergman,
Lidman ‘calls out, protests, forces us to listen. Silence [such as the muteness of Mrs. Vogler] is
the language of defeat’ [ropar, protesterar, tvingar oss att lyssna. Tystnaden är nederlagets
språk]. Demand for social commitment and realism in art also dictated a critical exchange
on Persona in literary magazine BLM 36, no. 10 (December 1966): 788-91, between filmmaker
Jonas Cornell and critic Leif Zern. Both rejected Persona and other Bergman films as being too
hermetic and incapable of exploring the contextual origin of the traumas affecting the char-
acters. Zern revaluated Persona in his 1993 book Se Bergman. Persona was also the subject of a
‘revaluation’ by Lars-Olof Franzén in DN, 10 July 1973. Franzén, part of the 1960s critique of
Bergman, now focussed on Elisabet Vogler as an irresponsible artist and vampire and on Alma
as an audience representative who learns to revaluate and free herself from a Romantic view of
the artist.
In France, Persona redeemed Ingmar Bergman to the critics. Cahiers du cinéma, no. 188
(March 1967), p. 20 (transl. Cahiers du cinéma in English no. 11 [September 1967], pp. 30-33),
termed it Bergman’s ‘most beautiful film’ and Nouvel observateur’s M. Cournot (5 July 1967, n.
p., SFI clipping) suggested that in Persona the cinema might, after 60 years of errors, have found
a promising form. In marked contrast to the Swedish debate, Marcel Martin in Cinéma 67, no.
119 (September-October 1967): 73-81, argued that Persona was an example of l’art engagé re-
flecting the anguish of our contemporary world. Martin saw Persona as a study of the double,
expressing itself either as a divided self (the schizophrenic motif) or as a multiple self (the
maternity motif).
In US, Persona’s pre-credit sequence was shown with cuts (image of erect penis), and Bibi
Andersson’s monologue about a sexual encounter was edited in the English translation. A
restored copy of the film was released in 2001 with 30% more text; see Variety, 16 April 2001,
p. 6.
Though some American reviewers of Persona were puzzled by the film and dismissed it as a
work about ‘lesbians and lesbianism’ (Films in Review 18, no. 4 (April 1967): 244-246) or as
another example of Bergman’s total lack of affinity for the medium (A. Sarris, Village Voice, 23
March 1967, p. 25, reprinted in Confessions of a Cultist. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1971, pp.
289-92), most critics were impressed. Time, 17 March 1967, p. 104 (Am. Ed., p. 63), viewed
Persona as a study in accidie, or what medieval theologians termed total indifference to life.

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Most American discussions focussed on the psychological rather than metaphysical implica-
tions of the film. For sample reviews, see M. Harris in Take One 1, no. 8 (December-January
1968), pp. 24-26, and J. Hofsess in Take One 1, no. 12 (July-August 1968), pp. 26-28.
In his article ‘Landmarks in Film History; Bergman’s Persona’ (Horizon 16, no. 3, Summer
1974: 88-95), Stanley Kauffmann proposed three different approaches to Persona: (1) deciphering
or mapping out the story; (2) studying narrative technique and thematic development; and (3)
discussing the film as a tragedy of consciousness.
In his book Sex, Psyche etecetera in the Film (New York: Horizon, 1968), pp. 114-31, Parker
Tyler uses Persona to challenge both Kracauer’s and Susan Langer’s theories of film as either a
specific physical mode or a dream mode; in Persona Bergman uses a dream mode not to make a
surrealistic picture ‘but to inflect the meaning of the ordinary physical world.’
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 19 October 1966;
Torsten Manns, ‘Persona’. Chaplin 8 (no. 67), November 1966, p. 301;
Carl-Eric Nordberg, ‘Ingmar Bergman och det gåtfulla leendet’ [Bergman and the enigmatic
smile]. Vi 49, 1966, p. 10.
Foreign Reviews
Bianco e nero, February 1967, pp. 77-80;
J. Crist in The Private Eye, the Cowboy and the Very Naked Girl (New York Holt, Rinehart &
Winston, 1968), pp. 234-36;
Film (Hannover), no. 9 (1967), pp. 32-33;
Film Comment, 4, no. 2-3 (Fall-Winter 1967), pp. 63-65;
Film Heritage 3, no. 3 (Spring 1967), pp. 28-32;
Film Quarterly 20, no. 4 (Summer 1967): 52-54;
Films and Filming, no. 3 (December 1967), pp. 20-21;
Filmfacts, 15 April 1967, pp. 59-61;
Filmkritik 11, no. 9 (1967): 507-8;
Image et son, no. 210 (November 1967), pp. 134-36;
Jeune Cinéma no. 25 (October 1967), pp. 38-39;
Monthly Film Bulletin, November 1967, pp. 169-70;
Movie, no. 15 (Spring 1968), pp. 22-24;
New Leader, 8 May 1967, pp. 30-31;
New Republic, 6 May 1967, pp. 32-33 (Pauline Kael, review also in Film 67/68 and in author’s Kiss
Kiss Bang Bang, pp. 171-172);
New York Times, 7 March 1967, p. 46:2;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, pp. 3665-3666;
New Yorker, 11 March 1967, pp. 180-181;
Newsweek 20 March 1967, p. 63;
Positif, no. 88 (October 1967), pp. 45-47;
Saturday Review, 18 March 1967, p. 40;
Télé-Ciné, no. 135 (November 1967), pp. 40-41;
Times (London), 21 September 1967, p. 8;
Variety, 30 November 1966, p. 6.
In general, one can discern in both the Swedish and foreign reception of Persona three main
areas of interest: (1) the psychological implications of the film; (2) the self-reflexive nature of
Persona, and (3) comparative studies.

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Psychological Motifs
Barr, A.P. ‘The Unraveling Character in Bergman’s Persona’, Literature/Film Quarterly 15, no. 2
(1987), pp. 123-36;
Baudry, J-L. Person. ‘Personne, Persona’, Filmkritik 11, no. 1 (November 1967): 607-10; also
published in French under the title ‘Masque, surface et profondeur’, Les lettres françaises,
19 July 1967, p. 11;
Casebier, A. and J. Manley. ‘Reductionism without Discontent: The Case of Wild Strawberries
and Persona’, Film/Psychology Review 4, no. 1 (Winter-Spring 1980): 15-25;
Fredericksen, Don. “Notes on Bergman’s Persona. Jung and the Classical Notion of Personare.”
Images: The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Com-
munication, I: 1-2 (Poland), 2003; and “The Use of Two Images from Popular Consciousness
in Bergman’s Persona”. Images: The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts,
and Audiovisual Communication, I: 4, 2005. See also same author’s monograph Bergman’s
Persona. Poznan: Adam Mickiewicz University Classics of Cinema series, 2005, 130 pp.
Author is film scholar and practicing Jungian psychologist.
Houston, Beverly and Marsha Kinder. ‘Self-Exploration and Survival in Persona and The Ritual:
The Way In’, in Self & Cinema: A Transformalist Perspective (Pleasantville: Redgrave, 1980),
pp. 1-40;
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Vid spegeln: Lacan och Persona’. Filmhäftet 57, 1987, pp. 13-21;
Michaels, Lloyd. ‘The Imaginary Signifier in Bergman’s Persona’. Film Criticism 2, no. 2-3
(Winter- Spring 1978): 72-86, reprinted in same 11, no. 1-2 (Fall-Winter 1986-87), pp. 127-32;
Manley, J. ‘Artist and Audience, Vampire and Victim: The Oral Matrix of Imagery in Bergman’s
Persona’. Psycho-Cultural Review 3, no. 2 (Spring 1979): 117-39;
Sontag, Susan. Review article on Persona, first published in Sight and Sound 36, no. 4 (Autumn
1967): 186-91, and reprinted in Styles of Radical Will (New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giraux,
1969), pp. 123-45; in S. Kaminsky (ed) (Ø 1266), pp. 253-69, and Lloyd Michaels (ed)
(Ø 1660), pp. 62-85. This is the most referenced article on Persona.
Meta-filmic Aspects
Boyd, D. ‘Persona and the Cinema of Interpretation’. Film Quarterly 37, no. 2 (Winter 1983-84),
pp. 10-19;
Campbell, Paul N. ‘The Reflexive Function of Bergman’s Persona’. Cinema Journal 19, no. 1
(Winter 1979): 71-85;
Fredericksen, Don. ‘Modes of Reflexive Film’. Quarterly Review of Film Studies 4, no. 3 (Summer
1979): 299-320;
Jones, C. J. ‘Bergman’s Persona and the Artistic Dilemma of the Modern Narrative’. Literature/
Film Quarterly 5, no. 1 (Winter 1977): 75-88;
Jordan, Paul T. ‘Persona: Bergman’s Metaphor for the Artistic Experience’. M.S. thesis, Uni-
versity of Wisconsin, 1979, typescript, 104 pp.;
Kawin, Bruce in Mindscreen, 1978, pp. 102-32;
Livingston, Paisley in Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of Art, 1982, pp. 180-220;
Michaels, Lloyd. ‘Reflexivity and Character in Persona’. In The Phantom of the Cinema: Char-
acter and Modern Film (Albany: State University of New York, 1998): 33-46;
Vierling, David L. ‘Bergman’s Persona: The Metaphysics of Meta-Cinema’. Diacritics 4 (1974): 48-
51.
Comparative Studies
Boyers, Robert. ‘Bergman’s Persona: An Essay in Tragedy’. Salmagundi 2, no. 4 (Fall 1968): 3-31,
reprinted in Excursions: Selected Literary Essays (Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat, 1977), pp.

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47-70. Boyers compares Alma in Persona to the tragic protagonist in Electra, King Oedipus,
King Lear, and Hamlet;
Johns, Marilyn. Unpublished dissertation ‘Strindberg’s Influence on Bergman’s Det sjunde
inseglet, Smultronstället and Persona’. (University of Washington, 1977), pp. 199-225;
Murphy, Katheleen. ‘Children of the Paradise’. Film Comment 26, no. 6 (November-December
1990), pp. 38-39, 42. Compares Persona with Angeloupolos’s film Landscape in the Mist;
Orr, John. ‘The Screen as Split Subject 1: Persona’s Legacy’. In author’s The Contemporary
Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1998, pp. 70-90;
Patera, Paul. ‘Persona-grata? nongrata!’, Tidspegel no. 5-6 (1966), pp. 30-36, 45. Compares the
film to Strindberg’s play Den starkare (The Stronger);
Scholar, Nancy. ‘Anaïs Nin’s House of Incest and Ingmar Bergman’s Persona: Two Variations of a
Theme’. Literature/Film Quarterly 7, no. 1 (Winter 1979): 47-59;
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Bergman’s Persona through a Native Mindscape’ in Michaels, 1999 (Ø 1660),
pp. 24-43. Compares film to Strindberg’s dramaturgy;
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs (Amsterdam UP, 1995), pp.
137-48, and Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman, 1993, pp. 62-74. Comparative reference to Göran
Sonnevi’s poem ‘Om kriget i Vietnam’;
Wheeler, Winston Dixon. ‘Persona and the 1960s Art Cinema’, in Michaels, 1999 (Ø 1660), pp.
44-61.
Monographs on Persona
Blackwell, Marilyn Johns. Persona. The Transcendent Image (Urbana: University of Illinois Press,
1986);
Michaels, Lloyd, ed. Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (Cambridge UP, 1999) (Ø 1660)
Special Journal Issues on Persona
L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 85 (October 1968), 58 pp. Contains script and French reviews;
Cineforum, no. 61 (January 1967), pp. 23-70. Script, credits, review by J. Paillard and two articles
by E. Comuzio, one a survey of Bergman’s production, the other a study of the use of sound
in Persona.
Film a sogetto, Centro S. Fedelle dello Spettocolo, Roma (20 April 1968) 22 p., is an Italian fact
sheet on Persona, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, and plot synopsis.
Additional Studies on Persona
Burdock, Dolores. ‘Persona: Facing the Mirror Together’. In Close Viewings: An Anthology of New
film Criticism, ed. by Lehman-Peter. (Tallahassee: Florida UP, 1990), pp. 23-38;
Fischer, Lucy. ‘The Actress as Signifier’. In Shot/Countershot. Film tradition and Women’s Cine-
ma. (Princeton UP, 1989): 70-80;
Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey. ‘Feminist Theory and the Performance of Lesbian Desire’. In Mi-
chaels, 1999 (Ø 1660);
Habernoll, Kurt. ‘Alma und Elisabeth/Persona’. Abend, 29 December 1966;
Holmberg, Jan. ‘En stillbild ur Ingmar Bergmans ‘Persona’. Chaplin, xxxix, no. 2 (269), 1997: 41;
Kauffmann, Stanley. Figures of Light. New York: Harper & Row, 1971, pp. 13-18;
Leiser, Erwin. ‘Das Schweigen des Künstlers’. Die Weltwoche, 9 December 1966;
Orr, Christopher. ‘Scenes from the Class Struggle in Sweden. Persona as Brechtian Melodrama’.
In Michaels, 1999 (Ø 1660), pp. 86-109;
Persson, Göran. ‘Bergman’s Persona: Rites of Spring as a Chamber Play’. CineAction 40 (May
1996): 22-3;
Simon, John. Ingmar Bergman Directs, 1972: 208-310;

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Törnqvist, Egil. ‘En bilddikt – Persona’. In Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman. (Stockholm: Bokför-
laget Arena, 1993): 62-74;
Vineberg, Steve. ‘Persona and the Seduction of Performance’. In Michaels, 1999 (Ø 1660): pp.
110-129;
Wood, Robin. ‘Persona Revisited’. CineAction 34 (June 1994): 59-67.
All post-1966 book-length studies of Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking treat Persona as an im-
portant film in the Bergman canon. In fact, the film has elicited more analyses than any other
Bergman work. See for instance:
Cohen, Hubert. Ingmar Bergman. Art as Confession, 1993, pp. 227-249;
Gado, Frank. The Passion of Ingmar Bergman, 1986, pp. 320-344;
Grafe, Frieda. ‘Der Spiegel ist zerschlagen’. Filmkritik 12, no. 11 (November) 1968: 760-772;
Koskinen, Maaret. Spel och speglingar, 1993, pp. 225-232;
Steene, Birgitta. Ingmar Bergman, 1968, pp. 114-122;
Teghrarian, S. ‘The Cracked Lens: The Crisis of the Artist in Bergman’s Films of the Sixties’.
Diss, 1976 (Ø 1298).
See also
Cahiers du cinéma no. 189 (April 1967), p. 51;
Chaplin 215-216, 1988 (Ø 1452), essays by Björkman (pp. 81-83) and Dickstein (pp. 112-15, 157);
Cinéma 66, no. 111 (December 1966), pp. 31-45;
Cinema Nuovo 16, no. 185 (January-February 1967): 33-45;
Etudes cinématographiques, no. 327 (1967), pp. 672-74;
Film Culture 48-49 (Winter-Spring 1970), pp. 56-60;
Filmrutan 9, no. 4 (1966): 228-29;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 60-63;
Kosmorama 13, no. 80 (July 1967): 222-23 and 24, no. 137 (Spring 1978), p. 62;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (1314), pp. 290-98, including a close reading of the film by Maria
Bergom-Larsson.
Awards
1967: National Film Society prize for Best Film, Best Script (2nd prize), Best Direction,
Best Photo (3rd prize), Best Actress (Bibi Andersson). For additional awards, see
Varia, C.
Persona also placed high on numerous ‘Best film of the year’ polls throughout the world.

237. STIMULANTIA, 1967 (Segment entitled Daniel), B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Olle Nordemar
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Ingmar Bergman
Speaker Ingmar Bergman
Music Käbi Laretei plays W.A. Mozart, ‘Ah, vous dis-je, Ma-
dame’
Editor Ulla Ryghe

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Filmed in and around Bergman’s home (at the time) in Djursholm, Sweden, 1963-65.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
Running time 15 minutes
Released 22 March 1967
Premiere 28 March 1967, Spegeln (Stockholm)
Never released abroad.
Commentary
The concept behind Stimulantia – eight short films on a common theme, directed by eight
different Swedish filmmakers – was Ingmar Bergman’s. The final product, however, does not
have much thematic cohesiveness but ranges from a filmatization of Guy de Maupassant’s short
story ‘The Necklace’ to a documentary film about Chaplin’s childhood in London.
Bergman’s own contribution, entitled Daniel, is a 16mm film about his and Käbi Laretei’s son
Daniel Sebastian Bergman, photographed from birth to age 2. Bergman juxtaposes a suite of
soft, pastoral family pictures, including wife, son, and mother-in-law Alma Laretei, and refer-
ences to a film that was never made but which was to deal with human warmth and closeness
vs. a judgmental view of life based on a concept of God as a punitive deity. Bergman narrates
the film.
Reviews
Swedish press, 29 March 1967. See also: Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 318-20.

238. VARGTIMMEN, 1967 [Hour of the Wolf], B/W

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Title refers to the hours between 3 and 5 a.m. when, according to Swedish folklore, most people
die, and most babies are born.
Synopsis
After an opening ‘into-the-camera’ monologue by Alma, pregnant wife of the painter Johan
Borg, the greater part of the film is a flashback, beginning with Alma and Johan arriving on an
isolated island. Johan is possessed by images of haunting demons, which he draws in his
sketchbook. He is tense and sleepless; Alma stays awake with him until dawn, past the hour
of the wolf. In the morning, Alma sees an old woman, who may be real or a vision. The woman
tells her about Johan’s diary, which Alma begins to read; the film depicts Johan’s encounters
with Baron von Merkens, owner of an estate on the island, and with Johan’s former mistress,
Veronica Vogler, who disappears as quickly as she materialized. Johan is then pursued by a
curator, Heerbrand.
A short household scene with Alma going through the budget is followed by a long and
central dinner party sequence at the Baron’s estate. In rapidly shifting shots around the table,
the camera captures the artificiality of the guests; Alma and Johan are ill at ease. Later,
Lindhorst, an archivist, puts on a puppet performance of a scene from Mozart’s The Magic
Flute, which leads to a brief exchange about the role of art and the artist. After a walk in the
park, Johan and Alma are invited by Mrs. von Merkens to view Johan’s portrait of Veronica
Vogler.
On their way home, Alma reveals to Johan that she has read his diary and is worried about
his health. Johan rejects her, and Alma runs away crying. Later at home, Johan tells her about a
childhood trauma: he was locked in a dark closet. This episode is followed by a visualized

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account of Johan fishing from a rock, an overexposed surreal sequence. Johan is attacked by a
young boy, fights him off and kills him. The boy’s head bobs up and down in the water.
Heerbrand comes to visit Johan and Alma. Inviting them to a party, he leaves them a small
gun. Alma is anxious, Johan urges her to leave. He aims the gun at her and shoots. In the next
sequence, Johan returns to von Merkens. Old Mrs. von Merkens directs him to Veronica’s
room. Baron von Merkens tells him of his jealousy, then climbs the wall upside down, like a fly.
In another surreal scene, an old lady pulls off a rubber mask and drops her eyeball in a cocktail
glass, like an olive. Heavily made up and dressed in a silk robe, Johan finds Veronica nude on a
bier. Seemingly dead, she comes to life under his caresses while all the grotesque faces of von
Merkens’ household are present, laughing in ridicule at Johan.
Alma’s narrative resumes. After shooting her, Johan ran away from the house. He later
returned and wrote for hours in his diary. Then he packed his knapsack and left. Alma has
not seen him since. She now goes in search of him and encounters the demons that have been
plaguing her husband. She sees him, briefly, deep in the forest, attacked by birds. But the next
moment, the place is empty, and Johan is gone.
The film ends with Alma talking to an invisible listener. She asks if a woman who lives for a
long time with a man she loves might not become like him? Or has she lost Johan because she
did not love him enough? Her monologue ends in mid-sentence.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Studio manager Bo A. Vibenius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Lenn Hjortzberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect Marik Vos-Lundh
Sound P.O. Pettersson
Sound effects Evald Andersson
Mixing Olle Jakobsson
Music Lars Johan Werle. Also: excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Sara-
band in Partita no. 3 in A minor and W.A. Mozart’s The
Magic Flute
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein), Eivor Kullberg
Make-up Börje Lundh, Kjell Gustavsson, Tina Johansson
Editor and Continuity Ulla Ryghe
Cast
Alma Borg Liv Ullmann
Johan Borg Max von Sydow
Baron von Merkens Erland Josephson
Corinne, his wife Gertrud Fridh
Old Mrs. von Merkens Gudrun Brost
Ernst von Merkens Bertil Anderberg
Lindhorst Georg Rydeberg
Heerbrand Ulf Johanson
Old lady in Alma’s ‘vision’/
Old woman with rubber face Naima Wifstrand
Boy in fishing sequence Mikael Rundquist

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Kreisler Lenn Hjortzberg

Veronica Vogler Ingrid Thulin
Maid Agda Helin
Tamino Folke Sundquist
Corpse in the morgue Mona Seilitz
Filmed on location at Hovs hallar in southwestern Sweden and Råsunda Studios, beginning 23
May 1966 and completed 23 November 1966.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Lopert Pictures Corp.
Running time 89 minutes
Released 27 September 1967
Premiere 19 February 1968, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 9 April 1968, 34th Street East Theater, NYC
Original title Människoätarna [The Cannibals].
Commentary
The script to Vargtimmen was published in paperback in Filmberättelser 2 (1973). Ingmar Berg-
man writes about the genesis of the film in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 25-38. He began to write the
script in 1964 and planned for a production in 1965, at which time its name was Människoätarna
[The Cannibals] (see SvD, 29 August 1964, p. 10). But because of Bergman’s illness in the spring
of 1965, the production was postponed until after the completion of Persona. See report in SvD,
23 April 1965, p. 14. In a later TV interview on 18 February 1968, the day before the opening of
Vargtimmen, Bergman revealed that part of his difficulty in completing the script and starting
the shooting of the film had to do with the very personal anchoring of the story. For texts
related to this interview, see Cineforum 9, no. 77 (September 1968): 449-52; Cahiers du Cinéma
no. 203 (August 1968): 48-58; and Nuevo film (Montevideo), Autumn-Winter 1969, pp. 29-34.
Bergman held a press conference in Rome about Vargtimmen on 26 February 1968, which was
reported on the Swedish Radio (Kvällseko/Evening news).
At its release on 27 September 1967 Vargtimmen was 2,455 meters long. On 9 February 1968,
the film was cut to 2,395 meters (a cut of approx. 2 minutes). This cut was not done by the
Censorship Board and corresponds roughly to the length of a prologue, last shown in public in
a new print of the film at the New York Bergman Festival in May-June 1995. In it Bergman
explains to Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann about the background of the film: he had received
a diary from the widow of an artist on the Frisian Islands. This story is most likely a piece of
fiction. Cf. Koskinen, Ingmar Bergman. Allting föreställer, Ingenting är, 2001, p. 207, note 30.
Reception
Swedish press reacted to Vargtimmen as to a cinematic déjà vu. Though recognizing Bergman’s
virtuosity as a filmmaker, the critics had reservations about the portrait of the self-absorbed
artist Johan Borg. Göran O. Eriksson in BLM 38, no. 3 (March 1968): 212-14, found that Berg-
man overestimated the importance of the artistic self, which was considered an obsolete theme
in today’s world. See also Gunnar E. Sandgren ‘Bergman behöver en manusförfattare’ [Bergman
needs a scriptwriter]. KvP, 29 April 1968, p. 4. P.O. Enquist in Chaplin, no. 80 (1968), p. 108,
likened Bergman to a dangerous mamba in a bourgeois living-room who did not bite the real
enemy (the bourgeoisie), but merely crawled into a corner, wailing in self-pity because someone
stepped on its tail as a child. Mauritz Edström in DN (20 February, p. 12) and C.H. Svenstedt in
SvD (same date, p. 10) voiced views also found frequently in American and British responses. To
Edström, an identification with the film was possible only if the viewer let himself be manipu-
lated by Ingmar Bergman’s vision, while Svenstedt resented Bergman’s pontification of his

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message, which allowed for no intellectual response. See also Stig Ahlgren: ‘Vem är rädd för
vargtimmen’[Who is afraid of the hour of the wolf?], DN, 10 March, p. 4.
The somewhat unengaged Swedish newspaper response to Vargtimmen might be juxtaposed
to several longer analyses of the film. Theologian Hans Nystedt continued his examination of
religious symbolism in Ingmar Bergman’s work with an article on Vargtimmen in SvD, 31 March
1968, p. 4. In Vecko-Journalen, no. 16 (1968), p. 45, Stig Ahlgren related the film to Mozart’s
opera The Magic Flute. Asta Bolin in Teater och moral (Stockholm: Proprius, 1968), pp. 94-104,
discusses the film with Max von Sydow, who sees Borg’s situation as both a personal and an
existential crisis.
American reviews of Hour of the Wolf were mostly negative. Variety, 28 February 1968, p. 22,
referred to the film as ‘the selected works of Ingmar Bergman’ and added: ‘Anthologies are
almost always disappointments.’ Henry Hart in Films in Review 19, no.5 (May 1968): 306-8,
called the film degenerate. Stanley Kauffmann in New Republic, 20 April 1968, p. 30 (reprinted
in Figures of Light, pp. 62-65), was rebuffed by its coldness: ‘The most we can feel is a hospital
visitor’s pity.’ Andrew Sarris in Village Voice, 30 May 1968, pp. 45-46, claimed that ‘von Sydow
the actor seems to bring out the worst in Bergman the thinker [...] a yearning, yawning
mysticism’. John Simon in New Leader, 22 April 1968, pp. 30-31 (reprinted in Movies into Film,
New York: Dell, 1972, pp. 230-33), regarded the film as a failure in its attempts to merge the real
and surreal. Later, however, Hour of the Wolf became a favorite film among psychoanalytical
film scholars in the US (see references below).
In Europe the subjectivity of the film dominated the critical commentaries and echoed the
Swedish discussion of Ingmar Bergman as a narcissistic Romantic artist. Anders Troelsen in
Kosmorama saw the film as ‘the extreme expression of an isolated artistic position where the
artist does not let himself be distracted by any audience considerations’. Jean-Louis Comolli in
Cahiers du cinéma was more intrigued by the film’s structure as subjective dream than by
Bergman’s position as an artist. Ecran found a superior masochistic temperament nourishing
the film but also a Scandinavian filmmaking tradition focusing on the ‘fantastique’. René Prédal
in Jeune Cinéma viewed L’heure du loup as one more excursion into Bergman’s subjective
universe, at the same time a resume and a deepening of his developed themes of angst and
fear, but pointed out Bergman’s handling of Johan’s hallucinations as a macabre farce suggesting
the labyrinthian (though less precisely designed) world of Robbe-Grillet’s Last Year at Marien-
bad but also an incarnation of Bela Lugosi’s Dracula. Bernard Cohn in Positif felt that with this
film Bergman opposed ‘the contradictions of a creator who fights against himself ’. With the
exception of Comolli, French attention was either film-historically comparative or focussed on
Bergman’s creative persona, whereas relatively little attention was paid to his use of a subjective
camera with its optically disfigured faces, unrealistic lighting, bleached flashbacks and dizzily
revolving movements.
The British called Hour of the Wolf a return to the old Bergman of chiaroscuro and angst.
Never before, wrote Monthly Film Bulletin, ‘has he so displayed [...]his taste for the flamboyant
techniques of expressionism, surrealism and Gothic horror’. Philip Strick in Sight and Sound
emphasized the exaggerated theatricality of the film and pointed to its structure as ‘a succession
of deceptive curtain-raisings, each leading us into deeper darkness... until we can conjure
demons out of nothing.’ Strick concluded that ‘in the hour of dawn, Bergman’s imagination
remains the finest, and the most disturbing, of all the cinema’s modern visionaries’. In the
largely very positive British reception of Hour of the Wolf, Films and Filming summed up: ‘Rich
and orderly, superbly cinematic, this is among the most important films of Bergman; more than
compulsive viewing: imperative.’ A very different response indeed to the Swedish and American
reviews.

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Swedish Reviews
BLM 38, no. 3 (March 1968): 212-14;
Chaplin 10, no. 80 (March 1968): 108-9;
Kvällsposten, 29 April 1968, p. 4;
Stockholm press, 20 February 1968;
Vi, no. 9 (1968), p. 10.
Foreign Reviews
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 203 (August 1968): 58-59;
Cinema (Beverly Hills) 4, no. 3 (Fall 1968): 40-41;
Cineforum 8 (1968): 417-25;
Ecran, no. 17 (July-August 1973), p. 22;
Filmfacts, 15 May 1968, pp. 122-24;
Filmkritik 12, no. 4 (April 1968): 277-79;
Films and Filming 14, no. 12 (September 1968), pp. 32-33;
Jeune cinéma, no. 32 (September 1968), pp. 33-35;
Kosmorama, no. 137 (1978), pp. 63-65;
The Listener, 18 July 1968, pp. 92-93;
Monthly Film Bulletin, August 1968, pp. 115-16;
Movie, no. 16 (Winter 1968-69), pp. 9-12;
New York Times, 10 April 1968, p. 50:2, and NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3749;
New Yorker, 20 April 1968, pp. 163-65;
Positif, no. 98 (October 1968), pp. 53-55;
Saturday Review, 13 April 1968, p. 50;
Sight and Sound 37, no. 4 (Autumn 1968): 203-4;
Times (London), 11 July 1948, p. 11.
Comparative Studies
Rosen, Robert. ‘Enslaved by the Queen of the Night: The relationship of Ingmar Bergman to E.
T.A. Hoffmann’. Film Comment 6, no. 1 (Spring 1970): 26-31;
Gantz, Jeffrey. ‘Mozart, Hoffmann and Ingmar Bergman’s Vargtimmen’, Literature/Film Quar-
terly 8, no. 2 (Spring 1980): 104-15. Both Rosen and Gantz discuss Hoffmann’s stories ‘Der
Sandman’ and ‘Der goldene Topf ’;
Blokker, Jan in Vrij Nederland, 29 June 1968, n.p. Compares the film to Strindberg’s Inferno;
Gyllström, Katy in Nya Argus 61 (1968), pp. 170-72. Compares Johan Borg in Vargtimmen to
Sarastro in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Psychological Studies
Buntzen, Linda and C. Craig. ‘Hour of the Wolf’. Film Quarterly 30, no. 2 (Winter 1976): 23-34;
Corliss, Richard and Jonathan Hoops. ‘Hour of the Wolf: The Case of Ingmar Bergman’. Film
Quarterly 21, no. 4 (Summer 1968): 33-40;
Houston, Beverley and Marsha Kinder in Close-up: A Critical Perspective on Film (New York:
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1972): 273-79.
Vargtimmen as part of a Second Trilogy
For discussions of Vargtimmen as part of a second Bergman trilogy, see:
G. Braucourt’s analysis in Cinéma 68 no. 128 (August-September 1968), pp. 89-91, suggesting
that Toutes ses femmes, Persona and L’heure du loup form a thematic threesome about the power
of art (music, theater, painting);
Sergio Areceo’s view in Filmcritica, no. 190 (August 1968), pp. 570-76, that L’ore del lupo forms
a trilogy of Nostalgia together with Persona and Daniel.

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See also
Cahiers du cinéma, vol 2. 1960-1968 (ed J. Hillier), London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986, pp.
313-16 (transl. of Cahiers’s review in no. 203);
Cinema (Kansas City) 6, no. 2 (March-April 1968): 17-18;
Film Culture, no. 48-49 (1970), pp. 58-60;
Film 68/69 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1969), pp. 130-36. Contains John Simon’s New Leader
review and Richard Schickel’s in Life; Schickel’s review also in his Second Sight (New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1972), pp. 175-79;
Klas Viklund in Filmhäftet, no. 62 (May) 1988, pp. 40-42;
Kosmorama (debate) 126, Summer 1975, p. 174;
Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969: 63-66;
Passek, J.L. ‘L’heure du loup’. Dossiers du cinéma: films I, 1971, pp. 117-120 (synopsis/credits,
review);
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 366-68.
Awards
See Varia C.

239. SKAMMEN, 1968 [Shame], B/W

Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Skammen takes place on an island threatened by invasion. Jan and Eva Rosenberg, two musi-
cians, have left the mainland after their orchestra was disbanded because of a civil war. They
now live in a farmhouse and try to make a living by selling berries and vegetables.
The film opens with soundtrack transmissions of foreign language voices, wartime noises,
and studio directives. The first sequence depicts Jan and Eva facing another day. Jan is pre-
occupied with a dream he has had and with a bothersome wisdom tooth. Eva goes over the
household budget, somewhat impatient with Jan’s self-absorption.
En route to town with a delivery of lingonberries, Jan and Eva argue about his failure to
repair the radio, their only contact with the outside world. They stop at a stream, where Eva
buys fish from Filip, a friend, who reports rumors of an invasion. On the ferry, they meet
Mayor Jacobi and wife, and agree to get together soon for a musical evening.
Having delivered the berries in town, the Rosenbergs visit an antique dealer, who has just
been drafted. While he goes to fetch a bottle of rare vintage wine, Jan and Eva listen to the
delicate music of Bach on a music box made of Meissen china.
Back home they share a meal of fish and wine. Eva brings up the topic of children and pleads
that Jan go and see a doctor. The pastoral scene is suddenly interrupted by shrill sounds of
aircraft. A parachuter falls from the sky and lands in a tree. Eva wants to run to his rescue, but
Jan grabs a gun to defend himself. Suddenly, their house is surrounded by soldiers, and they are
being interrogated in a televised interview. When it is over, Eva confesses she is glad they have
no children.
Next, the house is rocked by bombardments. Afterwards, Jan and Eva collect their few
belongings and pack the car. In a ludicrous scene, Jan tries to shoot their chickens. En route
across the island they see fires and dead people, including the corpse of a small child. The road
is blocked; they return home, surrounded by the noise of fighting. Jan takes out his violin and
tells the story of its maker, Papini, a contemporary of Beethoven.

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Travelling to the country store, Jan and Eva are arrested with other customers and taken to a
schoolhouse for interrogation. The televised interview is shown, with Eva’s voice replaced by
that of a woman propagandist. They are pushed into a room where some people have been
tortured. Later, they are picked out from a crowd by Jacobi. He has joined the invaders and
releases them with an apology.
After this event, Jan’s and Eva’s relationship deteriorates. A sequence depicting them digging
potatoes reveals their tension, which escalates from abusive language to physical fighting. Jacobi
visits them, bringing them gifts, and talks to them about ‘the holy freedom of art, the holy
gutlessness of art’. Jan gets drunk and falls asleep; Jacobi gives Eva a large sum of money and
talks about his mother. While they are in the greenhouse making love, Jan wakes up, stumbles
into the bedroom, and finds Jacobi’s money on the bed and pockets.
The house is surrounded by Filip, head of a resistance unit. Jacobi wants to buy himself free,
but Jan denies having seen the money. The house is searched and destroyed. Filip gives Jan a
pistol to execute Jacobi. Jan is obliging, but fumbles in his aim. The soldiers have to finish the
killing for him.
A long take depicts Jan and Eva standing outside the ruins of their home with expressionless
faces. They continue to live in the greenhouse. One day they find a young deserter there, who is
given food and drink by Eva, while Jan interrogates him. The boy is later killed by Jan after
having revealed the departure of a boat of refugees.
Jan and Eva are on their way to the sea. Jan is pulling a small cart with their belongings, Eva
stumbling behind. On the seashore they meet Filip; Jan buys two seats in the open boat. The
next sequence shows the boat drifting amidst a sea of dead bodies from a torpedoed warship.
Food and drink are running out. (The printed screenplay suggests a nuclear fallout. The
survivors in the boat are quenching their thirst ‘with contaminated water’.)
During the night, Filip commits suicide by slipping silently over the railing. Jan is awake but
does not intervene. The film ends as Eva tells Jan of a dream she has had, seeing herself walking
down a street with houses on one side and a lovely park on the other. A high wall of roses is
suddenly set on fire by a roaring aircraft. Eva feels she should remember something important
that has been said, but fails to do so.
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Studio manager Brian Wikström
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Raymond Lundberg
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Sound Lennart Engholm
Sound effects Evald Andersson
Mixing Olle Jakobsson
Music Excerpts: J.S. Bach’s ‘Brandenburg concerto no. 4’
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein), Eivor Kullberg
Make-up Börje Lundh, Cecilia Drott
Editor Ulla Ryghe
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Military advisors Lennart Bergqvist, Stig Lindberg
Pyrotechnical advisor Rustan Åberg

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Cast
Eva Rosenberg Liv Ullmann
Jan Rosenberg Max von Sydow
Jacobi Gunnar Björnstrand
Mrs. Jacobi Birgitta Valberg
Filip Olsson Sigge Fürst
Fredrik Lobelius, antique dealer Hans Alfredson
Oswald, victim in schoolhouse Ingvar Kjellson
Interrogation officer Frank Sundström
Doctor Ulf Johanson
Peters, clerk Bengt Eklund
Man with dislocated shoulder Gösta Prüzelius
Aide at interrogation Frej Lindqvist
Officers Lars Amble, Willy Peters
Man condemned to death Åke Jörnfalk
TV interviewer Vilgot Sjöman
Soldiers Per Berglund, Nils Fogeby
Secretary Karl-Axel Forssberg
Woman bringing food in schoolhouse Brita Öberg
Johan, young deserter Björn Thambert
People in the boat Georg Skarstedt, Barbro Hiort af Ornäs, Lilian Carls-
son, Börje Lundh, Eivor Kullberg, Karl-Arne Bergman
Filmed on location on the island of Fårö and in town of Visby (Gotland), beginning 12
September 1967 and completed 23 November 1967.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution Lopert Pictures
Running time 102 minutes
Released 26 June 1968
Premiere 29 September 1968, Spegeln (Stockholm),
U.S. opening 23 December 1968, Fine Arts, NYC
Original titles Kriget [The war], Skammens drömmar [Dreams of
Shame]
Commentary
In 1961 author Pär Rådström wrote in a review of Såsom i en spegel (BLM 30, no. 9, p. 760) that
Ingmar Bergman ‘is obviously ashamed of being an artist and his god is the Bergmanian God of
Shame’ [Ingmar Bergman skäms tydligen över sitt konstnärsskap och hans gud är den berg-
manska Skammens Gud]. Refractions of this statement may have filtered down to Bergman’s
1968 film Skammen with its portrait of the demoralization of an artist (Jan Rosenberg). For
Bergman’s comments on the genesis of Skammen, see Film World, no. 3 (1968), pp. 25-26.
The script of Skammen was published as a paperback in Filmberättelser 2 (1973). In Bilder/
Images, 1990, pp. 298-301, Bergman discusses his reaction to the reception of the film and his
own critical view of it 20 years later.
On 9 September 1967, Ingmar Bergman held a press conference about Skammen on Fårö for
a team of journalists arriving in a chartered plane. On the same day he was interviewed about
the shooting on Swedish Public Radio (Dagens Eko, 9 September 1967). For a report on the
press conference, see E. Sörenson, SvD, 10 September, pp. 1, 14; L.-O. Löthwall, Film och Bio, no.
2 (1967), pp. 27-30; and rest of Stockholm press, 10 September 1967. An interview billed as an

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exclusive one by André Prevost in the Canyon Cryer, 21 March 1968, seems to be largely based
on the Skammen press conference. It may be compared to an interview in Les lettres françaises,
13 March 1968, pp. 19, 21.
Report from the shooting of Skammen was published by L.-O. Löthwall in Allers, no. 35
(1968), pp. 24-25, 60, 62, 64, 66, and no. 36, pp. 26-27, 82-84. On 2 June 1968, DN, Sunday
section pp. 1, 7, published the first pictures and an excerpt from the film, which had its world
premiere at Sorrento Film and Theatre Festival in Italy in June 1968.
Reception
Skammen was shown to the Swedish press on 21 August 1968, the same day the Russians
marched into Czechoslovakia. This may have intensified the political debate about the film.
In retrospect, Bergman was to claim that had events in Czechoslovakia preceded his making of
the film, it might have changed his focus. See Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), p. 229. Bergman
discussed his role as a filmmaker in tune with the times in a Swedish TV interview, 29
September 1968; see N.-P. Sundgren, ‘Ingmar Bergman om Skammen’, Röster i Radio-TV 46
(1968), pp. 56-57. He insisted that his examination of the artist had broader psychological
implications.
But critics saw Skammen as one more portrait of a maladjusted artist. Lars Forssell in BLM
38, no. 8 (October 1968): 605-6, charged Ingmar Bergman with ‘some sort of constitutional
blindness, a reflection of a 19th-century individualistic view of the artist that began with
Werther and ended with Oscar Wilde’ [någon slags konstitutionell blindhet, en återspegling
av en individualistisk 1800-talssyn på konstnären som började med Werther and slutade med
Oscar Wilde]. Cf. C.-E. Nordberg in Vi, no. 40 (1968), p. 10; M. Edström in DN, 30 September
1968, p. 6; J. Schildt in AB, same date, p. 12; N. Beyer in Arbetet, 30 September 1968, p. 12, and E.
Leiser in Expr., 8 October 1968, p. 4. All these critics expressed concern about a film they
regarded as obsolete in its theme about the collapse of the artist, and too abstract and imprecise
in its depiction of the reality of war.
Ingmar Bergman added further fuel to the debate by publishing a brief interview with
himself under the old pseudonym of Ernest Riffe in Expr., 25 September 1968, p. 12, and in
Chaplin, no. 84 (October 1968), p. 274. He declared himself a non-political person who only
belonged ‘to the Party of Scared People’ [de räddas parti] (see Ø 136). This echoes Sundgren TV
interview (29 September 1968), referred to above.
The Swedish debate about Skammen was ideologically inflamed and culminated with a
condemnation of the film by author Sara Lidman, spokesperson for NLF (National Liberation
Front) supporters in Sweden during the Vietnam War. According to Lidman, by failing to take
political sides Skammen gave latent support to those pro-American forces who wished to
prolong the war and who refused to see it as a Vietnamese war of liberation. See AB, 6, 13,
and 19 October 1968 (pp. 1, 5, 4 respectively). The response to Lidman’s article was lively (same
paper, 10 October (p.4), 12 October (p.4), and 16 October (p.5), and included brief interviews
with Bergman who called the attack on his film irrational and brutal. See AB, 8 October 1968, p.
48.
In the Sara Lidman debate, Skammen served as a catalyst for the politically divisive situation
among Swedish intellectuals at the time. To gain an idea of the range of opinion expressed, one
might compare Bo Strömstedt in Expr., 2 November 1968, p. 4; Gunnar Tannefors in Se, no. 39
(1968), pp. 66-7; and Ulla Thorpe in AB, 29 October 1968, p. 5. Strömstedt defended Bergman’s
integrity as an artist; Tannefors spoke up for Bergman’s right to be politically indifferent;
Thorpe called Skammen ‘a dangerous, reactionary film’ [en farlig, reaktionär film]. See also
opinions expressed by some leading Swedish filmmakers and intellectuals in AB, 20 October
1968, sec. 2, pp. 1-3, who voiced critique of Bergman’s film for avoiding a real political situation

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(Vietnam War). AB debate was commented on in UNT 26 October 1968, p. 11. Bergman
responded to this debate and the leftist political climate among younger filmmakers and
intellectuals in an interview conducted by Jan Aghed and published in French Positif no. 121
(November 1971): 41-46. See (Ø 794), Interview chapter.
One of the most thoughtful Swedish essays on Skammen was published by Torsten Bergmark
in DN, 6 October 1968, p. 4. Entitled ‘Ingmar Bergman och den kristna baksmällan’ [Bergman
and the Christian hangover], the article claims that Skammen unveiled a new trend in Berg-
man’s work. While earlier films revealed the vacuum left by a dying religious faith, Jan in
Skammen, though victim of the same kind of Christian hangover, is a faithless person drawn
with a great deal of self-criticism. Eva, Jan’s wife, on the other hand, shows Bergman’s ‘new
solidarity’. This article was reprinted in Motbilder (Ø 1317), pp. 246-50, and Film og Kino, no. 9
(December 1968), pp. 276-77, 297.
Much of the foreign discussion of Skammen revolved around a genre question: Could Berg-
man’s film be classified as a war film, or was the war it depicted simply a metaphor for the
filmmaker’s own brand of existential anguish? L. Seguin in ‘Le cinéma dans la politique’, Positif,
no. 113 (February 1968), pp. 3-27, discussed La honte as a nonpolitical film, comparing it to
Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner and Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Cf. this view to J. Belmans in
Cinéma 72, no. 162 (January 1972), pp. 65-85, who claims that La honte is an apolitical, existential
movie, like Le septième sceau.
U.S. reaction to Shame varied from Pauline Kael’s glowing review in The New Yorker, 28 De-
cember 1968, pp. 56-59 (reprinted in Going Steady, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1970, pp.
214-21), seing the film as a new, more socially oriented departure for Bergman, to Andrew Sarris’s
acerbic dismissal of Shame as ‘boom-boom theatrics’ (Village Voice, 2 January 1969, p. 39). Hollis
Alpert in Saturday Review, 25 January 1969, p. 22, contended that Shame’s source was a Swedish
neutrality complex, i.e., a pervasive national guilt for having stayed out of World War II.
Several reviewers compared Bergman’s film to Godard’s Weekend: See Los Angeles Times, 6
February 1969, p. 12; Time, 10 January 1969, p. 60 (Am. ed., pp. 58-9); and Cinema (Beverly
Hills) 6, no. 2 (Fall 1970): 32-39. The comparison is developed at some length in Robin Wood,
Ingmar Bergman, 1969, pp. 143-183. Wood’s discussion of Shame is the most extensive one in
English, together with P. Livingston, Ingmar Bergman and the Ritual of Art, 1982, pp. 221-31, and
James Maxfield: ‘Bergman’s Shame: A Dream of Punishment’, Literature/Film Quarterly, January
1984, pp. 34-41.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 30 September 1968 (Expr. 29 Sept.);
Chaplin, see under Roth-Lindberg, longer articles below;
Vi, no. 40 (1968), p. 10;
Vecko-Journalen, no. 40 (1968), p. 38.
Foreign Reviews
Artforum, no. 4 (1969), n.p., reprinted in M. Farber’s Negative Space (London: Studio Vista,
1971), pp. 222-24;
The Brighton Film Review, no. 14 (November 1969), pp. 3-4;
Cinéma 69, no. 136 (May 1969), pp. 135-36;
Cinema Nuovo, no. 199 (May-June 1969), pp. 211-13;
Esquire, March 1969, p. 32;
Film (Hannover), no. 3 (1969), p. 30;
Film Heritage 5, no. 3 (Spring 1969): 1-5, 22;
Film Quarterly 23, no. 1 (Fall 1969): 32-34;
Filmfacts, 15 January 1969, pp. 427-28;

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Filmkritik 13, no. 4 (April 1969): 237-43;

Films and Filming 14, no. 7 (April 1969): 38;
Films in Review, January 1969, pp. 51-52;
Hudson Review 22, no. 2 (Summer 1969): 295-306;
Image et son, no. 229 (June-July 1969): 109-13;
Jeune Cinéma, no. 40 (June-July 1969), pp. 33-36;
Kosmorama, no. 88 (December 1968), pp. 60-61;
Les lettres françaises, 23 April, pp. 18-19;
The Listener, 27 February 1969, pp. 288-89;
Monthly Film Bulletin, no. 4 (April 1969), p. 76;
Movie, no. 17 (Winter 1969-70), pp. 32-34;
New Leader, 20 January 1969, pp. 27-29;
New Republic, 4 January 1969, pp. 24, 34;
New York Times, 24 December 1968, p. 14.1;
NYT Film Reviews, 1913-1968, p. 3812;
Positif, no. 108 (September 1969), pp. 49-51;
Sight and Sound 38, no. 2 (Spring 1969): 89-92;
Variety, 16 October 1968, p. 26.
Review Articles and Special Issues on Shame
Cineforum 9, no. 83 (March 1969): 110-296. Contains an analysis of the film (pp. 177-83) by
Örjan Roth-Lindberg, also printed in Swedish in Chaplin, no. 84 (October 1968), pp. 275-77.
Issue also includes a survey of Bergman’s work by E. Comuzio, and a complete scenario of
La vergogna;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 215 (September 1969), pp. 49-58, has several items on Bergman in
connection with the presentation of La honte, among them an interview article by L.-O.
Löthwall, also printed in Film och bio, no. 1 (1968), pp. 10-18; in Take One 2, no. 1 (Sep-
tember-October 1968), pp. 16-18; and in Films and Filming 15, no. 5 (February 1969): 4-6;
Film a sogetto, Centro S. Fedelle dello Spettacolo (Roma), 8 pp., is an Italian fact sheet on La
vergogna, listing openings worldwide, credits, review excerpts, and a plot synopsis;
Kosmorama no. 137 (Spring) 1978: 65-66. Article by Kaare Schmidt who emphasizes the private
nature of the film and sees it as an explicit depiction of Bergman’s universe with its
dichotomy between life’s meaning (‘faith, art and love’) and life’s conditions (undermining
of this trinity through institutionalized conventions);
Sight and Sound 38, no. 2 (Spring 1969), pp. 89-92 has a review article by Jan Dawson.
See also
Film 68/69 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1969), pp. 23-32, containing reviews by J. Simon in
New Leader, H. Alpert in Saturday Review, and W. Shed in Esquire;
Film in Sweden, no. 3 (1968), pp. 3-7;
S. Kauffmann in Figures of Light, pp. 125-28;
Bruce Kawin in Mindscreen..., 1981, pp. 133-42 (Ø 1372);
Kosmorama, no. 110 (September 1972), pp. 259-61;
Positif, no. 121 (November 1970), pp. 34-40;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 401-6;
Variety, 5 April 1967, p. 15.
Awards
1968: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Script
(2nd place), Best Photo (2nd place), Best Actress (Liv Ullmann). See also Varia, C.

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240. RITEN, 1969 [The Ritual], B/W

Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
See also Riten as TV film in Media chapter V (Ø 329)
Synopsis
Riten, made for Swedish television but also released abroad in the same version as a feature film,
depicts an encounter between three traveling artists and a 60-year-old judge, Ernst Abrahams-
son, whose task it is to interrogate them about an alleged act of obscenity in their vaudeville
show. The artistic trio, ‘Les riens’, consists of 56-year-old Hans Winkelmann, the troupe’s
manager; 24-year-old Thea Winkelmann, his wife; and 35-year-old Sebastian Fisher, Thea’s
lover. The film is divided into nine scenes, five of which take place in Judge Abrahamsson’s
office, while the rest are set in a hotel room, a church, and a cabaret theater.
Judge Abrahamsson meets with each artist in turn. In rejecting a bribe from Hans Winkel-
mann to keep Thea from being interrogated, the Judge gains the upper hand but loses control
of the situation in meeting Sebastian and Thea. Sebastian accuses him of being dirty and
smelling bad from excessive perspiration. Taking off his jacket and tie, Abrahamsson makes
a series of desperate confessions. Asking Sebastian about his religious faith, he receives the reply
that an artist is his own god and keeps his own demons and angels. Sebastian tells the judge of a
performance number that he and Hans Winkelmann do together, about a man who is seized by
an insatiable appetite, eats his family and servants, then cuts out a piece of an old man who is
God himself.
Thea’s interrogation opens on a polite note. She relates a religious game she plays. Abra-
hamsson tries to get to the point, i.e., the vaudeville number on which he is to rule. Thea breaks
down, rolls on the floor, begins to undress, and pulls down the judge, who is both angry and
consoling. Suddenly conscious of his situation, he calls on Hans Winkelmann, who arrives and
quiets Thea.
The crucial episode is a re-enactment of the number on which the obscenity charge rests.
Hans calls it a ritual game and a magic formula. He wears an enormous phallus, while Sebastian
has put on big breasts, and Thea is dressed in a transparent frock and a stylized wig. She holds a
drum in her lap. Sebastian puts a long knife at her feet. Before they begin their performance,
the judge makes a confession: He really wanted to become a musician, but under parental
pressure he studied law instead. Expressing admiration and envy of the troupe, and telling them
he is a willing spectator to their act, the judge receives such a hard blow from Sebastian that he
begins to nosebleed. Hit a second time, he seems to have a seizure. Hans Winkelmann explains
the ritual act, and the trio performs it while the judge makes weak statements to the effect that
he understans the ritual. He is dying.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph AB
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Studio manager Lennart Blomqvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Christer Dahl
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Sound Lennart Engholm, Berndt Frithiof
Special effects Nils Skeppstedt
Mixing Olle Jakobsson

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Architect/Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)

Props Karl-Arne Bergman
Make-up Börje Lundh, Cecilia Drott
Editor Siv Kanälv
Continuity Birgitta Särnö
Cast
Thea Winkelmann Ingrid Thulin
Hans Winkelmann Gunnar Björnstrand
Sebastian Fisher Anders Ek
Judge Abrahamsson Erik Hell
A priest Ingmar Bergman
Though conceived for television Riten was shot in the studios at Filmstaden, Stockholm,
beginning 13 May 1967 and completed 20 June 1967.
Distribution Cinematograph AB/Sveriges Television
U.S. distribution Janus Films, Inc.
Running time 72 minutes
Premiere 25 March 1969 (Swedish TV)
U.S. opening 18 September 1969, New York Film Festival, Tully Hall,
Lincoln Center. Available at NYC Museum of Television
and Radio, no. T:37471.
Commentary
The script of Riten was published in paperback form in Filmberättelser 3 (1973). Bergman writes
about its genesis, based on his drafts, in Bilder/Images (1990), pp. 173-183.
Foreign Reception (film version)
In the U.S., Variety, (21 May 1969, p. 18) expressed doubt that ‘Ritorna’ (sic!) would be shown on
either American television or in movie houses on account of its explicit language. The screen
version was submitted to the New York Film Festival in 1969 and had a limited commercial run
in the U.S. The following English-language discussions of the film deserve attention:
P. Cowie in Focus on Film 5 (Nov-Dec 1970): 7-13; Jan Dawson in Monthly Film Bulletin, June
1971, pp. 124-25; Judith Gollub in Cinema Journal 10, no. 1 (Fall 1970): 48-50; B. Houston and M.
Kinder in Self & Cinema: A Transformalist Perspective (Plesantville: Redgrave, 1980), pp. 1-70;
and, in particular, P. Livingston, Ingmar Bergman and the Ritual of Art, 1982, pp. 143-67.
Foreign Reviews
Bianco e nero, January-February (1971), pp. 56-58;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 215 (November 1969), p. 44;
Cinéma 72, no. 170 (November 1972), pp. 127-8;
Ecran 72, no. 8 (September-October 1969), pp. 48-9;
Etudes cinématographiques, no. 337 (1972), pp. 244-46;
Film (Hannover), no. 7 (July 1971), p. 26;
Filmkritik, no. 1 (1970), pp. 35-36;
Films and Filming 17, no. 10 (July 1971): 55-56;
Le nouvel observateur, 10 July 1972, p. 51;
Monogram, no. 2 (Summer 1971), pp. 21-22;
Monthly Film Bulletin, June 1971, pp. 124-25;
New York Times, 19 September 1969, p. 55:1, and
NYT Film Reviews, 1969-1970, p. 74;

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Positif, no. 110 (November 1969), p. 57, and no. 254-55 (May 1982), p. 82;
Sight and Sound 41, no. 3 (Summer 1971): 162-63;
Süddeutsche Zeitung (Munich), 17 May 1969, p. 16;
Télé-Ciné, no. 180 (July-August 1973), pp. 33-5;
Time, 26 September 1969, pp. 94, 96;
Times (London), 30 April 1971, p. 10;
Variety, 21 May 1969, p. 18.
See also
APEC – Revue belge du cinéma 12, no. 4 (1975): 5-16;
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), pp. 237-43;
Cinéma 69, no. 139 (September-October 1969): 142;
Skoop, no. 3 (December-January 1970), pp. 28-29.
Awards
Riten was an entry at the 1970 Mar del Plata Film Festival.

241. EN PASSION, 1969 [A Passion/The Passion of Anna], Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Bergman uses the word ‘passion’ in both a secular and a religious sense, implying earthly love as
well as the passion of Christ. Hence the literal British title, A Passion, is preferable to the
American title, The Passion of Anna.
Synopsis
En passion opens with its production nummer, L-138. The first shot is of a herd of sheep grazing
peacefully on the island where Andreas Winkelman, introduced by Bergman’s voice-over, is
working on the roof of his house. Anna Fromm (lit. Anne Pious) stops by to use the telephone.
Here Bergman interrupts the action and, in the first of a series of interviews with the actors, he
asks Max von Sydow to interpret his role as Andreas Winkelman.
Anna Fromm leaves her handbag behind; in it Andreas finds a letter written by Anna’s
husband, whose name is also Andreas, who speaks of the inevitable dissolution of their mar-
riage. Next, Andreas finds a puppy hanging in a tree, the first of a series of similar sadistic acts
on the island. The culprit is never found, but a poor old bachelor, Johan Andersson, is made a
scapegoat by the islanders.
Anna Fromm is staying with Elis and Eva Vergérus. During an overnight visit, Andreas gets
to know his neighbours. Elis is an architect whose hobby is portrait photography. He collects
shots of people taken off guard, which he files under different categories. Elis incorporates
Andreas W. in his collection and makes him reveal his past, which includes check forgery,
drunken driving, and police assault.
At a Vergérus dinner, Anna talks about her happy marriage, but no one believes her. At night, she
is plagued by nightmares. Interviewed by Bergman, Liv Ulmann describes Anna as a fanatic truth-
seeker, but also as a person who falsifies reality when people around her do not respond to her.
During one of her husband’s business trips, Eva stays with Andreas and tells him about
Anna’s past: her husband and son were killed, and Anna was hurt in an auto accident. In her
analysis of Anna, Bibi Andersson sees her as suicidal but believes she will survive the present
crisis with a new sense of self.
Anna Fromm and Andreas Winkelman move in together. Violence creeps into their everyday
life. A bird flies against the window pane and is killed. They watch the execution of a soldier in

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Vietnam on TV. On the island, there are more reports of killed animals; the hunt for Johan
Andersson accelerates. Anna’s and Andreas’s relationship deteriorates until Andreas loses self-
control and attacks Anna physically.
Someone has set fire to a barn on the island, and a horse has burned to death. Anna picks up
Andreas at the barn. In the car, on the way back, Andreas asks to be free and accuses Anna of
telling lies, at the same time revealing that he has read the letter in her purse. Anna seems to
lose control of the car, and Andreas grabs the wheel, accusing her of attempting to kill him as
she killed her former husband. Anna replies that she has come to ask for forgiveness. Full of
ambivalence, Andreas, now outside the car, does not know which way to turn. He sinks down
on the road while the camera pulls back until Andreas is no more than a speck in the empty
landscape. Bergman’s voice declares: ‘This time his name was Andreas Winkelman.’
Credits
Production company Svensk Filmindustri/Cinematograph
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Location manager Brian Wikström
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect P. A. Lundgren
Props Karl-Arne Bergman, Jan Söderkvist
Sound Lennart Engholm
Sound effects Ulf Nordholm
Mixing Olle Jakobsson
Music Excerpts from J.S. Bach, ‘Partita no. 3 in A minor’ and
from Allan Gray’s ‘Always Romantic’
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Börje Lundh, Cecilia Drott
Editor Siv Kanälv
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Speaker Ingmar Bergman
Cast
Andreas Winkelman Max von Sydow
Anna Fromm Liv Ullmann
Eva Vergérus Bibi Andersson
Elis Vergérus Erland Josephson
Johan Andersson Erik Hell
Verner Sigge Fürst
His wife Svea Holst-Widén
Katarina, girl in daydream Annicka Kronberg
Johan’s sister Hjördis Petterson
Policemen Lars-Owe Carlberg, Brian Wikström
Women in nightmare Barbro Hiort af Ornäs, Malin Ek, Britta Brunius, Brita
Öberg, Marianne Karlbeck
Filmed on Fårö, beginning September 1968 and completed at end of December 1968.
Original titles L-182; Annandreas.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution United Artists

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Running time 101 minutes

Released 10 October 1969
Premiere 10 November 1969, Spegeln (Stockholm),
U.S. opening 6 June 1970
Commentary
The script of En passion was published as a paperback in Filmberättelser 2 (1973). See (Ø 153),
Chapter II. Bergman discusses the genesis of En passion in Bilder/Images (1990), pp. 304-310. It
was a complicated production with some politicized activity by a member of the film team and
rare tension between Bergman and cinematographer Sven Nykvist.
Reception
In marked contrast to their response to Skammen a year earlier, Swedish reviewers of En passion
defended Bergman’s right to produce films according to his own professionally defined pre-
mises. AB (11 November 1969, p. 25) wrote that ‘within the narrow framework of the psycho-
logical chamber play, Bergman demonstrates the only mastery that the Swedish cinema
possesses’ [inom det psykologiska kammarspelets smala ram demonstrerar Bergman det enda
mästerskap som den svenska filmen äger]. Expr. (same date, p. 32) argued that Bergman’s island
landscape could not be dismissed as uninteresting ‘except possibly by Mao’ [utom möjligen av
Mao]. Not many critics cared for the Brechtian interviews with the actors, but they were
unanimous in praising En passion for its depiction of human suffering.
In SvD, 1 December 1969, p. 4, Hans Nystedt continued his previous discussion (see com-
mentaries in Ø 233 and 236) of the religious implications in Bergman’s films, interpreting Anna
Fromm as a negative Christ figure whom Andreas Winkelman must fight off, just as Alma did
with Elisabet Vogler in Persona.
Most foreign reviewers of En passion preferred it to Skammen, or in the words of P. Houston
(Spectator, 23 May 1970, p. 687): ‘Rather a Vietnam in the Bergmanian soul than in allegorical
Sweden.’ Others, like Andrew Sarris in Village Voice, 4 June 1970, pp. 55, 61, continued to
denounce Bergman: ‘Never before has Bergman seemed to spew forth so much undigested
clinical material to so little artistic purpose.’
In America two groups of Bergman critics could now be discerned: (1) those who preferred
his more traditional Fifties films and (2) those who liked his more modernist Sixties pictures.
Peter Harcourt in Cinema (Beverly Hills) 6, no. 2 (Fall 1970): 32-39, spoke for the first group,
deploring Bergman’s renunciation of classical narrative form for the fragmented structure of A
Passion. For a representative of the second group, see Richard Schickel in Life, 24 July 1970, p. 8
(reprinted in Second Sight: Notes on Some Movies, 1965-70 [New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972],
pp. 314-16). Schickel praised A Passion for being ‘austere, enigmatic and free from the baroque
symbolism of Bergman’s earlier work’.
The most exhaustive discussions of A Passion in English are Hubert Cohen, Ingmar Bergman.
The Art of Confession, 1993, pp. 298-316; Peter Cowie in Petric, Film and Dreams, 1981 (Ø 1378),
pp. 147-53; Frank Gado. The Passion of Ingmar Bergman, 1986, pp. 376-390; Paisley Livingston,
Ingmar Bergman and the Ritual of Art, 1982, pp. 167-79; and Vernon Young, Cinema Borealis,
1972, pp. 256-83. (A Passion was one of the few Bergman films approved of by Young.)
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press. 11 November 1969;
Chaplin, no. 94 (October 1969), pp. 321-22, and no. 97 (January 1970), pp. 16-17;
Filmrutan, no. 1 (1970), pp. 36-37;
Vi, no. 47 (1969), p. 14.

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Foreign Reviews
Cinéma 70, no. 150 (November 1970), pp. 130-32;
Films and Filming 16, no. 1 (October 1970): 41-42;
Films in Review, no. 7 (August-September 1970), p. 443;
Image et son, no. 243 (November 1970), pp. 138-9;
Jeune cinéma, no. 48 (June-July 1970), pp. 45-6;
Kosmorama, no. 98 (September 1970), pp. 228-9;
Listener, 6 August 1970, p. 191;
Monthly Film Bulletin, September 1970, p. 181;
New York Times, 7 June 1970, p. 11:1;
NYT Film Reviews, 1969-1970, pp. 171-72;
New Yorker, 13 June 1970, pp. 103-8;
Positif, no. 121 (November 1970), pp. 34-40;
Sight and Sound 40, no. 4 (Autumn 1970): 216-17;
Skoop 6, no. 7 (May 1970): 36-39;
Télé-Ciné, no. 166 (October-November 1970), p. 32;
Time, 8 June 1970, p. 74 (A.E. p. 62);
Times (London), 31 July 1970, p. 13;
Variety 6 May 1970, p. 22.
Special Journal Issues and Fact Sheets on En Passion
L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 109 (December 1970), 37 pp. With excerpted reviews, complete
script, and filmography;
Film in Sweden, no. 3 (1969), pp. 1-7, contains a presentation of En passion in English, French,
and German;
Filmfacts XIV/20 (15 May) 1972, pp. 507-510 contains synopsis and credits of film;
United Artists issued a 22-page program with excerpted translations of Swedish reviews in
connection with the American opening of The Passion of Anna.
See also
American Scholar, no. 4 (Autumn 1970), pp. 678-91;
APEC – Revue belge du cinéma 12, no. 4 (1975): 11-19;
Film 70/71 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1971), pp. 163-72 (with P. Gilliatt’s New Yorker review
and R. Schickel’s in Life);
Film og Kino, no. 7-8 (1970), pp. 150-53;
Filmcritica, no. 212 (January 1970), pp. 48-54;
S. Kauffmann: Figures of Light, pp. 267-71 (his New Republic review);
Kosmorama 24, no. 137 (Spring) 1978: 66-67;
New York Times Magazine, 9 May 1970, p. 13:2;
Positif, no. 118 (June 1970), p. 13;
Sight and Sound, Summer 1970, p. 122;
J. Simon: Movies into film (New York: Dell, 1972), pp. 239-46;
Skoop 7, no. 4 (1971): 36-40;
Svensk filmografi, 1960-1969 (Ø 1314), pp. 491-96.
Awards
See Varia, C.

242. FÅRÖ-DOKUMENT, 1969/70, B/W and Eastmancolor

See Media chapter (Ø 370).

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243. RESERVATET, 1970 [The Sanctuary], Color

See media chapter (television section) (Ø 331, 332, 333).

244. BERÖRINGEN, 1971 [The Touch], Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Beröringen opens in a Swedish hospital. Karin Vergerus, a married woman in her late thirties,
arrives for a viewing of her dead mother. On her way out, she begins to cry. A man asks her, in
English, if he can help, but she declines.
Karin is married to Andreas, a surgeon. They live with their two children in a tastefully
furnished villa that Andreas has inherited from his parents.
David Kovac, the foreigner who spoke to Karin at the hospital, has received medical attention
from Andreas and is invited to the Vergerus home for dinner. Karin and David, an archeologist,
begin to see each other, meeting in David’s almost empty apartment in town. One day David
tells Karin of his past: his parents were Jewish, and the family lived in Berlin until David was 14,
when they moved to Switzerland. All his relatives are dead, except for a sister, six years younger.
When Karin arrives late for a meeting, David loses control and strikes her while abusing her
verbally, telling her to go back to her smug middle-class life. Karin leaves, but David pursues
her; they continue their tense relationship. One day several months later, Andreas comes to talk
to David about rumors that have reached him through anonymous letters. David is aloof and
tells Andreas to exploit Karin’s sense of loyalty to her marriage. Andreas is embarrassed and
expresses his sympathy for David, which he has felt ever since he met David for the first time,
after a suicide attempt. Irritated, David denies that his injury was self-inflicted.
The night after Andreas’s visit, Karin stays at David’s apartment. But she cannot fall asleep
and returns home. Some time later, Karin is out shopping with her 14-year-old daughter when
David intercepts them. Karin agrees to meet him by the church where David is doing arche-
ological excavation. Their meeting focusses on a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that has
been found. David tells Karin that long before the statue was walled into place in the church, an
unknown insect had begun eating at it. Its larvae have been dormant in it for 500 years. Now
when the statue has been brought into the light, the larvae have awakened and are destroying
the statue from within.
Karin explains to David that he is like a child to her – and a threat. Though she might be able
to live both a married life and that of a mistress, she cannot cope with David’s self-hatred. Soon
thereafter, David leaves without saying goodbye. Karin pursues him to London and finds out
that he lives with his sister, who claims that the two of them are inseparable. Karin leaves.
Several months later, David shows up again. He has received an appointment to a Danish
university and suggests to Karin that they move there together. But Karin feels an obligation to
her family. David calls her a coward. The film ends with their parting.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph/ABC Pictures
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Location manager Lotti Ekberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Sound Lennart Engholm

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Music Jan Johansson (arrangement)

C. M. Bellman’s ‘Liksom en herdinna’ (Like a Sheper-
dess) is the theme music of the film;
Also: ‘Allelucia Ave Maria’ (Wm. Byrd); ‘Miss Hopkins’
(Peter Covent); ‘Victimae Paschali laudes’ (Latin hymn)
Architect P.A. Lundgren
Props Stefan Bäckström
Costumes Mago (Max Goldstein)
Make-up Cecilia Drott, Bengt Ottekil
Hairdressing Börje Lundh
Editor Siv Kanälv-Lundgren
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Karin Vergerus Bibi Andersson
Dr. Andreas Vergerus Max von Sydow
Anders Vergerus, son Staffan Hallerstam
Maria Vergerus, daughter Maria Nolgård
David Kovac Elliot Gould
Karin’s dead mother Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Holm, a doctor Åke Lindström
A nurse Mimmo Wåhlander
Matron at hospital Elsa Ebbesen-Thornblad
Sara, David’s sister Sheila Reid
Stewardess Fylgia Zadig
Neighbors of Vergerus Karin Nilsson, Anna von Rosen
Pass-control official Dennis Gotobed
Dr. Vergerus’s secretary Margaretha Byström
Archaeologist Erik Nyhlén
Museum curator Alan Simon
Beggar Per Sjöstrand
Woman on the stairs Aino Taube
Museum clerk Ann-Christin Lobråten
Bellboy in London Bengt Ottekil
Speech maker at dinner Harry Schein
Guests at dinner party Alf Montán, Sture Helander, Torsten Ryde, Lars-Owe
Carlberg, Börje Lundh, Jan-Carl von Rosen, Kenne Fant
Filmed on location on island of Gotland, in London, and at Film-Teknik Studios, Stockholm,
beginning 14 September 1970 and completed 13 November 1970.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution ABC/Cinerama Releasing
Running time 114 minutes
Released 18 August 1971
Swedish Premiere 30 August 1971, Spegeln (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 14 July 1971, The Baronet, NYC
Commentary
The script of Beröringen was published in paperback in Filmberättelser 3 (1973). See (Ø 153),
Chapter II.

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On 23 August 1970, p. 19, AB reported that Dustin Hoffman had been approached for the part
of David Kovac. But on 5 September 1970, Bergman introduced Elliot Gould as the U.S. actor
who would play the role. See SvD, 6 September 1970, p. 14. An article in Expr., 28 September
1970, p. 44, reports that ABC, the American producer of the film, had staked 2 million dollars
on The Touch, enough money to make ten Swedish feature films. Peter Cowie, Ingmar Bergman.
A Critical Biography, 1982, p. 271, reports a figure of one million dollars.
During the shooting of Beröringen, Bergman allowed fairly extensive press coverage: See
‘Morgoneko’ [Morning news], Swedish Public Radio, 7 August 1970, and Stig Björkman’s
documentary film on the making of The Touch (Ø 796), as well as Björkman’s article in Film
in Sweden, no. 2 (1971), pp. 7-8. For interviews with Bergman at this time, see Expr., 10 October
1970, Sunday Section pp. 6-7, and 14 March 1971, p. 6; Daily Telegraph Magazine, 12 March, pp.
7-8; Los Angeles Times, 10 January, Calendar sec., pp. 1, 22-23, and New York Herald Tribune, 10
January 1971, p.1; Skoop, no. 9-10 (1971), pp. 22-25. Life, 15 October 1971, pp. 60-74, carried
pictoral reportage from shooting of The Touch.
The film was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in July 1971 to mixed reviews. In an interview
in Expr., 29 September 1971, p. 4, Bergman criticized Swedish press reports from the Berlin
festival. See also interview with Bergman in AB, 28 June 1971, p. 9, and Bibi Andersson’s defense
of the film in DN, 4 July 1971, p. 12. Andersson objected to critics who called the film banal and
argued that banality of subject was not identical with artistic superficiality. Hanserik Hjertén
responded in DN, 9 July 1971, p. 9. See also Expr., 6 July, p. 24 (J. Sima), and Arbetet 15 July, p. 9
(S.E. Olsson). A majority of reviewers, both in Sweden and abroad, were in fact puzzled by
Bergman’s use of a middle-class soap opera plot. To Brenda Davis in Films and Filming, no. 5
(February 1972), pp. 54-55, Bergman had sold out to an international audience in choosing a
‘trivial’ plot for The Touch. In a review in Chaplin, no. 113 (February 1972), p. 66, B. Widegren
suggested that Bergman might be burnt out as an artist and that he was only successful in
depicting religious anxieties and not the ordinary problems of a middle-class housewife. K.
Klynne in Chaplin, no. 112 (January 1972), pp. 28-29, charged Bergman with an obsolete view of
women. Among those who wrote positively about Bergman’s portrayal of Karin Vergerus are
the reviewers in AB, 19 September 1971, p. 5, and Expr., 17 October 1971, p. 4.
There was a considerable range of opinion in the English and American reviews of The
Touch. Jan Dawson in Monthly Film Bulletin, October 1971, pp. 205-6, referred to the film as
‘probably the most memorable and the most moving portrait of a lady that Bergman has given
us’. Molly Haskell in Village Voice, 29 July 1971, p. 47, agreed, while Stanley Kauffmann in New
Republic, 21 August 1971, p. 35, described the film as a story about ‘a lady with a bad taste in
lovers’. In many of the negative reviews of the film, there was a feeling that Elliot Gould was a
wrong choice for the role as David Kovac, and that American backing as well as the film’s
bilingualism (Swedish and English) was responsible for its failure. See New York Times, 18 July
1971, p. 11:1; New Yorker, 24 July 1971, pp. 57-59; Sight and Sound 41, no. 4 (Autumn 1971): 224.
While Beröringen was criticized for its trite plot it was also questioned for breaking out of the
soap opera genre by introducing visually significant symbolism, most specifically the worm-
eaten Madonna statue. Both Teodor Kallifatides in Chaplin (no. 109) and Poul Einer Hansen in
Kosmorama (no. 107) rejected the statue as an overexplicit sign, while Erik Jan Kwakernaak in
Kosmorama (no. 110, p. 261) saw it as emblematic of Karin as the maternal woman who breaks
out of the bourgeois family to give her love to a rootless and motherless man. Several later
articles have explored the religious implications of the film: See Gay, Olsson, and Scherer under
‘Longer Articles’ below. With time The Touch has been redeemed by critics but only by
incorporating it into the religious-existential sphere of Bergman’s other filmmaking.

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Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 31 August 1971 (Expr. 27 June);
Chaplin, no. 109 (1971), p. 239;
Vi, no. 37 (1971), p. 39;
Vecko-Journalen, no. 37 (1971), p. 27.
Foreign Reviews
Cinéma 71, no. 160 (November 1971), pp. 130-33;
Filmfacts 14, no. 20 (1971): 507-10;
Film Quarterly 25, no. 2 (Winter 1971/72): 58-59;
Films and Filming, no. 209 (February 1972), pp. 54-55;
Focus, no. 9 (Spring-Summer 1973), pp. 10-13;
Jeune cinéma, no. 58 (November 1971), pp. 32-34;
Kosmorama, no. 107 (February 1972), pp. 124-26;
Monthly Film Bulletin, October 1971, pp. 205-6;
New Leader, 9 August 1971, p. 25;
New Republic, 21 August 1971, p. 35;
New York Times, 15 July 1971, p. 22:1;
NYT Film Reviews, 1971-1972, p. 98-9;
New Yorker, 24 July 1971, pp. 57-59;
Sight and Sound, no. 4 (Autumn 1971), p. 224;
Times (London), 7 October 1971, p. 11;
Variety, 7 July 1971, p. 6;
Village Voice, 29 July 1971, p. 47.
Longer Studies and Special Journal Issues
Gay, James. ‘Cursed be My Tribe: A Second Look at The Touch’. Sight and Sound 42, no. 1
(Winter 1971-72): 42-43. (Gay argues that The Touch is a religious film dealing explicitly with
a conflict between Judaism and Christianity);
Olsson, Lars. ‘Beröringen’. Filmrutan, no. 3 (1971), pp. 110-12. (Olsson sees David Kovac’s role as
that of a divine lover, a Christ figure);
Scherer, Paul. ‘The Garden of Eden Theme in Bergman’s The Touch’. Scandinavian Studies 57,
no. 1 (Winter 1985): 45-58. (Emphasizes the religious context of the film);
Wood, Robin. ‘Ingmar Bergman et Le lien.’ Positif 137 (April) 1972: 27-34 (Relates The Touch to
Bergman’s earlier filmmaking);
Wexman, Virginia. ‘Character, Action and Symbol in Ingmar Bergman’s The Touch’. Focus:
Chicago’s Film Journal 9 (Spring 1973): 11, 48;
L’Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 121 (January) 1971: 67-71, is a supplement focussed on Le lien (The
Touch), containing a statement by Bergman about the film (‘It’s a love story between adults,
written by an adult. We’ve been offered enough love stories about young people recently’.).
Issue also includes excerpted reprint from Bergman’s interview article (under pseudonym
of Ernest Riffe) in l’Express, 5 March 1964; statements by cinematographer Sven Nykvist; by
actress Bibi Andersson, first printed in France-Soir, 17 November 1971; and by Julien Sey-
mour, first published in Lui, September 1971; plus excerpted reviews from leading French
press.
See also
Cowie, Peter. Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography, 1980, pp. 270-75;
Fabricius, J. and E. Kwakernaak, Kosmorama, no. 110 (September 1972), pp. 259-61 and 261-63;
Solomon, S. in The Film Ideal, 1972, pp. 228-36 (Ø 1219);

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van der Verg in Skrien, no. 29-30 (Spring 1972), pp. 34-35;
Variety, 1 November 1972, p. 26;
Svensk filmografi, 1970-1979 (Ø 1314), pp. 129-32.
Awards
1972: Bibi Andersson won Best Actress Award for her role in The Touch in 1972 Belgrade
Film Festival.

245. VISKNINGAR OCH ROP, 1972 [Cries and Whispers], Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Bergman got the idea for the film’s title from a Swedish music critic who referred to Mozart’s
music as ‘whispers and cries’.
Synopsis
The setting of Viskningar och rop is an old manor house in central Sweden around the early
1900s. All the main characters are women: three sisters and a maid. Two of the sisters, Karin and
Maria, have come to visit Agnes, the third sister, who is dying of cancer at age 37. She is tended
to by her servant Anna, with whom she has lived alone for many years.
The opening sequence depicts the manor house at early dawn. Inside the house, clocks are
ticking, and voices are heard whispering. All the rooms are painted red. Maria, fully dressed in
white, has fallen asleep in a chair. In the next room, Agnes is waking up to a new day of pain.
The film is composed of scenes depicting the death of Agnes and its aftermath. Between these
scenes are flashbacks revealing the reveries or actual memories of the four women. Each
flashback is signalled by a dissolve to red. In one, Maria comes upon her husband after he
has tried to stab himself; she makes little attempt to help him. This scene follows shortly after
Maria has had a brief tête-à-tête with the doctor who attends Agnes.
The second flashback depicts Karin and her husband at the dinner table. During the meal,
eaten in near silence, Karin fumbles with a wineglass and breaks it. Later in the bedroom, she
will use the splinter of glass to mutilate herself by cutting her vagina. When her husband enters
the room, Karin smears her face with blood.
Other flashbacks reveal Agnes’s frustrated love for her mother and Anna’s memories of her
dead daughter.
Agnes’s death is slow and painful. When she is conscious and reasonably at ease, her two
sisters help comb her hair and read to her. But when she is ravaged by pain and dying, both
Karin and Maria shun her. It is Anna who comforts her.
Agnes is laid to rest by two old women. Her minister prays at her bedside to a hypothetical
God and begs her to be a messenger for the living by asking for God’s grace and a meaning to
life.
After Agnes’s death, Karin tries to focus on practical matters. Maria seeks her out. For a brief
moment, which is silent except for a few bars on a cello, the two sisters caress and touch each
other. Later Karin tries to resume the rapport she has had with her younger sister, but Maria
now excuses herself, saying that her husband is waiting.
During the night following Agnes’s death, Anna hears faint sounds after she has gone to bed.
They come from Agnes’s room. When Anna goes there, she discovers that the dead woman has
been crying. She summons first Karin and then Maria to the bedside, but both turn away in
disgust and fear. Finally, Anna climbs into Agnes’s bed and takes her body in her arms. The two
women form a pietà picture. Agnes’s fear subsides, and she goes to rest.

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After the funeral, the sisters and their husbands are ready to leave. They discuss what to do
with Anna and decide to let her pick a memento from Agnes’s belongings. Anna wants nothing.
Maria presses some money into her hands. Anna curtsies silently.
The film ends with a flashback. Anna reads from Agnes’s diary; the passage is visualized, and
Agnes’ voice takes over. All four women are strolling together in the park, parasols in hand.
This is the only time we see the women outdoors. The three sisters sit down in a rocker, and
Anna swings them gently back and forth. It is a moment of epiphany. Agnes declares she is
grateful that life has given her so much.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph/Svenska Filminstitutet
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Location manager Hans Rehnberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Arne Carlsson
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect Marik Vos
Sound Owe Svensson
Mixing Sven Fahlén, Owe Svensson
Music F. Chopin, Mazurka in A-minor, no. 4, opus 17, played
by Käbi Laretei; J.S. Bach, Sarabande no. 5 in D minor,
played by Pierre Fournier
Costumes Greta Johansson
Make-up Börje Lundh, Cecilia Drott, Britt Falkemo
Props Gunilla Hagberg
Editor Siv Lundgren
Continuity Katherina Faragó
Cast
Agnes Harriet Andersson
Anna Kari Sylwan
Karin Ingrid Thulin
Maria and the mother Liv Ullmann
Maria’s daughter Linn Ullmann
Maria’s husband Henning Moritzen
The doctor Erland Josephson
Karin’s husband Georg Årlin
Isak, the pastor Anders Ek
Storyteller in Agnes’ flashback Inga Gill
Agnes as child Rosanna Mariano
Karin as child Monika Priede
Maria as child Lena Bergman
Anna’s daughter Malin Gjörup
Women tending to Agnes’s dead body Karin Johansson, Greta Johansson,
Spectators at laterna magica showing Ingrid von Rosen, Ann-Christin Lobråten, Börje
Lundh, Lars-Owe Carlberg
Filmed on location at Taxinge-Näsby estate, Mariefred, Sweden, beginning 7 September 1971
and completed 29 October 1971.

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Distribution Svensk Filmindustri

U.S. distribution New World Films
Running time 90 minutes
Released 5 August 1972
World premiere 21 December 1972, Cinema I Theater, NYC
Swedish opening 5 March 1973, Spegeln (Göteborg, Uppsala, Stockholm),
Camera (Malmö)
Commentary
The script of Viskningar och rop was published in paperback in Filmberättelser 3 (1973). See
(Ø 153), Chapter II.
Bergman writes about the genesis of Viskningar och rop in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 83-103.
Several interviews took place with Bergman during shooting of the film. See AB, 12 Decem-
ber 1971, pp. 8-9 (J. Andersson); Bohusläningen, 15 January 1972, p. 4 (B. Steene), SvD, 14
September 1971, p. 3 (E. Sörenson); Femina, 9 July 1972, pp. 18-20, 65 (A. Sellermark), Vecko-
Journalen no. 43 (1971), pp. 4, 38-39 (M. Zetterström). For interviews prior to opening, see ‘Eko’
[Echo]. Swedish Public Radio (SR), 6 September 1972, and same news program after presenta-
tion of the film at Cannes (SR, 19 May 1973), and in ‘Kulturbilagan’, SR, 6 March 1973 (10
minute commentary and interview with Bergman).
L-O. Löthwall, Bergman’s press agent for Viskningar och rop published ‘Excerpts from a Diary
about Ingmar Bergman’s Viskningar och rop outside Stockholm 1971’, in Film in Sweden, no. 2
(1972), pp. 3-13 (English and French versions). This article originally appeared in Chaplin, no.
114 (March 1972), pp. 88-89. Related material was printed in AB, 12 December 1972, Sunday
section, pp. 1, 8-9. See also Joyce Haber, Los Angeles Times, 27 October 1971, sec. 4, p. 14 for
reportage from Cries and Whispers (contains some errors); Ernie Anderson, Philadelphia Sun-
day Bulletin, 11 February 1973, p. 3, for good account of mood and work routine of a Bergman
production; and Cinéma Québec III, no. 1 (September 1973): 13-15, for reportage based on
interview with Bergman, including his comments on the film.
In May 1973 Ingmar Bergman made a rare appearance at Cannes film festival, where Visk-
ningar och rop was shown out of competition. For résumés of the Cannes press conference, see
AB, 20 May, p. 1; Cinéma Quebec 3, no. 1 (September 1973), pp. 13-15; Cue, 2 July 1973, p. 2 (with
glowing assessment of Bergman at age 55); Filmmakers Newsletter 6, no. 12 (October 1973), pp.
14-18; Image et Son, no. 278 (November 1973): 102-104; SDS (Malmö), 20 May 1973, p. 10; Village
Voice, 7 June 1973, pp. 79-80 (A. Sarris objecting to showing of Cries and Whispers at Cannes);
Variety, 9 May 1973, p. 197 and 30 May 1973, pp. 2, 71.
Viskningar och rop was also shown at Bergen Arts Festival, 4 June 1973.
Reception
In Sweden, where Viskningar och rop premiered on 5 March 1973 (half a year after its American
opening), Bergman’s film led to an unusually long press debate. Actually, the film had been a
bone of contention even in its pre-production stage because of the way it was financed. Berg-
man did not want a private producer – in an interview in AB, 3 December 1971, p. 28, he
advocates socializing the film industry – but tapped three sources: his own personal funds,
actors’ investment of their salaries in the film, and half a million Swedish kronor from the SFI.
(See report from press conference, Expr., 7 September 1971, p. 12.) It was the SFI support that
created controversy. Many felt that Bergman was big enough a name to be able to find financing
elsewhere – if necessary outside Sweden – and should not sap the SFI production funds, which
should go to lesser known filmmakers. See N.-P. Sundgren, ‘Bergmans pengar’ [Bergman’s
money], Expr., 17 October 1971, p. 4, and Harry Schein, the same title, Expr., 20 October
1971, p. 4. See also DN, 15 (p. 18), 21 (p. 19), and 22 October (p. 20). For a postscript to the

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discussion, see Björn Vinberg, ‘Alla tjänar en hacka på Bergmans succéfilm’ [Everyone earns a
penny on B’s successful film], Expr., 14 March 1973, p. 32.
After every major American studio had turned down U.S. distribution rights to Cries and
Whispers – even though Bergman reportedly asked for only $75,000 in down payment – Roger
Corman’s recently formed independent company New World Films acquired the film and
released it towards the end of 1972 to a glowing set of reviews.
On 21 October 1972, the New Yorker printed the script (pp. 38-51). See NYT, 17 February 1973,
p. 11:1 for report that Cries and Whispers was the only foreign film in the U.S. in the previous 14
months to gross a substantial profit. Los Angeles Times ran a report by Wayne Warga on Roger
Corman and Cries and Whispers, 25 February 1973, Calendar, p. 1, 23.
Swedish debate about Bergman’s film focussed once more on his role as an artist. Though
some reviewers (see Hanserik Hjertén, DN, 6 March 1973, p. 12, and Åke Janzon in SvD, 6
March 1973, p. 10) accepted Bergman as ‘a psychological visionary’ and a bourgeois film poet
who depicted ‘a kind of reserve [...] the closed milieu [...] the holy autonomy of the soul’ [ett
slags reservat [...] den slutna miljön [...] själens heliga autonomi], others issued a call for an
ideological rather than an aesthetic approach to Bergman’s filmmaking. See I.M. Eriksson and
S. Skagen in DN, 6 April 1973, p. 4. The article was reprinted in Motbilder, 1978, pp. 251-55
(Ø 1317). Excerpts also appeared in the special Hvisken og rop issue of the Norwegian journal
Fant, no. 26 (Summer 1973), p. 44, together with a review (p. 45) and an analysis by O. Foss,
‘Viskningar och rop: film og samfunn’ [Cries and Whispers: Film and society], pp. 46-53. Foss
refers to the film as ‘a rhapsody of petrified Bergman themes’. Sölve Skagen commented again
on the film a year later in Fant, no. 27 (Spring 1974), pp. 26-34. See MacGuffin no. 9, pp. 42-47
for comments on Eriksson and Skagen article.
Other critical voices spoke up in Filmrutan 16, no. 1 (1973): 26-30 (L. Lundgren and A.
Munkesjö); in DN, 17 April, p. 6 (I. Sjöstrand); DN, 21 April, p. 4 (A-M Narti); DN, 26 April,
p. 4 (G. Bodegård), and Expr., 19 April, p. 4 and 27 April 1973, p. 4. Overall, it was the
psychological implications of Viskningar och rop that came to dominate the discussion, a fact
deplored by Eriksson and Skagen in a closing statement, DN, 12 May 1973, p. 5.
Bo Landberg published a Swedish essay on Bergman’s film in 1981, ‘Ingmar Bergman’s
Viskningar och rop: Ett drama om ensamhet-gemenskap-trygghet’ [Bergman’s Cries...: A drama
of loneliness-togetherness-security] (Göteborg: St. Lukasstiftelsen, 1981), 38 pp.
Cries and Whispers became a focal film in a critique of Bergman’s portrayal of women, most
notably in Joan Mellen’s feminist attack in Film Quarterly XXVI, no. 5 (Fall 1973): 2-11. See
(Ø 975) for listing and response.
In London, Cries and Whispers opened in February 1973 to mostly lukewarm reviews. Wrote
C. Hudson in Spectator, 10 February 1973, p. 176: ‘[Cries] mooches and slouches through the
well-trodden range of obsessions we have come to regard as evocative of Nordic gloom’. But
Philip Strick in Sight and Sound thought the film was Bergman’s and Nykvist’s greatest colla-
boration, though he too (somewhat more tolerantly) recognized the familiar Bergman themes
and landscape.
Canadian Séquences (no. 74, October 1973: 31-34) printed a glowing review of the film, calling
it Bergman’s best script and a film that would make film history.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 6 March 1973 (Expr., 5 March);
Chaplin, no. 122 (1973), pp. 84-85.
Foreign Reviews
Amis du film et de télévision, no. 209 (October 1973), pp. 8-9;
Catholic Film Newsletter, 15 January 1973;

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Cinéma 181 (November 1973), pp. 35-38;

Commentary, no. 55 (May 1973), pp. 81-84;
De Telegraaf, 18 May 1973;
Ecran, no. 15 (May 1973), pp. 9-12;
F-Dienst XXVII/2, 22 January 1974, pp. 16-17, and XXX/16, August 1977, p. 10;
Filmfacts 15, no. 241 (1972): 601-06;
Image et son, no. 279 (December 1973), pp. 98-106;
Japanese Film Journal 19, no. 4 (1975): 243-45;
Kosmorama 20, no. 117 (December 1973), pp. 56-57;
Listener, 15 February 1973, p. 223;
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, 17 January 1973, p. B-1;
Monthly Film Bulletin, XL/470 (March) 1973, pp. 61-62;
Nation, no. 3 (January 1973), pp. 93-94;
New Leader, 22 January 1973, pp. 22-24, 35;
New Republic, 3 February, pp. 24, 35;
New York, 1 January 1973, pp. 64-65;
New York Review of Books, no. 20 (8 March 1973), pp. 3-4;
New York Times, 22 December 1972, p. 16:1;
New York Times Film Reviews, 1971-72, pp. 350-51;
New Yorker, 6 January 1973, pp. 50-54;
Sight and Sound, 1973, p. 110;
Sketch (Beiruth), 29 March 1974, pp. 56-7;
Der Spiegel, no. 10 (4 March) 1974, p. 115;
Time, 8 January 1973, p. 53 (A.E. p. 33);
Times (London), 9 February 1973, p. 13;
Village Voice, 28 December 1972, pp. 49, 56;
Women & Film, no. 3-4 (1973), pp. 55-6;
Variety, 20 December 1972, p. 18.
Longer Articles
Adams, Sitney P. ‘Color and Myth in Cries and Whispers’. Film Criticism XIII, no. 3 (Spring)
1989: 37-41; also in Swedish as ‘Liksom en saga av Bröderna Grimm’. Chaplin, XXXI, no. 3
(222), 1989: 124-125, 164-166;
le Fanu, Mark. ‘Bergman: the politics of melodrama’. Monogram (G.B.), formerly The Brighton
Film Review, no. 5 (1974), pp. 10-13;
Mellen, Joan. ‘Bergman and Women: Cries and Whispers’. Film Quarterly, XXVI, no. 5 (Fall
1973): 2-11;
Rice, Julian. ‘Cries and Whispers: The Complete Bergman’. Massachusetts Review 16, no. 1
(Winter 1975): 147-58.
Fact Sheets and Journal Issues
L’Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 142 (December 1973), pp. 3-55. Special issue of Cris et chuchotte-
ments, including script, credits, review excerpts, and illustrations.
Boesten, D. J. ‘Cries and Whispers’. Media C 174, 1975, pp. 4-30. Dossier includes credits and
listing of takes; a brief Bergman biography and filmography; script presentation of char-
acters, and analysis calling film ‘a Christus film’ with explanation of names, color symbo-
lism, clocks and mirrors, as well as its political implication (class structure). Concludes with
excerpted press voices;
Cinéma Québec XXXIX, no. 4-5/326-327 (July-October 1990). Contains review article by André
Leroux, ‘Cris et chuchottements de Bergman. Au bout de l’éblouissement’, pp. 15-16 and an

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interview based on Cannes press conference by Jean-Pierre Tadros, ‘Un film pour vous
divertir’, pp. 13-15;
Parmentier, E. ‘Cries and Whispers’. Filmfacts XV/24, (15 January), 1974: 601-06. Synopsis and
extracts from reviews.
See also
Lee Bobker. Elements of Film (New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1975), passim;
P. Cowie. Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography, 1980, pp. 275-82;
Dreamworks 1, no. 1 (Spring 1980): 54-67;
L’Express, 8-14 October 1973, pp. 79-86;
Film 72/73, (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1973), pp. 42-51. Contains Hollis Alpert review in
World Magazine; Paul D. Zimmerman’s in Newsweek, and Pauline Kael’s in New Yorker);
Film a doba, no. 8 (August 1973), pp. 432-34;
Japanese Fantasy Film Journal, no. 4 (1975), pp. 243-45;
Kosmorama, no. 137 (178), pp. 66-67;
New York Times, 27 May 1973, sec. 2, p. D11 (second review);
Svensk filmografi, 1970-1979 (Ø 1314), pp. 189-92;
Télé-Ciné. no. 214 (January 1977), p. 13;
Chr. Braad Thomsen. ‘Bergman har lavet sit livs mesterværk’ [B has made his life’s master-
piece]. Aktuelt (Danish), 31 March 1973, p. 37;
Village Voice, 11 January 1973, pp. 65, 70.
Awards
1972: National Society of Film Critics for Best Script and Best Photography;
New York Critics’ Award for Best Film, Best Script, Best Director and Best Actress
(Liv Ullmann);
Oscar for Best Photography;
For additional awards, see under film title in Varia, C.

246. SCENER UR ETT ÄKTENSKAP, 1974 [Scenes from a Marriage], Eastmancolor

(16 mm)
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Scener ur ett äktenskap was originally conceived as six 50-minute scenes for television, shot in 16
mm. A four-hour commercial film version, i.e., a 16 mm blown-up version of the original six
TV scenes, had a limited showing abroad. A Swedish film version, 170 minutes, had a brief
circulation in Sweden. The version with which most filmgoers are familiar is a two and a half-
hour (155 minute) screen version, edited for foreign consumption. The release date of the two
film versions was 1974. The TV version was first aired in 1973.
For the original TV version, see Media chapter V (Ø 334) which includes more commentaries
and a record of the reception of original TV transmission.
Synopsis
First scene, ‘Innocence and Panic’, opens with an at-home interview where Johan and Marianne
pose as the ideal couple for a ladies journal. The scene shifts to a dinner they give for their
friends, Peter and Katarina. The gathering breaks up when the guests begin to insult each other.
Afterwards, Johan and Marianne congratulate themselves on their own marriage. (The TV
version also includes an episode where Marianne, who is pregnant, seeks an abortion. In the
commercial film version, Marianne’s pregnancy is omitted.)

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The second ‘scene’, titled ‘The Art of Sweeping under the Carpet’, begins with a mild but
unsuccessful revolt by Marianne: she decides to cancel the weekly Sunday dinner with her
parents. Later, in her office, she sees Mrs. Jacobi, who has wanted to divorce her husband for 15
years on the grounds that her marriage is loveless.
In the meantime, Johan receives a call from his mother in his lab. His collegaue, Eva, comes
in and partakes in an experiment: a TV monitor records her efforts to hit a point of light on a
screen in a darkened room. She fails, somewhat irritated. Later she criticizes a collection of
poems that Johan has given her to read.
Marianne and Johan have lunch together. They begin a discussion about outspokenness and
eroticism in marriage, which they continue in the evening after a theatre performance of Ibsen’s
A Doll’s House. Marianne suggests that their lack of sexual desire for each other might be the
result of too much talk about it.
The third scene, ‘Paula’, takes place in Johan’s and Marianne’s summer house where Johan
reveals having an affair with another woman, Paula, with whom he is leaving for Paris the next
day. Marianne pleads with him to stay, but Johan wants to break away from a life filled with
middle-class commitments. They make love but in the morning Johan packs and leaves.
Distraught, Marianne calls a couple they know, only to find out that Johan’s affair has been
known among their friends for some time.
The fourth scene, ‘The Valley of Tears’, occurs a year later. Johan comes to Marianne’s home
for dinner. He mentions an offer he has had from an American university and reveals that Paula
is not going to accompany him. He wants to make love to Marianne, but she refuses. Instead,
she reads him a passage from her diary, but Johan falls asleep. Later, she shows him a letter that
Paula has written to her, predicting that Johan will go back to his family. Johan leaves, saying
that Paula’s epistle is an act of histrionics.
The next to the last scene, ‘The Illiterates’, takes place in Johan’s office. Marianne comes to
present and sign the divorce papers. They start drinking. Johan has a cold, Marianne is in a
good mood and seduces him. While Johan talks about his professional difficulties, Marianne
appears indifferent and tells about her new sense of freedom. Soon they begin to argue and
accuse each other of the flaws in their marriage. The verbal insults change into a violent
physical attack by Johan. Afterwards, they sign the divorce papers, and Marianne leaves.
Several years have gone by when the final scene takes place, titled ‘In the middle of the Night,
in a dark House somewhere in the World’. Both Johan and Marianne have remarried, but meet
on the twentieth anniversary of their own marriage. They drive to a friend’s cabin and talk
about their lives. Johan is upset because his life seems meaningless; Marianne claims that she is
finally free, if not happy.
During the night, Marianne wakes up after a nightmare. The foghorn sounds ouside. She
talks to Johan about her sense of confusion and of not being loved. Johan tells her he loves her
in his own unimaginative way. They go back to sleep, holding hands.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph AB
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist (Eastmancolor)
Architect Björn Thulin
Sound Owe Svensson, Arne Carlsson
Mixing Owe Svensson
Costumes Inger Pehrsson

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Make-up Cecilia Drott

Editor Siv Lundgren
Continuity Ulla Stattin
Cast
Marianne Liv Ullmann
Johan Erland Josephson
Mrs. Palm, journalist Anita Wall
Peter Jan Malmsjö
Katarina Bibi Andersson
Eva Gunnel Lindblom
Mrs. Jacobi Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Arne, Johan’s colleauge Bertil Norström
Marianne’s mother Wenche Foss
Eva, 12 years old Rosanna Mariano
Her sister Lena Bergman
Voice-over as a press photographer Ingmar Bergman
Filmed on location in Stockholm and at Fårö, beginning 24 July 1972 and completed 3 October
1972.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri (film version)
U.S. distribution Donald Rugoff
Running time TV version: 282 minutes; Swedish film version: 170
minutes; American film version: 155 minutes
Swedish film opening 28 October 1974, Camera (Västerås)
U.S. opening 21 September 1974, Cinema 1, NYC
Commentary
In a reportage in DN (30 August 1972), taped by Thorleif Hellbom at Bergman’s Dämba studio
on Fårö, Bergman talks about a productive 3-month period [April-June 1972], during which he
wrote the script to Scener ur ett äktenskap. Same material appeared in Röster i Radio TV, no. 15,
1973, under the title ‘Det var bara roligt’ [It was nothing but fun]. Material also appeared in
Danish Politiken, 13 May 1973, p. 42, under the headline ‘Et par måneders arbejde men et livs
erfaring’ [A couple of months work but the experience of a lifetime].
In an interview article by Elisabet Sörenson in SvD, 6 April 1973, p. 8, Bergman talked about
the genesis of his characters as ‘a kind of spring cleaning in a closet in which I had stored other
people’s and my own experiences’ [en slags vårstädning i en garderob där jag hade lagrat andra
människors och mina egna erfarenheter], adding, however, that he did not speak through Johan
and Marianne: ‘It surprised me a lot when I wrote about them that they could say things all on
their own. The most amazing things’ [Det förvånade mig mycket när jag skrev om dem att de
kunde säga saker av sig själva. De mest överraskande saker]. In a later interview article by Aino
and Arne Sellermark, Bergman said about the genesis of the entire series that ‘It started on my
old couch’ [Det började på min gamla soffa], Allers, no. 39 (1974), pp. 47-8. See also Expr., 17
May 1973, p. 25.
In an interview by Göran Sellgren titled ‘Första TV-serien för Bergman’ (DN, 4 May 1972)
Bergman revealed that Scenes... was a continuation of his ‘bourgeois tragi-comedies’ The Touch
and Reservatet. The main theme in all three works was ‘the certainty with which bourgeois
ideology corrupts people’s emotional life’ (den visshet med vilken den borgerliga ideologin
korrumperar människors känsloliv). See also Bergman’s remarks about the TV series, listed in
Chapter II (Ø 152).

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On 27 August 1974, Expr. (p. 24) reported that Bergman had sold a cut-down version of
Scener ur ett äktenskap for commercial distribution in the U.S. Bergman said: ‘It hasn’t lost
anything in the operation. I’ve always been unsentimental about my films, have never seem
them as untouchable’ [Den har inte förlorat något på operationen. Jag har alltid varit osenti-
mental om mina filmer, har aldrig sett dem som oantastliga]. Apart from the cut of the
abortion segment, the most drastic difference between the TV and film versions is the omission
of an entire episode depicting Marianne’s visit to her mother.
Swedish film version (170 minutes) of Scener ur ett äktenskap had a selective showing in
Sweden on a try-out basis, but got only a limited response (see Expr., 23 October 1974, p. 34).
Foreign Reception
American evaluations of the shorter (155 minute) film version of Scenes from a Marriage echoed
the mixed US response to The Touch a few years earlier. While John Simon in Esquire, no. 1
(January 1975), pp. 12, 16, compared Scenes ‘to the great literary tracts on love by writers like
Stendhal, Kierkegaard, Ortega y Gasset’, Marcia Cavell in New Leader, 28 October 1974, pp. 23-
24, referred to Bergman’s film as ‘a high-class soap opera missing both the mundane and the
metaphysical’.
Molly Haskell interviewed Liv Ullmann for Village Voice, 21 November 1974, pp. 137-47,
reprinted in Women and the Cinema, ed. K. Kay and G. Peary (E.P. Dutton, 1977), pp. 117-33.
In France reviewers noted Bergman’s development from the symbolic and metaphysical films
of the Fifties and Sixties to the realism of Scenes. They remarked in particular on two things:
that Bergman had a talent for simplicity and richness of dialogue and for narrative density; and
that Scenes marked a peak in his ability to present an ‘invisible mise-en-scène’ (See Jeune
Cinéma, Positif, Cinéma 75 listed below).
Foreign Reviews
America, 10 August and 12 October 1974, p. 56 and p. 195, respectively;
Amis du film et de la télévision, no. 234 (November 1975), p. 17;
L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 162 (October 1975), pp. 41-46;
Cinéma 75, no. 196 (March 1975), pp. 115-18;
Cineforum, no. 144 (May 1975), pp. 363-77;
Ecran, no. 34 (March 1975), pp. 60-62;
F-Dienst XXVIII/6, 18 March 1975, pp. 10-11, and XXX, 22, 25 October 1977, pp. 12 a-d;
Film Heritage 10, no. 2 (Winter 1975): 43-44;
Film Quarterly 28, no. 2 (Winter 1974-75): 48-53.
New Republic, 12 October 1974, pp. 22, 33 (repr. in Before my Eyes, pp. 66-69);
Films and Filming 21, no. 5 (February 1975): 39-40;
Films in Review, October 1974, p. 501;
Japanese Fantasy Journal 19, no. 1 (1975), pp. 404-5;
Jeune cinéma, no. 85 (March 1975), pp. 29-32;
Jump Cut, no. 5 (January-February 1975), pp. 1-2;
Kosmorama, no. 115-116 (August 1973), pp. 228-30, and no. 117 (November 1973), pp. 62-63;
Los Angeles Times, 18 November 1974, p. 1;
Ms. 3, no. 2 (August 1974): 60-61, 82;
Monthly Film Bulletin, January 1975, pp. 16-17;
New Republic, 12 October 1974, pp. 22, 33 (repr. in Kauffmann’s Before my Eyes, pp. 66-69);
New York, no. 7 (September 1974), pp. 68-69;
New York Times, 22 September 1974, sec. 2, pp. 1, 15;
New Yorker, 23 September 1974, pp. 96-98;
Partisan Review, no. 4 (1974), pp. 581-85;

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Positif, no. 167 (March 1975), pp. 64-66;

Product D II/9, 2 October 1974, p. 34;
Sight and Sound 45, no. 1 (Winter 1974-75): 57-58;
Télé-Ciné, no. 197 (March 1975), p. 28;
Times (London), 29 November 1974, p. 17;
Village Voice, 26 September 1974, p. 84, and 13 January 1975, p. 69.
Longer Studies and Review Articles (film version)
Buxton, Paul. ‘Scenes from a Marriage. A Special Project in Directing’. MA thesis. Rhode Island
College, 1990. 45 typewritten pp;
Keyser, Lester. ‘Bergman and the Popular Audience’ in Kaminsky, 1975 (Ø 1266), pp. 313-23;
Librach, Ronald S. ‘Marriage as Metaphor: The Idea of Consciousness in Scener ur ett äktenskap’.
Scandinavian Studies 49, no. 3 (Summer 1977), pp. 283-300;
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Scenes from a Marriage’. Movietone News, no. 40 (April 1975), pp. 19-21 and no.
41 (May 1975), pp. 15-18;
Westerbeck, C. Jr. ‘Pillow Talk’ Commonweal, 20 December 1974, pp. 264-70, and ‘Divorce
Swedish Style’, 3 January 1975, pp. 300-301.
Awards
1974: Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe;
National Society of Filmcritics awards for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Screenplay;
1975: Film Journalists’ Association Film Festival (Brussels);
David di Donatello Award, Taormina, to Liv Ullmann;
1976: Bild und Funk Bambi Award for Best Foreign Actress.

247. TROLLFLÖJTEN, 1975 [The Magic Flute], Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Text Ingmar Bergman, after a libretto by Emanuel Schika-
neder
For the reception of the original TV transmission (including controversy over production
support), see media chapter V (Ø 335).
Synopsis
The story focusses on Prince Tamino and Princess Pamina, daughter of the evil Queen of Night
and Sarastro, by some considered a wizard, by others a good and wise man. The film opens as
Tamino is attacked during a hunt by a bestial dragon and saved at the last moment by three
women who are in the Queen of Night’s service. They return to tell their mistress of the
incident. She sends Tamino a medallion of her daughter. As planned, the prince falls in love
with Pamina. During a visit the Queen of Night promises Tamino her daughter in marriage if
he returns Pamina from her father, who has kidnapped her. The Queen gives Tamino a magic
flute and a companion, Papageno.
Soon Tamino and Papageno lose each other, and while the latter finds Pamina and flees with
her from her guardian, Monostatos, Tamino arrives at Sarastro’s palace. Pamina’s and Papa-
geno’s flight is thwarted by Sarastro as he returns from a hunt. He is aware of Pamina’s and
Tamino’s love for each other – Papageno has given Pamina a picture of Tamino and her love for
him is instant – and sets a scheme in motion. He captures Tamino and sends him away with
Papageno. During a meeting with his council of priests, Sarastro reveals his intention to give his
daughter to Tamino. First, however, the prince and his companion must endure three trials.

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Taken to the Temple of Trials, Tamino forfeits a chance to turn back. He persuades Papageno to
stay by promising him a beautiful wife.
In the Temple of Trials, Tamino and Papageno are forbidden to talk. Papageno forgets
himself and loses his prospective fiancée, Papagena, who has appeared as an old woman.
Pamina, who has been sent by her mother to kill Sarastro, approaches Tamino but doubts
his love for her when he does not answer her. She attempts suicide but is saved by three boys
who return her in a balloon to Tamino. Tamino is now ready for his last trial: to wander
through fire and water. Together, and with the help of the magic flute, Tamino and Pamina
endure the elements and reach their goal. They are greeted by Sarastro and his people, who have
chased away the Queen of Night. Because of his hatred for his wife, Sarastro does not consider
himself worthy to reign and gives the rulership insignia to Tamino and Pamina. The film ends
as Papageno and Papagena (with an instant hoard of offspring) join Tamino and Pamina in
celebration of happiness and love.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph/SverigesTelevision (SVT, channel 2)
Production manager Måns Reuterswärd
Location manager Ann-Marie Jartelius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Kerstin Forsmark
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect Henny Noremark
Music W.A. Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte
Sound Helmut Mühle (music), Peter Hennix (dialog)
Mixing Bengt Törnkrantz
Orchestration Eric Ericson and SR/Symphony Choir
Choreography Donya Feuer
Costumes Karin Erskine, Henny Noremark
Make-up Bengt Ottekil, Britt Falkemo, Cecilia Drott
Editor Siv Lundgren
Continuity Katinka (Katherina) Faragó
Cast
Tamino Josef Köstlinger
Pamina Irma Urrila
Papageno Håkan Hagegård
Papagena Elisabeth Erikson
First lady Britt-Marie Aruhn
Second lady Kirsten Vaupel
Third lady Birgitta Smiding
Sarastro Ulrik Cold
Queen of Night Birgit Nordin, assisted by song pedagoque Ulla Blom
Monostatos Ragnar Ulfung
The speaker Erik Sædén
First priest Gösta Prüzelius
Second priest Ulf Johanson
Two guards Hans Johansson, Jerker Arvidson
Three boys in the balloon Urban Malmberg, Ansgar Krook, Erland von Heijne
Seven girls Lisbeth Zachrisson, Nina Harte, Helena Högberg, Elina
Lehto, Lena Wennergren, Jane Darling, Sonja Karlsson

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Nine priests Einar Larson, Siegfried Svensson, Sixten Fark, Sven-

Erik Jacobsson, Folke Jonsson, Gösta Backelin, Arne
Hendriksen, Hans Kyhle, Carl Henric Qvarfordt
Girl in the audience Helene Friberg
Listeners in the audience Daniel Bergman, Ingmar Bergman, Erland Josephson,
Sven Nykvist, Ingrid Bergman, Lisbeth Zachrisson, Ja-
nós Herskó, Magnus Blomkvist, Donya Feuer, Lars-
Owe Carlberg
Bergman’s filmed TV version of Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflöte was shot on a replica of an 18th-
century stage. Sets and machinery were a faithful, though diminished reconstruction of the
18th-century Drottningholm Court Theatre outside Stockholm, where Bergman had first
planned to shoot the film. This theatre, the only intact stage of its kind in Europe, is similar
in structure to Theater auf der Weiden outside Vienna, where Mozart’s opera opened on 30
September 1791.
Bergman’s Trollflöjten was recorded at the Circus Theatre in Stockholm, beginning 6 April
1974, and filmed at Filmhuset, Stockholm (Studio 1), beginning 16 April 1974 (not counting
extensive preparations over a 3-year period) and completed in July 1974.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
US. distribution Surrogate Co./Carmen F. Zollo
Running time 135 minutes
Released 26 September 1975
Television premiere 1 January 1975
Cinema premiere 4 October 1975, Röda Kvarn (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 11 November 1975, Coronet, NYC
A documentary about the production of Trollflöjten was produced by Katinka Faragó and Måns
Reuterswärd. See Varia, A.
Commentary
In interviews, Bergman mentions his lifelong love of Mozart’s opera and refers to it as ‘the
world’s best musical’ [världens bästa musikal]. At age 12 he tried using it for his puppet theater
but could not afford to buy the records. Singling out the 12 beats he used in the puppeteer
sequence in Vargtimmen (Tamino’s search for Pamina) as ‘one of civilization’s greatest mo-
ments’, Bergman added in an interview in Vecko-Journalen, no. 47 (20 November 1974), pp. 9-10,
47: ‘Mozart got those notes from God of course. Or if you want to translate that into com-
prehensible language, you can say that he got it from his genius or from a collective human
experience or from a sublimated fear of death’. [M. fick det från Gud naturligtvis. Eller om du
vill översätta detta begripligt, så kan man säga att han hämtat dem ur sin genialitet eller ur en
samlad djupt mänsklig erfarenhet eller ur en sublimerad dödsfruktan.]. In Bilder/Images, 1990,
pp. 350-359, Bergman writes about the genesis of his filmatization of Mozart’s opera and about
episodes in the making of the film.
For Bergman’s views on Mozart, see also interviews in AB, 2 January 1975, p.18; Film und Ton
22 (December 1975): 64; Röster i Radio-TV, no. 1-2 (1974/75), pp. 4-5, 67; two-page program
issued at the Cannes Film Festival, 9-23 May 1975, where Magic Flute was shown out of
competition; and an article by Jan Aghed and Carlhåkan Larsén in SDS, 31 December 1974,
p. 10 (same material appears in authors’ interview article in Positif, no. 177 (January 1976), pp. 5-
9), in which Bergman compares Mozart’s opera to Winnie the Pooh (i.e., story and wisdom
combined, written for a 10-year-old by an adult). Bergman defines ‘morality of love’ as opera’s
main theme and justifies changes he made in the libretto as an attempt to make this theme

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more explicit. He also defends his choice of singers: ‘The most important thing for me was that
the singers had natural-born voices, not artificial ones. [...] There are synthetic voices that
sound wonderful, but you can’t see in the faces that anybody is singing’ [Det viktigaste för mig
var att sångarna hade naturliga röster, inte konstlade. [...] Det finns syntetiska röster som låter
underbara men man kan inte se i ansiktena att någon sjunger].
Costumier Henny Noremark spent eleven months preparing the costumes. In 1976 she was
nominated for an Academy Award, but the film was not submitted for competition.
Helene Friberg, the young girl in the audience, whose face and reactions to the performance
form a visual leitmotif in the film, is not Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann’s daughter, as was
often stated erroneously in British and American reviews.
Foreign Reception
The Magic Flute opened as a commercial film in the U.S in early November 1975. American
critics were soon outdoing each other in laudatory assessments. See New Republic, 29 November
1975, p. 22, reprinted in Kauffmann: Before my Eyes, pp. 69-72 (‘On the Day of Judgement of
Nations, a lot will be forgiven Sweden for having wanted and produced such a celebration’);
Newsweek, 24 November 1975, pp. 113-14 (‘a sugar plum for anyone’); Time, 24 November 1975,
pp. 82-84 (‘This is an occasion. Genius is served, [...] Mozart is enhanced, Bergman is trium-
phant’); Village Voice, 17 November 1975, p. 102 (‘ A model of a musical ensemble as well as
theatrical inspiration’).
Bergman’s choice of singers became a bone of contention among reviewers. John Simon in
New York, 24 November 1975, pp. 81-82 was critical, and Robert Craft in New York Review of
Books, 27 November 1975, pp. 16, 18 argued that Bergman fell between two chairs by picking
good-looking singers who were neither professional actors nor first-rate opera performers.
Peter Cowie in High Fidelity Magazine 25, no. 6 (June 1976): 66-70, discussed this and other
musical problems in Magic Flute. In this context, the interview with music director Eric Ericson
in SvD, 4 January 1975, p. 9, is also of interest. Ericson, who was asked by many before the
filming ‘to defend Mozart’, felt that there was never any need to do so: ‘Working with Bergman
was a new and fine experience for me and the orchestra’ [Att arbeta med Bergman var en ny
och fin erfarenhet för mig och orkestern]. See also an interview with Sven Nykvist discussing
the filming of Magic Flute in American Cinematograper 56, no. 8 (August 1975): 894-99.
Foreign Reviews
America, 24 January 1976, pp. 55-56;
Amis du film et de la télévision, no. 234 (November 1975), p. 17;
Bianco e nero, January-February 1977, pp. 108-10;
Cinema nuovo, May-June 1977, pp. 210-11;
Dissent 23, no. 2, (1976): 213-15;
Ecran, no. 42 (December 1975), pp. 48-50;
Film Quarterly 30, no. 1 (Fall 1976): 45-49;
Films and Filming 22, no. 6 (March 1976);
Filmkritika 28 (March 1975), pp. 108-11;
High Fidelity and Musical America, no. 2 (February 1976), pp. 16-18;
Jeune cinéma, no. 88 (July-August), pp. 33-34;
Kosmorama, no. 125 (1975), pp. 61-62;
Monthly Film Bulletin, February 1976, p. 35;
National Review, 5 March 1976, pp. 217-18;
New York Magazine, 24 November 1975, pp. 81-82;
New York Times, 9 November 1975, pp. 2:1, D17, 12 November 1975, p. 50:1, and 16 November, p.
2: D15;

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New Yorker, 17 November 1975, pp. 169-74;

Positif, no. 177, January 1976, pp. 3-5;
Sight and Sound, no. 3 (Summer 1975), p. 159;
Stuttgarter Zeitung, 10 January 1975;
Variety, 15 January 1975, p. 45.
Longer Studies
Carcassonne, P. ‘Tombeaux de Mozart’. Cinématographe, no 52 (November 1979), pp. 11-15
(comparison with Losey’s Don Giovanni);
Donneux, M. ‘Bergman – Mozart. La flute enchantée (ou “La caméra enchanteresse”)’. APEC –
Revue Belge du Cinéma, XIII, no. 4 (January 1976): 29-35;
Hunter, R. ‘A meditation on theatre and love’, Australian Journal of Screen 7, no. 7 (1980), pp.
124-37 (on the theatrical style and the theme of power and love in The Magic Flute);
Kauffmann, Stanley. ‘The Abduction from Theater. Mozart Opera on Film’, The Yale Review 81,
no. 1 (January 1993), pp. 92-104 (comparison with Losey’s Don Giovanni and Sellars’s The
Marriage of Figaro);
Plus, Eric. ‘Die Zauberflöte verfilmd door Ingmar Bergman’. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Univer-
sity of Amsterdam;
Schupp, Patrick. ‘La flute enchantée’. Séquences, no. 84 (April 1976): 28-31 (refers to film as a
Bergman-Mozart masterpiece);
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Transcending Bounderies: Bergman’s Magic Flute’. In Fridén, Ann Carpenter,
ed. Ingmar Bergman and the Arts. Nordic Theatre Studies 11, 1998, pp. 84-97. Also in author’s
Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 65-79. (Argues that Bergman’s Flute, shot for the TV screen, is a
television opera rather than an opera film and transforms, through an intricate viewer
perspective, an old aristocratic opera genre with its upper-class theatre context into a
democratic theatrum mundi).
Fact Sheets and Special Journal Issues
Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 162 (October 1975), pp. 47-50. Dossier on La flute enchantée with
credits and illustrations.
See also
Donneux, M. Apec Cinéma, no. 4 (January 1975-76), pp. 29-35;
Sarris, Andrew. Village Voice, 1 December 1975, pp. 121-23 (claims Bergman’s competition is not
the opera, but a hifi record player);
Kael, Pauline, in her collection of reviews When the Lights Go Down, pp. 72-75.
Awards
1975: French Film Critics Association Special Award
Golden Globe Award as Best Film of the Year.
For additional awards, see under film title, Varia, C.

248. ANSIKTE MOT ANSIKTE, 1976 [Face to Face], Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
See also Media Chapter (Ø 336) for presentation of Ansikte mot ansikte as TV series, its genesis
and Swedish response.

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Synopsis
Originally conceived for Swedish television, Ansikte mot ansikte/Face to Face depicts the nervous
breakdown and recovery of Jenny Isaksson, a psychiatrist in her late Thirties. The film is set in
the old-fashioned apartment of Jenny’s grandparents in Stockholm, with some additional
scenes taking place in a hospital, in an empty house, and at a party.
Jenny has gone to live with her grandparents for the summer while a new house is being
finished for her family. Her scientist husband is in the U.S. and her teenage daughter at summer
camp. Jenny is substituting for the head of the psychiatric clinic at the hospital where she works.
One of Jenny’s patients, Maria, confronts her, drooling and caressing her breast. Jenny
dismisses the behavior as playacting. Later she gets an anonymous phone call; going to a house
that she and her family have recently vacated, she finds Maria drugged on the floor. Two men
accost Jenny, and one of them tries to rape her.
At a party that the head psychiatrist’s wife is giving for her homosexual friends, Jenny meets
Tomas, a gynecologist. They have dinner together and go to his place. When she returns to her
grandparent’s apartment, Jenny sees a specter, an old woman dressed in black, with cold staring
eyes. The woman appears without warning and continues to haunt Jenny until she is driven to a
suicide attempt.
Tomas discovers her, unconscious, and takes her to the hospital. As she is being brought back
to life, Jenny hallucinates and imagines herself dressed in a long red robe and red cap, wander-
ing through the psychic landscape of her childhood. She is seen searching for her parents, who
were killed in an automobile accident. She relives her fears of a dark closet where she was
locked up as a punishment.
In yet another hallucinatory fragment Jenny is confronted by her patients; finds her grand-
father crouched in a closet; pulls a rubber mask off a woman’s face, revealing open bleeding
sores; and recommends aspirin and tranquillizers to her patients but feels uncomfortable with
their attempts to touch her.
In still another nightmare, Jenny is watching her own dead self in a nailed white coffin. The
corpse is revived; Jenny sets the coffin afire while the body inside cries desperately. In a last
hallucinatory scene Jenny assumes the voice of a reprimanding old woman who lectures her
about her duties, and threatens to lock her up in the closet.
As she begins to recover, Jenny’s husband comes to visit. He has rushed home from America
but seems preoccupied with his work. Later their daughter Anna drops in, listens silently to
Jenny’s explanations, and leaves.
Tomas, who has attended to Jenny during her recovery, tells her he is leaving for Jamaica.
Jenny returns to her grandparents. Her grandfather has had a stroke and is decrepit and senile,
totally dependent upon the care of Jenny’s grandmother. Jenny is seen standing behind a curtain
watching the two old people communicating silently. She comes to the conclusion that love
emcompasses all, even death.
The film ends as Jenny makes a phone call to the hospital, informing the receptionist that she
will return to work shortly. There is also the prospect for her of a trip to the U.S.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Location manager Katinka (Katherina) Faragó
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Peder Langenskiöld
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist

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Architects Anne Terselius-Hagegård, Peter Krópenin

Sound/Mixing Owe Svensson
Music W.A. Mozart’s Fantasy in C minor, K 475, played by
Käbi Laretei
Costumes Maggie Strindberg
Props Anna Asp
Make-up Cecilia Drott
Editor Siv Lundgren
Continuity Kerstin Eriksdotter
Cast
Dr. Jenny Isaksson Liv Ullmann
Dr. Tomas Jacobi Erland Josephson
Grandpa Gunnar Björnstrand
Grandma Aino Taube
Maria Kari Sylwan
Elisabeth Wankel, psychiatrist’s wife Sif Ruud
Erik, Jenny’s husband Sven Lindberg
Anna Helene Friberg
Woman specter Tore Segelcke
Dr. Helmut Wankel Ulf Johanson
Veronica, nurse Kristina Adolphson
Mikael Strömberg, actor Gösta Ekman
Jenny’s mother Marianne Aminoff
Jenny’s father Jan-Eric Lindqvist
Rapists Birger Malmsten, Göran Stangertz
Boutique girls Rebecka Pawlo, Lena Olin
Piano player Käbi Laretei
Ludde Bengt Eklund
Filmed at SFI studios, Filmhuset, beginning in April 1975 and completed 30 June 1975.
Distribution Cinematograph
U.S. distribution Dino de Laurentiis, Paramount
Running time TV-version: 175 min.; Film version: 135 minutes
U.S. premiere 5 April 1976 (charity premiere)
Commentary
Bergman made two versions of Ansikte mot ansikte/Face to Face: the TV-version and a shorter
international film version. See interview in SvD, 28 January 1976, p. 9. (Ø 842).
A reportage from the shooting of Ansikte mot ansikte appeared in Los Angeles Times Calendar,
15 June 1975, p. 51. Bergman talks to Charles Champlin of LA Times about the importance of
tradition, continuity, and friendship in his filmmaking. Same subject appears in Continental
Film Review XIV, no. 2 (December 1976): 34-35. At the time of his conception of Ansikte mot
ansikte, Bergman had become intrigued by Arthur Janov’s psychological theories about ‘the
primal scream’. He had met Janov during a brief visit to Los Angeles and mentions his relevance
to the film in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 66-82.
The international film version was originally scheduled to be distributed by ABC Pictures, the
same company that backed The Touch. But ABC wanted Bergman to cut further the copy he had
submitted, which he refused to do, though he later re-edited it to run for 135 minutes. This
shorter version of Ansikte mot ansikte has never been shown in Sweden. It was released in the U.S.

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prior to the airing of the TV version in Sweden; this was arranged in order to make the film
qualify as an Academy Award entry.
Paramount, the final American distributor, printed an elaborate 44-page program, before
releasing the film in the US. It included ‘a rare and private look at a day in Ingmar Bergman’s
working world’. A glossier 292-page folder presenting the film with credits, biographies of crew
and actors, and excerpts from the script was published by Beverly Hills Lion Films Co.
A production handbook from the making of Ansikte mot ansikte was published in German:
Produktionshandbuch zu Ingmar Bergmans ‘Von Angesicht zo Angesicht’, ed. by Ernie Anderson.
(Hamburg: Hoffman und Campe, 1976), 125 pp.
On 24 March 1976, SR/TV issued a five-page program including plot synopsis, film credits,
and Bergman’s letter to the crew. The letter was also published in New York Times, 24 September
1975, p. 45, and became the preface to Swedish and American printed versions of the script,
which is based on the TV manuscript.
Foreign Reception and Reviews
V. Canby in NYT, 18 April 1976, sec. 2, p. 1, saw the film as a metaphor for Sweden – perfection
on the surface, crisis underneath.
Several American reviews of Face to Face, and a year later The Serpent’s Egg – i.e., films
conceived before the Bergman tax debacle – attributed their content to the tax case and Berg-
man’s reaction to it. See B. Brody, Psychology Today 10, no. 4 (September 1976): 15, and J. Cocks,
Time 12 April 1976, p. 97.
A number of American reviewers stated that the powerful hallucinatory quality of the Berg-
man/Ullmann collaboration seduced the audience. Several argued, however, that Bergman was
less successful when relying on an actor’s aura than when he made visual use of iconography
and ritual enactment to capture audience attention, as in his medieval films. See the following
commentators:
J. Breslin, America, 7 August 1976, pp. 55-56;
R. Hatch, Nation, 17 April 1976, pp. 475-76;
D. Jacobs, Take One 5, no. 4 (October 1976), pp. 40-41;
Samuel Raphaelson, Film Comment 12, no. 3 (May-June 1976): 46-49, 65;
Andrew Sarris, Village Voice, 5 April 1976, pp. 133-34;
Patrick Schupp, Séquences, no. 86 (October 1976): 48-49 (questioned cuts from script);
C. L Westerbeck, Commonweal, 21 May 1976, pp. 333-34.
American reviews of Face to Face were excerpted in SDS, 7 April 1976, p. 10. For additional
foreign reactions, see:
Cineforum 17, no. 161 (January 1977): 54-61;
Ecran no. 50 (September 1976): 49-51;
F-Dienst XXIV/12, 8 June 1976, pp. 14-15;
Film und Ton 22 (December 1976): 64-65;
Filmcritica 28 (March 1977): 123-24;
Films and Filming 22, no. 3 (December 1976): 31;
Films in Review 27, no. 5 (May 1876): 314-15;
Monthly Film Bulletin, December 1976, p. 247;
New Republic, 17 April 1976, pp. 22;
New Statesman, 22 October 1976, p. 570;
New York Times, 6 April 1976, p. 28:1, and 18 April 1976, p. 2:1;
New Yorker, 5 April 1976, pp. 121-23;
Positif, no. 183-184 (July-August), 1976: 82-83;

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Sight and Sound 46, no. 1 (Winter 1976-77): 55.

See also
Finetti, U. ‘Uno psicologo d’inanzi all’imagine sullo specchio’, Cinema Nuovo, March-April 1977,
pp. 115-17 (interview with Italian psychoanalyst Cesare Musatti about Face to Face);
Kauffmann, Stanley. Before my Eyes, pp. 73-76 (New Republic review);
Lauder, Robert. Christian Century 93, no. 39 (1976): 936-38;
Michener, C. Film Comment 12, no. 3 (May-June 1976): 44-45;
Variety, 14 April 1976, p. 32.
Awards
1977: Golden Globe as Best Foreign Film of the Year.

249. ORMENS ÄGG /DAS SCHLANGENEI/THE SERPENT’S EGG, 1977 Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
The Serpent’s Egg takes place in Berlin in November 1923 during Hitler’s first, unsuccessful
attempt to seize political power. The main characters are the former circus artists Abel and
Manuela Rosenberg. Manuela used to be married to Abel’s brother Max. The two brothers are
Canadian citizens born of Danish Jews.
Abel returns to his shabby hotel room in Berlin to find his brother dead, an apparent suicide.
When questioned by a fat cigar-smoking policeman, Commissary Bauer, Abel can provide no
clue. He looks up Manuela, who works in the cabaret ‘Zum blauen Esel’, and gives her a letter
that Max has left behind; the handwriting is illegible, except for one phrase: ‘The poisoning
goes on all the time.’ Outside the cabaret hall, Abel runs into Hans Vergerus, a scientist who
claims to recognize him from a summer vacation 26 years ago. Abel denies the acquintance.
Abel witnesses the beating up of an old Jewish couple by young German soldiers. Later he
turns up drunk at Manuela’s rooming house. After Manuela goes to her daytime work (as a
prostitute), Abel searches her room and finds a small bundle of dollar bills. He meets the
landlady, Frau Holle.
Returning to his former hotel room, Abel finds the police waiting. Bauer asks him to come
along to the morgue to indentify a young woman who has been found drowned. The badly
beaten corpse is that of Grethe Hofer, Max’s fiancée. Abel recognizes other bodies shown to him
but cannot name them. One has been murdered with painful injections; the other is a suicide.
Abel is taken to the police station for interrogation; he reveals that he is an alcoholic and not
interested in unexplained deaths or the current political chaos. Trying to escape, he is beaten
and thrown into prison, where Manuela comes to visit. Bauer releases Abel, writing off his
behavior as excessively neurotic.
Abel follows Manuela to work and sees her enter a church. She prays with a minister; they
ask for mutual forgiveness; God is no longer present to offer absolution.
The police stage a razzia at the cabaret hall where Manuela worked and beat the proprietor
unconscious. Manuela and Abel move to St. Anna’s Clinic, where Hans Vergerus has given Abel
access to an apartment. Abel works in the archives and Manuela in the laundry room. Two
doctors, Solterman and Fuchs, escort Abel to his job and leave him alone. Fuchs reveals that
horrible experiments take place in the clinic under the surveillance of Hans Vergerus.
After an argument with Manuela, Abel leaves the apartment. He is involved in a fracas with a
Jewish couple. Later a prostitute picks him up. In her apartment, another girl and a black man
are arguing about his impotence. Abel baits them with money. The man fails to make love to

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the girl, who collects the money. Returning to the apartment, Abel discovers Manuela dead.
Later he finds a movie camera is hidden in the wall. Pushing a door open, he enters an empty
room and takes an elevator to the top floor. A shadow follows him. He is attacked and barely
survives.
Back at work, Abel asks Dr. Solterman to accompany him to the archives, where he beats him
unconscious and steals his keys. He finds a projection booth and turns on the machinery: a
picture of a woman sitting against a white wall appears. Hans Vergerus comes into the booth
and explains the film. It is a study of a woman taking care of a brain-damaged child who cries
night and day. This is followed by other sequences of people under extreme duress and torture,
mostly involving injections with experimental drugs. Vergerus predicts than in ten years time,
science will be ready to carry on his work. Knowing, however, that the police are about to
discover his deeds, he commits suicide by swallowing cyanide.
The police arrive, Vergerus is dying, and Abel is knocked unconscious. He wakes up in the
prison hospital. Bauer tells him that arrangements have been made for his departure to Switzer-
land. Abel gets up and acts completely disoriented, behaving like one of the victims in Verger-
us’s filmed experiments. Escorted to the railroad station he escapes and disappears in the
crowd.
Credits
Production company Rialto Film (Berlin)/Dino de Laurentiis Corp. (L.A.)
Executive producer Horst Wendlandt
Producer Dino de Laurentiis
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect Rolf Zehetbauer
Music Rolf Wilhelm
Sound Karsten Ullrich,
Costumes Charlotte Flemming
Choreography Heino Hallhuber
Editor Petra von Oelffen
Continuity Kerstin Eriksdotter
Cast
Manuela Rosenberg Liv Ullmann
Abel Rosenberg David Carradine
Commisary Bauer Gert Fröbe
Hans Vergerus Heintz Bennent
Parson James Whitmore
Monroe Glynn Turman
Hollinger Georg Hartmann
Frau Holle Edith Heerdegen
Frau Dorst Kyra Mladeck
Dr. Soltermann Fritz Strassner
Dr. Silbermann Hans Quest
A civil servant Wolfgang Weiser
Frau Hemse Paula Braend
Solomon Walter Schmidinger
Mikaela Lis Mangold
Stella Grischa Huber

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Cabaret comedian Paul Bürks

Girls in uniform Isolde Barth, Rosemarie Heinikel, Andrea L’Arronge,
Beverly McNeely
Mr. Rosenberg Toni Berger
Mrs. Rosenberg Erna Brunnell
Max Hans Eichler
Paramedic Harry Kalenberg
Woman with baby Gaby Dohm
Student Christian Berkel
Experimental person Paul Burian
Doctor Charles Regnier
Prisoner Günter Meisner
Wife Heide Picha
Husband Günter Malzacher
Comforter Hubert Mittendorf
Woman in street Hertha von Walther
Hostess Ellen Umlauf
Prostitutes Renate Grosser, Hildegard Busse
Police officer Richard Bohne
Greedy man Emil Feist
‘Bride’ Heino Hallhuber
‘Groom’ Irene Steinbeiser
Filmed in Bavaria Studios, Munich, beginning October 1976 and completed December 1976.
Distribution Dino de Laurentiis
Running time 119 minutes
Swedish premiere 28 October 1977, Grand (Stockholm), Victoria (Göte-
borg), Camera (Malmö)
German premiere 28 October 1977
U.S. opening February 1978
Commentary
Das Schlangenei/The Serpent’s Egg was Bergman’s first film made outside of Sweden and the first
film made after his taking up residence in Munich, West Germany. The film was co-produced
by German and American financiers (see Credits above). It was shot in the Bavaria Studios but
released as an English-speaking film. The cinematographer was Sven Nykvist but a number of
other crew members were German. Bergman writes about the genesis and progression of the
film in Bilder/Images (Ø 188), pp. 190-208; it was a complicated undertaking both in terms of
the setting (‘a Berlin that nobody knew any more’) and cast (finding a male main actor). In
some reports, Bergman is quoted as saying that The Serpent’s Egg was written as a strange
premonition of his own arrest in early 1976. However, in a French interview by M. Delain,
‘Bergman et le nazisme’, L’Express, 28 November 1977, pp. 18-23, Bergman dates his personal
connection to the film story back to age 17, when he spent a summer with a pro-Nazi German
family.
There were a great many reportages from the shooting of The Serpent’s Egg. See:
Blume, Mary. ‘The Bergman Mystique at Work’. Los Angeles Times Calendar, 20 March, pp. 1, 34;
Janos, L. ‘A Day on the Bergmanstrasse’. Time, 14 February 1977, pp. 78-9 (Am. ed. pp. 42-3)
(better researched than Blume’s);

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Jungstedt, Torsten. ‘Ormens ägg’. Swedish Public Radio (SR), 12 December 1976, 30 minute
reportage from Bavaria Studio. With interviews with Sven Nykvist and Liv Ullmann;
‘Der Magiker und das Schlangenei’, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 5 February 1977, Bild und
Zeit section, p. 2;
Sundgren, Nils Petter ‘Filmkrönika’. SVT, channel 2, 12 November 1976. (Televised interview
with Bergman about the background of Ormens ägg. This interview was published in
French under title ‘Rencontre avec Bergman’, Positif 204 (March) 1978, pp. 21-22).
Jörn Donner’s film, The Bergman File, includes a live excerpt from Bergman’s press conference
in Berlin on 19 November 1976. See also Finland Filmland, no. 1, 1978: 64-66; Stockholm press,
20 November 1976; Röster i Radio-TV, no. 51 (10 December) 1976, pp. 10, 60; and Variety, 1
December, p. 43. Interviews with Bergman during the production appeared in Vecko-Journalen,
no. 49 (1976), pp. 6-7, and Expr., 20 February 1977, pp. 28-9.
A program on Ormens ägg was issued by Fox-Stockholm Film (Swedish distributor), 28
October 1977. It contains an unsigned article on the historical background of the film, synopsis
of the script, notices about Bergman’s shooting of the film, and information about his crew and
leading actors. Another program, edited by J. Dawson and B. Frundt, was issued for the
showing of The Serpent’s Egg at Berlin Film Festival in summer 1978.
Positif, no. 204 (March 1978), pp. 18-27, contains a three-part presentation of L’oeuf du serpent
by M. Sineux, N.-P. Sundgren and J. Jacobs, consisting of a review; a transcript of the Sundgren
interview listed above; and a transcript of a documentary based on the shooting of the film,
made by a West German TV team. Dino de Laurentiis also produced a documentary called
‘Secrets of a Genius’, first shown on Argentine television, 28 December 1977.
Reception
The Serpent’s Egg received a great deal of critical attention. Reviews reveal both curious antici-
pation of the first film made by Bergman in exile and apprehension about his working in a
foreign environment. On 29 October 1977 (p. 14), Lasse Bergström published a full-page glow-
ing review of Ormens ägg in Expr., maintaining that Bergman had succeeded in absorbing
resources of international filmmaking into his most recent work while guarding his own artistic
integrity. Swedish reviews of Bergman’s films made in exile have been much more respectful
and positive than elsewhere. See Åke Hedlund, ‘Svensk press och Ormens ägg’ [Swedish Press
and The Serpent’s Egg], University of Stockholm undergraduate thesis, Spring Quarter 1978, ca.
30 pp. (typescript). The film was, however, a commercial flop in Sweden, and the Swedish
distributor allegedly lost one million crowns on the project.
The German response to Das Schlangenei was mixed but more critical than reviews in
Sweden. See Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 26 October 1978, and Die Zeit, no. 45 (28 October),
pp. 41-2; reprinted in Kinozeit (Frankfurt am Main: Fischer, 1980, pp. 104-09). For a sample of
the Dutch response, see Harry Hosman, ‘Bergmans angst en beklemming’. De Tijd, 10 February
1978.
In France, L’Oeuf du serpent also had a mixed reception. But in a longer article on the film,
‘La métaphore éclatée. Notes sur l’utilization de l’éstétique et des thèmes expressionistes dans
L’Oeuf du serpent’, Michel Serceau argued that form and thematic content were given a
cohesive and original shape by Bergman. Serceau’s article appeared in a collection titled Ingmar
Bergman: La mort, le masque et l’etre, ed. by Michel Estève (Paris: Lettres modernes Minard,
1983), pp. 83-94. In Canadian film journal Séquences (listed below), Maurice Elia claimed that
Bergman should not be blamed for wanting to do something different.
In the U.S., The Serpent’s Egg was termed ‘a major disaster’ (Molly Haskell, New York, 6
February 1978, pp. 73-74); a manipulative film lacking human warmth and depth (R. Hatch,
Nation, 11 February 1978, pp. 155-56); ‘a baffling film... so obviously wrong-headed’ (Vincent

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Canby, NYT, 29 January 1978, p. 17); and a brutally offensive work (P. Kael, New Yorker, 30
January 1978, pp. 92-94). S. Kauffmann, New Republic, 4 February, pp. 26-7 (reprinted in Before
my Eyes, New York: Harper & Row, 1980, pp. 76-79) listed three basic mistakes made by
Bergman: (1) making the film in English, which he did not master; (2) using Liv Ullmann,
for whom English is also a foreign language; (3) selecting David Carradine for the lead male
part and subordinating Ullmann’s role to his. Many American reviews compared Bergman’s
film unfavorably to Bob Fosse’s Cabaret.
Reviews
Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö press, 29 October 1977;
America, 11 February 1978, p. 103;
Amis de la cinéma, February 1978: 7-9;
Atlantic Monthly no. 2 (February 1978), pp. 90-91;
Bianco e nero, May-June 1979, pp. 138-40;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 285 (February 1978), p. 45;
Cine Cubano, no. 106 (1983): 87-88;
Cinéma 78, no. 229 (January 1978), pp. 95-97;
Cinéaste 8, no. 3 (Winter 1977/78), pp. 42-43;
Cinemaction, July 1990, p. 88;
Cinematograph, December 1977, pp. 29-30;
Cinema Nuovo, March-April 1978, pp. 130-33;
Ecran, no. 65 (January 1978), pp. 58-60;
F-Dienst XXX/23, 8 November 1977, pp. 8-9;
Film og Kino, February 1979; p. 19;
Film Kultura, May-June 1980, pp. 49-52;
Film et Télévisie, February 1978, pp. 34-36;
Filmbulletin, January-February 1978, p. 34;
Films and Filming, October 1978, pp. 34-5;
Films in Review 29, no. 1 (January 1978): 51;
Illustrated, October 1978, p. 65;
Jeune Cinéma, no. 108 (February 1978), pp. 33-5;
Lumière du Cinéma, no. 11 (January-February 1978), pp. 38-41;
Monthly Film Bulletin, July 1978, p. 141; (subtitled ‘A real horror story’, review deals as much
with Bergman’s tax problems as with film);
National Review, 3 March 1978, pp. 289-90;
New Leader, 7 February 1978, pp. 27-28;
New Statesman, 27 October 1978, pp. 55-56;
New York Times, 6 March 1978, pp. 70-71;
Newsweek, 30 January 1978, p. 55;
Positif 204 (March) 1978: 18-20;
Saturday Review, 4 February 1978, p. 47;
Séquences, no. 92 (April 1978), pp. 28-9;
Sight and Sound, Summer 1978, p. 190;
Skoop 14, no. 1 (February 1978), pp. 5-8;
Skrien, no. 73 (March 1978), p. 35;
Time, 30 January 1978, pp. 59-60;
Village Voice 6 February,1978, p. 39;
Variety, no. 13 (2 November) 1977, p. 17.

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Longer Reviews and Studies/Fact sheets

Cumozio, Emilio. ‘Ingmar Bergman. L’uovo del serpente’. Cineforum, September 1978, pp. 522-
35;
Gehler, Fred. ‘Abel und der Kommissar’. Film und Fernsehen, no. 3, 1980, pp. 44-49 (Dossier on
film);
Larson, Janet K. ‘The Birth of Evil: Genesis According to Bergman’. Christian Century, 7-14 June
1978, pp. 615-19. (Larson sees The Serpent’s Egg as ‘an omnius-gatherum of detective thriller,
documentary, Gothic fiction, political tract and psychiatric case study’ presented as a
modern version of the Fall and Flood myths);
Librach, Ronald S. ‘Through the Looking-Glass Darkly: The Serpent’s Egg’. Literature/Film
Quarterly 8, no. 2 (Spring 1980), pp. 92-103. (Librach discusses Bergman’s use of dream
structure – ‘The oneiric premise’ – and sees male sexual self-knowledge as the film’s
principal theme);
Malmberg, Carl-Johan. ‘Bergman ansikte mot ansikte med historien’ [B. face to face with
history]. Filmhäftet, no. 15-18 (May 1978), pp. 106-16. (On Bergman’s roots in modernism
affecting his view of history and his film style in Ormens ägg).
See also
Chaplin no. 153 (1977), pp. 253-55;
Cinematograph, no. 33 (December 1977), pp. 29-30;
Filmfaust, no. 6 (December 1977), pp. 106-8;
Image et son, no. 324 (January 1978), pp. 112-14, and no. 327 (April 1978), pp. 42-6;
Cinématographie, no. 34 (January 1978), pp. 23-4;
Kosmorama, no. 137 (Spring 1978), pp. 25-30;
Intellect, no. 106 (June 1978), p. 489;
Screen International, 18 March 1978, p. 10.

250. HERBSTSONATE/HÖSTSONATEN, 1978 [Autumn Sonata], Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
The first Bergman film to feature Ingrid Bergman, Höstsonaten depicts the encounter between a
successful concert pianist, Charlotte, and her plain-looking daughter, Eva who is married to a
parson and lives in rural Norway. Eva’s husband opens the film with a narration about his wife,
who used to be a journalist but gave up her career. After several years of marriage, the couple
had a son, Erik, who drowned at age 4.
Charlotte’s longtime friend Leonardo has just died, and Eva invites her mother to the
parsonage for a visit. It is the first time in seven years that mother and daughter have seen
each other. Shortly after arriving, Charlotte is told that her spastic daughter Helena now lives in
the house and is cared for by Eva. Charlotte, visibly upset, talks about Leonardo’s death. Later
she visits Helena’s room.
During dinner, where she appears in elegant red, Charlotte gets a concert offer from her
agent on the phone. Always conscious of money, she cannot resist. After the meal, she per-
suades her daughter to play Chopin on the piano, then proceeds to play the same piece while
discussing how it should be interpreted. Eva stares in absolute misery at her mother. Later,
while Eva is out of the room (but eavesdropping), her husband talks confidentially about her.
After doing her accounts in bed, Charlotte goes to sleep but wakes up screaming from a
nightmare in which Helena touched her. She spends the rest of the night in the living room

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with Eva, who proceeds to accuse her mother of neglecting her family and egotistically pursuing
her career. In flashbacks, we see Eva as a child, longing and waiting for her mother’s return.
One of her memories focusses on Helena during an Easter visit to the island of Bornholm when
Leonardo and Charlotte had come to join them. A rapport forms between Leonardo and
Helena, who seems to be recovering. A scene showing Leonardo playing his cello, surrounded
by all the family members, is bathed in soft warm light, and is the one moment of peacefulness
in the film. But the following day Charlotte decides to leave early. Leonardo stays behind, but
grows restless and soon follows Charlotte to Vienna. Helena has a relapse.
Charlotte defends herself and refers to a summer when she gave up her music practice to
spend time with her family. Eva now reveals her unhappiness that summer; she was 14 years old
and unable to cope with her mother’s vitality and willpower. This part is told in the present and
leads to Eva’s breakdown.
Charlotte leaves the parsonage. Shots of her on a train with her agent Paul alternate with
glimpses of Eva walking to the cemetery to visit Erik’s grave. She feels her son’s presence very
strongly.
The film ends with Eva writing a letter to her mother, asking her to forgive her. She shows
the letter to her husband, stating that she doubts her mother will ever read it. As her husband
peruses the letter, the camera shows Eva’s and Charlotte’s faces in turn on the screen. The film
ends as Eva’s husband puts the letter back in the envelope to take to the post office.
Credits
Production company Personafilm
Production manager Katinka (Katherina) Faragó
Director Ingmar Bergman
Location manager Lena Hansson
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architect Anna Asp
Sound and mixing Owe Svensson
Music Excerpts from F. Chopin’s Preludium no. 2 in A minor
played by Käbi Laretei; J.S. Bach’s Suite no. 4 in E flat
major performed by Claude Genetay; and G.F. Händel’s
Sonata in F major, Opus 1, performed by Frans Brug-
gen, Gustav Leonhardt, Anne Bylsmå
Costumes Inger Pehrsson
Makeup Cecilia Drott
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Continuity Kerstin Eriksdotter
Cast
Charlotte, concert pianist Ingrid Bergman
Eva, her daughter Liv Ullmann
Helena, her daughter Lena Nyman
Eva’s husband Halvar Björk
Leonardo Georg Lökkeberg
Eva as a child Linn Ullmann
Josef Erland Josephson
Paul, Charlotte’s agent Gunnar Björnstrand
Charlotte’s secretary Marianne Aminoff
Piano teacher Mimi Pollak
Uncle Otto Arne Bang-Hansen

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Filmed on location at Molde, Norway, and at Norsk Film Studios, Oslo, beginning 20 Septem-
ber 1977 and completed 30 October 1977. Produced by Bergman’s own company Personafilm.
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri
U.S. distribution New World Films
Running time 93 minutes
Released 8 August 1978
Premiere 8 October 1978, (Spegeln) Stockholm
U.S. opening 8 October 1978, The Baronet, NYC
Commentary
A documentary from the shooting of Herbstsonate/Höstsonaten is on file at SFI.
The Swedish Film Institute (SFI) decided first not to nominate Höstsonaten to the American
Motion Picture Academy for an Academy Award as ‘Best Foreign Film’, arguing that the film
was de facto a German production. But the new head of the SFI, Per Ahlmark, tried to change
the decision and find a loophole in the Academy rules. See Variety, 14 February 1979, p. 33, but
note Variety error in claiming that the Swedish government was behind the first decision not to
nominate the film. SFI is a Foundation, not a Swedish government agency.
On 19 September 1977, Bergman held a press conference on Höstsonaten in Oslo, also covered
by Swedish SR/TV under the program title ‘Stjärnor mot stjärnor’ (Stars against stars). Bergman
explained his choice of a mother/daughter rather than a father/son relationship; in traditional
sex role patterns women’s relations tend to mask aggression, which surfaces only in moments of
extreme tension; this Bergman wanted to explore on the screen. At the same press meeting,
Ingrid Bergman revealed that her role was a fulfillment of an old promise: In 1965 she and
Bergman had discussed filming Swedish author Hjalmar Bergman’s novel Chefen fru Ingeborg
(Head of the Firm). In 1975 at the Cannes Film Festival, Ingrid Bergman reminded Bergman of
this; two years later he had written the part of Charlotte in Höstsonaten for her. The Hjalmar
Bergman project was rejected because its portrait of women seemed too obsolete.
For good coverages of the press conference, see ‘To ganger Bergman-Ullmann i høstlig
sonate’ [Two times B-U in autumnal sonata]. Arbeiderbladet (Oslo), 20 September 1977, p. 9;
B. Wilson, ‘Man måste glömma för att rädda sin själ’ [One must forget in order to save one’s
soul]. DN, 20 September 1977, p. 16; and GP, same date, p. 17.
For interview with Ingrid Bergman and her impressions of working with Bergman during
shooting of Autumn Sonata, see Emma Andrews, ‘The Bergman Principle’, Films Illustrated 7
(May 1978): 332-33. This interview was reprinted in Russian translation as ‘Kak sozdavalas.
Osennjaja sonata’ in Iskusstvo Kino 10 (October) 1988: 141-147.
In Kino (Sofia) 3, (July) 1993: 44-80 (a special Bergman issue), Bulgarian theatre director
Stavri Karamfilov discusses his stage production of Höstsonaten.
Reception
A few days after the Stockholm opening of Höstsonaten, a feminist debate began in the Swedish
and Norwegian press. See the following:
Bergom-Larsson, Maria. ‘Öppet brev till Ingmar Bergman’, [Open Letter to Ingmar Bergman],
DN, 14 October 1978, p. 4; (objection to portrayal of Charlotte and urging Bergman to make
a film about a father’s commitments). Asta Bolin responded in DN, 19 October, p. 6, with a
reply by M. Bergom-Larsson in same paper, 26 October, p. 4;
Tunbäck-Hansson, Monika, continued the debate in GP, 17 October, p. 2, and Kerstin Anér in
same paper, 5 November, p. 2;
Boström, Åsa, defended Bergman’s portrayal of motherhood in ‘Bergmans mödrar’ [Bergman’s
mothers]. Filmrutan XXII, no. 1, 1979: 8-9.

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For Norwegian sample of debate, see C. Wiggen, ‘Nå er virkeligheten blitt reaksjonær!’ [Now
reality has become reactionary]. Film og Kino XLVII, no. 1 (February) 1979: 48.
For two particularly noteworthy reviews, see Hugo Wortzelius in UNT (20 October 1978, p.
13), and Artur Lundkvist in SvD, 7 November 1978, p. 10. Wortzelius felt that Bergman camou-
flaged himself in the mother’s role, while Lundkvist focussed on the film as a portrait of an
artist’s lack of self-confidence in a mass society where (s)he is an outsider.
Outside of Sweden, Höstsonaten got a varied response. Cahiers du cinéma, December 1978, pp.
48-49, called Sonate s’autonne ‘stupid and obsolete’ while Newsweek, 16 October 1978, p. 76, felt
that Bergman had joined company with Ibsen, Strindberg, and Edvard Munch in turning an
ordinary room into an arena of tragedy. S. Kauffmann in New Republic, 7 October 1978, pp. 24-
26 (reprinted in Before my Eyes, pp. 79-86), referred to the film as ‘a master working’, while
Pauline Kael, New Yorker, 6 November 1978, pp. 165-71, called Autumn Sonata ‘a folie à deux by
Ullmann and Bergman’. Canadian film journal Séquences (see below) thought the film was the
work of ‘an artist who pulls us deeper and deeper into the interior of his hallucinating night-
mares’. Raymond Lefèvre in Cinéma 78 felt the film bore a strong resemblance to Såsom i en
spegel/Comme dans un miroir: four family members in a no exit situation, two children with an
unresponsive parent.
Reviews
Swedish Press, 9 October 1978
America, 28 October 1978, p. 288;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 295 (December) 1978: 48-9;
Chaplin, no. 158 (May) 1978: 184-187;
Cinéaste 9, no. 3 (March) 1979: 43-45;
Cinéma 78, November 1978;
Cinema Nuovo, November-December 1978, pp. 57-59;
Cinematograph, no. 41 (November) 1978: 72-73;
Commentary, no. 1 (January) 1979: 60-64;
Ecran, no. 74 (November) 1978: 57-8;
F-Dienst XXXI/24, 22 October 1978, pp. 16-17;
Film et Televisie, December 1978, pp. 8-10;
Film og Kino, (February) 1979: 20-2, 40;
Film und Fernsehen, no. 7 (197), 1978, pp. 130-37;
Filmbulletin, October-November 1978: R-F;
Filmfaust 2, no. 11 (December) 1978: 64-65;
Filmhäftet, no. 21-22 (December) 1978: 76-79;
Filmrutan, no. 1, 1979: 8-9;
Films and Filming, (April) 1979: 39;
Films in Review 33, no. 9 (November) 1978: 569;
Image et son, no. 333 (November) 1978: 139-40;
Jeune Cinéma, no. 115 (December- January) 1978: 46-48;
Monthly Film Bulletin XLVI, no. 540 (January) 1979: 7-8;
Nation, 2 December 1978: 619-20;
National Review, 24 November 1978: 1490-91;
New Statesman, 23 March 1979: 419;
New York, 9 October 1978: 113-14;
Sight and Sound 48, no. 1 (Winter) 1978-79: 56;
Skoop 14, no. 9, (December) 1978, pp. 51-54;
The Listener, no. 2925 (5 September) 1985: 31;

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Time, 16 October 1978: 112-13 (A.E. pp. 60, 62);

Variety, no. 6 (13 September) 1978: 21;
Vecko-Journalen, no. 41, 1978: 46;
Village Voice, 16 October 1978: 71.
Longer Reviews and Studies
Benayoun, Robert. ‘Fugue sur la futilité somptueuse de l’ art’. Positif 213 (December) 1978: 51-54;
Bird, Michael. ‘Heuresis: The Mother-Daughter Theme in ‘A Jest of God’ and ‘Autumn Sonata’’.
New Quarterly: New Directions in Canadian Writing 7, no. 1-2 (Spring-Summer) 1987: 267-273;
Björkman Stig. ‘En värld av befriade känslor’ [A world of liberated feelings]. Chaplin XX, no. 5
(158) 1978: 184-187.
Boorsma, Anne-Marie. ‘Herftsonate van Ingmar Bergman: een moeder dochter relatie ver-
filmd’. Diss. Leiden: Rijksuniversitet Leiden, 1988, 102 pp.
Farago, France. ‘La mort comme propédeutique à la vie’. In Ingmar Bergman: La mort, le masque
et l’etre, ed. by Michel Estève (Paris: Lettres modernes Minard, 1983), pp. 19-51;
Gertner, R. ‘Autumn Sonata’. Motion Picture Product D, VI/9, 4 October 1978, pp. 33-34;
Jensen, Nils. ‘Høstsonaten og rene linier’ [Autumn Sonata and pure lines]. Kosmorama XXV,
no. 141 (Spring) 1979: 9-11;
Leroux, André. ‘Sonate d’automne’. Séquences XXIV, no. 95 (January) 1979: 33-36;
Simmons, Keith L. ‘Pain and Forgiveness: Structural Transformations in Wild Strawberries and
Autumn Sonata’. New Orleans Review 10, no. 4 (Winter) 1983: 5-15;
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs, (Amsterdam: AUP, 1995) pp.
160-173.
See also
Los Angeles Times, 15 October 1978, pp. 1, 34;
R. Lauder, NYT, 3 December 1978, pp. 1, 13;
Bernd Lubowski. Berliner Morgenpost, 9 December 1977;
E. Kwakernaak, McGuffin 7, no. 29 (March 1979): 4-13;
G. Millar, Listener, 5 April 1979, pp. 492-93;
Peter Cowie. Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography, 1982, pp. 319-28.

251. FÅRÖDOKUMENT 1979 [Fårö-document 79] 1979, Color (16 mm)

See listing in media chapter, (Ø 338).

252. UR MARIONETTERNAS LIV/AUS DEM LEBEN DER MARIONETTEN, 1980

[From the Life of the Marionettes] B/W & color
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis:
Ingmar Bergman’s third film during his exile begins like a TV whodunnit with a murder
sequence shot in flaming red. The victim is a prostitute, Katarina. The murderer is an upper
middle-class German businessman, Peter Egerman. The rest of the film is a flashback exam-
ination of his life, a ‘protocol’ in black and white. In the final part of the film, the murder
sequence is repeated, again shot in color, as Peter’s life comes full circle.
Apart from the murder, the film has very little action. It is constructed as a series of
conversations, tracing Peter Egerman’s attempt to come to terms with his marriage and with
his sense of emptiness and alienation. The scenes are short and often interrupted; they are like

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fragments in an incomplete puzzle. No single character can provide the answer to Peter Eger-
man’s psychological short-circuit, which caused him to become a murderer.
One by one, the people with whom Peter has been associated step before the camera to have
their portraits rather than their stories unveiled. The film is virtually all close up, with a
minimum of mise-en-scène and hardly any social frame of reference. We meet in turn Peter’s
friend, a psychiatrist; his wife, who has the same name as the murdered prostitute; his mother;
and his wife’s homosexual colleague, Tim (Thomas Isidor Mandelbaum). All of them are
indirectly related to Peter’s catastrophe, or rather, each one implies a possible reason for his
collapse and act of violence. The psychiatrist has betrayed his confidence and has had an affair
with his wife. Katarina has exposed him to humiliation and taunting love-hatred. His mother
reveals herself to be of a possessive nature. Tim, in disclosing his own despair and lonelineness,
suggests Peter’s own latent homosexuality. There are also indications of childhood traumas still
bruising the sensitive Peter. The final vignette shows him in his cell cuddling his childhood
teddy bear.
Credits
Production company Personafilm
Producers Horst Wendtlandt, Ingrid Bergman
Production managers Paulette Hufnagel, Irmgaard Kelpinski
Location manager Michael Juncker, Franz Achter
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant directors T. von Trotha, Johannes Kaetzler
Screeenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Sound Peter Beil
Architect Rolf Zehetbauer
Music Rolf Wilhelm
Costumes Charlotte Flemming
Props Harry Freude, Barbara Freude-Schnaase
Make-up Mathilde Basedow
Editor Petra von Oelffen
Continuity Helma Flachsmeire
Cast
Peter Egerman Robert Atzorn
Katarina Egerman Christine Buchegger
Mogens Jensen Martin Benrath
Katarina Rita Russek
Cordelia Egerman, Peter’s mother Lola Müthel
Tim Mandelbaum Walter Schmidinger
Arthur Brenner, psychiatrist Heintz Bennent
Nurse Ruth Olafs
Secretary Gaby Dohm
Interrogator Karl Heintz Pelser
Guard Toni Berger
Filmed in Tobis Film Studios, Munich, using actors from Bayerische Staatsschauspiel; shooting
beginning in October 1979. Completion date unavailable.
Distribution Tobis Film
U.S distribution Swank Motion Pictures

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Running time 104 minutes

First public screening July 1980 at a small film festival in Oxford.
8 October 1980 in Paris.
TV screening Film was shown on West German TV (ZDF/Zweites
Deutsches Fernsehen), 3 November 1980.
German opening 6 November 1980.
U.S. opening 7 November 1980, Mann’s Fine Arts, Los Angeles.
Swedish opening 24 January 1981, Grand (Stockholm), Sandrew (Göte-
borg, Malmö, and Uppsala).
Commentary
Bergman writes about the film in Bilder/Images, 1990, pp. 208-220. Aus dem Leben der Ma-
rionetten was originally made for German television; Bergman calls it his only German film
since it was conceived, financed, and shot in Germany. Bergman regrets that it was distributed
elsewhere as a commercial feature film. In Assayas-Björkman interview book Tre dagar med
Bergman (Ø 919), he calls the film one of his favorites.
In an interview published in Cahiers du Cinéma no. 436 (October 1990), Ingmar Bergman
explains the reason why Aus dem Leben..., which was originally planned in black and white,
begins in color: West German TV channel ZDF which had bought transmission rights to the
film worried that their viewers might switch TV channels if the film opened in black and white,
thinking that their TV sets had malfunctioned.
Reception
Swedish reviews were respectful but not enthusiastic. See Expr., 28 January 1981, p. 34, for
speculation as to why the public failed the film. Torsten Manns in Filmrutan (no. 1, 1981, p.
31) suggested that audiences recognized (and were tired of) Bergman as a tamer of his own
demons. Swedish poet/critic Artur Lundkvist discussed Marionetten... in SvD, 20 February 1981,
p. 12, focusing on the film’s thematic ambiguity, i.e., Peter’s spleen and latent homosexuality.
Neither in the U.S. nor in Europe was the film a box-office success. Some French reviewers
even spoke of a fiasco. However, François Ramasse in a substantial essay on Marionettes... saw
the film as the quintessence of Bergman’s work in the cinema and was fascinated by its
‘deconstructive narrative’. See ‘De la vie des marionettes’ in Ingmar Bergman: La mort, le masque
et l’être, ed. by Michel Estève (Paris: Lettres modernes Minard, 1983), pp. 95-141. Michel Pérez in
Le Matin called Marionettes... an admirable film from beginning to end, praising its cinematic
economy and its resistance to easy solutions, social as well as psychoanalytical.
For a sample of the (West) German reaction, see Anne Rose Katz, ‘Kostumierter Geschlech-
terkampf ’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 2 October 1980. Mentions brilliant imagery but also lack of
compassion.
In the U.S., Variety (23 July 1980, p. 6) wrote an appreciative review, calling Bergman ‘the
world’s best known minority-appeal filmmaker’ and praising Sven Nykvist’s cinemaphotogra-
phy and Bergman’s ability to make ‘a contrived plot acceptable to viewer’. Time (17 November
1980, p. 109) thought Marionettes... was more interesting to analyze than to watch, while
Newsweek (24 November, p. 58) was ready to nominate Bergman for the Nobel Prize.
Reviews
Swedish press, 25 January 1981;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 318 (December 1980), pp. 45-47;
Celuloide no. 328-329, November 1981: 14-15;
Chaplin, no. 172 (1981, no. 1), p. 33;
Cinéma, no. 262 (October 1980), p. 83;

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Cineforum, no. 203 (April 1981), pp. 55-60;

Cinématographe, no. 62 (November) 1980: 57-58;
L’Express, 27 September 1980, n.p.;
Film Comment 17, no. 2 (March–April)
Film og Kino, no. 5-6 (1981), pp. 190-191;
Films, February 1982: 82;
Film und Ton I, no. 4 (March 1981), pp. 30-40;
Filmrutan XXIV, no. 1 (1981), p. 31;
Hollywood Reporter, 7 November 1980, pp. 3-4;
Image et son, no. 355 (November) 1980: 26-28;
Jeune cinéma, no. 130 (November) 1980): 38-39;
Le Matin, 8 October 1980;
Le Nouvel Obervateur, 6 October 1981, p. 57;
Levende billeder, March 1981: 40-41;
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, 7 November, sec. D, p. 6;
Monthly Film Bulletin XLVIII, no. 568 (May) 1981: 88;
Nation, 29 November 1980: 57-58;
New York, 17 November 1980: 80-82;
New York Times, 9 November, sec. 2, p. 19;
Positif, no. 236 (November 1980), pp. 63-5;
Revue de cinéma hors series, no. 25, 1981: 100-101;
Saturday Review, 5 January 1981: 84-85;
Séquences, no. 108, (April) 1982: 29-30;
Sight and Sound, Spring 1981, pp. 133-134;
Skoop, November 1980: 218-219, 228;
Variety, no. 12 (23 July) 1980: 18, 20;
Vi, no. 5 (1981), p. 23;
Village Voice, 12 November 1980, p. 51.
Longer Reviews and Studies
Classon, Anders. ‘Den omöjliga friheten: En tolkning av Ingmar Bergmans film Ur Marionet-
ternas liv’ [Impossible freedom: An interpretation of Bergman’s film From the Life of the
Marionettes]. Department of Cinema Theatre Studies, University of Stockholm, Autumn
1981, ca. 210 pp. Undergraduate thesis exploring the theme of freedom in Marionetterna...;
Kinder, Marsha. ‘The murderer motif in Bergman’s filmmaking from The Devil’s Wanton to Life
of the Marionettes’. Film Quarterly 34, no. 3 (Spring) 1981: 26-37;
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman: ‘Allting föreställer, ingenting är’, 2000, pp. 73-77;
Pym, John. ‘All Ways Out Are Closed. From the Life of the Marionettes’. Sight and Sound L, no. 2
(Spring) 1981: 133-134;
Skoop (XVI, no. 9 (November) 1980) has two reviews of the film, one by Charles Boost (pp. 18-
19), the other by Wim Verstappen (p. 28);
Tobin, Yann. ‘Si ce meurtre sert mon film’. Positif 236 (November) 1980: 63- 65. A good French
presentation, in addition to François Ramasse’s essay mentioned above;
Troyan, D. ‘Plotting Transference and the Drive in “From the Life of the Marionettes”’, Spec-
tator, no. 2 (1993): pp. 70-81.
See also: AB, 25 November 1979, p. 35, and SvD, 14 October 1979, Sunday Sec, pp. 1, 4 (interviews
with Christine Buchegger);
S. Kauffmann, Field of View, pp. 66-68 (reprint of New Republic review).

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Awards
1980 Tribute at Chicago Film Festival in connection with showing of Marionettes...

253. FANNY OCH ALEXANDER, 1982-83 [Fanny and Alexander], Eastmancolor

Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Bergman edited a special commercial film version of Fanny and Alexander, which follows
sequentially the longer five-hour television version but cuts or shortens several scenes: (1) In
the Christmas sequence, Carl’s and his German-born wife’s nighttime confrontation is shorter
and less violent; (2) the Christmas pageant performed by the Ekdahl ensemble at the theatre is
shortened; the actors’ Christmas celebration on stage is omitted; (3) the Hamlet rehearsal when
Oscar Ekdahl collapses is shortened; (4) the attempt by Carl and Gustaf Adolf Ekdahl to bargain
with the bishop about the future of Emilie and the children is shortened; (5) the visualized
desert walk when Isak reads from a Hebrew bible to the children after their rescue is omitted
(actually Bergman made up the passage; it contains several references to earlier Bergman films,
such as the flagellant sequence in The Seventh Seal. Justine, maid at the Vergerus, appears with
stigmata on her hands. Alexander joins the procession).
See also Media chapter (Ø 340) for additional reviews of TV version. Note, however, that
most response material is included in this entry.
Synopsis
Fanny and Alexander, pre-teen siblings, live in the university town of Uppsala. The time is 1907.
Their parents, Oscar Ekdahl, head of the local resident theater, and Emilie, a leading actress in
the company occupy one-half of a huge town house. Oscar’s mother, Helena Ekdahl, née
Mandelbaum, a widow, lives in the other half. A connecting door, camouflaged by wallpaper,
connects the two apartments.
The script is divided into the following segments: (1) Prologue, (2) Christmas, (3) Death and
Funeral, (4) Breaking up, (5) The Events of a Summer, (6) The Demons, and (7) Epilogue. The
prologue describes the town and its inhabitants. The film, however, begins with 12-year-old
Alexander exploring his grandmother’s apartment. Seated under his grandmother’s dining-
room table, Alexander surveys the room, registers its ticking clocks, knick-knacks, and a statue
that seems to beckon to him.
The Christmas segment opens with a performance in the theatre of ‘The Play about Christ’s
Joyful Birth’, followed by a Christmas dinner at Helena Ekdahl’s. Servants mingle with the
family members; the atmosphere is joyous and warm. The evening ends for the Ekdahl children
with a pillow fight with Maj, a servant girl. When all is quiet, Alexander gets up to play with his
laterna magica, a Christmas present. He is joined by Fanny.
In the meantime, Helena Ekdahl and Isak Jacobi, an old Jewish friend, talk through the
Christmas night, while Gustaf Adolf Ekdahl, Oscar’s philandering brother, visits Maj. A third
brother, Professor Carl Ekdahl, argues with his German-born wife. In the early morning hours,
the whole extended Ekdahl family meet for coffee at Helena Ekdahl’s, then travel to church in
sleds lit up by torches, an invocation of a traditional Swedish Christmas rite of the past.
The ‘Death and Funeral’ segment begins with a rehearsal of Hamlet’s first meeting with his
father’s ghost. Oscar Ekdahl collapses and is taken home, where he dies after a family leave-
taking. During the ensuing funeral, Alexander protests his father’s death by mumbling obscene
words. Officiating at the funeral is Bishop Edvard Vergerus. A little over a year after Oscar’s
death, his widow Emilie marries Vergerus and moves into his home with the two children. The
house, which they share with the bishop’s mother, sister, and bedridden aunt, is a stark contrast

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to the cluttered and boisterous Ekdahl home. The children hate their stepfather, especially
Alexander, who is taken to task for telling lies at school.
Next the story moves to Helena Ekdahl’s summer place. Maj visits her and expresses her
worry about Fanny and Alexander. The children are confined to their barren-looking nursery.
Alexander informs Justina, one of Vergerus’s servants, of the death of the bishop’s children from
a former marriage, and claims that Vergerus is responsible for their drowning. Justina reports
the tale to the bishop who punishes Alexander with the rod and locks him in the attic.
Helena Ekdahl experiences the presence of her dead son, Oscar, and has a long talk with him
about the family. Her fantasy is interrupted by the arrival of Maj, and later by the pregnant
Emilie who tells her that the bishop has refused to grant her a divorce.
Isak Jacobi rescues Fanny and Alexander by hiding them in a big chest he buys from
Vergerus. At his home, he introduces them to Aron, who has a puppet theater, and Ismael,
Aron’s brother, who is locked up because he can be mad and violent. At night, Alexander gets
lost in the cluttered apartment, is scared by Aron acting as God, and ends up visiting Ismael.
Emilie puts bromides in the bishop’s broth, then leaves him when he is almost unconscious.
Ismael articulates Alexander’s wish to kill the bishop. Intercut are shots of Vergerus’s obese aunt
catching fire from an overturned kerosene lamp. The fire spreads to the bishop’s bedroom. In
the morning Emilie is informed by the police of her husband’s death.
The following winter both Emilie and Maj give birth to baby daughters. At a family celebra-
tion, Gustaf Adolf Ekdahl delivers an homage to the ‘little world’ of family and friends. The film
ends with Helena Ekdahl reading to Emilie from the preface to Strindberg’s A Dreamplay.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph/Svenska Filminstitutet/Sveriges Televi-
sion 1/Sandrews/Gaumont/Personafilm/Tobis Film
Executive producer Jörn Donner
Production manager Katinka (Katherine) Faragó
Location managers Brita Werkmäster, Eva Ivarsson
Director Ingmar Bergman
Asisstant director Peter Schildt
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist; Tony Forsberg (2nd-unit)
Sound Owe Svensson
Music Robert Schumann, Piano quintet E major op. 45 (2nd
movement) and, ‘Du Ring an meinem Finger’ from
‘Frauen, Liebe und Leben’ (sung by Christina Schollin);
Benjamin Britten, Suites for cello op. 72, 80, and 87; Sw.
hymns 51, 424; Finnish Cavalry March; March from
‘Aida’; Christmas songs
Architect Anna Asp
Props Jan Andersson, Gunilla Allard, Christer Ekelund, Johan
Husberg
Costumes Kristina Makroff; Marik Vos (designer)
Make-up Leif Qviström, Anna-Lena Melin, Barbro Holmgren-
Haugen
Special effects Bengt Lundgren
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Continuity Kerstin Eriksdotter

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Cast
Ekdahl household
Helena Ekdahl Gunn Wållgren
Oscar Ekdahl Allan Edwall
Emilie Ekdahl Ewa Fröling
Alexander Ekdahl Bertil Guve
Fanny Ekdahl Pernilla Allwin
Carl Ekdahl Börje Ahlstedt
Lydia, his wife Christina Schollin
Gustaf Adolf Ekdahl Jarl Kulle
Alma, his wife Mona Malm
Maj Kling Pernilla Wallgren (August):
Petra, Gustaf Adolf ’s elder daughter Maria Granlund
Jenny Emilie Werkö
Putte Kristian Almgren
Eva Angelica Wallgren
Miss Vega, cook Majlis Granlund
Miss Ester, housekeeper Svea Holst-Widén
Elida Siv Ericks
Lisen Inga Ålenius
Siri Kristina Adolphson
Berta Eva von Hanno
Mrs. Hanna Schwartz Anna Bergman
Aunt Emma Sonya Hedenbratt
Aunt Anna Käbi Laretei
Jacobi household
Isak Jacobi Erland Josephson
Aron Mats Bergman
Ismael Stina Ekblad
Vergerus household
Bishop Vergerus Jan Malmsjö
Blenda Vergerus Marianne Aminoff
Henrietta Vergerus Kerstin Tidelius
Elsa Bergius, aunt Hans Erik Lerfeldt
Selma, maid Marianne Nielsen
Justina, maid Harriet Andersson
Malla Tander, cook Marrit Ohlsson
Theatre staff
Karna Mona Andersson
Philip Landahl Gunnar Björnstrand
Hanna Schwartz Anna Bergman
Mikael Bergman Per Mattsson
Mr. Morsin Nils Brandt
Thomas Graal Heinz Hopf
Grete Holm Lickå Sjöman
Johan Armfeldt Åke Lagergren
Mr. Saleius Sune Mangs

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Mrs. Sinclair Maud Hyttenberg-Bartolotti

Prompter Kerstin Karte
Mrs. Palmgren Marianne Karlbeck
Stage manager Gus Dahlström
Theatre Orchestra Daniel Bell, Gunnar Djerf, Ebbe Eng, Folke Eng, Evert
Hallmarker, Nils Kyndel, Ulf Lagerwall, Karl Nilheim
Others
Young men helping Jacobi with chest: Krister Hell, Peter Stormare
Priest at christening ceremony Olle Hilding
Pauline Linda Krüger
Esmeralda, ghost Pernilla Wahlgren
Pastor at marriage ceremony Hans Strååt
Police superintendent Carl Billquist
The witness Axel Düberg
Office manager Tore Karte
Dr. Fürstenberg Gösta Prüzelius
A student Patricia Gelin
Rosa, the new maid Lena Olin
Carl’s singing partners Lars-Owe Carlberg, Hugo Hasslo, Sven Erik Jacobsson
Japanese women Viola Aberlé, Gerd Andersson, Ann Louise Bergström
Filmed on location in Uppsala, Stockholm, (Södra Teatern), Värmdö-Tynningö and at SFI
Studios, Stockholm, beginning 7 September 1981 and completed 22 March 1982.
Distribution Sandrews
U.S. distribution Embassy Pictures
Running time 188 minutes (TV version: 300 minutes at 25 fr/sec)
U.S. opening (film version) 17 June 1983, Cinema 1 and Cinema 2, NYC
Swedish opening (film version) 17 December 1982 at Grand, Stockholm
Commentary
In the very extensive publicity around Fanny and Alexander, one might distinguish the follow-
ing three subject areas:
1. Preliminary discussions, including finance:
The first mention of the project appeared in SvD, 15 June 1979, p. 8, and Variety, 27 June 1979, p.
43. A note about the film in SvD, 2 January 1980, still talks about a preliminary plan for a 4-hour
film; Expr., 14 March 1980, p. 32, mentions only a planned TV series.
More articles appeared in October 1980 where the cost of the film was mentioned (most
expensive Swedish film to date, finally about 40 million SEK). First production talks were held
in late 1980. Two versions were still discussed, one for TV and one for the cinema. However,
talks with Lord Lew Grade in England fell through when Grade insisted on a much shorter, 135
minute movie house version. See GP, 15 November 1980, pp. 1, 23, and Variety, 12 November
1980, p. 6, 30. In the end Bergman edited a 188 min commercial film version.
In October 1980 Max von Sydow was contacted for the role as Bishop Vergerus. See Stock-
holm Expr., 23 October 1980, p. 48, and DN, 15 November 1980, pp. 1, 20. The latter article, titled
‘Allt groll är glömt’ [All rancunes are forgotten] suggests an old impasse between Bergman and
Sydow. The DN article mentions that Liv Ullmann had been approached for the role as Emilie
Ekdahl but had declined because of previous commitments. On 6 August 1981 the cast list was
published. See Expr., same date, p. 20, for the most extensive Swedish presentation.

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In September 1981, Jörn Donner, as involved producer discussed the financial risk of F and A
in an interview with Stefan Sjöström: ‘Vad har du i fickan Jörn?’ [‘What’s up your sleeve,
Jörn?’], Expr., 29 September 1981, pp. 20-21. Donner reported on the financing of Bergman’s
film in SvD, 15 December 1982, p. 17, and in an interview in Variety, 12 May 1982, p. 379. See also
Jörn Donner, ‘Ingmar Bergman and the World’, Swedish Films (Stockholm: SFI, 1982), pp. 5-11
(also in French, pp. 11-17). Donner mentions the reservations expressed by the SFI board and
the risk he took in pushing for SFI support of the film. SVT’s Channel 1 and Sandrews were
involved early as co-producers, whereas French Gaumont delayed its decision.
2. Reports on genesis and shooting of Fanny and Alexander:
Bergman writes about the making of the film (including its genesis and the shaping of the
manuscript) in Bilder, (1990), pp 374-381. Shooting started in early September 1981. Throughout
the entire filming until March 1982, there was frequent press coverage. See the following:
Swedish:
DN, 9 October 1981, p. 6
SvD, 6 October 1981, pp. 1, 15;
Expr., 17 September 1981, p. 12; and 31 October 1981, Sec. 2, pp. 1, 20-25; the last of these
coverages, titled ‘Bergmans största filmäventyr’ [Bergman’s greatest film adventure], pre-
sents technical personnel, editor, and costumier;
Upsala Nya Tidning, 18 September 1981, sec. 2, p. 1, reports on filming in Uppsala;
DN’s På stan, 3-9 October 1981, p. 22, covers filming at Södra Teatern, Stockholm;
L.-O. Löthwall reported on a 9-day visit to the set in Filmrutan 25, no. 4 (Winter) 1982: 2-15;
Elisabeth Sörenson discussed the ordeal of shooting and editing the film in ‘Sju månaders
slit – 16 timmar film’ [Seven months of hard work – 16 hours of film], SvD, 28 March 1982,
Sunday section, p. 1; and ‘Blåste liv i film-Sverige’ [Blew life into film-Sweden], SvD, 17
December 1982, p. 17;
Cecilia Hagen, Expr., 15 January 1982, pp.26-27, discusses the role of asssistant director Peter
Schildt, as did Agneta Söderberg in an interview article in Expr., 12 April 1982, pp. 26-27,
which also contains a report on Kerstin Eriksdotter’s part as scriptgirl, plus a resumé of
props used for Fanny and Alexander;
Agneta Söderberg and Jacob Forssell followed the shooting of the film for 7 months. Summaries
of their impressions were published with long intervals in Expr., 20 December, 1982, pp. 46-
48; 28 December 1984, pp. 32-33; and 3 January 1985, pp. 26-27. Similar material is covered
by Ingalill Eriksson under a Bergman title quote: ‘Jag har strävat som en kärlekens arden-
ner’ [I have striven like a foal of love], AB, 9 January 1982, p. 16;
Ulf Sörenson’s ‘Avskedsspektakel med barndomsminnen’ [Farewell party with childhood mem-
ories], SvD 7 dagar, no. 50, 17 December 1982, pp. 24-27 (discusses the autobiographical
background of the film);
Nils Petter Sundgren interviewed Bergman on SVT, channel 2, on 14 May 1983 in a program
titled ‘Ingmar Bergman tar farväl av filmen’ [Bergman bids farewell to filmmaking]. Swed-
ish Public Radio’s Eko program on 17 and 18 December 1982 includes a 4-minute telephone
interview with Bergman about world release of Fanny and Alexander. On December 18 the
Eko program also included a brief studio talk with producer Jörn Donner and actress Ewa
Fröling.
SFI published several accounts from the set: 6 October 1981 (fact sheet release no. 31, 1981); 21
December 1981 (sheet no. 32); 9 December 1982 (sheet no. 38), and 16 December, 1982 (sheet
no. 39).

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English:
Ann-Sofi Lejefors. ‘Bergman in Close-Up’. Sweden Now, January 1983, pp. 36-40;
Frederick and Lise Lone Marker. ‘God, Sex and Ingmar Bergman’, in Films and Filming,
February 1983, pp. 4-9; reprinted in Skoop XXI, no. 4 (June-July) 1985: 21-23;
Peter Cowie. ‘Bergman at Home’. Sight and Sound LI, no. 3 (Summer 1982): 178- 181, which gives
a good summary of the difficult financing of the film and its unusually high cost, including
expenses for close to one thousand costumes; also in NYT (‘Ingmar Bergman Bids Farewell
to Movies’), 10 October 1982: 1;
Ted Folke. ‘Return of the Master’, Now, no. 1 (1982), p. 27.
Bruce A. Block talks with Sven Nykvist about the Academy Awards and the collaboration
between him and Bergman in two interviews titled ‘Academy Award Nominees: Sven Nykvist,
ASC’, and ‘Fanny and Alexander’. American Cinematographer LXV, no. 4 (April) 1984: 50-52, 54,
56, 58.
On 16 September 1984, Arne Carlsson’s 110-minute-long documentary from the shooting,
Dokument Fanny och Alexander, was shown at the Swedish Film Institute with comments by
Bergman. See Elisabeth Sörenson, ‘I trollkarlens verkstad’ [In the magician’s workshop], SvD, 22
September 1984, p. 15, for a good resumé of the event. This documentary film was televised (SR/
TV) in connection with a re-run of Fanny and Alexander on Swedish television, August 18 1986,
and has also had limited circulation abroad. It was reviewed in Variety, 26 February 1986, p. 7.
The documentary is available on video from the Swedish Film Institute.
American Film 14, no. 7 (May) 1989: 66, reviewed a video recording of Fanny and Alexander,
distributed in the US by Nelson Orion House, 197 min.
3. Foreign Sales:
Two weeks before the Swedish release of Fanny and Alexander, SFI advertised for foreign sales in
Variety. Response was overwhelming; most European and Latin American countries bought the
film unseen; the U.S. did so on an ‘option agreement’. The film was sold to roughly 30
countries, including India, Japan, and Taiwan. See AB, 10 December 1982, p. 41. About the
economic success in Sweden and facts about the export of film, see Veckans Affärer, no. 1, 1983,
p. 7, and comment by Jörn Donner, same paper, no. 5, p. 23.
Swedish Reception
Reception of Fanny and Alexander (film and TV versions) was enthusiastic in Sweden, partly
because of the rollicking mood of the film and partly because it was seen as Bergman’s farewell
to filmmaking and the summation of his career and vision.
Bergman’s rendering of Sweden in the early 1900s received much praise; Expr.’s Lasse Berg-
ström (18 December 1982, p. 34) noted that the film brought out ‘the magic of this Oscarian
world that knew little about equality but all the more about togetherness’ [denna oskariska
värld av magi som visste så lite om jämlikhet men desto mer om samvaro], while AB’s Jurgen
Schildt (same date, p. 39) viewed the film as ‘a bourgeois inferno with a touch of panopticon’
[ett borgerligt inferno med drag av panoptikon].
The old qualms about Bergman’s lack of social consciousness cropped up in both Jan Aghed’s
SDS review (18 December 1982, p. 5) and in Stig Larsson’s critique of the film in ST (20
December 1982, pp. 44-5). Aghed noted the tone of reconciliation with life in the film, but also
felt that Bergman’s idyllic and burlesque story ignored the social consequences of the patri-
archal and sexist world portrayed in the film. Stig Larsson saw Bergman’s film as ‘a mature
master’s ironic pastiche of his own oeuvre’ [en mogen mästares ironiska pastisch av sitt eget
verk]; only as such could one accept the film’s exposure of Bergman’s antiquated themes. Carl-
Eric Nordberg in Vi, no. 51/52 (1982, p. 47), on the other hand, felt that the melodramatic

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aspects of the film were meant to be taken seriously and called F and A a showpiece and ‘a ghost
parade of earlier Ingmar Bergman motifs’ [en spökparad av tidigare bergmanmotiv].
The discussion of the social relevance of Bergman’s film appeared also in the Swedish
provincial press. In response to a positive review in Jönköpings-Posten on 7 February 1983, p.
5, Gunlög Järhult, same paper, 21 February, p. 6, questioned Bergman’s so-called ‘hymn to life’
and referred to Fanny and Alexander as ‘the cynical magician’s attempted flight into pseudo-joy,
away from life’s seriousness and anguish and demands on social consciousness and responsi-
bility’ [den cyniska och fullkomligt desillusionerade trollkarlens flyktförsök in i en skenglädje,
bort från livets allvar och ångest och krav på all social medvetenhet, allt allvar]. See also same
paper, 23 February 1983, p. 7, for reader response supporting this view.
Borlänge Tidning, 23 April 1983, p. 12, printed an article by Gertrud Nordahl objecting to
Bergman’s ‘sensationalism’ and ‘the transcendental murder of the bishop in real voodoo style’.
[biskopens transcendentala mord i verklig voodoo-stil]. Nordahl questioned the ‘reverential
attitude’ among Swedish critics reviewing Fanny and Alexander, an issue that was renewed after
the television showing of the five-hour version of the film, beginning on 25 December 1984. See
Kerstin Hallert and Hemming Sten, SvD, 29 December 1984, p. 18 and 3 January 1985, p. 18. Both
referred to what they termed the ‘Dallas’ qualities of Fanny and Alexander and also questioned
TV’s advertisement of the film as ‘family entertainment’ [familjeunderhållning]. But despite
such critical reservations, Fanny and Alexander has remained a favorite Bergman film among
Swedish audiences. See Steene, Måndagar med Bergman (Ø 1611), p. 143 ff.
Several comparative comments and literaly references about Fanny and Alexander were
published in the Swedish press. Stephan Linnér in KvP (1 February 1983, p. 14) juxtaposed
the film to Lagerlöf ’s novel Gösta Berling’s Saga. Björn Nilsson in Expr., 13 January 1983, p. 4,
compared Fanny and Alexander to Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata. See also Törnqvist under
Longer Essays below.
Foreign reception
Some critics abroad enjoyed the ‘rolicking opulence of mood, with miseries of Puritanism
owing more to Dreyerian formalism than to Bergman angst’, to quote Monthly Film Bulletin,
April 1983, pp. 83-4.
SvD magazine 7 dagar (no. 3, 21 January 1983, p. 46) published the negative critique of London
Observer correspondent Chris Mosey, who referred to Fanny and Alexander as a manifestation
of Bergman’s usual ‘intellectual clichés’ and lack of narrative skill. Mosey saw Bergman as
suffering from ‘a typical Swedish ailment, divorced from the rest of the world and traversing
the same psychological landscape again and again, unable to change course’. For a response, see
Kaj Wickbom, Smålandsposten, 8 February 1983, p. 2.
U.S. response to the film was largely favorable. Variety gave the film version an A-rating,
September 28, 1983, p. 148, but claimed that the TV version, reviewed earlier on December 22,
1982, was inferior. Critics noted that Bergman’s obsessions had been turned into a theatrical
story. New Yorker called the film ‘a learning to live with your craziness movie’ and pointed out
that in Ingmar Bergman, ‘banality is bound to seem deeply satisfying – wholesome’.
In the Paris press all reviewers except Claire Gallois in Le Figaro (9 March 1983, n.p.) praised
Fanny and Alexander as a masterpiece. Claude Baignères in Le Figaro, 12 March 1983, summed
up Bergman’s position as an artist: ‘He is no longer of the cinema, but is a religion.’ Positif, no.
267 (May) 1983: 20-28, contains two reviews of the film and a survey essay by Jean-Paul
Jeancolas, Robert Benayoun, and François Ramasse, titled ‘Ingmar apaisé. La somme d’une
nuit’.
Reviews
Stockholm press, 18 December 1982;

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For longer TV version, Stockholm press, 18 December 1983 (Expr., 20 December);

Bianco e nero, January-March 1984: 131-138;
Cahiers du cinéma 346 (April) 1983: 4-11;
Cinéma 292 (April) 1983: 46;
Cinematograph 88 (April) 1983: 33-35;
Cineforum 231 (January-February) 1984: 37-46;
Cinérevue, 10 March 1983: 48;
Commentary 76, no. 3 (September 1983): 64-67;
Corriera della Sera, 10 September 1983: 23, and La stampa (Rome), same date, n.p. (SFI clipping);
Christian Century, 20-27 July 1983: 690;
De Filmkrant, 22 March 1983, p. 5;
Film a Doba, June 1986: 346-348;
Film et Télévisie 312-313 (May-June) 1983: 11-13;
Film og kino, no. 1 (1983): 24-26;
Film & Fernsehen, February 1985: 33;
Film Quarterly 37, no. 1 (Fall 1983), pp. 22-27;
Filmcritica 341 (January-February) 1984: 14-22;
Filmkritik, 28, no. 1-2 (1984), pp. 43-45;
Filmkultura, October 1985: 70-74;
Filmrutan, no. 1 (Spring 1983), pp. 20-21;
Films and Filming, May 1983: 36-38;
Films in Review 35, no. 7 (August-September 1983): 439-40;
Hudson Review, no. 4 (1983): 706-09;
Inquiry 6, no. 10 (September 1983): 45-47;
Iskusstvo Kino, October 1988: 138-40;
Jeune cinéma 151 (June) 1983: 42-44;
Kino (September) 1983: 47-48;
Kosmorama 163 (March) 1983: 4-9, 51;
Le monde, 10 March 1983, p. 17;
Levende billder, 15 February 1983: 4-8;
MS, (September) 1983: 39-40;
Monthly Film Bulletin, no. 591 (April) 1983: 83-84;
Nation, 2 July 1983: 27-28;
New Leader, 8-22 August 1983: 20-21;
New Republic, 27 June 1983: 22-24;
New Statesman, 22 April 1983: 28-29;
New York Times, 17 June 1983, p. C8; 3 July, Sec.2, p. 1, and 31 July, Sec. 2, pp. 15-16;
New Yorker, 13 June 1983: 117-21;
Newsweek, 20 June 1983, p. 84;
Revue du Cinéma 382 (April) 1983: 19-22;
Rolling Stone, 18 August 1983: 32;
Saturday Review, May-June 1983: 41-42;
Séquences 114 (October) 1983: 38-42;
Sight and Sound LII, no. 2 (Spring) 1983: 141;
Skoop XIX, no. 2 (April) 1983: 29-30;
Skrien 128 (Summer) 1983: 12-13;
Der Spiegel, no. 44 (1983), pp. 266-68;
Sunday Times (London), 24 April 1983, p. 43;
Time, 20 June 1983: 75;

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Variety, 18 May 1982, p. 4; 8 December 1982, pp. 14-15, and 22 December 1982, pp. 14-15;
Village Voice, 21 June 1983: 49;
Z (Norwegian), no. 22, 1983: 38-39.
Longer Essays and Studies
Aghed, Jan. ‘Sourires d’un cinéma d’hivers sur Fanny et Alexandre’. Positif 289 (March) 1985: 22-
25;
Björklund, Per Åke & Monica Engebladh. ‘Haley contra Whitaker: Familjeteoristudier med
hypotesanalys av Fanny och Alexander’ [H vs W: Family theory studies with hypothetical
analysis of F & A]. Department of Applied Psychology, Lund University, 1986. 113 pp. Cf.
Hafsteinsson below;
Bundtzen, L.K. ‘Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander: Family Romance and Artistic Allegory’. Criti-
cism, no. 1 (1987): 89-117;
Jordan Daasnes, Camilla and Carlos Wiggen. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Fanny og Alexander: To kom-
mentarer’. Vinduet (Oslo) 37, no. 1, 1983, pp. 43-46. (Two comments on Bergman’s film, one
focussing on its use of music; the other on the patriarchal structure of Alexander’s world
and the role of dream and fantasy);
Estève, Michel. ‘Ingmar Bergman: La mort, le masque et l’etre’. Etudes cinématogragiques 131/34
(1983): 143-50. Together with Michel Sineux’s ‘Fanny et Alexandre: ‘Le petit théâtre d’Ing-
mar Bergman’ in same issue, Estève’s essay forms a comprehensive review article of Fanny
and Alexander, discussing both theatrical and metaphysical aspects of the film;
Hafsteinsson, Saemundur. ‘En familjeterapeutisk studie av Fanny och Alexander’ [A family
therapeutic study of F & A]. Department of Applied Psychology, Lund University, 1987.
67 pp;
Haverty, Linda. ‘Strindbergman: The Problem of Filming Autobiography in Bergman’s Fanny
and Alexander’. Literature/Film Quarterly 16, no. 3 (1988): 174-180. (Autobiographical refer-
ences in Fanny and Alexander include not only Alexander, Bergman’s alter ego as a child,
but also Bergman’s identification with Strindberg via the Alexander-Ishmael connection
and via a number of visual metaphors and verbal allusions);
Hayes, Jarrod. ‘The Seduction of Alexander. Baudrillard, Literature/Film Quarterly 25, no. 1,
1987, pp. 40-48. (Argues that in its problematization of time and space, Fanny and Alexander
intersects with the Kabbalah or Jewish mysticism, with its emphasis on transcending
physical reality);
Jensen, Nils. ‘Fanny og Alexander og alle de andre i Bergmans univers’ [F & A and all the others
in B’s universe]. Kosmorama XXIX, no. 163 (March) 1983: 4-9, 51. (Discussion of artistic and
thematic aspect of Bergman’s created world as reflected in F & A);
Jostad, Morten. ‘“I den lilla världen”: Ekdahlerne og teatret. Noen aspekter ved Ingmar Berg-
mans Fanny og Alexander’ [In the little world: the Ekdahls and the theatre. Some aspects of
Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander]. Samtiden (Oslo) 6 (1985): 40-46;
Milberg-Kaye, Ruth. ‘Fanny and Alexander: A Kleinian Reading’. In Psychoanalytic Approaches
to Literature and Film, ed. by Maurice Charney and Joseph Reppen. Rutherford, N.J.:
Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1987, pp. 180-191;
Segal, A. ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’. American Film VIII, no. 8 (June) 1983: 55-61. (Discusses
Fanny and Alexander in view of Bergman’s life and earlier production);
Timm, Mikael. ‘Trollkarlen’ [The magician], Chaplin, no. 184 (1983), pp. 4-8. (Discusses Fanny
and Alexander as a narrative film, in contrast to Bergman’s earlier style-oriented films);
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Teatern som metafor’ [The theater as metaphor], Chaplin, no. 189 (1983),
pp. 260-63. (Contrasts ‘theatrical’ and ‘ filmic’ space in the film);

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Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Den lilla världen och den stora. Kring Ingmar Bergmans Fanny och Alexander.’
Chaplin special 25th anniversary issue, 1983, pp. 253-259 (Ø 1415). Also in English as ‘The
Little World and the Big: Concerning Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander’. Chaplin,
25th Anniversary Issue, 1984, pp. 12-20; in Dutch as ‘De kleine wereld en de grote: Ingmar
Bergmans Fanny en Alexander’. De Gids CIIL, no. 1 (March 1985): 75-80; and in German as
‘Die grosse und die kleine Welt’. In Gaukler im Grenzland: Ingmar Bergman, 1993 (Ø 1562).
(Traces Shakespearean and Strindbergian elements in Fanny and Alexander). See also same
author’s Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs, 1995, pp. 174-187;
Vos, Marek. Dräkterna i dramat: Mitt år med Fanny och Alexander [The costumes in the drama:
My year with Fanny and Alexander]. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1984. 155 pp.;
Wortzelius, Hugo. Reviews of Fanny and Alexander in Filmrutan XXVI, no. 1 (1983): 20-21. Same
author also compares the long and short version of the film in Filmrutan XXVII, no. 2
(1984): 20-21.
See also
Extensive microfiche file on Fanny and Alexander, SFI library; SFI fact sheet 282/82;
S. Kauffmann: Field of View, pp. 68-71 (reprint of New Republic review);
Svensk filmografi 1980-89, pp. 222-28.
Hanif Kureishi in New Statesman & Society, July 7, 1989. Review of the book version of Fanny
and Alexander, concluding that the printed version was ‘Bergman minus the magic’.
Awards
1983 Best Foreign Film 1983, New York Film Critics (awarded in 1984)
For additional awards, see film title, Varia, C.

254. EFTER REPETITIONEN, 1984 (After the Rehearsal), color

Script Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
See also listing in Media chapter, (Ø 341), including Swedish reception of TV showing.
Synopsis
Efter repetition has a single setting: an old theatre stage after an afternoon rehearsal when the
actors have left and the aging director, Henrik Vogler, sits alone surrounded by old props with
references to productions of Ibsen and Strindberg. A young actress, Anna Egerman, cast as
Agnes in Vogler’s current staging of Strindberg’s Ett drömspel/A Dreamplay, surprises him. It is
Vogler’s fourth staging of the play.
Anna’s mother Rakel was an attractive actress who left the stage to raise a family. Rakel and
Vogler were occasional lovers. When Anna’s and Vogler’s meeting takes place, the mother has
been dead for five years. Also the father is gone.
Most of the dialogue in the first half of the film is spoken by Vogler who expresses his views on
actors, artistic morality, scenography, etc. Vogler’s thoughts on the theatre are echoes of Berg-
man’s own statements in interviews over the years. Vogler also talks about the fleeting borders
between dream and reality, past and present. Suddenly, Rakel enters in search of her shoes. She is
46, drunk and seductive. The time goes back to when Anna was 12. Vogler has asked Rakel to play
a small part in a new production. But alcoholic Rakel is in and out of institutions. Their
conversation is bitter, ironic and tense. Rakel leaves as Vogler promises to visit her.
The scene returns to Anna and Vogler. Anna tells Vogler that she is pregnant, later that she
has had an abortion and will divorce her husband, Peter. Vogler ‘depicts’ in words his and
Anna’s love affair, and Anna falls into her role. The make-believe affair ends with their parting

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as friends. Vogler stays behind, alone. The church bells, which had been chiming, are now
silent. Or the aging Vogler can no longer hear them.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph for Personafilm Gmbh (Munich)
Executive producer Jörn Donner
Unit manager Eva Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Set Design Anna Asp
Editor Syliva Ingemarsson
Cast
Henrik Vogler Erland Josephson
Anna Egerman Lena Olin
Rakel Ingrid Thulin
Anna as 12-year-old Nadja Palmstierna-Weiss
Henrik as 12-year-old Bertil Guve

Distribution Cinematograph/SVT/SF
Running time 72 minutes
Premiere 9 April 1984 (Swedish TV, Channel 1)
US opening 21 June 1984, Lincoln Plaza Cinema, New York
Released by Triumph Films (Columbia Pictures)
Commentary
Bergman writes about Efter repetitionen in Bilder (1990), pp. 221-27, describing it as a trouble-
some shooting that had been intended as ‘a pleasant episode on my way towards death’ [en
trevlig episod i min väg mot döden]. Instead, it was made with a certain frustration, and when
it was finished, he wrote in his diary: ‘I don’t ever want to make films again’ [Jag vill aldrig mer
göra film].
Jörn Donner, the producer of Efter repetitionen, published a foreword to the film prior to its
showing on Swedish television. Referring back indirectly to the Swedish critique in the 1960s of
Bergman’s preoccupation with the role of the artist, Donner stated: ‘I have compared the
manuscript with the final result, noticing that something of the private aspect has disappeared
in the end product. It is Ingmar Bergman’s secret to be able to pick out, from simple contrasts,
what is universal and graspable for many people, not just for artists’. [Jag har jämfört manus
med slutresultatet, och märker att något av det privata försvunnit ur slutprodukten. Det är
Ingmar Bergmans hemlighet, att ur enkla kontraster plocka fram det som är allmängiltigt och
fattbart för många människor, inte bara för konstnärer.] See AB, 5 April 1984 (‘Nytt mästerverk
av Ingmar Bergman’) and Röster i Radio-TV, no. 14, 1984: 5-6.
Efter repetitionen was never intended as a commercial feature film and was never shown as
such in Sweden. It was sold as a TV film to BBC and to television companies in Germany,
Canada et al. But the producer, Jörn Donner, also signed a movie contract with American
Triumph Films, which Bergman tried to have cancelled. See report headlined ‘Bergman ra-
sande. Donner sålde TV-film till biograferna’ [Bergman furious. Donner sold TV film for
motion picture distribution], Expr., 4 April 1984. Shortly thereafter, the TV film was shown
at the Cannes Film Festival to enthusiastic audiences. It was also shown at the San Francisco
Film Festival in the same year before opening in New York in June 1984.

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In August 1997 Efter repetitionen was performed as a stage play at Södra Teatern in Stockholm
by a visiting Russian company during the Strindberg Festival (see Ø 481 in theatre chapter).
Foreign Reception
A year after its opening in New York, After the Rehearsal was also shown during Bergman’s visit
to Paris in March 1985 to receive the Legion of Honor, which coincided with Dramaten’s guest
performance of his 1984 production of King Lear. French reviewers were by and large respectful
and some in awe at Bergman’s ‘come-back’ as a filmmaker after Fanny and Alexander. They
were particularly intrigued by Bergman’s discussion (through his alter ego, Henrik Vogler) of
the relationship between directing and acting, life and art, reality and illusion. See the following
reviews: Télérama, March 1985: pp. 13-14; Lire, Ecoute, Voir, 18 March 1985; Libération, 7 March
1985, p. 26.
There was a clear difference between the French and the American response to After the
Rehearsal. Where the French were very positive to its thought content, American critics found
the film talky and pretentious. The most vitriolic response came from John Simon, usually one
of Bergman’s staunchest supporters, who gave After the Rehearsal a devastating F rating, refer-
ring to the film as ‘a pitiful self-parody’ based on a ‘trite script’, as unsuited to TV as to the
cinema (National Review, 24 August 1984: pp. 56-59). Richard Corliss in Time, 9 July 1984, p. 82,
was, however, intrigued by Bergman’s ability to work equally successfully in film, theatre, and
television.
Foreign Reviews
Box Office, September 1984, p. R 116;
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 360-361, 1984: 42-43; no. 369, 1984: 12-14; and no. 370, 1984: Journal VIII;
Christian Century, 29 August-5 September 1984: 812;
Cinéma, no. 306, 1984, p. 23; and no. 315, 1984: 32-33;
Cinéaste, no. 4, 1984: 60;
Cineforum, no. 235 (June-July) 1984: 17-18; and no. 256 (August) 1986: 69-71;
Cinématographe, April 1985: 65-67;
Cinema Nuovo, 300, no. 2 (March/April) 1986: 49-50; and no. 3 (May-June) 1986: 34-38;
De Filmkrant 38, September 1984, p. 15;
Film et Televisie, November 1984: 14-15;
Film og Kino, no. 5 (1984): 160.
Films in Review, August-September 1984: 431;
Iskusstvo Kino, no. 12, 1986: 153-55;
National Review, 24 August 1984: 56-59;
New Leader, 3 September 1984: 21-22;
New Republic, 25 June 1984: 24-26. Also in S. Kauffmann’s Field of View, pp. 71-75.
New York, 16 July 1984, pp. 46-48;
New York Times, 21 June 1984: C14; and 1 July 1984, sec. 2: 13;
Penthouse, September 1984: 54;
Positif, no. 281-82, 1984: 89; and 289, 1984: 20-21.
Revue de cinéma, no. 396, (July/August) 1984: 27-28; and Revue de cinéma, Hors series 31: 19-20;
Segno di cinema, September 1984: 64; and September 1986: 109;
Séquences, no. 117, 1984: 17;
Skoop, November 1984: 28; and February 1986: 26-27;
Skrien, no. 138, 1984: 16;
Time, 9 July 1984: 82;
24 Images, Summer 1984: 32-33.

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Press Articles and Longer Essays

Aghed, Jan. ‘Intense miniature sur Après la répétition’. Positif 289 (March) 1985: 20-21;
Baignères, Claude. ‘Paradoxe du metteur en scene’. Le Figaro, 7 March 1985, p. 36;
Biette, Jean-Claude. ‘La verité des planches’. Cahiers du cinéma, no. 370, Journal VIII. (Uses
After the Rehearsal to argue that it possesses three features necessary to make it a good film:
Forceful rapport with chosen subject; honesty towards the audience, treating it as an equal;
and demonstrated independence in film écriture);
Dannowski, Hans Werner. ‘Das Schweigen der Kirchenglocken. Gedanken zu den späten Fil-
men von Ingmar Bergman’. EDP Film III, no. 4 (April) 1986: 14-18. (A survey of Bergman’s
late films. Title refers to ending of Efter repetitionen);
Friedman, R.M.. ‘Die unmögliche Spiegelung – oder drei Reflexe von Schau-Spielerinnen im
‘kritischen’ Alter’. Frauen und Film 50-51, (June) 1991: 17-30. (Discussion includes Rakel’s
role in Efter repetitionen).
Grelier. Robert. ‘Après la répétition’. Revue du Cinéma 396 (July-August) 1984: 27-28;
Lierop, Pieter van. ‘Na de repetitie’. Skoop XXII, no. 1 (February) 1986: 26-27. Reprinted from
Utrecht Nieuwsblad, 23 August 1984. (Review article);
Mango. Lorenzo. ‘La sospensione del tempo’. Filmcritica XXXVII, 363 (March-April) 1986: 169-
174. (Review article);
Selvaggi, Catarina. ‘La poetica del nulla in “Dopo le prove”’. Cinema Nuovo 313, no. 3 (May/
June) 1988: 35-38, and 314/15, no. 4-5 (July-October) 1988: 53-56. (Two-part article on the
‘poetics of nothingness’ in Bergman’s filmmaking and on Efter repetitionen/After the Re-
hearsal as a study of characters who dream a dream that is the dream of the other);
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘A Life in the Theater. Intertextuality in Ingmar Bergman’s Efter repetitionen’.
Scandinavian Studies, Vol. 73, no. 1, (Spring) 2001, pp. 25-42. (Discusses film as a tele-play).
Fact Sheets
L’Avant Scène du Cinéma 394 (July 1990): 1-75, is a special issue on Efter repetitionen, containing
credits, excerpted reviews, and original text in French translation.
See also
Alain Philippon’s interview with Erland Josephson, titled ‘Des histoires d’amour avec la caméra.
Entretien avec Erland Josephson’. Télérama, March 1985, p. 15.

255. KARINS ANSIKTE, 1985 [Karin’s Face], color, B/W and sepia
Director Ingmar Bergman
Text Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Produced in 1983 but not released until 1985 (though shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984),
the film was shot in color but is largely based on black and white stills from the family photo
album. The subject is Ingmar Bergman’s mother Karin, maiden name Åkerblom.
Credits
Production Cinematograph
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Arne Carlsson
Sound Owe Svensson
Music Performed by Käbi Laretei
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson

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Distribution Svenska Filminstitutet

Running time 14 minutes
Premiere Swedish TV premiere on 29 September 1986. Cross-
listed in media chapter (Ø 342)
Reviews
Monthly Film Bulletin LV, 653 (June) 1988: 186 (Tom Milne).

256. DEN GODA VILJAN, 1992 [Best Intentions] color. Released as TV film in 1991.
Director Bille August
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
For original Swedish response, see Media chapter (Ø 344). The shorter 181 minute feature film
version opened in the U.S. on 9 July 1992.
Synopsis
The narrative begins in 1909 and covers a ten-year period in the life of Lutheran minister
Henrik Bergman, and his wife Anna Åkerblom. The story begins as Henrik Bergman, a
theology student at Uppsala, is asked to visit his ailing grandmother with whom he has had
a falling-out. In return his studies will be paid for. Henrik sees the offer as psychological
blackmail and leaves in anger. His hot temperament is a central dramatic force throughout
the narrative.
After failing an oral exam, Henrik is consoled by his girlfriend Frida. The scene then shifts to
the Åkerblom family. Henrik is invited to dinner by the Åkerblom son Ernst. It is his first
encounter with Ernst’s sister Anna.
Henrik returns home at the end of the academic year. His mother Alma decides to seek
financial support from Ebba, Beda and Blenda Bergman, three unmarried sisters of Henrik’s
grandfather. The request is granted after Henrik has told a white lie about his studies.
Soon after Anna’s aging father dies, she and Henrik become engaged and visit the rural
community of Forsboda, which will become their first home. The narrator’s voice enters the
story to recollect and reconstruct the first severe argument between Henrik and Anna. Anna
wants a big wedding in Uppsala cathedral, Henrik a small ceremony in the chapel at Forsboda.
It is a tug-of-war between the Åkerblom and the Bergman wills. Anna’s wish wins, but the
planned honeymoon in Italy is cancelled and the newly-weds go directly to Forsboda. The
tension between Henrik and Anna’s mother Karin increases when Anna delivers their first son
at Uppsala Academic Hospital instead of at Forsboda.
A 7-year-old foster child, Petrus, comes to live with Anna and Henrik. At the same time there
is social unrest at the local mill, whose owner Nordenson and Henrik have a falling-out.
Nordenson’s two daughters follow Henrik’s confirmation instruction but are removed by their
father in an open confrontation in the chapel.
Henrik is invited to become pastor at the private Sophia Hospital in Stockholm, whose most
prominent patient is the Queen. He hesitates and is given a respite. Back at Forsboda, Henrik’s
sick mother comes to visit and dies there. Anna is expecting her second child. At the same time
members in the local community stop coming to Henrik’s and Anna’s reading and sewing
circles after learning that Nordenson keeps a blacklist of the participants, most of whom
depend upon the mill for their livelihood. There is also nasty gossip about Mrs. Nordenson
and Pastor Bergman. In December 1917, the mill is declared bankrupt, and Nordenson commits
suicide.
Cold, food rationing, illness and marital tension lead Anna to decide to move to her mother;
Henrik loses control and hits her twice. Anna stays in Uppsala over Christmas, Henrik dis-

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misses the two maids and lives alone. In an epilogue, Henrik comes unannounced to Uppsala in
June 1918 and informs Anna of his decision to accept the Stockholm offer. In July their second
son, Ingmar, will be born.
Credits
Production company Sveriges Television (SVT)
Producer Ingrid Dahlberg
Executive producer Lars Bjälkeskog
Production manager Elisabeth Liljeqvist
Unit manager Johann Zollitsch
Director Bille August
Assistant director Stefan Baron
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Jörgen Persson
Sound Lennart Gentzel, Johnny Ljungberg
Music Stefan Nilsson; Performed by Sveriges Radio Symphony
Orchestra, conducted by Esa Pekka Salonen
Architect Anna Asp
Props Lars Söderberg, Kenneth Karlberg, Maria Hård
Costumes Ann-Maria Anttila
Make-up Kjell Gustavsson
Editor Janus Billeskov Jensen
Continuity Titti Mörk
Cast
Henrik Bergman Samuel Fröler
Anna Åkerblom Pernilla Östergren-August
Johan Åkerblom Max von Sydow
Karin Åkerblom Ghita Nørby
Ernst Åkerblom Björn Kjellman
Alma Bergman Mona Malm
Carl Åkerblom Börje Ahlstedt
Frida Strandberg Lena Endre
Nordenson, factory owner Lennart Hjulström
Fredrik Bergman Keve Hjelm
Freddy Paulin Ernst Günther
Elin Nordenson Marie Göranzon
Oscar Åkerblom Björn Granath
Svea Åkerblom Gunilla Nyroos
Gustav Åkerblom Michael Segerström
Martha Åkerblom Eva Gröndahl
The twins Sara Sommerfeld, Maja Sommerfeld
Blenda Bergman Margaretha Krook
Beda Bergman Sif Ruud
Ebba Bergman Irma Christenson
Gransjö, parson Hans Alfredson
Magda Säll, his housekeeper Lena T. Hansson
Petrus Farg Elias Ringquist
Justus Bark Dan Johansson
Baltzar Kugelman Niklas Hald

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Sundelius, professor of theology Ernst-Hugo Järegård

Torsten Bohlin Gustaf Hammarsten
Young Count Robert Max Winerdal
Svante, his father Sten Ljunggren
Philosophy lecturer Örjan Roth-Lindberg
Coachman Tord Peterson
Mrs. Johansson Sara Arnia
Magna Flink Inga Landgré
Tekla Kronström Emy Storm
Gertrud Tallrot Barbro Kollberg
Märta Werkelin, teacher Marie Richardson
Alva Nykvist Inga Ålenius
Nagel, administrator Roland Hedlund
Miss Lisen Lena Brogren
Jesper Jakobsson Björn Gustafson
Jansson Tomas Bolme
Måns Lagergren Kåre Santesson
Mejan Ingalill Ellung
County police commissioner Gösta Prüzelius
Arvid Fredin Mikael Bengtsson
Mrs. Fredin Pia Bergendahl
Anders Ed Mats Pontén
Mr. Johansson Leif Forstenberg
Mia Boel Larsson
Queen Victoria Anita Björk
Segerswärd Åke Lagerggren
Parson at Court Bertil Norström
Levander Puck Ahlsell
The Queen’s servant Sigge Nilsson
Dag Bergman Marcus Ohlsson
Susanna Nordenson Kerstin Andersson
Helena Nordenson Erika Ullenius
Filmed on location in Uppsala, Strömsberg (Uppland), Ransjö (Härjedalen), Tureholm Castle,
Dillnäs (Södermanland). Produced in cooperation with ZDF (Germany), Channel Four (UK),
RAI Due (Italy), DR (Denmark), NRK (Norway), RUK (Iceland), YLE 2 (Finland).
Distribution Svensk Filmindustri (shorter version)
Foreign Distribution Film Four International, London
Running time 325 minutes (TV version), 181 minutes (shorter film
version)
Premiere 25 December 1991, SVT, channel 1 (4 segments); the
other segments were transmitted on 26, 29, 30 Decem-
ber 1991, with repeat showings on 31 December 1991, 1,
5, & 6 January 1992; and on 25, 29 December 1994, and
1, 5 January 1995.
Cinema opening date 181 minute film version opened 2 October 1992 at Riv-
iera (Stockholm), Filmstaden (Uppsala). This shorter
version was also the version distributed abroad.
US Opening 9 July 1992

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Commentary
Bergman held a press conference on 3 September 1989, in which he announced the upcoming
shooting of a six-hour, two-part film entitled Den goda viljan/Best Intentions, based on his script
but to be directed by Bille August. Curiosity was great about the collaboration between the 40-
year-old director Bille August and 71-year old filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Bergman explained
that his script (or novel as he chose to call it) might be viewed as a continuation of his
fictionalized autobiography Fanny and Alexander and his 1987 memoirs Laterna magica.
The film was budgeted at roughly 9 million dollars and projected as both a TV mini-series
and as a two-part film. At the time of the press conference, Britain, West Germany, France and
Italy had already lined up for the movie house release. See Steve Lohr, ‘For Bergman. A New
Twist on an Old Love’. New York Times, 6 September 1989, p. C15.
Reception
Because of the personal story, Den goda viljan/Best Intentions tended to be seen, both in Sweden
and abroad, as Bergman’s work, and Bille August as his instrument rather than an independent
interpretor. In her review of the film (Chaplin 238, 1992, pp. 65-66), Maaret Koskinen talked
about the viewer’s ‘Bergman baggage’ and juxtaposed the sometimes raucous narrative and
director August’s more sober and restrained style of filmmaking. The critical consensus both in
Sweden and abroad was that August’s work was a competent and loyal attempt to realize
Bergman’s script but that the result lacked Bergman’s fearless vision. ‘Mr. August’s direction
tends to be more decorous and less bold’, wrote Janet Maslin in NYT. Leif Zern (Expr.)
compared Bergman and August to a volcano and a yogurt, and saw August as Bergman’s twin
soul only in his perfectionist ambition. Zern concluded: ‘For me Bergman’s novel is great
literature, and August’s TV version finds itself just next to the borderline where it could live
its own life. But it never exposes itself to the risk. It rests in its professionalism and hides behind
its touristy estheticism. [...] What good is it that the mirror is polished when you can’t see
anyone reflecting in it?’ [För mig är Bergmans roman stor litteratur, och Augusts TV-version
befinner sig alldeles intill den gräns där den skulle kunna leva sitt eget liv. Men den utsätter sig
aldrig för risken. Den vilar i sin professionalism och gömmer sig bakom sin turistestetik. [...]
Vad hjälper det att spegeln är putsad när man inte ser någon spegla sig?].
In the US, Stanley Kauffmann called Bergman ‘a superb screenwriter. His films are uniquely
conceived and subtly written. Scene by scene Best Intentions is beautifully crafted; the dialogue
has the novelty that comes from perception, not from cleverness.’ (New Republic, 10 August
1992, pp. 26-27). But Bergman’s handling of the autobiographical background raised questions.
Philip Strick (Sight and Sound, July 1992, pp. 46-47) felt that Best Intentions was not quite
documentary, not quite costume drama but rather ‘a compulsively manipulated history’ with
names and events reshuffled for the sake of dramatic expediency. John Simon (National Review,
17 August 1992, p. 46) thought the film ‘was saddled with the constraints of biography’.
Foreign reviews
Cinema Nuovo, 338-339 (July-August 1992): 62-64;
Cinema Papers, April 1993, pp. 47-48;
Commonweal, 25 September 1992, pp. 20-1;
EPD Film, November 1992, p. 40;
Filmdienst, 27 October 1992, pp. 30-31;
Frankfurter Rundschau, 4 October 1990 and 13 May 1998;
Kosmorama, 199 (Spring) 1992, pp. 34-35. (Comparison of Best Intentions with Regarding Henry
and Terminator 2);
Macleans, 24 August 1992, p. 61;
Mensuel du cinéma, (November-December 1992): 40-41;

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National Review, 17 August 1992: p. 46;

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 20 September 1990;
New York Times, 10 July 1992, p. C 10;
Positif, 382 (December) 1993, pp. 21-30;
Séquences, November 1992, pp. 60-61;
Segnocinema, no. 56 (July-August 1992): 34-35;
Sight and Sound, July 1992, pp. 46-47;
Time Out, 1 July 1992, p. 16;
Variety, 18 May 1992, p. 46;
Die Welt, 15 January 1992.
Longer Articles
Björkman, Stig. ‘Bille August. Sansad passagerare på triumfvagnen’ [BA. Cool Passenger on the
char of triumph]. Chaplin 237, no. 6, 1991, pp. 50-57;
Vinge, Louise. ‘The Director as Writer: Some Observations on Ingmar Bergman’s Den goda
viljan.’ In A Century of Swedish Swedish Narrative. Essays in Honour of Karin Petherick, ed. by
Sara Death and Helena Forsås Scott. (Norwich: Norvik Press, 1994), pp. 281-293;
Wright, Rochelle. ‘The Imagined Past in Ingmar Bergman’s Best Intentions’. In Ingmar Berg-
man. An Artist’s Journey, ed. by Richard Oliver. (New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995), pp.
116-25.
See also
Brief reviews in:
Cahiers du Cinéma 457 (June) 1992, p. 48;
Jeune Cinéma 216 (July) 1992, pp. 26-27;
Positif, 378 (July-August) 1992, pp. 82.
Awards
1992: Golden Palm (Palme d’or) at Cannes Film Festival
For additional awards, see film title, Varia, C.

257. SÖNDAGSBARN, 1992 [Sunday’s Child], color

Director Daniel Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
Söndagsbarn/Sunday’s Child is the second in a series of narratives about Ingmar Bergman’s
childhood and his family. The setting is a summer house that the Bergmans rent in Dufnäs, in
the province of Dalecarlia, not very far from Våroms, the summer place of Bergman’s maternal
grandmother. The time is the summer of 1926, and the main character, an 8-year-old boy
nicknamed Pu, is waiting at the train station for his father to arrive from Stockholm. The
narrator introduces us to ‘the Conflict’, the tension between pastor Erik Bergman and his
mother-in-law Anna Åkerblom, whose real-life first names are retained in the story (unlike
those of Henrik and Anna in Den goda viljan).
Pu’s everyday life revolves around playing with neigbouring children, watching farm events
like the slaughtering of calves, listening to the maid’s stories about a watchmaker’s strange
suicide. He also witnesses a bedroom argument between his parents when Karin Bergman
informs her husband that she has made plans to leave him, move to Uppsala with the children
and resume her nursing profession. Erik goes outside, and Pu follows him. He is asked to come

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along to a neighbouring church the next day; they are to take the freight train first and then
bike the rest of the way. Pu hesitates; he has other plans.
At this point the author inserts a flash-forward to 1968, when his father is a crippled 82-year-
old widower, a lonely man afraid of death. Such flash-forwards are inserted in the narrative
twice, the second one taking place in 1970, when Erik Bergman is dying. Ingmar, the son,
experiences him as a stranger.
The narrative continues with Pu’s bike trip with his father who is going to preach at Grånäs.
In the church Pu sees murals reminiscent of the motifs in Bergman’s film Det sjunde inseglet.
On the way home, Pu and his father go swimming but are surprised by a thunderstorm and
have a minor accident with the bike. The story ends as they walk and push the bike towards the
station.
Credits
Production company Sandrew Film & Teater, SVT Drama, Metronome Pro-
ductions A/S (Denmark), Finland Film Foundation,
Iceland Filmfond. Norsk Film A/S, Sweetland Films
Producer Katinka Faragó
Unit manager Steve St Peter
Director Daniel Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Tony Forsberg
Sound Klas Engström, Patrik Grede
Music J.S. Bach, Rune Gustafsson, Zoltan Kódaly
Architect Sven Wichman
Props Torben Beckmark-Pedersen
Costumes Mona Theresia Forsén
Make-up Clary Westerstrand
Editor Darek Hodor
Continuity Carolina Häggström
Cast
Father Thommy Berggren
Mother Lena Endre
Pu Henrik Linnros
Dag Jakob Leygraf
Märta Malin Ek
Marianne Marie Richardson
Aunt E. Irma Christenson
Grandma Birgitta Valberg
Uncle Carl Börje Ahlstedt
Maj Majlis Granlund
Voice of Lalla Birgitta Ulfson
The watchmaker Carl Magnus Dellow
Nurse Edit Helena Brodin
A girl Lena Carlsson-Arrhed
Girl at watchmaker Melinda Kinnaman
Ericsson, Station Master Halvar Björk
Mrs. Berglund Gunnel Gustavsson
Sexton Kurt Sävström
Parson Bertil Norström

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Parson’s wife Lis Nilheim

Konrad, their son Hans Strömblad
Helga Smed Suzanne Ernrup
Blacksmith Lars Rockström
Young woman Josefin Andersson
Wedding guest Carl-Lennart Fröbergh

Distribution Sandrews
Running time 121 minutes
Premiere 28 August 1992
U.S. premiere 4 April 1993, Lincoln Center Festival (New Directors/
New Films Festival)
Commentary and Reception
The 75-year-old Ingmar Bergman wrote a manuscript about a childhood event that occurred
when he was eight, and handed it over to his 30-year-old son Daniel to make his debut as a
feature film director (prior to this, Daniel Bergman had made some short children’s movies).
Inevitably reviewers approached Söndagsbarn/Sunday’s Child as a professional family saga and
an incestuous piece of filmmaking. Though described as polished and technically well made,
but much too long, the film was termed ‘predictable’, with Daniel Bergman emerging as his
father’s instrument. (See DN, SvD, UNT). Söndagsbarn received little independent evaluation
(an exception was the reviewer in GP); instead, critics were almost unanimous in relegating the
film to a piece of Ingmar memorabilia, of interest only to those who, in the words of reviewer
Hans Schiller, ‘could not get enough of Ingmar Bergman in costume’ [inte kunde få nog av
Ingmar Bergman i kostym].
Swedish Reviews
Aghed, Jan. ‘Stark debut av Bergman’. SDS, 28 August 1992, p. A18;
Bengtsson, Bengt. ‘Skickligt men för polerat’ [Skilfull but too polished]. UNT, 29 August 1992,
p. 49;
Croneman, Johan. ‘Söndagsbarn’. Nöjesguiden, September 1992;
Eklund, Bengt. ‘Pappa Bergman hamnar i skuggan’ [Papa Bergman ends up in the shade]. Expr.,
28 August 1992, p. 12 (Nöjesbilaga);
Hansson, Anders. ‘Färgstark långfilmsdebut’ [Colorful feature film debut]. GP, 28 August 1992,
p. 34;
Hjertén, Hanserik. ‘Förutsägbar debutfilm av Bergman’ [Predictable debut film by Bergman].
DN, 28 August 1992, p. 22;
Nordberg, Carl Eric. ‘Triumf för ny Bergman’. Vi, no. 36 (3 September) 1992, p. 93.
Olsson, Sven E. ‘Ingmar och pappa på nytt’ [Ingmar and Dad once more]. Arbetet, 28 August
1992, p. 4;
Peterson, Jens. ‘En bra bit i helheten’ [A good piece on the whole]. AB, 28 August 1992, p. 10;
Schiller, Hans. ‘Svenskt, prydligt men oförlöst’ [It is Swedish, proper but unredeemed]. SvD, 28
August 1992, p. 21.
Foreign Reviews
Aghed, Jan. ‘Les enfants de dimanche’. Positif 378 (July-August 1992): p. 82;
‘Les enfants du dimanche’. Séquences, November 1992, pp. 18-19;
Marsolais, G. ‘Les enfants du dimanche de Daniel Bergman’. 24 Images, Dec-Jan 1992/93, p. 44;
Rehlin, Gunnar. ‘Söndagsbarn (Sunday’s Children)’. Variety, 31 August 1992, p. 61.

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 Synopses, Credits, Commentaries and Reception Record

Special Studies
Ingrid Hagman, ‘Den frånvarande fadern’ [The absentee father]. Chaplin 241, pp. 14-19. (A
discussion of the title theme in a number of recent Swedish films, among them Söndags-
barn/Sunday’s Child.)
Söndagsbarn was shown at Montreal, Rio de Janeiro and Venice Film Festivals, 1993, and was
distributed on video in the US in 1995. See brief review in NYT, 3 September 1995.

258. ENSKILDA SAMTAL, 1996 [Private Confessions/Conversations], color

See also Media chapter V (Ø 349), for response to original television version.
Director Liv Ullmann
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Originally a 2-part 16 mm TV series in five segments or ‘conversations’ based on Bergman’s 1993
novel, Enskilda samtal was blown up to a 35 mm motion picture designed for the foreign
market.
Synopsis
Enskilda samtal tells the story of the narrator’s mother Anna Bergman, a clergyman’s wife. In a
series of five conversations she meets with her pastor ‘Uncle Jacob’, a family friend. The
conversations take place between 1925 and 1934, with a flashback to her youth in 1907. Anna’s
focus is on her problems in her marriage and her love affair with a young theology student.
When Anna reveals her affair to Uncle Jacob, he advises her to tell her husband Henrik. The
second conversation occurs a few weeks later between Anna and her husband Henrik and ends
in an emotional debacle. The third conversation is between Anna and her mother, a dominant
person, and the fourth between Anna and her friend Märta during Anna’s elopement with her
lover to Molde in Norway. The last conversation almost ten years later takes place in Uppsala
between Anna, now 45 years old, and her friend Maria, wife of Uncle Jacob, who is dying.
Anna’s affair ended after the Norwegian incident. She is still married to Henrik but emotionally
tied to her lover, something she realizes when she catches a glimpse of him in the street a long
time after they have broken off.
Enskilda samtal ends with an epilogue that takes us back to the year 1907 when Anna
Åkerblom was 17. She talks with Uncle Jacob about going to communion but hesitates and
makes no decision.
Credits
Production company SverigesTelevision (SVT), Norsk Rikskringkasting
(NRK), Danmarks radio (DR), YLE TV 2, Helsinki,
RUV Reykjavik, Nordiska TV-Samarbetsfonden
Producer Maria Curman
Executive producer Kaj Larsen
Production manager Elisabeth Liljeqvist
Unit manager Göran Walfridsson
Director Liv Ullmann
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Sound Bert Wallman, Gunnar Landström
Music Johann Sebastian Bach (Cantata BWV 147; Branden-
burg Concerto No. 1, F major, 2nd movement);
Dmitri Shostakovic (Piano Quintet, Opus 57, G minor,

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2nd movement; Quartet no. 15, opus 144, E minor, 2nd

and 5th movement)
Mixing Owe Svensson
Architect Mette Möller
Props Jan Erik Savela
Costumes Inger Pehrsson
Makeup Cecilia Drott-Norlén
Editor Michal Leszcylowski
Cast
Anna Bergman Pernilla August
‘Uncle’ Jacob Max von Sydow
Maria, Jacob’s wife Kristina Adolphson
Märta Gärdsjö Gunnel Fred
Henrik Bergman Samuel Fröler
Bishop Agrell Hans Alfredson
Tomas Egerman Thomas Hanzon
Miss Nylander Vibeke Falk
Karin Åkerblom Anita Björk
Stille, caretaker Bengt Schött

Distribution Sveriges Television

Running time 194 minutes
Premiere 25 December 1996, Swedish Television, SVT, first part;
second part on 26 December)
U.S. Opening 5 January 1999, film version
Commentary and Reception
The title of the film refers to Martin Luther’s term for the sacrament of penance. It replaces
Catholic confession and absolution.
Enskilda samtal is the last in a trilogy of narratives about Bergman’s childhood and about his
parents. All three films were filmed or televised by other directors. See Ø 256, 256.
Foreign Reviews (of film version)
Bellmann, Günther. ‘Eine Frau wird gebändigt’. Berliner Morgenpost, 7 March 1999;
Bolzano, F., ‘Il silenzio divino’. Revista Cinematografico, July-August 1998: 62-64;
Cammarano, Tommaso. ‘Conversazione private’. Film (Italian), no. 37 (1998): 29-31;
Chapot, Luc. ‘Private Confessions’. Séquences, no. 205 (November-December 1999): 42;
Comazio, Ermano. ‘Il tormento di vivere come materia di rapapprentazione’. Cineforum no. 376
(July-August 1998): 34-35;
Corliss, Richard. ‘Cries and Whispers: “Private Confessions” Reveals an Old Master in Top
Form...’ Time, January 25, 1999, p. 75;
Grack, Günther. ‘Eine lässliche Todsünde’. Tagesspiegel, 7 March 1999;
K.D. ‘Liebe als Waffe’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 10 March 1999;
Kellerher, Ed. ‘Private Confessions’. Film Journal International, no. 102 (February 1999): 68-69;
Maslin, Janet. ‘Scenes from a Marriage. This Time Mom and Dad’s’. NYT, 6 January 1999, Sec.
E, p. 1. (Favorable review, claiming that Bergman ‘is back in the haunted house he built for
himself ’);
Quart, Leonard. ‘Private Confessions’. Cineaste, nos. 2-3, 1999: 96;
Sartor, Freddy. ‘Private Confessions’. Film en Télévisie, February 1999, p. 16;

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Schumacher, Ernst. ‘Lebenswahrheit bedingt Lebenslüge’. Berliner Zeitung, 8 March 1999;

Stratton, David. ‘Private Confessions’. Variety, 26 May 1997, p. 67
Tassi, Fabrizio. ‘La memoria di Bergman nello squardo di Liv’. Cineforum 376 (July-August
1998): 31-34;
Taubin, Amy. ‘Tests of Faith’. Village Voice, 12 January 1999, n.p.

259. TROLÖSA, 2000 [Faithless], color

Director Liv Ullmann
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
An older man named Ingmar Bergman sits at his desk. His imagination conjures forth a young
woman, Marianne Vogler, who appears behind him, half hidden by a door. The film becomes
her story, extracted from her (or invented) by the old man. It tells of her unfaithfulness to her
husband Markus, a famous conductor, and to her 9-year-old daughter Isabelle, as she drifts into
a love affair with David, a close friend of the family and a director planning a production of
Strindberg’s Ett drömspel. In narrative and visual flashbacks, the relationship between Marianne
and David unfolds, beginning casually in Paris and developing into a passion with disastrous
consequences. David reveals his irrational and violent jealousy. In a tragi-comic scene Markus
discovers the two lovers in bed. A legal battle over the custody of Isabelle ensues. Marianne is
expecting a child with David. One evening Markus calls Marianne; he wants to talk. When they
meet, he suggests to Marianne that she can get custody over Isabelle if she lets him make love to
her.
Returning to David, Marianne is forced to tell what happened. David (Bergman’s younger
alter ego) now takes over the story and confesses his guilt at not having supported Marianne
when she needed it. Marianne is gone; she apparently drowned.
Markus fails in an attempt to stage a suicide pact with Isabelle but kills himself and is found
by Mrs. Danelius who has had an affair with Markus during his entire marriage.
The film ends as Marianne bids farewell of Old Bergman who picks up a music box that
Marianne once gave David. It plays an excerpt from ‘The Magic Flute’.
Credits
Production companies SVT, SF (Sweden), SF Norge A/S (Norway), YLE (Fin-
land), RAI (Rome) ZDF (Zweites Deutches Fernsehen,
Mainz), SFI, Nordisk Film & TV Fond
Production manager Kaj Larsen
Director Liv Ullmann
Cinematography Jörgen Persson
Architect Göran Wassberg
Costumes Inger Pehrsson
Make-up Cecilia Drott-Norlén
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Cast
Ingmar Bergman Erland Josephson
Marianne Vogler Lena Endre
Markus Thomas Hanzon
David Krister Henriksson
Isabelle, 9 years old Michelle Gylemo
Margareta Juni Dahr

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Martin Goldman Philip Zandén

Petra Holst Thérèse Brunnander
Anna Berg Marie Richardson
Eva Stina Ekblad
Johan Johan Rabæus
Axel Jan Olof Strandberg
Gustav Björn Granath
Martha Gertrud Stenung

Distribution SF, Stockholm

During time 154 minutes, shot in 35 mm
Opening 15 September, 2000, Filmstaden (Göteborg), Röda
Kvarn (Stockholm) and 17 other places in Sweden
U.S. opening 26 January 2001
Commentary
At a press conference on 9 May 1998, Bergman told the story of a circus acrobat he once knew, a
juggler possessed with the idea of making one of his balls stand still in the air for a fraction of a
second. [Cf. Jof in Sjunde inseglet.] The juggler ended up in an asylum, but the doctor let him
continue to practise. He never succeeded in making the ball stand still, i.e., achieve the im-
possible, but he was allowed to try.
In an analogy to himself, Bergman said he had been possessed with the idea of making a film
consisting of one continuous close-up, with an actor speaking to the public for two hours. Such
a film would allow the camera to reveal human emotions we cannot register with the naked eye.
This statement appears in the printed manuscript to Trolösa but not in the film version. The
text is written as a monologue spoken by the main character, Marianne Vogler, interrupted by
questions and proddings by the writer Bergman, seated at his desk.
At the press conference Bergman announced that without actress Lena Endre’s approval of
his script and of the role as Marianne, there would have been no film. He had directed Endre in
his staging of Botho Strauss’s play Das Zimmer und die Zeit and saw her face before him as he
wrote Trolösa.
Bergman described Trolösa as a passion drama ‘that I have experienced at close hand. I am a
participant in the real story behind the film’ [som jag har upplevt på nära håll. Jag är med-
verkande i den verkliga historien bakom filmen]. The personal reference is touched on in
Bergman’s memoir Laterna magica, where he talks about his affair and brief marriage to
Gun Grut, who had to go through a painful divorce and child custody case on his account.
See Expr., 10 May 1998, pp. 14-16; AB, same date, pp. 48-49; SvD, same date, p. 14.
Bergman also revealed that he couldn’t stop working and creating: ‘I am like Anders de Wahl
[classical Swedish actor], I give at least 50 farewell performances’ [Jag är som Anders de Wahl,
jag gör åtminstone femtio avskedsföreställningar].
For a German write-up on the same material, see Hannes Gamillscheg, ‘Sich selbst darf Berg-
man nicht spielen’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 28 May 1998. Also in Frankfurter Rundschau, 13 May 1998.
Bergman asked Liv Ullmann to direct Trolösa. She suggested doing the studio work and
leaving the rest to Bergman, since she felt the film story was so personal. But Bergman left the
entire production to her, including the editing (despite some rumors to the contrary). Ull-
mann’s major change from the script was to make the child Isabelle physically present in the
film, something that won Bergman’s approval. See Sörenson interview listed below in See also
section.

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 Synopses, Credits, Commentaries and Reception Record

Reception
The Swedish reception of Trolösa varied a great deal. The script by an aging Bergman was
treated respectfully, but Liv Ullmann’s direction had a mixed response. Some felt that Berg-
man’s text was too perfect in itself to give the director much of a chance to add anything:
‘Bergman’s text is in sharp relief, full of marrow, saturated with meaning as if his entire visual
power had been transposed to the written medium. It does not make the task of the director
particularly easy; in some way every image seems redundant beforehand when faced with this
verbal volcanic power.’[Bergmans text är skarpt utmejslad, märgfull, mättad med mening, som
hade hela hans bildskapande kraft flyttats över i skriftens medium. Det gör nu inte regissörens
uppgift särskilt lätt; på något sätt tycks varje bild redan på förhand bli redundant inför denna
verbala vulkaniska kraft.] (Söderberg Widding). Another reviewer phrased the juxtaposition of
superior script and directorial dilemma in more critical terms: ‘It is quite clear that this
extremely demanding film story misses him [Bergman] and his ability to charge every moment
and the glance of every eye. With all due respect to Liv Ullman (sic!), she is not a great director.
And here she has had to tackle a script that lies considerably above her threshold of compe-
tence’. [Det är helt klart att denna extremt krävande filmberättelse saknar honom och hans
förmåga att ladda varje ögonblick och varje ögas blick. Liv Ullman i alla ära men någon stor
regissör är hon inte. Och här har hon fått tackla ett manus som ligger en bra bit över hennes
kompetenströskel.] (Palmqvist). Yet some critics concluded that Ullmann might be on par or
even surpass Bergman as a director of actors (Gustafsson, Tunbäck-Hansson), while still others
were disappointed both in the script and the director (Fred, Stenberg).

In the U.S. Trolösa premiered at the New York Film Festival in the fall of 2000. It was an entry in
the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, but received no prize. At Cannes it competed unsuccessfully
against Lars von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark.
American reviews pointed to the personal roots of Bergman’s script, many finding it too
much of a reincarnation of his earlier films; Stanley Kaufmann called Faithless ‘a revenant’, i.e., a
dead coming back: ‘This new film adds little to what he has given us already.’ Gene Santoro in
The Nation thought that Bergman’s script read ‘more like solipsism than real emotional con-
nection, meanders around self-examination without striking self-awareness. A soap opera for
highbrows’. However, another reviewer (Blake) regarded Bergman’s narrative approach as ‘a
daring conceit’ in allowing the protagonist’s story to be reconstructed from a woman’s per-
spective, a feminized version of a man’s life delicately handled by Liv Ullmann. Even a critical
voice like Kaufmann conceded that ‘a great writer-director may be waning, but an artist whom
he fostered is a keeper of the flame’.
All in all, Ullmann’s earlier role in Bergman’s filmmaking was considered to be both a
blessing and a burden: ‘How can her directing possibly be judged on its own apart from
Bergman?’ asked Kauffmann while Santoro felt that Ullmann ‘has clearly internalized her
erstwhile friend and lover’s deliberate, at times ponderous pacing and pared-back camera work.
Ullmann directs in Bergman’s cinematic language in much the same way Marianne, his ‘muse’,
speaks his own thoughts’. But several other critics argued that in the making of Trolösa, Berg-
man’s and Ullmann’s objectives diverged in such a way that they were to be considered as two
separate achievements. Several reviews noted the discrepancy between script and film in terms
of the space allotted the child, Isabelle. The importance of the child was reinforced by Ullmann
herself in several interviews (see below). ‘The film combines the works of two great artists’,
wrote Richard Blake who compared Trolösa’s Marianne to her namesake in Wild Strawberries,
with Ingmar Bergman assuming the role of the aging Isak Borg in the 1957 film. Richard
Schickel, who viewed Trolösa as Bergman’s Ghost Sonata, the voice of ‘an old man’s wintry,
unspoken quest for grace’, still found it very much to be Ullmann’s film: ‘Her style is warm,

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almost glowing, and it makes an ironic comment on a harrowing narrative.’ See NYT, ‘Scenes
from a Collaboration’, 26 January, 2001, p. B29, E29.
Swedish Reviews
Andersson, Jan-Olov. ‘Lena Endre gör stark roll’ [Lena Endre does a strong part]. AB, 15
September 2000;
Eklund, Bernt. ‘Passion på liv och död’ [Passion on life and death]. Expr., 15 September 2000;
Fred, Lotti. ‘Oengagerande om otrohet’ [Unengaging about faithlessness]. Ergo (Uppsala stu-
dent paper), no. 10, 2000;
Gustafsson, Annjika. ‘Moget om människor fångna i passion’ [Mature about people caught in
passion]. Sydsvenskan, 15 September 2000, p. A27;
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Ur leken växer mörkret fram’ [Out of the game, darkness grows forth]. DN,
15 September 2000;
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Trolöshet som övergår allt’ [Faithlessness that exceeds everything]. Arbetet, 15
September 2000, p. 8;
Stenberg, Björn G., ‘Mindre lyckad kombination’ [Less successful combination]. UNT, 15 Sep-
tember 2000;
Söderberg Widding, Astrid. ‘Trolösa lever och drunknar med Bergmans exakta text’ [Faithless
lives and drowns with B’s exact text]. SvD, 15 September 2000, p. 12;
Tunbäck-Hansson, Monica. ‘Skicklig personregi av Ullman’ [Skilful direction of actors by Ull-
man]. GP, 15 September 2000.
Foreign Reviews
Björkman, Stig & Marie-Anne Guerin. ‘Autopsy d’un divorce’. Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 551
(November 2000): 72-76;
Blake, Richard A. ‘Memory and Regret’. America, vol. 184, no. 12 (9 April) 2001, p. 32;
Garbarz, Franck. ‘Infidèle. Moderne tragédie’. Positif no. 477 (November 2000), pp. 6-7;
Gee, Maggie. ‘Faithless’. Times Literary Supplement, 2 March 2001, p. 19;
Haskell, Molly. ‘Bared: The Heartbreaking Geometry of the Triangle’. NYT, 21 January 2001, p. AR 15;
Holden, Stephen. ‘Scenes from a not so great marriage: Liv Ullmann offers an Epilogue of sorts
to Bergman’s film’. NYT, 26 January 2001, p. B 21, E 16;
Kaufmann, Stanley. ‘On Films – Within the Past Within’. The New Republic, 12 February, 2001, p.
30. Review relates Bergman’s After the Rehearsal – ‘as much a drama as a meditation’ – to
Faithless, a script summoning back the past and following a philosophical remark from the
earlier film: ‘The dead are not dead, the living seem like ghosts’;
Lane, Anthony. ‘Faithless’. The New Yorker, vol. 76, no. 44, (29 January) 2001, pp. 94-95;
Macnab, Geoffrey. ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’. Sight and Sound, X, no. 12 (December 1990): 30-
33 (review focusses on the child);
Santoro, Gene. ‘Scarlet Letter’s Last Blush’. The Nation, vol. 272, no. 19 (5 March) 2001, p. 32;
Schickel, Richard. ‘Acts of Love and Contrition: Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman unite again,
and the result is sublime’. Time, vol. 157, no. 5 (5 February) 2001, p. 76;
Simon, John. ‘Ominous Appetites’. National Review, Vol. 53, no. 4 (5 March), 2001, p.NA;
Stratton, David. ‘Faithless’. Variety, vol. 379, no. 1 (22 May) 2000, p. 19. ‘Though overextended
and a tad indulgent, Bergman’s screenplay is an often powerful and moving one that
explores degrees of infidelity with almost surgical precision’.
Interviews and Biographical Sketches
Björkman, Stig. ‘The One Bergman Show’. Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 526 (July-August 1998): 8-9;
(On the making of Trolösa/Perfidies);
Ciment, Michel. ‘Entretien. Liv Ullmann’. Positif no. 477 (November 2000), pp. 8-11;

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 Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

‘Dygnet runt’ section, SDS, 15 September 2000 (Interview with Lena Endre);
Haskell, Molly. ‘Bared: the Heartbreaking Geometry of the Triangle’. The New York Times, 21
January 2001, p. 2;
Kehr, Dave. ‘Faithless’. The New York Times, 26 January 2001, p. B29, E29. (On the making of
Faithless);
Macnab, Geoffrey. ‘Crimes and Misdemeaners’. Sight and Sound, vol X, no. 12 (December) 2000,
pp. 30-3 (Review and interview with Liv Ullmann);
Merkin, Daphne. ‘An Independent Woman’. New York Times Magazine, 21 January 2001, p. 34, col. 1;
Sains, Ariane. ‘The Bergman Legacy’. Europe, no. 379, September 1998, p. 41. (Early presentation
of Trolösa, with a biographical sketch of Bergman);
Sörenson, Elisabeth. ‘En man hade gjort det annorlunda’ [A man would have done it differ-
ently]. SvD, 15 September 2000, p. 11. (Interview with Liv Ullmann).

259a. Saraband (2003) TV film, also released as commercial feature film. See Media
Chapter, Ø 343.

Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

This listing comprises a sampling of foreign language titles for all films scripted and/
or directed by Bergman, both in the cinema and for television. Included are titles in
English (American/British), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Nor-
wegian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish (the last two may refer to both European and
Latin American distribution titles). Other foreign language titles are listed more
sporadically. If a foreign title appears in parentheses, it means that the film has not
been distributed in that language but that the title appears in studies of the film.
Hets (1944)
American Torment
British Frenzy
Czech Stvaniçe
Danish Forfulgt
Dutch Klopjacht
Finnish Kiihko
French Tormente/Tourments
German Hetze/Die Hörige
Italian Spasimo
Japanese Modae
Norwegian Hets
Polish Skandal
Portuguese Tortura
Spanish Tortura
Spanish – Argentina Suplico
Spanish – Uruguay El sadico

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Kris (1946)
American/British (Crisis)
Danish Moderhjertet
Dutch Crisis
Finnish Kriisi
French Crise
German Krise
Italian Cris
Norwegian Mitt barn er mitt/Krise
Portuguese – Brazil Crisis
Spanish Crisis
Det regnar på vår kärlek (1946)
British It Rains on Our Love/Man with an Umbrella
Danish Det regner paa vor kaerlighed
Dutch Het regent op onze liefde
Finnish Elämän sateessa
French Il pleut sur notre amour
German Es regnet auf unserer Liebe
Italian Plove sul nostro amore
Norwegian Ungt blod
Portuguese Chove sobre o nosso amor
Spanish Llueve sobre nuestro amor
Kvinna utan ansikte (1947)
American/British (Woman without a Face)
Danish Kvinden uden ansigt
Dutch De Vrouw zonder gezicht
Finnish Nainen ilman kasvoja
French (La femme sans visage)
German Frau ohne Gesicht
Italian Furia del peccato
Norwegian Kvinnen uten ansikt
Skepp till India land (1947)
American Frustration/Ship to India
British The Land of Desire/Ship to India/A Ship Bound for
India
Danish Sømandstøsen
Dutch Schip naar Indialand
Finnish Laiva Intiaan
French Eternel mirage/Bateau pour les Indes/Le port des filles
perdues
German Schiff nach Indialand
Italian Nave per l’India/La Terra del Desidario
Norwegian Skepp til Indialand
Polish Okręt do Indii
Portuguese Viagem para a India/Um Barco para a India

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 Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

Musik i mörker (1948)

American Night is my Future/Music in Darkness
British Night is my Future
Danish Musik i mørke
Dutch Muziek in de Duisternis/Muziek in het Donker
Finnish Musiikkia pimässä; Sielujen sävel
French Musique dans les ténèbres/Musique dans obscurité
German Musik im Dunkeln
Italian Musica nel buio
Norwegian Musikk i mørket
Portuguese Uma luz nas trevas
Spanish Musica en la noche/Musica en la oscuridad/Noche eterna
Hamnstad (1948)
American/British Port of Call
Danish Piger uden moral/Havnebyens fristelser
Dutch Havenstad
Finnish Satamakaupunki
French Ville portuaire
German Hafenstadt
Italian Città portuale
Japanese Aiyoku no minato
Norwegian Havnebyen
Portuguese Cidade portuaria
Spanish Una mujer libre
Spanish – Argentina Puerto
Eva (1948)
Argentine/Brazilian/Danish/Dutch/
German/Norwegian Eva
Finnish Eeva
French Sensualité
Fängelse (1949)
American/British The Devil’s Wanton/Prison
Czech Vezení
Danish Fængsel
Dutch Gevangenis
Finnish Vankila
French La Prison/Prison
German Gefängnis
Italian Prigione
Norwegian Fängelse/Livets fengsel
Polish Więzienie
Portuguese A prisao
Russian Тюрьма
Spanish Prision
Spanish/Argentina/Uruguay El demonio nos gobierno

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Törst (1949)
American Three Strange Loves
British Thirst
Danish/Norwegian Tørst
Dutch Dorst
Finnish Jano
French La Soif/La Fontaine d’Arethuse
German Durst
Italian Sete
Portuguese A sede
Spanish La Sed (Argentina)
Till glädje (1949)
American/British To Joy
Danish To mennesker
Dutch Aan de Vrengde
Finnish Iloksi; Onnku kohti
French Vers la Joie/Vers la Félicité
German An die Freude
Italian Verso la citta
Norwegian Til glede
Portuguese Rumo a felicidade
Medan staden sover (1950)
American/British (While the City Sleeps)
Danish Når Stockholm sover
Dutch Terwijl de Stad slaapt
Finnish Kun kaupunki nukkuu
Italian Mentre la citta dorme/La Banda della citta vecchia
Sånt händer inte här (1951)
American (This Doesn’t Happen Here)
British High Tension
Danish Sådant noget sker ikke her
Dutch Zoiets gebeurt hier niet
Finnish Sellaista ei tapahdu täälä
French Cela ne se produirait pas ici/Une telle chose ne se pro-
duirait pas ici
(West) German Menschenjagd
Italian Cio non accadrebbe qui
Norwegian Sånt hender ikke her
Sommarlek (1951)
American Illicit Interlude
British Summer Interlude
Danish Sommerleg
Dutch Zomerspel/Een zomeridylle
Finnish Kesäinen leikki
French Jeux d’été
German Einen Sommer lang
Italian Un’ estate d’amore

356
 Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

Norwegian Sommarlek
Polish Letni sen
Portuguese Um veraõ de amor
Spanish Juegos de verano
Spanish – Argentina Juventud
Spanish – Uruguay Divino tesoro
Frånskild (1951)
American/British (Divorced)
Dutch Gescheiden
Finnish Eronnut
German Geschieden
Norwegian Fraskilt
Kvinnors väntan (1952)
American Secrets of Women
British Waiting Women
Czech Cekani zen
Danish Mens kvinder venter
Dutch Het wachten van Vrouven
Finnish Odottavia naisia
French, Belgian L’attente des femmes
German Sehnsucht der Frauen
Italian Donne in attesa
Norwegian Kvinnors vänten
Polish Kobiety czekają
Portuguese Quando as mulheres esperam/Segredos de mulheres
Spanish Tres mujeres
Sommaren med Monika (1953)
American Monica: The Story of a Bad Girl/Monica/Summer with
Monica
British Summer with Monica
Danish Sommeren med Monika
Dutch Mijn zomer met Monika
Finnish Kesä Monikan kanssa
French Monique et le désir/Monika/Un été avec Monika
German Die Zeit mit Monika
Italian Monica e il desiderio
Japanese Funyo shojo Monika
Norwegian Sommeren med Monika
Polish Wakacje z Moniką
Portuguese Monica e o desejo
Spanish Un verano con Monica
Gycklarnas afton (1953)
American The Naked Night
British Sawdust and Tinsel
Czech Vecer kejklíru
Danish Gøglernes aften
Dutch De Spullenbaas

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 Chapter IV Filmography

Finnish Viettelysten ilta/Gycklarnas afton

French La nuit des forains
(West) German Abend der Gaukler
Italian Una vampata d’amore
Norwegian Gjøglernes aften
Polish Wieczór kuglarzy
Portuguese Noite de circo
Russian Vecher shutnikov
Spanish Noche de Circo
En lektion i kärlek (1954)
American/British A Lesson in Love
Czech Lekce v lásce
Danish En lektion i kærlighed
Dutch Een les in Liefde
Finnish Rakkauden oppitunti
French Une leçon d’amour
German Lektion in Liebe
Italian Lezione d’amore
Polish Lekcja mitości
Portuguese Uma liçao de amor
Spanish Una leccion de amor
Kvinnodröm (1955)
American Dreams
British Journey into Autumn
Czech Sny zen
Danish Kvindedrømme
Dutch Vrouwendroom
Finnish Naisten unelmia
French Rêves de femmes
(West) German Frauenträume
Italian Sogni di donna
Norwegian Kvinnodrøm
Polish Marzenia kobiet
Portuguese Sonhos de mulheres
Russian Zjenskie grezy
Spanish Sueños
Spanish – Argentina Confesión de pecadores
Spanish – Uruguay Sueños de mujer
Sommarnattens leende (1955)
American/British Smiles of a Summer Night
Danish Sommernattens smil
Dutch De Glimlach van een Zomernacht
Finnish Kesäyön hymyilyö
French Sourires d’une nuit d’été
German Das Lächeln einer Sommernacht
Italian Sorrisi di una notta
Norwegian Sommernattens smil

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 Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

Polish Uśmiech nocy

Portuguese Sorrisos de uma noite de verao
Spanish Sorrisas de una nocha de verano
Sista paret ut (1956)
American (The Last Couple Out)
British Last Pair Out/Tempest of Young Hearts
Finnish Viimeinen pari ulos
German Junge Herzen im Sturm
Norwegian Siste par ut
Polish Ostatna para wychodzi
Det sjunde inseglet (1956/57)
American/British The Seventh Seal
Danish Det syvende segl
Dutch Het zevende Zegel
Finnish Seitsämäs sinetti
French Le septième sceau
German Das siebente Siegel
Italian Il settimo sigillo
Norwegian Det syvende seglet
Polish Siidna pieccziça
Portuguese O sétimo selo
Spanish El séptimo sello
Smultronstället (1957)
American/British Wild Strawberries
Danish Ved vejs ende
Dutch Wilde Aardbeien
Finnish Mansikkapaikka
French Les fraises sauvages/La fin du voyage
German Wilde Erdbeeren
Italian Il posto della fragole
Norwegian Jordbærstedet
Polish Tam, gdzie rosną poziomli
Portuguese Os morangos silvestres
Spanish Fresas salvajes
Spanish/Latin America Las fresas silvestres
Nära livet (1958)
American Brink of Life
British So Close to Life
Danish Livets under
Dutch Op de Drempel van het Leven
Finnish Elämän kynnyksellä
French Au seuil de la vie
German Dem Leben nahe, An der Schwelle des Lebens
Italian Alle soglie della vita
Norwegian Nära livet
Polish U progu życia

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 Chapter IV Filmography

Portuguese No limiar da vida; Direiro a Vida

Spanish En el Umbral de la Vida
Ansiktet (1958)
American The Magician
British The Face
Danish Ansigtet
Dutch Het Gelaat
Finnish Kasvot
French Le visage
German Das Gesicht
Italian Il volto
Norwegian Ansiktet
Polish Twarz
Portuguese O rostro
Spanish El rostro/Tvar
Jungfrukällan (1960)
American/British The Virgin Spring
Danish Jomfrukilden
Dutch De Maagdebron
Finnish Neidonlähde
French La source/La fontaine de la jeune fille
German Die Jungfrauenkelle
Italian Fontana delle vergine
Polish Źródło
Portuguese A fonte da virgem
Spanish La fuente de la doncella/El mantial de la doncella
Djävulens öga (1960)
American/British The Devil’s Eye
Danish Djævelens øje
Dutch Het Oog van de Duivel
Finnish Paholaisen silmä
French L’oeuil du diable
German Die Jungfrauenbrücke/Das Teufelsauge
Italian L’occhio del diavolo
Polish Oko diabła
Portuguese O olho do diabo
Spanish El ojo del diablo
Såsom i en spegel (1961)
American/British Through a Glass Darkly
Danish Som i et spejl
Dutch Als in een donkere Spiegel
Finnish Kuin Kuvastimessa
French A travers le miroir/Comme en un miroir
German Wie in einem Spiegel
Italian Come in uno specchio/ L’immagine allo specchio
Polish Jak w zwierciadle

360
 Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

Portuguese Em busca da verdade

Spanish Come en un espejo; Detras de un vidrio oscura
Lustgården (1961)
Dutch De Lusthof
English (The Pleasure Garden/Garden of Eden)
German Garten der Lüste
Nattvardsgästerna (1962)
American Winter Light
British The Communicants
Czech Hasté vecere pane
Danish Lys i mørket
Dutch De Avondmaalsgasten
Finnish Talven valoa
French Les communiants/Lumière d’hiver
German Licht im Winter
Italian Luci d’inverno
Polish Goście wieczerzy pańskiej
Portuguese Luz de inverno
Russian Pricastie
Spanish Los comulgantes/Luz de invierno (Uruguay)
Tystnaden (1963)
American/British The Silence
Danish Stilheden
Dutch De grote Stilte
Finnish Hiljaisuus
French Le silence
German Das Schweigen
Italian Il silenzio
Polish Milczenie
Portuguese O silenzio
Russian Moltjanie
Spanish El silencio
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor (1964)
American All These Women
British Now About These Women
Danish Syv glade enker
Dutch Om over al die Vrouwen maar niet te spreken
Finnish Puhumattakaan naisista
French Toutes ses femmes
German Ach, diese Frauen
Italian Per non parlare di tutte questa donne/A proposito di
tutte queste signore
Polish O tych paniach
Portuguese A forca da sexo fraco
Spanish/Uruguayan Ni hablar de las mujeres/Esas mujeres

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Persona (1966)
Most foreign distributions retained the Swedish title except the following:
Danish Persona – Sonate for to
Dutch Maskers
Finnish Naisen naamio
German Persona – Geschichte zweier Frauen
Portuguese A mascara
Vargtimmen (1967)
American/British Hour of the Wolf
Danish Ulvetimen
Dutch Het Uur van de Wolf
Finnish Sudenhetki
French L’heure du loup
German Die Stunde des Wolfes
Italian L’ore del lupo
Norwegian Ulvetimen
Polish Godzina wilków
Portuguese A hora do lobo
Skammen (1968)
Many non-Swedish critics discussing the film have opted for retaining the original
Swedish title, Skammen.
American/British Shame/The Shame
Danish Skammen
Dutch De Schaamte
Finnish Häpeä
French La honte
German Die Schande/Die Scham
Italian La vergogna
Norwegian Skammen
Polish Hańba
Portuguese O vergonha
Spanish La verguenza
Riten (1969), TV film
American The Ritual
British The Rite
Danish Ritualerne
Dutch Het Ritueel
French Le rite
German Der Ritus,
Italian Il Rito
Norwegian Riten
Polish Rytual
Portuguese Ritual
Spanish El Rito

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 Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

En passion (1969)
American The Passion of Anna
British A Passion
Danish Passion
Dutch Een Passie
Finnish Intohimo
French Une passion
German Passion/Eine Leidenschaft
Italian Passione
Norwegian En pasjon
Polish Namiętność
Portuguese A Paixao
Spanish Pasion
Fårödokument (1969), TV film
Film has had limited circulation outside of Sweden.
Dutch Faro-document
English Faro Document
French Mon Île, Fårö
German Bericht über Fårö/Über die Schafe
Reservatet (1970), TV film
American The Sanctuary
British The Lie
Dutch Het Reservaat
German Das Reservat
Polish Rezerwat
Portuguese Santuario
Beröringen (1971)
American/British The Touch
Danish Berøringen
Dutch De Aanraking
Finnish Kosketus
French Le lien
German Die Berührung/The Touch/ Berührungen
Hungarian Érintes
Italian L’Adultera
Norwegian Touch
Portuguese O amante
Spanish La carcoma
Spanish – Argentina El toque
Viskningar och rop (1972/73)
American/British Cries and Whispers
Czech Seoty a vykriky
Danish Hvisken og råb
Dutch Schreeuw zonder Antwoord/Fluisteringen en Kreten
Finnish Kuiskauksia ja huutoja
French Cris et chuchotements
German Schreie und Flüstern

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Hungarian Suttogásokm sikolyok

Italian Sussuri e grida
Norwegian Hvisken og rop
Polish Szepty i krzyki
Portuguese Lagrimas e Suspiros
Portuguese – Brazil Gritos e Sussuros
Spanish Gritos y Murmullos; Gritos y Susurros
Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973/TV; 1974)
American/British Scenes from a Marriage
Czech Scény z manzelského zivota;
Danish Scener fra et aegteskab;
Dutch Scenes uit een huwelijk;
Estonian Tseenid hest abielust;
French Scènes de la vie conjugale;
Georgian Scvenebi cvolkumrul cvxovrebidpn;
German Szenen einer Ehe;
Hungarian Jelenetek egy hça zassfagbil;
Italian Scene di vita coniguale;
Japanese Aru kekkon no feukei;
Norwegian Scener fra et ekteskap;
Polish Sceny z życia małżeńskiego;
Portuguese – Brazil Cenas da vida conjugal;
Portuguese – Europe Cenas de um casamento sueco;
Russian Sceny iz supruzjeskoj zjizni;
Spanish Escenas de un matrimonio/Secretes de un matrimonio.
Trollflöjten (1975)
American/British The Magic Flute
Danish Tryllefløjten
Dutch Die Zauberflöte
Finnish Taikahuilu
German Die Zauberflöte
French La flûte enchantée
Italian Il Flauto Magico
Norwegian Tryllefløyten
Portuguese A flauta magica
Spanish La flauta magica
Ansikte mot ansikte (1976)
American/British Face to Face
Bulgarian Lice sieíy’l lice
Danish Ansigt til ansigt
Dutch Gelaat tegen Gelaat/Van aangezicht tot aangezicht
French Face à face
German Von Angesicht zu Angesicht
Italian Immagine allo specchio
Norwegian Ansikt mot ansikt
Polish Twarzą w twarz

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 Foreign Titles of Ingmar Bergman Films

Portuguese Face a face

Spanish Cara a cara
Das Schlangenei (1977)
American/British The Serpent’s Egg
Danish Slangens æg
Dutch Het Slangenei
Finnish Käärmeenmuna
French L’Øeuf du serpent
German Das Schlangenei (original title)
Italian L’uovo del serpente;
Norwegian Slangens æg
Polish Jajo węża
Portugese O ovo da serpente
Spanish El huevo de la serpiente
Swedish Ormens ägg
Herbstsonate/Höstsonaten (1978)
American/British Autumn Sonata
Danish Høstsonat
Dutch Herfstsonate
Finnish Syyssonaatti
French Sonate d’autonne
German Herbstsonate
Italian Sinfonia d’autunno
Norwegian Høstsonaten
Polish Jesienna sonata
Portuguese Sonata do outono
Russian Osennjaja sonata
Spanish Sonata de otoño; Sonata otonal (Argentina)
Fårödokument 1979
Film has had limited circulation abroad
American Fårö 1979
British Fårö-Document
French Mon île, Fårö
German Fårödokument 1979
Italian Documentario su Faro
Spanish Decumento sobre Farö
Aus dem Leben der Marionetten (1980)
American/British From the Life of Marionettes
Danish Fra marionetternes liv
Dutch Uit het Leven va de Marionetten/Dans van de mario-
netten
Finnish Marionettien elämästä
French De la vie des marionnettes
Italian Mondo di marionette
Norwegian Fra marionettenes liv
Polish Z życia marionetek

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 Chapter IV Filmography

Portuguese Da vida das marionetes

Spanish De la vida de las marionetas
Swedish Ur marionetternas liv
Fanny och Alexander (1982)
All foreign distribution titles retain the two names in the original
Karins ansikte (1983)
Film has had limited circulation
Danish Karins ansigt
Dutch Karins Gezicht
English Karin’s Face
Polish Twarz Karin
Efter repetitionen (1984), TV film
American/British After the Rehearsal
Danish Efter prøven
Dutch Na de Repetitie
Finnish Harjoitusten jälkeen
French Après la répétition
German Nach der Probe
Italian Dopo el prove/Dope la prova
Polish Po próbie
Portuguese Depois de ensaio
Spanish Despues del ensayo
De två saliga (1986), TV film
Danish De to salige
Dutch De Twee Zaligen
English The Blessed Ones/The Sign
Finnish Autuaat
French Les deux bienheureux
German Die Gesegneten
Italian Il segno
Polish Dwoje błogosławionych
Portuguese Os Dois Abencoados
Spanish Los Escogidos
Den goda viljan (1991)
American/British Best Intentions
Czech Dobrca veáule
Danish Den gode vilje
Dutch Goede bedoelingen
Finnish Hyvä tahto
French Les meilleures intentions
German Die besten Absichten
Greek Hoi kalyteres protheseis
Hungarian A legjobb szçandekok
Italian Con le migliori intenzioni
Japanese Ai no feukei
Korean Choeseon-eui-e kido

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Norwegian Den gode viljen

Polish Dobre chęchi
Russian Blagie namerenija
Slovakian Dobrca vueëla
Spanish Las mejores intenciones
Spanish (Argentina) Con las mejores intenciones
Söndagsbarn (1992)
American/British Sunday’s Child/Sunday’s Children
Czech Nedelnaatka
Danish Søndagsbarn
Dutch Zondagskinderen
Estonian Hapäevalapsed
Finnish Sunnuntailapsi
French Enfants du dimanche
German Die Sonntagskinder/Sonntagskinder
Hungarian Vascarnapi gyerekek
Italian Nati di domenica
Norwegian Søndagsbarn
Polish Niedzielne dziecko
Portuguese Filhos de domingo
Slovakian Nedeliatko
Spanish Niños del domingo
Sista skriket (1995, TV)
American/British The Last Gasp/The Last Shriek
Polish Ostatni krzyk
Enskilda samtal (1996/97, TV)
American/British Private Conversations/Private Confessions
Danish Personlige samtaler
Finnish Yksitysiä keskusteljuja
French Entretiens privés
German Einzelgespräche
Hungarian Öt vallompas
Italian Conversazioni private
Norwegian Fortrolige samtaler
Polish Rozmowy poufne
Spanish Confesiones privadas
Larmar och gör sig till (1998)
American/British In the Presence of a Clown
French En présence d’un clown
German Dabei: Ein Clown/Im Gegenwart eines Clowns
Italian Vanita e Affani
Polish Puszy się i miota
Portuguese Na Presença do Palhaco
Spanish En presencia del payaso (Argentina)

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Trolösa (2000)
American/British Faithless
Danish Troløs
Finnish Uskoton
French Infidèle/Perfidies
German Treulos
Italian Infidele
Norwegian Troløse
Polish Wiarołomni
Spanish Infiel
Spanish – Columbia Infiledidad

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 Ingmar Bergman As Film Producer

Ingmar Bergman As Film Producer

Listed here are only motion pictures and TV films made by other directors that were
produced or co-produced by Ingmar Bergman and/or his company Cinematograph AB.

1976
De födömda kvinnornas dans [The dance of the damned women]. Original Title: Il ballo delle
ingrate, SVT 2, date. Producers: Måns Reuterswärd and Ingmar Bergman. Text by Ingmar
Bergman after an idea by Donya Feuer. (See Ø 328).
En dåres försvarstal (A Madman’s Defense). Swedish television series based on August Strind-
berg’s novel. Series was directed by Kjell Grede. SVT 2, November 17 and 24, December 1 and 8.

1977
Paradistorg [Summer Paradise]. Swedish feature film based on a novel by Ulla Isaksson. Direc-
ted by Gunnel Lindblom.

1979
‘Rätt ut i luften. Ett TV-spel om spel i TV’ [Straight into the air. A TV play about TV games].
Swedish TV film. A co-production with Erland Josephson and Sven Nykvist. Written and
directed by Erland Josephson. SVT, channel 1, 4 December 1978.

1980
Min älskade [My Beloved]. Swedish feature film, written and directed by Kjell Grede.
Kärleken [Love]. Swedish feature film, written and directed by Theodor Kallifatides. A co-
production with Swedish Film Institute and Europafilm.

1981
Sally och kärleken [Sally and love]. Swedish feature film, written by Maria Garpe and directed by
Gunnel Lindblom.

1983
Avskedet [The farewell]. Swedish feature film, written and directed by Tuula-Maja Niskanen.

1987
Gotska Sandön [The Gotland Sand Isle]. STV, channel 1987. Also shown as a motion picture.
A film by Arne Karlsson, Gotland native, who assisted Bergman in the two Fårö Document
films, 1969-70 and 1979.

369
Bergman directing Pär Lagerkvist’s one-act play The Tunnel (1918, Tunneln) as a
radio play in 1956. To create the right mood for the two actors – Toivo Pawlo (left)
and Åke Fridell (right) – only light from a single light bulb was used and placed
above the transmission table. (Courtesy: SR Malmö/SVT Bild)
 Chapter V

Ingmar Bergman and the Media:

Radio and Television Work
In this chapter are listed works written and/or directed by Ingmar Bergman for radio
or television. Some items originally produced for the cinema or the theatre and later
adapted to the media are cross-listed more fully in either the Filmography Chapter
(IV) or in the Theatre chapter (VI). Most listed productions are available for listening
and viewing at SALB (Statens arkiv för ljud och bild); see Varia, Archival sources.

Radio Productions

The radio play was an established genre in Swedish broadcasting and not without a
certain cultural prestige when Ingmar Bergman made his debut there in 1946. Many
wellknown Swedish writers had contributed to the field. In Bergman’s case it was no
doubt his acoustic sensitivity that attracted him to the ‘listening’ play (hörspel). The
majority of his more than 40 radio productions were presented before the arrival of
television. Many of his choices were one-act plays suitable for the time span usually
allotted to such broadcasts. His list of productions is eclectic, ranging from the
medieval morality play Everyman to one-acters by Pär Lagerkvist (Tunneln), Jean
Cocteau (Vox humana), and Herman Melville (A Table of Apple Wood). Over the years
(1946-2003), Bergman’s most frequently broadcasted playwright became August
Strindberg, with some ten productions.
Bergman’s first contacts with the theatre department at the Swedish Radio were not
positive. In 1942 he submitted an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale ‘Res-
kamraten’ [The Travel Companion], which was rejected. So were by his own plays
‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren’ [Rachel and the Cinema Doorman] and ‘Jack hos
skådespelarna’ [Jack Among the Actors], both submitted in 1946, and ‘Mig till skräck’
[Unto my Fear] in the following year. The last two plays in particular received very
harsh comments by the reader, who called Bergman’s products crude and vulgar.
Eventually, however, Bergman would have five of his own works presented on the

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radio, but most of them directed by others. These plays are (in chronological order):
‘Kamma noll’ [1949, Come up Empty], Staden [1951, The City], ‘Dagen slutar tidigt’
[1952, Early Ends the Day], ‘Mig till skräck’ [1953, Unto my Fear], Trämålning [1954,
Wood Painting], and En själslig angelägenhet [1990, A Matter of the Soul]. Bergman’s
only work written specifically for the radio is Staden, which was directed by Olof
Molander.
Bergman’s radio productions have resulted in relatively few reviews, the reason
being that most of them came early in his career before he had established himself as
a renowned director; furthermore, compared to live theatre productions, radio plays
were seldom commented on at great length in the press. What becomes evident,
however, is that reviewers were almost immediately struck by Bergman’s sensitivity
to the acoustic aspects of the medium and to his ability to transform theatre space
into an invisible listening space. Some of his radio productions caused a minor stir,
mostly because of his choice of material; see for instance the reaction to his broadcast
of Björn-Erik Höijer’s play Sommar (1946, 1951).
The majority of Bergman’s radio productions took place between 1946 and 1961.
After a long hiatus (1961 to 1984), during which time there were no new radio stagings
by him but only a few transmissions of works he set up on stage, Bergman returned to
producing plays directly for the radio. This coincides with his return from exile and
his farewell to commercial filmmaking. Today, when he has also exited (supposedly)
from the theatre stage and possibly also from the TV stage, it looks as if the radio will
be his last directorial outlet.
The best source of information about Bergman’s contributions to the broadcast
medium is the Swedish radio magazine Röster i Radio, though its focus is usually on
production publicity and interviews. The following items deal with Bergman’s own
plays produced on the radio:
Hallingberg, Gunnar. Radioteater i 40 år. Den svenska repertoaren belyst (Stockholm: Sveriges
Radio), 1965, pp. 242-44. (Discusses Trämålning and Staden).
Koskinen, Maaret. I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergman och hans tidiga författarskap (Stock-
holm: Wahlström & Widstrand, 2002), pp. 212-266, and passim. (Discussion of the bio-
graphical background and genesis of Staden).
Læstadius, Lars Levi. ‘Kamma noll’. Röster i Radio, no. 28 (10-16 July) 1949, p. 6. (Presents radio
version of Bergman’s play).
Nordmark, Dag. Finrummet och lekstugan. Stockholm: Prisma, 2002. (Contains several refer-
ences to Bergman’s radio work).
Ring, Lars. ‘Tidiga pjäser låter oss kika in i Bergmans verkstad’ [Early plays permit us to look
into B’s workshop]. SvD, 13 February 1998, pp. 14-15. Also presented as a radio talk on 14 July
1998, titled ‘Ingmar Bergmans radiodramatik’ [Bergman’s radio dramas].
Steene, Birgitta. Ingmar Bergman, Boston: Twayne, 1968, pp. 25-37 (A discussion of the radio
play Staden).
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen. Amsterdam: Amsterdam UP, 1995, pp. 191-198. (Dis-
cussion of Bergman’s radio productions of Strindberg’s Påsk/Easter (1952) and his own work
En själslig angelägenhet/A Matter of the Soul (1990).
—. Det talade ordet. Om Strindbergs dramadialog. Stockholm: Carlssons, 2001, pp. 216-226.
(Discussion includes reference to Bergman’s radio version of Strindberg’s Oväder/Storm/
Thunder in the Air).

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 Radio Productions

—. Bergman’s Muses: Aesthetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television and Radio. Jefferson, N.C.
& London: McFarland & Co, 2003. Chapter 2 titled ‘From Drama Text to Radio Play: Aural
Strindberg’, pp. 36-45, (discusses three radio productions by Bergman: Strindberg’s Första
varningen/First Warning; Leka med elden/Playing with Fire; and Oväder/Storm/Thunder in
the Air).
Note: In early radio and TV productions, press critics often signed their reviews with initials or
pseudonyms. Not all of them are identifiable. Where identified, the full name of the critic is
listed in parentheses after the signature. Sverige Radio (SR) was called Radiotjänst prior to 1955.

1946
260. REKVIEM
Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Björn-Erik Höijer
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music Gösta Nystroem’s Overture Symphonique 1945
Broadcast Date 5 March 1946
Cast
Dr. Berg Sture Ericson
Parson From (Pious) Åke Fridell
Mark, gravedigger/organist Otto Landahl
Mrs. Mark Annika Tretow
Elon Mark, their son Birger Malmsten
Genoveva, Widow Carin Cederström
Mother Karina Dagny Lind
Sister Birgitta Marianne Nielsen
Trash collector Bertil Sjödin
Krantzén, attorney Gunnar Nielsen
Lennerström, businessman Ulf Johansson
Commentary
This production for the radio was an adaptation of Bergman’s 1945 staging of Bengt-Erik
Höijer’s play at the Hälsingborg City Theatre (see Ø 394). Höijer seems to have been of special
interest to him, perhaps because his work represented a form of stark realism, coupled with a
kind of primitive mysticism – not too far from Bergman’s own dramatic vision in a play like
‘Mordet i Barjärna’ (1954).
Reviews
A.G. S-e (Anna Greta Ståhle). ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 16 March 1946, p. 10.
Elle. ‘Radio. Rekviem’. SvD, 16 March 1946, p. 22.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Hört i radio’. ST, 16 March 1946, p. 16.
T.N. (Teddy Nyblom?)). ‘Rekviem från 1945’. AB, 17 March 1946, p. 11.

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261. RABIES
Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Play Text Ingmar Bergman’s adaptation of Olle Hedberg’s 1944
novel Slå dank [Loafing]
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 19 May 1946
Cast
Dr. Bo Stensson Svenningsson Sture Ericson
Jenny Carin Cederström
Knut Mosterson Gunnar Nielsen
Sven Erland Josephson
Erik Birger Malmsten
Rolf, a schoolboy Curt Edgard
Cronsvärd Nils Hultgren
The Aunt Dagny Lind
Mrs. Svensson Maud Hyttenberg
Eivor Annika Tretow
Sixten Garberg Åke Fridell
Wholesaler Ulf Johanson
Commentary
This was a radio adaptation by Bergman of his Hälsingborg stage production of Olle Hedberg’s
novel (see Ø 391). The brief reviews of the broadcast were mixed; one critic (G. V-n. in ST)
called it one of the best broadcast productions in a long time, while Karin Schultz, a notorious
negative critic in DN, wondered why the radio adaptation made such a deep impression when
the performance was so weak.
Reviews
Schultz, Karin. ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 20 May 1946, p. 11.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Radio. Alla äter alla’ [Radio. All eat all]. SvD, 20 May 1946, p 11.
V-n, G. ‘Hört i radio’ [Heard on the radio]. ST, 20 May 1946, p. 11.

262. SOMMAR [Summer]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Björn Erik Höijer
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music Erland von Koch
Broadcast Date 12 December 1946
Cast
The Grandmother Maria Schildtknecht
Old Man Hansson Sven Miliander
Gunhild Kerstin Rabe
Jonas, her Son Anders Ek

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 Radio Productions

Commentary
Höijer’s radio drama won second prize in a contest for the best radio play of the year, but was
much criticized when broadcast by Bergman with actors from the Göteborg City Theatre.
Reviewers termed the play perverse in its glorification of a wife’s murder of her husband. Karin
Schultz (DN) experienced a feeling of nausea while watching it, while another reviewer (T.N. in
AB) turned off the radio in protest and called for censorship of such radio programs. Höijer
declared in an interview prior to the broadcast that the murderous deed was to be seen as an act
of liberation. Ingmar Bergman responded to questions asked by the Expr. newspaper by stating:
‘There are immense leaps in the play between the deepest horror and sweetest sublime poetry. I
was aware that the piece would offend many [...]. In the beginning both the actors and myself
felt that we might not be able to handle the whole thing. But gradually [...] we came to love the
piece. There is no doubt whatsoever that this is great and ingenious poetry [...]. Personally, I am
immensely moved by it’. [Det är oerhörda språng i pjäsen mellan den djupaste ruskighet och
den ljuvaste sublima poesi. Jag var på det klara med att stycket skulle stöta många för huvudet.
[...] I början kändes det både för skådespelarna och mig själv som om vi inte skulle gå iland
med det hela. Men efterhand [...] kom vi att älska stycket. Det är inte någon som helst tvekan
om att det är stor genial dikt. [...] jag är personligen oerhört gripen av det.] See ‘Det bästa i
radio hittils eller upprörande dravel?’ [The best on radio so far or upsetting drivel?]. Expr., 14
December 1946, p.19.
Ingmar Bergman portrayed Höijer in Röster i Radio, no. 50 (8-14 December) 1946, p. 14.
Titled ‘Antagligen ett geni’ [probably a genius], the presentation is a subjective exposé in which
Bergman explains his own visual fascination with Höijer’s work: ‘Björn-Erik Höijer’s short
stories, novels and dramas make [...] me see images and hear people talk as from a stage or
a film screen’. [B-E Hs noveller, romaner och dramer får [...] mig att se bilder och höra
människor prata som från en scen eller en filmduk.]
Reviews
L. D. ‘Hört i radio’ [Heard on the radio]. ST, 13 December 1946, p. 20.
M.L. ‘Radio’. SvD, 13 December 1946, p. 19.
T.N. (Teddy Nyblom?). ‘Radio rapsodi’. AB, 14 December 1946, p. 13.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 13 December 1946, p. 16.
A new production of Höijer’s Sommar was broadcast in May 1951, (see Ø 272).

1947
263. HOLLÄNDARN [The Dutchman]
Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright August Strindberg
Radio Adaptation Herbert Grevenius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 31 January 1947
Cast
The Dutchman Uno Henning
The Mother Gerda Lundequist
Lilith Gunnel Broström
Ukko Toivo Pawlo

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Commentary
Bergman’s radio production – a pan-Scandinavian broadcast – was the world premiere of
Strindberg’s dramatic fragment from 1902. Most reviews focussed on Strindberg but Bergman
received positive mention for his juxtaposition of dream and reality. Cf. Second production of
Holländarn (Ø 282).
Reviews
G. H. ‘Radiospalten’ [The radio column]. DN, 1 February 1947, p. 11.
Nan (Nan Östman). ‘Radio. Strindbergspremiär’. SvD, 1 February 1947, p. 11.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Radioteatern: Holländarn’. ST, 1 February 1947, p. 7.

264. VÅGORNA [The Waves]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Gustav Sandgren
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 10 September 1947
Cast
Gösta Sven Lindberg
Anna Bibi Skoglund
Erland Karl Arne Holmsten
Commentary
Vågorna was a new play by Swedish novelist Gustav Sandgren about a woman hesitating
between two men who represent different lifestyles: one embracing the imagination, the other
a more down-to-earth view of reality. Bergman’s production received positive comments for its
clarity and quiet tone, and for avoiding the director’s ‘usual frenzy’ [vanliga hetsighet] (DN).
Grevenius (ST) felt that the presentation was like listening to chamber music.
Reviews
A-d B-r. ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 11 September 1947, p. 11.
Elle. ‘Vågorna’. SvD, 11 September 1947, p. 21.
Gvs (Herbert Grevenius). ‘Radioteatern: Vågorna’. ST, 11 September 1947, p. 11.

265. LEKA MED ELDEN [Playing with Fire]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 23 November 1947
Cast
The Father Olof Winnerstrand
The Mother Gull Natorp
Knut, their son Karl Arne Holmsten
Kerstin, daughter-in-law Gunn Wållgren
Axel Ulf Palme
Cousin Adèle Anita Björk

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 Radio Productions

Commentary
Bergman’s image as a gloom-and-doom exponent of modern culture began to establish itself at
this time, which may explain why reviewers did not feel that a Strindberg comedy was his right
genre. Karin Schultz thought Bergman’s temperament was not suited to the task. Urban Sten-
ström felt that Bergman was guided more by loyalty to Strindberg’s somewhat old-fashioned
text than by his own creative inclination. Ella Taube in ST, however, praised Bergman’s main-
tenance of the comic tone of Strindberg’s play and his ability to create a vital sense of closeness
to the characters.
Reviews
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Hört i radio’ [Heard on the radio]. ST, 24 November 1947, p. 4.
Fale Bure.(Henning Olsson) ‘Strindberg byter ansikte’ [S. changes face]. GHT, 24 November 1947, p.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 24 November 1947, p 11.
U. S-m (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. August Strindberg’. SvD, 24 November, 1947, p. 5.

1948
266. LODOLEZZI SJUNGER [Lodolezzi is singing]
Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Radio Adaptation Herbert Grevenius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music Wilhelm Stenhammar
Broadcast Date 9 September 1948
Cast
Renée Lodolezzi, Countess Bennichten Märta Ekström
Count Bennichten Stig Järrel
Their Son Lasse Sarri
The Orderly Ivar Wahlgren
The Unknown Sture Ericson
Dr. Claus Einar Axelsson
Dr. Isak, Opera Director Toivo Pawlo
The Baroness Gull Natorp
His Royal Highness Gunnar Sjöberg
Lassen, Maitre d’hotel Åke Engfeldt
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman revived a 30-year-old play by his namesake Hjalmar Bergman and brought
back old-time actress Märta Ekström in the title role. The production received mixed reviews
both in terms of the play and the performance, but Ingmar Bergman’s direction was noted for
its musicality.
Reviews
C-a. ‘Konstnärskapets kval och lycka’ [The wiles and woes of being artist]. SvD, 10 September
1948, p. 18.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten. Gycklarnas skrå’ [The radio column. The guild of jesters].
DN, 10 September 1948, pp. 10-11.
G. V-n. ‘Radioteatern: Lodolezzi sjunger’. ST, 10 September 1948, p. 10.

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267. MODERSKÄRLEK [Mother Love]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 4 November 1948
Cast
The Mother, former prostitute Marianne Löfgren
The Daughter, actress Anita Björk
Lisen, her girlfriend Eleonora Lindkvist
Theatre Costumier Anna Lisa Baude
Commentary
Two of Strindberg’s one-act plays – Moderskärlek and Första varningen [The First Warning] –
were broadcast on the same evening, with a 10-minute Beethoven intermission. The first play
was directed by Ingmar Bergman and the second one by veteran director Rune Carlsten. The
reviews focussed mostly on the Carlsten production.
Reviews
E. Rs. (Ellen Rydelius). ‘Radiospalten. Modersegoism och svartsjuka’ [The radio column. Ma-
ternal egoism and jealousy]. DN, 5 November 1948, p. 12.
U. S-m (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. Som en galning’ [Radio. Like a madman]. SvD, 5 November
1948, p. 14.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Radioteatern: Två enaktare’. ST, 5 November 1948, p. 7.

1949
268. KAMMA NOLL [Come Up Empty/To Draw Zero]
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 14 July 1949
Cast
Jan Karlberg, music professor Sture Ericson
Ingeborg, his wife Margit Manstad
Susanne, their daughter Doris Svedlund
Martin, her boyfriend Birger Malmsten
Gertrud, Karlberg’s mistress Gerd Hagman
For synopsis, see Ø 403.
Commentary
This was the first play authored by Bergman to be produced for the radio. Claes Hoogland (ST),
who had encouraged Bergman’s work in the Stockholm Student Theatre in the early 1940s,
remarked: ‘It has taken a long time for the radio to let forth the playwright Ingmar Bergman.
Yesterday’s debut ought to have convinced how well suited his cues are for the microphone’.
[Det har tagit lång tid för radion att släppa fram dramatikern Ingmar Bergman. Gårdagens
debut bör ha övertygat om hur väl hans replik ligger till för mikrofonen.] But Karin Schultz in

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DN was critical both of Bergman’s plot and dialogue: ‘He has a searching mind that grasps the
listeners. But the piece has evidently been written without reflection. The whole dialogue is
stilted, which is surprising in such a trained theatre man and shows he has not tried very hard’.
[Det finns ett sökande hos honom som tar ett grepp om åhörarna. Men stycket har tydligen
kommit till utan eftertanke. Hela dialogen är skrivbordsmässig, vilket förvånar hos en så tränad
teaterman och visar att han inte ansträngt sig.]
Reviews
Hoogl. (Claes Hoogland) ‘Radioteatern: Kamma noll’. ST, 15 July 1949, p. 6.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten. Djävulens hårfrisörska’ [The radio column. The Devil’s
hairdresser]. DN, 15 July 1949, p. 7.
See also
Lars-Levi Læstadius. ‘Kamma noll’. Röster i Radio, no. 28 (10-16 July), 1949, p. 6. (Læstadius,
who staged Kamma noll at the Hälsingborg City Theatre in 1948, predicts that Bergman will
become an important playwright).

1950
269. TOLVSKILLINGSOPERAN [The Three Penny Opera]
Production Radiotjänst
Producer Lorens Marmstedt
Playwright Bertolt Brecht
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 21 October 1950.
Excerpts from Intima Theatre stage production of Bergman’s Brecht production, entry (Ø 408).

1951
270. MEDEA
Production Radiotjänst
Producer Lorens Marmstedt
Playwright Jean Anouilh
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 12 February 1951
Production was based on Bergman’s presentation of Anouilh’s play at the Intima Theatre in
Stockholm in 1950 (21 October). See (Ø 409).
Cast
Medea Gertrud Fridh
Jason Anders Ek
Kreon Ulf Johanson
Wetnurse Märta Arbin
A boy Birger Malmsten
A guard Gösta Prüzelius

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Commentary
Brief reviews focussed on the acting of Fridh (Medea) and Ek (Jason), with no mention of the
director.
Reviews
G. T-mer. (Gösta Tranströmer). ‘Medea och G. Vasa’. Expr., 13 February 1951, p. 4.
Sg. (?). ‘Radiospalten. En annan Medea’ [The radio column. Another Medea]. DN, 13 February
1951, p. 8.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Radioteatern: Medea’. ST, 13 February 1951, p. 9.
P.E.W. (Per Erik Wahlund). ‘Radio. Anouilhs Medea’. SvD, 13 February 1951, p. 9.

271. STADEN [The City]

Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Olof Molander
Broadcast Date 9 May 1951
Retransmitted 20 February 1966, and 22, 24 February and 2 March
2003 (P 1)
Synopsis
The main character, Joakim Naken (Naked), returns to the city of his childhood, now in ruins.
He is presented as a dream consciousness whose mind oscillates between past and present
nightmares, culminating in his meeting with Death (Oliver Mortis); and with his imprisoned
wife (Anne), condemned to death and his grandmother who gives him hope and encourage-
ment.
Cast
Joakim Olof Widgren
Waiter Karl-Erik Flens
Pastor Artur Cederborgh
A Worker Nils Hulgren
Marie Eva Dahlbeck
Oliver Mortis Jan-Olof Strandberg
Baloo Ingvar Kjellson
Anne Schalter Anna Lindahl
The Pump Anders Henrikson
Poet Lars Ekborg
Grandma Sif Ruud
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman presented his play in the radio magazine Röster i radio, no. 19, 1951, p. 7. He
describes the setting as both an inner landscape, full of sounds and images, and an outer setting,
a big and sooty French industrial city. When this production was rebroadcast on 20 February
1966, Ingmar Bergman discussed the play on the Swedish radio. (See Ollén, Ø 542, Chapter
VII). In connection with a re-transmission of Staden in 2003, Maaret Koskinen was interviewed
briefly on Swedish Public Radio about the background of the play (SR, P1, 22 February 2003).
The director Olof Molander presented Staden as a Strindbergian dreamplay in which all the
secondary characters were emanations of Joakim Naked’s mind. Reviews of the transmission
reflect some uncertainty about Bergman’s status and development as a playwright. Was the play
an ironic pastiche or a self-flagellating drama? That Staden depicted a life crisis was stressed in

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all the reviews, but so was the play’s lack of inner resolution, as Joakim talks with a Christian
vocabulary while denying the existence of God, heaven and hell. The piece was deemed con-
vincing through its emotional intensity, yet seemed too full of modernist echoes (DN). G.
Tranströmer in Expr. termed the play more or less incomprehensible to the general public.
There was no denial of Bergman’s dramatic temper, but questions were raised about his literary
talent: ‘Ingmar Bergman has the courage and the intensity but not an artisan’s mastery. There-
fore he is still an immature poet’. [Ingmar Bergman har modet och hettan men inte konst-
smedens förfarenhet. Därför är han alltjämt en halvgången diktare.] (ST).
Reviews
G. H-n. ‘Radioteatern: Ingmar Bergmans Staden’. ST, 10 May 1951, p. 13.
Lill. (Ellen Liliehök). ‘Radio. Staden’. SvD, 10 May 1951, p. 13.
S-g. ‘Radiospalten. Ett drömspel’ [The radio column. A dreamplay]. DN, 10 May 1951, p. 12.
G. T-mer (Gösta Tranströmer). ‘Radio. Ingmar Bergman’. Expr., 10 May 1951, p. 4.

272. SOMMAR [Summer]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Björn-Erik Höijer
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 16 August 1951
Cast
Narrator Björn-Erik Höijer
Kristina Tora Teje
Old Man Hansson Sven Miliander
Jonas, Kristina’s son Anders Ek
Gunhild, his wife Kerstin Rabe
Solo Singer Maria Ribbing
Commentary
Bergman’s production of Höijer’s play was based on a new version of the drama of the same
name, broadcast five years earlier (see Ø 262). But Sommar was still referred to as an expressio-
nistic Sturm und Drang piece, and the same questions were raised about the play’s moral stand:
a mother condoning the murder of her son as an act of liberation. Reviewers were, however, less
prone to criticize the moral theme and agreed that Sommar was very suited for the radio
medium. They also praised Bergman for curbing the excessive tone of his earlier broadcast of
the play, calling this production one of the high points in a bleak summer radio program
(Wahlund, SvD). Exceptions were Karin Schultz who deplored the production of ‘det avskyvärda
stycket’ [the abominable piece], and Sven Stolpe, who rejected the dramatic theme as shallow
and melodramatic. Stolpe praised Bergman’s direction, however, which succeeded in covering
up Höijer’s literary cliches. G. Tranströmer (Expr.) still found the play incomprehensible.
Reviews
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 17 August 1951, p. 5.
Stolpe, Sven. ‘Radioglimtar’ [Radio glimpses]. AB, 18 August 1951, p. 9.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Radioteatern: Sommar’. ST, 17 August 1951, p. 8.
G. T-mer (Gösta Tranströmer). ‘Radiokrönikan. Härlig är jorden’ [Radio chronicle. Lovely is
the earth]. Expr., 20 August 1951, p. 4.
P.E.W. (Per Erik Wahlund). ‘Radio. Sommar’. SvD, 17 August 1951, p. 16.

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273. VÄRMLÄNNINGARNA [The People of Värmland]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright F. A. Dahlgren
Radio adaptation Vilhelm Moberg and Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Dialect instructor Einar Fröding
Broadcast Date 25 December 1951
Cast
Owner of large estate Lars Egge
Annika, his wife Märta Arbin
The Parson Erik Rosén
Per Ulf Johanson
His Wife Sif Ruud
Erik Sven Lindberg
Britta Yvonne Lombard
Anna Eva Dahlbeck
Bengt Anders Andelius
Jan Hansson Carl Ström
Nils Runner Gunnar Olsson
Anders, farmhand Björn Berglund
Sven Ersson Torsten Hillberg
Stina Meta Velander
Commentary
F.A. Dahlgren’s 19th-century ‘musical’ (sångspel) was a traditional Christmas offering on Swed-
ish radio. In 1951, Ingmar Bergman directed the piece in a version he adapted for the radio with
Vilhelm Moberg. Six years later Bergman would conclude his Malmö contract with a much
acclaimed stage production of Värmlänningarna.
The reception of the 1951 broadcast of the play was mixed. Bergman had used a dialect expert
to train the actors [the play is set in the western province of Värmland]; some reviewers found
it to be an artificial approach, while others praised the local dialogue. Bergman, referred to as
‘an iconoclast and experimenter’ [en bildstormare och experimentator], was given credit for a
production well adapted to the radio. Sven Stolpe (AB) found it ‘quick, insistent and clever’
[rapp, pådrivande och skicklig], with scenes edited in a filmic way.
Reviews
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Musik. Radioteatern: Värmlänningarna’. ST, 27 December 1951, p. 8.
G. T-mer (Gösta Tranströmer). ‘Radio. Traditionen’. Expr., 27 December 1951, p. 4.
Stolpe, Sven. ‘Radioteatern, Värmlänningarna’. AB, 27 December 1951, p. 13.
U. S-m (Urban Stenström). ‘Julens radioteater’ [Christmas radio theatre]. SvD, 27 December
1951, p. 9.

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1952
274. NATTENS SKULDBÖRDA [The Night’s Burden of Guilt]
Credits
Original Title Unknown
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Alberto Perrini
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 8 January 1952
Cast
Giovanni Stig Järrel
His Companion/Shadow Ulf Johanson
Rosina, seduced servant girl Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Guilia, a young girl Siv Thulin
The Judge/Constable Erik Rosén
Diego Birger Malmsten
Piero Henrik Schildt
Commentary
This radio play, written by the 33-year-old head of the Pope’s broadcasting office, was part of a
Swedish Public Radio series of experimental radio dramas. Perrini was at the time considered a
renewer of the radio play. Ingmar Bergman’s direction received favorable mention, while
reviewers found the play more banal than experimental. Its subject matter and morality play
form must have appealed to Ingmar Bergman. The plot revolves around a debauched man who
seduces a young girl and is haunted by guilt and crushed by remorse. He recovers and is
determined to start a new life. Sven Stolpe, a Catholic, was most positive in his assessment
and called the presentation an example of ‘a theatre for the people, a Biblia pauperum of sound’
[en folkets teater, en ljudets Biblia pauperum].
Reviews
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Experimentteatern’. ST, 9 January 1952, p. 9.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 9 January 1952, p. 5.
U. S-m (Urban Stenström). ‘Nattens skuldbörda’. SvD, 9 January 1952, p. 7.
Stolpe, Sven. ‘Radioteatern. Nattens skuldbörda’. AB, 9 January 1952, p. 9.

275. BROTT OCH BROTT [Crimes and Crimes]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright August Strindberg
Radio adaptation Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 22 January 1952
Retransmitted 15, 17, 23 February 2003
Cast
Maurice, author Anders Ek
Henriette Gertrud Fridh
Jeanne Doris Svedlund

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Madame Cathrine Märta Arbin

Marion, their daughter Margareta Nisborn
The Abbé Åke Claesson
The Constable Henrik Schildt
The Park Warden Erik Strandell
Adolphe, painter Ulf Johanson
The Detective Gösta Prüzelius
Commentary
Reviews were mixed about the lasting quality of Strindberg’s play but unanimous about Berg-
man’s ability to transform it into an impressive radio performance, whose tempo and dramatic
escalation made up for Strindberg’s psychologically unmotivated happy end. The reviewer in
SvD, thought Bergman’s vision redeemed the play: ‘Through his solution (of the problematic
ending), he confirmed once more that he is a theatre director who has reached mature master-
ship’. [Genom sin lösning (av det problematiska slutet) bekräftade han ännu en gång att han är
en teaterregissör som har nått moget mästerskap.]
When re-transmitted in February 2003, Ingmar Bergman spoke briefly about the structure of
Strindberg’s play and, especially, its forced denouement.
Reviews
E.T. (Ella Taube) ‘Radioteatern: Brott och brott’ [Radio theatre: Crimes and Crimes]. ST, 23
January 1952, p. 9.
G. T-mer (Gösta Tranströmer). ‘Radio. Strindberg’. Expr., 23 January 1952, p. 4.
Lgr. (?).’Radiospalten. Till Strindbergs minne’ [Strindberg in memoriam] DN, 23 January 1952,
p. 7.
Stolpe, Sven. ‘Radioteatern’. AB, 23 January 1952, p. 9.
U. S-m. (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. Spara på bränslet’ [Radio. Save on the fuel]. SvD, 23 April
1952, p. 16.

276. BLODSBRÖLLOP [Blood Wedding]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Garcia Lorca
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music Hilding Rosenberg
Broadcast Date 6 March 1952
Cast
Mother of the Bridegroom Tora Teje
Leonardi Anders Ek
His Wife Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
Neighbor’s Wife Märta Arbin
The Bride Maj-Britt Nilsson
Bride’s Father Åke Claesson
The Bridegroom Björn Berglund
Cutter Lars Ekborg
Beggar Death Henrik Schildt
Luna Olof Widgren
The Maid Liskulla Jobs

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Commentary and Reception

Bergman’s radio version of Lorca’s play made it more of a peasant drama than a tragic passion
play. It was well received, except by Karin Schultz in DN who claimed the production was
‘another example of the low artistic quality of broadcast theatre’ [ett nytt exempel på radio-
teaterns låga konstnärliga nivå], with a director who lacked a sense for the demands of the
broadcast stage. This negative assessment might be contrasted to Urban Stenström’s view that
with his sure dramaturgical instinct, Bergman ‘made the play stand out in a simple, clear and
great way’ [fick pjäsen att resa sig framför en enkelt, klart och stort].
It is clear that by this time the critical view of Bergman’s work as a (radio) director was
divided. Since the number of critics commenting on his radio work was relatively small, one
could dismiss their voices as not representative enough. However, they wrote their columns in
the capital’s leading papers and probably had a following among their readership. Beyond the
question of their representational status looms another one: what caused the variation in the
critical assessment of Bergman’s work? One likely answer is that in all his creative activity,
Bergman challenged his audience to respond emotionally. Some critics accepted the challenge,
others resented it. Those who accepted it moved on to evaluate his artistic talent; those who
resented it tended to dismiss his work as high-strung and excessive.
Reviews
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten. Sol och lidelse’ [The radio column. Sun and passion].
DN, 7 March 1952, p. 9.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Radioteatern: Blodsbröllop’. ST, 7 March 1952, p. 9.
G. T-mer (Gösta Tranströmer). ‘Radio. Gripenhet’ [Radio. Moving engagement]. Expr., 7
March 1952, p. 4.
U. S-m (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. Blodsbröllop’. SvD, 7 March 1952, p. 9.

277. PÅSK [Easter]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright August Strindberg
Radio adaptation Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 13 & 18 April 1952
Retransmitted 21 March 1989
Cast
Elis Anders Ek
Kristina Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
Eleonora Maj-Britt Nilsson
Benjamin Birger Malmsten
Mrs. Heyst Tora Teje
Lindqvist Gunnar Olsson
Commentary
Bergman cut almost one-fourth of Strindberg’s play for his radio production and limited the
sound effects to the ringing of church bells and the use of Haydn’s music. According to
Stenström, ‘Haydn and Strindberg emerged as equals, so that one hardly knew who was
accompanying whom’. [Haydn och Strindberg framstod nästan som likaberättigade, och man
visste knappt vem som ackompanjerade vem].

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Reviews:
Hessler, Ole. ‘Allting hörs i ‘Påsk’’ [All is heard in ‘Easter’], DN, 22 March 1989.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Påsk’, SvD, 15 April 1952.
See also
Egil Törnqvist discusses Bergman’s radio production briefly in his book From Stage to Screen,
1995, pp. 191-194.

278. DAGEN SLUTAR TIDIGT [The Day Ends Early]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Bengt Ekerot
Broadcast Date 26 June 1952
Cast
Ole Jarl Kulle
Valborg Elsa Prawitz
Jenny Jullan Kindahl
Dr. Wärn Willy Peters
Robert van Hijn, Jenny’s first husband Anders Henrikson
Peter, actor Jan Erik Lindqvist
Finger-Pella, beautician Toivo Pawlo
Pastor Broms Hugo Björne
Miss Wortzelius Margit Andelius
Fia Charlotta Mona Geijer-Falkner
Jonsson, Student Björn Bjelvenstam
The Model Inga Gill
Wholesaler Fredell Douglas Håge
Synopsis
See (Ø 397) in Chapter VI.
Commentary
This radio production of Bergman’s play, directed by Bergt Ekerot, received positive comments
for toning down the histrionic voice of the original. But all reviewers objected to Bergman’s use
of the term ‘morality play’, since his drama lacked the theme of salvation characteristic of its
medieval prototype. Instead, Dagen slutar tidigt was referred to as a psychological study of fear,
‘a thriller with an unusually large number of deaths and unusually little wit’ [en thriller med ett
ovanligt stort antal dödsfall och ovanligt lite skarpsinne] (Schultz, DN). Bergman’s ability to
create a strong emotional drama was noted favorably, but reviewers were critical of his dialogue
and lack of character development.
Reviews
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten. Spela en annan pjäs’ [The radio column. Play another
piece]. DN, 27 June 1952, p. 11.
HSjr. (Hemming Sten Jr.). ‘Dödens udd’ [Stab of Death]. ST, 27 June 1952, p. 9.
P.E.W. (Per Erik Wahlund). ‘Radio. Dagen slutar tidigt’. SvD, 27 June 1952, p. 18.

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See also
Herbert Grevenius. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Röster i radio no. 26 (22-28 June) 1952, p. 13. A presenta-
tion of Bergman in connection with the broadcast of Dagen slutar tidigt, which was included in
a radio series called ‘Ung svensk scendiktning’ [Young Swedish stage writing].

279. EN VILDFÅGEL [La sauvage]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Jean Anouilh
Radio Adaptation Stig Torsslow
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 4 December 1952
Cast
Thérèse Tarde Gertrud Fridh
Hartman Georg Årlin
Florent Rune Thuresson
Jeanette Nine Christine Jönsson
Mme Tarde Naima Wifstrand
Dresser Dagmar Bentzen
M. Tarde Åke Fridell
Maid Gun Arvidsson
Gösta, pianist Oscar Ljung
M. Lebonze Nils Fritz
Commentary
Anouilh’s ‘piece noire’ La Sauvage had been produced on all major Swedish stages prior to this
broadcast. Ingmar Bergman had directed it at the Göteborg City Theatre in 1949, using the
same actress (Gertrud Fridh) in the lead role. Fridh received mostly glowing reviews for her
radio performance, but Bergman’s direction had a mixed reception. Karin Schultz called it
embarassingly theatrical. Urban Stenström termed it strong but uneven. Ella Taube found it
‘rather uninteresting’ [rätt ointressant].
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Anouilh smalspårig?’ [A. on a narrow track?]. Expr., 5 December 1952, p. 23.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten. Det inhägnade paradiset’ [The radio column. The fenced-
in paradise]. DN, 5 December 1952, p. 12.
U. S-m. (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. En vildfågel’. 5 December 1952, p. 13
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Radioteatern: En vildfågel’. SvD, 5 December 1952, p. 17.

1953
280. MIG TILL SKRÄCK [Unto My Fear]
Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Ingmar Bergman/Åke Falck (arr. for radio)
Director Åke Falck

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Broadcast Date 12 March 1953

Retransmitted 7 July 1960
Cast
Paul Sven Lindberg
Erneman, book publisher Georg Funkquist
Kersti Maj-Britt Nilsson
Irene Gunnel Broström
Mean Sif Ruud
Anders Hans Lindgren
Isak, the Jew Olof Sandborg:
Carl Olle Hilding
Tobias Lars Ekborg
Synopsis
See (Ø 399) in Chapter VI: Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre.
Commentary
In Röster i radio 10, 1953 (8-14 March) 1953, pp 8-9, Bergman published a comment about the
setting of his play, based on his maternal grandmother’s apartment in Uppsala, the same
location where Fanny and Alexander takes place. This comment originally appeared in the
program to the 1947 Göteborg production of Mig till skräck.
The 1953 radio transmission of Mig till skräck confirmed the critical assessment of Bergman
as talented, intense and immature. In the words of Hemming Sten Jr. (ST), the piece exposed
both Bergman’s strength and flaws as a playwright; almost like a mantra the reviewers juxta-
posed Bergman’s imaginative feeling for the theatre to his ‘ambition to make everything im-
mensely exaggerated’ [strävan att göra allting så oerhört överdrivet]. This ‘imbalance’ was seen
as the very essence of Bergman’s playwriting and was felt also in a production directed by
someone other than Bergman himself.
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio. Mig till skräck’. Expr., 13 March 1953, p. 19.
HSjr. (Hemming Sten Jr.). ‘Hört i radio. Mig till skräck’. ST, 13 March 1953, p. 11.
U. S-m. (Urban Stenström). ‘Mig till skräck’. SvD, 13 March 1953, p. 11.

281. EN LUSTELD ELLER UNGA PRÄSTER PREDIKA BÄST [A Passion or Young Priests
Preach the Best]
Credits
Original title Une passion
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Alfred de Musset
Translator Hjalmar Gullberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 16 April 1953
Retransmitted 1961, under the title ‘En nyck’
Cast
Count de Chavigny Gunnar Björnstrand
Mathilde, his wife Maj-Britt Nilsson
Madame de Léry Inga Tidblad
A servant Sten Hedlund

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Commentary
The lusty tone of Musset’s play may have contributed to Bergman’s 1955 film comedy Som-
marnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night). To the reviewers, Bergman combined frivolity
and morality, the latter aimed at the libertine husband Count de Chavigny, somewhat remi-
niscent of Count Malcolm in Smiles....
Reviews
K. S-z. (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten’. DN, 17 April 1953, p. 10.
U. S-m. (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. En lusteld’. SvD, 17 April 1953, p. 11.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Hört i radio’. ST, 17 April 1953, p. 8.

282. HOLLÄNDARN [The Dutchman]

Credits
Producer Radiotjänst
Playwright August Strindberg
Radio Adaptation Herbert Grevenius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 8 October 1953
Cast
The Dutchman Uno Henning
Amelie Märta Arbin
The Mother Tora Teje
Lilith Eva Dahlbeck
Gösta, druggist Gösta Gustafson
Ukko Ulf Palme
Goldsmith Axel Högel
Commentary
This was Bergman’s second radio production of Strindberg’s dramatic fragment Holländarn
about an artist who falls in love for the seventh time but in the end finds joy, not in love but in
his creativity.
The reception was rather critical. Karin Schultz wrote categorically: ‘... if there is one thing he
(Bergman) cannot do, it is to direct radio drama. He is an artist of the eye’. [Om det är en sak
han inte kan, så är det att regissera radiodramatik. Han är ögats konstnär]. Bergman was also
criticized for bringing in naturalistic sound effects in a dreamplay like Holländarn (Urban
Stenström).
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio. Miljoner öron lyssnade’ [Radio. Millions of ears listened]. Expr., 9
October 1953, p. 27. (Title refers to a sports broadcast, not to Bergman’s play production).
S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radiospalten. Det stora namnet’ [Radio column. The big name]. DN, 9
October 1953, p. 12.
U. S-m. (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. Nålar i silkeslakan’ [Radio. Needles in silk sheets]. SvD, 9
October 1953, p. 13.
E. T. (Ella Taube). ‘Radioteatern: Holländarn’. ST, 9 October 1953, p. 11.

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1954
283. TRÄMÅLNING [Painting on Wood]
Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 24 September 1954
Cast
The Narrator Ingmar Bergman
Maria Jane Friedmann
The Knight Bengt Ekerot
Jöns, the Squire Gunnar Björnstrand
The Witch Eva Dahlbeck
Plog, the Smith Jan-Erik Lindkvist
Lisa Ulla Sjöblom
The Actor Gunnar Sjöberg
Knight’s wife Birgitta Hellerstedt
Commentary
The radio production of Bergman’s play [for a brief comment, see Ø 424] was not well received
in the few papers that reviewed it. One critic (Bengt Grafström, Expr) wrote: ‘Bergman had no
real grip [on his work], one got the impression he used greater force than was called for to
present rather banal thoughts’. [Bergman hade inget riktigt grepp, man fick intrycket att han
använde större kraft än vad som krävdes för att presentera ganska banala tankar.] Karin Schultz
thought the performance lacked direction and was too melodramatic, while Margereta Sjögren,
though praising the acoustic resonance of the production, criticized Bergman for encouraging
an exaggerated form of acting and for performing his own role as Narrator ‘like an untrained
schoolboy’ [som en otränad skolpojk].
Reviews
Grafström, Bengt. ‘Radiokrönikan. Som sista nummer’ [The radio chronicle. As the last num-
ber]. Expr., 22 September 1954, p. 23.
Jolanta (Margareta Sjögren). ‘Trämålning’. SvD, 23 September 1954, p. 13.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radio. Uppbyggelsens timmar’ [Radio. Hours of edification]. DN, 22
September 1954, p. 12.

284. ETT BORD AV APEL [A Table of Apple Wood]

Credits
Production Radiotjänst
Author Herman Melville
Radio adaptation Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 12 December 1954
Retransmitted 24 April 1960
Cast
Husband/Narrator Åke Fridell

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The Wife Gaby Stenberg

Julia Berit Gustafsson
Anna Harriet Andersson
Professor Johnson Toivo Pawlo
The Maid Nine-Christine Jönsson
Commentary and Reception
This was a dramatization of a short story by Melville, originally arranged for the radio by P.
Lockwood.
Reviewers considered Melville’s piece too novellistic and recommended a recitation instead.
The criticism of Bergman’s direction was harsh, and the production was called ‘a severe dis-
appointment’ [en svår besvikelse], a spooky performance that ‘changed Melville’s tone of frailty
... to shrieks and thunderous noise’ [förändrade M’s sköra ton till skrik och dundrande oväsen]
(Borglund, Expr.]. Karin Schultz (DN) upbraided Ingmar Bergman for ‘letting loose his direc-
torial art on the miserable actors’ [Bergman släppte lös sin regikonst på de stackars skådespe-
larna].
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio. Svår besvikelse’ [Radio. Grave disappointment]. Expr., 13 December
1954, p. 31.
Jolanta. (Margareta Sjögren). ‘Radio. Det spökar’ [Radio. The ghosts are out]. SvD, 13 December
1954, p. 13.
K. S-z [Karin Schultz]. ‘Skakar en tom säck’ [Shaking an empty bag]. DN, 13 December 1954, p.
17.
E.T. [Ella Taube]. ‘Hört i radio’ [Heard on the radio]. ST, 13 December 1954, p. 13.

1955
285. BOLLEN [The Ball]
Credits
Original Title La palla
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Carlo Fruttero
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 21 May 1955
Retransmitted 8 July 1958
Cast
Filip Ludvig Key Gunnar Björnstrand
The Commissioner Åke Fridell
The Concierge Jullan Kindahl
Two Constables Nils Nygren, Rune Thuresson
Commentary
Fruttero’s psychological radio thriller is part courtroom drama, part self-revelation by a man
whose crime is murder of his social self. Reviewers considered Ingmar Bergman’s direction and
the two main actors superior to the play itself. Particular mention was made of the acoustic
effects: ‘The performance was remarkable. It was subdued to the point of whispers and utilized
silences to the utmost to create a suggestive mood’. [Föreställningen var märklig. Den var

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dämpad näst intill viskningar och använde tystnader till det yttersta för att skapa suggestiv
stämning, Borglund, Expr.]
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio. Lördagspärla’ [Radio. Saturday pearl]. Expr., 22 May 1955, p. 35.
Lgr. (?). ‘Radio. Radioteaterns repertoarnöd’ [Radio. The radio theatre’s lack of repertory]. DN,
22 May 1955, p. 17.
U. S-n. (Urban Stenström). ‘Radio. Ni är misstänkt!’ [Radio. You are under suspicion!]. SvD, 22
May 1955, p. 17.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Hört i radio’ [Heard on the radio]. ST, 22 May 1955, p. 15.
This production was also broadcast on Danish Radio (DR) on 17 January 1959.

286. MUNKEN GÅR PÅ ÄNGEN [The Monk Walks in the Meadow]

Credits
Original Title Munken gaar i Enge
Production Sveriges Radio
Play Text Carl Gandrup
Translator Ivo Jensen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 29 September 1955
Cast
Pastor Ambrosius Ulf Palme
Elgive, his wife Birgitta Valberg
Karl Vitus, PhD, ‘the Monk’ Bengt Ekerot
Maid Margareta Krook
Male nurses Gösta Prüzelius, Gunnar Nielsen
Commentary
Gandrup’s play from the 1920s is about a runaway lunatic, who serves as a catalyst in a marital
conflict between a clergyman and his wife and could have been a morality play written by
Ingmar Bergman. In fact, one is reminded of Bergman’s play Mordet i Barjärna from about this
time (1954).
Reviewer Karin Schultz recognized Bergman’s persona in the abysmal shriek that ‘blocked
the loudspeakers and put an end to Carl Gandrup’s Munken går på ängen. The shriek was so
wild, long, and horrifying that everyone understood it had to be Ingmar Bergman who directed
the play’ [blockerade högtalarna och satte punkt för Carl Gandrups Munken går på ängen.
Tjutet var så vilt, långdraget och fasansfullt att var och en förstod att det måste vara Ingmar
Bergman som regisserade pjäsen]. All the reviewers felt in fact that in this production Bergman
overdid the expressionistic potential of the drama.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Radiokrönikan. I underligt sällskap’ [Radio chronicle. In a strange company]. Expr., 30
September 1955, p. 29.
Jolanta (Margareta Sjögren). ‘Radio. Det mefistofeliska’ [Radio. The Mefistophelean]. SvD, 30
September 1955, p. 5.
I. O-e (Ingvar Orre ). ‘Hört i radio’. ST, 30 September 1955, p. 13.
K. S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radio. Ett avgrundsskrik’ [Radio. An abysmal shriek]. DN, 30 Septem-
ber 1955, p. 21.

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1956
287. FARMOR OCH VÅR HERRE [Grandmother and Our Lord]
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Play Text Hjalmar Bergman
Radio adaptation Herbert Grevenius & Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 1 January 1956
Cast
Grandmother Agnes Borck Tora Teje
August, her son Henrik Schildt
Frida, her daughter Renée Björling
Axel, her youngest son Håkan Westergren
Grandchild Nathan Gunnar Björnstrand
A Beggar Gösta Gustafson
Emma, housekeeper Sif Ruud
Axelsson Josua Bengtson
Commentary
Hjalmar Bergman’s classical novel, dramatized and performed on a number of European stages,
including Dramaten in Stockholm, was produced for the radio by Ingmar Bergman, with
veteran actress Tora Teje in the lead role (Teje had also played the part in a Dramaten produc-
tion some 15 years earlier). The play version of Hjalmar Bergman’s novel about the matriarchal
Grandma and her grandson Nathan, which was originally termed a comedy, became more of a
family tragedy in Ingmar Bergman’s version.
The broadcast was a great success, and Sveriges Radio was urged to make the production part
of its regular repertory. As so often in positive reviews of Bergman’s radio work, his sense of
timing and the ensemble performance were considered remarkable: ‘Ingmar Bergman led the
actors with mastery, the ensemble acting had a pure musical effect’. [Bergman ledde trion med
mästerskap, samspelet fick en rent musikalisk effekt.] (SvD, 2 January 1956, p. 22)
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Farmor Tora och farbror Sven’ [Grandma Tora and Uncle Sven]. Expr., 2
January 1956, p. 10.
Jolanta (Margareta Sjögren). ‘Ett magnifikt solo’ [A magnificent solo]. SvD, 2 January 1956, p.
22.
Lgr.(?). ‘Radio’. DN, 2 January 1956, p. 15.
Sbg. (?). ‘Radio i går’. AB, 2 January 1956, p. 7.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Hört i radio’. ST, 2 January 1956, p. 15.

288. VOX HUMANA [La voix humaine]

Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Jean Cocteau
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 16 February 1956
Retransmitted 9, 14, 17 February 2003

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Cast
The Voice Märta Ekström
Commentary
This broadcast of Cocteau’s radio monologue was produced five years earlier according to a
newspaper notice but no record of an earlier transmission has been found. Its 1956 broadcast
was a tribute to the veteran actress Märta Ekström who had just died. See: Tore Borglund,
‘Radio-TV’. Expr., 17 February 1956, p. 18.

289. DET GAMLA SPELET OM ENVAR [Everyman]

Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Hugo von Hoffmansthal
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music vignettes Ingvar Wieslander
Broadcast Date 1 April 1956
Repeat transmission 14 July 2003, with brief interview with Bergman
Cast
The Prologue Oscar Ljung
God Anders Frithiof
The Devil Benkt Åke Benktsson
Death Sture Ericson
Everyman Max von Sydow
Companion Åke Fridell
Mammon Toivo Pawlo
Everyman’s mother Naima Wifstrand
The Wife Harriet Hedenmo
Poor Neighbor Rune Turesson
The Creditor Yngve Nordwall
Lust Eva Stiberg
Good Deeds Berit Gustafsson
Lean Cousin Nils Eklund
Fat Cousin Åke Askner
Commentary
Von Hoffmansthal’s 1912 version of the English 14th-century morality play ‘Everyman’ focusses
more on Man’s loneliness in the face of death than on his lifestyle, which threatens to destroy a
Christian’s road to salvation. This modern eschatological version of the medieval drama was in
line with Ingmar Bergman’s own play Trämålning and his film Det sjunde inseglet.
When the production was re-broadcast on Bergman’s 85th birthday (upon his request), he
talked briefly about the play, treating it as an original German classic rather than an adaptation
of a medieval English morality play.
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio – TV. Nojs och dödsallvar vägg i vägg’ [Radio-TV. Funmaking and
deathly seriousness side by side]. Expr., 2 April 1956, p. 18.
Jolanta (Margareta Sjögren). ‘Envar’[Everyman]. SvD, 3 April 1956, p. 9.
P.H. (?). ‘Radioteatern: Det gamla spelet’ [Radio theatre: The old play (about Everyman)]. ST, 3
April 1956, p. 9.

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290. TUNNELN [The Tunnel]

Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Pär Lagerkvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 23 May 1956
Retransmitted 2 June 1960
Cast
Man in Tuxedo Åke Fridell
The Hunchback Toivo Pawlo
Commentary
To honor the author, Nobel Prize winner Pär Lagerkvist, on his 65th birthday, the Swedish radio
staged broadcast versions of two of his plays. One of them was the one-act Tunneln, directed by
Ingmar Bergman, who toned down Lagerkvist’s expressionistic drama about two men who
meet in a realm between life and death. The reviews were only brief notices.
Reviews
Grafström, Bengt. ‘På 65-årsdagen’ [On his 65th birthday]. Expr., 24 May 1956, p. 20.
Lgr. (?). ‘Radio. Litterär minnesdag’ [Literary memorial day]. DN, 24 May 1956, p. 13.
U. S-m. (Urban Stenström). ‘Tunneln’. SvD, 24 May 1956, p. 13.
E.T. (Ella Taube) ‘Hört i radio. Två styva inslag’ [Heard on the radio. Two clever features]. ST,
24 May 1956, p. 11.

291. PORTRÄTT AV EN MADONNA [Portrait of a Madonna]

Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Tennessee Williams
Radio adaptation Herbert Grevenius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 2 December 1956
Cast
Lucretia Collins Inga Tidblad
The Doctor Henrik Schildt
The Porter John Elfström
Cleaning Woman Olga Appellöf
Elevator Boy Björn Gustafsson
Mr. Abrams, landlord Helge Hagerman
Commentary
Tennessee Williams’ portrait of a Southern spinster was considered a trifle of a drama. The lead
role was played by veteran actress Inga Tidblad; she received respectful notices, but according to
the reviewers, neither she nor Bergman could rescue the play.
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Advent utan ljus’ [Advent without candles]. Expr., 3 December 1956, p. 15.
Lucia (Louise Gräslund). ‘Lucretia Collins’. SvD, 3 December 1956, p. 11.
Nyberg, Ulf. ‘Radion i går’. AB, 3 December 1956, p. 11.
O-e. (Ingvar Orre). ‘Hört i radio’. ST, 3 December 1956, p. 20.

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S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radio. Sjuka själars malande’ [Radio. The churning of sick souls]. DN, 3
December 1956, p. 21.

1957
292. FÅNGEN [The Prisoner]
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Bridget Boland
Radio Adaptation Erik Müller
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 19 April 1957
Cast
The Cardinal/The Prisoner Uno Henning
The Interrogator Gunnar Björnstrand
The Guard Gunnar Olsson
Commentary
This play about the psychological breaking-down of a Cardinal by a brainwashed Communist
interrogator became, in Bergman’s direction, a morality play about guilt rather than a political
drama.
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio-TV. Sumpade chanser’ [Radio-TV. Missed chances]. Expr., 20 April 1957,
p. 10.
Jolanta (Margareta Sjögren). ‘Ni kan inte döma’ [You cannot judge...]. SvD, 20 April 1957, p. 11.
Nyberg, Ulf. ‘Radion i går’. AB, 20 April 1957, p. 14.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Vad blev man..’. [What did one become...]. ST, 20 April 1957, p. 9.

293. FALSKSPELARE [Cheaters]

Credits
Original Title Igroki
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Nikolai Gogol
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 16 November 1957
Cast
Glov Benkt-Åke Benktsson
Sjvochnev Max von Sydow
Glov Jr. Toivo Pawlo
Utesjiteljny Åke Fridell
Alexej Nils Eklund
Krugel Rune Turesson
Icharev Gunnar Björnstrand
Zamuchryskin Yngve Nordwall

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Commentary
After the death of actor Benkt-Åke Benktsson, the Swedish radio presented a broadcast version
of Gogol’s play with Benktsson in one of the roles. The production had been completed shortly
before Benktsson’s demise.
The brief reviews praised Bergman’s Malmö ensemble but felt that the play was not suitable
for the radio medium.
Reviews
Hancock, Bill. ‘Falskspelare och snoddism’ [Cheaters and ‘snoddism’ (term coined after pop-
ular singer Snoddas – Gösta Nordgren)]. Expr., 17 November 1957, p. 14.
S. Json. (Sten Jonsson?). ‘Radio. Urpremiär’ [Radio. First opening]. SvD, 17 November 1957, p.
14.
Lgr. (?). ‘Radio. Benkt-Åke Benktsson’. DN, 17 November 1957, p. 18.
Miller, Jack. ‘Radion i går’. AB, 17 November 1957, p. 13.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Hört i radio’. ST, 17 November 1957, p. 13.

1958
294. SAGAN [The Legend]
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Radio adaptation Claes Hoogland & Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 18 September 1958
Cast
The Saga [Legend] Bibi Andersson
Astrid Gunnel Lindblom
Rose Ingrid Thulin
Ehrenståhl Oscar Ljung
Gerhard Max von Sydow
Mr. Sune Folke Sundquist
Chamber Orderly Toivo Pawlo
Colonel’s Wife Dagny Lind
The Narrator Ingmar Bergman
Commentary
As an hommage to Hjalmar Bergman on what would have been his 75th anniversary, the
Swedish radio theatre presented Ingmar Bergman’s production of the play ‘Sagan’ with the
same ensemble as in his 1957 Malmö staging. Excerpts from that staging had been broadcast on
15 May 1958. Many felt that the piece was not suitable as a radio broadcast.
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio. För fattig för sagor’ [Radio. Too poor for fairy tales]. Expr., 19 Sep-
tember 1958, p. 24.
Lgr. (?). ‘Radio. Hjalmar Bergmans minnesdag’ [Radio. Hjalmar Bergman’s memorial day]. DN,
19 September 1958, p. 23.
Miller, Jack. ‘Radion i går’. AB, 19 September 1958, p. 17.

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S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Hört i radio. Otillräcklig ensemble i Bergmans ‘Sagan’ [Heard on the
radio. Inadequate ensemble in B’s Legend]. ST, 19 September 1958, p. 11.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Radio. En bitter saga’ [Radio. A bitter fairy tale]. SvD, 19 September 1958, p.
21.

295. DEN SOM INTET HAR [He Who Has Nothing]

Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright Bengt Anderberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 13 November 1958
Cast
Isak Max von Sydow
Johannes Oscar Ljung
Anna Marianne Stjernqvist
The Witch Gudrun Brost
Narrator Nils Nygren
Commentary
This 20-minute modernized version of La Fontaine’s fable ‘The Wolf and the Lamb’ and H.C.
Andersen’s tale ‘Big Claus and Little Claus’ is a macabre story of injustice and cruelty. Reviewers
spoke of Ingmar Bergman’s direction as penetrating and sharp.
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Radio. Anderbergs grimas’ [Radio. A’s grimace]. Expr., 14 November 1958, p.
24.
Lgr. (?). ‘Den som intet har’. [He who has nothing] DN, 14 November 1958, p. 19.
Miller, Jack. ‘Radion i går’ [Radio yesterday]. AB, 14 November 1958, p. 13.
Stenström, Urban. ‘...lagom torr’ [...not too dry]. SvD, 14 November 1958, p. 15.

1960
296. FÖRSTA VARNINGEN [The First Warning]
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 11 August 1960
Cast
The Gentleman Gunnar Björnstrand
His Wife Eva Dahlbeck
Rosa Mona Malm
The Baroness Birgitta Valberg
Commentary
Strindberg’s one-act comedy, originally called ‘The First Tooth’ and accepted (but never per-
formed) at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1892, was broadcast under Bergman’s direction with

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Gunnar Björnstrand and Eva Dahlbeck in the lead roles. The two had established their acting
rapport as a comedy couple in Bergman’s films Kvinnors väntan (1952), En lektion i kärlek (1954)
and Sommarnattens leende (1955).
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘Rumsren Strindberg’ [S. presentable]. Expr., 12 August 1960, p. 12.
Lgr. ‘Radio. Strindbergs “Första varningen”’. DN, 12 August 1960, p. 7.
S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Radioteatern. Erotiskt trassel’ [Radio theatre. Erotic entanglement]. ST, 12
August 1960, p. 7.
Stenström, Margaret. ‘Radio. Första varningen’. SvD, 12 August 1960, p. 9.
See also
Matts Rying. ‘En lektion i skådespelarkonst’ [A lesson in acting]. Röster i Radio-TV, 32/1960 (7-
13 August).
Egil Törnqvist comments briefly on this production in his book Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 37-
39.
This production was also transmitted on Danish Radio (DR) on 10 December 1960.

297. KALKMÅLERI (Trämålning/Wood Painting)

Credits
Production Danmarks Radio (DR), P 1
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Johannes Marott
Translator Aage Henriksen
Broadcast Dates 4 March 1960 and 26 September 1989
Length 43 minutes
Cast
Narrator Kjeld Jacobsen
The Actor Henrik Wiehe
The Girl Ebba Nørager
The Smith Johannes Meyer
Jens (Jöns) Hans Kurt
Maria Tove Maes
The Knight Palle Huld
Lisa Birgitte Reimer
The Witch Kirsten Rolffes
Karin Lisbeth Movin
Reviews
Elmquist, Carl Johan. ‘Dødedans’ [Dance of Death]. Politiken, 5 March 1960, p. 8.

1961
298. MÅLA PÅ KYRKJEVEGG (Trämålning/Wood Painting)
Credits
Production Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK)
Playwright Ingmar Bergman

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Director Bjarne Andersen

Translator Halldis Moren Vesaas
Broadcast Date 17 January 1961
Length 44 minutes
Cast
Narrator Nils Hald
The Girl Elisabeth Bang
Jøns Joachim Calmeyer
The Knight Johan Norlund
The Witch Astrid Folstad
The Smith Henrik Børseth
Maria Ruth Tellefsen
The Juggler Alf Sommer
Lisa Ingebjørg Sem
Karin Astrid Sommer

299. LEKA MED ELDEN [Playing with Fire]

Credits
Production Sveriges Radio
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 22 January 1961
Cast
The Father Gunnar Björnstrand
The Mother Birgitta Valberg
The Son, painter Ulf Palme
The Friend Max von Sydow
The Cousin Bibi Andersson
Commentary
According to the reviews, this radio version of Strindberg’s one-act comedy became, under
Bergman’s sophisticated and by now restrained direction, not a playing with fire but with
matches (Grafström) or light bulbs (Schultz). The critical reaction ranged from praising ‘a
virtuosity performance’ to criticizing Bergman’s instruction of the actors who emphasized
everything artificial and clumsy in the dialogue.
One reviewer (Nordelius) voiced a commonly held Swedish view at the time that Ingmar
Bergman was a poor writer of dialogue in his films. With this radio production of Strindberg’s
Leka med elden Bergman, according to Nordelius, paid back a debt to the playwright he had
tried in vain to imitate.
Reviews
Grafström, Bengt. ‘Högt komedispel’ [Great comic acting]. Expr., 23 January 1961, p. 18.
Lgr. ‘Radio. Leka med Strindberg’ [Radio. Playing with Strindberg]. DN, 23 January 1961, p. 15.
Nordelius, Karl Olov. ‘Tack Ingmar Bergman!’ [Thank you, Bergman!]. AB, 23 January 1961, p. 9.
S-z (Karin Schultz). ‘Leka med glödlampor’ [Playing with light bulbs]. ST, 23 January 1961, p. 7.
Stenström, Margaret. ‘Radio. Glada brasor’ [Radio. Happy fires]. SvD, 23 January 1961, p. 11.
This production was broadcast on Danish Radio on 10 October 1989. The broadcast included a
brief Danish introduction.

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See also
Ring, Lars. ‘Tidiga pjäser låter oss kika in i Bergmans verkstad’. SvD, 13 February 1998, pp. 14-15.
Törnqvist, Egil. Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 39-41.

300. EN NYCK (A caprice)

Broadcast Date 3 April 1961
This was a production recorded under a different name (‘En lusteld’) in 1953 (see Ø 281).
Reviews
Lgr. ‘Radio. En nyck’. DN, 4 April 1961, p. 15.
M.S. ‘Kvävd lusteld’ [Suffocated passion]. SvD, 4 April 1961, p. 15.
Von Rettig, Claes. ‘Fransk lektion i otrohet i nöjsamt radioföredrag’ [French lesson in unfaith-
fulness in amusing radio program]. AB, 4 April 1961, p. 9.

301. RUCKLARENS VÄG [The Rake’s Progress]

Live transmission broadcast from the Royal Opera in Stockholm on 7 May 1961. For credits, See
(Ø 489) in Opera section, theatre chapter.

1965
302. FÖR ALICE (Tiny Alice)
Broadcast Date 9 December 1965
Radio transmission of Bergman’s Dramaten production of Albee’s play Tiny Alice. (See Ø 442.)

1966
303. RANNSAKNINGEN [The Investigation]
Broadcast Date 13 September 1966
Broadcast excerpts from Bergman’s production at Dramaten of Peter Weiss stage play. For
credits, see (Ø 443) in theatre chapter (VI).

1967
304. BYEN [Staden]
Credits
Production Danmarks Radio (DR), P1
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Harry Katlev
Length 60 minutes
Broadcast Date 10 November 1967 and 3 October 1989

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Cast
Joakim Naken Erik Mørk
Anne Schalter Annegrethe Nissen
The Servant Ole Monty
The Pump Elith Pio
The Pastor Poul Müller
The Poet Palle Huld
The Worker Mogens Hermansen
Grandmother Helga Frier
Marie Rita Angela
Baloo Gunnar Strømvad
Oliver Mortis Poul Bundgaard
Commentary
Danish production of Trämålning [Wood Painting]. No reviews have been located.

1969
305. WOYZECK
Broadcast date 25 April 1969 (Prod. no. 537). Radio adaptation of Dra-
maten production of Büchner’s play. For credits, see
(Ø 446).

1972
306. VILDANDEN [The Wild Duck]
Broadcast Date 22 March 1972
Broadcast excerpts from Bergman’s production at Dramaten of Henrik Ibsen’s stage play. For
credits, see (Ø 450).

1984
307. EN HÖRSÄGEN [A Hearsay]
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio, P 1
Playwright Erland Josephson
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast Date 2 and 7 September 1984
Cast
Erland Erland Josephson
Isa Jane Friedmann
Kallenius Jan Olof Strandberg
Ludvig Peter Stormare

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Commentary
This was one of Swedish Radio Theatre’s two contributions to the broadcast contest Prix Italia.
Bergman looked upon the production as an experiment to return to the broadcast medium.
No reviews have been located, but there was a brief write-up about the production in DN, 2
September 1984 in column ‘Radio idag’ (Radio today).

1990
308. EN SJÄLSLIG ANGELÄGENHET [A Matter of the Soul]
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio, P 1
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Broadcast date 10, 11, 20 and 24 January 1990
Length 78 minutes
Cast
Victoria Jane Friedmann
Older Woman Aino Taube
For brief synopsis, see (Ø 199) in Chapter II.
In a postscript to the production, Stefan Johansson talked about Ingmar Bergman’s 40 years
as a radio director.
Commentary
Bergman had written this radio monodrama in 1972. Years later a radio production of it was
scheduled for the fall of 1988, but when the head of the theatre section at SR, Per Lysander,
resigned in protest over an administrative trend to popularize the repertory, Bergman, in
solidarity, withdrew the production. A good account of this incident can be found in the
Danish newspaper Fyens Stiftstidende (‘Skuespillerboykot af Sveriges Radio’) [Actors boycot
Swedish Radio], 17 February 1988. See Theatre/media bibliography, chapter VII (Ø 621) and
Interview chapter (VIII), 1988, Ø 914. The play was finally broadcast two years later, in January
1990.
En själslig angelägenhet was broadcast in English as ‘A Matter of the Soul’ on BBC Radio 3 in
March 1990; in German as ‘Eine Seelengelegenheit’ on NDR (Norddeutsche Rundfunk) in 1990,
and on Danish Radio (DR) as ‘Et sjæleligt anliggende’ on 6 and 7 November 1990.
Reviews
Borglund, Tore. ‘En kvinna i livets rävsax. Ingmar Bergmans starka radiopjäs’ [A woman in life’s
trap. Bergman’s strong radio play]. Arbetet, 11 January 1990, p. 5.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘En röst i drömmens allrum’ [A voice in our collective dream]. Expr., 20 January
1990, p. 4.
Egil Törnqvist discusses Bergman’s radio production of the play in his book Between Stage and
Screen, 1995, pp. 195-198.

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1999
309. OVÄDER [Storm]
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio, P 1
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music Käbi Laretei
Running time 64 minutes
Broadcast Date 29 August and 3, 4, 5 September 1999
Cast
The Gentleman Erland Josephson
The Brother Ingvar Kjellson
Ex-wife Gerda Ewa Fröling
Louise, the maid Maria Bonnevie
Confectioner Starck Hans Alfredsson
Mrs. Starck Gertrud Mariano
Confectioner’s Daughter Nadja Weiss
The Iceman Göran Wistedt
The Lamplighter Tord Peterson
The Mailman Magnus Ehrner
Commentary
Bergman’s radio production of Oväder was part of an SR series of Strindberg broadcasts.
Ingmar Bergman remained rather faithful to Strindberg’s text and milieu, including the sound
of horse hoofs and church bells, and of the thunder and piano music mentioned in the original
text.
The reviews emphasized the artistic simplicity in both direction and performance. In an
indirect reference to Bergman’s earliest fiery and deeply personal approach to theatre directing,
Gabriella Björnstrand suggested that he now displayed ‘the gift of old age: to understand that
genius is to reduce, to abstain from the desperate posturing of the ego, both in directing and in
intonation’ [ålderdomens gåva: att förstå att geni är att reducera, att avstå från det egna jagets
desperata åthävor, både i regi och intonation].
All reviews pointed out Bergman’s unique gift for the medium, and his presentation of
Oväder was seen as an hommage to the genre and an appeal to preserve radio theatre as a
special performance arena. In their rave responses to Bergman’s production, reviewers singled
out its musicality and rhythmic balance, and the director’s masterly hand – ‘invisible but
absolutely present’ [osynlig och absolut närvarande] (Vinterhed).
Johannes Ekman interviewed Bergman and Josephson on Swedish Radio, Program 2, on 29
August 1999. Title: ‘Ett liv kring naturkraften Strindberg’ [A life around the atavistic force of S.].
See Ø 669.
Production was broadcast on Danish Radio under title ‘Tordenluft’ on 15 November 1999.
Reviews
Björnstrand, Gabriella. ‘Bergman och varats lätthet’ [B. and the lightness of being]. UNT, 11
September 1999, p. 21.
Ring, Lars. ‘Detaljer fogas till en solkig enhet’ [Details are joined together to a tarnished unity].
SvD, 4 September 1999, p. 15.
Sörenson, Margareta. ‘Strindberg för örat’ [S. for the ear]. Expr., 30 August 1999, p. 4.

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Vinterhed, Kerstin. ‘Oväder har inte en död minut’ [Storm does not have one dead minute].
DN, 29 August 1999, p. 5 d.
See also Törnqvist, Egil. Det talade ordet: Om Strindbergs dramadialog, 2001, pp. 216-226, and
‘From Drama Text to Radio Play: Aural Strindberg’, in author’s Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 42-
45.

2001
310. JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio, P1
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music Käbi Laretei
Running Time 70 minutes
Broadcast Date 19, 20, 22, and 28 October 2001
Cast
John Gabriel Borkman Erland Josephson
Gunhild Borkman Gunnel Lindblom
Ella Rentheim Anita Björk
Erhart Borkman Jonas Malmsjö
Foldal Jan-Olof Strandberg
Frida Foldal Maria Bonnevie
Mrs. Wilton Jane Friedmann
Malene, maid Margreth Weivers
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman cut down Ibsen’s drama to a 75-minute performance. He (and Erland Jo-
sephson) toned down Borkman’s megalomania, turning the former mining industrialist into an
old man who dreams of his former power rather than someone seeking personal restitution.
Gunnel Lindblom’s portrayal of Mrs. Borkman stressed the wife’s angered pain over the shame
that Borkman’s economic machinations, bankruptcy and prison term had brought the family.
Her embittered voice stood out as the central voice in the production, accompanied by the
echoing steps of the restless Borkman traipsing about upstairs in the house and of son Erhart’s
comings and goings. The only non-diegetic sound used were a few bars of piano music.
Magnus Florin interviewed Bergman and Josephson on the radio briefly after the transmis-
sion. Bergman comments on Ibsen and Strindberg.
Reviews talked about a clear, confident presentation that revealed Bergman’s directorial
know-how and his understanding of the broadcast medium, but spoke also of ‘a perfection
so polished it runs the risk of being dead’ [en perfektion så polerad den löper risken att bli död]
(Gerell).
Reviews
Gerell, Boel. ‘Elegant och skickligt men något saknas’ [Elegant and skilful but something is
missing]. SDS, 20 October, 2001, p. B4.
Granath, Sara. ‘Bergman får Ibsen att lysa’ [Bergman makes Ibsen shine]. SvD, 20 October,
2001, p. 9.

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Lindh-Garreau, Maria. ‘Bergman tar väl vara på ljuden’ [Bergman utilizes sound effects well].
DN, 22 October, 2001, p. 82.
Schwartz, Nils. ‘Borkman.com’. Expr., 20 October, 2001, Section 2, p. 2.
Westling, Barbro. ‘Ett drama på ålderns höst’ [A drama in the fall of life]. AB, 20 October, 2001,
p. 5

2003
311. PELIKANEN och DÖDENS Ö (The Pelican and Island of the Dead)
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio, P 1
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Music (piano) Käbi Laretei
Broadcast Date 8, 10, and 16 February 2003
Cast
The Dead Man Erland Jospehson
The Teacher Anita Björk
Mother Elise Ewa Fröling
Son Fredrik Jonas Malmsjö
Daughter Gerda Maria Bonnevie
Margret Gunnel Lindblom
Son-in-Law Jacob Ericksson
Commentary
Pelikanen and Dödens ö were written in 1907, the latter – inspired by Böcklin’s famous painting
Toteninsel – was planned as a frame for the former, but is usually not included in productions
of the chamber play. Bergman did and shifted the emphasis from psychological realism in
Pelikanen to dream mode in Toteninsel’s realm of death.
Reviews
Björck, Amelie. ‘Borde modern straffas’ [Should the mother be punished]. GP, 8 February, 2003,
p. 38.
Ring, Lars. ‘Strindbergs “Pelikanen” i kongenial Bergmanregi’ [Strindberg’s ‘The Pelican’ in
ingenious Bergman direction]. SvD, 8 February, 2003.
Schwartz, Nils. ‘Korsreferenser på Dödens ö’ [Cross references on the island of Death]. Expr. 8
February, 2003, p. 7.
In connection with the broadcast of Pelikanen, Ingmar Bergman was interviewed briefly about
the play. See Ø 680.

312. ROSMERSHOLM
Credits
Production Sveriges Radio, P 1
Producer Jan Cruseman
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman/Gunnel Lindblom
Technician Frida Englund

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Cast
Rebekka West Ewa Fröling
Rosmer Jonas Malmsjö
Mrs. Helseth Gunnel Lindblom
Ulrik Brendel Erland Josephson
Mortensgård Ingvar Kjellson
Kroll Jan Olof Strandberg
Bergman withdrew from this production, and Gunnel Lindblom took over as director.

Television works

Many of Ingmar Bergman’s productions for television have also been released as films
shown in movie theatres or have been based on earlier theatre productions. Such
works have been extensively reviewed and discussed by film and theatre critics, and
are referenced in the Filmography and Theatre chapters.
In the 1950s Bergman became intrigued by television, which he was able to watch in
Malmö in Danish transmissions. (Denmark was ahead of Sweden in offering a TV
network.) In an interview article in Expr. (25 March 1969, p. 25), Bergman relates how
he saw television for the first time through a shop window. On the screen was a trial
transmission of a violinist: ‘You couldn’t hear any sound, and the head was cut off in
the picture, but I stared as if mesmerized at this monster. Then I rushed in and
bought the set’ [Man hörde inget ljud och huvudet var bortkapat i bilden, men jag
stirrade som förhäxad på detta monstrum. Sedan störtade jag in och köpte appara-
ten]. A few years later, after one of his own TV productions, he confirmed his
enthusiasm for the new medium in an article titled ‘Jag vill vara med i leken’ [I want
to be part of the game] (Röster i RadioTV, no. 7, 1958, pp. 22, 53). Declaring his
‘readiness to rush in on the arena and do somersaults’ [beredskap att rusa in på
scenen och slå kullerbyttor], he pleaded not be excluded from the TV medium in
the future.
Bergman’s debut in TV came in 1957 when he brought his Malmö ensemble to
Stockholm, where Hjalmar Bergman’s play Herr Sleeman kommer (Mr. S. Cometh)
was televised live and preserved on 16 mm film. This was labeled as an experiment of
importance for the future of television theatre. See C. J-n, ‘Ingmar Bergman debu-
terar med Hjalmar Bergman’. Röster i Radio, no. 13, 1957, p. 20. In the following year,
Bergman’s Malmö ensemble travelled again to Stockholm to present two TV produc-
tions: ‘Venetianskan’ [The Venetian Woman] by an unknown 16th-century Italian
author, and a TV version of Olle Hedberg’s Rabies, adapted for the theatre in 1945
(see Ø 391). Again, the performances were staged live and preserved on 16 mm film.
The transmission of ‘Venetianskan’, became noted for its use of mobile cameras, thus
breaking with the static pattern of Swedish television cameras at the time.

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Anders Ek as Sebastian Fischer performing a ritual act in Bergman’s first film for TV,
Riten from 1969 (Courtesy: SVT/SFI)

Bergman’s first major breakthrough as a television director came in the 1960s with
two Strindberg productions: Oväder (Storm) and Ett drömspel (A Dreamplay). Theatre
productions on television were still a new and relatively rare phenomenon, and in the
reception of Bergman’s version of Ett drömspel, one can sense the reviewers’ excite-
ment over the potential of the new visual medium. What impressed the critics was
Bergman’s ability to launch a major drama production that accepted the limitations of
the TV screen. With its many scene changes and in using both double exposures and
dissolves, Bergman’s production of Strindberg’s dreamlike vision seemed especially
adapted to the fluidity of the TV camera and to the closeness of the characters on the
screen. One critic (Bæckström, GHT, 3 May 1963) felt that ‘Ingmar Bergman’s TV
staging of A Dreamplay gives one a feeling that it was this medium that Strindberg
prophetically had in mind’ [Ingmar Bergmans TV-inscenering av Ett drömspel ger oss
en känsla av att det var detta medium som Strindberg profetiskt hade i sikte].
The earliest of Bergman’s own works scripted for television were shot in the film
studio: Riten (1969, The Ritual) and Fårö dokument (1970). His first TV script to be
produced electronically was Reservatet (1970, The Lie, The Sanctuary), but it was not
directed by Bergman since he still felt too unfamiliar with the new technique. How-
ever, the TV medium continued to intrigue him, and in 1973 he wrote and directed his
first TV series, Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage). This work can be said
to constitute Bergman’s real popular breakthrough in Sweden. It was an event that
gained him a mass audience and changed his creative image in the minds of many

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Swedes. The public response to his marriage series was considered remarkable by
pollsters, as it occurred at a time when television viewing was on the wane. Polls taken
in Sweden after the first three televised scenes, and again after the end of the series,
showed an increase in the number of viewers, from 26% on 5 April to 40% six weeks
later. Only soccer matches, two Swedish comedies from the 1930s and an animal
program about moose received higher viewer ratings. Almost twice as many women
than men watched Scener ur ett äktenskap, most aged 25 to 44. See Expr., 18 May 1973,
p. 32. Statistical material is also available in SR/TV archives, Stockholm.
After withdrawing from commercial filmmaking with Fanny and Alexander, Berg-
man continued to write and direct on television, most recently such works as Larmar
och gör sig till (1997, In the Presence of a Clown) and Saraband (2003). Thus, his first
contact with television in the mid-Fifties resulted in a half-century long commitment
to a medium that also came to influence his filmmaking with its increasing attention
to close-ups and intimate explorations of the human face. For a while at least, Ingmar
Bergman was a pioneer in exploring first class drama on Swedish television, even
though it does not seem to have impacted on today’s programming, catering mostly
to talk-shows and docu-soaps.
Ingmar Bergman’s TV productions represent a very individual authorship for the
medium, one that is difficult to separate from his total artistic oeuvre. As one critic
(Linde, DN, 23 January 1960) observed very early, the TV medium lay ‘at the border-
line between theatre and film, and Ingmar Bergman as the virtuoso he is in both,
must be especially well equipped also for the amphibious area between the two’ [TV
mediet ligger på gränsen mellan teater och film, och Ingmar Bergman som den
virtuos han är i båda måste ju vara ovanligt väl rustad också för amfibieområdet
mellan de två].
Studies on Bergman’s TV Work
Hockenjos, Vreni. ‘Ur en drömmares perspektiv: Strindbergs subjektivism i Bergmans tolkning’.
Aura, IV, no. 4, 1998: 42-50.
Quist, Per Olov.’Från Sleeman till livsförsoning’ [From Sleeman to reconcilation with life].
UNT, 14 July 1998, p. 10.
Törnqvist Egil. Bergman’s Muses. Aesthetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television and Radio,
Chapters 4 and 6 through 10, pp. 65-79; 91-160.

See Varia A for list of documentaries of some of Bergman’s TV productions. These

documentaries are available for (research) viewing at SALB (Statens arkiv för ljud och
bild). See also title entries in the Filmography or in this chapter.
A retrospective of Bergman’s works for television was shown at the New York
Museum of Broadcasting and Television in February 1987 and reviewed by John J.
Connor in NYT, 18 February 1987, Section C, p. 22.

1957
313. HERR SLEEMAN KOMMER [Mr. Sleeman Cometh]
Credits
Production Sveriges Television
Director Ingmar Bergman

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Assistant Director Lennart Olsson

Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Decor Martin Ahlbom
Make-up Carl M. Lundh, Carl Magnusson
Broadcast date 18 April 1957
Running time 43 min
Cast
Aunt Bina Naima Wifstrand
Aunt Mina Jullan Kindahl
Anne-Marie Bibi Andersson
Valter, a Hunter Max von Sydow
J.O. Sleeman Yngve Nordwall
Commentary
Stina Bergman, widow of Hjalmar Bergman, followed the various steps of this television
production of her husband’s work. She was reportedly very pleased with the result. So were
the reviewers who felt that Ingmar Bergman was a television find with his dual experience of
directing for the stage and the screen. Producers at SVT were of the opinion that this was the
best theatre production so far on Swedish television.
Reviews
Axon (Arne Ericksson?). ‘TV-succes för Ingmar Bergman’. SDS, 20 April 1957, p. 12B.
Viola (Marianne Zetterström). ‘TV. Hjalmar och Ingmar Bergman’. SvD, 20 April 1957, p. 11.

1958
314. VENETIANSKAN [The Venetian Woman]
Credits
Production Sveriges Television
Director Ingmar Bergman
Play Text Unknown 16th-century Italian author; play translated
and revised by Giacomo Oreglia and Bertil Bodén
Architect Härje Ekman
Broadcast Date 21 February 1958
Running time 56 min
Cast
Julio, a young stranger Folke Sundquist
Valeria, a married woman Gunnel Lindblom
Angela, a widow Eva Stiberg
Oria, Valeria’s maid Helena Reuterblad
Nena, Angela’s maid Maud Hansson
Bernardo, a porter Sture Lagerwall
Reception
Reviews were very enthusiastic. ‘A spotless production that leaves the spectator altogether
happy. What a magician he is, Ingmar Bergman!’ [En fläckfri föreställning som lämnar åskå-
daren alldeles lycklig. En sån trollkarl han är, Bergman!], wrote Marianne Höök (SvD), who was
reminded of the tone and frivolity of Bergman’s 1955 film Sommarnattens leende. Höök was

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seconded by signature Fale Bure (GHT) who predicted that after this production, Bergman
would ‘with his miraculous visionary instinct be predestined to become Sweden’s foremost TV
artist’ [med sin mirakulösa bildinstinkt (vara) predestinerad att bli vår främste TV-konstnär].
The reviewer in DN called the production the best he had seen on television and pointed out
Bergman’s conscious use of the TV screen as an open window inviting the viewers to look in.
Reviews
Ahr. ‘TV-titten’ [TV look]. AB, 22 February 1958, p. 8.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Ett fynd’ [A find]. Expr., 22 February 1958, p. 9.
Fale Bure. [Henning Olsson] ‘Rent bildmässigt..’. [From a purely visual point of view...]. GHT,
22 February 1958, p. 7.
Höken (Marianne Höök). ‘TV. Betagande 1500-tal’ [TV. Charming 1500-hundreds]. SvD, 22
February 1958, p. 14.
O-e (Ingvar Orre). ‘Sett i TV. Artisteri på sinnlig grund’ [Seen on TV. Artistry on sensual
ground]. ST, 22 February 1958, p. 11.
M E-m (Mauritz Edström). ‘TV’. DN, 22 February 1958, p. 10.

315. RABIES – SCENER UR MÄNNISKOLIVET [Rabies – Scenes from Human Life]

Credits
Production Sveriges Television
Director Ingmar Bergman
Play Text Ingmar Bergman, from Olle Hedberg’s novels Slå dank
[Loafing], (1944)
Broadcast Date 7 November 1958
Running time 89 min
Cast
Bo Stensson Sveningsson Max von Sydow
Jenny Gunnel Lindblom
Sixten Garberg Åke Fridell
Eivor Bibi Andersson
Erik Folke Sundquist
The Aunt Dagny Lind
Knut Mosterson, her son Tor Isedal
Sven, a corporal Axel Düberg
Cronswärd, lawyer Nils Nygren
Wholesaler Toiwo Pawlo
Rolf, 16-year-old boy Åke Jörnfalk
Mrs. Svensson Marianne Stjernqvist
Young Girl Gunnel Blixt
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman had staged the play in 1945 at the Hälsingborg City Theatre (see Ø 391). The
TV production was performed by actors from Malmö City Theatre. The scant reviews pointed
out Bergman’s faiblesse for the puppet theatre and the morality play, with the result that the
characters functioned as types.
Reviews
F:ius. (Björn Fabricius). ‘TV. Rabies’. SvD, 8 November 1958, p. 11;
Wbg. (Bertil Widerberg). ‘Television. Olle Hedbergs...’ SDS, 8 November 1958, p. 19.

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Per Olov Quist, ‘Från Sleeman till livsförsoning’ [From Sleeman to reconcilation with life].
UNT, 14 July 1998, p. 10. (A discussion of Ingmar Bergman’s early works for television) with
particular attention to Bergman’s TV version of Rabies.

1960
316. OVÄDER [Storm]
Credits
Production Sveriges Television (SVT)
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Gertrud Björklund
Photography Egon Blank, Sven-Eric Larson, Måns Reuterswärd,
Lars Swan. (Shot on videotape)
Sound Erland Edwardsson
Architect Birgitta Morales
Costumes Maj Lis Heinrichs, Sune Wall
Make-up Börje Lundh
Technical director Yngve Hallberg
Chief Electrician Yngve Mansvik
Continuity Ally Seifert
Broadcasting Date 22 January 1960
Running time 91 min
Cast
The Gentleman Uno Henning
Gerda, his ex-wife Gunnel Broström
Gerda’s new husband Curt Masreliez (no speaking part)
Brother Ingvar Kjellson
Starck, Confectioner John Elfström
Agnes, his daughter Birgitta Grönwall
Louise, a relative Mona Malm
The Iceman Axel Düberg
The Postman Axel Högel
The Lamp Lighter Erik ‘Bullen’ Berglund
A Shop Assistant Heinz Hopf
Commentary
On the anniversary of Strindberg’s birth, Swedish television theatre presented his chamber play
Oväder, directed by Bergman. The production, which was also transmitted to Denmark and
Norway, received mostly rave reviews and consolidated Bergman’s standing as an outstanding
television director. He was praised for his tact and sympathy in depicting old age (Schildt, AB),
for his superior lighting and fine camera work (Armand, GHT) and for his understanding of
the intimacy of the TV medium through his use of close-ups (Perlström, GP). Only one critic
(Brunius) voiced concern that Bergman had not captured Strindberg’s juxtaposition of silent
space and irritating noise, a phenomenon that defines the main character’s aging life.

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Reviews
Armand (Olle Olsson). ‘Teater TV Radio Musik. Lysande kammarspel’ [Brilliant chamber play].
GHT, 23 January 1960, p. 7.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Märkliga detaljer’ [Strange details]. Expr., 23 January 1960, p. 18.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Strindbergs Oväder’. DN, 23 January 1960, p. 12.
Orre, Ingvar. ‘Ny framgång för Bergman’ [New success for Bergman]. ST, 23 January 1960, p. 13.
Perlström, Åke. ‘Ingmar Bergman-regi av Strindberg’ [Bergman directing Strindberg]. GP, 23
January 1960, p. 8.
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘TV-titten’. AB, 23 January 1960, p. 12.
Wbg. (Bertil Widerberg). ‘Television. Beethoven har skrivit..’. [Beethoven has written]. SDS, 23
January 1960, p. 15.
Articles
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Long day’s journey into night: Bergman’s TV version of Oväder compared to
Smultronstället’. In Kela Kvam, ed. Strindberg’s Post-Inferno Plays. Lectures given at the 11th
International Strindberg Conference (Copenhagen: Munksgaard/Rosinante, 1994), pp. 186-
195. Törnqvist discusses the same subject in his book Between Stage and Screen, 1995, pp.
128-136.

1963
317. TRÄMÅLNING [Wood Painting/Painting on Wood]
Credits
Production Sveriges Television
Director Lennart Olsson
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Architect Lennart Olofsson-Leo
Broadcast date 22 April 1963.
Shot on videotape.
Cast
The Girl Marianne Wesén
Jöns Olof Bergström
The Knight Oscar Ljung
Karin, Knight’s Wife Margareta Bergfelt
The Witch Ulla Akselson
The Blacksmith Åke Lindström
Lisa, his Wife Marianne Hedengrahn
The Actor Georg Årlin
Narrator Folke Sundquist
Commentary (See Ø 283, 424.)
This TV production of Bergman’s play was set in a church. Originally scheduled for trans-
mission on Easter Sunday 1963, the production was postponed after discussions between the
producer (Henrik Dyfverman) and Ingmar Bergman, who pointed out that his play was not a
dramatization of Christian church murals, though he had borrowed several motifs found in
medieval church paintings. By 1963 Bergman had proclaimed the demise of God in his film
trilogy, and may have found it out of place to broadcast his play on a religious holiday. See also
Gunnar Falk, ‘Trämålning som kyrkospel’ [Wood Painting as lithurgical play]. SvD, 23 April

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1963. Falk objected to setting the entire action in a church, since Trämålning was not a passion
play.

318. ETT DRÖMSPEL [A Dreamplay]

Credits
Production Sveriges Television
Producer Kåre Santesson
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Photo Bosse Larsson, Jan Wictorinus, Olle Mossberg, Per Olof
Nordmark (TV); Åke Dahlqvist, Albert Rudling (film
photo)
Sound Bertil Stoby
Architect Cloffe (Carl Johnsson-Cloffe)
Music Sven Erik Bäck
Costumes Maj Lis Heinrichs, Sune Wall
Make-up Börje Lundh
Chief electrician Yngve Mansvik
Technical director Yngve Sjöberg
Editor Monica Barthelsson
Continuity Inger Blanck
Broadcast date 2 May 1963
Running time 114 minutes
Cast
Agnes, Indra’s daughter Ingrid Thulin
The Glazier John Elfström
The Teacher Börje Mellvig
Alfred, the Officer Uno Henning
Axel, the Lawyer Allan Edwall
The Poet Olof Widgren
The Mother Brita Öberg
The Father Ragnar Falck
Lina, maid servant Eivor Landström
The Concierge Elsa Ebbesen-Thornblad
The Billboard Man Jan-Erik Lindqvist
A Pupil Jörgen Lindström
Doorkeeper John Norrman
Ballet Girl Britta Pettersson
The Policeman John Melin
Kristin Märta Dorff
Quarantine Master Curt Masreliez
He Carl Billquist
She Helena Brodin
The Prompter Åke Lagergren
The Blind Man Georg Årlin
The Retired Man Olle Hilding
Ugly Edith Margaretha Krook
Edith’s Mother Ingrid Borthen

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The Newly Married Birger Malmsten, Maude Axelson

Resort Guests Signe Enwall, Julie Bernby, Alf Östlund
Coal Carriers Lars Lind,Tor Isedal
Rector Magnificus Willy Peters
Dean of Theology Sven Nilsson
Dean of Philosopy Einar Axelsson
Dean of Medicine Manne Grünberger
Dean of Law Ragnar Arvedson
Commentary
This was the most expensive production to date by the theatre section at Sveriges Radio/TV.
About 40 actors and 75 extras participated, and the total staff numbered some 200 persons.
Ingmar Bergman planned the production during a two-year period. In comments made prior
to the transmission, he talked about Strindberg’s search for visual means to express his dream
vision, such as his suggested use of projected slides as part of the set design. With television,
Strindberg’s ambitions could be realized. But Bergman warned against gorging oneself on
images: ‘An image must not be noticeable by itself. [...] It is the succession of images that is
the important thing, that has value’. [En bild ska inte märkas i sej själv. [...] Det är sviten av
bilder som är det viktiga, har värde.] Röster i Radio-TV, no. 17, 1963, p. 14.
Bergman omitted Strindberg’s prologue to the play and divided the rest of the drama into 28
scenes. In retrospect, he was to become quite critical of this TV version of Ett drömspel, but the
original reviews were all very positive. Though Bergman included some vignettes of an im-
mense cloudy sky and a stormy ocean landscape, his TV version of A Dreamplay was built on
close-ups of faces and on the spoken word. Producing the play for television also meant that
Bergman’s work did not have to compete with Olof Molander’s legendary stagings of the drama:
‘Ingmar Bergman’s interpretation of A Dreamplay turns more towards an international, uni-
versal rendering of the drama than Olof Molander’s productions have done with their focus on
the Swedish and Strindbergian milieu. It is a swinging of the pendulum that is necessary for the
continued development of the Strindberg tradition’. [Ingmar Bergmans tolkning av Ett dröm-
spel riktar sig mera mot en internationell, allmängiltig gestaltning av dramat än Olof Molanders
till den svenska och strindbergska miljön starkt knutna iscensättningar har gjort. Det är en
pendelsvängning som är nödvändig för Strindbergstraditionens forsatta utveckling.] (Perl-
ström, GP).
All in all, one can sense among the reviewers a new assessment of Bergman, related to the
ascetic development of his filmmaking at the time. References were made to a film like Natt-
vardsgästerna to suggest a new Bergman, focussing on a penetrating psychological portrayal of
human beings rather than a young iconoclast eager to project his visual virtuosity. Ebbe Linde,
who had followed Bergman’s entire directorial work, wrote in his review: ‘I think one can
differentiate between an old and a new Ingmar Bergman: an old sensational one from the
beginning of his career and a subdued, demanding one, now at his peak. That his new approach
implies a deepening of his art seems clear to me, at the same time as it might limit his
geographic appeal’. [Jag tror man har rätt att skilja mellan en gammal och en ny Ingmar
Bergman: en gammal sensationell från början av hans bana och en sordinerad, kräsen nu på
krönet av hans bana. Att det nya arbetssättet innebär en fördjupning av hans konst syns mig
klart, samtidigt som det nog kan inskränka hans verksamhetsområde geografiskt.]
Reviews
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Ett drömspel’. GHT, 3 May 1963, p. 10.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Är det synd om människorna?’ [Is Man to be pitied?]. AB, 3 May 1963, p. 15.

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Falk, Gunnar. ‘TV-teatern: Detta är icke paradiset’ [TV theatre: This is not paradise]. SvD, 3
May 1963, p. 14.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Ingmar Bergman fann ny lösning’ [Bergman found a new solution]. Expr., 3 May
1963, p. 24.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘Ett drömspel som TV-teater’ [A Dreamplay as TV theatre]. SDS, 3 May
1963, p. 11.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Tonfallens exakthet’ [The exactness of intonation]. DN, 3 May 1963, p. 19.
Perlström, Åke. ‘En stor TV-föreställning’ [A great TV performance]. GP, 3 May 1963, p. 2.
Tone (Tone Cederblad-Bengtsson). ‘TV-titten’ [TV glance]. UNT, 3 May 1963, p. 12.
The production was televised on German television in January 1966. For reviews see:
De Haas, Anneliese. ‘Ohne Hast, ohne Hysterie’. Die Welt, 13 January 1966.
Film (Hannover) no. 2 (1966), p. 44.
See also
n.a. ‘Det är TV:s “Drömspel” också, som äntligen kan göras!’ Röster i Radio-TV, no. 17, 1963, pp.
14-15.
Elgstam, Helle. ‘Ridån går upp för TV:s största teater-satsning’ [The curtain rises for TV’s
biggest theatre investment]. ST, 2 May 1963, p. 26.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘Genialt teaterverk – ologiskt som en dröm’ [Ingenious theatre work –
illogical like a dream]. ST, 2 May 1963, p. 26.
Hockenjos, Vreni. ‘Ur en drömmares perspektiv. Strindbergs subjektivism i Bergmans tolkning’
[From a dreamer’s perspective. Strindberg’s subjectivism interpreted by Bergman]. Aura 4,
1998: 42-50. (Discusses Bergman’s 1963 TV production of Ett drömspel at some length).
Norborg, Kaj. ‘Jättesatsning av svensk TV-teater i kväll’ [Gigantic stakes by Swedish TV theatre
tonight]. Expr., 2 May 1963, p. 23.

1964
319. RABIES
Re-broadcast date: 5 October 1964
This TV version of Rabies was originally broadcast in 1958. (See Ø 315.)
In connection with the 1964 telecast of ‘Rabies’, Röster i Radio-TV published an interview
with Bergman where he talks about his discovery of Olle Hedberg’s novel Slå dank [Loafing], on
which ‘Rabies’ is based. See ‘Vi galna hundar’ [We mad dogs]. Röster i Radio-TV, no. 41, 1964,
pp. 17, 54, 57. The interview is also discussed briefly in Chapter VII, Interviews, Ø 657.

1969
320. RITEN [The Ritual], 1969
See Filmography (Ø 240) for fuller synopsis, credits and foreign reception of Riten as a feature
film.
Brief Synopsis
Three artists, two men and a woman, have been arrested for obscenity and face a judge. The
(TV) film explores their encounter and ends with a ritualistic reenactment of the ‘obscene’
number, during which the judge dies.

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Commentary
Riten/The Ritual began to take shape in manuscript form in the summer of 1967 when Bergman
was filming Shame on Fårö. His friend and colleague at Dramaten, Erland Josephson, wanted to
stage the manuscript at Dramaten, but Bergman wanted to present his work in close-ups, at
first as a full evening film but later as a TV film. His company Cinematograph produced the TV
film, rehearsed it for two weeks and shot it in eight days at the old Filmstaden studios at
Råsunda. See Matts Rying, ‘Bergmans första TV film’ [B’s first TV film]. Röster i Radio/TV, 22-
28 March 1969, pp. 12-14, for background information.
The pan-Scandinavian TV showing of Riten on 25 March 1969, received a great deal of
preview publicity. See Stockholm press, 25 March 1969 (also AB, 17 February, p. 14). A filmed
interview with Bergman by TV drama producer Lars Löfgren was recorded 14 January 1969
(transcript at SFI) as an introduction to the TV transmission. Bergman warned potential
audiences against watching it. This had, of course, the opposite effect, and the ensuing debate
may have been dictated in part by viewer expectations of a real shocker.
The most drastic reaction came from Norway, where Christian author Alfred Hauge wrote a
critical article in Stavanger Aftenpost, and Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs Kjell Bondevik
considered taking Bergman to court for blasphemy according to paragraph 142 in the Norwe-
gian penal code. Bergman is said to have responded in a telephone interview: ‘I know about
that minister you’re stuck with over there in Norway. He is a pain in the neck to Norwegian
cultural life. It’s frightening that leading men in Norwegian society think that God’s holiness
can be dictated by legal paragraphs.’ Bergman’s response is printed in Morgenposten, 25 April,
pp. 1-2. See also Aftenposten (morning edition), 24 April 1969, pp. 1, 20 and Dagbladet (Oslo), 24
April 1969, p. 13, about parliamentary debate in Norwegian Storting. An editorial in Dagbladet,
25 April 1969, p. 2, criticizes Bondevik. On the whole, the Oslo press praised Bergman’s TV film
enthusiastically, claiming that it surpassed the best of documentaries on TV and proved that
Bergman was ‘a poetic image maker in line with Dreyer and Chaplin’ [En poetisk filmskaper i
linje med Dreyer og Chaplin] (A. Rönneberg in Aftenposten, 26 March 1969).
Swedish Reception
Riten was televised at the family hour with an attached program note stating that the film did
not include anything ‘unsuitable for children’ [olämpligt för barn]. At least one reviewer
(Nordin in Expr.) objected; to her the film contained the most sadistic sexuality ever shown
on television.
On the whole the Swedish reception of Riten/The Ritual was reserved and ambivalent. Its
brutality – ‘Bergman raped the viewers’ [Bergman våldtog tittarna], wrote Expr. – aroused a
negative press response, but its artistic quality made it difficult to dismiss it altogether. It was
considered grandiose but cold (Expr.); full of skillful artistry but too personal, ‘a review course
in the subject Ingmar Bergman’ [En repetitionskurs i ämnet Bergman], (DN); and a drama-
tically concentrated piece but with hard and brutal images that caused nausea and anguish
(SvD).
Several critics questioned Bergman’s portrayal of yet another set of artists. Most outspoken
was Filmrutan (no. 2, 1969, p. 134), the voice of mostly younger film scholars in Sweden whose
esthetics were founded in the social radicalism of the Sixties: ‘Never before has he reached such
wuthering heights of senseless self-adulation’. [Aldrig förr har han nått sådana svindlande
höjder av meningslös självförgudning.] See SvD, 27 March 1969, for brief resume of press
response in Stockholm and Oslo. German paper Die Welt published an article on the Scandi-
navian reaction to Bergman’s TV film: Peter H. Schröder, ‘Das Schweigen der Hölle’. Die Welt, 7
June 1969.

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Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 26 March 1969;
Chaplin, no. 90 (1969), pp. 140-41;
Credo (Stockholm), no. 50 (1969), pp. 177-79;
Filmrutan, no. 2 (1969), p. 134;
Vi, no. 12 (1969), pp. 22-24;

1970
321. FÅRÖ-DOKUMENT
Synopsis
A documentary film about life and people on the island of Fårö in the Baltic. Bergman
discovered Fårö in the early Sixties and has lived there permanently since 1966, with the
exception of the period of his voluntary exile in 1976-82 (when however he returned to the
island in the summer time). The island is 18 miles long and 9 miles at its widest. Part of it is a
military reserve.
The entire film crew for Fårö-dokument consisted of five people who traveled around the island
in a house trailer. Bergman assumed the role of reporter and advocate. The film is constructed
around a series of interviews in black and white with the local population, interconnected by
takes in color of the landscape that surrounds them: the sea, gigantic rocks (raukar), deserted
farms, dead forest, sheep grazing on grassy slopes. Fårö is a unique and isolated part of Sweden
and, as Bergman shows, deprived of many of the comforts of contemporary Sweden.
Ingmar Bergman ends the film with a series of demands addressed to the Swedish govern-
ment that it improve the schoolbus and postal systems, create more jobs for the young so they
will not leave the island, and give more subsidies to farmers.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Sound Arne Carlsson
Editor Siv Lundgren-Kanälv
Cast
Ingmar Bergman as Reporter/Narrator
Local people on island of Fårö
Filmed on the island of Fårö, beginning 15 March 1969 and completed 1 May 1969.
Distribution Cinematograph
Running time 78 minutes
Premiere 1 January 1970, SR/TV (Swedish TV)
Film has had limited circulation outside of Sweden. It is available with English subtitles at NYC
Museum of Television and Radio, T:17562.
Reviews
Stockholm press, 2 January 1970;
Chaplin no. 96 (1970), pp. 16-7.

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Commentary
In an interview titled ‘Därför älskar jag Fårö’ [That’s why I love Fårö] in Röster i Radio-TV, no.
1-2 (1-8 January) 1970, pp. 10 and 63, Bergman expresses his love of Fårö and its importance to
him personally: ‘The reality of Fårö has had a stabilizing impact on me and my work. By living
in a reality I understand and whose proportions I can grasp, I can gain better insight into what
happens outside it’. [Fårös verklighet har haft en stabiliserande inverkan på mig och mitt arbete.
Genom att jag lever i en verklighet som jag förstår, vars proportioner jag fattar, så kan jag nå
bättre insikt i vad som händer utanför den.]
Reception
Fårö-dokument was viewed by millions of Swedes on prime-time television, New Year’s Day
1970. It was a public and critical breakthrough for Bergman in his own country, where he
suddenly emerged as a sensitive and concerned social voice speaking up for Fårö, ‘Sweden’s U-
land’ (underdeveloped country). Mauritz Edström in his review in DN (‘Bergmans film om
Fårö’, 2 January 1970) called it one of Bergman’s best films because of its ‘simplicity and
closeness to reality’ [dess enkelhet och närhet till verkligheten]. The positive Swedish response
might be contrasted to Variety’s assessment of Fårö-dokument (14 January 1970, p. 39): ‘The
subject is too provincial even for persons interested in filmmaking as a whole.’
A second Fårö-dokument was made in 1979 (see Ø 329).

322. RESERVATET
Synopsis
Anna Fromm, age 34 and a lecturer in Slavic Languages, is married to Andreas, a 40-year-old
architect. They introduce themselves to the TV audience as rich, happy, and uncomplicated.
They are well-educated, well-mannered, and polite. Anna has had an affair with a common
friend, Elis, for eight years. Their relationship is as conventional as a marriage. When Anna
reveals her unfaithfulness to Andreas, their upper middle-class façade ruptures. This event
occurs in the same week as Martin Luther King is murdered. The aggressiveness and hate that
elicited this murder operates in subversive ways in Anna’s and Andreas’ world. Andreas loses his
job through intrigues and maneuvers, while Anna experiences irrational envy from a socially
less privileged colleague and betrayal by her somewhat cowardly lover. Everything culminates at
a big dinner when the main characters lose their well-mannered reserve and tear each other to
pieces in a violent outburst.
Credits
Production Sveriges Television
Producers Bernt Callenbo, Hans Sackemark
Director Jan Molander
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Jan Wictorinus, Per-Olof Nordmar, Willy Thoresen.
Shot on videotape (color).
Sound Alvar Piehl
Architect Bo Lindgren
Costumes Henny Noremark, Arvid Johansson
Props Lars Dahlman, Gunnar Bredevik
Make-up Börje Lundh, Inga Lindeström
Editor Ronnie Årland
Broadcast date 28 October 1970
Running time 91 minutes

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Cast
Anna Fromm Gunnel Lindblom
Karin, Anna’s colleague Barbro Larsson
Andreas Fromm, architect Per Myrberg
Miss Britt Prakt, Andreas’ secretary Sif Ruud
Henrik, Fromm’s son Per Nilsson
Elis, Anna’s lover Erland Josephson
Eva, Elis’ wife Catherine Berg
Egerman, Anna’s father George Funkquist
Albert, Anna’s brother, an author Toivo Pawlo
Berta Elna Gistedt
George Erik Hell
Bauer Göran Graffman
Feldt Börje Ahlstedt
Dr. Ernst Farman Olof Bergström
Ester, Farman’s nurse Helena Brodin
Magda Farman Gun Arvidsson
Fredrik Sernelius Claes Thelander
Inger Sernelius Irma Christenson
Charlotte Sernelius Mari Molander
Sten Ahlman Leif Liljeroth
Petra Ahlman Gun Andersson
Count Albrekt Per Sjöstrand
Karin Albrekt Margaretha Byström
Witness to car accident Ove Tjernberg
Owner of hit car Charlie Elvegård
Toraf Tweit, a Norwegian Bernt Lindeklev
Members of Board Meeting Per-Axel Arosenius, Segol Mann, Lars Lennartsson,
Lennart Lindberg
Commentary
Reservatet was commissioned by EBU (European Broadcast Union) which had conceived a plan
to ask a prominent author to provide a TV manuscript that was to be offered to members of the
Union. Titled ‘The Largest Theatre in the World’, the idea was to show different productions of
a TV play at about the same time. A 4-minute interview with Bergman about writing a TV
drama for EBU was done on Sveriges Radio (SR), 8 October 1968.
BBC (England) and CBS (U.S.) made their own versions of Bergman’s play. The Swedish and
BBC productions were compared by Torsten Manns in Chaplin, no. 106 (March 1971), pp. 90-91.
The American production was directed in 1973 by Alex Segal who gives an account of his
meeting with Ingmar Bergman and his difficulties in directing the play. (Action 3, no. 6
(November-December 1973): 13-16). For changes in the non-Swedish versions of Bergman’s
TV play, see below.
SVT, Channel 2, collaborated with Dramaten and Stockholm City Theatre on the produc-
tion, using actors from both theatres. The director, Jan Molander, had 23 years of experience in
television in the US and Sweden.
An interview published by Erik Kwakernaak (‘Ingmar Bergman komt tot de mensen’. Skoop 7,
no. 4, 1971: 36-40) discusses Reservatet (pp. 38-40). The focus is thematic and takes up the
following motifs: compassion, violence, lies, and social elitism.

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An interview titled ‘En banalitetens tragi-komedi’ [A tragicomedy of banality], was done

with the main actors in Röster i Radio-TV, no. 44, 1970, p. 17. See also DN, 28 October 1970, p. 20
for comments by Gunnel Lindblom in her role as Anna Fromm. A reportage by Elisabeth
Sörenson from the Swedish TV production, titled ‘Ingmar Bergmans Reservatet’, was published
in SvD, 18 February 1970, p. 17.
Reception
Two major reviews might be juxtaposed, one by Bergman’s arch-enemy Bengt Jahnsson; the
other by SvD’s Åke Janzon. Both comment on Bergman as a scriptwriter and, taken together,
represent an on-going Swedish assessment of his authorship as either embarassing ‘flummery’
or open-ended psychological perspicacity. Jahnson concludes his rather acerbic review (DN, 29
October 1970): ‘Reservatet belongs to Bergman’s better manuscripts. That doesn’t say much
since scriptwriting has always been Bergman’s weakest side. But Reservatet is without the
flummery that became unbearable in for instance Riten’. [Reservatet tillhör Bergmans bättre
manus. Det säger inte så mycket eftersom manusskriveriet alltid varit Bergmans svagaste sida.
Men Reservatet saknar de floskler som blev outhärdliga exempelvis i Riten.] Åke Janzon’s
review (SvD, 29 October 1970) gives Bergman credit for bringing ‘together the most common
troubles and incidents that can befall an ordinary civil servant and his lecturer wife. [...] One of
Ingmar Bergman’s inevitable merits is that he never gets caught in a definite psychological
evaluation or revaluation’. [(Ingmar Bergman) har lyckats samla de vanliga besvär och inci-
denter som kan drabba en ordinär byråchef och hans lektorshustru. [...] Det hör till Ingmar
Bergmans ofrånkomliga förtjänster att han inte fastnar i någon psykologisk värdering eller
omvärdering.]

323. THE LIE (1970)

Credits
Production British Broadcasting Corporation
Producer Graeme McDonald
Director Alan Bridges
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman (translated by Paul Britten Austin)
Photography Not listed
Music Marc Wilkinson
Designer Richard Henry
Broadcast Date 29 October 1970 on BBC 1 (in ‘Play for Today’ series).
Repeated 31 March 1971 on BBC 2, and 13 March 1972 on
BBC 1.
Cast
Andrew Firth Frank Finlay
Anna Firth Gemma Jones
Ellis Anderson John Carson
Anna’s father Mark Dignam
Katherine Annette Crosbie
Esther Caroline Blakiston
Albert Joss Ackland
Henry Adam Tandy
Veronica Lysandre de la Hay
Housekeeper Patricia Lawrence
Eva Anderson Jennifer Daniel

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Andrew’s secretary Gwen Cherrell

Mr Arnold John Nettleton
Fischer Alan Rothwell
Whiteley Richard O’Sullivan
McLeod Donald Douglas
Ministry officials Richard Burrell, Alan Rowe, Robert Sansom, Tony
Wright
Frederick St John Ronald Leigh Hunt
Jane St John Joan Newell
St John’s Daughters Caroline Weller, Susan Porter
Jill Anderson Jennifer Daniel
Dr Ernest Farman Noel Coleman
Margaret Farman Liane Aukin
Stephen Calman Terence Bayler
Petra Calman Donna Reading
Sir James Brenton John Carlin
Lady Emma Brenton Shirley Cain
Commentary
In the British version of Bergman’s TV play the following cuts and changes were made in the
plot: (1) a car trip that Andreas takes with his secretary, with whom he has a brief affair, is cut.
The trip ends in a minor accident, after which there is a confrontation between Andreas and an
over-zealous man of law and order who displays his class hatred by calling Andreas ‘an upper
class gangster’. (2) A letter that Andreas writes to Anna in a restaurant is cut. In the letter
Andreas tries to formulate what he feels is a lack of rapport between husband and wife. With
the cut of this scene where Andreas seeks truth and understanding, he loses some audience
sympathy. (3) The murder of Martin Luther King is replaced by a more current murder of a
German diplomat in Guatemala – a change that deprives the plot of a significant dimension,
since the Martin Luther King reference can function on a symbolic level because of King’s social
visibility and role of martyr.
The British production made the final confrontation between husband and wife even more
brutal than Bergman’s script or Jan Molander’s Swedish version of the play. Said one Swedish
reviewer of BBC’s The Lie: ‘The play’s meaning and the questions posed are simplified through
the horror displayed. It is almost a consolation to know that we won’t have to see a German or a
French version of Reservatet and be spared perhaps an even more horrifying naturalism or an
icier anatomy’. [Pjäsens innebörd och pjäsens frågeställning (är) förenklad genom föreställning-
ens ruskighet. Det är nästan en tröst att veta att vi torde få slippa se en tysk eller fransk version
av ‘Reservatet’ och därigenom besparas en kanske ännu kusligare naturalism eller en ännu
isigare anatomi.] Åke Janzon, ‘Engelskt ‘Reservat’’, SvD, 15 April 1971). See also Mauritz Ed-
ström, ‘Bergman på engelska brutalare och närmre’ [B in English more brutal and closer], DN,
15 April 1971.
British reviews focussed on retelling the plot, sometimes in a rather ironic tone, and praising
the camera work. The Guardian referred to the play as ‘a very expert and often singularly lovely
exercise in trivia’ while The Times called The Lie ‘a very ordinary story’ rescued by a TV-
conscious production.
Reviews
Banks-Smith, Nancy. ‘The Lie’. The Guardian, 30 October 1970, p. 8;
Carey, John. ‘Burning Children’. The Listener, 5 November 1970, p. 639;
Garrett, Gerard. ‘Crown of thorns in a love nest’. Daily Sketch, 30 October 1970;

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Reynolds, Stanley. ‘The Lie. BBC 1’. The Times, 30 October 1970, p. 18;
See also unsigned reviews, same date, in The Daily Express, p. 8, and The Daily Mail, p. 8, and
preview presentation in Radio Times, 22 October 1970.
‘The Lie’ won an award from the Society of Film and Television as best theatre production of
1970.

1973
324. THE LIE
Credits
Production CBS-TV
Executive producer Lewis Freedman
Director Alex Segal
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Set design Jan Scott
Costumes Joel Schumacher
Running time 1 hr. 46 minutes (including commercials)
Premiere 24 April 1973
Cast
Andrew Fromm, Architect George Segal
Anna Fromm, 34, Language Professor Shirley Knight
Anna’s lover, Lawrence Robert Culp
Bancks Victor Buono
Albert William Daniels
Arnold Edgarton Dean Jagger
Karen Louise Lasser
Esther Mary Ann Mobley
Miss Pratt Elizabeth Wilson
Edward Fredericks Allan Arbus
Steve Olan Robert Easton
Paula Olman Connie Hines
Carol Banks Priscilla Morrill
Mary Foreman Neva Patterson
Elaine Fredericks Ann Prentiss
Dr. Ernest Foreman Milton Selzor
Eva Anderson Ellen Weston
The Busybody Robert Emhardt
Janine Maidie Norman
Bauer John Ritter
Fields James A. McHugh
Akiro John Mamo
Car Owner Jonathan Segal
Army Major William H. Bassett
Conference Men Jason Wingreen, Crane Jackson, Paul Bryer
Henry Bobby Eilbacher
Veronica Kim Dorso

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Reviews
Los Angeles Times, 24 April 1973, p.1;
NYT, 6 May 1973, p. 19;
Newsweek, 30 April, pp. 69-70;
Variety, 25 April 1973, p. 38.
Reviewers considered Bergman’s script ‘dull and hollow’ and the plot a soap opera, reminiscent
of his earlier film The Touch. A common American view of Bergman surfaced: that he was
better at depicting life in bygone ages than in modern times.
See also, Variety, 2 May 1973, for 2-page ad for the American production but note incorrect
statement that The Lie is Ingmar Bergman’s first script for television. Both The Ritual (1969)
and Fårö-dokument (1969) were written for television prior to Reservatet, but were not pro-
duced electronically.

325. SCENER UR ETT ÄKTENSKAP [Scenes from a Marriage]

Script Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
See Filmography Chapter (Ø 246) for additional comments, fuller synopsis, credits and record
of foreign reception. See also introduction to television section in this chapter.
Brief Synopsis
The main characters are Johan and Marianne, a married professional couple with two children.
Johan is a research scientist, and Marianne is a lawyer. The action takes place in their affluent
home in Stockholm, in their summer place, and in a fishing cabin borrowed from a friend.
Other scenes occur in Marianne’s law office, in Johan’s laboratory, and in his office. The plot
depicts the couple’s break-up and divorce, and their coming together many years later.
Brief Credits
Production company Cinematograph AB
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist (Eastmancolor)
Architect Björn Thulin
Brief Cast List
Marianne Liv Ullmann
Johan Erland Josephson
Peter Jan Malmsjö
Katarina Bibi Andersson
Eva Gunnel Lindblom
Mrs. Jacobi Barbro Hiort af Ornäs

Distribution SR/TV 2 (TV version), Svensk Filmindustri (film ver-

sion)
U.S. distribution Donald Rugoff
Running time TV version: 282 minutes
TV premiere 11 April 1973 (TV 2); retransmitted in 1986 and 2003.
Cinema premiere 28 October 1974, Camera (Västerås)

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U.S. opening 21 September 1974, Cinema 1, NYC; 9 March 1977 (TV

version), KCET, PBS. PBS ran two versions of this
mini-series in March and April 1977. A dubbed version
started on 9 March 1977, and ran for five consecutive
Wednesdays. A subtitled version began on 12 March
1977 and ran for five consecutive Saturdays.
Filmed on location in Stockholm and at Fårö, beginning 24 July 1972 and completed 3 October
1972.
Commentary
The longer TV version includes Marianne having an abortion and a longer visit to her mother.
When Scener ur ett äktenskap was transmitted again in 1986, an interview done by Gun
Allroth, titled ‘Inför Scener ur ett äktenskap’ [Before Scenes...], was televised on SVT, channel
2, on 7 July 1986. For another interview with Bergman about Scener..., see AB, 23 April 1973, sec.
2, pp. 2-3, where he talks about the problem of ‘people gaps’ rather than generation gaps.
In his review of Scener... in Die Zeit, no. 12 (14 March 1975), pp. 17-18, Dieter Zimmer
suggested that Bergman’s film about marriage was what Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Strindberg’s
The Dance of Death had been for earlier generations. In April 1981, Bergman directed a triptych
at Munich’s Residenztheater consisting of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Strindberg’s Miss Julie, and his
own, shortened theater version of Scenes from a Marriage.
Reception
For Swedish reviews, see Stockholm press, 12, 19 and 26 April and 3, 10 and 17 May 1973; and
Chaplin, no. 122 (1973), pp. 95-96. Swedish critics praised Bergman’s dialogue, the realism of his
TV series and the clarity of the story. Many commented on the ‘triviality’ of the plot, which
underwent a remarkable transformation through his sense of the TV medium. See especially
the following write-ups:
Edström, Mauritz. ‘En av Bergmans finaste människoskildringar’ [One of B’s finest human
portrayals]. DN, 17 May 1973; reviews of earlier episodes on 12 April 19 April, 26 April, 3
May, and 10 May 1973. (Feels that Scener..., together with the documentary about Fårö, will
remain Bergman’s best achievements).
Janzon, Åke. ‘Äktenskapets lektion nr 1’ [Marriage lesson no. 1]. SvD, 12 April 1973; plus reviews
of five subsequent ‘scenes’ in SvD, 19 April, 26 April, 3 May, 10 May and 17 May 1973. (Calls
Scener ur ett äktenskap ‘a morality play without any moralizing’ [en moralitet utan något
moraliserande] and views Bergman as an epic storyteller who takes liberties with dramatic
conventions by using abrupt and unexplained time gaps and unprepared introductions of
new plot elements, such as Johan’s affair with Paula. The result is not ‘a master-piece but a
film story in which each single scene has vitality and psychological tension’ [inte ett
mästerverk utan en filmberättelse där varje enskild scen har vitalitet och spänning].
Sandström, Carl-Ivar. SvD, 4 June 1973, p. 4. (Reveals scientific source of light experiment in
Johan’s lab).
According to pollsters, more women than men watched the series. (See Expr., 27 May 1973, pp. 1,
7, and SvD, 29 August 1974, p. 16.) However, Scener... was criticized by feminists. Filmmaker Maj
Wechselman’s responded to Bergman’s marriage series in a special issue of the magazine Film &
TV, nos. 5-6, 1973, in which she questioned the absence of children in the series and called
Scener ur ett äktenskap a sorrowful kind of marriage trash for television from the mondaine
world of women’s magazines, where fundamental conventions about role playing in marriage
were never questioned. The same criticism was voiced in an article titled ‘Hvor er børnene og

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livet udenfor?’ [Where are the children and life outside.] by Eva Bendix in Danish paper
Politiken, 16 May 1973, p. 20.
In an interview with A. Sellermark, ‘Kvinnor behagar genom att hålla käften’ [Women please
by keeping their mouth shut], Femina, no. 39, 1974, pp. 28-29, 87, Bergman expressed surprise
that women had not recognized Marianne’s liberation in Scenes from a Marriage and that
feminists had not understood what the series was really about: women’s suppressed aggressions,
their inner sabotage against themselves. Cf. this statement to feminist Maria Bergom Larsson’s
essay on the film in DN, 5 October 1974 (‘Johan och Marianne bakom samhällets masker’/J and
M behind society’s masks), according to which Bergman himself undermined Marianne’s
socially conditioned liberation by ending her story on a metaphysical note of Angst.
For a collage of excerpted critical comments on Scener..., see Röster i Radio-TV, no. 35, pp. 24-
30 August 1974.

In Denmark where Scener... was televised at the same time as in Sweden, the series was
considered a watershed in Danish television history. Rather typical was Jens Kistrups’s assess-
ment of Scener... as a TV series of such power that the likes of it had ‘seldom or ever been seen’
[sjelden eller aldrig blitt sett], Jyllands-Posten, 13 May 1973. One critic (Lundgren) concluded: ‘I
think one may feel a little blessed getting to see these marriage scenes’ [Jeg tror man må føle sig
lidt velsigned over at få se disse ægteskabsscener].
The transmission of Scener från ett äktenskap coincided in time with Bergman’s Danish
production of The Misanthrope at the Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige) and Dramaten’s
guest visit to Copenhagen’s Folketeater with Bergman’s 1972 staging of Vildanden/The Wild
Duck. Thus, there was a great deal of Bergman publicity in Denmark in April-May 1973.
For longer Danish articles on Scener ur ett äktenskap, see the following:
Barfoed, Niels. ‘Varmen midt i den store forvirring’ [Warmth in the midst of great confusion].
Politiken (Danish), 17 May 1973. (Warns against seeing Bergman’s Scener... as a debate about
marriage and ignoring the many psychological layers in the TV series);
Bodelsen, Anders & Frederik Dessau, ‘Dønninger efter en Bergman-bølge: Berøringen – Hoved-
rengøringen’ [Swells after a Bergman wave: The Touch – the main clean-up]. Politiken, 20
May 1973. (Discusses Bergman’s TV esthetics: a return to the theatre with fewer cuts than on
film but with more emphasis on close-ups; shots focusing on the listening character rather
than the speaking one; clean cuts and natural sounds, no music. Refers to the style as
‘Bergman’s puritanism’);
Lundgren, Henrik. ‘Den mytiske tosomhed’ [The mythical ‘two-getherness’]. Information
(Danish), 3 May 1973. (Sees ‘classical simplicity’ as a key to Bergman’s impact as both
filmmaker and theatre director, an approach that presents the dramatis personae as both
individuals and archetypes. Suggests that Scener ur ett äktenskap can be viewed from three
different perspectives: (1) as a naturalistic-psychological reckoning in the Strindberg tradi-
tion; (2) as a ‘psychoanalytical’ struggle between conscious and subconscious layers of the
human psyche; (3) as a political-ideological conflict between an obsolete bourgeois way of
life and an attempt to create a new form for living);
Wammen, Chris. ‘Tryghed eksisterer ikke’ [Security does not exist]. Aarhus Stiftstidende, 29
April 1973, p. 37.
Besides weekly reviews of the TV series, there were numerous Danish interviews with Liv
Ullmann and Erland Josephson (Marianne and Johan in the series). See for instance:
‘TVs Johan: Jeg har aldrig slået en kvinde’ [TVs Johan: I have never hit a woman]. Billedbladet,
17 May 1973;

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‘Bergman-seriens Johan: TV-arbejde skammeligt tiltalende’ [TV work shamefully attractive].

Extra Bladet, 28 April 1973.
The longer TV version was aired in the U.S. on PBS, early March 1977, with Liv Ullmann as
commentator. See Village Voice, 4 April 1977. For American discussions of the pros and cons of
the longer TV version, see:
Champlin, Charles. Los Angeles Times, 18 November 1974, p. 1;
Elliott, David. Film Heritage 10, no. 2 (Winter 1975): 43-44;
Heilbrun, Carolyn. Ms. 3, no. 2 (August 1974): 60-61, 82;
Hollywood Reporter CCXXV, no. 38 (2 April 1973): 1;
Kauffmann, Stanley. New Republic, 12 October 1974, pp. 22, 33 (repr. in Before my eyes, pp. 66-
69);
Keyser, Lester. ‘Bergman and the Popular Audience’ in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp. 313-23;
Kinder, Marsha. Film Quarterly 28, no. 2 (Winter 1974-75): 48-53.
Book-length studies using Scenes from a Marriage as a resource
Evangelische Filmarbeit Arbeitshilfe, March 1975, n.p. A German book on marriage counselling;
Svart, Bent. ‘Transaktionsanalyse af et TV-spil: en personligheds- og socialpsykologisk analyse af
hovedpersonerne i Ingmar Bergmans TV-spil ‘Scener fra et aegteskab’’. Thesis, Den Sociale
Højskole, Århus, 1975, 140 leaves;
Thymark, Nina. Äktenskap-partnerskap-samliv [Marriage-Parnership-Living together] (Lund:
Studentlitteratur, 1976), 175 pp. This is a somewhat lackluster discussion of Johan’s and
Marianne’s situation seen as a common phenomenon in Western culture. For a critical
review, see Maria Bergom-Larsson in DN, 7 September 1977, p. 4;
Wentholt, Hans. ‘Scenes uit een huwelijk: een indruk van de reakties van de kijkers’. Hilversum:
N.O.S. Dienst televisie programma – Kijkersonderzoek, 1977. 28 pp. Dutch viewer reception
study of Scenes from a Marriage.
Additional reviews
Breivik, Thomas. ‘Tre kunstverk om ekteskapet’ [Three artistic works about marriage]. Stavan-
ger Aftenblad (Norwegian), 13 June 1973. (Presentation (but not a comparison) of Bergman’s
Scener...; Dramaten’s production of A Doll’s House with Bibi Andersson as Nora (F. Sund-
ström, director); and Joseph Losey’s film version of Ibsen’s play with Jane Fonda. Writer
finds the two main characters in Scener... too abstracted);
S. Farber, Röster i Radio-TV, no. 39 (1974), pp. 10-11;
E. Kwakernaak, Skoop, no. 4 (September 1973), pp. 36-40;
Politiken (Copenhagen), 20 May 1973, p. 34;
Sight and Sound, no. 3 (Summer 1973), pp. 147-48;
Vecko-Journalen, no. 23 (1973), p. 34 (Ahlgren);
Vecko-Journalen, no. 18 (1973), pp. 4, 50 (Edvardsson).

1975
326. TROLLFLÖJTEN [The Magic Flute]
See (Ø 247) in the Filmography, Chapter IV, for presentation of Trollflöjten/The Magic Flute as a
feature film, including shooting preparations, synopsis, full credits, foreign response, biblio-
graphy, and awards.

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Brief Credits
Production company Cinematograph/SverigesTelevision (STV, Channel 2)
Production manager Måns Reuterswärd
Director Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist (Eastmancolor)
Architect Henny Noremark
Music W.A. Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte
Orchestration Eric Ericson and SR/Symphony Choir
Choreography Donya Feuer
Costumes Karin Erskine, Henny Noremark
Brief Cast List
Tamino Josef Köstlinger
Pamina Irma Urrila
Papageno Håkan Hagegård
Papagena Elisabeth Erikson
Sarastro Ulrik Cold
Queen of Night Birgit Nordin
Monostatos Ragnar Ulfung
Running time 135 minutes
Released 26 September 1975
Television premiere 1 January 1975
The transmission was preceded by a TV documentary of the rehearsals, produced by Måns
Reutersvärd and Katinka Farago, titled Tagning Trollflöjten/Stand By To Shoot The Magic Flute.
Stockholm: SVT.
Commentary
After his staging of The Rake’s Progress at Stockholm Opera in 1961 (see interview with Bergman
by Bertil Widerberg in SDS, 6 April 1961, pp. 3, 4), Bergman received many feelers about setting
up operas abroad. Variety, 13 September 1967, p.1, reports that Bergman might stage a Wagner
opera at Bayreuth Music festival, even though he had turned down previous offers from La
Scala and the Berlin Opera.
According to an article in SvD, 31 March 1965, p. 12, Bergman negotiated with Hamburg
Opera about staging The Magic Flute, but plans were changed to a staging of The Rake’s Progess
and finally canceled because of his illness in late spring 1965. Some seven years later the Swedish
Broadcasting Corporation (SR/TV) commissioned Bergman to film Mozart’s opera for televi-
sion to celebrate SR’s 50th anniversary 1974 (see SvD, 2 November 1972). Bergman discussed the
production with music conductor Erik Eriksson in the news program ‘Eko’, Swedish Public
Radio (SR), 2 November 1972. A press conference was held on 10 November 1973 to present the
project (Stockholm press, 11 November). On 18 December 1974, SR issued a 10-page program
edited by B. Löwander and A.-M. Wachtmeister, including credits and some comments by
Bergman.
Swedish Reception
On 3 January 1975, Olof Lagercrantz launched a critical debate of Bergman’s TV ‘extravaganza’
with an editorial in DN; ‘Efter Trollflöjten’ [After The Magic Flute], p. 2. In this debate,
ideological and policy matters overshadowed artistic evaluations of Bergman’s Flute. Lager-
crantz’s editorial placed the film in the mainstream of a public discussion at the time about
elitist versus popular art and about the raison d’être of a state-subsidized opera, an exclusive art
form that could be enjoyed by only a handful of taxpayers. That Bergman’s Magic Flute reached

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millions of TV viewers and radio listeners did not appease his ideological critics, who argued
that Bergman had received a disproportionate slice of the annual TV budget for his production
and forced his bourgeois taste on Swedish workers. See critical SR radio talk by Torbjörn Säfve,
23 January 1975, and commentaries by Stig Ahlgren, ‘Kontrollflöjten’ [The control flute], Vecko-
Journalen, 15 January 1975, p. 28 (satire on Lagercrantz’s 3 January editorial); T. Uppström,
‘Trollflöjten, ett nederlag?’ [Magic Flute, a defeat?], AB, 6 January 1975, p. 2. AB’s comment
referred to Bergman’s production as ‘A centrally conducted piece of elitist culture in the
mammoth category’ [Ett centralt dirigerat stycke elitkultur i mammutkategorin]. See also: I.
Ygeman, Scen och Salong, no. 2 (1975), pp. 2-3 and Leif Zern, ‘Ingmar Bergman och finkulturen’
[Bergman and elitist culture], DN, 10 January 1975, p. 6 (support of TV production).
A final report on the financing of the Trollflöjten production in SvD, 22 November 1976, pp. 1,
7, announced that Sveriges Radio had recovered its costs and even made a profit on the venture.
Bergman’s profit was modest since he had agreed on a fixed sum beforehand and could not cash
in on the international success of his Flute.

After the TV transmission on January 1 1975, SR published an undated 7-page fact sheet in
English titled ‘The Magic Flute: What the Press Wrote’, with favorable excerpts in English of the
Nordic press reception.
Swedish Reviews
Stockholm press, 2 January and 5 October 1975 (AB, 31 December 1974).
Chaplin, no. 136 (January 1975), p. 14.
Reportage from shooting Trollflöjten/Magic Flute, SvD, 14 April 1974, p. 11; and DN, same date,
p. 20.
Svensk filmografi, 1970-1979 (Ø 380), pp. 288-291.
Special Studies
Törnqvist, Egil. Bergman’s Muses, 2003, Chapter 2, segment titled ‘Transcending Boundaries:
Mozart’s The Magic Flute as Television Opera’, pp. 65-79. (Discussion of Bergman’s TV opera
as a work in which formal, ideological and thematic boundaries are transcended). Also in
Fridén, ed., Ingmar Bergman and the Arts. Nordic Theatre Studies 11, 1998, pp. 84-97.

1976
327. ANSIKTE MOT ANSIKTE [Face to Face]
See (Ø 248) in Chapter IV, Filmography, for longer synopsis, full credits (including complete
cast list) and response to the shorter international film version of Face to Face.
Brief Synopsis
Psychiatrist Jenny Isaksson has a nervous breakdown, and while hallucinating and reliving a
childhood trauma, she becomes suicidal. She is rescued by her friend Tomas and recovers.
While in the hospital she is visited by her rather self-absorbed husband and daughter. Film ends
as Jenny calls her office to announce her pending return. There is also a suggestion of a trip to
the US.
The film is set in the old-fashioned apartment of Jenny’s grandparents in Stockholm, with
some additional scenes taking place in a hospital, in an empty house, and at a party.
Brief Credits
Production company Cinematograph

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Director Ingmar Bergman

Assistant director Peder Langenskiöld
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Architects Anne Terselius-Hagegård, Peter Krópenin
Sound/Mixing Owe Svensson
Running time 175 minutes (TV version)
Transmission date SVT, 28 April, 5, 12, 19 May 1996.
Brief Cast list
Dr. Jenny Isaksson Liv Ullmann
Dr. Tomas Jacobi Erland Josephson
Grandpa Gunnar Björnstrand
Grandma Aino Taube
Maria Kari Sylwan
Commentary
The published script of Face to Face is based on the longer TV version.
Bergman held a press conference on Ansikte mot ansikte/Face to Face, 7 January 1975, an-
nouncing his 2-million kronor TV film. See DN, 8 January, p. 10. He was interviewed about the
TV series by K. Harryson on Swedish television. See Röster i Radio-TV, nos. 18 (1976), pp. 7-8,
and 19, pp. 10-11, 61.
On 24 March 1976, SR/TV issued a five-page program including plot synopsis, film credits,
and Bergman’s letter to the crew. The letter was also published in NYT, 24 September 1975, p. 45,
and became the preface to Swedish and American printed versions of the script.
Swedish Reception
Several psychiatric professionals commented on the series. See H. Lohmann (interview) in
Röster i Radio-TV, no. 21 (1976), pp. 14-15; D. Notini in Expr., 9 May 1976, p. 16, about the risk
of ‘mimetic effects’, i.e., from Jenny’s suicide attempt. A special TV-program ‘Kris’ [Crisis], was
also aired in connection with Bergman series, SVT, 24 May 1976.
Practically all reviews of the TV series Ansikte mot ansikte praised Liv Ullmann’s perfor-
mance, but many regarded it as a directorial tour de force, covering up flaws in Bergman’s
conception of the character of Jenny Isaksson. On 5 and 21 May 1976, Information (Copenha-
gen) carried a public response to ‘Bergman’s total rape of women’. On 20 May 1976, Madeleine
Katz in Expr. (p. 5) attacked Bergman for failing Jenny: ‘She gives him an orgasm, then he
dismisses her, packs her off to the U.S’ [hon ger honom en orgasm, sedan skickar han bort
henne, packar iväg henne till USA]. For similiar views, see Britt-Marie Svedberg, DN, 24 May
1976, p. 18. See also reviews in Stockholm press, 29 April, 6 May, 13 May, and 20 May 1976 (Expr.
also 11 April); and Chaplin no. 144 (1976), pp. 95-95.

328. DE FÖRDÖMDA KVINNORNAS DANS [The dance of the damned women]

Credits
Original Title Il ballo delle ingrate
Production Swedish Television, Channel 2
Producers Måns Reuterswärd and Ingmar Bergman
Text Ingmar Bergman after an idea by Donya Feuer
Music Monteverdi
Choreography Donya Feuer
Photography Sven Nykvist

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Dancers Helene Friberg, Nina Harte, Lena Wennergren, Lisbeth

Zachrisson
Song Dorothy Dorrow
Broadcast Date 15 December 1976
Commentary
Described as a play for dancers rather than a ballet, De fördömda kvinnornas dans focusses on
four women moving in a narrow closed room. They represent ‘generational’ women, i.e., women
who live by performing a role imposed upon them by other women of many generations ago.
Two of the dancers are damned souls come alive. The third is Death and the fourth a child, born
free but forced into the role playing pattern. Ingmar Bergman and Donya Feuer got the idea for
the dance play during the shooting of Trollflöjten.
De fördömda kvinnornas dans was shown out of competition at the 1976 Prix d’Italia contest.
It reportedly had an enthusiastic reception. When shown on Swedish television, it was televised
twice in the same program spot with a commentary between the two showings. Bergman’s idea
was to let the viewers assess the dance play first without the commentary, then see it a second
time in a kind of silent dialogue with the commentator.
No reviews have been located.

1979
329. FÅRÖDOKUMENT 79
Synopsis
Ten years after he made his first documentary about Fårö, Ingmar Bergman set out to reex-
amine life on the island. He followed up on some of the interviews in his first Fårö film, finding
that most of the social trends on the island continued. The older generation wanted the young
to stay put and expressed fear that diminishing social services would contribute drastically to
depopulating the island. But Fårö 79 is less of a social document than the earlier film and more
of a hymn, a filmmaker’s declaration of love to the place where he feels rooted. The film is also
to a large extent the work of the photographer Arne Carlsson, a native of Fårö.
Credits
Production company Cinematograph; SR/TV 2
Production manager Lars-Owe Carlberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Photographer Arne Carlsson
Sound Thomas Samuelsson, Lars Persson
Sound rerecording Owe Svensson, Conrad Weyns
Music Svante Pettersson, Sigvard Huldt, Dag and Lena, Ing-
mar Nordströms, Strix Q, Rock de Luxe, Ola and the
Janglers
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Narrator Ingmar Bergman
Running time 103 minutes
Premiere Swedish TV 2, 25 December 1979.
Cinema premiere 19 October 1981, Filmstaden (Stockholm)
U.S. opening 30 October 1980, Coronet, NYC. Available at Museum
of Television and Radio, NYC. T:09357.

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Commentary
Arne Carlsson was given rather free reins to film the second Fårö dokument. His version has a
different (slower) rhythm than the first Fårö film and suggests a lack of Bergman editing. A
third Fårö film was discussed at the time but has not materialized.
Reviews
Stockholm press, 27 December 1979;
Chaplin, no. 166 (1980, no. 1), p. 37;
Cinéma, no. 256 (April 1980), p. 96;
Cinématographie, April 1980, p. 42;
Cinemateca Revista, no. 24 (June 1981): 40-41;
Films and Filming, May 1982, p. 37;
Image et son, no. 349 (April 1980), p. 59;
Monthly Film Bulletin, XLVIII, no. 572, (September) 1981: 176;
New York Times, 9 November 1980, sec. D, p. 19;
Variety, no. 1, (5 November) 1980, p. 22.
Yann Tobin. ‘Le décor démasqué’. Positif 231 (June) 1980: 65-66.
See also: Röster i Radio-TV, no. 52 (1979), pp. 6-7, 76; Svensk filmografi 1980-89, pp. 175-167.

1983
330. HUSTRUSKOLAN [School for Wives]
Credits
Production Sveriges Television (SVT)
Producer Gerd Edwards
Director Alf Sjöberg/Ingmar Bergman
Assistant Director Lotta Gummesson
Screenplay Molière’s play Ecole des femmes, tr. by Lars Forssell
Photo Jan Wictorinus, Per-Olof Runa, Lennart Söderberg
Sound Alvar Piehl
Architect (TV) John Virke
Costumes (TV) Ann-Marie Anttila, Tom Lange
Props Vivian Abrahamsson, Carina Sjöö
Make-up Birgitta Lundh, Yvonne Persson
Technical director Hans Rydström
Videotape editor Jan Askelöf
Continuity Gunnel Blomqvist
Cast
Arnolphe Allan Edwall
Agnès Lena Nyman
Alain Björn Gustafson
Georgette Ulla Sjöblom
Crysalde Lasse Pöysti
Oronte Olle Hilding
Enrique Oscar Ljung
Lawyer Nils Eklund
Horace Stellan Skarsgård

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Transmission date 25 December 1983.

Running time 108 min
Commentary
Three years after director Alf Sjöberg’s death in a bicycle accident in May 1980, Ingmar Bergman
transposed Sjöberg’s last production at Dramaten for television. A press conference was held at
SR/TV on 22 April 1983 after the cast had rehearsed for ten days and were about to start a 12-day
filming in a TV studio. According to Bergman he had wanted to follow Sjöberg’s intentions but
not make a copy of Sjöberg’s Dramaten production: ‘I don’t do this as a technician but as an
artist. In many cases I must seek other solutions and do a new scenography’. [Jag gör inte detta
som tekniker utan som konstnär. I många fall måste jag söka andra lösningar och göra ny
scenografi.]
In a TV interview, ‘Inför Hustruskolan’ [At the opening of School for Wives], SR/TV, 25
December 1983, Bergman talked about a pet idea of his: that good theatre should be made
available to everybody and not only to those who have access to Dramaten and the Opera:
‘Dramaten and the Royal Opera are two state institutions equally owned by Selma in Teck-
omatorp and Agnes in Korpilombolo – but Agnes and Selma never get to see what we are
doing’. [Dramaten och Kungliga Operan är två statliga institutioner som ägs likaledes av Selma i
Teckomatorp och Agnes i Korpilombolo – men Agnes och Selma får aldrig se vad vi gör.]
(Teckomatorp and Korpilombolo are small communities in the far south and far north of
Sweden.) See also Elisabeth Sörenson, ‘En bergmansk tanke’ [A Bergman thought]. SvD, 24
December 1983.
A documentary in two parts based on interviews, ‘Ingmar Bergman och Hustruskolan’, was
transmitted on Swedish Public Radio on 31 December 1983 and 1 January 1984. See Varia A.
Reviews
The enthusiastic reviews pointed out Bergman’s unique ability to cross-inseminate the theatre
stage and television screen. In this TV production he filmed the play from the point of view of a
viewer in a theatre audience. In this way he retained Sjöberg’s theatrical conception. Critics
called for a repeat transmission of a historical theatre evening.
Brunius, Clas. ‘TV igår. En fullträff ’ [TV yesterday. Right on the mark]. Expr., 26 December
1983, p. 62;
Malmberg, Gert. ‘TV-helg för alla’ [TV holidays for all]. GP, 27 December 1983, p. 40;
Marko, Susanne. ‘Ett bländande skådespel’ [A brilliant spectacle]. DN, 27 December 1983, p. 71;
Nohrborg, Kaj. ‘En avslagen knäppupp-film’ [A tepid film farce]. SDS, 27 December 1983, p. 63;
Sten, Hemming. ‘TV får världen att krympa’ [TV makes the world shrink]. SvD, 27 December
1983, p. 22.
See also
Halldin, Alf. ‘Bergmans hyllning till Sjöberg. Hustruskolan’ [B’s homage to S. School of Wives].
GP, 24 December 1983, Bilagan, p. 6.

1984
331. FANNY OCH ALEXANDER [Fanny and Alexander]
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman

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See entry (Ø 253) in Filmography for references to feature film version, including longer
synopsis, fuller credits, commentary, and foreign reception.
Brief Synopsis
Fanny and Alexander Ekdahl, pre-teen siblings, live in the university town of Uppsala in early
part of 20th century. After their father Oscar’s death, the mother (Emilie) remarries Bishop
Vergerus. Life changes drastically for the children, from boyous family gatherings to the
bishop’s stark religious home. A friend of the Ekdahl’s, the Jew Isak, rescues the children to
his house where Alexander encounters the puppeteer Aron and the visionary Ismael.
A sequence depicts Jacobi reading from his Holy Hebrew Book to Alexander and Fanny.
Images of pilgrims wandering through a desert landscape – among them the austere servant
Justina – accompany Isak’s reading. This sequence, referred to by Bergman as ‘the desert
sequence’, is cut from the shorter feature film version.
Emilie puts bromides in the bishop’s broth, then leaves him when he is almost unconscious.
Ismael articulates Alexander’s wish to kill the bishop. Intercut are shots of Vergerus’s obese aunt
catching fire from an overturned kerosene lamp. The fire spreads to the bishop’s bedroom. In
the morning Emilie is informed by the police of her husband’s death.
The following winter both Emilie and the servant girl Maj give birth to baby daughters. At a
family celebration, Gustaf Adolf Ekdahl, father of Maj’s child, makes a speech that is an homage
to life. The film ends with Helena Ekdahl reading to Emilie from the preface of Strindberg’s A
Dreamplay.
Brief Credits
Production company Cinematograph / Svenska Filminstitutet / SVT 1 / San-
drews / Gaumont / Personafilm / Tobis Film (SVT’s
Channel 1 and Sandrews were involved early as co-pro-
ducers, whereas French Gaumont delayed its decision).
Executive producer Jörn Donner
Production manager Katinka (Katherine) Faragó
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Peter Schildt
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist (Eastmancolor); Tony Forsberg (2nd-unit)
Sound Owe Svensson
Music Robert Schumann, Piano quintet E major op. 45 (2nd
movement) and ‘Du Ring an meinem Finger’ from
‘Frauen Liebe und Leben’; Daniel Bell; Benjamin Brit-
ten, Suites for cello op. 72, 80, and 87;
Architect Anna Asp
Brief Cast List
Ekdahl household
Helena Ekdahl Gunn Wållgren
Oscar Ekdahl Allan Edwall
Emilie Ekdahl Ewa Fröling
Alexander Ekdahl Bertil Guve
Fanny Ekdahl Pernilla Allwin
Gustaf Adolf Ekdahl Jarl Kulle
Alma, his wife Mona Malm
Carl Ekdahl Börje Ahlstedt

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Maj Kling, maid Pernilla Wahlgren

Jacobi household
Isak Jacobi Erland Josephson
Aron Mats Bergman
Ismael Stina Ekblad
Vergerus household
Bishop Vergerus Jan Malmsjö
Henrietta Vergerus, his sister Kerstin Tidelius
Blenda Vergerus, his mother Marianne Aminoff
Elsa Bergius, his aunt Hans Erik Lerfeldt
Justina, maid Harriet Andersson
Theatre staff
Philip Landahl Gunnar Björnstrand
Filmed on location in Uppsala, Södra Teatern (Stockholm), Värmdö-Tynningö and at SFI
Studios, Filmhuset, Stockholm, beginning 7 September 1981 and completed 22 March 1982.
Distribution Sandrews
U.S. distribution Embassy Pictures
Running time TV version: 300 minutes (at 25 fr/sec)
Premiere (TV version) SVT, 25 December 1984 (first of four segments)
The longer (TV) version was shown at Venice Film Festival in September 1983. At that time,
Bergman gave a press conference (9 September 1983), excerpted in French Positif, no. 289
(March 1985).
Commentary
The television version (aired on Swedish TV in four segments) was divided into five parts of
uneven lengths (92, 40, 37, 60 and 90 minutes). This version was ‘non-negotiable’ at Bergman’s
insistence. Instead, he edited a commercial film version, which follows sequentially the longer
five-hour television version but cuts or shortens several scenes. See Filmography, Reception,
Reviews and Articles (Ø 253).

332. EFTER REPETITIONEN [After the Rehearsal]

See also Filmography, Chapter IV (Ø 254), for longer synopsis, commentary and foreign
reception of Efter repetitionen as a motion picture.
Brief Synopsis
Efter repetition/After the Rehearsal is a TV film set on an old theatre stage. Henrik Vogler, an
aging director, sits alone when young Anna Egerman, cast as Agnes in Vogler’s current produc-
tion of Strindberg’s Ett drömspel, enters. Anna’s mother Rakel and Vogler were occasional
lovers. When Anna’s and Vogler’s meeting takes place, Rakel has been dead for five years.
Vogler expresses his views on the theatre. Suddenly Rakel appears. She is 46, drunk, and
seductive. The time goes back to when Anna was 12. After a bitter conversation Rakel leaves as
Vogler promises to visit her.
The scene returns to the present. Vogler ‘depicts’ in words his and Anna’s love affair. The
make-believe affair ends with their parting as friends. Aging Vogler notices he can no longer
hear the church bells.

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Credits
Production company Cinematograph for Personafilm Gmbh (Munich)
Executive producer Jörn Donner
Unit manager Eva Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Set Design Anna Asp
Editor Syliva Ingemarsson
Cast
Henrik Vogler Erland Josephson
Anna Egerman Lena Olin
Rakel Ingrid Thulin
Anna as 12-year-old Nadja Palmstierna-Weiss

Distribution Cinematograph/SVT/SF
Running time 72 minutes
Premiere 9 April 1984 (Swedish TV, Channel 1)
Swedish Reception
Reviewers pointed out the unique artistic quality of Bergman’s TV film and placed it high above
the usual fare on Swedish television in terms of visual artistry and acting talent. They were also
struck by the degree of humor and human acceptance in a production that could easily have
become an anguished tragedy. Opinion was more divided, however, about its content. To some,
Henrik Vogler’s part was a fascinating series of ruminations by an aging director, alias Ingmar
Bergman. To others, the fleeting borderline between confession and theatrical commentary was
problematic since it added more to Bergman’s biography than to his art and presumed a
knowledge of the filmmaker’s background and earlier work to elicit real interest.
Reviews
Stockholm press, 10 April 1984 (DN, 11 April).
Articles and Special Studies
Aghed, Jan. ‘Intérieur miniature’. Positif 289 (March) 1985: 17-35, (Discussion of Efter repetitio-
nen as an essay on the theatre);
Lierop, Pieter van. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Na de repetitie’. Skoop XXII, no. 1 (Feburary 1986): 26-27;
Narti, Ana Maria. ‘Sveriges mest beundrade sändebud’ [Sweden’s most admired envoy]. DN, 14
April 1984, p. 45;
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Intertextuality in the Theater. Ingmar Bergman’s Efter repetionen.’ Scandina-
vian Studies, Vol. 73, no. 1 (Spring) 2001, pp. 25-42. (Discusses the work as a tele-play).

1985
333. KARINS ANSIKTE [Karin’s face].
Produced in 1983, the 35mm film was shot in color but is largely based on black and white stills
from the family photo album. The subject is Ingmar Bergman’s mother Karin, maiden name
Åkerblom (1889-1964).

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Credits
Production Cinematograph
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Arne Carlsson
Sound Owe Svensson
Music Performed by Käbi Laretei
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson

Distribution Svenska Filminstitutet

Running time 14 minutes
Premiere First shown at film festivals in 1985. Swedish TV trans-
mission, 29 September 1986.

1986
334. DE TVÅ SALIGA [The Blessed Ones]
Synopsis
A middle-aged art teacher, Viveka, meets the somewhat younger Sune Burman in the empty
Uppsala Cathedral. He approaches her and asks her if she believes in God. She responds that
she cannot live without God, that God takes on great meaning for a lonely person. Viveka and
Sune continue their conversation during a train journey. They fall in love and view this as a
miracle. After a time lapse of seven years, we meet the two again, now locked up in an
apartment, closing off the outside world that makes vain attempts to reach them. Both Annika,
Viveka’s sister, and a psychiatrist fail. Love has made Viveka very vulnerable and suspicious; she
becomes jealous and increasingly paranoic, and leads Sune into madness. He imagines himself
chased by a police car. Viveka has an eye ailment and in an attempt to establish equality
between them, Sune stabs one of his eyes with a brush handle. The title, the two blessed ones,
takes on more and more ironic implications. The psychological tragedy ends in a double
suicide. Viveka turns on the gas and lies down on the floor next to Sune.
Credits
Production company Sveriges Television, TV 1/ Co-produced with Channel 4
(UK), DR (Denmark), ORF (Austria), RAI 2 (Italy),
VPRO (Netherlands), ZDF (Germany) and YLE (Fin-
land)
Executive producers Pia Ehrnvall, Katinka Faragó
Director Ingmar Bergman
Script Ulla Isaksson, after her 1962 novel of the same name
Photography Pelle Norén, Per Olof Runa, Jan Wictorinus
Sound Alvar Piehl
Architect Birgitta Brensén
Costumes Inger Pehrsson
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Cast
Viveka Burman Harriet Andersson
Sune Burman Per Myrberg
Annika Christina Schollin

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Dr. Dettow, psychiatrist Lasse Pöysti

Mrs. Storm Irma Christenson
Olsson, a neighbour Björn Gustafson
Also: Majlis Granlund, Kristina Adolphson, Margreth Weivers, Bertil Norström, Johan Rabaeus,
Lennart Tollén, Lars-Owe Carlberg.
Shot on location in Stockholm and Uppsala.
Distribution Sveriges Television
Running time 81 minutes (TV), 89 minutes
Premiere 19 February 1986, Swedish television, TV 2
Commentary
This TV film by Ingmar Bergman was based on a prose work by Ulla Isaksson, with whom he
had collaborated on the films Nära livet (1958) and Jungfrukällan (1960). It is a dark story, a
‘folie à deux’. The film contains violent scenes of self-mutilation and blinding. Bergman’s
production was termed stark and compassionate, ‘a miracle’ (Expr.), but also cold and clinical,
lacking empathy – ‘a melodrama smelling of sulphur and perfume’ [en melodram som luktade
svavel och parfym, DN]. NYT review (John J. Connor) called ‘The Blessed Ones’ a Bergman
work at its bleakest but ‘the work of an artist who can keep us watching almost against our will’.
François Ramasse in Positif considered this TV film the darkest in Bergman’s oeuvre.
Swedish Reviews
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Två utsatta barn i livets storskog’ [Two exposed children in life’s big
forest]. GP, 20 February 1986;
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Fördjupat virtuost samspel’ [Deepened virtuoso ensemble play]. SvD, 20
February 1986;
Blom, Jörgen. ‘Var pjäsen begriplig?’ [Did the play make sense?]. AB, 20 February 1986;
Ersgård, Stefan. ‘Sett i TV. Mörkret’ [Viewed on TV. The Darkness]. Arbetet, 20 February 1986;
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Bergman i TV. Lyhörd moralitet’ [B in TV. Sensitive morality play]. SDS, 20
February 1986;
Marko, Susanne. ‘En skräckromantisk fabel’ [A Gothic fable]. DN, 20 February 1986;
Nilsson, Björn. ‘All kärlek är en smitta’ [All love is contagion]. Expr., 20 February 1986;
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘En ruskig brygd’ [A horrible concoction]. AB, 20 February 1986, p. 41.
Foreign Reviews
Connor, John J. ‘Museum Tribute to Ingmar Bergman’, NYT, 18 February 1987, Sec. C, p. 22.
Lierop, Pieter van. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Na de repetitie’. Skoop XXII, no. 1 (Feburary 1986): 26-27;
review of Efter repetitionen but also includes notes on ‘The Blessed Ones’.
Ramasse, François. ‘Les deux bienheureux de Bergman’. Positif no. 313 (March 1987): 59.
Awards
Tele-film was shown out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987.
1986: Prize in TV section, Venice Film Festival

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1991
335. DEN GODA VILJAN [Best Intentions]
TV film, also released in abbreviated version as a feature film. See Filmography Chapter IV
(Ø 256) for longer synopsis, credits, commentary, and reception.
Script Ingmar Bergman
Director Bille August
Brief Synopsis
The narrative covers the first several years in the courtship and married life of Bergman’s
parents, Henrik Bergman and Anna Åkerblom. When they meet, Henrik is a poor theology
student at Uppsala. Anna is a nursing student. Soon after Anna’s aging father dies, she and
Henrik are engaged and visit the rural community of Forsboda, which will become their first
home. The narrator’s voice enters the story to reconstruct the first severe argument between
Henrik and Anna. A tension between Henrik and Anna’s mother Karin increases when Anna
delivers their first son at Uppsala Academic Hospial instead of at Forsboda.
A 7-year-old foster child, Petrus, comes to live with Anna and Henrik. At the same time there
is social unrest at the local mill, whose owner Nordenson and Henrik have a falling-out. In
December 1917, the mill is declared bankrupt, and Nordenson commits suicide.
Marital tension leads Anna to decide to move to her mother’s; Henrik loses control and hits
her twice. Anna stays in Uppsala over Christmas. In an epilogue, Henrik comes unannounced
to Uppsala in June 1918 and informs Anna of his decision to accept an offer to become pastor at
the Sophia Hospital in Stockholm. In July their second son, Ingmar, will be born.
Short Credits
Production company Sveriges Television (SVT). Produced in cooperation
with ZDF (Germany), Channel Four (UK), RAI Due
(Italy), DR (Denmark), NRK (Norway), RUK (Iceland),
and YLE 2 (Finland)
Producer Ingrid Dahlberg
Director Bille August
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Jörgen Persson
Sound Lennart Gentzel, Johnny Ljungberg
Music Stefan Nilsson; Sveriges Radio Symphony Orchestra,
conducted by Esa Pekka Salonen
Architect Anna Asp
Editor Janus Billeskov Jensen
Short Cast List
Henrik Bergman Samuel Fröler
Anna Åkerblom Pernilla Östergren-August
Johan Åkerblom Max von Sydow
Karin Åkerblom Ghita Nørby
Alma Bergman Mona Malm
Nordenson Lennart Hjulström
Queen Victoria Anita Björk
Petrus Farg Elias Ringqvist

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Distribution Svensk Filmindustri (shorter version)

Foreign Distribution Film Four International, London
Running time 325 minutes (TV-version), 181 minutes (shorter version)
Premiere 25 December 1991, SVT, channel 1 (4 segments); the
other segments were transmitted on 26, 29, & 30 De-
cember 1991, with repeat showings on 31 December
1991, 1, 5, & 6 January 1992; and on 25 & 29 December
1994, 1 & 5 January 1995.
Swedish Reviews
Aghed, Jan. ‘En fantastisk samling skådespelare’ [A fantastic group of actors]. SDS, 27 Decem-
ber 1991, p. A31;
Hjertén, Hanserik. ‘Pulsen saknas i finstämt epos’ [The pulse is missing in finely attuned epic].
DN, 27 December 1991, p. B4;
Kaplan, Tony. ‘Ljuset i mörkret’ [The light in darkness]. Arb, 27 December 1991, Sec. 2, p. 27;
Ludvigsson, Bo. ‘En berättelse att sjunka in i’ [A tale to sink into]. SvD, 27 December 1991, p. 1, 3
(section 2);
Schwartz, Margareta. ‘Den här gången sa det pang’ [This time – bingo]. Expr., 26 December
1991, p. 46;
Thunbäck-Hanson, Monika. ‘Den goda viljans seger’ [Victory of Best Intentions]. GP, 27
December 1991, p. 4;
Westling, Barbro. ‘Att vilja’ [To want to]. AB, 26 December 1991, p. 4;
Zern, Leif. ‘Bergmans spegel putsad – och blank’ [Bergman’s mirror polished – and smooth].
Expr., 26 December 1991, p. 4.

See also review in Filmrutan, no. 1, 1992, pp. 34-35.

1992
336. MARKISSINNAN DE SADE [The Marquise de Sade]
Credits
Original Title Sado Koshako fujin
Production SVT (Swedish Television)
Producers Katarina Sjöberg/Måns Reuterswärd
Playwright Yukio Mishima
Director Ingmar Bergman
Asst. director Richard Looft
Architect Mette Möller
Photography Pelle Norén, Bo Johansson,
Videotape Raymond Wemmenlöw
Music Ingrid Yoda
Choreography Donya Feuer
Sound Curre Forsmark
Mixing Gunnar Frisell
Costumes Maggie Strindberg, Helvi Treffner
Make-up Britt Falkemo
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Videotape editor Jan Askelöf

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Premiere 17 April 1992

Running Time 104 minutes
Cast
See Markissinnan (Ø 471) in Chapter VI: Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre
Commentary and Reception
Shortly before the TV transmission of Markissinnan de Sade, Vilgot Sjöman interviewed Ingmar
Bergman about Michima’s play (‘Ingmar Bergman om Marquise de Sade’, SVT, 12 August 1992).
Reviewer O. Zachrisson posed the question whether Bergman’s presentation of six women
dressed in crinolines, gliding back and forth like radio-controlled cars while exchanging
thoughts on sexual perversities, would be anything to offer the action-oriented Swedish tele-
vision. Reviewer found that the six actresses created an almost perfect esthetic unit ‘bedded in
the most wonderful poetry’ [svept i den mest underbara poesi] and saw this as the epitome of
Bergman’s stagecraft, a director who sacrificed moral and social concerns at the expense of
formal and visual perfection.
Zachrisson, Olof. ‘Sett i TV. Strålande teater om hjärta och smärta’ [Brilliant theatre about heart
and pain]. SDS, 18 April 1992.
Special Studies
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Michima’s Madame de Sade on Stage and on Television’. In author’s book
Bergman’s Muses, 1995, pp. 101-113.

1993
337. BACKANTERNA [The Bachae]
For synopsis, commentary and reviews, see also Stage and Opera productions of same work in
theatre chapter, VI (Ø 481 and 492). The opera version was produced in 1991 and most
production information is listed there (Ø 492).
Credits
Production SVT in cooperation with Royal Swedish Opera and
Royal Dramatic Theatre together with DR (Denmark),
NRK (Norway), Rikisutvarpid (Iceland), YLE 1 (Fin-
land), and Bayrischer Rundfunk (Germany)
Producer Måns Reuterswärd
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman, based on Euripides’s drama ‘The Ba-
chae’
Music Daniel Börtz
Orchestra Royal Opera Orchestra, conducted by Kjell Ingebretsen
Photography Per Norén, Raymond Wemmenlöv, Sven-Åke Visén;
Wulf Meseke (videotape)
Choreography Donya Feuer
Architect Mette Möller
Props Jan-Erik Savela, Torbjörn Johansson, Kjell Björk
Make-up Carin Blum, Cecilia Drott, Christina Sjöblom, Suzanne
Bergmark, Nina Spjuth, Lotta Ulfung, Jan Kindahl
Special effects Lars Söderberg, Artur Zonabend

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Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson; Jan Askelöf (videotape)

Continuity Maj-Britt Vifell
Premiere SVT, Channel 1, 9 April 1993.
Running time 131 min
Commentary
This was a TV version of the staged opera from 1991, a transposition of Euripides’s classical
drama written for an amphitheatre into a performance designed for the most intimate of stages,
the TV screen. ‘The whole production was suffused with the total professional knowledge of a
master from the first image to the last. A Greek TV drama of world class’ [Hela uppsättningen
genomströmmades från första bilden till den sista av den totala yrkeskunskapen hos en mästare.
Ett grekiskt TV drama av världsklass], wrote one reviewer (Kaplan). Bergman’s imagery and
composer Börtz’s music reinforced each other, and their work was, according to critic Leif Aare,
‘not an opera so much as an optimal interpretation of Euripides’s drama’ [inte en opera så
mycket som en optimal tolkning av E’s drama]. Another critic (Lundberg) felt, however, that
Bergman’s TV version of The Bachae was closer to his own cinematography of the 1950s than to
classical Greek drama.
A TV documentary produced by Måns Reuterswärd on Bergman’s opera version of Back-
anterna was transmitted on SVT, Channel 1, on 7 November 1993. See Varia, A.
Reviews
Aare, Leif. ‘Hänförande explosion i bild och ton’ [Raptuous explosion in image and tone]. DN,
10 April 1993.
Kaplan, Tony. ‘Sett i TV. Strålande Sylvia – blek Macklean’ [Seen on TV. Brilliant Sylvia – pale
M.]. Arbetet, 10 April 1993.
Lundberg, Camilla. ‘Gudarna sjunger ut’ [The gods at high pitch]. Expr., 9 April 1993.
Åhlén, Carl-Gunnar. ‘Ögonen talar starkast’ [The eyes speak the strongest]. SvD, 10 April 1993.
Special Studies
Iversen, Gunilla. ‘The Terrible Encounter with a God: The Bacchae as Rite and Liturgical Drama
in Ingmar Bergman’s Staging’, in Nordic Theatre Studies, 11, pp. 70-83.
Rygg, Kristin. ‘The Metamorphoses of the Bachae: From Ancient Rites to TV Opera’ in Nordic
Theatre Studies, 11, pp. 47-69. (Focussing on the TV version of Bergman’s The Bacchae, this
article provides good background material for Euripides’s play and detailed observations
about the consequences of Bergman’s changes in the original plot, as well as the impact of
Daniel Börtz’s musical score).
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Euripides’s The Bachae as Opera, Television Opera, and Stage Play’. In author’s
book Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 91-100. (A comparative study of Bergman’s three different
media versions of The Bachae: opera, stage drama, TV opera).

1995
338. SISTA SKRIKET – EN LÄTT TINTAD MORALITET [The Last Scream – A slightly
tinted morality play]
See title entry in theatre chapter, VI, 1993 (Ø 474) for synopsis, commentary and theatre
reviews.
This short one-act stage play, first presented on stage in 1993 and later filmed for television,
tells of the fictitious encounter in 1919 between Charles Magnusson, the founder of the early

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Swedish film company Svenska Bio, and talented filmmaker Georg af Klercker who used to
work for Magnusson.
Credits
Production Company SVT
Producer Måns Reuterswärd
Director Ingmar Bergman
Cast
Georg af Klercker Björn Granath
Charles Magnusson Ingvar Kjellson
Miss Holm, Magnusson’s secretary Anna von Rosen
Narrator Ingmar Bergman
Reviews
Malmberg, Gert. ‘Historielektion med tvära kast’ [History lesson with abrupt turns]. GP, 7
January 1995.
Persson, Ann. ‘Lysande Bergman om stumfilmare’ [Brilliant B about silent filmmakers]. DN, 5
January 1995, p. 5.
Söderberg, Agneta. ‘Bergman frossar i förnedring’ [B. revels in humiliation]. Expr., 6 January
1995, p. 5.
Wahlin, Claes. ‘Sista skriket från Bergman’ [The Last Gasp from B.]. AB, 6 January 1995, p. 4.
Foreign Reviews
Mérigeau, Pascal. ‘Pour George af Klercker cinéast precurseur et oublié’. Le Monde, 7 December
1995;
Variety (as The Last Gasp), CCCLXVII, no. 1, 5 May 1997: 72.
Special Studies
Andersson, Lars Gustaf. ‘Sista skriket. Ingmar Bergman och Georg af Klercker och filmens
villkor’. Filmrutan XXXVII, no. 1, 1994: 2-5;
Björkman, Stig. ‘Une decouverte d’Ingmar Bergman’. Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 467-468;
Lefèvre, R. ‘Ingmar Bergman et Georg af Klercker’. Mensuel cinéma, April 1993, pp. 6-8.

1996
339. HARALD OCH HARALD
Synopsis
Short TV play (ten mintues). The text is mainly authentic quotations from various official
governmental investigations on culture. Dedicated to Åke Gustavsson, chairman of the cultural
committee in the Swedish parliament.
Credits
Production Sveriges Television with Royal Dramatic Theatre
Producer Måns Reuterswärd
Director Ingmar Bergman
Text Swedish government report on cultural affairs
Photography Jan Wictorinus, Per Olof Rekola, Arne Halvarsson
(videotape)
Sound Ulf Janzon, Jan-Erik Piper

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Mixing Sven-Erik Jansson

Architect Göran Wassberg
Make-up Leif Qviström, Yvonne Persson
Editor Louise Brattberg
Cast
Harald Björn Granath
Harald Johan Rabaeus
Benny Haag

Broadcast date 14 January 1996

Commentary
This ten-minute reading of excerpts from the Swedish Government’s Cultural Commission
turned the report into a pompous satire. It was first performed to a small audience in Målar-
salen at Dramaten, then televised.
Reviews
Furhammar, Leif. ‘Bergmans senaste full av pärlor’ [B’s latest full of pearls]. DN, 16 January
1996.

340. ENSKILDA SAMTAL [Private Conversations]

See (Ø 258) in Filmography for fuller synopsis, credits, cast list and foreign response.
Director Liv Ullmann
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Brief Synopsis
In a series of confidential talks with her pastor between 1925 and 1934, Anna Bergman focuses
on problems in her marriage and her love affair with a young theology student. The last
conversation takes place in Uppsala between Anna, now 45 years old, and her friend Maria,
wife of Uncle Jacob, who is dying.
Enskilda samtal ends with an epilogue that takes us back to the year 1907, when Anna
Åkerblom was 17. She talks with Uncle Jacob about going to communion but makes no
decision.
Brief Credits
Production company SverigesTelevision, Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK),
Danmarks radio (DR), YLE TV 2, Helsinki, RUV Rey-
kjavik, Nordiska TV-Samarbetsfonden
Producer Maria Curman
Director Liv Ullmann
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Sven Nykvist
Sound Bert Wallman, Gunnar Landström
Music See Ø 258
Mixing Owe Svensson
Architect Mette Möller
Editor Michal Leszcylowski
Brief Cast List
Anna Bergman Pernilla August

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‘Uncle’ Jacob Max von Sydow

Henrik Bergman Samuel Fröler
Tomas Egerman Thomas Hanzon
Karin Åkerblom Anita Björk

Distribution Sveriges Television (SVT)

Running time 194 minutes divided into two segments
Premiere 25 December 1996, first part; second part on 26 Decem-
ber. 16 mm TV series in five ‘conversations’ based on
Bergman’s 1993 script
Swedish Reception
Favorable reception focussed on Bergman’s penetrating portrait of a woman’s life crisis; on
Pernilla August’s superb portrayal as Anna Bergman; and on Liv Ullmann’s (and Sven Nykvist’s)
chiselled close-ups of the players. Almost all reviewers remarked on the dark and depressing
intensity of Bergman’s story, recognizing it as a revealing exposure of the mood and ethos of a
(bygone) Lutheran milieu. Wrote Lisbeth Larsson (Expr.): ‘Just like Ingmar Bergman himself at
one time, we’ve had enough of their (the parents) quarrel. But just like Ingmar Bergman, we
have a hard time divorcing ourselves from it’. [Precis som Ingmar Bergman själv en gång börjar
vi få nog av deras gräl. Men precis som Ingmar Bergman har vi också svårt att slita oss.] Leif
Zern (DN) commented on the same issue: ‘In the same moment I was about to get tired of the
whole thing, the most interesting chapter in the ongoing tale of Ingmar Bergman’s parents
appears. [...] I don’t believe I have ever seen anything more moving in Swedish film, not even in
Ingmar Bergman’s own works. Liv Ullmann releases forces that shake loose the skeleton of the
defenseless viewer’. [I samma ögonblick som jag var beredd att tröttna på alltsammans kommer
det [...] intressantaste kapitlet i den pågående berättelsen om Ingmar Bergmans föräldrar. [...]
Jag tror inte att jag sett någonting lika gripande i svensk film, inte ens hos Bergman själv. Liv
Ullmann förlöser krafter som skakar loss skelettet hos den värnlöse åskådaren.]
Swedish Reviews (of TV version)
Aghed, Jan. ‘Dramatiskt, psykologiskt och stilistiskt helgjuten historia’ [Perfectly molded story,
dramatically, psychologically and stylistically]. SDS, 24 December 1996, p. B 20;
Gerell, Boel. ‘Lögnen i ögats innersta skrymsle’ [The lie in the innermost corner of the eye].
KvP, 25 December 1996, p. 4;
Larsson, Lisbeth. ‘Tårarnas tal’ [Speech of tears]. Expr., 27 December 1996, p. 4;
Malmberg, Carl-Johan. ‘Bergman låter den nakna sanningen tala’ [B lets the naked truth
speak]. SvD, 27 December 1996, p. 36;
Thunbäck-Hanson, Monika. ‘En historia om kärlek, tro och skuld’ [A story about love, faith
and guilt]. GP, 27 December 1996, p. 61;
Westling, Barbro. ‘Bergman – med alltför varsam hand’ [B – with too careful a hand]. AB, 27
December 1996, p. 5;
Zern, Leif. ‘Säker regi förlöser skådespelet’ [Confident direction releases the drama]. DN, 27
December 1996, p. B4.

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1997
341. LARMAR OCH GÖR SIG TILL [In the Presence of a Clown]
Director Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
The original title is a quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Act V: ‘It is a tale told by an idiot, full
of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’
Synopsis
Bergman’s ‘telepic’ opens to ‘The Organ Grinder’, the final song in Franz Schubert’s Winterreise
song cycle. The time is 1925 at the Academic Hospital in Uppsala as Doctor Egerman checks on
Carl Åkerblom. At age 54 Carl is engaged to 22-year-old Pauline Thibault. His wacky and
imaginative mind is constantly teeming with new projects. After several real or imagined
conversations with visitors to his bedside, he is approached by a mysterious white clown named
Rigmor (rigor mortis), a fantasy figure and angel of death.
Carl is prompted by another patient, 75-year-old Professor Osvald Vogler, to dream up a film
project, the first living talkie, where actors behind the screen will recite the film’s dialogue in
perfect sync with the projected images. The result is a black-and-white silent film entitled ‘The
Joy of the Lady of the Night’, depicting Schubert’s encounter with a famous 19th-century
courtesan. Carl and his fiancee take the show on the road and travel through a wintry Swedish
landscape. They stop for a showing at Grånäs Temperance Hall. Carl and his assistants, the 20-
year-old actress Mia Falk and his fiancee, are visited by Carl’s stepmother, Anna Åkerblom, who
has come to fetch her stepson and bring him home; she and Pauline exchange some con-
fidences. Anna Åkerblom is invited to stay for the evening’s film performance but declines.
Also, Carl’s half-sister, Karin Bergman, arrives, as do half a dozen local folks who have fought a
bitter snowstorm.
The audience seems resurrected from Bergman’s film Winter Light, among them the school
teacher Märta Lundblad. All watch the projected film in awe until a sudden short circuit puts a
stop to it. Instead, a stage performance is improvised, with the action taking place in Vienna in
1823 when Franz Schubert is working on the last part of his Great Symphony. A dialogue
develops between the composer and his fiancee Mitzi, played by Carl Åkerblom and Pauline.
The room is bathing in the soft glow from dozens of candles turning the occasion into a solemn
moment of communal theatre.
After the performance, everybody leaves, saluting Carl as if he were their pastor. Pauline and
Carl talk. Death (the Clown) reappears quite close to Carl Åkerblom. As earlier, Rigmor’s
presence is accompanied by Schubert’s Organ-Grinder motif, a figure of Death in his composi-
tion.
Credits
Production company Sveriges Television
Producer Pia Ehrnvall
Executive producer Måns Reuterswärd
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director (video) Antonia Pyk
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Per Norén, Raymond Wemmenlöv, Sven Åke Visén
(video); Tony Forsberg (film)
Sound Magnus Berglid
Mixing Gabor Pasztor

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Music Franz Schubert, performed by Käbi Laretei

Architect Göran Wassberg
Props Jan-Erik Savela
Costumes Mette Möller
Make-up Cecilia Drott-Norlén, Christina Sjöblom
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Special effects Lars Söderberg
Continuity Maj-Britt Vifell
Cast
Carl Åkerblom Börje Ahlstedt
Pauline Thibault Marie Richardson
Osvald Vogler Erland Josephson
Karin Bergman Pernilla August
Petrus Landahl, teacher Peter Stormare
Märta Lundberg, teacher Anita Björk
Rigmor the clown Agneta Ekmanner
Emma Vogler Gunnel Fred
Johan Egerman, doctor Johan Lindell
Nurse Stella Gerthie Kulle
Mia Falk, actress Anna Björk
Alma Berglund Inga Landgré
Algot Frövik Tord Peterson
Karin Persson Harriet Nordlund
Fredrik Blom, cantor Folke Asplund
Hanna Apelblad Birgitta Pettersson
Stefan Larsson Alf Nilsson
Inmate at the asylum Ingmar Bergman
Filmed on location at Ulleråkers Mental Hospital (Uppsala), Stockholm (SVT Studios), Octo-
ber 1996-February 1997.
Running time 118 min
Swedish premiere 1 November 1997 (Television)
Foreign film opening Cannes Film Festival, May 1998
Commentary
If Fanny och Alexander was a recapitulation of the real and fictitious worlds of Bergman’s
childhood, Larmar och gör sig till is an homage to the artistic universe created by Bergman
and his actors over the years, a universe which, according to one reviewer (Waaranperä), ‘has
come to penetrate our own lives during half of the 20th century, almost without our noticing it’.
[har kommit att genomsyra våra egna liv under halva 1900-talet nästan utan att vi märkt det].
The TV film is also an encounter of many of the figures in Bergman’s earlier screen work, some
enacted by the same actors as before, some with new faces: ‘And Ingmar Bergman’s magic is
apparently so mighty that he succeeds in making his actors live a kind of continuous parallell
life as members of the Bergman clan.’ [Och Ingmar Bergmans trollkraft är tydligen så mäktig att
han lyckas få skådespelarna att leva ett slags kontinuerligt parallellt liv som medlemmar i den
bergmanska klanen.] (Schwartz).
Bergman himself said he made the film with death standing behind his back, as had been the
case in Det sjunde inseglet/The Seventh Seal. His figure of death, the clown Rigmor, is however
depicted with a great deal more grotesque levity when appearing before Carl Åkerblom in

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Larmar och gör sig till than is the black-robed Death figure who plays chess with the Knight in
Det sjunde inseglet.
Swedish reception was mostly very favorable. All reviews recognized Bergman’s masterful
professionalism and the superb acting of his hand-picked cast; some spoke about their joy of
recognition (Tunbäck-Hansson); others (Rehlin) about the film’s specific Bergman qualities: its
mixture of burlesque spoofing and tragedy, despair and warm empathy. Only one reviewer
(Gerell) felt a lack of involvement on Bergman’s part.
Swedish Reviews
Gerell, Boel. ‘De perifera demonerna’ [The peripheral demons]. KvP, 1 November 1997.
Kaplan, Tony. ‘Fascinerande Bergman’ [Fascinating B]. Arbetet, 2 November 1997.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘En destillerad syn på konst och konstnärskap’ [A distilled view of art and
artistic activity]. SDS, 2 November 1997.
Ludvigsson, Bo. ‘Vackert om morbror Carl’ [Beautiful about Uncle Carl]. SvD, 31 October 1997.
Rehlin, Gunnar. ‘Perfekt lördagsunderhållning’ [Perfect Saturday entertainment]. GT, 1 Novem-
ber 1997.
Schwartz, Nils. ‘En dåres bekännelser’ [A fool’s confessions]. Expr., 2 November 1997.
Tunbäck-Hanson, Monika. ‘Lysande med Bergmans magi’ [Brilliant with Bergman’s magic].
GP, 2 November 1997.
Waaranperä, Ingegärd. ‘Ringlek i Bergmans universum’ [Ring dance in B’s universe]. DN, 2
November 1997, p. 3.
Foreign Reviews
Levy, Emanuel. ‘In the Presence of a Clown’. Variety, vol. 371, no. 3 (25 May), 1998, pp. 61-62.
Positif, no. 449/450 (July/August 1998): 112-13.
Review Articles and Special Studies
Kurzwel, Edith. ‘In the Presence of a Clown’. Partisan Review, Winter 1999, pp. 153-61.
Schwartz, Stan. ‘In the Presence of a Clown’. Film Comment 34, no. 4 (July-August) 1998: 67-69.
(Terms the TV film among Bergman’s best works and refers to it in very positive terms as ‘a
parable about life, death, madness, and art’, summing up all major themes that have
occupied Bergman earlier).
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Film and Stage on Television: Bergman’s In the Presence of a Clown’. In author’s
book Bergman’s Muses, 1995, pp. 129-145.
See also
Ahlström, Gabriella. ‘Lirare med klockrena träffar’ [Player with pure-sounding hits]. DN, 14
October 1997, p. B1. Presentation of Erland Josephson in connection with TV showing of
Larmar och gör sig till.
Gustafsson, Annika. ‘Ahlstedt gör älskad figur i ny film’ [A. makes a beloved figure in new film].
SDS, 31 October 1997, p. B 13. Article based on an interview with Börje Ahlstedt.
Wahlin, Claes. ‘Heliga dårar’ [Holy fools]. AB, 1 November 1997.
A documentary about the shooting of Larmar och gör sig till was shown on Swedish television
on 7 and 8 November 1997. It was titled ‘I sällskap med en clown’ [In the presence of a clown].
See Furhammar, Leif. ‘Larmar, smeker och kramar’ [Sounds of fury, caresses and hugs]. DN, 9
November 1997. The documentary was preceded by an interview, done by Marie Nyreröd, SVT
Nike program, October 1997.
Larmar och gör sig till was shown as part of ‘Un certain regard’ at 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
It has also been telecast in Germany.

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 Television Works

2000
342. BILDMAKARNA [The Image Makers], Color/BW
TV version, broadcast 14 November, 2000, of P.O. Enquist’s play produced by Bergman at
Dramaten in 1998. See (Ø 483) in theatre chapter (VI).
Credits
Production Company SVT
Producer Pia Ehrnvall
Director Ingmar Bergman
Playwright Per Olov Enquist
Cast
Selma Lagerlöf Anita Björk
Tora Teje Elin Klinga
Victor Sjöström Lennart Hjulström
Julius Jænzon Carl-Magnus Dellow
Commentary
P.O. Enquist’s play Bildmakarna combines two themes: alcoholism and artistic authenticity. In
the stage version of the play, Bergman focussed on the second theme; in the TV version, with its
extensive use of close-ups, the issue of alcoholism came to dominate as the two women, the
aging Selma and the young Tora, establish a rapport.
Dramaturgically, the TV adaptation of Enquist’s play departed from the stage version by the
use of three rather than two clips from Sjöström’s 1920 film Körkarlen (The Phantom Carriage),
which filled the TV screen, thus excluding the actors as spectators. The clips from Sjöström’s
film, based on a Selma Lagerlöf ’s story, were introduced or accompanied by Schubert’s String
Quartet D. 531, ‘Death and the Maiden’, played on a record player. Bergman introduced a meta
or multi-media element in the TV version when he included, high up in a booth, the author of
the play, P.O. Enquist, as the projectionist of the clips.
There was a faster pacing (editing) in the TV version, deliberate choice of close-ups and a
stronger focus on the father-daughter relationship as possibly incestuous. The Sjöström char-
acter was more desperate than in the Dramaten production and at one time played with a
pistol. The last clip from Körkarlen, which ended the TV production, showed a man taking his
life with a pistol. The reception was positive, pointing out the increased closeness of the drama
on the television screen but also the loss of a theatrical continuum when the film clips take over
the screen totally.
Reviews
Björck, Amelie. ‘Magnetiskt skådespeleri i Bergmans Bildmakarna’ [Magnetic acting in B’s
Image Makers]. GP, 15 November 2000, p. 53.
Hallert, Kerstin. ‘Stor händelse varje gång Bergman regisserar för TV’ [Big event every time B.
directs on TV]. AB, 16 November 2000.
Ring, Lars. ‘I Bildmakarna blir dikten en absolut, själslig sanning’ [In the Image Makers fiction
becomes an absolute spiritual truth]. SvD, 16 November 2000.
Sörenson, Margareta. ‘Bildmakaren’ [The image maker]. Expr., 18 November 2000.
Waaranperä, Ingegärd. ‘Bergmans ‘Bildmakarna’. Snabbare, tätare och roligare på TV än på
Dramaten’ [B’s Image Makers. Faster, denser and funnier on TV than at Dramaten]. DN, 16
November 2000.

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 Chapter V The Media: Radio and Television Work

Special Studies
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Film on Stage and on Television: Enquist’s The Image Makers’. In author’s book
Bergman’s Muses, 1995, pp. 146-160. Article provides detailed comparison between play and
TV versions.

2003
343. SARABAND
Director Ingmar Bergman
TV script Ingmar Bergman
Synopsis
In Saraband, Johan and Marianne, the married couple in Scenes from a Marriage, return to the
TV screen some 30 years later, but in name only, for Saraband is not conceived as a sequel to
Scenes. Both Johan, in his eighties, and Marianne, 63, have remarried and have adult children.
On an impulse, Marianne decides to visit Johan, who has moved back to his grandparents’
house in Orsa Finnmark in northern Dalarna. Johan’s son Henrik, 61, and Henrik’s daughter
Karin, 21, have temporarily moved into a guest house on the premises. Both are cellists. Karin
was trained by her father. Upon her arrival Marianne finds a chaotic situation, an incestuous
family conflict that started two years earlier when Anna, Henrik’s wife for 20 years, died. Johan
has nothing but contempt for Henrik and humiliates him openly, while at the same time trying
to make arrangements for Karin to study under a famous music teacher in Finland. Karin
decides, however, to pursue plans she has made in secret to continue her education in Hamburg
and Vienna. When she leaves her father behind, he makes an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Johan’s response is one of hateful sarcasm: Henrik cannot even succeed in killing himself.
Saraband, named after a Spanish dance that appears in each of Bach’s five cello suites, is a
chamber film divided into a prologue, ten tableaus and an epilogue. Bach’s music forms a
musical leitmotif. Marianne opens and ends the film, she is both director inviting the viewer
into her story and participant in it. Each tableau is designed as an encounter between two of the
four characters, like a dance or variations of a theme. What remains at the end are four lonely
and shattered lives. Spiteful and cynical Johan has revealed his death angst; Henrik, left alone,
may be dying; Karin has disappeared into an unknown future; Marianne, who has two daugh-
ters, visits one of them, Marta, in a mental institution. There is only a brief moment of contact
between them before Marta slips back into her catatonic state. The film exudes despair and has
no definite ending.
Credits
Production company Sveriges Television/SvT Fiction, with DR (Denmark),
NRK (Norway), RAI (Italy), YLEI (Finland), ZDF (Ger-
many), Nordic TV collaborative fund, Nordic Film and
TV fund.
Project leader Pia Ehrnvall
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Torbjörn Ehrnvall
Screenplay Ingmar Bergman
Photography Raymond Wemmenlöv, P.O. Lantto, Sofi Stridh, Jesper
Holmström, Stefan Eriksson
Asst. cameraman Sven Jarnerup
Steadicam Michael Tiverios

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 Television Works

Lighting Per Sundin

Sound Börje Johansson
Electricians Lars Ståhlberg, Per Sturk
Mixing Gabor Pasztor
Music J.S. Bach, Cello suite, no. 5 C Minor, 4th movement
Sarabande
Cello solo Thorleif Thedéen, Opus 3 CD 8802
Cello solo playback Åsa Forsberg-Lindgren
J.S. Bach, Trio Sonata for Organ, no. 1 E Major, 1st
movement, Allegro
Organ solo Torvald Torén, BIS CD 803/804
Anton Bruckner, Symphony no. 9, D Minor, 2nd move-
ment, Scherzo
Conductor Herbert Blomstedt
Set design Göran Wassberg
Props Jan-Erik Savela
Costumes Inger Pehrson
Make-up Cecilia Drott-Norlén
Editor Sylvia Ingemarsson
Cast
Marianne Liv Ullmann
Johan Erland Josephson
Henrik, Johan’s son Börje Ahlstedt
Karin, Henrik’s daughter Julia Dufvenius
Marta, Marianne’s daughter Gunnel Fred
Filmed digitally in SVT studio, Stockholm, the first time Bergman used this electronic technique.
Time 1 hour, 47 min
Premiere 1 December 2003. Repeat transmission 7 December
2003.
Commentary
On 8 November 2001, Ingmar Bergman held a press conference together with Liv Ullmann,
Erland Josephson, Börje Ahlstedt, and Julia Dufvenius on SVT premises in Stockholm, in which
he announced a forthcoming TV play titled ‘Anna’, to be produced in September 2002. He
described the process of writing ‘Anna’ as a ‘birth’, a discovery ‘that I was in a blessed state’. [att
jag befann mig i ett välsignat tillstånd]. The title was later changed to ‘Saraband’. Bergman
described his work as a chamber play inspired by Bach’s ‘Kunst der Fuge’. See UNT, 10 No-
vember 2001, p. 20; SvD, 9 November 2001, p. 1, Kultur 2; DN, same date, p. 1, B4.
During the production planning, SF negotiated with Bergman about the film rights to
Saraband. There were preliminary plans to show the film at the Venice Film Festival, but when
the digital TV film was finished, Bergman was unhappy with its technical quality (both sound
and image) and refused to release it as a commercial film. It will be shown in a few movie
theatres in 2005 on a try-out basis.
A documentary about the making of Saraband, titled ‘I Bergmans regi’ was televised on SVT,
3 December 2003. It was produced by Torbjörn Ehrnwall and photographed by Arne Carlsson.
The documentary includes short interview statements by costumier Inger Pehrson, set designer
Göran Wassberg, propman Rasmus Rasmusson, members of the cast and Ingmar Bergman. See
Varia, A.

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The shooting of Saraband was technically problematic. Bergman wanted to use three film
cameras as he had done in previous TV productions, but the new cameras that had been bought
were very noisy and Bergman confined himself to one camera only. Saraband was also shot with
digital equipment; however, Bergman was dissatisfied with the loss of clarity in the image. After
the original showing on Swedish Television, he would not release the film in its digital version.
Later he has agreed to showing the film version in limited movie theatres. Saraband was shown
at the New York Film Festival in 2004 and also in commercial theatres in the States.
Reception
Bergman had stated that Saraband was to be his exit from television, the last of several farewells
to filmmaking. Critics contrasted this austere chamber film to the exuberant Fanny and Alex-
ander, Bergman’s exit from commercial film production some 20 years earlier. The reviews were
respectful and talked about Bergman’s irrepressible artistic approach that remained absolutely
faithful to his personal vision and refused to adapt to the lighter fare of the TV medium.
Saraband was seen as one more testimony to Bergman’s special forte: a strictly choreographed
portrayal of the private life of the bourgeoisie, with no attempt to bring in broader social or
political issues into a family conflict. All the reviews treated Saraband as a work carrying the
master’s signum and projecting once more the superb virtuoso performance of four Bergman
actors, three of them oldtimers, one (Dufvenius) a new arrival.
As part of the accolades one can include long review articles by three former critics of
Bergman, all stemming from the politicized 1960s, and all now eager to do penance. In SvD
(1 December 2003, pp. 4-5), Carl Johan Malmberg presented a personal survey of Bergman’s
filmmaking, focusing on its intimacy and the director’s methodical molding of word and image.
In SDS (2 December 2003, pp. B6-7), Jan Aghed spoke about Bergman’s extraordinary talent for
pictorial compositions and his artistic use of the camera as an X-ray machine penetrating and
revealing a character’s innermost thoughts and feeling. In AB (1 December 2003, p. 8), in a
survey of his entire film oeuvre, Maria Bergom-Larsson focussed on the thematic consistency of
Bergman’s filmmaking.
While virtually every review of Saraband praised Bergman the image-maker and instructor of
actors, commentators also pointed out the finality of the work. If Fanny and Alexander had
been Bergman’s joyous concluding tribute to life and filmmaking, Saraband was an old artist’s
summing-up of guilt, angst, and need of reconciliation. Many also dwelt on the déjà-vu features
of Saraband with its many meta-references to earlier Bergman films such as Nattvardsgästerna
(Winter Light), Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries), Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf), and of
course Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage). A few reviewers felt that the aging
Bergman revealed himself in a dialogue that was old-fashioned and at times a parody of itself, a
feature especially noticeable in the longer repartees given to the youngest character, Karin.
Reviews
Aghed, Jan. ‘Bergmans sorti griper tag’. [Bergman’s exit takes a grip on you]. SDS, 2 December
2003, pp. B 6-7;
Bergom-Larsson, Maria. ‘Vart tog livet vägen? Ingmar Bergmans svarta, storslagna farväl’
[Where did life go? Ingmar Bergman’s black, grand farewell]. AB, December 1 2003, pp.
4-5.
Lindblad, Helena. ‘Bergmans sista pusselbit’ [Bergman’s last piece of the puzzle]. DN, 1 De-
cember 2003, p. 1 (Kultur);
Lokko, Andres. ‘Livssaldot’ [Life’s balance]. Expr., 1 December 2003, p. 6;
Malmberg, Carl-Johan. ‘Själens blixtsnabba skiftningar’ [The soul’s nuances, swift as light-
nings]. SvD, 1 December 2003, pp. 4-5;

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 Television Works

Söderbergh-Widding, Astrid. ‘Ett obönhörligt fullbordande’ [An absolute completion]. SvD, 2

December 2003, p. 8;
Torell, Kristina. ‘Lysande kammardrama’ [Brilliant chamber drama]. GP, 1 December 2003, p.
64.
See also
Eklund, Bernt. ‘Ingmar Bergmans skoningslösa final’ [IB’s relentless finale]. Expr., 1 December
2003, p. 38 (brief presentation of Saraband);
Hallert, Kerstin. ‘SVT borde tacka Ingmar Bergman’ [SVT ought to thank IB]. AB, 2 December
2003, p. 46 (points out SVT’s failure to present Bergman as a maker of TV films for a young
generation of viewers).

453
 Bergman on stage and screen. There is often a close visual correlation between
Bergman’s work for the theatre and his filmmaking ventures. This picture shows the
‘dance of death motif’ on stage in a 1955 production of Bergman’s play Wood Painting
(1954, Trämålning) and the final vignette in his film The Seventh Seal (1956, Sjunde
inseglet), based on the play (Courtesy: Malmö City Theatre Archive) and Svensk
Filmindustri (SF)
 Chapter VI

Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

This chapter consists of two parts: The first is an overview of Bergman’s lifelong
career in the theatre. The second is a listing of his entire record on stage, including
his opera work and productions of his own plays, whether directed by him or by
others. For specific examples of Bergman’s stagecraft, the overview may be juxta-
posted to the Commentaries to the individual entries in part (2).
For a fuller account of reviewer response to Bergman’s theatre work, see Henrik
Sjögren’s two books Ingmar Bergman på teatern (1968, Ø 548) and Lek och raseri.
Ingmar Bergmans teater 1938-2002 (2002, Ø 667). Among other studies of Bergman’s
work in the theatre are:
Marker, Frederick and Lise-Lone. Ingmar Bergman in the Theater, 1982, 1992. (Ø 594).
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman. Allting föreställer, ingenting är, 2001. (Ø 672).
Reilly, Willem Thomas. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Theatre Direction, 1952-1974’. Diss. (Ø 590).
Sjögren, Henrik. Regi. Dagbok från Dramaten, 1973. (Ø 554).
Steene, Birgitta. ‘I have never pursued a particular program policy. Ingmar Bergman in the
Theatre’. Contemporary Theatre Review, Vol. 14(2), 2004: 41-56. (Ø 683).
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen, 1995. (Ø 649)
—. Bergman’s Muses, Aesthetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television and Radio, 2003. (Ø 682)

For a complete listing of Bergman’s own plays, published or unpublished, see Chapter
II: Ingmar Bergman, the Writer. For a year-by-year bibliography of articles and books
(including the above items) dealing with Ingmar Bergman’s contribution to the
theatre, see Chapter VII: Theatre/Media Bibliography – except for items addressing
a single specific production, which are cross-listed under the appropriate production
entry in this chapter, Reception and Review sections, Part II.

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

Part I: An Overview

Debut as Stage Director: Mäster Olofsgården (1938-1940)

While still in high school, Ingmar Bergman sometimes discussed Strindberg’s plays
with Sven Hansson, a clerk in Sandberg’s legendary bookstore in the centre of Stock-
holm. Hansson, who was some ten years older than Bergman, was affiliated with
Mäster Olofsgården, a settlement house in the old and, at that time, poor section of
town. Having studied amateur theatre among religious groups in London’s East End
Hansson had tried, in the early 1930s, to transplant the idea to Mäster Olofsgården. In
1938, after some five years of such activity, he suggested to the board that Ingmar
Bergman be asked to join as a director in Mäster Olofsgården’s amateur theatre
section. Now began an intense two-year apprentice period for Ingmar Bergman
who was only 20 years old at the time and had no formal schooling in the field.
To instil respect in his young cast he bought himself a pair of broad-rimmed eye-
glasses that made him look older; but more importantly, he compensated for his
insecurity by maintaining a rigid and intense regimen, combined with great and
contagious enthusiasm for his task. This was needed, for his productions were per-
formed on makeshift stages that often demanded considerable ingenuity in setting up
the mise-en-scene. For his first presentation – Sutton Vane’s Outward Bound (Sw. ‘Till
främmande hamn’) – his group of young amateurs was assigned an assembly hall
ordinarily used for religious services. Before long, Bergman had transformed its pulpit
into the play’s bar on board a ship, an undertaking that raised a few eyebrows. In fact,
without Sven Hansson as an understanding supporter and practical mentor, young
Bergman might not have lasted very long at Mäster Olofsgården, for some members
of the board were becoming increasingly apprehensive about his rigorous rehearsal
schedule, foul language and violent temper. Soon he was given the epithet, the
‘demon director’ which was to stick to him for many decades, and was used fre-
quently in the Swedish press until the 1980s when the term was replaced by ‘the
Master’ (Mästaren). Despite his early reputation, however, Bergman allegedly left a
great gap to fill when he departed for the Student Theatre at Stockholm University
after two years at MO-gården.
Bergman’s choice of repertory at Mäster Olofsgården, ranging from Strindberg and
Shakespeare to contemporary dramas, seems to have been dictated both by his own
personal preferences and by principles already established at the settlement house, i.e.,
to stage plays of moral depth and high literary quality. This is reflected in his choice of
Outward Bound as his debut. The play is a modern allegory depicting passengers on a
ship who discover that they are headed towards the realm of death; the play not only
fulfilled Mäster Olofsgården’s criteria of high seriousness but points forward to Berg-
man’s own morality play Dagen slutar tidigt (1948, Early Ends the Day] and to his film
Sjunde inseglet (1956, The Seventh Seal). Notes to the production indicate Bergman’s
personal engagement in the play’s existential content (see Ø 2, Chapter II and this
chapter, entry Ø 344). But the most noteworthy feature in Bergman’s work at Mäster
Olofsgården was not the repertory per se, but his insistance on high quality perfor-
mances. Whereas Sven Hansson, in his own pre-Bergman productions, had argued

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that the moral message of a play was the essential thing and could be conveyed also in
a mediocre amateur production, (see Hanson’s article in Mäster Olofsgården’s sten-
ciled membership newsletter SFP, no. 937), Ingmar Bergman refused to see his work
as a mere morale booster or a pastime for a Christian youth group. His insistance on
professionalism was no doubt part of his growing artistic commitment to the stage,
which would soon make him decide to leave his studies behind.
In the early 1940s, amateur stages flourished in Sweden and often served as launch-
ing pads for future careers in the professional theatre. Not only Bergman himself but
many members in his first stage ventures were later to become well-known both on
stage and screen, such as actors Erland Josephson, Birger Malmsten, Sture Djerf,
Barbro Hjort af Ornäs and Ulf Johanson, and stage designer Gunnar Lindblad. In
keeping with these future connections with the professional theatre, the public who
attended Bergman’s productions at Mäster Olofsgården included not only the usual
crowd of friends and family but also a few press and professional people in Stock-
holm’s theatre world. Through intense PR activity by Sven Hansson, Bergman’s work
began to attract some public attention; among those who attended his productions
were playwright-in-exile Bertolt Brecht; Strindberg’s third wife, actress Harriet Bosse;
and several actors at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Before long, Ingmar Bergman began
to develop his own communicative habit of publishing brief comments on his pro-
ductions. The first of these notes appeared in the newsletter, SFP. The tone was
pleading, enthusiastic and full of somewhat preachy exhortations, probably reflecting
the Christian foundation of Mäster Olofsgården. In fact, once Bergman joined the
Student Theatre at Stockholm University in 1941, his occasional program notes took
on a more sophisticated and ironic tone.

The Student Theatre, the Civic Centre Theatre, The Dramatists Studio
(1940-1944)
Ingmar Bergman’s stage productions before 1944, i.e., during the time when he was
engaged in amateur and semi-professional or experimental theatre, included more
than 30 productions at half a dozen different theatres. Strindberg played a major role
both at Mäster Olofsgården and in the Student Theatre with works like Lycko-Pers resa
(Lucky Per’s Journey), Svarta handsken (The Black Glove), and Svanehvit (Swanwhite)
on the former stage and Pelikanen (The Pelican) and Fadren (The Father) at the
Student Theatre. Bergman also directed Spöksonaten (The Ghost Sonata) at a newly
opened experimental stage at Medborgarhusteatern (Civic Theatre). This production
was a modest critical success but a public and financial fiasco, and the production had
to close down after less than a week. The event was however Bergman’s first encoun-
ter with actor Gunnar Björnstrand, who would appear in a great many of his films
from Hets to Fanny och Alexander.
For a brief period of time in the early Forties, Bergman also tried to run a children’s
theatre at the newly opened Sagoteatern (Fairy Tale Stage) in Stockholm’s Civic
Centre, where he collaborated with his first wife, choreographer Else Fisher. After
losing the economic support provided by the city government, Bergman joined the
recently founded Dramatists Studio (Dramatikerstudion). The driving force behind
this stage was a colorful anti-establishment woman and playwright, Brita von Horn.

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The purpose of the Dramatists Studio was to produce plays by Swedish playwrights,
including newcomers, and offer a challenge to the Royal Dramatic Theatre which,
during the war years, offered a rather inoccuous and politically safe repertory. Brita
von Horn’s theatre, on the other hand, chose to stage serious, sometimes politically
current plays by contemporary Scandinavian playwrights. Among Bergman’s produc-
tions were Kaj Munk’s historical resistance drama Niels Ebbesen and a pre-wartime
play by Swedish playwright Rudolf Värnlund, U 39 (U-Boat 39). Bergman’s major
concern however was not to produce plays anchored in political ideology; to him the
Dramatists Studio was primarily another opportunity to gain access to the stage. His
intense activity was also beginning to bring him some critical recognition both as a
director and an aspiring playwright. (See Ø 361, 362, 363 and Ø 484, 485, 486).
Bergman’s early engagements in stagecraft also included a few assignments in
ambulatory theatre groups. Overall, he gained a very diversified experience during
his initial years in the theatre, which gave him a relatively broad repertory base to
build on, once he assumed his first professional contract as head of the Hälsingborg
City Theatre in 1944.

The Hälsingborg City Theatre (1944-46)

During his formative years as an artist, Ingmar Bergman’s directorial ambitions were
– apart from forging a spot for himself in Swedish filmmaking – to gain recognition
in the professional theatre. For this Stockholm was by no means the only centre.
Major municipal stages existed in cities like Malmö, Göteborg, and Hälsingborg, and
soon also in Norrköping-Linköping. In addition, national ambulatory theatre projects
like Riksteatern and Folkparksteatern/Fältteatern provided professional opportunities.
The provincial city stages often competed for new plays by renowned dramatists
and took turns in drawing attention to themselves as the country’s most advanced
theatrical forum. Between 1944 and 1950, Bergman’s involvement with stages outside
the Swedish capital came to constitute the best training ground he could have wished
for, offering him a built-in forum and providing him with colleagues and actors who
often belonged to the profession’s absolute elite.
When Ingmar Bergman was offered the position as head of the Hälsingborg City
Theatre in Southern Sweden in 1944, he became at age 26 the youngest leader of an
established repertory theatre in Europe. However, at the time few people regarded his
appointment as a crucial moment in Swedish theatre history, even though the local
paper Helsingborgs Dagblad (8 April 1944, p. 5, 8) seems to have had a strange pre-
monition of Bergman’s future course, for in reporting on the agreement between him
and the city fathers, it wrote: ‘The contract was signed in the evening, at 8:07 pm to be
exact, which might perhaps be worth making a note of for future theatre scholars,
should it turn out that the time was a so-called historical moment’. [Kontraktet
undertecknades på kvällen, klockan 8.07 för att vara exakt, vilket kanske möjligen
kan vara värt att notera för framtida teaterforskare, om det skulle visa sig att tid-
punkten var ett så kallat historiskt ögonblick].
As he arrived at Hälsingborg, Bergman faced a municipal institution on the brink
of bankruptcy, for the City Theatre had experienced declining box office figures and
had just lost its state subsidies. The focus had shifted to its neighbour, the newly built

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Malmö City Theatre. Though the spectator area was renovated before Bergman’s
arrival, he and his Hälsingborg ensemble had to rehearse in delapidated quarters
with the smell of dead rats oozing from under the floor and old molding rugs
covering the walls to keep the draft out, while leakage dripped down from the canteen
toilet above. (See Theatre/Media Bibliography, Ø 607). Rehearsals and performances
were disturbed by both British and German wartime aircraft since their flight path
crossed over the city. But despite these adverse conditions and the poor salaries paid,
the spirits among the mostly young ensemble were high.
From Bergman’s point of view, his first task was to bring the local citizens back to
the theatre. Reassuring them that he did not intend to ‘kick up any revolutionary
changes in the running (of the City Theatre)’ [ställa till med några revolutionära
förändringar i driften], he nevertheless challenged the Helsingborg public by announ-
cing, a year later, that their theatre was to become ‘the unruly corner of the city’
[stadens oroliga hörn]. But through a new subscription system and by presenting
such a varied repertory that every ticket holder could find something to his liking,
Bergman succeeded in drawing the public back to their theatre. His productions
ranged from Shakespeare’s Macbeth to New Year’s cabarets, from Strindberg to first
openings of several new Swedish plays. In order to stay ahead of a shifting playbill,
Bergman had to cut the rehearsal time very short and maintain a rigorous work
schedule. But most of his staff had followed him from Stockholm and knew his
intense tempo. The majority were free from family ties and willing to commit them-
selves to the theatre on Bergman’s conditions. Their meager economic compensation
was ameliorated, socially, by a sense of joyous cameraderie and by the local citizens’
friendly reception; often the troupe was invited into their homes and fed its major
meal of the day. The situation in Hälsingborg for Bergman and his actors was in many
ways a unique combination of small-town generosity and professional playground.
But what was especially valuable for an up-and-coming ensemble was the visibility
they gained, first among the city fathers and the local press, and, later, on a nation-
wide level. In their second year at Hälsingborg the Bergman ensemble was invited to
well-received guest performances both in Malmö and Stockholm. Bergman himself
was still referred to as an eccentric rebel, but his productions made a strong impres-
sion on the theatre critics. He had turned the tide for a ship-wrecked theatre while at
the same time proving his directorial mettle. Within a year after his arrival, the
Hälsingborg City Theatre got its state subsidies back.

The Göteborg Years (1946-1950)

During World War II when the national stage – the Royal Dramatic Theatre, usually
referred to as Dramaten – kept a neutral profile, the City Theatre in Göteborg became
a more outspoken political forum. But the city had been an important theatre center
in Sweden since the late 1920s. Thus, when Ingmar Bergman was invited to join the
directorial staff there in 1946, he moved from a small provincial theatre to a major
metropolitan stage and from a situation where he had been the controlling leader of a
young ensemble to a position as a junior staff member working under some of
Sweden’s foremost stage directors and scenographers with names like Torsten Ham-
marén and Knut and Carl-Johan Ström (father and son). For the first time in his stage

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career Bergman had to subsume his ambitions under those of older directors and
work with an ensemble that had had its routines set long before his arrival. Göteborg
became a hard but instructive school for an impetuous young director. In fact, Berg-
man’s four years in Göteborg were a curious mix of lessons in both stagecraft and
humility, coupled with ambitions to carve out a niche for himself. The latter resulted
in the staging of two of his own plays, Dagen slutar tidigt (Early Ends the Day) and
Mig till skräck (Unto my Fear); obviously, Bergman still hoped to be recognised as one
of the country’s new playwrights. His success as a dramatist was very modest, how-
ever, and his stagings of his own plays received more media attention than high praise.
He was criticised for overdoing their already strident features. Sweden’s leading thea-
tre critic at the time, Ebbe Linde, wrote on one occasion that Bergman possessed rich
expressive means that were jeopardized by his theatrical skill. (BLM XVI, no. 2, 1947,
p. 18) By contrast, his productions of works by other playwrights received glowing
reviews. His varied playbill included plays by Albert Camus, G.K. Chesterton, Jean
Anouilh, Valle d’Inclan, and Tenessee Williams. Among the actors in his productions,
several were to follow him to other stages or appear in his films, among them Anders
Ek, who plays Frost in Gycklarnas afton and Gertrud Fridh who was to do a remark-
able portrayal of Hedda Gabler in a later Dramaten production of Ibsen’s play. But
above all, the years in Göteborg came to stand out as Bergman’s strict tutelage under
Torsten Hammarén. In retrospect, Bergman was to call it his lucky star to have had
his years in Hälsingborg to sow his wild oats before arriving in Göteborg under
Hammarén’s stern aegis: ‘I am genuinely grateful that the order was not the other
way around. If Torsten Hammarén had got in charge of me earlier, he would have
crushed me’. [Jag är uppriktigt tacksam att ordningen inte var den omvända. Om
Torsten Hammarén hade fått tag i mig tidigare skulle han ha krossat mig.] (DN, 16
April 1961).
There were sometimes heated confrontations between Hammarén and Bergman; at
one time the former dismissed Bergman as a ‘ provincial genius.’ But in an interview
some fifteen years later, Bergman summed up his Göteborg years under Hammarén
in positive terms:
Torsten taught me the methodological rudiments of stagecraft. In a ruthless way he took me
out of the notion of känsloskvalp [emotional wallowing], i.e., of feeling your way [into a
production] and of talking about things. That’s the way it had often been with my produc-
tions in Hälsingborg. [...] The whole approach of working in a calm, clear and methodical
way, to prepare carefully what you intend to do, that’s what Torsten taught me. He came to
my rehearsals and took them away from me when they stopped at dead talk and emotional
masturbation. And I hated Torsten for that, and I left the theatre many times. But at the
same time I felt somewhere [...], vaguely and in my immense anger and hatred that Torsten
was right.

[Torsten lärde mig grunderna för inscenerandets metodik. Han tog mig hårdhänt ur de här
föreställningarna om känsloskvalpet, alltså att man ska gå och känna fram och snacka fram
saker. Det hade ofta varit så med föreställningarna i Hälsingborg. [...] Men hela tekniken att
arbeta kallt och klart och metodiskt, att noggrant förbereda vad man avser att göra, det lärde
mig Torsten. Han kom ner på mina repetitioner och tog dem ifrån mig när det helt stoppade
upp i dösnack och känsloonani. Och jag hatade Torsten för det, och jag bröt upp många

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gånger från teatern där. Men jag kände samtidigt någonstans [...] dunkelt och i min ohyg-
gliga vrede och mitt hat, att Torsten hade rätt]. (Sjögren, Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968,
pp. 297-98)
Bergman’s Göteborg years were tumultuous, both privately and professionally, but
they also included triumphant successes, such as his staging of Tennessee Williams’
play A Streetcar Named Desire. In many ways, this production sums up Bergman’s
growing status as a theatre director and might be called his master diploma. He
seemed to have reached a pinnacle in his career; his apprentice years were definitely
behind him. Again, Ebbe Linde summed up Bergman’s position in Swedish stagecraft:
If I were to list a handful of the foremost directors in our country, I feel more certain about
his [Bergman’s] presence than about the others. [...] In terms of instruction, monumental-
ity, ideas, and understanding of the text, it is difficult to name anyone in this country who is
undisputedly superior to this former eccentric.

[Om jag skulle lista en handfull av de främsta regissörerna i vårt land, så känner jag mig
säkrare på hans närvaro än de andra. [...] I fråga om regiinstruktion, storslagenhet, idéer och
förståelse för texten är det svårt att nämna någon i det här landet som är den odiskutabelt
överlägsne denne tidigare eccentriker. (BLM XVI, no. 2 (February 1947): 183).
Almost a year would pass before Bergman presented his next stage production after
Streetcar. Part of the intervening time he spent in Paris, discovering Molière at the
Comédie Française, a playwright he would eventually incorporate as a mainstay in his
repertory. However, upon returning to Göteborg for his final production there in
February 1950, he chose a play closer to the stark vision and brutal tone of his own
dramatic works: the Spanish playwright Valle-Inclan’s Divinas palabras.
Towards the end of his engagement in Göteborg Bergman’s writing ambitions had
begun to shift to screenplays. In 1949 he finished his first auteur-directed film, Fän-
gelse (Prison) and from now on Bergman’s stage productions often echo or anticipate
major themes in his films. Thus, the dichotomy of irrationality and reason depicted in
his Göteborg production of Chesterton’s Magic may have inspired his later film
Ansiktet (The Magician), while Divinas palabras, the divine words uttered by a sexton
in unintelligible Latin, foreshadows the mechanical intonation of Lutheran minister
Tomas in Nattvardsgästerna (1962, Winter Light). Direct visual reminiscences from
Bergman’s stage productions, such as his use of silhouetted shadow projections would
become somewhat of a trademark in his filmmaking, for instance in the dance of
death sequence in Det sjunde inseglet or the opening of Ansiktet. The Göteborg years
put Bergman’s artistic persona as both theatre man and filmmaker in sharper focus.

Stockholm Interlude (1950)

In 1950, Ingmar Bergman returned to Stockholm to assume the task as director at a

newly opened theatre, owned by his former film producer, Lorens Marmstedt (see
Chapter 1, p. 37). The Intima Theatre at Odenplan in Stockholm was meant to
become Bergman’s own playground; many in the Göteborg ensemble had been hired:

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

Gertrud Fridh, Anders Ek, Ulf Johanson and Birger Malmsten. Anticipations of Berg-
man’s return to his home town ran high.
The Intima Theatre’s inaugural production was Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera,
Bergman’s only Brecht production ever. It was a pumped-up social event (see Com-
mentary, Ø 408), followed by a double bill featuring Jean Anouilh’s version of Medea
and Hjalmar Bergman’s one-act play En skugga (A Shadow). Neither production was a
complete public success though the reviews were by and large more generous than
posterity has painted them. At any rate, Bergman left the Intiman within less than a
year, hoping that an invitation to the Royal Dramatic Theatre would result in a regular
contract. Instead, after his Dramaten production of a new Swedish play by Björn Erik
Höijer (Det lyster i kåken/Light in the shack), Bergman found himself without an
engagement. Following a detour to the Linköping-Norrköping City Theatre where
he staged Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo, Bergman headed back to the south of
Sweden and would be absent from Stockholm’s theatre horizon for six years. The
period as director and artistic advisor at the Malmö City Theatre and instructor at its
drama school was, however, to mark the culmination of his stage career before the age
of forty.

Malmö City Theatre (1952-58)

The Malmö City Theatre had opened in September 1944 (one day after Bergman’s
inaugural production at the neigbouring Hälsingborg City Theatre). It was based on
ideas launched many decades earlier to build an institution that juxtaposed a gigantic
‘Grosspielhaus’ and a small intimate stage. To Bergman the large stage, which he was
to refer to as ‘Big Boo’, proved a particular challenge. It became a space he could
transform into a stylized shrunken universe, as in his version of Strindberg’s folklor-
istic play Kronbruden (The Crown Bride/The Bridal Crown). But it was also a space for
extravaganzas. In fact, ‘Big Boo’ would eventually help change Bergman’s attitude as a
theatre director. When he arrived at Malmö he still had a somewhat elitist view of
himself as a unique and ingenious talent far ahead of his public. When he left Malmö
six years later he said in an interview: ‘When I was young, I despised the public. My
own person was the most intelligent there was. Now it’s the other way around. I have
discovered for some time that my only raison d’être is to give the public the very best
of what it wants’. [När jag var ung föraktade jag publiken. Min egen person var det
mest intelligenta som fanns. I dag är det tvärtom. Sedan någon tid har jag upptäckt att
mitt enda berättigande är att ge publiken vad den vill ha]. (See Björn Vinberg, Expr.,
19 December 1958). What the public (and Big Boo) demanded was colorful spectacles
on a grand scale. Bergman produced both a classical operetta, The Merry Widow, and
a 19th-century national music play, Värmlänningarna (The People of Värmland).
However, whether he staged The Merry Widow or Goethe’s Faust his main criterion
was to maintain a high professional quality and not be condescending towards the
text or the audience.
If Bergman’s Hälsingborg years had focussed on persuading the local citizens to
support their city theatre and Göteborg had been a testing ground before older
colleagues, Malmö allowed him to consolidate a directorial and performative concept:
that the basic premise for a vital theatre experience lay in an electrifying encounter

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between text, actor, and spectator. In such a triangular constellation, Bergman defined
himself as representing the audience vis-à-vis the actors; he saw himself as an eye and
an ear, as ‘the receiving organ against which the actors should react’. [mottagarorganet
mot vilket skådespelarna skall reagera]. His implied philosophy of theatrical commu-
nication, which became so clearly based on reaching out to the audience in an act
providing both stimulation and challenge, was preceded by his own personal response
to a dramatic text, i.e., a moment when he was the one struck by an electrifying
contact with another mind who had written the play. (See Sjögren, 1968, Ø 548, and
Lise-Lone Marker. ‘The Magic Triangle: Ingmar Bergman’s Implied Philosophy of
Theatrical Communication’. Modern Drama 26, no. 3 (September) 1983: 251-61).
The first dramatic texts to touch Ingmar Bergman in an ‘electrifying’ manner were
Strindberg’s works. ‘I recognized the melody. I sensed his emotions’. [Jag igenkände
melodin. Jag erfor hans känslor.] (Björkman/Assayas, Tre dagar med Bergman, 1992, p.
14). Bergman’s six years at Malmö included productions of Kronbruden (The Crown
Bride), Spöksonaten (The Ghost Sonata) and Erik XIV, but also wetted his appetite for
the theatre of Molière and Ibsen. As in his filmmaking, Bergman seemed determined
to write himself into a classical canon. By now his directorial versatility and skill made
him the undisputed master in the Swedish theatre world. Two of his productions,
Sagan (The Legend) and Ur-Faust, visited Paris and London respectively. Others, like
Peer Gynt, The Misanthrope and Don Juan were to go down in the annals of modern
Swedish stagecraft. What impressed the reviewers most was Bergman’s careful loyalty
to the text, allowing it to speak on its own terms without any modernizing gimmicks.
He was also praised continuously for his grasp of the totality of a performance –
acting, scene-painting, dramatic rhythm, dance and music – and for his ability to
focus on revealing details both in intimate and mass scenes. Just before Bergman left
Malmö, one critic summed up this directorial approach as follows:
The method has been the same in all of his latest great successes: To let the play live its own
life, to present it in a ‘clean’ performance, utilizing all the resources of modern stagecraft but
avoiding modernizations and revaluations of the drama itself. Bergman’s productions
emerge before us fresh and vital [...] and with a list of actors the Americans would call
‘an all star cast’.

[Metoden har varit densamma i alla hans senaste stora framgångar: Att låta pjäsen leva sitt
eget liv, att presentera den i en ‘ren’ föreställning och använda den moderna scenkonstens
alla resurser men undvika moderniseringar och omvärderingar av själva dramat. Bergmans
uppsättningar träder fram för oss friska och vitala [...] och med en skådespelarlista som
amerikanarna skulle kalla ‘an all star cast’]. (Brunius, Expr., 20 December 1958)
Bergman’s farewell piece at Malmö was the popular musical pastiche titled Värmlän-
ningarna (The People of Värmland), which can be described as a national folkloristic
interpretation of a Romeo and Juliet theme. The production represented the flip side
of Bergman’s debut in Malmö in 1952 with his own grotesque and morbid play Mordet
i Barjärna (Murder at Barjärna). Critics expressed their satisfaction with this trans-
formation in Bergman from a sensationalist playwright to a lucid interpretor of
dramatic texts authored by others. Per Erik Wahlund (SvD, 20 December 1958) paid
homage to what he termed ‘the mature Bergman’:

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

It’s been said earlier but it cannot be said too often: Ingmar Bergman’s development is one
of the greatest sources of joy in today’s Swedish theatre. The time of belaboured experiments
is gone, chaos has lifted, his theatrical deviltry has cooled down, the desire to shock has been
replaced by the ability to interpret and revitalige. Nowadays Bergman has a breadth, a sense
of style and a sense of a living tradition like none of our younger directors.

[Det har sagts tidigare men kan inte sägas för ofta, att Ingmar Bergmans utveckling är ett av
de största glädjeämnena i dagens svenska teater. De överansträngda experimentens tid är
förbi; kaos har klarnat, det teatraliska diableriet har stadgat sig, lusten att chockera har
ersatts av förmågan att tolka och förnya. Bergman har numera en bredd, en stilkänsla och
ett sinne för levande tradition som ingen annan av våra yngre regissörer.]

Dramaten Interlude and The Royal Opera (1961)

Despite all the glowing responses to his Malmö stagecraft, Bergman still had to
conquer the national stage, the Royal Dramatic Theatre. But for more than two years
after leaving Malmö he was preoccupied with filmmaking (Jungfrukällan (The Virgin
Spring), Djävulens öga (The Devil’s Eye); in fact, he found himself at a life crisis that
would eventually result in the so-called Trilogy [Såsom en spegel (Through a Glass
Darkly), Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light) and Tystnaden (The Silence)]. The first of
these three films coincides in time with his reading of Chekhov’s The Seagull in
preparation for his 1961 Dramaten production of the play. The self-absorbed and
mediocre writer/father David in Bergman’s Through a Glass Darkly bears the unmis-
takable traits of Chekhov’s parasitical Trigorin. But also the chamber film format, the
subdued grey tones in the mise-en-scene, the sadness and repressed emotions of a
small and confined family collective, punctuated by moments of brutal pain, unmask-
ing and insight, are reminiscent of Bergman’s Chekhov interpretation at Dramaten.
British drama critic Kenneth Tynan who reviewed Bergman’s production of The
Seagull (Måsen) for the London Observer was positively surprised at the sober realism
of the production, but Swedish reviewers were quite critical. The Seagull was Ingmar
Bergman’s first Checkov staging ever and the expectations had been exceedingly high.
Not fulfilling them, Bergman exited from Dramaten. Soon however he was to make a
spectacular come-back elsewhere, as guest director in another art form, the opera. At
the Royal Theatre, as the Stockholm Opera was still called, he presented, some three
months after his Checkov flop, Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress.
That the story of Tom Rakewell’s departure from his innocent fiancée Ann Truelove
to the tempting regions of the Devil Nick Shadow would fascinate the writer of
morality plays, the maker of films like The Seventh Seal, and the director of Ur-Faust,
Peer Gynt, and Don Juan is hardly surprising. But what impressed the critics most was
Bergman’s understanding of the dramatic rhythm of Stravinsky’s musical score, some-
thing that was confirmed by the composer himself during a Stockholm visit (see
Robert Craft. Dialogues and a Diary. New York: Doubleday, 1963, pp. 165-71; excerpted
in Swedish in the Opera program to Bergman’s production). ‘We hope’, wrote one
critic (when the production was revived in 1966) ‘that Bergman will get numerous
opportunities to realize new works and renew old ones at our Opera’. [Vi hoppas att

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 An Overview

Bergman får talrika tillfällen att sätta upp nya arbeten och förnya gamla vid vår
opera]. (See Folke Hähnel, DN, 31 October 1966).
Bergman was invited to stage The Rake’s Progress at the Hamburg Opera in 1965,
but had to cancel because of illness. The Stockholm Opera chose Bergman’s produc-
tion of The Rake’s Progress as their guest performance at the World Exhibit in Mon-
treal in 1967. But Bergman himself would not return to the opera stage until 1992
when he directed and wrote the libretto to Daniel Börtz’ opera The Bachae, based on
Euripedes’ classical play. His opera debut in 1961, however, was a confirmation of his
strong feeling that cinema and music are related art forms. The event solidified his
very special use of music in his filmmaking, dating back to such films as Till glädje (To
Joy) in 1950 and Gycklarnas afton (The Naked Night) in 1953, and culminating in his
hymn to Mozart in his filmatization of Trollflöjten (The Magic Flute) in 1975.

Dramaten – Round 2 (1963-1976)

In the spring of 1963 the Royal Dramatic Theatre announced the retirement of its
head, Karl Ragnar Gierow, best known for establishing the Eugene O’Neill legacy at
Dramaten, including the world premiere of his posthumous play Long Day’s Journey
into Night. (Ingmar Bergman, always anxious to write himself into the annals of his
predecessors, revived the play in 1988).
Within a week after Gierow’s retirement, Ingmar Bergman had been approached
with an offer to succeed him. He accepted without much hesitation; it was after all a
very prestigious offer that represented a recognition at last by Sweden’s national stage
of his talent and stature in the theatre. But above all, Dramaten was a magic arena to
Bergman, the place of his first encounter as a child with live stagecraft and the
professional home of such admired directors as Olof Molander and Alf Sjöberg.
The invitation to take charge of the ‘Father House’ also came at an opportune time
for Bergman. He had just finished his film trilogy and yearned to return to the stage.
Bergman’s own repertory as head of Dramaten harks back to his earlier career. He
opened with Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf, a Strindbergian marriage
drama of brutal intensity and ruthless unmasking. Next, he revived, for the third
time, Hjalmar Bergman’s Sagan (The Legend). This modern Swedish classic was
followed by the world premiere of a new Swedish play by (future) Nobel Prize winner
Harry Martinson, Tre knivar från Wei (Three Knives from Wei). Thereby, Bergman
continued a trend in his staging career to encourage the presentation of recent
Swedish plays, an obligation that is also written into the annals of the Royal Dramatic
Theatre.
The response to Bergman’s first three productions as head of Dramaten was amaz-
ingly similar. He emerged as a controlling and visually stunning stage esthetician. Key
words in the reviews were ‘formal strictness, beauty, manipulation’. Some reviewers
indicated that these traits might impact on audiences in the cinema, an art form that
builds on mesmerizing the spectators, but that they would likely create resistance in a
theatre public. Such a view must be understood in its temporal context. Bergman had
assumed the leadership of Dramaten at a time of radical ideological change in Swed-
ish culture. The 1960s were politicized years when a number of so-called ‘free theatre
groups’ were formed that strove to realize a new kind of collective theatre, in which

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the actors were not instructed by a director so much as co-active in shaping a

production that had a distinct social and ideological thrust. Dramaten and other
institutionalised theatres were viewed by members of the group theatre movement
as elitist, undemocratic and traditionalist. For once, Bergman’s timing was not right
and his tenure as head of Dramaten became brief – barely three years. The reasons he
gave for his resignation were several: the government had tied his hands by refusing to
increase his budget; he was overworked and fell ill; and he was bothered by his
reception among members of the new cultural forefront who regarded him as a
back-sliding symbol of the Establishment. When he went to speak to young drama
students, he was booed. He comments on the situation in his autobiography Laterna
magica (The Magic Lantern) (pp. 231-32):
When I insisted that the young students must learn the technique of acting in order to reach
the public with their revolutionary message, they waved their little red book and whistled.
[...] The young organized quickly and cleverly, occupied the mass media and left us old and
used ones in cruel isolation. [...] I despised a fanaticism I recognized from my childhood:
the same emotional mud at the bottom. [...] Instead of fresh air we got deformation,
secterism, intolerance, anxious fawning and misuse of power.

[Då jag hävdade att de unga eleverna måste lära sig skådespelandets teknik för att nå ut med
sina revolutionära budskap, viftade de med den lilla röda boken, och visslade. [...] De unga
formerade sig snabbt och skickligt, intog massmedia och lämnade oss gamla och förbrukade
i grym isolering. [...] Jag föraktade en fanatism som jag kände igen från min barndom:
samma emotionella bottenslam. [...] I stället för frisk luft fick vi deformering, sekterism,
intolerans, ängslig inställsamhet och maktmissbruk.

In his film Persona (1966) Ingmar Bergman depicts an actress, Elisabeth Vogler, who
suddenly withdraws from the theatre into a hospital and who returns, presumably
recovered, to a scene shot in a film studio. On a personal level, Bergman describes his
own trajectory in leaving his post at Dramaten to return to filmmaking after a period
of illness.
But Bergman’s disenchantment with the Swedish theatre situation was to continue
for several years (see Ø 537, 540, 544). At the same time, his own work was not
untouched by the political and intellectual climate. In Persona he incorporates im-
portant visual allusions to both the holocaust and the Vietnam War, and in the film
Skammen (Shame) from 1968 he builds the plot around a guerilla war situation. In his
theatre work, he directed Peter Weiss’ play about the Nurnenberg trials, Rannsakning-
en (The Investigation). It is instructive to observe his reluctance to tackle this play
production, which he had taken over from a sick colleague. It was only after he had
convinced himself that the piece had qualities other than timely political ones that he
decided to direct it. In an interview he admitted:
Personally I deeply disliked the play from the beginning. I thought it was a form of
pornography of violence. While working on it I revised my opinion. I understood that
there was an almost insatiable will to truth in Peter Weiss and an uncompromising strength
of character, a moral attitude.

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[Jag tyckte personligen från början djupt illa om pjäsen någonstans, jag tyckte att det var
våldspornografi. Under arbetet reviderade jag min uppfattning. Jag förstod, att det fanns en
nästan omätlig vilja till sanning hos Peter Weiss, och en obönhörlig karaktärsstyrka, en
moralisk hållning.] (Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, (Ø 677), p. 36)
For both private and professional reasons Bergman left Sweden for Norway in 1966-67
to set up Pirandello’s Six Characters in Oslo. He was gone from Dramaten until 1969.
But from that year on he established a pattern of directing at least one play a year on
the national stage. Foremost among his stagings in the next few years were his
productions of Woyzeck in 1969 and his interpretation of Ibsen’s Vildanden (The Wild
Duck) in 1972, a production that went on an international tour to Paris, London, Oslo,
Copenhagen, Berlin, Zurich and Florence. Bergman’s presentation of Woyzeck repre-
sents a new approach for him: an attempt to invite the audience physically into the
performance (for details, see Commentary, entry Ø 446). The play text itself focusses
on a stronger class dichotomy than most previous plays set up by Bergman and fits
into the cultural mood of the sixties with discussions of social oppression and poli-
tical repression. Some felt that Woyzeck really showed a new social consciousness in
Bergman’s theatre work:
‘Ingmar Bergman has been an isolated figure, a lonewolf in the Swedish theatre in the last
years. Is that image of him finally about to dissolve? There are reasons for hope. (His
production of Woyzeck) testifies to a new interest in social problems. It makes the picture
of him less one-sided. [...] It is a production that is less private, less sophisticated than any of
his earlier productions during the 1960s. It must continue’.

[Ingmar Bergman har varit en isolerad gestalt, en ensamvarg i svensk teater de senaste åren.
Håller den bilden av honom på att slutligen upplösas? Det finns hopp. Den (Woyzeck)
vittnar om ett nytt intresse för samhällsproblem. Den gör honom mindre ensidig. [...] Det är
en uppsättning som är mindre privat, mindre sofistikerad än någon annan av hans tidigare
uppsättningar på 1960-talet. Det måste fortsätta.] (Leif Zern, DN, 15 March 1969)
Nevertheless it was Strindberg who now took the front seat in Bergman’s theatre
activity with Ett drömspel (A Dreamplay) (1970), Spöksonaten (The Ghost Sonata)
(1973), Till Damaskus (To Damascus) (1974), Dödsdansen (The Dance of Death) –
the last production interrupted on January 30, 1976 with Bergman’s arrest by Swedish
police, charging him with tax evasion.
The 1970 Dreamplay production not only marks Bergman’s return to his house god
Strindberg. It signals yet another departure in his stagecraft, a new simplicity and
orientation towards an almost bare stage. In interviews from this time he emphasizes
his desire to tone down aspects of the scenography that might detract from the actors’
presence. There is a parallell here to two basic features that had already occurred in
Bergman’s filmmaking: his exploration of the close-up, of the presence of the human
beings in the film, and his use of a stark, often empty space surrounding the actors, a
kind of metaphysical void. In his production of A Dreamplay Bergman avoided not
only the expressionistic, dreamlike qualities of the drama; he also parted company
with his admired predecessor Olof Molander by ignoring biography. There was a
down-to-earth realism and an objective distance to the material in Bergman’s Dream-

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play production. However, it was not a development that would meet with much
enthusiasm at Bergman’s next stop as a stage director.

The Munich Residenztheater (1976-1984)

Less than three months after his arrest by the Swedish tax authorities in February
1976, Ingmar Bergman left Sweden and went into voluntary exile. His next theatre
production took place at the Residenztheater in Munich, where he would be active for
some eight years (though he returned to Sweden to make the film Fanny and Alex-
ander in 1981-82). He inaugurated this new phase in his theatre career with a German-
speaking production of Strindberg’s A Dreamplay (1977). Other major productions
were to include Checkov’s Three Sisters (1978), Molière’s Tartuffe (1979), Ibsen’s Hedda
Gabler (1979) and A Doll’s House (1981). The latter was part of a triptych called Nora
and Julie consisting also of Strindberg’s Miss Julie and Bergman’s stage adaptation of
his own Scener från ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage). Most of his productions in
Munich were ‘remakes’ of earlier stagings of the same play. There was a practical
reason for selecting this repertory: In directing in a foreign language, Bergman was
more at ease with a text he was already familiar with (which is not to say that his
‘remakes’ are mere replicas of earlier productions). The ‘remake’ pattern also follows a
trait throughout his stage career, a work habit he compares to a music conductor’s
opportunity to reinterpret the same pieces of his favorite music over a lifetime.
In Munich, Bergman’s situation as a theatre director was very different from what
he was accustomed to in Sweden. The Residenztheater was a more autocratic institu-
tion and its audiences more expressive, both in positive and negative terms. The
rapport between director and acting staff was harder to achieve for Bergman, partly
because German was not his native language; after his permanent return to Sweden,
he said in a press conference (7 December, 1983):
‘Despite a very good German, learnt at school, my first years in Munich were a catastrophe.
How do you explain to 45 actors what Strindberg meant with (the expression) “Man is to be
pitied”. The expression does not exist in German, it belongs to an inner landscape. Language
is the determining factor behind my refusal to accept, for instance, fat American film offers’.

[Trots en mycket god skoltyska var mina första år i München en katastrof. Hur förklarar
man för 45 tyska skådespelare vad Strindberg menade med ‘Det är synd om människorna’?
Uttrycket existerar inte på tyska, det tillhör ett inre landskap. Språket är den avgörande
faktorn bakom min vägran att acceptera till exempel feta amerikanska filmanbud].
In Munich, Bergman also faced a different corps of theatre critics who knew him only
from his filmmaking and expected his stage productions to live up to his screen
persona. (The same phenomenon is noticeable in other foreign responses to Berg-
man’s stagecraft when Dramaten would give guest performances of his productions
abroad). Bergman acknowledged in his 7 December 1983 press conference: ‘The Ger-
man critics are [...] a little nastier and meaner than the Swedish ones. [...] But [...]
they know a lot and they have seen a lot and generally they write very well. And if they
hang you, they will not hang you in silence. I must say I like that very much’. [De
tyska kritikerna är [...] lite elakare än de svenska. [...] Men de kan en hel del och de

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 An Overview

har sett mycket och i allmänhet skriver de väl. Och om de hänger en, så gör de det
inte i tystnad. Jag måste säga att jag tycker mycket om det].
While the Munich audiences usually paid unreserved and generous homage to
Bergman after each new production, the reviewers – at times referring to him some-
what ironically as St. Ingmar – remained skeptical for quite some time. Work-wise
and reception-wise, Bergman’s Munich period cannot have been an altogether happy
time.

Dramaten – Round 3: The Homecoming (1984)

‘I am not the same director today as when I left Sweden eight years ago’, [Jag är inte
samma regissör i dag som när jag lämnade Sverige för åtta år sedan], Bergman said at
his 7 December 1983 press conference in Stockholm. Nor was the ensemble at Dra-
maten the same as when he left Sweden for Munich in 1976. The accidental death of
Dramaten’s leading director, Alf Sjöberg, in 1980 also changed Bergman’s professional
premises. Not only was he now the overshadowing presence at Dramaten, but he felt
ready to stage Shakespeare again, a playwright that had been one of Alf Sjöberg’s
house gods. With his Dramaten productions of King Lear, Hamlet, and The Winter’s
Tale, Bergman continued to pursue classical drama. All three productions were in-
vited to a number of theatres abroad. The Hamlet production in particular caused
quite a stir as Bergman unashamedly presented his alter ego in the title role, played by
a look-alike actor who wore young Bergman’s clothing insignia. In a rare desire to
update a classical play, Bergman mixed costume styles from different time epochs and
changed Fortrinbras’ arrival to that of a modern-day hoodlum, barging in on stage
with a roaring motorcycle gang to the tune of rock music.
Hamlet was the least attended of Dramaten’s productions during the 1986 season.
Yet, in several ways, it represents Bergman’s most explicit statement on the function of
his theatre work. Like his 1988 staging of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into
Night and of Yukio Mishima’s The Marquise de Sade in 1989, his Hamlet production
described a movement from an outer reality to an inner landscape of memories,
dreams, and nightmares where the characters hovered on the brink of a mental abyss.
Except for the ending, Bergman presented Hamlet’s harrowing inner journey against
an understated stylized scenography that seemed to form a beautiful restrained con-
trast to the released passions of the dramatis personae. Two features, in fact, stand out
in many of Bergman’s Dramaten productions after his homecoming: a ‘reductionary’
process where the scenography becomes more and more sparse and stylized, and an
opulence in costumes, especially in productions of classics like Shakespeare and
Molière.
Bergman’s vitality seemed unabated after his return to Dramaten. He liked to quote
Georg Tabori, that the only alternative to the stage is the morgue. He maintained his
old habit of dividing his attention between new Swedish plays and productions of
both older and modern classics. In addition to his Shakespeare productions he re-
turned to Ibsen with A Doll’s House (1989) and a spectacular Peer Gynt in 1991, and to
Molière with another version of The Misanthrope (1995). In 1998, he staged Per Olof
Enqvist’s new play Bildmakarna (The Image Makers), which depicts an encounter
between a literary person, Selma Lagerlöf, and a filmmaker, Bergman’s revered pre-

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decessor Victor Sjöström. In February 2000, his fourth version of Strindberg’s Spök-
sonaten (The Ghost Sonata) opened and in December of the same year he presented
Maria Stuart, his first staging ever of a Schiller play. In 2002, he returned once more to
Ibsen, this time with his own translation/adaptation of Gengangere (Ghosts). With
these productions, Bergman seemed to trace his own artistic trajectory in Scandinavia
and in Germany. But his long (and towards the end, somewhat strained) professional
relationship with Dramaten’s administrative head, Lars Löfgren, was over. The Berg-
man-Dramaten connection continued under Löfgren’s successor Ingrid Dahlberg but
when she retired in 2002, Bergman had already announced his definitive departure.
He now turned his remaining creative powers to media theatre, setting up several
radio and TV productions.

Bergman’s Approach in the Theatre: More Intuition than Theory

Bergman’s directorial presence over more than six decades has of course left a distinct
mark in the annals of Swedish stagecraft; yet that presence has also remained so
personal that Bergman has formed no school and has had few, if any, disciples. A
contributing factor can be found in the afore-mentioned resistance he faced in the
1960s from a young, ideologically motivated generation of theatre people who re-
buffed his overtures to participate actively in the current reorganization of theatre
education in Sweden. But Bergman’s concern has usually been more focussed on
building up an interest in the theatre among young audiences than in establishing
a director’s circle. Like the German theatre man, Max Reinhardt, he has stressed that
for him there is no single approach to stagecraft but that each play production
constitutes a new challenge. By the same token he has avoided generalising about
his own work and has instead emphasized his intuitive method: ‘I throw a spear into
the dark to see where it lands’. [Jag kastar ett spjut in i mörkret för att se var det
landar] (Sjögren, ‘Dialog’, Ø 548).
However, Bergman’s intuitive feel has in no way implied a haphazard or tentative
approach to a given production. Rather, his directional style became known as sensi-
tive but controlled and planned in every detail, including a realistic assessment of his
stage instruments. His early amateur productions for instance, which were praised for
their combination of musical tempo and strong visual design, suggest that he could
provide useful, technical and artistic support to a mostly inexperienced cast. With
time, as Bergman could work with highly professional ensembles, he would increas-
ingly come to rely on his actors to carry a production and it became more and more
rare for him to let theatrical brilliance outdistance or overshadow the performers. It is
a development parallell to his increasing use of the close-up of faces in his filmmak-
ing. Bergman, wrote one reviewer, works with the actors like someone who ‘kneads
and models a whole human destiny ..’. [knådar och modellerar fram ett helt männi-
skoöde]. The performances by Bergman’s actors have seldom been as stunning under
other directors. One explanation lies in their often lifelong professional relationships
with Bergman, allowing for a build-up of implicit understanding. At the core of this
director-ensemble symbiosis also lies a recognition of a mutual need. Actors have
frequently testified that they rely on Bergman’s tremendous know-how and feel
comfortable with his very concrete instruction. One of his early stage designers,

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Gunnar Lindblad, remembers how Bergman’s leadership was beyond dispute: ‘We
simply listened to him because we realized he knew so much more than the rest of us.’
(Interview with editor, February 1976). Bergman on the other hand knows that with-
out his ensemble’s keen support, his productions would miss the mark. One Swedish
theatre critic has said that Bergman treats his actors as if they were a kind of förbedjare
(blessing givers). Some commentators have compared the rapport between director
and cast to a form of hypnosis; others have spoken of a relationship analogous to
eroticized magic. Actress Gertrud Fridh once stated in a personal interview with the
editor that the key to Bergman’s unique ‘power’ over his cast stemmed from the self-
confidence he gave his actors by encouraging them ‘to offer freely of themselves’ [att
generöst bjuda på sig].
Bergman’s directorial method rests not on abstract stagecraft theories but on the
notion that a theatre performance is a juxtaposition of magic and professionalism.
From an audience perspective this combination of stage mesmerism and controlled
display of the instruments (actors, sets, costumes, lighting etc.) could become spell-
binding but also ‘horribly enforced’ [otäckt påträngande] (Clas Brunius, Expr., 18
October 1958.) When viewers were thrown between scenes of stupendous sophistica-
tion and beauty and moments of theatrical self-consciousness, grotesque humor and
rather vulgar eroticism, charges of manipulation of actors and audiences alike would
surface. The attention to detail that became Bergman’s trademark coexisted with an
ability to project a vision of a play’s total potential. It has often excited critics but also
puzzled them, as in the following review after the opening of Bergman’s production of
Ur-Faust in 1957:
This is grandiose theatre – but difficult to explain. It hits you in such an overwhelming way,
both emotionally and intellectually. [...] One could begin by talking about the characteriza-
tion or the scenography; one could begin with the uniqueness and possibilities of the theatre
in our time, or about the devil’s treason in our hearts where Mephisto and Faust have
settled. But nothing of this would explain the totality which is Ingmar Bergman’s theatre.

[Detta är storslagen teater – men svår att förklara. Det träffar en på ett så överväldigande
sätt, både känslomässigt och intellektuellt. [...] Man kunde börja med att tala om karakter-
istiken eller scenografin; man kunde börja med säregenheten och möjligheterna i vår tids
teater, eller om djävulens förräderi i våra hjärtan där Mefisto och Faust har slagit sig ner.
Men ingenting av detta skulle förklara den helhet som är Ingmar Bergmans teater.] See
Ø 433.
Bergman himself might respond that the key to ‘the totality which is Ingmar Berg-
man’s theatre’ lies in a recognition of the afore-mentioned triangular interconnection
between dramatic text (and its interpreting director), the performers on stage and the
audience in the house. In a mid-career interview (1968) he suggested that the essence
of a theatre production lay in finding the magnetic point that ignites the director’s
response to a play and forces him to find a similar electrifying connection between
performer and viewer:
Every theatrical space has its specific point of radiation in relation to stage and viewer
space... This is a fundamental premise which you figure out before you start: where is the
magic point? Where does the actor stand in that space in relation to the viewer? ... It is

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towards that point you make your close-ups and distancing effects. And all the time it is the
viewer’s perspective that counts.

[Varje sceniskt rum har sin specifika utstrålningspunkt, i sin relation mellan scen och
åskådarrum... det är en grundförutsättning som man lurar ut innan man börjar: var är
själva den magiska punkten? Var står skådespelaren i detta scenrum i förhållande till åskå-
darrummet? ... mot den här punkten gör man närmnings- och fjärmningseffekter. Och det
är hela tiden från åskådaren den räknas.] (Sjögren, Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 291-
292).
Bergman’s reference here to ‘closing-in and distancing effects’ is the language of a
filmmaker whose camera can oscillate between close-ups and long distance shots. But
Bergman maintained early that the theatre differed from film and television in that it
lacked the potential of the camera’s visible all-encompassing mobility. He also claimed
however that the unique strength of the theatre lay in the communication between
live human beings on both sides of the ramp: ‘Theatre should be man’s meeting with
man and nothing else. All else is distracting’. [Teatern ska vara människans möte med
människan och ingenting annat. Allt annat är distraherande]. Theatre to Bergman has
always been a physical, sensuous encounter between actors and spectators (See Sjög-
ren, 1968, p. 310). Thus, while his film work can be said to have conveyed a personal
vision expressing itself in psychological and metaphysical themes, his theatre work has
revealed a unique artistic will, set on establishing a live rapport with both stage and
audience.
Bergman’s emphasis on an engaged spectatorship is expressed already in his earliest
program notes, which frequently include brief digs at the audience and invitations to
them to respond to a performance. Eventually, this ‘teasing’ of the audience – inviting
them into the illusory and ritualised world of the theatre, yet revealing to them the
practical reality and technical apparatus of a performance – would come to constitute
the essence of Bergman’s theatre esthetics. In many of his stage presentations from the
1970s and on, Bergman displayed a meta-theatrical playfulness that took delight in
breaking the dramatic illusion or aimed at creating a form of theatrical intertextuality,
with professional nods to established dramatic and literary traditions, such as in The
Winters Tale production from 1994 with its elaborate frame reference to the work of
Swedish 19th-century writer C. J. L. Almqvist, or the presentation of Hamlet in 1986
with its rock music finale. Another illusion-breaking feature in Hamlet, which had
also appeared in earlier Bergman productions such as Woyzzek (1969) and A Doll’s
House (1988), was his retaining an actor on stage during the entire performance.
Ophelia’s continuous presence as a voyeur was however more than a non-realistic
gimmick; it was a way of using a character as both an insider and an outsider, as both
participant and observer. In the latter sense, Ophelia served as an audience stand-in
on stage or as a silent chorus, a moral commentator. This use of an actor as a link
between the drama on stage and the audience in the house ties in with Bergman’s
wish to stir the viewers to theatrical consciousness.
As Bergman stopped writing his own plays for the theatre and relied instead
entirely on texts by other playwrights, he also came to value more and more his role
as interpretor. But though a dramatic text might be that of another artist, the voice
speaking through the performers on stage is Ingmar Bergman’s. That voice stems

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from a conviction of the theatre as a teatrum mundi and a place where the world of
performance and the world of reality are irrevocably tied together. In that sense, the
illusion-breaking theatrical features in Bergman’s productions – though often recur-
ring like a form of Bergmanian stage tics – are seldom mere mundane experiments
but constitute artistic expressions rooted in his vision of the theatre as both a ‘play-
ground’ and a reflection of life.

Part II: Stage Productions by Ingmar Bergman

Productions are listed under their year of opening. Within each calendar year, listings
are arranged chronologically according to first performance date. As noted in the
introduction to this chapter, Ingmar Bergman, during the early part of his career,
sometimes moved back and forth between several amateur and professional theatre
groups. The chronological order used as a principle in this Reference Guide is not
strictly preserved in such cases. Instead, productions from a given stage, such as the
Stockholm Student Theatre, are grouped together sequentially. At the end of Chapter
VII there is a chronological chart listing all of Ingmar Bergman’s stage and media
productions, from 1938 to 2003.
The format for each individual entry in part (2) is the same as in the Filmography
in Chapter IV, i.e., items appear in chronological order according to opening date.
Play synopses are only provided for Bergman’s own plays. When available, informa-
tion is given about director’s, assistant director’s or prompter’s production copies,
and/or the published copy of the play text when revised by Ingmar Bergman.
The listing of production credits, including complete cast lists, is followed by a
commentary, a reception summary and a selection of reviews and articles pertaining
specifically to the play entry. The reception summaries vary in length, reflecting the
critical attention a production received. The focus is on the response to Bergman’s
mise-en-scene and interpretation of play texts, and on any press debate that a parti-
cular staging elicited. Guest performances abroad are also annotated.
Printed theatre programs to individual productions are available at the Swedish
Theatre Museum in Stockholm, at the Royal Library (KB) in Stockholm, and at the
stages where given performances took place. Production copies and preserved stage
models are noted when available.

Mäster Olofsgården (1938-40)

For brief discussions of this first phase in Bergman’s theatre career, see Billqvist, 1960
(Ø 1040), pp. 9-31, and Höök, 1962 (Ø 1074), pp. 34-37. The most extensive account to
date of Bergman’s years at Mäster Olofsgården can be found in Birgitta Steene’s
‘Ingmar Bergman’s First Meeting with Thalia’ in the special Bergman issue of Nordic
Theatre Studies, edited by Ann Carpenter Fridén, vol. XI, 1998: 12-33. An abbreviated
version of this essay appeared in Swedish in UNT, 14 July 1998, p. 11. Henrik Sjögren.

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

Från lek till raseri. Ingmar Bergman på teatern (Stockholm: Carlson, 2002) deals with
same subject, pp. 43-61.
For Bergman’s own comments on his work at Mäster Olofsgården, (See Ø 2 in
Chapter II).

344. TILL FRÄMMANDE HAMN, 1938 [Outward Bound] (lit. To a Foreign Port)
Credits
Original Title Outward Bound
Playwright Sutton Vane
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Mats Friberg and Gösta Larsson
Stage Mäster Olofsgården/State Mission Auditorium
Date 23-24 April 1938
Cast
Tom Prior Gösta Larsson
Scrubby, Bartender Sture Djerf
Rev. William Duke Lennart Lindberg
Mrs. Cliveden-Banks Maud Sandwall
Ann Inga Hall
Mrs. Midget Gun Öijerholm
Businessman Lingley Stig Falkner
Henry Ted Winther
The Mother Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
Pastor Frank Thomson/ Comptroller Ingmar Bergman
Commentary
Vane’s play had been a success a few years earlier at Stockholm’s Komedi Theatre and in 1931, at
age 13, Ingmar Bergman had seen a performance there with his father. In connection with his
own production seven years later he published his thoughts on ‘Till främmande hamn’ in
Mäster Olofsgården’s SFP (no. 3, 1938, p. 3). The publication is an acronym for Storkyrkoflick-
orna/ pojkarna [Great Church girls and boys] and is available at the Mäster Olofsgården
archives.
Bergman writes that he had lived with Vane’s drama for several years before producing it. He
had actually tried to stage it in his home-made puppet theatre and was obviously drawn to its
metaphysical and eschatological theme: the play depicts passengers who gradually realise they
are on board a ship heading towards their final destination. Bergman played a pastor, the play’s
moral emissary, also referred to as The Comptroller.
After his production of Sutton Vane’s play Ingmar Bergman’s name appeared for the first
time in the press in an untitled news item in SvD, 24 April 1938, p. 14. Many of his subsequent
stagings at Mäster Olofsgården were discussed briefly in the press and in the SFP.
Reception
In a note in SFP newsletter no. 2, 1939, p. 1, Bergman brings up what he terms audience lack of
sensitivity to the serious issues in Vane’s play. This is in contrast to the brief review in DN, 27
April 1938, p. 4, stating that ‘the gripping play [made] a deep impression on the audience’ [det
gripande stycket gjorde ett djupt intryck på publiken] and in ST, same date (p. 11), where the
reviewer talks about ‘a theatre house filled to the last seat by an immensely enthusiastic
audience’ [en teatersalong fylld till sista plats med en oerhört entusiastisk publik]. SFP reviewer
Gunnar Ollén who had seen all of Mäster Olofsgården’s previous theatre productions, called

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 Stage Productions by Ingmar Bergman

Bergman’s debut SFP’s best production ‘together with Easter and Everyman. Perhaps the very
best’ [tillsammans med Påsk och Envar. Kanske den allra bästa]. He noted that some of the
actors had never been better than under Bergman’s direction.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Sjömän på studentteater’ [Sailors attending student staging]. DN, 27 April 1938. p. 4
Ollén, Gunnar. ‘Till främmande hamn’ [Outward Bound], SFP newsletter, no. 4, 1938, p 5.
Sand. ‘Till främmande hamn’. ST, 24 April 1938, p. 11.

1939
345. GULDKAROSSEN [The Golden Chariot]
Credits
Original Title Guldkareten (1898)
Playwright Axel Bentzonich
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Nicolai Elementary School
Opening Date 5 April 1939
Cast
Mrs. Lyders Doris Rönnqvist
Petrine Inga Nicklasson
William Beck Kurt Östergren
Double bill with next item.

346. GALGMANNEN [The Hangman]

Credits
Playwright Runar Schildt
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Nicolai Public School
Date 5 April 1939
Cast
The Colonel Cai Winter
Maria Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Commentary
In two separate notes titled ‘Teatraliskt i SFP’ (SFP, no. 2, 1939) and ‘Experimentteater!’ [Ex-
perimental theater], (SFP, no. 3 1939, p. 24), Ingmar Bergman proudly announced a forth-
coming production at Mäster Olofsgården of two plays not yet presented in the professional
theater: Axel Bentzonich’s dramatic short story ‘Guldkarossen’ (The Golden Chariot) and Runar
Schildt’s play Galgmannen (The Hangman). He was incorrect, however, about Bentzonich’s play,
which had been produced in Stockholm on several previous occasions, the first time at Dra-
maten in 1910, then at the Blanche Theatre in 1916 and again at Dramaten in 1922.
The performance of the double bill took place in the Nicolai Public School (Folkskola) on
Ash Wednesday and was preceded by the director’s short introduction. The purpose of the
production was to offer serious drama during ‘the Week of Stillness’ and present a repertory not
offered by the large professional theatres in Stockholm.

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No newspaper reviews have been located but SFP, no. 4, 1939, contains a rather long unsigned
resume of the double bill, where most of the praise went to Bergman, whose inspiring direction
produced ‘a sense of spiritual devotion that the audience brought home with them after this
strong evening’ [en känsla av andakt som publiken gav sig hem (med) efter denna starka kväll].

347. LYCKO-PERS RESA [Lucky-Per’s Travels ]

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Ingmar Bergman/Ruben Zehlén
Music Rune Ede
Stage Mäster Olofsgården
Date 21 April 1939
Cast
Lycko-Per Cai Winther
Lisa Inga Hall
The Old Man Stig Falkner
The Goblin Curt Östergren
The Fairy Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
Nisse Doris Söderström
Nilla Irma Kjellgren
Headwaiter Sture Djerf
Tax Accountant Ruben Zehlén
Clerk Lennart Svensson
Member of the Crowd Inga Nicklasson
The Courtier Ruben Zehlén
The Bride Gun Öijerholm
Friend I Curt Östergren
Friend II Ingmar Bergman
Girlfriend Inga Nicklasson
The Statue Lennart Lindberg
The Pillory Mats Eljas
The Shoemaker Arne Palmquist
The Carriage Maker Jon Frisk
The Pedicurist Anne-Marie Sandberg
The Relative Stig Falkner
The Mayor Elis Hahne
The Visor Lennart Lindberg
The Historiographer Jon Frisk
Death Arne Palmquist
The Wise Man Elis Hahne
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman presented the upcoming production of Strindberg’s play in a note titled
‘Lycko-Pers resa’ (Lucky Per’s Journey), SFP, no. 3, 1939, p. 4, 13. His focus was on the moral
content of the play: the core of Strindberg’s drama lay in the advise given to the title figure:
‘Here one gets nothing without work — Work, Per, and be honest!’ [Här får man inget utan
arbete – Arbeta, Per, och var ärlig!]. See also SFP, no. 2 (1939), p. 1, for a note on the rehearsals

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of Strindberg’s play, as well as the SFP handwritten annual report from 1939, which contains a
reference to the rehearsal time for Lycko-Pers resa – 125 hours, divided between 48 meetings. An
indication of the intensity of Bergman’s rehearsal schedule.
Reception and Reviews
In a note headlined ‘Kända personer om Lycko-Pers resa’ (Well-known people about Lucky
Per’s Travels), in SFP newsletter, no. 4, 1939, p. 4, actress Naima Wifstrand who attended the
opening performance praised the discipline and empathy of the ensemble but warned against
histrionic excess and false theatricality. In the audience that same night was playwright-in-exile
Bertolt Brecht, who afterwards sent ‘a comradely greeting’ [en kamratlig hälsning] to Sven
Hansson. Brecht termed the performance interesting, intelligent, and serious but added that his
conception of theatre differed from that of the ensemble, both generally and in detail.
After the performance of Lucky Per’s Travels Mäster Olofsgården’s religious leader, pastor
Gabriel Grefberg, wrote a thank-you note to Ingmar Bergman and his cast in SFP no. 5 (1939),
p. 5, 8. Praising their youthful enthusiasm in the productions of Guldkarossen, Galgmannen and,
above all, Lycko-Pers resa, Grefberg added: ‘With this you have realized my dream of many
years. [...] It was the drama of my youth. I have now experienced it over again. [...] Good luck,
dear young people! It was a success’. [Därmed har ni förverkligat min dröm i många år, att få se
den (Lycko-Pers resa) uppsatt i SFPs teatersektion. Det var min ungdoms drama. Nu har jag
upplevt det på nytt. [...] Lycka till, kära unga människor! Det var en framgång.]
The only review located – Gunnar Ollén, ‘Lycko-Pers resa’. SFP, no. 4, 1939, p. 1, 4, 13 – was
critical of the excessive acting style but reserved praise for the décor, which Bergman himself
had sketched, and for the rhythmic flow of the production. See also short notice about the
production in DN, 23 April 1939, p. 18 and brief comment by Peo (Sixten Ahrenberg) in AB,
same date.

348. KVÄLLSKABARET [Evening Cabaret]

Credits
Author MO-gården’s theatre team/Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården
Date October 1939
A note in the SFP annual report is the only located reference to this cabaret evening, supposedly
presented in late October 1939. It might possibly be the same program mentioned by Bergman
in an SFP note (no. 5, 1940, p. 8, 14, 15) where he sums up the 1939-40 theatre season, listing in
the repertory an entertainment program called ‘Ju galnare ju bättre’ (The crazier, the better).

349. ROMANTIK [Romanesques]

Credits
Original title Romanesques
Playwright Edmond Rostand
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Ruben Zehlén
Music Rune Ede
Costumes Kerstin Svennilson and Marianne von Schantz
Stage Mäster Olofsfgården, Stortorget 5
Date 4, 5, 6 November 1939

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Cast
Percinet Kurt Östergren
His father Sture Djerf
Sylvette Ingrid Lien
Pasquinot, her father Lennart Lindberg
Straforel Ingmar Bergman
Commentary
Rostand’s comedy was part of a double bill together with ‘Höstrapsodi’ (Ø 350). In a brief note
‘Evenemang’, (SFP, no. 8, 1939, p. 8), Bergman points out that the play would be performed in
complete period style.
Reviews
Gunnar Ollén, SFP, no. 9 (1939) devotes most of his review to ‘Höstrapsodi’, the other play in
the double bill, and refers to ‘Romantik’ as ‘a little skit to warm up the public for Höstrapsodi’.
[ett litet skämt för att värma upp publiken till Höstrapsodi].

350. HÖSTRAPSODI [Autumn Rhapsody]

Credits
Playwright Doris Rönnqvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Ruben Zehlén
Music Rune Ede
Costumes Kerstin Svennilson and Marianne von Schantz
Stage Mäster Olofsgården, Stortorget 5
Date 4-6 November 1939
Cast
Hans Lennart Lindberg
Greta Gun Öijerholm
Street Musician Arne Palmqvist
Summer Gunnel Wiklund
Autumn Maud Sandwall
Wind Kurt Östergren
Rain Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
Autumn Leaf Ingrid Sandström
Commentary
Doris Rönnqvist, author of the play, was a member of the theatre section at Mäster Olofsgår-
den. In his note in SFP, no. 8, 1939, p. 8, Ingmar Bergman announced this production as the first
comedy staged at Mäster Olofsgården. He also pointed out that the theatre section was now
self-supporting and had its own composer and scenographer, as well as its own costume shop,
program printer and photographer.
Reception and Reviews
Gunnar Ollén reviewed the double bill in SFP: ‘Se det var en riktig TEATERKVÄLL!’ [See, that
was a real THEATRE EVENING!], SFP, no. 9, 1939, p. 5, 13. He called Ingmar Bergman a
genuine theatre director and the performance ‘a great and emotionally gripping evening. Not an
evening when you merely applaud politely. [...] No, one of those precious moments in the
history of our theatre when the applause came from the heart and not from biased fathers,
mothers, girl friends. [...] Such an evening is a triumph! [en stor, gripande, varm kväll. Ingen

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sån där kväll, då man sitter och artighetsapplåderar. [...] Nej, ett av de dyrbara tillfällen i
sektionens historia, då publikens applåder kom från hjärtat och inte från pappors, mammors,
fästmörs jäviga hjärtan. [...] En sådan kväll är en seger!]

351. HAN SOM FICK LEVA OM SITT LIV [The Man who Lived Twice ]
Credits
Playwright Pär Lagerkvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Ruben Zehlén
Stage Mäster Olofsgården, Stortorget 5
Date 7 December 1939; additional performances: 13-14 Feb-
ruary 1940
Cast
Daniel Sture Djerf
Anna Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
Agnes, their child Svea Sjögren
Hugo, their child Olle Brunell
Ingrid, their child Gunnel Wiklund
Elof, their child Kurt Östergren
Old Man Boman Ingmar Bergman
Karlsson Arne Palmqvist
The Prisoner Lennart Lindberg
Commentary
In early 1939, Ingmar Bergman added the name ‘Experimentteatern’ (Experimental Stage) to his
productions at Mäster Olofsgården. He wrote an one-page announcement of the production of
Lagerkvist’s drama in SFP, no. 9, 1939, p. 3, under the heading ‘Experimentteatern igen’ (The
Experimental Theatre once more), signing it ‘The Director’ [Regissören]. Bergman talks about
‘the moments of spiritual recreation’ [stunder av andlig rekreation] that Lagerkvist’s serious
drama had given the ensemble and about the endless care that had been devoted to the stage
set: ‘We wish this time to present a performance that is as absolutely planned and right as our
capacity allows’. [Vi vill denna gång presentera er en föreställning, som är så absolut genom-
tänkt och riktig som vi förmår]. This declaration is followed by a typical Bergman address to a
would-be audience, a note with an almost Victorian ‘dear-reader’ approach, held in a half
pleading, half predding tone: ‘This is as you probably understand, dear reader, no easy matter.
[...] Will we be able to continue on our chosen path [to offer serious drama] or must we cancel
our experimental activity? That is a matter that you, and only you, dear reader, (and your 50 öre
piece) can decide’. [Detta är som du nog förstår käre läsare ingen lättillgänglig sak. [...] Kommer
det att gå så att vi kan fortsätta på den inslagna vägen eller skall vi behöva lägga ned experi-
mentteaterns verksamhet? Ja, det är en sak som du, och endast du, käre läsare (och din 50-
öring) kan avgöra.]
Reviews
Margit Fröman reviewed the production in SFP newsletter, Christmas issue 1939, pp. 3, 15. She
praised acting, lighting, décor, director’s interpretation, and asked for additional performances,
which resulted in encores on 13-14 February 1940.

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352. JUL [Christmas]

Credits
Original Title (Excerpt from) Svarta handsken [The Black Glove], first
entitled ‘Jul’ by Strindberg
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården
Date Mid-December 1939
Cast
No program located
Commentary
This pre-Christmas production represents Bergman’s only box-office flop among his dozen
presentations in a 2-year period at Mäster Olofsgården. Cf. next entry. The SFP annual hand-
written protocol for 1939 suggests that choosing Strindberg’s somber play as a Christmas
offering was ignoring the audience expectations of a happy piece of entertainment before
the holiday season. The unsuccessful presentation of ‘Jul’ did not, however, prevent the SFP
board from recognizing Ingmar Bergman’s invaluable contribution to Mäster Olofsgården’s
theatre section. At Christmas time 1939 he was awarded an annual ambulatory prize, instituted
in 1936 in memory of SP (Great Church Boys) member Åke Eskil Johansson, to be given to ‘the
member who has made the greatest contribution of the year’. [den medlem som har åstad-
kommit den bästa insatsen under året]. The previous year’s winner who passed on the prize to
Ingmar Bergman, was SFP theatre critic (and later Strindberg scholar) Gunnar Ollén.

1940
353. I BETHLEHEM – ETT JULSPEL [In Bethlehem: A Christmas Play]
Credits
Playwright Unknown
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården and Hedvig Eleonora Church
Date 3 January 1940

Cast
No program has been located
Commentary
This traditional Christmas pageant seems to have been staged to make up for Bergman’s
production of Jul [Christmas], in December 1939 (see Ø 352). I Bethlehem was also performed
in the Hedvig Eleonora church where Bergman’s father was a pastor.

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354. SVARTA HANDSKEN [The Black Glove]

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården
Date 4 January 1940
Cast
No record found. Cf. Ø 352.
Reception
No press reviews have been located, but SFP member Margit Fröman wrote about the produc-
tion in SFP no. 1, 1940. Her write-up is mostly a resumé of the play’s moral content. Bergman’s
name is not mentioned.

355. MACBETH
Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Ruben Zehlén and Torsten Ohlsson
Stage Assembly Hall at Girls School at Sveaplan
Date 13-14 April 1940
Cast
Duncan Ingmar Bergman
Malcolm/Donalbain Torsten Torestam/Arne Forsberg
Macbeth Kurt Östergren
Lady Macbeth Maud Sandwall
Banquo Lennart Lindberg
Fleance, his son Olle Brunell
Porter Veine Persson
Macduff Bertil Sjödin
Rosse Sture Djerf
Doctor Lennart Lindberg
Servant Rune Bernström
Chambermaid Eva Asplund
Three Witches Annemari Sandberg, Ingegerd Vetter, Essie Fischer
Soldiers, Chambermaids, Murderers
Commentary
Bergman offered a full-page presentation of Shakespeare’s drama, titled ‘En saga’ (A fairy tale)
in SFP, no. 3 (1940), p. 4. Evoking a mood of fateful, misty gloom across a Scottish moorland, he
set the stage for the reader to enter a Gothic landscape.
The production of Macbeth ran into difficulties because of the German occupation of
Denmark and Norway on 9 April 1940, with subsequent drafting of several members of the
cast. Also, the quarters at a girls’ school in Stockholm, which had been leased for the Macbeth
performance, had suddenly been taken over by the military authorities to house drafted sol-
diers. A compromise was worked out with the military command, and the draftees were invited
to the performances. The reviewer in SFP, Helge Hane, wrote: ‘The outer frame of the drama –
the Sveaplan School – presented a confused and confusing sight. Soldiers and theatre visitors

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elbowed up the stairs and hallways. A timeless and current drama was enacted in various ways
that night within the walls of the school’. [Den yttre ramen för premiären – Sveaskolan –
företedde en förvirrad och förvirrande anblick. Soldater och teaterbesökare armbågade sig fram
i trappuppgångar och vestibuler. Ett otidligt och aktuellt drama gestaltades på olika sätt inom
skolans ramar den kvällen]. Bergman himself comments in retrospect on the situation in a note
published prior to his second production of Macbeth at Hälsingborg City Theatre in 1944. See:
‘Vi måste ge Macbeth’ [We have to present Macbeth]. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 14 November 1944,
p. 7.
A few days before the premiere of Macbeth, DN (7 April 1940, p. 12) carried a brief interview
with Ingmar Bergman titled ‘Energisk amatörteater i Gamla stan’ [Energetic amateur theatre in
the Old Town], in which Bergman complains about the lack of a proper theatre stage but
praises the enthusiasm of his ensemble of young actors.
Reception
Bergman’s staging was a mixture of chamber play and medieval pageantry, using spot lighting
and shadow play to focus on the inner human drama, but also contained colorful crowd scenes
in a multi-level performance area. It was considered a somewhat risky undertaking for an
amateur theatre but the production received positive comments in the press about the sceno-
graphy, acting and directorial conception. Bergman was also mentioned favourably in his role
as Duncan. The reviewer in DN expressed his admiration for an amateur group that seemed
devoutly committed, inspired by good companionship, sincerity, humility.
Reviews
O. R-t [Oscar Rydqvist]. ‘Macbeth vid Sveaplan’. DN, 14 April 1940, p. A 9.
Corinne, SvD ‘Macbeth i ungdomlig regi’ [Macbeth in youthful direction]. SvD, 14 April 1940,
p. 7.
Helge G. Hane ‘Ödesdrama i ödestid’[Fateful drama in fateful times] in SFP, no. 4 (April) 1940,
p. 3, 10, 15.
See also
Ann Fridén. ‘‘He Shall Live a Man Forbid’: Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Macbeth’’. Shakespeare Survey 36,
1983 (a study of Bergman’s various productions of Shakespeare’s drama).

356. SOPPKITTELN [The Pot of Broth]

Credits
Playwright William Butler Yeats
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården, Stortorget 3
Date 18 May 1940
Cast
John Coneely Rune Bernström
Sibby Coneely Gun Öijerholm
The Vagabond Sture Djerf
Double bill with next item.

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357. TIMGLASET [The Hour Glass]

Credits
Original Title The Hour Glass
Playwright William Butler Yeats
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården, Stortorget 3
Date 18 May 1940
Cast
The Wise Man Sture Djerf
The Fool Bertil Sjödin
The Angel Ingrid Lundgren
Bridget Gunnel Wiklund
The Pupil Rune Bernström
Commentary
The double bill was presented as Program III on Mäster Olofsgården’s Experimental Stage. No
reviews have been located. This was the last production for the 1939-40 theatre season. In SFP
no. 5, 1940 (p. 8, 14-15), Bergman sums up the year as a good one, filled with ‘calm and intense’
[lugnt och intensivt] work, and concludes that critics and general public seem to have been
satisfied. He reports that the economic situation, though not ideal, had not stalled theatre
activity, which had included five full evening productions and three entertainment programs:
‘Ju galnare ju bättre’ (The crazier the better), ‘Professor Putnams panoptikon’ and ‘Pyramus
och Thisbe’. In addition, the amateur team had studied practically all of Strindberg’s dramas,
engaged in pantomime exercises, and met for film showings and discussions. The time covered
in this report coincides with the outbreak of World War II, including the occupation of Den-
mark and Norway, but Bergman’s entire focus is on the Mäster Olofsgården theatre activities,
with rehearsals running from 19 July 1939 to 27 May 1940, three to four evenings a week.

358. TILLBAKA [Return]

Credits
Original title Return
Playwright Gregor Ges
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården
Date Autumn 1940
No program and no reviews have been located.

359. MELODIN SOM KOM BORT [The Melody that Disappeared]

Credits
Original title Melodien der blev væk.
Playwright Kjeld Abell
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Mäster Olofsgården/State Mission Assembly Hall
Date 16-17 November 1940
No other details available

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360. SVANEVIT [Swanwhite]

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Music Jan-Erik Forsmark
Stage Sveaplan Girls High School auditorium
Date 4, 7 December 1940
Cast
The Young King Gösta Prüzelius
The Duke Sture Djerf
The Stepmother Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
Swanwhite Ingrid Lundgren
The Prince Börje Andersson (later: troubadour Anders Börje}
The Gardener Ingmar Bergman
The Fisherman Rune Bernström
Swanwhite’s mother Margareta Sjögren
The Prince’s mother Ragnhild Wessberg
Bridesmaids Irma Kjellgren, Maj Segerstam, Maud Lindberg
Commentary
This was Ingmar Bergman’s last production at Mäster Olofsgården. 62-year old actress Harriet
Bosse, August Strindberg’s third wife, to whom he dedicated Svanevit as an engagement gift,
attended the performance.
The reviewer of Svanevit in SFP, Helge Hane, summed up Bergman’s formidable activity at
Mäster Olofsgården as follows:
Ingmar Bergman holds his own as an amateur director. He is both diligent and inventive.
The Merchant (of Venice), The Pelican and Swanwhite in one fall season testifies to an
unusual capacity and devotion. When you also know that he has used the last months to
teach the art of theatre leadership to others, you acknowledge with amused surprise that he
ungemein tüchtig ist.

[Ingmar Bergman hävdar sig som amatörregissör. Han är både flitig och uppfinningsrik.
Köpmannen, Pelikanen och Svanevit på en höstsäsong vittnar om ovanlig kapacitet och
hängivenhet. När man dessutom vet att han använt de senaste månaderna till att undervisa
teaterledarskapets konst till andra, erkänner man med road överraskning att han ungemein
tüchtig ist.]
Ten years after his arrival at Mäster Olofsgården, Bergman commented nostalgically on his time
there in a letter to Sven Hansson, dated 11 February 1948. Bergman refers to his two-year tenure
at the amateur stage as ‘the gateway to the ‘real’ theatre’. [porten till den ‘riktiga’ teatern]. See
Billqvist, 1960, pp. 30-31 (Ø 1040), where letter is published.
Reception
Brief reviews praised the acting, stage design and, especially, the stylized approach to Strind-
berg’s fairy play. Wrote Nils Beyer: ‘Greatest honor must go to the director, Ingmar Bergman’.
[Största äran av att det gick så bra är regissören, IB]. His particular forte – to get the actors to

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outdo themselves – was also noted by Helge Hane. See Henrik Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, pp.
253-56.
Reviews
Allegro (Olle Halling). ‘Strindberg vid Sveaplan’ [S. at Sveaplan]. AB, 8 December 1940, p. 11.
-yer (Nils Beyer), ‘God amatörteater’ [Good amateur theatre]. Soc. Dem., 8 December 1940, p.
13.
Eveo, (ErikWilliam Olsson), ‘Svanevit i Flickläroverket’ [Swanwhite at the Girls High School].
SvD, 8 December 1940, p. 18.
Hane, Helge G. ‘En hög visa’ [A song of songs]. SFP, no. 1, 1941, p. 4, 7.
Stål, Sven. ‘Teater. Svanevit’. Lidingö Tidning, 11 December 1940.

Stockholm Student Theatre (1940-43)

In the spring of 1940, Bergman was approached by members of the Stockholm

Student Theatre and in late fall that year he made his debut as its director with a
production of Strindberg’s The Pelican. The members of the Stockholm Student
Theatre included several people who would continue professionally in the theatre
field in various capacities: Claes Hoogland (head of Drama section at Swedish Radio
(SR), Artur Lundkvist (author and critic), Birger Malmsten (actor).
Bergman set up a total of six productions at the Student Theatre. They are listed
here sequentially.

361. PELIKANEN [The Pelican ]

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Stockholm Student Union, Holländargatan 32
Date 1 November 1940
Cast
Mother (Elise), a widow Karin Lannby
Son, Fredrik, a law student Carl Ivar Sandström
Daughter, Gerda Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Son-in-law, Mårten Ted Winther
Margret, housemaid Margareta Sjögren
Commentary
On 26 November 1907, Strindberg’s Intima Theatre opened its brief performance history with
Pelikanen/The Pelican. In a program note to the 1940 Student Theatre production of the play,
Carl Ivar Sandstöm wrote that Sweden’s theatrical tradition was rooted in Strindberg, not in
Shakespeare. However, Strindberg, according to the note, was not widely known by the theatre
going public. The Stockholm Student Theatre aimed to rectify that, and Bergman’s production
of Pelikanen was seen as the first step.
A public rehearsal of the last act of Pelikanen took place in the Student Union on 10 October
1940, followed by a talk by Ingmar Bergman on how a theatre presentation is born [‘Hur en
teaterföreställning blir till’]. Special invitations were sent out to academic teachers and to the
professional theatre corps.

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In April 1941, Bergman’s production of Pelikanen paid a guest visit to the University of
Copenhagen in occupied Denmark. Barbro Hiort af Ornäs’ role as Gerda was replaced by
Annika Tretow. Danish reviews were respectful. See Studentavis at University of Copenhagen,
no. 3 (May) 1941, and Extrabladet (Danish), 21 April 1941, p. 4, for interviews. The opening night
performance in Copenhagen was attended by members of the royal Danish family and was
preceded by a prologue written for the occasion by Danish playwright Kjeld Abell.
Reception
Clearly, Strindberg was still a controversial figure in Sweden’s theatre life. The reviewer in
Social-Demokraten (Guldbrand) expressed some reservations about Strindberg’s play as ‘the
most horrible, grotesque and, frankly speaking, abominable play that Strindberg in his despe-
rate moments has written [det mest hemska, groteska och rent ut sagt avskyvärda som Strind-
berg i sina desperata ögonblick skrivit]. However, Guldbrand termed Bergman’s production full
of ‘ambitious sincerity’ [ambitiöst allvar] and hoped that the young ensemble would focus on
something more optimistic in the future. Other reviewers agreed in their assessment of the
amateur group; the performance was said to be artistically rewarding (DN), a laudable under-
taking (SvD) and providing a fascinating and interesting evening (AB).
Reviews
Eveo (Erik Wilhelm Olsson). ‘Strindberg på Studentteatern’. SvD, 2 November 1940, p. 9.
(According to this review, Bergman had worked with Strindberg’s play earlier, but no record
has been found; cf. however next item.)
-ki, (Hartvig Kusoffski). ‘Studentteatern’. AB, 2 November 1940, p. 18.
S. G-d (Sten Guldbrand). ‘Studentteatern: Pelikanen’. Social-Demokraten, 2 November 1940, p. 16.
S. T-d. (Stig Tornehed) ‘Pelikanen’. DN, 2 November 1940, p. 9.
Stål, Sven. ‘Pelikanen. Gott och ont hos Studentteatern’ [The Pelican. Good and bad at the
Student Theatre]. Lidingö Tidning, 9 November 1940, p. 1.
See also
Karin Bergman. Detta underliga skådespel som heter livet, 1995, p. 101, (Linton, Ø 1526), which
reports on Ingmar Bergman’s visit to Copenhagen, and Henrik Sjögren. Lek och raseri, 2002,
pp. 258-60, for review summary of Stockholm performance.

1941
362. FADREN [The Father]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Stockholm Student Theatre, Student Union Bldg
Date 15 May 1941
Cast
The Captain Folke Walder
Laura, his wife Dagny Lind
Berta, their daughter Margit Schwandt
The Pastor Edward Danielsson
The Doctor Harry Philipsson
Old Margret, housekeeper Marga Riego
Nöjd Rune Bernström

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Commentary
A program note to the production pointed out that Strindberg’s play Fadren (The Father) had
not been performed in Stockholm in 25 years. The performance was billed as the second one in
a trilogy comprising Pelikanen, performed in 1940, and a forthcoming staging of Himmelsrikets
nycklar (The Keys of Heaven), which never took place. Bergman however wrote an under-
graduate paper on this play for Professor Martin Lamm. (See Ø 5) in Chapter II.
The performers were not students but professional actors. In fact, Folke Walder who played
the Captain in Fadren went on tour with the production. Bergman recalls a couple of disastrous
performances in the Swedish provinces, among them one in the town of Lidköping. It was
however an important event for him personally, in that he decided – in the summer of 1943 and
under parental protest – to leave his university studies behind and devote his future efforts to
becoming a professional theatre director.
Reception
Bergman’s production of Fadren was performed without intermissions. The assessment of the
performance varied; critics acknowledged the professionalism of the acting but felt that the
actors lacked the ability to penetrate Strindberg’s characters. It was not an easy situation for the
actors as there was a good deal of adjacent disturbing noise from other activities in the student
union building.
Reviews
E.W.O. (Erik Wilhelm Olsson). ‘“Fadren” på Studentteatern’. SvD, 16 May 1941, p. 13.
R-t (Oscar Rydkvist). ‘Fadren’, DN, 16 May 1941, p. 9-10.
-yer (Nils Beyer). ‘Fadren på Studentteatern’. Social-Demokraten, 16 May 1941, p. 11.
See also
Henrik Sjögren. Lek och raseri, 2002, pp. 256-57.

1942
363. KASPERS DÖD [Death of Punch]
Synopsis
‘Kaspers död’ (Death of Punch) is a sorrowful tale in two acts and a prologue, set at a pub, at a
church cemetery, in a waiting room, and before God’s tribunal. The plot revolves around a
good-for-nothing fellow who leaves his wife, Kasperina, to dance and drink with prostitutes
and criminals. But suddenly, in the midst of his rowdy escapades, he dies. The climax of the
play depicts him sitting on his grave, waiting to meet God. In a long, intensely personal speech
he expresses his existential and eschatological fears. The metaphysical and stylised perspective
of ‘Kasper’s död’ and its reference to the title figure as a marionette-like character are features
foreshadowing Bergman’s subsequent works for the theatre and the screen.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Music Rune Ede
Choreography Else Fisher
Stage Stockholm Student Theatre, Student Union
Date 24 September 1942

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Cast
Kasper (Punch) Bertil Sjödin
Kasperina (Judy) Astrid Söderbaum
Prostitutes Margret Hesse, Julie Bernby
The Dandy Rune Stylander
The Sinful Woman Marianne Lenard
The Gangster Sture Djerf
Kasper’s Children Names not listed
The One Lennart Lagerwall
The Other Rune Bernström
The Priest Per Johan Östberg
The Secretive Gösta Holmström
The Cheated Hans Ullberg
The Drowned Signe Clæsson
Commentary
In presenting his own play, Ingmar Bergman responded to a call for new Swedish drama issued
by the Stockholm Student Theatre. For the program Bergman wrote a note titled ‘Möte med
Kasper’ [Encounter with Punch], conceived as a dialogue between the author and his title
figure. It is reprinted in Billqvist (Ø 1040), pp. 44-46. In its bantering tone, it could be seen
as an early study of the Skat-Death double entendre scene in Sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal).
With hindsight it appears as a crucial piece in what would be Bergman’s lifelong meta-con-
scious use of the medium and his concept of the theatre as a world where play-acting and real
life merge.
The theatre program for the production also included a presentation of Bergman as a
director and author, listing some of his previous stage productions. His intense productivity
caught the attention of the press: See a brief article/interview titled ‘Sex pjäser på två månader’
[Six plays in two months], SvD, 26 September 1942. For reference to early draft of play, see
(Ø 11-12), Chapter II.
Reception
The production of ‘Kaspers död’ was crucial for Bergman in that it brought him the attention
of Sten Selander, poet, theatre critic and member of the Swedish Academy, who, in his review of
the production, called Ingmar Bergman
a lucky young man who can write such a good play, and may and can produce it himself, in
the right environment for the art of tomorrow. [...] It was a theatre evening one would not
have wanted to miss. [...] When leaving the Student Union Building one thought: Is it here
in Stockholm’s Latin Quarter with its atmosphere of intellectual debate and self-assured
contempt for everything old and mouldy that a new Swedish drama will be born?

[en lycklig ung man som kan skriva en så bra pjäs och får och kan sätta upp den här, i de
rätta omgivningarna för den konst som vill vara morgondagens. [...] När man lämnade
kårhuset, tänkte man: Är det här, i Stockholms quartier latin med dess atmosfär av intel-
lektuell debatt och tvärsäkert förakt för allt gammalt och mögligt, som en ny svensk dra-
matik skall födas?]
Selander’s statement allegedly aroused the interest of Mrs. Stina Bergman (no relation), widow
of playwright and screenwriter Hjalmar Bergman, and head of the manuscript department at
Svensk Filmindustri. She invited Ingmar Bergman to an interview and promptly offered him a

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job as manuscript reader at SF. For an account of the meeting between Stina Bergman and
Ingmar Bergman, see Gunnar Oldin’s article ‘Ingmar Bergman’ in American Scandinavian
Review 47, no. 3 (September) 1959: 250-57.
Selander, like other reviewers of Bergman’s first play to be produced, recognised however its
imitative nature. Theatre critic Oscar Rydqvist called Kaspers död ‘an excuse for a theatre
production’ [en ursäkt för en teateruppsättning] and pointed out a number of inspirational
sources, from Strindberg and Lagerkvist to medieval allegories. He also observed what was to
become a mantra among Swedish reviewers of Bergman’s stagings of his own plays: that his true
directorial talent definitely surpassed his playwriting skills.
Reviews
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Studentteatern’. ST, 25 September 1942, p. 11.
O. R-t. [Oscar Rydqvist]. ‘Svensk premiär hos Studentteatern’. DN, 25 September 1942, pp. 11-12.
S. S-r. [Sten Selander] ‘Svensk urpremiär på Studentteatern’. SvD, 25 September 1942 (theatre
page).
See also
Unsigned interview/reportage from dress rehearsal, published in SvD, 24 September 1942.
Comment in Karin Bergman’s diary, Detta underliga skådespel som heter livet), p. 127. (Linton,
Ø 1526)

1943
364. VEM ÄR JAG? ELLER NÄR FAN GER ETT ANBUD [Who Am I? or When the Devil
Makes an Offer]
Credits
Original Title Hvem er jeg?
Playwright Carl-Erik Soya
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Stockholm Student Theatre, Student Union Building
Opening Date 24 February 1943
Cast
Dr. Paprika Rolf Alexandersson
The Devil Sture Ericsson
Mary Anna Tretow
Hans Christian Bertil Sjödin
A Gentleman Per-Johan Östberg
Rasmussen Sture Djerf
Mrs. Ramussen Marianne Lindgren
The Consul General Karl-Axel Forssberg
Lilian, his daughter Astrid Söderbaum
The Hydrologist Lars-Erik Löfman
Don Juan Sture Djerf
Rolf Bluebeard Claes Esphagen
Virgin Mary Signe Claesson
The Gray One Margareta Sjögren
The Professor Erland Josephson

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The Ape Palle Granditsky

Death Erland Josephson
A Prostitute Inga Gill
Commentary
Carl Erik Soya was a Danish playwright who served a prison term during the Nazi occupation
of Denmark for the novel ‘En gæst’ (A Guest). His play ‘Who am I or The Devil makes an offer’
uses symbolic figures close to Bergman’s own liking; it is a medieval morality play in modern
attire.
In interview comments in AB, 1 March 1943, Bergman called the Student Theatre an im-
portant cultural factor and a recruiting ground for the professional stage. He also asked for a
better performance area, arguing that the Student Theatre’s real potential was lost when the
stage was squeezed between noisy parties next door and rowdy late suppers on the floor below.
Cf. Eveo’s review of Fadren, (Ø 362).
Reception
Bergman was making a name for himself in Stockholm’s cultural life. On the opening night of
Soya’s play, the film producer Carl Anders Dymling and film director Victor Sjöström sat in the
front row. The critical response was very positive, especially in terms of stage design and
direction. P.G. Petterson (AB) called the performance ‘the Student Theatre’s maturity test’
[mogenhetsexamen], referring to it as ‘one of those rare theatre evenings when one forgets
time’ [en av dessa sällsynta teaterkvällar när man glömmer tiden]. Sten Selander sensed a
professional quality in the amateur production and recommended it ‘wholeheartedly’ [hel-
hjärtat]. Other reviewers noted that Soya’s abstracted characters and occasional irreverant tone
were suitable for amateur student actors. Nils Beyer in Social-Demokraten clearly recognized
Bergman’s talent and in a review titled ‘Gycklarnas afton’ (Eve of the Clowns, the name of
Bergman’s 1953 film) he offered the kind of praise rarely bestowed upon amateur directors:
If you want to see something truly interesting right now and need to have your faith restored
that Thalia still lives, it is clearly to the Student Theatre you must go. The credit must go,
above all, to the principal director of this small academic amateur theatre – one of the most
remarkable young directing talents we have in this country at the moment – Ingmar Berg-
man.

[Om man skall se någonting verkligt intressant just nu och behöver få sin tro återställd på
att Thalia fortfarande lever, är det uppenbarligen till Studentteatern man skall gå. Förtjän-
sten tillfaller framför allt huvudregissören i denna lilla akademiska amatörteater – en av de
märkligaste unga regissörstalanger vi har i detta land för ögonblicket – Ingmar Bergman.]

Reviews
K. A-n. ‘Studentteaterns danska pjäs’. AT, 25 February 1943, p. 11.
PGP (P.G. Petterson).‘Thalia hos ungdomen. Ny framgång för Studentteatern’. AB, 25 February
1943, p. 13.
Rydqvist, Oscar. ‘Soya-premär hos Studentteatern’. DN, 25 February 1943, pp. 9-10.
S. S-r. (Sten Selander). ‘Modern moralitet på Studentteatern’. SvD, 24 February 1943, p. 7.
-yer (Nils Beyer). ‘Soya på Studentteatern’. Social-Demokraten, 25 February 1943, p 15.
See also Henrik Sjögren. Lek och raseri, 2002, (Ø 677), pp. 75-77.

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365. STRAX INNAN MAN VAKNAR ... [Just before awakening ...]
Credits
Playwright Bengt Olof Vos
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Stockholm Student Theatre, Student Union Bldg
Opening Date 17 May 1943. World Premiere
Cast
Maria, proprietor’s daughter Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
The Fisherman Erland Josephson
Georg Birger Malmsten
The Proprietor Rune Stylander
Officer Sture Ericsson
The Stranger Paul Grannér (Palle Granditsky)
The Soldier Curt Edgard
The Bank Clerk Hans Ullberg
The Blind Man Ingmar Bergman
Commentary
The author of this one-act play was a student at Stockholm University. His play alluded to the
Nazi invasion of Norway and was subtitled: ‘Drama in one act from an occupied country’.
[Drama i en akt från ett ockuperat land]. The production opened on May 17, Norway’s Con-
stitution Day. The play consists of a series of monologues, accompanied by a wailing foghorn.
The theme revolves around the hatred that has invaded the small town where the action takes
place, and the surviving hope of better times. The title alludes to the moment when the
occupational nightmare is about over and people will wake up to a new life. Vos’ model was
said to be Saroyan’s Livets lek (The Time of Your Life). The cast allegedly renamed the play ‘Strax
innan man somnar’ (Just before falling asleep). See Erland Josephson. Vita sanningar (White
truths) 1995, p. 46, for anecdotal memories of the production in which he played an outspoken
fisherman. There were four future professional theatre heads together on stage in this perfor-
mance: Ingmar Bergman, Palle Granditsky, Erland Josephson and Hans Ullberg. See Henrik
Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, pp. 77-80.
Reception
In a program note, the Stockholm Student Theatre thanked the professional actors who had
joined the student amateurs in the performance. Ingmar Bergman was said to have played his
role as the Blind Man ‘with low key discretion’ (AB) and ‘with the piously patriarchal dignity of
a seer’ [med den fromt patriarkala värdigheten hos en siare] (DN), though actor Erland
Josephson claims that Bergman was more interested in adjusting the lighting than performing
his part on stage. The performance was received with warm applause.
Reviews
Edfelt, Johannes. ‘Teater och Film’. BLM XII no. 6, 1943, p. 500-01. (Mostly a synopsis of the plot).
Eveo (Erik Wilhelm Olsson). ‘Teater, musik, film. Dramatikerdebut i Studentteatern’. SvD, 18
May 1943, p. 9.
Koski (Hartvig Kusoffski). ‘På Norges dag’. AB, 18 May 1943, p. 15.
M. S-g (Martin Strömberg). ‘Nytt original på Studentteatern’. ST, 18 May 1943, p. 5.
S.T. ‘Teater – Musik – Film. Studentteatern’. DN, 18 May 1943, p. 9.
-yer (Nils Beyer). ‘Scen och Film. Studentteatern’. Social-Demokraten, 18 May 1943, p. 11.

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366. TIVOLIT [The Tivoli]

Synopsis
Subtitled ‘4 True Stories of Life with a Prologue and an Epilogue’, Bergman’s play consists of
four vignettes framed by scenes from the seasonal closing and opening of a tivoli. The stories
are titled: ‘The Princess and the Swineherd’; ‘The Blackest Day of Winter’; ‘Sunday at 11 a.m.’;
and ‘Spring Preludes’. The mood goes from melancholy love (first tale) to pitch-dark despair
(second and third tale) and renewed hope (fourth tale) as the tivoli fairgounds prepare to open
for a new season. Unable to cope with the dark seven months of the year when the gates to the
fairgrounds are closed, the characters drink, whore and murder. Their true representative is old
Albert, who has gone blind in his job as an usher in a Fun House of distorting mirrors, but who
maintains that life as a tivoli worker is a happy one, for it is a life with room for longing.
Longing for the day when the fairgrounds will open their gates again and the sun will come out
to greet a new season.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Stockholm Student Theatre
Opening Date 19 October 1943
Cast
Karlsson Åke Fridell
Birgit, prostitute Sif Ruud
The Author Sten Moberg
Jan Birger Malmsten
Lisa Anna Tretow
Lindquist, musician Rune Stylander
Ebba, hairdresser Marianne Nielsen
Boronowsky Erland Josephson
Night Watchman Hans Ullberg
Maria Estrid Hesse
The Son Palle Granditsky
Alfred, janitor Karl-Axel Forssberg
Folke, janitor Curt Edgard
The Fool Rune Bergström
Mrs. Svensson Gun Adler
Fredrik Claes Esphagen
Sampo Bernhard Rogin
Commentary
No complete manuscript of ‘Tivolit’ has been located to date, but there exists an unpublished
early version of the play. See (Ø 18), Chapter II.
Claes Hoogland, who helped administer The Student Theatre, published a program note
titled ‘Kring Studentteatern’ (Around the Student Theatre) for the opening of Ingmar Bergman’s
production of ‘Tivolit’. The Student Theatre had actually planned a production of Bergman’s
play Jack hos skådespelarna (Jack Among the Actors), but because of military drafts, the cast was
reduced; hence ‘Tivolit’, a play with fewer characters, was staged instead.

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The cast list from the Tivoli production contains a number of future members of Bergman’s
professional ‘stable’ of actors: Åke Fridell, Birger Malmsten, Marianne Nielsen, Erland Joseph-
son, Karl-Axel Forssberg, Curt Edgard.
Reception
Judging by the attention that Ingmar Bergman’s productions now elicited in the capital press, it
is obvious that reviewers recognized his directorial potential but were more critical of his talent
as a playwright; a common view was that Bergman wrote plays reminiscent of the expression-
istic Twenties but seen through a temperament of the 1940s (Oscar Rydqvist). The signature
Eveo wrote that ‘there is something ghostlike about this style’ [det är något gengångaraktigt
över denna stil], and several other reviewers called ‘Tivolit’ an epigonic piece, reminiscent of
Strindberg but also of the Swedish cinema of the Forties with its stark black-and-white con-
trasts. Yet at the same time, the production was said to confirm Ingmar Bergman’s talents as a
man of the theatre.
Modernist poet Artur Lundkvist, though calling Bergman’s play stimulating, artistic and
colorful, and directed with bold expressiveness, nevertheless raised questions that were to
surface repeatedly during the next several years: Was Bergman’s attraction to dark and forbid-
ding subjects genuine or was he a sensationalist exploiting his abiblity to arouse an audience
emotionally? Several other reviewers were also disturbed by Tivolit’s violence, crude language
and ‘roaring demonics’ [rytande demoni].
Reviews
Eveo (Erik Wilhelm Olsson). ‘Tivolidramatik på Studentteatern’. SvD, 20 October 1943, p. 13.
E. W-n (Erik Wettergren). ‘Tivolit på Studentteatern‘. AT, 20 October 1943, p. 12
Lundkvist, Artur. ‘Teater och Film’, BLM 12, no. 9, November 1943, p. 750.
PGP (P.G. Pettersson). ‘Studentteatern börjar säsongen’. AB, 20 October 1943, p. 15.
O. R-t. (Oscar Rydqvist). ‘Premiär hos Studentteatern’. DN, 20 October 1943, p. 15.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Studentteatern: “Tivoli” – svenskt original’. ST, 20 October 1943, p. 17.
Tell. (Thorleif Hellbom). ‘Tivolit på Studentteatern’. Nya Dagligt Allehanda, 20 October 1943, p.
16.
‘Tivolit’ became Bergman’s last production for the Student Theatre. As had been the case at
Mäster Olofsgården, he left a difficult spot to fill. In a review of a Student Theatre production,
dated several years later (ST, 6 February 1947, p. 5), Herbert Grevenius wrote: ‘The Student
Theatre has a bit of difficulty getting recharged since Ingmar Bergman departed’. [Studenttea-
tern har lite svårt att ladda upp igen efter Ingmar Bergman].

North Latin School (1941-42)

The Concordia Society, a literary society at the Norra Latin School in Stockholm,
usually produced one amateur production a year. In 1941 Ingmar Bergman was asked
to present a play and chose Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. A year later he
repeated the task with an abbreviated version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night¨s
Dream.

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367. KÖPMANNEN I VENEDIG [The Merchant of Venice]

Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Norra Latin High School
Stage Design/Props Claes Varenius
Date 30 November 1941
Cast
Doce in Venice Ingemar Essén
Shylock Gösta Prüzelius
Jessica, Shylock’s daughter Margit Berglund-Müllern
Tubal, his friend Frank Hjalmarsson
Lancelot Gobbo Bengt Lundin
Antonio Erland Josephson
Bassanio Lars Henrik Ottoson
Solanio Olle Lindgren
Salarino Kjell Fastborg
Graziano Magnus Sjöstrand
Lorenzo Arne Svensson
Portia Carla Carnman
Nerissa, her chambermaid Ragnhild Wessberg
Commentary
The production is discussed by filmmaker and novelist Vilgot Sjöman in his memoir Mitt
personval. Utkast 98 (Ø 1646), pp. 31-32. Sjöman quotes the chairman of Concordia (‘Old
Concan’), Carl-Magnus Sjöstrand: ‘It was a success, the likes of which the venerable assembly
hall at Norra Latin had seldom experienced. The director had trimmed his actors to a top
performance and had worked miracles with the lighting effects’. [Det var en framgång vars like
den aktade aulan på Norra Latin sällan hade upplevt. Regissören hade trimmat sina skådespe-
lare till en topprestation och hade åstadkommit mirakel med ljuseffekterna]. The almost 100-
year-old Concordia Society kept a protocol of the production, which is available in the school’s
archives.
A review in DN signed Jerome (Göran Trauung, 1 December 1940, p. 14), remarked favour-
ably on Bergman’s use of curtains and a few movable props to solve problems of staging a play
in a school auditorium. A report in SvD (1 December 1940) stated: ‘The performance was
altogether succesful. [...] The applause this evening was completely wild and the actors were
surrounded by a sea of flowers’. [Föreställningen blev i allo lyckad. [...] Applåderna denna kväll
var fullständigt vilda och aktörerna omgavs av ett blomsterhav].

368. EN MIDSOMMARNATTSDRÖM [A Midsummer Night’s Dream]

Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Ingmar Bergman
Choreography Else Fisher
Stage designer Gunnar Lindblad
Stage manager Lars-Åke Forsell
Stage North Latin School, Stockholm; Concordia Society
Date 28 November 1942

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Cast
Theseus Vilgot Sjöman
Hippolyta Kerstin Fries
Egeus, Hermia’s father Lars Elwin
Hermia Marianne Rosenbaum
Lysander Carl Magnus Sjöstrand
Demetrius Eddie Levin
Oberon Erland Josephson
Titania Carin Cederström
Servant Ingvar Hindersson
Philostrat Ingvar Lundewall
Peter Quince, carpenter Harald Wessling
Snugg, joiner Hans Leffler
Nick Bottom, weaver Lars Hansegård
Francis Flute Erik Lycke
Tom Snout Herrman Schück
Robin Starveling, tailor Bengt Mårtenson
Puck Gunnel Ljunggren
Helena Ragnhild Wessberg
Four Trolls Birgit Boman, Ulla Frykstrand, Titti Ljunggren, Ingrid
Lundberg
Ballet Olof Berggren, Ulf Ferm, John Göran Holmquist, Sture
Klassén, Sven Sandblom
Commentary
A brief, unsigned column in DN, ‘Shakespeare i Norra latin’, 29 November 1942, p. 13, reports
on Bergman’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The occasion was the anniversary of
‘Old Conkan’ or Concordia, an almost 100-year-old high school theatre society. Bergman had
cut Shakespeare’s text but the production was considered superior to his staging at the Sago
Theatre a year earlier. (See Ø 371)
See also
Vilgot Sjöman’s autobiography Mitt personregister. Urval 98. (Ø 1646), discusses his involvement
in the production as a student at North Latin School, pp. 26-32. Sjöman has also provided the
program for this entry. Erland Josephson who played Oberon in the same production talks
briefly about it in his memoir book Sanningslekar, 1990, p. 73 (1994 pocket edition).

Sagoteatern – Medborgarteatern (1941-42)

In fall of 1941, Ingmar Bergman led a small ensemble that staged children’s plays at the
newly founded Sagoteatern, housed in the Civic Center, built in 1936-39. See Vilgot
Sjöman, Mitt personregister (1998, p. 33) for an account of Bergman’s worries about
finding sponsors for his project.
The opening piece, on 30 August 1941, was an adaptation of Hans Christian An-
dersen’s fairy tale ‘The Tinder Box’. An intense information campaign seems to have
preceded the event, with special invitations going out to prominent theatre people
and politicians. In an introductory program note to his first production, Bergman
stated: ‘This children’s theatre is an experimental theatre; its ambition is to give the

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very young public a theatre that is happy, beautiful, and artistic. [...] We step into the
fire full of enthusiasm and in the meantime we wait for our great sponsor’. [Denna
barnteater är en experimenteater; dess ambition är att ge den mycket unga publiken
en teater som är lycklig, vacker och konstnärlig. [...] Vi går i elden fulla av entusiasm
och under tiden väntar vi på vår stora understödjare]. See Billqvist (Ø 1040), pp. 32-
39, and DN, 27 August 1941, p. 9.
Bergman staged six productions at the Sago Theatre in one season, with a total of
235 performances. Economically, the project was a roller coaster ride. Technically, it
was a feat of improvization; the first floodlights, for instance, were made out of
herring cans. Most of the actors, among them Gunnar Björnstrand, performed with-
out pay or for a very modest wage. It was an undertaking bound to run into practical
problems. But the principles behind it are worth noting, since they were to resurface
some twenty years later when Bergman became head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
and advocated the need for a theatre for young people as a form of viewer recruitment
for the future. In his program proclamation at the Sago Theatre (see DN, 27 August
1941) he states: ‘I hold on to two principles! Never ask the parents what the children
think of different plays. [...] Secondly, I believe it wrong to let children perform for
children. [...] Children who perform can never achieve concentration’. [Två principer
håller jag på! Att aldrig höra med föräldrarna vad barnen tycker om olika pjäser. [...]
För det andra tror jag att det är fel att låta barn spela för barn. [...] Barn som spela kan
aldrig uppnå koncentration]. Bergman believed, as he had done at Mäster Olofsgår-
den, that by training his young public to watch artistically ambitious productions, he
would help establish an aesthetically demanding audience: ‘I believe and hope that by
always showing plays of very good quality, you train the children little by little to
achieve an evaluation standard, unconsciously’. [Jag tror och hoppas att man genom
att ständigt visa pjäser av mycket god kvalitet skolar barnen omedvetet så att de så
småningom får en bedömningslinje].
As at Mäster Olofsgården, the tempo at Sagoteatern was intense. (See interview
with Bergman in SvD, 26 September 1942, titled ‘Sex pjäser på två månader’ [Six plays
in two months]). He launched a double project, one catering to children, the other –
named Medborgarteatern [The Civic Theatre] – aimed at adult audiences (see Com-
mentary, Ø 368). Bergman’s ambition was to present two performances a day: one for
children at 6:45 pm and one for the general adult public at 9 pm. But the authorities
felt he exceeded his contract agreement with the city administration. On December
18, 1941, three months after opening the stage, the fire department closed down the
theatre, and everything that Bergman and his staff had built up, was torn down. The
theatre remained closed for the Christmas month, which is traditionally the best
month for children’s theatre. The Sago cum Civic Stage reopened in February 1942
but was closed down at the end of that season for lack of financial support.

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1941
369. ELDDONET. Saga i åtta bilder av Hans Christian Andersen [The Tinder Box.
Fairy Tale in Eight Tableaus by Hans Christian Andersen]
Credits
Original title Fyrtøyet
Author Hans Christian Andersen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Sven Erixson (X-et)
Music Rune Ede
Stage Manager Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Sagoteatern, Civic Centre, Stockholm
Opening Date 29-30 August 1941
Cast
The Soldier Bertil Sjödin
The King Karl-Axel Forssberg
The Queen Martha Olsson
The Princess Blenda Bruno
The Witch Karin Lannby
The Innkeeper Bo Lindström
Shoeshine Boy Irma Kellgren
The Tailor Rune Bernström
Court Marshal Olov Källman
Four Ladies at Court Anastasia, Adèle Lundwall, Maud Lindberg, Ragnhild
Wessberg
Dwarfs, Dogs, People
Commentary
Bergman modernised Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, using contemporary slang and changing
Danish references in the text to places in the Stockholm area. He also removed all the scary
elements in the story. The Soldier did not kill the Witch, and the Dogs didn’t chew the King and
Queen to bits; instead, they barked benignly in back of the stage.
The opening program at the Sago Theatre was well publicized. Among the specially invited
guests at the dress rehearsal (29 August) was the head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Pauline
Brunius) and a prominent member of the city government (Oscar Larsson) who supported the
project. Bergman gave a brief introduction, asking the public to retain its child mentality in
viewing the production. He also announced that special arrangements had been made with the
city schools to bring classes of school children to see the production, and pointed out that the
actors were recruited from the various theatre schools in Stockholm and were to be considered
professional trainees rather than amateurs. See Soc-Dem, 27 August 1941.
Reception
Bergman’s new theatre project received positive publicity but there were some objections to the
production itself for changing Andersen’s original tale and tampering with a classic and uni-
versal text.
Reviews
Ames. ‘Ungdom, Du är född med vingar. Premiär för vår första barnteater’ [Youth, you are
born with wings. Opening of our first children’s theatre]. AB, 30 August 1941, p. 12.

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Bey. (Nils Beyer). ‘Sagoteatern startar’. ST, 30 August 1941, p. 12.

Ette. ‘H.C Andersen i Medborgarhuset’. SvD, 30 August 1941, p. 9.
E.v.Z. (Eva von Zweigbeck). ‘Teater musik – film. Sagoteatern’. DN, 30 August 1941, p. 7.
Ge. ‘Elddonet på Lilla teatern’. Soc-Dem, 30 August 1941, p. 9.

370. SPÖKSONATEN [The Ghost Sonata]

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Medborgarteatern, Civic Centre
Date 20 September 1941
Cast
(only partly identified)
Old Man Hummel Erland Colliander
The Student Peter Lindgren
The Young Lady Marianne Öhman
The Colonel Gunnar Björnstrand
The Mummy Dagny Lind
The Consul Peter Lindgren
The Dark Lady Karin Lannby
The Fiancee Anna-Stina Osslund
The Posh Man Rune Stylander
The Milkmaid Marianne Lenard
Johansson Bo Lindström
Bengtsson Bertil Sjödin
The Cook Agnes Svedbäck
Commentary
A week after the premiere of Elddonet (Ø 367), Bergman announced that he and a group of
young people had formed the Civic Theatre (Medborgarteatern), a small stage seating 100
people, located at Folkungagatan 43 in South Stockholm, the same address as the Sago Theatre.
In a brief newspaper statement Bergman declared the new theatre group’s goal: ‘We intend to
let our public get acquainted with a strong and essential repertory that the big theatres do not
present, for a number of reasons. It has been an obvious choice to start with Strindberg’. [Vi
ämnar låta publiken stifta bekantskap med en stark och väsentlig repertoar som de stora
teatrarna av olika skäl inte presenterar. Det har varit ett uppenbart val att starta med Strind-
berg]. See ‘Ungdomar starta experimentscen’. [Youths start experimental theatre group]. AB, 14
September 1941, p. 5. For Bergman’s recollection of this production, see his comments in the
program to his second Spöksonaten production, in Malmö, March 1954 (Ø 89). See also Lillie
Björnstrand’s account about the involvement of her husband Gunnar Björnstrand in the project
(Inte bara applåder, 1975, p. 91, (Ø 1263).
Reception
Two of Bergman’s early supporters, Nils Beyer and Herbert Grevenius praised his Strindberg
production, Beyer for the troupe’s efforts to offer serious drama and thus break the dominance
of light entertainment in Stockholm’s theatre life, and Grevenius for its enthusiasm. Bergman’s
intepretation was said to follow Olof Molander’s approach to Strindberg’s text: a close reading

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of its melancholy and resigned content and a recreation of the playwright’s biographical back-
ground. But Grevenius wondered why the character of Hummel appeared in a Shylock mask
and a skullcap.
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Spöksonaten på Medborgarplatsen’. Social-Demokraten, 21 September 1941, p. 12.
Gvs (Herbert Grevenius). ‘Medborgarteatern’. ST, 21 September 1941, p. 4.
-ky (Hartvig Kusoffsky). ‘Spöksonaten på Medborgarteatern’. AB, 21 September 1941, p. 4.

371. EN MIDSOMMARNATTSDRÖM [A Midsummer Night’s Dream]

Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Sagoteatern, Civic Centre, Stockholm
Opening Date 12 October 1941
Cast
Theseus, King of Athens Sture Djerf
Flute Gunnar Nielsen
Hippolyta, engaged to Theseus Maud Hyttenberg
Hermia, in love with Lysander Ingrid Michaelsson
Helena, in love with Demetrius Ragnhild Wessberg
Oberon Marianne Lenard
Titania Birgitta Arman
Egeus Sture Ericsson
Lysander Bertil Sjödin
Demetrius Rune Stylander
Philostrat Rune Bernström
Robin Starveling, tailor Ulf Johansson
Quince, woodcutter Karl-Axel Forssberg
Snug joiner Olof Källman
Bottom, weaver Per Lindström
Snout Börje Herner
Mal, first elf Bojan Westin
Pea Flower Kerstin Boström
Spider Web Gudrun Ekberg
Mustard Seed Gunnel Hansson
Fifth Elf Gittan Söderlund
Puck Bengt Dalunde
Commentary
In a program note Ingmar Bergman called Shakespeare’s comedy the ‘Fairy Tale with a Big F’
[Sagan med stort S], a play with an impressive performance history engaging the best of actors,
utilising the magic of big stages, and Mendelsohn’s music. Bergman’s theatre measured 5 x 6
meter with two narrow entrances and Mendelsohn on a record player. To dare stage Shake-
speare’s play under such circumstances, Bergman envisioned a public not familiar with Sha-
kespeare’s play as a living stage tradition, but more like Shakespeare’s groundlings – naïve and
spontaneous in their reactions and judgment. Assuming that such a public would be more

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interested in Puck, Oberon, Titania and Bottom than in the lovers’ game of musical chairs,
Bergman shortened Shakespeare’s text accordingly to five quarters of an hour. Puck was played
by a 12-year old boy.
Reception
While one reviewer (Herbert Grevenius, ST) noted that Bergman had managed, despite his
radical cuts in Shakespeare’s text, to preserve some of the poetry of the play, another critic
(Oscar Rydqvist, DN) took issue with Bergman’s abridged version and also questioned the
suitability of putting on Shakespeare for young children: ‘The justification of a children’s
theatre, like all other forms of theatre, lies in offering its public something it can enjoy. [...]
The Sago Theatre must be careful not to assume that a young public is uncritical and forgiving’.
[Rättfärdigandet av en barnteater liksom andra former av teater ligger i att erbjuda publiken
något den kan glädjas åt. [...] Sagoteatern måste vara försiktig och inte anta att en ung publik är
okritisk och förlåtande.]
Bergman responded indirectly to Rydqvist’s cautionary remarks in a telephone interview
before the opening of his next production, Rödluvan (Little Red Riding Hood), a few months
later: ‘We have experimented the whole time; after our first program, The Tinder Box, we dared
tackle Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which ran no less than 50 times on our small
stage. The public seemed happy, but in some quarters it was tantamount to sacrilege to perform
Shakespeare in an hour and fifteen minutes’. [Vi har hela tiden experimenterat; efter vårt första
program, Elddonet, vågade vi gripa oss an Shakespeares En midsommarnattsdröm, som gick
inte mindre än 50 gånger på vår lilla scen. Publiken verkade nöjd men i vissa kretsar var det lika
med helgerån att spela Shakespeare på en timma och femton minuter.] See ‘Sagoteatern har fått
vind i seglen’, AB, 31 March 1942.
Reviews
Eveo (Erik Wilhelm Olsson). ‘En midsommarnattsdröm på Sagoteatern’. SvD, 13 October 1941,
p. 11.
Gvs. (Herbert Grevenius). ‘Shakespeare för barn,’. ST, 13 October 1941, p. 24.
O. R-t (Oscar Rydqvist). ‘Shakespeare på Söder’. [S. in South Stockholm], DN, 13 October 1941,
p. 9.

372. FÅGEL BLÅ [Bluebird]

Credits
Author Zacharias Topelius
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Music Rune Ede
Choreography Else Fisher
Stage Medborgarhusteatern/Civic Centre
Opening date 29 November 1941
Cast
Guido, King of Cyprus Carl Cramér
Mangipani Ingmar Bergman
Sibyl of Monterrat, his wife Marianne Lenard
Sysis, a witch Margareta Sjögren
Princess Florinna Birgitta Arman
Deoletus, a magician Börje Herner
Wet Nurse Maud Hyttenberg

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Princess Forella, Queen’s daughter Karin Lannby

Chamber maids Rosa, Purple, Viola Gittan Söderlund, Gudrun Ekberg, Gunnel Hansson
Prince Amandus, King of Syria Curt Norin
Holofernes Karl-Axel Forssberg
Commentary
In a program note Bergman dismissed the author of ‘Fågel Blå’ – 19th-century Finnish writer
Zacharias Topelius – as a popular but somewhat mediocre writer, with the exception of his
dramatised versions of the tales of ‘Fågel Blå’ and ‘Törnrosa’ (Sleeping Beauty), stories filled
with archetypal characters like the evil Stepmother, the henpecked King, the innocent Girl and
the stupid Stepdaughter, the noble Prince and the Witch. To this folktale world Topelius added,
according to Bergman, ‘a good-natured, happy, and never crude sense of humor’ [en godmodig,
glad och aldrig plump skämtsamhet].
This production marked the first time Bergman worked together with Else Fisher, who would
later become his first wife. The performance lasted one hour.
Reception
Fågel Blå received short but positive notices in the press. Most interesting was Nils Beyer’s
observations that Bergman’s temperament captured the archetypal folktale elements in the play
and that he knew how to adapt the production to suit different levels of audiences (children and
adults).
Reviews
Don José (Josef Oliv). ‘Sagoteatersuccé’ [Fairplay theatre success]. SvD, 30 November 1941, p. 13.
M. B-n. ‘Bra barnteater’. ST, 30 November 1941, p. 9.
R-t. (Oscar Rydqvist). ‘Fågel Blå på Sagoteatern’. DN, 30 November 1941, p. 11.
Sven Stål. ‘Teater’, Lidingö Tidning, 3 December 1941, pp. 1, 4.
-yer (Nils Beyer), ‘Fågel Blå på Sagoteatern’. Social-Demokraten, 30 November 1941, p. 7.

1942
373. SNIGGEL-SNUGGEL. SAGOSPEL I 9 BILDER [Sniggel-Snuggel. Fairy Play in 9
Scenes]
Credits
Author Hugo Valentin/Torunn Munthe
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage The Sago Theatre, Civic Centre, Stockholm
Date 18 February 1942
Cast
Troll King Gösta Jansson
The Nurse Kerstin Berthel
Troll Queen Karin Lannby
Countesses Kerstin Berthel, Nancy Dalunde
Sniggel Snuggel, their son Bojan Westin
Maitre d’hotel in palace Ingemar Pallin
A Professor Ingemar Pallin
The Magpie Queen Gertrude Stenberg

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Mrs. Strömberg Gertrude Stenberg

Count Comet Star Karl-Axel Forssberg
Gärda, rope dancer Gittan Söderlund
Countess Comet Star Karin Lannby
Her mother Nancy Dalunde
Georg and Maria, children Sture Persson, Gunnel Hansson
Double bill with next item.

374. DE TRE DUMHETERNA. SKÄMTSAGA I 6 BILDER [The Three Stupidities. Hu-

morous fairy tale in 6 tableaus]
Credits
Author Torun Munthe
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Music Rune Ede
Stage The Sago Theatre, Stockholm
Opening Date 18 February 1942
Cast
Old Man Karlsson Karl-Axel Forssberg
Anna Karin Lannby
Kerstin Nancy Dalunde
Benkt Gösta Jansson
Lillan Gunnel Hansson
Pelle Bojan Westin
A Cheater: Ingmar Bergman
Lisa Gittan Söderlund
Pantless Ingemar Pallin
Commentary
In a program note for Sagoteatern’s Spring program, dated February 1942, Ingmar Bergman
reports on the fire inspection that closed down the theatre over the Christmas holidays. When it
reopened, it was with reduced seating capacity, a curtain and a ‘platform for a story-teller’
(sagotant). Gone were the stage design studio and storage space, the make-up rooms, and
lighting equipment. The cast was reduced to ten people. Bergman vowed to master these
limitations.
This double bill seems to have been the least successful of Bergman’s productions at the Sago
Theatre. In a telephone interview in AB (31 March 1942) before the opening of his next
program, Rödluvan, Bergman blames the failure of the two Munthe plays on his use of adult
actors in a production meant to be acted by children.
No reviews located.

375. RÖDLUVAN [Little Red Riding Hood]. From Märchenspiel

Credits
Author Grimm Brothers/Robert Bürkner
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Sago Theatre

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Opening Date 28 March 1942

Cast
Little Red Riding Hood Gittan Söderlund
The Mother Karin Lannby
Grandmother Agnes Svedbäck
The Forest Warden Erik Liebel
The Miller Karl-Axel Forssberg
The Tailor Gertrud Stenberg
The Wolf Gösta Holmström
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman lists himself as translator and adaptor of Bürkner’s dramatised version of
Grimm’s fairy tale. In a program note addressed to the public (‘Till Publiken!’), Bergman writes
of his difficulty in finding good Swedish plays for a children’s theatre. He lists three likely
authors: Zacharias Topelius, Helena Nyblom, and ‘possibly’ Elsa Beskow but concludes that
none of them was suitable: ‘For here it is a question of composing in a way that is simple and
clear, exciting and funny, short and colourful. It’s not just a matter of having a prince and a
princess, a king and a queen, a troll etc., and mix the whole thing. If anything, it is a matter of
having a dramatic imagination’. [För här gäller det att komponera enkelt och klart, spännande
och roligt, kort och färgstarkt. Det är inte bara att ha en prins och en prinsessa, en kung och en
drottning, ett troll etc och blanda det hela. Ty här om någonsin gäller det att ha dramatisk
fantasi]. Bergman then researched Russian and English plays for children but found them
inaccessible under the circumstances and technically difficult for his rather primitive stage.
Finally he found what he was looking for when he discovered that all of Grimm’s major fairy
tales had been dramatised by Robert Bürkner.
Bergman, who referred to Little Red Riding Hood as ‘A Ghost Sonata for Children’, [En
spöksonat för barn] took the production on the road in the summer of 1943, at which time
he served as both director and stage manager. It was a great success and opened the way for a
touring of Clownen Beppo the following summer (1944).
In a telephone interview – in part reprinted as ‘Sagoteatern har fått vind i seglen’ [The Sago
Theatre has Got Wind in the Sails] (ST, 31 March 1942) – Bergman talks briefly about the come-
back of the Sago Theatre after its month-long close-down. He is optimistic about the future of
the theatre, but in reality ‘Rödluvan’ was his next to the last production there.
Reception
Ingmar Bergman’s production captured the young audience; their enthusiasm included the
intermissions consisting of the entire house singing well known children’s songs. ‘There are
no such fun intermissions in the real theatres!’ [Så roliga mellanakter är det inte på riktiga
teatrar!], exclaimed one reviewer. The performance received a real boost in Guido Valentin’s
write-up in ST, calling the play the best children’s play he had seen and Bergman ‘an inventive
young director’ [en påhittig ung regissör] with a real ability for presenting theatre to the young,
even if the actors’ performance was not first rate. See ‘Rödluvan på Sagoteatern’. ST, 29 March
1942.

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376. CLOWNEN BEPPO ELLER DEN BORTRÖVADE CAMOMILLA. DANSÄVENTYR

I ÅTTA BILDER [Beppo the Cown or the abducted Camomilla. Dance adventure in 8
tableaus].
Credits
Story Else Fisher/Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman/Else Fisher
Choreography Else Fisher
Costumes Else Fisher
Music Maj-Britt Aronsson
Stage The Sago Theatre, Civic Centre
Opening Date 16 May 1942; summer stock, 1944
Cast
(second name listed refers to 1944 summer stock production)
Beppo Else Fisher/Curt Edgard
Mr. Bofvén Bertil Sjödin
Camomilla Karin Håkansson/Dagny Nilsson
The Circus Director Sture Ericsson/Ulf Johanson
The Wizard Marrit Ohlsson/Siv Thulin
The Camel Driver Birger Malmsten
Clod-Hans Marrit Ohlsson
The Customer Gunnar Nielsen
Commentary
Bergman wrote down a synopsis of a plot in twenty lines and asked Else Fisher to compose a
pantomime based on it. The result of their collaboration was ‘Clownen Beppo eller Den
bortrövade Camomilla’ (Beppo, the Clown or the abducted Camomilla). The main figure is
the magician Mr. Bofvén (Mr. Crook) who can transform himself into a variety of shapes, all of
them recognisable however to young audiences.
Bergman’s plot synopsis seems to have been taken from his unpublished manuscript ‘Cir-
kusen’ (The Circus), a play in three acts; the characters are identical, except that Bergman also
includes a Lion. (See Ø 6), Chapter II.
Clownen Beppo went on tour in May 1944, now changed from a dance pantomime to a play.
See notice in SvD, 21 May 1944, p. 16, ‘Sommarteater för de små’ [Summer stock for the little
ones]. Else Fisher was replaced by Curt Edgard (formerly Kurt Östergren). ‘Beppe’ was also
performed at Hälsingborg City Theatre in the fall of 1944. The 1944 Hälsingborg program calls
Beppo the Clown ‘a dance adventure by Else Fisher’ and lists her as responsible for Direction,
Choreography and Costumes. It also notes that she is on sick leave.
The eight tableaus comprising ‘Beppo’ were titled:
Tableau 1: At home at the circus
Tableau 2: Going out into the wide world
Tableau 3: A toy store with strange puppets
Tableau 4: Beppo meets a Camel
Tableau 5: Ugh, what an adventure in the East
Tableau 6: Beppo meets an old man with a long beard and learns to fly
Tableau 7: Milky Way 35. Second floor in the back
Tableau 8: Peace, joy and finale

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Reception
All of the reviews pertain to the 1944 summer stock production. Opening night in the town of
Falun was rainy and cold, which dampened the performance. The critical reception was good,
however, pointing out the artistry, colourfulness and good spirit of this collaboration between
Else Fisher and Ingmar Bergman. Several reviewers recommended that the production be
brought back to Stockholm.
Reviews
n. a. ‘Clownen Beppo i Folkparken i Falun’. Dala-Demokraten, 22 May 1944, p. 12.
Age. ‘Teater, Musik-Film’. DN, 21 May 1944, p. 14.
-ki. (Hartvig Kusoffski). ‘Barnpjäs i parkerna’. AB, 21 May 1944, p. 11.
Parlé. ‘Scen och film’. Falukuriren, 22 May 1944, p. 5.
-yer. (Nils Beyer). ‘Clownen Beppo’. MT, 21 May 1944, p. 9.

Folkparksteatern (1943)

In addition to touring in the summer with two productions originally presented at

the Sago Theatre – Rödluvan and Clownen Beppo – Bergman joined the Colliander
Touring Co and went on the road with Bjørnstierne Bjørnson’s comedy Geografi og
kærlighed in July 1943. The production was sponsored by the Field Theatre (Fälttea-
tern), which was part of Folkparksteatern, an ambulatory summer stock, and pre-
sented entertainment to soldiers drafted during the war years.

377. GEOGRAFI OCH KÄRLEK [Geography and Love]

Credits
Original Title Geografi og kærlighed
Playwright Bjørnstierne Bjørnson
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Folkparksteatern [Fältteaterm]
Opening Date 1 July 1943 at Frösunda
Cast
Professor Tygesen Erland Colliander
His Wife Karen Ingrid Luterkort
Helga Tygesen Kerstin Boström
Ane Sif Ruud
Henning, painter Sture Djerf
Birgit Römer Marianne Lenard
Malla Edith Svensson
Professor Turman Hugo Tranberg
Commentary
Most notices in local papers do not mention the director’s name among the credits. An
exception is Nils Beyer’s survey article of summer stock productions in Vecko-Journalen, 24
July 1943. See also Henrik Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, p. 83.

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Dramatikerstudion – The Dramatist Studio (1943-44)

The idea behind Dramatikerstudion (The Dramatist Studio) was conceived in 1939 by authors
Vilhelm Moberg and Brita von Horn, and actor Helge Hagerman. It officially constituted itself
in 1942, with Moberg and, later, author Bertil Malmberg as president and Brita von Horn as
secretary-treasurer. 54-year old von Horn was in reality the driving force behind the enterprise,
a temperamental iconoclast not unlike Ingmar Bergman in her enthusiasm and audacity. She
antagonised the establishment theatre world represented by the organization Teatrarnas Riks-
förbund [National Association of Theatres], referred to by von Horn as ‘the trolls’. She also
antagonised Vilhelm Moberg who soon left the Studio.
The purpose behind Dramatikerstudion was to be a counter-balance to Dramaten’s neutral
playbill during the war but above all, to encourage newly written works with timely, political
implications. When Ingmar Bergman joined the theatre, it had been active for almost a year and
had presented five productions, one of them – Bertil Malmberg’s Excellensen [His Excellency] –
staged under protest from the German Embassy in Stockholm. Ingmar Bergman did three
productions at the Dramatist Studio, two of them with contemporary political overtones:
Rudolf Värnlund’s U 39 [U-Boat 39] and Kaj Munk’s resistance drama Niels Ebbesen. The third
production was a staging of two short plays by Hjalmar Bergman, Spelhuset [The Gambling
Hall] and Herr Sleeman kommer [Mr. Sleeman Cometh]. For glimpses of Bergman’s working
relations with Brita von Horn, see the latter’s very lively book Hornstötar i kulissen (Ø 538),
passim. Von Horn introduces Bergman as ‘an awfully young experimentor who gambled away
money at the Civic Centre’ [en fasligt ung experimentator som spelade bort pengar på Med-
borgarhuset]. At the Dramatists Studio Bergman joined well-established guest directors of high
artistic caliber, such as Per Lindberg, Olof Molander and Danish theatre man in exile, Sam
Besekow.
Ingmar Bergman’s productions at Dramatikerstudion are listed here as a sequential unit, as
were his productions at The Stockholm Student Theatre and the Sago Theatre above.

1943
378. U 39 [U-boat 39]. Drama in Five Tableaus
Credits
Playwright Rudolf Värnlund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Satge Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Dramatikerstudion, Borgarskolan
Extra performance at China Theatre
Opening Date 13 April 1943. World Premiere
Cast
The Mother Dagny Lind
The Son Curt Edgard
His Fiancee Sally Palmblad
Her Mother Gun Adler
Sister-in-Law Sif Ruud
The Brother Sture Djerf
The Widow Ilse-Nore Tromm
First Mate Gustaf Hjort af Ornäs

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Captain’s Wife Marianne Lenard

Janitor Börje Herner
Women Anna Tretow, Anna-Stina Osslund, Estrid Hesse, Mar-
gareta Sjögren, Birgitta André, Agnes Svedbäck, Karin
Lannby
Commentary
A possible production of U 39 was discussed twice with Dramaten during World War II but
plans were cancelled for fear of political repercussions.
U-39, written by a pacifist in 1939 shortly before the outbreak of the war, depicts the after-
math of a submarine accident, with women waiting at a marine base for information about
their loved ones on board the sunken boat. The central conflict revolves around a mother’s
attempt to cover up for her son, who got drunk and missed the submarine’s departure. Berg-
man staged the waiting women as a Greek chorus.
Värnlund’s play was inspired by a prewar British submarine accident. It took on unexpected
topicality three days after its opening when Swedish submarine Ulven (The Wolf) sank on the
west coast after a mine explosion. But even before this accident, the production had aroused
critical response and debate, even though the play itself was termed somewhat pale and lacking
in moral pathos (SvD). See Henrik Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, pp. 85-86, for presentation of
press debate.
Reception
The concensus among critics was that Bergman was both artistically and emotionally engaged in
Värnlund’s play, and challenged by its juxtaposition of individual conviction (a mother’s deter-
mination to save her son) and collective tragedy. All reviewers were struck by the enthusiasm of
the young ensemble and a direction that had overcome very limited stage resources. The pro-
duction definitely showed, wrote Sten Selander in SvD, that the Dramatists Studio had gone past
its original phase as an experimental stage. The only negative critique came from Nils Beyer in
Soc. Dem., who questioned what he called Bergman’s ‘visionary style’, as if he had had Strind-
berg’s Ghost Sonata in mind. To Beyer, Bergman relied too much on outer theatrical effects to
create the waiting women’s anguish. Herbert Grevenius (ST) concurred and called Bergman ‘a
young esthete with more sense for style than for how people look inside’ [en ung estet med mera
sinne för stilen än egentligen för hur folk ser ut inuti].
Reviews
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Värnlunds U39’. AT, 14 April 1943, p. 15.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Rudolf Värnlund på Dramatikerstudion’. Social-Demokraten, 14 April 1943, p. 11.
Edfelt, Johannes. ‘Teater och Film’. BLM XII, no. 5 (May) 1943: 403-04.
O. R-t. (Oscar Rydqvist), ‘U 39 hos Dramatikerstudion’. DN, 14 April 1943.
S. S-r. (Sten Selander), ‘Värnlunds ‘U 39’ på Dramatikerstudion’. SvD, 14 April 1943.

379. NIELS EBBESEN

Credits
Playwright Kaj Munk
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Music Rune Ede
Choreography Else Fisher
Stage Dramatikerstudion, Borgarskolan

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Opening Date 14 September 1943. Special memorial performance on 18

January 1944 after Kaj Munk’s murder by the Nazis.
Cast
Niels Ebbesen Anders Ek
Gertrud, his wife Dagny Lind
Ruth and Ebbe, their children Bibi Lindqvist, Bengt Dalunde
Ove Haase, brother in law Karl-Erik Flens
Niels Bugge Curt Edgard
Father Lorents Sture Ericson
The Lead Singer Valdemar Åström
The Bishop Elis Hahne
Peasant Woman Sif Ruud
A Young Peasant Birger Malmsten

Holstein People
Count Gerhard Toivo Pawlo
Vitinghofen Alf Kjellin
Von Döbelin Paul Granditsky
Commentary
Niels Ebbesen,, written by contemporary Danish Lutheran minister Kaj Munk, is a freedom
drama and chronicle play in five acts, set in Jutland (Danish peninsula) in 1340 during an
uprising against Holstein rulers (Schlesvig-Holstein, now a North-German province, has his-
torically been the cause of territorial disputes between Denmark and its neighbor to the South).
The title figure, Niels Ebbesen, serves as an incarnation of Denmark, an easy-going pacifist
farmer, who is transformed into a liberation fighter. Munk’s play was clearly aimed at the
German occupation of Denmark in World War II and was confiscated by the Nazis on its
day of publication. The German Legation in Stockholm tried to stop the Studio production of
the play. Brita von Horn calls the opening night ‘a nervous premiere’ [en ängslig premiär]. See
Hornstötar, Ø 538, p. 211.
In the Dramatist Studio’s program (no. 1, 14 September 1943), Bergman claims to have found,
by sheer coincidence, a poem titled ‘Klagosång över Danmark’ [Elegy over Denmark], written
in 1329 by an anonymous writer. It reads in English translation:
If we are to manage to throw off
the heavy burden of our enemies,
if we are to receive atonement and relief
from our bitter weal and woe,
then You, all merciful God must
look down upon us with grace.
Protecting us,
Preserving us!
Thus the struggle will
give us victory,
light and happiness, joy and peace.
No other Swedish stage would perform Munk’s play at the time of Bergman’s production.
Reviewer/editor Georg Svensson in the literary magazine BLM noted: ‘It ought to have been
dear to the heart [of Dramaten] to show the Danes how we, at least in spirit, stand on their side

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in the struggle..’. [Det borde ha legat (Dramaten) varmt om hjärtat att visa danskarna hur vi
åtminstone i anden står på deras sida i kampen]. After Munk’s murder by the Nazis in April
1944, Dramatikerstudion was asked by the Danish Embassy to present a rerun of Niels Ebbesen.
Sture Ericson was replaced by Martin Ericson from the Göteborg City Theatre, where Munk’s
drama was also being staged at this time, now with a prologue written by Prince Vilhelm,
younger brother of Swedish king Gustav V.
Reception
The production, which took place on the small and narrow Borgarskolan stage, was a public
sensation. Bergman’s staging and Gunnar Lindblad’s scenography, requiring several mass
scenes, was said to have done magic with the limited space. BLM wrote: ‘The young director
Ingmar Bergman, trained within the modest resources of the Student Theatre, did not lose
courage despite the current staging difficulties; he even added dance numbers, chorus effects
and fight scenes not in the play text. His direction was intelligent in a young and engaging way’.
[Den unge regissören Ingmar Bergman, tränad inom Studenteaterns klena resurser, förlorade
inte modet inför den aktuella uppsättningen; han lade även till dansnummer, köreffekter och
stridsscener i dramatexten]. Reviewer PGP (AB) called Bergman ‘a gentleman with the gift of
making everything he touches grand and spatious. [...] Technically, the production was un-
believable.’[en gentleman med gåvan att göra allting han rör vid stort och rymligt. [...] Tekniskt
sett var uppsättningen otrolig]. An exception to the favourable reviews was Sten Selander’s, who
objected to Bergman’s dance numbers and his added chorus executing a medieval song (see
above) as the grand finale.
The political timeliness of the Munk production both as an anti-Nazi statement and as a
critical challenge of the current Dramaten policy shared review space with performance ana-
lyses. One reviewer (Rydqvist) captured the mood: ‘With this production and in today’s poor
Swedish theatre life, Dramatikerstudion has made a real contribution that one has reason to be
grateful for’. [Med denna produktion och i dagens fattiga svenska teaterliv har Dramatikerstu-
dion gett ett verkligt bidrag som man har skäl att vara tacksam över]. But Bergman himself was
so absorbed in directorial matters that he was hardly aware of any possible political repercus-
sions of his production of Nils Ebbesen: ‘I myself didn’t understand that there was any risk in it’.
[Det förstod man inte själv, att det var någon risk med det]. See Sjögren, Ingmar Bergman på
teatern, 1968, p. 305.
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Dramatikerstudion. Niels Ebbesen’. Social-Demokraten, 15 September 1943, p.11.
Horn, Brita von. Hornstötar ur kulissen. Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren, 1965, pp. 207-10;
Sjöman, Vilgot. Mitt personregister. Urval 98 [My Name Index. Selection 98]. Stockholm: Natur
och Kultur, 1998, pp. 38-44;
O. R-t. (Oscar Rydqvist), ‘Niels Ebbesen hos Dramatikerstudion’. DN, 15 September 1943, p. 8.
PGP. ‘Kaj Munk – En succes för Dramatikerstudion’. AB, 15 September 1943, p. 19.
S. S-r. (Sten Selander), ‘Niels Ebbesen på Dramatikerstudion’. SvD, 15 September 1943, p. 22.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Dramatikerstudion: Munks Niels Ebbesen’. ST, 15 September 1943, p. 16.
Svensson, Georg. ‘Teater och Film’, BLM XII, no. 8 (October), 1943: 652-53.

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1944
380. HJALMAR BERGMAN AFTON [Hjalmar Bergman Evening]: Spelhuset (The Gam-
bling Hall), Herr Sleeman kommer (Mr. Sleeman Cometh)
Credits
Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Dramatikerstudion (Dramatists Studio)
Opening Date 15 February 1944
Spelhuset [The Gambling Hall]
Cast
Gambling House Manager Toivo Pawlo
Main Assistant Bertil Sjödin
Lady with Jewels Monica Schildt
Lady with Roses Sif Ruud
First Gambler Rune Stylander
Second Gambler Curt Edgard
Third Gambler Paul Granditsky
Railroad Boss Åke Fridell
First Callgirl Tulli Sjöblom
Second Callgirl Siv Thulin
Olga Inge Wærn
The Friend Anders Ek
Old Lady Margit Andelius
Gunnar Birger Malmsten
Karin Franci Uher
Herr Sleeman kommer [Mr. Sleeman Cometh]
Cast
Aunt Bina Margit Andelius
Aunt Mina Sif Ruud
Anne-Marie Inge Wærn
The Hunter Anders Ek
Mr. Sleeman Toivo Pawlo
Commentary
Hjalmar Bergman’s plays present a ‘marionette’ vision of life: a fatalistic view focussed on
possessiveness and evil. Per Lindberg, Hjalmar Bergman’s brother in law, staged Sagan (The
Legend) at the Dramatists Studio in 1942. Encouraged by Brita von Horn, Ingmar Bergman
directed a double bill of Hjalmar Bergman plays in 1944: Spelhuset and Herr Sleeman kommer.
Herr Sleeman is a typical Hjalmar Bergman work in its juxtaposition of youthful innocence
(young Anne-Marie) and old cynicism and lust (Herr Sleeman). The play was presented by
Ingmar Bergman as an expressionistic nightmare, supported by Gunnar Lindblad’s phantas-
magoric stage design. Spelhuset is a minor dramatic exercise, clearly an imitation of German
expressionistic dramas of the 1920s. Its setting, a gambling hall, is a symbolic representation and
distortion of human life. Ingmar Bergman depicted it with gaudy theatrical effects.

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Reception
Grevenius (ST) termed Spelhuset ‘a very bad play’ [en mycket dålig pjäs] but added that it was
Ingmar Bergman’s type of drama where he could ‘move the actors like pawns’ [flytta skåde-
spelarna som brickor] in a stylized and macabre production that became a labor of love.
Reviewers saw a link between Ingmar Bergman and his older namesake, terming the event a
directorial triumph (PGP, AB; Edfelt, BLM) – an ambitious, spooky and magical production of
a drama suffused with a fatalistic view of life.
But if the director had rescued the dramatically weak Spelhuset, he failed, apparently, to do
justice to the more demanding Herr Sleeman ... Even a Bergman supporter like Nils Beyer had
some difficulty coming up with a positive conclusion: ‘It is always fascinating to capture a
glimpse of a great poet’s workshop – and also to see an original directorial intelligence struggle
with difficult tasks’. [Det är alltid fängslande att få en glimt in i en stor diktares verkstad – och
likaså att se en originell regissörsbegåvning brottas med svåra uppgifter].
Reviews
Edfelt, Johannes. ‘Teater och Film’, BLM 13, no. 3 (March) 1944: 242-43.
A. Fbg. (Allan Fagerberg). ‘Kusligt och sagolikt’ [Spooky and magical]. Idun, 1944: 6.
S. S-r.(Sten Selander) ‘Hjalmar Bergman på Dramatikerstudion’. SvD, 16 February 1944, p. 21.

Boulevardteatern (1944)
Brita von Horn’s and Ingmar Bergman’s collaboration at the Dramatist Studio ended with the
Hjalmar Bergman production. Somewhat regretfully von Horn had recommended Bergman for
the job to administer the Hälsingborg City Theatre. But before he left for Hälsingborg, Berg-
man directed a Parisian play at the Boulevard Theatre in Stockholm, a small private theatre
housed in a former cinema at Ringvägen 125 in South Stockholm, led by two of Ingmar Berg-
man’s early actors, Rune Stylander and Karl-Axel Forssberg. Their project had started in the
spring of 1943. In the fall season that year Ingmar Bergman, who had just married Else Fisher,
assembled members of his amateur and semi-professional ensemble. His one and only produc-
tion at the Boulevard Theatre was Pierre Rocher’s play from the Twenties, ‘The Hotel Room. A
play in 8 tableaus’.

381. HOTELLRUMMET [The Hotel Room]

Credits
Original Title La chambre d’hotel
Playwright Pierre Rocher
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage The Boulevard Theatre/Scala Theatre, Stockholm
Date 12 February 1944
Cast
(in order of appearance according to the eight scenes that compose the play)
1. DEPARTURE
Marthe Monica Schildt,
Jean Rune Stylander

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2. THE HOTEL STAFF’S THOUGHTS

The Cleaning Maid Estrid Hesse
The Hotel Manager Karl-Eric Forssberg
3. ON VACATION
Arthur Bertil Sjödin
Victor Gunnar Nielsen
Berthe Barbro Ribbing
Louise Ingrid Luterkort
4. BREAK-UP
Jean Bertil Sjödin
Lise, an aging woman Estrid Hesse
5. HOME FROM VACATION
Maurice Rune Stylander
Victor Gunnar Nielsen
Berthe Barbro Ribbing
Louise Ingrid Luterkort
6. OPENING NIGHT
Gaby Siv Thulin
André Curt Edgard
7. INFIDELITY
Maurice Rune Stylander
Catrine Ingrid Luterkort
Emile Karl-Axel Forssberg
8. NEWLY MARRIED
Yvonne Sif Ruud
Louis Gunnar Nielsen
Commentary
Hotellrummet was performed twice every evening with tickets at regular movie house prices.
The play had been staged in 1932 at the Blanche Theatre in Stockholm. Bergman’s production
became a huge public and critical success. After 100 performances, the production moved to the
Scala Theatre in May 1944. See notice in MT, 20 May 1944.
The theatre program reprinted a note by the author (Pierre Rocher) in which he motivates
his change of characters in each of the eight tableaus: a hotel room is a temporary stop in the
lives of many people. His hotel room represented life – an ordinary, yet abstracted and im-
personal place.
Reception
With Bergman’s production, the Boulevard Theatre gained the reputation as a much needed
avant-garde stage in Stockholm: ‘From now on we have a right to count on the Boulevard
Theatre as an avant-garde theatre worthy of encouragement’. [Från och med nu har vi rätt att
räkna med Boulevardteatern som en avant gardeteater värd uppmuntran] (Sven Stål). Again, it
was the enthusiasm of the young ensemble and the inventiveness of its director that prompted a
positive response. ‘One felt gratitude and sympathy for the genuineness, the freshness, the
successful will to do one’s best that characterised the young ensemble’s performance under
the skillful leadership of director Ingmar Bergman’. [Man kände tacksamhet och sympati för
den äkthet, den friskhet, den lyckosamma viljan att göra sitt bästa som utmärkte den unga
ensemblens föreställning under regissör Ingmar Bergmans skickliga ledarskap] (Rydqvist). Sven
Stål concurred: ‘Ingemar (sic) Bergman is a magician when it comes to getting actors to show
their best and refrain from histrionics’. [IB är en trollkarl när det gäller att få skådespelare att

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visa sitt bästa och avstå från teatergriller]. Nils Beyer added that Bergman was particularly
successful in his instruction of actresses.
However, there was also some controversy over this production. Bergman gained additional
media attention when an offended woman in the audience placed a complaint with the Stock-
holm police department, because she found several indecent scenes in the production, among
them one where a girl pulled off her dress, which was followed by a swift curtain fall. The SvD’s
critic shared the viewer’s indignation and asked in her review: ‘Is there (a type of) theatre
banned for children? If not, it’s about time’. [Finns det barnförbjuden teater. I annat fall är det
hög tid]. Herbert Grevenius was also critical and found the choice of play speculative and
morally questionable, given the theatre’s location in a section of the city full of young people.
See AT, 11 March 1944, p. 10, for an illustrated satirical verse about the incident.
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Hotellrummet’. MT, 13 February 1944, p. 9.
Corylus. ‘Fransk hotellromantik’. SvD, 13 February 1944, p. 11.
FLH. ‘En lysande teaterkväll’. Idun, no. 9, 1944: 4, 6.
O. R-t. [Oscar Rydqvist] ‘Hotellrummet på Boulevardteatern’. DN, 13 February 1944, p. 11.
PGP. (P.G. Pettersson). ‘Franskt på Boulevardteatern.’ AB, 13 February 1944, p. 3.
Sven Stål. ‘Söder på teaterkartan’. Lidingö Tidning, 19 February 1944, p. 1.

Hälsingborg City Theatre (1944-46)

On 6 April 1944, Maundy Thursday in Easter Week, Ingmar Bergman signed a contract with the
municipally run Hälsingborg City Theatre in Southern Sweden. (See reportage titled ‘Ny
konstnärlig ledare utsedd för Stadsteatern’ in Hälsingborgs Dagblad, 8 April, p. 5, 8). Just as
Brita von Horn had feared, Bergman left for Hälsingborg with many of the actors he had
worked with at the Student Theatre, the Sago Theatre, The Dramatist Studio, and the Boulevard
Theatre (the latter closed down after Bergman’s departure). It was a close-knit group which
began its engagement in Hälsingborg in the fall of 1944.
For Bergman’s Hälsingborg period, see introduction to this chapter; Henrik Sjögren, 1968,
pp. 9-45, 202-04; Lise-Lone and Frederick Marker, 1982, pp. 32-35, and Fall/Winter 1979 issue of
journal Theater, pp. 9-11.

1944
382. ASCHEBERGSKAN PÅ WITTSKÖVLE [The Ascheberg Widow at Wittskövle]
Credits
Playwright Brita von Horn
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Choreography Ellen Lundström
Music Karl-Henrik Edström
Stage Hälsingborg City Theatre
Opening Date 21 September 1944

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Cast
Ascheberg’s Widow Elsa Burnett
Fjumena, daughter Carin Cederström
Son Gunnar Nielsen
A younger daughter Siv Thulin
General von Meyerfeldt Sture Ericson
Aurora, Widow’s cousin Dagny Lind
Eufemia Ingrid Luterkort
The Tutor Ulf Johanson
Lieutenant Bennet Birger Malmsten
Captain Rushjelm Otto Landahl
Officers Åke Fridell, Curt Edgard, Karl-Axel Forssberg, Bertil
Sjödin
Commentary
Bergman’s first production in Hälsingborg was more of an insider squabble than a bold artistic
debut, as he and Brita von Horn clashed over the world premiere of her (and her friend Elsa
Collin’s) ‘comedy’ Aschebergskan på Wittskövle, which von Horn had scheduled for the Dra-
matist Studio in the fall of 1944 (some eight years after the play was completed). The opening of
the play took place on 6 September 1944; Ingmar Bergman’s staging in Hälsingborg occurred a
few weeks later. His inaugural choice was probably intended, at first, as a gesture to his former
boss, but especially as a friendly nod to the Hälsingborg theatre public. Aschebergskan is a play
set on an estate in Skåne, with plenty of local references to add to its provincial appeal.
Ingmar Bergman went to Stockholm to see Brita von Horn’s production and she came to see
his in Hälsingborg. They were soon reconciled. See Brita von Horn’s Hornstötar ur kulissen,
1965, pp. 217-22.
Also attending the opening in Hälsingborg were veteran actresses Gerda Lundequist and
Anna Norrie. They had stopped in Hälsingborg on their way to the inauguration of the Malmö
City Theatre.
Reception
Bergman’s staging of Aschebergskan received mostly glowing reviews in the local press: ‘Thus we
can conclude at once that the inauguration of a new epoch in the Helsingborg City Theatre’s
tumultuous history could hardly have been more fortunate: Red lantern (sold out), good mood,
success!’ [Sålunda kan vi genast dra den slutsatsen att invigningen av en ny epok i Hälsingborgs
Stadsteaters omtumlande historia knappast kunde ha blivit lyckosammare: Röda lyktor (utsålt),
bra stämning, succé!] (Tom). Inevitably, several critics compared the staging to von Horn’s
Stockholm production and found it superior, foremost because of Bergman’s cuts in the
original text to achieve greater dramatic stringency. Also noted were such features as his playful
approach, his attention to acoustic details and his sense of rhythm. These were traits that would
remain central in defining Bergman’s stagecraft in the years to come.
Reviews
Kei. ‘Hälsingborg Stadsteater som kommunal scen’ [Hälsingborg City Theatre as a municipal
stage] SDS, 22 September 1944, p. 10.
Mbg. ‘Aschebergskan på Wittskövle’. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 22 September 1944, pp. 1, 7.
Tom (Åke Thomson). ‘Aschebergskan’. Skånska Social-Demokraten, 22 September 1944, p. 1, 6.
See also
Vilgot Sjöman. Mitt personregister. Urval 98, 1998, pp. 44-46.

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383. FAN GER ETT ANBUD [The Devil makes an Offer]

Credits
Original Title Hvem er jeg?
Playwright Carl-Erik Soya
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Choreography Ellen Lundström
Music Karl-Henrik Edström
Stage Hälsingborg City Theatre
Date 20 October 1944
Cast
The Devil Otto Landahl
The Man in a Straw Hat Gunnar Nielsen
Pregnant woman Marianne Nielsen
Young Man Bertil Sjödin
Prof. Reason/Mr. Rasmussen Ulf Johanson
Mrs. Rasmussen Dagny Lind
Consul General/Prof. Trimbley Karl-Axel Forsberg
Upper class family girl Siv Thulin
The Monkey Curt Edgard
Conscience Ingrid Luterkort
Don Juan/Doctor Death Åke Fridell
Bluebeard Birger Malmsten
Virgin Mary Carin Cederström
Dr. Paprika Sture Ericson
Commentary
This was Ingmar Bergman’s second production of Soya’s play, (see Ø 364), and the theatre’s
fourth production in five weeks.
Reception
Production was well received by the local press. Skånska Social-Demokraten. termed it the
theatre’s greatest artistic victory so far. A few Stockholm critics who came to see Bergman’s
Macbeth production (see next entry), also saw Soya’s play, which was still running at the time.
Reviews
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Shakespeare och Soya vid Sundet’. ST, 20 November 1944, p. 9.
Mbg. ‘Fan ger ett anbud’. Hälsingborgs Dagblad, 21 October, p. 7.
Penninah. ‘Fan ger ett anbud’, Skånska Social-Demokraten, 21 October 1944, p. 6.

384. MACBETH
Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Choreography Ellen Lundström
Music Karl-Henrik Edström (The instruments used in Ed-
ström’s specially composed music were: piano, drum,
violin and horn. The music was used to tie the acts

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together – there was only one intermission – and as

mood painting).
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Opening Date 19 November 1944
Cast
The Seeress Dagny Lind
Macbeth Sture Ericson
Lady Macbeth Ingrid Luterkort
Duncan Otto Landahl
Malcolm, his son Curt Edgard
Donalban, his son Birger Malmsten
Witches Ellen Lundström, Monica Schildt
Banquo Ulf Johanson
Macduff Bertil Sjödin
Rosse Gunnar Nielsen
Seyton Åke Fridell
The Porter Karl-Axel Forssberg
A Page Monica Schildt
The Soldier Birger Malmsten
Commentary
This was the third production directed by Ingmar Bergman in three months as head of the
Hälsingborg Theatre. With Macbeth he proved his mettle and began to figure in the press as a
cultural personality. See for instance ‘Namn och Nytt’ (Names and News) page, SvD, 21 No-
vember 1944. Contributing to his visibility was the tremendous success of the film Hets (Tor-
ment/Frenzy), which premiered in October 1944 and was scripted by Bergman. See
Filmography, (Ø 202).
When Bergman staged Macbeth for the first time (Mäster Olofsgården, 1940), he had referred
to the play as ‘En saga’, probably a reference to Swedish translator Hagberg’s usage in his
translation of Macbeth’s famous ‘Sound and Fury’, soliloquy, where Shakespeare’s ‘tale’ is
rendered as ‘saga’ (epic and/or fairy tale). In Bergman’s first production the medieval mood
painting had been essential (see Commentary, Ø 355). In his second production, he ‘updated’
Shakespeare’s tragedy (the setting was now early Renaissance rather than the dark Middle Ages),
and called it ‘an anti-Nazi drama’ featuring a murderer and a war criminal. (Hälsingborg
Stadsteater Program, November 1944, p. 27). The program note concluded: ‘We must have
faith’, [Vi måste ha en tro], an exhortation supported by some of the visual details in the
production, suggesting a Christian atonement motif. A bloody Christ figure hung above Lady
Macbeth’s quarters and her post-murder reaction pointed to the possibility of a religious
conversion. Shakespeare’s final lines were cut and replaced by Macbeth stumbling and falling
down the stairs while his victors knelt, raising their swords to form a cross against a chalky
white background, reminiscent of the walls of a medieval church. In an advance notice of his
production in Helsingborgs Dagblad (14 November 1944) Bergman referred to his version of
Shakespeare’s drama as both ‘thriller’ and ‘religious service’. In addition, Bergman emphasised
the erotic tension between Macbeth and his Lady. The couple were cast as quite young and
possessed by each other; their murderous plans were hatched in the marital bed. When Mac-
beth, after the Lady’s death, sums up his life philosophy in Act V, he did so with his dead wife’s
head resting in his lap.

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Reception
Reviewers were astounded by the spectacle Bergman had achieved on a stage with limited
technical facilities. His Hälsingborg Macbeth was a richly orchestrated production, in which
the visual and musical effects were especially notable, reminding some critics of Bergman’s past
training at the Stockholm Opera. Harald Schiller in SDS wrote: ‘Shadow plays, boldly inserted
projections made one forget the limited means available. [...] It was Shakespeare’s own spirit
and thought, carried forth by the will and enthusiasm of young artists’. [Skuggspel, djärvt
infogade projektioner fick en att glömma de begränsade medel som fanns att tillgå. [...] Det
var Shakespeares egen anda och tanke, framförda av viljan och entusiasmen hos unga artister].
Stockholm critics who attended the opening noted that in one season, Bergman and his
young ensemble had won the heart of the local people, whose applause at the end ‘grew to a
storm’. [växte till en storm] (Beyer). Bergman, wrote af Geijerstam in DN, is ‘a young director
with charm and shock impact, puzzling and thought-provoking at the same time. [...] When
you leave the performance you are stimulated by the vital and original artistic will that supports
it, and by the genuine enthusiasm for the stage that inspires all the participants’. [är en ung
regissör med charm och chockverkan, på samma gång förbryllande och tankeväckande. [...]
När man lämnar föreställningen är man stimulerad av den vitala och originella vilja som bär
upp den och av den äkta entusiasm för scenen som inspirerar alla deltagarna]. The local critic
in Hälsingborgs Dagblad wrote: ‘This is a performance that will go down in history as one of the
most remarkable in our theatre, an example of what can be achieved by an imaginative and
bold director who is not weighed down by tradition’. [Detta är en föreställning som kommer att
gå till historien som en av vår teaters märkligaste, ett exempel på vad som kan åstadkommas av
en fantasifull och djärv regissör som inte tyngs ner av traditionen].
The only critical reservations concerned Bergman’s colloquial treatment of Shakespeare’s
blank verse, an attempt on his part to tone down the theatricality of the piece and introduce
a new and less rhetorical approach to playing Shakespeare, more in tune with his relatively
young ensemble.
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Macbeth’. MT, 20 November 1944, p. 9.
Eveo (Erik William Olsson). ‘Macbeth i Hälsingborg’. SvD, 20 November 1944, p. 13.
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Shakespeare och Soya vid Sundet’. ST, 20 November 1944, p. 6.
J.L. (John Landqvist). ‘Shakespeare i Hälsingborg’. AB, 20 November 1944, p. 14.
Mgm. ‘Macbeth’, Helsingborgs Dagblad, 20 November 1944, n.p.
S. af Gm. (Sten af Geijerstam). ‘Teatern som fortsatte’ [The theatre that continued]. DN, 20
November 1944, p. 4.
Schiller, Harald. ‘Kring en Macbeth-premiär’ [Around a Macbeth opening]. SDS, 20 November
1944, p. 10.
Scen och salong 12, 1944.
See also
Henrik Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, (Ø 548) pp. 17-22.
Ann Fridén. Macbeth in the Swedish Theatre, 1838-1986. Stockholm: Liber, 1986.

385. ELDDONET [The Tinder Box]

Credits
Original Title Fyrtøyet
Author Hans Christian Andersen, adapted by Greta Wranér
Director Ingmar Bergman

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Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad

Choreography Ellen Lundström
Music Karl-Henrik Edström
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Date 26 December 1944
Cast
The Witch Ulf Johanson
The Soldier Gunnar Nielsen
The King Karl-Axel Forssberg
The Queen Ingrid Luterkort
The Princess Siv Thulin
The Innkeeper Åke Fridell
Court Lady I Ellen Lundström,
Court Lady II Monica Schildt,
Court Lady III Carin Cederström,
Court Lady IV Marianne Nielsen
Court Marshal Birger Malmsten
The Dog Bertil Sjödin
The Shoemaker Boy Sture Ericson
The Fiddler Karl-Henrik Edström
The Tailor Birger Malmsten
Two Mechanical Dolls Aina Larsson, Ebba Krook
Reception
When he signed his Hälsingborg contract, Bergman had listed three ambitions: A new sub-
scription policy, a rationalization of the repertory and a theatre for children and young adults.
At Christmas time 1944 he set up a dramatization of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale ‘The
Tinder Box’. Reviews called the production clear and easy to understand, ‘suitable for both
small and big children’. [lämplig för både stora och små barn] (SDS); it was reportedly received
‘with enormous jubilation’ [med enormt jubel] (Hbg Dagbl). There is no record of Bergman
repeating the local changes he had made in Andersen’s tale for the Stockholm production (see
Ø 369). Considering Hälsingborg’s proximity to Copenhagen, it would seem natural to go back
to the tale’s original local colour.
Reviews
Pilo. ‘Elddonet – en trevlig barnpjäs’. [The Tinder Box – a nice children’s play]. Skånska Social-
Demokraten, 27 December 1944, p. 3.
Sk. ‘Elddonet’på Hälsingborgs stadsteater’. SDS, 27 December 1944, p. 14.
Håge. ‘Elddonet.’, Helsingborgs Dagblad, 27 December 1944, p. 10.

1945
386. KRISS-KRASS-FILIBOM
Synopsis
This New Year’s cabaret was opened by a figure named The Occult, after which the stage was
taken over by the Paprika Theatre Company. The Occult resumed momentary control until
Romeo and Juliet intervened. Sketches, dance, and musical numbers followed. The Paprika
Theatre was feted in the presence of royalty, accompanied by Mr. H. Goldrain (ref. to poet

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Hjalmar Gullberg) and Thalia. Pouring rain turned into the Flood, but the Arc reached Mount
Ararat in time for a pastoral finale of part 1. This was followed by an ‘Opera tragica’ in two acts
by Wagni, Werder et al., titled ‘Den vilseförhyrda (eller Svärmordet)’ [The Abducted on lease
(or the Murder-in-law); ‘Svärmor’ means ‘Mother-in-law’]. The action took place in 1478
outside a palace in Verona. He, She and their two children have been evicted and are looking
for a new palace to lease. The accompanying musical numbers range from ‘meaningful tunes in
major’ to ‘a happy marching song’. The second act of the opera opened with the landlord (‘a
dramatic barytone’) singing his great aria about the human kindness of house owners. The
landlord’s mother-in-law (‘a lyrical counter base’) turned the situation into a tragedy by
shooting ‘He’ with a hatpin. ‘She’ died of a broken heart. The opera ended with death every-
where and an orchestra in total disarray.
Credits
Authors Scapin, Pimpel and Kasper (Punch)/Sture Ericson,
Rune Moberg, Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Choreography Ellen Lundström
Music Karl-Henrik Edström
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Date 1 January 1945
Cast
(‘in disorder of appearance’)
The Occult Otto Landahl
Noak Noaksson, Theatre Director Ulf Johanson
Augusta, his wife Dagny Lind
Père Noble Åke Fridell
Mère Noble Monica Schildt
The Primadonna Ingrid Luterkort
He Birger Malmsten
She Siv Thulin
Machinist Karl-Axel Forssberg
Stage Manager Bertil Sjödin
The Extra Curt Edgard
Dr. Paprika Sture Ericson
Reception
The reviewer in Skånska Soc.-Dem. summed up the New Year’s Cabaret as follows: ‘Ingmar
Bergman’s staging is, as expected, full of ideas. [...] There is speed and vitality throughout the
entire undertaking, the actors pop up in every imaginable spot on stage and in the audience,
disappear through trapdoors etc. [...] There is shooting and banging so that the smoke settles
like a thick fog over the house. That Bergman! He has an inclination to shock’. [Ingmar
Bergmans uppsättning är som väntat full av idéer. [...] Det är fart och liv över hela tilltaget,
skådespelarna dyker upp på varje upptänkligt ställe på scenen och i publiken, försvinner genom
falluckor osv. [...] Det är ett skjutande och pangande så att röken lägger sig som en tjock dimma
över salongen. Den där Bergman! Han har en benägenhet att chockera].
Reviews
Tom (Åke Thomson). ‘Revypremiären på Stadsteatern’. Skånska Social-Demokraten, 2 January
1945, p. 14.

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387. SAGAN [The Legend]

Credits
Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Music K. H. Edström
Choreography Ellen Lundström
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Opening Date 7 February 1945
Cast
Sune Gunnar Nielsen
Sagan Siv Thulin
Astrid Ruth Kasdan
Rose Carin Cederström
Ehrenstål Ulf Johanson
Colonel’s wife Dagny Lind
Chamber servant Otto Landahl
Flora Ingrid Luterkort
Gerhard Bertil Sjödin
Legal clerk Sture Ericson
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman has staged Hjalmar Bergman’s Sagan three times. This poetic and cruel play,
an Alfred Musset pastiche, depicts innocent youth capable of intense passion, in contrast to
disillusioned old age that destroys the hopes of the young. A particular Hjalmar Bergman
feature is the title figure emerging from a fairy tale well to comment on the trials and tribula-
tions of the marionette-like characters who reenact a version of her fate, which occurred many
centuries earlier when she was killed by a knight at a well on his wooded premises.
Three years prior to Ingmar Bergman’s Hälsingborg production of Sagan, theatre director
Per Lindberg had staged his brother-in-law Hjalmar Bergman’s posthumous play in the Stock-
holm Concert Hall. Hjalmar Bergman’s widow, Stina Bergman, who wrote the program note
for the Hälsingborg production, attended on opening night. In a press statement she called
Ingmar Bergman ‘a curious mixture’ [en egendomlig blandning] of the playwright [Hjalmar
Bergman] and director [Lindberg]: ‘If one compares their well-known fanatical love of the
theatre, one can only conclude with joy that Lindberg’s work has been shouldered by Hälsing-
borg City Theatre’s young head. He will no doubt carry it on with honor’. [Jämför man deras
välkända fanatiska kärlek till teatern kan man bara konstatera med glädje att Lindbergs arbete
har axlats av Hälsingborgs stadsteaters unga chef. Han kommer utan tvivel att föra det vidare
med den äran].
Reception
Opening night did not start out well. In the first act, according to Tom (Åke Thomson), ‘the
public turned in their seats, coughed, and cleared their throats, the doors creaked as people
arrived late due to the rain’. [publiken vände sig i stolarna, hostade och harklade sig, dörrarna
knarrade och knakade när folk anlände sent på grund av regnet]. The house was not full (there
was tough competition from two other entertainment events: A Karl Gerhard cabaret and a
popular concert by Rosita Serrano). Still, the critics termed the presentation both brilliant and
intense, and praised the stage designer (Gunnar Lindblad): ‘Nothing seems impossible for that
man’. [Ingenting tycks omöjligt för den mannen]. Other local reviewers remarked positively on

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Bergman’s combination of poetry and dramatic realism in the mise-en-scene, and on his use of
music and sound effects. Brief notices in the capital press remarked on the fine ensemble acting.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Hjalmar Bergman-premiär i Hälsingborg’. DN, 8 February 1945, p. 11.
n.a. ‘Hjalmar Bergmans ‘Sagan’ i Hälsingborg’. SvD, 8 February 1945, p. 11.
Mbg. ‘Sagan’, Helsingborgs Dagblad, 8 February 1945, p. 8.
Tom (Åke Thomson). ‘Sagan om “Sagan”’. Skånska Social-Demokraten, 8 February 1945, p. 5.
Henrik Sjögren, Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 202-04.

388. REDUCERA MORALEN [Down with morality]

Credits
Playwright Sune Bergström
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Date 12 April 1945
Cast
The Consul Ulf Johanson
Marianne Siv Thulin
Gun, Lecturer’s mistress Carin Cederström
Lecturer, Marianne’s father Otto Landahl
The Assistant Ingrid Luterkort
The Fellow Human Being Curt Edgard
Olle, the Consul’s Son Bernt Callenbo
The Ex-wife Dagny Lind
Commentary
This ‘serious farce’ by a contemporary Swedish writer had first opened at the Dramatist Studio
in Stockholm on 31 May 1944. As was often the case with Ingmar Bergman’s repertory, he relied
both on his own favorites (plays by Strindberg, Hjalmar Bergman, Shakespeare) and on recent
productions elsewhere that had proven to be public successes.
Reducera moralen was the thirteenth and last presentation for the 1944-45 season in Häl-
singborg. In a program note Bergman thanked the public for its ‘patience with our youth,
indulgence vis-à-vis our capers and recognition of our good will and our genuine intent’.
[tålamod med vår ungdom, överseende med våra påhitt och för att ni insett vår goda vilja
och vår äkta avsikt].
Reception
Certain key assessments of Ingmar Bergman’s directorial style and approach now began to
crystallize in the local reviews, which referred to his ‘inventiveness’ and ‘shocking unconven-
tionality’ and praised his rhythmic pacing, supported by artistry in lighting and choice of
music, and his ability to choose and inspire the cast. SDS reviewer of ‘Reducera moralen’
concluded that Bergman’s productions exhibited ‘a style that deviates from what is seen on
the usual stage roads.’ [en stil som skiljer sig från vad som ses på de vanliga scenvägarna].
Reviews
G. L-tz. ‘Reducera moralen’. SDS, 13 April 1945, p. 13.
Tom.(Åke Thomson). ‘Bör moralen reduceras?’ [Should morals be reduced?]. Skånska Social-
Demokraten, 13 April 1945, p. 9.

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389. KATEDRALEN
Credits
Original Title Le cathédral
Playwright Jules Baillod
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Hälsingborg City Theatre
Date 12 September 1945
Cast
The Bishop Erland Josephson
The Maiden Siv Thulin
Commentary
With World War II over, Ingmar Bergman wanted to open the new fall season with a play that
could serve as a memorial service. Jules Baillod’s (sometimes listed as Jules Baillot) one-act play
was written during the German occupation of France. Called a medieval mystery play, it tells of
the destruction of the Cathedral of Chartres in war time, and of its reconstruction by people
coming together from the surrounding areas. It is likely that Baillod’s play provided Bergman
with his central metaphor (the cathedral of Chartres) as a symbol of communal creativity in his
essay ‘Det att göra film’ (What is Filmmaking?), first published in 1954. (See Ø 87). The Baillod
play was translated by Bergman’s colleague in the Student Theatre, Claes Hoogland. It served as
a prologue to the main item on the playbill, Franz Werfel’s Jacobowky and the Colonel.
Reviews
In his review of Jacobowsky... Grevenius also briefly discussed Baillod’s The Cathedral, which he
found to be more important as a symbolic gesture than as a great dramatic piece. Local press
(Hbg Dagbl.) remarked on the emotional impact of the piece, reinforced by Bergman’s use of
Gregorian music.

390. JACOBOWSKY OCH ÖVERSTEN [Jacobowsky and the Colonel]

Credits
Original Title Jacobowsky und der Oberst
Playwright Franz Werfel
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Date 12 September 1945
Cast
Jacobowsky Sture Ericson
The Colonel Åke Fridell
German Officer Birger Malmsten
Marianne Elsa Burnett
Szabuniewicz Otto Landahl
Mme Bouffier Dagny Lind
The Tragic Man Ulf Johanson
The Lady from Arras Maud Hyttenberg
Clementine Siv Thulin
Widow Annika Tretow

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Salomon Bertil Sjödin

Young Girl Monica Schildt
Unit Captain Erland Josephson
Lady Carin Cederström
Chauffeur Curt Edgard
Ginette Marianne Nielsen
Gendarme Karl-Axel Forssberg
Gestapo Bertil Sjödin
Dice Gambler Gunnar Nielsen
Commentary
Bergman’s production of Werfel’s play was originally scheduled to open in spring 1945 but was
postponed until the following season.
The printed theatre program to Werfel’s play contains an essay signed by Ingmar Bergman,
outlining his ambition with the Hälsingborg Theatre. (See Ø 502), Theatre/Media Bibliogra-
phy.
Reception
Werfel’s play had been produced by Torsten Hammarén at the Gothenborg City Theatre a year
earlier. Comparisons were inevitable and some voices indicated that Bergman’s undertaking was
somewhat presumptuous. He obviously had fun with the production and introduced farcical
elements and spectacular effects such as a roaring automobile traversing the stage. Reported
enthusiastic response from the audience indicated to the reviewers that this was Bergman’s
most popular staging so far in Hälsingborg.
Reviews
n. a. ‘Stor teaterkväll i Hälsingborg’ [Great theatre evening in Hälsingborg]. AT, 13 September
1945, p. 12;
n.a. ‘Lyckad säsongstart i Hälsingborg’ [Successful season start in H.]. SvD, 13 September 1945,
p. 11;
n.a. ‘Säsongstart i Hälsingborg’. DN, 13 September 1945, p. 12;
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Spelöppning i Hälsigborg’. ST, 13 September 1945, p.1;
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Teater i Hälsingborg’. Expr., 13 September 1945, p. 16;
J.L. (John Landqvist). ‘“Översten” på skånsk premiär’ [The Colonel in Scanian opening]. AB, 13
September 1945, p. 11;
Mbg. ‘Jacobowsky och översten. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 13 September 1945, p. 8-9.

391. RABIES: SCENER UR LIVET [Rabies: Scenes from life]

Credits
Original Title Slå dank [Loafing]
Author Olle Hedberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Opening Date 1 November 1945. World premiere
Cast
Dr. Bo Stensson Svenningsson Sture Ericson
Knut Mosterson Gunnar Nielsen
Jenny Carin Cederström

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Garberg, country store manager Åke Fridell

Eivor Annika Tretow
Erik Birger Malmsten
Moster/The Aunt Dagny Lind
Sven, Sergeant/Tutor Erland Josephson
Cronsvärd Bertil Sjödin
Wholesaler Ulf Johanson
Mrs. Svensson Maud Hyttenberg
Commentary
In 1944, bestselling Swedish novelist Olle Hedberg, whose forte was sharp depictions of middle-
class life, published the fourth volume in a tetralogy about the medical doctor Bo Stensson
Svenningsson. Titled ‘Slå dank’ (Loafing), the novel included six chapters in dialogue form
written by Svenningsson during a convalescence and based on the moral question ‘Are the woes
of life ameliorated by the wailing of the likes of you?’ Bergman saw the dramatic potential of
Hedberg’s work, adapted it for the stage and renamed it ‘Rabies’. He also adapted the play for
the radio in 1946 (see Media Chapter, Ø 261).
In a program note Bergman called the play ‘an unpleasant theatre piece’ and warned the
audience to hold on tight, for now ‘we are going to pull the floor from under your feet and take
you down to horror chambers and dung heaps to look at the eyeless monsters that hide there’.
[skall vi rycka undan golvet under era fötter och ta med er ner till skräckkamrarna och
dynghögarna för att se på de ögonlösa monster som gömmer sig där.]. Bergman justified his
focussing on morbid and dark issues by calling them part of the pessimistic climate of the
times. See Fyrtiotalism (Ø 952).
Reception
Since ‘Rabies’ was Olle Hedberg’s first presentation on stage, most reviewers focussed their
attention on the dramatic text. Some critics took issue with Hedberg’s cynicism and the
deliberately shocking tone of Bergman’s adaptation. The reviewer in Skånska Dagbladet wrote:
Bergman and Hedberg have resorted to exaggerations that are much too strong to be taken
seriously. [...] ‘Rabies’ shocks more than it warns. It is depressing but does not move. It is
not necessary to beat on hell’s gate to get us to wake up. A viewer must protest that he or she
does not feel at all like a rabies-infected dog who must promptly rush ahead and bite others.

[Bergman och Hedberg har tagit till överdrifter som är alltför starka för att tas på allvar. [...]
‘Rabies’ chockerar mer än varnar. Den är nedslående men berör inte. Det är inte nödvändigt
att klappa på helvetets port för att få oss att vakna. En åskådare måste protestera att han eller
hon inte alls känner sig som en rabies-smittad hund som prompt måste rusa fram och bita
andra.]
The DN reviewer made the observation that Hedberg’s piece provided a glorious opportunity
for Ingmar Bergman to vent his sadistic impulses on the audience. Despite such reservations
the production was highly praised as a theatrical event and became in fact a cause célèbre in the
Swedish theatre world. Bergman’s ensemble was invited to a guest performance in Stockholm
after a suggestion made by theatre critic Ebbe Linde in BLM (XIV, no. 10, December 1945, p.
863). For reviews of the Stockholm guest performance, which had to be extended on demand,
see Stockholm and Göteborg press, 23 March 1946.

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Reviews
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Svensk urpremiär: Rabies’ [Swedish world premiere: Rabies]. ST, 2 No-
vember 1945, p. 16.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Sensation i Hälsingborg’. Expr., 2 November 1945, p. 16.
J.L. (John Landqvist). ‘Olle Hedbergs scendebut’. AB, 2 November 1945, p. 11.
Josephson Ragnar. ‘Olle Hedbergs dramatiska debut’. SvD, 2 November 1945, p. 16.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Teater och Film’. BLM XIV, no. 10 (December) 1945: 862-63.
S. af Gm. (Sten af Geijerstam). ‘Olle Hedbergs Rabies ovanlig teaterhändelse’ [OH’s Rabies an
unusual theatre event]. DN, 2 November 1945, p. 15.
Tn. ‘Olle Hedberg både tjusade och chockerade Hälsingborg’ [OH both charmed and shocked
Hbg]. MT, 2 November 1945, p. 11.
Tom(Åke Thomson). ‘Skräck och komik på teatern’ [Horror and comedy in the theatre].
Skånska Social-Demokraten, 2 November 1945, p. 9.
See also
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 31-36.

392. PELIKANEN [The Pelican]

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Martin Ahlbom
Stage Malmö City Theatre
Opening Date 21 November 1945
Cast
The Mother Stina Ståhle
The Son Anders Ek
The Daughter Inga Bucht
The Son-in-law Eric Malmberg
The Maid Jullan Kindahl
Commentary
When Ingmar Bergman was invited as a guest director to the Malmö City Theatre in 1945, he
chose to present Strindberg’s Pelikanen (The Pelican), even though the same play had been
produced at Hälsingborg in the preceding season (directed by Sture Ericson). On that occasion,
Bergman had given a short speech to the audience at a special performance arranged for the
press on Strindberg’s birthday, 22 January. However, he used the occasion primarily to argue for
increasing public support for the theatre among the Hälsingborg citizenry, adding that ‘pro-
claimers of human and artistic truth who have no audience are like a broken record player at
the bottom of the sea’. [förespråkarna för mänsklig och konstnärlig sanning som inte har någon
publik är som en trasig grammofon på havets botten].
His program note to his Malmö production of Pelikanen, titled ‘En slags tillägnan’ (A kind of
dedication), was much more personal and was addressed to director Olof Molander whose
remarkable production of Strindberg’s Drömspel (A Dreamplay) in 1934 had been a fundamental
theatre experience for young Ingmar Bergman. Molander had given Strindberg’s plays a bio-
graphical and realistic anchoring, as opposed to the expressionistic renderings by German
director Max Reinhardt during his visits to Sweden in the 1910s and 1920s. Bergman, like
Molander, aimed at normalising Strindberg’s psyche while also capturing the visionary or
dreamlike quality of his plays. He exposed both the drabness of Pelikanen’s family conflict

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and the esoteric vision at the end as brother and sister dream of ‘summer vacation’. He
maintained a biographical anchoring by having the draped wall portrait of the dead father
bear the features of Strindberg himself but departed from a literal reading of Strindberg’s stage
instructions by letting the Mother die a suffocating death in the fire rather than trying to escape
by jumping from the balcony. Bergman’s focus was on the unmasking motif and its double
implication of punishment (of the evil mother) and revenge/atonement (for brother and sister).
Reception
Despite the proximity of Malmö and Hälsingborg, some local reviewers seemed to have just
discovered Ingmar Bergman as a theatre director: ‘Ingmar Bergman is not only a fellow who
understands how to advertise himself. He is apparently also a talented director’, wrote Allan
Bergstrand in Malmö Arbetet in his review of Pelikanen.
Bergman’s homage to Olof Molander in his program lured the critics to make comparisons
between the older and the younger director, not altogether to Bergman’s disadvantage. (See
SDS, MT, and ST reviews listed below). But there were sharp critical variations in terms of
Bergman’s approach to Pelikanen. John Landqvist preferred Reinhardt’s non-naturalistic staging
of the play to Bergman’s and Molander’s more realistic interpretation. Ragnar Josephson on the
other hand appreciated Bergman’s restraint in ‘holding back the spooky horror effects in
Strindberg’s chamber play’. [att hålla tillbaka de spöklika skräckeffekterna i Strindbergs kam-
marspel].
Reviews
Bergstrand, Allan. ‘Strindbergstriumf på Intiman’. Arb, 22 November 1945, p. 5.
H. G-e. ‘“Pelikanen” på Intiman’. SDS, 22 November 1945, p. 20.
Geijerstam, Sten af. ‘Strindbergs “Pelikanen” på Studion i Malmö’, DN, 22 November 1945, p. 14.
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Malmö Intima: Pelikanen’. ST, 22 November. 1945, p.12.
Josephson, Ragnar. ‘Pelikanen på Malmöstudion’. SvD, 22 November. 1945, p. 24.
J.L (John Landqvist]. ‘Pelikanen i Malmö’. AB, 22 November 1945, p. 11.
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, pp. 36-41 (reception collage).

393. UTAN EN TRÅD [Without a Shred] New Year’s Cabaret

Credits
Author Rune Moberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Choreographer Ellen Lundström
Stage Hälsingborg City Theatre
Opening Date 26 December 1945
Cast
This cabaret consisted of a number of sketches aimed at local events and phenomena. Most of
the actors participated in several different numbers. Karl Axel Forssberg functioned as Emcee.
Among other participants were the following: Dagny Lind, Otto Landahl, Erland Josephson,
Marianne Nielsen, Gunnar Nielsen, Ulf Johanson, Siv Thulin, Bertil Sjödin, Annika Tretow, Siv
Thulin, Maud Hyttenberg, Britta Billsten, Birger Malmsten, Åke Fridell, Curt Edgard, Sture
Ericson, Gösta Pettersson.
Reviews
Ikaros. ‘Utan en tråd’. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 27 December 1945. (Enthusiastic review, praising
versatile actors, witty author, and a director who established good contact between stage

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and audience. Unlike previous year’s cabaret, where the performers apparently had more
fun than the public, Utan en tråd was said to exude a contagious joie de vivre that spread to
the audience.)

1946
394. REKVIEM [Requiem]
Credits
Playwright Björn-Erik Höijer
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunnar Lindblad
Music Karl-Henrik Edström
Stage Helsingborg City Theatre
Opening Date 6 March 1946
Cast
Dr. Berg Sture Ericson
The Pastor Åke Fridell
Gravedigger Otto Landahl
Gravedigger’s wife Annika Tretow
Sexton’s son Elon Birger Malmsten
Old Karin Dagny Lind
Mrs. Grey Carin Cederström
A ‘Sister’ Marianne Nielsen
Bourgeois snobs Gunnar Nielsen, Ulf Johanson
Vagabond Bertil Sjödin
Funeral guests Siv Thulin, Maud Hyttenberg
Commentary
The success of Rabies may have prompted Bergman to seek out another new contemporary
Swedish play. Requiem was a play to Bergman’s liking about the post mortem unmasking of a
pillar of the community, a man with the royal – yet everyday name – of Gustaf Adolf Grå
(Grey). The play is in part starkly realistic, in part symbolic, telling the story of incest and
murder but presenting the victim, Old Karin, as a personification of Conscience.
Requiem became Bergman’s last production in Hälsingborg. In the theatre program he
published a ‘farewell interview’ (Avskedsintervju). (See Ø 30, 507). Two months prior to the
opening of Rekviem, (6 January 1946, SDS, p. 5), the local press reported on Bergman’s intention
to leave Hälsingborg City Theatre to fulfil a contract with Svensk Filmindustri (SF) from 14
April to 30 September 1946 and to become a director at Göteborg City Theatre for the 1946 fall
season. But before his arrival in Göteborg Bergman managed to squeeze in a production of his
own play Rakel och biografvaktmästaren (Rakel and the Cinema Doorman) at the Malmö City
Theatre (see next item).
The Requiem production was broadcast on Swedish Public Radio on 15 March 1946. See
Chapter V, (Ø 260).
Reception
As in the case of Olle Hedberg’s Rabies, reviewers focussed much of their attention on Requiem’s
dramatic text and somewhat less on the performance itself. The local press was more enthu-
siastic than the Stockholm reviewers. All agreed however that the play had serious motivational

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and structural weaknesses but disagreed on Bergman’s part in it. The reviewer (G. L-tz) in SDS
wrote: ‘[The play is] a strange and obscure form of Strindberg and Greek drama of fate. [...]
The whole thing would inevitably have fallen to the ground were it not for the almost ingenious
staging that has been wasted on this uneven work. Together, Ingmar Bergman and set designer
Gunnar Lindblad have created a work that, no matter how strange it may sound, covered the
flaws in the author’s eclectic piece of craft’. [en egendomlig och dunkel form av Strindberg och
grekiskt ödesdrama. [...] Det hela skulle oundvikligen ha fallit till marken om det inte hade varit
för den nästan genialiska inscenering som ödats bort på detta ojämna arbete. Tillsammans har
IB och scenografen GL skapat ett verk som, hur egendomligt det än kan låta, täckte bristerna i
författarens eklektiska hantverk.] Skånska Soc-Dem. on the other hand was very critical of both
the play and direction: ‘One wants a firm ground to stand on when thrown into the world of
symbols. This firm foundation, Bengt (sic!)-Erik Höijer has not built and, unfortunately, one
cannot claim that Ingmar Bergman has lent him a helping hand – rather the opposite, as he has
[failed] to preserve dramatic tension and striking details [...], features that have been charac-
teristic of his direction earlier’. [Man vill ha fast mark att stå på när man kastas in i en värld av
symboler. Denna fasta grund har inte B-E H byggt och tyvärr kan man inte påstå att Ingmar
Bergman har sträckt honom en hjälpande hand – snarare tvärtom då han misslyckats med att
bevara dramatisk spänning och slående detaljer [...], drag som har varit karakteristiska för hans
tidigare regi].
The production was not a public success and there were only 9 performances.
Reviews
G. L-tz. ‘Rekviem på Hälsingborgsteatern’. SDS, 7 March 1946, p. 9.
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Hälsingborg stadsteater: Rekviem’. ST, 7 March 1946, p. 5.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Urpremiär i Hälsingborg’. Expr., 7 March 1946, p. 14.
Mbg, ‘Rekviem’, Helsingborgs Dagblad, 7 March 1946, p. 7.
S.S-r. (Sten Selander), ‘En blivande dramatiker?’ [A future dramatist?]. SvD, 7 March 1946, p. 9.
T. ‘Urpremiär i Hälsingborg’. AT, 7 March 1946, p. 11.
Tom. (Åke Thomson), ‘Mässan, som aldrig sjöng’ [The mass that never sang]. Skånska Social-
Demokraten, 7 March 1946, p. 6, 11.

395. RAKEL OCH BIOGRAFVAKTMÄSTAREN [Rachel and the Cinema Doorman]

Synopsis
Kaj Hesster, author and cinema usher, seduces an old flame, a childless woman, Rakel, during
her husband’s absence. When the incident is revealed, the husband threatens to kill himself. But
the gun misfires and kills Kaj’s innocent young wife Mia instead.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Martin Ahlbom
Stage Malmö Intiman Theatre
Opening date 12 September 1946
Cast
Eugen Lobelius Ulf Johanson
Rakel, his wife Barbro Kollberg
Kaj Hesster Curt Masreliez
Mia, his wife Gaby Stenberg
Petra, housekeeper Jullan Kindahl

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Commentary
In a tongue-in-cheek dialogue entitled ‘Möte’ [Encounter] and printed in the program to
Bergman’s production of his play Rakel och biografvaktmästaren, playwright and director engage
in a dispute with a clearly disarming purpose.
Rakel och biografvaktmästaren forms the basis of the first episode in Bergman’s film from
1952, Kvinnors väntan (Waiting Women/Secrets of Women). It was published in a volume entitled
Moraliteter, Stockholm: Bonniers, 1948, pp. 5-73. Cf. Ø 56, Chapter II.
Prompter’s copy (no. 49) of 1946 Malmö staging is available at Malmö Music Theatre
(formerly Malmö City Theatre) Archives.
Rakel och biografvaktmästaren was also staged at the Boulevard Theatre in Stockholm in 1949.
(See Ø 406) below.
Reception
This was the first play both authored and directed by Ingmar Bergman in a professional
theatre. The critical response followed the usual pattern when a new play was staged for the
first time: more attention was given to dramatic content and structure and somewhat less to
the presentation itself. Bergman’s reputation as a young iconoclast preceded his production of
Rakel... and is reflected in some of the reviews. Ebbe Linde (DN) questioned the media focus
on author/director Bergman: ‘No fabled animal in the Swedish theatre has been preceded by so
much huffing and puffing as he’. [Inget fabeldjur i svensk teater har föregåtts av så mycket
pustande som han.] (See Ø 509) Ivar Harrie (Expr.) thought the Malmö audience seemed a bit
confused and he was not surprised: ‘Such is the effect when a theatre-crazy student is let loose
with a full orchestra’. [Så blir verkan när en teatergalen student släpps loss med full orkester].
Several reviewers linked Rakel... to a Swedish or Nordic play tradition, with predecessors like
Ibsen, Strindberg, Helge Krogh, Kaj Munk, and Soya. (See Allan Bergstrand, Arb.; Ivar Harrie,
Expr. and Frederik Schyberg, ST). Positive critique focussed on the play’s dynamic and tech-
nically firm structure; on its build-up of a dramatic story; and on its psychological depiction of
character. Negative assessments termed Rakel... too literary, puerile, and histrionic. (See Linde.
Landqvist). Several reviewers raised what was to become the most common question about
Ingmar Bergman as a playwright and theatre director: Was he a genuine dramatic talent or a
clever man of the theatre? Danish theatre critic Frederik Schyberg’s verdict in ST expressed an
opinion that quickly established itself among Swedish reviewers: ‘Ingmar Bergman’s own
staging was better than the piece itself. [...] Ingmar Bergman is still in his puberty as a writer.
As a director he is a mature young artist’. [IBs egen iscensättning var bättre än själva stycket.
[...] Som författare är IB fortfarande i puberteten. Som regissör är han en mogen ung konst-
när].
Reviews
n.a. ‘Urpremiär i Malmö’. DN, 13 September 1946, p. 12.
A-g. (Adolf Anderberg). ‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren’. Skånska Social-Demokraten, 13 Sep-
tember 1946, p. 7.
Bergstrand, Allan. ‘Säsongstart på Intiman’. Arb., 13 September 1946, p. 28.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren’. Expr., 13 September 1946, p. 4.
H. G-e. ‘Ingmar Bergman-premiär’. SDS, 13 September 1946, p. 20.
Josephson, Ragnar. ‘Rakel på Malmö intima scen’. SvD, 13 September 1946, p. 8.
J.L. (John Landqvist). ‘Urpremiär i Malmö’. AB, 14 September 1946, p.13.
Leiser, Erwin. ‘Besvärligt’ [Problematic]. AT, 13 September 1946, p. 12.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren’. BLM 15, no. 8 (October)1946, p. 688.
Schyberg, Frederik. ‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren’. ST, 13 September 1946, p. 16.

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

Göteborg City Theatre (1946-50)

Ingmar Bergman arrived in Göteborg in the fall of 1946. He joined what was at that time one of
Sweden’s artistically most exciting stages. But the Göteborg years would be tumultuous for
Bergman. His second marriage (to Ellen Lundström) was rocky; there were soon four children
to provide for; and he found himself in an intense period as an up-and-coming filmmaker and
scriptwriter. Nevertheless, Bergman staged ten productions in Göteborg in four years, including
two of his own morality plays, Dagen slutar tidigt (Early Ends the Day) and Mig till skräck (Unto
My Fear).

396. CALIGULA
Credits
Playwright Albert Camus
Translator Eyvind Johnson
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl Johan Ström
Choreography Ellen Lundström
Music Roman Maciejewski
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 29 November 1946
Cast
Caligula, Emperor Anders Ek
Cesonia, his mistress Ingrid Borthen
Helicon, his confident Yngve Nordwall
Young Scipio Folke Sundquist
The Old Patrician Ludvig Gentzel
First Patrician Martin Ericsson
Second Patrician John Ekman
Third Patrician Richard Mattsson
Mereia Bertil Anderberg
Mucius Herman Ahlsell
Mucius’ wife Harriett Garellick
Treasurer Harry Ahlin
Cherea Tore Lindwall
Commentary
Bergman’s debut at the Göteborg City Theatre was the world premiere of a play by existentialist
playwright Albert Camus. Camus was a well-known name in Sweden at the time and would
receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. The Göteborg City Theatre had established a
reputation during World War II as a contemporary stage, producing plays of political and social
currency. With Hitler’s disastrous destiny in fresh memory, many associated Caligula’s name
with similar tyranny. Bergman himself had used Caligula as a nickname for his portrait of the
sadistic Latin teacher in Hets (Torment/Frenzy).
In Bergman’s production of Camus’ play, the title figure became not only a psychopathic
ruler; he was also an actor who staged his own demise in a series of increasingly histrionic and
orgiastic scenes. Enacted by the physically agile Anders Ek, Caligula became a clown and
acrobat whose hysterical hiccupping laughter totally dominated the stage. In an interview,
Bergman stated that he and Ek had worked like a pair of Siamese twins: ‘My task was simply

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that of a midwife. When I saw the direction in which Ek was taking his role, I just let him go,
after which I created the outer frame for the whole thing. [...] When I first read the play, I
thought it was something for the Studio Stage. But that wouldn’t have worked. There would not
have been room enough for Ek on the small stage’. [Min uppgift var helt enkelt barnmorskans.
När jag såg den riktning som Ek tagit med rollen lät jag honom bara fortsätta och därefter
skapade jag den yttre ramen för det hela. [...] När jag först läste pjäsen trodde jag det var
någonting för Studioscenen. Men det hade inte fungerat. Det hade inte funnits nog med
utrymme för Ek på lilla scenen]. (‘Tvillingpar på Göteborgsscenen’ [Twin couple on the
Göteborg stage], GT, 1 December 1946).
For the occasion French composer Roman Maciejewski created special music using only
instruments found in ancient Egypt and justified his choice by the fact that Caligula is said to
have harbored a special passion for the Egyptian goddess Isis. But reviewers found Maciejews-
ki’s music to be closer to French impressionism, especially Ravel’s compositions. (See GP, 30
November 1946, signature K.B.).
A director’s copy (manuscript no. 1345) is at the theatre museum (Teaterhistoriska museet) in
Göteborg. There are no cuts or changes indicated in the text but quite a few handwritten notes
(some with rudimentary sketches of the set design); the notes address actors’ precise move-
ments on stage, often stressing physical contact or reinforcing emotions suggested in the
written text, sometimes with a ‘bergmanian’ expletive: ‘Ut med en djävla fart!’ [Exit quick as
hell!]. There are also some scribbled references to musical instruments (harp, clarinet, flute,
trumpet). Most detailed note concerns the market scene (Third act, scene 1).
The museum also has some stage models of the production by set designer Carl Johan Ström.
Reception
‘Göteborg and Sweden wrote theatre history with Caligula, thanks to a new great actor, a new
French dramatic genius and a new (for us) important director’, [Göteborg och Sverige skrev
teaterhistoria med Caligula tack vare en ny stor skådespelare, ett nytt franskt dramatiskt geni
och en ny (för oss) viktig regissör], wrote theatre critic Ebbe Linde (Ny Tid). Other reviewers
referred to Bergman’s production as a dramatic sensation and a renaissance for stagecraft on
Swedish latitudes. Some found it virtually impossible to decide where Ek’s contribution began
and Bergman’s ended: ‘One can use the same words about the director as about the actor:
originality, cleverness, humor and obsession’. [Man kan använda samma ord om regissören som
om skådespelaren: originalitet, skicklighet, humor och besatthet.](Grevenius). Many noted
Ingmar Bergman’s unabashed love for using striking dramatic effects – as an example, he
transformed a costume ball at Caligula’s court into an ancient erotic cult. Wrote one reviewer:
‘Youth and deviltry occupied the stage, raged on stairs and along walls, jumped and danced,
burst into flames and spent itself. [...] It was like stimulating springtime winds’. [ungdom och
djävulskap upptog scenen, rusade i trappor och längs väggar, hoppade och dansade, brast i lågor
och förtärdes. [...] Det var som stimulerande vårvindar] (GP).
The audience on opening night was described as ‘in rapture’: ‘It was proven, in the ovation-
like applause [...] that the high expectations placed on the City Theatre’s two new arrivals,
director Ingmar Bergman and actor Anders Ek, were fulfilled to the fullest through this
memorable performance’. [Det bevisades genom den ovationsliknande applåden [...] att de
höga förväntningar som ställts på Stadsteaterns två nykomlingar, regissör Ingmar Bergman
och skådespelaren Anders Ek, infriades till fullo genom denna minnesrika föreställning]
(MT; see also SvD). Though visually stunning scenes apparently at times threatened to draw
attention away from Camus’ text, Bergman’s collaboration with set designer Carl-Johan Ström
received rave reviews: ‘It is rather rare, even at the City Theatre, to see such a thorough décor,

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both stunning and practical’. [Det är ganska sällsynt till och med på Stadsteatern att se en så
noggrann dekor, både fantastisk och praktisk] (GP, 30 November 1946).
The enthusiastic reception of Caligula led to a media discussion about a possible exchange of
play productions between Göteborg and Stockholm (Dramaten and the Oscar Theatre, led by
musical director Gustav Wally, were mentioned as possible exchange stages). Bergman himself
responded (GT, 15 December 1946): ‘An exchange would be fun both for Anders Ek and myself ’.
[Ett utbyte skulle vara roligt både för Anders Ek och för mig själv]. But nothing came of the
suggestion.
Reviews
Almström, Ove. ‘En märklig göteborgspremiär’ [A remarkable Göteborg opening]. MT, 30
November 1946, p. 11.
Andersson, Elis. ‘Segrande ungdom’ [Victorious youth], GP, 30 November 1946, p. 2.
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Tre män om Caligula’ [Three men about Caligula]. AT, 30 November
1946, p. 10.
E.P. ‘Logiskt vanvett. Stadsteatern presenterar den franske dramatikern Albert Camus’ patolo-
giska studie Caligula’ [Logical madness. The City Theatre presents the French dramatist
AC’s pathological study Caligula]. GT, 30 November, p. 5.
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Göteborgs Stadsteater: Caligula’. ST, 30 November 1946, p. 11.
Hallén, David. ‘Dramatisk sensation i Göteborg’. AB, 30 November 1946, p. 13.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Anders Ek och regin segrade i Caligula’ [AE and the direction victorious in
Caligula]. Expr., 30 November 1946, p. 12.
Leche, Mia. ‘Tyranndrama på Stadsteatern’ [Tyrant Drama at City Theatre]. GHT, 30 November
1946, p. 3.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Caligula på Stadsteatern’. Ny Tid, 30 November 1946, p. 2, 5. Also a review by same
critic in BLM XVI, no. 1 (January) 1947, pp. 86-7.
E.W.O (Erik Wilhelm Olsson). ‘Caligula i Göteborg’, SvD, 30 November 1946, p. 11.
Sjögren, Henrik, Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 46-52.
See also
Henrik Dyfverman’s radio discussion of production, ‘Teater. Caligula’, Radiotjänst, 15 December
1946.

1947
397. DAGEN SLUTAR TIDIGT [Early Ends the Day]
Synopsis
Bergman’s dramatic piece, termed a morality play in three acts (five scenes), is set during
midsummer. An old woman, Mrs. Åström, tells five people that they are all going to die the
following day. Among them are Jenny, a business woman who at one time was married to
Robert van Hijn, a name that suggests the Devil in Swedish (hin Onde); a homosexual beauty
operator, Finger-Pella, who is petrified at the thought of dying; and Peter, an actor who
entertains the others with a puppet performance of Everyman (one of the earliest of the
frequent play-within-a-play scenes in Bergman’s work).
A rational explanation is provided for Mrs. Åström’s morbid prediction; she is an hallucinat-
ing alcoholic who has escaped from an institution. Yet, in the final scene she appears with the
five people whose death she has forecast; they are all dead and now dwell in a great void. The
play ends with Jenny’s desperate prayer to an unresponsive deity, reminiscent of the Knight’s
prayer at the end of Bergman’s film Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal).

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Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Studio Stage
Opening Date 12 January 1947
Cast
Jenny Sjuberg Ebba Ringdahl
Robert van Hijn Sven Miliander
Valborg Gertrud Fridh
Ole, her fiance Claes Thelander
Peter, unemployed actor Anders Ek
Finger-Pella Bengt Anderberg
Oscar Herman Ahlsell
Mrs. Åström Maria Schildknecht
Young lady Ingrid Borthen
Fia-Charlotta Ann-Mari Ström
The Model; Ulla Zetterberg
Brita Welamson Ulla Malmström
Dr. Värn Yngve Nordwall
Pastor Broms Johan Ekman
Wholesaler Fredell Harry Ahlin
Miss Wortselius Elsa Baude
Jonsson, a student Folke Sundquist
Commentary
Dagen slutar tidigt was published in a volume titled Moraliteter (Stockholm: Bonniers, 1948, pp.
75-123).
Ingmar Bergman was introduced in the Göteborg Theatre program (pp. 11-15) as a young
man caught up in the problem of man’s relationship to the devil.
Manuscript no. 1346 is available at Göteborgs Teaterhistoriska Museum, which also has a
couple of incomplete stage models by set designer Carl-Johan Ström.
Reception
Reviewers responded positively to Bergman’s psychological skill as a playwright and his ‘un-
scrupulous’ dramatic dialogue (AB) but felt that his plot structure revealed ‘artistic helplessness’
(Barthel), an inability to bring the play to a convincing conclusion (Geijerstam, Lagercrantz),
and a tendency to take facile shortcuts by moving the conflict to an abstract level. The most
striking feature in the reception of Dagen slutar tidigt was the ambivalence among reviewers
towards Bergman’s role as playwright vs director. Olof Lagercrantz (SvD) asked whether Berg-
man’s production constituted the breakthrough of a dramatic author or the work of a director
who created a brilliant performance out of a dubious manuscript.
Ebbe Linde (BLM) concluded:
‘Once before I have voiced the opinion that the director Bergman is fatal for the author
Bergman through his tendency to freely maximise all the effects without considering the
dramatic structure of the play. Bergman possesses rich expressive means which are sabo-
taged by his superficial skillfulness’.

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[En gång tidigare har jag uttryckt åsikten att regissören Bergman är ödesdiger för författaren
Bergman genom sin tendens att fritt maximera alla effekter utan att beakta skådespelets
dramatiska struktur. Bergman äger rika uttrycksgåvor som saboteras genom hans ytliga
skicklighet.]

Reviews
Barthel, Sven. ‘Människan och djävulen’ [Man and the Devil]. VeckoJournalen no. 4, 1947: 27.
Hax. ‘Opus III av Ingmar Bergman’, AB, 13 January 1947, p. 13.
Geijerstam, S. af. ‘Dagen slutar tidigt i Göteborg’. DN, 13 January 1947, p. 7.
Lagercrantz, Olof. ‘Märklig premiär i Göteborg’ [Remarkable (strange) opening in Göteborg].
SvD, 13 January 1947, p. 7.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Dagen slutar tidigt’. BLM XVI, no. 2 (February) 1947, p. 183.

398. MAGI [Magic]

Credits
Playwright Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Studio Stage
Opening Date 29 March 1947
Cast
The Duke Sven Miliander
Dr. Grimthorpe Semmy Friedmann
Parson Cyril Smith Tore Lindwall
Morris Carleon, brother Herman Ahlsell
Patricia Carleon, sister Gertrud Fridh
The Stranger/Magician Anders Ek
Hastings, Duke’s secretary Claes Thelander
Commentary
Chesterton’s play, written in 1913 and subtitled ‘a fantastic comedy’, demonstrates the author’s
creed as expressed in his book Orthodoxy, which is an attack on modern financial entrepreneurs
and scientists who lack moral stature and adhere to principles of pragmatic relativity. Ches-
terton gave voice to a demand for absolute faith, even to the point of absurdity. In the
confrontation between a skeptical scientist and an illusionist who performs a miracle when
challenged to turn a red lamp into a blue one, Bergman no doubt found the genesis of his own
1958 film Ansiktet (The Magician). Bergman’s presentation of Chesterton’s play used in fact
filmic devices, such as dimming ‘dissolves’ to suggest act transitions.
The play had been produced earlier (April 1945) at the Stockholm Student Theatre, though
not directed by Bergman.
Director’s production copy, titled ‘Trolldom’, is available at Göteborg Museum of Theatre
History (Teaterhistoriska museet i Göteborg/Stadsmuseet; manuscript no. 1081). Copy has only
a few handwritten (mostly one-word) comments about actors’ physical movements. Museum
also has one stage model by set designer Carl-Johan Ström.
Reception
The production was not an unconditional success, in part because Chesterton’s play competed,
in a double bill, with Thornton Wilder’s more popular The Long Christmas Dinner; in part

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because several plays with similar themes had been produced at the Göteborg City Theatre in
recent seasons. There was also renewed concern about Bergman’s use of theatrical effects at the
expense of realistic stagecraft. But critics also spoke of Bergman’s ‘almost spooky self-posses-
sion’. [nästan spöklika självsäkerhet] (Es. An.) and remarkable visual imagination. He was said
to have ‘more than enough dynamics and boldness for a genius’. [mer än tillräckligt med
dynamik och djärvhet för ett geni]. (Linde).
Reviews
Es. An. (Elis Andersson). ‘Illusionister’. GP, 30 March 1947, p. 5.
E.T. (Ella Taube). ‘Anglosachsisk studiokväll’. GT, 30 March 1947, p. 15.
S. af Gm. (Sten af Geijerstam). ‘Dubbelpremiär i Göteborg’. DN, 30 March 1947, p. 11.
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Den långa julmiddagen – Magi’. ST, 30 March 1947, p. 10.
Hjern, Kjell. ‘Två enaktare på Studion’. GHT, 31 March 1947, p. 3.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Förtrollande förvandlingsspel’ [Spellbinding metamorphosis]. Ny Tid, 31 March
1947, p. 5.
See also
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman: ‘Allting föreställer, ingenting är’, 2001, p. 23.
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 57-59.

399. MIG TILL SKRÄCK [Unto My Fear]

Synopsis
Paul, a young writer of metaphysical-oriented fiction is pressured by his publisher to produce
more popular works. Paul’s drama opens in his grandmother’s apartment where he is joined by
his fiance Kersti. The action spans almost fifteen years of his life, during which time he
compromises with his artistic vision and becomes ‘a formula being’, filled with self-contempt.
Paul and Kersti are exposed to two archetypically conceived characters, Mean and Grand-
mother, who play the parts of good and evil fairy. Mean controls the situation in the first
act and protects Paul and Kersti as they arrive at Grandmother’s place. In the second act, Paul
and Kersti have fallen under the spell of Grandmother, an unfeeling hag of a woman (and an
early study of Isak’s Borg’s old mother in Smultronstället), whose presence brings unhappiness
and self-destruction. The play ends with Paul as a disillusioned high school teacher; he has left
Kersti and turned to Irene, a common, sleazy woman, far from Kersti’s innocence and moral
firmness. Paul’s choice of women mirrors his artistic and religious compromising.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Birgit Afzelius-Wärnlöf
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Studio Stage
Opening date 26 October 1947
Cast
Paul Ulf Johanson
His fiancee Gertrud Fridh
Grandmother Maria Schildtknecht
Mean Hjördis Pettersson
The Jew, Isak Kolbjörn Knudsen
Anders Bengt Schött
Erneman Ludde Gentzel

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Irene Ingrid Borthen

Carl Håkan Jahnberg
Ebba Lisa Lundholm
Tobias Folke Sundquist
Commentary
Mig till skräck appeared in print in Moraliteter (Stockholm: Bonniers, 1948), pp. 159-257.
Bergman published a short essay titled ‘I Mormors hus’ [In Grandmother’s house] in the
theatre program to his Göteborg production of Mig till skräck. He paints a picture of Grand-
mother’s apartment in the university town of Uppsala, reminiscent of the setting for his film
Fanny and Alexander made some 35 years later. Program also includes a list of Bergman’s
published and unpublished literary works to date, and a reference to an earlier version of Mig
till skräck which included a prologue by Tobias revealing himself to be the author’s alter ego.
Manuscript copy (no. 836) available at Göteborgs Teaterhistoriska Museum. Museum has one
stage model (no. 49) by set designer Birgit Afzelius-Wärnlöf.
Reception
Reviewers were struck by Bergman’s hectic work tempo and prolific production (See Juvenalis,
Arb.). The AT theatre critic felt that Ingmar Bergman’s time of apprenticeship was behind him
and predicted a successful future. Nils Beyer (MT) thought the play was more dramatically
stringent and mature than earlier Bergman works. Ebbe Linde (Ny Tid, BLM), who was at first
rather critical, changed his mind after a second viewing. In his BLM review of Mig till skräck he
apologised for his earlier description of playwright Bergman as ‘a fabled animal’ and acknowl-
edged him as a playwright of considerable stature. In sharp contrast to this positive response,
Elis Andersson (GP) called Bergman’s play a far from full-fledged work and Olof Lagercrantz
(SvD) named it a total failure. His review formed a reckoning with the playwright Ingmar
Bergman, calling for a stop to the ‘nursery room approach’ to Bergman’s stagecraft, where that
people applaud ‘every time he succeeds in making a clumsy somersault’ [varje gång han lyckas
göra en klumpig kullerbytta.]
What is also very noticeable in these reviews is the difficulty critics had with Bergman’s
spleenic view of life and his main character’s defeatist personality. Ebbe Linde wrote: ‘This
reviewer is in deep disagreement with Ingmar Bergman in almost all matters concerned’.
Juvenalis (Arb.) pointed to Bergman’s difficulty in ending his play: ‘It is as if the last pages
of the manuscript had disappeared. The audience returned home, as disillusioned as the
author’. [Det är som om de sista sidorna i manuskriptet hade försvunnit. Publiken återvände
hem, lika desillusionerad som författaren]. (See also Beyer, af Geijerstam).
Reviews
Es. An (Elis Andersson). ‘Ingmar Bergman-premiär’. GP, October 27, 1947, p. 2.
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Oss alla till skräck’ [Fear unto us all]. AT, October 27, 1947, p. 8.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Ny pjäs av Ingmar Bergman’ [New Play by IB]. MT, 27 October 1947, p. 7.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Mig till skräck’. Expr., 27 October 1947, p. 4.
Hjern, Kjell. ‘Bergmanpjäs på Studion. Mig till skräck?’ GHT, October 27, 1947, p. 3, 11.
Juvenalis. ‘Teaterkrönika från Göteborg: En bleknande Ingmar Bergman’ [Theatre chronicle
from G-g: A paling IB]. Arbetaren, 30 October 1947, p. 7.
Lagercrantz, Olof. ‘Mig till skräck i Göteborg’ [Unto My Fear in Gbg]. SvD, 27 October 1947, p. 7.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Livet som fiasko och mysterium’ [Life as fiasco and mystery]. Ny Tid, 27 October
1947, p. 5, and ‘Teaterkrönika’, BLM, no. 11 (november) 1947, pp. 789-70.
S. af Gm (Sten af Geijerstam). ‘Mig till skräck i Göteborg’. DN, 27 October 1947, p. 9.

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See also
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 108-113.

1948
400. DANS PÅ BRYGGAN [Dancing on the dock]
Credits
Playwright Björn-Erik Höijer
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Studio Stage
Opening date 8 February 1948
Cast
Janson, an author Ulf Johanson
Algot Falk, a male nurse Yngve Nordwall
Anna, his wife Berta Hall
Edit, their invalid daughter Solveig Dahl
Oskar Rydén, masseur/psychologist Kolbjörn Knudsen
Funeral Guests
Commentary
Bergman had a certain faiblesse for contemporary playwright Björn Erik Höijer and directed
his works both on stage and on the radio. Höijer’s stark and violent vision no doubt appealed to
Bergman. There is in fact an interesting parallell between this Höijer drama and Bergman’s 1961
film Såsom i en spegel (Through a Glass Darkly). Both works are chamber plays with strong
moral overtones and both centre on a young woman’s destiny, tied to a non-committal and/or
parasitical father figure. In Höijer’s play, a 16-year old girl, paralyzed as a result of shock since
age four, develops a father-daughter dependence with Mr. Rydén, a psychologist and former
masseur who moves into her home. The psychologist’s motivation is unclear and ultimately he
fails in his attempted cure.
Manuscript copy is available at Göteborgs Teaterhistoriska museum (no. 501) and a stage
model (no. 487) by set designer Carl-Johan Ström.
Reception
Most reviewers had problems with Höijer’s play, especially with his inability to motivate and
end an act: ‘Suddenly the light went out on stage, one feared a short circuit, but it was an act
that had ended’. [Plötsligt släcktes ljusen på scenen, man fruktade kortslutning men det var
akten som slutade]. (Hjern, GHT). Another problem was the obscure psychology of the char-
acter of Mr. Rydén; here reviewers had hoped that Bergman would help elucidate the role. They
were also surprised (though not necessarily critical) by his focus on the realistic elements of the
play, which toned down Höijer’s excessive coloration of characters and episodes. Critics had
anticipated more emphasis on the dreamlike and drastic features in the drama, especially when
comparing this production to Bergman’s broadcast of Höijer’s radio drama Sommar (Ø 262).
Finally, though praising his instruction of the actors, critics missed Bergman’s rhythm and
balance. On the whole, this was not seen as one of his more successful stage productions.
Reviews
Es. An. (Elis Andersson), ‘Urpremiär på Studion’ [First opening at the Studio]. GP, 9 February
1948, p. 2.

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Fredén, Gustaf. ‘Maxwell Anderson och Björn-Erik Höijer på Göteborgs Stadsteater’. Studie-
kamraten, 1948: 3-5.
S. af Gm. (Sten af Geijerstam). ‘Höijer på Göteborgsstudion’. DN, 9 February 1948, p. 7.
Hallén, David. ‘Dans på bryggan’. AB, 9 Febrary, 1948, p. 11.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘En teaterförfattare slår igenom’ [A playwright’s breakthrough], Expr., 9 February
1948, p. 9.
Hjern, Kjell. ‘Studions svenska nyhet’ [The Studio’s Swedish novelty]. GHT, 9 February 1948, p. 7.
J. Thn. ‘Svensk urpremiär på studion’. GT, 9 February 1948, pp. 2-3.

401. MACBETH:
Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Translator C.A. Hagberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Music Roman Maciejewski
Music Director Franz Zak
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 12 March 1948
Cast
Duncan, King of Scotland Martin Ericsson
Malcolm, his son Folke Sundquist
Donalbain Bengt Schött
Macbeth Anders Ek
Lady Macbeth Karin Kavli
Banquo Bertil Anderberg
Fleance, Banquo’s son Bror Follin
Macduff Koldbjörn Knudsen
Macduff’s son Solveig Dahl
Lady Macduff Ebba Ringdahl
Lenon Yngve Nordwall
Rosse Claes Thelander
Menteth Jan von Zweigbergk
Angus Herman Ahlsell
Cathness Karl-Magnus Thulstrup
Northumberland Håkan Jahnberg
His son Lars Barringer
Seyton Arne Nyberg
Porter Ludde Gentzel
Doctor Ulf Johanson
Chambermaid; Eva Baude
Soldier Arne Nyberg
Three Witches Inga-Lill Åhström, Ulla Malmström, Nine-Christine
Jönsson
Three Murderers Richard Mattsson, Thore Wallengren, Gordon Löwen-
adler

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Commentary
Apart from Bergman’s three Macbeth productions (see entries 364 and 393), Shakespeare’s
tragedy has had a rather meagre stage history in Sweden and was produced only five times
in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1930s, a production with the great actor Lars Hanson
in the title role had to be cancelled after a week. In his Shakespeare study, Danish critic Georg
Brandes practically skipped over the play, which he found too melodramatic. August Strindberg
did not favor the piece either; he found it too ‘elementary and vulgar’ [busigt]. One reviewer
(Ivar Harrie) of Bergman’s Göteborg production suggested however that for a young generation
of theatre people, living in the aftermath of World War II, Macbeth might become a centerpiece
in the Shakespeare canon.
The production of Macbeth was planned as the theatre’s seasonal climax and included special
music composed by Roman Maciejewski for a violin, a harp, drums, and a group of trumpets.
(See Björn Johanssson, ‘Musiken till Macbeth’, GHT, 13 March 1948, p. 1.) A complex set design
was constructed with three performance levels, presumably harking back to the original Globe
presentation. Curtains and drapes served as entry ways into the castle. The level above ground
was for the guestroom where Duncan was killed, and from there a staircase led to a 7-meter
tower, from which Macbeth would look out over Birnam Woods. To the sides of the prosce-
nium were towers and gates, and beyond this was the heath, dominated by a sinewy old oak
tree, from which dangled the bodies of hanged men. The three witches sat among the branches
like owls, or practiced their magic at the foot of the tree. They were present, in a non-realistic
and stylized way, in almost every scene as silent witnesses to what happened. Using characters as
silent observing chorus figures throughout the performance was a feature Bergman would
repeat many years later with the figure of Ophelia in his production of Hamlet (1986). In
Macbeth, he also undermined the potential realism of the play by having the actors step out
of the illusory play area to declare their soliloquies at the ramp, addressing them directly to the
audience in the house
Claes Hoogland published an insider account of the various preparations for the production,
from costumes and stage machinery to discussions between director and cast about Macbeth’s
personality. In an unsigned note in the production program (pp. 9-15), presumably reflecting
Bergman’s interpretation, the figure of Macbeth is presented as ‘a poet, naïve, impressionable,
sensitive and with a dangerous propensity for toying with ideas.’[en diktare, naiv, lättpåverkad,
känslig och med en farlig fallenhet att leka med idéer]. Actor Anders Ek, who played the title
figure, was said to have found similar personality traits discussed in Shakespeare scholar Dover
Wilson’s analysis of Macbeth’s character, making him a soulmate to Hamlet.
In the aftermath of his production of Macbeth in Göteborg, Bergman talked to the press
about the execution of Shakespearean blank verse: ‘I think Shakespeare should be spoken, not
read in verse. The modern Swedish public is not used to hearing blank verse. Most cultures have
a treasure of classical drama in bound form but we lack playwrights who write in verse’. [Jag
tycker att Shakespeare skall talas, inte läsas på vers. Den moderna svenska publiken är inte van
vid att höra vers. De flesta kulturer har en skatt av klassisk dramatik i bunden form men vi
saknar dramatiker som skriver vers]. (See ‘Publiken skall lära höra vers’. AB, 22 March 1948). In
the Göteborg version of Macbeth, Shakespeare’s verse was spoken in a deliberately monotonous
but not colloquial way.
More than ten years after his Göteborg production of Macbeth, the play was still on Berg-
man’s mind and he was thinking of doing a fourth production. In an interview in London, he
discussed the major stumbling blocks for a director of Macbeth: how to stage the Witches; how
to create sympathy for the title figure; and how to find the right young couple to convey the
sexual passion between Macbeth and his Lady, so that ‘you feel it in your stomach’. (See ‘Mr
Bergman Relaxes’. The Times, 4 May 1959).

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Prompter’s production copy (no. 1506) is available at the Göteborg Museum of Theatre
History. It contains changes in the text, making it somewhat less archaic. These seem to be
in Bergman’s own handwriting but there is also a loose sheet by someone else’s hand with a
revision of the Porter’s speech in the 10th scene. Copy contains no notes or stage directions
other than a few musical references and a series of very sketchy drawings of the table seating in
the banquet scene. The Museum also has a proscenium stage model in five parts by set designer
Carl-Johan Ström (no. 490).
Reception
All reviewers agreed that Macbeth was a play that suited Bergman’s fiery temperament, one in
which he could find a dramatization of his own personal theme: how, in a world without grace,
man can fall victim to demons pointing out the road to hell.
Most critics accepted Bergman’s Gothic excesses in stage design and his use of the gaudily
outfitted and perversely lusty witches – emblematic signs of the title figure’s ugly subconscious
drives. However, Macbeth’s primitive court of drunken, sword-dancing chieftains in Scottish
kilts made one critic (Harrie) remark that he felt as if a crowd of Indian chiefs had been
transported back to the Nordic Iron Age. There was some concern that the visual impact and
Shakespearean rhetoric competed too much with each other: ‘One’s eye drank itself full, so that
one’s ear became absent-minded’. [Ögat drack sig mätt så att örat blev frånvarande]. Karl
Ragnar Gierow, playwright and future head of Dramaten, whose own drama Rovdjuret (The
Predator) bears distinct Shakespearean features, felt that Bergman tried to cover up his lack of
penetration into Macbeth’s psyche with all kinds of external visual paraphernalia.
On the whole, the reviews suggest that two parties struggled for dominance in this produc-
tion: one led by the director and his scenographer, the other by dynamic and strong-willed
actors, headed by Anders Ek in the title role and Karin Kavli as his wife. As a result of this
dynamic ‘infighting,’ reviewers tended to focus either on Bergman’s vision of the play with its
many stylized and excessive stagecraft features or on the strong performance by the two central
characters whose human destinies were gradually transformed into something ghastly and
inhuman. But despite reservations, Bergman’s third production of Macbeth was a real break-
through for the play in Sweden.
For a detailed discussion of the Göteborg Macbeth production, see Ann Fridén’s study of the
Swedish stage history of Shakespeare’s play (Theatre/Media Bibliography, 1983, Ø 596).
Reviews
Björkman, Carl. ‘Macbeth som 40-talist’ [Macbeth as man of the 40s], Vecko-Journalen no. 13,
1948, p. 23, 33.
Geijerstam, Sten af [S. af Gm]. ‘ ‘Macbeth’ i Göteborg’. DN, 13 March 1948, p. 22.
Gierow, Karl Ragnar. ‘Macbeth på Göteborgs stadsteater’. SvD, 13 March 1948, p. 7.
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Macbeth i Göteborg’. ST, 13 March 1948, p. 7.
Hallén, David [D. H-n]. ‘Shakespeare nummer 20 i Göteborg’. AB, 13 March 1948, pp. 4-5.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Två sorgespel i Göteborg’ [Two tragedies in Göteborg]. Expr.,15 March 1948, p. 4.
Hjern, Kjell. ‘Macbeth på Stadsteatern’. GHT, 13 March 1948, p. 3.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Teater och Film’. BLM XVII, no. 4 (April) 1948, p. 307.
Neander-Nilsson, S. ‘Teater i Göteborg’. Medborgaren, no. 16, (Spring) 1948, n.p.
See also
Gustaf Fredén’s ‘Macbeth och teatertraditionen’, GHT, 11 March 1948 (provides an account of
Macbeth’s stage history);
Vecko-Journalen no. 17, 1948 (pp. 3-4).

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402. TJUVARNAS BAL [Thieves Carnival]

Credits
Original Title Le bal des voleurs
Playwright Jean Anouilh
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Choreographer Ellen (Lundström) Bergman
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Studio Stage
Opening date 11 September 1948.
Cast
Peterbono, thief Harry Ahlin
Gustave, thief Arne Nyberg
Hector, thief Tore Lindwall
Lord Edgar Yngve Nordwall
Lady Edgar Hjördis Petterson
Juliette and Eva, her nieces Nine-Christine Jönsson, Gertrud Fridh
Dupont-Dufort, Sr., banker Semmy Friedmann
Dupont-Dufort, Jr., banker Folke Sundquist
Crier Gordon Löwenadler
Wet nurse Aja Gneiser
Musician Lorang Landberg
Three policemen Ove Tjernberg, Jan von Zweigbergk, Lars Barringer
A Girl Gunilla Tamm
Commentary
In the late 1940s the Frenchman Jean Anouilh was one of the most frequently staged contem-
porary playwrights in Scandinavia, with equal attention paid to his ‘black’ and ‘rose’ plays.
Bergman’s staging of Le bal des voleurs, one of Anouilh’s rose plays, came one season after the
play had been produced in Stockholm. The program to the Göteborg production included a
photograph of Ingmar Bergman against the backdrop of an old marionette theatre with a richly
painted curtain. It was a signal to the audience that the production of Le bal des voleurs would
follow the puppetry tradition.
Bergman’s standing as the theatre’s favorite son was suggested in a note to another Göteborg
production that premiered the night before Le bal des voleurs: veteran director Helge Wahlgren’s
presentation of a play by Peter Ustinov, ‘Familjenäsan’ (1945, The Banbury Nose,). In a negative
review of Wahlgren’s production, Elis Andersson called for Bergman’s assistance: ‘It’s easy to
imagine how Ingmar Bergman would have let it sparkle around father and son’. [Det är lätt att
föreställa sig hur Ingmar Bergman skulle ha låtit det spraka kring far och son]. (GP, 11 Sep-
tember 1948, p. 2).
No production copy has been located.
Reception
The reviewer in DN wrote after the Göteborg opening of Bal des voleurs: ‘As usual Bergman’s
direction was perfect’. [Som vanligt var Bergmans regi perfekt]. The audience response was
reportedly enthusiastic and the critics praised the staging for its comic charm and poetic
qualities. Even Bergman’s severe critic Olof Lagercrantz waxed lyrical: ‘Ingmar Bergman’s
production [moves] as if on butterfly wings, a musical performance swept in blue, romantic
veils’. [IBs uppsättning rör sig som på fjärilsvingar, en musikalisk föreställning svept i blåa
romantiska slöjor]. Ellen Bergman’s special choreography also received much praise.

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Reviews
n.a. ‘Anouilhpremiär i Göteborg’. DN, 12 September 1948.
Es. An. (Elis Andersson). ‘Munter lek bortom gott och ont’ [Playful game beyond good and
evil]. GP, 12 September 1948, p. 18.
Hjern, Kjell. ‘Tjuvarnas bal på Studion’. GHT, 13 September 1948.
Lagercrantz, Olof. ‘‘Tjuvarnas bal’ i Göteborg med yrande spelglädje’ [‘Thieves Carnival’ in
Göteborg in dizzying and joyous acting]. SvD, 12 September 1948.

403. KAMMA NOLL [Come Up Empty/To Draw Zero]

Synopsis
The action takes place at the Karlberg’s summer house in the Stockholm archipelago where
Daughter Susanne, 17, has just introduced Martin, also 17, to her parents, Ingeborg and Jan.
Ingeborg is tempted to seduce young Martin when Gertrud, Professor Karlberg’s former pupil
and spectre from his past, arrives and starts playing the devil. But the family has a skeleton in
the closet, a brain-damaged boy who lives in an institution. Gertrud plays the role of intruder,
temptress, and catalyst. The past is unravelled, passions revealed. The atmosphere is cleansed
and Gertrud leaves, defeated.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Lars Levi Læstadius
Stage Design Eric Söderberg
Stage Hälsingborg City Theatre
Date 8 December 1948
Cast
Susanne, 17 Ingrid Östergren
Martin, her boyfriend Willy Keidser
Jan Karlberg, father Gunnar Strååt
Ingeborg, mother Dagny Lind
Gertrud, 32 Margareta Bergfelt
Commentary
Bergman wrote Kamma noll in Hälsingborg in the spring of 1948 and revised it together with
Lars Levi Laestadius in early fall the same year, at which time he had moved to the Göteborg
City Theatre. The unpublished typed manuscript contains the following motto from George
Bernard Shaw: ‘If you give the Devil fair play, he loses’. Kamma noll was directed by Læstadius,
head of the Malmö City Theatre. He introduced the play and its author in a program note titled
‘Ingmar Bergman får urpremiär i Hälsingborg’ [Ingmar Bergman world premiere in Hälsing-
borg]. See Hälsingborgs Stadsteater Program Säsongen 1948-1949, pp. 1-4, 30, 53. Stating that
Bergman’s new play demonstrated that ‘the pure at heart’ shall inherit the world, Læstadius
challenged those critics who maintained that Bergman had never shaken off his juvenile angst
and cynicism. See annotated entry Ø 514.
Helsingborgs-Posten published Bergman’s reaction to the production on 19 December 1948.
Bergman praised Hälsingborg as a theatre city and Lars Levi Læstadius’ direction of the play.
No production copy has been located but the Helsingborg City Theatre Archives has a
stenciled copy of the (unpublished) play.

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Reception
Ingmar Bergman called his play a comedy in three acts, but many reviewers (see Sk. Soc-Dem,
AT, Expr. and MT) referred to ‘Kamma noll’ as a morality play and an uplifting Christmas
sermon. They were pleasantly surprised to discover a note of reconciliation and relatively little
of the author’s ‘perverse violence’, though at least one reviewer (Ivar Harrie) felt that in Berg-
man’s latest work ‘anguish, nausea, and bad manners hit new rock bottom’. [ångest, äckel och
dålig stil nådde ett bottenrekord]. Herbert Grevenius begged to differ, terming Kamma noll a
new victory for Bergman as a playwright.
The reviews reported ‘thunderous applause’ for the performers on opening night.
Reviews
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘När djävulen kammar noll’ [When the Devil comes up empty]. AT, 9
December 1948, p. 3.
Bergrahm, Hans. ‘Bergmans ‘Kamma noll’ en hymn till ungdomen’ [Bergman’s ‘Come Up
Empty’ a hymn to youth]. SvD, 9 December 1948, p. 11. Same reviewer in KvP, 12 December
1948, p. 8 (‘Bergmans “Kamma noll”’).
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Hälsingborgs stadsteater: Kamma noll’. ST, 9 December 1948, p. 14.
H. G-e. ‘“Kamma noll” blir kanske kassapjäs’ [Come Up Empty might become a box office hit].
SDS, 9 December 1948, p. 5.
I.H. (Ivar Harrie). ‘Förbryllande Bergman-komedi’ [Puzzling Bergman comedy]. Expr., 9 De-
cember 1948, p. 15.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Ny Ingmar Bergman’. DN, 9 December 1948, p. 15.
Th-m. ‘Kamma noll fick en tjusig premiär’ [Come Up Empty got a splendid opening]. MT, 9
December 1948, p. 9.
Tom.(Åke Thomson), ‘Bergmans julpredikan’ [Bergman’s Christmas sermon]. Skånska Social-
Demokraten, 9 December 1948, p. 3.

1949
404. EN VILDFÅGEL [The Wild Bird]
Credits
Original Title La Sauvage
Playwright Jean Anouilh
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Studio Stage
Opening date 11 February 1949
Cast
Thérèse Tarde Gertrud Fridh
Florent Claes Thelander
Hartman Ulf Johanson
Gösta, pianist Tore Lindwall
M. Tarde, musician Semmy Friedmann
Mme Tarde Hjördis Petterson
Jeanette Nine-Christine Jönsson
Marie Ulla Malmström
Mme Bazin Elsa Baude
The Dresser Ebba Ringdahl

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The Maid Lisa Lundholm

The Cook Brita Hedenberg
M. Lebonze Richard Mattsson
The Waiter Bror Follin
Commentary
In early fall of 1948, there were rumours that Ingmar Bergman would terminate his contract at
the Göteborg City Theatre, but on October 18, 1948 the theatre’s secretary, Claes Hoogland,
denied this and announced that Bergman would stage Anouilh’s play La sauvage after the New
Year.
Manuscript (no. 517) is available at the Museum of Theatre History in Göteborg as well as a
stage model by set designer Carl-Johan Ström.
Reception
The production of La Sauvage became above all a victory for Bergman as an instructor of actors
and marked Gertrud Fridh’s breakthrough as a character actress. The following year she would
leave Göteborg, as would Anders Ek and others, to follow Ingmar Bergman to Stockholm. In
the years to come both would appear in major Bergman films and stage productions.
Reviews
Es. An. (Elis Andersson). ‘Vildfågel – flyttfågel’ [Wild bird – bird of passage]. GP, 12 February
1949, p.2.
Björkman, Carl. ‘I franska ramar’ [In a French framework]. Vecko-Journalen no. 8, 24 February
1949, pp. 24-25.
Cramér, Carl. ‘Farväl till Gertrud’. Ny Tid, 12 February 1949, p. 2.
Hjern, Kjell. ‘En vildfågel på studion’. GHT, 12 February 1949, p. 3.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Teaterkrönika’. BLM no. 3, March 1949, p. 227.
Rv. ‘En vildfågel i Göteborg’. AB, 12 February 1949, p. 9.
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968: 64-66

405. SPÅRVAGN TILL LUSTGÅRDEN [A Streetcar Named Desire]

Credits
Playwright Tennessee Williams
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Stage Göteborg City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 1 March 1949
Cast
Stanley Kowalski Anders Ek
Stella Kowalski Annika Tretow
Blanche du Bois Karin Kavli
Mitch Harry Ahlin
Steve Hubbell Herman Ahlsell
Eunice Hubbel Ann-Mari Ström
Pablo Gonzales Arne Nyberg
A Negro Woman Maria Sjöstrand
A Mexican Woman Berta Hall
The Nurse Ulla Zetterberg
The Doctor Håkan Jahnberg

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Commentary
Göteborg and Malmö City Theatres competed to be the first in Sweden to present Williams’
new play. Göteborg won by fifteen minutes by changing the curtain time to 7:30 pm.
With his staging of Macbeth a year earlier, it had become clear that Ingmar Bergman had
developed a close working rapport with stage designer Carl-Johan Ström. Their collaboration in
setting up Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire gained much praise. Using a revolving
stage, Ström placed the shabby Kowalski house in New Orleans’ French Quarter next to a non-
stop neighborhood cinema with the neon-flashing sign ‘Desire’. Ingmar Bergman opened the
production with a colourful mix of people exiting from the movies; they represented an escape
from reality analogous to Blanche duBois’ attempts to flee her troublesome past.
In a brief interview (GHT, 24 February 1949, p. 16), Bergman stated: ‘Tennessee Williams’
play is full of poetry. For me personally it arouses many memories of my own films and plays.
Tennessee Williams has an interest in death and desire, which I share. Therefore I am very
grateful for this task’. [Tennessee Williams pjäs är full av poesi. För mig personligen väcker det
många minnen av mina egna filmer och skådespel. Tennessee Williams har ett intresse för
döden och lustan som jag delar. Därför är jag mycket tacksam för den här uppgiften].
Manuscript (no. 1365) available at the Göteborg Museum of Theatre History, as well as a
sketch of the stage design (no. 548).
Reception
Bergman’s production of Streetcar received rave reviews and was the highlight of his Göteborg
years. Kjell Hjern (GHT) concluded that ‘with this production the director Ingmar Bergman
has presented a production that is his most balanced and mature so far’. [regissören Ingmar
Bergman har med denna föreställning signerat en iscensättning, som är den måttfullaste och
mognaste han hittils har åstadkommit.] The reviewer in AT referred to it as ‘exquisitely artistic
in every detail’ [utsökt konstnärlig i varje detalj] and claimed that Bergman probably made the
play more impressive than Williams’ text deserved. David Hallén in AB termed the production
one of the most intensely dramatic moments in a long time on a Swedish stage: ‘Never before
has he (Bergman) shown, as he does here, what a fantastic man of the theatre he is. Everything
is perfect. The casting has not a single snag, the tempo is hectic, the psychological progression is
clear and concise’. [Aldrig förr har han (Ingmar Bergman) visat som här vilken fantastisk
teaterman han är. Allt är perfekt. Rollbesättningen klickar inte på en punkt, farten är hektisk,
det psykologiska skeendet framstår klart och koncist]. Mikael Katz in Expr. wrote that the
furious trio of Ingmar Bergman, Karin Kavli and Anders Ek had a stranglehold on the audience
until it gasped for air. On the whole, it was the intensity and energy of the production, coupled
with Bergman’s attention to details, that caught the critics attention. However, filmmaker Vilgot
Sjöman (Vi) sensed at times too much of the movie magician Bergman in a production in
which a fast and loud screen tempo usurped Williams’ poetic and tragic mood.
Bergman had now convinced even his most discriminating critics. Ebbe Linde wrote in DN:
‘Ingmar Bergman came to Göteborg City Theatre as a talented eccentric. He leaves it after two
years with this masterful proof that shows his mature power as one of the country’s most
knowledgeable directors’. [Ingmar Bergman kom till Göteborgs Stadsteater som begåvad eccen-
triker. Han lämnar den efter två år med ett mästarprov, som visar en mogen kraft som en av
landets kunnigaste regissörer]. Cf. Similar assessment by Grevenius (ST).
Reviews
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Teaterspårvagn i Göteborg och Malmö’. AT, 2 March 1949, p. 3.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Spårvagn till Lustgården’. MT, 2 March 1949, p. 4.
Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Spårvagn till Lustgården’. ST, 2 March 1949, p. 8.
Hallén, David. ‘... och i Göteborg’. AB, 2 March 1949, p. 9.

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Hjern, Kjell. ‘Spårvagn till lustgården’. GHT, 2 March 1949, p. 3, 9.

Katz, Mikael. ‘Williams i Göteborg och Malmö’. Expr., 2 March 1949, p. 9.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Spårvagn till Lustgården’. DN, 2 March 1949, p. 11.
Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Blanche du Bois’ tragedi’. Vi, 1949:11 (12 March), pp. 9, 22-23.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Spårvagn till Lustgården i Göteborg’. SvD, 2 March 1949, p. 9.
Articles
Kolin, Philip. ‘On a Trolley to the Cinema: Ingmar Bergman and the First Swedish Production
of A Streetcar Named Desire’. South Carolina Review 27, no. 1-2 (Fall/Spring) 1994/95, pp.
277-286.

406. RAKEL OCH BIOGRAFVAKTMÄSTAREN [Rachel and the Cinema Doorman]

Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director John Zacharias
Stage Design Eric Söderberg
Stage Boulevard Theatre, Stockholm
Opening Date 9 November 1949
Cast
Kaj Hesster Stig Olin
Eugen Lobelius Börje Mellvig
Rachel Ruth Kasdan
Mia Ingrid Backlin
Petra, housekeeper Olga Appellöf
Reception
Reviewers were critical of the director of Bergman’s play (Zacharias) and called for a quicker
tempo to keep pace with the playwright’s dramatic temperament. But reservations were also
raised about Rakel ..., similar to those expressed in the earlier (1946, Ø 395) Malmö production
of the play, i.e., that it lacked a psychological solution and was overly moralistic and facile in its
conclusion (See Linde, Åkerhielm). Critics felt little rapport with Bergman’s religious references
though acknowledging his serious personal struggle with such issues. Above all, however, they
recognised his dramaturgical skill. Author Sigfrid Siwertz (VJ) suggested that Dramaten would
be the right spot for Bergman.
Reviews
Helén, Gunnar. ‘Ingmar Bergman-premiär på Boulevard’. ST, 10 November 1949, p. 10.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘“Rakel” på Boulevard’. DN 10 November 1949, p. 14.
Siwertz, Sigfrid. ‘Fan i nöten’ [Catching the devil]. Vecko-Journalen No. 47, 1949, p. 22, 44.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren’ [Rakel and the Cinema Usher]. SvD, 10
November 1949, p. 11.
Åkerhielm, Helge. ‘Ingmar Bergman i Stockholm’. MT, 10 November 1949, p. 9.

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1950
407. GUDS ORD PÅ LANDET [Divine Words]
Credits
Original Title Divinas Palabras
Playwright Don Ramon del Valle-Inclán
Translator Ivar Harrie
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl-Johan Ström
Music Roman Maciejewski
Stage Göteborg City Theatre
Opening date 3 February 1950
Cast
Septimo Mjau, Street performer Kolbjörn Knudsen
Levalätt [Livelight], his current girl Ulla Malmström
Juana, aka Queen Johanna, beggar Maria Schildknecht
Laureano, her Son, an idiot Herman Ahlsell
Pedro Gailo, Sexton, Juana’s brother Yngve Nordwall
Mari-Gaila, his wife Karin Kavli
Simonina, their daughter Maria Sjöstrand
Marica del Reino, Juana’s sister Berta Hall
Rosa la Tatula, beggar Hjördis Petterson
Miguelin el Padrones, aka Fikus (Gay) Claes Thelander
The Sheriff Benkt-Åke Benktsson
An Invalid Soldier Ove Tjernberg
Blind Man from Gondar Erland Josephson
Benita, seamstress Ann-Mari Ström
The Pilgrim Ulf Johanson
Milon de la Arnoya, Peasant Lars Barringer
The Saint Ulla Jacobsson
Her Father Richard Mattsson
Quentin Pintado, Shepherd Bror Follin
A Neighbor’s wife Lisa Lundholm
Serenin de Bretal Håkan Jahnberg
Ludovina, Inn hostess Ingrid Borthen
Lemonade seller Folke Sundquist
Two Gendarmes Berth Söderlund, Arthur Hultling
Commentary
This was the first staging in Sweden of Spanish playwright Valle-Inclán’s macabre Goya-inspired
‘comedy’ – a cavalcade of beggars, itenerant performers and pilgrims traversing the Iberian
landscape, a setting foreshadowing the desert procession in Bergman’s TV film Fanny and
Alexander more than thirty years later. Bergman and scenographer Carl-Johan Ström presented
the play as a stylized and colourful set of tableaus in primarily red, white and black, with the
various characters grouped together in fresco-like processions. Nils Beyer described the pro-
duction as dynamic and colourful, yet at the same time toned down by its unrealistic character:
‘Here was a wild and strange troupe of itenerant actors, belonging to a strange country, who

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performed a play for us’. [Här var det ett vilt främmande gycklarfölje, hörande hemma i ett
underligt land, som uppförde ett spel för oss].
Director’s Production Copy (no. 1108) is available at the Göteborg Museum of Theatre
History. It contains quite a few handwritten comments about detailed stage movements; also
some simple sketches showing placement of characters, especially in crowd scenes, plus a
drawing of scene 12 (Sexton’s kitchen) with a note that the entrance door be up front and
turned towards the audience, yet another indication of Bergman’s conscious striving to establish
physical contact between stage and house. In a note in Act II, scene 6, Bergman presents an
addition to the original: a train of chanting monks carrying icons are to appear as a counter-
movement to the wandering rabble who are accompanied by a set of musicians. The reference
to Det sjunde inseglet‘s flagellant procession seems obvious.
The Göteborg Museum of Theatre History also has three miniature models of the set, nos.
498-99, 547.
Reception
This was termed both a sensational and trying production. The reviewer in the local paper GP
wrote: ‘The City Theatre’s new program does not run the risk of being buried quietly. Yesterday
it seemed rather the opposite, as if sensation was in the offing. Moralists in all the city’s
quarters, unite! Here some things are said and done!’ [Stadsteaterns nya program lär inte
riskera begravning i stillhet. Det föreföll i går snarare som om sensationen stod på språng.
Moralister i alla stadsdelar, förenen Eder! Här säges det och göres saker!]. The public response
was more polite than enthusiastic. A local critic (J. THN) rightly predicted that the production
would not become a popular success: ‘Should the public stay away, they cannot be blamed.
There has to be a certain limit to what the adminstration can demand in terms of receptivity by
those sitting in a theatre, even if one presents a spellbinding spectacle of sophisticated technical
stage features [Skulle publiken utebli kan den näppeligen drabbas av rättvist klander. Det får
nog vara en viss måtta även på vad en teaterledning kräver av mottaglighet hos dem som
befolkar salongen även om man förvänder synen på dem med scentekniska finesser]. The
critical consensus was that Bergman had achieved a visual tour de force: ‘One’s eye is busy
all evening long, watching more or less impassioned images, [...] a strange series of wild and
nauseous, painful and solemn scenes [...]’ [Ögat är kvällen lång sysselsatt med mer eller mindre
passionerade bilder [...], den sällsamma raden av vilda och äckliga, pinsamma och högstämda
scener...]. (GP). But what was it all for? asked Ebbe Linde (DN): ‘Sensation for the sake of
sensation? Grand Guignol? The square root of Tobacco Road?’ [Sensation för sentionernas egen
skull? Grand Guignol? ‘Tobaksvägen’ i kvadrat?]. Olof Lagercrantz (SvD) felt that though the
play suited Bergman’s mindset, his actors did not have ‘enough spice in their temperament to
give the right pungent flavours that Spanish popular dishes deserve’. [inte kryddor starka nog i
temperamentet för att ge den rätta rivande smaken åt spanska folkrätter].
Reviews
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Guds ord på landet på Stadsteatern’. GHT, 4 February 1950, p. 3, 6.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Guds ord på landet. Spansk pjäs i Göteborg’. MT, 4 February 1950, p. 4.
Es. An. ‘Spanska sensationer’. GP, 4 February 1950, p. 2.
J.THN. ‘Spanskt på Stadsteatern’. GT, 4 February 1950, p. 4.
Lagercrantz, Olof. ‘Brokigt patrask i Göteborg’ [Colorful rabble in Göteborg]. SvD, 4 February
1950, p. 16.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Guds ord på landet’. DN, 4 February 1950, p. 8.

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Intima Teatern, Stockholm (1950-51)

408. TOLVSKILLINGSOPERAN [The Three Penny Opera]

Credits
Original Title Dreigroschenoper
Playwright Bertolt Brecht
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Erik Söderberg
Music Kurt Weill
Music Conductor Stig Rybrant
Stage Intima Teatern, Stockholm
Opening date 17 October 1950
Cast
Conferencier/Street Singer Lars Egge
Peachum Anders Ek
Mrs. Peachum Hjördis Pettersson
Polly, their daughter Gertrud Fridh
Macheath, Mackie the Knife Edvin Adolphson
A beggar Gösta Prüzelius
Crowbar Robert Kulörten
Lucy, his daughter Ann-Mari Wiman
Sad Walter Georg Skarsted
Jimmy Gösta Prüzelius
Ede Rune Andréasson
Two constables Erik Liedholm, G. Fyhring
Pastor Kimbal John Melin
Smith Folke Hamrin
Jacob Ragnar Falck
Policemaster Jackie Brown Ulf Johanson
Dolly, Molly Emy Storm, Teeri Stenhammar
Nellie and Betty Julia Bernby, Gita Gordeladz
Filch Birger Malmsten
Mathias, Counterfeiter Alf Östlund
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman’s staging of Bertolt Brecht’s and Kurt Weill’s Three Penny Opera was a cause
célèbre. On 17 October 1950, Lorens Marmstedt opened a new theatre in Stockholm, the Intima
Teatern, designed as a small and elegant ‘Parisian’ boulevard stage. The inaugural production,
Brecht’s Three Penny Opera, was directed by Bergman who had never before staged Brecht. It
was a strange event, where Anders Ek, playing the role of Peachum, delivered lines filled with
revolutionary sarcasm directly to opening night’s tuxedo-dressed public. Virtually all the re-
viewers were puzzled by this ‘attack’ on the audience at the inauguration of a boulevard theatre
on an evening designed as a social gala affair.
There were other curious circumstances at the opening. Because of a shortage of seats, not all
of the theatre reviewers were admitted. One of them was novelist, playwright, and journalist
Stig Dagerman. Lorens Marmstedt had to loan him his internal television set, so that Dagerman
could watch a transmission of a partially blurred performance.

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In a program note to the production Ingmar Bergman dates his first acquaintance with
Weill’s music to the summer of 1933, when he listened to the classical Lotte Lenya sing Jenny’s
ballad to the accompaniment of Lewis Ruth’s band. It took some time before Bergman en-
countered Brecht’s text, one reason being that it had been confiscated by the Nazis. Later, when
reading the play he was disappointed and repelled by its dry and matter-of-fact mixture of farce
and tragedy. Brecht’s cool objectivity towards his painful story bothered Bergman.
Reception
The critical divergences were so strong one might wonder if the reviewers actually watched the
same performance. To Sten Selander (SvD), Bergman had created a perfect production by using
the actors as grotesque marionettes who came alive in their songs, allowing the despair and
bitterness of the really poor to stream forth into the house. But to others his stylized marionette
approach destroyed Brecht’s realism (Beyer). To still others, Bergman had ignored Brecht’s
expressed purpose of staging the play as a musical and had failed to create a distance between
stage and audience (Verfremdung). Some felt that Bergman lacked a feeling for Brecht’s gallows
humor (Hjorvard) and destroyed Brecht’s pungency: ‘The acting was like a gang of dressed-up
beggars at a charity spectacle’. [Man spelade som of det varit ett gäng uppklädda tiggare på ett
välgörenhetsspektakel] (A. Gunnar Bergman). The production was termed ‘macabre, vulgar,
and loud’ [makaber, vulgär och högljudd] (Linder). Some even asked why Bergman had staged
the play at all: ‘The production conveys no message. And what is The Threepenny Opera without
a message? A piece from the Twenties’. [Uppsättningen förmedlar inget budskap. Och vad är
Tolvskillinsoperan utan ett budskap? Ett stycke tjugotal]. (Dagerman).
The real problem with the production seems to have been similar to Bergman’s staging of
Camus’ Caligula in Göteborg a few years earlier: two strong but divergent wills – Anders Ek and
Bergman – imposed their artistic ambitions on Brecht’s work. In his review, Ebbe Linde
suggested as much: ‘Peachum was transformed into a snaking demon. It was all Anders Ek.
But also all Ingmar Bergman. But was it the real Bert Brecht?’ [Peachum förvandlades till en
ormande demon. Det var Anders Ek. Och det var också Ingmar Bergman, för hela slanten. Men
var det den riktige Bert Brecht?].
Reviews
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘För mer än tolv skilling på Intiman’ [For more than three pennies at the
Intimate]. AT, 18 October 1950, p. 3.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Tolvskillingsoperan – invigning av ny teater’ [Three Penny Opera – inauguration of
a new theatre], MT, 18 October 1950, p. 7.
Dagerman, Stig. ‘Intima Teatern: Tolvskillingsoperan’. Arbetaren, 18 October 1950, p. 8;
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Brecht, Bergman, Marmstedt’. Expr., 18 October 1950, p. 5. Also radio review on 21
October 1950;
Hjorvard. (Gustav Johansson), ‘Ny tiggaropera på nyaste teatern’ [New beggar’s opera on
newest stage]. Ny Dag, 18 October 1950, p. 8.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Tolvskillingsoperan’. DN, 18 October 1950, p. 11.
Linder, Erik Hj. ‘Tolvskillingsoperan’. ST, 18 October 1950, p. 13.
PGP. (P.G. Pettersson), ‘Må konsulerna se sig om’ [May the consuls look back (videam con-
sules)]. AB, 18 October 1950, p. 4.
S. S-r. (Sten Selander). ‘Intima teaterns invigning’ [Inauguration of the Intimate Theatre]. SvD,
18 October 1950, p. 22.

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409. MEDEA
Credits
Playwright Jean Anouilh
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Erik Söderberg
Stage Intima Teatern, Stockholm
Opening date 28 December 1950
Cast
Medea Gertrud Fridh
Jason Anders Ek
Kreon Ulf Johanson
Wet nurse Märta Arbin
A Boy Birger Malmsten
Guards Gösta Prüzelius, Lars-Erik Liedholm, Göte Fyhring
Double bill with:

410. EN SKUGGA [A Shadow]

Credits
Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Erik Söderberg
Stage Intima Teatern, Stockholm
Opening date 28 December 1950
Cast
Old Bridegroom Lars Egge
Bride, a young girl Ann-Mari Wiman
Bride’s mother Hjördis Pettersson
Erik, a young person Birger Malmsten
Middle-aged servant Ulf Johanson
First Bridesmaid Julie Bernby
Second Bridesmaid Teeri Stenhammar
Third Bridesmaid Marie-Louise Martins
Marshals Gösta Prüzelius, Göte Fyhring, Lars-Erik Liedholm
Reception and Reviews
The double bill was welcomed as a novel idea but critics were puzzled by the juxtaposition of
Hjalmar Bergman’s bittersweet play about a young girl’s tragic disillusionment and Jean An-
ouilh’s modern version of Euripedes’ cruel and vengeful drama. Some concluded that their
common bond was to be found in Ingmar Bergman’s special view of life, i.e., in his fascination
with worldly evil. The staging was praised for its plasticity, but some found Bergman’s graphic
realism too excessive: ‘Medea ran around barefoot like a gypsy and her wet nurse had the
dirtiest skirt I have ever seen on stage’. [Medea sprang runt barfota som en zigenerska och
hennes amma hade den smusigaste kjol jag någonsin sett på scenen] (Siwertz).
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Tvåstämmig premiär’ [Opening for two voices]. AT, 29 December 1950,
p. 3.

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Beyer, Nils. ‘Två enaktare på Intiman’ [Two one-act plays at the Intima]. MT, 29 December
1950, p. 7.
Katz, Mikael. ‘Svensk tragedi och fransk’ [Swedish tragedy and French]. Expr., 29 December
1950, p. 4.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Intimans andra premiär’ [The Intima’s second opening]. DN, 29 December 1950,
p. 2.
Linder, Erik Hj., ‘Intimans tvåpjäsprogram’. [The Intima’s double bill program], ST, 29 Decem-
ber 1950, p. 7.
PGP,. ‘Caliban och Medea på Intiman’. AB, 29 December 1950, p. 4.
S. S-r. (Sten Selander). ‘Bergman och Anouilh på Intima Teatern’. SvD, 29 December 1950, p. 9.
Stål, Sven. ‘Medea på Intiman’. Lidingö Tidning, 13 January 1951.
Siwertz, Sigfrid. ‘Bergman – Anouilh – Wilder’. Vecko-Journalen 1951, no. 3 (18 January) 1951, p.
15, 22.

Dramaten (1951)

1951
411. DET LYSER I KÅKEN [Lights in the shack]
Credits
Playwright Björn-Erik Höijer
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Sven Fahlstedt
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre
Opening date 19 April 1951
Cast
Old Man Karlin Anders de Wahl
The Forest Warden Uno Henning
Lena, his daughter Maj-Britt Nilsson
Elin, his mistress Birgitta Valberg
Pirkko Ingvar Kjellson
Nilsson Hugo Björne
Sven Sven-Erik Gamble
Lisa Marianne Lindberg
Bettan Margit Carlqvist
Blow, freelancer Henrik Schildt
Commentary
By the early 1950s, Björn-Erik Höijer, a vocational teacher in Northern-most Sweden, was
hailed as a major new playwright. His play ‘Det lyser i kåken’ depicts the conflict between
several social and ethnic groups in the far North: the middle-class Swedes, the poor tattare
(‘gypsies’) about to lose their shack, and the Lapps (Sami). It was considered Höijer’s best play
and had already been produced elsewhere in Sweden when Dramaten decided to stage it. The
event was set up as a rather special affair, in which one of the grand old men of the Swedish
stage, Anders de Wahl, was coupled with a director 50 years his junior, about to make his debut

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at Sweden’s National stage. Reviewer Ivar Harrie wrote: ‘Two great enthusiasts – both young at
heart – are hired to serve a young playwright’. [Två stora entusiaster – båda unga i hjärtat – är
anställda för att tjäna en ung dramatiker]. De Wahl was a moody actor, well aware of his stature,
who displayed a certain diva attitude during the rehearsals. Fortunately his role was confined to
a cameo appearance as a Northern shaman. When de Wahl died in 1956, Ingmar Bergman
wrote down some memories of his rehearsals of Det lyser i kåken. See ‘Anders de Wahl och den
sista rollen’ [Anders de Wahl and the last role]. FIB [Folket i Bild], no. 18, 1956, p. 11.
There were speculations in the press that Ingmar Bergman’s guest production at Dramaten
was a test case before hiring him on contract as a Dramaten director but this did not come
about. Clearly his presentation of Höijer’s play was not one of his directorial successes. Another
factor working against him was the dire financial situation at Dramaten at the time, making it
difficult for the state-subsidised theatre to hire on more permanent staff. (See ‘Dramatens
affärer granskas’ [The finances at Dramaten to be audited], SvD, 28 April 1951 and ‘Dramatens
ekonomi’, GHT, 28 April 1951). There were also rumors that both the head of Dramaten, Karl
Ragnar Gierow, and its senior director, Olof Molander, discouraged Bergman’s engagement –
maybe a brewing ‘father-son’ conflict. See Bergman’s The Magic Lantern, pp. 190-91.
Reception
Several reviewers had seen the same play in Göteborg the previous season, with another veteran
actor in the lead role, Sven Miliander, and directed by Bengt Ekerot, on loan from Dramaten.
Ekerot’s directorial temperament was reticent when compared to Bergman’s flamboyance.
Comparisons between the two productions were practically inevitable, and since the Göteborg
performance had received rave reviews, Bergman’s Dramaten debut opened with a handicap.
The critics’ apprehensions on opening night are obvious in their reviews, as is their sense of
relief that the outcome was more than passable. But despite a fairly positive reception, there was
a curious critical ambivalence about who to blame for the shortcomings that still marred the
production: slow tempo, excessive realism verging on vulgarity, a stilted literary dialogue. Even
if these features were ultimately the playwright’s problems, the director got part of the blame
for not overcoming them in his production. Several critics pointed out that the playwright and
director were seldom on the same wave length.
Reviews
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Lysande svensk premiär på Dramatens lilla scen’ [Brilliant Swedish
opening at Dramaten’s small stage]. AT, 20 April 1951, p. 3.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Liv och blod för en kåk’ [Life and blood for a shack]. MT, 20 April 1951, p. 9.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Makternas spel i Lappland’ [The powers at play in Lappland]. Expr., 20 April 1951,
p. 4.
PGP (P.G. Pettersson). ‘Helafton i tattarkåken’ [Full evening in the gypsie shack]. AB, 20 April
1951, pp. 4-5.
S. B-l.(Sven Barthel). ‘Ödemarksdrama på Dramaten’ [Wilderness drama at Dramaten]. DN, 20
April 1951, p. 15.
S. P-s (Set Poppius). ‘Dramaten (Lilla scenen)’. Skådebanan, no. 5 (May) 1951, pp. 4-5.
S. S-r. (Sten Selander). ‘Svensk pjäs på Lilla Dramaten’. SvD, 20 April 1951, p. 7.
Siwertz, Sigfrid. ‘Lappländskt på lilla Dramaten’ [Lapplandish at Dramaten’s small stage].
Vecko-Journalen, no. 17, 1951, p. 25, 37.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Det lyser för Höijer’ [Light for Höijer]. ST, 20 April 1951, p. 13.
Stål, Sven. ‘Det lyser i kåken’. Lidingö Tidning, 5 May 1951.

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See also
Björn-Erik Höijer writes about Bergman’s work with his play in ‘Att möta figurerna’ [To meet
the characters]. Teatern 3, 1953: 3, 4, 10.

Folkparksteatern (1951)

412. MANNEN DU GAV MIG [The Man You Gave Me]

Credits
Original Title The Country Girl
Playwright Clifford Odets
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Evert Myhrman
Stage Folkparksteatern (Ambulatory Summer Stock)
Opening date 9 June 1951 in Eskilstuna
Cast
The Actor Georg Rydeberg
His Wife Karin Kavli
His Director Bernie Åke Engfeldt
The Financier Erik Rosén
The Ingenue Margreth Weivers
Commentary
This was the first European production of Odets’ play about an alcoholic actor and his wife.
The original title, The Country Girl, (which was also the distribution title in Sweden for the film
version of the play) was changed on the Swedish stage to the rather inoccuous ‘The man you
gave me’.
Reception
The play became a popular summer stock success in Sweden. Kavli and Rydeberg were publicity
magnets, the one an histrionic stage star, the other a well-known first lover and he-man of the
Swedish cinema. Bergman’s direction was termed skillful, clear, and controlled, though one
reviewer suggested that almost any director could have done the same job. (Wahlund).
Reviews
n.a. ‘Georg Rydebergs stora kväll i Eskiltuna’ [Georg Rydebergs big evening in Eskiltuna]. MT,
10 June 1951.
S. B-l. (Sven Barthel), ‘Karin Kavli-turnén’ [The Karin Kavli tour]. DN, 10 June 1951.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Rydeberg-Kavli triumf i Eskilstuna’. ST, 10 June 1951.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Clifford Odets i Eskilstuna’. SvD, 10 June 1951.

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Norrköping-Linköping City Theatre (1951)

413. DEN TATUERADE ROSEN [The Rose Tattoo]

Credits
Playwright Tennessee Williams
Swedish Translator Sven Barthel
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Carl Johnsson-Cloffe
Stage Norrköping-Linköping City Theatre
Opening date 15 November 1951, Norrköping; 30 November 1951, Lin-
köping
Cast
Serafina delle Rose Karin Kavli
Rosa delle Rose, her daughter Sigrid Kaiser
Alvaro Mangiacavallo Åke Engfeldt
Assunta Signe Wirff
Jack Hunter John Harryson
Estelle Hohengarten Ulrika Modin
Miss Yorke Kerstin Boström
Flora Gertrud Danielson
Bessie Nine-Christine Jönsson
Father De Leo Sture Ericson
The Agent Tore Karte
Guiseppina Louise Bojar
Peppina Kerstin Olin
Violetta Ruth Hoffsten
Commentary
After The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams became a sought-
after name by Scandinavian theatres. In 1951, his play The Rose Tattoo was produced as a comedy
in Copenhagen and as a somber tragedy in Göteborg. When Ingmar Bergman guest-directed
the play at Norrköping-Linköping City Theatre, he approached it as a farce and changed both
the opening and the ending of the original text. Even more drastically, he cut out all the crowd
scenes depicting an Italian-American reality. The Rose Tattoo became a play designed as a solo
performance for Karin Kavli, playing the title role.
Reception
This production was one of Ingmar Bergman’s rare flops. The reviewer in SvD wrote: ‘One
leaves the theatre depressed over a strangely insensitive and stiff presentation that lacks all
charm. When Ingmar Bergman misses the mark, he does so thoroughly’. [Man lämnar teatern
deprimerad över en egendomligt okänslig och stel föreställning som saknar all charm. När
Ingmar Bergman hugger i sten gör han det ordentligt]. Kavli’s performance was termed more
extroverted ferocity than inward passion; one reviewer characterised her as ‘more peony than
rose, i.e., something without fragrance. But anything else was hardly possible in that flower
bed’. [mer pion än ros, dvs något utan doft. Men något annat var knappast möjligt i den
blomsterrabatten]. (Linde). Perhaps Bergman felt that his flamboyant guest actress from Gö-
teborg would not give the resident ensemble much of a chance. The reviews clearly suggest that

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he had had difficulty creating a cohesive performance with a dominant leading lady and a group
of actors with whom he had never worked before.
Nevertheless, the combination Kavli-Bergman-Williams attracted the public and of the
twelve productions presented at the Norrköping-Linköping Theatre in the 1951-52 season,
Den tatuerade rosen ranked third in terms of ticket sales.
Reviews
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Tatuerade rosen som fars’ [The Rose Tattoo as a farce]. DN, 16 November 1951, p. 13.
Linder, Erik Hj. ‘Tatuerade rosen på Norrköpings stadsteater’. ST, 16 November 1951, p. 13.
P.E.W. (Per Erik Wahlund). ‘Dramatisk hötorgskonst’ [Dramatic kitsch]. SvD, 16 November
1951, p. 13.
Bergman’s production of The Rose Tattoo went on tour in Sweden’s open air theatres (Folk-
parkerna) in the summer of 1952.

Malmö City Theatre (1952-58)

Bergman’s six years at the Malmö City Theatre represent a peak in his work as a theatre director
and constitute a new start for him after a personally difficult time in the period 1949-51 and his
somewhat unsuccessful attempt to gain a name for himself again on the Stockholm theatre
scene. His regular contract in Malmö began with the fall season of 1952. He now moved to the
largest and most modern stage in Sweden (the main stage was 36 meters deep, 22 meters wide,
and 5 meters high) and to a theatre with a relatively short production history. The head of the
theatre, Lars Levi Læstadius, gave him his full confidence. In retrospect, Bergman has said that
the work pace at Malmö was ‘incredible’ where one production would open on Friday night
and the blocking for the next one would start on the following Monday. Average rehearsal time
was four weeks. He likened Malmö’s two stages to mail boxes that gaped and swallowed one
delivery after another or referred to them as ‘cracks in eternity’ [sprickor i evigheten]. (Berg-
man at an inpromtu appearance at Fågel Blå Cinema, 1 April 1998). See Elisabeth Sörenson,
‘Brutalt men lysande’, SvD, 2 April 1998.
Prior to his contracted stay at Malmö, Bergman produced his own drama Mordet i Barjärna
at the Malmö Intiman (Studio stage).

1952
414. MORDET I BARJÄRNA – Ett passionsspel [Murder at Barjärna. A Passion Play]
Synopsis
The setting is a vicarage in the Barjärna parish in Dalecarlia in the late 1800s. In a prologue,
Jonas, the parish minister, stands talking to a troupe of itinerant players about a strange
hallucinatory experience: his head seemed to pierce the sky and he entered another world, a
diabolic landscape of dead fish, poisonous snakes, black harvest, bleeding cattle, and pregnant
women who gave birth to mutilated children. The players laugh at Jonas’ nightmare, not
realizing that his vision is a premonition of his future marriage to Mari, a young actress in
the travelling troupe who, when discovering she is pregnant, seduces Jonas. Later Mari aborts
the child and also terminates a second pregnancy. With a clear address to Strindberg’s play
Fadren/The Father, Mari insinuates possible infidelity, intercepts her husband’s bookkeeping

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and attempts to have him declared insane. Jonas suffers a nervous collapse and kills Mari by
strangling her. He then attempts to mutilate himself to death but survives.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Not listed in program
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intiman Stage
Opening Date 14 February 1952
Cast
Jonas Oscar Ljung
Mari Margareta Bergfelt
Malla Harriette Garellick
Karin Berit Gustafsson
Frans Rune Turesson
Jesper Toivo Pawlo
Ella Lena Cederström
Modern Naima Wifstrand
Carolina Jullan Kindahl
Old Men Per Hjern, Per Björkman, Josef Norman
Commentary
Bergman had been a guest director at Malmö in 1945 (see Ø 392). Some have suggested (see
Sjögren, 1968, p. 113) that the production of Mordet i Barjärna was a kind of test case for
Bergman before assuming his 6-year stay at the Malmö City Theatre.
Prompter’s copy (no. 164) available at the Malmö Theatre Archives.
Reception
The play was presented without intermission. On opening night several members in the
audience reportedly walked out. The critical consensus was overwhelmingly negative. One
reviewer (Jarl W. Donnér) wrote: ‘This is probably the only premiere the play will ever have’.
[Detta är troligen den enda premiär som pjäsen någonsin kommer att ha]. The work had been
given a great deal of pre-publicity, pointing out its sadistic and sexually provocative content,
which was seen by several reviewers as a smokescreen to detract attention from the fact that
Bergman’s play was a literary disaster. Wrote Carl Björkman in Vecko-Journalen: ‘Ingmar Berg-
man’s ‘Murder at Barjärna’ is a dreadful piece. [...] This chamber of horrors, has no more life
than a panopticon; its figures have no more artistic interest than a bunch of wax figures. [...]
Ingmar Bergman has cultivated all his worst [literary] qualities’. [Ingmar Bergmans ‘Mordet i
Barjärna’ är ett avskyvärt skådespel. [...] Detta skräckkabinett har inte mera liv än ett panopti-
kon; dess figurer inte högre artistiskt intresse än en skock vaxfiguer. [...] Ingmar Bergman (har)
renodlat sina allra sämsta sidor och där allt det som är dålig litteratur hos honom kom fram].
Bergman’s unique qualities as a stage director were never questioned, but with its oscillation
between the sublime and the grotesque, Mordet i Barjärna was seen as an embarrassing imita-
tion of Gothic drama. The critic in ST (Strömberg) referred to it as ‘necromancy, a vulgar
version of high-romanticism’. [svartkonst, högromantik i vulgärupplaga]. The play was not for
people going to their first communion, wrote Hans Ruin (SDS) and described the performance
as ‘kicking and shouting [...], the cues working like knives and thongs into flesh and soul, not a
single shameless feature is left untried, not a vulgarity is left unsaid’. [Det sparkas och skriks i
stycket, replikerna arbetar som knivar och tänger i kött och själ, inte en skamlöshet lämnas
oprövad, inte en gemenhet blir osagd]. The works of Carl Jonas Love Almqvist’s (1793-1866)

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were mentioned and so were Strindberg’s marriage dramas. Many reviewers were reminded of
Erskine Caldwell’s Southern drama Tobacco Road, a theatrical sensation in Sweden at the time.
The overall critical response clearly indicates skepticism that Bergman’s virtuosity as a
director could hide his weakness as a playwright. (See also Olsson, Wahlund). It was the same
kind of opinion expressed after the productions of his plays in Göteborg a few years earlier. No
doubt the rather scathing views of Bergman’s playwriting talents contributed to his total shift,
in the 1950s, to writing screenplays rather than stage dramas.
Reviews
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Mord bland kedjefångar på Malmö Intiman’ [Murder among chain
convicts at the Malmö Intimate Theatre]. AT, 15 February 1952, p. 3.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Mordet i Barjärna’. MT, 15 February 1952, p. 4.
Björkman, Carl. ‘Malmö Grand Guignol’. Vecko-Journalen 1952: 9, p. 2.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Passionspel’. GHT 18 February 1952.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Ingmar Bergman i Malmö’. DN, 15 February 1952, p. 8.
PGP [P.G. Petersson]. ‘Bergman går en match med Djävulen’ [B. fights a match with the Devil].
AB, 15 February 1952, p. 2.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Inte för konfirmander’ [Not for people going to their first communion]. SDS, 15
February 1952, p. 14.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Ett passionsdrama’. ST, 15 February 1952, p. 7.
Sundell, Thure. ‘Malmö spelar bröllopsdramatik’ [Malmö plays wedding drama]. Scen och
salong, no. 12, 1952, p. 14.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Skräckdrama på Malmö-Intiman’ [Horror drama on Malmö Intimate
Stage]. SvD, 15 February 1952, p. 20.
See also
Henrik Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 113-18.

415. KRONBRUDEN [The Bridal Crown/The Crown Bride]

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Per Falk
Choreography Carl-Gustaf Kruuse
Music Ture Rangström
Conductor Ingvar Wieslander
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 14 November 1952
Cast
Kersti Karin Kavli
Mats Rune Turesson
Kersti’s mother Jullan Kindahl
Kersti’s father, Soldier Oscar Ljung
Kersti’s grandfather Josef Norman
Brita, Mats’ sister Berit Gustafsson
Mats’ grandfather Anders Frithiof
Mats’ father Frans Oscar Öberg
Mats’ mother Dagmar Bentzen
Mats’ grandmother Alfhild Degerberg

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Anna, Mats’ sister Gun Arvidsson

The Sheriff Åke Fridell
The Parson Arnold Sjöstrand
Madame Larsson Naima Wifstrand
The Water Sprite Paul Höglund
The Fisherman Sven-Erik Gamble
The Hangman Ernst Hugo Järegård
The Singer Gunnel Nygren-Almquist
Commentary
Bergman’s director’s copy (no. 182) is available at Malmö Theatre Archives. It contains some
notes on lighting, sketches of actors’ stage movements, and suggested cuts in Strindberg’s
dialogue, most notably in the confrontation between Kersti and her Mother. There are also
some brief comments on character personalities, with Mats described as ‘a poor devil in the
hands of Kersti, afraid of everyone, including her’. [en förtvivlad krake i händerna på Kersti.
Rädd för alla, även för henne]. Some crucial scenes in the director’s copy are underlined and
named: Mordtanken (Thought of Murder), Spänningen (Tension), Mot den religiösa extasen
(Towards religious ecstasy), Offret fullbordat (Sacrifice finished) Nattvard? (Communion?),
and Lovsång och Tacksägelse (Praise and Thanksgiving). The most interesting part is Bergman’s
description of the ending, using a distinct visual language and a fade-out reminiscent of one of
his own B/W films: ‘The moment of ecstasy dies down and the brisk, grey wintry spring
morning dawns with driving clouds and an increasing storm. The crucifix darkens to a silhou-
ette and people leave, carrying the dead woman. They disappear far away with extinguished
torches’. [Extasens ögonblick förtonar och den blåsiga grå vårvintermorgonen gryr med jagande
skyar och tilltagande storm. Krucifixet svartnar till en siluett och människorna drar bort
bärande den döda. De försvinner långt bort med släckta facklor].
Reception
In its setting amidst Dalecarlian folklore, Strindberg’s play, written in 1901, was an attempt to
follow in the tracks of national neo-romanticism, a cultural movement that characterized
Swedish painting and literature at the time. Bergman toned down some of the pastoral and
picturesque elements of the play and ‘demonized’ it: ‘We are considerably closer to the sul-
phurous lakes of hell than to the glittering water of Lake Siljan’. [Vi är avsevärt närmare
helvetets svavelsjöar än Siljans glittrande vatten (Beyer)]. Bergman replaced Strindberg’s em-
blem of Christian love, embodied in the figure of the ‘White child’, with a diabolic creature
wreaking havoc amidst the performers during a wedding dance. Adding to the ‘demonic’ aspect
of the production was the lead actress Karin Kawli as Kersti, the crown bride. ‘Her Kersti’, wrote
Per Erik Wahlund, [is] ‘a strange, over-aged Kersti, primitive, [...] monotonous and highstrung’.
[en egendomlig överårig Kersti, primitiv [...] monoton och överspänd]. Nils Beyer called Kavli’s
Kersti ‘a wild and dark-haired troll hag from the aboriginal woods, who even smoked an iron
pipe’ [en vild och mörkhårig trollpacka från urskogarna som till och med rökte järnpipa]. In
fact, several reviewers found Kavli’s performance to be verging on parody.
Bergman’s utilization of space – both the main stage and the apron were used, with no
curtain separating them – got a mixed critical response. The opening scene was criticized for its
overly dimensional mise-en-scene, dominated by a grotesque wind-fallen tree that was likened
to some mythic prehistoric monster, around which the characters were to be seen crawling.
Linde thought the setting resembled the place of some exotic fertility rite in Latin America. But
all the reviewers were struck by the final scene – a crowd scene with two feuding groups of
people meeting on a frozen lake, with a sunken church rising from its depths – a powerful
image of metaphysical dimension that turned the stark drama into a dreamplay.

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Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Kronbruden i Malmö’. MT, 15 November 1952.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘Aspekt på kronvrak’ [Aspect of a wreck]. ST, 15 November 1953.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Kronbruden i Malmö’. DN, 15 November 1952.
M-n. ‘Strindberg-Bergman i Malmö’. AT, 15 November 1952.
PGP. ‘Kromosombruden på Malmöteatern’ [The chromosome bride at Malmö Theatre]. AB, 15
November 1953.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Kronbruden’. SvD, 15 November 1952.
See also
Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker. Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theatre, 1992, pp. 60-63.
Henrik Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 124-30.
(Both of these items provide excellent discussions of the production).

1953
416. JACK HOS SKÅDESPELARNA [Jack among the Actors]
Synopsis
When Corporal Jack Kasparson ends up in a provincial theatre, he becomes part of a Piran-
dellean play within a play situation. A distant and silent director has left the troupe in disarray.
One actor hangs himself, another dies of a stroke, his widow seduces a third actor during the
funeral dinner. In the end the Director appears like a deus ex machina and explains why he has
set this witches sabbath in motion.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Eric Heed
Stage Design Gustaf Mandal
Stage Lilla teatern, Lund
Date 21 January 1953
Cast
Jack Kasparsson Erik Heed
Mikael Bro Hans Polster
Carlsson, stage janitor Lars-Olof Lindquist
Nelly, primadonna Maj-Britt Pamp
Sanna, old dancer Lil Sjölin
Commentary
The production took place in a small theatre in the university town of Lund and was directed by
a former actor at Hälsingborg City Theatre, Erik Heed. He toned down Bergman’s expressio-
nistic voice in the play by incorporating traits of the student ‘spex’ genre, i.e., grotesque
travesties of high tragedy.
According to reviewer Ingvar Holm, (‘Jack hos skådespelarna’) [Jack among the Actors], DN,
21 January 1953), Heed’s production shifted the focus from Bergman’s alter ego, Jack Kaspars-
son, to the self-destructive actor Mikael Bro, whose foil was the stage janitor Carlsson, a comic
character offsetting the nightmarish mood of the play.

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417. SEX ROLLER SÖKER EN FÖRFATTARE [Six Characters in Search of an Author]

Credits
Original Title Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore
Playwright Luigi Pirandello
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Per Falk
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intiman Stage
Opening date 21 November 1953
Cast
The Father Åke Fridell
The Girl Marie-Louise Åkerlund
The Mother Aino Taube
The Boy Nine-Christine Jönsson
The Son Folke Sundquist
Madame Paix Gunnel Edlund
The Stepdaughter Gertrud Fridh
Theatre company members
Theatre director Benkt-Åke Benktsson
The Primadonna Birgitta Hellerstedt
1st Actor Arnold Sjöstrand
2nd Actor Judith Frithiof
3rd Actor Åke Åkerlund
The Ingenue Harriet Andersson
1st Lover John Alvar Holm
Stage manager Sven Ahlström
Prompter Lillemor Jonsson
Propman Thore Lindqvist
Porter Carl Liljeholm
Commentary
Prompter’s copy (no. 208) is available at Malmö Theatre Archives.
Pirandello’s drama about a play rehearsal, which is interrupted by six characters who want
their lives portrayed, is set in the 1920s. Bergman antedated the rehearsed play to the turn of the
last century, the reason being that the old-fashioned costumes helped the audience distinguish
between the actors in rehearsal and the six interrupting characters dressed in modern black
clothing. Besides, Bergman has always had a faiblesse for the dress code of a hundred years ago.
Reception
Bergman’s production of Pirandello’s Six Characters... was his first major success during his six-
year term at Malmö City Theatre. The audience reportedly followed the performance in breath-
less silence (PGP). Reviewers singled out two aspects in particular: the director’s faithful reading
of Pirandello’s text and the high quality of acting ‘not found on any other stage in Sweden’. [som
inte hittas på någon annan scen i Sverige] (Kjellström, Vecko-Journaalen). Erwin Leiser (MT)
claimed that Malmö had now surpassed Göteborg as Sweden’s leading theatre city and Ebbe
Linde (DN) termed the production not only Ingmar Bergman’s but also the Malmö Theatre’s
greatest artistic achievement thus far.

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Reviews
Håkansson, Harald. ‘Illusion och verklighet’ [Illusion and Reality]. Studiekamraten, no. 12, 1953.
Kjellström, Nils. ‘Sex roller söka en författare’ [Six Characters seek an author]. Vecko-Journalen,
No. 50, 1953.
Leiser, Erwin. ‘Sex roller erövrar scenen’ [Six Characters conquer the stage]. MT, 22 November
1953.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Sex roller i Malmö’. DN, 22 November 1953.
PGP. ‘Tredje resan Pirandello’ [Third Pirandello trip]. AB, 23 November 1953.
Sundell, Thure. ‘Brecht-Pirandello i Malmö’ Scen och salong, no. 12, 1953, p. 17.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Pirandello i Malmö’. SvD, 22 November 1953.

418. SLOTTET [The Castle]

Credits
Original Title Das Schloss
Playwright Max Brod, based on Franz Kafka’s novel
Translator Tage Aurell
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design not listed in program
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intiman Stage
Opening date 19 December 1953
Cast
Josef K. Toivo Pawlo
Arthur Rune Turesson
Schwarzer Folke Sundquist
Host at Herrenhof Oscar Ljung
Barnabas, messenger Björn Bjelvenstam
Frieda, waitress Nine-Christine Jönsson
Olga, his sister Eva Stiberg
Head of Town Council Åke Fridell
Amalia, young sister Harriet Andersson
Mizzi, his wife Berit Gustafsson
Innkeeper Arnold Sjöstrand
The Teacher Georg Årlin
Innkeeper’s wife Jullan Kindahl
Peasants at Pub Frans Oscar Öberg, Nils Eklund
Jeremiah Josef Norman
Barnabas’ parents Nils Nygren, Mona Dan-Bergman
Commentary
The director’s copy (no. 203) is available at Malmö Theatre Archives but contains very few notes
or stage details/sketches. It indicates some minor cuts and a few additions in the dialogue,
mostly of a colloquial nature.
For his production of Max Brod’s dramatization of Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle, Bergman
displayed an almost empty stage – a few chairs, a table, and some projected images on the back
wall suggesting the unreachable castle or a spiritual wasteland. The lighting was a form of
dreamlike clair-obscure in black, grey, and white tones. The overall effect was that of an
expressionistic nightmare.

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Reception
The critics reacted with enthusiasm. Sven Barthel in DN termed the production a new feather
in the cap for Malmö City Theatre. Danish paper Politiken felt that Malmö’s Slottet was the
most exciting production performed on ‘these latitudes’ and was convinced that Kafka’s eyes
were shining on Bergman in gratitude.
For years Bergman had been greeted as Sweden’s most promising but also most juvenile
director. Now at age 35 he was finally said to have reached maturity as a stage director. Jarl
Donnér in GHT wrote: ‘It was an unusual theatre evening and [...] still another proof that the
strangest directorial talent in the Swedish theatre has entered a phase of maturity, the con-
tinuation of which one anticipates with interest’. [Det var en ovanlig teaterkväll och ett [...]
förnyat bevis på att svensk teaters mest aperta regissörsbegåvning nu ingått i ett skede av
mognad, vars fortsättning man med intresse avvaktar].
Four distinct features in Bergman’s work at Malmö now began to crystallize in the critical
response:
1. He coupled artistic energy and discipline with an ability to transform the written word into
dramatic performance: ‘One gets the feeling that Ingmar Bergman can make good theatre
out of the most resisting material’, [Man får en känsla av att Ingmar Bergman kan göra bra
teater av det mest motståndskraftiga material], wrote Ingvar Hansson in ST, 20 December
1953;
2. Bergman’s work was based on a careful and sensitive reading of the dramatic text;
3. He displayed an unusual visual and acoustic creativity;
4. He showed a remarkable ability to get the performers to excel. Nils Beyer (MT, 20 Decem-
ber 1953) wrote: ‘There does not exist another director in this country, who can utilize his
actors for the total effect like Ingmar Bergman. Does he hypnotize them?..’. [Det finns
verkligen ingen annan regissör i detta land, som kan utnyttja sina skådespelare för helhets-
effekten som Ingmar Bergman. Hypnotiserar han dem?...].
Reviews
Barthel, Sven [S. B-l]. ‘Kafka i Malmö’. DN, 20 December 1953.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Kafkas Slottet i Malmö’. MT, 20 December 1953.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Kafka på Malmöteatern’. GHT, 21 December 1953.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘Kafka i Malmö’. ST, 20 December 1953.
Kjellström, Nils. ‘Kafkas drömvärld och teaterns’ [Kafka’s dreamworld and the theater’s]. Vecko-
Journalen, no. 2, 1954.
Steinthal, Herbert. ‘Menneskesjelens ensomhed’ [The loneliness of the human soul]. Politiken
(Danish), 20 December 1953.
Sundell, Thure. ‘Kafka på Malmöscenen’. Scen och salong, no. 2, 1954, p. 14.
Swensson, Sven. ‘Teater i Malmö’. Teatern 1, 1954: 12-13.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Kafka’s Slottet i Malmö’. SvD, 20 December 1953.

1954
419. SPÖKSONATEN [The Ghost Sonata]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design/Costumes Martin Ahlbom
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage

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Opening Date 5 March 1954

Cast
Old Man Hummel Benkt-Åke Benktsson
The Student Folke Sundquist
The Milkmaid Harriet Andersson
The dead Consul Anders Frithiof
The Dark Lady Birgitta Hellerstedt
The Colonel Georg Årlin
The Mummy Naima Wifstrand
The Young Lady Gaby Stenberg
The Snob Arnold Sjöstrand
Johansson Åke Fridell
Bengtsson Josef Norman
The Fiancee Lena Cederström
The Cook Alfhild Degerberg
Commentary
A director’s copy (no. 207) is available at Malmö Theatre Archives. It contains relatively few
notes, some sketches of the opening scene describing concierge’s activities (sweeping, polishing
brass, watering laurels, spreading spruce branches), and of the ghost supper (placement of
chairs and table).
Ingmar Bergman wrote a brief untitled note in the theatre program (pp. 5, 7, 14), in which he
claimed he read Strindberg’s play at age 12. There are some age variations (anywhere from 12 to
17) concerning Bergman’s first encounter with Strindberg’s texts, but little doubt about Strind-
berg’s early impact on him. In the program note (p. 7) he recalls his first production of
Spöksonaten in 1941 (see Ø 368) when ‘the frail ensemble was lifted, as if on a wave, by the
immensity of the drama [den bräckliga ensemblen lyftes som på en våg av dramats väldighet]
and ‘got to take part in the theatre as magic: to be thrown beyond our own limits’. [fick vara
med om teatern som magi: att slungas utanför våra egna gränser]. Juxtaposing his 1941 produc-
tion of Spöksonaten to his experience of Olof Molander’s staging of Strindberg’s play in the
following year, Bergman recalls: ‘Never has a young rooster’s crowing got stuck in his throat
with such force as mine did that evening’. [Aldrig har väl en tuppkyckling fått galandet i
vrångstrupen med sådant eftertryck som jag fick den kvällen.] He calls his Malmö production
‘ett kärleksbarn’ (a love child), with his own staging in 1941 as the mother and Molander’s
production the following year as the father, but also asserts that the offspring is independent
enough to stand on its own two feet. The program note as such is an interesting balance
between Bergman’s respect for Molander and his plea that his own work be blessed by the
great Dramaten director.
Reception
Because of Bergman’s program note, most reviewers felt obliged to compare his production to
Molander’s, usually in very positive terms for Bergman. ‘Molander has no monopoly on The
Ghost Sonata’ [Molander har inget monopol på Spöksonaten], wrote P.G. Peterson in AB and
the reviewer in Skånska Dagbladet stressed Bergman’s artistic independence: ‘Bergman pays
homage to Molander but he himself has of course the predisposition to interpret the play
independently’. [B visar sin vördnad för M men han själv har naturligtvis förutsättning att
oberoende tolka pjäsen].
Per Erik Wahlund (SvD) made a key statement about Bergman as a careful listener to the
dramatic text – a role that Bergman himself would frequently come to stress. Wahlund ad-

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mitted that he had anticipated quite a theatrical spectacle when demonic director Bergman met
fiery playwright Strindberg but had to acknowledge that Bergman had served well in the role of
interpreter.
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Spöksonaten i Malmö’. MT, 6 March 1954, p. 2.
Hanson, Hansingvar. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Spöksonat’. ST, 6 March 1954.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Stort kammarspel’ [A great chamber play]. Expr., 6 March 1954.
Ivarsson, Nils Ivar. ‘Strindberg och Lagerkvist på Malmö stadsteater’ [Strindberg and Lagerkvist
on Malmö City Theatre]. Studiekamraten, no. 3, 1954.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Spöksonaten i Malmö’. DN, 6 March 1954.
Mårtenson, Sigvard. ‘Spöksonaten’ Skånska Dagbladet. 6 March 1954.
Peterson, P.G. ‘Spöksonaten som var annorlunda’ [The Ghost Sonata that was different]. AB, 6
March 1954.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Spöksonaten på Stadsteatern’. SDS, 6 March 1954.
Steinthal, Herbert. ‘Et mareridt med menneskelige toner’ [A nightmare ride with human
tones]. Politiken (Danish), 8 March 1954.
Sundell, Thure. ‘Malmöteatern spelar svenskt’ [Malmö Theatre plays something Swedish]. Scen
och salong, no. 4, 1954, p. 8.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Spöksonaten i Malmö’. SvD, 6 March 1954.
Special Studies
Marker, Frederick & Lise-Lone. Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theatre, 1992, pp. 67-97.
(A discussion of Bergman’s 1954 and 1973 Spöksonaten productions).
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern 1968, pp. 141-47.
Törnqvist, Egil. The production is dicussed in his book Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata.
Amsterdam UP, 2000, pp. 118-20 and passim.

420. GLADA ÄNKAN [The Merry Widow]

Credits
Libretto Viktor Léon and Leo Stein
Music Franz Lehar
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design/Costumes Per Falk
Music Arrangements Ingvar Wieslander
Choreography Carl-Gustaf Kruuse
Conductor Sten-Åke Axelson
Assistant Director Ingrid Tönsager
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 1 October 1954
Cast
Baron Mirko Zeta Åke Askner
Valencienne Britta Larke/ Gunnel Nygren-Almquist
Praskowia Anna-Greta Nyberg
Greve Danilo Per Grundén
Hanna Glawari Gaby Stenberg
Camille de Rosillon Sigvard Berg
Vicomte Cascada Paul Höglund
Raoul de St. Brioche Arne Dahl

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Bogdanovitsch Per Björkman

Sylviane Ulla Hellberg
Von Kronow Per Hjern
Olga Ulla-Greta Starck
Pritschnisch Åke Åkerlund
Njegus Toivo Pawlo
Lolo Marianne Törje/Britta Larke
Dodo Marianne Andersson
Jou-Jou Gisela Bennech
Frou-Frou Titti Dupont
Clo-Clo Judith Frithiof
Margot Stina Jerre
Dancers Pauline White, Lenn Hjortzberg, Charles Ley, Shirley
Roberts, Inga Berggren, Klaus Zimmermann
Commentary
Malmö City Theatre celebrated its tenth anniversary with an operetta: Bergman’s production of
Franz Lehar’s ‘The Merry Widow’. In an interview in the Malmö City Theatre newsletter
Mellanakt (II, no. 1 1954, pp. 1-2), Bergman states: ‘The Merry Widow is like a wonderful
old kerosene lamp. One must be careful not to put electric lights in it. It has to be treated
with care and must not be modernized’. [Glada änkan är som en underbar gammal fotogen-
lampa. Man måste vara försiktig och inte sätta elektriskt ljus i den. Den måste behandlas med
omsorg och får inte moderniseras].
The Merry Widow’s constellation of characters seems to have served as a model for Bergman’s
subsequent film comedy Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night). Some twenty years
after his Malmö production of The Merry Widow he had plans to make a film version of Lehar’s
operetta with Barbra Streisand as Hanna Glawari, but the talks stranded when Bergman became
miffed at what he termed Streisand’s primadonna response. (See Ø 804).
Assistant director Ingrid Tönsager’s copy (no. 226) is available at Malmö Theatre Archives. It
contains detailed cue-by-cue notes of actors’ gestures and movements. Director’s copy (in two
parts), no. 226, is in Ingmar Bergman Fårö Archive at SFI. It is referenced in Koskinen’s book
Ingmar Bergman. Allting föreställer, ingenting är, 2001, p. 233, and contains handwritten notes
and an inserted booklet entitled Die lustige Witwe.
Reception
Bergman’s operetta production was a huge public success and changed his image as a theatre
director. So far his work had been associated with dark dramatic subjects. That he would bother
to produce an operetta took reviewers by surprise, but they were delighted at the humor and
ironic touch of his Merry Widow, where Bergman’s angst had been ‘replaced by a spurting joie
de vivre’ [ersatts av bubblande livsglädje] (ST). In fact, reviewers surpassed each other in rave
reviews. The SDS critic spoke for most of his colleagues: ‘I have seldom seen such a witty and
laugh-provoking operetta production as this one and never one as brilliant’. [Sällan har jag sett
en så kvick och skrattlockande operettföreställning som denna och aldrig förut en så biljant.]
What excited the critics the most was Bergman’s upgrading of a popular middle-class form of
entertainment to refined and sophisticated theatre art. Music critic Yngve Flyckt in Expr. wrote:
‘Now all the country’s administrative theatre heads with The Merry Widow in their knapsack
can withdraw, chewing their nails. For they have had the bad luck of seeing a real theatre
director get interested in their supreme number, using his imagination and know-how’. [Nu
kan alla landets teaterdirektörer med ‘Glada änkan’ i kappsäcken dra sig tillbaka och tugga på
naglarna. De har råkat ut för oturen att en riktig teaterregissör fått intresse för deras parad-

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stycke och använt sin fantasi och sitt kunnande]. The reviewer in DN epitomizes both the
enthusiasm in the critical corps at discovering the operetta genre as a viable art form and their
mea-culpa attitude for having underestimated the genre in the past:
After Friday’s opening of The Merry Widow one wants to climb a chair, a table, or anything
and cry out ‘Cheers’! Cheers to the Malmö City Theatre, double cheers to Gaby Stenberg
[who played the Widow] and a hundred cheers to the directorial genius Ingmar Bergman.
[...] Whereupon one will want to crawl under the table, mutter a brief confession of sins and
take back everything one has thought, said, and written earlier about the operetta as an art
form.

[Efter fredagens premiär på ‘Glada änkan’ har man lust att kliva upp på en stol, på ett bord
eller vad som helst och ropa ‘Triumf!’ Triumf för Malmö Stadsteater, dubbel triumf för
Gaby Stenberg, hundrafaldig för regisnillet Ingmar Bergman [...]. Och sedan skulle man
vilja krypa ner under möbeln, mumla en liten syndabekännelse och ta tillbaka allt man förut
tänkt, sagt och skrivit om operetten som konstform].
The only deviating critical voice was that of Teddy Nyblom (AB) who objected to Bergman’s
departure from the romantic love conventions in the operetta genre: ‘Bergman shows [...]
surprising proof of both talent and genius. [...] But his filmic sense of arrogance towards the
erotic, the inflated, and at times disgusting does not [...] belong in an operetta’. [Bergman
visar... överraskande prov på både talang och geni... (men) hans filmbetonade sinne för arro-
gans mot det erotiska, det svulstiga och ibland motbjudande ... hör (inte) hemma i en operett].
Reviews
Broman, Sten. ‘Jubileumsänkan på Stadsteatern’. SDS, 2 October 1954.
Flyckt, Yngve. ‘Änkan utan kattguld’ [The Widow without false glitter]. Expr., 2 October 1954.
Henry. ‘Jubileumssuccé med Glada änkan’ [Jubilee success with Merry Widow]. Arbetet, 2
October 1954.
Hl. ‘Jubileumsänka i Malmö’ [Jubilee Widow in Malmö]. DN, 2 October 1954.
L-n. ‘Glada Änkan på galej’ [Merry Widow on a spree]. ST, 2 October 1954.
Nyblom, Teddy. ‘Lehars och Bergmans Enka’. AB 2 October 1954.
Om. ‘Glada änkan i Malmö’. SvD, 2 October 1954.
S.K. ‘Ingmar Bergmans “Glada Änka” i Malmö’. MT, 2 October 1954.
Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Änkan och den glade greven’. (The widow and the happy count). KvP, 2
October 1954.

421. SKYMNINGSLEKAR [Twilight Games] Ballet

Credits
Ballet in Four Scenes Carl Gustaf Kruuse and Ingmar Bergman
Music Ingvar Wieslander
Stage Design and Costumes Martin Ahlbom
Conductor Ingvar Wieslander
Choreography Carl Gustaf Kruuse
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date October 1954

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Cast/Dancers
I. Intermezzo
The Queen Pauline White
The King Carl Gustaf Kruuse
The Singer Bengt von Knorring
The Pub Nymph Marianne Mohaupt
Courtiers, Mob Corps de ballet
The setting is 18th-century Stockholm in the Haga Park and in a pub at Djurgården.
II. Skorna [The Shoes]
The Pawnbroker Ingrid Tönsager
The Girl at the Piano Ulla-Britt Engström
The Dancer Jutta Gieseke/Shirley Roberts
Story about a pair of well worn ballet shoes (inspired by Hans Cristian Andersen’s tale ‘The Red
Shoes’).
III. Broadsheet
The Rope Dancer Ina Katterfeld
The Officer Hans Rohde
The Wife Shirley Roberts
Street Organ Player Bengt von Knorring
Saturday People Corps de ballet
‘Sad things will happen ... as you know!’ (Quote from Swedish broadsheet song about rope
dancer Elvira Madigan).
IV. Twilight Game
She Inga Berggren
He Winfried Krisch
Students Corps de ballet
A spring poem about the wish to dance, to float... ‘let us enjoy our days of youth’ [Swedish
student song].
Commentary
Bergman’s role is not specified in the program but it seems likely he was responsible for ideas
and storyline and his collaborator, Carl Gustaf Kruuse, for the choreography.
Reviews
Sundell, Thure. ‘Aida och skymningslekar’. Scen och Salong 12, 1954: 11.

1955
422. DON JUAN
Credits
Original Title Don Juan ou le festin de pierre
Playwright Molière
Translator Tor Hedberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant Director Lennart Olsson

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Costumes Stig Nelson

Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intima Stage
Opening date 4 January 1955
Cast
Don Juan Georg Årlin
Sganarelle Toivo Pawlo
Donna Elvira Berit Gustafsson
Gusman Nils Nygren
Don Carlos Bengt Schött
Don Alonse Oscar Ljung
Don Louis Anders Frithiof
Charlotte Harriet Andersson
Mathurine Gunnel Lindblom
Commander’s Statue Frans Oscar Öberg
Francisque Josef Norman
Pierrot Åke Fridell
La Violette Ulf Quarsebo
Ragotin Nils Nygren
Dimanche, merchant Nils Eklund
Commentary
Assistant director Lennart Olsson’s copy (no. 230) is available at Malmö Theatre Archives. It
contains some detailed descriptions of Don Juan’s movements and state of mind, especially in
the opening scene: ‘Tired, hunch-backed, flabby, Don Juan appears before Sganarelle [Trött,
kutryggig, slapp visar sig Don Juan inför Sganarelle]. Copy also includes some rather rudimen-
tary stage sketches.
An important theme in Bergman’s production of Molière’s play was the unmasking of Don
Juan, which was demonstrated in an added introductory pantomime, where Don Juan had his
elegant night gown and cap removed, revealing for a moment a bald and aging seducer. Though
servant Sganarelle soon dressed him up in a virile black wig, tight pants, ruffled coat and a
sword, the audience immediately knew that Don Juan is a fake as he sets out on his obsessive
erotic conquests. Bergman saw Molière’s play as a morality play in which Don Juan’s punish-
ment in hell was a given from the start. Despite Sganarelle’s fawning and cowardly attitude,
Bergman used him as a truth-sayer who revealed his master’s self-deception and empty life
style.
The scenography was a replica of Molière’s stage with sloping floor, ancient props, and a
simple painted backdrop.
Reception
The Don Juan production was another victory for Ingmar Bergman and his ensemble. Though
not unanimous, the critics were fascinated by the opening pantomime and by the element of
pastiche which made the production a lesson in theatre history. They also commented on the
morality play approach, which displayed human situations and actions in Christian terms of
saved or lost souls. One critic (Hansson, ST) referred to Bergman’s production as ‘a dramati-
cally refined sermon’ [en dramatiskt förfinad predikan]. Almost all of the reviewers concluded
that Bergman was an unusual Molière interpreter who combined an understanding of both
theatre classicism and modernity. The Don Juan production confirmed his expanding mastery
of stagecraft. Linde in DN concluded: ‘Ingmar Bergman goes from clarity to clarity’. [Ingmar
Bergman går från klarhet till klarhet].

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Reviews
Bergstrand, Allan. ‘Molière’s Don Juan’. Arbetet, 5 January 1955, p. 5.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘Raka spåret till skärselden’ [Straight on to purgatory]. ST, 5 January 1955.
Leiser, Erwin. ‘Visa i Malmö’. MT, 6 January 1955, p. 2.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Malmö spelar ‘Don Juan’’. DN, 5 January 1955.
M-n. ‘Ingmar Bergman rider Molière’ [Bergman rides M]. AT, 6 January 1955.
PGP. ‘1600-tal på två vis’ [17th century in two ways]. AB, 7 January 1955, p. 2.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Molières “Don Juan”’. SDS, 5 January 1955.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Molière i Malmö’. SvD, 5 January 1955.
See also
Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theater, 1982, pp. 133-34.
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 151-56.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman and Don Juan’, 1993 (Ø 642) and ‘Molière’s Don Juan on
Stage and Screen’, Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 80-90.

423. TEHUSET AUGUSTIMÅNEN [Teahouse of the August Moon]

Credits
Playwright John Patrick
Director Ingmar Bergman
Translator Stig Ahlgren
Stage Design and Costumes Per Falk
Music Gert-Ove Andersson
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 5 February 1955
Cast
Sakini, interpreter Toivo Pawlo
Mr. Oshira Josef Norman
Captain Fisby Gunnar Björnstrand
Mr. Keora Nils Nygren
Sergeant Gregovich Rune Turesson
Lotus Blossom Gaby Stenberg
Colonel Purdy Åke Fridell
Captain McLean Yngve Nordwall
Mr. Seiko Folke Sundquist
Young woman Berit Gustafsson
Mr. Hokaida Per Hjern
Old woman in jeep Alfhild Degerberg
Her daughter Titti Dupont
Mr. Omura Bengt Schött
Mr. Sumata Nils Eklund
Her child Ingalill Anneminne
Miss Higa Jiga Jullan Kindahl
Old man in jeep Lenn Hjortzberg
Commentary
When Bergman presented John Patrick’s play about life on the occupied island of Okinawa, it
was the fourth production in Sweden of a comedy which was said to have gone around the

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world like an epidemic (DN). Rumor had it that the Malmö production was intended to offset a
simultaneous (non-Bergman) staging of Strindberg on the theatre’s Intimate stage.
In Bilder/Images (1990, p. 175) Bergman reveals how Patrick’s play came to replace, for
commercial reasons, a tentative plan to sett up Euripides’ classical drama The Bachae (Back-
anterna):
We began planning but became hesitant. The Malmö City Theatre had really only one
mission: to get people to the theatre. So we weighed the pros and cons and cancelled the
project without further sentimentality. The theatre fought for its life and this (The Bachae)
was both too big and too narrow. So then we did Teahouse of the August Moon instead.

[Vi började planera men blev betänksamma. Malmö Stadsteater hade egentligen bara ett
uppdrag: att skaffa folk till teatern. Vi övervägde således fördelarna och nackdelarna och la
ner projektet utan vidare sentimentalitet. Teatern slogs för sitt liv och det här var både för
stort och för smalt. Så då gjorde vi Thehuset Augusti-månen i stället].
Director’s copy is available at Malmö Theatre Archives. It contains only a few notes and a
rudimentary sketch of Fisby’s office.
Reception
Production became a great popular success. The reviews were more reserved. Some called
Bergman’s directing ‘conventional’ (SvD); others felt that the farcical elements in the play were
overdone (ST), and objected to Bergman’s ‘primitive’ use of situational comedy (Donnér).
Recognizing that the playbill was meant to be ‘ett muntert publikstycke’ [a happy popular
piece] (Barthel, DN), the reviewers did not regard the production as one of Bergman’s more
memorable ones.
Reviews
B-nd (Allan Bergstrand). ‘Ockupationskomedi’. Arbetet, 6 February 1955.
Barthel, Sven. ‘Ingmar Bergmans tehus’. DN, 6 February 1955.
Hanson, Hansingvar. ‘Vildarna i väster’ (Savages of the west). ST, 6 February 1955.
Om. ‘Tehuset i Malmö’. SvD, 6 February 1955.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Tehuset Augustimånen’. SDS, 5 February 1955.
See also
Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 161-64.

424. TRÄMÅLNING [Wood Painting/Painting on Wood]

See also (Ø 283, 317)
Trämåling is a one-act play that became the basis of Bergman’s script to Sjunde inseglet (The
Seventh Seal). Set in the Middle Ages, it depicts the homecoming and encounter of a Knight and
his Squire with a group of people, who also appear in the film. The play however has none of
the many different scene changes that occur in the film, though the original plot is structured as
a journey. Like The Seventh Seal, the dramatic conception of Painting on Wood is built on the
morality play genre.
The main difference between the stage version and the screenplay is that in the original play
Death is not a dramatic character but performs the role of narrator. Squire Jöns’ part is more
central in the play while the Knight’s role is almost mute. In the play, Maria (Mia) is more
explicitly cast as the Virgin Mary while Jof, Mia’s husband in the film, is absent. The Witch has
a more pronounced and active role in the stage version.

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Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Costumes Stig Nelson
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intiman Stage
Opening date 18 March 1955 (18 performances)
Cast
The Girl Gunnel Lindblom
Jöns Gunnar Björnstrand
The Knight Oscar Ljung
Karin, his wife Naima Wifstrand
The Witch Nine-Christine Jönsson
The Smith Åke Fridell
Lisa Birgitta Hellerstedt
Maria Berit Gustafsson
The Actor Rune Turesson
Narrator (Death) Folke Sundquist
Commentary
Bergman’s 1955 production of Trämålning is a revision of a text originally written for his
students at Malmö City Theatre and printed in Radiotjänst’s play anthology from 1954
(Ø 90). The Trämålning presentation was part of a triple bill; its companion pieces, Fjäderboll
(Feather Ball) and Världen ände (The Ends of the Earth), were authored and directed by the head
of the Malmö City Theatre, Lars Levi Læstadius, and its dramaturgue Sigvard Mårtensson,
respectively.
The prompter’s copy (no. 247) is available at Malmö Music Theatre Archives.
Reception
The silhouetted opening of Bergman’s production, in which different medieval classes of people
were projected like shadows on the rear wall, produced spontaneous applause on opening
night. Special mention was made of Gunnar Björnstrand’s performance as Jöns (same role as
in The Seventh Seal) and of the choreographic grouping of characters. One reviewer (Holm)
referred to the production as ‘a satanic knock-out’ [en satanisk knock-out] and PGP in AB
concluded that ‘there is definitely no wood in this painting’. [det finns definitivt inget trä i
denna målning]. Yet, some reviewers reacted negatively to what they termed burlesque and
expressionistic features, referring to the production as a piece of das grosse Welttheater of the
1920s (Holm),
Though one critic (Bergstrand) found the play ‘a definite victory both for the writer and
director Ingmar Bergman’ [en definitiv seger både för författaren och regissören Ingmar Berg-
man], the critical consensus was (once more) that Bergman was a better director than play-
wright. The main critique focussed on Bergman’s tendency to ignore character conflict and
focus too much on an emotional display of eschatological fear and distress.
Reviews
B-nd, A. (Allan Bergstrand). ‘Tre enaktare’ [Three one-act plays]. Arbetet, 19 March 1955.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Enaktare på Intiman’. Skånska Dagbladet, 19 March 1955.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Skånsk hemslöjd i Malmö’ [Scanian handicraft in Malmö]. Expr., 19 March 1955.
Holm, Ingvar. ‘Malmö ger tre hemgjorda enaktare’ [Malmö gives three homemade one-acters].
DN, 19 March 1955.
Kjellström, Nils. ‘Familjegala i Malmö’ [Family Gala in M-ö]. VeckoJournalen no. 14, 1955.

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PGP. (P.G. Petterson). ‘PGP besöker Malmö’ [PGP visits Malmö]. AB, 22 March 1955.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Tre enaktare’ [Three one-act plays]. SDS, 19 March 1955.
Stenström., Urban. ‘Rabalder och reklam i Malmö’ [Rumpus and commercials in Malmö]. SvD,
19 March 1955.
See also
Henrik Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 119-22.

425. TRÄMÅLNING [Wood Painting/Painting on Wood]

Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Bengt Ekerot
Stage Design None listed
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre
Opening date 16 September 1955, 18 performances
Cast
The Girl Gunilla Sundberg
The Crusader Lars-Olof Lindquist
His Wife Gun Jönsson
Jöns, the Squire Claes-Håkan Westergren
The Actor Sven-Erik Weilar
The Smith Björn Gustafson
Lisa, Smith’s wife Bibi Andersson
The Witch Berit Lindsjö
Maria Mona Malm
The Narrator Elisabet Liljenroth
Commentary
As in Bergman’s original version of the play, Bengt Ekerot’s staging at Dramaten was an exercise
for students at its theatre school. When compared to the film version, Bibi Andersson does a
complete role reversal from the Smith’s wife in Dramaten’s school production to Mia (Maria) in
Det sjunde inseglet.
Trämålning was also staged at the Axvalla Folk High School in 1961. See brief reportage by
Ebbe Linde, ‘Teatern som kunskapsskola’ [Theatre as school of knowledge]. DN, 2 April 1961. In
1963, Trämålning was presented as a TV drama with an ensemble from Malmö City Theatre. It
was originally scheduled to be televised on Easter Sunday but was postponed. (See Ø 317) in the
TV section, Media Chapter V.
Reception
As a student exercise, Dramaten’s production of Trämålning got relatively few reviews. Sven
Barthel found the play excellent as a training piece for drama students and also considered it
Bergman’s best play to date. Margareta Sjögren (who had acted in the Stockholm Student
Theatre during Bergman’s time there in 1941-43) called the production ‘a piece of theatre history
taking place quietly and in pouring rain, as we got to witness how our most productive film and
theatre writer finally got his first worthy presentation on a Stockholm stage’. [ett stycke tea-
terhistoria som ägde rum i det tysta och i hällande regn där vi fick bevittna hur vår mest
produktive film- och teaterförfattare till sist fick sitt värdiga framförande på en stockholms-
scen].

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Reviews
S. B-l. (Sven Barthel), ‘Dramatenelever ger “Trämålning”’ [Dramaten students give Wood
Painting]. DN, 17 September 1955.
Falk, Gunnar, ‘Stockholm väntar regn’ [Stockholm expecting rain]. Teatern 4, 1955: 16.
Sjögren, Margareta. ‘Ingmar Bergman predikar’ [Bergman preaches]. SvD, 17 September 1955.

426. LEA OCH RAKEL [Leah and Rachel]

Credits
Playwright Vilhelm Moberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Per Falk
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intima Stage
Opening date 27 October 1955
Cast
Jakob Max von Sydow
Laban Åke Fridell
Lea Harriet Hedenmo
Rakel Harriet Andersson
The Shepherd Björn Bjelvenstam
The Wetnurse Gudrun Brost
Silpa, Lea’s servant Berit Gustafsson
Bilha, Rakel’s servant Gunnel Lindblom
Commentary
A printed book copy used as Asst. director Lennart Olssons copy (no. 257) is available at the
Malmö Music Theatre Archives. It indicates cuts, stage movements, some references to gestures
and mimicry.
In a program note, the author – novelist and playwright Vilhelm Moberg – told of his
reading between the lines in the sparse biblical account of Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s two wives.
He saw it as an opportunity to expound and dramatize the rivalry between the two sisters. In
his production, Bergman maintained Moberg’s realism but confined the performance to a
single setting: a desert-brown podium with a colossal stone and a water jug as only props.
The characters were grouped and regrouped in varied lighting. Sometimes projections were
added to suggest biblical motifs. There was only one intermission (as opposed to Moberg’s ten
tableaus, several intermissions, and numerous scene changes). Each new scene and time change
was simply announced by the stroke of a gong or a change of light and a faint melody from afar
– an approach that one reviewer referred to as ‘filmic’ (Beyer).
Reception
Much of the evaluation of the Lea och Rakel production concerned itself with giving out merit
points to author, director, and/or cast: ‘If one were to divide the great merits of the production,
then Moberg would have to be happy with one fourth, while the Bible, Bergman, and the actors
have a right to claim the rest’. [Ska man fördela föreställningens stora förtjänster, så får nog
Moberg nöja sig med en fjärdedel, medan bibeln, Bergman och skådespelarna har rätt att lägga
beslag på resten (M.K. Vecko-Revyn 1955: 45). It was the critical consensus that Moberg’s play
had benefited immensely from Bergman’s direction, which had provided a tighter structure and
a less pedestrian tone. (See Brunius, Expr.; Linder, ST; P.G. Petterson, AB; Wahlund, SvD). A
different view was expressed by the critic in Vecko-Journalen (Kjellström) who praised Moberg’s
play over and above Bergman’s production.

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Bergman’s frugal mise-en-scene appealed to Ebbe Linde (DN) who thought Bergman and his
scenographer had captured the three elements that define a desert setting: sky, emptiness and
silence. But A. Gunnar Bergman found the set too esoteric and called for more primitivism: ‘at
least a single tent, surrounded by camel feces, sheep spillings and goat odors and full of dirt,
lice, and stench’. [åtminstone ett enda tält, omgivet av kamelträck, fårspillning och getlukt och
fullt av smuts, löss och stank.].
Reviews
Bergman, A. Gunnar. ‘Lett om Rakel’ [Nasty about Rachel]. AT, 29 October 1955.
B-nd. (Allan Bergstrand). ‘Bibeldrama på Intiman’ [Bible drama at Intiman]. Arbetet, 28 Octo-
ber 1955.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Lea och Rakel i Malmö’. MT, 28 October 1955.
Brunius, Claes. ‘Bra betyg åt Moberg, stort A i bibliskan’ [Good mark to Moberg, highest mark
in Biblical history]. Expr., 28 October 1955.
Kjellström, Nils. ‘Vilhelm Moberg och Bibeln’. Vecko-Journalen, no. 46, 1955.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Lea och Rakel i Malmö’. DN, 28 October 1955.
Linder, Erik Hj. ‘Lyckosam premiär’ [Happy opening]. ST, 28 October 1955.
PGP. ‘Stutahandel och gammaltestamentlig passion’ [Horsetrading and old-testamental pas-
sion]. AB, 28 October 1955.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Biblisk berättelse i Malmö’ [Biblical tale in Malmö]. SvD, 28 October 1955.
See also
Henrik Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teaern, 1968, pp. 164-68.

1956
427. BRUDEN UTAN HEMGIFT [The Dowerless Bride]
Credits
Original Title Bespridannica
Author Alexander Ostrovskij
Translator Gun Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Martin Ahlbom
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intiman Stage
Opening date 28 January 1956
Cast
Xarita Ignatjevna Ogudalova Harriet Hedenmo
Larisa Dmitrievna, her daughter Gunnel Lindblom
Mokij Parmenytj Knurov, merchant Benkt-Åke Benktsson
VasilijDanilytjVozjevatov,ayoung man Folke Sundquist
Julij Kapitonytj Karandysjev Toivo Pawlo
Sergej Sergeitj Paratov, a nobleman Max von Sydow
Efrosinia Potapovna,Karandysjev’saunt Naima Wifstrand
Robinson Åke Fridell
Gavrilo, café owner Josef Norman
Ivan, waiter Björn Bjelvenstam
Ilja, a gypsy Berndt Henziger

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Commentary
Ostrovskij’s play, written in 1878, introduced bourgeois drama in Russia, but had never been
performed in Sweden when Ingmar Bergman decided to stage it at Malmö’s Intimate Stage.
Originally conceived as a social satire of its time, Bergman transformed the play into an ironic
critique of the male species.
The play was translated by Gun Bergman, Ingmar Bergman’s third wife, who later became a
lecturer in Slavic Languages at Uppsala University.
Assistant Director Lennart Olsson’s copy (no. 262) is available at the Malmö Music Theatre
Archives. It contains sketches of furniture, description of performers’ activities, and suggestions
of sounds like chiming bells and boat whistles. The copy also indicates cuts (mostly short cues).
Reception
‘A melodrama in a provincial town – wonderful material for Ingmar Bergman to work with!’
[Ett melodrama i en landsortsstad – underbart material för IB att arbeta med], exclaimed Nils
Beyer in his review. He and others remarked on the kinship in temperament between director
and playwright. Thus Ivar Harrie (Expr.) wrote:
Yesterday evening one got to witness the encounter of two remarkable poets of the theatre:
Ingmar Bergman and Alexander Ostrovskij. The meeting was a bang, a real theatrical bang
[...] which continued uninterrupted for three straight hours until our heads were spinning
and our ears ringing. One should have been prepared for such a thunderous outburst. [...]
Ostrovkij presents exactly the score that tempts Ingmar Bergman to let loose without
inhibition.

[I går kväll kunde man bevittna mötet mellan två anmärkningsvärda teaterdiktare: Ingmar
Bergman och Alexander Ostrovskij. Mötet blev en skräll, en riktig teaterskräll [...] som
fortsatte oavbrutet tre timmar i sträck tills det svindlade för ögonen och susade i öronen.
Sådan urladdning borde man ha varit beredd på. [...] Ostrovskij presenterar exakt det
partitur, den text som kan fresta Bergman att släppa loss utan hämningar].
Not to be outdone in his response, Hans Ruin (SDS) enthused: ‘What a fantastic production!
What Ingmar Bergman has accomplished with the best resources a theatre has to offer and with
Martin Ahlbom’s set design is truly worth seeing. Are you interested in theatre? Then go and see
Ingmar Bergman’s staging of Ostrovskij’s Bride without a Dowry!’ [Vilken fantastisk produk-
tion! Vad Ingmar Bergman har åstadkommit med teaterns bästa resurser och med Martin
Ahlboms scenografi är sannerligen värt att se. Är ni intresserad av teater? Gå då och se Ingmar
Bergmans uppsättning av Ostroskijs Bruden utan hemgift!].
Among somewhat more tempered assessments was Urban Stenström’s (SvD): ‘It is a charm-
ing performance but not one of Bergman’s astounding and unsurpassable ones’. [Det är en
förtjusande föreställning men inte någon av Bergmans häpnadsväckande och oöverträffliga].
Several reviewers wrote that Bergman’s eagerness to enforce his personal interpretation on the
play was detrimental to the actors and to the original pacing of the piece. (See ST and AB).
On the whole, the reception of this stage production demonstrated the same kind of am-
bivalence that much of Bergman’s filmmaking was beginning to elicit abroad: On the one hand
a critical corps overwhelmed by the director’s uninhibited and visually charged presentation; on
the other hand, reservations about an artist who seemed to manipulate both his cast and his
audiences emotionally to enforce his personal vision.

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Reviews
B-nd. (Allan Bergstrand). ‘Rysk urpremiär på Intiman’ [Russian world opening at Intiman].
Arbetet, 29 January 1956.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Melodram i småstadsram’ [Melodrama within a small town frame]. MT, 29 January
1956.
Hansingvar Hansson. ‘Toivo Pawlos triumf ’. ST, 29 January 1956
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Teaterskräll i Malmö’ [Theatre bang in Malmö]. Expr., 31 January 1956.
Hr. Bert. ‘En verden uden kærlighed’ [A world without love]. Politiken (Copenhagen), 30
January 1956.
Kjellström, Nils. ‘Ingmar Bergmans ryske klassiker’ [Bergman’s Russian classic]. Vecko-Journal-
en, No 9, 1956.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Brud utan hemgift’ [Bride without dowry]. DN, 29 January 1956.
M.B. ‘Äktenskap med förhinder’ [Marriage thwarted]. AB, 29 January 1956.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Bruden utan hemgift’. SDS, 29 January 1956.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Ostrovskij i Malmö’. SvD, 29 January 1956.
See also
Henrik Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 169-71.
On opening night, Max von Sydow received the Thalia Prize, an annual Swedish award for best
actor, sponsored by SvD.

428. KATT PÅ HETT PLÅTTAK [Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]

Credits
Playwright Tennessee Williams
Translator Sven Barthel
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Härje Ekman
Costumes Greta Johansson and Manne Lindholm
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 19 October 1956
Cast
Big Daddy Benkt-Åke Benktsson
Mommy Lisa Lundholm
Brick Max von Sydow
Maggie Eva Stiberg
Gooper Nils Eklund
Mae Harriet Hedenmo
Dixie Mimmo Wåhlander
Doctor Baugh Nils Nygren
Pastor Tooker Gustaf Färingborg
Lacey Lenn Hjortzberg
Sookey Ulla Rodhe
Commentary
Williams’ play was presented on four different stages in Sweden in 1956. The most notable
features in Bergman’s production were his strong focus on the father-son conflict; his inter-
pretation of Brick, the son and husband, as a drunken degenerate cripple without any charm;

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and his total unmasking of all the characters, ending in their complete loss of illusions, without
any trace of the (forced) happy end that was presented in the original Broadway production.
A director’s copy (no. 271) is available at the Malmö Music Theatre Archives. It includes
sketches of the stage suggesting props and actors’ movements and with notes referring to the
tone of voice to be used. The Brick-Big Daddy confrontation scene indicates more of a violent
physical encounter than Williams’ text.
Reception
In a comparison between the different Swedish productions of Williams’ play, Bergman’s
presentation received the most glowing reviews. ‘Malmö’, wrote Ingvar Holm (DN), ‘had a
secret weapon: it is Ingmar Bergman [...]. One is vanquished, happy, joyful [...]. The whole
performance [...] was strict and feverish, it was a sexual trench war but even more a tragedy of
loneliness. As the curtain came down, a great liberated jubilation burst forth from the Malmö
audience. With that jubilance one greeted a masterpiece’. [Malmö hade ett hemligt vapen: Det
är Ingmar Bergman [...] Man är besegrad, lycklig, glad [...]. Hela föreställningen [...] var sträng
och febrig. Det var sexuellt krypskytte men mer av ensamhetens tragedi [...]. När ridån föll var
det ett stort befriat jubel som trängde fram hos Malmöpubliken. Med det jublet hälsades ett
mästerverk].
Yet, the reviews varied a great deal and most were more metaphorical than precise. AB called
the production, ‘a rather hot cat on a tin roof ’ [en ganska het katt på plåttak], while ST
described the performance as ‘a cat without claws’ [en katt utan klor] and SvD likened Berg-
man’s version to a cat on an overheated roof.
Reviews
A. B-nd. (Allan Bergstrand). ‘Williams i Malmö’. Arbetet, 20 October 1956.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Tre teaterkvällar i Malmö’. MT, 21 December 1956.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Tennessee Williams-premär i Malmö i går’. Expr., 20 October 1956.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘En katt utan klor’ [A cat without claws]. ST, 20 October 1956.
Holm, Ingvar. ‘Katt på hett plåttak i Ingmar Bergmans regi’ [Cat on a hot tin roof in Ingmar
Bergman’s direction]. DN, 20 October 1956.
M.B. ‘Het katt på plåttak’. AB, 20 October 1956.
Om. ‘Upphettat plåttak i Malmö’ [Overheated tin roof in Malmö]. SvD, 20 October 1956.
See also
Henrik Sjögren. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 171-75.

429. ERIK XIV

Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Per Falk
Costumes Greta Johansson and Manne Lindholm
Music Ingvar Wieslander
Choreography Ingrid Tönsager
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 7 December 1956
Cast
Erik XIV Toivo Pawlo
Göran Persson Åke Fridell

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Count Carl Max von Sydow

Karin Månsdotter Bibi Andersson
Måns, her father Rune Turesson
Svante Sture Åke Askner
Nils Sture, his son Leif Hedberg:
Erik Sture, his son Bernt Henziger
Nils Gyllenstjerna Björn Bjelvenstam
Göran’s mother Jullan Kindahl
Agda Ingrid Thulin/Gunnel Lindblom
Katarina Stenbock Gerd Hein
Nigels Goldsmith Åke Åkerlund
Count Johan Nils Eklund
Peder Welamson Yngve Nordwall
Ensign Max Axel Düberg
The Bridgekeeper Josef Norman
Lejonhufvud Gustav Färingborg
Ivarsson Hans Kjölaas
Brahe Karl-Fredrik Liljeholm
Stenbock Per Björkman
The Dwarf Lenn Hjortzberg
Two courtiers Gerhard Lindqvist, Thure Carlman
Commentary
Assistant Director Lennart Olsson’s copy (no. 274) is available at the Malmö Music Theatre
Archives. It includes a cast list, quite a few very rudimentary stage sketches and suggestions of
actors’ movements.
Bergman’s approach was to stylize the setting in Strindberg’s history play and minimize stage
conventions. There were no specially constructed interior or exterior sets, no rotating stage, and
no curtain. The only décor was an immense vault that spanned the stage and could be lowered
and raised by a simple mechanism. This vault served to link intimate scenes and mass scenes.
The stage had an immense depth where royal regalia and costumes glistened, with purple and
hermine lying on the floor in soft pleats. Crowds of guests in rags appeared in the famous
wedding scene, like survivors from Bergman’s own flagellant scene in The Seventh Seal. Mem-
bers of the court were in black with wax-like faces, performing a graceful dance of death.
Bergman did not cut a single line from Strindberg’s text but added new dramatic vignettes,
such as a vampire-like courtly ballet and the appearance of a substitute king at Erik’s and Karin
Månsdaughter’s wedding, dressed like a woman but wearing a huge white beard.
Reception
The reviews of the Erik XIV production were sharply mixed, a great many of them highly
critical, calling Bergman’s approach an unfortunate return to an earlier, more excessive direct-
ing style. Ebbe Linde wrote: ‘There is no support in Strindberg’s text or in our Renaissance
history for such impulses (as the transvestite substitute king). [...] No, such bubbles from a
childhood swamp must be limited to Bergman’s own literary production. Directing should
mean interpretation and not capricious additions, the right name for which [...] is self-indul-
gence’. [Det finns inget stöd för ett sådant tilltag, varken hos Strindberg eller i vår renässans-
historia [...] Nej, sådana bubblor ur barndomsträsket må begränsas till den egna litterära
produktionen. Regi skall vara tolkning och inte nyckfull nydiktning, vars rätta namn [...] blir
självsvåld]. Donnér (Skånska Dagbladet) referred to the production as ‘coarse and clumsy
symbol-making, a relapse to the director’s infamous and stubbornly juvenile fantasies’ [ett

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grovt och klumpigt symbolmakeri, ett återfall i regissörens ökända och envist barnsliga fanta-
sier].
At the other end of the critical spectrum were views like Hansingvar Hansson’s (ST) who
nominated Bergman as Olof Molander’s heir as a director of Strindberg, and Per Erik Wahlund
in SvD who concluded ambiguously: ‘In sum, it is a production one could probably cope with
seeing seven times a week, nota bene in a single week’. [In summa, det är en föreställning som
man nog skulle stå ut med att se sju gånger i veckan, nota bene under en enda vecka].
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Tre teaterkvällar i Malmö’ [Three theatre evenings in Malmö]. MT, 21 December
1956.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Erik XIV på Stadsteatern’. Skånska Dagbladet, 8 December 1956.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘Ingvar (sic) Bergmans Erik XIV’. ST, 8 December 1956.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Erik XIV vidfilmsspel om kungakrona’ [Bergman’s Erik XIV:
wide angle play about a royal crown]. Expr., 8 December 1956.
K-R. ‘Ingmar Bergman vann ny seger’ [Bergman gained a new victory]. MT, 8 December 1956.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Ingmar Bergman är självsvåldig’ [Bergman is self-indulgent]. DN, 8 December
1956.
PGP. ‘Ingmar Bergman slätrakad’ [Bergman clean-shaven]. AB, 15 December 1956.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Strindbergspremiär. Stor teater’. SDS, 8 December 1950.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Erik XIV på Malmö Stadsteater’. SvD, 8 December 1956.

1957
430. PEER GYNT
Credits
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Härje Ekman
Costumes Greta Johansson and Manne Lindholm
Music Carl-Erik Hansson and Ingvar Wieslander
Choreography Ingrid Tönsager
Lighting Nils Andersson
Make-up Karl Magnusson
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 8 March 1957
Cast
Peer Gynt Max von Sydow
Åse, his mother Naima Wifstrand
Kari, peasant woman Jullan Kindahl
Old Woman Gudrun Brost
Eyvind Åke Åkerlund
Aslak, the Smith Gustaf Färingborg
The Bridegroom Björn Bjelvenstam
Bridegroom’s father John Degerberg
Bridegroom’s mother Alfhild Degerberg
Hans Hans Kjölaas
The Cook Per Björkman

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Haegstad Farmer Åke Fridell

Ingrid, his daughter Eva Stiberg
Solveig Gunnel Lindblom
Her father Nils Nygren
Her mother Judith Frithiof
Helga, her sister Karin Olafsdottir
Master Cotton Gustaf Färingborg
Von Eberkopf Bengt von Knorring
Trumpeterstråhle Åke Askner
Monsieur Ballon Nils Eklund
The Thief Thure Carlman
Hider of stolen goods Axel Düberg
Anitra Ingrid Thulin
Prof. Begriffenfelt Åke Fridell
Huhu Nils Nygren
The Fellah Leif Hedberg
Hussein Rune Turesson
A Madman Hans Polster
Guttorm Bernt Henziger
Three Girls at saeter Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Ulla Rodhe
The Woman in Green Gerd Hein
Her Sister Mimmo Wåhlander
The Dovre King Åke Fridell
Troll at Dovre Court Per Björkman
Troll Kids Maud Hansson, Anna-Stina Walton
Troll Maiden Helena Reuterblad
Troll Cook Bengt Rosén
Eldest Troll Åke Järnfalk
The Witch Leif Forstenberg
Old Witch Hans Polster
Limping Glytten Lenn Hjortzberg
The Captain Rune Turesson
The Lookout Dagfinn Heiborg
First Mate Karl Fredrik Liljeholm
The Cook Axel Düberg
Strange Passenger Oscar Ljung
The Deckhand Jöran Olsson
A Boy Gerhard Lindqvist
The Sheriff John Degerberg
The Old Man Josef Norman
The Button Molder Toivo Pawlo
The Thin One Yngve Nordwall
Commentary
There is no production copy in the Malmö Music Theatre Archives but the Malmö City Arhive
(Malmö Stadsarkiv) has individual performers’ cue books.
Bergman’s production of Peer Gynt was billed as the biggest artistic investment in the history
of the Malmö City Theatre, with over 90 people participating, 130 wigs combed, 276 costumes

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sewn, and 33 scene changes. Added to the acting ensemble were numerous singers, ballet
dancers, and students at the theatre’s drama school.
Some scenes were naturalistic, such as the wedding at Haegstad; other scenes were stylized
through the use of enlarged back projections, based on the set designer’s sketches. In the words
of reviewer P.G. Petterson (AB), the immense crescent-shaped stage was at times filled with
colorful doll house interiors, like plates designed for Asbjörnsen and Moe’s folktales; at other
times the stage became an empty wasteland, ‘like the earth at the moment of creation’. [som
jorden i skapelseögonblicket].
Bergman’s intention was to de-romanticize Peer Gynt. For that reason he did not avail
himself of Grieg’s or Sæverud’s music (but of Norwegian folk music and brief musical com-
positions by Carl-Erik Hansson and Ingvar Wieslander). One reviewer (Bæckström in GHT)
found the result amazing, ‘like seeing a painting free from old yellowed gallery varnish’. [som att
se en målning befriad från gulnad gallerifernissa]. Nor was Peer Gynt himself (Max von Sydow)
cast as a blond Norwegian farm boy but as a dark-haired lad with gypsy blood in his veins. Both
his looks and dynamic temperament made him a kin of the feared trolls.
Bergman staged the play in three acts (rather than the original five), ending each act with a
climactic scene: Mother Ase’s death; the madhouse in Cairo; and Peer’s meeting with the
Buttonmolder. The last part of the play – Peer’s homecoming – was acted out on an empty
stage with figures disappearing into backstage darkness. Despite cuts, the performance lasted
almost five hours, including intermissions, during which hot dogs (at the time a rather un-
conventional fare on opening night) were served in the lobby. See Malmö City Theatre’s
newsletter Teater-Nytt, 1957. For a pre-opening reportage, see Age, DN, ‘Ingmar Bergman
gör hela Peer Gynt, men utan musik’ [Bergman does the whole of Peer Gynt, but without
music], 21 December 1956, p. 14.
Reception
Though much praise went to Max von Sydow as Peer Gynt and Naima Wifstrand as his mother
Åse, it was Bergman’s direction that captured the press enthusiasm. Ulla Isaksson, Bergman’s
script collaborator on the film Nära livet (Close to Life 1958), wrote in the magazine Idun : ‘It is
Ingmar Bergman who dominates the production from beginning to end: his fire, his know-
how, his magical imagination’. [Det är Ingmar Bergman som dominerar produktionen från
början till slut: hans eld, hans kunnande, hans magiska fantasi]. The GHT theatre critic (Bæck-
ström) admired Bergman’s ability to shape the mise-en-scene in such a way that one felt, ‘in
every step, the firm grasp of an artistic will’, [i varje fas kände den konstnärliga viljans tum-
grepp].
Ebbe Linde (DN) claimed that with Bergman and his ensemble, Sweden’s, perhaps Europe’s,
dramatic centre was now Malmö. Therefore he suggested sending the production to the Eur-
opean theatre festival in Paris. Linde’s proposal is worth noting. By following his continuous
assessment of Bergman’s stagecraft from the late Forties and on, one can gain an idea of how
the forefront among Swedish theatre critics reacted to Bergman’s work. Unlike some of his
contemporary colleagues, such as Nils Beyer and Herbert Grevenius who were much more
appreciative of Bergman’s theatre directing from the start, Linde moved from a very skeptical,
blatantly negative point of view to a gradual positive recognition of Bergman’s talent. Hence his
evaluative summary of a production like Bergman’s Peer Gynt carries special weight:
The masterpiece is the only thing that matters, said Palinurus. Here is the masterpiece,
blooming for one day or fifty, enough to forgive and condone the whole Ingmar Bergman
phenomenon with all the difficulties and trouble it has entailed. And the viewer must be
happy that Ingmar Bergman got to live this long [he was 49!] and that he himself [the
viewer] got to live and see such a rich and beautiful piece of theatre.

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[Mästerverket är det enda som betyder något, säger Palinurus. Här är nu mästerverket,
blommande för en dag, eller femtio, nog för att urskulda och motivera hela fenomenet
Ingmar Bergman med allt vad det inneburit av snår och trassel. Och nog för att åskådaren
skall vara glad över att regissören fick leva så långt, och över att han fick leva själv och vara
med att beskåda ett så rikt och skönt stycke teater].
In sharp contrast to the mostly rave Swedish reception of Ibsen’s play, Norwegian reviewers
offered rather devastating criticism, one reason perhaps being that Bergman’s conception of
Peer Gynt as a sinner differed too much from the view of Peer as a national icon, a charming
albeit irresponsible Norwegian country lad. The unsigned reviewer in Oslo Morgenbladet (9
March 1957) found the performance too marked by Bergman’s ‘diabolic wish’ to unmask and
stress Peer’s lack of character, his egotism, impudence, cowardice, and bad conscience. Herbert
Steinthal’s review in Aftenposten (9 March 1957) found the performance ‘very, very long’, could
discover no pervasive theme in the production and called von Sydow’s role ‘a technical feat’ but
uninspired; he was also critical of the omission of Grieg’s music. Practically the only feature to
be approved by Steinthal was the presentation of the Dovre King and his troll family, who
reminded him of the drawings by Norwegian troll illustrator Kittelsen. There was a degree of
national chauvinism in some of the Norwegian response to Bergman’s version of Peer Gynt.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Peer Gynt i Malmö’. Morgenbladet (Oslo), 9 March 1957.
Bergstrand, Allan. ‘Stadsteaterns Peer Gynt’. Arbetet, 9 March 1957.
Beyer, Nils. ‘En storartad Peer Gynt’ [A glorious PG]. MT, 9 March 1957.
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Peer Gynt i Malmö’. GHT, 13 March 1957.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Peer Gynt-premiär’. Skånska Dagbladet, 9 March 1957.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Den teatraliske Peer Gynt’. AB, 9 March 1957.
Isaksson, Ulla. ‘Ingmar, trollkarlen’ [Ingmar, the magician]. Idun, no. 12, 1957.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Det ville sig inte för Ingmar Bergman: Peer Gynt korrekt och lite tråkig’ [It didn’t
click for Bergman: Peer Gynt correct and a bit dull]. Expr., 9 March 1957.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Peer Gynt i Malmö’. DN, 9 March 1957.
Linder, Erik Hj. ‘Peer Gynt “sådan den är”’ [PG ‘such as it is’]. Morgonbladet, 9 March 1957.
M.K. ‘Peer Gynt’. Vecko-Revyn, no. 12, 1957.
PGP. ‘Ingmar Bergmans dagdröm’ [Bergman’s daydream]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 11, 1957.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Peer Gynt’. SDS, 9 March 1957.
Steinthal, Herbert. No title. Aftenposten, 9 March 1957.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Peer Gynt som botgörardrama’ [Peer Gynt as drama of atonement]. ST, 9
March 1957.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Peer Gynt i Malmö’. SvD, 9 March 1957.
Essays or Special Studies
Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theatre, 1982, pp. 172-78.
Piersdorff, Erik. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Peer Gynt. Et moderne Spill om Enhver’ [Bergman’s Peer
Gynt. A modern play about Everyman]. Morgenbladet (Norwegian), 1 April 1957. (Piersdorff
compares briefly and favorably the Malmö production with the Norwegian National Thea-
tre’s staging of the play at the Ibsen jubilee in 1956. He argues that the Malmö City Theatre’s
immense stage with its modern technology was right for Ibsen’s epic drama with its many
scene changes).
Ruin, Hans. ‘Peer Gynt i Malmö’. Studiekamraten, no. 3-4, 1957. (A 4-page study of Peer’s
personality with reference to essays on the subject by Swedish philosopher Hans Larsson

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and Danish theatre critic Frederik Schyberg. The second half of the essay is an analysis of
the Malmö production).
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 182-93.
Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Spänningen Ingmar Bergman’. Vi, no. 14 (5 April) 1957: 16-17, 38. (Article based
on visit to rehearsals of Peer Gynt at the Malmö City Theatre. Sjöman is critical of Berg-
man’s staging of the madhouse scene in Act IV, which he felt turned Ibsen’s satire into
tasteless fun-making of mentally retarded people).

431. MISANTROPEN [The Misanthrope]

Credits
Original Title Le Misantrope
Playwright Molière
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant director Gösta Ekman
Stage Design/Costumes Kerstin Hedeby
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 6 December 1957
Cast
Alceste, a nobleman Max von Sydow
Célimène, young widow Gertrud Fridh
Philinte, friend of Alceste Frank Sundström
Dubois, Alceste’s servant Axel Düberg
Eliante, Célimène’s cousin Bibi Andersson
Basque, Célimène’s servant Lenn Hjortzberg
Arsinoë, Célimène’s friend Marianne Aminoff
An officer Leif Forstenberg
Oronte, a courtier Åke Fridell
Clitandre, a marquis Oscar Ljung
Ae, a marquis Tor Isedal
Commentary
A director’s copy in two parts (Act I and Act II, no. 298) as well as assistant director Gösta
Ekman’s copy are in the Bergman archive at SFI. Individual members’ cue copies are available at
Malmö Music Theatre Archives. Some of these contain brief notes, others just doodles.
Bergman placed only four black chairs and canapes on a chequered marble floor – like a
chessboard – against an autumnal tapestry-like backdrop. The only scene changes consisted of
two servants moving the chairs around. Two heavy chandeliers cast a yellowish light over a stage
flanked by two high portals. The sober color scheme in the décor was offset by the bright
costumes and Alceste’s black attire. Max von Sydow’s mask with its thin black moustache
reminded some commentators of Molière. The mask was similar to Vogler’s in Ansiktet (The
Magician).
Reception
Bergman’s Molière presentation received rave reviews, with critics focusing on the erotic ten-
sion that permeated his interpretation of Molière’s comedy of manners and on Max von
Sydow’s portrayal of an angry young man and idealist. It was a colorful production in which
the exquisite costumes enthralled the reviewers; Hans Ruin (SDS) claimed never to have seen
the likes of it: ‘It was no longer cloth and textiles we saw, it was the glimmer of precious stones.
[...] When the actors moved in precise turns [...] (they looked like) puffed up birds in tropical

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feathers’. [Det var inte längre tyger och vävnader vi såg, det var glansen hos ädelstenar. [...] När
de agerande [...] rörde sig i välavvägda turer (såg de ut som) uppblåsta fåglar i tropisk fjäder-
skrud].
The production was called ‘an epoch in Swedish Molière interpretations’ [en epok i svensk
Molieretolkning]. (Harrie, Expr.). Nils Beyer (MT) urged the administrative head at Dramaten
in Stockholm to pay attention to Bergman’s success:
Right now one would wish [...] that Gierow [head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre] would
close the national stage for a few evenings and make a study trip with his entire ensemble to
Malmö to see how Molière should be played. For Ingmar Bergman’s staging on Malmö’s
Main Stage of The Misanthrope is the finest Molière presentation that has appeared on a
Swedish theatre in our lifetime.

[Just nu skulle man [...] önska att Gierow stängde nationalscenen för några kvällar och med
hela sin personal företog en studieresa till Malmö för att se hur Molière skall spelas. Ingmar
Bergmans iscensättning på Stora scenen av ‘Misantropen’ är nämligen den yppersta Molière-
föreställning, som i vår livstid gått på en svensk teater.]
The critical tributes to Ingmar Bergman’s Misanthrope production culminated in Henrik Sjög-
ren’s review (Kvällsposten), in part written as an official thank-you note to the director: ‘TO
INGMAR BERGMAN: my admiration and gratefulness for The Misanthrope. As far as I under-
stand it, this is the most ingenious staging, the finest, richest, and most sensitive production
that the Malmö City Theatre has ever shown’. [TILL INGMAR BERGMAN: min beundran och
tacksamhet för ‘Misantropen’. Så vitt jag förstår är det hans mest geniala uppsättning, den
finaste, lödigaste, känsligaste föreställning Malmö stadsteater någonsin visat].
With his Misanthrope production, essential features in Bergman’s stagecraft became cemen-
ted in the critical evaluation: clarity and balance; musical timing of dialogue, coupled with
precise movement of the actors; and careful attention to details in mise-en-scene and gesture. It
is also apparent that reviewer appreciation focused more on Bergman’s ability to present a
splendid and cohesive feast for the eye than on his character and theme analysis. This was a
marked contrast to the reception of his filmmaking with its focus on thematic content.
Reviews
A. A-l (Alvar Asterdahl). ‘Molière i Malmö’. Arbetet, 7 December 1957, p. 6.
Beyer, Nils. ‘’Misantropen’ i Malmö’. MT, 7 December 1957, p. 9.
S. B-l (Sven Barthel). ‘Molière i praktfull infattning’ [Molière in a splendid frame]. DN, 7
December 1957, p. 16.
Engberg, Harald. ‘Molières vrede unge mand’ [Molière’s angry young man]. Politiken, 8 De-
cember 1957.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Moralkakor i Malmö’ [Moral lessons in Malmö]. AB, 7 December 1957, p. 2.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Ingmar Bergmans nya recept: Inga konster får störa konsten’ [Bergman’s new
recipe: No tricks must disturb art]. Expr., 7 December 1957, p. 4.
PGP. ‘Barockt men skönt’ [Baroque but beautiful]. Vecko-Journalen, 1957: 51-52.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Människoföraktaren’ [The Misanthrope]. SDS, 7 December 1957, p. 26.
Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Ingmar Bergman gör det otroliga: Intim stilteater på Stora scenen. En höjd-
punkt i svenskt teaterliv’ [Bergman does the incredible: Intimate classical theatre on the
Main Stage. A high point in Swedish theatre life!]. Kvällsposten, 7 December 1957, p. 4.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Molières och Bergmans trollspö över Malmö’. [Molière’s and Bergman’s
magic wand over Malmö]. ST, 7 December 1957, p. 11.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘’Misantropen’ i Malmö’. SvD, 7 December 1957, p. 15.

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See also
Age (Anders Elsberg). ‘Ung konstnärinna gör vacker dekor till Ingmar Bergmans Misantropen’
[Young woman artist does beautiful décor for Bergman’s Misanthrope]. DN, 3 December
1957. (About costumier Kerstin Hedeby but also brief interview with Bergman about ‘the
different stages of purgatory’ that a director must pass through before the opening of a
production).
Andersson, Bibi. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Program note to 1957 Malmö production of Misantropen.
Marker, Frederick & Lise Lone. Ingmar Bergman: A Life in the Theater, 1992, contains a good
section on Bergman’s Molière productions, and so does Henrik Sjögren’s book Lek och raseri,
2002.
Guest Performance in Helsinki
The Malmö Misantropen visited Svenska Teatern in Helsinki in the spring of 1958. For reception,
see:
A.M. ‘Malmö stadsteaters gästspel’ [Malmö City Theatre guest performance]. Hangö tidning, 10
May 1958.
H.K. ‘Misantropen – Malmö stadsteaters glansfulla giv’ [The Misanthrope – Malmö City
Theatre’s spectacular offer]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 7 May 1958.

1958
432. SAGAN [The Legend]
Credits
Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Härje Ekman
Music Ingvar Wieslander
Choreography Ingrid Tönager
Costumes Greta Johansson and Manne Lindholm
Masks and Wigs Karl Mangusson
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Intiman Stage
Opening Date 12 April 1958
Cast
Sagan Bibi Andersson
Ehrenstål Oscar Ljung
Sune Folke Sundquist
Rose Ingrid Thulin
Astrid Gunnel Lindblom
Gerhard Max von Sydow
Leo, the dog Invisible
Colonel’s wife Dagny Lind
Chamber servant Allan Edwall
Flora Naima Wifstrand
Legal clerk Per Björkman
Guests at Ball Maud Hansson, Anna-Stina Walton, Bengt Rosén,
Hans Polster

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Commentary
Hjalmar Bergman’s posthumous play is a combination of poetic dreamplay and social satire. In
his second staging of Sagan Ingmar Bergman toned down the lyrical fairy tale elements and
focussed on the darker, tragic aspects of the play. Especially noteworthy was his use of his
namesake’s concept of human beings as marionettes, which he visualized in the pirouette-like
mechanical encounter between the older Ehrenstål family and the vulnerable young lovers.
Assistant director Gösta Ekman’s copy (no. 303) is available at the Malmö Theatre Archives.
His stage design sketches are quite detailed and his notes are clear and legible. The director’s
copy is among Bergman’s papers, at SFI Archive.
Reception
Ingmar Bergman’s Malmö production was said to improve upon the original text by giving it a
new clarity of vision and by stylizing the realistic middle section of the play. (See P.G. Petterson
in VJ; Hans Ruin in SDS; and Steinthal in Danish Politiken). Ivar Harrie (Expr.) thought that
Bergman’s Sagan production surpassed his recent, much praised Misanthrope staging. Ebbe
Linde (DN) congratulated Ingmar Bergman for presenting an exquisite ensemble, confirming
Malmö’s position as Sweden’s most vital stage. Most of the praise went to the supporting roles
played by Max von Sydow, Allan Edwall, and Naima Wifstrand, while the major roles with Bibi
Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, and Folke Sundquist, got mixed reactions. In a review with the nasty
title ‘När grodorna kväker’ (When the frogs are croaking), Allan Fagerström (AB) claimed that
Bergman worked with mediocre artists and characterized Bibi Andersson’s title character as a
sweet fairy tale figure who lacked the voice needed for her long poetic cues. Folke Sundquist’s
young lover was said to only demonstrate how ‘a slender young man can become even more
slender in pants sewn at a theatre costume workshop’ [en smal ung man kan bli ännu smalare i
byxor sydda i teaterns klädateljé].
It is clear however that the Malmö production of Sagan confirmed Ingmar Bergman’s
position as one of Sweden’s outstanding theatre directors while suggesting that his impressive
stagecraft was related to an increasing ability to subsume his own vision to that of the original
dramatic text (see Wahlund, SvD).
It might be noted that although Bergman employed many members of his Malmö ensemble
in his by now internationally successful filmmaking ventures, none of the reviewers of his stage
productions made any comparisons between his two artistic activities. To them, he was first and
foremost a theatre director. Cf. however reception of next item, Goethe’s Ur-Faust.
Reviews
Bergstrand, Allan. ‘Bitterljuv vår på Intiman’ [Bitter-sweet spring at Intiman]. Arbetet, 13 April
1958.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘När grodorna kväker’ [When the frogs are croaking]. AB, 13 April 1958.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Sagan’. ST, 13 April 1958.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘En grym lek med kärleken’ [Cruel playing with love]. Expr., 13 April 1958.
Isaksson, Ulla. ‘Grymma lekar’ [Cruel games]. Idun. No. 18, 1958.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Hjalmar Bergmans Sagan’. DN, 13 April 1958.
PGP. ‘Bergmans saga’. Vecko-Journalen, no. 17, 1958.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Sagan på Intiman’. SDS, 13 April 1958.
Steinthal, Herbert. ‘En forgænger for det poetiske teater’ [A precursor of the poetic theatre].
Politiken (Copenhagen), 21 April 1958.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Sagan i Malmö’ SvD, 13 April 1958.

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Guest Performance Abroad

Paris, Théatre Sarah Bernardt, 23-25 April 1959
The Sagan production was invited to the Theatre of the Nations festival in Paris in April 1959.
The time of the guest performance coincided with the French opening of Bergman’s film
Smultronstället (Les fraises sauvages). At a press conference on 21 April 1959, Bergman charmed
reporters with quick and witty replies to questions that mostly concerned his filmmaking and
the connection between his film and theatre work. See Paris press, April 22, 1959.
The enthusiastic audience reception on opening night was mostly reserved for Ingmar Berg-
man who appeared in person after the performance. It was an evening with celebrities and
cultural names. In attendance were authors Marcel Aymé, Albert Camus, Samuel Beckett, and
Eugene Ionesco, film actresses Ingrid Bergman, Jeanne Moreau, and Juliette Greco, numerous
theatre directors and performers from the Comédie Française, nine ambassadors from all the
Nordic countries plus Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and India. Also present was Drama-
ten’s head Karl Ragnar Gierow and Hjalmar Bergman’s widow Stina. The audience on opening
night also included 400 journalists from 25 different countries. Most Swedish press releases
about the guest performance paid little attention to the critical response to Bergman’s produc-
tion and focussed instead on the public event itself. See: ‘’Sagan’ fångade parisarna’ [Sagan
captured the Parisians]. Lunds Dagblad, 24 April 1959; ‘Sagan gjorde lysande Paris-debut’ [Sagan
made brilliant Paris debut], SDS, 22 April 1959, p. 3; ‘Sagans poesi svår för Paris’, [Sagan’s poetry
difficult for Paris], DN, 24 April 1959, p. 16; ‘Film och teater. Svensk succé i Paris’ [Swedish
success in Paris], Mora Tidning, 24 April 1959; ‘Publikovationer i Paris vid premiären på ‘Sagan’’
[Public ovations in Paris on opening night of ‘Sagan’], SvD, pp. 3, 23. However, see also Arbetet
report ‘Lite besviken eftersmak’ [A little bitter aftertaste], 24 April 1959, p. 1.
All three performances were sold out. Bergman’s reputation as a gloom-and-doom Nordic
filmmaker had preceded his presentation of Sagan in Paris. The (London) Times reviewer
(unsigned) wrote: ‘Anyone who is familiar with Mr. Ingmar Bergman’s passion for the macabre
and lugubrious aspects of the human predicament will understand why he was attracted to this
drama’.
Yet, although translated copies of Hjalmar Bergman’s play, which was performed in Swedish,
were distributed among the audience, unfamiliarity with Hjalmar Bergman’s authorship re-
sulted in rather bland, though polite French reviews. Le Monde’s reviewer Robert Kemp gave up
understanding the play, which he felt was too far removed from French culture and mindscape.
All in all, however, he called the occasion ‘une jolie soirée’.
Reviews
n.a. ‘The Two Bergmans in Paris’. The Times, 27 April 1959.
Fabre, Jacqueline. ‘Ingmar Bergman à Paris’. Libération, 22 April 1959. Press meeting report.
G. Joly. ‘Au Théâtre des Nations. Festival Bergman. “Une Saga”’. Aurore, 24 April 1959.
Kemp, Robert. ‘La Saga au Théâtre des Nations’. Le Monde, 25 April 1959, Spectacles page.
Marcabru, Pierre. ‘Actualités’. Arts, 25 April 1959.

433. FAUST [Ur-Faust]

Credits
Author Johan Wolfgang von Goethe
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Kerstin Hedeby
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 17 October 1958

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Cast
Faust Max von Sydow
Mephistopheles Toivo Pawlo
Gretchen Gunnel Lindblom
Wagner Oscar Ljung
The Student Axel Düberg
Frosch Åke Askner
Altmeyer Gustaf Färingborg
Siebel Tor Isedal
Brander Leif Hedberg
Lieschen Bibi Andersson
Valentin Folke Sundquist
Evil Spirit Gerd Hein
The Priest Arne Hasselblad
Commentary
A director’s copy (no. 302) is in the Bergman archive at SFI. Assistant director’s copy (Gösta
Ekman) is available at Malmö Theatre Archives. It contains some inserted loose notes in
Bergman’s handwriting, describing scene sequences (three acts, eighteen scenes), moods, and
basic themes (strong sense of life, feeling for nature, individualism, megalomania). There is also
a reference to 18th-century puppetry (mentioned in Goethe’s Dichtung und Wahrheit) and a
sketchy outline of Faust figures from 15th, 16th and 17th centuries where the title character is
described as an ambiguous charlatan, a vagabond, an adventurer, and a forceful renaissance
man full of contempt for dry medieval science.
Bergman chose to stage the original version of Goethe’s Faust, written when Goethe was 23-
24 years old and first read in a literary salon in Weimar in 1775, only to be lost and rediscovered
more than 100 years later. In an interview (Vilgot Sjöman, below), Bergman explained his
choice of Ur-Faust: ‘The work was rhythmic, clear, cohesive, complete as theatre... all that which
the later Faust is not’. [rytmisk, klar, enhetlig, avslutad som teater... allt det som den senare
Faust inte är]. Another reason for his choice might have been that Ur-Faust had been broadcast
on Swedish Radio two years earlier in a new translation (by Bertil Malmberg), which made it
more accessible to a modern Swedish audience.
In the Sjöman interview Bergman declared the theme of Ur-Faust to be emptiness: ‘First
comes the discovery of emptiness. Then, the acceptance of emptiness. Then, the filling of
emptiness. And finally, the punishment’. [först kommer upptäckten av tomheten. Sen: tomhe-
tens bejakande. Sen: tomhetens fyllnad. Och sist: straffet]. Bergman saw the drama as a mor-
ality play and produced it like a medieval lithurgical drama. He interpreted the title figure as a
sexually brutal man whose main flaw was his inability to feel empathy and pain. He also
changed Gretchen’s character from an innocent girl to a woman of questionable morals. Faust
and Mephisto were made to look like a couple of Siamese twins: same hairstyle, same beard,
same red costumes. Theirs was a brotherhood to death, a physical body and its shadow. What
they had in common was emotional coldness. (Ebbe Linde, DN, saw a homosexual coloring in
the Faust-Mephistopheles relationship: ‘after all, we are with Ingmar Bergman’. [vi är ju trots
allt hos Ingmar Bergman].
The set design was kept sparse: three Gothic vaults dominated the stage, the middle one
flanked by two sculptures, a madonna and a gargoyle of the kind that ornates the Notre Dame
cathedral in Paris. These vaults served as a frame for all the scenes, be it Faust’s study chamber,
Auerbach’s cellar, Mephistopheles’ consorting with Martha, Gretchen’s bedroom or her prison
cell. The characters, often in very bright costumes, either passed in and out under the vaults

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against a background of projected sketches, or were silhouetted against a pale blue horizon.
There were no other props than Faust’s desk, stacked with a few opulent volumes. No poodle
appeared, no wine was poured, Faust signed an invisible pact. When not involved in the action,
the actors remained on stage, posing like shadows in the background.
Reception
Critics were not surprised that Bergman would produce Goethe’s Faust, a work based on the
same juxtaposition of good and evil as his own stage plays and films: ‘Bergman too is torn, like
young Goethe, between darkness and light; he is thrown between the abysses of heaven and
earth; he oscillates between smouldering paganism and heavenly glow. And his duality goes
right through his being’. [Också Ingmar Bergman slits, som den unge Goethe en gång, mellan
mörkt och ljust; kastas mellan himlens och jordens avgrunder; pendlar mellan rykande heden-
dom och himmelsk glöd. Och hans klyvnad går rakt genom hans väsen] (Ruin, SDS).
There was much anticipation prior to the opening night of Bergman’s Faust, but many
reviewers were disappointed: ‘The premiere of Goethe’s Ur-Faust on Malmö’s main stage, a
production regarded for months as the theatre event of the year, almost resulted in our tense
expectations dissolving into nothing. Ingmar Bergman was to be authorized, definitely, as our
new and innovative director of the classics. But none of this happened’. [Premiären på Goethes
Ur-Faust på stora scenen i Malmö, en föreställning som betraktats som årets teaterevenemang
sedan månader, blev nära nog en spänd förväntans upplösning i intet. Ingmar Bergman skulle
definitivt auktoriseras som vår nya och nyskapande klassiker-regissör. Men inget av detta
inträffade] (Hansingvar Hansson (ST). Though the production was termed visually magnificent
(see Bæckström, Brunius, Wahlund) and somewhat reminiscent of The Seventh Seal, Bergman’s
staging seemed undramatic and plain boring (Brunius) or disintegrated into single flashes of
illuminated tableaus (Wahlund). It seems that the more the reviewers noticed ‘cinematic’
features in the production, such as projected imagery and rhythmic cuts, the more critical they
became.
The great positive surprise for the critics was Gunnel Lindblom’s performance as Gretchen
(see Bæckström, Fagerström, Hansson) and Bergman’s interpretation of her character. An
abstract, almost symbolic figure in Goethe’s text, Gretchen became, in Bergman’s interpreta-
tion, the most realistic of the dramatis personae Clas Brunius wrote (Expr.): ‘Goethe’s Faust has
certainly not given Ingmar Bergman any real kick [...] until he gets to what really interests him:
Margaret. Suddenly, his direction achieves a different pace, a rhythmic undulation’ [Goethes
Faust har sannerligen inte gett Ingmar Bergman någon riktig kick [...] (förrän) han är framme
vid det som verkligen har intresserat honom: Margareta. [...] Regin går över i en helt annan
takt, en rytmisk gungning]. Cf. however Bergstrand (Arbetet), Piersdorff (Politiken), and Linde
(DN) for reservations about Bergman’s portrayal of Gretchen’s spiritual rape. Piersdorff found
it strange that a production as esthetically effective in its simplicity was also coarse and direct in
its portrayal of Gretchen. Linde (DN) saw the combination of emotional manipulation and
vulgarity as symptomatic of Bergman’s theatrical work and a possible explanation for its impact
on audiences.
The most unreservedly positive voice came from Kajsa Krook at Helsinkis Hufvudstadsbladet:
‘That Ingmar Bergman is the theatre director of big productions, which Peer Gynt and The
Misanthrope have shown, is still true after Faust. [...] His production is so strong and beautiful
in image and movement that it is well suited to be presented abroad [...]. One might discuss
Bergman’s analysis and solutions but not the fact that he represents what is best in Nordic
theatre today’. [Att Ingmar Bergman är den teaterregissör av stort format som Peer Gynt och
Misantropen har visat, står fast också efter Faust. [...] Så starkt och skönt som Ingmar Berg-
mans Faustföreställning uttrycks i bild och rörelse är den väl ägnad att presenteras på ett

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främmande språkområde. [...] Man kan diskutera Bergmans analys och lösningar, men det
skymmer inte det faktum att han representerar det bästa i nordisk teater i dag.]. See also
positive write-ups of the production by Ossia Trilling in The (London) Times, 22 October
1958, and by Svend Kragh-Jacobsen in the Danish Berlingske Tidence, 18 October 1958.
Reviews
Bergstrand, Allan. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Faust’. Arbetet, 18 October 1958.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Årets teaterhändelse bländande skönhetssyn’ [Theatre event of the year a blinding
vision of beauty]. MT, 18 October 1958. Also in Scen och Salong 11, 1958: 2-3.
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Ur-Faust i Malmö’. GHT, 18 October 1958.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Margareta den enda som lever i Goethes döda scenpanoptikon’ [Margaret the
only one alive in Goethe’s dead stage panoptikon’]. Expr.,18 October 1958.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Gretchen pysslar med Gotiken’ [Gretchen fiddles with Gothicism]. AB, 18
October 1958.
Hansson, Hansingvar. ‘Gretchens stora kväll’ [Gretchen’s big evening]. ST, 18 October 1958.
Krook, Kajsa. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Faust’. Hufvudstadsbladet, 12 November 1958.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Faust’. DN, 18 October 1958.
PGP. ‘Demonen på Stora teatern’ [The demon at the City Theatre]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 44,
1958.
Pierstorff, Erik. ‘Djevlebesettelsen i Malmö’ [Possessed by the devil in M.]. Morgenbladet, 8
November 1958.
Rifbjerg, Klaus. ‘Faust, fanden og den gotiske uskyld’ [Faust, the devil and Gothic virginity].
Information, 18-19 October 1958.
Ruin, Hans. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Faust’. SDS, 18 October 1958.
Trilling, Ossia. ‘Ingmar Bergman Stages Goethe’s Youthful Draft of Faust’. The Times, 22 Octo-
ber 1958.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Faust på Malmö stadsteater’. SvD, 18 October 1958.
See also
Dallmann, Günther. ‘Lorbeer und Sturm um Ingmar Bergman’. Der Kurier, 14 February 1959.
(An article on the reception of Ur-Faust and discussions about financing guest perfor-
mances abroad).
Lilliestierna, Christina. ‘Fan själv’ [The Devil himself]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 44, 1958. (Interview
with Toivo Pawlo and scenographer Kerstin Hedeby).
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 214-24.
Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Faust kan icke lida’ [Faust cannot suffer]. Vi, no. 42, 1958, p. 19.(Conversation
with Ingmar Bergman prior to producing Faust in Malmö).
Guest Performance
London Prince’s Theatre, May 4, 1959, 8 performances.
The Faust production was invited to London in early May 1959. Bergman arrived on May 1 after
minor surgery in Stockholm and gave a press conference the same day at the Swedish Embassy
in London. See report ‘Nyopererad Ingmar Bergman skötte konferens från stol’ (Newly oper-
ated Bergman managed a press conference from a chair. (SDS, 2 May 1959). See also interview
with Bergman in The Times (‘Mr. Bergman Relaxes’), 4 May 1959, p. 14, and summary of press
conference by Torsten Ehrenmark, ‘Ingmar Bergmans Londondebut’ [Bergman’s London de-
but] AB, 2 June 1959, p. 8. Questions directed to Bergman referred almost entirely to his
filmmaking and touched on such subjects as his loyalty to Sweden; his films as various facets
of himself; and a statement he had made about all great artists making the same work over and
over again.

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A sold-out opening night was attended by cultural celebrities and the Swedish diplomatic
corps. Audience response resulted in ten curtain calls. Both Bergman and Lars Levi Læstadius
(head of Malmö City Theatre) were present. The performance, though in Swedish, still ‘gave
Londoners their most fantastic theatrical experience for years’, according to Daily Herald
reviewer Anthony Carthew, who felt that ‘Bergman leaps the language barrier like a champion
hurdler’. Carthew was seconded by W.A. Darlington in the Daily Telegraph and by Cecil Wilson
in the Daily Mail. Michael Meyer (Financial Times) concluded that ‘for anyone interested in fine
acting and direction [the performance] is not to be missed’. The overall British reception was
respectful and had few of the reservations voiced in the Swedish reviews at home. Possibly, the
production had become more refined since the premiere in Malmö. British critics were prob-
ably influenced by the international Bergman wave in the cinema, which peaked around this
time but left Swedish critics rather cold. One reviewer (Felix Barker) suggested however that the
applause on opening night was simply a matter of courtesy to a company who had come a long
way to show their work to Londoners.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Stylized Urfaust Slips Through Double Language Barrier’. The Times, 5 May 1959.
B.L. ‘Clear Two Obstacles’. Daily Worker, 5 May 1959.
Barker, Felix. ‘Well, They Have come a Long Way’. Evening News, 5 May 1959.
Carthew, Anthony. ‘Triumphant Nightmare’. Daily Herald, 5 May 1959.
Darlington, W.A. ‘Early Goethe Stylized by Swedes’. Daily Telegraph, 5 May 1959.
Dent, Alan. ‘Very Gothic Goethe by the Swedes’. News Chronicle, 5 May 1959.
Hope-Wallace, Philip. ‘“Ur-Faust” in Swedish’. Manchester Guardian, 5 May 1959.
Meyer, Michael. ‘Princess Theatre. Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Faust’’. The Financial Times, 5 May 1959.
Shulman, Milton. ‘An Experience Strictly for Connoisseurs’. Evening Standard, 5 May 1959.
Thompson, John. ‘You don’t need Swedish for this’. Daily Express, 5 May 1959.
Wilson, Cecil. ‘Fiery Bergman Comes to Town in Triumph’. Daily Mail, 5 May 1959.
Wraight, Robert. ‘This is Simply Magic’. The Star, 5 May 1959.
The Swedish press reported extensively on the British reception of Faust on 6 May 1959:
n.a. ‘Lysande teatersamling såg Bergman-premiären’ [Distinguished theatre crowd saw Berg-
man premiere]. GHT, 5 May 1959.
n.a. ‘Londons kritiker applåderar Malmö-gästspelet’ [London critics applaud Malmö guest
visit]. KvP, 5 May 1959.
D.V. ‘Londonpressen är entusiastisk över “Urfaust”’. DN, 6 May 1959.
Hedström, Karl Olof. ‘London njöt i fulla drag av Urfaust, trots språket’ [London fully enjoyed
Ur-Faust despite the language]. ST, 6 May 1959.
Ivarsson, Nils-Ivar. ‘Malmösegern i London fullständig – Ur-Faust god svensk propaganda’
[The Malmö victory in London complete – Ur-Faust good Swedish propaganda]. SDS, 6
May 1959.
Bergman planned a second Faust production at Dramaten in the 1996/97 season but it was
never realized.

434. VÄRMLÄNNINGARNA [The People of Värmland]

Credits
Playwright F.A. Dahlgren
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Martin Ahlbom

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Choreography Ingrid Tönsager

Conductor Gert-Ove Andersson
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Date 19 December 1958
Cast
The Squire Toivo Pawlo
Vilhelm, his son Olav Gerthel
Lotta, his daughter Anna-Stina Walton
The Parson Albin Lindahl
Sven Ersson at Hult Åke Fridell
Lisa, his wife Dagny Lind
Erik, their son Folke Sundquist
Stina, their maid Bibi Andersson
Per, their farmhand Max von Sydow
Nisse the Runner Åke Askner
Britta, his daughter Gunnel Lindblom
Jan Hansson, crofter Oscar Ljung
Annika, his wife Kerstin Rabe
Anna, their daughter Christina Lindström
Anders, their farmhand Arne Hasselblad
Bengt Axel Düberg
Henrik Lenn Hjortzberg
Squire’s servant Nils Nygren
Ola at Gyllby Tor Isedal
Commentary
Assistant director Gösta Ekman’s copy (no. 165) is available at the Malmö Music Theatre
Archives. It has rather detailed stage directions, especially of mass scenes (folk dancing and
musicians groups). In the crucial church scene, Bergman added the liturgical words announ-
cing the upcoming marriage of Erik Svensson and Britta Olsdotter, read by the parson.
Usually performed at Christmas time, Värmlänningarna is a Swedish Romeo and Juliet
pastiche with a happy ending, involving two peasant families, one rich, the other poor. The
author, a folklorist and translator of Shakespeare, also incorporated an Ophelia theme in his
piece: Anna, the crofter’s daughter whose marriage to the rich farmer’s son is thwarted, is
driven to madness and near-drowning.
Bergman wanted to set up Värmlänningarna as a sign of gratitude for a memorable child-
hood experience of the play. But he had actually tackled the play before; in fact, every Christmas
since 1951, a taped radio version directed by Bergman had been broadcast on the Swedish Public
Radio (see Ø 273). A more likely reason for producing Värmlänningarna in Malmö was
suggested in an interview with Björn Vinberg (Expr., 19 December 1958), where Bergman claims
having stopped working as ‘en lyxhora’ [a luxury whore]. There were to be no more exclusive
productions by him for an intimate theatre with space for 150 people. From now on he was to
attract the masses who seldom went to the theatre, and do so with quality productions:
If you produce a popular play, you must do so with quality. It is very easy to stage popular
plays in a careless and ugly fashion. But there should be beautiful music, beautiful and fun
people, colorful costumes and stage design, a moving plot, the right length of the perfor-
mance. [...] The person who sees Värmlänningarna for the first time will certainly find the
theatre enjoyable. Then he will perhaps return and see Faust.

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Men spelar man folkligt så skall man se till att det blir kvalitet. Det är väldigt lätt att
presentera folkpjäser slarvigt och fult. Det ska vara vacker musik, vackra roliga människor,
färgsprakande dräkter och dekorationer. En rörande handling, rätt speltid. [...] En som
upplever teater för första gången med ‘Värmlänningarna’ måste finna teater roligt. Han
går dit igen och ser Faust kanske.
For his Malmö production of Värmlännningarna, Bergman decided to go back to the original
score, as it was presumably played at the Stockholm Opera in 1846. The set, kept in white, blue,
and gold colors, was copied from the old Opera house. It was designed as a peephole structure
reminiscent of 19th-century theatres. In the background were pictures that looked like old-
fashioned theatre posters. Behind the proscenium, the large main stage remained like a church
in natural size, out of which the congregation ‘came tumbling’, as one critic (Fagerström, AB)
put it.
Malmö City Theatre’s main stage was built for musicals and Bergman had at his disposal an
ensemble that was large and varied enough to provide him with stage actors with musical
training. A few opera singers joined the regular ensemble. One might compare Bergman’s
approach to casting ‘Värmlänningarna’ to his filmed version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Reception
A language pedagogue was called in to train the cast in a Värmland-like dialect. Not many of
the reviewers liked the result. Brunius, Expr., called it ‘a linguistic soup of dreadful effect’. [en
språklig soppa av fruktansvärd verkan]. The production as a whole, however, was a huge critical
and popular success, and it was suggested that the Malmö City Theatre make it a tradition to
present Värmlänningarna once a year at Christmas time. A good many of the reviewers ex-
plained the success as a mixture of national nostalgia – like leafing through an old picture book
– and good solid entertainment; or in the words of Nils Beyer (ST):
Every educated Swede knows that this play is corny trash but he cannot free himself from its
innocent charm. In some way, it has become the most Swedish of Swedish plays. Strindberg
liked it. The same thing has happened to Ingmar Bergman. [...] The overall beauty of the
production is that Ingmar Bergman has taken the characters and the whole childish conflict
in earnest.

[Varje bildad svensk vet, att det är ett särdeles pekoral men kan inte frigöra sig från dess
troskyldiga charm. På något sätt har det blivit det mest genuint svenska av alla svenska
stycken. Strindberg tyckte om det. Det har gått Ingmar Bergman på samma sätt. [...] Det
fina i föreställningen är över huvud taget att Ingmar Bergman tagit figurerna och hela den
barnsliga konflikten på allvar].
Bergman’s approach to his material was ironic but not overbearing, ‘the kind of amusing lack of
respect one can permit oneself towards something one loves with all one’s heart. [...] It is on
that love that his production builds, and it is that love he communicates to the audience, just as
he apparently communicated it to his cast’. [det slags roande brist på respekt man kan tillåta sig
gentemot något man älskar av hela sitt hjärta. [...] Det är på den kärleken hans uppsättning
bygger och det är den kärleken han förmedlar till publiken, precis så som han tydligen för-
medlade den till sin ensemble] (Arne Ericsson, SDS).
Almost all of the reviews mentioned, in fact, the festive atmosphere and happy vitality that
Bergman’s mixture of pastiche and sincerity transmitted: ‘It was as much fun as if one were
suddenly seven years old and attended the theatre for the first time in one’s life’ [det var roligt

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som om man plötsligt blivit sju år och för första gången i sitt liv var på teatern], exclaimed Nils
Beyer (ST).
It is rather rare in Sweden to find such rave and happy theatre reviews as those that appeared
fairly regularly during Bergman’s Malmö years. The period has come to live on as one of the
absolute peaks in Bergman’s career as a stage director. Upon his departure from the Malmö
stage, several reviewers commented on his development as a theatre director, listing as im-
portant features his careful reading of the dramatic text (Brunius, Expr.); his attention to detail
in mise-en-scene and casting (Bergstrand, Arbetet; Ericsson, SDS; Fagerström, AB); his ability to
inspire and hold together a huge ensemble. One of the leading theatre critics in Sweden at the
time, Per Erik Wahlund (SvD), noted with satisfaction Bergman’s development from the enfant
terrible of the 1940s to a mature master of the stage in the 1950s:
...Ingmar Bergman’s evolution is one of the greatest delights in today’s Swedish theatre. His
period of strained experimentation is over; chaos has become clarity, his histrionic deviltry
has been disciplined, the desire to shock has been replaced by the ability to interpret and
elucidate. Nowadays Bergman has breadth, a feeling for style, a sense of a living tradition
that no other younger director shares. With all his modernity and international outlook he
combines a broad appeal with a national perspective.

[...Ingmar Bergmans utveckling är ett av de största glädjeämnena i dagens svenska teater. De

överansträngda experimentens tid är förbi; kaos har klarnat, det teatraliska diableriet har
stadgat sig, lusten att chockera har ersatts av förmågan att tolka och förnya. Bergman har
numera en bredd, en stilkänsla och ett sinne för levande tradition som ingen annan av våra
yngre regissörer. Med all sin modernitet och internationella överblick förenar han en folk-
lighet och en nationalism.]

Reviews
Bergstrand, Allan. ‘Ny triumf för Ingmar Bergman’ [New triumph for Bergman]. Arbetet, 20
December 1958.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Ack, Värmeland du sköna..’. [Ah, Värmland thou beautiful...]. ST, 20 December
1958. Also in Scen och Salong 1, 1959: 2-3.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Bergmans Värmlänningarna det verkliga “lyxhoreriet”’ [Bergman’s People of
Värmland a real piece of luxury whoring]. Expr., 20 December 1958. (Review heading refers
to interview with Bergman cited in Commentary above).
Centervall, S. ‘Julteater i Malmö’ [Christmas theatre in Malmö]. GHT, 22 December 1958.
Ericsson, Arne. ‘Ett älskat skådespel’ [A beloved stage play]. SDS, 20 December 1958.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Värmlänningarna’. AB, 20 December 1958.
Hoogland, Claes. ‘Nyårspremiärerna’ [The New Year’s Openings]. SR (Swedish Public Radio),
16 January 1959. (Includes brief review of Bergman’s production).
Hähnel, Barbro. ‘Värmlänningarna i Malmö’. DN, 20 December 1958.
PGP. ‘Återuppståndna Värmlänningar’ [Resurrected Värmland people]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 1,
1959.
Steinthal, Herbert. ‘Sveriges Elverhøj’. Politiken (Danish), 21 December 1958.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Svensk tradition i Malmö’ [Swedish tradition in M]. SvD, 20 December
1958.

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Dramaten (Royal Dramatic Theatre) (1961-1976)

In early 1959 Ingmar Bergman returned to Stockholm. He had withdrawn from a planned
Malmö production of Molière’s Amphytrion but remained in touch with the Malmö stage,
where preparations were under way for guest performances of Bergman’s Sagan in Paris and
Faust in London. The following years (1959-1963) were devoted to filmmaking – Jungfrukällan
(The Virgin Spring) and ‘The Trilogy’ – with a couple of exceptions: an opera production of
Stravinski’s The Rake’s Progress (see Ø 489) and a production of Chekhov’s The Seagull at the
Royal Dramatic Theatre where he now had a contract as senior director.

1961
435. MÅSEN [The Seagull]
Credits
Original Title Tjajka/Čajka
Playwright Anton Checkov
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Marik Vos
Assistant Director Lenn Hjortzberg
Wigs and Make-up Arne Lundh
Stage Dramaten, Main Stage
Opening Date 6 January 1961
Cast
Irina Nikolajevna Trepleva, Actress Eva Dahlbeck
Konstantin Treplev, her son Per Myrberg
Pjotr Nikolajevitj Sorin, her brother Christina Schollin
Ilja Afanasievitj Sjamrajev, manager
of Sorin estate Jan Erik Lindqvist
Polina Andrejevna, his wife Aino Taube
Masja, their daughter Kristina Adolphson
Boris Alexejevitj Trigorin Ulf Palme
Jevgenij Sergejevitj Dorn, doctor Uno Henning
Semjon Semjonovitj Medvedjenko,
doctor Hans Strååt
Jacob Gunnar Collin
Cook Gustaf Andersson
Maid Carin Lundqvist
Farmhand Etienne Glaser
Commentary
Måsen (The Seagull) was Bergman’s first Checkov production. Some reviewers were surprised
that he chose to make his Dramaten directorial debut with a playwright he had never staged
during his more than twenty years in the theatre and with whose temperament he did not have
much affinity. One reason for his choice may have been Checkov’s portrayal of the self-ab-
sorbed artist Trigorin, a kindred spirit of Bergman’s own mediocre artist (David) in the film
Såsom i en spegel (Through a Glass Darkly 1961). Bergman’s focus in his Seagull production was

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clearly on the attraction and curse of being an artist, a theme he would also develop in several
subsequent films (Persona, Vargtimmen, Skammen).
Dramaten has a director’s copy of the production. It shows a faithful retention of the original
text, with only one substantial cut, the croquet scene in Act II. There are relatively few notes but
a couple of quotes from two Checkov letters are reproduced in Bergman’s handwriting and
placed like a motto at the beginning of the dialogue text. One quote reads: ‘A conscious life
without a definite view of life is not a life; it is a burden, something terrible’. [Ett medvetet liv
utan en medveten livssyn är inget liv; det är en börda, något förfärligt]. The other quote
concerns Checkov exhorting himself to write a story about a young man, ‘fawning before
God and the whole world without being forced to do so, but only out of his own sense of
insignificance’ [som kryper inför Gud och hela världen utan att tvingas därtill utan bara ur en
känsla av sin egen obetydlighet].
Reception
The anticipation prior to Bergman’s staging of The Seagull was high. P.G. Petterson (AB)
described the mood in his review: ‘There was a rather breathless mood in the house when
the Dramaten public was confronted with Ingmar Bergman for the first time (sic)’. [Det var
ganska andlöst i salongen när Dramatens publik för första gången konfronterades med Ingmar
Bergman]. Nils Beyer (ST) wondered if ‘the magician from Malmö’ would live up to his
reputation: ‘It was more than the anticipation of a Checkov play. It was a question of whether
Ingmar Bergman, after his many triumphs in the provinces, would finally conquer the capital’.
[Det var mer än förväntan på Tjechovs pjäs. Det var fråga om Ingmar Bergman efter sina
många triumfer i landsorten till sist skulle erövra huvudstaden]. Actually, Bergman’s interna-
tional reputation as a filmmaker also played a part. Several foreign newspapers had sent their
critics to the opening. This seemed to irritate some of the Swedish reviewers; Per Erik Wahlund
in SvD wrote: ‘I must report a quiet wonder at the international importance it [the production]
has been given in advance’. [man måste rapportera en stilla undran inför den internationella
betydelse den (föreställningen) har getts i förväg]. Sven Stål (Lidingö Tidning) also felt that the
foreign interest in Bergman was exaggerated: ‘Through his films, his world fame etc., Ingmar
Bergman has become elevated to something of a miracle man. One demands miracles from him
and forces oneself to see considerably more in his stagecraft than what can, soberly speaking, be
read into it’. [Genom sina filmer, sitt världsrykte etc har Ingmar Bergman blivit upphaussad till
något av en mirakelman. Man begär mirakler av honom och tvingar sig till att se betydligt mer i
hans uppsättningar än vad som nyktert talat kan läsas in i dem]. And the most glowing reviews
were indeed written by foreign critics. Thus, Kenneth Tynan in The Observer praised the
combined realism and poetry of Bergman’s rendering of Checkov and felt that the production
came closer to perfection than he had ever dreamt possible.
By contrast, most of the Swedish reviewers were ambivalent. To one group, represented by
Ebbe Linde (DN) and Tord Bæckström (GHT), there was little reason to believe that Bergman
would succeed with material as strange to his temperament as Checkov’s. Bergman’s forte was,
after all, colorful and surprising directorial impulses rather than subtle Checkovian nuances.
But to another group of reviewers, for example P.G. Petterson (AB), it was precisely the
temperamental differences between playwright and director that was a positive feature: ‘It
was not Bergman one met but Checkov, not Checkov seen through Ingmar Bergman’s mind
but through Checkov’s own. And it was indeed wonderful to experience the confrontation; one
made discoveries..’. [Det var inte Bergman man mötte utan Tjechov, inte Tjechov sedd genom
Ingmar Bergmans genius utan genom Tjechovs eget. Och det var i sanning underbart att
uppleva konfrontationen; man gjorde upptäckter...].

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When Bergman returned to the capital after his years in Malmö, his old reputation as a
volatile, self-preoccupied iconoclast seemed to have lingered among some of the reviewers,
seemingly unaware of the professional development he had undergone in Malmö. Among those
who reacted most positively to Bergman’s Seagull were critics for whom the production re-
presented a new Ingmar Bergman, free of his youthful histrionics, an intent listener to another
artist’s dramatic text; or in the words of Ivar Harrie (Expr.): ‘Was it Checkov? Yes, it was
Checkov, the real Checkov. Was it Ingmar Bergman? Yes, it was the real Ingmar Bergman.
He who shows himself to be a poet of the theatre by being completely subservient to the real
poets of the theatre’. [Var det Tjechov? Ja, det var Tjechov, den riktige Tjechov. Var det Ingmar
Bergman? Ja, det var den riktige Ingmar Bergman. Han som visar sig vara teaterdiktare, genom
att vara helt lydig de riktiga teaterdiktarna].
In retrospect, however, the reception of Bergman’s Seagull production has been termed tepid
and unengaged – Henrik Sjögren (Ingmar Bergman på teatern, p. 231) calls the critical response
‘an expression of controlled disappointment’. [ett uttryck för kontrollerad besvikelse]. A case in
point is Uno Florén (Idun) for whom the production was lukewarm, neither a thunderous
fiasco nor a moving success.
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Måsen’. ST, 7 January 1961.
Baeckström, Tord. ‘Måsen på Dramaten’. GHT, 9 January 1961.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Denna ljuvliga lantliga melankoli’ [This lovely provincial melancholy]. AB,
7 January 1961.
Florén, Uno. ‘Varken – eller’ [Neither – nor]. Idun, no. 4, 1961.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Bergmans Tjechov: Ett knallande leverne’ [B’s Checkov: A thunderous living].
Expr., 7 January 1961.
Heyman, Viveka. ‘Teaterrond’ [Theatre round]. Arbetaren, no. 2, 1961.
Leiser. Erwin. ‘Dramaten slår på stort’ [Dramaten on a big foot]. Scen och Salong 1, 1961: 2.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Diskret Bergmanpremiär’. DN, 7 January 1961.
PGP. ‘Tjechov, Måsen och Bergman’. AB, 7 January 1961.
Stål, Sven. ‘Måsen på Dramaten’. Lidingö Tidning, 14 January 1961.
Tynan, Kenneth. ‘The Seagull in Stockholm’. The Observer, 7-10 January 1961.
Per Erik Wahlund. ‘Måsens magi naken verklighet’ [The Seagull’s magic is naked reality]. SvD, 7
January 1961.
Special Studies
Schildt, Göran. ‘Den levande och den döda måsen’ [The living and the dead seagull]. SvD
(understreckare), 20 February 1961. (A newspaper essay in which the author compares two
current stagings of Checkov’s play: Bergman’s Dramaten production, and Eino Kallima’s on
the Finnish National stage in Helsinki.)

Royal Swedish Opera (1961)

436. RUCKLARENS VÄG [The Rake’s Progress]

(See Ø 489), Opera Section at end of Chapter VI.

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Head of Dramaten (1963-1966)

Ingmar Bergman accepted the post as head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in January 1963 after
Karl Ragnar Gierow had announced his retirement. See interview on Swedish Public Radio
(SR), ‘Dagens Eko’ (Daily News Commentary) on 14 January 1963. When Bergman assumed his
new task in the fall of that year, theatre critic Nils Beyer wrote:
After 25 years we have a man of the theatre as head of the country’s most prestigious stage,
and for Ingmar Bergman it must be a triumph, the last and final one following all his other
triumphs, to get to show at last the hard-to-please, traditional Dramaten audience that he is
not only a film genius but perhaps even greater as a stage artist.

[Efter 25 år har vi fått en teaterman i spetsen för landets förnämsta scen, och för Ingmar
Bergman bör det vara en triumf, den sista och slutgiltiga efter alla hans andra triumfer, att
äntligen få visa Dramatens gamla svårflirtade publik att han inte endast är ett filmgeni, utan
kanske ändå större som scenisk konstnär.] (ST, 5 October 1963, p. 11).
As head of Dramaten, Bergman now faced two of his most respected directors: Olof Molander
and Alf Sjöberg. He began his tenure by seeing to it that Molander retired, together with aging
actor and Dramaten icon Lars Hanson. For Bergman’s account of his Dramaten years, including
his reaction to Molander’s dismissal and his respectful collegiate relationship with Sjöberg, see
Laterna magica (The Magic Lantern), pp. 222-24.
Though brief, Bergman’s tenure as administrative head of the Royal Dramatic (1963-66) is an
important chapter in his career since it involved him directly in cultural policy-making. See
radio interviews with Bergman about actors participating in administrative decision-making at
Dramaten (SR, ‘Stockholm: Dramatiska teatern’, 9 February 1963) and about new program
policy where Dramaten would advocate special theatre programs for school children (SR, ‘P
3-Posten’, 30 August 1963). In an interview by Lars Öhngren in Idun-Veckojournalen, no. 9 (26
February 1965), pp. 23-27, 52, Bergman outlines the central cultural role that the theatre should
play in a modern welfare state:
The theatre is the most sensitive and quickest gauge or thermometer of any symptom of
poisoning or feverish condition in a society. Furthermore, the theatre is one of the strongest
conveyors of impulses to other cultural manifestations, it is a stimulant at work in the midst
of cultural life.

[Teatern är den känsligaste och snabbaste registratorn eller termometern på varje förgift-
ningssymptom eller febertillstånd i ett samhällsliv. Dessutom är teatern en av de starkaste
impulsgivarna för övriga kulturmanifestationer, den är en stimulans som verkar i mitten av
ett kulturliv.]
In yet another interview, this time with Claes Hoogland, Bergman lists the principles inherited
from his mentor Torsten Hammarén at Göteborg City theatre, on which he would continue to
build: to be frank with the ensemble; to be well prepared and not try to improvise; and to be an
active director and ‘move within the life cell itself. The life cell in a theatre is the actors on stage,
not when they come to your office to discuss different matters’. [röra sig inom själva livscellen.
Livscellen på teatern är skådespelarna på scenen, inte när de kommer till ditt tjänsterum i olika
ärenden]. Comparing his Dramaten post to his filmmaking experiences, he defined it as 95%
planning and organization, and 5% artistic work. (See ‘Dramatenchefen’ [Head of Dramaten],

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SR, 31 March and 15 April 1964. This interview was published by Hoogland under the title. ‘Jag
lockar inte med synden’. [Sin is not my drawing-card]. Röster i Radio-TV, no. 18, 1964: 14-16, 58).
Ingmar Bergman assumed his administrative task at the Royal Dramatic Theatre with great
enthusiasm and energy. His ambition was to improve the conditions of the actors, introduce a
Performers Council, set up a definite production routine with eight weeks rehearsal time and
an agenda of strict opening dates. He also initiated a Dramaten news magazine. To do all this,
he demanded and got a substantially higher state subsidy than his predecessor. But he assumed
his job at a period of cultural unrest in the Swedish theatre world, when Dramaten was seen as
the epitome of the establishment. And despite all his new ideas to make Dramaten accessible to
a larger audience, Bergman was opposed to politicizing its structure and repertory. When he
resigned as head of Dramaten after less than three years, he referred to his tenure there as ‘the
worst lye bath [eklut]’ of his career. See Laterna magica, pp. 220-32, for Bergman’s own account
of the cultural situation.

437. VEM ÄR RÄDD FÖR VIRGINIA WOOLF? [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]
Credits
Playwright Edward Albee
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Georg Magnusson
Assistant Director Lenn Hjortzberg
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, Main Stage
Opening date 4 October 1963
Cast
Martha Karin Kavli
George Georg Rydeberg
Honey Bibi Andersson
Nick Thommy Berggren
Commentary
A director’s copy is among Bergman’s private papers, now at SFI. It is presented in Koskinen
(Allting föreställer..., 2000, Ø 1676, p. 233) and includes seven handwritten loose pages with
comments and two typed sheets referred to as ‘Latinska texterna i tredje akten av vem är
rädd???’ [The Latin texts in third act of who’s afraid???]. Bergman’s papers also include assistant
director Lenn Hjortzberg’s copy.
Edward Albee was supposed to come to the opening of his play at Dramaten, but cancelled at
the last moment. Bergman’s and Albee’s names had been linked in 1961 by Harry Schein,
initiator and head of The Swedish Film Institute. He claimed that Albee’s ambition as a play-
wright touched base with Bergman’s films in its focus on loneliness and a need to establish
communication, and in a deliberate striving to both entertain and shock. (See BLM, no. 9,
November 1961: 706-710). At the time, Albee had gained a world-wide recognition as a very
promising American playwright, following in the footsteps of Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller,
and Tennessee Williams. A race among European theatres to be the first to stage Who’s Afraid of
Virginia Woolf took place. Ingmar Bergman won. It was a repeat of his coup some fifteen years
earlier when his production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire had won the
opening-night race in Sweden (Göteborg).
Reception
Bergman’s setting for Albee’s play exposed a rather abstract room in black and grey tones, a
colorless inner landscape reminiscent of his black-and-white filmmaking at the time. Ebbe

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Linde called it ‘Hades grey’ [Hadesgrått] and Nils Beyer described the setting as ‘somewhere in
eternity’ [någonstans i evigheten].
The Albee production coincided with the premiere of Bergman’s film Tystnaden (The Silence)
and became part of a debate about his presentation of sexual explicitness on stage and screen.
‘It is as if a powerful PR organization has suddenly entered into pornographic activity’ [Det är
som om en mäktig PR-organization plötsligt har trätt i pornografisk verksamhet], wrote critic
Allan Fagerström (AB, 5 October 1963). See also Carlo Bergkvist, ‘Ingmar Bergman släpper lös
CHOCKPJÄS på Dramaten’ [Bergman lets loose SHOCKING PLAY at Dramaten] (AB, 2
October 1963). Ebbe Linde (DN), referring to the production as Bergman practicing knock-
outs, wrote: ‘His old frenetic temper got fired up from time to time. [...] When [Albee’s] text
lets someone sink to the floor, [Bergman] has her stretch out, hammering her fists; a prescribed
kiss [...] becomes a near rape’. [Dennes gamla frenesi brände till då och då. [...] När texten låter
någon sjunka sittande till golvet fick hon ligga raklång och hamra; en föreskriven kyss [...] blir
en halv våldtäkt.]
With few exceptions (Sandell, Wahlund), critics were not very kind to Albee’s play, which
they found to be a virtuoso piece of theatrics based on a witty absurdist dialogue, but diffuse
and, above all, pretentious. At times the criticism spilled over to include Bergman’s production
or at least his choice of play:
‘What a hangover on the day of reckoning! Edward Albee’s, when he has to motivate this
ideological trash, Ingmar Bergman’s, when he must explain why he exerted himself to show
this artistically sterile package ahead of everybody else in Europe, and Harry Schein’s, when
he claims that this is socially explosive stuff. MY GOD, has everyone in decision-making
forgotten what is dangerous? Is it as simple as saying ‘fuck you’ at Dramaten?

[Men vilken baksmälla på redovisningens dag! Edward Albees, när han en gång ska motivera
detta ideologiska trams. Ingmar Bergmans, när han ska förklara varför han ansträngde sig
före alla andra i Europa att visa detta konstnärligt sterila paket, och Harry Schein, när han
ska bevisa att det är samhällsfarligt. HERRE GUD, har allesammans som bestämmer glömt
vad som menas med farlighet? Är det så enkelt som att säga ‘kukfan’ på Dramaten?].
(Fagerström, AB).
For similar blunt reviews, see Claes Brunius, Expr., and Tord Bæckström, GHT. On the other
hand, amidst these negative reactions much praise was given to Bergman’s direction of the four
actors, seeing his emphasis on ensemble acting as a welcome antidote to Dramaten’s traditional
solo performances (See Beyer, ST and Josephson, SDS).
Reviews
Abrahamssson, Bengt. ‘Tortyr på Dramaten’ [Torture at Dramaten]. GP, 5 October 1963.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Albees dödsdans i Bergmans regi’ [Albee’s dance of death in B’s direction]. ST, 5
October 1963.
Björkstén. Ingmar. ‘Strindberg på amerikanska’ [Strindberg in American]. Scen och Salong, 11,
1963: 22-23.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Bergman slår K.O. igen’ [Bergman strikes a knock-out again]. Expr., 5 October
1963.
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Dramaten. Vem är rädd för Virginia Woolf ’. GHT, 5 October 1963.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Ack, vilken baksmälla!’ [Oh, what a hangover!]. AB, 5 October 1963.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘Ett amerikansk inferno’ [An American inferno]. SDS, 5 October 1963.
Linde, Ebbe. ‘Avklädningslek i Hades grått’ [Undressing game in Hades gray]. DN, 5 October
1963.

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Sandell, Ove. ‘En amerikansk dödsdans’ [An American dance of death]. Arbetet, 5 October 1963,
p. 2.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Dödsdans vid ett college’ [Dance of death at a college]. SvD, 5 October 1963.

438. SAGAN [The Legend]

Credits
Playwright Hjalmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Sven Erik Skawonius
Music Ingvar Wieslander
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, Main Stage
Opening date 20 December 1963
Cast
Sagan Bibi Andersson
Herr Sune Per Myrberg
Ehrenstål Uno Henning
Chamber servant Björn Gustafson
Colonel’s Wife Aino Taube
Flora Renée Björling
Rose Kristina Adolphson
Gerhard Erland Josephson
Astrid Helena Brodin
Legal Clerk Ragnar Falck
Commentary
The director’s and assistant director’s (Lenn Hjortzberg) copies are in the Bergman Archive at
SFI.
In his third staging of Sagan Bergman placed less emphasis on theatrical effects and colorful
costumes, and focussed more on the moral theme of the play and on the cynical old members
of the Ehrenstål family. At the same time he toned down their overly grotesque aspects, so that
they emerged in a more naturalistic light than in the Malmö production. There were no dance
numbers, as in Malmö, and on the whole the Dramaten version of Sagan had a darker tone but
also greater calm than Bergman’s earlier versions of the play. (Ø 378, 432)
In the program note to the Dramaten production, Hjalmar Bergman’s widow, Stina, told a
story that might be the genesis of Sagan: at Hjalmar and Stina Bergman’s summer residence on
Dalarö, there was a well from which a clear spray of water emerged. The innocent young title
figure in Sagan shares the purity of the water in the well. The story brings to mind the well at
the end of Bergman’s Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring), a miraculous emblem of young violated
innocence.
Reception
‘For many this production will be a surprise, as they get to see what a broad register Ingmar
Bergman has as a director’, [För många kommer denna uppsättning att bli en överraskning, när
de får se vilket brett register Ingmar Bergman har som regissör], wrote Nils Beyer in his review
(ST) and added that Bergman was one of the few poetic minds on the Swedish stage. Not
everyone agreed however. Clas Brunius (Expr.) thought Bergman paid little attention to the
lyrical mood of the play text, while Sven Barthel in DN and Ingmar Björkstén in Scen och salong
maintained that the production achieved a fine balance between satirical marionette play and
lyrical drama.

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As in the 1958 Malmö production, Bibi Andersson played the title role. This time, unlike her
reception in Malmö, she received glowing reviews. ‘This time she acts The Legend with a
hundred melodies in her being, ... [Denna gång spelar hon Sagan med hundra melodier i sitt
väsen...] (Beyer, ST).
Reviews
B-l. S. [Sven Barthel]. ‘Ett spel om kärlek och död’ [A game of love and death]. DN, 21
December 1963.
Beyer, Nils. ‘Dubbel Bergman-triumf ’ [Double Bergman triumph]. ST, 21 December 1963.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Så många olika slags sagor’ [So many different kinds of tales]. Scen och
Salong 1, 1964: 2.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Sagan som blev moral’ [The fairty tale that became morality]. Expr., 21 Decem-
ber 1963.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Bergman slår nytt slag för Bergmans Sagan’ [B. beats another drum for
Bergman’s Sagan]. AB, 21 December 1963.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Kvickheter i vemodiga sammanhang’ [Witticisms in melancholy contexts].
SvD, 21 December 1963.

1964
439. TRE KNIVAR FRÅN WEI [Three Knives from Wei]
Credits
Playwright Harry Martinson
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Kerstin Hedeby
Choreography Mercedes Björlin
Music Ulf Björlin
Assistant Director Lenn Hjortzberg
Stage Dramaten Main Stage
Opening date 4 June 1964
Cast
Shi Mo, corrections teacher at Fenix
Prisons Inga Tidblad
Chi Yün and Yü Tan, assistant teachers Marianne Aminoff, Jane Friedmann
The Duchess of Wei Renée Björling
Princess Yang Sissi Kaiser
Li Hua, musician Solveig Ternström
Lai, altar slave Margaretha Krook
Wai, servant for life Dora Söderberg
Lai Yü and Yü Pei, court ladies at
Clan of Sui Helena Brodin, Mona Malm
Pagoda Guard Hans Sundberg
Nan Fei, head concubine Gunnel Broström
Tai Yü Ellika Mann
Al-Lu-Te Lena Nyman
First camp concubine Birgitta Valberg
Second camp concubine Irma Christenson
Nun Peil Aino Taube

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Second nun Sissi Kaiser

Third nun Ellika Mann
Pa Christian Lundqvist
First servant woman Marianne Karlbeck
Second servant woman Sonja Kolthoff
New woman slave Mona Andersson
Young ladies Kerstin Wartel, Anne Nord
Peasant women Lillemor Björnstad, Signe Enwall, Marianne Karlbeck
Garden servant Ragnar Falck
Housekeeper Karin Kavli
Arms guard Morgan Andersson
Kong Lu, robber Henrik Schildt
Messenger Helge Skoog
His Wife Fillie Lückow
Shan Hua Mona Andersson
Carrier Birger Malmsten
Refugees Per-Olof Ekvall, Olle Ek
Commentary
In June 1964, during the Stockholm Drama and Arts Festival, Bergman presented the world
premiere of Swedish poet (and later Nobel Prize winner) Harry Martinson’s Tre knivar från Wei
(Three knives from Wei). Martinson’s historical play takes place in China in the late 7th
century. Chinese culture is threatened from the outside by hoards of Tartars, and from the
inside by palace revolutions. The evil Empress Wu Tse-tien, having persecuted and killed all but
three of the ruling Tang dynasty families, decides to offer ‘a half grace’ to some of the women
among her victims by sending them to a remote camp where they will eventually be massacred,
either upon orders from the Empress or by the Tartars. Raised according to the Tao ‘pattern of
obedience’ the prisoners wear three knives in their hair. When the Tartars attack, they use their
knives in a ritualized act of suicide.
Bergman’s production of Martinson’s drama in 1964 might be juxtaposed to his staging of
Japanese playwright Mishima’s Madame de Sade in 1989. Both plays have a predominately
female cast and both productions became visually splendid performances, like courtly masques.
A director’s copy is in the Bergman archive recently transferred to SFI. It includes a cast list
and a picture of an Oriental statue on the title page. Also in the same collection of material is
assistant director’s (Lenn Hjortzberg) copy, dated 6 April 1964, with some loose sheets with
sketches of the stage design, attendance lists, and ten pages of handwritten notes. (See Koski-
nen, 2000, Ingmar Bergman: ‘Allting föreställer, ingenting är, p. 233).
Reception
Bergman’s production was preceded by months of publicity. The director himself added to the
high expectations by stating in a TV interview (SVT, 2 June 1964) that Martinson’s drama was
‘the most remarkable Swedish theatre piece I’ve received in my hands’ [Det märkligaste svenska
teaterstycke jag fått i min hand]. Reviewers recognized that the play was a labor of love by
Martinson who had been occupied with it for almost a decade, but questioned its dramatic
potential. Many suggested that Bergman’s role was absolutely crucial in making Martinson’s
play stage-worthy but considered the production more of a cultural event than a truly memor-
able theatrical experience: ‘The knives from Wei flashed but left no wounds in the hearts of the
audience’ [Knivarna från Wey blixtrade men lämnade inga sår i publikens hjärtan], as P.G.
Petterson put in AB. (See also Per Erik Wahlund (SvD) for a similar assessment).

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Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Martinsonska kineseriet en skönhetsupplevelse på Dramaten’ [Martinsonian chi-
noiserie an experience of beauty at Dramaten]. ST, 5 June 1964.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Uppseendeväckande avslutning’ [Sensational finale]. Scen och Salong 6-7,
1964: 5, 20.
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Revolt inom lydnaden’ [Revolt within obedience]. GHT, 5 June 1964.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Omringat KVINNOHUS’ [Surrounded House of Women]. AB, 5 June 1964.
Harrie, Ivar. ‘Ett stort festspel’ [A great festival]. Expr., 5 June 1964.
Holm, Ingvar. ‘Oratorium för ängsliga röster’ [Oratorio for anxious voices]. DN, 5 June 1964.
PGP. ‘Blixtrande knivar från Wey’ [Flashing knives from Wei]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 25, 1964.
Tollet, Håkan. ‘Lysande framgång: Tre knivar från Wei’ [Brilliant success: Three knives from
Wei]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 5 June 1964.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Kineseri på mörk botten’ [Chinoiserie against a dark bottom]. SvD, 5 June
1964.

440. HEDDA GABLER

Credits
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Mago
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 17 October 1964
Cast
Jörgen Tesman Ingvar Kjellson
Hedda Tesman Gertrud Fridh
Ejlert Lövborg Georg Årlin
Juliana Tesman Renée Björling
Thea Elvsted Jane Friedmann
Berta Ellika Mann
Judge Brack Olof Widgren
Commentary
After the final curtain fell in Bergman’s production of Ibsen’s play, Hedda’s green silk shoes
remained in front of the curtain. In an interview in KvP on 18 October 1964, Bergman explained
his intention: ‘She [Hedda] has rehearsed her last gesture in front of the mirror. She knows how
to use the pistol so that it becomes esthetic. Perhaps she also takes into consideration that she
must fall nicely. It is an uncontrollable moment that she subconsciously tries to control by
taking off her shoes’. [Hon har repeterat den sista gesten framför spegeln. Hon vet hur hon ska
föra pistolen för att det ska bli estetiskt. Kanske tänker hon också på att hon måste falla vackert.
Det är ett okontrollerbart moment som hon omedvetet försöker behärska genom att befria sig
från skorna]. But Hedda was cheated by her own body. As she died, Bergman had her fall on
her knees with her rump in the air, an ugly and ludicrous position.
This final vignette was one of several departures from traditional stagings of Ibsen’s play.
Bergman made cuts in the original text, such as the repeated reference to Løvborg’s ‘vine leaves’,
and he omitted General Gabler’s portrait, together with Ibsen’s Victorian plush furniture and
carpeted floors. Instead, the red-vaulted stage, split by a central screen and housing only a few
props, was dominated by a black piano. A mirror became the central piece in an added
pantomime scene that opened the performance. Hedda, dressed in white, was alone on stage,

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studying her presumably pregnant figure in the mirror with a mixture of disgust and self-
absorption.
In Bergman’s production the audience area became part of the total theatrical space. The
lights in the house were not dimmed until several minutes into the performance, and in the
second half, a strong flashlight was directed towards the stage from the far back of the house, so
that members of the audience became visible to each other and were made aware of their role as
spectators. Henrik Sjögren who reviewed the production (KvP) notes in his book Lek och raseri
(2002, p. 196) that Bergman’s removal of Ibsen’s detailed realistic stage design was part of a
trend in contemporary European theatre.
The director’s copy with notes is among Bergman’s papers donated to SFI, as is assistant
director’s (Lenn Hjortzberg) copy, dated 12 June 1964, which contains a sketch of the mise-en-
scene and a cast list.
Reception
A media debate about Bergman’s production of Hedda Gabler was initiated by DN’s cultural
editor Olof Lagercrantz (‘Dammig evighet..’. [Dusty eternity], 6 November 1964, p. 4). The
debate is covered in the Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 537), 1964. Lagercrantz’s negative
assessment of Bergman’s production had already been formulated by the same paper’s theatre
critic Bengt Jahnson, who called the production too controlled, implying that staging the play
as a kind of happening, much in vogue at the time, would have been preferable.
Two views of the production dominated: Like Lagercantz, there were those who termed the
choice of play old-fashioned (e.g., Sandell in Arbetet), while others appreciated Bergman’s
removal of what was antiquated in Ibsen’s work, i.e., its explicit symbolic clues and traditional
19th-century mise-en-scene. Part of the ambivalent response to the production had to do with
Bergman shifting the drama’s symbolism from verbal refererences (e.g., vine leaves) to physical
performance (Hedda’s pantomime), which some experienced as a form of Bergman filmmaking
that relied on visual effects. It is striking how frequently so-called cinematic features carried
negative connotations in the reviews, indicating a distrust of their artistic potential and seeing
them as a form of emotional manipulation of the audience.
However, Bergman’s 1964 Hedda Gabler production lived on for a long time as a point of
reference and, in retrospect, stands out as a milestone in his theatre work, confirming his bold
(or annoying) personal liberties with the original play text.
Reviews
Beyer, Nils. ‘Hedda Gabler – en lysande vision’ [Hedda Gabler – a brilliant vision]. ST, 18
October 1964, p. 12.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Laddad teatertid’ [Loaded theatre time]. Scen och Salong 11, 1964: 15.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Sensationen Gertrud Fridh’. Expr., 18 October 1964, p. 4.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Den sköna damen utan nåd’ [The beautiful lady without mercy]. AB, 18
October 1964, p. 4.
Jahnson, Bengt. ‘Storslaget på Dramaten. En hysterikas eftermiddagsdröm’ [Grandiose at Dra-
maten: A hysterical woman’s afternoon dream]. DN, 18 October 1964, p. 20.
Janzon, Åke. ‘Teater i Stockholm’. BLM, November 1964, p. 708, 710.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘En ny Hedda Gabler’. SDS, 18 October 1964, p. 10.
Sandell, Ove. ‘Gertrud Fridhs Hedda’. Arbetet, 18 October 1964, p. 2.
Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Bort med Ibsens bråte!’ [Out with Ibsen’s clutter!]. KvP, 18 October 1964, p. 4.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Konstfull, fängslande, personlig ‘Hedda Gabler’’ [Artful, fascinating, per-
sonal ‘Hedda Gabler’]. SvD, 18 October 1964, p. 18.

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See also
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman. Allting föreställer, ingenting är. 2001, pp. 53-57 (juxtaposes
Hedda Gabler production and Bergman’s film Tystnaden (The Silence).
Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theater, 1982, pp. 178-
201 (discusses all three of Bergman’s Hedda Gabler productions).
Sjögren, Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 253-63, and Lek och raseri, 2002, pp. 196-202.
Guest Performances
In 1967 Bergman’s Dramaten production of Hedda Gabler made guest appearances in Helsinki
and Berlin, and was invited to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s World Theatre Season in
London in the spring of 1968.
1. Helsinki, Svenska Teatern, 14-15 June 1967
In a press conference in Helsinki with the Dramaten ensemble, Bergman talked about the
obsolescence of theatre art for the public in general and the need to reform the theatre from
within. See extensive report in Hufvudstadsbladet, 14 June 1967, p. 1,16. (Cf. Ø 537 in Theatre/
Media Bibliography).
The Dramaten visit was reviewed in major Finnish papers, also outside the capital. (Swedish
translations of reviews listed below are available at Dramaten library). Some reviewers (see
Maria Laukka) felt that Bergman’s ‘incestuous public’ was very different from a folksier Finnish
theatre public. Bergman represented ‘Nordic high culture’, which he examined via Hedda
Gabler: ‘Bergman has turned psychological drama into a very polished, refined product –
and soon its time is gone’. Cf. Helsinki reaction to Dramaten/Bergman guest visit of Strind-
berg’s Dreamplay in 1970 (Ø 447).
A number of reviewers pointed to filmic aspects in Bergman’s production which created both
closeness (through spotlighting and by isolating Hedda from the others) and distance (by
placing the characters at opposite ends of the stage in a simulated wide-angle perspective).
Leo Stålhammar argued that because of this ‘wide angle’ approach, ‘one could just as well speak
of Ingmar Bergman’s play as of Ibsen’s [...] the filmic way of treating the subject gives it a whole
new dimension’. Critic Kari Suvalo felt that Bergman dealt with Hedda’s sudden shifts in
emotional expression as a form of cinematic cuts. Finnish reviewers were in fact much more
positively attuned to Bergman’s ‘filmmaking’ approach than their Swedish colleagues.
Helsinki theatre critics had obviously followed the Stockholm debate about Bergman’s Hedda
Gabler. Some of the reviews – almost all of them positive – can in fact be read as defensive
responses to the Lagercrantz objections. Katri Veltheim stated: ‘Though Hedda Gabler is a few
years old, no dust has settled on this mercilessly clairvoyant analytical X-ray [...], exposing what
really happens between Hedda and the men.’ Most critics were anxious to point out Bergman’s
ability to blow new life into Ibsen and arouse a new interest in the classics: ‘When one sees
classical theatre of this kind, one begins to believe again in the unlimited possibilities of
producing theatre’ (Riita Kyttä). One might think, wrote another reviewer (T.B. Oramaa), ‘that
it is not possible to get anything more out of that Ibsen. Then someone like this guy Bergman
comes along, knows what he wants and breaks with tradition’.
Reviews
Arpiainen, Laila. ‘Dramatenin loistava loppuakordi Ruotsalainen teatterin juhlakan delle’ [Dra-
maten’s brilliant final chord for the Swedish Theatre’s (in Helsinki) jubilee season]. Hel-
singin Sanomat, 16 June 1967.
Hakulinen, Rita. ‘Vaikuttava Hedda Gabler’. Paivan Sanomat, 16 June 1967.
Herler, Don. ‘Hedda Gabler à la Bergman’. Tammerfors Aftonblad, 27 June 1967.

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Kihlman, Mårten. ‘Bergman blåste nytt liv i Ibsen’. [Bergman blew new life into Ibsen.][
Hufvudstadsbladet, 15 June 1967.
Kyttä, Riita. ‘Ihminen Hedda Gabler – nutta elävää Ibseniä’ [HG, the human being – Ibsen in a
new and living way]. Ilta-Sanomat, 15 June 1967.
Laukka, Maria. ‘Hedda Gabler. Tradition och nerv’. Suomen Sosialdemokraatii, 16 June 1967.
Oramaa, T.B. ‘Intensiivista teatteria ja taitavaa ihmiskuvausta’ [Intense theatre and skilful hu-
man depiction]. Kansan Uutiset, 17 June 1967.
Spåre, Catharina. ‘Marionettspel i ibsensk orddräkt’ [Marionette performance in Ibsenite word
dress]. Nya Pressen, 15 June 1967.
Stålhammar, Leo. ‘Upea Hedda Gabler’ [A grandiose HG]. Suomenmaa, 17 June 1967.
Suvalo, Kari. ‘Vielä kerran H. Gahler (sic)’ [Hedda Gabler once more]. Suomen Sosialdemok-
ratti, 23 June 1967.
Veltheim, Katri. ‘Läpivalaistu Hedda Gabler’ [An illuminated HG]. Uusi Suomi, 16 June 1967.
2. Berlin, Hebbeltheater, 3-6 October 1967
Reviews from the Berlin guest performance convey the impression that the critics, being
unfamiliar with Bergman’s theatre work, looked for the better known filmmaker Ingmar Berg-
man. Almost all of the reviews singled out what were termed the filmic aspects of his Hedda
Gabler production, a feature that (unlike the Finnish response above) carried mostly negative
connotations: ‘Ingmar Bergman disappointed the Berliners with a filmic staging of Hedda
Gabler’ (Kiefer). The production was written off as ‘a film in Biedermeier collars’ (Hübner).
However, in a review (‘Luder Hedda und Wippschaukeleien’, Frankfurter Rundschau, 26 October
1967), Volker Klotz distinguished between good and bad cinematic features; to the positive he
listed an intimate chamber film format with masterly direction of fine actors whose faces
revealed, as if in close-ups, every nuance of the soul; among the negative filmic traits he noted
overly explicit gestures and details, or what could be called non-functioning close-ups.
The Dramaten ensemble received high praise: ‘I know of no German theatre whose actors
could have given such a performance’. (Melchinger).
Reviews
Fehling, Dora. ‘Mehr Bergman als Ibsen’. Telegraph (Berlin), 5 October 1967.
Hübner, Paul. ‘Plüsch von 1890’. Rheinische Post, 7 October 1967.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Von der Belangosigkeit zur Ballade’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 5 October 1967.
Karsch, Walter. ‘Psychologie ganz gross’. Der Tagespiegel, 5 October 1967.
Kiefer, Jean Egon. ‘Ibsen in Grossaufnahme’. Wiener Zeitung, 8 October 1967.
Melchinger, Siegfried. ‘Theater 67’. Theater Heute, no. 10, October 1967, p. 8.
Schulte, Gerd. ‘Bergmans Paukenschlag in Berlin’. Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, 9 October
1967.
Urbach, Ilse. ‘Bergmans verstaubte Hedda Gabler’. Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 10 October 1967.
Windelboth, Horst. ‘Ein roter Käfig für Hedda Gabler’. Berliner Morgenpost, 5 October 1967.
3. London, Aldwych Theatre, 3-10 June 1968
Dramaten’s well attended guest performance, part of London’s World Theatre Season, was played
in Swedish with English translation provided through earphones. The majority of the reviewers
referred to Bergman as an ‘awesome’ or ‘austere’ filmmaker rather than stage director and
viewed the performance as a humorless, gloom-and-doom Bergman film, also noting the cine-
matic approach to the lighting and scenography. ‘And so the evening is full of fascination, at least
for filmgoers’, wrote one critic (Shorter). But the British have their own, long-established Ibsen
tradition, based on respect for Ibsen’s realistic stagecraft, and seemed somewhat reluctant to
accept Bergman’s ‘cinematic’ departure from it. Philip Hope-Wallace wrote: ‘Regrettably, direc-

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tor Ingmar Bergman does not always seem ready to trust the Norwegian master’s stage direc-
tions.’ The classical Ibsen stood out as the more subtle of the two: ‘Ingmar Bergman, the famous
film director, has tried to make explicit some of Hedda’s psychological motivations where Ibsen
seems to have deliberately left them obscure.’ (Shulman). Financial Times’ B.A. Young juxtaposed
Bergman’s ‘elegant’ stagecraft and his ‘overly explicit’ and controlling filmmaking style: ‘Berg-
man manipulates the picture in front of us as if we saw it on the cinema screen.’
Several reviewers remarked on the clinical coldness of the production (see Shorter, Wardle).
But none questioned its professional quality. There was however little of the boyant response
that the guest performance had elicited in Helsinki. In a foreword to his own June 1972 staging
of Hedda Gabler at London’s Royal Court Theatre, director John Osborne called Bergman’s 1964
production of the play ‘lamentable.’
Reviews
Barker, Felix. ‘The Agony of a Female Tarantula’. The Evening News, 4 June 1968.
Hope-Wallace, Philip. ‘Hedda Gabler at the Aldwych’. The Guardian, 5 June 1968, p. 6.
Lewis, Peter. ‘Hedda dominates the wide stage’. The Daily Mail, 4 June 1968.
Shorter, Eric. ‘Bergman’s ‘Hedda’ is cool and film-like’. The Daily Telegraph, 4 June 1968.
Shulman, Milton. ‘At the theatre’. The Evening Standard, 4 June 1968.
Wardle, Irving. ‘You are asked to judge’. The Times, 4 June 1968.
Young, B.A. ‘Hedda Gabler’. The Financial Times, 4 June 1968.
In 1970, Bergman directed a different, British production of Hedda Gabler (see Ø 448).

1965
441. DON JUAN ELLER STENGÄSTEN [Don Juan or the Stone Guest]
Credits
Original Title Don Juan ou le festin de pierre
Playwright Molière
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Sven Erik Skawonius
Music Daniel Bell
Stage Dramaten School staging at China Theatre
Opening Date 24 February 1965; School theatre performance 17 March
at China Theatre
Cast
Don Juan Georg Årlin
Sganarelle Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Donna Elvira Kristina Adolphson
Gusman Einar Axelsson
Don Carlos Sven Nilsson
Don Louis Hans Strååt
Mathurine Christina Frambäck
Charlotte Margaretha Byström
The Statue Ragnar Arvedson
Francisque Åke Lagersen
Pierrot Axel Düberg
La Violette Lenn Hjortzberg

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Ragotin Per-Olof Ekvall

Dimanche Björn Gustafson
The Ghost Kristina Adolphson
Commentary
The director’s copy with Molière’s portrait on front and the assistant director’s (Lenn Hjortz-
berg) copy are at SFI.
This was a production designed for Swedish high schools with a great deal of emphasis put
on slapstick elements focusing on Sganarelle who fled into the audience – both a traditional
feature present already in 17th-century versions of the play and a typical Bergman ‘ploy’ to
engage a young and unsophisticated audience.
The production was televised on educational TV (Skol-TV) on 17 March 1965. A TV program
about the production was broadcast on 26 February 1965. An article by Yngve Schollin, titled
‘Vacker målsättning missförstådd i byråkratisk tillämpning’ [Beautiful objective misunderstood
in bureaucratic application], appeared in the teachers’ magazine Lärartidningen on 13 March
1965. It criticizes a special Molière workbook, issued to students for the production, for being
too difficult and literary, in contrast to Bergman’s presentation.
Reviews
This being an educational theatre production, the performance received relatively scant though
positive attention in the press. See Sven Barthel in DN, 25 February 1965, and Claes Brunius in
Expr., same date.

442. FÖR ALICE [Tiny Alice]

Credits
Original Title Tiny Alice
Playwright Edward Albee
Director Bengt Ekerot/Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Stellan Mörner
Stage Dramaten, Main Stage
Opening Date 4 December 1965
Cast
The Attorney Georg Rydeberg
The Cardinal Georg Årlin
Brother Julian Anders Ek
Butler Gösta Prüzelius
Miss Alice Gunnel Broström
Commentary
The original director, Bengt Ekerot, fell ill during rehearsals and Ingmar Bergman took over.
The Dramaten opening of For Alice took place eleven months after the original Broadway
premiere and was the second staging of the play in Europe (after London).
Reception
The Dramaten program for For Alice reprinted five pages of comments and review excerpts
from the Broadway production of the play. Several Swedish theatre critics were offended by
what they saw as preview advertisement. The program also included an interview with Albee,
done by Ingmar Björkstén, in which the playwright warned potential viewers not to speculate
about the symbolism of the play. To reviewer Allan Fagerström (AB) the Dramaten production
had not heeded the advice: ‘Ingmar Bergman and scenographer Stellan Mörner arrange a pietà

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scene, opening up a Niagara of symbols to tumble down in barrels that crack of their own
meaninglessness’. [Ingmar Bergman och scenografen Stellan Mörner arrangerar en pietascen
som öppnar för ett Niagara av symboler att tumla ner i tunnor som spricker av sin egen
meningslöshet]. Fagerström’s response is rather typical of the Swedish reception of this ‘albee-
gory’. Wahlund (SvD) stated bluntly: ‘It seems totally impossible for me to make an evaluation
of this strange product’. [Det tycks mig fullständigt omöjligt att göra en utvärdering av denna
egendomliga produkt]. Bengt Jahnson (DN) questioned Dramaten’s choice of Albee’s play in its
repertory: ‘In five, six years Albee may mature as a playwright. Couldn’t Dramaten have waited
until then?’ [Om fem, sex år kan Albee ha mognat som dramatiker. Kunde inte Dramaten ha
väntat till dess?]. Reviewers also felt that Bergman made Albee’s text overly-explicit; Göran O.
Eriksson (ST) wrote: ‘If a stage direction suggests that Alice’s shoulder might be bared, Berg-
man has her pull up her skirt to the waist. [...] I can’t see the point. I can’t even find Bergman’s
or Albee’s vision particularly interesting’. [Står det i en scenanvisning att Alices skuldra kanske
ska blottas drar hon i Bergmans iscensättning upp kjolarna till midjan. [...] Jag kan inte se att
det leder någonstans. Jag kan inte ens finna vare sig Bergmans eller Albees vision särskilt
intressant]; (See also Lennart Josephson, SDS, for similar reaction).
Reviews
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Teater just nu. Brustna förväntningar’ [Theatre right now. Broken expecta-
tions]. Scen och Salong 1, 1966: 24-25.
Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘Alice i Bergman-land’. Politiken (Copenhagen), 6 December 1965.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Teatern är lös!’ [Theatre on fire]. Expr., 5 December 1965.
Eriksson, Göran O. ‘Så beskriver man helvetet’ [Thus one describes hell]. ST, 5 December 1965.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Alice i Dramatens underland’ [Alice in Dramaten’s wonderland]. AB, 5
December 1965.
Jahnsson, Bengt. ‘För Alice på Dramaten: Albees alltför privata jakobsbrottning’ [Tiny Alice at
Dramaten: Albee’s Jacob wrestling too private]. DN, 5 December 1965.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘Albees gud’ [A’s god]. SDS, 5 December 1965.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Ett absurt mysteriespel’ [An absurd mystery play]. SvD, 5 December 1965.

1966
443. RANNSAKNINGEN. ORATORIUM I 11 SÅNGER [The Investigation. Oratorio in 11
songs]
Credits
Original Title Die Ermittlung
Playwright Peter Weiss
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Gunilla Palmstierna Weiss
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main stage
Opening Date 13 February 1966
Cast
The Judge Hans Strååt
Prosecutor Gösta Prüzelius
Defense Attorney Olle Hilding

The Accused:
Mulka Erland Josephson

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Boger Sigge Fürst

Capesius Alf Östlund
Frank Ragnar Arvedson
Schatz Hans Sundberg
Lucas Olle Ek
Kaduk Ulf Johanson
Hofmann Helge Hagerman
Klehr Bengt Eklund
Scherpe Per-Olof Ekvall
Hantl Birger Malmsten
Stark Per Myrberg
Baretzki Oscar Ljung
Schlage Kotti Chave
Bischof Henrik Schildt
Broad Rudolf Wendbladh
Breitwieser Axel Düberg
Bednarek Gösta Krantz

Witnesses (nameless) Ingvar Kjellson, Georg Årlin, Olof Widgren, Anita

Björk, Barbro Larsson, Tord Stål, Anders Ek, Jan-Olof
Strandberg, Ragnar Falck
Commentary
A director’s copy is among Bergman’s archival papers at SFI. It has actors attendance lists,
inserted (glued) markings of the acts and 26 loose pages of handwritten notes. The Dramaten
program for Bergman’s production includes reprints of newspaper articles and analyses dis-
cussing the background of the holocaust.
The German-born playwright Peter Weiss came to Sweden before World War II. In the
politicized 1960s, after a career as an avant-garde painter and author, Weiss gained a reputation
as a radical and innovative playwright. He is said to have influenced the theatre in the same way
as Francis Bacon influenced painting.
Weiss’ play, Die Ermittlung (The Investigation), is based on documentary material edited by
journalist Bernd Naumann at the Frankfurter Allgemeine after the Frankfurt am Main trial of
some of the SS functionairies who had served at Auschwitz. The play caused considerable
debate when it was produced on several stages in Europe. In Cologne, West Germany, the
production discreetly omitted the names of the industrialists mentioned by Weiss.
To Weiss the Nazi concentration camps might be gone, but the capitalist system that pro-
duced them lived on. Bergman’s interest in the play was more existential: he had the sceno-
grapher Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss construct a wooden wall behind the performers, that
provided no exit. He followed Weiss’ recommendation that the lights be left on in the house
during the entire performance; they were only turned off when the trial/performance ended,
leaving the audience seated in total darkness. The audience was asked not to applaud.
Bergman who took over this production from another director did not feel comfortable with
the play at first; he experienced it as a form of pornographic violence [vålds-pornografi]. But
after discussions with Weiss, he became impressed by the playwright’s moral commitment to
his subject (Cf. Introduction, p. 473 and Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, p. 36). He cut the original
four-hour play to three hours and omitted Luigi Nono’s original music. In his stark approach,
Bergman seems to have interpreted Weiss’ ‘oratorio’ not only as a reference to the music of
composers like Händel, but also to the old Roman usage of oratio recta or direct speech.

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Reception
‘Go to Dramaten. There they are performing the most important play there is’, [Gå till Dra-
maten. Där spelar man den viktigaste pjäs som finns], wrote Allan Fagerström in AB. All of the
reviews testified to the emotional impact of the production: ‘The audience sits breathless. Here
a terrible reality opens up. For the most part it is nothing new, but it comes so very close’
[Publiken sitter andlös. Här öppnas en förfärlig verklighet. För de flesta är det ingenting nytt,
men det kommer så nära], wrote Håkan Tollet in Helsinki Hufvudstadsbladet. Even a notorious
Bergman critic like Bengt Jahnson (DN) admitted that ‘Of everything I have seen in the theatre,
nothing has shaken me as much as this performance’. [Av allt jag sett av teater har ingenting
skakat mig så mycket som denna föreställning]. Jahnson, in fact, had some difficulty reviewing
the production as a piece of theatre: ‘It is impossible to apply artistic measuring sticks to its
subject matter’. [Det är omöjligt att komma med konstnärliga måttstockar på dess ämne].
Nevertheless, others argued for treating the production as a piece of theatre. Per Schwanbom
(Arbetaren) wrote: ‘The Investigation should be noted, above all as a theatre event. It is nothing
that anyone should see out of duty or as a source of knowledge’. [Det är ändå som teaterhän-
delse Rannsakningen i främsta rummet skall uppmärksammas. Det är inget någon bör se av
plikt eller som kunskapskälla]. Göran O. Eriksson (ST) also chose to evaluate the production as
a stage performance: ‘What Ingmar Bergman succeeds in showing with his production of Peter
Weiss’ The Investigation is that the oratorio form really fulfills an essential artistic function. [...]
It is one of the most intelligent theatre productions I have seen’. [Vad Ingmar Bergman lyckas
visa med sin uppsättning av Peter Weiss’ Rannsakningen är att oratorieformen verkligen fyller
en väsentlig konstnärlig funktion. [...] Det är en av de intelligentaste uppsättningar jag sett].
Reviews
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Sången om helvetet’ [The song about hell]. GHT, 14 February 1966, p. 3.
Brunius, Clas. ‘Auschwitz kan upprepas’ [A. can happen again]. Expr., 14 February 1966.
Eriksson, Göran O. ‘Levande scenkonst’ [Living stagecraft]. ST, 14 February 1966.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Det direkta talet om ondska’ [Direct talk about evil]. AB, 14 February 1966.
Jahnsson, Bengt. ‘Publik och domare söker sanningen i upplyst Dramatensalong’ [Audience and
judge seek the truth in lit-up Dramaten house]. DN, 14 February 1966.
Josephson, Lennart. SDS, 14 February 1966.
Schwanbom, Per. ‘Samtidsdrama och salongsfars’ [Contemporary drama and drawing room
farce]. Arbetaren, no. 7, (18-24 February), 1966.
Stenström, Urban. ‘En universell rannsakning’ [A universal investigation]. SvD, 14 February
1966.
Tollet, Håkan. ‘Rannsakningen’. Hufvudstadsbladet (Helsinki), 15 February 1966.
See also
‘Dramaten och Auschwitz’. DN, 21 September 1965, p. 10. (A reply by Bergman to the question
raised about why the Royal Dramatic Theatre did not premiere Peter Weiss’s play Die
Ermittlung at the same time as German stages).
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman. Allting föreställer, ingenting är, 2000, pp. 59-61 (brief juxt-
aposition of Rannsakningen production and film Persona).
Sjögren, Henrik. Lek och raseri, 2002, pp. 34-38.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘I have never pursued a particular program policy – Ingmar Bergman in the
Theatre’. Contemporary Theatre Review vol. 14 (2), 2004: 41-56.

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444. HUSTRUSKOLAN and KRITIK ÖVER HUSTRUSKOLAN [School for Wives] and
[Critique of School for Wives]
Credits
Original Titles L’Ecole des femmes and La Critique de l’Ecole des
femmes
Playwright Molière
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Sven Erik Skawonius
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 20 November 1966
Cast
Hustruskolan [School for Wives]
Arnolphe Georg Rydeberg
Agnès Bibi Andersson
Horace Börje Ahlstedt
Alain Sigge Fürst
Georgette Ulla Sjöblom
Chrysalde Erland Josephson
Enrique Helge Hagerman
Legal Clerk Henrik Schildt

Kritik över Hustruskolan [Critique of School for Wives]

Uranie Jane Friedmann
Elise Bibi Andersson
Climène Ulla Sjöblom
Markin Oscar Ljung
Dorante Erland Josephson
Lysidas Sigge Fürst
Oronte Oscar Ljung
Galopin Börje Ahlstedt
Commentary
The director’s and assistant director’s (Lenn Hjortzberg) copies, dated 12 September 1966 and
containing cast lists and attendance lists, are among Bergman’s papers at SFI.
Bergman dominated Stockholm’s cultural life in November 1966. His production of Stra-
vinksi’s The Rake’s Progress had opened for a rerun at the Stockholm Opera. His film Persona
had just premiered. And his production of Molière’s School for Wives at Dramaten drew critics
from all over Scandinavia and beyond.
In an interview shortly before the opening of School for Wives (DN, 17 November 1966),
Bergman talked about his discovery of Molière in Paris in 1949. He read the play biographically,
as the dramatic story of an aging playwright’s love and jealousy, culminating in a literal
unmasking of Arnolphe/Molière, reminiscent of the undressing of the title figure in Bergman’s
Malmö production of Don Juan some ten years earlier.
This was Bergman’s last production as head of Dramaten, which led one critic to ask if
Bergman’s choice of a ‘farewell’ production did not suggest a certain parallell to Molière’s
destiny. See Yvonne Frendel, ‘En bergmansk tragedi’, Arbetarbladet (Gävle), 22 November
1966, which contains an interesting comparison between Molière and Bergman as ‘theatre

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kings’ possessed by the stage and surrounded by a ‘stable’ of actors, but only interested in life
insofar as it could be converted into roles and directorial tasks.
As in the production of Weiss’ The Investigation, Bergman’s staging of Molière was performed
without dimming the lights in the house. This time the reason was said to be a desire to present
the play as in Molière’s own time. The décor was stripped down, the only stage prop being an
old armchair. This was to become part of a more general orientation towards visual asceticism
in Bergman’s theatre work, culminating with his production of Strindberg’s A Dreamplay in
1970. With this asceticism followed an increasing emphasis on the spoken word and on the
actors’ presence on stage: ‘His prevailing ambition has obviously been to place the text at the
centre, transform the word into flesh’. [Hans förhärskande ambition har tydligen varit att
placera texten i centrum, förvandla ordet till kött], wrote Jurgen Schildt in AB.
Reception
See resume of the rather lukewarm critical response to the production in SvD, 22 November
1966. The consensus was that Bergman’s heart and energy were not in it. Henrik Sjögren (KvP)
called it ‘... an interesting production but not on the same high level as Bergman’s earlier
Molière productions. It is difficult to free oneself from the impression that this time he has
not been as engaged by the material’. [...en intressant uppsättning men inte på samma nivå som
Bergmans tidigare Moliereuppsättningar. Det är svårt att frigöra sig från intrycket att han denna
gång inte varit engagerad i materialet]. DN critic Bengt Jahnsson called the production ‘poorly
prepared’ [illa förberedd] and added fuel to the antagonism between him and Bergman (see
Ø 551) by questioning not only the current Molière production but Bergman’s professional role
at Dramaten: ‘If the City Theatre (Stockholms Stadsteater) had misused its resources in the
same way, people would have called it a scandal. Instead they call on Bergman. But what exactly
has he done as a director?’ [Om Stadsteatern missbrukat sina resurser på samma sätt skulle man
kallat det en skandal. I stället kallar man på Bergman. Men vad exakt har han gjort som
regissör?].
Expr.’s cultural page published three independent reviews of Bergman’s Molière production,
all of them critical. Editor-in-chief Bo Strömstedt wrote: ‘Ingmar Bergman’s “School for Wives”
is perfect, exact, brilliant, clear – a superb theatrical display; and it leaves me absolutely cold’.
[Ingmar Bergmans ‘Hustruskolan’ är perfekt, exakt, blank, klar – en fulländad teateruppvisn-
ing, och den lämnar mig alldeles kall]. Leif Zern, the paper’s cultural editor, also found the
production without warmth (‘the same cold, green light/samma kalla gröna ljus’) and com-
plained about Bergman’s need to deal in moral and existential absolutes: ‘It is a performance
[...] about the given place of all things in the universe and never a performance about falling in
love, about the emotional mobility and freedom that Molière despite everything depicts with
such modern sensitivity’. [Det är ett spel om [...] alltings givna plats i universum – aldrig ett spel
om förälskelsen, den känslans rörlighet och frihet som Molière trots allt också beskriver med
sådan modern känslighet]. The third reviewer, Mats Ödéen, felt that Bergman never established
contact between stage and audience: ‘After a while we lose interest’. [Efter en stund tappar vi
intresset].
Behind the unengaged reception was a common feeling that Bergman had opted for a strictly
clinical and distancing approach. A positive exception was Bengt Olof Vos’ review in a women’s
magazine (Damernas värld): ‘With another director and less skilfull actors, the whole thing
could have been [...] monotonous [...]. Here the result is brilliant!’ [Med en annan regissör och
mindre skickliga skådespelare kunde det hela ha blivit [...] monotont. [...] Här är resultatet
lysande!].
Note that the negative assessments did not include the ‘prologue’, Critique of School for Wives,
which was much more favorably received.

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Reviews
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Dramaten spelar Molièrekomedi’. Östgöta-Correspondenten, 22 November
1966.
Bye, Anders. ‘Bergmans avskjed med Dramaten’ [Bergman’s farewell to Dramaten]. Dagbladet
(Norwegian), 23 November 1966.
Eklann, Thorsten. ‘Hanrej och ligist på Dramaten’ [Cuckold and hooligan at D). UNT, 23
November 1966.
Hammarén, Carl. ‘Avskalad, väsentlig Molière’ [Stripped, essential Molière]. Nerikes Allehanda,
21 November 1966.
Jahnsson, Bengt. ‘Vad har regissör Bergman gjort? “Hustruskolan” illa förberedd’. [What has
director B done? School for Wives poorly prepared]. DN, 21 November 1966.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘Molière från två håll’ [M from two directions]. SDS, 22 November 1966.
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Bergmans hustruskola’. AB, 21 November 1966.
Sjögren, Henrik. ‘I den högre Hustruskolan’ [In the higher school for wives]. KvP, 21 November
1966.
Stenström, Urban. ‘Asketisk Molière på Dramaten’. SvD, 21 November 1966.
Strömberg, Martin. ‘Moderniserade klassiker och klassisk modernism’. Traktören, no. 10, 1966.
Strömstedt, Bo. ‘... som i en glaskula’ [...as in a glass ball]. Expr., 21 November 1966.
Vos, Bengt Olof. ‘Teater’. Damernas värld, no. 48, 1966.
Zern, Leif. ‘Samma kalla, gröna ljus’ [The same cold, green light]. Expr., 21 November 1966.
Ödéen, Mats. ‘Vi “ser” för lite’ [We ‘see’ too little]. Expr., 21 November 1966.
See also
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 277-82.

1967
445. SEX PERSONER SØKER EN FORFATTER [Six Characters in Search of an Author]
Credits
Original Title Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore
Playwright Luigi Pirandello
Director Ingmar Bergman
Asst. director Lenn Hjortzberg
Stage Design Mago
Stage Nationalteatret, Oslo
Date 1 April 1967
Cast
The Father Knut Wigert
The Mother Tore Segelcke
Stepdaughter Liv Ullmann
The Son Joachim Calmeyer
The Boy Wenche Medböe
The Girl Mette Rakeng and Ranveig Iversen
Madame Pace Ella Hval
Theatre director Henki Kolstad
Prompter Ilse Kramm
Actresses Urda Arneberg, Gøril Havrevold, Aagot Børseth, Eva
Opaker

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Actors Gunnar Olram, Axel Thue, Ståle Bjørnhaug

Propman Bjarne Thomsen
Manager Arne Bang-Hansen
Machinist Geir Børresen
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman left Stockholm for Oslo in early 1967, disenchanted with the Swedish theatre
situation (See Ø 537). In Oslo he presented his second production of Pirandello’s play (cf.
Ø 419). The premises were different: the large Norwegian National Theatre with its baroque
ornamental style was a significant contrast to the small modern stage at Malmö Intiman. The
action in the Oslo production unfolded on one or more of three descending levels disappearing
into the wings or into a nondescript black and bottomless pit that loomed behind. Just as he
had done in his production of Hedda Gabler in Stockholm, Bergman placed the action of
Pirandello’s tragedy of identity inside a virtual mental space. In both productions, his mise-
en-scene emphasized the distance between the two groups of characters: in this case between
the actors and the dramatis personae who come to the theatre to have their unfinished drama
completed.
A pattern in Bergman’s stagecraft established itself in the 1960s and was to continue for the
next couple of decades. Emphasis on costumes to provide color to the production was juxta-
posed to a stripped-down decor, with a few props carried on and off stage by stage hands. This
anti-illusionist form of theatre was demonstrated in the Oslo production of Pirandello’s play by
such features as having the little girl who drowns simply fall into the prompter’s box.
Bergman had cut freely into Pirandello’s dialogue, and the entire performance, including a
20-minute intermission, took less than two hours. Pirandello’s stage directions were largely
ignored and some of the cues were rearranged as well.
Reception
Norwegian critics raved about the performance. They noted Bergman’s dynamic and precise
way of moving the actors on stage to achieve ultimate emotional impact and were struck by his
acoustic use of invisible space (such as an off-stage pistol shot). On the whole, Norwegian
critics focussed on Bergman’s reading of Pirandello’s play as a tragedy of non-communication
and compared it to the theme of his films Tystnaden and Persona. The Swedish press response
was much more concentrated on Bergman’s mise-en-scene and his exposure of the theatre as
artificiality. Bo Strömstedt (Expr.) noted Bergman’s depiction of a ridiculous and decrepid
theatre situation: ‘the prompter is so hoarse she can hardly be heard, the propman so limping
he can hardly walk; around the actors in the theatre group, there is a naphta smell of conceit
and false intonation – a theatre wardrobe that is out and moving’. [sufflösen är så hes att hon
knappt hörs, inspicienten så stultig att han knappast kan gå, kring teatergruppens skådespelare
står det en naftalindoft av tillgjordhet och falska tonfall – av teatergarderob som är ute och rör
på sig.].
Several commentators touched on Bergman’s reference to the crucifixion of Christ in the last
act when the Father entered with bloodied hands: ‘...it is a way of concluding that is not foreign
to Bergman’, wrote Allan Fagerström (AB) and added: ‘And it is always dramatically effective,
for everybody has heard of Jesus Christ, whatever he is doing in this context with his pierced-
through palms. There will always be some people who go home thinking that Pirandello is a
great religious seeker. I don’t believe so, but on the other hand, I am convinced, after Ingmar
Bergman’s presentation, that an ingenious director can transform philosophical ambiguities
into tense drama’. [...det är ett sätt att sätta punkt som inte är Bergman främmande. Och
dramatiskt verkningsfullt är det ju alltid, ty alla människor har ju hört talas om Jesus Kristus,
vad han nu har i det här sammanhanget att göra med sina genomborrade handflator. Alltid går

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någon hem och tror att Pirandello är en stor religiös sökare. Det tror nu inte jag, men däremot
är jag efter Ingmr Bergmans föreställning övertygad om att en genial regissör kan förvandla
filosofiska tvetydigheter till laddad dramatik].
Ossia Trilling of London’s Times called Bergman’s staging of Pirandello ‘one of the most
successful productions to have appeared on the stage of Norway’s National Theatre in living
memory. [...] This is because [the play] has been directed by Ingmar Bergman, one of the most
imaginative directors in all of Scandinavia’.
Reviews
Anderssen, Odd-Stein. ‘Seks personer søker en forfatter’. Aftenposten (Oslo), 3 April 1967.
Barthel, Sven. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Pirandello i Oslo’. DN, 2 April 1967, p. 24.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Ingmar Bergmans avskedsföreställning’ [Bergman’s farewell production]. SDS,
2 April 1967, p. 8.
Eidem, Odd. ‘Når inspirasjonen gløder’ [When inspiration glows]. Verdens Gang (Oslo), 3 April
1967.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Jubel för Ingmar Bergman i Oslo’ [Jubilence for Bergman in Oslo]. AB, 2
April 1967.
Gjesdal, Paul. ‘Pirandellos “Seks personer” ble en stor forestilling’ [P’s Six Characters became a
great performance]. Arbeiderbladet, 3 April 1967.
Omberg, Asbjørn. ‘Bak virkelighetens forheng’ [Behind reality’s curtain]. Morgenposten, 3 April
1967.
Raum, Odd. ‘Drama finner iscenesetter’ [Drama finds director]. Nationen, 3 April 1967.
Strömstedt, Bo. ‘Ingmar Bergman gör en grimas åt teatern’ [Bergman grimaces at the theatre].
Expr., 2 April 1967.
Sørensen, Ernst. ‘Seks personer søkte en forfatter..’. [Six characters sought an author...]. Mor-
genbladet, 3 April 1967.
Trilling, Ossia. ‘Bergman and Pirandello’s Six Characters’. The Times, 21 June 1967.
See also
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman: ‘Allting föreställer, ingenting är.’, 2000, pp. 61-63; (juxtaposi-
tion of Oslo production of Pirandello’s play and Persona.)
Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 283-90 (reception summary).

1969
446. WOYZECK
Credits
Playwright Georg Büchner
Translation Per Erik Wahlund
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Marik Vos
Choreography Mats Ek
Music Daniel Bell
Lighting Holger Juhlin
Assistant Director Göran Sarring
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, Main Stage
Opening Date 14 March 1969

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Cast
Woyzeck Thommy Berggren
Marie Gunnel Lindblom
Their Son Charlotta Öhman/Susanna Söderström
The Jew Gösta Prüzelius
The Captain Sigge Fürst
The Doctor Tord Stål
Drum major Lars Amble
Anders Axel Düberg
Town Crier Ulf Johanson
The Lady Agda Helin
Two men Sven-Eric Gamble, Urban Sahlin
The Girl Malin Ek
Subaltern Carl Billqvist
The Fool Birger Malmsten
Grandmother Sif Ruud
Katrin Margaretha Byström
Innkeeper Erik Hell
Margret Ellika Mann
Two children Cecilia Nilsson/ Daphne Strååt
Madeleine Fjellström/ Mikaela Strååt
Commentary
The director’s copy, which includes a rehearsal outline and is dated 13 January 1969, is in the
Bergman material donated to the SFI. The Swedish Radio (SR) manuscript (no. 537), used for
the radio transmission on 25 April 1969, is also among these papers.
The historical Woyzeck was both a barber and professional soldier (who also served briefly in
the Swedish army). In Büchner’s play he is a Captain’s aide and a guinea pig for a medical
doctor; a human victim not unlike what Bergman was later to allude to in his film The Serpent’s
Egg. To provide psychological (rather than social) motivation for Woyzeck’s murder, Bergman
elaborated on the character of the lackey who seduces Woyzeck’s mistress Marie. In a further
shift away from the social issues in the drama, Bergman eroticized Marie by making her
prostitute herself out of sexual lust and not because her degraded social position leaves her
no option. Several reviewers were to criticize this. (See Expr.; SvD; DN).
Bergman’s production of George Büchner’s Woyzeck was a crucial step in his conception of
the symbiotic relationship between stage and audience. At a press conference on 16 January
1969, he displayed – together with set designer Marik Vos – a stage model of a specially designed
arena theatre to be built on Dramaten’s Main Stage and seating 150 spectators. The acting space
was to measure 5 times 3 1/2 meters. Close to fifty people were to be involved in the production;
of these, only nineteen were actors. Apart from the traditional house seats, some seats towards
the back of the stage would be reserved for members of the audience who, together with a great
many extras in the production, would surround the performers. For a summary of press
conference, see SvD, 17 January 1969, and DN same date.
After some twenty rehearsal sessions in a special studio at Dramaten, the ensemble continued
rehearsing on the arena stage on 20 February 1969, at which time theatre students, critics and
other professionals in the field were invited to attend. Once seated for a rehearsal, viewers could
not leave until the performance was over. Critics were told they could write about the produc-
tion at any time and talk to the cast but had to show respect for the work rules set down. Open
rehearsals continued for a month. They took place twice a day, at 11 am and at 1 pm. The

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number of seats reserved for public attendance was set at 60. One hundred people showed up
for the first rehearsal and all were admitted after signing their names in a guest book. Bergman
introduced the play and its author. He pointed out that open rehearsals were not a novelty.
Molière suggests them in his play ‘Intermezzo at Versailles’. See reportage by signature Fabri-
cius, ‘Molière var först, sa Bergman’ [Molière was first, said Bergman]. SvD, 21 February 1969.
There were several short radio news programs and radio interviews during the Woyzeck
rehearsals. See the following:
‘Morgoneko’ [Morning news], Sveriges Radio, 17 January 1969. 4 min.
Bergman presents his new production ideas. Mentions that Büchner’s play has been one of his
companion pieces since his student days. Talks about the ennui he felt with theatre work after
three years as head of Dramaten. He is so elated to be back he even ‘sings’ an old ditty to the
occasion:
Hälsa hem, sade han [Greet them at home, said he.
Jag har bakat som en man [I’ve baked like a man
Och nu ligger jag bland skorpor [And now I lie amidst biscuits and crumbs].
och bland smulor.

‘Luncheko’ [Lunch news]. Sveriges Radio, 12 March 1969. 2 minutes.

Ingmar Bergman and actor Thommy Berggren discuss the open rehearsals of Woyzeck produc-
tion. Same subject discussed in interview in ‘Morgoneko’ [Morning news]. Sveriges Radio, 15
March 1969. 4 minutes.
Reception
Staging Woyzeck with open rehearsals might have been an attempt by Bergman to respond, in a
professional rather than political way, to demands by young Swedish drama groups to make the
theatre a more open democratic institution. In an article in the London Sunday Times on 14
April 1969, Edward Lucie-Smith reported from the Stockholm scene that Bergman’s Woyzeck,
though brilliant and with distinct Peter Brook features (the use of a chorus), nevertheless was
an imitation of what the radical ‘free groups’ in Stockholm had been doing for years. These
groups, which could be found on such stages as the Arena Theatre, the Pistol Theatre, and the
Pocket Theatre [Fickteatern], had long been Bergman’s harshest critics. The Times article was a
replica of an item written by Björn Häggqvist on 6 March 1969 in AB (‘Knuffen på Dramaten’
[The push at Dramaten]). Häggqvist’s main argument was that Bergman’s novelties with open
rehearsals, unnumbered seats, and lowered ticket prices were pseudo-democratic gestures that
only covered up an old-fashioned dictatorial approach where the actors were mere instruments,
used to further the director’s personal vision. Actor Thommy Berggren (who played Woyzeck)
wrote a sharp reply in AB, 11 March 1969 (‘Öppet brev från Thommy Berggren, Dramaten: Du
Häggqvist – här har du lite f-a-k-t-a’ [Open letter from TB, Dramaten: Hey, H. – here are som
f-a-c-t-s]). Häggqvist responded in AB 18 March 1969 (‘Woyzeck och teaterdemokratin’ [W. and
theatre democracy]).
The overall press response to Bergman’s Woyzeck production provides a good illustration of a
critical corps divided in their assessment of Bergman’s disciplined type of direction and his
formal estheticism; to some his version of Woyzeck resulted in a beautiful performance; to
others it was too controlled and rigid. The issue of Bergman imposing his personal vision on a
production runs like a mantra through the press response. One theatre critic (Josephson, SDS)
titled his review ‘Bullying (översitteri) à la Bergman’ and implied that the director’s control was
built into his stage design with its diminished acting space and removal of all unnecessary

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props. To Tollet (Hufvudstadsbladet) the production was ‘a tragi-comic Bergmanian circus. [...]
This is Ingmar Bergman’s “Woyzeck” and not Büchner’s’. [en tragikomisk bergmancirkus. [...]
Detta är Ingmar Bergmans Woyzeck och inte Büchners]. Also Tord Bæckström in GHT con-
cluded that Bergman’s Woyzeck was ‘governed by a sovereignly conscious will that makes every
movement and every group a link in the chain. It is masterful – a theatrical act depicted by an
unhesitant and strong vision’. [styrs av en suveränt medveten vilja som gör varje rörelse och
varje grepp till en länk i kedjan. Det är mästerligt – en scenhandling gestaltad av en tveklös och
stark vision]. P.O. Enquist (Expr.), who termed the performance ‘an extremely clean and very
Bergmanian work’, [ett utomordentligt snyggt och mycket bergmanskt arbete] was less appre-
ciative of the result: ‘Everything feels polished but conventional, spotless but spineless’. [Allting
känns polerat men konventionellt, fläckfritt men ryggradslöst]. An important deviating voice
was that of Leif Zern (DN) who saw Bergman’s Woyzeck as a collaborative effort: ‘I have never
seen Bergman work more openly than here. [...] I experience his production as very liberating,
very present. [...] It is personal but not at the expense of the material, and it is born out of a
collaboration between text, direction, and actors that is unique in our country’. [Jag har aldrig
sett honom arbeta öppnare än här, [...] och själv upplever jag hans föreställning som mycket
befriande, mycket närvarande. [...] Den är personlig, men inte på materialets bekostnad, och
den är född ur en samverkan mellan text, regi och skådespelare som är unik i vårt land].
Theatre critic Henrik Sjögren followed the production of Woyzeck and later published his
notes in Regi, Ingmar Bergman. Dagbok från Dramaten, 1969, (see Ø 554).
Reviews
n.a. ‘Bergman and Woyzeck’. The Times, 2 June 1969.
Branting, Jacob. ‘Kan en fattig djävel ha moral’ [Can a poor devil have moral sense]. AB, 15
March 1969, p. 8.
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Människan och fattigdomen’ [Man and poverty]. GHT, 15 March 1969.
Enquist, Per Olov. ‘Woyzeck – vad är det som fattas?’ [W. – what is missing?]. Expr., 15 March
1969.
Janzon, Åke. ‘Ingmar Bergmans ‘Woyzeck’ – ett lysande spektakel’ [Bergman’s Woyzeck – a
brilliant spectacle]. SvD, 14 March 1969.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘Översitteri à la Bergman’ [Bullying à la Bergman]. SDS, 15 March 1969.
Tollet, Håkan. ‘Bergmans Woyzeck’. Hufvudstadsbladet, 19 March 1969.
Zern, Leif. ‘Woyzeck sceniskt mästerverk’ [W. a stage masterpiece]. DN, 15 March 1969.
See also
Dallmann, Günter. ‘Wider das Premierenfieber’. Tagesspiegel, 31 January 1969.
Leiser, Erwin. ‘Inszenierung ohne Premiere’. Die Weltwoche, 28 February 1969. (article based on
rehearsals).
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman: ‘Allting föreställer, ingenting är’. 2001, pp. 63-66. (Juxtaposi-
tion of Woyzeck production and Bergman’s film En passion/Passion of Anna).
Rumler, Fritz. ‘Das Publikum kommt zur Probe’. Der Spiegel, no. 12, 17 June 1969.

1970
447. ETT DRÖMSPEL [A Dreamplay]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Lennart Mörk

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Stage Dramaten, Small Stage

Opening date 14 March 1970
Running time 1 hr 45 minutes
Cast
Indra’s Daughter Kristina Adolphson
Agnes Malin Ek
The Glazier Oscar Ljung, Ragnar Arwedson
The Officer Holger Löwenadler
The Father Henrik Schildt
The Mother Aino Taube
Lina, servant Ellika Mann
The Concierge Birgitta Valberg
The Billboard Man John Harryson
The Singer Irene Lindh
The Choir Singer Dora Söderberg
The Prompter Olof Willgren
The Policeman Hans Sundberg
The Lawyer Allan Edwall
The Chancellor Ragnar Arwedson
Kristin Aino Taube
A Naval Officer Jan Dolata
The Blind Man Hans Strååt
The Teacher Olle Hilding
Dean of Theology Faculty Henrik Schildt
Dean of Medicine Faculty Olle Hilding
Dean of Philosophy Faculty Hans Sundberg
Dean of Law Faculty Axel Düberg
The Poet Georg Årlin/Hans Strååt
Wordstroem Gösta Prüzelius
The Sick Hans Sundberg,
Don Juan Einar Axelsson
The Coquette Dora Söderberg
The Friend Henrik Schildt
He Jan Dolata
She Irene Lindh
The Retiree Oscar Ljung
Coal Carriers Axel Düberg, Hans Strååt
The Ballet Girl Kari Sylwan
The Husband John Harryson
The Lady Dora Söderberg
Edit Kari Sylwan
Edit’s mother Birgitta Valberg
Alice Irene Lindh
Commentary
Bergman talks about this staging of Strindberg’s Drömspel (A Dreamplay) in a radio program:
‘Ingmar Bergman intervjuas’ [Bergman interviewed]. SR, 9 and 12 March 1970. Bergman was
also interviewed about the production in the radio program ‘Spektakel’ [Spectacle], SR, 21
March 1970, where he talked about his difficulty with Strindberg’s conception of Indra’s

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daughter as a female Christ figure. It led him to make some radical dramaturgical changes,
having the character of Indra’s daughter performed by two different actresses, one enacting the
divine woman, the other representing Agnes, the earthly woman and wife of the Lawyer. The
Poet too was split into two beings, one personifying a dream consciousness who opened the
play (a change from Strindberg’s text where Indra’s daughter descends from heaven); the other
as the Skald who was identical to Strindberg’s Poet in the original text. By having the Poet
replace Indra’s daughter at the opening of Ett drömspel, Bergman converted the drama from a
divine vision into a human dream.
Strindberg prepared for the opening of his Drömspel in 1907 by buying a slide projector with
which he planned to project visual images to create a dreamlike mood. But he could not
overcome the technical drawbacks of his primitive machine. In his 1970 version of Ett drömspel,
Bergman utilized Strindberg’s idea by having scenographer Lennart Mörk paint a rectangular
screen in the back of the stage, on which images could be projected. All the technical machinery
was visible, like a theatre workshop in full view. Walls and doors were painted black. None of
the metaphysical and biographical frameworks of earlier Swedish productions of the play were
present in Bergman’s version. There was no burning castle in the end; instead Indra’s daughter
wandered into total darkness while the Skald (Poet) hid under a table. None of the male actors
wore a Strindberg mask.
Bergman cut Strindberg’s text drastically, especially in the second half, which was reduced by
almost 50%. According to Bergman, however, he had cut only 11 minutes of performance time.
His production took 1 hour, 45 minutes, without intermission. A detailed discussion of Berg-
man’s cuts can be found in Wolf Dietrich Müller’s dissertation study Der Theaterregisseur
Ingmar Bergman (Ø 587), pp. 10-14. Müller bases his discussion on Volker Klotz’ review article,
listed below.
A director’s copy with the rehearsal schedule is among Bergman’s papers deposited at the SFI.
Michael Meyer published an English edition of Bergman’s shortened text: Strindberg, A
Dream Play, Adapted by Ingmar Bergman. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1973. 58 pp.
Reception
There was considerable critical ambivalence about Bergman’s cuts and changes. Most negative
was Allan Fagerström (AB) for whom Bergman turned Ett drömspel into a farce: ‘This variation
of A Dreamplay is not signed by Strindberg but by a humorist. [...] The dream mood is
strangled; this production is straight and pure prose[...] ’. [denna variant av Ett drömspel är
inte signerat av Strindberg utan av en humorist. [...] Drömstämningen stryps; uppsättningen är
ren och skär prosa]. Tord Bæckström (GHT) offered an excellent resume of the divided critical
response, noting both the visual impact of the production and the problematic mutilation of
the play:
This is a wonderful production. Strindberg’s Dreamplay: finally free from the heavy thea-
trical imagery that only thwarts one’s imagination instead of liberating it, acted on a stage
that is nothing but a stage in a theatre, the anonymous room of dreams. [...] Or: a mis-
representation of Strindberg’s drama. What is being shown is a torso, a very beautiful torso;
the director has cut off the head of the drama by rationalizing away the main character [...].
When his (Strindberg’s) greatest drama finally meets a director who can give it its most
authentic form on stage, diabolic pride gives the same director the idea to mutilate his
(Strindberg’s) thought...

[Detta är en underbar uppsättning. Strindbergs Drömspel till sist befriat från det tunga
teatermaskineri som bara stryper ens fantasi i stället för att frigöra den, spelat på en scen

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som ingenting annat är än en scen på en teater, drömmarnas anonyma rum. [...] Eller: en
felrepresentation av Strindbergs drama. Vad som visas är en torso, en mycket vacker torso;
regissören har skurit av huvudet på dramat genom att rationalisera bort huvudkaraktären.
[...] När hans största dikt äntligen möter en regissör som kan ge den dess sannaste form på
scenen, då inger högmodets djävul samma regissör idén att stympa hans tanke...].
Whether positive or negative in their reactions, reviewers agreed that Bergman revealed a
confident knowledge of Strindberg’s text and that his signature was unmistakable in a produc-
tion that challenged the Molander tradition and one in which stage esthetics dominated over
metaphysics (see Zern, DN; Per Erik Wahlund, SvD; Strömstedt, Expr.). Lennart Josephson
(SDS) pointed out, however, that in order to be receptive to Bergman’s approach, the spectator
might need to suppress personal memories of Strindberg’s text and of its Swedish (i.e., Mo-
lander) performance history. One critic who did just that was Håkan Tollet in Hufvudstads-
bladet: ‘It is as if I had never seen Strindberg’s Dreamplay until now. In exactly one hour and
forty-five minutes without an intermission one sits captivated, fascinated, caught in a great
poet’s and a great director’s dream’. [Det är som jag aldrig sett Strindbergs Drömspel förrän nu.
På exakt en timma och fyrtiofem minuter utan paus sitter man fängslad, fascinerad, fångad av
en stor diktares och en stor regissörs dröm].
Reviews
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Bergman och Drömspelet’. GHT, 16 March 1970.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Strindbergs Drömspel en befriande källa’ [S’s Dreamplay – a liberating
well]. Scen och Salong 4, 1970: 14-15, 23.
Elmquist, Carl Johan. ‘At digte og at drömme’ [To fantasize and to dream]. Politiken (Copenha-
gen), 15 March 1970.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Ingmar Bergmans drömspel’. AB, 15 March 1970.
Janzon, Åke. ‘Ingmar Bergman på Dramaten: Förtätat, osmyckat Drömspel’ [Bergman at
Dramaten: Dense, unembellished Dreamplay]. SvD, 15 March 1970, p. 12.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘Strindberg eller Bergman’ [S or B]. SDS, 15 March 1970.
Strömstedt, Bo. ‘Drömspelet’. Expr., 15 March 1970.
Tollet, Håkan. ‘Bergmans version av Strindbergs Drömspel’. Hufvudstadsbladet, 17 March 1970.
Zern, Leif. ‘En känsla av befrielse’ [A feeling of liberation]. DN, 15 March 1970.
There were several German reviews of the Stockholm opening of Ett drömspel. See:
Klotz, Volker. ‘Traum- und Denkspiele der Schweden’, Theater Heute XI, No 6 (June) 1970, pp.
38-40. Klotz acknowledges that to the Germans, Strindberg’s Traumspiel lacks a realistic
anchoring, colored as it is by expressionists like Hasenclever, Johst, and Toller. Klotz how-
ever discovers a ‘Swedish’ Strindberg in Bergman’s production, which relies on a native
tradition that places the playwright hand and foot in his Stockholm environment. Klotz is
also struck by Bergman’s oscillation between a mood of stark seriousness and clownish,
sometimes mannered acting.
Leiser, Erwin. ‘Ein Traum wird wahr’. Die Welt Woche, 29 August 1970. To Leiser ‘Bergman has
not violated this famous piece but has adapted it for a modern public.’
Rühle, Günther. ‘Aufklärung, Alptraum und Leid’. Frankfurter Allgemeine, 12 May 1970. Rühle
suggests that a younger generation of theatre workers in Sweden feel no affinity for Berg-
man or Strindberg but admits that Bergman succeeds in his Dreamplay production in
drawing the audience into Strindberg’s dream.

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Articles and Chapters in Books

Marker, Frederick and Lise-Lone. Ingmar Bergman. Four decades in the Theatre (Ø 594), pp. 97-
110, gives a presentation of the mise-en-scene in Bergman’s production.
Sjögren, Henrik. Lek och raseri (Ø 677), pp. 297-303, offers a reception summary of Bergman’s
1970 Dreamplay staging.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Staging A Dreamplay’. In Strindberg’s Dramaturgy, ed. by G. Stockenström.
Minneapolis: Minnesota UP, 1988, pp. 256-290. Discusses a number of productions of
Strindberg’s Dreamplay, including Bergman’s from 1970.
—. ‘Strindberg, The Dreamplay (1970)’. In author’s Between Stage and Screen, 1995, pp. 23-29.
See also
Ehrenkrona, Anne-Marie. ‘Holger Löwenadler, 65, har fått sin drömroll’ [HL, at 65 has got his
dream part]. AB, 14 March 1970. An interview with the actor who played the Officer in
Bergman’s Dreamplay production. Löwenadler prefers a director with a strong personality
and good leadership qualities.
Helgheim, Kjell. ‘Fra Stockholms-teatrene: Når gudene stiger ned på jorden’ [From Stockholm’s
theaters: When the gods descend on earth]. Morgenbladet (Oslo), 23 December 1971. In-
cludes a review of Bergman’s Dreamplay production. Helgheim points out Bergman’s
departure from Swedish Strindberg tradition represented by Molander.
Opperud, Inger-Marie. ‘I kväll är det hennes tur’ [Tonight it is her turn]. Expr., 14 March 1970.
Brief presentation of Malin Ek as Indra’s Daughter, with a list of other Swedish actresses
who have played the role.
Guest Performances
Bergman’s production of Ett drömspel went on tour in Sweden, 13 October to 11 November 1970.
For a sample reception, see ‘Succé för ‘Drömspelet’ vid gästspel i Norrland’, DN, 8 November
1970.
The production was invited to a number of guest performances abroad: Helsinki, Belgrade,
Venice, London, West Germany, and Amsterdam.
1. Helsinki, Finland, 19-20 May 1970, 2 performances.
During Dramaten’s guest visit to Helsinki with Ett drömspel, Bergman held a press conference
on 18 May 1970 in which he talked about his relationship to Strindberg. See M.K., ‘Strindberg
har alltid följt mig’ [S. has always followed me]. Hufvudstadbladet, 19 May 1970.
Asked what kind of benefit a guest visit might have for the director and his ensemble,
Bergman replied: ‘For the director – none whatsoever. A heck of a nuisance. The task is to
keep a hundred fleas on one sheet. [...] But for the ensemble it is immensely valuable to
perform in a new environment’. [För regissören – ingen alls. En massa besvär. Uppgiften är
att hålla hundra löss på ett lakan. [...] Men för ensemblen är det oerhört värdefullt att spela i en
ny omgivning.].
The performance on 19 May 1970 in the city’s Svenska Teatern was sold out, with extra
standing room provided in the balcony. According to one reviewer (Kihlman) the public
experienced Bergman’s production in breathless silence. Theatre critics in the major papers
were enthusiastic, but the visit was questioned by younger radical reviewers.
Reviews
Eklund, Hilkka. ‘Dramatenin Uninäytelmä’. Suomen Sosialidemokraatii, 20 May 1970. Eklund
questions the rationale behind inviting Bergman and Dramaten to the Helsinki festival.
‘Time has passed both Strindberg and Bergman; at least that is how the younger generation
feels.’

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Kihlman, Mårten. ‘Bergmans Drömspel’. Hufvudstadsbladet, 21 May 1970. Saw Bergman re-
flected in the blind man’s monologue: clear insight, anguish, and tenderness for human
beings.
Uexküll, Sole. ‘Bergmans drömspel – jordisk, öm, vacker’ [B’s dreamplay – earthly, tender,
beautiful]. Helsinki Sanomat, 20 May 1970. ‘What is admirable is Bergman’s ability to crawl
under Strindberg’s skin, yet at the same time keep a critical distance. Strindberg remains in
his own time in his own attitudes. This gives a particular transparency to the whole
performance.’
Excerpts from four of the reviews appeared in DN, 22 May 1970.
2. Vienna Akademitheater, 10-12 June 1970 (five performances, including two
matinees for school audiences).
An invitation to perform during Wiener Festwochen had been preceded by earlier attempts to
attract Bergman as a director to the city’s Burgtheater. The performance of Ein Traumspiel did
not take place in the Festival House but at the city’s Burgtheater complex, the old Akade-
mietheater. Bergman came to Vienna from his rehearsals of British Hedda Gabler in London,
via a stop-over in Helsinki (see above). He appeared at a press conference in the Vienna
Concordia House and surprised the journalists with his humor and light-heartedness. Bergman
spoke about his love-hatred of Strindberg, his wish to stage The Magic Flute, his directorial
premises (an audience and a set of actors); and his plan to make film comedies in the future
‘since life is so sad, people have nothing to laugh at’.
See: Hugo von Hupper, ‘Bergman über sich selbst’. Volkstimme (Vienna), 11 Juni, 1970; G.
Obzyna, ‘Ingmar Bergman für Akademietheater-Gastspiel mit ‘Traumspiel’ in Wien’. Express
(Vienna, morning ed), June 10, 1970; Bobby Bummler, no title, Neue Zeit (Graz), 11 June 1970;
U.B ‘Der humorige Herr Bergman’, Salzburger Nachrichten, 11 June 1970; Leonore Gray, ‘Mit
dem Zuschauer spielen’, Kurier (Vienna, morning ed.), 10 June 1970; -n (signature) ‘Demütig
interpretieren’, Volksblatt (Vienna), 10 June 1970.
Reception
The Bergman production drew almost a full house, but the accompanying Dramaten produc-
tion of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a classic performance with actors Ernst Hugo Järegård and
Jan Olof Strandberg, was poorly attended. (For a heated reaction to Viennese lack of interest in
the Godot production, see Pizzini review below). Bergman’s international reputation and the
name of Strindberg no doubt account for the greater attendance at the Drömspel performance.
Almost all reviews from the Vienna Theatre Festival singled out Bergman’s production as the
festival’s high point, seeing it as a new reading of Strindberg’s work and stressing the simplicity
of the décor and the high professionalism of the ensemble. One theatre critic (Rismondo)
summed up what he termed Bergman’s ingeniously ‘simple’ approach to the play with the
words: ‘A table – the universe’.
Most reviews gave a brief historical resume of Strindberg’s importance for expressionist
drama and then pointed out Bergman’s dramaturgical changes: his giving the play a firmer
structure, removing Strindberg’s excessive and outdated symbolism and achieving a modern
distancing effect by casting the Poet in the role of observer while at the same time creating a
cohesive play-within-the play structure. Of the critical references listed below, only Irmgard
Steiner’s review was altogether negative, blaming the result in part on the poor loudspeaking
facilities. The rest of the critical corps echoed Krista Hauser’s summation: ‘Grandiose’. Reviewer
Gyögy Sebestyen concluded: ‘An event to remain in our memory, no weaker than our own
dreams’. See also Dr. Jürg’s review below for an account of the Vienna public’s positive response.

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Reviews
Benesch, Gerda. ‘Wiener Festwochen 1970. Erste Höhepunkte’. Der Lantbote (Winrthur), 11 July
1970.
Blaha, Paul. ‘Die Welt, ein Alptraum’. Kurier (Vienna, morning ed.), 11 June 1970.
Dr. Jürg. ‘Einfach genial – genial einfach’. Illustrierte Kronen-Zeitung (Vienna), 13 June 1970.
Hauser, Krista. ‘Bergman’s “Traumspiel” – Masstab für Strindberg-Inszenierungen’. Tiroler
Tageszeitung, (Innsbruck), 13 June 1970.
Huppert, Hugo von. ‘Schwedens Gastspiel’. Volkstimme, 12 June 1970.
Koselka, Fritz. ‘Traumspiel – modern aus Dichters Landen’. Wiener Zeitung, 12 June 1970.
Pablé, Elisabeth. ‘Wiener Theaterfestival-Höhepunkt: “Traumspiel”’. Oberösterreicher Nachrich-
ten (Linz), 12 June 1970.
Pizzini, Duglore. ‘Träumen und Warten’. Wochenpresse (Vienna), 16 June 1970.
Rismondo, Piero. ‘Ein Tisch – das Universum’. Die Presse (Vienna), 12 June 1970.
Sebestyen, Gyögy. ‘Strindbergs Abschied vom Leben’. Salzburger Nachrichten, 12 June 1970.
Spiel, Hilde. ‘Bergman begeistert in Wien’. Frankfurter Allgemeine, 20 June 1970.
Steiner, Dr. Irmgard. ‘Kaltes Traumspiel aus Schweden’. Linzer Volksblatt, 12 June 1970.
Sterk, Harald. ‘Strindbergs dramatisierter Alptraum des Lebens’. Neue Zeit, (Graz), 12 June 1970.
(An abbreviated version of this review appeared in Arbeiter-Zeitung, 12 June 1970).
Zeleny, Dr. W. ‘Schwedisches Gastspiel in Wien’. Salzburger Volksblatt, 12 June 1970.
3. Belgrade, Teater Ateljé, 23-24 September 1970, 3 performances.
Dramaten’s Drömspel was awarded the Grand Prix as best production during Belgrade’s fourth
international festival, September 1970. No reviews located.
4. Venice, Italy, 27-28 September 1970, 2 performances in Palazzo Grassi.
Dramaten’s production of Ett drömspel was presented in Venice in connection with the Venice
Biennale. Tickets for the guest performances were sold out long in advance and near-riots broke
out among those who could not be admitted. The performances were greeted with standing
ovations and Il Gazettino’s reviewer thought that Dramaten’s production justified the whole
festival. See also Paese Sera and Corriere della Sera for similar views. Some critics, like Renzo
Tian in Il Messaggero, felt that Bergman’s rendering of A Dreamplay would create an interest in
Strindberg’s work in Italy.
This was only the second appearance of Strindberg’s play on an Italian stage. Shortly before
Bergman’s guest presentation, Michael Meshke had directed the play in Torino with Bergman
actress Ingrid Thulin in the role of Indra’s daughter. Dramaten’s Drömspel was the first Italian
encounter with a Bergman stage production, though Bergman was a well-known name in Italy
as a filmmaker. This is reflected in several reviews that refer to the Drömspel production as
‘Bergman’s greatest film’. Critics made direct references to Smultronstället and other Bergman
screen works, from Tystnaden (The Silence) to En passion (A Passion). These brief comparisons
pertained not only to generic and structural matters but emphasized parallels between the
nihilistic tone of Bergman’s films and his presentation of the ending of Ett drömspel with
Indra’s daughter walking into darkness. ‘Bergman’s Dreamplay shows the road to hell, hell
consisting of human suffering. A Dreamplay is the theatrical counterpart of Bergman’s films’,
wrote Alberti Blandi in La Stampa, and Arturo Lazzari in Unita concurred: ‘Bergman has given
a very personal interpretation of A Dreamplay, confirming a development in his films. The
message expresses total pessimism – behind the door there is nothing. [...] Yet, the performance
had a religious quality, a kind of lay religiosity. But Ingmar Bergman has removed all of
Strindberg’s religious content’.
In their focus on the philosophical implications of Bergman’s production, the Italian critics
took a different approach from most of the German reviewers at the Vienna guest performance

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a few months earlier, who viewed the performance with an awareness of earlier Dreamplay
productions and stressed Bergman’s departure from the Molander tradition.
There was a resume in DN, 2 October 1970, of some of the reviews listed below.
Reviews
Bertani, Odoardo. ‘Il male di Strindberg’. Il Giorno, 29 September 1970.
Blandi, Alberti. ‘“Il sogno” di Strindberg nel posto delle fragole’. La Stampa, 29 September 1970.
Cibotto, G. A. ‘Bergman sogna con Strindberg’. Il Gazzettino, 29 Spetember, 1970.
Cucchetti, Gino. ‘Successo di Bergman nel “Sogno” di Strindberg’. L’Osservatore romano, 3
October 1970.
Lazzari, Arturo. ‘Qualcosa di nuovo in questo “Sogno” di Bergman?’. Unita, 28 September 1970.
Monticelli, Roberto de. ‘Bergman smonta il sogno e ne fa opera anche sua’. Il Giorno, 28
September 1970, p. 16.
Pagliarani, Elio. ‘Trionfa Bergman sulle scene di Venezia’. Paese Sera, 29 September 1970.
Radice, Raul. ‘Bergman si riconosce in Strindberg’. Corriere della Sera, 29 September 1970.
Taricco, Maeserano di. ‘Trionfo di Ingmar Bergman’. Umanita, 29 September 1970.
Tian, Renzo. ‘Solo il nulla dietro la porta chiusa’. Il Messaggero, 29 September 1970.
Special Study
For a fine discussion of the Italian reception of Bergman’s work in the theatre, see Francesco
Bono in Nordic Theatre Studies, Vol. 11 (1998), pp. 105-113.
5. London, at the Aldwych, 19-24 April 1971.
The 1971 ‘World Theatre Season’ in London, hosted by the Royal Shakespeare Company,
included a guest performance of Bergman’s 1970 production of A Dreamplay on 19-24 April
1971. For Swedish assessment of this guest visit, see Expr., 21 April 1971 (‘Blandad kritik för
Drömspelet’/Mixed reviews for A Dreamplay), and DN, (‘Positiv press för ‘Drömspelet på
Londonbesök’/Positive press report on the Dreamplay on London visit), same date.
British reception was very mixed. Among positive responses was The Guardian’s review
praising Bergman’s lucid mise-en-scene and Dramaten’s fine ensemble acting and concluding
that the production was the best one in the World Theatre Season. But to the Daily Express the
performance in Swedish, without an intermission, represented the critic’s definition of hell:
‘Yesterday evening was like listening to a madman phoning from China on a poor line, to the
accompaniments of SOS signals from a sinking ship. August Strindberg’s play would not be an
illuminating piece of entertainment even if one spoke Swedish like a Swede. Directed by Ingmar
Bergman, who has never been an enemy of the obscure, the members of Swedish Dramaten
trudge on clumsy feet in the author’s philosophical waters and give us a very murky view of
human existence’.
Prior to Dramaten’s arrival with A Dreamplay, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre’s artistic leader,
Trevor Nunn, commented that one could expect a new revelation concerning Strindberg. Nunn
based this statement on Dramaten’s previous guest visit with Bergman’s Hedda Gabler. (See
GHT, ‘Stor förväntan i London för Bergmans Strindberg’ [Great expectations in London for
Bergman’s Strindberg] 3 February 1971). But the British had a long stage tradition with Ibsen to
fall back on, but hardly any with Strindberg. This may have affected their critical response to
the Dreamplay visit. Irving Wardle in The Times noted in fact that British viewers had no other
Strindberg presentation to compare Bergman’s production with.
Reviews
Barber, John. ‘Bergman impresses with “Dream Play”’. The Daily Telegraph, 20 April 1971.
Bryden, Ronald. ‘Into Strindberg’s Inferno’. The Observer, 25 April 1971, p. 39.
Darlington, W. A. ‘Coming to grips with genius’. The Daily Telegraph, 10 May 1971.

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Wardle, Irving. ‘A new debt owing to World Theatre season’. The Times, 20 April 1971, p. 10.
6. Obernhaus, Essen and Stuttgart, West Germany, 12-16 June 1971.
‘God, what an ensemble! What comic richness! To mention a single person in this collective
would be unfair.’ Thus wrote the anonymous reviewer in Neue Ruhr-Zeitung of Bergman’s
Dreamplay production. Several West German critics noted especially the unique artistic quality
of the Dramaten ensemble. Kurt Honolka in Stuttgarter Nachrichten even concluded that ‘they
[the actors] make a stronger impression than the piece itself.’ The reviewer in Westdeutsche
Allgemeine spoke of ‘a European quality production’.
As in Dramaten’s guest performance in Vienna a year earlier, West German reviewers
commented especially on Bergman’s realistic, word-oriented production, its absence of Strind-
bergian visual symbolism and metaphysics. ‘Bergman’, wrote Werner Gilles, ‘has, as far as it is
imaginable, demythologized A Dreamplay. [...] [He makes] Strindberg’s pessimistic visions
graspable and understandable also as social accusations’. Wolfgang Ignée in Stuttgarter Zeitung
emphasized Bergman’s ability to build ‘a communication bridge to the mystical (Unheimlich)
between his piece on the one hand (it soon becomes clear that this is his piece and that we are
participating in a Bergman dream) and the public on the other hand. [...] Bergman knows
how to transmit Strindberg’s ‘Dreamplay’ as a work of our time.’ (Cf. Melchinger review,
listed below). J. Mühlberger in Essinger Zeitung claimed that Reinhardt’s expressive 1921
version of A Dreamplay ‘would be unbearable to us today’ and that Bergman’s dismissal of
Strindbergian paraphernalia, such as clouds, castles and caves, in favor of an almost empty
stage ‘turned a pompous spectacle into a character display of great insight’. Cf. W. Unger
(Kölner Stadtanzeiger) who contrasted the production briefly to Reinhardt’s expressionistic
staging and Oscar Fritz Shuh’s archetypal and depth-psychological approach in an earlier
Hamburg production.
To the majority of West German theatre reviewers this was their first encounter with Berg-
man as a stage director. Many dwelt on how the well-known filmmaker had emerged as a man
of the theatre. Ivan Nage in Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote: ‘Ingmar Bergman as one gets to know
him this evening is a theatre director through and through, who wants to conquer the stage.
What he has in common with the auteur-director of his films is only what the cinema has learnt
from actors: the crystallization of a character through... meaningful gestures.’
The guest performances in West Germany played to three-quarter-filled houses. The public
reception was reportedly very warm and enthusiastic. There was only one really disappointed
critical response; Christoph Müller in Schwäbische Zeitung missed Strindberg’s phantasmagoric
settings and saw little point in presenting a production so focussed on the verbal text to an
audience who did not understand a word of it.
Reviews
n.a. Neue Ruhr-Zeitung, 14 June 1971.
n.a. Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 14 June 1971.
Dannecker, Hermann. ‘Realität und Traum im Gleichgewicht’. Schwäbische Zeitung, 18 June
1971.
Gilles, Werner. ‘Ein schwedisches Mysterium’. Mannheimer Morgen, 18 June 1971.
Honolka, Kurt. ‘Schade um die Menschen’. Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 18 June 1971.
Ignée, Wolfgang. ‘Nicht von dieser Theaterwelt’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 18 June 1971.
Lg. ‘Ingmar Bergman in Essen gefeiert’. Main-Echo (Aschaffenburg), 16 June 1971.
Melchinger, Siegfried. ‘Ein Traumspiel’. Christ und Welt (Stuttgart), 16 June 1971.
Mühlberger, Joseph. ‘Ein Traumspiel von August Strindberg’. Essinger Zeitung, 18 June 1971.
Müller, Christoph. ‘Eine Wand von Menschengeschichten’. Schwäbische Donau-Zeitung’. 19 June
1971.

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Nage, Ivan. ‘Strindberg ohne Geschrei und Papierrascheln’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 19 June 1971.
Unger, Wilhelm. ‘Mehr ein Denkspiel’. Kölner Stadtanzeiger, 18 June 1971.
Westecker, Dieter. ‘Ein schwedischer Traum’. Düsseldorfer Nachrichten, 14 June 1971.
7. Holland Festival, 18-21 June 1971: Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg, 18 June 1971;
Haag Koninklijke Schouwburg, 19 June 1971; Rotterdam Schouwburg, 21 June 1971
To several reviewers Bergman’s production proved that Strindberg’s drama was still playable.
They assessed the production as ‘pure theatre’ without ‘theatricality’ and felt that Bergman had
captured Strindberg’s dream mode and had listened to Strindberg’s foreword to the play when
he staged it as a vision by the poet, which was termed ‘ingenious’ (Dubois). But there were also
critical reservations about Bergman’s ‘amputation’ of Strindberg’s text (Rutten) and about his
transposition of original passages (Van den Bergh).
Reviews
n.a. ‘Droomspel’. Trouw, 22 June 1971.
Bergh, Hans van den. ‘“Droomspel” door Ingmar Bergman “onttoverd”’ [A Dreamplay ‘disen-
changed’ by Bergman]. Het Parool, 19 June 1971, p. 9.
Boswinkel, W. ‘Droomspel’. NRC Handelsblad, 19 June 1971.
Dubois, Pierre H. ‘Strindberg. A’. Vaderland, 21 June 1971.
Lange, Daniel. ‘Strindberg gespeeld door landgenoten’ [S. played by countrymen]. De Volks-
krant, 19 June 1971.
Mieke, Kolk. ‘Men kent maar één leven, zijn eigen’. Elsevier, 19 June 1971 (mostly a presentation
of Strindberg).
Rutten, André. ‘Verleden tijd getheatraliseerd’ [The past theatricalized]. De Tijd, 19 June 1971.
See also
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman als toneelregisseur’. Vrij Nederland, 12 June 1971, p. 21.
— . ‘Het leven is een droom’. NRC Handelsblad, 11 June 1971, CS 4.
Postscript
After the foreign guest performances, Ett drömspel continued its third season at Dramaten. The
production was moved from the small to the main stage. The ensemble remained intact except
for the Lawyer’s role, where Allan Edwall was replaced by Max von Sydow. For brief reviews of
the production at this point, see Janzon, Åke. ‘Drömspelet byter advokat’ [The Dreamplay
changes lawyer]. SvD, 28 August 1971, and Zern Leif. ‘Prestation av Sydow’ [A feat by S]. DN, 27
August 1971.

448. HEDDA GABLER

Credits
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Mago
Stage The National Theatre, London/Cambridge Theatre
Opening Date 29 June 1970
Cast
Jörgen Tesman Jeremy Brett
Hedda Gabler Maggie Smith
Thea Elvsted Sheila Reid
Ejlert Løvborg Robert Stephens
Judge Brack John Moffatt

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Berta Julia McCarthy

Juliana Tesman Jean Watts
Commentary
This was Bergman’s first production outside of Scandinavia. He writes about his time in
London in Laterna magica (The Magic Lantern), pp. 235 f. In England, Bergman met actors
with a different rehearsal routine than in Scandinavia: ‘Their professionalism and speed frigh-
tened me a little. [...] They had learned their lines by the first rehearsal. As soon as they had the
scenery, they started acting at a fast tempo. I asked them to slow down a little and they loyally
tried to, but it bewildered them.’ (The Magic Lantern, p. 236). The lead role, played by Maggie
Smith, presented a more restrained and less passionate Hedda Gabler than Gertrud Fridh in the
earlier Swedish production (Ø 440, 1964).
Reception
Some reviewers had seen the guest visit of the Stockholm production in 1967. They were thus
prepared for the crucial opening pantomime by Hedda, an ‘addition’ they again expressed
doubts about (as they had questioned Hedda’s eavesdropping throughout the play), since it
detracted too much attention from Hedda’s surroundings (see Hope-Wallace and Lewis).
A number of reviewers sensed a mismatch between director and actress, and complained
about the icy coldness of Bergman’s vision of Hedda’s tragedy. Peter Lewis in The Daily Mail felt
manipulated by the director’s mesmerising effects and Milton Shulman thought the presenta-
tion was ‘a blood-shot, brooding nightmare’. Bergman felt distant from his English-speaking
cast and his sense of alienation in the London atmosphere no doubt had an impact on his
production, which was termed ‘abstract’, ‘calculated’ and ‘an insect life studied under glass.’
Reviews
Bryden, Ronald. No title. The Observer, 30 June 1970.
Hope-Wallace, Philip. ‘Hedda Gabler at the Cambridge Theatre’. The Guardian, 30 June 1970, p.
8.
Lewis, Peter. No title. The Daily Mail, 30 June 1970.
Shulman, Milton. No title. The Evening Standard, 30 June 1970.
Wardle, Irving. ‘British version of Swedish Hedda’. The Times, 30 June 1970, p. 13.
See also
Ossia Trilling interviewed Bergman prior to the opening of Hedda Gabler. See ‘Bergman’s
baroque dream’. The Guardian, 30 June 1970, p. 8. The interview is mostly a summary of
Bergman’s theatre career to date plus some comments by Bergman on The Magic Flute.

1971
449. SHOW
Credits
Playwright Lars Forssell
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Lars Johan Werle
Assistant Directors Anita Brundahl/Gunnel Lindblom
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, Main Stage
Opening Date 20 March 1971

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Cast
The Poet Allan Edwall
Nan Harriet Andersson
Berry Anita Wall
Maria Solveig Ternström
Peter Börje Ahlstedt
Paul Mathias Henrikson
David Jonas Bergström
The Police Officer Gösta Prüzelius
Two policemen Jan Nyman/Birger Malmsten
Eberknödel Karin Kavli
Eliane Kristina Adolphson
Dancers Fatima Ekman, Charlotte Kuylenstjerna, Kerstin Ljung-
löf, Kristina Lundborg
Ick Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Karin Lil Terselius
Waiter Heinz Hopf
Waitress Gertrud Fridh
The Judge Hans Strååt
Mrs. Bruere Hjördis Petterson
Colonel Rack Georg Årlin
Two men Carl Billquist/Peter Harryson
The girl Kari Sylwan
Old soldier Anders Ek
The President Georg Rydeberg
Old woman Birgitta Valberg
Commentary
Lars Forssell’s ‘Show’ is inspired by the life of the Jewish-American ‘Apostle of Sick Humor’,
Lenny Bruce, alias ‘The Goat’. In 1968, Forssell published the poem ‘Elegy for Lenny Bruce’,
which is the genesis of ‘Show’. With ‘the Goat’ as his ventriloquist, Forssell depicts Sweden, the
US, and the world in biting, cynical terms. ‘The Goat’ is an aging clown with an entourage of
‘kids’, a travelling group of comedians, who are quite ready to betray him. The real villains are
the authorities – the police, the judicial system, and the shady entrepreneurs who run the
establishment where ‘The Goat’ and his companions perform. Forssell used American poet Carl
Sandburg’s poetry ‘The People – Yes’ as a theme.
In an interview (Expr., 27 February 1971), Forssell called Bergman a ‘genius. Completely
phenomenal! We in Sweden don’t understand that we have such a gigantic talent among us.’
[ett geni. Fullständigt fenomenal! Vi i Sverige förstår inte att vi har en sådan jättetalang ibland
oss]. In a note to the theatre program, Forssell thanked Bergman for his suggested cuts,
changes, and additions to his text. See also his comments about the production in DN, 21
March 1971. Forssell’s program note appears in a Bergman copy of the play, in which the author
has written in longhand: ‘Ingmar, how shall I be able to thank you?!! Lars, 19.III. LXXI; you
have the world’s finest, most human and warmest radar’. [Ingmar, hur ska jag kunna tacka dig?!
Lars, 19.III. LXXI; du har världens finaste, mänskligaste och varmaste radar.]. This copy of the
play is part of the director’s rehearsal copy, dated 19 Januay – 19 March, which also includes
division of scenes and a cast list. It is deposited at SFI.

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Reception
Forssell’s ambition to transform the life of Lenny Bruce into a universal vision was supported by
Bergman in his staging of the play, which opened with ‘The Goat’ tumbling out of a crack in a
symbolic world egg. To the critics, it was Bergman who gave Forssell’s work its dramatic
cohesiveness: ‘It takes a magician like Ingmar Bergman to transform all these practical jokes,
sketches, puns, and witty lines into a theatre performance. [...] Ingmar Bergman has used the
text as a musical score and he succeeds... in convincing us that he can make splendid theatre out
of practically anything’. [Det skall till en trollkarl som Ingmar Bergman för att förvandla alla
dessa skämt, sketcher, vitsar och kvicka rader till en teaterföreställning. [...] Ingmar Bergman
har använt texten som ett partitur och han lyckas... övertyga oss att han kan göra bländande
teater av praktiskt taget vad som helst.] (SvD). For similar views of Bergman’s handling of
Forssell’s ‘chaotic mishmash’ (Hufvudstadsbladet), see Lennart Josephson (SDS), Henrik Sjögren
(KvP), Hans Axel Holm (DN), and Tord Bæckström (GHT).
See also Henrik Sjögren’s reassessment of the production some thirty years later, which
reaches the same conclusion (Lek och raseri, 2002, p. 366).
Reviews
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Amoraliska moraliteter’ [Amoral moralities]. GHT, 22 March 1971.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Stockholm rik teaterstad: Sol, Show och Bond Räddad’ [Stockholm a rich
theatre city: Sun, Show and Bond Saved]. Scen och Salong 4, 1971: 18, 26.
Elfving, Ebba. ‘En unik satsning’ [A unique stake]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 22 March 1971.
Holm, Hans Axel. ‘Stark Forssell på Dramaten: Edwall fascinerar från första scen’ [Strong F. at
Dramaten: E. fascinates from the first scene]. DN, 21 March 1971.
Janzon, Åke. ‘Ett drömspel på drift’ [A drifting Dreamplay]. SvD, 21 March 1971.
Josephson, Lennart. ‘Ett skrik av ångest över världens ondska’ [A cry of anguish over the evil of
the world]. SDS, 21 March 1971.
Lindholm, Karl-Axel. ‘Show på Dramaten’. Storstaden, 25 March 1971.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘En mycket stor smärta’ [A very great pain]. Expr., 2 March 1971.
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Forssell och Bergman maler tomgång’ [F and B are idling]. AB, 21 March 1971.
See also
Sven Britton. ‘Motroten’ [In opposition]. DN, 31 March 1971. (A report on lining up for one of
300 free tickets to the performance, followed by a rather negative comment on Forssell’s
play).
Björn Vinberg. ‘Sjuk humorist Bergmans nästa på Dramaten’ [Sick humorist Bergman’s next at
Dramaten]. Expr., 5 November 1970. Early announcement of Forssell/Bergman production
and brief presentation of Lenny Bruce.

1972
450. VILDANDEN [The Wild Duck]
Credits
Original Title Vildanden
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Assistant Director Gunnel Lindblom
Stage Design Marik Vos
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 17 March 1972

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Cast
Old Werle Anders Ek
Gregers Werle Max von Sydow
Old Ekdal Holger Löwenadler
Hjalmar Ekdal Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Gina Ekdal Margaretha Krook
Hedvig Lena Nyman
Mrs. Sörby Harriet Andersson
Relling Ingvar Kjellson
Molvik Jan Malmsjö
Gråberg, bookeeper Alf Östlund
Pettersen, servant Olle Hilding
Jensen Hans Sundberg
Kaspersen, chamberlain Frank Sundström
Balle, chamberlain Erland Josephson
Stockman, chamberlain Ragnar Arwedson
Commentary
In an interview with Elisabeth Sörenson (SvD, 29 February 1972, p. 8), Bergman said he was
inspired to produce Ibsen’s play – which he considered one of the ten best plays in world drama
– because he had a perfect ensemble for it. In another interview (Olle Ekström, Hufvudstads-
bladet, 1 March 1972), Bergman defined Vildanden as a meeting between Peer Gynt and Brand.
For his production, Bergman reversed the attic-livingroom layout as it appears in Ibsen’s
stage directions, where the theatre public never gains access to the attic. Bergman constructed a
proscenium stage that represented part of the attic and was a space shared by the audience. It
was here, in front of the prompter’s box, that young Hedvig Ekdal, who became the central
figure in the production, fired the pistol shot that killed her. At the far back of the stage could
be seen the attic beams vaulting into dark space. The Ekdal household was crammed in between
these areas. A door from the apartment led out to an area housing the wild duck but suggested
only by subtle lighting. An addition in the production was a large portrait of the dead Mrs.
Werle, which dominated the scenes in the Werle house.
Bergman held open rehearsals several weeks before the opening. On each occasion he would
greet the public in the same way: ‘It is dear to have you here. There is no real performance until
you are here and the ensemble can feel and test how you react’. [Det är kärt att ha er här. Det
blir ingen riktig föreställning förrän ni är här och ensemblen kan känna och pröva hur ni
reagerar]. See Betty Skawonius, ‘Så repeterar Bergman Ibsen’s Vildanden’ [This is how Bergman
rehearses The Wild Duck]. DN, 12 March 1972, p. 16.
Bergman held a press conference on 14 March 1972, three days before the opening. See Björn
Vinberg, ‘Vrid på sidan får ni se Bergmans önskeaktörer’ [Turn the page and you’ll see B’s
favorite actors], Expr., 15 March 1972, pp. 32-33.
Reception
With few exceptions (see Donnér, SDS), the production received rave reviews. Ossia Trilling in
The Financial Times found Bergman’s production ‘as revolutionary as his Hedda Gabler. [...]
Such intelligence and imagination, helped along by a touch of genius, can breathe new life into
what might have remained... an empty old Norwegian carcass. [...] Bergman has turned Ibsen’s
ailing 19th-century drame à thèse into a 20th-century Freudian farcical tragedy’. A similar angle
was taken by Tord Bæackström (GHT) in answering his own question ‘Why still play The Wild
Duck?’ His colleague in AB, Allan Fagerström topped the crowd of enthusiasts: ‘This is the finest
that the theatre can offer! [...] life can possess a moment of bliss in the meeting with the perfect

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work of art. It can now be seen on Dramaten’s main stage’. [Detta är det finaste teatern kan
bjuda på! [...] livet kan äga ett moment av salighet och det är mötet med det perfekta konst-
verket. Det finns nu att betrakta på Dramatens stora scen]. Leif Zern (DN) felt that Bergman’s
development as a stage director had now reached its peak: ‘I am sure that The Wild Duck will be
counted as one of Bergman’s absolutely greatest productions. He seems right now to be in a
period of unusually confident creativity in the theatre: hence this fusion of knowledge and
freedom’. [Jag är säker på att ‘Vildanden’ kommer att räknas som en av Bergmans allra största
uppsättningar. Han tycks just nu vara inne i en period av ovanligt förtroendefullt skapande för
teatern: därav denna förening av kunskap och frihet].
The reviewers marvelled at Bergman’s unique mise-en-scene, which was considered to be
close to Ibsen’s own conception of the drama, despite the fact that it constituted a ‘violation’ of
his stage directions. The superb casting and fine ensemble acting was by now expected of any
Bergman production. Here it was especially Lena Nyman’s portrayal of young Hedvig that
caught critical attention. Her central role was offset by Bergman’s interpretation of Gregers
Werle as an ugly pathetic fool. Max von Sydow’s potrayal of Gregers Werle was described by
Tord Bæckström as ‘a tall and as it were messy fellow, in whom no limbs seemed to fit together.
[...] He can neither stand nor sit still and straight, it is as if he always had a lot of hands and feet
with which he doesn’t know what to do. A restless neurotic who is about as much at home in
life as a dew worm in an anthill’. [En lång och liksom skräpig karl hos vilken inga lemmar
riktigt tycks passa ihop [...]. Han kan varken stå eller sitta stilla rätt upp och ned, det är som om
han alltid hade en massa händer och fötter som han inte visste vad han skulle göra av. En rastlös
neurotiker som trivs i tillvaron ungefär lika bra som en daggmask i en myrstack].
Finally, many reviewers remarked on Bergman’s obvious deep love of the play. (See Breds-
dorff in Politiken and Kajsa Krook in Hufvudstadsbladet). In this seems to lie a key to Bergman’s
impact on his audience: He came across as a director with a passionate commitment, coupled
with a unique sense of stage aesthetics and a penetrating look into the psychological minutiae of
the dramatis personae.
Reviews
Andersssen, Odd-Stein. ‘Bergmans Vildanden på Dramaten’. Aftenposten (Norwegian), 18
March 1972.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Medan världen dör ser vi ingenting’ [While the world is dying we see
nothing]. Scen och Salong 4, 1972: 14-15, 27.
Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘Vildanden i os alle’ [The Wild Duck in us all]. Politiken (Danish), 18
March 1972, p. 12.
Bæckström, Tord. ‘Varför spelar man alltjämt Vildanden?’ [Why does one continue to stage The
Wild Duck?]. GHT, 18 March 1972.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘En föreställning med överraskningar’ [A performance with surprises]. SDS, 18
March 1972.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Det fulländade konstverket’ [The perfect work of art]. AB, 18 March 1972.
Janzon, Åke. ‘En studie i naiviteter’ [A study in naivites]. SvD, 18 March 1972.
Krook, Kajsa. ‘Bergman’s Vildanden’. Hufvudstadsbladet, 18 March 1972.
Kruuse, Jens. ‘Ideologen og mennesket’ [The ideologue and man]. Jyllands-Posten, 18 March
1972.
Marcussen, Elsa Brita. ‘Vildanden vårens suksess i Stockholm’ [The Wild Duck is the success of
the spring in Stockholm]. Arbeiderbladet, 24 April 1972.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘Ett hem på jorden’ [A home on earth]. Expr., 18 March 1972.
Rühle, Günther. ‘Ibsens Hohlräume und Bergmans Augen’. Frankfurter Allgemeine, 28 March
1972.

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Thagaard, Aud. ‘Bergmans “Vildanden” som oprivende tragedie’. Dagbladet (Norwegian), 18

March 1972.
Trilling, Ossia. ‘Die Wilde Eend leeft weer dankzij Ingmar Bergman’. Haagsche Courant, 28 April
1972. Also appeared in Financial Times, 6 May 1972, Arts Section.
Zern, Leif. ‘En av Bergmans största uppsättningar. Rent nöje se Vildanden’ [One of Bergman’s
greatest stagings. The Wild Duck is pure enjoyment]. DN, 18 March 1972.
See also
Marker, F. and L., Ingmar Bergman. Four decades in the Theatre, (Ø 594), pp. 201-211, provides
an analysis of the stage design of Bergman’s production.
Sjögren, Henrik. Lek och raseri (2002), pp. 207-212. Sjögren is more reserved about the produc-
tion than the rest of the critical corps.
Guest Performances
Vildanden production was invited to guest performances in a number of European cities: Berlin,
Copenhagen, Florence, Oslo, and Zurich.
1. Florence, 28-29 April 1972
According to reviewer in La Nazione, the performance was ‘a triumphant success’ despite some
technical problems with the simultaneous translation.
Poesio, Paolo Emilio. ‘La vertia che distrugge’. La Nazione, 29 April 1972.
2. Berlin, Freie Volksbühne, 1 & 2 May 1972
There was some skepticism among the Berlin reviewers about Ibsen’s relevance in today’s
theatre. But ‘Bergman’s production shows that the psychological theatre is not dead’. (Karsch).
The guest performance was an overwhelming success: ‘The Berlin theatre has not had this many
curtain calls in a long time.’ Bergman was praised for his empathy with the characters and for
his focus on a close father-daughter relationship that motivated Hedvig’s despair at being
rejected by Hjalmar.
Ignée, Wolfgang. ‘Riesen aus Porzellan’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 4 May 1972.
Karsch, Walther. ‘Ovationen für Bergman’. Der Tagespiegel/Feuileton, 3 May 1972.
Ritter, Heinz. ‘Geflecht der Beziehungen’. Der Abend, 3 May 1972.
Schauseil, Alphons. ‘Alle Ingmar Bergman Stars sind in diesem Ibsen-Inszenierung versammelt’.
Berliner Morgenpost, 10 April 1972.
3. Zurich, Stadthof 11, 4-6 May 1972, three performances.
Bergman was a very current name in Zurich during Dramaten’s guest visit, for his film The
Touch had just premiered. Some reviewers paid more attention to the film than to The Wild
Duck production. Others were intrigued to find that Bergman avoided filmic features in his
staging of Ibsen’s play: ‘Those who had expected Ingmar Bergman to change Ibsen’s theatre play
on stage into an Ingmar Bergman film were disappointed. Bergman gives the theatre what
belongs to the theatre’. (Baur, Der Lantbote). References were made to Peter Stein’s recent
production of Peer Gynt, comparing it unfavorably to Bergman’s ‘clean’ and ‘perfect’ Wild Duck
staging. Stein’s approach was called ‘mannered’ while Bergman’s production was praised for its
sensitive rendering of realistic detail, making it a model for future stagings of classical and
‘essential drama’ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung). Der Bund (Berne) compared Bergman’s work favor-
ably to such leading theatre directors as Strehler, Visconti, Krejca, Noelte, and Fehling, and
attributed the success of The Wild Duck to Dramaten’s homogenous ensemble whose outstand-
ing performance resulted in a production that reached ‘intensity and artistic perfection.’

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Reviews
Baur, Arthur. ‘Eine schwedische “Wildente”’. Der Landbote (Winthertur), 8 May 1972.
haj. ‘Die Wildente’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 6 May 1972.
m-. ‘Ingmar Bergman inzeniert “Die Wildente” von Ibsen’. Zürcher AZ, 8 May 1972.
Meier, Peter. ‘Beinahe zu perfekter Realismus’. Tages-Anzeiger, 8 May 1972.
Merz, Richard. ‘Die Wiltente’. Zurichsee, No 108, 10 May 1972.
R. Sch. ‘Blick auf die Bühne von heute: Das neueste von Hochhuth und ein 90-jahriges Stück
von Ibsen’. Internationales Argus der Presse, (Geneve-Zurich), 8 May 1972.
Sg. ‘Die Wildente’. Die Tat (Zürich), 9 May 1972.
Th.T. ‘Ibsen als Ereignis’. Der Bund (Bern), 9 May 1972.
Waeger, Gerhart. ‘Zweimal Bergman in Zürich’. Die Weltwoche, no. 18, 8 May 1972.
4. Oslo, Det norske teatret, 4-6 June 1972
The Norwegian Theatre has a smaller stage than Dramaten, but reviewers attending both the
Stockholm and Oslo presentations of The Wild Duck remarked that Bergman’s arrangement of
making the loft visible to the audience worked beautifully on both stages. It had the advantage,
said Aud Thagaard (Dagbladet), of allowing the actors to play straight to the audience instead of
facing an opening in the back wall at an awkward angle. The reviewer in Verdens gang (Hart-
mann) thought that ‘Dr. Ibsen’ himself might have pulled his whiskers in approval of Bergman’s
mise-en-scene since the production was so masterful. Odd-Stein Andersen in Aftenposten, who
had also reviewed the production when it opened in Stockholm, found Bergman’s and Max von
Sydow’s compassion for Gregers Werle the most remarkable part of the performance. A some-
what unusual analysis of Bergman’s production was offered by the Norwegian paper Friheten,
where the focus rested on Hjalmar Ekdal as ‘a stranded socialist’ and Gregers Werle as ‘a fanatic
who loves to experiment with socialist ideas’.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Svensk gjestespill med Ibsens “Vildanden”. Et sosialismens drama?’ [Swedish guest per-
formance with Ibsen’s ‘The Wild duck’. A socialist drama?]. Friheten (Oslo), 19 June 1972.
Andersen, Odd-Stein. ‘Svensk vildand’. Aftenposten, 5 June 1972.
Hartmann, Alf. ‘Bergmans ypperste’ [B’s best]. Verdens gang, 3 June 1972.
Nordrå, Olav. ‘Sterk Bergman-Ibsen forestilling’. Morgonbladet, 6 June 1972.
Thagaard, Aud. ‘Svensk vildand på Det Norske Teatret’. Dagbladet, 6 June 1972, p. 15.
See also
Report from press conference in Oslo, Morgenbladet, 5 June 1972 (‘Vildanden i Ingmar Berg-
mans regi på gjestebesøk i Oslo’).
5. Copenhagen, Folketeatret, 26-27 April 1973
Danish theatre critics outdid each other in superlative praise of a performance they called
fantastic, brilliant, and matchless. To Henrik Lundgren in Information, the Danish capital
had not seen a more perfect piece of theatre in memorable times, one that allowed Ibsen’s
text to be resurrected ‘in all its width and depth’. Henrik Moe in Kristeligt Dagblad felt like he
had seen Ibsen’s play for the first time. Inge Dam in Berlingske was envious of Sweden for
producing such superb actors and for having a director like Ingmar Bergman who could hold
together an ensemble, so that the audience was not distracted for one moment. Politiken’s Bent
Mohn concluded: ‘The feast is over but the lucky ones will remember it for a long time as a
meeting with world art. [...] Bergman’s The Wild Duck has given us a new – and dangerous –
measuring stick for what constitutes theatre art’. The production was named the best in Europe
in 1972, according to Danish paper Politiken (18 April 1973).

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Dramaten’s visit coincided with Bergman’s Danish staging of The Misanthrope at the Royal
Theatre (Det Kongelige) and his TV film Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage). The
newspapers reported an ‘Ingmar Bergman fever’ in Copenhagen. See full page articles titled
‘Dønninger efter en bergman-bølge’ [Swells after a Bergman wave], Politiken, 20 May 1973, in
which Danish stage director Frederik Dessau analyzes Bergman’s impact on Danish theatre life
and Anders Bodelsen discusses the importance of Scenes from a Marriage as a TV series. Dessau
stressed the fact that with his Molière production and his TV play, Bergman bridged two
cultures: the classical-oriented ‘elitist’ theatre and the popular ‘soap opera’ culture of television.
Reviews
Cornelius, Knud. ‘Et mageløst teatergæstespil’. Fredriksborgs Amtavis, 28 April 1973.
Dam, Inge. ‘Svenskerne kan spille, de rører ved hindanden’ [The Swedes can act, they touch
each other]. Berlingske Tidende, 27 April 1973.
Erichsen, Sven. ‘Selv teaterhistoriens vanskeligste stykke lykkedes for Bergman’ [Even the most
difficult piece in theatre history succeeded for Bergman]. Aktuelt, 28 April 1973.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Vildanden så nær som muligt’ [The Wild Duck as close as possible]. Berlingske
Tidende, 27 April 1973.
Lundgren, Henrik. ‘Scener af ægteskabet’. Information, 28 April 1973.
Moe, Henrik. ‘Mesteren Bergmans dramatiske røntgenblik’ [Master Bergman’s dramatic X-ray].
Kristeligt Dagblad, 28 April 1973.
Mohn, Bent. ‘Svensk verdenskunst’ [Swedish world art]. Politiken, 28 April 1973.
The Copenhagen reception was also reported in DN, 29 April 1973 and in SvD, 30 April 1973. See
also ‘Livsløgn og lykke’ [Life lie and happiness], Artenytt 1972/73 for a summary of critical
response.
6. London, World Festival Season, Aldwych Theatre, 28 May to 2 June 1973
The Wild Duck production was performed eight times at the Aldwych Theatre, 28 May to 2 June
1973. For a Swedish report on the London visit and response, see DN, 29 May 1973, and articles
by Barbro Hähnel in DN, 30 May 1973 and by Per Persson in SvD, same date.
Reception
‘Ingmar Bergman’s production [...] is a stunner’, wrote Michael Billington in the Guardian and
continued: ‘It gives you the exhilirating sensation of seeing a classic text re-thought and re-felt
from start to finish. [The production] shows how an imaginative director can bring to the stage
the spatial freedom of the cinema’. Regretting that the Dramaten visit was only for a week, the
reviewer in The Financial Times referred to Bergman’s staging as ‘absolutely brilliant production
and acting.’ He was seconded by Herbert Kretzmer who urged his readers to see this ‘stunning...
momentous production’ and by Jack Sutherland: ‘What an electrifying experience this is. [...]
Intensity and passion of acting on this scale are rarely seen in Britain, and never with Ibsen who
has suffered more than most from inadequate performances’. John Barber in The Daily Tele-
graph felt that The Wild Duck production was far superior to Bergman’s staging of Hedda Gabler
a few years back, both in terms of visual imagination and clean presentation without the use of
any stage tricks. There were, however, some reservations among leading theatre critics about
Bergman’s presentation of the loft. Irving Wardle in The Times questioned making it visible to
the audience, since it limited the spectator’s idea of what goes on there, and felt that Hedvig’s
suicide in full view supplied ‘a powerful climax, purchased at a rather high price’.
The most ambitious review of the London guest visit was offered by visiting American
theatre critic Robert Brustein in The Observer Review. Setting up three principles on which
to judge a theatre production: (1) emotional texture; (2) imaginative daring; and (3) style

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(professionalism), Brustein concluded that Bergman’s production of The Wild Duck failed on
style and imagination but had ‘enough emotional power to rivet one’s attention.’
Max von Sydow was interviewed in BBC TV on opening night (28 May 1973).
Reviews
Barber, John. ‘Bergman “Wild Duck” a brilliant event’. Daily Telegraph, 29 May 1973.
Billington, Michael. ‘The Wild Duck at the Aldwych’. The Guardian, 29 May 1973.
Brustein, Robert. ‘Too much style, not enough passion’. The Observer Review, 3 June 1973.
Kretzmer, Herbert. ‘When the truth hurts’. Daily Express, 29 May 1973.
O’Connor, Garry. ‘The Wild Duck’. Financial Times, 29 May 1973.
Shulman, Milton. ‘Reviews’. Evening Standard, 29, May 1973.
Wardle, Irving. ‘The Wild Duck’. The Times, 29 May 1973.
In May 1973, at about the time of Dramaten’s visit to London, the head of Sweden’s National
stage at the time, Erland Josephson, reported with some bitterness to the press that for eco-
nomic reasons (lack of additional state subsidies), Dramaten had been unable to accept guest
invitations for The Wild Duck from Yugoslavia, Italy, Finland, West Germany, USA, France,
Iceland, Spain, and Switzerland.
Special Studies
Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘The Sins of the Fathers: Bergman, Ronconi, and Ibsen’s “Wild Duck”’.
New Theatre Quarterly 4, no. 14 (May) 1988, pp. 159-172. A translated reprint from author’s
book Magtspil [Power play], Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1986.

1973
451. SPÖKSONATEN [The Ghost Sonata]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Marik Vos
Assistant Director Gunnel Lindblom
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 13 January 1973
Cast
Old Man Hummel Toivo Pawlo
The Student Mathias Henrikson
The Young Lady Gertud Fridh
The Mummy Gertrud Fridh
The Colonel Anders Ek
Bengtsson Oscar Ljung
Johansson Axel Düberg
The Milkmaid Kari Sylwan
The Cook Hjördis Petterson
The Dark Lady Harriet Andersson
The Nobleman Frank Sundström
The Fiancee Dora Söderberg
The Consul Gösta Prüzelius
The Concierge Marianne Karlbeck

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Commentary
An interview article by Elisabeth Sörenson about Bergman’s production appeared in SvD, 12
December 1972 (‘Bergman gör Spöksonat no. 3’/B does Ghost Sonata no. 3). Bergman claimed
that the only workable approach to Strindberg’s play was to proceed from the last act in which
the Student ‘kills’ the Young Lady word for word. In that act ‘the logic of waking consciousness
ceases to exist’. [upphör det vakna medvetandets logik att existera]. Bergman called the play ‘a
wild, terrible and beautiful piece’. [en vild, förfärlig och skön pjäs].
The first act of The Ghost Sonata takes place outside a house whose façade is visible to the
characters on stage. Bergman placed the (imagined) interior of the house somewhere in the
auditorium, so that the actors could ‘spy’ on the occupants as if these were among the
spectators. He presented the play without intermission; instead, at the end of each act, a large
picture of Strindberg was projected on the curtain, and flickering lights reminiscent of those of
a malfunctioning TV transmission, were used to indicate transitions between acts. Strindberg’s
face showed a certain resemblance to the Student’s and Hummel’s physionomies. This variant
of the traditionally biographical approach to Strindberg, associated primarily with Olof Mo-
lander’s stagings, was commented upon by Bergman in an interview article by Olle Ekström in
Hufvudstadsbladet, 1 March 1972, at a time when Bergman had first announced his plans to
produce The Ghost Sonata and talked about Olof Molander’s impact on Swedish stagings of
Strindberg:
We do other kinds of productions than he did, maybe we are entering into polemics with
him, but he is always there at the bottom, in the kick-off phase itself. And Molander in turn
had an actress like Maria Schildtknecht in his ensemble. An actress who had been at
Strindberg’s own theatre and had learnt from him. So we can talk about an unbroken
Strindberg tradition. And no art lives without a tradition. To think anything else is only
simple-minded and uneducated.

[Vi gör andra uppsättningar än han gjorde, kanske går vi i polemik mot honom, men han
finns alltid där på botten, i själva avsparken. Och Molander i sin tur hade en skådespelerska
som Maria Schildtknecht i sin ensemble. En skådespelerska som hade varit vid Strindbergs
egen teater och hade lärt från honom. Så vi kan tala om en obruten Strindbergstradition.
Och ingen konst lever utan tradition. Att tro något annat är bara att vara enfaldig och
obildad].
Bergman invited the public to open rehearsals, as he had done in the 1969 production of
Woyzeck. See Thorleif Hellbom’s reportage ‘Repetition med Bergman på Kgl dramatiska teatern’
[Rehearsal with Bergman at the Royal Dramatic], DN, 5 January 1973, and Eva Bendix, ‘Er livet
værd så meget besvær?’ Politiken, 14 January 1973. See also Törnqvist special study listed below.
Reception
DN, 15 January 1973, printed a resume of the press reception of Bergman’s production: ‘Spök-
sonaten: Imponerande teater pressens omdöme’ [The Ghost Sonata: Impressive theatre accord-
ing to press opinion].
The reviewer in Arbetet called Bergman ‘a magician, terribly clever’ [en trollkarl, förskräckligt
skicklig] and referred to the production as ‘fantastic’. Allan Fagerström in AB considered the
result of the collaboration between set designer Marik Vos and Ingmar Bergman ‘the perfect
theatre production. It is beautiful, it is grandiose, it is impressive’. [den perfekta teateruppsätt-
ningen. Det är vackert, det är storslaget, det är imponerande]. Leif Zern termed Bergman’s third
Ghost Sonata ‘a remarkable deed, a great theatre event’. [en märklig gärning, en stor teaterhän-
delse].

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Critics focussed specific attention on the problematic third act (the Student and the Young
Lady in the Hyacinth Room) but disagreed on its successful integration with the rest of the
performance. (See Janzon and Donnér). Other points of disagreement concerned Bergman’s
casting of Gertrud Fridh as both the Mummy and the Young Lady in order to suggest a
destructive mother-daughter relationship. (See Donnér, Janzon, Zern).
Reviews
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Från Spöksonaten till Kung Lear’ [From the Ghost Sonata to King Lear].
Scen och Salong 3, 1973: 22-23.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Tukthuset, dårhuset, livet’ [The correctional house, the asylum, life]. SDS, 14
January 1973, p. 8.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘När ett hus blir gammalt möglar det’ [When a house gets old, it molds]. AB,
14 January 1973, p. 24.
Janzon, Åke. ‘Bergmans tredje Spöksonat’ [Bergman’s third Ghost Sonata]. SvD, 14 January
1973, p. 8.
Kragh-Jacobsen, Svend. ‘Skæbnens marionetspil og menneskets frigørelse’ [Destiny’s marion-
ette play and man’s liberation]. Berlingske Tidende, 14 January 1973.
Monté-Nordin, Karin. ‘Bergman trollar med Spöksonaten’ [Bergman uses magic with the
Ghost Sonata]. Arbetet, 14 January 1973, p. 2.
Perlström, Åke. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Strindberg’. GP, 14 January 1973, p. 2.
Schoulgin, Eugene A. ‘Strindbergmans spøksonate’. Aftenposten (Oslo), 24 January 1973.
Storléer, Lars. ‘Suggestiv men egenrådig “Spöksonate” på Dramaten’. [Suggestive but willful
Ghost Sonata at Dramaten]. Morgenbladet (Oslo), 22 January 1973.
Thagaard, Alf. ‘Fantastisk Strindberg og blekt “Dukkehjem” på Dramaten’. Dagbladet, 23 Jan-
uary 1973.
Thoor, Alf. ‘Alf Thoor ser Bergmans nya Spöksonaten’ [Alf Thoor sees Bergman’s new Ghost
Sonata]. Expr., 14 January 1973, p. 4.
Trilling, Ossia. ‘The Ghost Sonata’. Financial Times, 5 February 1973.
Zern, Leif. ‘Bergmans inlevelse förnyar “Spöksonaten”’. [Bergman’s empathy renews Ghost
Sonata]. DN, 14 January 1973, p. 19.
Special Studies
Cardullo, Bert. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Concept for his 1973 Production of The Ghost Sonata: A
Dramaturg’s Response’. Essays in Arts and Sciences, West Haven, CT, May 1985, pp. 33-48.
Jenny, Urs. ‘Bedenkenlos wie Strindberg selbst’. Theater heute. no. 3 (March 1973): 17-21. A
review article focussing on Bergman’s ‘innocent’ acceptance of Strindberg’s drama both
in terms of ‘esthetics’ and vision. Bergman approaches the production like the young
Student who unwittingly enters and is initiated into the strange rites of the ‘ghost’ house.
Marker, Lise-Lone & Frederick. Ingmar Bergman. Four Decades in the Theater, 1982, pp. 85-97.
Törnqvist, Egil. Strindberg och Bergman. Spöksonaten – drama och iscensättning, 1973. Törnqvist
followed the open rehearsals of the 1973 production of Spöksonaten. Together with Henrik
Sjögren’s diary Regi. Ingmar Bergman. Dagbok från Dramaten 1969, based on Bergman’s
open rehearsals of Woyzeck, Törnqvist’s book provides a detailed analysis of Bergman’s
directorial methods and persona. See also Törnqvist, Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar
Bergman Directs, 1995, pp. 30-45, and his articles entitled ‘Ingmar Bergman Directs Strind-
berg’s Ghost Sonata’, Theatre Quarterly III, no. 11, 1973: 3-14; ‘Ingmar Bergman regisserar
Spöksonaten’, Dramaten no. 26, 1973, pp. 3-6; and ‘Ingmar Bergman met en scene: La source
des spectres. Théâtre/public 73, 1987, pp. 83-88. In 2000, Törnqvist published a separate
monograph on Spöksonaten (see Theatre Bibliography, Chapter VII, 2000). See also his
article ‘Ingmar Bergmans fjärde Spöksonat’, Strindbergiana 16 (2001), pp. 32-42.

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See also
n.a. ‘Bedenkenlos wie Strindberg selbst’. Argus, March 1972, p. 19.
Bendix, Eva. ‘Er livet værd så meget besvær?’ [Is life worth so much trouble?]. Politiken, 14
January 1973. (Report from rehearsals of Spöksonaten with comments by Bergman and some
of his actors.)
Guest Performance
Florence, Pergola Theatre, 7-8 April 1973
This was the second Bergman production to visit Florence in two years. Italian reviewers spoke
of the ‘bravura’, ‘coherence’, and ‘poetic lightness’ of Bergman’s staging of La Sonata di fantasmi.
Reviews
Blandi, Alberto. ‘I fantasmi di Strindberg con il genio di Bergman’. La Stampa, 7 April 1973, p. 8.
De Monticelli, Roberto. ‘Bergman nel mondo di Strindberg’. Il Diario di Milano, 8 April 1973.
Dursi, Massimo. ‘Strindberg segundo Bergman’. Cronache dello Spettacolo, 7 April 1973.
Pagliarani, Elio. ‘Bergman in un dramma di vampiri’. Paese Sera, 8 April 1973.
Poesio, Paolo, Emilio. ‘Bergman piu grande che mai’. La Nazione, 8 April 1973.
Radice, Raul. ‘Ingmar Bergman e ritornato a Strindberg’. Corriere della Sera, 8 April 1973.
Savioli, Aggeo. ‘Sonata di Fantasmi a Firenze’. L’Unita, 7 April 1973, p. 13.

452. MISANTROPEN [The Misanthrope]

Credits
Original Title Le Misantrope
Playwright Molière
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Kerstin Hedeby
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Copenhagen (Det Kongelige)
Opening Date 6 April 1973
Cast
Alceste Henning Moritzen
Philinte, his friend Holger Juel Hansen
Oronte Ebbe Rode
Célimene Ghita Nørby
Eliante Hanne Borchsenius
Arsinoe Lise Ringheim
Acaste Erik Mørk
Clitandre Peter Steen
Basque, servant Paul Hüttel
A Messenger Olaf Ussing
Dubois, Alceste’s servant Benny Hansen
Commentary
A detailed record of this production was kept by Bergman’s assistant Ulla Elmquist. Contact
Library Archives, Det Kongelige, Copenhagen. Videotapes of the production were made by
Danmarks Radio, which may be available to scholars through courtesy of Danish Broadcasting
Corp., Archival no. 25404. A TV version was transmitted on Danish Television on 10 May 1974.
The Swedish radio program ‘Teaterronden’, SR 8 April 1973, includes a 4-minute review and
presentation of the Misantropen production.

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Prior to the rehearsals of Misantropen in Copenhagen, Morten Sabroe interviewed Bergman,

‘Alle taler om skandinavisme, ingen tager initiativet’ [Everybody talks about Scandinavianism,
no one takes the initiative], Berlingske Tidende, 24 December 1972, p. 8. For details, see Interview
Chapter, (Ø 810), 1972. See also ‘Dialog med Bergman’, interview by Heino Byrgesen, in Dan-
marks Radio, Archival no. 14736-73, about his views on Holberg, Molière, and actors.
In a program note to the production titled ‘Molière, Bergman, os – en berøring’ [Molière,
Bergman, Us – a Touch], Viggo Kjær Petersen quoted from Bergman’s speech to his cast at the
beginning of the rehearsals, in which he focussed on the artificiality and stymied social situation
in the play. According to him, Molière’s society was hierarchic and governed by rigid formality.
To be in power was important and in order to gain power one had to conform. Bergman
thought the theme of the play was unmasking – and, above all, the price one paid for executing
it, a theme reminiscent of Strindberg’s Spöksonaten (The Ghost Sonata), which Bergman had
just staged at Dramaten (see previous item).
In his Copenhagen Misanthrope, Bergman maintained a dual approach: On the one hand, a
production of Molière’s play as a theatrical game, performed in style and intellectually con-
ceived; on the other hand, an exposure, through physical and psychological intensity, of the
emotional tragedy in which Alceste and Celimène are both victims. Bergman retained the
contrast in costumes from his 1958 Malmö production, i.e., the splendor of the dress worn
by the court versus Alceste’s somber dark attire to emphasize his position as outsider. As in
Malmö, there were certain illusion-breaking features in the Copenhagen production, most
explicitly the presence of actors seated in the wings when not performing on stage.
Theatre scholar Jytte Wingaard followed the rehearsals of Misantropen in Copenhagen and
published a study, Teatersemiologi, (Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1976) using Bergman’s 1973
Copenhagen production as a test case for a semiological approach to theatre studies.
The Copenhagen ensemble paid a guest visit to Dramaten in Stockholm on May 28-31, 1973.
Reception
Det Kongelige in Copenhagen has a long Molière tradition with roots in French classicism and
Holberg’s comedies. Expectations were high prior to Bergman’s production of Misantropen.
‘For the first time’, wrote theatre critic Svend Kragh-Jacobsen, ‘Molière’s connection to the
Danish stage is intercepted by a director whose forte is psychological tragedy, Strindberg over
Holberg’. See listing below and also Svend Erichsen, Aktuelt, 31 March 1973, p. 37.
Many reviewers had expected Bergman to put his very personal stamp on the production.
Instead they experienced ‘a clean Molière’ and were struck by Bergman’s faithfulness to the
original mise-en-scene and to the classical rhythm of Molière’s text. Impressed by the visual and
plastic impact of Bergman’s production, critics pointed to the colorful costumes and the superb
acting. Ghite Nørby’s Celimène was said to grow in size under Bergman’s direction. Jens Kruuse
(Jyllands-Posten) concluded that a better performance had never been seen at Det Kongelige,
while Henrik Lundgren (Information) was more restrained; though he found the performance a
fine and visually stunning presentation, he did not deem it a pathbreaking Bergman produc-
tion.
Reviews
Kragh-Jacobsen, Svend. ‘Ingmar Bergman bar Ghita Nørby til triumf ’ [Bergman carried Ghita
Nörby to triumph]. Berlingske Tidende, 11 April 1973, Section 2, p. 1.
Kruuse, Jens. ‘Teatrets og sandhedens triumf ’ [The triumph of theatre and truth]. Jyllands-
Posten, 11 April 1973.
Lundgren, Henrik. ‘Alceste, Bergman og – Celimene’. Information, 7-8 April 1973.
Naur, Robert. ‘Af banen, her kommer Molière’ [Get out of the way, here comes Molière].
Politiken, 11 April 1973.

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Neilendam, Henrik. ‘Teaterkronik’. Weekendavisen, 13 April 1973.

See also Jens Emil’s brief interview with Bergman just prior to opening night, (Ø 569), includ-
ing Bergman’s hasty return to Sweden, for ‘I don’t want to die in Denmark’. [Jeg vill ikke dø i
Danmark].

1974
453. TILL DAMASKUS [To Damascus]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Marik Vos
Music Arrangements Daniel Bell
Assistant Director Kari Sylwan
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 1 February 1974
Cast
The Stranger Jan-Olof Strandberg
The Lady Helena Brodin
The Beggar/Dominican Monk Anders Ek
The Doctor Ulf Johanson
The Fool Casear Frank Sundström
The Mother Aino Taube
The Father Per Sjöstrand
The Old Man Oscar Ljung
The Professor Gösta Prüzelius
The Woman Innkeeper Hjördis Petterson
The Police Dennis Dahlsten
The Midwife Dora Söderberg
The Host Per Grundén
The Abbess Barbro Hjort af Ornäs
The Maid Gerthi Kulle
Two Women Ellika Mann, Gertrud Fridh
Two Derelicts Birger Malmsten, Segol Mann
Three Guests Gösta Söderberg, Karl-Axel Forssberg, Åke Wästersjö
Commentary
An interesting director’s copy, currently in the Dramaten library, has detailed notes describing
technical solutions, actors’ placement and movements, sound and music arrangements, as well
as compositional sketches of such scenes as the funeral procession and the opening scene; the
latter is described as a series of filmic close-ups with the Stranger emerging out of the darkness,
the light focussed only on his face. Notes also reveal Bergman’s conception of The Stranger as ‘a
poseur’ and of his encounter with the Lady as flirtatious.
Assistant Director’s (Kari Sylwan) copy, divided into 19 scenes, is also available at Dramaten.
Strindberg’s ‘station drama’ in three parts from 1898 and 1901 depicts the spiritual journey of
a man called The Stranger. The title of the play is a reference to the conversion of the Biblical
Apostle Paul en route to Damascus. Bergman chose to combine Parts I and II of Strindberg’s

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play; he cut the text extensively and toned down its religious implications to present a human
relationship drama. The first act centered on the Stranger and the Lady; the second act on the
Stranger and his mother-in-law; and the third act on the Stranger and the Doctor, the lady’s ex-
husband. One reviewer suggested renaming the drama ‘Scenes from a Marriage by August
Strindberg’. (Expr., 2 February 1974).
A drab monochrome color scheme was used both for the décor and the costumes, except in
the penultimate asylum and banquet scenes. But the most striking scenographic feature was the
use of a screen with large projected background images. Stage designer Marik Vos first made
some forty sketches in black ink and pencil, which were then photographed; the negatives were
placed between glass plates in 18 by 18 cm size; when projected against the back wall, they
produced an 11-meter high décor. The reason for this scenographic approach was Bergman’s
wish to keep the acting space as stark and uncluttered as possible and to suggest that Till
Damascus is a dreamplay, where many of the events emanate from the Stranger’s inner dis-
traught self. In an interview, Marik Vos discussed the compromises she had to make as a set
designer. (See Sörenson, ‘Damaskus-scenografin resultatet av ständig dialog, té och sympati’
[To Damascus scenography the result of continuous dialogue, tea and sympathy], SvD, 28
January 1974). Few reviewers were impressed by the result, however: ‘The projections are not
very mood-creating’, [Projektionerna är inte särskilt stämningsskapande] wrote the critic in
DN, 2 February 1974).
Bergman invited the public to Saturday rehearsals, which were performed without costumes,
lighting, or projection.
Reception
Bergman’s productions of Strindberg’s dramas had gained a reputation of being the best the
Swedish theatre had to offer. The reception of Till Damaskus was mixed however. Bengt
Jahnsson in DN thought Bergman took uncalled-for liberties with Strindberg and objected
especially to his rather extensive cuts in the original text and to his toning down of the play’s
religious theme. On the other hand, a non-Swedish critic like Ossia Trilling thought Bergman
had never before reached such psychological insight and craftsmanship. Trilling was seconded
by Åke Janzon in SvD: ‘One can hardly imagine at this moment a more knowledgeable and
independent production. Bergman knows what he is doing and he does it with his own total
self-assurance’. [Man kan knappast för tillfället föreställa sig en mer kunnig och självständig
uppsättning. Bergman vet vad han gör och han gör det med sin egen absoluta självsäkerhet].
More and more the critical responses to Bergman’s stage productions expressed enthusiasm for
his professional skills and imaginative craftsmanship, while criticism often focussed on the
reviewer’s preconception of the play text and the degree to which Bergman remained loyal or
sensitive to it.
Reviews
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Från Bergmans Damaskus till tredje Carl Z-revyn’ [From Bergman’s Da-
mascus to third Carl Z show]. Scen och Salong 2, 1974: 24, 26.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Egocentriker jagar en högre mening’ [An egocentric pursues a higher mean-
ing]. SDS, 2 February 1974, p. 10.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Till Damaskus – med humor’ [To Damascus – with humor). AB, 2 February
1974, p. 18.
Jahnsson, Bengt. ‘Till Damaskus på Dramaten: En splittrad uppsättning’ [To Damascus at
Dramaten: A split staging]. DN, 2 February 1974.
Janzon, Åke. ‘Den svåra vägen till Damaskus’ [The difficult road to Damascus]. SvD, 2 February
1974, p. 9.
Perlström, Åke. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Damaskus’. GP, 2 February 1974.

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Thoor, Alf. ‘Scener ur ett äktenskap av August Strindberg’. Expr., 2 February 1974.
Rühle, Günther. ‘Die Leiden Strindbergs’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 6 February 1974.
Trillimg. Ossia. ‘To Damascus’. Financial Times, February 1974.
Special Studies
Brandell, Gunnar. ‘Vad gör Bergman av “Till Damaskus?”’ [What does Bergman make of To
Damascus]. SvD, 30 January 1974. (Strindberg scholar Gunnar Brandell compared Berg-
man’s approach to Till Damaskus to earlier Swedish productions of the play).
Lindholm, Karl-Axel. ‘Hur skriver de – Nordens kritiker?’ (How do they write – Scandinavia’s
critics?). Scen och Salong 4, 1974: 16-16. (Analysis of Scandinavian critics’ view of Bergman’s
Till Damaskus production).
Marker, F. and L. Ingmar Bergman. Four Decades in the Theatre, (Ø 594), pp. 113-131, provides a
fine analysis of Bergman’s mise-en-scene.
Sjögren, Henrik. Lek och raseri, (Ø 677), pp. 282-295, gives a good presentation of the produc-
tion and its reception, plus an interview with Bergman about his conception of the play.
Guest Performances
1. Berlin, Berliner Festwochen, 27-28 September 1974
For a report from the Berliner Festwochen, see Birgitte Adjouri, ‘Från Schöberg till Strindberg’,
Hufvudstadsbladet (Helsinki), 9 October 1974, that includes a brief assessment of Dramaten’s
guest performance, which was not termed a great success. Berlin theatre reviewers had expected
‘a Bergman sensation’ and were disappointed by what was termed a restrained, bleak, and ‘talky’
production, and a set design that was called ‘kitschy’ (Göpfert). One reviewer (Weber) de-
scribed the evening as ‘abstruse and boring’ and was grateful that the third part of the play was
not included. Heinz Ritter thought the staging was quite unsensational, realistic, ‘almost petit-
bourgeois conventional Strindberg’. The production was termed too long or, in the words of
one critic, ‘eine Höllensitzung auf Schwedisch’. Several reviewers contrasted this visit with the
1972 production of The Wild Duck and concluded that Strindberg’s play was not stage-worthy
but remained ‘an item in theatre history, a source for Strindberg scholars’. (Luft; cf. however,
Schrumpf who claimed the very opposite).
The audience, most of whom did not understand Swedish, was described as politely attentive.
Bergman’s absence from the performances, referred to as ‘godlike withdrawal’ (Luft), was
lamented by several critics who would have liked to ask him why he had staged To Damascus
in such a dry, unemotional, and non-theatrical manner. Was it to give the actors free reign to
expand? Was it because Bergman himself was tired of ‘the masochistic’ Strindberg? Die Welt’s
critic concluded: ‘We enjoy the actors, but we do not understand, at the end, why they must
play this piece’.
Reviews
Bachmann, C.H. ‘Die Wirklichkeit wie in einem Spiegel: Bergman in Berlin’. Graz, 5 October
1974.
Blaha, Paul. ‘Bergman kam nur halb nach Damaskus’. Kurier (Vienna), 1 October 1974.
Grack, Günther. ‘Herr Strindberg persönlich’. Der Tagespiegel, 29 September 1974.
Göpfert, Peter Hans. ‘Bergman wird kein Paulus’. Nürnberger Zeitung, 2 October 1974.
Luft, Friedrich. ‘Eine Höllensitzung auf schwedisch’. Die Welt, 30 September 1974.
Niehoff, Karina. ‘Strindberg: Mystische Lemuren-Oper’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 4 October 1974.
Reimann, Viktor. ‘Der Mensch in seiner Hölle’. Neue Kronen-Zeitung, 29 September 1974.
Ritter, Heinz. ‘Mysterium in der Bluse’. Der Abend (Berlin), 30 September 1974.
Schrumpf, Ilona. ‘Stockholm kam mit bedeutungsvoller Strindberg-Version’. Berliner Morgen-
post, 29 September 1974.

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Stone, Michael. ‘Die Leiden des alten Strindberg’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 17 October 1974.
Weber, Annemarie. ‘Feier des zerissenen Menschen’. Die Presse, 2 October 1974.
2. Belgrade, 5-6 October 1974.
No further details available.

1975
454. TRETTONDAGSAFTON [Twelfth Night]
Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Daniel Bell
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 7 March 1975; also in summer stock 1979
Cast
Viola/Cesario Bibi Andersson
Sir Andrew Sven Lindberg
Orsino Heinz Hopf
Malvolio Jan-Olof Strandberg
Olivia Lill Terselius
The Fool Ingvar Kjellson
Maria Solveig Ternström
Sebastian Jonas Bergström
Sir Toby Ulf Johanson
Antonio Lauritz Falk/Birger Malmsten
Commentary
Bergman had planned to produce Romeo and Juliet in Malmö back in 1952 but had cancelled.
Later, at Dramaten, he avoided Shakespeare since he felt it was his colleague Alf Sjöberg’s
domain. However, in the fall of 1974, Bergman discussed plans to stage Shakespeare’s A Mid-
summer Night’s Dream but could not put together the right cast. His administrative successor at
Dramaten, Erland Josephson, suggested that he do Twelfth Night instead. This choice may have
intrigued Bergman who had just finished shooting Mozart’s Magic Flute for television, a work in
which couples in love are also exposed to harsh tests before reaching a happy union.
For his production, Bergman asked set designer Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss to construct the
interior of an Elizabethan house in which some players had set up a little platform, with
William Shakespeare himself welcoming the audience. (‘Shakespeare’ later assumed the part
of Antonio). While the rain was pouring down against the windows, a love game of musical
chairs took place in alternating lyrical and burlesque scenes. Bergman stressed the sensuality
and sexual ambiguity built into the part of the androgynous Viola/Cesario character and staged
the play with a great deal more explicit erotic and sensuous cavorting than Shakespeare’s text
suggests. Malvolio did not simply kiss Olivia’s hand; he practically raped her, so that she had to
flee screaming. Malvolio in turn became a thwarted lover more than a nasty fool. Bergman
juxtaposed the theme of young love to the theme of aging. The Fool was marked by old age and
sickness as he coughed his way around the stage, and his witticisms grew increasingly melan-

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choly and resigned by the end. When all the mistaken identities had been unravelled and
Malvolio sat whining in his cell, the Fool sang the Song of the Rain (the same song that Gunnar
Björnstrand sings in the (longer version) of the play rehearsal sequence in Fanny and Alex-
ander).
Bergman added an aftermath to the final scene: the different couples whirled around to
music, stopped in the middle of the dance and found themselves hand in hand with the wrong
partner. Music was prominent in this production with the musicians present in the music
gallery throughout the play. The musical compositions consisted of a form of Elizabethan
pastiche.
Reception
After the opening of Trettondagsafton (Twelfth Night), one reviewer wrote: ‘Everything becomes
a magic flute that he [Bergman] and only he plays’. [Allting blir en magisk flöjt som han och
bara han spelar på](Expr.). This was both praise and criticism: Bergman’s theatrical genius was
obvious in its formal control of the production but he also revealed himself to be, in the words
of Björn Nilsson (Expr.) the most self-glorifying and authoritarian director around. Some
reviewers definitely hesitated to praise whole-heartedly the production despite its acknowledged
artistry. Leif Zern (DN), like virtually all of the critics, recognized the esthetic professionalism
behind the performance but felt that Bergman had skirted the dark pessimistic streaks in
Shakespeare’s love comedy. Rather typical is Teddy Brunius’ (UNT) remark: ‘In terms of
refinement and variety, no other performance [of the play] has reached the level of Dramaten’s
and Ingmar Bergman’s production’. [Ingen föreställning har i raffinemang och omväxling nått
upp till den nivå där man finner Dramatens och Ingmar Bergmans scenkonst]. But as if to
make sure he had not been spellbound by Bergman’s magic, Brunius concluded: ‘And yet, it was
a trifle, a piece of entertainment’. [Ändå var det bara en bagatell, en underhållning].
Reviews
Björkstén, Ingmar, ‘Nu försöker Bergman ringa in kärleken’ (Now Bergman tries to ring in
love). Scen och Salong 3 1975: 14-15, 24.
Brunius, Teddy. ‘ I det heliga skämtets namn’ [In the name of holy jest]. UNT, 11 March 1975,
p. 2.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘Shakespeare som teaterlek’ [Shakespeare as theatrical game]. SDS, 9 March
1975, p. 10.
Fagerström, Allan. ‘Musiken är vad kärlek lever på’ [Love lives on music]. AB, 8 March 1975,
p. 20.
Janzon, Ake. ‘Vild och ohämmad teater’ [Wild and uninhibited theatre]. SvD, 8 March 1975,
p. 11.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘Allting blir en trollflöjt’ [Everything becomes a magic flute]. Expr., 8 March
1975, p. 4.
Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Det blir sinnlig fysisk påverkan’ [It has a form of sensuous physical impact].
Arbetet, 8 March 1975, p. 2.
Zern Leif. ‘En svart fars i Bergmans anda’ [A black farce in Bergman’s spirit]. DN, 8 March 1975,
p. 16.
See also
Beck, Ingamaj. ‘Som i et spejl – med en cigar i næven’ [As through a glass – with a cigar in his
fist]. Politiken, 6 April 1975. (A Danish review claiming that ‘Bergman had sold his soul for a
more secure old age’, leaving his earlier introspective approach behind to become a voyeur
looking at his performers like puppets, ‘as if through a key hole, but making no effort to
open the door’.)

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Brotherus, Greta. ‘Sinnligt Illyrien’. Hufvudstadsbladet (Helsinki), 9 March 1975. (‘Like a ripe
fruit, Ingmar Bergman’s Twelfth Night falls into our hands. The taste is rich and tempting.
[...] I have never before had the same feeling after seeing a film or stage production by
Ingmar Bergman that the work of art is created by a wise human being with a sense of inner
harmony’.)
Curtiss, Thomas Quinn. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Sparkling “Twelfth Night”’. International Herald
Tribune, 18 March 1975. (Contrasts Bergman’s ‘brooding screen works’ and his lighter fare in
the theatre – with some errors in terms of stage history and name of scenographer). The
review is brief and includes accounts of Stockholm’s theatre scene.
Lehmann-Brauns, Elke. ‘Ingmar Bergman erheitert sich an Shakespeare’. Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung, 26 March 1975. (Lehmann-Brauns was struck by the sensuality of the production).
Popkin, Henry. ‘Bergman’s Celebration of Sexual Love’. New York Sunday Times, 7 September
1975. (Review when the play reopened at Dramaten for the fall season). Popkin was re-
minded of the love games in Bergman’s films Smiles of a Summer Night and A Lesson in
Love.
Guest performances
1. Warsaw, Theatre of Nations, 14-17 June 1975
When the Theatre of Nations festival, for several years held in Paris, faced a crisis, Poland and
Warsaw’s Theatre Polski picked up the event for one year, after which the festival became
ambulatory among IIT members. Bergman’s production of Twelfth Night was the first item
on the Warsaw playbill and the audience reception was triumphant: ‘An English play performed
in Swedish makes the audience in Warsaw stand on its feet. The world of the theatre is small’,
wrote Jan Klossowics in ‘The Great Carnival. The Evening with Bergman’, published in the
Polish Litteratura, 26 June 1975.
There were three sold-out performances. Since the guest performance was part of an inter-
national theatre festival, it was covered not only by the Polish media but also by an international
cadre of reviewers. The non-Polish response varied: some felt that this was little more than an
elegant divertissement, Bergman ‘nodding’; others thought that he displayed his well-established
theatrical skill. The critic in Le Monde referred to Bergman’s approach as ‘a kind of Comédie
Française ideal’ focussing more on the actors than on interpretive ideas. The Times critic
(Wardle) agreed and was relieved by the absence of Nordic guilt; yet, he was irritated by the
folksiness of the production: ‘More English than any English version I have seen, it is an
approach that throws all the responsibility onto the actors. [...] They are not there to measure
their humanity against ours; they are there to be laughed at’.
Polish reviewers, on the other hand, maintained an awesome respect for Bergman whom
they elevated to a philosopher of rank, seeing his production of Twelfth Night as ‘one more piece
of material in his existential search’. (Balicki). The Polish critic Misiorni summed it up: ‘In
Poland, Ingmar Bergman has until now been known only as a filmmaker. [...] He is a great and
deeply melancholy artist. His sorrow is of course that of a philosopher and a skeptical moralist
who, even when he stages a fairy tale, spices it up with his distrust of all fairy tales.’
Reviews
Balicki, S. W. ‘Bergman’s Twelfth Night’. Zycie Warszawy, 17 June 1975.
Inviato, Dal Nostro. ‘Un elegante divertissement lo Shakespeare di Bergman’. Sera, 17 June 1975.
Lane, John Francis. ‘Polish audiences excited by Ingmar Bergman’s view of ‘Twelfth Night’’.
Daily American, 24 June 1975. (Lane quotes Jan Olof Strandberg (Malvolio) who in a press
conference had stated that Dramaten also had other good directors besides Bergman: ‘If
they can do better than this I would like to see it’.)

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Misiorni, Michat. ‘Bergman’s saga’. Trybuna Ludu, 17 June 1975.

Wardle, Irving. ‘Bergman’s Bizarre Twelfth Night’. The Times, 2 July 1975.
Wysinska, Elzbieta. ‘Discovery of the Swedish theatre’. Kultura, 29 June 1975. (The juxtaposition
of crude lower-class eroticism and upper-class sensuality reminded the reviewer of Berg-
man’s film Smiles of a Summer Night).
Zand, Nicole. ‘La Nuit des Rois d’Ingmar Bergman’. Le Monde, 18 June 1975.
2. Paris, Théâtre de l’Odéon, 5-12 November 1980
Five years after its original opening, Bergman’s production of Twelfth Night visited Paris for a
week. The event received some media attention, with several interviews with Bibi Andersson.
See Marion Thébaud, ‘La nuit des rois à l’Odéon. Ingmar, William, Bibi et les autres’, Le Figaro,
5 November 1980, p. 28.
Reviews emphasized the difference between Bergman’s directorial persona as a filmmaker
and as a theatre director, to the point where the two did not seem to be the same person. Pierre
Marcabrue in Le Figaro wrote (‘A la bonne franquette’), 7 November 1980, p. 29: ‘In the theatre,
no metaphysics, no sophistication. Instead: an innocent and naïve approach’.

1976
455. DÖDSDANSEN [The Dance of Death]
Bergman’s rehearsal of August Strindberg’s play was interrupted on 30 January 1976 when police
in civilian clothes apprehended Bergman at Dramaten on suspicion of tax evasion. Though
later absolved of all charges, Bergman left Sweden in protest in April 1976. (See Ø 1272), Chapter
IX, for details.

Munich Residenztheater (1977-1984/85)

Having left Sweden in April 1976 to go into voluntary exile, Ingmar Bergman eventually chose
Munich as his new domicile. He signed a contract with the city’s residential theatre, where he
would produce a total of twelve plays between 1977 and 1985, including a triptych consisting of
Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (Nora), Strindberg’s Miss Julie, and his own Scenes from a Marriage. Some
of his productions were of plays he had staged earlier, including his opening piece, Strindberg’s
Ett drömspel.
In retrospect, Bergman would refer to his first encounter with the Residenztheater as ‘cat-
astrophic’, blaming the situation on language problems, an unfamiliar ensemble, an uninspiring
‘Nazi-looking’ theatre building, and a directorial approach that went counter to local tradition:
he tried to apply a democratic Swedish model to an established, more hierarchic German work
structure. Later he described what amounted to a veritable culture shock, where his methods
served as a catalyst to uncover brewing internal conflicts at the theatre:
I stormed into the Residenztheater with principles and ideas acquired during a long profes-
sional life in our (Swedish) protected outskirts. [...] It was real fatal idiocy. I insisted on staff
meetings and succeeded in bringing about a representative council of actors consisting of
five members who were given an advisory function. It went literally to hell. Hatreds which
had collected and soured for years now broke forth, ass-kissing and fear reached unim-
agined levels. Animosities between different groups flared up. Intrigues and gerrymandering

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of proportions we’ve never seen the likes of here at home – not even in church circles –
became everyday fare in the dirtiest of canteens.

[Jag dundrade in på Residenztheater medförande principer och tankegångar förvärvade

under ett långt yrkesliv i vår skyddade utkant. [...] Det var en riktigt fatal idioti. Jag
genomdrev ensemblemöten och lyckades få till stånd en skådespelarrepresentation, be-
stående av fem medlemmar som begåvades med en rådgivande funktion. Det gick bokstavli-
gen åt helvete. Under åratal samlat och surnat hat bröt fram, rövslickeriet och rädslan nådde
oanade nivåer. Fientligheter mellan olika grupper flammade högt. Intriger och rävspel i en
omfattning som vi här hemma inte ser maken till – inte ens i kyrkliga kretsar – blev
vardagsmat i den skitigaste av kantiner.] (see Ø 604)
On 26 April 1979 SR (Sveriges Radio) presented a program by Lisbeth Lindeborg who had
visited the Residenztheater to find out the reasons behind Bergman’s Munich criticism. Linde-
borg interviewed Bergman, as well as actors, critics, theatre producers, and people in the
audience. Two years later, in 1981, the tension between Bergman and Kurt Meisel, head of
the Residenztheater, culminated and Bergman’s contract was terminated with a great deal of
publicity, which reached all the way up to the State Ministry of Culture. But after Meisel’s
retirement as administrator (he remained as an actor) Bergman returned. However, according
to his own account, other mistakes were made: for example, he refused to comply with the local
press in terms of talking about his ideas concerning a particular production – a principle of
silence he had always maintained in Sweden but which was seen as a form of conceit by German
journalists.
Eventually, a group of actors referred to as ‘Bergmans Kinder’ crystallized at the Resi-
denztheater. With these performers, Bergman established ‘a signal system of emotions and
touches’ [ett signalsystem av känslor och beröringar]. In the end, Bergman would give most
of the credit for his success in Munich to this group of actors ‘whose sensitivity, quick response,
and patience’ offset ‘the terrible garbage I myself produced’ [vars känslighet, snabba uppfatt-
ning och tålamod (kompenserade för) den förfärliga rotvälska som jag själv presterade] (all
quotes above from Expr. interview 17 August 1985). See also Henrik Sjögren, Lek och raseri,
(2002), pp. 368-371, which includes a more benign assessment of Bergman’s situation at the
Residenztheater.

1977
456. EIN TRAUMSPIEL
Credits
Original Title Ett drömspel
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Walter Dörfler
Choreographer Heino Hailhuber
Music Herbert Baumann
Stage Residenztheater, München
Opening Date 19 May 1977

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Cast
The Officer Kurt Meisel
Agnes Christine Ostermayer
The Lawyer Nikolaus Paryla
Kristin Anne Mertin
The Poet Michael Degen
The Teacher Max Mairich
The Concierge Anne Kersten
The Mother Lola Müthel
The Father Hans Quest
Coal Carriers Erich Ludwig, Jacques Breuer
The Young Lovers Christine Buchegger, Gerhard Garbers
(Buchegger and Garbers also played Indra’s Daughter & the Poet in second half of play.)
Commentary
Several preview articles and/or interviews with Bergman appeared at the time of his first stage
production in Munich. See Der Spiegel, 17 May 1977, pp. 185-86, 188; Abendzeitung (Munich), 26
June 1977, p. 10; and Süddeutsche Zeitung, 18/19 May 1977. His directorial debut at the Resi-
denztheater was much anticipated.
Bergman’s Traumspiel used the same approach as his 1970 Dramaten production: the Poet,
seated at his desk, opened the play and presented it as a product of his imagination. At the end
he remained alone on an empty stage. The approach anticipated such subsequent Bergman
works as Efter repetitionen (After the Rehearsal) and Trolösa (Faithless) where his fictional self
was to appear as a dreamer fantasizing about his own story.
In his Munich presentation, the Wagnerian scenography of Walter Dörfler was not to Berg-
man’s liking. The growing castle emerged like a stark Gothic structure: ‘I wanted a wall and he
built me a ruin.’ (Marker, 1982, 1992, Ø 594, p. 110). For a detailed comparison between the 1970
Dramaten and Munich productions, see Wolf Dietrich Müller, 1980, (Ø 587).
Reception
‘The disappointment regarding Ingmar Bergman’s Dreamplay was almost unanimous’, wrote
Michael Skasa in Theater heute XVI, no. 7 (‘Frei von Mystik’, July 1977, p. 11) some two months
after the opening of Bergman’s first theatre production in exile. Expecting a production that
capitalized on the drama’s metaphysical, surreal, and dreamlike qualities, the German critics
who knew Bergman primarily as a filmmaker with a penchant for metaphysics were surprised
by his realistic and text-oriented production and by a mise-en-scene that ignored the rich
imagery of Strindberg’s play: ‘No growing castle with budding cupola. No Fairhaven, no flames
from the roof and no gigantic chrysanthemum – all of this was left to the audience to imagine.
An immense risk to take with dreams’. (Eichholz). Instead of a visually stunning production,
‘Ingmar Bergman [...] confines himself and Strindberg to a miserable stark row of scenes. [...]
Strindberg’s grandiose hallucinations were never shown [...] [but] were merely suggested
through the most ineffective of old-fashioned theatre conventions. [...] Ingmar Bergman has
staged Strindberg’s weaknesses: the escapist thoughts of an insomniac, not the visionary flow of
a dreamer’. (Hensel). In replacing Strindberg’s visionary stagecraft, where the Germans saw his
real impact on modern drama, with a realistic approach in the Swedish Molander tradition,
Bergman staged ‘only one half of Strindberg, and the weaker half ’. (Kaiser) To several critics this
meant making Strindberg’s absurd complaints about human life appear sentimental and laugh-
able (see Ramseger, Iden, Kaiser).
If Bergman, the visual virtuoso and filmmaker, preconditioned the Munich response to his
Dreamplay production, so did the fact that Ein Traumspiel had its own stage history in Ger-

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many, established by Max Reinhardt’s famous and pathbreaking expressionistic interpretations

of Strindbergian drama in the 1910s and 1920s, and brought up-to-date by later absurdist
stagings of the play. German critics were used to reading the play in such a light: ‘Bergman
should have taken us further into the surrealism of dreams.’ (Kayser). In putting more weight
on the spoken word than on visual spectacle, Bergman in fact ran the risk, as a non-German
speaker, of not having the right feel for the nuances or melody of the language (Kaiser).
Reviewers sensed that Bergman barely knew his Munich ensemble and found his instruction
strained, almost mechanical (Seidenfaden). Though one critic (Ramseger) noted that Bergman
had succeeded in releasing new energies in the Munich actors, others remarked that the actors
were accustomed to more grandiose performances and a bolder dramaturgy.
Although no critical success, Bergman’s first staging in Munich was greeted with overwhelm-
ing applause by an audience paying tribute to their guest director with a total of 34 curtain calls
and with Bergman making a rare appearance on stage together with the ensemble.
In an article titled ‘Ingmar Bergman Lights up the Munich Stage’ in the NYT (5 June 1977,
Section 2, p. 3, 28) Henry Popkin calls the Munich Dreamplay production a smash hit and
warns that ‘the world had better accomodate itself to this new theatrical comet. [...] Bergman
could make Munich one of the theater capitals in Europe’.
Reviews
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Göttertochter in Szenen einer Ehe’. Münchner Merkur, 21 May 1977.
Graeter, Michael. ‘34 Vorhänge für Ingmar Bergman’. AZ München, 21/22 May 1977.
haj. ‘Strindbergs ‘Traumspiel’ mit Münchner Erdenschwere’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 24 May 1977.
Hensel, Georg. ‘Gedankenflucht eines Schlaflosen’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 21 May 1977.
Iden, Peter. ‘Lebens-Lamento’. Die Zeit, 27 May 1977.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Wie Bergman das Traumspiel verwirklichte’ Süddeutsche Zeitung, 21/22 May
1977.
Kayser, Beate. ‘Indras Tochter muss vor der Burgruine träumen’ Tz, 21-22 May 1977.
Pörte, Gerhard. ‘Stiller Strindberg: Ingmar Bergman inszenierte “Ein Traumspiel”’. Kölner
Stadtanzeiger, 26 May 1977.
Schmidt, Dietmar N. ‘Aus allen Träumen gefallen’. Rhein-Main-Kulturspiegel/Frankfurter
Rundschau, 24 May 1977.
Schmidt-Mühlisch, Lothar. ‘Bildersaal des Zweifels’. Die Welt, 17 October 1977.
Seidenfaden, Ingrid. ‘Nur der Dichter darf zornig sein’. Frankfurter Neue Presse, 25 May 1977.
Skasa, Michael. ‘Frei von Mystik’. Theater Heute, no. 7, July 1977, p. 11.
Guest Performance
Berlin, Schiller Theater, 4-5 May 1978
Bergman’s Traumspiel production continued to disappoint the German reviewers. See:
Grack, Günther. ‘Leidensweg mit Strindberg’. Tagesspiegel, 6 May 1978. Grack compares Berg-
man’s production to that of Roberto Ciulli in Cologne shortly before. He finds Bergman’s
handling of grotesque humor successful.
Luft, Friedrich. ‘Ingmar Bergman enttäuschte mit Strindberg’. Berliner Morgenpost, 6 May 1978;

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1978
457. DREI SCHWESTERN [Three Sisters]
Credits
Original Title Tri sestry
Playwright Anton Chekhov
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Walter Dörfler
Costumes Charlotte Flemming
Stage Residenztheater München
Opening Date 22 June 1978
Cast
Irina Christine Buchegger
Masha Christine Ostermayer
Olga Ursula Lingen
Natascha Gaby Dohm
Andrej Prosorov Kurt Meisel
Officer Werschinin Karl-Heinz Pelser
Military doctor Franz Kutschera
Commentary
The set for Bergman’s version of Chekhov’s play exposed a stark, almost abstract living-room,
behind which stood a raised platform. The performance opened with the three sisters emerging
arm in arm from the pit-like darkness of the back stage. It was a visually stunning overture (to
be used again more than twenty years later in Bergman’s production of Schiller’s Maria Stuart).
The Three Sisters production remained very faithful to Chekhov’s play text. In an interview in
Münchner Abendzeitung (21 June 1978) prior to the opening, Bergman declared that his en-
semble would play Three Sisters like a Mozart symphony, movement by movement, with no
subjective directorial interpretation of the text, but rather like an objective following of a
musical score.
Reception
Some reviewers found Bergman’s musical reference misleading, claiming that following a
musical score was no more objective than analyzing a dramatic text. What it implied, according
to one critic (Henrichs) was a tendency to dehumanize the actors by making them mere serving
instruments and the production a costumed recitation.
Despite generous audience applause on opening night, the critical response to Bergman’s
Three Sisters was lukewarm, if not down right negative. Kurt Meisel had given Bergman a
record-long 14-weeks of rehearsal time for Three Sisters. Reviewers asked why the result was
no better than what ‘a mediocre colleague could have accomplished in five weeks’ (Henrichs).
The expectations had been high – there had been record-long lines at the ticket office at Max
Joseph Place – but, in the words of the reviewers, ‘St. Ingmar’s’ Chekhov interpretation dwelt in
an airless room, lacking both dramatic tension and the necessary realistic references to a given
place and time (Gliewe, Schmidt-Mühlisch). Being familiar both with Stanislavski’s naturalistic
approach to Three Sisters and Chekhov’s own statement that his play was a comedy, reviewers
found neither in Bergman’s production. Emphasizing the perfectionist esthete in Ingmar Berg-
man, one reviewer (Salmony) compared the production to the perfectly tinted living pictures of
an UFA film: ‘But living pictures are less than pictures come alive’. The sisters appeared like
decorative snapshots in a family album (Henrichs) but lacked cohesiveness as a group

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(Schmidt-Mühlisch). They were like puppets and laughed like marionettes (Kaiser). To another
reviewer (Krieger) the acting was termed ‘stiff and stunted’. Bergman’s attitude towards the
three sisters was called uninspired and, at best, one of avuncular concern. Bergman seemed to
lack an understanding of Chekhov’s own expressed view that emotions should not be conveyed
with hands and feet but through the tone of voice and the glance of an eye (Kaiser).
Several reviews suggested that Bergman did not have an ear for the German language and
would probably never have accepted, in his native Swedish, such unnatural cadences in the
dialogue as appeared in this production. Only one critic (Hensel) intimated that Bergman
seemed more at home this time with his German situation than in his first Munich production,
Strindberg’s Traumspiel.
Reviews
Becker, Peter von. ‘Ein Genie-Fall: Bergmans Fall’. Theater Heute, no. 8, 1978: 4-7.
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Die träumenden und tränenden Herzen der drei Schwestern von 1900’.
Münchner Merkur, 24 June 1978.
Gliewe, Gert. ‘Versäumtes Leben am Vorabend der Revolution’. Tz München, 24 June 1978.
Henrichs, Benjamin von. ‘Schauspiel: Ingmar Bergmans “Drei Schwestern” im Münchner
Residenz-Theater’. Die Zeit, 30 June 1978.
Hensel, Georg. ‘Nicht länger warten sie auf Moskau’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 24 June
1978.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Von der Belanglosigkeit zur Ballade’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 24 June 1978.
Krieger, Hans. ‘Ein Gleichnis des Lebens’. Nürnberger Nachrichten, 24 June 1978.
Salmony, Georg. ‘Eine Tragikomödie der Sehnsucht’ [A tragi-comedy of longing]. Münchner
Abendzeitung, 20-21 June 1978.
Schmidt, Dietmar. ‘Ruhe wie Blei vor dem Sturm’. Frankfurter Rundschau/Stuttgarter Nachrich-
ten, 24 June 1978.
Schmidt-Mühlisch, Lothar. ‘Bezweifeltes erneut bezweifelt’. Die Welt, 24 June 1978.
Stadelmaier, Gerhard. ‘Eine Komödie natürlich’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 24 June 1978.
See also
Lahann, Birgit. ‘Das Genie, das früher stotterte’. Welt am Sonntag, 17 June 1978. (Lahann
describes Bergman’s life and the Chekhov production.)
Nennecke, Charlotte. ‘Eine Gesellschaft im Niedergang’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 22 June 1978. (A
preview presentation of Chekhov’s play.)

1979
458. TARTUFFE
Credits
Playwright Molière
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Charlotte Flemming
Stage Residenztheater, München
Opening Date 13 January 1977
Cast
Tartuffe Nikolaus Paryla
Orgon Walter Schmidinger
Marianne, his daughter Susanne Uhlen

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Orgon’s mother Franz Kutschera

Orgon’s son Gerd Anthoff
Orgon’s wife Elmire Rita Russek
Valère Robert Atzorn
Damis Gerd Anthoff
Cléante Karl Heinz Pelser
Dorine Gaby Dohm
King’s courier Jürgen Arndt
Commentary
Bergman’s production focussed more attention on the bourgeois fool Orgon and his often silly
and easily duped entourage than on the hypocritical Tartuffe, the dangerous impostor. In
keeping with his increasingly meta-conscious approach, Bergman staged Tartuffe as a produc-
tion in the making, where stage hands moved props around as if during a rehearsal and with the
lighting equipment clearly visible to the audience. Obviously artificial canvas screens, depicting
Watteau-like motifs, were placed in the back and to the sides. As confusion mounted in Orgon’s
household, the screens sometimes appeared upside down or with their backside, marked
‘Tartuffe’, turned towards the spectators. Thus theatricality became a theme in itself, with the
actors appearing like a wandering troupe of minstrels who performed in an exaggerated man-
ner, like marionettes. An exception was the character of Dorine (Gaby Dohm) who served as
the raisonneur of the common people. Adding to the theatricality was letting Tartuffe’s man-
servant Laurent serve as a silent spectator on stage. Bergman’s intention, as stated in an inter-
view, was to stress ‘the ironic charm’ of the play rather than its ‘blackness’ (Marker, Four
Decades in the Theater, 1982, p. 134), a view that culminated in the final scene where Bergman
let the King’s courier pronounce his message in pompous French.
Reception
Dietmar Schmidt began his review of Bergman’s Tartuffe with: ‘This is now the third time.
Already twice it has not gone well’. His colleague in the Müncher Merkur (Eichholz) concluded:
‘Again, the world-famous Bergman has not struck out.’ Lothar Schmidt-Mühlisch in Die Welt
termed ‘Bergman’s third stage attempt in Munich rather disappointing’ in a production that
was called ‘over-directed’ and ‘artificial’. The performance was a ritualized dance’, wrote Clara
Menck in Frankfurter Allgemeine and continued: ‘Bergman choreographs, he does not interpret’.
Clearly, most reviewers did not care for the self-conscious theatricality of the production.
‘With time, Bergman’s theatre-in-the-theatre concept, which was convincing at first, proves to
be an obstacle’, concluded Gert Gliewe. Bergman relied on external effects, wrote Klaus Colberg
in Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin) and added: ‘In his casting, the great director reveals more of a desire
to create theatre fun than paying attention to character complexity’. The production was likened
to a Feydeau piece or a light film comedy – ‘in other words laughable but not in the way that
the greatest French writer of comedies had intended’. (Kaiser). The critical consensus was that
Bergman’s approach was demeaning to Molière: ‘Bergman aimed at funmaking but Molière is
too full of spirit, too clear in his thoughts and development of action to have a fool’s cap put on
him. [...] It is beneath Molière’s level’. (Schmidt-Mühlisch). Several of the German reviewers
were particularly offended by Bergman casting a male actor in the role of Madame Pernelle
(Orgon’s wife). ‘An inveterate Tartuffian would almost go to pieces when seeing [...] the im-
proper way in which Bergman has transformed Molière’s characters.’ (Eichholz).
Despite their barely covered disappointment, reviewers continued however to be curious
about Bergman as a stage director: ‘Ingmar Bergman [is] a brilliant film person whom we are
ready to follow on stage through thick and thin, for when such an artist does not succeed, he
can at least reveal something about the spirit of the times’. (Kaiser). But even with such

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concessions, the critical corps was rather brutal in their assessment of Bergman’s Tartuffe
production. ‘He who had expected a good Molière performance and not a Bergman miracle,
could feel satisfied.’ (Clara Menck). But most reviewers had obviously looked for the ‘miracle’.
Reviews
Colberg, Klaus. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Molière’. Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin), 20 January 1979.
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Wenn Wände, Hüllen und Pointen fallen – Wer hat Angst vorm nackten
Tartuffe?’ Münchener Merkur, 15 January 1979.
Gliewe, Gert. ‘Keine Sekunde gefährlich’. TZ, 15 January 1979.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Bergman’s Sünden wieder Molières Geist’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 15 January
1979.
Menck, Clara. ‘Tartuffe oder: Der Unheilige und sein Narr’. Frankfurter Allgemeine, 18 January
1979.
Schmidt, Dietmar. ‘Naiv, direkt, heftig’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 20 January 1979.
Schmidt, Dietmar. ‘Das Kunststück der Verstellung’. Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 16 January 1979.
Schmidt-Mühlisch, Lothar. ‘Ein Scheinheiliger als Hanswurst’. Die Welt, 15 January 1979.
Stadelmaier, Gerhard. ‘Es ist Bergman’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 19 January 1979.
Longer Studies
For an excellent discussion of all of Bergman’s Molière productions except his 1995 Misanthrope,
see Marker, Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theater 1992, pp. 132-71. Henrik Sjögren in Lek
och raseri (2002) follows Markers’ approach and devotes a separate chapter to Bergman’s
Molière productions but confines himself to a reception report.
See also
Hennecke, Charlotte. ‘Ein Ungeliebter verfällt dem Verführer’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 12 January
1979. (Preview presentation of production on day of opening).

459. HEDDA GABLER

Credits
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Mago
Assistant Director Johannes Kaetzler
Stage Residenztheater, Munich
Opening Date 11 April 1979
Cast
Jörgen Tesman Kurt Meisel
Hedda Gabler Tesman Christine Buchegger
Juliana, his aunt Annemarie Wernicke
Thea Elvsted Gaby Dohm
Judge Brack Karl-Heinz Pelser
Ejlert Lövborg Martin Benrath
Berta, maid Paula Braend
Commentary
Bergman’s third Hedda Gabler production (cf. Ø 440 and Ø 448) was performed without
intermission but with the dimming of lights to suggest the end of an act. Latecomers were
not admitted. The Munich production was a ‘remake’ of Bergman’s much admired 1964
Dramaten staging of Ibsen’s play, including Hedda’s famous opening pantomime before the

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mirror when she examines her body for signs of pregnancy, and her final scene when she takes
off her shoes prior to her suicide, trying to stage a death in beauty.
The Munich Hedda Gabler was conceived as a chamber play set in an enclosed space that
offered the entrapped and bitter Hedda no alternative but suicide. The set designer Max
Goldstein (Mago) had built a boxlike structure without windows, like a velvet-clad coffin.
All the characters wore clothes in monotonous muted colors, from dark green to olive, grey,
and black. The stage was lit in a cold light and was stripped even more of Ibsen’s realistic
bourgeois paraphernalia than in Bergman’s 1964 Stockholm production. Also gone was the
portrait of Hedda’s father, General Gabler.
Reception
This became Bergman’s best reception thus far in Munich, though several reviewers noticed a
discrepancy between Bergman the filmmaker who projected his personal self on the screen and
Bergman the theatre director who apparently sought a different, less subjective form of ex-
pression: ‘There is, and not for the first time, a trait of the impersonal... in Bergman’s stage-
craft... there is no personal touch, no nuances of his own’. (Salmony). Yet, one reason for the
relative success of the Hedda Gabler production seems to have been that this time Bergman’s
artistic distance had found its own raison d’etre in the title figure. Christine Buchegger’s Hedda
revealed not only her complete alienation from all the other characters; she also became the
detached observer of her own life. Hedda’s coldness of mind was matched by the cool distance
that all the dramatis personae maintained on stage: ‘The characters act as though they’re
walking in a distant meadow’, wrote George Salmony (AZ), and Hans Schwab-Felisch (Frank-
furter Allgemeine) saw Christine Buchegger’s Hedda as a woman who moved as if ‘there was
always a glass wall between her, the defeated human being, and the others.’
As with Strindberg, Ibsen’s dramas have their own stage history in Germany (Hedda Gabler
had its world premiere in Munich in 1891). But several recent German productions of Ibsen’s
play had been more radical departures from Ibsen’s original than Bergman’s staging. Most
critics accepted Bergman’s dismissal of the detailed naturalistic setting of Ibsen’s text; some
however found, in both set design and acting, a hesitancy in Bergman’s directorial approach, as
though he had not made up his mind between a probing form of psychological realism and a
completely stylized performance. Mago’s decor was criticized for its mix of a few realistic props
in an otherwise abstract set (Lehnhardt). At least one critic (George Salmony) missed the
ambience of a beautiful [Tesman] villa.
In the 1964, Stockholm production of Hedda Gabler, the German critic Siegfried Melchinger
had called Bergman’s staging ingenious and Dramaten’s ensemble so overwhelming that he
knew of no German stage or actors who could have realized such a performance. In a response
to Melchinger’s assessment, Michael Skasa now argued that Bergman’s approach in 1964 had
aged and left a cold impression. In the interim period, other directors like Rudolf Noelte, Peter
Zadek, and Niels-Peter Rudolph had offered novel and more timely interpretations of Ibsen’s
play. Skasa concluded: ‘Melchinger wrote that Bergman’s Hedda Gabler in Stockholm had
blown the dust off Ibsen’s play; the remake in Munich was covered with ‘a loadful of dust.’
Reviews
Borngässer, Rose-Marie. ‘Wenn Hedda Gabler vor dem Spiegel die Pistole hebt’. Die Welt, 17
April 1979.
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Bergman als Ibsen’s Diener’. Münchner Merkur, 18 April 1979.
haj. ‘Ibsens Weltkunst als Kunstwelt’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 26 April 1979.
Janzon, Åke. ‘Klassisk ‘Hedda Gabler’ med nytt rafffinemang’. SvD, 3 May 1979.
Lehnhardt, Rolf. ‘Entschlüsselung im stummen Vorspiel’. Schwäbische Zeitung, 17 April 1979.
Pörtl, Gerhard. ‘Hedda Gabler im Bergman-Käfig’. Südwestpresse, 14 April 1979, p. 19.

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Salmony, George. ‘Bacchantin im Bürgerheim’. AZ, 16 April 1979.

Schmidt, Dietmar N. ‘Der grosse Unterschied’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 18 April 1979.
Schwab-Felisch, Hans. ‘Die Welt bleibt draussen’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 19 April 1979.
Skasa, Michael. ‘Tote Seelen in der Asche’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 16 April 1979, p. 16.
Longer Studies
For a fuller discussion of all three of Bergman’s Hedda Gabler productions, see Marker, Four
Decades in the Theater, 1982, pp. 178-201, and Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, pp. 196-207. The
former is a comprehensive analytical study of Bergman’s stagecraft, the latter a reception survey.

1980
460. YVONNE: PRINZESS VON BOURGOGNE
Credits
Original Title Ivona, ksiezniczka Burgunda
Playwright Witold Gombrowicz
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Music Rudolf G. Knabl
Stage Residenztheater, München
Opening Date 10 May 1980
Cast
King Ignaz Klaus Guth
Queen Margarethe Gaby Dohm
Crown Prince Philipp Robert Atzorn
Chamberlain Hans Zander
Cyryll Erich Hallhuber
Zyprian Herbert Rhom
Innozenz, nobleman Gerd Anthoff
Valentin, lackey Erwin Faber
Yvonne Andrea-Maria Wildner
Isa, lady of the court Rita Russek
Kanzler Alfred Cerny
Marshal Heino Hallhuber
Chief Justice Franz Kollasch
Yvonne’s aunts Alfred Cerny, Franz Kollasch
Beggar Erwin Faber
Courtier Maximilian Villinger
1st Lady of the Court Angelika Hartung
2nd Lady of the Court Doris Jensen
3rd Lady of the Court Solveig Samzelius
Commentary
Gombrowicz’ play, written in 1935 and usually linked to absurdist drama, has a relatively long
stage history on the European continent, among them Jorge Lavalli’s legendary staging in 1965,
Peter Löscher’s Wupperthal production in 1968, and Wilfried Mink’s vaudeville version in 1971 –
the first one stylized through the use of masks; the second one toning down the title figure’s
stubborn nature by omitting her repetitive line ‘I will not bend’; and the last one turning

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Gombrowicz’ tragi-comedy into grotesque caricature. Bergman’s conception was both more
abstract and more estheticized; the political focus of the afore-mentioned productions from the
Sixties and Seventies was gone; instead, Bergman emphasized older theatrical forms through
the use of farce, caricature, and stylized acting.
Reception
‘The big enthusiasm with which the Swedish film genius was met in Munich three years ago has
cooled off. Others have provided the big happy theatre events’, wrote Rolf May in his review of
Yvonne..., a Bergman production he thought lacked sting as though it had been ‘boiled in water’.
Gerhard Pörtl in Südwest Presse summed up the German critical reservations about Bergman’s
theatre craft: The actors at the Residenztheater may ‘flock to Bergman’s rehearsals for soul
searching and experience, but the majority of critics remain cool’.
Through his previous Munich productions, Bergman had established himself as a psycho-
logical stage realist. It was a professional persona considered a bit conventional; in the words of
Gerhard Pörtl ‘the man from Sweden has not seemed eccentric enough’. Bergman’s staging of
Gombrowicz’ Yvonne...was however more of ‘a bravura staging’; in fact, several critics (Schmidt,
Joachim Kaiser, Hans Krieger) termed the Gombrowiez production Bergman’s best work in
Munich, with excellent instruction of the actors. Yet, the German critics were very divided in
their assessments; those who saw Bergman’s version as a parable recognized the filmmaker of
the Fifties but found the production more philosophically ambitious and intellectually serious
than Gombrowicz’ play could support; others who reacted to Bergman’s excessive use of farce
called his version of Yvonne... a choreographed marionette play deprived of a moral voice
(‘Marionettes cannot shame themselves’ – Pörtl) and were reminded of Bergman’s recent,
German-produced film Aus dem Leben des Marionetten.
Reviews
Borngässer, Rose-Marie. ‘Gräten für die Kröte’. Die Welt, 14 May 1980.
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Bergmans heisser Flirt mit Yvonne’. Müchener Merkur, 12 May 1980.
Gliewe, Gert. ‘Ein Hatschertes Deppenkind’. AZ, 12 May 1980.
haj. ‘Märchen als Alptraum’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 13 May 1980.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Wie Bergmans Kunst Faszination erzwingt’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 12 May 1980.
Krieger, Hans. ‘Vollböser Komik’. Nürnberger Nachrichten, 14 May 1980.
May, Rolf. ‘Nichts als ein opulenter Scherz. Residenztheater: Ingmar Bergman inszeniert
Gombrowicz’ ‘“Yvonne”’. Az, München, 12 May 1980.
Pörtl, Gerhard. ‘Bergmans Blitzlichtregie’. Südwest Presse, 17 May 1980.
Schmidt, Dietmar N. ‘Staat und Störenfried’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 23 May 1980.
Schwab-Felisch, Hans. ‘Unter Larven ein fühlend Herz’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 20 May
1980.

1981
461. NORA UND JULIE; SZENEN EINER EHE: The Bergman Project
Credits
Playwrights Henrik Ibsen, August Strindberg, Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss/Elizabeth Urbancic
Stage Residenztheater, München, Main Stage and Theater am
Marstall
Opening Date 30 April 1981

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Cast: Nora [A Doll’s House]

Nora Helmer Rita Russek
Torvald Helmer Robert Atzorn
Dr. Rank Horst Sachtleben
Krogstad Gerd Anthoff
Mrs. Linde Annemarie Wernicke
Cast: Julie [Miss Julie]
Julie Anne-Marie Kuster (replaced Christine Buchegger who
had fallen ill)
Jean Michael Degen
Kristin Gundi Ellert
Cast: Szenen einer Ehe
Johan Erich Hallhuber
Marianne Gaby Dohm
Journalist Monika John
Commentary
This dramatic triptych was referred to at the Munich Residenztheater as ‘The Bergman Project’
and was, at the time, intended to be his farewell to Munich. It consisted of three separate
productions on the theme of marital crisis – Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (Nora) and Strindberg’s Miss
Julie (Julie), plus a stage adaptation of Bergman’s own script of Scenes from a Marriage.
All three plays were performed in the same evening on two different stages in the theatre
complex: Nora (reduced to two hours) and Julie were presented on the Main stage, one after the
other during a total of 4 1/2 hours. Performances at the Residenztheater started at 7 pm, which
meant that Julie did not end until close to midnight. Concurrently, in the Theater am Marstall,
seating only eighty spectators, the 3-hour long world premiere of the stage version of Scenes
from a Marriage took place. One and the same ticket gave admission to all three plays. Origin-
ally, they were to have been presented in three separate locations, but Bergman did not care for
the third stage, the Cuvilliés Theatre.
In an interview, Bergman referred to the main female characters (Nora, Julie, and Marianne)
as ‘sisters’ (Münchener Merkur, 26 February 1981). In the theatre program, excerpts from all
three works were juxtaposed to demonstrate the evolving gender history and sexual strife
during the past hundred years (in Scandinavia). The motifs were specified as Unmasking,
Buying and Selling, Breakup, Winners and Losers, Suppression, Deformation, and Role Play.
Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss’ scenography for Nora presented an enclosed box-like space – the
setting suggested Sartre’s Huit Clos. As in a subsequent staging of A Doll’s House in Stockholm
in 1985, the characters remained seated next to the performance area when they were not
actively involved – one more example of Bergman’s faiblesse for using performers as both
dynamic characters and silent observers of the action.
Julie’s set design, also by Palmstierna-Weiss, was very realistic, all the way down to frying a
real, smelly concoction in the kitchen for Miss Julie’s dog Diana. In Scenes from a Marriage, the
contemporary Ikea furniture probably seemed right to the German set designer, Elizabeth
Urbancic, though a Swede would have a hard time recognizing such standardized furniture
as that of an upper-middle class home. Compared to the film version of Scenes from a Marriage,
the play was simpler in structure. The couple Peter and Katarina were omitted and the play
concentrated totally on the confrontation between Marianne and her husband Johan.

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Reception
There had been a great deal of publicity beforehand for ‘The Bergman Project’, which seems to
have backfired: ‘Bergman’s trilogy was nothing sensational (rather somewhat of a disappoint-
ment), [...] even if it was dealt with as a sensation in the media. What the Munich press has
called a “theatre event” does not even have the quality of an emergency exit’. (Schöd). Again,
Bergman’s legendary film persona appeared like a ghost. Referring to him as ‘the movie master
and fanatic soul scratcher’, reviewers called for the filmmaker to rescue the stage director: ‘The
Wonderman of cinema owes the magic of images to the stage’. (Ingrid Seidenfaden, AZ). The
negative Mr. Schöd even wrote off Bergman’s career as a stage director: ‘Ingmar Bergman’s
career began when his film Smiles of a Summer Night won in Cannes in 1956. In 1963, he arrived
(sic) in the theatre and became head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden. But when he
produced a play four years ago in Munich, it was already clear that he has nothing more to say
on stage.’
The reserved reception of ‘The Bergman Project’ might have had a ‘simple’ physical reason:
The spectators – ‘overwhelmed but exhausted’ (Eichholz) – experienced the juxtaposed per-
formance of Nora and Julie as very long and tiring. ‘The Project’ simply turned out to be too
taxing on both actors and audience: ‘What Bergman offered the spectators with his double
evening [...] hit the actors badly, who were only bidden farewell in a rather tired fashion’.
(Michael Dultz, Rheinische Post). All in all this seems to have been a production fraught with
some frustration for Bergman, the cast and the administration. Bergman’s star actress in
Munich, Christine Buchegger, fell seriously ill and a substitute (Ann Marie Kuster) had to be
called in from Hamburg. The head of the theatre, Kurt Meisel, and Bergman did not always see
eye to eye (see Theatre/Media Bibliography, Ø 583). In addition, some critics tended to view the
whole Bergman’s project as a bit self-indulgent: ‘There are really no plausible grounds for
staging Bergman’s spectacle... three openings by a single director, in one and the same evening’.
(H. Lehmann, Darmstädter Echo).
Reviews
Dultz, Michael. ‘Damen-Dramen’. Rheinische Post (Düsseldorf), 5 May 1981.
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Bergman-Festival der offenen Seelen’. Münchner Merkur, 22 May 1981.
haj. ‘Schwierigkeiten der Partnerschaft’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 5 May 1981. (review of Nora and
Julie).
Ignée, Wolfgang. ‘Frauenfragen, Männersachen’. Stuttgarter Zeitung, 7 May 1981.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Noras Menschwerdung – und die Folgen’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23 May 1981.
Lehmann, H. ‘Ibsen, Strindberg, Bergman’. Darmstädter Echo, 7 May 1981.
Ma, Rolf. ‘Der Ehe-Zertrümmerer kann sich die Hände reiben’. TZ, 23 May 1981.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘Ett makalöst trippeltrick’ [A matchless triple trick]. Expr., 2 May 1981.
Schr. W. ‘Szenen einer Ehe’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 5 May 1981.
Schwab-Felisch, Hans. ‘Dreimal Geschlechterkampf ’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 13 May
1981.
Schöd, Helmut. ‘Wo, bitte, geht’s zum Notausgang?’. Die Zeit, 7 May 1981.
Schöter, Michael. ‘Szenen einer Ehe auf der Bühne’. Volksblatt Berlin, 5 May 1981.
Seidenfaden, Irene. ‘Wenn herrische Böcke heulen’. AZ, 13 May 1981.
Skasa, Michael. ‘Ibsen “Nora”, Strindberg “Fräulein Julie”, Bergman “Szenen einer Ehe”’. Theater
Heute XX, no. 6, June 1981, p. 61.
Thomas, Peter. ‘Mammut-Projekt: Bergman hasst Theater für satte Leute’. Stern, no. 19, 30 April
1981.

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Special Studies
Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. A Project for the Theater, 1983, (Ø 599).
Oliver, Robert W. ‘Bergman’s Trilogy: Tradition and Innovation’. In Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s
Journey, ed. by Robert W. Oliver. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995, pp. 105-111.
Rumler, Fritz. ‘Ich glaube, in mir sind viele Frauen’. Der Spiegel, no. 19 (4 May), 1981: 259-60.
(Interview article).
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Doll’s Houses’. Scandinavica 30, no. 1 (May) 1991: 63-76.
Postscript
In early May 1981, Bergman’s production of Julie, with the same Bayerisches Staatsanspielen
ensemble, gave a guest performance at Dramaten in Stockholm. For critical reports, see:
Edberg, Ulla-Britta. ‘Fyra gånger Fröken Julie’ [Four times Miss Julie]. SvD, 14 May 1981.
Irving, Sven and Johannes Ekman. ‘Tysk Fröken Julie på Dramaten’ [German Miss Julie at
Dramaten]. Morgoneko, Swedish Public Radio (SR), P1, 15 May 1981.
Olsson, Per Allan, ‘Ingmar Bergman på gästspel: Gärna Dramaten för mig’ [Bergman on a guest
visit: Dramaten, that’s fine with me]. DN, 14 14 May 1981.
Petsch, Ernstotto. ‘Ingmar Bergman in Stockholm’. Chic, no. 7, 1981.
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Ingmar Bergmans tyska slutspel: Tretal i damer’ [Bergman’s German endgame:
Triple in ladies]. AB, 12 May 1981.

1983
462. DOM JUAN
Credits
Original Title Don Juan, ou Le festin de pierre
Author Molière
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Stage Cuvilliés Theatre, Munich/Salzburg Festspiel
Opening Date 17 July 1983
Cast
Dom Juan Michael Degen
Sganarelle Hilmar Thate
Donna Elvira Birgit Doll
Charlotte Gundi Ellert
Stablemaster Gusman Erwin Faber
Servant Olivia Grigolli
Beggar Hans Quest
Dom Juan’s Father Franz Kutchera
Pierrot Gerd Anthoff
Carlos Erich Hallhuber
Alonse Klaus Guth
Merchant Dimanche Heinrich Schweiger
Peasant Girls Olivia Grigolli, Gundi Ellert
Commentary
This was Bergman’s third production of Molière’s play Dom Juan. (Cf. Ø 422 and Ø 441). The
premiere took place at the Salzburg Festival in Austria where Bergman was the big drawing

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card. To honor him a mini-retrospective of his films had been arranged concurrently. The
opening night of Dom Juan occurred however on the hottest day of the summer. Bergman fell
ill and cancelled his scheduled appearance. Three months after the presentation in Salzburg, the
play opened the annual season in the Cuvilliés Theatre in Munich.
As in his 1955 Malmö production of Don Juan, a pantomime – staged as a dressing ritual –
opened the Salzburg/Munich production. The set exposed a red-papered large room with four
balconies. At the end of each act, stage hands (again, a typical Bergman anti-illusionist feature)
would bring in two halves of a theatre curtain. Bergman wanted to ‘re-theatricalize’ Molière
(See Ø 605). Serving as Dom Juan’s foil, Sganarelle sometimes enacted Dom Juan’s seductive
desires while his master remained a vicarious voyeur. Neither an ebulliant lover nor a cynical
rationalist challenging the world order, Dom Juan emerged as an empty and burnt-out loser
with a vacant look in his eyes and a decadent slackness in his features.
Reception
Two important elements have been present in most of Bergman’s stagings of Molière: first, an
often brutal unmasking of human foibles; and, second, a farcical, stylized playfulness exposing
the silliness of the characters but also revealing the production’s reliance on (parodied) slapstick
and commedia dell’ arte. But the reviewers were bewildered by Bergman’s approach. Was it a
character study or a theatrical farce? ‘It seems that Bergman has not been able to decide which
Dom Juan he would stage’ (Rolf May). Not much was left of the traditional portrayal of
Molière’s Dom Juan as a demonic iconoclast; instead, the production was, said one reviewer,
‘A play about male fantasies and male angst that only knows love as possession and booty’. (kr,
Bayerische Staatszeitung). The reviewer in the Münchner Mercur called Dom Juan ‘perverse,
filled with self-hatred, trembling as though he performed in an eschatological Bergman film or
in a hellish “Strindberginade”’. Another critic referred to him as an aging libertine and a
perfumed mixture of Oswald Spengler and the Marquis de Sade (Kaiser), more akin to Fellini’s
Casanova than to a frivolous seducer. (Erich Wickenburg, Die Welt).
After the Salzburg opening, some reviewers even called the production a bad omen for Frank
Baumbauer who was to take over the administration of the Munich Residenztheater in the fall
(where Bergman was still under contract). However, when Bergman’s production opened in
Munich three months later, the critical reception was much more positive. One reviewer
wondered if a difference in performance could simply be attributed to the weather (Armin
Eichholz). Or could perhaps the stage be partly responsible? The Salzburg Landestheater had
been a new performance area for Bergman and his all-Munich ensemble.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Null Innenleben’. AZ München, 29 July 1983.
Beer, Otto F. ‘Der falsche Don Juan’. Tagesspiegel, 29 July 1983.
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Zum Teufel mit dem Senior-Helden der Liebe’. Münchner Merkur, 20 October
1983.
Gugg, T. ‘Weiterhin ohne Bekenntnis’. Salzburger Volkszeitung, 29 July 1983.
Jungheinrich, Hans-Klaus. ‘Herr und Knecht zwischen den Zeiten’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 12
August 1983.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Dom Juans zweites Ich’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 20 October 1983.
Kr. ‘Der ausgebrannte Lüstling’. Bayerische Staatszeitung, 23 September 1983.
May, Rolf. ‘Mit dem Schlagstock’. AZ München, 29 July 1983.
Spiel, Hilde. ‘Dom Juan als Triebverbrecher’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 29 July 1983.
Wickenburg, Erik G. ‘Verführer auf dem Topf ’. Die Welt, 29 July 1983.

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Articles
Heinrichs, Benjamin. ‘Bergmans Gespenst’. Die Zeit, 5 August 1983.
Kruntorad, Paul. ‘Ein Zyniker als Jedermann’. Theater Heute, no. 9, 1983: 14-16.
Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Comic Theatre of Molière’, 1984,
(Ø 605), Theatre Media Bibliography.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman and Don Juan’. (See Ø 642), 1993, Theatre/Media Bibliogra-
phy. Reprinted and expanded in author’s Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 80-90.
The Dom Juan production was televised on German television (ZDF) in late fall 1984. See Eva-
Suzanne Bayer, ‘Einblick in die Arbeit eines sanften Tyrannen’, Stuttgarter Zeitung, 31 January
1985.

1984
463. VOM LEBEN DER REGENSCHLANGEN [From the Life of the Rain Worms]
Credits
Original Title Från regnormarnas tid
Playwright P.O. Enqvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Marik Vos
Stage Residenztheater, München
Opening Date 4 May 1984
Cast
Johanne Heiberg Christine Buchegger
Hans Christian Andersen Heinz Bennent
Johan Ludvig Heiberg Horst Sachtleben
Heiberg’s mother Monika John
Reception
Reviewers of the Munich production of Vom Leben der Regenschlangen harshly criticized En-
quist’s play about a fictitious meeting between two Proletarian artists, the 19th-century Danish
actress Johanne Heiberg and fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen. Writing it off as a set of
‘terrible trivialities’, ‘a clever conversation piece without much dramatic tension’, and ‘a series of
confession monologues’, the critical consensus was that had it not been for Bergman turning a
banal piece into brilliant theatre, the play would not have been worth seeing (Michael Dultz,
Gerhard Pörtl, and Armin Eichholz); others, like Schmitz-Burckhardt and Georg Hensel, were
negative of both the play and the production, in part because Bergman ignored actor Heinz
Bennent’s talent and put all the emphasis on the character of Johanne Heiberg, so that she
became ‘the only person on stage who aroused any interest’. (Gliewe). Also criticized was the
scenography of Marik Vos (‘an embarassing historical naturalism’). However, the opening night
audience gave standing ovations to both Bergman and the ensemble during a dozen curtain
calls.
Reviews
Dultz, Michael. ‘Nie nur lächerlich’. Rheinische Post, 24 May 1984.
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Dichter und Diva im gleichen Dreck’. Münchner Merkur, 7 May 1984.
Gliewe, Gert. ‘Unterwegs zu sich selbst’. AZ, 7 May 1984.
haj. ‘Niemand wagt, an die Schmerzpunkte zu rühren’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 7 May 1984.
Hensel, Georg. ‘Hans Christian Andersen, die mechanische Nachtigall’. FAZ, 8 May 1984.

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Jörder, Gerhard. ‘Tod und/oder lebendig’. Theater Heute, no. 6, 1984, p. 61 (Chronik).
Macher, Hannes. ‘Seelendrama und Klamotte’. Aus dem Kulturleben, Jahrgang 1984.
May, Rolf. ‘Häubchen für den Kahlkopf ’. TZ, 7 May 1984.
Pörtl, Gerhard. ‘Der Märchendichter und die Schauspielerin’. Südwestpresse, 16 May 1984.
Schmitz-Burckhardt, Barbara. ‘Eine unheimlich starke, schwache Frau’. Frankfurter Rundschau,
11 May 1984.
See also
Nennecke, Charlotte. ‘Dichter und Schauspielerin im Clinch’. Süddeutsche Zeiting, 4 May 1984.
(A preview of the production, with brief quoted statements by actors Buchegger and
Bennent).

1985
464. JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN
Credits
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Translator Heinrich Gimmler
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Stage Residenztheater, Munich
Opening Date 31 May 1985
Cast
John Gabril Borkman Hans Michael Rehberg
His wife Gunhild Christine Buchegger
Ella Rentheim Christa Berndl
Foldal Heintz Bennent
Frida, Foldal’s daughter Anne Bennent
Erhart, Borkman’s son Tobias Moretti
Fanny Wilton Rita Russek
Commentary
Ingmar Bergman, who had begun his residency in Munich with the staging of Strindberg’s
Dreamplay, ended his stay at the Residenztheater with an Ibsen ‘dreamplay’, John Gabriel Bork-
man. The play was discussed briefly the day before Bergman’s premiere in a local newspaper
write-up by Ute Fischbach, ‘Und inmitten all dieser verbitterten Existenzen...’ Münchner Mer-
kur, 31 May 1985.
For the production of John Gabriel Borkman, a play only rarely performed in Germany,
Heinrich Gimmler, dramaturgue at the Residenztheater, had done a new German translation
that moved between the archaic and the modern. Christian symbolic allusions had been
omitted. Bergman interpreted the drama as an archetypal ‘Faustian’ destiny in a middle-class
household. He conceived of Borkman, the megalomaniac mining entrepreneur as a poetic mind
gone astray. He presented Borkman’s only friend, Foldal, as the title figures’s alter ego, a shadow
from his youth, and suggested Ibsen’s persona in the Borkman-Foldal duo by adding to the play
text a passage from Ibsen’s youthful tragedy Catalina, which he had Foldal present as an excerpt
from one of his own dramas in the making. Bergman was to retain this addition in his 2001
radio version of the play in Sweden. ((See Ø 310), Media Chapter V).

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Reception
Though Bergman’s last production in Munich was politely applauded, the critical reaction was
mixed. Münchner Merkur called it ‘a noble farewell’. Most positive was the signature kr in
Bayerische Staatsanzeiger who felt that Bergman was in his right element staging a bourgeois
family drama full of neurotic overtones: ‘Seldom have we experienced Ibsen in such an exciting
way. [...] The recollection of his [Bergman’s] theatre work in Munich, less than a decade long,
remains divided. But the finale he now presents has greatness’. Several reviewers saw more
Strindberg than Ibsen in Bergman’s production (See Frankfurter Allgemeine, Süddeutsche Zei-
tung) and not always favorably, for such a conception went counter to a realistic Ibsen tradition.
Nor did Bergman’s attempt to add comic elements in the slapstick style of the Vienna
Volkstheater, especially in the figure of Foldal, arouse much enthusiasm: ‘What remained of
Ibsen’s old age tragedy was for the most part cynicism.’ (Kaiser). Also, Bergman’s attempts to
‘theatricalize’ the play met some resistance: the dialogue was termed artificial; the tempo
appeared more stylized than natural; and there were objections to the set design as being
too formalistic. ‘It was not a great theatre evening’, concluded Joachim Kaiser in Süddeutsche
Zeitung. In fact, the Residenztheater bid Bergman farewell on a decidedly reserved note.
Reviews
Eichholz, Armin. ‘Ingmar Bergmans nobler Abschied von München’. Münchner Merkur, 3 June
1985.
haj. ‘Ibsen mit Strindbergtönen’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 4 June 1985.
Hensel, Georg. ‘Schnee im Haar und Eis im Herzen’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 3 June 1985.
Kaiser, Joachim. ‘Wilde Träume von späten Triumphen’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 3 June 1985.
kr. ‘Bergmans grandioser Schlusspunkt’. Bayerische Staatsanzeiger, no. 23, 1985.
Interviews
Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Bergman’s Borkman. An Interview’. Theater 17, no. 2 (Spring)
1986: 48-55.
Guest Performances
1. Théâtre de l’Odéon, Paris 13-15 December 1985
For a sample review, see Michel Cournot. ‘John Gabriel Borkman à Paris. Des vies brisées’. Le
Monde, 14 December 1985, p. 22.
2. Holland Festival, Amsterdam, 24-25 June 1985
The Borkman production was part of a Bergman double bill at the Holland Festival, which also
included King Lear. Several reviewers used the occasion to compare the two title figures and the
themes of power and guilt. Together the plays proved the scope of Bergman’s stagecraft (Rui-
venkamp) but the Borkman performance, staged with restraint and repressed emotions, though
according to one reviewer (Nico Vos) exuding warmth, was inevitably overshadowed by the
more spectacular Lear production.
Reviews
Arian, Max. ‘Vervelend en voorspelbaar drama van Ingmar Bergman’. De Groene Amsterdam-
mer, 26 June 1985.
Freriks, Kester. ‘Oprecht realisme van Bergman in Ibsenstuk’. NRC Handelsblad, 25 June 1985.
Gortzak, Ruud. ‘Bergmann (sic) en John Gabriel Borkman. Verrotte wereld zonder verzoening
bij Ibsen’. De Volkskrant, 26 June 1985.
Justesen, Per. ‘Bergmans Borkman was een belevenis’. Het Parool, 25 June 1985.
Liefhebbe, Peter. ‘Ingmar Bergman “bevriest” Ibsen’. De Telegraaf, 27 June 1985.
Monnikhof, Ton Olde. ‘Drama Ibsen vakwerk’. A.D., 26 June 1985.

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Post, Alma. ‘Schitterende Ibsen-regie van Bergman’. Haarlems Dagblad, 25 June 1985.
Ruivenkamp, Piet. ‘Bergman ontleedt drama van Ibsen’. Haagse Courant, 27 June 1985.
Vos, Nico. ‘Ingmar Bergman, conventioneel maar gedegen toneelregisseur’. De Waarheid, 27
June 1985.
3. Edinburgh, World Theatre Season Festival, August 1986.
For a sample review, see Nicholas de Jongh. ‘Bergman finds fire at the heart of Ibsen’. Man-
chester Guardian Weekly, vol. 135, no. 9, week ending 31 August 1986, p. 21. The Guardian review
was very appreciative of Bergman’s ‘revelatory production’ which was said to rescue Ibsen’s play
‘from the pitfalls of melodrama’ by removing Borkman’s self-indulgent gloominess and Ibsen’s
‘marks of naïve symbolism.’

Return to Dramaten (1984-2003)

1984
465. KUNG LEAR
Credits
Original Title King Lear
Playwright William Shakespeare
Translator Britt G. Hallqvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Daniel Bell
Assistant Director Anita Molander
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 9 March 1984 (176 performances)
Cast
King Lear Jarl Kulle
Goneril Margaretha Byström
Regan Ewa Fröling/Gerthi Kulle
Cordelia Lena Olin
The Fool Jan-Olof Strandberg
Kent Börje Ahlstedt
Gloucester Per Myrberg
Son Edgar Mathias Henrikson
Son Edmond Tomas Pontén
Albany, husband of Goneril Per Mattsson
Cornwall, husband of Regan Peter Stormare/Peter Andersson
Oswald, Goneril’s M.C. Olof Lundström
Burgundy Lakke Magnusson
Frankland Peter Andersson/Johan Lindell
Old Man Oscar Ljung
Officer Hans Strååt

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Servant Birger Malmsten

Scribe Rolf Skoglund
Doctor Frank Sundström
Messenger Gudmar Wivesson
Herald Jan Nyman/Hans Strååt
Captain Dennis Dahlsten
Fencing Master Pierre Wilkner
Commentary
King Lear was Bergman’s first production at Dramaten after his exile in Munich. More than
eight years had passed since he left Sweden in April 1976. Bergman commented in a press
conference: ‘It is unreal, dreamlike, wonderful to be back with one’s own language, friends, and
the theatre I grew up with’. [Det är overkligt, drömlikt, underbart att vara tillbaka med sitt eget
språk, vänner och den teater jag växte upp med]. See: ‘På Dramatens scen – igen!’ [On
Dramaten’s stage again!], Östgöta-Correspondenten, 7 December 1983, p. 8. See also report by
Nenne Wåhlander, ‘Bergman på Dramaten igen’ [Bergman back at Dramaten], Arbetet, 7
December 1983, in which Bergman likened a staging of King Lear to ‘climbing the North Side
of the Himalayas. There’s a 90% risk that you’ll fall down’. [att bestiga nordsidan på Himalaya.
Det finns en 90%-ig risk att man ramlar ner]. Comparing Shakespeare’s play to a five-move-
ment symphony for orchestra, soloists and instrument groups, Bergman mentioned three
reasons for producing King Lear (or any other particular play): (1) he felt like doing it; (2)
he had the right actors for it; (3) he thought the public would enjoy it. As for his own
relationship to Lear, he quoted Goethe: ‘In an aging man there is always a King Lear.’
Ingmar Bergman had not directed a Shakespeare tragedy since his third production of
Macbeth in 1948. King Lear had not been staged at Dramaten since 1929. Bergman was hesitant
about available Swedish translations of Shakespeare; therefore he commissioned a new transla-
tion that was to be ‘a playable, speakable and above all understandable version of King Lear’. [en
spelbar, talbar och framför allt begriplig version av Kung Lear]. He assigned the task to Britt G.
Hallqvist; it was published by Ordfront (1984), with a brief foreword by Bergman (pp. 5-6). (For
an interview with the translator about her translation, see ‘Hon slängde titlarna med Kung Lear’
[She threw aside all formality with King Lear]. Expr. 29 February 1984). Though happy with the
translation, Bergman talked in his foreword about the loss of original qualities in translated
texts by such playwrights as Molière, Shakespeare, and Ibsen. This did not keep him from
cutting drastically (about one third) from the Lear text.
In the summer of 1983, Bergman had read Georg Brandes’ study of Shakespeare and was
struck by his view of King Lear as an apocalyptic play. In his preface to Dramaten’s production
program, (included in printed version of the play translation), Bergman calls Shakespeare’s
tragedy ‘a secret continent’ [en hemlig kontinent]. He decided to approach King Lear as an
existential drama and replaced Shakespeare’s anachronistic references to classical mythology. In
the Fool’s prophesies, Merlin, for instance, became Nostradamus. Bergman also handled the
opening and ending of the play differently from the original text. The production began with a
song and dance number, which was under way while the audience was being seated, and
concluded with an apocalyptic big bang as the stage ‘exploded’, exposing the theatrical machin-
ery before it was engulfed in darkness. Another special feature was Bergman’s use of formations
of actors and stagehands instead of props, such as when Gloucester was put in the stocks and
human figures assumed the shape of logs. In the second act, masks were used to suggest people
ready to tear each other to pieces like wild animals.

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Reception
Bergman’s homecoming and return to Dramaten (even though he was still under contract at
the Munich Residenztheater) seemed so remarkable that one reviewer (Jurgen Schildt) sug-
gested the Lear production be noted in the Swedish calendar as a cultural milestone, while his
colleague Björn Nilsson vowed to see to it that Bergman come back permanently to Sweden
‘even if we must drag him by his hair through the waves of the Baltic Sea’ [även om vi måste dra
honom i håret genom Östersjöns vågor].
The Lear production was preceded by well-orchestrated publicity, including open rehearsals,
radio and television reports, and a glitzy opening night when Dramaten bathed in a glowing
festive light. Among those attending was American director/producer Joseph Papp. Bergman
made a rare appearance on stage with the ensemble and was met with standing ovations. The
reviews reflected the fact that this was both an impressive Dramaten production and a glamor-
ous evening celebrating a native son and master. The situation created a certain unease among
the critics. Gothenburg theatre reviewer Bo Lundin (GT), whose piece was headlined ‘Lysande
Lear – och en besvikelse’ [Brilliant Lear – and a disappointment], is a case in point:
The disappointment I feel is multifaceted. A small part has to do with Dramaten when it
displays its most massive competence, so solidly monumental that it threatens to become
petrified in its breathless elegance. Another part may have to do with an excessive form of
self-defense: the production is so obviously magnificent and talked about that I have to try
to sweep away preconceived notions to make room for my own experience. There is always
the risk that the sweeping becomes too efficient.

[Den besvikelse jag känner är mångfacetterad. En liten del har med Dramaten att göra då
den är som mest massivt kompetent, så stabilt monumental att den hotar att förstenas mitt i
sin andlösa elegans. En annan del kan bero på överdrivet självförsvar: uppsättningen är så
självklart – och omsusat – storartad att jag måste försöka sopa rent med de förutfattade
meningarna för att få rum med min egen upplevelse. Risken finns alltid att sopandet blir för
effektivt.]
Reviewers emphasized the Lear production as Bergman’s very personal reading of Shakespeare’s
tragedy and pointed to his qualities as an inspirer of actors and staff. There was almost
complete unanimity that Bergman’s disciplined and lucid direction had a beneficial effect on
both set designer and choreographer, and that it released the best professional qualities among
the actors. Teddy Brunius in UNT wrote for instance: ‘Ingmar Bergman shows that through
firmness, planning, and a work ethic that disciplines the imagination, it is possible to solve a
difficult dramatic task in a magnificent and festive way’. [Ingmar Bergman visar att genom
fasthet, planering och en arbetsmoral som disciplinerar fantasin är det möjligt att lösa en svår
dramatisk uppgift på ett storslaget och festligt sätt.].
The inward focus of Bergman’s production raised no objections. But critics were divided
about his final dismantling of Shakespeare’s tragedy, his pessimistic view of Lear’s fate as a
repetative cycle in human history, suggested by the calamitous ending with new combatants
emerging from Lear’s collapsed universe, weapons in hand and ready to set the stage for
another violent struggle for power. The explosive finale seemed desperate to Bengt Jahnsson
in DN, who called it a Beckett effect that was not supported by the rest of the production. But
Ingmar Björkstén in SvD referred to the big bang ending as ‘a final vignette thought up by a
theatre genius’ [en slutvinjett uttänkt av ett teatergeni].

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Reviews
Andergård, Marita. ‘Bergmans Kung Lear: Vår narrteater som panorama’ [Bergman’s King Lear:
Our fool’s theatre as panorama]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 10 March 1984, p. 3.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Kung Lear på Dramaten. Fenomenalt bildskapande
och teater’ [Bergman and King Lear at Dramaten. Phenomenal image making and theatre].
SvD, 10 March 1984.
Brunius, Teddy. ‘Vårens stora teaterjäs: Bergmans och Kulles Kung Lear’ [The great stage play of
the spring: Bergman’s and Kulle’s King Lear]. UNT, 12 March 1984.
Fischer, Lillie. ‘Bergman bedövande i sin Leartolkning’ [Bergman stunning in his Lear inter-
pretation]. Norrköpings Tidningar, 10 March 1984.
Gellerfelt, Mats. ‘King Lear. En inte helt invändningsfri tolkning’ [King Lear. An interpretation
not entirely free from reservations]. Tempus, 16 March 1984: 19.
Jahnsson, Bengt. ‘Stor tragedi med matt slut’ [Great tragedy with weak ending]. DN, 10 March
1984.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Mer respekt än gripenhet för Bergmans Kung Lear’ [More respect than
catharsis of Bergman’s King Lear]. SDS, 10 March 1984.
Lind, Ia. ‘Förföriskt men gängse’ [Seductive but conventional]. FIB, no. 6, 1984.
Lindholm, Karl-Axel. ‘Lear, makten och tystnaden’ [Lear, the power and the silence]. Skånska
Dagbladet, 13 March 1984.
Lundin, Bo. ‘Lysande Lear – och en besvikelse’ [Brilliant Lear – and a disappointment]. GT, 10
March 1984.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘Toppen, Bergman!’ [Superb, Bergman!]. Expr., 10 March 1984, pp. 1, 38-39.
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Kunglig revansch’ [Royal revenge]. Arbetet, 10 March 1984.
Brief Essays
Cueno, Anne. ‘Bergman, Kurosawa und Lear’. Filmbulletin 146, no. 1, 1986, p. 46.
Törnqvist, Egil. See below, reviews, Holland guest performance.
See also
Aktuellt. ‘Kung Lear på Dramaten’. News reports about Bergman’s production of Lear, Swedish
Televsion, Channel 2, on 6, 9, and 10 March 1984.
News vignette: ‘Bergman tillbaka på Dramaten’ [Bergman back at Dramaten]. SR, P1, 10 March
1984.
Henrikson, Thomas. ‘Möt våren med teater’ [Meet spring with theatre]. ST, 11 March 1984.
Lundberg, Stina. ‘Nöjesmaskinen’ (TV talk show), STV 2, 23 March 1984.
Schueler, Kaj. ‘Dramatens kungar’ [Dramaten’s kings]. SvD 7 Dagar, 16 March 1984, p. 37.
Skawonius, Betty. ‘Börje Ahlstedt: Vi har fått igen kraften’ [We’ve regained the energy]. DN, 10
March 1984. Interview with Börje Ahlstedt who states: ‘Entering the director’s mood creates
a kind of human agreement – that’s Bergman’s way of working.’ (Att leva sig in i regissörens
humör ger en sorts mänsklig överenskommelse – det är det som är Bergmans sätt att
arbeta).
Svanberg, Lena. ‘Brist i Dramatenkassan trots succén Kung Lear. Vargatider stundar nu’ [Deficit
in Dramaten’s finances despite the success of King Lear. Hard times ahead]. Veckans affärer,
no. 12, 1984: 46-47. About Dramaten’s economic difficulties, which would culminate ten
years later, see Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 602).
Söderberg, Agneta. ‘Kung Bergman blåser liv i Lear – och Dramaten’ [King Bergman blows life
into Lear – and Dramaten]. Expr., 9 March 1984. Interview article; refers back to last time
King Lear was produced in Sweden (by Per Lindberg in 1929).
Sörenson, Elisabeth. ‘Bergmans Lear visar Dramatens kapacitet’ [Bergman’s Lear shows Dra-
maten’s capacity]. SvD, 11 March 1984. (Interview with Jarl Kulle (Lear)).

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Author P.O. Enqvist and actress Bibi Andersson published articles in response to Bergman’s
presentation of King Lear. See:
‘P.O. Enqvist begrundar “Kung Lear”: Skänk aldrig bort makten!’ [P.O. Enqvist ponders ‘King
Lear’: Never give away the power!]. Expr., 31 March 1984, p. 4.
‘Bibi Andersson begrundar “Kung Lear”: När samvetet vaknar hos en ful gubbe’ [Bibi A
ponders ‘King Lear’: When conscience awakens in a dirty old man]. Expr., 7 April 1984,
p. 4.
Guest Performances
1. Paris, Odéon Théâtre, 5-10 March 1985.
Dramaten’s King Lear production visited Paris as the final event in the 1985 Théâtre de l’Europe
season, invited by director Giorgio Strehler. There were seven performances. Bergman made
one of his rare official appearances, was decorated by French president François Mitterand with
the Legion of Honor in the Elysée Palace, and was fêted with special retrospectives of his movies
and by the Parisian opening of his TV film Efter repetitionen/Après la répétition. As a result of all
these events, there was a great deal of press publicity prior to the opening night of King Lear,
and an interview with set designer Gunilla Palmstierna Weiss. The audience reportedly went
wild (see Gustaf von Platen, ‘Stormande applåder hälsade Bergmans “Lear” i Paris’ [Thunder-
ous applause greeted Bergman’s ‘Lear’ in Paris], SvD, 6 March 1985).
As elsewhere outside of Scandinavia, Bergman’s name was primarily associated with film; the
news magazine Le Point (see below) referred to him as ‘without doubt the most important
filmmaker in the last thirty years’. Several articles, however, attempted to rectify this emphasis
by suggesting an interplay between his stage work and filmmaking. See:
Héliot, Armelle. ‘Bergman, côté théâtre’. Le Quotidien, 4 March 1985.
Leclerc, Marie-Françoise. ‘Bergman souverain’. Le Point, no. 650, 4 March 1985, pp. 135-38.
Reception
Bergman’s Lear production competed with a timely Parisian interest in Shakespeare after
Ariahne Mnouchkine’s months-long presentation of Shakespeare’s history plays and comedies
at the Théâtre de Soleil in performances inspired by Japanese Kabuki theatre. By comparison,
Bergman’s King Lear seemed quite traditional though unique in its superb ensemble acting. The
French press response ranged from enthusiasm, boredom (with reservations that not under-
standing Swedish contributed to this), and cool reservation. Le Figaro found Bergman’s pro-
duction ‘academic’ in its choreographed, ‘opera-like’ beauty. L’Humanité too spoke about the
‘academic’ quality of the production but qualified it by stressing Bergman’s compassion and
love of man. Le Matin felt that Dramaten’s presentation had little connection with develop-
ments within theatre art since the Sixties. Libération and Le Monde were much more positive,
both focusing on the ending and on Bergman’s existential approach to the play. In the French
reception one can see a clear dichotomy between those critics (mostly positive) who concen-
trated on Bergman’s pessimistic interpretation of the Lear figure and those (somewhat negative)
who approached the production as a visual ‘choreographed’ event.
Reviews
Costaz, Gilles. ‘Odéon: Le Triumphe ambigü de Bergman’. Le Matin, 6 March 1985.
Leonardini, Jean-Pierre. ‘Une si grande plénitude’. L’Humanité, 7 March 1985.
Marcabru, Pierre. ‘Un bel académisme’. Le Figaro, 6 March 1985.
Seguret, Olivier. ‘Kung Bergman’. Libération, 6 March 1985.
Zand, Nicole. ‘Bergman à Paris’. Le Monde, 7 March 1985, p. 13. See also same page interview
with stage designer Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss.

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Dramaten’s Paris visit with King Lear was also reviewed in two British papers:
Roud, Richard. ‘The red light version’. The Guardian, 15 March 1985. Roud felt that Lear,
Gloucester, and the Fool were miscast and that Bergman took ‘shocking liberties’ with
Shakespeare. He was also disturbed by the sex-oriented production, adding erotic scenes
not supported by the text. Concluded: ‘It was magnifique all right, but was it Shakespeare?’
Wardle, Irving. ‘The blinding vision of Ingmar Bergman’. The Times, 15 March 1985. Wardle, like
Roud, was struck by Bergman’s use of what Variety would term ‘socco effects’, spectacular
crescendoes and simultaneous action exposing a cycle of multiple events, such as Goneril
coupling with Oswald at the moment when Gloucester’s eyes are put out. Wardle con-
cluded: ‘This is the most unrelentingly penetrating account of the play I have seen since
Peter Brook’s over 20 years ago’.
The Swedish press closely followed Dramaten’s guest performance of Lear. See ‘Lovord – trots
språket’ [Praise – despite the language]. SvD, 8 March 1985; ‘Bergmans franska triumf ’ [Berg-
man’s French triumph]. Borås Tidning, 20 March 1985; ‘Paris-succé för Bergmans Kung Lear’,
LISA (Lycée internationale) no. 5, May 1985.
See also
Alain Finkelkraut. ‘Kung Bergman fast i sextitalet’ [King B stuck in the Sixties]. Expr., 10 March
1985 (tr. by Jan Stolpe). A review article about Lear production as a dated type of presenta-
tion.
2. Barcelona, Tivoli Theatre, Congrés Internacional de Teatre a Catalunya, 19-25
May 1985.
Bergman’s Lear production opened the International Theatre Congress, the theme of which was
the interchange of theatres with limited cultural and linguistic radius (Sweden, Catalonia). The
performance was a tremendous public success with continuous ovations until the ensemble
began to applaud the audience. There was a total of six performances.
In connection with Dramaten’s visit to Barcelona, the Spanish monthly theatre journal El
Publico devoted part of its May 1985 issue to Bergman’s experience in the theatre with fairly
extensive quotes from him on the crisis of the institutionalized theatre; the crisis of the Sixties;
and the consequences of his leaving Sweden in 1976. Rejecting a non-democratic form of
decision-making, Bergman nevertheless maintained that the theatre was an elitist institution,
governed by professional quality and by the public. The mistake of the radical voices of the
1960s was to disregard the fact that good theatre thrives on its roots, on continuity. See
Francisco Uriz, ‘Bergman llega a Barcelona’. El Publico, no. 20 (May 1985), pp. 15-22.
A press conference in which most of the Lear cast participated was reported in El Pais (‘El rey
Lear es un ser ingenuo, afirma Jarl Kulle’), 19 May 1985. Some three weeks earlier, El Pais theatre
critic Joan de Sagarra had published an article about Bergman’s return from Munich to Dra-
maten (‘Ingmar Bergman vuelve a casa tra nueve años de exilio’), El Pais, 25 April 1985, p. 27.
Reviews
Sagarra, Joan de. ‘Cuando los locos guian a los ciegos’. El Pais, 25 May 1985.
3. Milano, El Lirico, Théâtre de l’Europe, 3-6 June 1985.
Dramaten’s guest visit to Milano with King Lear was part of a manifestation called ‘Milano
aperta’ held in cooperation with Théâtre de l’Europe. There were four performances. Bergman’s
production received a good deal of pre-arrival attention; see: Francesco Alonzo, ‘Arriva il ‘Re
Lear’ di Ingmar Bergman’. Corrierre degli spettacoli, 1 June 1985, and Guido Davico Bonino,
‘Bergman e la rossa arena di ‘Re Lear’’. La Stampa, 2 June 1965. On 3 June 1985, Il Giornale degli
spettacoli published excerpted statements by the Lear cast (‘Fare Re Lear e come scalare

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I’Himalaya. Bergman si identifica nel grande vecchio’). Suzanna Marzolla interviewed Margar-
etha Byström, Gerthi Kulle, and Lena Olin in ‘Le tre figlie di Re Bergman.’ La Stampa, 4 June
1985.
Reception
Referring to Bergman’s production of Lear as ‘the spiritual testament of a great director’
(Geron), Italian critics termed Lear ‘an extraordinary production of impeccable formal rigor’
(Bonino). Enthusiastic reviews praised everything from ‘a great parade of actors’ (Moscati) to
stupendous costumes (Manciotti) and the sensuality of Bergman’s interpretation (Gregori,
Bonanni). Some reviewers (Maria Gracia Gregori, Renzo Tian) noted Bergman’s independent
approach to Shakespeare’s drama, with no trace of influence from other productions of the play
in the last several years (e.g., Peter Brook and Giorgio Strehler). Others (Moscati, Paganini)
suggested that Bergman’s background as a filmmaker might help explain his ability to synthe-
size such a huge theatrical production into a whole.
The public reception was overwhelming, with applause ‘of rare duration and intensity’,
lasting in fact for fifteen minutes.
Reviews
Bertani, Odoardo di. ‘Un seducente Re Lear’. L’Avvenire, 5 June 1985.
Bonanni, Francesca. ‘La mano di Bergman accende Re Lear su una sanguigna “scatola scenica”’.
Il Tempo, 5 June 1985.
Bonino, Guido Davico. ‘Bergman nella violenzia di Lear’. La Stampa, 5 June 1985.
Chiaretti, Tommaso. ‘Bergman & Shakespeare o il Gioco del Teatro’. La Republica, 5 June 1985.
Geron, Gastone. ‘Bergman, la lezione della natura’. Il Giornale, 5 June 1985.
Gregori, Marie Grazia. ‘Re Lear ha perso la corona’. L’Unita, 5 June 1985.
Manciotti, Mauro. ‘Lear di Bergman: la follia del mondo senza speranza’. Il secolo XIX, 5 June
1985.
Marzolla, Susanna. ‘Le tre figli di Re Bergman’. La Stampa, 4 June 1985.
Monticelli, Roberto de. ‘Trionfa a Milano il “Re Lear” di Bergman’. Corriere della Sera, 5 June
1985.
Moscati, Italo. ‘Com’e iconoclasta questo “Re Lear”’. La Provincia Pavese, 5 June 1985.
Paganini, Paolo A., ‘Un grande re. Il “Lear” di Bergman in scena al Lirico’. La Notte, 5 June 1985.
Ronfani, Ugo. ‘Re Lear. Bergman illumina l’arena dei pazzi’. Il Giorno, 5 June 1985.
Tian, Renzo. ‘Tragedia di vita’. Il Messaggero, 5 June 1985.
4. Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg, Holland Festival, 22-23 June 1985.
An exclusive Dutch program folder (available at the Amsterdam Theatre Museum) includes a
scene by scene account of the action. The program has drawings by Carin Hartmann. See also
special Swedish Institute presentation, ed. by Törnqvist/Sonnen (listed in reviews below).
Reception
With one exception (Arian, who called the production boring and predictable), the guest visit
(with two performances) was a critical success; the production was described as a very visual,
dynamic, fabulous, overpowering spectacle with allegorical allure that would live on like a
Bergman film (Gortzak). The mass scenes, using figures in red clothing as eavesdroppers, drew
critical attention; one reviewer (Arian) likened them to groups in a Breughel painting. Another
critic (Ruivenkamp) sensed a Bergman touch in the dominant space he allotted the women in
his production; another saw the explosive ending, announcing the collapse of Lear’s world and
exposing the stage machinery, as ‘a genuine Bergman exclamation point’ (van der Harst). Also
praised was the choreography of the performance, the ‘magnificent’ use of sound and light,
especially in the storm scene (van den Bergh), and Palmstierna-Weiss’ set design. Kester Fre-

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driks, who had also seen the production in Stockholm, wrote a review article in which he
juxtaposed the simplicity of the mise-en-scene and the complicated theme and story line.
Reviews
Arian, Max. ‘Vervelend en voorspelbaar drama van Ingmar Bergman’. Groene Amsterdammer, 26
June 1985.
Bergh, Hans van den. ‘Zweden met glansrijke Kung Lear’. Het Parool, 25 June 1985.
Freriks, Kester. ‘Een riskante expeditie naar de wereld van Koning Lear’. NRC Handelsblad, 17
June 1985.
Gortzak, Ruud. ‘Kung Lear van Ingmar Bergman door publiek uitbundig bejubeld’ [Ingmar
Bergman’s King Lear exuberantly celebrated by public]. De Volkskrant, 24 June 1985.
Harst, Hanny van der. ‘Bergman Kung Lear: glasheldere allegorie van eeuwige machtsstrijd’.
Trouw, 24 June 1985.
Monnikhof, Jon Olde. ‘Zweedse King Lear om in te lijsten’. Algemeen Dagblad, 24 June 1985; also
in De Waarheid, 27 June 1985.
Post, Alma. ‘Kung Lear folkloristisch en kleurig. Bergman filmisch toneelregisseur’. NRC Han-
delsblad, 24 June 1985.
Ruivenkamp, Piet. ‘Bergmans magische hand reikt nu ook tot King Lear’. H.C., 24 June 1985.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman regisseert Lear. De wereld als gekkenhuis’. Toneel Teatral,
October 1984, pp. 30-31. Also in English as ‘The World as Madhouse. Ingmar Bergman
Directs King Lear’, in Törnqvist, Egil and Arthur Sonnen, eds. Niet alleen Strindberg: Zweden
op de planken/Not only Strindberg: Sweden on Stage. Swedish Institute: Holland Festival. ’85,
pp. 62-66.
5. Tammerfors (Tampere), Tampere Theatre Festival, 18-19 August 1985, three
performances.
The planned guest visit to Tampere’s Summer Festival had been cancelled in December 1984,
just before the (pressured) resignation of Dramaten head Lasse Pöysti, a former director at
Tampere Theatre. But the cancellation of the guest visit was annulled a couple of weeks before
the Festival opening; as a result, an extra day had to be added to the festival in order to
accomodate Dramaten’s visit.
Reception and Reviews
Most reviewers were positive about the production, except Eteläppää who termed Kulle’s Lear ‘a
declaiming Hofschauspieler’ and found the staging obsolete in its theatrical ritualization of the
tragedy.
Eteläppää, Heiki. ‘Lear kronikkanäytelmänä’. Uusi Suomi, 20 August 1985.
Kihlman, Mårten. ‘Tfrs teatersommar: Mäktig final’. Hufvudstadsbladet, 21 August 1985.
Moring. ‘Lear ihmiskunnan rajatilassa’. Helsingin Sanomat, 20 August 1985.
Peltola, Katri. ‘Bergmanin Lear täytti odotukset’. Ilta Sanomat, 19 August 1985.
Sundqvist, Harry. ‘Suurten mittojen täh titeatteria’. Aamulenti, 21 August 1985.
Vuori, Jyrki. ‘Lear – narri jo eläessään’. Turun Sanomat, 20 August 1985.

1985
466. FRÖKEN JULIE [Miss Julie]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman

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Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss

Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Small Stage
Opening date 7 December 1985 (167 performances + 9 performances
in October 1991)
Cast
Julie Marie Göranzon
Jean Peter Stormare
Kristin Gerti Kulle
Farmhands and servants Peter Blomberg, Eva Callenbo, Lars-Erik Johansson,
Anna von Rosen, Måns Edwall, Paula Ternström
Commentary
In an interview with Elisabeth Sörenson in SvD, 3 December 1985, titled ‘Jädrans pärs – men
lustfyllt’ [A hell of an ordeal – but full of joy], Bergman recalls a conversation in the 1960s with
his colleague at Dramaten, Alf Sjöberg who had staged (and filmed) Miss Julie in 1949 and was
thinking of producing it again. Bergman voices an oft-repeated view about the importance of
tradition and continuity on a stage like Dramaten: ‘... it could be that the conversation with Alf
on the second balcony in the early 60s was the beginning of my conception of Miss Julie. I think
it’s fun when a theatre like Dramaten functions in this way that we give the relay baton to each
other’. [... det är möjligt att samtalet med Alf på andra raden i början av 60-talet blev upptakten
till min konception av Fröken Julie. Jag tycker det är roligt när en teater som Dramaten fungerar
på det sättet, att vi ger stafetten till varandra].
Bergman’s conception of Strindberg’s play was in fact reminiscent of Alf Sjöberg’s approach
in his film version of Fröken Julie in the late 1940s when he saw the drama as a dreamplay, a
form of ‘hallucinatory realism’. In the Sörenson interview, Bergman states: ‘At the same time as
this play is no doubt naturalistic, Strindberg has given it such enormous forcefulness that it
places it... on a level with his later [...] station dramas and dreamplays. The icy realism
suddently serves a strange purpose, i.e., to become part of a terrifying dream’. [Samtidigt
som detta skådespel otvivelaktigt är naturalistiskt, så har han givit det ett tryck som är så
oerhört att det plötsligt [...] ligger precis i jämnhöjd med de senare... vandringsdramerna
och drömspelen. Den isande realismen tjänar plötsligt ett syfte, nämligen att bli en del av en
fasansfull dröm]. Another ‘Sjöberg feature’ in Bergman’s Dramaten production was to suggest
the continuous presence of a world outside the kitchen, with servants spying and invading the
stage with crude and noisy behavior. Compared to the 1981 Munich production of Julie, his
Dramaten presentation four years later was a much more explicit expression of upper-class
contempt and lower-class vulgarity.
As in Munich, Bergman picked up a detail from an early version of Strindberg’s manuscript:
On her cheek, Miss Julie wears a visible scar, the result of a lash from her fiance’s riding whip.
To Bergman the scar, which he became aware of through Peter Weiss’ German translation of the
play, explains Julie’s motivation (shame) for not travelling with her father to visit their relatives:
‘Instead she stays in her room until twilight and then she uses so much make-up that she looks
like a little clown: she believes she can cover up that scar. Then she goes down to the barn and
dances like a madwoman. Later, when she comes into the kitchen, those birds of prey are ready,
become provoked and attack. This becomes important for the production and it has been one
of our premises’. [I stället håller hon sig på sitt rum tills skymningen faller och då sminkar hon
sig så våldsamt att hon ser ut som en liten clown: hon tror att hon skall kunna sminka bort det
där ärret. Så går hon ner på logen och dansar som en galning. När hon småningom kommer in
i köket finns då de där rovfåglarna beredda, blir provocerade och angriper. Det här blir ju

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betydelsefullt för uppsättningen och det har varit en av de utgångspunkter vi haft]. (Sörenson
interview cited above).
In both the German and Swedish productions, Kristin remained on stage throughout the
performance as a background figure and observer of Jean and Julie; she thus became a more
prominent figure than indicated in Strindberg’s text. Jean in turn emerged at times as little
more than a marionette. To stress this, Bergman cut out the hypnotic element at the end, where
Jean induces Julie to commit suicide: ‘if you cut that [...] what happens is that Julie forces Jean
to participate in her death. It is, among other things, a fight for power and [...] in the same
moment that Julie takes her death in her own hands, she becomes the stronger. She has the
power and can crush Jean’ [om man stryker den [hypnosen] blir det nämligen så att Julie
tvingar Jean att delta i hennes död. Det är ju – bland annat – ett spel om makt och [...] i samma
ögonblick som Julie tar döden i sin hand, så är hon den starkare. Hon har makten att krossa
Jean]. (Sörenson interview. For differences between the Munich and Stockholm productions,
see Törnqvist-Jacobs, listed below.)
Bergman held an open rehearsal of his Julie production on 30 November 1985, at which time
he talked to the public about the play. See Frank Bergå, ‘Ingmar Bergman berättar om sin
Fröken Julie – för publiken!’ [Bergman talks about Miss Julie – to the public!]. AB, 1 December
1985.
Bergman made a rare stage appearance after the premiere of Fröken Julie, which was attended
by the Swedish prime minister Olof Palme, Nobel prize winner Claude Simon and other
dignitaries. Also present were no less than twelve actresses who had previously played the role
of Julie.
Reception
In a chorus of positive voices, there were very few jarring notes. One appeared in SvD (Björk-
stén) who could not find any cohesiveness in the production. Far more typical was Larsén’s
review in SDS: ‘When Ingmar Bergman returns to Miss Julie... one expects precisely a kind of
classical recording: exquisite in tone, a model of interpretation, technically perfect. And so it
has become’. [När Ingmar Bergman återkommer till Fröken Julie... väntar man sig just ett slags
klassikerinspelning: fulländad i tonen, mönstergill i tolkningen, tekniskt perfekt. Och så har det
också blivit]. In short, most reviewers would have subscribed to Jurgen Schildt’s (AB) exclama-
tion: ‘To ... witness a production of this caliber is, I’ll be darn, a privilege’. [Att ... bevittna en
föreställning av den här kvalitén är förbanne mig ett privilegium]. In pinpointing the particular
strength of Bergman’s production, reviewers singled out his attention to nuances (see Breds-
dorff, Politiken) and his achievement of a rhythmic balance in the performance: ‘He follows it
[Strindberg’s text] like a musical score that becomes richer the more he plays it in a simple and
ascetic way’. [Han följer Strindbergs text som ett musikpartitur som blir rikare ju längre han
spelar det på ett enkelt och asketiskt sätt] (Sverker Andréason, GP; see also Larsén, Lindén,
Linder, Sjöberg below).
The greatest critical attention focussed on Bergman’s interpretation of the characters: his
upgrading of Kristin’s supportive role to make her a powerful presence in the drama; his
portrayal of Julie as a wing-clipped bird: ‘It is a death process that is depicted, and it is
enormously fascinating and moving. [...]’ [Det är en dödsprocess som skildras och den är
enormt fascinerande och rörande] (Larson, Expr.); and on his ‘softening’ of Jean’s character
making him less of an upstart cad and brutish oaf and more a victim of circumstances,
someone who feels a certain degree of sympathy for Julie.

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Reviews
Andréason, Sverker. ‘En mästerlig Fröken Julie’ [A masterly Miss Julie]. GP, 8 December 1985.
Bergstén, Gunilla. ‘Bergmans Fröken Julie än en gång’ [Bergman’s Miss Julie once more]. UNT,
9 December 1985.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Ingen övertygande helhet’ [No convincing whole]. SvD, 8 December 1985.
Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘Den sårede frk. Julie’ [The wounded Miss Julie]. Politiken (Copenhagen),
8 December 1985.
Dagsland, Sissel Hamre. ‘Frøken Julie i Bergmans hender’ [Miss Julie in Bergman’s hands].
Bergnes Tidende, 9 December 1985.
Larsén, Carlhåkan, ‘Hjärnornas kamp, lustans batalj’ [Battle of the brains, battle of lust]. SDS, 8
December 1985.
Larsson, Lisbeth. ‘Marie Göranzon är storartad’ [Marie Göranzon is splendid]. Expr., 8 De-
cember 1985.
Lindén, Gunnar. ‘Det förklarande piskrappet’ [The explanatory whiplash]. Nerikes Allehanda, 10
December 1985.
Linder, Lars. ‘Oväntad bild av Jean i konventionell pjäs’ [Unexpected portrayal of Jean in a
conventional piece]. DN, 8 December 1985.
Lundin, Bo. ‘Ingmar Bergmans “Fröken Julie”: Värme och förvirring’ [Bergman’s Miss Julie:
warmth and confusion]. GT, 8 December 1985, p. 5.
Marcussen, Elsa-Brita. ‘Lykkelig Bergman – nevrotisk Julie’ [Happy Bergman – neurotic Julie].
Arbeiderbaldet (Oslo), 27 February 1986.
Nordin, Vera. ‘Som en gammaldags jaktscen’ [Like an old hunting scene]. Östgöta-Correspon-
denten, 9 December 1985.
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Sommarnattens illvilliga grimas’ [The nasty grimace of the summer night].
Arbetet, 8 December 1985.
Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Ingmar Bergmans “Fröken Julie”. Enastående!’ [Bergman’s Miss Julie. Superb!].
AB, 8 December 1985.
Sjöberg. Hans-Christer. ‘Bergmans Fröken Julie. Våldsam dödsdans’ [Bergman’s Miss Julie.
Violent dance of death]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 8 December 1985.
Press Articles and Longer Studies
Cornell, Peter. ‘Fröken Julie – den första surrealisten’ [Miss Julie – the first surrealist]. Expr., 31
December 1985. Compares Julie in her desperate passion and hysteria to a number of
surrealistic female martyrs: Nadja, Solange, Germaine Berton, Violette Nozière, the sisters
Papin. What they have in common is their use of Eros as a subversive force against class
society and bourgeois morality.
Florin, Magnus. ‘Det lockande vämjeliga’ [The seductive nausea]. Expr. 21 January 1986. In part
a response to Cornell’s column above, but Florin interprets Julie’s hysterical revolt in light
of Julia Kristeva’s 1980 study ‘Pouvoirs de l’horreur’. Julie’s break with sexual and social
convention, and her nausea and verbally cannibalistic outburst over Jeans sexuality are seen
as signs of repressed pre-cultural areas in Julie’s personality that imply a powerful attraction
to sexual intercourse, castration, and murder.
Hägglund, Kent. ‘Fröken Julie gånger 4’ [Miss Julie times 4]. Entré, no. 4, 1986, p. 9. Hägglund is
critical of Peter Stormare’s portrayal of Jean as someone who is too isolated from the other
performers, which makes the production dull and lifeless. Likens Jean to John Cleese as
Basil Fawlty in TV series Fawlty Towers, who – though a total failure– thinks of himself as
very smart. Suggests Fawlty Towers as an alternative sequel to Miss Julie.
Nilsson, Petra et al. ‘Julie och Rosita – två fröknar i tiden’ [Julie and Rosita – two current
misses]. Expr., 18 January 1986. Miss Julie at Dramaten and Garcia Lorca’s Rosita at Stock-

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holm’s Stadsteater premiered about the same time. Academic contributors to news media
and one psychoanalyst were asked to compare and comment on the two productions: Petra
Nilson, Lisbeth Larsson, Ronny Ambjörnsson, and Johan Cullberg.
Norén Kjerstin. ‘Den intuitive realisme’. Information, 24 December 1985. Discusses Bergman’s
production as ‘a new form of realism, free from the social conventions that have governed
the traditional readings of the play’.
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen, 1995, pp. 46-58.
Törnqvist, Egil and Barry Jacobs. ‘Miss Julie on Stage’ in Strindberg’s Miss Julie. A Play and its
Transpositions. Norwich: Norvik Press Series A: no. 5, 1988, pp. 163-85.
See also
Nygren, Ronny. ‘Jublet för Bergman’ (Ovations for Bergman). AB, 8 December 1985. Report
from opening night of Miss Julie.
Guest Performances
There were only a few performances of Miss Julie at Dramaten in December 1985 and January
1986. In February 1986, the production went on tour to fourteen places in Sweden. In the spring
and summer of 1986, there were guest performances in Madrid, Vasa (Finland), Reykjavik,
Quebec, and Spoleto (Italy) and in the fall of 1986 in Edinburgh and Belgrade. Bergman
accompanied the guest performance in Reykjavik. In September 1987, Dramaten travelled to
Los Angeles and London with the same production, and in the following year (1988), the troupe
went to Tokyo and Moscow. In June 1991, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in New York
presented a partly updated version of Miss Julie, with Lena Olin replacing Marie Göranzon in
the title role. This latter event was part of a New York arts festival, at which Dramaten also
presented Bergman’s productions of A Doll’s House (1989) and Long Day’s Journey into Night.
(1988). For details, see respective play below.
1. Madrid, International Theatre Festival, 28 Feb-3 March 1986
Joan de Sagarra saw the production of Miss Julie in Stockholm and reported on it to his paper El
Pais on 24 December 1985 (‘Un montaje de Ingmar Bergman de ‘La senorita Julia’ inaugurara el
proximo festival de teatro de Madrid.’)
Four performances at Teatro Español were received with much applause. However, the
murder of Swedish prime minister Olof Palme during Dramaten’s performances in Madrid
shifted the press attention to the political events. The reviews paid more attention to Strindberg
as a social rabblerouser than as a playwright. Bergman’s production of Miss Julie was discussed
as a social class drama. See ‘Nytt om nöjen’ [News about entertainment]. DN, 4 March 1986,
and Monica Vermcrantz, ‘Bergman genom raster’ [Bergman through grids]. SvD, 3 March 1986.
Reviews
Arroro, Andres. ‘Un Strindberg servido magistralmente por Bergman’. YA, 2 March 1986. (‘To
add Bergman to Strindberg is to double the Nordic esprit [...] a fire looked at through ice, a
gloomy sensuality – I’d rather take a midsummer in Andalusia where the theology student
falls for Pepita Jimenez’.)
Lopez Sancho, Lorenzo. No title, ABC, 2 March 1986. (Reviewer who dubbed Bergman’s 1972
film Cries and Whispers into Spanish considered himself a Bergman fan but as such felt
betrayed by Dramaten’s version of Miss Julie: ‘Bergman’s use of the scar reference added
nothing to explain Julie’s degradation, and Strindberg’s drama did not need Bergman’s
added “exciteable sonority”.’)

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2. Vasa, Finland, 15-17 April 1986

Three performances took place at the Wasa Theatre to sold-out houses and enthusiastic reviews.
Hufvudstadsbladet wrote: ‘[The audience] was led into Strindberg’s world by a director and
actors who respect their public. They show that Strindberg is not a heavy and boring author,
sitting on a pedestal, but is humorous and manifaceted, though intelligible’. See Uljens, Anita.
‘Fröken Julie i Vasa’ [Miss Julie in Vasa]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 19 April 1986.
3. Reykjavik, Iceland, 7-8 June 1986
Bergman made a rare appearance during Dramaten’s performances in Iceland’s capital, which
celebrating its 200th anniversary. A general presentation of Bergman, titled ‘Ingmar Bergman
meth Fröken Juliu a Listahatid ‘86’, was published in DV., Helgarblad II, 7 June 1986.
At a press conference in President Vigdis Finnbogadottir’s guest house, Bergman talked about
the different versions of Strindberg’s manuscript and about his own love of the theatre, refer-
ring to his stagecraft as ‘a natural, simple, unneurotic and creative process’. See report in
Icelandic Morgunbladi, 7 June 1986.
Reviews
Bergman’s Julie production got an overwhelming reception. There were two performances. For
response, see also filmmaker Hrafn Gunnlaugsson’s interview with Bergman on this occasion
(Ø 916, Interview Chapter).
Astgeirsson, Gunnlaug. ‘Fröken Julia’. Helgarposturinn, 12 June 1986.
Holmarsson, Sverri. ‘Fröken Julia’. Pjodviljinn, 10 June 1986.
Stefansson, Gunnar. ‘Bergman a Listahatid’. Timinn, 10 June 1986.
4. Quebec International Theatre Festival, 12-14 June 1986
The three performances of the Dramaten production of Miss Julie did not play to full houses,
though it received standing ovations in the Grand Theatre. The production was awarded the
festival jury’s special honorary prize. See Finn Persson, ‘Dramatens Julie succé i Kanada’. AB, 17
June 1986.
Alexander Hausvater, the festival’s artistic leader, had a double purpose for inviting Berg-
man’s production of Miss Julie: The very first performance of Strindberg’s play took place in
French, and Quebec viewed itself as part of French culture. Hausvater also felt that Bergman’s
role as stage director needed to become better known in North America, where he was seen
primarily as a filmmaker. ‘His name has great magic’, said Hausvater in an interview with
Swedish news service (TT). For a report from Dramaten’s guest visit, with brief interviews with
the actors, see Bert Willborg. ‘Strindberg-succé på Kanada-turné’ [S success on Canada tour],
AB, 14 June 1986.
Reviews
Bernatchez, Raymond. ‘“Mademoiselle Julie” une expérience traumatisante’. La Presse (Mon-
treal), 14 June 1986. (Bernatchez was irritated at a performance in Swedish and claimed he
could not evaluate it).
Conlogue, Ray. ‘Play wears Bergman’s Signature’. The Globe and Mail, 14 June 1986. (‘Bergman is
at the height of his powers, and although filmgoers may not realize it, those powers are
largely those of a theatre director.’)
Corrivault, Martine R. ‘L’émouvante Mlle Julie de Bergman’. Le Soleil (Quebec), 14 June 1986.
Levèsque, Robert. ‘Strindberg revu par Bergman et ses acteurs’. Le Devoir, no. 137, 14 June 1986.
(Levèsque claims that Bergman transforms Strindberg’s play into a troubling vision of
intimacy, turning the spectators into voyeurs).

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5. Spoleto Music and Theatre Festival, 23, 25, 27 June 1986

Included in the festival was a retrospective showing of selected Bergman films. Miss Julie played
to full houses in three performances. There was a great deal of press coverage (interviews and
reportages) in addition to numerous reviews. For preview articles, see:
Luccesini, Paolo. ‘Spoleto o cara, ecco la mia Guilia’. La Nazione, 22 June 1986.
Marrone, Titti. ‘Che sorpresa, ad aprire e la prosa... svedese’. Il Mattino, 23 June 1986.
Bergman’s strong following in Italy as a filmmaker (See Chapter IX, Ø 1012) paved the way for a
warm reception of his Strindberg production, even though Strindberg had been performed very
rarely in Italy.
There was noted disappointment that Bergman cancelled his promised appearance at the
festival; on opening night, a letter from him was read instead.
Reviews
Bonino, Guido Davico. ‘Bergman-Strindberg; duello di demoni’. La Stampa, 25 June 1986.
Chiaretti, Tommaso. ‘Con quello sfregio la signorina Giulia ritorna simbolo dell’ Eros perverso’.
La Republica, 25 June 1986.
Cordelli, Franco. ‘Strindberg apocalisse del sottosuola’. Paese sera, 25 June 1986.
Luccesini, Paolo. ‘Ferite in una notte d’estate. Julie di Bergman a Spoleto: e fu subito festival’. La
Nazione, 25 June 1986.
Manciotti, Mauro. ‘Negli inferno die Strindberg sboccia la magia di Bergman’. Secolo XIX, 25
June 1986.
Saviolo, Aggeo. ‘Il corpo a corpo della signorina Giulia’. l’Unita, 25 June 1986.
Scorrano, Osvaldo. ‘Che magica illusione Guilia sembre vera!’ Corriere del Giorno, 25 June 1986.
Tian, Renzo. ‘Due donne, un solo peccato’. Il Messaggero (Rome), 25 June 1986.
See also
Bono, Francesco. ‘Ingmar Bergman in the Eyes of Italian Theatre Critics’. Nordic Theatre Studies
11 1998, pp. 105-113.
Kappelin, Kristina. ‘Fröken Julie i Italien’. SDS, 28 June 1986. Interview with Marie Göranzon
who says she hesitated at first to accept Bergman’s chalky-white and scarred Miss Julie.
6. Edinburgh Theatre Festival, 30 August to 1 September 1986
Bergman’s production of Miss Julie shared the spotlight at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival with
his Munic production of Ibsen’s John Gabriel Borkman. Miss Julie was also somewhat over-
shadowed by another Swedish contribution to the Edinburgh Festival: The Stockholm Folk
Opera’s version of Verdi’s Aida. The Dramaten performance took place in the renovated King’s
Theatre where accoustic problems with the loudspeakers caused the simultaneous translation to
echo on stage.
With the exception of Eric Shorter’s review in The Daily Telegraph, who termed the produc-
tion ‘painful and boring’, Bergman’s version of Miss Julie was an eye-opener to the British and
Scottish critics who were struck by the way Bergman conveyed the rise and fall of passion.
‘Bergman makes us see Strindberg with completely new eyes’, wrote Michael Billington in The
Guardian. Michael Ratcliffe in The Observer thought that ‘Miss Julie emerges as a much richer
and fuller play than ever before.’ Richard Mowe in The Evening News felt that ‘this production
of Miss Julie obliterates the memory of all others’ by its ‘precise realism on the battleground of
sex and class wars’. And Irving Wardle in The Times concluded that ‘although a masterpiece can
be defined as a work that can never reach a definitive performance, it is hard to imagine any
version of Miss Julie more complete than this production...’

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Reviews
Brennan, Mary. ‘King’s Theatre, Edinburgh. Miss Julie’. The Glasgow Herald, 31 August 1986.
Mowe, Richard. ‘Perfect Finale from Bergman’. The Evening News, 30 August 1986.
Ratcliffe, Michael. ‘Upstairs and downstairs’. The Observer, 31 August 1986.
Shorter, Eric. ‘Cold “Miss Julie”’. The Daily Telegraph, 30 August 1986, p. 9.
Wardle, Irving. ‘Miss Julie. King’s’. The Times, 30 August 1986.
Wright, Allen. ‘Greater Depths of Bitterness’. The Scotsman, 20 August 1986.
7. Belgrade, September-October 1986, three performances
The presentation was part of the 20th BITEF (Belgrade International Theatre Festival). In
competition with ten other international guest productions, Bergman’s Miss Julie shared the
festival’s grand prize (the audience prize) with Eugenio Barba’s ‘Oxirinicus’, performed by the
Danish Odin Theatre. Miss Julie was also awarded the Yugoslav newspaper Politika’s special
prize. No reviews located.
8. London, Lyttleton, 17-18 June 1987
Presented together with Bergman’s 1986 Hamlet production at the British National Theatre’s
Lyttleton stage, Miss Julie aroused none of the critical controversy of Bergman’s Shakespeare
production: ‘There is no room for disagreement over this second offering’, wrote Irving Wardle
in The Times, who characterized the performance as ‘one of brilliance and energy’ resulting in ‘a
brand new masterpiece’. Other British reviewers praised the Miss Julie production for its rich
and revealing details, its choreographed precision and psychological realism. Michael Coveney
(Financial Times) called the production ‘a magnificently sensual performance’. The portrayal of
Kristin as the ‘other woman’ with a strong bond to Jean was noted, as was Bergman’s trans-
formation of Strindberg’s text into very physical acting.
Reviews
Coveney, Michael. ‘Miss Julie, Lyttleton’. Financial Times, 18 June 1987, p. Arts?.
Wardle, Irving. ‘Miss Julie. Lyttleton’. The Times, 18 June 1987, p. 16.
See also
Hedvig Thorburn. ‘Fröken Julie mötte lovord’ [Miss Julie met with praise]. GP, 21 June 1987.
Hans-Ingvar Johnsson. ‘Julie tar emot Londons jubel’ [J. receives London accolades]. DN, 19
June 1987.
9. Los Angeles Theatre Festival, James A. Doolittle Theatre, 22-27 September 1987
Most of the six performances were sold out. For a local response, see Dan Sullivan, ‘Staged by
Bergman. The Truth of ‘Miss Julie’ Goes Beyond Words’. Los Angeles Times, 24 September 1987,
Calender section/Part IV, p. 1, 10. (Review called the presentation ‘a lucid evening’ but found
Marie Göranzon as Miss Julie too sturdy for the part of a neurasthenic lady. Praise went to
Bergman’s development of Kristin’s character, with critic concluding that ‘If this were a Berg-
man film, Julie and Kristin would go off to start the hotel, leaving Jean to shine the master’s
shoes’.
10. Tokyo Globeza Theatre, 27-29 June 1988
The three performances took place at the Japanese Globeza Theatre, designed by Arata Isozaki
as a replica of the English Globe and Swan Theatres from the 1600s.
Dramaten visited Tokyo with two productions: Miss Julie and Hamlet. Shakespeare’s play
drew an almost full house (700 seats) – thanks in part to a long-time sponsoring of Shakespeare
among Japanese businesses. Strindberg’s play was not as well-known in Japan and the perfor-
mance did not sell out. For a report on the theatre situation in Tokyo at the time, see Monica

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Braw, ‘Noterat i Tokyo’, SvD, 12 July 1988. For a response to the Dramaten visit, see Thomas von
Heijne, ‘Tokyo-beröm för Dramaten’ [Tokyo praise for Dramaten]. SvD, 6 July 1988.
11. Moscow, Mchat Theatre, 21-25 September, 1988
There was a sold-out house for all five performances at the old Stanislavski Artists Theatre
Mchat, close to Red Square. On the evening of the premiere, people reportedly lined up outside
the theatre to try to buy tickets, and barricades were torn down as the public stormed the
theatre. Tickets for the additional performances soon circulated on the black market.
Acoustics in the theatre were problematic. During the performance, a voice delivering a
simultaneous Russian translation was heard as a murmur throughout the house and appeared
disruptive to the actors on stage. But the audience reception was overwhelming and the stage was
covered with a sea of flowers. For reports, see Larserik Häggman, ‘Lyckat gästspel för Dramaten’
[Successful guest performance by Dramaten], SDS, 23 September 1988, and Gabriella Ros,
‘Dramaten gör succé i Moskva’ [Dramaten successful in Moscow], UNT, 28 September 1988.
Reviews
Bozjovits, V. ‘Gamlet, Bergman i my’. Izsvetzia, 15 October 1988. (Juxtaposes the closed space
(kitchen) of Strindberg’s play, its impeccable psychological motivation and its hidden
metaphorical meaning).
Obrazova, Anna. ‘Igry i sny to Bergmanu’. Sovetskaja kultura, 13 October 1988. (Points out lack
of a Russian Strindberg tradition and notes that Bergman’s production was the first time
Moscow got to see how Strindberg’s tragedy should be produced. Emphasizes choreo-
graphic clarity of the performance, and refers to Bergman’s stagecraft as a theatre of human
passions and a theatre that can give spiritual catharsis and joy.
12. New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), 10-20 June 1991
The Dramaten performances were part of New York’s International Arts Festival, sponsored by
filmmaker Woody Allen, photographer Richard Avedon, the directors Mike Nichols and Harold
Prince, and by Sean Cohn’s Actors Agency. It was one of three Bergman productions, which
also included A Doll’s House and Long Day’s Journey into Night. Miss Julie was a new, less
stylized version of Bergman’s 1985 production, now with Lena Olin in the title role. Olin’s star
status in American film gave her more press exposure than Göranzon had received. For excerpts
from the press conference with cast and administrative head of BAM, Harry Lichtenstein, see
Kristina Kappelin, ‘Blodig USA-debut för Lena Olin’ [Bloody US debut for LO]. SDS, 8 June
1991. For an appraisal of Olin’s critical reception in New York, see Jens Peterson, ‘Olin tar New
York – med Stormare’ [Olin takes NY – with Storm-are]. AB, 8 June 1991, and ‘New Yorks
kritiker hyllar Lena Olin’ [NY’s critics praise LO], AB, 13 June 1991. Peterson’s write-up includes
excerpts of an interview with Lena Olin who calls this new version of Bergman’s Julie ‘more
carnal. It is blood, sweat and tears’. For the source of the interview, see Richard Bernstein, ‘An
Actress Drawn to Characters on the Verge’, NYT, 10 June 1991, and Francis Lewis, ‘Lena Olin: A
Garbo for the 90s’, Where/New York, June 1991: 41-43.
For a presentation of Peter Stormare, see ‘International Arts Festival: Solemn Meets Spunky’,
NYT, 7 June 1991, p. C1. For a general presentation of the three Bergman productions at BAM,
including interview statements by Lena Olin and Peter Stormare, see Matthew Flamm, ‘Bam!
It’s Bergman! And it will be surreally big’. New York Post, 10 June 1991.
The New York reception of Miss Julie (three performances) was enthusiastic. Reviewers called
the production ‘a great classic text perfectly fulfilled’ (Barnes) and ‘a riveting, unforgettable’
production (Kissel). ‘This is an eloquent performance of a masterwork, in every sense a
transcendent evening in the theatre’, wrote Mel Gussow. Reviewers praised Bergman’s precise
‘camera-sharp’ sense for details (Markers) and the highly charged intensity ‘using the kitchen as

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an active presence and dramatizing mood’. (Gussow). ‘New York has had Bergman festivals
before’, wrote Linda Winer, ‘but none so alive that you could smell the sausage cooking’.
Bergman’s ‘powerfully hyper-realistic’ production was noted as a sharp contrast to his stylized
Hamlet production a few years earlier, but was also seen as so ‘hallucinatory’ and ‘hypnotic’ that
watching it made Strindberg’s Swedish setting fade away, leading the spectator ‘inside a deep
wound’ (Richards, NYT). The only objection concerned Bergman’s interpolation of a crudely
executed drunken interlude, which replaced Strindberg’s high-spirited midsummer dance. See
however Kissel’s positive reading of this as a social class gesture.
Reviews
Barnes, Clive. ‘Ah, Swede Mystery of Life’. New York Post, 12 June 1991.
Brustein, Robert. ‘The Dreams of Ingmar Bergman’. The New Republic, vol. 205, no. 5 (29 July
1991), p. 29-30.
Feingold, Michael. ‘Urbane Renewal’. Village Voice, 25 June 1991.
Gussow, Mel. ‘Strindberg’s “Miss Julie” via Ingmar Bergman’. New York, 11 June 1991, p. C13, 18.
Kissel, Howard. ‘Bergman’s theatrical “Julie”’. Daily News, 12 June 1991.
Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Three Plays, One Vision – Bergman’s’. NYT, 9 June 1991, p. 5.
Richards, David. ‘Bergman Creates a Hallucinatory “Julie”’. NYT, 23 June 1991.
Simon, John. ‘Three by Three’. New York, 24 June 1991, p. 51.
Winer, Linda. ‘A Power Play for Bergman’s “Miss Julie”’. Newsday, 12 June 1991, p. 58.

For reports on the New York reception in the Swedish press, see:
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Ny Julie i New York’ (New Julie in NY]. GP, 13 June 1991. (Called the NY
performance more tense and violent than in Stockholm).
Bergkvist, Lars George. ‘Dramaten i fokus’. SvD, 9 June 1991, and ‘USA faller för Bergman’ [US
falls for Bergman]. SvD, 13 June 1991.
Aftermath
The New York version of Bergman’s Miss Julie production was presented at Dramaten in early
September 1991. It was reviewed by Lars Ring in SvD, 3 September 1991. The review is an
homage to Lena Olin.

1986
467. ETT DRÖMSPEL [A Dreamplay]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Marik Vos
Choreographer Mait Angberg
Music Daniel Bell
Assistant Director Richard Looft
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Small Stage
Opening Date 25 April 1986 (34 performances)
Cast
The Poet Mathias Henrikson
The Glazier Oscar Ljung
Agnes Ellen Lamm, Linn Oké/Lena Olin

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The Officer Stellan Skarsgård

The Mother Irene Lindh
The Father Gösta Prüzelius
Lina, servant Ingrid Boström
The Concierge Kristina Adolphson
The Billboarder Hans Strååt
The Singer Kicki Bramberg
The Ballet Girl Marie Richardson
Singer Lars Väringer
The Prompter Dennis Dahlsten
The Policeman Carl Billquist
The Lawyer Per Myrberg
Kristin Gerd Hagman
Quarantine Master Ingvar Kjellson
Don Juan Johan Lindell
The Coquette Dora Söderberg
He Pierre Wilkner
She Pernilla Östergren
Lina at Foulstrand Kicki Bramberg
The Retiree Oscar Ljung
The Friend Dennis Dahlsten
Edith Marianne Karlbeck
Edith’s mother Gerd Hagman
A Naval Officer Mikael Säflund
Alice Louise Amble
The Husband Carl Billquist
The Wife Gertrud Mariano
The Blind Man Frank Sundström
The Teacher Åke Lagergren
Two Coal Carriers Olof Willgren, Jan Waldekranz
The Newly Wed Pernilla Östergren, Pierre Wilkner
The Lord Chancellor Carl Billquist
Dean of Theology Gösta Prüzelius
Dean of Philosophy Claes Thelander
Dean of Medicine Per Sjöstrand
Dean of Law Åke Lagergren
Commentary
This two-and-a-half hour production of Strindberg’s Drömspel was about twenty minutes
longer than Bergman’s 1970 staging. Played without intermission on Dramaten’s Small Stage,
a former movie house, this became a performance frought with frustration. See Laterna magica,
pp. 47-63 (The Magic Lantern, pp. 32-51). See also Bergman’s comments in an interview with
Mikael Timm, (Ögats glädje, 1993). In a Swedish TV interview prior to the premiere (24 April
1986), Bergman indicated his doubts about a play ‘where someone walks about declaring that
mankind should be pitied’ [där någon går omkring och säger att det är synd om människorna].
For those who had seen Bergman’s 1970 and 1977 versions of Ett Drömspel (Ein Traumspiel),
the 1986 production was somewhat of a deja-vu. Seven of the actors had participated in the 1970
production. Bergman retained the concept of Indra’s daughter as an earthly woman, this time
split into three: child-wife-mother; he cut out the Prologue and replaced it, as in the earlier

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productions, with the Poet sitting at his writing-desk, imagining the play in his mind. The Poet
remained present throughout the performance, as did a pianist seated on the left (who later
became ugly Edith). They served as a point–counterpoint: two observers of the action.
As in his earlier productions of the play, Bergman let the Lawyer’s laurel become a crown of
thorns that was lifted down from a crucifix. He ignored the growing castle except once as a
projection. Yet his most controversial feature was the scene in Fingal’s Cave, which he turned
into a stage rehearsal with the Poet and Indra’s daughter memorizing, in a deliberately ama-
teurish way, Strindberg’s lines to the sounds of an old-fashioned record player and in front of a
parodic projection of Böcklin’s painting ‘Toteninsel’. Grotesque caricature and parody also
characterized the promotion scene and the Foulstrand episode.
All in all, this was a Dreamplay deprived of its metaphysical dimension. Salvation lay in
Agnes as a mother figure: Bergman let all the men around Indra’s daughter – the Officer, the
Lawyer, the Poet – rest in her bosom in a pietà image. But the final vignette belonged to Agnes
the child, who returned to play on the floor while the Poet kept on writing.
Reception
‘The Dreamplay is criticized’ [Drömspelet får kritik] was the headline of DN’s summary of the
critical response to Bergman’s production (27 April 1986). Certainly, with few exceptions the
reviews lacked the rave exclamations of Bergman’s earlier post-Munich productions. One
reviewer (Mario Grut) called this performance ‘a distracted Dreamplay’ [ett distraherat Dröm-
spel] and confirmed Bergman’s later words that his 1986 staging lacked real enthusiasm. Sverker
Andréason (GP), who was less critical than most commentators, still felt that Bergman’s
unusual handling of the Fingal’s Cave scene was a kind of tired capitulation by a director
who had given up. In contrast, Per Erik Wahlund (SvD) described the production as a work
that showed no signs of aging (referring both to Strindberg’s play and Bergman’s staging of it).
The provincial press was more positive than the Stockholm press.
Reviews
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Bergmans drastiska drömspel’ [Bergman’s drastic dreamplay]. GP, 26 April
1986.
Behring, Bertil. ‘Så vackert, så vackert..’. [So beautiful, so beautiful...]. KvP, 26 April 1986.
Bladh, Curt. ‘Dröm = dikt = liv’ [Dream = poetry = life]. Sundsvalls Tidning, 26 April 1986.
Brunius, Teddy. ‘Av samma tyg som drömmar vävas av’ [Of the same cloth that dreams are
woven]. UNT, 26 April 1986.
Carlsson, Larsolof. ‘Ett drömspel som äkta teater’ [A dreamplay as genuine theatre]. Helsing-
borgs Dagblad, 26 April 1986.
Grut, Mario. ‘Ingen glöd, Bergman!’ [No glow, Bergman!]. AB, 26 April 1986.
Hörmark, Mats. ‘Spektakulärt Drömspel blir Bergmans fullträff ’ [Spectacular Dreamplay be-
comes Bergman’s bull’s eye]. Nerikes Allehanda, 26 April 1986.
Jahnsson, Bengt. ‘Bergman sätter kniven i Strindberg’ [Bergman puts the knife in Strindberg].
DN, 26 April 1986.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Bergmans drömackord värdigt nationalscenen’ [Bergman’s dream chord
worthy the national stage]. SDS, 26 April 1986.
Larson, Lisbeth. ‘Kvinnan är hans hopp, all hans längtan’ [Woman is his hope, all his longing].
Expr., 26 April 1986.
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘I huvet på en diktare’ [In the head of a poet]. Arbetet, 26 April 1986.
Sablich, Sergio. ‘Il teatro? E sogno. Bergman: ancora una volta Strindberg’. Nazione, 23 May 1986.
Wahlund, Per Erik. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Strindberg på Dramaten. Drömspel utan ålderdoms-
symptom’ [Bergman and Strindberg at Dramaten. Dreamplay without symptoms of aging].
SvD, 26 April 1986.

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Widegren, Björn. ‘16-taggaren är nedlagd’ [The big one is brought down]. Gefle Dagblad, 26
April 1986.
See also
Malaise, Yvonne, ‘Därför älskar jag ett Drömspel’ (Therefore I love a Dreamplay). DN, På stan
section, 26 April 1986, pp. 6-7. Interview article.

468. HAMLET
Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Translator Britt G. Hallqvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design and Costumes Göran Wassberg
Choreography Mercedes Björlin
Music Jean Billgren
Lighting Hans Åkesson
Dramaturgue Herbert Grevenius, Ulla Åberg
Assistant Director Richard Looft
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, Main Stage
Opening date 20 December 1986 (87 performances)
Cast
Claudius Börje Ahlstedt
Hamlet Peter Stormare
The Ghost Per Myrberg
Gertrude Gunnel Lindblom
Polonius Ulf Johanson
Laertes Pierre Wilkner
Ophelia Pernilla Östergren
Horatio Jan Waldekranz
Rosencranz Johan Lindell
Guildenstern Johan Rabæus
Bernardo Joakim Westerberg
Marcellus Johan Rabæus
Francisco Dennis Dahlsten
Osric Johan Lindell
Court Lady Marie Richardson
A Priest Oscar Ljung
Gravedigger Ulf Johanson
Fortinbras Joakim Westerberg
Theatre King Per Myrberg
Theatre Queen Marie Richardson
Lucianus Oscar Ljung
Pelageia Gerd Hagman
Flutist Ivan Ossoinak
Drummer Michael Vinsa
A Captain Dennis Dahlsten

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Commentary
A week before the opening of Hamlet, Bergman held a press conference. See Elisabeth Sörenson,
‘Sista chansen göra Hamlet’ [Last chance to do Hamlet], SvD, 12 December 1986; Eva Redvall,
‘En bergmansk Hamlet i tiden’ [A Bergmanian Hamlet of our time], SDS, 14 December 1986;
and Agneta Söderberg, ‘En stormande Hamlet-debutant’ [A storming Hamlet debutant], Expr.,
12 December, 1986.
Bergman had discussed a staging of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream but changed
his mind to Hamlet, giving two reasons for his choice of play: he had discovered that Dramaten
had an actor, Peter Stormare, who was an ideal Hamlet figure, and he, at nearly 70, did not want
to leave the theatre without having done a production of Hamlet. Once before, in the early
1940s, when he directed plays at the Stockholm Student Theatre, he had planned a production
which had to be cancelled for lack of space in the Student Union. Hamlet had also been on his
mind in the making of Fanny and Alexander where the Ekdahl Company rehearses Shake-
speare’s tragedy.
In his memoir (Teaterchefen. Bakom masker, 249-51), Lars Löfgren, then head of Dramaten,
describes the early phase of the Hamlet production as not without friction. Because other
Dramaten productions were under way, Bergman’s long cast list did not include all the names
he had originally picked out. In May 1986 (the production of Hamlet was first discussed in
December 1985), Bergman wrote Löfgren that he wished to bow out rather than compromise
with the casting. The conflict was resolved.
To Löfgren, Bergman listed four principles he intended to follow in his production: (1)
conceiving the play as a station drama, with Hamlet’s soliloquies marking ‘stations’ in the
prince’s spiritual search; (2) using an empty stage and seeking out an acoustic and optical
circle, five meters in diameter – a narrow acting space dictated by Hamlet’s words that
Denmark is a prison. The costumes would be from different time periods to suggest the
timelessness of the play; (3) using a new Swedish translation up to par with the original text
but easier for the actors to handle than older translations; (4) defining Hamlet’s conflict as the
maturation process of a desperate soul. Bergman viewed the appearance of the ghost of Ham-
let’s father as the catalyst that sets the process in motion. But he would not present the dead
king as a spooky theatrical figure dressed in armor but as a harbinger of death whose hand
touched Hamlet and sucked the life out of him. Hamlet in turn would affect Ophelia in the
same way. Bergman called this encounter with death a contamination and a poison that he
himself had known since childhood and had often portrayed in his films. His description also
brings to mind Strindberg’s vampire theme in Spöksonaten (The Ghost Sonata).
In retrospect, Bergman was to refer to his Hamlet production as a completely unified
(helstöpt) way of looking at Hamlet. But he also called his undertaking ‘one of my angriest
productions, perhaps the angriest’. [en av mina argaste uppsättningar, kanske den argaste]
(Sjögren, Lek och raseri, 2002, p. 183).
Bergman’s Hamlet began with a series of curtain raises, the first ones in glittering gold, then
in black until a bare stage and a stark void was revealed. Streaks of light sought out possible
acting spots. The production opened with a waltz from The Merry Widow, an ironic and
anachronistic reference to Queen Gertrude, and finished with hard rock (composed by the
Swedish rock band Imperiet) as Fortrinbras and his storm troopers, dressed in modern leather
attire, rode in on stage on roaring motorbikes. Hamlet’s funeral was directed by Fortrinbras as a
media event on TV.
In Bergman’s production, Hamlet and Ophelia were two outsider victims in Claudius’ lusty
court. Hamlet was dressed in black and wore sunglasses, like a James Dean of the 1980s, a
disillusioned young rebel (occasionally appearing in a knitted cap similar to the one worn by
Bergman as an angry young man). Ophelia, barefoot, in a light blue dress, was present on stage

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like a spectre throughout the performance (an approach that had been tried a few years earlier
in a Berlin production by director Klaus-Michael Grüber but also by Bergman in other play
productions). Polonius was cast as a silly old bureaucrat hugging his portifolio; Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern looked like two Dickens characters; and Horatio (to whom Bergman’s Hamlet
had a homosexual attachment) was a dandy from Oscar Wilde’s London.
In a post-production program on Swedish Radio Channel 1 by Kerstin Berggren, titled
‘Vägen till Hamlet’ [The Road to Hamlet], 11 and 12 May 1987 (and again on 30 June 1988),
Bergman and several members of the cast commented on his production of Hamlet. Bergman
refers to the unnerving dress rehearsal when one of the curtains in the opening vignette got
stuck, which everyone saw as a bad omen. He discusses his decision to shift the famous ‘To be
or not to be’ monologue to the scene where Hamlet instructs the actors, and explains his
intentions behind the unconventional rock music ending.
Dramaten published the new Swedish translation of Hamlet by Britt G. Hallqvist (Stockholm:
Ordfront, 1986) with Bergman’s cuts and changes marked in the text. Major cuts were the
following: (1) shortening of the opening scene; (2) Act II, scene 1 (Polonius before meeting
Ophelia); (3) beginning of Actor’s speech; (4) part of Hamlet’s soliloquy, end of Act II ; (5) Act
IV, scene 6 and most of scene 7 (King and Laertes); (6) Gravedigger scene, Act V, cut prior to
gravedigger’s song. Of the 150-page printed text, approximately 60 pages were cut. The perfor-
mance lasted 3 hrs 45 min.
Swedish Reception
‘...a Hamlet not like any other’ [en Hamlet likt ingen annan], wrote one reviewer (Andréasen)
about a production said to be more Bergman than Shakespeare: ‘it leads right into Bergman’s
world, seldom into Shakespeare’s’ [leder oss rätt in i Bergmans värld, mera sällan Shakespeares]
(Zern). Views were mixed about Bergman using Peter Stormare (a distant relative and look-
alike) as his young alter ego. To Leif Zern, Peter Stormare’s Hamlet was less of a Renaissance
prince and more of a deperate rebel and loser from Café Existence (see also Boldt, Hufvud-
stadsbladet). Ophelia’s continuous presence on stage led some critics to see her as the intended
main character and as a dream consciousness reminiscent of Indra’s daughter in Strindberg’s
Drömspel (Dreamplay): ‘Bergman had quite simply imagined the play as Ophelia’s nightmare.
[...] Ophelia is even a witness to her own funeral’. [Bergman hade helt enkelt föreställt sig pjäsen
som Ofelias mardröm. [...] Ofelia bevittnar till och med sin egen begravning] (Palmqvist).
Many Swedish critics found it difficult to find a thematic unity in the production and were
puzzled by Bergman’s intended focus – was it on the Hamlet figure as a despondent, mother-
fixated iconoclast; on Ophelia as the embodiment of sacrificial innocence; on a meta-theatrical
space where all the world is a stage; or on the political threat of fascism? Few if any commen-
tators were happy about Bergman’s post-modernistic melange of clothing styles, time periods,
and other ironic and distancing devices. Some reviewers looked for the core of Bergman’s
interpretation in his juxtaposition of the little world of theatrical illusion and the violent, larger
world outside. Still, an ambivalent response remained also in this case: ‘Is this a dreamplay or is
it a stylistic parody?’ [Är detta ett drömspel eller en stilistisk parodi], asked one critic (Larsén).
Above all, there was consternation about the violent punk ending: ‘The attack at the end was so
cool and trendy that one reacts negatively’. [Attacken på slutet var så cool och trendig att man
reagerar negativt]. (Wistrand).
See also the so-called Hamlet debate below.
Reviews, Swedish
Andréasson, Sverker. ‘Hamlets inre svarta scen’ [Hamlet’s inner black stage]. GP, 21 December
1986.

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Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Bergman i visuell högform’ [Bergman in visual top form]. SvD, 21 Decem-
ber 1986.
Boldt, Julin. ‘Hamlet i polotröja’ [Hamlet in turtle neck]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 23 December 1986.
Brunius, Teddy. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Hamlet’. UNT, 22 December 1986.
Ellefsen, Tove. ‘Orytmiskt och hackigt ytspel’ [Jerky superficial acting without rhythm]. DN, 21
December 1986.
Grut, Mario. ‘Poff! Wham!’ AB, 21 December 1986, p. 5.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘En pyrande vulkan’ [A smoking volcano]. SDS, 21 December 1986.
Lundin, Bo. ‘Ingmar Bergmans “Hamlet” på Dramaten: Mindre om Hamlet än om Ofelias sorg’
[Bergman’s Hamlet at Dramaten: Less about Hamlet and more about Ofelia’s sorrow]. GT,
21 December 1986, p. 4.
Milits, Alex. ‘Bergmans W.C’. Nya Vermlands Tidning, 21 December 1986.
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Ofelias mardrömmar’ [Ofelia’s nightmares]. Arbetet, 21 December 1986.
Wistrand, Sten. ‘Bergman har blåst dammet av Hamlet’ [Bergman has dusted off Hamlet].
Nerikes Allehanda, 22 December 1986.
Zern, Leif. ‘Är det Bergman som är Hamlet?’ [Is it Bergman who is Hamlet?]. Expr., 21
December 1986.
Non-Swedish Reception
‘A postmodernist Hamlet who conceals as much as he reveals and who could only be the child
of Ingmar Bergman’, wrote Time’s correspondent and concluded that ‘the production is cer-
tainly not for Shakespearean purists’. But non-Swedish reviewers were by and large more
appreciative of Bergman’s Hamlet than their Swedish colleagues. Ossia Trilling of The Times
was surprised at the Swedish resistance to Bergman’s ‘innovative production’ and at the failure
to see a method to the madness [of the storm-trooper ending]: ‘Anyone who has followed
Ingmar Bergman’s stage career since his early postwar venture into the world of Shakespeare
with a vexatious production of Macbeth... should have been able to take the strident innovations
of this Hamlet in his stride. [...] All the world is Bergman’s stage. [...] Here literally, anything
goes’. The post-modernistic and meta-theatrical features of the production were viewed with
tolerance. The intrusion of reality into the closed world of the theatre may be a cliché in the
1980s, wrote Michael Bonneson in Danish Politiken but accepted the final ‘wildly melodramatic
scene’ since it was carried out with unforgettable sharpness and an artistic mastery that came
close to perfection. Jens Kistrup in Danish Berlingske Tidende was intrigued by Bergman’s rock-
age Hamlet in slick raincoat and sunglasses and saw him as an ironic clown dancing with the
actors; a desperate and sensuous lover of Ophelia; and a confused rebel in a decadent court.
Non-Swedish Reviews
Bonnesen, Michael. ‘Fra blød vals til hård rock’ [From soft waltz to hard rock]. Politiken,
(Danish), 21 December 1986
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Hamlets livsnerve – og Ingmar Bergmans’ [Hamlet’s life nerve – and Bergman’s].
Berlingske Tidende, 21 December 1986.
Kohan, John. ‘A Hamlet for the 80s’. Time, 30 March 1987.
Ratcliffe, Michael. ‘A lamp shines on Elsinore’. The Observer, 4 January 1987, p. 18.
Sørensen, Viggo. ‘Bergman’s nøgterne Hamlet’ [Bergman’s sober Hamlet]. Jyllands-Posten, 21
December 1986.
Trilling, Ossia. ‘Bergman still in full cry’. The Times, 2 January 1987.

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One of Bergman’s most controversial stage productions was his rendering of Sha-
kespeare’s Hamlet at Dramaten in 1986. Hamlet was acted by his look-alike and
distant relative Peter Stormare. Ulf Johanson, a long-time member of Bergman’s
stable of actors, played the Gravedigger in a bowler hat. Insert shows a younger
Bergman in same headgear as Stormare’s Hamlet (Courtesy: Bengt Wanselius/SFI)
 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

See also
Garde, Mogens. ‘Kom till Kronborg med den “Hamlet”’, Berlingske Tidende, 22 December 1986.
(Garde urged the organizers of the summer Shakespeare festival at Kronborg to invite Berg-
man’s Hamlet production in 1987. Discussions were held, but Bergman felt that the lighting,
crucial to his production could not be transferred to an open air theatre in the Nordic summer
night).
The Hamlet Debate
The most devastating critique of Bergman’s Hamlet production was published in DN, 21
December 1986. Its reviewer, Tove Ellefsen, called the production unfinished, the acting super-
ficial, and the rhythm jerky; she concluded that ‘this is not a Shakespeare worthy of Bergman.
Or a Bergman worthy of Shakespeare’. [detta är inte en Shakespeare värdig Bergman. Eller en
Bergman värdig Shakespeare]. Two days later (23 December), the evening paper Expr. ques-
tioned the DN review. Ellefsen, in turn, responded (DN, 13 January 1987 ). Journalist Madeleine
Grive claimed that Bergman was surrounded by ‘fawning dogs’ (knähundar) that prevented an
honest critique of his work (AB, 4 January 1987). Reviewer Mario Grut (AB, 15 January 1987)
tried to shift the debate to a question of principle: To what extent could Hamlet be abbreviated,
rewritten and rearranged and still be presented as Shakespeare’s work? Grut’s own answer was
negative: ‘This Hamlet is no more Shakespearean than it would be Schubertian to play “Death
and the Maiden” with the allegro and andante movements in the reverse order. [...] What has
disappeared is the depth and complexity in the text’s Hamlet. [...] All is lost in a psychological
void barely illuminated by pyrotechnical ersatz entertainment’. [Denna Hamlet är inte mer
shakespearsk än det skulle vara schubertskt att spela ‘Döden och flickan’ med allegro och
andantesatserna i omvänd ordning. [...] Det som försvunnit är djupet och komplikationen
hos textens Hamlet. [...] Allt förloras i ett psykologiskt tomrum nödtorftigt upplyst av pyro-
teknisk ersättningsunderhållning]. For press articles in the debate, see:
Ellefsen, Tove. ‘Får man vara recensent?’ [May one be a reviewer?]. DN, 13 January 1987, p. 20.
Gellerfelt, Mats. ‘Bergman och värdenas sönderfall. Några tankar kring en omstridd teaterupp-
sättning’ [Bergman and the disintegration of values. Some thoughts about a controversial
theatre production]. Tempus, 30 January – 6 February 1987, pp. 28-29.
Grive, Madeleine. ‘Bergmans knähundar’ [Bergman’s fawning dogs] AB, 4 January 1987, p. 4.
—, Skådespelarna tar Bergman i försvar’ [The actors defend Bergman], AB, 6 January 1987, p. 7.
Grut, Mario. ‘Hamlet – noter till en skendebatt’ [Hamlet – Notes to a fake debate]. AB, 15
December 1986, p. 5.
Josephson, Erland. ‘Hur står det till min prins’ [How goes it, my prince]. Expr., 15 January 1987,
pp. 4-5.
Linder, Lars. ‘Debatten kring Bergmans “Hamlet”. Det handlar om teaterns val av språk’ [The
debate about Bergman’s Hamlet. It’s a question of the theatre’s choice of language]. DN, 28
January 1987.
Nilsson, Björn. Månadsjournalen, no. 5, 1987 (see Ø 1448, Chapter IX). (Suggested that part of
the resistance to Bergman’s very postmodern Hamlet had to do with his refusal to act the
role of aging director rather than challenging innovator.)
Wærn, Carina. ‘En Hamlet bredvid tiden’ [A Hamlet alongside time]. DN, 31 January 1987.
Zern, Leif. ‘God natt, Hamlet’. Expr., 10 May 1987.
The ‘Hamlet debate’ as it was dubbed in the Swedish press was discussed by Thomas Bredsdorff
in ‘Krigen om Hamlet’ [The war about Hamlet], Politiken (Danish), 22 February 1987. For a
report in English on the Swedish reception of Bergman’s ‘Hamlet’, see Richard Stayton, ‘Berg-
man’s “Hamlet” is a Rebel Without a Cause’, Los Angeles Herald Tribune, 1 March 1987. Stayton

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quotes Ellefsen saying that criticizing Bergman was sacrilege: ‘It’s a very irreverant parallel, but
attacking Bergman is like questioning the Palme murder. In fact, it has replaced Palme.’
The head of Dramaten, Lars Löfgren, became worried that the DN response and ensuing
debate would prejudge the production when it was taken abroad (Dramaten was already
scheduled to visit Florence, London and Edinburgh; see Löfgren, Bakom masker). That the
negative reception had an impact on attendance at home was confirmed when the production
closed at Dramaten in mid-April 1987 and Dramaten’s ticket office revealed that Hamlet had
played to only 80% audience capacity, as opposed to all other productions on the Dramaten
repertory, which had had full houses. See ‘Allt utsålt – utom Bergmans Hamlet’ [Everything
sold out – except Bergman’s Hamlet], Expr., 13 April 1987.
When Dramaten went abroad with Hamlet, some of the actors commented on the rather
vitriolic Swedish critique. Both Peter Stormare (Hamlet) and Pernilla Östergren (Ophelia) felt
they had experienced not only unjust criticism of the production but a spiteful attitude directed
at Bergman and the actors. See Åke Malm, ‘Svenska “Hamlet” och “Ofelia” säljer ut Italiens
teatersalonger’ [Swedish Hamlet and Ophelia a sell-out in Italian theatres]. AB, 9 January 1987.
Review Articles and Longer Studies
Babski, Cindy. ‘Theater: Bergman Brings a Restive Hamlet to Brooklyn’. New York Times, 5 June
1988, p. 5ff. Interview article. See Ø 619.
Lusardi, James P. ‘Hamlet on the Postmodernist Stage: The Revisionings of Bergman and
Wajda’. Hamlet Studies 19, no. 1-2 (Summer-Winter) 1997: 78-92.
Löfgren, Lars. Bakom masker, pp. 254-55. (Reports on the mood on opening night. Bergman,
reacting to the reviews in the negative Stockholm press, apparently cancelled his plans to
stage The Bachae right after Hamlet).
Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman. Allting föreställer, ingenting är, 2001, pp. 174-75.
Ratcliffe, Michael. ‘Bergman to be....’. Sweden Now, no. 3, 1987, pp. 33-35.
Sörenson, Elisabeth. ‘Viktigt att berätta en historia’ [Important to tell a story]. SvD, 16 Decem-
ber 1986.
n.a. ‘Såsom i en spegel’. Expr., 21 December 1986, p. 7. (Pictorial comparison between Bergman
and Stormare).
Guest Performances outside of Sweden
1. Florence, 10-12 January 1987.
Bergman’s Hamlet production was invited to Florence for three performances in early January
1987 (Florence was Cultural City of Europe in 1986-87 and this was the concluding event).
Performances took place in the 17th-century Pergola Theatre, which had the right ambience for
Bergman’s Hamlet production. One problem however was the amount of electricity needed for
the performance, but this was remedied by having the electric company in town shut off the
lights in two villages outside of Florence, as well as at a fashion show. See Löfgren, Bakom
masker, p. 256.
Reception
Sabine Heymann’s report ‘Hamlet Heute’, Theater Heute 5/87: 32-34 refers to week-long Italian
media reporting on Dramaten and Bergman’s Hamlet prior to the first night opening. The press
conference before opening night was packed. Italian critics were well informed about the
Swedish debate, referred to as ‘an execution of Ingmar Bergman’. Peter Stormare responded
to questions about the negative Swedish reception of Bergman’s Hamlet. Pernilla Östergren
(Ophelia) mentioned Bergman’s reference to Ophelia as ‘a conscience that dies and dissolves
but lives on as a memory.’ The Italian response was respectful but critics expressed their
disappointment at Bergman cancelling his scheduled appearance, the second time in Italy (first

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time at Spoleto Theatre Festival in 1986). See Carlo Lienzi’s report in Nazione Spettacolo, 9
January 1987 (‘Dalla Svezia ma senza Bergman’).
Reporters sometimes outdid each other in hinting at a scandalously outrageous production
in the offing, with sodomy, incest, rape and homosexuality on stage. This was said to reflect an
aging Bergman in the middle of a sexual crisis.
A more serious media event in connection with Dramaten’s visit with Hamlet was a con-
ference arranged by Teatro regionale toscana at Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, sponsored
by the Slavic, Germanic, and Ugro-Finnish Department at Florence University. Participating
were Dramaten head Lars Löfgren, translator Göran O. Ericsson, theatre historian Laura Car-
etti, and actors Pernilla Östergren and Peter Stormare. The moderator was Florence’s leading
theatre critic Paolo Emilio Poesio, who summed up: ‘This is without doubt Bergman’s inter-
pretation of Shakespeare. Just as the Bible has apocryphical books besides the canonical ones,
one can say that this is an apocryphical interpretation. That does not preclude that it be an
interpretation based on great knowledge and great love of Shakespeare. Besides, the production
is full of new observations of the text and that is what makes it so excellent’. See ‘In occasione
della prima di ieri alla Pergola’, La Republica, 10 January 1987.
The Italian reviews of Bergman’s Hamlet were mixed but the performance was a public
success. Reviewers chose a less evaluative and more analytical approach than their Swedish
colleagues. Though critical of the ending, several found Bergman’s placement of the ‘To be or
not to be’ soliloquy ingenious: by having Hamlet address the visting actors, Bergman trans-
formed the soliloquy into an essential theatre metaphor rather than a dark and despondent
view of life (Bonino). The meta-theatrical aspect of Bergman’s staging was noted favorably in
many of the reviews, as was Peter Stormare’s portrayal of Hamlet as the eternal intellectual
(Brunelli). There was critical agreement that this was Bergman’s Hamlet as much as Shake-
speare’s: ‘This was the same Shakespeare that mixed magic and death in Fanny and Alexander’.
(Volli).
For Swedish summaries of Italian reception of Hamlet production, see Peter Loewe, ‘Hamlet i
Florens. Blandade omdömen’ [Hamlet in Florence. Mixed evaluations], DN, 13 January 1987, or
the same reporter, ‘Italienarna gillade Hamlet’ [The Italians liked Hamlet], Östgöta-Correspon-
denten, 14 January 1987, and Ann-Mari Kjellander, ‘Dramaten i Italien. “Hamlet kitsch”’, SvD, 12
January 1987.
An American report by Gordon Rogoff of the Hamlet performance in Florence appeared in
The Village Voice, 3 February 1987 (‘Directorially Bound’). Rogoff termed Bergman’s Hamlet ‘a
remarkable achievement, the most eloquent reading of Shakespeare since [Peter] Brook’s Lear
[...] Shakespeare is presented with a paradoxical respect. [...] Hamlet, for once, emerges like a
painting scrubbed back to its original colors’.
A German report on the reception of Hamlet in Stockholm and in Florence was written by
Sabine Heymann. ‘Wie in einem Spiegel’, Frankfurter Rundschau, 22 January 1987. Heymann
also gave a positive review of the production. Cf. her article in Theater Heute above.
Reviews
Bonino, Guido Davico. ‘Amleto, il ribelle punk’. La Stampa, 11 January 1987.
Brunelli, Vittorio. ‘Firenze ha acclamato l’Amleto’ diverso di Bergman’. Corriere della Serra, 11
January 1987.
Lapini, Lia. ‘Bergman, Luci di Amleto’. Paese Sera, 11 January 1987.
Lienza, Carlo. ‘Dalla Svezia ma senza Ingmar’. Nazione, 9 January 1987. (Preview).
Lucchesini, Paolo. ‘I turbamenti del giovane Hamlet’. Nazione, 11 January 1987.
Ronfani, Ugo. ‘Amleto splendido, quasi punk’. Il Giorno, 11 January 1987.
Savioli, Aggeo. ‘Amleto e il grande dittatore’. L’Unita, 11 January 1987.

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Testaferrata, Luigi. ‘Bergman si specchia in Amleto’. Il Giornale degli spettacolo, 11 January 1987.
Tian, Renzo. ‘La rabbia del principe impziente’. Il Messaggero, 11 January 1987.
Vannucci, Marcello. ‘Bergman si specchia in Amleto’. Il Giornale, 11 January 1987.
Volli, Ugo. ‘“Amleto”, l’incapacita di decifrare il mondo’. La Republica, 11 January 1987.
2. London and Edinburgh, June 10-15, 1987
The London performances of Dramaten’s Hamlet took place 10-15 June 1987 at the Lyttleton
Stage, one of three stages in the National Theatre’s performance complex in London. The visit
was occasioned by the National Theatre’s 10-year anniversary, which included a Swedish week.
Besides five performances of Hamlet, Dramaten also presented two evenings of Bergman’s 1985
production of Strindberg’s Miss Julie. The event represented the first time that the National
Theatre had invited foreign theatre productions to its stages; the other visiting performances
came from the Japanese Toho Theatre, West Berlin’s Schaubühne, and the American Kennedy
Center.
Reception
Some British reviewers expressed the hope that Bergman would come back, as he had done
with Hedda Gabler, to direct a Hamlet production in Shakespeare’s own country (see Kingston
review below). Most enthusiastic was Gordon Giles in London Daily News: ‘This is the most
vital production of Hamlet I’ve seen in years. Though I speak no Swedish, it kept me at the edge
of my seat throughout a marvellous evening. [...] Bergman and his actors have revived, in
Swedish, a play on the British stage which we have come to regard, in the last decade, as a
tiresome exam test.’ Blake Morrison in The Observer was equally enthralled: ‘Shakespeare’s most
linguistically complex and cerebral [play] is restored to us – clearly and movingly – as a drama
of great visual force’. Michael Billington in The Guardian felt that the advantage in Bergman’s
Hamlet was its simplicity and wit ‘and that it was unafraid to go back to moral fundamentals
that, in our super-sophistication, we have lost sight of ’. Jeremy Kingston in The Times called the
presentation ‘a vigorously physical production, [...] passionate, sensual, tightly knit and persua-
sively motivated, with a Hamlet actor who ‘has the look of an Irish seminarist wracked by
sexual desires’.
Yet, at the other end of the critical spectrum, there were a number of reviews that echoed the
Swedish reservations about Bergman’s Hamlet: its self-indulgent personal note, its post-mod-
ernistic mélange of costumes and styles, its treatment of Ophelia, its lack of a clear focus, and its
excessive ‘gimmickry’ and ‘vulgarity’. Thus, the critic in the Independent called Bergman’s
production one of ‘startling crudity – elaborate crudity, crudity built up layer by layer, but
crudity nonetheless. [...] (Fortrinbras’) arrival is a fittingly grotesque finish to a production of
prodigious miscalculation and excess.’ Robin Stringer in The London Evening Standard thought
that Bergman’s treatment of Ophelia shifted the whole balance of the play: ‘Representing all the
innocents who ever suffered unjustly, she seems a repository for all that is rotten in Bergman’s
state of Denmark, which is plenty’.
Francis King in The Sunday Telegraph was ‘saddened that a director as great as Bergman
should have come up with a production so tawdry’. Charles Osborne in The Daily Telegraph
called Bergman’s Hamlet ‘radically chic’ but only moderately successful ‘because the director’s
intentions, other than the obvious one to impose himself upon the play, are not clearly con-
veyed’. But the most devastating response came from John Peter in The Sunday Times: ‘This is
not Shakespeare’s Hamlet but an expressionist fantasy on the same theme, called, presumably,
Ingmar the Black Prince, [...] the existentalist misfit. [...] Why the National Theatre invited
[Bergman] to bring this vulgar and pretentious production of Hamlet...is a mystery to me’.
Not unexpectly, many British reviewers were more conscious of Bergman’s cuts and rear-
rangements of well-known Shakespeare passages than critics elsewhere. Nevertheless few con-

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sidered Shakespeare’s text so sacred that no adaptations could be made but instead recognized
Bergman’s rationale for making changes in the text. For Swedish (positive) summaries of British
reception, see Ola Gummesson, ‘Mycket Londonberöm för ‘svensk Hamlet’’ [Much London
praise for Swedish Hamlet], SvD, 13 June 1987, and Hedvig Thorburn, ‘Lyckad svensk Hamlet i
London’ [Successful Swedish Hamlet in London], GP, 13 June 1987.
Reviews
Billington, Michael. ‘Sex and the single prince’. The Guardian, 12 June 1987.
Giles, Gordon. ‘The play’s the thing’. London Daily News, 11 June 1987.
Hoyle, Martin. ‘Hamlet /Lyttelton’. Financial Times, 11 June 1987, p. 25.
King, Francis. ‘Alas! Poor Hamlet’. The Sunday Telegraph, 14 June 1987.
Kingston, Jeremy. ‘Fiery Stress on Sensual Rage’. The Times, 12 June 1987.
Mars-Jones, Adam. ‘Danes and Swedes in goalless draw’. The Independent, 12 June 1987.
Morrison, Blake. ‘Dream of Passion’. The Observer, 14 June 1987, p. 19.
Osborne, Charles. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s neurotic Hamlet’. The Daily Telegraph, 12 June 1987, p. 14.
Peter, John. ‘Prince of Darkness’. The Sunday Times, 14 June 1987, p. 51.
Stringer, Robin. ‘Bad eggs in a Swedish Hamlet’. The London Evening Standard, 11 June 1987.
See also
Thorburn, Hedvig. ‘Svensk Hamlet gästar London’. SDS, 10 June 1987. A brief interview with
Lars Löfgren during Dramaten’s visit to London. Löfgren believed that foreign viewers
might have an easier time understanding Bergman’s symbolism – in part because the
performers were not well-known individual faces to them as was the case in Sweden.
3. New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), 10-17 June 1988
A year after the European guest performances, Dramaten’s Hamlet paid a week-long visit to
New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), with opening night on 10 June 1988. There
were a total of eight performances. This coincided with the New Sweden jubilee, celebrating the
300th-anniversary of the Swedish founding of a colony in America in present-day Delaware.
The King and Queen of Sweden were in attendance. See reportage in AB, ‘Stormare ger USA
Hamlet-feber’ [Stormare gives the US Hamlet fever], 10 June 1988. See also publicity articles in
the weekly 7 Days; in NYT, and in New York (Amy Virshup’s ‘Taking Hamlet by Stormare’), all
10 June 1988. An interview with Bergman, done previously in Stockholm, was published in NYT,
on 5 June 1988 (See Ø 619, 911), Chapters, VII, VIII).
Reception
As in London, the criticism was mixed, ranging from lyrical enthusiasm over the acting (Ho-
ward Kissel, Daily News,) to negative responses to Bergman’s ‘mish-mash’ of styles and time
periods, ‘frills and furbelows that are plentiful and ridiculous’, presenting a title figure who is ‘a
jokey 20th-century neurotic, a guy ready for the psychiatrist’s couch at best, an early morgue at
worst.’ (Clive Barnes, New York Post). To Mel Gussow (NYT) the production was ‘like a Berg-
man film on stage’ and a hard feat to match despite the questionable ending. Michael Kuchwara
in an Associated Press (AP) release, 11 June 1988, felt that Bergman’s ‘fascinating and powerful
production could just as well belong to one of New York’s trendy rock clubs’. Michael Feingold
in Village Voice focussed on Bergman’s sense of detail and ability to bring life to every scene: ‘I
can’t think of any modern director who has turned words into flesh so consistently, and with
such obsessive force, as Bergman does here.’ Bergman’s final scene was rejected by most NY
critics as ‘pointless’ (Weales), ‘gratuitous’ (Gussow), ‘tampering’ (Kramer), and ‘a less than
original finish’ (DeVries). DeVries pointed out that similar modernized, TV-inspired endings
had been tried by Britain’s Michael Bogdanov and Americans like Peter Sellars and Mark
Lamos. The only critic who saw the Fortinbras finale in positive terms was Robert Brustein,

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who felt it was part of Bergman’s total vision of Shakespeare’s tragedy as a play of terror rather
than pity: ‘Through terror, Bergman uses Shakespeare’s play to dramatize the Second Coming.’
Newspaper Reviews
Barnes, Clive. ‘Modern Hamlet highly strung’. New York Post, 10 June 1988, p. 30.
DeVries, Hillary. ‘Bergman’s Cinematic “Hamlet” on Stage’. Christian Science Monitor, 15 June
1988, p. 21.
Feingold, Michael. ‘Drinking Hot Blood’. The Village Voice, 21 June 1988, p. 97-98.
Gussow, Mel. ‘Stamped with a Bergman Seal’. New York Times 11 June 1988.
Kissel, Howard. ‘For Raw Challenge the Play’s the Thing’. New York, 10 June 1986. (‘If you didn’t
know that Bergman had directed this “Hamlet” you might think it was the work of some
fierce young whippersnapper, maybe from Chicago.’)
Magazine Reviews
Brustein, Robert. ‘Robert Brustein on Theater’. The New Republic, vol. 199, no. 3-4 (July 18) 1988,
pp. 28-29. Called Bergman’s Hamlet ‘one of the most extraordinary theater events of our
time’. To Brustein, ‘Bergman has rethought every character, every relationship, every scene,
every moment, in exquisite detail... [which] radically alters our understanding of Shake-
speare’s play without altering its shape.’ Brustein also felt that having a well-known play
performed in a foreign tongue had a liberating effect on the spectator who could focus on
the non-verbal aspects of the drama, making the production a theatrical rather than literary
experience.
Disch, Thomas R. ‘Hamlet. Brooklyn Academy of Music’. The Nation, vol. 247, no. 2 (16 July)
1988, pp. 68-9. Unlike Brustein above, Disch felt that only a spectator knowledgeable of
Swedish could judge the production. ‘For me, Bergman’s Hamlet was much like Kabuki
[...]. Bergman, showman that he is, seems to have anticipated our need for ballet-like big
gestures and choreographs accordingly [...]. However, even with the furthest license that
symbolism allows, the number of scenes that can be ornamented with physical abuse or
sexual pantomime is limited, and the rest isn’t silence, it’s Swedish.’
Kramer, Mimi. ‘The Theatre – Across the River’. New Yorker, 27 June 1988, p. 82. ‘As a collective
audience, we have no preconceptions left [about staging Hamlet] – beyond the preconcep-
tion that someone will do something unconventional’. But Kramer found Bergman’s pro-
duction quite conventional, except for the ending: ‘Shakespeare straightforwardly
performed by a first-rate company of European classical actors.’
Weales, Gerald. ‘Upside-Down in Swedish’. Commonweal, 12 August 1988, pp. 432-33. Weales saw
the language barrier as a major problem in understanding Bergman’s Hamlet. Without a
comprehensible text, he could not figure out the motivation behind some of the acting.
See also
Kroll, Jack. ‘Shakespeare Triple Play’. Newsweek, 16 June 1988 (Interview excerpts with Peter
Stormare).
Tallmer, Jerry. ‘Swedish Shakespeare’. New York Post, 8 June 1988, p. 6 (Interview with Peter
Stormare).
Sponsoring the New York Visit – Another Hamlet Debate
On the day of the opening performance of Hamlet in New York, a controversy started in
Sweden over the sponsorship of Dramaten’s American tour of Hamlet. The catalyst was an
advertisement that the sponsor, Sparbankernas bank, had published in the press on 9 June 1988,
showing Ophelia (Pernilla Östergren) and Hamlet (Peter Stormare) in an intense tete-a-tete,
accompanied by the line ‘To Be or Not To Be’. Tove Ellefsen in DN (10 June) questioned
Dramaten’s policy to let a bank sponsor the opening performance. The following day, leftist

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actor Sven Wollter questioned business-sponsoring of state-supported cultural events and

demanded that Dramaten’s head, Lars Löfgren, resign since he had sold out Dramaten to big
business: ‘The little prince Lasse Bernadotte Löfgren can hardly be ignorant of the sponsoring
debate that has gone on for years. [...] Such a man does not have anything to do with our
[national] theatre. For please note that Dramaten is our theatre, not Tjabo’s [nickname for King
Carl Gustaf] or Silvia’s [The Queen] or The Savings Bank’s’. [Den lille prinsen Lasse Bernadotte
Löfgren kan knappast vara okunnig om den sponsringsdebatt som har pågått i åratal. [...] En
sådan man har ingenting att göra med vår teater. För lägg märke till att Dramaten är vår teater,
inte Tjabos eller Silvias eller Sparbankens]. See AB, ‘Wollter: Sparka Dramatenchefen’ [W.: Kick
Out the Head of Dramaten], 11 June 1988.
Actress Bibi Andersson addressed a series of questions to Löfgren in DN on 14 June 1988, in
which she argued that Dramaten’s actors, who received no extra pay for guest performances
abroad and had to travel tourist class to New York, were being manipulated to help support
private business (‘Bibi Andersson till attack mot sponsring’ [Bibi Andersson attacks sponsor-
ing]). Lars Löfgren responded the next day (15 June) in DN (‘Lars Löfgren svarar kritiker’ [Lars
Löfgren answers critics]). Dramaten, he explained, received state subsidies only for its actitiv-
ities in Sweden. No state support was available for performances abroad; the Dramaten Board
had voted to accept sponsor support for such occasions. In this particular case, the sponsor
(Sparbankernas bank/Savings Bank) paid all of the transportation costs for the ensemble.
Löfgren’s arguments were seconded by Ingmar Björkstén in SvD, 15 June 1988. Sven Wollter
responded in AB, 8 July 1988 and asked again for Lars Löfgren’s resignation.
Chris Torch, head of the theatre troupe Jordcircus (Earth Circus) who had toured the US in
Spring 1986, questioned not only the sponsorship issue but the entire purpose of the New
Sweden 88 project, which was seen as an artistic manifestation aimed at promoting Swedish
business rather than presenting a diversified Swedish culture. See ‘New Sweden 88 gagnar inte
kulturen’ [New Sweden 88 does not benefit culture], DN, 17 June 1988.
Several of Dramaten’s actors had voiced a protest over the sponsor ad, and Östergren and
Stormare asked for financial compensation from the sponsor. (The money would be donated to
Greenpeace). The issue ended there.
4. Tokyo Globe Theatre, 2-3, 5-9 July 1988.
In Tokyo, Bergman’s production of Hamlet was performed seven times at the Globe Theatre.
The technical quality of the translation system was excellent and the audience very attentive, but
to the Swedish troupe the applause seemed tame. See summary of Japanese reception in Arbetet,
6 July 1988 and report by Thomas von Heijne in SvD, 6 July 1988 (‘Tokyo-beröm för Dramaten’/
Tokyo praise for Dramaten). Japanese audiences reportedly found the performance much more
aggressive and noisy than their own native theatre tradition.
5. Moskow, Stanislavski Artistic Theatre, 27 September-1 October 1988.
As in New York and Tokyo, the Hamlet production in Moscow was part of a double bill with
Bergman’s 1985 staging of Miss Julie. The five performances took place in Stanislavski’s old
Artistic Theatre, which had just reopened after being closed for repairs for seven years.
Reception
See reception under Miss Julie entry (Ø 466). Dramaten was in a city of theatre enthuiasts.
Michail Kozakov, Moskovskie novosti, called the performance ‘a shattering theatre experience’
and Bergman’s Hamlet figure a modern funereal egghead. Bergman’s approach was termed that
of a daring traditionalist turned radical man of the theatre. Kozakov compared the impact of
Bergman’s presentation to the Moscow production by Peter Brook.

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Reviews
Bozjovitj, V. ‘Hamlet, Bergman, y my’ (H and us). Izvestia, 15 October 1988. V. Bozjovitj in
Izvestia interpreted Hamlet as a man who has lost respect for himself, a typical intellectual
Bergman hero, the persona of ‘one of the most tragic and important artists in our cruel and
turbulent century’.
Kozakov, Michael. ‘Fenomena bergmana’. Moskoviskie novasti, 23 October 1988.
Obrastova, Anna. ‘Igry i sny to Bergmanu’ [Lekar och drömmare enligt Bergman]. Sovjetskaja
kultura, 13 October 1988. Appreciated Bergman’s abilitity to break into Shakespeare’s text
and undertake a rapid journey through several centuries to our own time. Obstratova
experienced the production as part melodrama, part farce, and found the shocking finale
logical for a Shakespeare hero.

469. SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE: DIVORCE SWEDISH STYLE

Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Stage Edinburgh, unknown neighborhood club
Date Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 28 August 1986
During the official Edinburgh Theatre Festival, where Bergman’s Dramaten production of
Strindberg’s Miss Julie gave a guest performance, an alternative festival for small professional
theatre groups, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, was arranged. A Welsh troupe named Waccs
Works performed the last scene in Bergman’s TV series Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a
Marriage). The performance was billed as the British world premiere of Bergman’s work. It was
briefly reviewed by Camilla Lundberg in Expr. (‘“Dramatenska” bättre på walesiska’), 30 August
1986, p. 5. Lundberg compared the Waccs Works’ performance style favorably to what she
termed Dramaten’s stilted dialogue style.

1988
470. LÅNG DAGS FÄRD MOT NATT [Long Day’s Journey into Night]
Credits
Playwright Eugene O’Neill
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Music Daniel Bell
Projections Bengt Wanselius
Assistant Director Jan Bergman
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 16 April 1988 (129 performances)
Cast
James Tyrone Jarl Kulle
Mary Tyrone Bibi Andersson
Edmond Peter Stormare
Jamie Thommy Berggren
Cathleen Kicki Bramberg

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Commentary
Eugene O’Neill’s widow Carlotta gave to Dramaten the world rights to his posthumous auto-
biographical play about the alcoholic actor James Tyrone, his morphinist wife Mary, and their
two adult sons, the older Jamie, a second-rate actor, and Edmund, a lung-sick would-be writer.
The first production took place in 1956 in a now legendary staging by Bengt Ekerot. For an
account of the impact of the 1956 production and later attempts to stage the play in Sweden, see
Björn Vinberg, ‘Lång dags färd sen – 56’ [Long Day’s Journey since – 56], Expr., 2 April 1988.
In 1988, during Dramaten’s 200th anniversary and one hundred years after O’Neill’s birth, the
head of the theatre, Lars Löfgren, asked Ingmar Bergman to set up Long Day’s Journey....
Bergman had never before staged an O’Neill play, though he once had thoughts of producing
the 9-act drama Strange Interlude, and had been asked by New York producer Joseph Papp, in
the early 1970s, to do an O’Neill production with Liv Ullmann in the lead, but had declined.
O’Neill was in fact one of two playwrights – the other being Brecht – that Bergman had been
reluctant to tackle.
In 1988, the 1956 production still lived on as a classical highlight in Dramaten’s history. Its
legendary actors Inga Tidblad and Lars Hansson seemed virtually present in Bergman’s cast.
Bergman said in an interview: ‘Behind Bibi Andersson’s voice I can suddenly hear Inga Tid-
blad’s. Behind Jarl Kulle’s Lars Hansson’s – besides, Kulle can tell us what it was like back then.
We are nothing in and of ourselves, we are always part of something’. [Bakom Bibi Anderssons
röst kan jag plötsligt höra Inga Tidblads. Bakom Jarl Kulles Lars Hanson – och Kulle kan berätta
hur det var då. [...] Vi är inte någonting i oss själva, utan vi är en del i någonting]. (See Elisabeth
Sörenson, ‘Det går inte att hålla sig fri från demonerna’ [It’s not possible to stay free of the
demons], SvD, 20 March 1988, p. 13). Jarl Kulle, who had played one of the sons in the 1956
production now assumed Lars Hansson’s part as the older Tyrone. Thommy Berggren who had
played the son Edmund in a cancelled 1973 Dramaten production, directed by filmmaker Bo
Widerberg, now accepted the part of the derelict son Jamie.
In the same Sörenson interview Bergman talked about the harrowing experience of working
with O’Neill’s drama:
Early on, when I looked at our task, in a routine fashion, I realized it would not be an easy
journey. But I never realized how deeply revolutionary it would be for all of us. The play
touches at strong personal experiences in different ways – and at the same time it must not
become a kind of private striptease. [...] A certain type of drama, for instance Long Days
Journey into Night, has a dark downward attraction. If you finally come down to the level
where the demons live who have triggered the drama, you cannot remain free of them. They
get to us too.

[När jag, på ett tidigt stadium, såg litet ‘rutinmässigt’ på vår uppgift, insåg jag att det inte
skulle bli någon lätt resa. Men att det skulle bli så djupt omvälvande för oss allihop hade jag
inte föreställt mig. Pjäsen rör på olika sätt vid starka personliga upplevelser – samtidigt får
det inte bli någon privat striptease. [...] En viss sorts dramatik, till exempel Lång dags färd
mot natt, har ett mörkt sug neråt. Kommer man till slut ner till den nivå, där de demoner
vistas som utlöst dramat, kan man inte hålla sig fri från dem. De hoppar på oss också].
This statement probably comes closer to the mood during the rehearsals of Long Day’s Journey
[...] than the allegedly rather flippant remark Bergman gave Lars Löfgren: ‘Rehearsing this play
has been something of the most god awful thing I’ve been through. After two weeks, the job
was done and the scenography laid out, and I got to be a rehearsal custodian the rest of the
time’. [Att repetera den här pjäsen har varit något av det djävligaste jag varit med om. Efter

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fjorton dagar var arbetet gjort och scenerierna lagda och jag fick vara repetitionsvakt tiden ut].
(Löfgren, Teaterchefen. Bakom maskerna, p. 141).
Bergman reduced O’Neill’s text considerably – removing most references to the father’s
shady affairs and omitting some drunken jokes and various literary allusions. In 1956, Drama-
ten’s production lasted 4 1/2 hours; Bergman’s 1988 version was a little over three hours long.
Bergman also did considerable pruning in terms of O’Neill’s stage instructions. On the other
hand, Bergman added an opening scene to O’Neill’s play by having the Tyrones come on stage,
hand in hand, as a family unit. This stood in marked contrast to the ending disarray, when each
character exited alone.
Unlike the realistically reproduced Irish-American milieu in the 1956 world premiere of
O’Neill’s work, Bergman gave the play an aescetic, almost stylized quality, turning it into an
existential drama of almost Greek proportions. ‘Meet Antigone as an aged morphinist’ [möt
Antigone som åldrad morfinist], was the headline of one review (Palmqvist, Arbetet). With the
help of scenographer Gunilla Pamstierna-Weiss, Bergman removed all naturalism, opening the
play on a stage framed by two classical pillars and black walls. ‘Here reigns perpetual night’ [här
råder evig natt] as one critic put it (Linder, DN). The play area consisted of a square platform
leaning slightly towards the house; around and behind the actors was darkness. The only décor
consisted of a few non-matching chairs, a worn-out armchair, a table, a bar cabinet and a
madonna on a pedestal. From time to time images of a house, a foggy landscape or a few clouds
would be projected against the back wall. A fog horn constituted the only external mood-
building sound.
Reception
In 1956, Long Day’s Journey... represented the ultimate in psychological realism. The unwritten
question before Bergman’s production was how he would stage the play so that it would have
the same impact on the audience as 32 years earlier but without seeming to be a repeat
performance: ‘Thus Bergman has to find some kind of meaning in the play that exceeds the
original performance situation’. (Zern, Expr.). See also similar remarks in reviews by Jolin Boldt,
Lars Linder, and Mario Grut.
Not surprisingly, directorial vision and artistic quality rather than timely circumstance
determined Bergman’s success. On opening night there were standing ovations that would
not stop until Bibi Andersson, Jarl Kulle, Thommy Berggren, and Peter Stormare stood clap-
ping around an empty chair, to indicate that Bergman would not come up on stage. Afterwards,
Dramaten head Lars Löfgren reportedly said: ‘I have never heard such ovations. This produc-
tion represents a new dimension for the theatre’. [Jag har aldrig hört sådana ovationer. Denna
uppsättning representerar en ny dimension för teatern]. See Ronny Nygren, ‘... men mästarens
stol stod tom’ [...but the master’s chair was empty], AB, 17 April 1988.
Critics singled out three main features to explain the success: (1) Bergman’s ‘reductionary’
approach, both in terms of set design and dialogue (with an almost 20% cut in O’Neill’s text);
(2) Bergman’s instruction of the individual actors whose remarkable performances revealed
four separate tragedies as well as a family in disintegration. Thommy Berggren as Jamie received
especially rave reviews for his insightful as well as humorous acting: ‘I have seldom or never
seen anything like it in the theatre. Splendid! Robert de Niro should be green with envy’. [Jag
har sällan eller aldrig sett något liknande på teatern. Enastående! Robert de Niro borde bli grön
av avund.] (Zern, Expr.) Zern’s assessment is remarkable, given Berggren’s own account of the
rehearsal, where he refused to follow Bergman’s suggestions. (See Stefan Jarl’s documentary
about Berggren, Muraren [The Bricklayer]). Berggren’s recollection might also be juxtaposed to
the review in Danish Politiken where the performance was likened to ‘being at a concert with a
virtuoso. Not a false note but not improvization either’. [som at være på et konsert med en

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virtuose. Ikke en falsk tone men helder ikke improvisation]; (3) Bergman’s interpretation of
O’Neill’s play as a piece pointing forward to a modernist theatre where secrets are hidden in
silence and revealed in gestures and performative rhythm: ‘Later American drama, more akin to
the cinema – not least of all Bergman’s own – hides its meaning in what is left unsaid. In this
production [...] Bergman tries to bring O’Neill closer to Shepard than to Shakespeare’. [Senare
amerikansk dramatik mera i släkt med filmen – inte minst Bergmans egen – döljer sin mening i
det som lämnas osagt. I den här produktionen [...] söker Bergman föra O’Neill närmare
Shepard än Shakespeare]. (Lars Linder, DN).
What stands out in the critical response to Long Day’s Journey into Night is a recognition of
Bergman’s empathy for O’Neill’s vision. The combination of emotional commitment and
professional acumen made virtually all reviewers capitulate. Ingmar Björkstén in SvD captured
the critical acclaim:
This is splendid! World theatre, if anything. It does not happen often. But occasionally it is
granted a stage and an audience to be united in a mystery that is immediately recognized as
an elucidated miracle. It is a great privilege to be present when this metamorphosis occurs.
It happens in Bergman’s interpretation of Long Day’s Journey into Night, which is so rich in
human insight.

[Detta är storartat! Världsteater, om något. Det inträffar inte ofta. Men någon enstaka gång
är det scen och salong förunnat att få förenas i det mysterium där vad som presenteras
ögonblickligen förnims som ett förklarat under. Det är en nåd att vara närvarande då denna
metamorfos inträffar. Det sker i Ingmar Bergmans människokunskapsrika tolkning av ‘Lång
dags färd mot natt’ på Dramatens stora scen.]

Reviews – Swedish
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Stark O’Neill på Dramaten: På en flotte i mardrömmen’ [Strong O’N at
Dramaten: On a raft in a nightmare]. GP, 17 April 1988.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Bergman gör världsteater’ [Bergman creates world theatre]. SvD, 17 April
1988.
Boldt, Jolin. ‘En familj som andra’ [A family like any other]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 18 April 1988.
Donnér, Jarl W. ‘...och var så lycklig en tid’ [...and was so happy for a time]. SDS, 17 April 1988.
Hörmark, Mats. ‘En färd rakt genom garden’ [A journey right through your shield]. Nerikes
Allehanda, 18 April 1988.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Lång dags färd mot natt en höjdpunkt hos Dramaten’ [Long Day’s
Journey... a high point at Dramaten]. UNT, 18 April 1988.
Linder, Lars. ‘Lång dags färd på Dramaten. Berggren har aldrig varit bättre’ [Long Day’s Journey
at Dramaten. Berggren has never been better]. DN, 17 April 1988.
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Möt Antigone som åldrad morfinist’ [Meet Antigone as aging morphinist].
Arbetet, 17 April 1988.
Schildt, Jurgen, with Kristoffer Leandoer and Mario Grut. ‘Lysande!’ [Brilliant!]. AB, 17 April
1988.
Zern, Leif. ‘Bergman skapar ljus i mörkret’ [Bergman creates light in darkness]. Expr., 17 April
1988.
Non-Swedish Reviews and Reports
Like their Swedish colleagues, a number of foreign reviewers found Bergman’s production
unsurpassable, a classic of Greek format and art (see Bredsdorff, Politiken). Jens Kistrup in
Berlingse Tidende admitted that all he could do as a reviewer was to kneel before Bergman’s

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genius. Jan E. Hansen in Norwegian Aftenposten described the presentation as a form of

catharsis achieved through a series of scenes that were like filmic images and transcended
the realistic parameter of the play. Several reviewers felt that the production of O’Neill’s family
drama was so intense and personal that the play could have been written by Bergman.
Alonzo, Francesco S. ‘Bergman a casa, O’Neill agli attori’. Corrierre della Sera, 19 April 1988, p.
23. (Report).
Baydar, Yavuz. ‘Savas sonrasl Isvec’in izdüsümü’. Kültür Yasam (Turkish), 15 May 1988, p. 46.
Boldt, Jolin. ‘Ingmar Bergmans O’Neill-drama. En familj som andra’. Hufvudstadsbladet, 18
April 1988, p. 5.
Bredsdorff, Thomas, ‘Rejsen mod lyset’ [The journey towards light]. Politiken, 18 April 1988.
Dagsland, Sissel Hamre. ‘Lang dags ferd i kjærlighet’ [Long day’s journey in love]. Bergens
Tidende, 18 April 1988.
Hansen, Jan E. ‘Ikke sitteplasser nok!’ [Not enough seats!]. Aftenposten, 9 May 1988. (Preview
report).
Hansen, Jan E. ‘Verdenskylden i langsom kino’ [World guilt in slow motion]. Aftenposten, 18
April 1988.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Familiebilledet fuldendes’ [The family picture perfected]. Berlingske Tidende, 18
April 1988.
Rolf. ‘Triumf for Bergman’. Byens Stiftstidende, 21 April 1988.
Sablich, Sergio. ‘Bergman, oltre il teatro l’incubo’. Il Giornale, 19 April 1988.
Sjursen, Annette. ‘Kærlig helvete’ [Loving hell]. Verdens Gang, Oslo, 18 April 1988.
Vindsetmo, Björg. ‘Tre menn söker ömhet’ [Three men seek tenderness]. Dagbladet (Oslo), 18
April 1988.
Articles
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman y Largo viaje hacia la noche’. Primer acto 226, no. 4, (No-
vember-December) 1988: 63-69. Also published in English as ‘Ingmar Bergman Directs
Long Day’s Journey Into Night’. New Theatre Quarterly V, no. 20, 1989: 374-84; and as
‘Ingmar Bergman and Long Day’s Journey into Night’ in Eugene O’Neill in China: An
International Centenary Celebration, ed. by Haiping Lii and Lowell Swortzell. New York,
Westport, Conn., London: Greenwood Press, 1992, pp. 241-48. Same material discussed in
author’s book Between Stage and Screen, 1995, pp. 59-68, and in Eugene O’Neill. A Play-
wright’s Theatre. Jefferson, N.C. and London: McFarland & Co., 2004, pp. 176-196.
Interviews
For interviews with Bibi Andersson and Jarl Kulle before the opening of Long Day’s Journey...,
see Ingalill K. Eriksson and Kerstin Weigl. ‘Föreställningen vi väntat på. Jarl och Bibi i 80-talets
premiär’ [The production we’ve been waiting for; Jarl and Bibi in the theatre opening of the
80s], AB, 15 April 1988.
For an interview with Peter Stormare and Thommy Berggren (who played the Tyrone sons],
see Kerstin Weigl, ‘Brödernas långa färd’ [The brothers’ long journey], AB, 7 April 1988.
Media programs
Grönstedt, Olle. ‘Förmiddag’ [Late morning show], P1 (Swedish Radio), 14 April 1988. Program
about Bergman’s 1988 O’Neill production with comments by Dramaten head Lars Löfgren,
Ingmar Bergman and Jarl Kulle.
Knutsson, Ulrika. ‘Kulturen’. SVT, Channel 1, 17 April 1988. TV program about Bergman’s
production of Long Day’s Journey. [...] with comments by Ingmar Bergman, interviews
with Jarl Kulle and Bibi Andersson, and excerpts from the rehearsals.

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See also
Bergström, Lasse. ‘PS till Lång dags färd..’. [PS to Long Days Journey]. Expr., 15 April 1988.
(Defense of Peter Stormare’s performance who is cast as O’Neill’s alter ego and has the key
to the play.)
Gentele, Jeannette. ‘Pjäsen O’Neill inte ville visa’ [The play O’Neill didn’t want to show]. SvD, 15
April 1988. (Background article on O’Neill and Long Day’s Journey...).
Thygesen, Peter. ‘Lang dags venten på billet’ [Long Day’s Waiting for a ticket]. Politiken, 25 April
1988. (Report on lines of ticket buyers to Bergman’s production of Long Day’s... after the
rave reviews. Bergman himself is said not to have read them (yet), since he was recuperating
from hip surgery).
Guest Performances
Dramaten’s production of Long Day’s Journey into Night paid a guest visit to Bergen on 2-5 June
1988. A year later, it went to Rome, Paris, Hamburg, Barcelona. New York’s BAM (Brooklyn
Academy of Music) hosted it in June 1991 (triple bill with Strindberg’s Miss Julie and Ibsen’s A
Doll’s House). Requests had come from as far as Melbourne and Buenos Aires. Guest perfor-
mances in China and Argentina were cancelled because of the political situation in these
countries. Economic factors also determined the number of guest performances.
1. Bergen, 2-5 June 1988, Bergen Music and Art Festival.
Anticipations of Dramaten’s guest visit to Bergen with four performances of O’Neill’s drama
had run high because of the enthusiasm demonstrated by the Swedish press after its Stockholm
opening. Some Norwegian reviewers were obviously disappointed and found the performance
dull and traditional: ‘Just four very long hours with solid, down-to-earth, conventional quality
theatre.’ (Kolstad). Bergman was said to have sentimentalized O’Neill’s play by focussing too
much on its melodramatic features and avoiding the tragic depth of the members of the Tyrone
family (Paulsen). In sharp contrast to these negative assessments, other critics however termed
the performance ‘an outstanding theatrical experience’ and ‘a brilliant virtuoso display... that
hurts. [...] I cannot find words that will fully describe the total impact of the production’. [Ida
Lou Larsen). See also Kari Thomsen and J. Stanghelle’s reviews for similar assessments.
Kolstad, Harald. ‘Skuffende Bergman-ferd’ [Disappointing Bergman journey]. Arbeiderbladet, 4
June 1988.
Larsen, IdaLou. ‘Enestående teateropplevelse’ [Outstanding theatre experience]. Nationen, 7
June 1988.
Paulsen, Erik O. ‘Bergmanns (sic!) ferd mot det tradisjonelle’. Morgenbladet, 5 June 1988.
Stanghelle, John. ‘Dramatens “Lang dags ferd mot natt” i Bergen’. Vårt land, 9 June 1988.
Thomsen, Kari. ‘Teaterkunst om og av nåde’ [Theatre art about and of grace]. Stavanger
Aftenblad, 4 June 1988.
2. Rome, Teatro Argentina, 31 May to 4 June 1989.
Dramaten’s five performances of Long Day’s... were preceded by a preview presentation, ‘La
lanterna di Ingmar’, published by Marco Palladini in Paese Sera, 30 May 1989. An interview
article with Bibi Andersson and Jarl Kulle by Rita Sala appeared in Il Messagero, (‘Ingmar,
regista stregone’, 31 May 1989). The reception was almost unanimously positive, except for the
review in Corriere della Sera that found the performance unengaging. Others interpreted the
production as a surgically objective Protestant approach to a Catholic play (Paese Sera).
Bergman’s Long Day’s Journey... received the Premio Ubu prize as the best foreign theatre
production in Italy during the 1988-89 season. The jury consisted of 41 Italian theatre critics.

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Reviews
Almansi, Guido. ‘La verita e del diavolo’. Panorama, 18 June 1989.
Bertani, Odoardo. ‘Bergman, la tragedia della memoria’. L’Avenire, 2 June 1989.
D’Amico, Masolini. ‘Bergman, miracolo di semplicita’. La Stampa, 2 June 1989.
De Chiara, Ghigo. ‘Scene inquietanti di Bergman-O’Neill’. Avanti, 2 June 1989.
Geron, Gastone. ‘Bergman, quell’antico dolore’. Il Giornale nuovo, 2 June 1989.
Lucchesini, Paolo. ‘Quella speranza cosi disperata’. La Nazione, 2 June 1989.
Manciotti, Mauro. ‘Famiglia e toremento’. Il Secolo XIX, 2 June 1989.
Palladino, Marco. ‘La famiglia: inferno a una dimensione’. Paese sera, 2 June 1989.
Prosperi, Giorgio. ‘Bergman, impietoso scavo nella miniera dei Tyrone’. Il Tempo, 2 June 1989.
Quadri, Franco. ‘Bergman, un capolavoro’. La Republica, 2 June 1989.
Raboni, Giovanni. ‘Un Bergman fin tropp perfetto’. Corriere della Sera, 2 June 1989.
Savioli, Aggeo. ‘Bergman e O’Neill dentro un specchio’. L’Unita, 2 June 1989.
Tian, Renzo. ‘Vero profondo. Il testo di O’Neill diretto da Bergman’. Il Messagero, 2 June 1989.
Interviews
Bocchi, Lorenzo. ‘Uno spot per i saponi e mi innamorai di Bergman’. Il Giorno, 10 June 1989
(Interview with Bibi Andersson during Long Day’s Journey visit to Paris).
Minetti, Guilia. ‘Scelte da un matrimonio’. Epoca, June 1989: 58-61 (interview with Bibi An-
dersson).
Scotti, Paolo. ‘Bibi gran sacerdotessa’. Giornale Nuovo, 4 June 1989 (interview with Bibi An-
dersson).
3. Paris, Odéon, Festival Théâtre en Europe, 7-11 June 1989
French criticism of Dramaten’s five performances of Long Day’s Journey ... was mixed and far
less enthusiastic than the Italian response in Rome a week earlier. Le Monde called the acting
conventional and mechanical, and questioned Bergman’s use of Peter Stormare as his double.
See: Cournot, Michel. ‘Deux grands malades de son enfance’. Le Monde, 10 June 1989, p. 21.
4. Hamburg, Theater der Welt festival, 20-21 June 1989
The guest visit of Long Day’s... was part of the biennial Theater der Welt festival. There were two
performances.
Critics talked about a brilliant but 4-hour long (and very hot) ordeal on stage which was met
with thunderous applause. Several reviews talked about Bergman’s (auto)biographical approach
to O’Neill’s drama and the similarities between his own background and the Tyrone family.
There were regrets that the performance used simultaneous interpretation, since the ‘monot-
ony’ of the interpreter’s voice went counter to the dramatic stringency on stage.
Reviews
Henrichs, Benjamin von. ‘Alles, was kommt, ist gut’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 29 June 1989, p. 45.
Platzeck, Wolfgang. ‘Zeichen aus Leningrad’. Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 22 June 1989.
Rehder, Mathes. ‘Inferno hinter der Idylle’. Hamburger Abendblatt, 22 June 1989.
Thies, Heinrich. ‘Othello im Schlafrock’. Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, 24 June 1989.
Warnhold, Birgit. ‘Süchtige Mutter träumt im Brautkleid von alten Zeiten’. Berliner Morgenpost,
23 June 1989.
Warnicke, Klare. ‘Torturen, Trips und Therapie’. Die Welt, 22 June 1989.
5. Barcelona, 4-8 October 1989
Reviewers mentioned Bergman’s splendid direction but complained about the length for a non-
Swedish audience. There were a total of five performances.

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Reviews
Benach, Joan Anton. ‘Viajes por las tinieblas de O’Neill’. La Vanguardia, 6 October 1989, p. 62.
Casas, Joan. ‘Atraccio del’impossible’. Divendres, 6 October 1989.
Olaguer, Gonzalo Perez de. ‘Una leccion magistral de los actores de Ingmar Bergman’. El
Periodico de Catalunya, 6 October 1989.
Rague, Maria José. ‘Excelente ‘Viaje’. El Independiente, 6 October 1989.
De Sagarra, Joan. ‘Qué actores!’ El Pais, 6 October 1989.
6. New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 14-16 June 1991
The reception varied; on the one hand, the production was considered ‘a very fresh look at a
familiar masterpiece’ with the characters playing their parts in an abstract void rather than a
realistic New London parlor (Brustein) but also as a disappointing, simplified version of the
play with its pared-down décor and ‘uneven casting’. (Simon). There were a total of three
performances.
Reviews
Brustein, Robert. ‘A Long Day’s Journey into Night’. The New Republic, vol. 205, no. 5 (29 July)
1991, pp. 30-31.
Marker, Frederick and Lise-Lone. ‘Three Plays, One Vision – Bergman’s’. NYT, 9 June 1991.
Simon, John. ‘Baptism by Fire Island’. New York, 15 July 1991, p. 55.

1989
471. MARKISINNAN DE SADE (Madame de Sade)
Credits
Original Title Sado Koshaku Fujin
Playwright Yukio Mishima
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Charles Koroly
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Ingrid Yoda
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Small Stage
Opening Date 8 April 1989 (162 performances)
Cast
Renée, the Marquise de Sade Stina Ekblad
Madame de Montreuil, her mother Anita Björk
Anne, Renée’s younger sister Marie Richardson
The Baroness de Simiane Margaretha Byström
The Duchess of Saint-Fond Agneta Ekmanner
Charlotte, housekeeper Helena Brodin
Commentary
Bergman’s production of Yukio Mishima’s play Madame de Sade was not the first work by the
Japanese playwright to be performed in Sweden. In 1959, Dramaten had produced some of
Mishima’s Noh plays and in 1970 (the same year that Mishima committed harakiri), the
Swedish Theatre in Helsinki visited Dramaten with a version of Madame de Sade. Mishima
had been nominated several times to the Nobel Prize in literature but was passed over in favor
of his mentor Kawabata (1968).

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The setting of Madame de Sade begins in France in 1772 and ends twelve years later, nine
months after the French Revolution. Six women, one of them Madame de Sade, discuss their
views and feelings of the notorious sadist and sodomist Marquis de Sade. That Mishima’s play
depicts a decaying world was suggested in Bergman’s production by a changing color scheme,
which remained in orange and rose tones during the first act; in bloody red colors in the second
act, and in grey and black in the final act. One reviewer (Kristoffer Leandoer) described it as ‘a
fire that was lit and flared up but left nothing but ashes behind’. [en eld som tändes och
flammade upp men endast lämnade aska efter sig].
Bergman’s production was a form of stage minimalism where a sparse décor included
projected images alluding to Mishima’s poetry. The performers used only subtle physical move-
ments to suggest the characters’ vibrating sensibilities. The acting style was reminiscent of the
ceremoniousness of the Japanese Noh theatre, while the costumes and wigs alluded to the 18th-
century French l’ancien régime, later replaced by the strict clothing of the revolutionary period.
The scenographer Charles Koroly received much praise for the splendour of his costumes.
Reception – Swedish
An enthusiastic critical corps focussed on Bergman’s ensemble of actresses and on the con-
centration and musicality of his staging. The review in Arbetet may illustrate:
The acting trembles with tension. There are nuances one did not think were possible to
achieve on stage. [...] Slowly but mercilessly Bergman sharpens the performance. [...] One
must know a great deal about the theatre to carry off that artistic feat. And one must of
course have access to this wonderful ensemble of the most sensistive of instrumentalists. It is
hard to imagine better theatre than this.

[Spelet skälver av spänning. Där finns nyanser som man inte trodde var möjliga att åstad-
komma på scenen. [...] Sakta men obevekligt skärper han så utspelet. [...] Man ska kunna
åtskilligt om teater för att klara det konststycket. Och man måste naturligtvis förfoga över
denna underbara ensemble av de allra känsligaste instrumentalister. Bättre teater än så här
har man svårt att föreställa sig].
Almost all of the reviewers were amazed by Bergman’s ability to make dynamic theatre out of a
rather static and wordy play, and talked about ‘a director’s triumph over the circumstances’ [en
regissörs triumf över omständigheterna] (Kristoffer Leandoer). The stylized theatricality and
visual beauty of the production helped reconcile many critics to a text they found morally
confounding: ‘As a dilettante I have great difficulties with Mishima’s religion [...] but in Berg-
man’s hands (the play) remains as multifaceted as it should be’. [Mishimas religion har jag som
dilettant stora svårigheter med [...] men i Bergmans händer blir den lika mångsidig som den
bör vara.]. (Zern; see also Ellefsen and Andréason for similar views).
The very estheticism of the production, which some fifteen to twenty years earlier would
have produced charges of preciosity and escapism, was now seen as a positive feature: ‘through
the esthetic filter, feelings are sifted with far greater power and awesome pregnancy than if
Bergman had chosen a more brutal and wild form of staging’. [genom det estetiserande filtret
silas känslor fram med långt större kraft och fasansfull tydlighet än om Bergman hade valt ett
råare och vildare utspel]. (Ellefsen).
Reviews
Alonzo, Fracesco Saverio. ‘Con Bergman triomfa la divina Marchesa’. Corriere della Sera, 14
April 1989.

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Andergård, Margita. ‘Fångar i de Sades värld’ [Prisoners in de Sade’s world]. Hufvudstadsbladet,

11 April 1989. (‘Bergman’s Marquise de Sade is a deep dive into the tangled human psyche,
into the universe where the wolves howl in the cellar but the choirs of angels sing in the
cupola’).
Andersen, Hans. ‘Bergman og kvinderne’ [Bergman and women]. Jyllands-Posten, 12 April 1989;
(‘Bergman’s actresses become like angels’).
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Bergmans Mishima-uppsättning på Dramaten: Det mänskligas paradoxer’
[Bergman’s Mishima production at Dramaten: The paradoxes of human life]. GP, 9 April
1989.
Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘Høstsonate for seks personer’ [Autumn Sonata for six people]. Politiken, 9
April 1989.
Ellefsen, Tove. ‘Bergmans markisinna bländande vacker’ [Bergman’s marquise stunningly beau-
tiful]. DN, 9 April 1989.
Hoem, Edvard. ‘Bergmans nye storverk’ [Bergman’s new masterpiece]. Dagbladet (Oslo), 12
April 1989.
Hörmark, Mats. ‘Bildspråket prunkar och tankarna blixtrar’ [The imagery flowers and the
thoughts are flashing]. Nerikes Allehanda, 10 April 1989.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Ingmar Bergman og bagtrappen til Gud’ [Bergman and the back stairway to
God]. Berlingske Tidende, 9 April 1989.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Vibrerande av sensibilitet’ [Vibrating with sensitivity]. SDS, 9 April 1989.
Leandoer, Kristoffer. ‘Bergmans reningsrit’ [Bergman’s purification rite]. SvD, 9 April 1989.
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Markis de Sade i oss’ [The marquis de Sade in us]. Arbetet, 9 April 1989.
Straume, Eilif. ‘Følelsenes forkledning’ [The mask of emotions]. Aftenposten (Oslo), 14 April
1989.
Zern, Leif. ‘Sex kvinnor finner sin pjäs’ [Six women find their play]. Expr., 9 April 1989.
Longer Articles
Norén Kjerstin. ‘Tvang til at elske’ [Need to love]. Information, 20 May 1989. (Mostly about
Mishima).
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Mishima’s Madame de Sade on Stage and on Television’. In Bergman’s Muses,
2003, pp. 101-16.
See also
Johansen, Birthe. ‘Guds abort’ [God’s abortion]. Börsen, 8 April 1989.
Guest Performances
1. Århus Music Hall, International Theatre Festival, 6-7 September 1989
Major Danish critics had already reviewed the production in Stockholm. There was extensive
press attention prior to opening night (one of two performances). The reception was enthu-
siastic: ‘To see this performance is to be reminded how high – and how deep – theatre art can
reach when it is at its greatest. And most rare’ (Grymer).
A discussion was arranged with the public after the performance on 7 September 1989.
Participants included the cast, Dramaten head Lars Löfgren, and set designer Charles Koroly.
Moderating critics were Kjerstin Norén, Karen Syberg, and Peter Wivel. See Information,
‘Markisinnan til debat i fjerde akt’ [The marquise in debate in fourth act], 8 September 1989.
Reviews
Andersen, Hans. ‘Bergman på japansk’ [Bergman in Japanese]. Jyllands-Posten, 25 August 1989.
(Preview).

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Duun, Rie. ‘Marquisens og Bergmans kvinder’ [The marquis’ and Bergman’s women]. Ber-
lingske Tidende, 25 August 1989. (Preview)
Grymer, Claus. ‘De tusind sjæle i een’ [Thousand souls in one]. Kristeligt Dagblad, 8 September
1989.
Thygesen, Peter. ‘Festuge med teater fra alle verdensdele’ [Festival week with theatre from all
parts of the world]. Politiken, 1 September 1989. (Preview)
See also
Norén, Kjerstin. ‘Hycklare? En Gycklare!’ [A hypocrite? A Jester]. Information, 30 August 1989.
(Claims that in Bergman’s productions, experience clarifies the concept, not the other way
around).
Stouby, Hanne. ‘Hun bygger en katedral på kloakken’ [She builds a cathedral in the sewer].
Aarhus Stiftstidende, 20 August 1989. (Interview with Stina Ekblad in her role as Madame de
Sade).
2. Tokyo Globe Theatre, 8-13 January 1990
There were a total of six performances. Japanese reviewers were impressed by Bergman’s
knowledge of Noh dramaturgy but also by his bold disregard for Mishima’s stage directions.
Special mention was made of the beautiful costumes worn by the six actresses, whose move-
ments were praised while their voices – especially Anita Björk’s and Stina Ekblad’s – were
considered too harsh.
Reviews
n.a. ‘The Moment of Art: “Presentation of a carefully prepared Idea”’. Asahi Shinbun, 20 January
1990.
n.a. ‘Bergman Stages Mishima Drama’. Okinawa Times, 23 January 1990.
Miyauchi. ‘A Mixture of French Classicism and Noh Technique’. Nichinichi, 26 January 1990.
3. Zurich Corso Theatre, 9-12 May 1990
The review in Neue Zürcher Zeiting, 11 May 1990, p. 28, called the performance ‘much talking
and little acting’ and referred to Bergman’s production as ‘a linguistic work of art’. There were
four performances.
4. Israel Festival, Jerusalem, 5-10 June 1990
The assessment below is based on handwritten, undated English translations of Israeli news-
paper reviews, available at Dramaten Library. There were six performances.
All reviews use superlatives; critics were obviously swept off their feet by the performance,
which they described as ‘a masterpiece’, ‘perfect theatre’, and ‘perfect like chamber music’. The
theatre critic Shosh Avigal (Chadashot) wrote: ‘Yesterday at five o’clock in the afternoon my
breath was taken away and didn’t come back until the play was finished. At last a performance
that justifies the festival!’ Again, reviewers were impressed by the combination of Noh drama-
turgy, French classicism, and the splendor of costumes and minimalistic stage design, and last
but not least by ‘the wonderful Swedish actresses, whose every movement and touch of voice
are coordinated and orchestrated as a string quartet, (and who) move on stage with amazing
and cold grace, like Dresden china dolls...’ (Bonz Evren, Yediot Achronot).
Reviews
Avigal, Shosh. ‘Masterpiece’. Chadeshot.
Evren, Bonz. ‘Perfection’. Yediot Achronot.
Handelzalte, Michael. ‘Perfect Theatre’. Ha’arete.
Yaron, Elyakim. ‘The directing perfect like chamber music’. The name of the paper is unread-
able.

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5. Glasgow, 13-15 August 1990

Three performances but no media response located.
6. Antwerp, 17-21 October 1990
Five performances. No reviews located.
7. Lisbon, Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, 18-20 April 1991
Dramaten’s three performances of Madame de Sade took place during Lisbon’s Festival Inter-
nacional de Teatro. At the same time a photo exhibit titled ‘Bergman/Em Cena’ opened at
Lisbon’s Galeria Almada Negreiros. Several full page presentations of Bergman’s work in the
theatre and of the actresses appeared in the Portuguese press. See: ‘“Madame de Sade” segundo
Ingmar Bergman’, Diario de Noticias, 17 April 1991; ‘Bergman em Lisboa com “Madame de
Sade”’. Quinta-Feira, 18 April 1991; ‘Teatro nos auscultadores’. Quinta-Feira, 18 April 1991 (signed
by Manuel João Gomes).
Reviews were mixed. Most praise went to Bergman’s instruction of the women performers
but several critical write-ups complained about the poor technical arrangements. Correiro de
Manha criticized the use of earphones that transformed the dialogue into a monotonous soccer
type report and created a distance between stage and audience. Journal de Letras was irritated by
the interpreter’s inaccurate and poorly enunciated Portuguese.
Reviews
n.a. ‘Madame de Sade sueca perde-se na traducao’. Correio da Manha, 20 April 1991.
Porto, Carlos. ‘Presenca dos ausentes’. Jornal de Letras, 23 April 1991.
Vacondeus, Joaquim. ‘Fotogramas de Palco com o peso de Bergman’. Exposicao Semanario, 22
April 1991.
8. Festival de Parma, Italy, 27-28 September 1991
The festival included a mini-festival of Bergman, the filmmaker and theatre director. In addi-
tion to two performances of his production of Mishima’s La marchesa de Sade, two of his films
were shown – The Face and After the Rehearsal. Reviewers spoke of the serene grandeur of
Bergman’s production, the stylistic beauty of the presentation and his ability to portray the
women around De Sade with a great deal of ambiguity. Audience response was reported to have
been attentive though tired. The initial Italian enthusiasm over seeing Bergman’s work on stage
had worn off.
Reviews
D’Amico, Masolino. ‘Un morbido Bergman fra I vizi e le violenze della signora De Sade’. La
Stampa, 29 April 1991.
Nadotti, Maria. ‘Markisinnan de Sade’. Artforum, vol. 30, no. 2, (Winter) 1991: 137.
Quadri, Franco. ‘Gli enigmi di Sade. Le donne narrano il divino marchese’. La Republica, 30
April 1991.
Raboni, Giovanni. ‘A Parma il testo di Yukio Mishima’. Corriere della Sera, 29 April 1991.
Sala, Rita. ‘E ora parliamo di vizio’. Il Messagero, 29 April 1991.
9. Vilnius, 11-13 May 1993
There were three performances, received with rave reviews that talked about the production as
‘a noble gem’ and ‘a delicate perfection’. Critics singled out every aspect of the production as
extraordinary: mise-en-scene, rhythm, costumes, performance, etc. The guest visit was part of a
Life Festival. One critic felt that Bergman’s production was worth a Life Festival in itself. Paper
Respublica carried an interview with actress Agneta Ekmanner (‘Extraordinary trip with Ingmar
Bergman’), 21 May 1993.

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Reviews
Jansonas, Egmontas. ‘Rafinuota tobulybe’ [The Delicate Perfection]. Respublica, 14 May 1993.
Liuga, Audronis. ‘Taurus brangakmenio spindesys’ [Brilliance of the Noble Gem]. Septynios
meno dienos [Seven Days of Art], May 1993.
Sabaseviciene, Daiva. ‘Bergmanas ir...’ [Bergman and...]. Krantai, April-October 1994 (journal
review).
Vasiliauskas, Valdas. ‘Prarastas teatras’ [The Lost Theatre]. Lietuvos Rytas, 13 May 1993.
Zemuliene, Laima. ‘Su Ingmaru Bergmanu geriausiai susitiki per sv. Kaledas..’. [The Best Time
to Meet Ingmar Bergman is Christmas Time]. Lietuvos Rytas, 11 May 1993. (Presentation of
Bergman and the Dramaten troupe).
10. New York, BAM, May 20-22, 1993. Return visit June 7-10 1995
In May 1993 and again in June 1995, Dramaten’s production of Madame de Sade was presented
at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), in 1993 in a double bill with Bergman’s 1991 version of
Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. While the reception of Peer Gynt was full of reservations, the Madame de Sade
production (three performances) made John Lahr experience ‘one of the most noble evenings
I’ve ever spent in the theatre.’ He called it ‘a flawless production, in which [Bergman’s] genius is
entirely in the service of the play’s meaning’. John Simon, who gave a thumbs down to the Peer
Gynt production praised Bergman’s Madame de Sade for being ‘visually, vocally, kinetically at
once French, Japanese, and Swedish’ and claimed that ‘under Bergman’s guidance, the sextet [of
women] raises ensemble acting to new heights’.
Reviews
Barnes, Clive. ‘“De Sade” so good it hurts’. New York Post, 25 May 1993.
Gussow, Mel. ‘De Sade, Via Many Filters But Clear’. NYT, 22 May 1993.
Lahr, John. ‘Gravity and Grace’. The New Yorker, 10 May 1993, pp. 101-08.
Simon, John. ‘Married to the Marquis’. New York, vol. 26, no. 23 (7 June), 1993, pp. 61-2.
Stuart, Jan. ‘Defining de Sade’. Newsday, 22 May 1993.
11. Taiwan, Tapei International Theatre Festival, 5-8 August 1993
There was a total of four performances. In the English language journal Performing Arts Review,
October 1993 (‘From Swelling Feelings to Personal Liberation’), Huang Chien-ye saw the pro-
duction as the essence of Bergman’s theatre art: his esthetic stylization, his instruction of the
actresses, his psychological penetration where ‘the different doors open towards the seven
deadly sins.’
12. Budapest, European Theatre Union Festival, 6-8 November 1993
Mishima’s play had been produced earlier in Hungary, in productions that were termed warmer
and more passionate (Takacs) than Bergman’s production which was called ‘a pure, precise,
carefully executed calligraphy’, (Stuber) fulfilling ‘perfectly all the expectations that Bergman’s
reputation has created’. (Mihalicza). Nevertheless on opening night – there were three perfor-
mances – a great many professional critics left after the first act. One critic, not very fond of
‘Mishima’s psychological fog bank’ asked why Bergman had bothered to stage the play, yet
concluded that his production left everyone else in the festival behind. (Meszaros).
Reviewers compared Bergman’s presentation of Madame de Sade to his filmmaking, which
was termed ‘sharp, elegant... and realized through a performance of similar quality. [...] To
Mishima’s multiple electric circles, Bergman adds his own’. (Takacs).
Reviews
(based on Hungarian reviews translated into Swedish, available at Dramaten Library.)

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Mészaros, Tamas. ‘Det grundläggande kravet’ [The fundamental demand]. Magyar hirlap, 18
November 1993.
Mihalicza, Tamas. ‘Bergman i Budapest – Fackfolkets uttåg. Förgiftade solfjädrar’ [Bergman in
Budapest – Exit of the professionals. Poisoned fans]. Mai nap, 9 November 1993.
Stuber, Andrea. ‘Japans fransman à la Bergman’ (Japan’s Frenchman a la Bergman]. Népszava, 9
November 1993.
Takacs, Istvan. No title. Uj Magyarorszag, 10 November 1993.

472. ETT DOCKHEM [A Doll’s House]

Credits
Original Title Ett dukkehjem
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Daniel Bell
Stage Dramaten
Opening Date 17 November 1989 (105 performances)
Cast
Torbjørn Helmer Per Mattsson
Nora Helmer Pernilla Östergren
Doctor Rank Erland Josephson
Krogstad Björn Granath
Mrs. Linde Marie Richardson
Hilde, the child Mirja Modén/Elin Ekman/Hanna Ahlström/Erika Har-
rysson
Commentary
In his 1989 Dramaten production of A Doll’s House, for which playwright Klas Östergren did a
new Swedish translation, Bergman followed Ibsen’s text very closely but made dramaturgical
and scenographic changes. He omitted the opening Christmas scene, left out the maid alto-
gether with the motivation that she represented a bygone age. He reduced the number of
children in Nora’s and Helmer’s marriage to one child only, named Hilde, who appeared in
a mute role at the beginning and end of the performance. The final confrontation scene
between Nora and Helmer took place in the bedroom, with Nora fully dressed and ready to
leave while Helmer remained naked in the marriage bed. Nora closed the door – and walked
out into the auditorium.
In keeping with his increasing emphasis on an ascetic, minimal set, Bergman shunted aside
most of Ibsen’s precise middle-class décor. The main action took place on a raised platform, in
a boxlike room with high-placed grated windows, suggestive of a patrician vestibule or a prison
cell. Alongside the platform but outside the main acting area, chairs were placed on row where
characters would sit down like silent observers instead of exiting the stage as prescribed in
Ibsen’s play text. One reviewer likened these silent characters to waiting reserves in a hockey
team. (Teddy Brunius, UNT). On Hilde’s chair sat a doll when she herself was not present on
stage. Nora was the only one who never left the acting area.
In a combined rehearsal-press conference interview, Bergman stressed the importance of the
child as a tragic figure in a collapsing marriage. (He had received criticism for omitting the
children in his own film Scenes from a Marriage). When he saw Nora leave at the end of his

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Munich production in which there was no child present, his Dramaten production began to
take form: ‘Nora leaves a big and a small child behind.’ [Nora lämnar ett stort och ett litet barn
efter sig]. His Dramaten conception rested on Nora and Helmer as a couple united in a
sensuous, erotic love but a love without friendship; instead, they enact their respective sex
role. See Elisabeth Sörenson, ‘Bergman hittar svärta och bråddjup hos Ibsen’. [Bergman finds
blackness and depth in Ibsen], SvD, 15 November 1989, p. 15. In same press write-up Bergman
also talks briefly about Ibsen’s place in his repertory compared to Strindberg: ‘Ibsen is enig-
matic, with steep depths’. [Ibsen är gåtfull, med branta djup]. For treatment of same material,
see also Yvonne Malaise, ‘Yuppie i Bergmans dockhem. Dagens unga inreder dockhem’ [Yuppie
in Bergman’s doll house. The young of today furnish their doll house]. DN, 11 November 1989.
The Danish radio program ‘Kalejdoskopet’ sent a 26-minute broadcast from the opening of A
Doll’s House in Stockholm. The editor was Lene Bredsdorff. Transmission date: 17 November
1989.
Swedish Reception
The Swedish critical concensus was that Bergman had cut certain ‘dusty’ wordings in Ibsen’s
text but had stayed very close to its core. Yet he had created, dramaturgically speaking, a new
play: ‘When Ingmar Bergman sets up Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, it becomes a production minted
more by the director than by the dramatist’. [När Ingmar Bergman sätter upp Ibsens Ett
dockhem blir det en uppsättning myntad mer av regissören än av dramatikern]. (Tove Ellefsen,
DN). Bergman focussed on the psychological aspects of Nora’s life and shifted the attention to a
relationship tragedy. At times he turned the drama into a triangle drama between Nora, Helmer
and Dr. Rank. When Nora collapsed dancing her tarantella, she fell into Dr. Rank’s arms.
Eroticism took precedence over bourgeois values and women’s lib: ‘Bergman does not, first
and foremost, stage a play that is a debate about women’s liberation. [...] [His] subject is the
nature of love, the stage is – as so often in Bergman – a magnetic field where the poles are
eroticism and death’. [Han iscensätter inte i första hand en debattpjäs om kvinnans frigörelse.
[...] Ämnet är kärlekens väsen, scenen ett kraftfält där polerna – som så ofta hos Bergman – är
erotiken och döden] (Andréason, GP). But by toning down the impact of the social system on
Nora’s situation, Bergman shifted the moral onus to her. In fact, several reviewers felt that
Bergman’s approach turned Nora into a flaky woman full of dissemblance and deception, very
close to the way August Strindberg once read her. Seen from such an angle, Nora’s exit at the
end became a thoughtless and selfish act: ‘The whole character’s hollowness shines through.
[...] She has committed a really stupid thing. She punishes his (her husband’s) loving care by
leaving him. Her morals are as thoughtless in the end as in earlier scenes’. [Hela karaktärens
ihålighet lyser fram. [...] Hon har gjort en riktig dumhet. Hon straffar hans kärleksfulla
omtanke med att lämna honom. Hennes moral är i slutscenen lika tanklös som den har varit
i de tidigare scenerna] (Brunius, UNT).
In sharp contrast to such negative responses to Bergman’s Nora, one finds Leif Zern’s
enthusiastic review: ‘Today I am not going to have any inhibitions, for what Bergman has done
with A Doll’s House is a performance so beautiful, so moving, so incomparably rich that I have
to go back to 1969 to find anything similar in his and Dramaten’s modern history’. [Idag ska jag
inte ha några hämningar, ty det som Bergman gjort med Ett dockhem är en föreställning så
vacker, så rörande, så ojämförligt rik att jag måste gå tillbaka till 1969 för att hitta något
liknande i hans och Dramatens moderna historia]. The reason for the success was, according
to Zern, Bergman’s focus on five personal tragedies; besides Nora’s, also that of Helmer,
Krogstad, Mrs. Linde and Dr. Rank. For Zern, the production became a chamber play with
five equally important voices. In fact, all of the reviewers agreed that this was a production that
allowed the performers to overshadow the play’s traditional feminist theme: ‘Everything exists

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to give the actors the greatest possible opportunities to depict their roles’. [Allt existerar för att
ge skådespelarna största möjliga tillfälle till att teckna sina roller] (Palmqvist, Arbetet).
In keeping with Bergman’s increasing tendency to include meta-theatrical features in his
stage productions, his Doll’s House included allusions to theatre history and to the Dramaten
tradition. Not all critics appreciated such sophisticated twinkles to a public with a good theatre
memory: ‘Ingmar Bergman seems more interested in talking with Alf Sjöberg and Orson Welles
than with us’. [Ingmar Bergman verkar mer intresserad av att tala med Alf Sjöberg och Orson
Welles än med oss]. (Leandoer, AB).
Reviews – Swedish
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Förtätat dockhem mellan erotiken och döden’ [Dense doll house between
eroticism and death]. GP, 18 November 1989.
Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Sensualism i pussel som inte går ihop’ [Sensualism in a puzzle that doesn’t
fit together]. SvD, 18 November 1989, p. 15.
Brunius, Teddy. ‘Noras moral under debatt’ [Nora’s morale debated]. UNT, 20 November 1989.
Ellefsen, Tove. ‘Minnesbilder från en barndom’ [Visual images from a childhood]. DN, 18
November 1989.
Hedén, Birger. ‘Genial nytolkning’ [Ingenious new interpretation]. KvP, 11 November 1989.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Aktörerna lyser i Bergmans dockhem’ [The actors shine in Bergman’s
dollhouse]. SDS, 18 November 1989.
Leandoer, Kristoffer. ‘När livet börjar är pjäsen slut’ [When life begins, the play is over]. AB, 18
November 1989.
Palmqvist, Bertil. ‘Nora pånyttfödd’ [Nora born again]. Arbetet, 18 November 1989.
Wistrand, Sten. ‘Bergmans dockhem utan nerv och glöd’ [Bergman’s Doll’s house withour
nerve and flame]. Nerikes Allehanda, 18 November 1989.
Leif Zern. ‘Fem roller finner en trollkarl’ [Five characters find a magician]. Expr., 18 November
1989, p. 4-5 .
For press review excerpts, see ‘Bergman och Östergren imponerar i dockhemmet’ [Bergman
and Östergren impressive in the doll’s house], Arbetet, 19 November 1989.
Reviews – non-Swedish
Three Danish reviewers offered different conclusions about Bergman’s ending to Ibsen’s play.
Jens Kistrup in Berlingske Tidende thought that Helmer’s pathetic bedroom appearance, on the
verge of caricature, deprived Nora’s decision to leave her home of some of its agony. But to
Inger-Lise Klausen in Jyllands-Posten the ending made Ibsen’s play painful and tragic, a love
relationship destroyed by insurmountable conventions, while Carsten Thau in Information
thought that Bergman could have questioned those conventions more radically.
Alnæs, Karsten. ‘Når Bergman finner Nora’ [When Bergman finds Nora]. Dagbladet, 22 No-
vember 1989.
Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘Scener fra et ægteskab’ [Scenes from a marriage]. Politiken, 18 November
1989.
Dagsland, Sissela Hamre. ‘Bergmans sterke og flotte Nora’ [Bergman’s strong and splendid
Nora]. Bergens Tidende, 18 November 1989.
Hansen, Jan E. ‘Nora født på ny’ [Nora born again]. Aftenposten, 20 November 1989.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Furien Nora – skvattet Helmer’ [Nora the furie – Helmer the cad]. Berlingske
Tidende, 18 November 1989.
Klausen, Inger-Lise. ‘Bergman fanger tidens stemme’ [Bergman captures the voice of the
times]. Jyllands-Posten Morgenavisen, 18 November 1989.

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Nordvik, Martin. ‘Dukkehjem med dødsdans’ [Doll’s house with dance of death]. Adresseavisen,
20 November 1989.
Sablich, Sergio. ‘Nell’inferno dei sentimenti Bergman brucia con Ibsen’. Il Giornale, 21 Novem-
ber 1989.
Thau, Carsten. ‘Ibsen før mesterklasse’ [Ibsen in master league]. Information, 24 November
1989.
Studies
Lenti, Adriano. ‘L’Uscita di Nora dalla casa bergmaniana’. Cinema nuovo, no. 4-5/326-327 (July-
October 1990): 58-63.
Sjögren, Henrik. Lek och raseri (2002), pp. 212-219. (Reception survey).
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen, 1995, pp. 69-80; and Transposing Drama, 1991, pp. 68-
69.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Doll’s Houses’. Scandinavica 30-31: 63-76. (The fullest com-
parative discussion of Bergman’s two Doll’s House productions: Munich and Dramaten).
See also Törnqvist’s monograph Ibsen: A Doll’s House. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1995, pp. 163-167.
Interviews
Levin, Mona. ‘Nora er trygg med Bergman’ [Nora is secure with Bergman], Aftenposten, 22
November 1989. (Interview with Pernilla Östergren (Nora)).
Wernersson, Susanna. ‘Prima Primadonna’ /Prime Primadonna), Expr. 18 November 1989, p.
26. (Same subject as previous item).
Westman Tullus, Barbro. ‘Väninnor spelar väninnor i Ett dockhem’ [Girlfriends play girlfriends
in A Doll’s House], SvD, 17 November 1989, Friday section, p. 15. Interview with Pernilla
Östergren and Marie Richardson, who both stressed the sense of security they felt in
working with Bergman. Östergren said she sensed Bergman’s hand on her back: ‘I dare
to jump, for it is not too deep. And after I jumped, the hand was still there’. [Jag vågar
hoppa för det är inte för djupt. Och när jag har hoppat är handen fortfarande där]. Marie
Richardson related her sense of confidence in Bergman to his total presence and sensitivity:
‘He is there the entire time. At the same time, he is the most sensitive person I have ever
met. It is as if he is equipped with some kind of antenna; he always knows how you feel,
what kind of help you need’. [Han är hos en hela tiden. Samtidigt är han den känsligaste
människa som jag nånsin har träffat. Det är som om han är utrustad med nån sorts antenn;
han vet hela tiden hur man har det, vilket slags hjälp man behöver].
Guest Performances
The production went on an international tour to Madrid, Venice, Bergen, Glasgow, Oslo,
Barcelona, Copenhagen and New York.
1. Madrid, 10th annual theatre festival, 14-17 March 1990
Besides four performances of Ingmar Bergman’s production, Madrid’s 10th theatre festival
included productions by such notable directors as Arias, Peter Brook, Peter Stein, and Andrecz
Wajda. A Doll’s House received enthusiastic ovations.
Reviews
For Swedish press assessment of the Madrid reception, see Olle Svenning. ‘Nora slår ut tjur-
fäktarna’ [Nora beats the bull fighters]. Arbetet, 7 April 1990.
2. Venice, Teatro Goldoni, 16-18 May 1990, three performances
The three performances received overwhelmingly enthusiastic responses by critics and audi-
ences. La Stampa called opening night ‘a rare and perfect evening’. Reviewers remarked on the

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robust projection of Nora and on Bergman’s ability to turn Ibsen’s housewife into a consistent
character whose break-up from her marriage seemed motivated from the start.
Reviews
Cibotto, G.A. ‘Parole come pugni’. Il Gazzettino, 18 May 1990.
D’Amico, Masolino. ‘Bergman, maestro di semplicita’. La Stampa, 18 May 1990.
Quadri, Franco. ‘In questa Nora ribelle c’e il tocco di Bergman’. La Republica, 18 May 1990.
Raboni, Giovanni. ‘Bergman mette le ali a Ibsen’. Corriere della Sera, 18 May 1990.
Savioli, Aggeo. ‘Bergman, la parola magica’. L’Unita, 18 May 1990.
Tian, Renzo. ‘Donna, bambola virile’. Il Messagero, 18 May 1990.
3. Bergen Festival, 26-29 May 1990
Bergen’s Music and Arts Festival included 94 different events, among them four performances
of Bergman’s Dramaten production of A Doll’s House. The four performances were sold out
with tickets circulating on the black market. Reviews suggested that as a non-Norwegian,
Bergman could take a freer stand towards Ibsen’s text. Theatre critics appreciated his existential
reading of Nora’s situation, his stylized scenography and his conception of the play as a piece of
theatre rather than a realistic slice of life. One reviewer (Syvertsen) said: ‘I have seen many
Doll’s house performances but none that has made such an impression on me as this one. With
simple but ingenious means Ingmar Bergman has made Ibsen’s text new and close’.
Reviews
(See also previous Norwegian reviews after Stockholm opening of play)
Schieldrop, Bjarne. ‘Genialt “Dukkehjem” i Bergman-regi’. Drammens Tidende, 31 May 1990.
Stanghelle, John. ‘Tyngepunktene mellom liv og død’ [Main points between life and death].
Vårt land, 30 May 1990.
Starheimsæter, Herman. ‘Ibsen som erotikar’. Gula Tidende, 30 May 1990.
Syvertsen, Emil, Otto. ‘Et dukkehjem i genial Bergman-oppsetning’. Fædrelandsvennen, 30 May
1990.
4. Glasgow, Theatre Royal, 7-11 August 1990
The five performances took place during Glasgow Cultural Capital of Europe celebrations, titled
‘Five Theatres of the World’, which included Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, the Soviet Union, and
Sweden. The celebrations also included performances of Bergman’s production of Madame de
Sade.
Reviews
Mowe, Richard. ‘Dramatic Tension’. Independent Monthly Guide; Scotland on Sunday, mid-
August 1990, theatre section. (undated Dramaten clipping.)
5. Oslo, Nationaltheatret, Ibsen Festival, 5-7 September 1990.
As in Bergen, critics and audiences in Oslo shared their enthusiasm for Bergman’s production.
There were four performances. Impressed by what was termed a cinematic cutting technique
that did away with Ibsen’s realistic paraphernalia, reviewers outdid each other in favorable
responses. ‘Is there such a thing as “theatre happiness”?’ asked one reviewer (Larsen) and
continued: ‘It must be what I felt after having seen Ingmar Bergman’s staging of “A Doll’s
House”.’ Another critic (Fjermeros) admitted that ‘it is seldom that one experiences a theatre so
moving that one’s reactions are generated to the skin.’
Bergman visited Oslo in private – to attend the christening of his youngest grandchild – a few
days before the presentation of A Doll’s House but returned home before opening night. A press
conference with the actors and Dramaten’s administrative head, Lars Löfgren, is covered in Jan

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E. Hansen’s article ‘Ingmar Bergman – i sitt fravær’ [Bergman – in his absence], Aftenposten, 5
September 1990.
Reviews
Many Norwegian newspapers had reviewed the Stockholm opening of the production. See
above.
Fjermeros, Halvor. ‘Pernillas Nora’. Klassekampen, 6 September 1990 (includes exerpts from an
interview with Pernilla Östergren).
Larsen, Ida Lou. ‘Når Ibsen blir ny’ [When Ibsen turns new]. Nationen, 8 September 1990.
6. Barcelona, Teatre Romea, Festival de Tardor, 12-14 October 1990
The three performances of ‘La casa de les niñes’ were presented in Swedish with simultaneous
translation in Catalan. There was a great deal of publicity prior to Dramaten’s performances.
See the following articles (listed in order of dated appearance):
n.a. ‘Els actors de Bergman no volen fer cap ombra a l’obra d’Ibsen’. Avui (Barcelona), 13
October 1990.
Corbella, Ferran. ‘“Casa de muñecas”, o cuando el matrimonio ya no es lo que era’. La Van-
guardia, 9 October 1990.
De la Torre, Albert. ‘El teatro de Bergman vuelve a Barcelona con “La Casa de Munecas”, de
Ibsen’. El Pais, 13 October 1990.
De Olaguer, Gonzalo Perez. ‘Bergman trae su “Casa de muñecas”’. El Periodico, 12 October 1990.
Lang, Jack. ‘La version de Bergman de “La casa de muñecas”, en el Romea’. La Vanguardia, 13
October 1990, p. 31.
Merino, Imma. ‘Bergman du a Barcelona un nou muntatge de “Casa de niñes”’. El Punt, 12
October 1990.
Planas, Xavier Serrat. ‘Ibsen, segun Bergman’. El Periodico, 6 October 1990.
Rague, Maria José. ‘Ingmar Bergman, el gran teatro del Norte para el Festival de Tardor de
Barcelona’. El Independente, 12 October 1990.
An interview with Erland Josephson, presented as a defense of Bergman, was published in El
Periodico, 13 October 1990 (‘Bergman no esta anclado en nungun pasado’).
A portrait of Pernilla Östergren and an early presentation of Bergman’s film script Best
Intentions appeared in La Vanguardia, 18 November 1990.
An article about Ibsen as a non-feminist by Josep Maria Carandell, ‘No me’n parli, de la
Nora’, was published in the aftermath of Bergman’s guest presentation in Barcelona and ap-
peared in El Pais, 22 November 1990.
Reviews
Benach, Joan-Anton. ‘“Nora” en el corazon de Bergman’. La Vanguardia, 14 October 1990.
De la Torre, Albert. ‘Solo se vive una vez’. El Pais, 14 October 1990.
Ordonez, Marcos. ‘“Casa de muñecas” en el Romea: Bergman liga repoker de ases en una mano
genial’. ABC, 14 October 1990.
Pons, Pere. ‘El Dramaten escenifica les dues versions de “La casa de les niñes”’. Mirador, 13
October 1990.
7. Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Theatre, 6-9 February 1991
The ticket prices were raised by 50% for Dramaten’s four performances of A Doll’s House. For a
presentation of Dramaten’s performances, see Per Dabelsteen’s ‘Dukkehjem med helt nyt ind-
hold’ [Doll’s house with completely new content]. Politiken, 1 February 1991. For a presentation
of the ensemble, see E. Saugmann, ‘Et dukkehjem a la Bergman’, Jyllands Posten, 1 February
1991, and H. Nellendam, ‘Den tilknappede mystifax’, Weekendavisen, no. 220, 1991.

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Reviews talked about Bergman’s fresh approach to a dramatic ‘evergreen’, which brought out
the ‘ordinary human’ in the play. The ending was viewed as somewhat farcical (Dithmer,
Information). There were some reservations about Bergman’s strict décor fitting into the large
stage at Det Kongelige.
Reviews
Dithmer, Monna. ‘Noratorium’. Information, 8 February 1991.
Heltberg, Bettina. ‘Fremragende kammerspil’ [Superb chamber play]. Politiken, 8 February 1991.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Bergman – på kvindens parti’ [Bergman on woman’s side]. Berlingske Tidende, 3
and 8 February 1991.
Rask, Elin. ‘Dukkehjem med spillevende Nora’ [Doll House with vital Nora]. Kristeligt Dagblad,
9 February 1991.
Bente Linnéa Friis interviewed Pernilla Östergren August in ‘Ingmar sier, at jeg ligner hans mor’
(Ingmar says that I resemble his mother), Berlingske Tidende, 10 February 1991.
See also: Elin Rask. ‘Nora vender hjem’ [Nora returns home]. Kristeligt Dagblad, 2 February
1991. (About set design of the production).
8. New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 18-20 June 1991
There were three performances of A Doll House. ‘Leaving the BAM Majestic [Theatre) I felt like
a medieval peasant after a feastday, grimly contemplating his return to the workaday world’,
wrote Howard Kissel in his review of Bergman’s A Doll’s House production, one of three
Bergman productions visiting New York during the first half of June 1991 – the others being
Miss Julie and Long Day’s Journey into Night. Clearly, Bergman’s productions represented, to a
number of the New York critics, a performance standard that they felt their own city could not
offer. The Doll’s House production in particular was considered flawless, a stylized, filmic
version of Ibsen’s play, presented as a series of cinematic cuts (Gussow, NYT). Though Berg-
man’s mise-en-scene, with the characters remaining on stage as observers, was questioned,
Pernilla Östergren was lauded for her transformation from doll to woman, in a production
that was termed ‘grippingly austere’ (Jan Stuart). What struck reviewers was the sensuality of
the Nora-Torvald relationship. Bergman’s presentation of the ending received special attention;
John Simon called it ‘a daring, powerful conceit [...] that took one’s breath away.’ Overall, there
was a strong critical consensus that Bergman’s production furnished the kind of artistic ex-
perience that transcended national bounderies. Michael Feingold (Village Voice) concluded:
‘Here was... an aging master, at the height of his power, being served loyally by executants
equally high in artistry, making a statement that was at once æsthetically decisive, in touch with
the past, and wholly alive to the outside world. It would be hard to imagine art more complete
or transfiguring’.
Reviews
Feingold, Michael. ‘A Doll’s House’. Village Voice, 2 July 1991, p. 95, 98.
Gussow, Mel. ‘Bergman’s “Doll’s House” Completes a Hat Trick’. NYT, 20 June 1991, p. C 13.
Kissel, Howard. ‘Bergman’s Beautiful “Doll”’. Daily News, 21 June 1991, p. 53.
Marker, Frederick and Lise-Lone. ‘Three Plays, One Vision – Bergman’s’. NYT, 9 June 1991.
Simon, John. ‘Baptism by Fire Island’. New York, 15 July 1991, p. 55.
Sterritt, David. ‘Ingmar Bergman Directs on Stage’. Christian Science Monitor, 19 June 1991, p. 14.
Stuart, Jan. ‘A Fragile Doll’s House’. Newsday, 20 June 1991, p. 65.
9. Japan, Fall 1991
No details available.

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1991
473. PEER GYNT
Credits
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Translation Lars Forssell. Stockholm: Dramaten Litteraturfrämjan-
det, 1991
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Lennart Mörk
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Bohuslav Martinu
Lighting Bohuslav Martinu
Sound Jan-Erik Piper
Assistant Director Irene Frykholm
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Målarsalen Stage
Opening Date 27 April 1991 (130 performances)
Running time 2 hrs. 30 min., plus two intermissions
Cast
First Part – ‘Tales and Dreams’
Åse Bibi Andersson
Peer Gynt Börje Ahlstedt
Aslak, the Smith Carl Magnus Dellow
Ole, Rabblerouser Anders Ekborg
Finn, Rabblerouser Jakob Eklund
Hægstad Farmer Oscar Ljung
The Bridegroom Per Mattsson
His Mother Gerthi Kulle
His Father Jan Waldekranz
The Bride Ingrid Maria Ericson
Synnöve Görel Crona
Hilde Gunnel Fred
Nora Kicki Bramberg
Ingert Anna Björk
Solveig Lena Endre
Her Father Tord Peterson
Her Mother Agneta Ehrensvärd
Her Sister Helga Maja-Lena Holmberg/Rebecca Ebbersten/Linda Resén,
Emilie Åkerlund
The Boys Maria Ericson, Carl Magnus Dellow, Anders Ekborg,
Jakob Eklund, Benny Haag, Thomas Hanzon, Gunnel
Fred, Ulf Evrén, Jukka Korpi, Jesper Eriksson, Erik
Winqvist, Sara Larsson, Therese Andersson, Pia
Muchiano, Marie Bergenholtz
Sæter Girls Solveig Ternström, Kristina Adolphson, Kicki Bramberg
The Woman in Green Gerthi Kulle
The Dovre Troll King Johan Rabæus
His Son Ole Anders Ekborg
His Son Finn Jakob Eklund

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His Son Odd Benny Haag

His Son Egil Thomas Hanzon
His Daughter Synnöve Görel Crona
His Daughter Hilde Gunnel Fred
His Wife Kicki Bramberg
Grandmother Agneta Ehrensvärd
Grandfather Vaidur Pierre Wilkner
Troll Kid Anna Björk
Kari Kristina Adolphson

Second Part – ‘Foreign Lands’

Trumpeterstråhle Jan Waldekranz
Master Cotton Björn Granath
Monsieur Ballon Agneta Ehrensvärd
Von Eberkopf Pierre Wilkner
Anitra Solveig Ternström
Madmen:
Asra Gunnel Fred
Basra Kicki Bramberg
Begriffenfeldt Johan Rabæus
Apis Maria Ericson
The Pen Per Mattson

Third Part – ‘The Homecoming’

The Captain Tord Peterson
The Strange Passenger Björn Granath
The Cook Jakob Eklund
Aslak Carl-Magnus Dellow
The Bridegroom Per Mattsson
Finn Görel Crona
Ole Gunnel Fred
Odd Kicki Bramberg
Egil Anna Björk
Synnöve Benny Haag
Hilde Jakob Eklund
Nora Anders Ekborg
Ingert Thomas Hanzon
The Sheriff Oscar Ljung
Auctioneers Pia Muchiano, Jukka Korpi, Sara Larsson, Virpi Pahkinen
The Thoughts Gerthi Kulle
The Songs Solveig Ternström
The Tears Kristina Adolphson
Åse Bibi Andersson
The Buttonmoulder Jan-Olof Strandberg
The Dovre Troll Johan Rabæus
Solveig Lena Endre

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Commentary
In his 1991 production of Peer Gynt, Bergman cut about 30% of Ibsen’s 5-act drama and divided
it into three parts titled ‘Sagor och drömmar’ [Tales and Dreams]; ‘Främmande land’ [Foreign
Lands], and ‘Hemkomsten’ [The Homecoming]. The Dramaten Publishing department issued
a text based on Bergman’s adaptation of Ibsen’s dramatic poem, showing omissions and
changes. Most of the cuts were in the fourth and fifth acts (Peer’s travels and the meeting
between Peer and The Thin Man). The cuts were dictated by Bergman’s decision to place the
action indoors – in Mother Åse’s cabin, in the Hægstad farm house, in the Dovre’ King’s cave,
in a Sahara tent, etc. The production became a special scenographic challenge in that the
Målarsalen stage, where Peer Gynt first opened, is very small and shallow for such an epically
conceived play. In fact, seats in the house were barely twice that of the number of cast members,
and the actors were close enough to the front row to be within touch of the audience. The
limited acting space was enlarged through the construction of a walkway that extended into the
audience, and by a hoisted platform that hovered above the stage and could be moved up and
down as well as sideways; it was used as setting and prop for Peer’s various predicaments and
could simulate a house roof, a raft in a shipwreck, etc. During his various escapades, Peer
sometimes used the walkway to sit down and rest among the spectators. He was present during
the entire 4-hour performance.
Thirty-five years earlier a tall and vigorous Max von Sydow had played Ibsen’s farmboy in
Bergman’s Peer Gynt production at Malmö City Theatre (Ø 430). At Dramaten in 1991, the title
role went to the roundish, 52-year old Börje Ahlstedt [Carl in Fanny and Alexander] who
portrayed Peer like a clown in a Chaplinesque bowler hat, a figure who hardly believed in
his own tall tales but who was egged on by Mother Åse and others to fantasize. In a radio
program (‘Kulturen’, P1, 25 April 1991) Bergman described Peer as a mama’s boy and super-
egotist who did not understand love as a feeling resting on friendship, togetherness, trust, and
respect. Ahlstedt’s Peer was a creature barely saved in the end by a white-haired and blind
Solveig (Lena Endre), an esoteric counterpoint to Åse’s tough punk mother in the opening
scene (Bibi Andersson).
As in his earlier Malmö production, Bergman made no use of music composed specifically
for Ibsen’s play (Grieg and Sæverud). Instead he used the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu’s
music. He also borrowed Mozart’s three spirits from The Magic Flute and presented them in
different forms: as sæter (summer farm) girls, as belly dancers in the desert, and as a funeral
train composed of Peer’s unrealized thoughts, unsung songs, and never-shed tears. All in all this
was a very playful and boisterous production, filled with wild dancing, sexual orgies (as when
Peer romped around among the trolls with a huge dildo attached to his pants), and grotesque
physical scenes in the Egyptian madhouse, whose clients included Napoleon, Beethoven, and
van Gogh. Bergman used all kinds of toys and dressed-up animals as props and comic inter-
ludes, as if he were putting on a children’s play, but alternated such scenes with rather sick ones:
a madman cutting off his fingers, squirting blood; another hugging a mummy so that the
intestines flew about, and Peer himself throwing an axe deep into the skull of his troll wife. It
was, as one critic put it (Ring, SvD), farce and cruel theatre at the same time. Behind it unfolded
an existential tragedy with Peer’s travels treated like hallucinatory nightmares that charted his
moral decline. A lifetime passed, during which – despite the circus atmosphere – each major
part included a death scene: Mor Ase’s demise, a madman’s suicide, the Buttonmolder’s ap-
pearance, costumed and made-up in such a way he could have been Death’s double from Sjunde
inseglet (The Seventh Seal).

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Swedish Reception
Bergman’s 1991 version of Peer Gynt was both a public and critical knock-out. Ellefsen in DN
called it Bergman’s most imaginative and impudent production and described it as a grunting,
farting fairy tale thundering through the most diminutive of Dramaten’s stages. Bergman’s
ability to coordinate a 50-person ensemble in a small physical space aroused critical respect.
This was Bergman in his most extravagant mood, assimilating literature and cultural history
with various kinds of theatrical gimmicks (Larsén, SDS). ‘In Bergman’s Peer Gynt there is not a
dead moment, it feels like a big popular feast’, [I Bergmans Peer Gynt finns inte ett dött
ögonblick, det känns som en stor folkfest], wrote the reviewer in Huvfudstadsbladet (Ander-
gård) and continued: ‘I have seldom seen an audience at a Bergman production have as much
fun as here; suddenly some hidden well of boyish playfulness seems to begin to bubble to the
surface, like champagne bubbles over a basically rather bitter brew’. [Sällan har jag sett en
publik vid en Bergmanuppsättning ha så roligt som här; plötsligt tycks någon dold källa av
pojkaktig lekfullhet bubbla upp till ytan, som champagnebubblor över en i grunden ganska
bitter brygd]. The SvD critic (Ring) concluded: ‘The public leaves the house saturated and
silenced by moods and images. Moved, dazed and spellbound’. [Publiken lämnar salongen
mättad och tystad av stämningar och bilder. Rörd, omtumlad och trollbunden]. In fact, Peer
Gynt at Målarsalen became such a popular success that the production was moved to the Main
Stage for the following season.
The occasional reservations about Bergman’s exuberant version of Peer Gynt referred to its
disparate elements of farce, parody, poetry, and angst. Some felt that theatrical antics over-
shadowed the depth of Peer’s tragedy and usurped the actors’ talents: ‘Bergman fills the stage
with his directorial imagination. But in this there is also a problem. Some of his visual fantasies
seem so complete from the start, it is as if the actors were there mostly to fill in something
already designed’. [Bergman fyller scenen med sin regissörsfantasi. Men här ligger också ett
problem. Några av hans visuella fantasier verkar från början så fullständiga att det är som om
skådespelarna mest var där för att fylla i något som redan är formgett]. (Sverker Andréason,
GP).
Bergman’s portrayal of Peer Gynt as an aging, clowning figure, a smart and rather thoughtless
globetrotter filled with increasing despair, differed from the traditional portrayal of Peer as an
irresponsible but happy-go-lucky farmboy: ‘To see Peer romp around in his underwear in a
harem setting is unexpected for those who have believed that he was for the most part a son of
the mountains’ [Att se Peer Gynt tumla runt i underkläder i haremmiljö är oväntat för dem
som har trott att han mest var en bergens son], wrote Grut in AB. Ahlstedt’s Peer Gynt
dominated the production with his continuous presence and boisterous appearance, sometimes
to the exclusion of ensemble acting: ‘The concentration on Peer makes the women around him
fade away’. [Koncentrationen på Peer får kvinnorna kring honom att blekna]. (Fredriksson,
Nerikes Allehanda). Ahlstedt would have been world famous for his Peer Gynt if Bergman still
made movies, wrote Bredsdorff in Politiken (see also Larsén, SDS).
A couple of reviews connected Bergman’s interpretation of Peer with his portrait of the artist
as a perennial outsider who creates poetry but also fantasizes his life. The trolls became the
demons who drive him to exploit and feed on others. (See: Ring, SvD, and Ellefsen, DN).
Reviews (in Swedish)
Andergård, Margita. ‘Bergmans Peer Gynt är suggestiv saga, lekfull fest – med skärande dis-
sonanser’ [Bergman’s Peer Gynt is suggestive fairy tale, playful feast – with cutting dis-
sonances]. Hufvudstadsbladet (Helsinki), 29 April 1991.
Andréason, Sverker. ‘En livsfresk om försoning’ [A life fresco about atonement]. GP, 28 April
1991.

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Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘Magisk lys fra Bergmans lanterne’ [Magical light from Bergman’s lan-
tern]. Politiken, 28 April 1991.
Brunius, Teddy. ‘En annan Peer Gynt’ [A different PG]. UNT, 29 April 1991.
Ellefsen, Tove. ‘Hisnande fräckt teateräventyr’ [Dizzying insolent theatre adventure]. DN, 28
April 1991.
Fredriksson, Karl G. ‘Gynt med nya dimensioner’ [Gynt with new dimensions]. Nerikes Alle-
handa, 29 April 1991.
Grut, Mario. ‘Bergmans lek med Peer Gynt’ [Bergman’s playing with Peer Gynt]. AB, 28 April
1991.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Knappstöparen Ingmar Bergman’ [The Buttonmolder Bergman]. UNT, 22
August 1992.
Larsson, Lisbet. ‘Dödskallen tittar fram’ [The death skull shows through]. Expr., 28 April 1991.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘En sagofarbror läser Ibsen’ [A storytelling uncle reads Ibsen]. SDS, 28 April
1991.
Ring, Lars. ‘Stor och väldig dikt om livet’ [Grand and mighty poem about life]. SvD, 28 April
1991.
See also
Hellström, Mats. ‘Ibsens troll utmanar Peer Gynt på Dramaten’ [I’s trolls challenge Peer Gynt at
Dramaten], SvD, 26 April 1991. (A background article about the historical Peer Gynt and
The Boyg by Swedish Minister of Agriculture).
Malaise, Yvonne. ‘Kvinnlig Peer Gynt med flicksjäl och grått hår’ [Female Peer Gynt with a girl’s
mind and grey hair]. DN, 27 April 1991. (An interview with Bibi Andersson about Berg-
man’s version of Peer Gynt).
Mårtensson, Mary. ‘Solveig Ternström är mer vågad än någonsin’ [ST is more daring than
ever], AB, 25 April 1991. (A write-up about actress playing Anitra).
Nilsson, Björn. ‘Ett öde mellan jord och himmel’ [A fate between earth and heaven]. Expr., 12
May 1991, and ‘Norsk Ibsen från Norge’ [Norwegian Ibsen from Norway], Expr., 19 May
1992.
Pehrson, Lennart. ‘Berömmet regnar över Bergmans Peer Gynt’ [Praise is raining over Berg-
man’s Peer Gynt]. SDS, 14 May 1993.
Westman-Tullius, Barbro. ‘Kvinnan bakom bröllopsdansen’ [The woman behind the wedding
dance]. SvD, 29 April 1991. (About choreographer Donya Feuer).
Westman-Tullius, Barbro. ‘Oslo hoppas på Peer Gynt’ [Oslo is hoping for Peer Gynt], SvD, 25
April 1991. (Bergman’s Peer Gynt production invited to Oslo Ibsen festival 1991).
Non-Swedish Reception and Reviews of Stockholm performance
Reviews focussed on Börje Ahlstedt’s superb performance and on Bergman’s playful handling of
fantastic and non-realistic features in Ibsen’s play, such as the figure of the Boyg, the knitting
balls accusing Peer of failing himself, and the strange creatures in the Asylum scene (Neuer
Zürcher Zeitung, Aftenposten).
Bergman treated Ibsen’s play as a vaudeville and the title figure as a clown, according to Jens
Kistrup in Berlingske, who saw Bergman’s conception of Peer Gynt as an ironic self-portrait.
Vindsetmo in Dagbladet (Oslo) called the production ‘a grotesque, burlesque adventure of
Angst’. [et grotesk burlesk eventyr i angst]. Though the clowning and at times wild theatrical
‘gimmicks’ in Bergman’s production were viewed with some reservation, this was oversha-
dowed by praise of the actors, especially Börje Ahlstedt’s vitality as Peer. (Politiken, Verdens
Gang). ‘This is theatre that can never be forgotten’ [Dette er teater som aldrig kan glemmes]
concluded Eilif Straume in Norwegian Aftenposten.

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Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘Magisk lys fra Bergmans lanterne’. Politiken (Copenhagen), 28 April 1991.
Cornelius, Knud. ‘Peer Gynt med varme og udlængsel’ [Peer Gynt with warmth and longing to
escape]. Fredriksborgs Amts Avis (Danish), 15 May 1991.
Dagsland, Sissel Hamre. ‘Gnistrende teaterartisteri’. Bergens Tidende, 29 April 1991.
haj. ‘Am farbigen Abglanz haben wir das Leben’. Neuer Zürcher Zeitung, 11 June 1991.
Huotari, Markku. ‘Suuri pieni Peer Gynt’. Aamulehti, 28 April 1991.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Peer Gynt som livets evige klovn’ [Peer Gynt as life’s eternal clown]. Berlingske
Tidende, 28 April 1991.
Sablich, Sergio. ‘Ne a soffitta di Bergman’. Il Giornale, 28 April 1991.
Straume, Eilif. ‘Bergman og Ibsen i russisk rulett’ [Bergman and Ibsen in Russian roulette].
Aftenposten, 29 April 1991.
Sørensen, Viggo. ‘Bergmans geniale “Peer Gynt”’. Jyllands-Posten (Danish), 28 April 1991.
Vindsetmo, Bjørg. ‘“Peer Gynt” som skrekkdrama’ [Peer Gynt as horror drama]. Dagbladet
(Norwegian), 30 April 1991.
Guest Performances
1. Seville, Lope de Vega Theatre, World’s Fair, 15-18 August 1992
Dramaten visited Seville for four performances of Peer Gynt. Börje Ahlstedt as Peer testified that
he felt some shock waves in the audience during Peer Gynt’s sexual orgy among the trolls (see
DN, ‘Peer Gynt i Sevilla’, 18 June 1992). But Spain’s leading theatre critic, Joan de Sagarra in El
Pais, was very appreciative of Bergman’s farcical humor, which to him resulted in ‘a perfor-
mance with the same freshness as if a child had done it. The same freshness and the same
cruelty’. Julio Martines Velasco called the performance a piece of total dramatic art, Bergman’s
direction ‘inimitable’ and Dramaten’s actors exceptional. José Padilla was appreciative of the
‘plastic perfection and exactitude’ of the production but felt a distance between the actors and
the audience, and a lack of transmitted feeling. No doubt the language barrier had something to
do with this lack of rapport between house and stage.
Reviews
Padilla, José Manuel. ‘Catarata de texto’. Diario 16, 18 June 1992.
Sagarra, Joan de. ‘Bergman muestra su genio escénico’. El Pais, 17 June 1992, p. 39.
Skawonius, Betty. ‘Peer Gynt i Sevilla’. DN, 18 June 1992 (report on reception).
Velasco, Julio Martinez. ‘Peer Gynt’. ABC 92, Diario de la Expo, 17 June 1992, p. 74.
Vigorra, Jesus. ‘Teatre “Peer Gynt” en el Lope de Vega. Fantastica realidad’. El Correo de
Andalucia, 17 June 1992.
See also
Castro, Manuel. ‘La firma de Bergman’. El Correo de Adaluçia, 16 June 1992.
Sanchez, Silvia. ‘La magia de Bergman e Ibsen en “Peer Gynt”’. Cronica de la Expo, 16 June 1992.
Velasco, Julio Martinez. ‘Peer Gynt, Dramaten de Estocolmo e Ingmar Bergman: tres ases’. ABC
92, Diario de la Expo, 15 June 1992, p. 68; also in English as ‘The Stockholm Dramaten
presents Peer Gynt at the Lope de Vega Theatre’, ABC 92, Diario de la Expo, 16 June 1992, p.
76.
2. Düsseldorf, 12-15 November 1992
Rossman, Andreas. ‘Flügelschläge’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 14 November 1992. Saw ‘Peer
Gynt as a conformist, an artist and Ingmar Bergman’s alter ego. The fairy tale is over, the clock
is ticking. Death is waiting, and theatre history’. There were four well-attended performances.

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3. New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), 13 May 1993

There were five performances of Peer Gynt in New York. Critics were respectful, praised the
acting but had some difficulty with Bergman’s very explicit burlesque humor and sexual joking.
Linda Winer (New York Newsday) headlined her review of the production ‘a crude Peer Gynt’.
NYT (Mel Gussow) and New York Post (Clive Barnes) were more positive but very general in
their assessments. Börje Ahlstedt’s rendering of Peer was termed ‘extraordinary’ (NYT), ‘phe-
nomenal’ (New York Post) but the character was described as ‘an unattractive village idiot’ in
New York Newsday and ‘a crude lout’ in New York Magazine. Howard Kissel (Daily News) felt
that ‘the production never seems to get beneath the surface of the play’. All in all, this was not
Bergman’s most successful production at BAM. John Simon, an old Bergman admirer, called it
‘a disaster’. Cf. however Michael Feingold’s enthusiastic review in Village Voice: ‘I wish I had
space to describe every brilliant stroke in Bergman’s staging. After a year of dreary, uneven, half-
realized or misconceived New York theater, it was a relief to be back in the real theater again.’
For the Swedish assessment of the New York reception of Peer Gynt, see: Staffan Thorsell. ‘Svalt
mottagande i New York för Bergman & Peer Gynt’ [Cool reception in NY for Bergman and Peer
Gynt], Expr., 14 May 1993.
Reviews
Barnes, Clive. ‘Bowing to Peer Pleasure’. New York Post, 13 May 1993.
Feingold, Michael. ‘Peer Pressure’. Village Voice, 25 May 1993.
Gussow, Mel. ‘Dreamers and Clowns: Bergman’s Vision in a New “Peer Gynt”’. NYT, 13 May
1993.
Kissel, Howard. ‘Growing Old with “Peer Gynt”’. Daily News, 14 May 1993.
Simon, John. ‘Less Austerity, More Ostriches’. New York Magazine, 31 May 1993.
Simonson, Robert. ‘An Epic Career’. Theater Week, 17 May 1993, pp. 22-23.
Stearns, David Patrick. ‘“Peer Gynt” through Bergman’s eyes’. USA Today, 14 May 1993.
Winer, Linda. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Coarse Rendering of Ibsen’s “Peer”’. New York Newsday, 13
May 1993.
4. Bergen Festival, Den Nationale Scene (DNS Theatre), 9-12 June 1993
Peer Gynt comes close to being a national epic in Norwegian culture, with the title figure usually
seen as a charming liar and country bumpkin. In Bergman’s production Börje Ahlstedt’s
egocentric and self-destructive clown lacked any redeeming features and his portrayal became
the focus of critical attention when Dramaten visited the Bergen Art Festival. ‘This is a piece of
theatre originating in Strindberg’s country more than in Björnson’s’, wrote the reviewer in
Fædrelandsvennen. See also Sissel Hamre Dagsland’s article ‘Peer Gynt – hvem er du?’ [PG –
who are you?], Bergens Tidende, 28 May 1993, and IdaLou Larsen’s review ‘En svensk Peer Gynt’
[A Swedish Peer Gynt], Nationen, 17 June 1993.
Reviews praised the acting and the theatrical vitality of the production but were somewhat
critical of Bergman’s reading of Ibsen’s text (too superficial), of his conception of Peer Gynt as
part Chaplin, part Beckett (Stavanger Aftenblad) and of a performance that seemed more like a
collage of stage tricks from earlier Bergman productions than a new and original interpretation.
Much of the response depended on the reviewer’s assessment of the last act. Some felt that
Peer’s clownish appearance lacked the potential for the existential tragedy he faces at the end
(Ones; Jan E. Hansen).
Reviews
Dagsland, Sissel Hamre. ‘Bergmans intense Peer’. Bergens Tidende, 11 June 1993.
Hansen. Jan E. ‘Ingmar Bergmans siste akt’ [Bergman’s last act]. Aftenposten, 13 June 1993.
Larsen, Ida Lou. ‘En svensk Peer Gynt’. Nationen, 17 June 1993.

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Ones, Sveinung. ‘Eventyrspill’ [Fairy tale play]. Bergens Avis, 11 June 1993.
P.H. ‘Svensk Peer’ [Swedish Peer]. Gula Tidend, 12 June 1993.
Syvertsen, Emil Otto. ‘I Bergmans redselkabinett’ [In B’s chamber of horrors]. Fædrelandsven-
nen, 11 June 1993.
Thomsen, Kari. ‘Det gamle barn Peer’ [The old child Peer]. Stavanger Aftenblad, 14 June 1993.
See also
Gjelsvik, Erling. ‘Peer som buskis’ [Peer as burlesque]. Bergensavisen, 11 June 1993. (A brief
comparison between Bergman’s production and Kjetil Bang-Hansen’s version of the play,
which opened the festival; admires Bergman’s virtuosity but was more moved by Bang-
Hansen’s production).

1993/94
474. SISTA SKRIKET – EN LÄTT TINTAD MORALITET [The Last Cry – a slightly tinted
morality play]
The morality play reference is used here by Bergman even more loosely than in his collection
Moraliteter back in 1948. The morality term has no metaphysical overtones but alludes to the
crass business ‘morality’ displayed by af Klercker’s film producer, Charles Magnuson.
Synopsis
A short one-act stage play, later filmed for television, tells of the fictitious encounter in 1919
between Charles Magnusson, the founder of the early Swedish film company Svenska Bio, and
silent filmmaker Georg af Klercker who used to work for Magnusson. The play is a meeting of
talent and power, film artist and business-like producer. Af Klercker, who has made films for a
film company in Gothenburg, is drunk and burnt out. His attempt to gain interest and support
from Charles Magnusson for a new film idea becomes one long monologue by af Klercker, in
part a professional resume, in part a humiliating plea. At the end he is dismissed by Magnusson,
who also withdraws af Klercker’s courtesy ticket to film and theatre events in Stockholm.
Credits
Playwright Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage SFI (Bio Victor); in Malmö (Victoria); Gothenburg,
(Lorensberg Theatre); and Dramaten, (Small Stage)
Opening Dates 4 February 1993; 20 September 1993; 8 February 1994;
and 9 October 1994
Number of Performances 22 in total
Cast
Georg af Klercker Björn Granath
Charles Magnusson Ingvar Kjellson
Miss Holm, Magnusson’s secretary Anna von Rosen
Commentary
In 1978, ‘The Ingmar Bergman Plaque’ was instituted in connection with Bergman’s 60th
birthday to honor someone active in the Swedish cinema. Since 1992 the award has been called
‘The Ingmar Bergman Prize’. In that year it was divided between film restoration expert Inga
Adolphson and (posthumously) the silent film director, Georg af Klercker, a contemporary of
the more famous directors Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller. Adolphson had restored Klerck-

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er’s film Nattliga toner [Nightly tunes] from 1917. In connection with an exclusive showing of the
restored film plus another Klercker screen work, Under cirkuskupolen [Under the circus cupola],
Bergman wrote and directed his play Sista skriket. Performed by Dramaten actors, the play was
first presented at the SFI Victor movie theatre on 5 February 1993, then toured Malmö and
Gothenburg (shown at Gothenburg Film Festival). Dramaten’s Small Stage (Lilla scenen), an
old movie theatre, presented the combined film and stage program 16 times in October 1994.
Later the play was adapted for television and shown on 6 January and 8 April 1995. The TV
broadcast was preceded by an exposé of the Swedish silent cinema between 1916-1920, narrated
by Bergman.
As a result of Bergman’s attention to Georg af Klercker’s films, the Centre culturel suèdois in
Paris presented a retrospective of Klercker’s work on 21 January 1996.
Reception
Bergman’s play opened as somewhat of an in-house showing, billed as an af Klercker evening.
There were relatively few reviews, most of them focussing on af Klercker. Those who wrote
about Bergman’s play were, however, by and large enthusiastic; several pointed out Bergman’s
sharp and humorous dialogue, suggesting that Sista skriket was based on Bergman’s memories
of his own early days in the film industry.
Bergman talked about af Klercker and his play in an interview with Jannike Åhlund. ‘Berg-
man vid källsprånget’ [Bergman at the source]. Chaplin, no. 239, (April-May), 1992: 29-35.
SFI Reviews opening
Andersson, Gunder. ‘Till attack mot tigandets diktatur’ [Attacking the dictatorship of remain-
ing silent]. AB, 5 February 1993, pp. 4-5.
Furhammar, Leif. ‘Enastående enaktare av Bergman’ [Superb one-acter by Bergman]. DN, 5
February 1993, p. B1.
Malmö (Victoria) performance
Aghed, Jan. ‘Underhållande hyllning till af Klercker’ [Entertaining homage to af Klercker]. SDS,
22 September 1993, p. A15.
Lindberg, Börje. ‘Ingmar Bergman äreräddar’ [Bergman rescues (af Klercker’s) honor]. Arbetet,
22 September 1993, p. 5 (Section 2).
Gothenburg (Lorensbergsteatern) performance
Kågström, Per. ‘Grymt och roligt’ [Cruel and funny]. Festivaltidningen Draken, February 1994,
p. 6.
Dramaten, Lilla scenen (Small Stage)
Grünstein, Michael. ‘Bergmans Sista Skriket smakar beskt’ [Bergman’s Last Gasp has tart
flavor]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 1 November 1994. (Sees play as a bitter Bergman variation of
a father-son struggle.)
Wahlin, Claes. ‘Bergmans bagateller’ [Bergman’s trifles]. AB, 10 October 1994.
Television version: See Media Chapter, TV 1995, (Ø 338).

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1993
475. RUMMET OCH TIDEN [Room and time]
Credits
Original Title Die Zeit und das Zimmer
Playwright Botho Strauss
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Mette Möller
Assistant Director Åsa Kalmér
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm, Small Stage
Opening Date 20 March 1993 (53 performances)
Cast
Marie Steuber Lena Endre
Julius Erland Josephson
Olaf Per Mattsson
Man without a watch Mats Bergman
Figure Virpi Pahkinen
Frank Arnold Hans Klinga
Dancer Johanna Johansson
The Lie-a-bed Marie Richardson
The Man in winter coat Björn Granath
The Completely Unknown Carl-Magnus Dellow
The Pillar Gerd Hagman (voice)/
The Impatient One Gerthie Kulle
The Clerk Jan Nyman
Commentary
Botho Strauss’ Die Zeit und das Zimmer is part of a trilogy that also includes Der Besucher and
Sieben Türe, all with the common theme of modern man’s alienation and empty existence in a
world without God and without any other referential points outside the self. The play is built
up as a series of brief encounters between human beings. The variations in such meetings are
determined by the roles people play, conditioned by their age, gender, and social position.
In the program to his production of Die Zeit und das Zimmer, Bergman reprinted Strind-
berg’s brief preface to A Dreamplay: ‘Time and space do not exist; anything can happen,
anything is possible and probable...’ [Tid och rum existera icke, etc.]. This link to Strindberg
was obvious from the start. The setting showed a house façade, reminiscent of the opening in
several of Strindberg’s chamber plays, behind which was a greyish-white interior where two
men and skeptics, Olaf and the writer Julius, are seated at a window, registering the people
outside. The window faced the audience, a departure in Bergman’s staging from the original
stage instructions. The rather ghost-like patrician living room was not only Julius’ look-out
point but served as a platform for anyone who might materialize on stage. Some ten different
characters appeared, at first in sharp profile but soon dissolving and reassembling their iden-
tities. Along the back wall, there was a padded ditch in the floor which was invisible to the
audience but into which a character could suddenly disappear as quickly as any figure in a
dream – or in a film.
A woman named Marie Steuber links all the characters together. Played by Lena Endre, an
up-and-coming Bergman star, Marie, too, appeared in continuous metamorphoses and be-
came, in her lack of fixity, the leading lady of nothingness, a contemporary Indra’s daughter.

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Steuber’s recent suicide attempt was suggested by her bandaged wrist. The surreal mood of a
mutilated life was augmented by an irreverant mix of Chopin’s funeral music and U2’s hardrock
from the LP Achtung Baby. At the world premiere of Strauss’ play in Berlin, the tone was farcical
and the tempo had the swiftness of today’s electronic age. Bergman’s interpretation was more
embedded in past German history and also more eschatological, with death as a prominent and
concrete theme. The character called ‘The Completely Unknown One’ appeared in Bergman’s
production as a threatening, black-attired death figure.
Bergman seems to have become inspired by Botho Strauss for his subsequent film script
Trolösa (Faithless). Like the voyeuristic Julius in Strauss’ play, the character named ‘Ingmar
Bergman’ in Trolösa, interpreted by the same actor (Erland Josephson), is able with the help of
his creative fantasy and memory to conjure forth a human being as if in a dream, and make her
take on a reality of her own. Both Marie in Die Zeit und das Zimmer and Marianne in Trolösa
have to be cajoled by their ‘creators’ to step forward, and appear reluctantly in flasback scenes as
muses of a man’s fantasies. They are also characters who meet their lovers in a defined space,
only to become separated from them by time.
The Danish scenographer Mette Möller who made her debut at Dramaten in this Bergman
production, was interviewed in SvD (‘Första teaterpremiären för TV-scenograf ’/First theatre
opening for TV scenographer), 20 March 1993. Möller had assisted Bergman in transferring his
theatre production of Mishima’s Madame de Sade to television.
Lena Endre was interviewed in DN about her role in Bergman’s production of Strauss’ play.
See Yvonne Malaise, ‘En temp i röven på 90-talet’ [A thermometer in the ass of the nineties].
DN, På stan section, 20-26 March 1993.
Reception
Reviews were very mixed. Hufvudstadsbladet called the production ‘theatre at its very best’ but
SvD wrote that ‘the Master does not show his lion claw’ [Mästaren visar inte lejonklon] and
referred specifically to Bergman’s uninspired instruction of the actors. Several critics found
Bergman’s interpretation academic and distant, though revealing an intelligent reading of the
play. The production was only understandable to those who saw the main character, Marie
Steuber, as a reincarnation of Indra’s daughter in A Dreamplay, wrote Jens Kistrup in Week-
endavisen. He was seconded by Sverker Andréason (GP): ‘Bergman plays in an inspired way
with dreamplay absurdities’. [Bergman leker på ett inspirerat sätt med drömspelsabsurditeter]
(Sverker Andréason, GP). There was a feeling that Bergman had not captured the dark tone of
the original: ‘All in all what is offered is a sophisticated theatre evening where precision, tone,
and rich subtlety is obvious. But perhaps a more accentuated blackness would at times have
been an advantage’. [Allt som allt erbjuds en sofistikerad teaterkväll där precision, tonfall, och
rik nyansering är uppenbar. Men en mer accentuerad svarthet skulle understundom ha varit en
fördel]. (Nerikes Allehanda). Danish Politiken noted that Bergman could also fail, in part by
replacing Botho Strauss’ melancholy with heavy spleen: ‘it is like Chekhov presented by Strind-
berg’.
Reviews
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Skimrande samtidsskärvor’ [Shimmering fragments of our time]. GP, 21
March 1993.
Arrhenius, Sara. ‘Abstrakt och kyligt’ [Abstract and cold]. AB, 21 March 1993, pp. 4-5.
Avellan, Heidi. ‘Bergman är absurd i Rummet och tiden’ [Bergman is absurd in die Zeit und das
Zimmer]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 15 April 1993.
Bonnesen, Michael. ‘Mislykket möde’ [Unsuccessful meeting]. Politiken, 21 March 1993.
Gustavsson, Björn. ‘Mästerligt om vår vilsenhet’ [Masterful about our lostness]. Nerikes Alle-
handa, 22 March 1993.

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Kistrup, Jens. ‘Ingmar Bergman moderniserer sit drømmespil’ [Bergman modernizes his
dreamplay]. Weekend Avisen, 26 March 1993.
Lund, Me. ‘Stævnemøde i Stockholm’ [Appointment in Stockholm]. Berlingske Tidende, 21
March 1993.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘Ett drömspel halvvägs till “Lorry”’ [A dreamplay half way to (the soap)
‘Lorry’]. Expr., 21 March 1993.
Ring, Lars. ‘Kallt och pratigt. Bergman’s Strauss-uppsättning berör inte’ [Cold and talky. Berg-
man’s Strauss production does not move]. SvD, 21 March 1993.
Sablich, Sergio. ‘Bergman incontra Botho Strauss e scopre il teatro in una stanza’. Il Gionale, 21
March 1993.
Waaranperä, Ingegärd. ‘Befriande resa i rum utan tid’ [Liberating journey in space without
time]. DN, 21 March 1993.
Wille, Franz. ‘Augen auf? Augen auf?’. Theater Heute, no. 5, 1993, pp. 10-11.

1994
476. GOLDBERGVARIATIONERNA [The Goldberg Variations]
Credits
Playwright Georg Tabori
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Göran Wassberg
Choreographer Donya Feuer
Music Johan Lindell and J.S. Bach
Assistant Director Anna von Rosen Sundelius
Assistant Scenographer Kajsa Larsson
Stage Målarsalen at Dramaten
Opening date 4 February 1994 (The opening was originally set for
11 December 1993, but a flu epidemic postponed the
premiere twice, until 4 February 1994). (69 perfor-
mances).
Cast
Mr. J., Director Johan Rabæus
Goldberg, his Assistant Erland Josephson
Mrs. Mop Basia Frydman
Teresa Tormentina, Superstar Inga-Lill Andersson
Ernestina van Veen, Scenographer Bibi Andersson
Jafet, Actor; plays Smoke Flame Björn Granath
Mas, Actor; plays Abel Hans Klinga
Raema, Actor; plays Kain Mats Bergman

Devil’s Angels, a punk rock orchestra:

Habackuk Johan Lindell
Hanok Pierre Wilkner
Ham Fredrik Hammar
Vasti Virpi Pahkinen
Hagar Anna von Rosen Sundelius
Ohola Fanny Josephson

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A Boy Malin Edwall

Guards Daniel Carter, Henri Hanus-Haim, Themma Tainton
Commentary
In Bergman’s previous production at Dramaten, Botho Strauss’ play Die Zeit und das Zimmer,
there was little contact between the characters, who seemed to live their lives by chance and
with no more emotions than occasional lust and desire. In many ways, George Tabori’s play The
Goldberg Variations can be seen as a retort to Strauss, with several of the actors from the earlier
production reappearing but with the blasé life attitude in Room and Time replaced by an ethos
rooted in Judeo-Christian thinking.
Tabori’s drama, part meta-theatrical farce, part Jewish morality play, is full of intertexual
quotes and references to the Bible, Shakespeare, and Milton. On the farcical level it presents a
rehearsal that ends in disarray; as a morality play, it depicts a series of disasters throughout the
history of mankind where God has decided not to intervene. In the play within the play, the
director J. (J. as in Jahve) is the main character; in the tragic story of mankind, Goldberg, J.’s old
assistant, occupies center stage as a fusion of Ahasverus, Moses, and Christ. Bergman chose
again the small Målarsalen stage at Dramaten, which facilitated his sought-after contact be-
tween stage and audience. He placed the director J. among the front row seats and instructed
the actors to seek eye contact with individual spectators.
The entire play was printed in the theatre program in a translation by Erland Josephson and
Ulla Åberg.
Reception
Bergman’s production of Tabori’s play, which one critic (Lars Ring, SvD) referred to as ‘a fast-
forward farcical version of the Bible’ [en snabbspolad farsversion av bibeln], received rave
reviews both in the Stockholm area and in the press outside the capital. Sweden’s largest
newspaper, DN, even changed its standard place for theatre columns by printing the entire
review on its front page.
Many reviewers remarked on a certain affinity between Tabori’s work and Bergman’s own
interest and background: his irreverence and questioning of God, his familiarity with biblical
stories and their symbolism, his affinity for burlesque humor and his modernistic interest in
meta-theatrical dramatic forms (see Franzén, DN; Kollberg in UNT and Nilsson in Expr.). ‘His
loyalty to the text has made some of his recent classical productions boring’, wrote Franzén.
‘But here the text is not sacred. Bergman permits himself a form of theatrical coarseness and
mischief that is refreshing’. [Hans lojalitet mot texten har gjort några av hans senaste klassiska
uppsättningar tråkiga. Men här är texten inte helig. Bergman tillåter sig en form av teatralisk
grovhet och okynne som är uppfriskande].
Reviewers were intrigued by Tabori’s and Bergman’s juxtaposition of different dramatic
traditions: ‘Seriousness shares the space with farce in a performance spiced with extravagant
humor’ [allvar delar plats med fars i en föreställning kryddad med överdådig humor], wrote
Västerbottens-Kuriren and felt that the play had everything to attract both an intellectual,
traditional theatre public and young people of pop music age. SvD encouraged its readers –
‘atheists and seekers alike’ – to ‘go to Dramaten and meet God and his Messiah, Goldberg’. [att
gå till Dramaten och möta Gud och hans Messias]. Actors in the burlesque roles, including
Bergman’s own son Mats Bergman, carried the first half of the play, but the one performer who,
according to the reviews, gave an extra dimension to Tabori’s piece, was Goldberg himself,
Erland Josephson: ‘He observes the stage escapades with tired irony... and gives Tabori’s play the
kind of firmness it needs in order not to become a mere display of dramatic virtuosity’. [Han
observerar scenupptågen med trött ironi... och ger åt Taboris pjäs den slags fasthet den behöver
för att inte bli ett rent utspel av dramatisk vituositet]. The same reviewer (Fredriksson) also

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remarked positively on Bergman’s use of well-established actors for all the parts, major as well
as minor. He concluded: ‘It is impossible not to praise author, director and ensemble. The
whole thing is a brilliant production’ [Det är omöjligt att inte lovprisa författaren, regissören
och ensemblen. Det hela är en lysande uppsättning]. (Nerikes Allehanda).
Reviews
Avellan, Heidi. ‘Burlesk bibelläsning’ [Burlesque Bible reading]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 9 February
1994.
Dithmer, Mona. ‘Bergmans skaberverk’ [Bergman’s creative work]. Politiken, 6 February 1994.
Fishbach, Lars. ‘Hjärta och humor mellan raderna’ [Heart and humor between the lines].
Östgöta-Correspondenten, 15 February 1994.
Franzén, Lars Olof. ‘Bra krut i busig Bergman’ [Great go in mischievous Bergman]. DN, 5
February 1994.
Fredriksson, Karl G. ‘Virtuosa variationer med det rätta tuggmotståndet’ [Virtuoso variations
with the right chewing resistance]. Nerikes Allehanda (NA), 5 February 1994.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Ingmar Bergmans bibelske teater’. Berlingske Tidende, 5 February 1994.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Allvar och gyckel på biblisk grund’ [Seriousness and farce on Biblical
ground]. UNT, 5 February 1994.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Bergman svänger sitt trollspö’ [Bergman waves his magic wand]. SDS, 5
February 1994.
Lundberg, Christina. ‘En triumf för Bergman – och teaterkonsten’ [A triumph for Bergman –
and for theatre art]. Västerbottens-Kuriren, 7 February 1994.
Nilsson, Björn. ‘Det gamla spelet om Envar’ [The old play about Everyman]. Expr., 5 February
1994.
Ring, Lars. ‘Genial text iscensatt med lätt hand’ [Ingenious text staged with a light touch]. SvD,
5 February 1994.
Sörenson, Ulf. ‘Guds ofullkomliga teater’ [God’s imperfect theatre]. GP, 5 February 1994.
Wahlin, Claes. ‘Taboris värld – och Bergmans’ [Tabori’s world – and Bergman’s]. AB, 5 Feb-
ruary 1994.
See also
Basia Frydman, who played the cleaning-lady Mrs. Mop, was interviewed about Tabori’s play in
DN’s ‘På stan’ section, 17 December 1993.
An account of the preparation for the production, including a lecture by head rabbi in
Stockholm, Morton H. Narrowe, was published by Erwin Leiser, ‘Was ist, wenn Gott nicht
Gott ist?’ Weltwoche, 16 February 1994.

477. VINTERSAGAN [The Winter’s Tale]

Credits
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Lennart Mörk
Music Compositions for Almqvist’s Songes
Stage The Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening date 9 April 1994 (114 performances)
Cast
The female Singer Irene Lindh
The male Singer Pierre Wilkner
King Leontes Börje Ahlstedt

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Queen Hermione Pernilla August

Perdita, their daughter Kristina Törnqvist
Mamillius, age 10 Anna Björk
King Polixenes Krister Henriksson
Florizel, his son Jakob Eklund
Camillo, Sicilian nobleman Gösta Prüzelius
Antigonus Ingvar Kjellson
Cleomenes Jan Blomberg
Dion Pierre Wilkner
Paulina, Antigonus’ wife Bibi Andersson
Emilia Monica Nielsen
Amalia Thérèse Brunnander
Archidamus Oscar Ljung
A Judge John Zacharias
Gerontes Gerd Hagman
The Shepherd Tord Peterson
Clown, his son Per Matsson
Autolycus, petty swindler Reine Brynolfsson
Mopsa, a shepherdess Thérèse Brunnander
Dorcas, a sherpedess Monica Nielsen
Sailor Jan Nyman
Prison Guard Oscar Ljung
An Abbess Gerd Hagman
An Old Courtier Ingvar Kjellson
Time Kristina Adolphson
Commentary
In a self-styled interview (Dramat, no. 3, 1994, under pseudonym Anna Salander), Bergman
mentions having been fascinated by The Winter’s Tale as early as 1932 when he was experiment-
ing with his puppet theatre. His 1994 Dramaten production of the play was the third one in
Sweden in a short period of time but also the boldest in terms of conception and handling of
Shakespeare’s text. Using a new commissioned translation (by Britt G. Hallqvist and Claes
Schaar), Bergman omitted one third of Shakespeare’s text. The most radical change however
was not the omissions but Bergman’s addition of a Swedish frame for the drama: the fictional
hunting castle of Hugo Löwenstierna from 19th-century author Carl Johan Love Almqvist’s
novel Drottningens juvelsmycke [The Queen’s Jewel]. In Almqvist’s novel the hunting castle is the
scene of story-telling and dramatic enactments. In Bergman’s production at Dramaten some
fifty festively dressed actors (all in imperial blue) entered the stage ten minutes before the
performance was to start and incarnated 19th-century members of the Löwenstierna family,
who in turn, as amateur players, assumed the parts of Shakespeare’s characters in The Winter’s
Tale. Sicily (where Shakespeare’s action begins at King Leontes court), Bohemia (home of
Leontes’ childhood friend, Polyxenes) and Swedish provincial life in Almqvist’s time were
juxtaposed. In addition to such a multifaceted setting, anachronistic props were used to expand
the time frame of Shakespeare’s drama. Thus jealous King Leontes wandered, in a black cape
and to the tolling of church bells, through a city landscape, a steely pistol in his hands, and
Autolycus, the buffoon and counterpoint to the tragic characters, entered the stage on a
motorized delivery scooter of the kind that used to be seen in Bergman’s own Östermalm
neighbourhood in the 1920s. Bergman’s Östermalm was also incorporated in set designer
Lennart Mörk’s scenography which included the marbled foyer at the Royal Dramatic Theatre

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with its art nouveau pillars and painted ceiling – a meta-theatrical nod to the Dramaten
audience and one more framing device. There were other Bergman references: 10-year old
Mamillius and a little girl played with a puppet theatre, over which hung the Danish sign from
Det Kgl. Teater in Copenhagen – Ej blot til lyst (not just for pleasure) – that appeared in Fanny
and Alexander’s opening sequence.
The Almqvist framework served two purposes; it signaled Bergman’s link to an older and a
younger colleague, Alf Sjöberg and Peter Oscarsson, both of whom had brought Almqvist, long
considered a closet dramatist, on to the stage with productions of his works Amorina and
Drottningens Juvelsmycke (The Queen’s Jewel); and it reinforced the quality of adventure, dream
and fantasy in Shakespeare’s drama. Almqvist’s lines ‘Oh Lord, how sweet to die in music and
song’ [O herregud, hur ljuvt att dö i musik och sång] formed the finale as personified Time
entered and placed a loudly ticking alarm clock at the ramp.
Reception
The following opening statement in Leif Zern’s review (DN) epitomizes the overall happy tone
of the Swedish reception of Bergman’s production of The Winter’s Tale and the many references
in the reviews to Bergman’s own cruel, yet happy film, Fanny and Alexander:
Ingmar Bergman’s staging of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale on Dramaten’s main stage has
all the prospects of becoming the same kind of popular feast as Fanny and Alexander once
was. It is not only because the threads between the film and this theatre performance are
many and tightly woven together, but also, and above all, because the whole project is
realized by the same happy hand that blessed Bergman’s last film.

[Ingmar Bergman’s iscensättning av Shakespeares Vintersagan på Dramatens stora scen har

alla utsikter att bli samma slags folkfest som en gång Fanny och Alexander. Inte bara därför
att trådarna mellan filmen och denna teaterföreställnng är många och fast sammanknutna
utan framför allt därför att hela projektet har åstadkommits av samma lyckliga hand som
välsignade Bergmans sista film].
The critical concensus was that Ingmar Bergman’s personal vision had entered into a happy
union with Shakespeare’s fairy tale drama. The framing device was praised for providing,
through Almqvist’s musical ‘Songs’, a meditative and poetic link to Shakespeare’s irrational
tragi-comedy, thus presenting an insane tale and its miraculous reversal in both a bucolic mood
and a Christian context: ‘All is well that ends well. Bergman [...] lets the dead Hermione become
a Virgin Mary figure’. [Slutet gott, allting gott. Bergman [...] låter den döda Hermione bli en
jungfru Mariagestalt]. (Ring, SvD).
As usual in a Bergman production, the actors were lauded for their intense and rich per-
formances, transforming a fairy tale’s archetypal pattern into a human tragedy. Bergman’s
direction was praised for its beauty, clarity, and wealth of striking concrete details (See Larson,
AB; Larsén, SDS). But what the overall enthusiastic reviews finally focussed on was Bergman’s
conception of Shakespeare’s play as a timeless story whose grimness was tempered by Berg-
man’s addition of festivity and poetry. As the reviewer in the Danish Politiken noted: Bergman’s
own vision of the stage as a theatrum mundi helped give a timeless quality to a production of
Shakespeare, shaped into a symbiosis of human passion and art, of tragedy and irrational
dream.
Reviews
Andersen, Hans. ‘Bergmans vintereventyr’ [Bergman’s winter’s tale]. Morgenavisen/Jyllands-
Posten, 1 May 1994.

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Avellan, Heidi. ‘Bergmans vackraste saga’ [Bergman’s most beautiful tale]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 4
May 1994.
Bonnesen, Michael. ‘Sommernattens smil’ [Smile of the summer night]. Information, 4 May
1994.
Heltberg, Bettina. ‘Fortryllende drøm’ [Enticing dream]. Politiken Søndag, 1 May 1994.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Kærligheden dør, overlever og genopstår’ [Love dies, survives and is reborn].
Weekend Avisen, 6 May 1994.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Överdådig Vintersaga’ [Extravagant Winter’s tale]. UNT, 30 April 1994.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Avskedets stund är inne’ [The moment of farewell is here]. SDS, 30 April
1994.
Larson, Kate. ‘Lysande teater, men..’. [Brilliant theatre but...]. AB, 30 April 1994.
Larson, Lisbeth. ‘Se, det var en riktig vintersaga’ [Look, that was a real winter’s tale]. Expr., 30
April 1994.
Lund, Me. ‘Teatret er magiens hjem’ [The theatre is the home of magic]. Berlingske Tidende, 1
May 1994.
Ring, Lars. ‘En saga – svensk så att det värker’ [A tale – so Swedish it hurts]. SvD, 30 April 1994.
Rossiné, Hans. ‘Bergmans superbe Shakespeare’. Dagbladet, 2 May 1994.
Straume, Eiliff. ‘Et nytt storverk av Bergman’ [A new masterpiece by Bergman]. Aftenposten, 2
May 1994.
Sörenson, Ulf. ‘En teaterfest i Shakespeare’s anda’ [A theatre feast in Shakespeare’s spirit]. GP, 30
April 1994.
Zern, Leif. ‘Bergman målar ännu en livsfresk’ [Bergman paints yet another life fresco]. DN, 30
April 1994.
Articles and Book Excerpts
Cohen-Stratyner, Barbara. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Theater: An Exhibition of Process and
Results’. In Nordic Theatre Studies 11 (special Bergman issue, 1994), pp. 98-109. (Discusses
the set design for Bergman’s staging of The Winter’s Tale.)
Lahr, John. ‘Winter Songs’. The New Yorker, 3 October 1994, pp. 105-08. Reprinted in Ingmar
Bergman: An Artist’s Journey, ed. by Roger Oliver. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995, pp.
155-160.
Loman, Rikard. ‘Svartsjuka. William Shakespeares och Ingmar Bergmans vintersagor’ [Jealousy.
WS’s and Bergman’s winter tales]. In Ingmar Bergman. Film och teater i växelverkan, ed. by
Maragareta Wirmark. Stockholm: Carlssons, 1996, pp. 152-171. (Juxtaposes Leontes’ irra-
tional and unmotivated jealousy towards an innocent Hermione in Shakespeare’s text to
Bergman’s staging of the first scenes where a sensuous Hermione, caressing her husband
but also consorting with Leontes’ visiting childhood friend Polixenes, provides a reason for
Leontes’ jealousy).
Møllehave, Johannes. ‘Mellem forblindelse og klarsyn’ [Between blindness and clear percep-
tion]. Fyens Stifstidende/Morgenposten Søndag, 26 June 1994. (Discusses Time as a central
theme of the play and the production).
Sjögren, Henrik. Lek och raseri, 2002, pp. 174-178. (Reception summary).
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs, 1995, pp. 81-92.
Dramaten’s own magazine, Dramat, published two articles about Vintersagan’s scenography. See
Inga Maja Beck, ‘Scenrummet och det imaginära’ [Scenographic space and the imaginary],
Dramat, no. 3, 1994, pp. 28-31; and Christina Rosenqvist’s article about stage designer Lennart
Mörk: ‘Målaren i Mörk’ [The painter in Mörk], Dramat, no. 2, 1994, pp. 22-27. The same issue
of Dramat also prints an article by Lolo Amble, ‘En kväll med Vintersagan’, pp. 28-32, which is
an account of the production from back stage.

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See also
Andersson, Camilla. ‘Songes skapar stämning’ [Songes creates atmosphere]. SvD, 3 May 1994.
(Interview with Irene Lindh, actress who sang Almqvist’s Songes in Bergman’s The Winter’s
Tale).
Grundström, Elisabeth. ‘Premiär för Shakespearebilder’ [Opening of Shakespeare pictures]. DN
10 September 1994. (About National Museum exhibit of scenogapher Lennart Mörk’s
sketches to Bergman’s production of The Winter’s Tale, together with British 18th-century
engravings and lithographs with Shakespeare motifs).
Malaise, Yvonne. ‘Bergman i lektagen’ [Bergman in a playfull mood]. DN, 29 April 1994.
(Presentation of The Winter’s Tale production on opening day).
Guest Performances
New York City, Bergman festival, May-June 1995
The production made a guest appearance with four performances at BAM (Brooklyn Academy
of Music) during the New York City Bergman festival 31 May-3 June 1995. The production was
also invited to the Barbican Centre in London by the Royal Shakespeare Company, but Berg-
man declined, fearing that the Barbican’s stark, almost brutal stage would kill the atmosphere of
his Winter’s Tale.
New York critics oscillated all the way from awe to booing, between deep appreciation of
‘Bergman’s visual intelligence’ (Sterritt) and irritation at such directorial self-indulgences as
romping bears and verbal horsing around. Michael Feingold (Village Voice) thought he had seen
The Winter’s Tale come alive for the first time and toyed with the idea that Shakespeare might be
Swedish; ‘Why else would he seem so much more understandable in that language?... It’s
Shakespeare seen through the prism of Strindberg which would seem odd, if it weren’t also
utterly, perfectly Shakespearean’. Feingold was seconded by NYT critic Vincent Canby who
called the production ‘simply and purely theatrical, a celebration of the art of the stage. [...]
Bergman allows the imagination to soar.’
These reviews and John Lahr’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable New Yorker analysis of the
production (see listing above under ‘Articles’) might be juxtaposed to Brustein’s and Simon’s
negative assessments. Brustein called the production ‘Not one of Bergman’s most brilliant ones’
but added that ‘nothing created by this master is ever less than compelling’. He gave it a B
(good) rating. John Simon thought Bergman had ‘ballasted the play with a top-heavy frame’,
one of many signs that Bergman ‘suffered from AMS, i.e., Aging Master Syndrome. Review
Grade: D.’ (below average, almost failing).
Reviews
Brustein, Robert. ‘The Winter’s Tale’. The New Republic, vol. 213, no. 3-4, 1995, p. 2.
Canby, Vincent. ‘Bergman’s Vision of Shakespeare’. NYT, 2 June 1995, p. C3.
Feingold, Michael. ‘The Winter’s Tale’. Village Voice, 13 June 1995, p. 85.
Simon, John. ‘Psychodramas’. New York, 19 June 1995, pp. 76-77C.
Sterritt, David. ‘Bergman’s Vision Illuminates Festival in his Honor’. Christian Science Monitor, 8
June 1995, p. 12.

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1995
478. MISANTROPEN [The Misanthrope]
Credits
Original Title Le Misantrope
Playwright Molière
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Charles Koroly
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Jean Billgren, Scarlatti
Assistant Director Antonia Pyk
Assistant Scenographer Cilla Norborg
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date 17 February 1995 (117 performances)
Cast
Alceste Torsten Flinck
Célimène Lena Endre
Philinte Thomas Hanzon
Oronte Jarl Kulle
Eliante Nadja Weiss
Arsione Agneta Ekmanner
Acaste Mats Bergman
Clitandre Claes Månsson
Du Bois Sven Lindberg
Basque Benny Haag
Dorine Inger Sigvarddotter
An orderly Fredrik Hammar
Two servants Lars Andersson, Richard Gustavsson
Commentary
In a program note Bergman wrote that his third production of The Misanthrope owed a great
deal to Ariane Mnouchkin, whose 1978 film version of Molière’s play had greatly impressed
him. Mnouchkin’s Shakespeare productions in Paris had coincided with Dramaten’s and Berg-
man’s Kung Lear performances
Bergman’s third Misanthrope was performed on a virtually empty stage: the only props were a
bed, a couple of chairs and some mirrors, i.e., a set that formed a stark contrast to the luxurious
costumes and extravagant wigs worn by all the performers except Alceste, dressed in simple
dark clothes and no wig.
The play opened with a ‘Bergman-type’ visual prologue and play within a play. The curtain
was raised to reveal another curtain – a painted scrim of Watteau’s painting ‘La Prairie Quarrée’,
depicting three women and a Pierrot figure – supposedly a scene of pastoral tranquillity but one
that Bergman immediately began to undercut by exposing a peephole in the golden skirt of one
of the Watteau maidens and an actor peering through, waving at the audience. A commotion
ensued behind the scrim. The theme of the production was set: the rowdiness of life behind a
façade of mannered serenity. Suddenly a ‘real’ Pierrot appeared, leaning against the wings. The
inner curtain was raised and Molière’s piece began with Lena Endre’s Célimène playing blind
man’s buff with some choreographed figures – another play within the play.

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Reception
Most of the reviewers agreed that Célimène’s little game signaled Bergman’s overall approach:
to expose flirtatious social manners that camouflaged (and destroyed) genuine feelings. This
Misanthrope was more than a scathing satire; it was Célimène’s tragedy, not Alceste’s, even
though he appeared in the foreground most of the time, with Célimene and her consorts
moving behind him. But critics disagreed on the effect of Bergman’s spatial separation of the
two characters. To one reviewer (Andréasson) it was ‘in the interplay between Alceste and
Célimène that the drama deepens and the special Bergman pattern emerges’. But to another
(Zern), Bergman missed the ambiguity in Molière’s depiction of love and manners by separat-
ing the two main characters in different areas on stage: ‘The problem with “The Misanthrope”
at Dramaten is that the [main] characters perform in different theatrical rooms’. [Problemet
med Misantropen på Dramaten är att karaktärerna agerar i olika teatrala rum].
Bergman’s (and Molière’s) juxtaposition of inflated social manners (inauthenticity) and
misanthropy (self-imprisonment and social ostracism) was the focus of critical attention.
The reviewer Avellan titled her piece ‘Gossip and genuine feelings’ (Skvaller och äkta känslor)
to point to Bergman’s contrast between the cynical chatty mode of Célimène’s entourage and a
genuine tragic depiction of the destruction of love. AB’s theatre critic Claes Wahlin defined the
two contrasting modes of behavior as a battle between eroticism and rhetoric, where the former
was the motivating factor behind the characters’ behavior and the latter its disguise, a form of
linguistic blind man’s buff; language itself became part of an inauthentic social pattern: ‘All
speech-making hides [something], even if not all the characters are aware of the language game’.
[allt tal döljer, även om inte alla personerna är medvetna om det språkliga spelet]. As game-
playing and theatricality was built into the main conflict between Alceste and Célimène, Alceste
became the loser: ‘the theatrical form annuls little by little the misanthropic life view. Two
theatrical trolls, Molière and Ingmar Bergman, have combined their sacks’. (Kollberg).
In Bergman’s third Misanthrope production the professionalism of the performance was
almost taken for granted as critics spoke of a production full of vitality, wit, and beauty.
NYT critic John Lahr concluded that ‘taken together with his previous two productions –
Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and Yuko Mishima’s Madame de Sade – these are the finest
displays of stagecraft I have ever seen’.
Reviews
Andréasson, Sverker. ‘Bergman blottlägger en kärlekstragedi’ [Bergman uncovers a love trage-
dy]. GP, 18 February 1995.
Avellan, Heidi. ‘Skvaller och äkta känslor’ [Gossip and genuine feelings]. Hufvudstadsbladet
(Helsinki), 30 March 1995.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Misantropi enligt Bergman’ [Misanthropy according to Bergman]. UNT,
18 February 1995.
Lahr, John. ‘The Battle of the Vanities’. The New Yorker, 8 May 1995, pp. 95-97.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘En raffinerad Misantrop’ [An exquisite Misanthrope]. SDS, 18 February
1995.
Larsson, Lisbeth. ‘Ett riktigt dygdemonster’ [A real monster of virtue]. Expr., 18 February 1995.
Lindén, Gunnar. ‘Grandios teater helt enkelt!’ [Grandiose theatre quite simply!]. Nya Dagligt
Allehanda, 18 February 1995.
Ring, Lars. ‘Lustfylld, effektiv tragedi’ [Lusty, efficient tragedy]. SvD, 18 February 1995. Typed
English translation available at Dramaten library. (Reviewer sees parallells between Berg-
man’s parents and the Alceste-Célimène couple in the early part of the play: fanaticism and
strict moralism (father Erik) versus sociability and joyousness (mother Karin).
Wahlin, Claes. ‘Erotik – retorik’. AB, 18 February 1995.

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Zern, Leif. ‘Satir med scener ur ett äktenskap’ [Satire with scenes from a marriage]. DN, 18
February 1995. Typed English translation available at Dramaten library. (Positive, yet re-
served about the production’s lack of balance: ‘Bergman rehearses a moral comedy that
glides into Scenes from a marriage’).
Cancelled Guest Performance
After the success of The Winter’s Tale and Madame de Sade in New York in May-June 1995,
Dramaten was invited to present Bergman’s The Misanthrope at the BAM’s (Brooklyn Academy
of Music) 1996 French Spring Festival. But when Bergman decided to view the 118th perfor-
mance of his Misanthrope on 28 April 1996, he found his staging so altered from the opening
night that he refused to send the production to New York. He met afterwards with the ensemble
both as a group and on an individual basis. Some of the actors had apparently taken more
liberties than others; Bergman seems to have had the most reservations about the main
character (Alceste) as performed by Torsten Flinck, a self-willed and unpredictable actor and
would-be director who was not unlike Bergman himself in his young, eccentric days (though
Bergman was, professionally, more self-disciplined). Torsten Flinck had also backed out of
Bergman’s 1996 production of The Bachae in which he was scheduled to play Dionysos, which
may have been a contributing factor for the tension that led to the cancellation of The Mis-
anthrope.
Bergman’s decision caused a minor debate in the press and led to frozen relations between
the departing head of Dramaten, Lars Löfgren, and Bergman. Actors Agneta Ekmanner and
Torsten Flinck were interviewed in the press (DN, 8 May 1996). Both tried to downplay the
fracas while expressing regrets about the incident. Lena Endre also addressed the acting en-
semble’s reactions in DN, 7 May, p. 9. Bergman refused to rehearse the production for two
reasons: the performance was termed ‘wretched’ and time was too short to remedy it. Löfgren
issued a curt statement emphasizing that ‘a director is responsible for maintaining the produc-
tion quality during the entire repertory period. Ingmar Bergman had been aware of this
upcoming visit to New York. The present situation created great problems both for Dramaten
and for BAM in New York.’ (Dramaten press release, 6 May 1996). Bergman later acknowledged
his mistake in not checking on the performance earlier; however, it had always been his
principle to bow out after the opening of a production. Bergman said in an interview: ‘This
is terribly embarrassing and everybody is sad, which I understand. But I have made this
decision on strictly artistic grounds. The performance did not hold up to the standard it has
to have to be accepted internationally. In New York, Dramaten has a reputation to defend as
one of Europe’s best theatres. “The Misanthrope” does not meet those expectations today’.
[Detta är förskräckligt pinsamt och alla är ledsna, vilket jag kan förstå. Men jag har tagit detta
beslut helt och hållet på konstnärliga grunder. Föreställningen höll inte för den standard den
måste ha för att accepteras internationellt. I New York har Dramaten ett rykte att försvara som
en av Europas bästa teatrar. ‘Misantropen’ möter inte dessa förväntningar i dag.] See ‘Pjäsen
håller inte måttet’ [The production is not up to standard], AB, 7 May 1996, p. 32; also in DN,
same date, p. B1, and 9 May 1996, p. B4.
The press coverage of the ‘Misanthrope’ incident ranged from serious attempts to understand
the causes behind it to a great many tabloid articles trying to sensationalize the issue and
scandalize Bergman. For a sampling, see the following:
Grive, Madeleine ‘Knähundarnas uppror’ [The rebellion of the lap dogs]. AB, 8 May 1996.
(Mostly a resume of her 1987 anti-Bergman article ‘Bergman och hans knähundar’ [Berg-
man and his lap dogs]; see Ø 1444).
Holmqvist, Malin. ‘Lojaliteten bruten’ [Loyalty broken]. DN, 8 May 1996.

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

Malaise, Yvonne. ‘Bergman själv har förändrats’ [Bergman himself has changed]. DN, 8 May
1996. (An interview with Agneta Ekmanner).
Pauli, Calle. ‘Bergmans beslut väcker ilska’ [Bergman’s decision arouses anger]. DN, 7 May 1996.
Sima, Jonas. ‘Ingmar Bergman stoppar sin egen Dramatenpjäs’ [Bergman stops his own Dra-
maten piece]. Expr. 6 May 1996; ‘Han kom, han såg, han sågade’ [He came, he saw, he
sawed]. Expr. 8 May 1996; and ‘Thorsten Flinck talar ut om bråket på Dramaten’ [TF speaks
up about the fuss at Dramaten]. Expr. 19 May 1996.
Waaranperä, Ingegärd. ‘Vi spelar inte i New York’ [We won’t play in New York]. DN, 9 May
1996.
Zern, Leif. ‘Iscensätta katastrof ovärdig reaktion’ [To stage a catastrophe is undignified reac-
tion]. DN, 8 May 1996.
Ångström, Anna. ‘En skandal – tungt för skådespelarna’ [A scandal – hard on the actors]. SvD,
9 May 1996. (On legal possibilities of sending Dramaten production to NY despite Berg-
man’s veto).

479. YVONNE, PRINSESSA AV BURGUND [Yvonne, Princess of Bourgogne]

Credits
Original Title Ivona, ksiezniczka Burgunda
Playwright Witold Gombrowicz
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Göran Wassberg
Choreography Donya Feuer
Stage Dramaten, Main Stage
Opening Date 24 November 1995 (106 performances)
Cast
Yvonne Nadja Weiss
The King Erland Josephson
The Queen Kristina Adolphson
The Prince Pontus Gustafsson
The Cardinal Ingvar Kjellson
Iza, Lady of the Court Gunnel Fred
Cyril Benny Haag
Cyprian Pierre Wilkner
Amalia Gerd Hagman
Emilia Monica Nielsen
Inocent Johan Lindell
Valentin Sven Lindberg
Beggar Olof Willgren
Marshal Sten Johan Hedman
Judge Sten Ljunggren
Chancellor Magnus Ehrner
Admiral Johan Björck
Lieutenant Magnus Ehrner
Nobleman Ingrid Boström
Marquise Kristina Törnqvist
Colonel’s Wife Maria Bonnevie
Duchess Kicki Bramberg
Countess Ingar Sigvardsdotter

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Petter, lackey Lars Andersson

Niklas, lackey Rickard Gustafsson
Timjan Timjan
Commentary
Like Alf Sjöberg before him (1965), Bergman placed Gombrowicz’ cruel and absurdly funny
fairy tale drama in the roaring twenties. The play – an inverted Cinderella story about a prince
who marries an ugly, silent, introverted girl, and a court that abuses her and finally kills her –
was presented by Bergman as a morality play, a farce and a tragedy at the same time. The set
design displayed a sepia-brown painted backdrop, reminiscent of silent films and old photo-
graphs, against which a group of colorfully costumed, highly parodied characters appeared,
representing artificiality and dead convention. The exception was the Prince; in Bergman’s
staging he became a Hamlet figure tired of role-playing. The title figure, a mute and anguished
common girl lured into a snob-ridden ludicrous court, reminded several critics of Princess
Diana’s ostracism by the British royal house. The critic Kollberg likened Yvonne to Struwwel
Peter, the 19th-century child who is scared into obedience by drastic and cruel pedagogical
measures.
At a later press conference during Dramaten’s guest visit to Krakow, Bergman’s ensemble
briefly compared Sjöberg’s and Bergman’s directorial methods in staging the same play. One
actor (Ingvar Kjellson) had appeared in both productions of Yvonne. Sjöberg had prefaced the
actual rehearsals with a series of analyses of Gombrowiczs’ work, while Bergman let the cast
listen to a reading of the play by its author and register his tone of voice – a clear example of the
difference between Sjöberg’s intellectual approach and Bergman’s hands-on focus on the
author’s intentions.
But Bergman also took liberties with the original text. He shifted Gombrowicz’ philosophical
and political focus to the theatrical sphere and in so doing gave an autobiographical bent to his
staging. Thus he expanded the theme of power abuse, represented by the Court, to also include
the Church: The role of Chamberlain was changed to a Cardinal in ludicrous clerical attire,
with symbolic crosses around his neck and on the soles of his feet; underneath his cassock, the
Cardinal wore ladies underwear. Other typical Bergman features were frequent sexual innuen-
does, the ringing of church bells, and a staging of the final scene as a travesty of the Last Supper.
During the meal when Yvonne chokes to death on a fish bone, the backdrop was transformed
into a black abyss and a huge crucifix was slowly lowered as the sacrificial victim expired.
Reception
Bergman’s Yvonne production was received as yet another artistic triumph for director, sceno-
grapher, and ensemble. Several reviewers felt that Bergman saw more human depth in the story
of Yvonne and the Prince than Gombrowicz’ text suggested (see Wistrand, Kollberg). Much
critical attention focussed on the theatricality of the performance and on Bergman’s rapport
with the actors. The critic in DN (Franzén) concluded: ‘It is obvious that Ingmar Bergman does
something remarkable with the actors, releases their love to work and their confidence. It is an
art that has to do with charisma, inspiration, and experience, and it can probably not be written
down in a book of rules for future directors. But there is no better theatre being practiced in
Sweden, perhaps not the world’. [Det är tydligt att Bergman gör något märkligt med skåde-
spelarna, förlöser deras kärlek till arbetet och deras förtroende. Det är en konst som har att göra
med utstrålning, inspiration och erfarenhet, och det kan troligen inte skrivas ned i en regelbok
för framtida regissörer. Men det finns ingen bättre teater utövad i Sverige, kanske inte ens i
världen.]. Other reviewers chimed in: ‘Bergman releases the Dramaten ensemble to present new
great deeds’. [Bergman förlöser Dramatens ensemble till att skapa nya stordåd.] (Ring, SvD).

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At the beginning of Dramaten’s 1995-96 season, Bergman (again) announced his decision to
retire. Several critics expressed their doubts. One reviewer who had belonged to the critical
‘anti-Bergman’ group of the 60s (Franzén) concluded: ‘This superb creativity and artistic power
that he shows in Gombrowicz’ “Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy” cannot simply be shut off. It
would appear like a pure act of revenge against those of us who have not always been appre-
ciative and impressed enough [by his work]. We shall miss him forever’. [En sådan superb
konstnärlig skaparkraft som han visar i G’s Yvonne kan helt enkelt inte stängas av. Det skulle se
ut som en ren hämdeakt mot dem av oss som inte alltid varit tillräckligt uppskattande och
imponerade. Vi kommer att sakna honom för alltid].
Reviews
Andréason, Sverker. ‘Grymhet och gemyt’ [Cruelty and good humor]. GP, 25 November 1995.
Avellan, Heidi. ‘Vanvettigt roligt rop på hjälp’ [Terribly funny cry for help]. Hufvudstadsbladet,
30 November 1995.
Franzén, Lars-Olof. ‘Ingen slår Bergman’ [No one surpasses Bergman]. DN, 25 November 1995.
Gislén, Ylva. ‘Bergman tar tragikomiskt adjö’ [Bergman bids a tragi-comic farewell]. SDS, 25
November 1995.
Grut, Mario. ‘Vackert som en kandisburk’ [As beautiful as a candy jar]. AB, 25 November 1995.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘En överdådig teaterfest’ [A sumptuous theatrical feast]. UNT, 25 Novem-
ber 1995.
Ring, Lars, ‘Mästerligt tillyxade parodiska typer’ [Masterfully hewn parodic types]. SvD, 25
November 1995.
Schwartz, Nils. ‘Noblesse oblige’. Expr., 25 November 1995.
Wistrand, Sten. ‘Fruktansvärt rolig med lika betoning’ [Terribly funny with equal emphasis].
Nerikes Allehanda, 25 November 1995.
See also
Nicholas Wennö’s interview with Pontus Gustafsson (the Prince) in ‘Hemma igen som elak
prins’ [Home again as nasty prince], DN, 24 November 1995.
Guest Performances
When the guest visit to the New York performance of The Misanthrope was cancelled, Dramaten
offered to replace it with Bergman’s staging of Yvonne. The offer was declined by BAM since the
play did not fit into its festival context – a celebration of French theatre. See ‘Även “Yvonne”
stoppas’ [Yvonne too is stopped], DN, 13 May 1996.
1. Krakow, European Theatre Union festival, 22-25 September 1996
Bergman’s production of Yvonne opened the fifth European Theatre Union’s festival in Krakow,
the city where Gombrowicz’ play had first premiered in 1957. There were three performances.
For a report, see Peter Hanneberg, ‘Yvonne på turné i Polen’, DN, 29 September 1996.
In Catholic Poland, Gombrowicz was still considered a rather controversial playwright.
Bergman added fuel to this by his changing the chamberlain in Yvonne into a diabolic and
ridiculous cardinal in full clerical regalia. At a press conference one critic asked if the Cardinal’s
white robe alluded to the pope (this was denied by the stage designer).
In its emphasis on spectacle and farce, Bergman’s production deviated from more serious
Polish interpretations of the play, which had given it a uniformly dark political focus. An earlier
attempt by Polish director Jesusz Stuhr to make a farce out of Gombrowicz’ play had met with
some severe criticism in Poland. But Bergman’s absurdist approach was greeted with enthu-
siasm and respect; reviewers pointed out that the rigid, yet often farcical tone of his production
provided a parallel to the play’s thought content: the severe but also ludicrous maintenance of
petrified hierarchic conventions as a means to maintain power. Mention was made in particular

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of the conservative and traditional nature of Bergman’s production but also of its clarity,
stringency, and discipline. The uniformly high quality of the performance, down to the slightest
gesture, was stressed, as was the final scene (which was singled out by all the reviewers) where
the décor disintegrates and the stage discloses hidden archetypal motives for Yvonne’s murder,
elevating the drama from power play to an act of mysticism. Reviewers also found Bergman’s
production more cruel than Gombrowicz’ play in suggesting that Yvonne becomes aware of her
upcoming murder (Kornas). Several commentators saw the performance as an homage to
Gombrowicz and a unique interpretation of his attempt to examine the mechanisms and
structure of power.
Bergman’s production was seen as a lesson to Polish theatre people (Wakar). One reviewer
thought it was enough to observe the elegance and color schemes of the costumes to see the
difference between a sophisticated production and ‘a peasant-like’ Polish presentation (Magda
Huzarska-Szumiec).
All three performances were sold out.
Reviews
Huzarska-Szumiec, Magda. ‘Prowokacyjna “Iwona...”’ [Provocative ‘Yvonne’]. Gazeta Krakows-
ka, 23 September 1996.
Kornaś, Tadeusz. ‘Osaczona’ [Captured (‘sewn in’)]. Echo Krakowa, 23 September 1996.
Kowalczyk, Janusz. ‘Platynowa “Iwona”’ [Platina ‘Yvonne’]. Rzeczpo polita (Warszawa), 23
September 1996.
Pawłowski, Roman. ‘Iwona religią podszyta’ [Yvonne with a religious subtext]. Gazeta Wy-
borcza, 23 September 1996.
Wakar, Jacek. ‘Lekcja teatru Ingmara Bergmana’ [Ingmar Bergman’s theatre lesson]. Życie
Warszawy, 23 September 1996.
See also
Drewniak, Łukasz. ‘Bergman czyli przyjaciel z batem’ [Bergman or a friend with a whip].
Rzeczpo polita (Warszawa), 24 September 1996. This is both a review and a report from a
press conference with the ensemble where Bergman’s invisible spirit dominated. Erland
Josephson likened him to a friend with a whip, demanding but offering his actors moments
of illumination when they came to understand that they were part of something extra-
ordinary.
2 Copenhagen, 14-15 February 1997
In the early 1970s, there had been talks about Bergman producing Yvonne... at Det Konglige in
Copenhagen, but he chose The Misanthrope instead. Twenty-five years later, Dramaten visited
with Bergman’s Yvonne. Though neither of the two guest performances was sold out, the critical
reception was filled with rave reviews. ‘With Bergman’s Yvonne, theatre has really come to town’,
wrote Politiken. Me Lund in Berlingske Tidende headlined her response ‘Miraculous, Miracu-
lous, Miraculous’ [Vidunderlig, vidunderlig, vidunderlig] and concluded that Bergman’s pro-
duction gainsaid current speculation that the theatre as art was in a crisis. On the contrary, his
staging, predicted Lund, would have an impact far into the next century. Jens Kistrup in
Jyllandsposten agreed, calling the production ‘a great satisfaction and liberation.’
What impressed the Danish reviewers was both the professional quality of Dramaten’s crew
and ensemble and Bergman’s ability to incorporate the playwright’s tragic fairy tale into his
own life experience. It was his personal (but not private) approach to Gombrowicz’ play that
caught the critics’ attention. Kistrup saw Bergman’s Yvonne as a prime lesson in what Ingmar
Bergman could do with the stage and its actors, his famous ‘demonic’ touch: ‘As in for instance
his staging of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, he makes the drama his drama and thereby

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appropriates it for the theatre – on his conditions and the playwright’s. And at the same time he
fills the roles – and the actors – with a life which is at one and the same time his own and
theirs.’
Reviews
Dithmer, Monna. ‘Prægtige ohyrer’ [Mighty monsters]. Politiken, 16 February 1997.
Kistrup, Jens. ‘Ingmar Bergmans vision af verden’ [Bergman’s vision of the world]. Weekenda-
visen, 21-27 February 1997.
Lund, Me. ‘Vidunderlig, vidunderlig, vidunderlig’. Berlingske Tidende, 16 February 1997.
Lyding, Henrik. ‘Vidunderligt gæstespil med Bergman’ [Miraculous guest performance with
Bergman]. Jyllands-Posten, 16 February 1997 (Arts & Culture), p. 2.

1996
480. BACKANTERNA [The Bacchae]
Credits
Playwright Euripides, trans. by Göran O. Eriksson and Jan Stolpe
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Göran Wassberg
Choreography Donya Feuer
Music Daniel Börtz
Musicians Jan Bengtsson (flute), Kenneth Fant/Daniel Kåse
(drums)
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Målarsalen
Opening Date 15 March 1996
(84 performances)
Cast
Dionysos Elin Klinga
Pentheus Gerhard Hoberstorfe
Cadmos Erland Josephson
Agaue Gunnel Lindblom
Tiresias Ingvar Kjellson
The Messenger Per Myrberg
The Shepherd Carl-Magnus Dellow
The Guard Roland Jansson
The Companion Kicki Bramberg
The Officer Richard Gustafsson
Soldiers Lars Andersson, Max Winerdal
The Choir
Alfa, Leader of the Chorus Anita Björk
Gamma Helena Brodin
Zeta Gunnel Fred
Lambda Kristina Törnqvist
Xi Gerthi Kulle
Sigma Inga-Lill Andersson
Omega Lil Terselius
Talatta Donya Feuer

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Commentary
Dramaten’s administrative head, Lars Löfgren, set aside part of the entire 1995-96 season to
produce three Euripides dramas. The last production was Bergman’s stage version of The
Bachae, set to music by Daniel Börtz. Cf. Bergman’s 1991 opera version, (Ø 492), and his
1993 TV version, (Ø 337). Börtz’ music, composed for the Dramaten staging, was a new score,
more theatrical than his stylized opera and subsumed under the spoken text. The drama was
produced as a chamber play, but retained many of the ideas from the 1991 opera version.
One month before the opening date, Bergman made a drastic change in the cast by replacing
actor Torsten Flinck as Dionysos with actress Elin Klinga. (For the conflict between Flinck and
Bergman, see Commentary to Misantropen production (Ø 478) in which Flinck played the part
of Alceste). The switch to a woman playing the role of Dionysos harked back to the earlier
opera version of The Bachae. The God, personfied by a female, was accompanied by a shadow,
an emblematic androgynous actor with a chalky white face who resembled both a clown and a
death figure [cf. specter in Bergman’s TV play Larmar och gör sig till/In the Presence of a Clown).
For his Dramaten version of The Bachae, Bergman used the minimalistic Målarsalen stage,
which was made to look like a black box with a simple grey platform serving as acting space. In
the short performance – barely two hours, Bergman’s focus was on the spoken text and the
stylized movement of the actors, directing the individual performers to use a certain emotional
restraint as a counterpoint to the ecstatic and violent rhythm of the chorus of Bachantes.
Pentheus often turned his back to the audience, while Dionysos suddenly appeared in their
midst.
Bergman’s decision to retire at the end of the 1995-96 season may have been both personal
and professional. He had lost a vital support when his wife of 24 years died in the spring of 1995.
But the main reason for leaving Dramaten probably had something to do with the controversy
over Bergman’s Misanthrope production and the stand taken by the head of Dramaten, Lars
Löfgren. See Maria Schottenius’ article ‘Dionysos på Fårö’ [Dionysos on Fårö] in Expr., 21 May
1996, which suggests that the Bachae story of the murder of Pentheus by his Dionysian mother
could be seen as a subtext to Bergman’s critique (sacrifice) of Flinck in his role as Alceste in the
cancelled New York performance of the Misanthrope production.
Several critics expressed their regrets over Bergman’s announcement to retire: One of them
(Zern) wrote: ‘May Dionysos haunt him if this is true’. [Måtte Dionysos hemsöka honom om
detta är sant]. Another one (Kollberg) hoped that the The Bachae’s final vignette – a single
thyros staff, the emblem of theatrical art as magic, resting against a wall on an empty stage –
might be a sign that Bergman would once more return to Dramaten.
Reception
The reception was unanimously enthusiastic with critics speaking of a production worthy of a
divinely gifted magician and master of the stage. One reviewer (Sörenson) compared the
production to Bergman’s films from the Fifties, especially Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal),
‘a medieval midnight mass’. [en medeltida midnattsmässa]. Another (Zern) saw Euripides’
tragedy as a Bergman urtext, speaking through his films and stage productions; a text dramatiz-
ing the tension between the demonic powers represented by a dangerous god (Dionysos) and
the spokesman of reason and rationality (Pentheus).
Almost all of the critics noted the tremendous emotional and esthetic impact of Bergman’s
production: ‘The feeling is of a god having passed by, of having been touched by a magic thyros
staff, and of standing there afterwards with an obscure sense of no longer being the same
person as before...’[Känslan är av en gud som gått förbi, av att ha berörts av en magisk stav och
att stå där efteråt med en dunkel känsla av att inte längre vara samma person som förr].
(Fredriksson). Leif Zern (DN) testified that the production cut deep into his being: ‘Nothing

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I have seen by this almost 78-year old director has moved me so right down to my bare bones.
He stages ‘The Bachae’ with a self-evident authority that makes the cruel play speak directly to
our own time’. [Ingenting jag sett av denne nästan 78-årige regissör har berört mig så djupt ner i
märgbenen. Han iscensätter ‘Backanterna’ med en självklar auktoritet som får den grymma
pjäsen att tala direkt till vår tid].
Reviews
Avellan, Heidi. ‘Backanterna – Bergmans svarta sorti’ [The Bachae – Bergman’s black exit].
Hufvudstadsbladet, 26 March 1996.
Forser, Thomas. ‘Hämnd, ljuva hämnd’ [Revenge, sweet revenge]. Expr., 16 March 1996.
Fredriksson, Karl G. ‘Ritual som föder dunkla känslor’ [Ritual bringing on somber feelings].
Nerikes Allehanda, 16 March 1996.
Kollberg, Bengt Ingvar. ‘Ingmar Bergmans farväl’. UNT, 16 March 1996.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Förtätat möte mellan gud och människa’ [Intense meeting between god and
man]. SDS, 16 March 1996.
Ring, Lars. ‘Backanter med mästarstämpel’ [Bachae with masterful stamp]. SvD, 16 March 1996.
Sauer, Fritz Joachim. ‘Dionysos auf Erden’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 26 April 1996.
Sörenson, Ulf. ‘Svart kompromisslöshet’ [Black absence of compromise]. GP, 16 March 1996.
Wahlin, Claes. ‘Den viljelösa tragedin’ [The will-less tragedy]. AB, 16 March 1996.
Zern, Leif. ‘Ingmar Bergman hemma i sin urtext’ [Bergman at home in his prototypal text].
DN, 16 March 1996.
Longer Studies
Iversen, Gunilla. ‘The Terrible Encounter with a God. The Bacchae as Rite and Liturgical
Drama in Ingmar Bergman’s Staging’. In Nordic Theatre Studies 11, 1998, pp. 70-83, special
Bergman issue ed. by Ann Fridén (Ø 663).
Iversen traces the performance of the play as ritual and as an existential drama about worship
and art. In Bergman’s staging, Euripides’ tragedy takes on certain features found in the medieval
morality play, a deep-rooted tradition in Bergman’s relationship to dramatic art as ritual.
See also
Jordahl, Anneli. ‘Kölapp i gryningen för att njuta Bergman gratis’ [Lining up at dawn to enjoy
Bergman free of charge]. DN, 15 March 1996. (A report from Dramaten’s ticket office where
people started to line up at 6 o’clock in the morning to get a free seat at Målarsalen for the
dress rehearsal of Bergman’s production of The Bachae).

1997
481. IIOCAE PEIIETHIIHH [Efter repetitionen]
Credits
Playtext Ingmar Bergman
Director Vjacheslav Dolgashev
Stage Design Margita Demianova
Music V. Bibergan
Stage Moscow Artistic Theatre/Södra Teatern, Stockholm
Swedish Opening 25 August 1997
Cast
The Director Sergej Jurskij

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 Stage Productions by Ingmar Bergman

Young Actress Natalia Teniakova

Old Actress, her mother Daria Jurskaja
This Russian stage adaptation of Bergman’s screenplay Efter repetitionen was produced with
Bergman’s consent. According to a press release in connection with two guest performances in
Stockholm during the 1997 Strindberg Festival, the production had been ‘a theatre sensation’
during Moscow Artistic Theatre’s 1996-97 season. The male role was played by one of Russia’s
leading actors, Sergej Junskij.

482. SZENEN EINER EHE [Scenes from a Marriage]

Credits
Play text Ingmar Bergman
Director Dieter Giesing
Stage Design Rolf Glittenberg
Costumes Falk Bauer
Music Janusz Stoklosa
Stage Akademietheater, Vienna
Opening Date 11 September 1997
Cast
Johan Ernst Stötzner
Marianne Dörte Lyssewski
Frau Palm, journalist Regina Stötzel
Katarina Egermann Maria Happel
Peter Egermann Franz J. Csencsits
Frau Jacobi Gertraud Jesserer
Karin and Eva Veronika Plichta/Johanna Grubner
Daughters Katharina Kotanko/Nela Piehl
The booklet program to this Austrian stage production of Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage
contains the entire play text, translated by Hans-Joachim Maass; a one-page comment by
François Truffaut on Bergman’s focus on women; a brief synopsis of Bergman’s life; and
excerpts from an interview in 1980, where Bergman states that he is above all a man of the
theatre. The booklet concludes with brief comments on marriage by a number of writers, from
Kierkegaard to Canetti. The program was issued by Burgtheater Wien as Programmbuch 184
(1997). For a review of the production, see Alfred Pfoser, ‘Vom Fernsehen zum Film und jetzt
auf die Bühne’, Salzburg Zeitung, 13 September 1997.
The production was performed in Berlin on 12 October 1998. See the following German
reviews:
Dermutz, Klaus. ‘Erledigt’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 13 October 1998.
Friedrich, Detlef. ‘Gernsehabend am Kudamm’. Berliner Zeitung, 13 October 1998.
Göpfert, Peter Hans. ‘Kein Scheidungsgrund’. Berliner Morgenpost, 13 October 1998.
Heine, Matthias. ‘Macht Wahrheit frei?’ Die Welt, 13 October 1998.
Schulz-Ojala, Jan. ‘Sketche einer Ehe’. Tagesspiegel, 13 October 1998.

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1998
483. BILDMAKARNA [The Image Makers]
Credits
Playwright Per Olov Enquist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Göran Wassberg
Costumes Mago
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Målarsalen Stage
Opening Date 13 February 1998 (World Premiere)
Number of Performances 100, last one on 16 May 1999
Cast
Selma Lagerlöf Anita Björk
Tora Teje Elin Klinga
Viktor Sjöström Lennart Hjulström
Julius Jænzon Carl-Magnus Dellow
Commentary
When Bergman, who had retired from the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1996, read Per Olof
Enqvist’s play about a meeting between Selma Lagerlöf and filmmaker Victor Sjöström during
the shooting of Körkarlen, one of Bergman’s favorite films, he decided that he had to stage the
play. See interviews with Bergman by Jannike Åhlund, ‘Bergman i giganters sällskap’ [Bergman
in the company of giants], SvD, 7 February 1998 (also published in Danish Politiken, 21 March
1998), and by Yvonne Malaise. ‘Genierna möts på Dramaten’ [The geniuses meet at Dramaten],
DN, 11 February 1998.
Enquist’s play is a meta-artistic work about the origin and rationale of creativity. His inter-
pretation of Selma Lagerlöf ’s authorship is based on an (imagined?) childhood trauma – her
father’s humiliating alcoholism and the family’s attempt to cope and cover up. This forms a
psychological link to Bergman’s own ‘obsession’ with his parental relations and his belief in the
subconscious roots of art. But what attracted Bergman to ‘Bildmakarna’ was its references to his
own professional background: the silent cinema and the (Dramaten) stage. The play is an
encounter between representatives of Bergman’s own tripartite artistic persona: the writer (alias
Selma Lagerlöf), the filmmaker (alias Viktor Sjöstrom and Julius Jænzon), and the stage
director (alias actress Tora Teje, who serves as a catalyst for Selma).
In staging ‘Bildmakarna’ (in his favorite Dramaten performance area, the diminutive
Målarsalen (The Paint Room), Bergman transformed the acting space into an attic-like film
projection room with a few pieces of worn-out furniture and the walls covered with film
posters. On a screen, excerpts from Sjöström’s Körkarlen were shown. The stage performance
ended with the silent cinema’s concluding text ‘Slut’ (The End) projected on the curtain. In the
words of one critic (Rygg), it was ‘the theatre’s homage to the cinema and the cinema’s homage
to the theatre’. [Teatrets hyllest til filmen och filmens hyllest til teatret].
Reception
The Swedish reviews were all positive but not enthusiastic. While acknowledging Bergman’s
personal stake in the story, the critics focussed most of their attention on Anita Björk’s remark-
able portrayal of Selma Lagerlöf and on Enquist’s psychological interpretation of the author, her
guilt and attempt at rehabilitating an alcoholic father. For a resume of the critical appraisal of
Björk and a brief interview with the actress, see Elisabeth Sjökvist’s ‘Så svårt leva upp till
berömmet’ [So hard to live up to the praise], DN, 15 February 1998.

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Non-Swedish reviews ranged from Aftenposten’s assessment of a performance that was ‘mir-
aculously executed, obtrusive, and Bergmanian’ to Politiken’s view that Bergman failed ‘to
establish the necessary emotional tension between the dramatis personæ’, and Berlingske’s
critique of Enquist’s portrait of Lagerlöf as a co-alcoholic. Enquist’s focal thesis was discussed
among Lagerlöf scholars but no real press debate took place on the subject. See however, the
following articles:
Sauer, Fritz Joachim. ‘Kulturåret och konstens sanning’ [The cultural year and artistic truth].
UNT, 6 March 1998.
Wivel, Henrik. ‘Selma förrådd – PO Enqvist reducerer Lagerlöf till forklædd medalkoholist’ [S
betrayed – PO Enqvist reduces Lagerlöf to masked co-alcoholic]. Berlingske Tidende, 14 Feb-
ruary 1998. Also published in DN the following day, p. B 2-3. Henrik Wivel’s review elicited a
response from Lars Olof Franzén, ‘Selma, vilken Selma...’ [Selma, which Selma?] DN, 17
February 1998, p. B2.
Reviews – Swedish
Arnald, Jan. ‘Mästerligt när monumenten möts’ [Masterly when the monuments meet]. GP, 15
February 1998.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Storartad hyllning till konsten och magin’ [Grandiose homage to art and
magic]. UNT, 14 February 1998.
Ring, Lars. ‘Hur skuld och smärta blir till konst’ [How guilt and pain becomes art]. SvD, 14
November 1998.
Zern, Leif. ‘Med Selma träder allvaret in’ [With Selma seriousness steps in]. DN, 14 November
1998.
Reviews – foreign
Avellan, Heidi. ‘Supen som Selmas sandkorn’ [The booze shot as Selma’s grain of sand].
Hufvudstadsbladet, 14 February 1998.
Heltberg, Bettina. ‘Urfortællingen og liget i lasten’ [Archetypal tale and the skeleton in the
closet]. Politiken, 14 February 1998.
Lund, Me. ‘Universel billedmagi’ [Universal magic of images]. Berlingske Tidende, 14 February
1998.
Nordvik, Martin. ‘Geniene mötes – ansikt til ansikt’ [the geniuses meet – face to face]. Adres-
seavisen (Trondheim), 14 February 1998.
Paulsen, Cathrine Th. ‘Nytt lys over Lagerløf ’ [New light over L.]. Dagsavisen, 14 February 1998.
Rossiné, Hans. ‘Svensk mestermøte’ [Swedish meeting of masters]. Dagbladet, 14 February 1998.
Rygg, Elisabeth. ‘Magisk mestermøte’ [Magic meeting of masters]. Aftenposten, 14 February
1998.
Sletbakk, Astrid. ‘Mestermøte’ [Master’s meeting]. Verdens gang, 14 February 1998.
Steinfeld, Thomas. ‘Ewige Säufer’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 16 February 1998.
Villiger Heilig, Barbara. ‘Wer hat Angst vor Selma Lagerlöf?’ Neuer Zürcher Zeitung, 16 February
1998.
Waal, Allan de. ‘Blændende Bergman-comeback’ [Brilliant Bergman come-back]. Information,
14 February 1998.

Studies
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Film on Stage and on Television: Enquist’s The Image Makers’. In author’s
Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 146-160. A comparison between theatre and TV versions of the
play.

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

See also Media Chapter (Ø 342) for TV version of same play, televised 15 November 2000 on
SVT Drama.
Guest Performances
1. New York City, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), 2, 4-6 June 1999
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) hosted four performances of Bergman’s production of The
Image Makers. BAM included this Dramaten visit as part of a Bergman mini-festival. The
Academy’s Rose Cinemas screened The Phantom Carriage, Wild Strawberries, and Bergman’s
TV film In the Presence of a Clown. Taken together, wrote one critic, ‘Mr. Enquist’s play and the
three movies represent a magical hall of mirrors that is almost dizzying in its multiple refrac-
tions of words, images, sounds, rhythms and movement.’ Major praise went to Ingmar Berg-
man who ‘releases the actors in the same unsurpassable way that he has done in his films’.
(Brantley). Donald Lyons in New York Post, calling Ingmar Bergman ‘one of the century’s
greatest artists’, felt that he was still ‘a master who can trace the geometrics of the human heart.’
Enquist appeared (and charmed the audience) at a pre-opening Question and Answer ses-
sion, an event that made John Simon (New York) conclude that neither the playwright nor
Bergman had transported Enquist’s wit and intelligence into this talky play, which badly needed
‘an image-breaker’. Simon was gainsaid however by Aileen Jacobsen (Newsday) who wrote that
thanks to Bergman’s direction ‘we don’t feel buried by the metaphor pile-up of Enquist’s play.
We feel transported’.
Reviews
Brantley, Ben. ‘Blink of the Eye, Tremor of the Soul’. NYT, 4 June 1999, section E, p. 1.
Jacobsen, Aileen. ‘Travels Through Bergman Imagery’. Newsday, 5 June 1999.
Kaufman, David. ‘Art and Soul entwine in “The Image Makers”’. Daily News, 5 June 1999.
Lyons, Donald. ‘A New Stage Image for Film Director Bergman’. New York Post, 5 June 1999.
Simon, John. ‘The Worst Noel’. New York, 21 June 1999, pp. 62-63.
See also
Lahr, John. ‘The Demon-Lover’. New Yorker, 31 May 1999, pp. 67-79.
Schwartz, Stan. ‘Bergman, as Stage Director, Never Stops Digging’. NYT Sunday, 30 May 1999, p.
AR 5.
2. Strasbourg, 5-7 November 1999, three performances
No reviews located.
3. Milan, 13-14 November 1999, two performances
No reviews located.

484. NORA
A production of Bergman’s version of A Doll’s House (Nora) was produced at the Chicago Court
Theatre, 30 November 1998. No details available.

2000
485. SPÖKSONATEN [The Ghost Sonata]
Credits
Playwright August Strindberg
Director Ingmar Bergman

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Stage Design Göran Wassberg

Costumes Anna Bergman
Music Bela Bartók
Choreography Virpi Pahkinen
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre, Målarsalen stage
Opening Date 12 February 2000 (119 performances)
Cast
Old Man Hummel Jan Malmsjö
The Young Lady Elin Klinga
The Student Jonas Malmsjö
The Milkmaid Virpi Pahkinen
The Concierge Gertrud Mariano
The Dead Consul Nils Eklund
The Dark Lady Gerthi Kulle
The Mummy Gunnel Lindblom
Bengtsson Erland Josephson
Johansson Örjan Ramberg
The Fiancee Margreth Weivers-Norström
The Cook Gerd Hagman
Commentary
This was Bergman’s fourth production of Strindberg’s play. (See Ø 368, 419, and (451). At the
time of the first one (1941), he was a young man, the same age as the Student in the play. In the
last one, he was an old man, about the same age as Hummel. It affected his focus in the play.
See Egil Törnqvist’s discussion in his book Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata: A Stage History (listed
below).
In his fourth production of Spöksonaten Bergman presented Old Man Hummel as the
mastermind in a web of crimes and lies. His hands were covered in bloody rags, perhaps a
reference to the murder he once committed and possibly also to Strindberg himself, who
suffered from psoriasis while writing the play. There were other biographical allusions in the
production: an image of the house at Karlavägen 10 where Strindberg once lived (at the time it
was also Bergman’s Stockholm address) was projected on the black cloth that framed the stage,
and the sparse décor included a statue whose features were somewhat reminiscent of the actress
Harriet Bosse, Strindberg’s third wife.
While Bergman had reconstructed the decrepit bourgeois world of Strindberg’s play in great
realistic detail in his 1973 production and only gradually gave it an hallucinatory tone, he now
presented Spöksonaten in a stylized and abstracted setting. The set included half a dozen chairs,
placed in a horizontal row, on which the characters were seated during the ghost supper, facing
the spectators and suggesting that the house entered by Hummel and the Student extended out
into the audience. The Mummy’s closet was behind a black cloth, somewhat reminiscent of a
confession booth. The hyacinth room where the Student visits the Young lady was suggested by
a single flower box, where the hyacinths wilted drastically in the course of the play. But despite
the abstracted décor, Bergman’s production was very physical and exuded human decrepitude
and bodily nausea; at one point the maid emptied a pot of human excrements in a latrine below
the stage floor. The Young Lady’s dress was soiled with blood in the final scene; as she died in
full view of the audience, she crawled out of her dirtied clothing, ‘like a butterfly out of the
chrysalis’ [som en fjäril ur puppan] (Zern). The Milkmaid, played by a ballerina, performed a
dance suggesting flight and release. Strindberg’s Buddha statue was nowhere to be seen and his
suggested projection of Böcklin’s painting ‘Toteninsel’ was omitted.

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The production was staged without intermission on Dramaten’s small Målarsalen stage. In
the program Bergman referred to Spöksonaten as ‘a piece of fantasy’, a term Strindberg had used
in a letter to theatre director Victor Castegren in 1908. Musically, the play has usually been
associated with Beethoven’s ‘Gespenstersonat’ but Bergman used Bela Bartok as musical ac-
companiment, though his fourth reading of Strindberg’s play had the dark mood of Beethoven’s
piece.
In an original write-up about the production prior to opening night Pia Huss focussed on
the lighting and included a brief interview with Pierre Leveau, lighting master at Dramaten. See
‘Ljusmagi’ [Magic of light], DN, 11 February 2000.
AB published a 3-page pictorial reportage from the rehearsal of Spöksonaten, with comments
by Jan Malmsjö who played Hummel. See Dan Panas, ‘Mästarmötet [...] som slutade i ett
tårfyllt farväl’ [The meeting of masters that ended in a tearfilled farewell], AB, 12 February
2000, pp. 25-27.
Bergman talked about his stagings of Spöksonaten in the Swedish Radio program ‘Lördags-
intervjun’ (P1), 6 February 1999.
Reception
Almost all of the reviewers were struck by the merciless and morbid mood of Bergman’s fourth
Spöksonat, referring to it as a depressing existentialist Strindberg compendium; a Judgment Day
drama: ‘It is a heavy, black and anxiety-ridden world that Ingmar Bergman depicts. [...] A
synopsis of a whole Swedish tradition but painted in a dark vision of sulphur and vitriolics’.
[Det är en tung, svart och ångestfylld värld Ingmar Bergman skildrar [...] en sammanfattning av
en hel svensk tradition men målad i en mörk vision av sulfur och vitriol.] Lars Ring (SvD).
Great theatre but also depressing. The stark and abstracted set was likened to ‘a black box’; Leif
Zern (DN), though finding some amusing moments in the ghost supper scene called the
production as a whole ‘a before-death experience’ where Hummel assumed a place in Berg-
man’s book of accounts, revealing that life is an act between two dark spaces. To Zern there were
‘moments in Målarsalen when emptiness threatens to take over’. [ögonblick i Målarsalen då
tomheten hotar ta över]. An exception to this gloom-and-doom assessment of the production
was UNT’s Bo-Ingvar Kollberg, to whom Bergman/Strindberg’s black vision took on a mood of
atonement, and GP’s Jan Arnald who saw not only a bottomless tragedy but also a bizarre,
desperate comedy in Bergman’s production. To some reviewers the high professional quality of
the production was compensation for the morbid mood conveyed in set design and directorial
vision. (Larsén, SDS; Westling, AB).
Swedish reviewers have tended to keep Bergman’s theatre productions separate from his
filmmaking. But in her review of Spöksonaten, Margareta Sörenson in Expr. found a cross
fertilization between Bergman the filmmaker and Bergman the theatre director: ‘[The perfor-
mance] begins altogether magically; as in a slowly rewound film, the actors step out from the
wings. All enter with their backs to the audience, as if they had just exited and the director in
the editing room had said ‘Stop! Rewind!’ [föreställningen börjar helt magiskt; som i en
långsamt spolad film stiger skådespelarna ut från kulisserna. Alla kommer in med ryggen åt
publiken, som om de just gått ut och regissören i klipprummet hade sagt ‘Stopp! Spola
tillbaka!] The link between Bergman’s staging of Spöksonaten and his experience as a filmmaker
was also mentioned in several foreign reviews (for samples, see: Kvistad, Rossiné).
Foreign reviewers who attended the Stockholm opening talked about it as a historical
murmur: ‘It is like a link back to Strindberg himself.’ (Rygg). Because of Bergman’s age at
the time (82 years old), some critics saw the production as Bergman’s professional obituary;
wrote Per Theil in Danish Berlingske: ‘The production looks like a farewell. A final farewell. A
moment of goodbye so bitter and at the same time so moving that one is close to crying.’

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Reviews
Arnald, Jan. ‘Nålvasst förtätad spöksonat’ [Piercingly dense ghost sonata]. GP, 14 February 2000.
Kjellin, Gösta. ‘Fantasi på Bergmans manér’ [Fantasy a la Bergman]. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 1
March 2000.
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar. ‘Spöksonaten som en hyllning till Nationaldiktaren’ [The Ghost Sonata as
an homage to the National Poet). UNT, 14 February 2000.
Kvistad, Yngve. ‘Bergmans skrekk-kabinett’ [Bergman’s horror cabinet]. Verdens gang (Oslo), 14
February 2000.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Allt är förgänglighet i Bergmans fjärde Spöksonat’ [All is vanity in Berg-
man’s fourth Ghost Sonata]. SDS, 13 February 2000.
Lindh-Garreau, Maria. ‘Giganternas afton på Dramaten’ [Evening of giants at Dramaten].
Hufvudstadsbladet, 13 February 2000.
Lundberg, Christina. ‘Gastkramande naket’ [Spookily naked] Bohusläningen, 15 February 2000.
Ring, Lars. ‘Bergmans skräckfantasier’ [Bergman’s horror fantasies]. SvD, 13 February 2000.
Rossiné, Hans. ‘Bergmans svarte messe’ [Bergman’s black mass]. Dagbladet (Oslo), 13 February
2000.
Rygg, Elisabeth. ‘Spøksonate blir tragedie på Dramaten’ [Ghost Sonata becomes tragedy at
Dramaten]. Aftenposten Morgen Søndag (Oslo), 13 February 2000.
Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Bergmans slutgiltiga Spöksonat’ [Bergman’s final Ghost Sonata]. Arbetet Ny
Tid, 17 February 2000.
Sörenson, Margareta. ‘Det spökar på Dramaten’ [There are ghosts at Dramaten]. Expr., 13
February 2000.
Theil, Per. ‘Slutspil – og avsked?’ [Endgame – and farewell?]. Berlingske Tidende (Danish), 14
February 2000.
Westling, Barbro. ‘En högtidsstund på Dramaten’ [A festive occasion at Dramaten]. AB, 13
February 2000.
Zern, Leif. ‘Bergman rör vid hjärtat’ [Bergman touches the heart]. DN, 13 February 2000.
Studies and Review Articles
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergman möter Strindberg’ [Bergman meets Strindberg]. UNT, 23
February 2000.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Bergmans fjärde Spöksonat’ [Bergman’s fourth Ghost Sonata]. Strindbergiana
16, 2000, pp.
Törnqvist, Egil. The Ghost Sonata: A Stage History. University of Amsterdam Press, 2000, pp. 83-
103; 117-45, 248, 250. (Discusses all of Bergman’s productions of Strindberg’s play).
Guest Performances
The Spöksonaten production was selected as the first recipient of an annual Scandinavian
Theatre Prize, instituted by the Norwegian Sat Sapiente Foundation to honor the best stage
production of a Scandinavian play, put on by one of the three Scandinavian national stages:
Dramaten in Stockholm, Det Kongelige in Copenhagen, and Nationalteatret in Oslo. The award
stipulates that the winning production be performed at the other two Scandinavian national
stages.
Besides the Sat Sapiente award of half a millions crowns, Bergman also received a personal
award of 10,000 crowns, which he decided to give away to a Norwegian non-establishment
theatre group, Totalteatret from Tromsö in northern Norway.
1. Oslo, Nationalteatret, Back Stage, 31 May-1 June 2001
The reviewer Grete Indahl in the leftist paper Klassekampen (‘Superaktuelt teaterstoff ’, 2 June
2001) saw a connection between the parasitical theme of Strindberg’s play and the rationale

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behind the Attac movement’s struggle against global capitalism. Other Oslo papers had already
reviewed the production when it opened in Stockholm. See also the coverage on the Norwegian
radio program ‘Kulturnytt’, NRK P2, 1 June 2001.
2. Copenhagen, Det Kongelige, 9-10 June 2001, three performances
Reviews
Christensen, Charlotte. ‘Kammermusik over Strindberg’. Information, 12 June 2001. Christensen
saw Bergman as a representative of a bygone stage tradition when the national theatre could
count on an audience that was well educated and culturally homogenous. She pays homage
to a director who ‘unites, without much ado and with no self-adulation, his lifelong
experiences in the theatre and his self-evident genius. And the actors follow him like angels
in both farce and tragedy’.
Dithmer, Monna. ‘Knokkelmandens mestergreb’ [The masterly grip of the Skeleton man
(Death)]. Politiken, 11 June 2001. Calls the production both classical and modern, simple
in set design and precise in its character study.
Lund, Me. ‘Souper med de døde’ [Supper with the dead]. Berlingske Tidende, 12 June 2001. Lund
sees the production as both an exaggerated and restrained exposé of the magic of theatre in
an unbearable world.
3. New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), 20-24 June 2001.
‘Every few years’, wrote Linda Winer (Newsday), ‘Ingmar Bergman electrifies the Brooklyn
Academy of Music with a bolt of his visionary theater. And in the zap of an evening, we are
stunned yet again with the power of a permanent acting ensemble, with the importance of
marrow-deep understanding of style and a master to transform theory and text into living,
breathing, sweating stage genius’. Several reviewers felt that this was Bergman’s theatre work at
its untouchable best.
There were a total of five performances. PR material provided by Dramaten, which empha-
sized Bergman’s lifelong interest in The Ghost Sonata and his special affinity for Strindberg,
seems to have spoonfed the reviewers. Some however recognized a certain similarity between
the Strindberg-Bergman ghost supper and their own social circle: ‘To tell the truth, as an
assembly of tic-riddled, hollow poseurs and desiccated beauties, the Ghost Supper isn’t so
different from some Park Avenue dinner parties I’ve attended’. (Brantley). The comparison
reflects the way American reviewers experienced the production: as a grotesque joke and
beautifully sinister vision (Gamerman) and as a sardonic commentary on a harsh, self-devour-
ing world, at times undercutting the inherent poetry of Strindberg’s piece: ‘It renders the play
even more arid than the text.’ (Kissel). Several critics took the occasion to compare the quality
of Bergman’s production and the standard fare in New York. Michael Feingold wrote: ‘I would
say that Strindberg’s play has never been seen more vividly in New York in my lifetime. [...] I
am as ashamed of New York today as Hummel’s victims are of their guilty secrets. This city’s
theater, like the living-dead household where Arkenholz finds himself, is poisoned at the very
source of life’.
A deviating voice among the many positive and respectful reviews was presented by John
Simon. Calling Dramaten’s visit to BAM a ‘downer’, Simon concluded that the best thing about
the production was Bartok’s music in the background: ‘I kept hoping that Strindberg would go
away so that a full performance of Bartok could take over.’
An English translation by Inga Stina Ewbank was available on headsets.

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Reviews
Brantley, Ben. ‘Strindberg’s Eerie World of Lost Souls’. NYT, 22 June 2001, p. E l.
Feingold, Michael. ‘A Jolt from Strindberg Wakes up the Living Dead’. Village Voice, 10 July 2001,
p. 68.
Gamerman, Amy. ‘Strindberg through the Eyes of Bergman’. Wall Street Journal, 27 June 2001, p.
A. 12.
Jenkins, Ron. ‘Letting Silence Speak of Anguish in Strindberg’. NYT, 17 June 2001.
Kissel, Howard. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Unfriendly “Ghost”’. New York Daily News, 22 June 2001, p.
53.
Lahr, John. ‘The Ghost Sonata’. New Yorker, July 9, 2001, pp. 92-93.
Lyons, Donald. ‘Bergman Replays “Sonata”’. New York Post, 22 June 2001, p. 43.
Simon, John. ‘The Ghost Sonata’. New York, 9 July 2001, p 44.
Winer, Linda. ‘The Exquisite Yearnings of the Walking Dead’. New Day, 22 June 2001, p. B2, B3.

486. MARIA STUART

Credits
Playwright Friedrich Schiller
Translator Britt G. Hallqvist
Director Ingmar Bergman
Dramaturgue Ulla Åberg
Stage Design Göran Wassberg
Costumes Charles Koroly
Composer Daniel Börtz
Choreographer Donya Feuer
Lighting Hans Åkesson
Sound Jan-Erik Piper
Stage Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten), Main Stage
Opening date 16 December 2000 (57 performances)
Cast
Maria Stuart Pernilla August
Queen Elizabeth Lena Endre
Maria’s wetnurse Gunnel Lindblom
Lord Leicester Mikael Persbrandt
Lord Burleigh Börje Ahlstedt
Lord Talbot Per Myrberg
Melvil, Maria’s steward Erland Josephson
Lord Paulet Ingvar Kjellson
Mortimer Stefan Larsson
Davison, secretary Carl-Magnus Dellow
Drury Nils Eklund
Margaretha, lady in waiting Charlotta Larsson
Ladies of the court, prison guards, soldiers
Commentary
A brief interview with Bergman about his preparations for the production of Maria Stuart
appeared in DN, 19 September 1999. (Mårten Hennéus, ‘Tre frågor...’), p. B 1.
This was Ingmar Bergman’s first staging of a Schiller play and the first production of Maria
Stuart in a long time on any Swedish stage. Bergman reportedly got the idea to set up the play

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when he came to a performance of Swedish playwright Kristina Lugn’s 1998 production of

Nattorienterare (Night Briefers) in a small basement theatre, Brunnsgatan 4, in Stockholm. The
leading parts were played by Lena Endre and Pernilla August, the two actresses who portray
Queen Elizabeth and Mary Stuart in Bergman’s staging of Schiller’s drama. According to an
interview with Endre and August in the December 2000 issue of the monthly magazine Må-
nadsjournalen, Bergman read Schiller’s preface to the play, in which the playwright states that
the roles of Elizabeth and Mary Stuart should be cast by women in the mistress category and
not in the queen category, women who are political rivals but above all women who can be
swept away by passion and love.
There may have been other professional reasons for Bergman’s late interest in Schiller. As a
classical playwright in the German theatre, Schiller holds the position of a Molière in France
and a Shakespeare in England. For years Bergman had emphasized the importance of keeping a
theatre tradition alive and had obviously had an ambition to inscribe himself in that tradtion,
both nationally and internationally. Working for many years during his exile within a German
cultural context may have prompted him to take up a play by Schiller. But Schiller also
represents an artistic temperament that complements Bergman’s own. Though lacking the
theatrical playfulness of Molière and Shakespeare, which obviously attracted Bergman, Schiller
nevertheless combines two important features in Bergman’s vision: a strong moral voice and a
sense of the importance of aesthetics to convey that voice. Like Schiller, Bergman’s aesthetics
seldom become an art for art’s sake feature but is a tool used to reveal a basic approach to life
and art by showing their interdependence – the theatre functioning as a mirror of human
conflicts, a forum for man’s ethical obligations, which also includes the role and function of art.
As in almost all of Bergman’s productions of the classics since his return to Dramaten, the
stage contours of Maria Stuart were stark and ascetic – grey walls rising towards the skies,
reminiscent of Gordon Craig’s vertical scenography. Maria Stuart, the prisoner, was dressed in
grey; Elizabeth, the ruler, in red. Her court and Maria’s prison shared the space on stage at the
same time, one resting in a tableau while the other ‘performed’.
Bergman’s interpretation reversed the traditional view of Elizabeth as virginal, cold, and hard
and Maria Stuart as beautiful, seductive, and manipulative. In this version, Elizabeth became a
sensuous woman who smoked cigarillos and lustily made love in front of her court, while Maria
was ascetic and dressed like a nun.
Reception
The reviews could easily have become entirely focussed on the two star performers, Lena Endre
and Pernilla August. In fact, the critic in Frankfurter Allgemeine felt seduced by the two superb
actresses who were said to have turned a musty old German classic into a modern theatrical
display. But reviewers also tended to juxtapose their performance to Göran Wassberg’s set
design and Bergman’s stage imagery. In fact, at times the critical assessment downplayed the
acting: ‘Strangely enough for being a Bergman production, the acting is not what impresses one
the most. Rather it is the rich esthetic imagery. Göran Wassberg’s high, darkly shimmering
space, Charles Koroly’s colorful costumes [...] and Hans Åkesson’s lighting create both hypnotic
depth and dizzying beauty to the performance’. [egendomligt nog för att vara en Bergmanpro-
duktion så är det inte spelet som imponerar mest. Snarare då det rika estetiska bildspråket.
GWs höga, mörkt skimrande rymd, CKs färgstarka kostymer [...] och HÅs ljus skapar både
hypnotiskt djup och svindlande skönhet i föreställningen]. (Schwartz).
To Leif Zern (DN), Bergman the image maker almost succeeded in hiding the fact that Maria
Stuart was not a very good work, a historical play overshadowed by a passion drama that usurps
the historical context. Bergman’s attempt to make a grandiose passion play out of Schiller’s
drama was termed impressive but distancing. Ring, SvD, called it: ‘a beautiful staging about eros

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and agape. [...] The production is an exquisite mixture of subtle esthetics, will, and self-evident
vitality. [...] Ingmar Bergman builds his own church on stage’. [ en vacker iscensättning om eros
och agape. [...] Föreställningen är en utsökt blandning av subtil estetik, vilja och självklar kraft
[...] Bergman bygger sin egen kyrka på scenen.]
Bergman’s conversion of the stage into a theatrical dome was actually irritating to some
reviewers: The audience was expected to kneel before Bergman, wrote the critic in AB. Con-
tributing to this irritation was Bergman’s self-referential hints to earlier productions – his own
and those of others – on stage and in film history. In her review, Zanton-Ericsson in Östgöta-
Correspondenten asked if Bergman was building an echo temple of his own; she had noted deja-
vu features in the production that pointed to Bergman’s Markissinnan de Sade with Lena Endre
looking like a copy of Agneta Ekmanner, and to Ingrid Bergman’s portrayal of Joan of Arc on
the screen.
Yet to several critics, Bergman was not building a sacred monument to himself but to the
theatre as a holy art. To them his perfectionist esthetics and intertextual references had a
justifiable purpose: to suggest that Schiller’s moral conflict, embodied in each of the two queens
and ending in Mary’s long confessional farewell and in Elizabeth’s total abandonment, was also
a hymn to the theatre as a blessing and a place of human consolation and atonement. (For
Bergman turning the theatre into a cathedral, see Widegren, Fredriksson, Rygg, Rossiné, and
Theil).
Reviews – Swedish
Arnald, Jan. ‘Styrka, sinnlighet, skuld’ [Strength, sensuality, guilt]. GP, 18 December 2000.
Fredriksson, Karl, G. ‘Starkt gripande och stram Stuart’ [Strongly moving and strict Stuart],
Nerikes Allehanda, 18 December 2000.
Lindh-Garreau, Maria. ‘Skådespelarna bär känslan i Maria Stuart’ [The actors carry the emo-
tion in Maria S.], Hufvudstadsbladet, 17 December 2000.
Lundberg, Christina. ‘Kvinnoporträtt det slår gnistor om’ [Women portraits with sparks].
Bohusläningen, 20 December 2000.
Ring, Lars. ‘Bergman bygger sin kyrka på Dramatens stora scen’ [Bergman builds his church on
Dramaten’s main stage]. SvD, 17 December 2000.
Schwartz, Nils. ‘Pärlan i musslan’ [The pearl in the mussel]. Expr., 17 December 2000.
Wahlin, Claes. ‘På knä för Bergman’ [On knees before Bergman]. AB, 17 December 2000.
Widegren, Björn. ‘Storslaget om skuld och samvete’ [Grandiose about guilt and conscience].
Gefle Dagblad, 17 December 2000.
Zanton-Ericsson, Gun. ‘Drottningkamp i mästerliga bilder’ [Struggle between queens in mas-
terly images]. Östgöta-Correspondenten, 18 December 2000.
Zern, Leif. ‘Vackra kvinnor och hämmade män’ [Beautiful women and frustrated men]. DN, 17
December 2000.
Reviews – Foreign
Alonzo, Francesco Saverio. ‘Tutti in ginocchio davanti a Bergman’. La Sicilia, 4 January 2001,
Cultural page. (Mostly quotes from Swedish reviewers).
Garsdal, Lise. ‘Bergmans dronningerunde’ [Bergman’s round of queens]. Politiken, 17 December
2000.
Nisi, Roberto. ‘Scontro di due natue femminili nell’ultima fatica di Bergman’. Prima fila, 2001-
2002, p. 35.
Rossiné, Hans. ‘Bergmans sterke kvinner’ [Bergman’s strong women]. Dagbladet, 17 December
2000.
Rygg, Elisabeth. ‘Bergmans storslagne dronninger’ [Bergman’s grandiose queens]. Aftenposten,
17 December 2000.

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Theil, Per. ‘To kvinder og en Bergman’ [Two women and one Bergman]. Berlingske Tidende, 18
December 2000.
Weyler, Svante. ‘Den Flor der Nacht muss ich entlehnen’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 4
January 2001.
Longer Articles
Zern, Leif. ‘Schiller, Bergman och friheten’ [Schiller, Bergman and freedom]. Artes, no. 2, 2001:
75-79.
See also
Tiselius, Henric. ‘Två drottningar på Dramaten’ [Two queens at Dramaten]. Tidningen Söder-
malm, no. 51, 16 December 2000. (an interview with Lena Endre and Pernilla August who
point out that to them the Maria Stuart production had a quicker and more aggressive
tempo than other stagings by Bergman).
Guest Performance
New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 13-16 June 2002
New York critics were struck by the multicultural basis of this Bergman production: a German
classic from 1800 about a 16th-century event in British history, performed by a 21st-century
Swedish cast. The reception was more courteous than warm, in part because the historical
subject was ‘not exactly a sizzling topic’ (Kissel). The focus was on Bergman’s attempt to tie the
two women together psychologically, rather than historically. Brantley in NYT saw reminiscence
of Bergman’s fusion of faces in Persona as the two queens became consumed by passion.
All in all, it was a rather reserved critical corps that wrote about this guest performance at
BAM – very different from the response to The Ghost Sonata the year before.
Reviews
Brantley, Ben. ‘Two Queens, Each the Prisoner of the Other’. NYT, 14 June 2002.
Kissel, Howard. ‘Scepters that haunted Europe’. Daily News, 14 June 2002.
Winer, Linda. ‘Bergman Gives Queens the Stage’. Newsday, 14 June 2002.

2000
487. GENGÅNGARE (Ghosts)
Credits
Playwright Henrik Ibsen
Adaptation/Translation Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Designer Göran Wassberg
Costumes Anna Bergman
Music Arvo Pärt’s ‘For Aliina’, played by Käbi Laretei
Opening Date 9 February 2002
Cast
Mrs. Helene Alving Pernilla August
Pastor Gabrile Manders Jan Malmsjö
Osvald Jonas Malmsjö
Jacob Engstrand Örjan Ramberg
Regine Engstrand Angela Kovacs

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Commentary
The published version of Bergman’s adaptation and translation of Ibsen’s drama has a small
Munch etching on its cover, a signal of the direction in which Bergman would take the play,
juxtaposing Ibsen’s ‘corseted’ drama with a Munchian form of expressionism: restraint turning
into explosiveness. The cave-like set design by Göran Wassberg showed a well-to-do living-
room in elegant art nouveau style, walled and draped in dark green, almost black Munchian
colors, with Mrs Alving in a rich red ‘Aspasia’ hairdo and Osvald in a stark white Munchian
‘Scream’ mask with a single red stroke in his hair.
If the set design was inspired by Munch, Bergman’s language was ‘Strindbergmanian’ – a
combination of direct references to some of Strindberg’s ‘expressionistic’ chamber plays and
Bergman’s own high strung and explosive expressiveness. In an Afterword to his translation of
Gengangere Bergman writes that in reading and rereading Ibsen’s drama he began to hear the
detonation of Strindberg’s Pelikanen. The parallels seemed obvious to him: a forceful dominant
mother, a deceased father whose ghost-like presence remained in the family, a deathly ill son, a
wing-clipped young woman, and an apocalyptic fire at the end. Ibsen, said Bergman, was a little
wiser than Strindberg, for he put ‘an iron corset on the children of his wrath’, [en järnkorsett på
sin vredes barn], thus adjusting his expressiveness to the public of his time. Bergman however
decided ‘to cut the iron corset to pieces without tampering with the basic themes’. [att skära
järnkorsetten i bitar utan att röra vid grundmotiven]. He concludes his Afterword with an
homage to Ibsen, the master-builder: ‘The architecture, the building itself, is the work of a
master’. [Arkitekturen, själva byggnaden är en mästares verk].
Bergman’s stamp on Ibsen’s text was already noticeable during the opening scene, where
Regine’s confrontation with her ‘father’ Jacob Engstrand was punctuated with Bergman’s lingo
of swear words and slangy forms of address. The performance was also marked by typical
Bergman moments, such as having Osvald, white as a ghost, put on a clown’s red nose or
tumble about in an explicit sexual tete-a-tete with Regine. In the final scene Osvald undressed
stark naked, assuming the statuesque pose of a figure on a Munch Life Frieze with bloody-red,
then yellow ‘resurrection’ sunlight streaming in through the window.
Bergman called his version of Ibsen’s Gengangere ‘a family drama’ but could also have called
it a drama of unmasking. It was Ibsen’s life lie (livsløgn) that became his major theme; he made
it more explicit in his textual additions and by pruning the plot of such ‘irrelevant’ matters as
the uninsured status of the orphanage and Osvald’s and Manders’ ‘obsolete’ discussion of free
love. Ibsen’s open ending became a visible act of euthanasia as Mrs. Alving gave her son a
double dose of fatal drugs, then turned her back to him and, standing at the ramp, faced the
audience in a typical Bergman gesture of turning the house into an accomplice in the act.
Pernilla August (Mrs Alving) was interviewed on the day of the premiere. See: Lars Collin.
‘Livet har hunnit i kapp fru Alving’ [Life has caught up with Mrs. A], SvD, 9 February 2002, pp.
4-5 (Kultur).
Reception
Reviews remarked on the production’s combination of traditionalism and stylization. SvD
called it theatre of the 1940s and 1950s in an 1880s set design. Almost all the critics saw obvious
autobiographical elements in Bergman’s version of Ghosts, – some superficial such as when he
named the dead Mr. Alving Erik after his own father and some more psychologically profound,
as in his explicit portrayal of an oedipal mother-son relationship. Thus, Bergman’s production
of Ghosts was seen to include more than Ibsenite spectres: Bergman’s own life and theatre
concepts also haunted the production. Phrased differently and in the words of GP critic Amelie
Björck, Bergman treated Ibsen ‘as if he were Strindberg [...] or why not Bergman himself; all his
marriages, all his agony of death’. [som om han vore Strindberg [...] eller varför inte Bergman

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själv; alla hans äktenskap, all hans dödsångest.] Bergman’s personal presence led Me Lund in
the Danish paper Berlingske to call his production of Ghosts ‘Scenes from a Marriage that never
turned into anything’. [Scener fra et ægteskab, der aldrig blev til noget].
Compared to the reception of Maria Stuart, there was less focus among the reviewers of
Ghosts on estheticism and more emphasis on Bergman as a unique instructor of actors, on what
one reviewer (Schwartz) termed ‘the theatre of the moment’. [ögonblickets teater]. The critical
consensus was that the production was carried by Pernilla August – whose performance was
termed superb and mature – while Osvald’s role (Jonas Malmsjö) remained uneven and puz-
zling to many of the reviewers. There was disagreement about the ending, where Bergman
instead of toning down Ibsen’s text, intensified its melodramatic aspects. (For constrasting
views about the final scene, see Schwartz in Expr. (positive) and Björck in GP (negative).
Several Norwegian papers reviewed the original Stockholm performance, which they found
verging on such a caricature of Ibsen’s time period that ‘we almost get a sneezing attack because
of the theatre dust’. [vi nesten får nyseanfall på grunn av teaterstøvet] (Verdens Gang). None
objected to Bergman’s adaptation of Ibsen’s text but approved of his focus on the unmasking
motif and on his ability to penetrate Ibsen’s Victorian façade: ‘He has intensified and he has
brought matters to a head’. [Han har intensivert, og han har satt ting på spissen] (Bergens
Tidende). One reviewer (Wiese, Dagbladet) urged his readers to commit a crime if necessary in
order to secure a ticket for the scheduled guest visit of Bergman’s Ghosts in Oslo.
Swedish Reviews
Björck, Amelie. ‘Värdiga mästare i möte’ [Encounter of worthy masters ]. GP, 10 February 2002.
Fredriksson, Karl O. ‘Den siste gengångarens död’ [Death of the last ghost]. Nerikes Allehanda,
11 February 2002.
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Ibsen upphöjd till Norén’ [Ibsen elevtated to Norén]. SDS, 10 February
2002.
Lindh-Garreau, Maria. ‘Ja till aktiv dödshjälp’ [Approval of active eunastasia]. Hufvudstadsbla-
det, 13 February 2002.
Lysell, Roland. ‘Bergmansk försoning’ [Bergmanian reconciliation]. UNT, 11 February 2002.
Ortman, Lisa and Peter. ‘Snudd på expressionistisk Gengångare’ [Touch of expressionistic
Ghosts]. Helsingborgs Dagblad, 12 February 2002.
Ring, Lars. ‘Allt går igen hos Bergman’ [Everything reappears in Bergman]. SvD, 10 February
2002.
Schwartz, Nils. ‘Ibsen går igen’ [Ibsen haunts again]. Expr., 10 February 2002.
Waaranpää, Ingegärd. ‘Trovärdigt montage om tröst’ [Believable montage about solace]. DN, 10
February 2002.
Westling, Barbro. ‘Det brinner!’ [Fire!]. AB, 10 February 2002.
Zanton-Ericsson, Gun. ‘Allt går igen hos Bergmans Ibsen’ [Haunting ghosts in Bergman’s
Ibsen]. Östgöta-Correspondenten, 11 February 2002.
Non-Swedish Reviews
Dagsland, Sissel Hamre. ‘Bergmans gråtende gjengangere’ [Bergman’s crying ghosts]. Bergens
Tidende, 10 February 2002.
Kvistad, Yngve. ‘Gigantenes Gjengangere’ [The Ghosts of the Giants]. Verdens Gang (Oslo), 10
February 2002.
Lund, Me. ‘Bergmans gengangere’ [Bergman’s ghosts]. Berlingske Tidende, 19 February 2002.
Lutherson, Peter. ‘Trilogie der Wiedergänger’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 11 February 2002.
Schloemann, Johan. ‘Einlass der Dämonen’. Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung, 12 February 2002.
Villiger Heilig, Barbara. ‘Treue und Untreue’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 12 February 2002, p. 61.
Wiese, Andreas. ‘Ibsen a la Bergman’. Dagbladet (Oslo), 20 February 2002.

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See also
Sauer, Joachim. ‘En gengångare i vår tid’ [A ghost in our time]. UNT, 27 February 2002. (A brief
review article about the Ibsen-Strindberg-Bergman conglomerate in Bergman’s production
of Ghosts).
Guest Performances
1. Oslo Ibsen Festival, 9-11 September 2002
Dramaten visited Oslo with Bergman’s version of Ghosts during the annual Ibsen festival. Major
Norwegian papers had already reviewed the production after its opening night in Stockholm.
See reception summary above. Only Imdahl was a great deal more critical than her other
colleagues. She called the production traditional and not very creative in its focus on the text
and with the actors either standing or sitting in a frontal position. She called the ending a piece
of comic art. In contrast, Elisabeth Rygg in Aftenposten thought Bergman’s theatrical force was
so strong it overshadowed his exaggerated and questionable ending, which to Rygg lacked any
undercurrents of human warmth.
Reviews
Calmeyer, Bengt. ‘Rik og majestetisk Ibsen’ [Rich and majestic Ibsen]. Dagsavisen (Oslo), 12
September 2002.
Imdahl, Grette. ‘Dødelig drama fra Dramaten’ [Deadly drama from Dramaten]. Klassekampen
(Oslo), 12 September 2002.
Rygg, Elisabeth. ‘Ibsen på Ingmar Bergmans vis’ [Ibsen a la Bergman]. Aftenposten Morgen, 12
September 2002.
2. The Barbican, London, 1-4 May 2003
The guest performances in London were a BITE (Barbican International Theatre Event) and
were termed an ‘astonishing, historic piece of luck to see the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden
production with which the great Ingmar Bergman marks his farewell to film and theatre
directing’. (de Jong, Evening Standard). But the reviews of Bergman’s version of Ghosts were
quite ambivalent and clearly showed once more that the British have their set way of ‘reading’
Ibsen: as a reticent realist subtly uncovering the held-back truth of the past. Almost all of the
critics found Bergman’s version too explicit, crude, and eroticized. In the words of The Ob-
server’s critic, Bergman had ‘introduced clarity at the expense of tension’; another concluded
that ‘evidently [Bergman] believes that trapped inside every Ibsen play there is a more explicit
drama raging to get out.’ (Paul Taylor, Independent). Other reservations concerned the impres-
sion that this Bergman production relied too much on his filmmaking style, as if he were using
a slow, probing camera of close-ups which made the performance very static. When Osvald
mocked sanctimoniousness by donning a jester’s red nose, it made him look, according to Kate
Bassett (Independent on Sunday), like Coco the Clown: ‘The nose lands Ibsen’s Norway in a
mime school, circa 1970.’
In contrast to these negative reactions to Bergman’s approach to Ibsen’s play, there were very
appreciative reviews of the actors: ‘The superlative feature of the staging is the performance he
elicits from his five actors’. (Alastair Macauley, Financial Times). Benedict Nightingale in The
Times concluded: ‘So do we need Bergman’s rewriting? No – but that needn’t stop us relishing
his excellent cast.’
Reviews
Bassett, Kate. ‘Ghosts at Barbican’. Independent on Sunday, 11 May 2003.
Cavendish, Dominique. ‘Cast rises to the occasion for Bergman’s swansong’. The Daily
Telegraph, 3 May 2003.

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Clapp, Susannah. ‘Theatre’. The Observer, 4 May 2003.

de Jong, Nicholas. Evening Standard, 2 May 2003.
Gardner, Lyn. ‘Bergman’s Ghosts go bump’. The Guardian, 2 May 2003.
Macaulay, Alastair. ‘The Critics. Ghosts’. Financial Times, 5 May 2003.
Nightingale, Benedict. ‘Theatre. Ghosts’. The Times, 2 May 2003.
3. New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), 10-14 June 2003
Dramaten’s visit to BAM with Ghosts in June 2003 was the 11th guest performance of a Bergman
production in New York. It turned into a farewell homage to Bergman and the Dramaten team.
BAM’s artistic leader, Joseph Melillo, called it a painful parting for the 144-year old Brooklyn
Academy of Music. He singled out Bergman’s unique directorial vision, his ‘conceptualized
solutions’, and the ensemble’s high quality of acting. To Melillo, Bergman had set new limits for
revealing emotional and psychological depth in a theatre performance. For a report, see DN
article, 10 June 2003. (Dnet).
The reviews were somewhat more reserved, though they paid homage to Bergman as a
theatrical genius. Linda Winer (Newsday) felt ‘stunned’ and ‘privileged’ to attend an occasion
by a master whose style created a ‘living, breathing, sweating stage event’ and for ‘his exquisite
company’ who came to Brooklyn ‘for too few days with one of his kaleidoscopic excavations of
the human psyche.’ Though missing Ibsen’s powerful tension of latent churnings, Winer ap-
plauded Bergman’s production ‘on its own tormented, Expressionistic terms’. Her colleagues
were more critical. Howard Kissel thought that Bergman talked the play to death and failed to
produce shock waves equivalent to Ghosts’ impact in Ibsen’s own time since Bergman’s method
– four-letter words and nudity – are already old-fashioned in today’s theatre. Ben Brantley in
NYT concurred, calling Bergman’s frank obscenity no more than a way of dragging ‘the im-
plicitly obvious to the surface’. Like Kissel, Brantley found Bergman’s ‘renovation’ of Ibsen’s
drama ‘oddly stuffy’. As elsewhere, New York reviewers forgave everything for the stunning
performance by all the actors, but particularly Pernilla August. Jeremy McCarter wrote: ‘The
play’s crowning glory... is Pernilla August... She doesn’t play the role of Mrs. Alving, she plays all
the roles of Mrs. Alving [...] [with] a precise physicality, which only seems effortless; a voice like
the mountains – full of sudden ascents and steep drops, both dangerous and beautiful – that
ought to be the envy of any actress; warmth, loveliness, wit.’
Reviews
Brantley, Ben. ‘Bergman Reimagines Ibsen’s Haunted Widow’. New York Times, 12 June 2003.
Filipski, Kevin. ‘End of the line’. The Brooklyn Papers, 9 June 2003.
Kissel, Howard. ‘Bergman’s “Ghosts” isn’t all that haunting’. Daily News, 13 June 2003.
McCarter, Jeremy. ‘The Passion of Bergman’. New York Sun, 13-15 June 2003.
Winer, Linda. ‘It’s a Privilege, Mr. Bergman’. Newsday, 13 June 2003.

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Opera/Ballet

1954
488. SKYMNINGSLEKAR [Twilight Games] (Ballet)
Credits
Director Ingmar Bergman
Choreography Carl Gustaf Kruuse
Music/ Conductor Ingvar Wieslander
Stage Design and Costumes Martin Ahlbom
Stage Malmö City Theatre, Main Stage
Opening Date October 1954

1961
489. EN RUCKLARES VÄG [The Rake’s Progress] (Opera)
Credits
Production Royal Opera, Stockholm
Opera Score Igor Stravinsky
Libretto W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman
Swedish Text Östen Sjöstrand
Director Ingmar Bergman
Stage Design Birger Bergling
Costumes Kerstin Hedeby
Conductor Michael Gielen
Stage Royal Opera, Stockholm
Opening Date 22 April 1961
Revived, with same ensemble 30 October 1966 (conductor: Silvio Varviso)
Broadcast on Swedish radio (SR) 7 May 1961
Guest Performance Montreal World’s Fair, summer 1967, 2 performances
Cast
Ann Truelove Margareta Hallin/Busk Margit Jonsson
Baba, Turkish woman Kerstin Meyer/Barbro Ericson
Tom Rakewell Ragnar Ulfung
Nick Shadow Erik Sædén/Anders Näslund
Mother Goose Barbro Ericson/Kerstin Dellert
Truelove Arne Tyrén/Erik Sundquist
Sellem, auctioneer Olle Sivall
A Guard in the madhouse Erik Sundquist/Paul Höglund

Rowdy young men, prostitutes, servants, city dwellers, and madmen

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Commentary
Stravinski composed his opera between 1948 and 1949, with a libretto by W. H. Auden and
Chester Kallman. The music score was published by Boosey & Hawkes, London, in 1949
(Library at Royal Opera, Stockholm, has a copy). The world premiere was in Venice on 11
September 1951. Bergman’s staging of the opera was the second opening in Scandinavia; the first
took place in Danish city of Århus a few months before.
En Rucklares väg was Bergman’s first venture into opera and an old dream come true. He had
attended the Stockholm Opera frequently as a teenager and had had his favorite seat in the
stalls. In the early 1940s when he was a young director at the Sago Theatre in Stockholm’s Civic
Centre, he also held a part time job as an assistant at the Opera. His task was to a large extent to
run errands, picking up beer and sandwiches for the cast, but occasionally he would be asked to
act as prompter and to serve under opera directors like Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius and Issay
Dobrowen. In interviews, Bergman would talk about the Royal Swedish Opera with the same
kind of deep-rooted love as he spoke about his childhood experience of Dramaten.
Bergman had only seen one staging of Stravinski’s opera earlier: the Rennert production in
Hamburg in 1954. The work appealed to him as a kind of morality play in the Italian buffa opera
style. In preparation for his production he studied closely William Hogarth’s series of satirical
engravings titled ‘The Rake’s Progress’, on which the opera is based. Bergman referred fre-
quently to Hogarth in his mise-en-scene, but also to the Globe Theatre and to the 18th-century
Drottningholm Court Theatre outside Stockholm. He had the set designer construct a stage
within a stage, surrounded by blackness, and a special front apron that projected over half of
the orchestra pit. Such a structure allowed him to alternate between scenes where the singers
seemed to move very close to the viewers and scenes of depth and distance.
Stage hands carried grey sets (suggesting Hogarth’s work) on and off the stage, without the
use of a curtain. In an interview (Wiskari, NYT) Bergman explained his rationale: He saw
Stravinski as a Christian moralist whose lesson was: ‘The devil finds work for idle hands.’ When
the mood was especially tense, the illusion had to be broken to alert the viewers that ‘Stravinski
wants to tell you something’.
The Stockholm papers carried brief stories about Bergman’s initial meeting with the cast. See
‘Bergmans första operadag’ [Bergman’s first opera day], ST, 28 February 1961. There were
several newspaper accounts during the rehearsal time and after a press conference on 18 April
1961. See:
AGE. ‘Operans passopp vände tillbaka på ett flyttlass’ [The Opera’s pageboy returned on a
moving truck]. DN, 16 April 1961.
Höken (Marianne Höök). ‘Pacificerad Bergman på Operan’ [Pacified Bergman at the Opera].
SvD, 21 April 1961. (A report from dress rehearsal, in which Bergman claimed that he had
wanted to stage operas since the age of six.)
Janzon, Bengt. ‘Bergman on Opera’. Opera News, 5 May 1962, pp. 12-14. For details, (See Ø 743),
1962, Chapter VIII.
Widerberg, Bertil. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Rucklaren’ [Bergman and the Rake]. SDS, 6 April 1961,
p. 2.
Wiskari, Werner. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s way with “The Rake”’. NYT, 7 May 1961.
In time for Bergman’s production of The Rake’s Progress, Bonniers published a Swedish transla-
tion of the libretto by Östen Sjöstrand. Sjöstrand wrote a newspaper article about his task:
‘Aldrig har jag så smärtsamt erfarit bristen på enstaviga verb’. [Never have I experienced so
painfully the lack of one-syllable verbs]. Expr., 21 April 1961, p. 4.
After his staging of The Rake’s Progress, Bergman received many invitations to set up operas
abroad. Variety, 13 September 1967, p. 1, reports that he might stage a Wagner opera at the

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Bayreuth Music festival, even though he had turned down previous offers from La Scala and the
Hamburg Opera. The Hamburg negotiations had been tough: Bergman had asked for 3 months
rehearsal time, a doubling of the number of singers in leading roles, and an assistant director
who would follow all of his rehearsals and be present after the opening to make sure the
production remained intact.
Bergman’s production was revived in 1967 in connection with a guest visit to the Montreal
World’s Fair. No reviews located.
Reception
The Swedish King and Queen attended the premiere. Later Stravinsky came to Stockholm to
view Bergman’s production. His response was very positive. See: Stravinsky, Igor and Robert
Craft, Dialogues and a Diary, New York: Doubleday, 1963, pp. 165-71. Excerpts based on con-
versations between the composer and Craft appear in Swedish in the Opera program to Berg-
man’s production.
‘What an opera evening!’ exclaimed one reviewer (Skans) after the opening of Bergman’s
production, which was an unconditional success met with standing ovations during innumer-
able curtain calls. Superlatives were used about all aspects of the production that was termed
the most beautiful ever seen at the Royal Opera. Music critic Alf Thoor exclaimed: ‘When did
we see Swedish opera ensembles and mass scenes directed with such suggestive exactness?
When did we see lighting incorporated in the events on stage with such virtuosity? The Rake’s
Progress is the result of collaboration on an ingenious level’. [När såg vi svenska operaensembler
och masscener regisserade med sådan suggestiv exakthet? När såg vi ljusssättningen inkorpor-
eras med händelserna på scenen med sådan virtuositet? Rucklarens väg är resultatet av sam-
verkan på en genial nivå.].
Reviewers focussed almost exclusively on Bergman’s direction: ‘There is only one director of
Ingmar Bergman’s stature. He is familiar with the world of fools and madmen. He knows the
face of the devil, Faust, Don Juan, man’s greatness and lowness, the powers of life and death. He
is perhaps the only one today who can rightly interpret this opera pastiche about love and its
enemies.’ [Det finns bara en regissör av Ingmar Bergmans mått. Han är bekant med dårars och
vetvillingars värld. Han känner djävulens ansikte, Faust, Don Juan, människans storhet och
låghet, livets och dödens makter. Han är kanske den enda i dag som kan rätt tolka denna
operapastisch om kärleken och dess fiender]. (Johansson, GHT). What appealed to the re-
viewers was Bergman’s combination of ‘irony and demonics’, which also reverberated in Stra-
vinski’s music. Director and composer were said to share a basically traditionalist approach to
art but with a unique personal ear for music.
In connection with the 1966 Bergman production of the same opera, music critic Folke
Hähnel concluded that it was ‘the most amusing, most delicate and most balanced performance
that the Stockholm Opera has displayed during the last several decades.’[den roligaste, mest
finstämda och balanserade föreställning som Stockholmsoperan har uppvisat de sista åtskilliga
decennierna]. See: Folke Hähnel, ‘Övertala Bergman sätta upp fler operor’ [Persuade Bergman.
to set up more operas], DN, 31 October 1966.
Swedish Reviews (of original production)
Berg, Curt. ‘Rucklarens väg’ på Operan en lysande föreställning’ [The Rake’s Progress at the
Opera a brilliant production]. DN, 23 April 1961, p. 33.
Brandel, Åke. ‘Ingmar Bergmans rucklare – en historisk galakväll på Operan’ [Bergman’s rake –
a historical gala evening at the Opera]. AB, 23 April 1961, p. 2. See also same page: Hans
Eklund. ‘Hogarth på scenen’ [Hogarth on stage].
Broman, Sten. ‘Rucklarens väg på Kungl. Teatern’ [The Rake’s Progress at the Royal Theatre/
Opera]. SDS, 23 April 1961, p. 9.

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Johansson, Björn. ‘Ingmar Bergman leker med Stravinskij-opera’ [Bergman plays with Stra-
vinsky opera]. GHT, 24 April 1961, p. 3. (Referred to Bergman’s production as ‘the multi-
dimensional possibilities of a film.’
Pergament, Moses. ‘En rucklares väg till triumf på Operan’ [A rake’s progress to triumph at the
Opera]. ST, 23 April 1961, p. 13.
Peterson, Erik. ‘Benådad och bejublad rucklare’ [Blessed and praised rake]. GT, 23 April 1961.
Rootzén, Kajsa. ‘Rucklarens väg – en lyrisk moralitet’ [Rake’s Progress – a lyrical morality play].
SvD, 23 April 1961, p. 14A.
Sand, Arne. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Rucklaren’ [Bergman and the Rake]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 18,
1961.
Thoor, Alf. ‘Geniernas rucklare gjorde succé’ [The rake of geniuses made a success]. Expr., 23
April 1961, p. 4.
Non-Swedish Reviews
Goodwin, Noel. ‘So-Shy film genius brings new magic to the opera stage’. Daily Express, 24
April 1961. (‘If Covent Garden could tempt Mr. Bergman just once, what a sensation that
would be! [...] There is hope that Ingmar Bergman will follow [up] with other productions.
I can think of no more encouraging prospect for the advancement of the art in our time.’)
Hurum, Hans Jørgen. ‘Ingmar Bergman en mester også i operaens kunst’ [Bergman also a
master in the art of opera]. Aftenposten (Oslo) 11 June 1961.
Salzer, Michael. ‘Hymnen auf Ingmar Bergman’. Die Welt, 3 May 1961.
Skans, Gunnar. ‘For en operaften!’ [What an opera evening!] Adresseavisen (Trondheim), 4 May
1961.
Wiskari, Werner. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Way with “The Rake”’. NYT, 7 May 1961.
Program/Special Articles
Royal Swedish Opera program IV, 1960-61. Contains a presentation of the musical score by
Folke H. Törnblom (‘Den musikaliska stilen i ‘Rucklarens väg’’, pp. 1-3); brief notes on
Hogarth, Stravinski, Auden, and Bergman (pp. 4-12); and excerpts in Swedish of Robert
Craft’s conversation with the composer (Ø 1101, Chapter IX), pp. 17-20.
Sundler Malmnäs, Eva. ‘Art as Inspiration’. In Ingmar Bergman in the Arts: Nordic Theatre
Studies, 11, 1998: 34-46. (Sundler Malmnäs traces the connection between The Rake’s Progress
and Hogarth’s etchings).

1975
490. TROLLFLÖJTEN [The Magic Flute]
Original Title Die Zauberflöte
Transmission date 1 January 1975
Opera by Mozart, filmed for Swedish National Television in 16 mm. Later released as a 35 mm
commercial film.
(See Ø 247) in Chapter IV: Filmography and (Ø 326) in Chapter V, Media.

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1976
491. DE FÖRDÖMDA KVINNORNAS DANS [The dance of the damned women]
Original title: Il ballo della ingrate
Ballet produced for Swedish Television with text by Ingmar Bergman, after an idea by Donya
Feuer, and music by Monteverdi. (See Ø 328) in Media Chapter.

1991
492. BACKANTERNA [The Bacchae]. (Opera in two acts)
Credits
Producers Royal Opera in Stockholm, the Royal Dramatic Theatre
(Dramaten) and Swedish National Television (SVT),
Channel 1/Katarina Sjöberg
Music Daniel Börtz
Original Text Euripides; Swedish interpretation: Jan Stolpe/Göran O
Eriksson
Libretto Daniel Börtz and Ingmar Bergman
Director Ingmar Bergman
Conductor Kjell Ingebretsen
Orchestra Royal Court Orchestra
Assistant Director Irene Frykholm
Stage Design Lennart Mörk
Lighting Hans-Åke Sjöquist
Sound Pontus Larsson
Choreography Donya Feuer
Stage Royal Opera, Stockholm
Opening Date 2 November 1991 (World premiere, 14 performances)
For 1993 TV-adapted production of Backanterna, see Ø 337 in TV section, Media Chapter (V). A
TV documentary on the production of the opera version of Backanterna was broadcast on SVT,
Channel 1, produced by Måns Reuterswärd, 7 November 1993.
See also (Ø 480) for theatre production of Euripides’ play at Dramaten in 1996.
Cast
Dionysos Sylvia Lindenstrand
Teiresias Laila Andersson-Palme
Kadmos Sten Wahlund
Pentheus Peter Mattei
Agaue Anita Soldh
The Bacchae choir:
Alfa, choir leader Berit Lindholm
Beta Paula Hoffman
Gamma Camilla Staern
Delta Ellen Andreassen
Zeta Ann-Marie Mühle
Theta Anna Tomson
Lambda Eva Österberg

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 Chapter VI Ingmar Bergman in the Theatre

Xi Carina Morling
Rho Amelie Fleetwood
Sigma Lena Hoel
Tau Helena Ströberg
Omega Ingrid Tobiasson
Talatta Mariane Orlando
Soldier Carl Magnus Dellow
Shepherd Per Mattsson
Messenger Peter Stormare
Teiresias’ Attendant Kicki Bramberg
Guards Jukka Korpi, Staffan Ek
Commentary
Bergman had struggled with The Bachae for a long time. On two occasions – 1954 in Malmö
and 1987 at Dramaten – he had planned to stage Euripides’ drama but had cancelled on both
occasions. In November 1986, he made a rare trip abroad, to Greece and Delphi to view the site
where the Dionysian theatre festival took place in antiquity.
In 1987, a new Swedish translation of Euripides’ play (by Östen Sjöstrand) was published by
Atlantis Publishing Co. In his 1991 opera production, Bergman reduced this play text by 35%.
His final libretto made the original plot more stringent and individualized. The chorus figures
consisted of twelve different personalities and were given names taken from the Greek alphabet.
The main character, Dionysos, was made less abstract than in Euripides’ play and fulfills several
functions: he is a response to the passionate needs of human beings; he is a gentle and
protective being of his followers, the bachantes; and he is a cruel and vengeful god. In the
prologue, the god Dionysos appears transformed into a young man who claims to be a priest in
charge of the Dionysos cult. Bergman used a strong-looking female opera singer for the part.
For the rest of his casting, Bergman used both opera singers and Dramaten actors.
The composer Daniel Börtz was approached by Bergman to provide the music. For an
account of this encounter, see Larsén article listed below and Marcus Boldemann, ‘Sånt händer
en gång i livet’ [Such a thing happens once in a lifetime], DN, 2 November 2001, p. B1. Börtz’s
opera contains recitation, declamation, spoken passages and singing, much of it of a chamber
music variety. Börtz’ esthetic mentors were the Swedish so-called Monday Group of artists from
the 1940s, who strove to realize a form of total artistic work (Allkunstwerk), and were of the
same generation as Bergman.
In a note about the production available at the Royal Swedish Opera, Bergman states:
‘Euripides makes a clean house with the gods of power and the power of gods, he sets man’s
holiness and vulnerability against the foulness and bloodthirst of those above’. [Euripides gör
rent hus med maktens gudar och gudarnas makt, han sätter människans helighet och sårbarhet
mot styggelsen och blodtörsten hos dem ovan]. Bergman pitted the two figures of Dionysos and
Pentheus against each other but made them look-alikes, a form of character portrayal remi-
niscent of Faust and Mephisto in his 1958 production of Ur-Faust in Malmö and of the
juxtaposition of Alma and Elisabeth in the film Persona. Dionysos, androgynous and dressed
in strict black, became an irrational fundamentalist leader of religious terrorists while Pentheus
represented rational law and order, though of a disturbing kind: Pentheus and his followers
looked like leather-attired, shaven skinheads in tall boots, apprehensive about strangers whom
they met with violence. Love of humanity came from neither Dionysos nor Pentheus but from
what Bergman called ‘two retirees’, the blind Teiresias and Pentheus’ old grandfather Cadmus.
Scenographically, Bergman had constructed a narrow but elongated stage, framed by two side
walls in grey. It was a closed space, almost a bunker with no room for escape. When the

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bachantes arrived in a flaming red thespis cart, they formed a sharp contrast in their fiery
clothing to an almost bare stage with a black, tunnel-like backdrop that ended in darkness.
Unlike a classical Greek choir, they were not commentators or witnesses to horrible events but
lustful participants in the sexual rites and bloodbaths.
For samples of publicity articles prior to opening date, see:
Hedqvist, Hedvig. ‘Dramatik på Operan’, SvD, 27 October 1991.
Sablich, Sergio. ‘Ingmar Bergman debuttera il 2 novembere a Stockholm con l’opera ‘Le
Bacchanti’ di Börtz’. Il Giornale, 31 October 1991; ‘Totentanz am Telefon’.
Der Spiegel, no. 45, 1991, p. 278, 280 (includes survey of Bergman’s opera productions).
Reception
The Opera in Stockholm had experienced a major program scandal not long before the Berg-
man-Börtz production. A staging of an old Swedish opera about Gustav Vasa had been booed
on opening night and subsequently cancelled – a rare event in Swedish opera history. The
media were focussed on the Royal Opera.
‘Bergman is the phantom of the Stockholm Opera’, [Bergman är fantomen på Stockholms-
operan], wrote one reviewer (Anrell) appreciatively after the opening of The Bachae. The
production in fact received nothing but rave reviews, though critics felt that the collaborative
work between Börtz and Bergman bore the distinct stamp of Ingmar Bergman: ‘One does not
go to the Opera to listen to a Börtz opera. That’s how humbly Daniel Börtz has subsumed his
part under Euripides – read and seen by Ingmar Bergman – that he could just as well be said to
have composed an expanded form of theatre music’. [Man går inte till Operan för att lyssna på
en Börtz opera. Det är så ödmjukt Daniet Börtz har underställt sin roll Euripides – läst och sedd
genom Ingmar Bergman – att han lika väl kunde sägas ha komponerat en förlängd form av
teatermusik]. (Lundberg). With one exception (Frankfurter Allgemeine) the reviewers agreed
that Börtz’ music was not an autonomous opera but – as a concession to Ingmar Bergman – a
work half way between song and speech: ‘Is it really the birth of an opera? In that case, is it by
Börtz-Bergman or Bergman-Börtz? Neither one nor the other. But a great theatre man’s staging
of a Greek tragedy and with a music for actors’. [Är det verkligen en opera som fötts? Och i så
fall, av Börtz-Bergman eller Bergman-Börtz? Varken det ena eller det andra. Utan en stor
teatermans iscensättning av en grekisk tragedi och med musik för skådespelarna]. (Aare).
Theatre critic Leif Zern summed up: ‘The result more resembles a theatre performance than
an actual opera; in an opera more should happen in the orchestra pit’. [Resultatet liknar mer en
teaterföreställning än en verklig opera; i en opera skulle mer hända i orkesterdiket]. Some critics
went so far as to say that Börtz’s work was a one-time event and could never be performed
again without Bergman. The view of Bergman as the crucial and dominant mind behind the
opera was reinforced by the conviction that Euripides’ drama was closely tied to Ingmar Berg-
man’s own vision, bringing together two major tracks in his work: ‘On the one hand, a
reckoning with a demanding and gruesome god who also promises joy and courage to face
life. On the other hand, an exploration of the feminine, and underneath that, the feminine in
man, which cannot be suppressed unpunished’. (Bonnesen, Politiken).
Swedish Reviews
Aare, Leif. ‘Känslotryck nära kokpunkten’ [Emotional pressure near the boiling point]. DN, 3
November 1991, p. B 1.
Anrell, Lasse. ‘Häftigt, Bergman’ [Cool, Bergman]. AB, 3 November 1991, p. 5.
Bexelius, Björn, ‘Bergmans Backanterna... lever nästan upp till förväntningarna’ [Bergman’s
The Bachae... almost lives up to expectations]. Gefle Dagblad, 5 November 1991.

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Bromander, Lennart. ‘Lysande klangfantasi’ [Brilliant tone fantasy]. Arbetet, 4 November 1991,
p. 27.
Lundberg, Camilla. ‘Här är Demonen på Operan!’ [Here is the Demon of the Opera]. Expr., 3
November 1991, p. 4.
Redvall, Eva. ‘En triumf i starka färger’ [A triumph in strong colors]. SDS, 3 November 1991, p.
A 25. See also same reviewer in Opera News, April 1961.
Tjäder, Per Arne. ‘Överdådigt allkonstverk’ [Extravagant total work of art]. GP, 4 November
1991, p. 4.
Törnblom, Folke H. ‘En stor föreställning’ [A great performance]. UNT, 6 November 1991, p. 14.
Zern, Leif. ‘Mer teater än opera’ [More theatre than opera]. Expr., 3 November 1991, p. 5.
Åhlén, Carl-Gunnar. ‘Bergman har nått målet’ [Bergman has reached the goal]. SvD, 3 No-
vember 1991, p. 1, 36.
Foreign Reviews
Bonnesen, Michael. ‘Mesterens store finale’ [The Master’s grand finale]. Politiken, 3 November
1991.
Brincker, Jens. ‘I kamp mod guder’ [Fighting against gods]. Berlingske Tidende, 4 November
1991.
Carbajal, Isabel. ‘Ingmar Bergman lleva por fin a escena la opera “Bacantes”’. La Vanguardia, 3
November 1991. (Review in a Barcelona paper).
Cella, Carlo Maria. ‘Grida Dioniso e scuote il Teatro’. Il Gionro, 6 November 1991.
Finch, Hillary. ‘Backanterna. Royal Opera, Stockholm’. The Times, 15 November 1991.
Rosboch, Walter. ‘Le Bacchanti di Euripide rivistate da Bergman’. Corriere del Ticino, 4 Novem-
ber 1991.
Sablich, Sergio. ‘Dioniso “en travesti”’. Il Giornale, 4 November 1991 (Spettacoli).
Sandner, Wolfgang. ‘Blut, Schweiss und keine Träne’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 6 Novem-
ber 1991, p. 33.
Sutcliff, James Helme. ‘Bergman, Euripides and Opera’. International Herald Tribune, 6 No-
vember 1991.
Tiozzo, Enrico. ‘“Le baccanti” di Bergman fanno sognare’. Il Messaggero, 6 November 1991.
Zurletti, Michelangelo. ‘Tutti biondi a Tebe’. La Republica, 6 November 1991.
See also
‘Backanterna i två akter’ [The Bachae in two acts]. Trans. by Jan Stolpe and Göran O. Eriksson.
Stockholm: Kungl. Operan, 1991, 1996.
Carlson, Tore. ‘Operan hoppas på Bergman’ [The Opera stakes its hopes on Bergman]. DN På
stan, 1-8 November 1991, p. 14. (On Bergman rescuing the Stockholm Opera from a tradi-
tional repertory and fiascoes).
Friedner, Calle, (moderator). ‘Samtal om music’ [Conversation about music]. Sveriges Radio,
P2, 8 April 2001. (Ingmar Bergman and Daniel Börtz exchange thoughts on music).
Hedlund, Oscar. ‘Han som går på vattnet’ [He who walks on water]. SvD, 1 November 1991, p.
18. (Write-up of Bergman’s opera production before opening night and the impact of
Rucklarens väg in 1961).
Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Börtz, Bergman och Euripides’. Opera program, 2 November 1991, pp. 13-
20. An abbreviated version appeared in SDS, 1 November 1991.
Petersén, Gunilla. ‘Dionysuskulten var dramats ursprung’ [The Dionysos cult was the origin of
the drama]. Opera program to Bergman’s production, pp. 25-31.
Sankel Shimbun (Tokyo) published a report on 1 January 1992 (title in translation: ‘Frälser
Operan med Backanterna’. [About Bergman saving the Opera from a stereotyped reper-
tory].

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Studies and Articles

Iversen, Gunilla. ‘The Terrible Encounter with a God: The Bachae as Rite and Liturgical Drama
in Ingmar Bergman’s Staging’. In Nordic Theatre Studies 11 (1998), ed. by Ann Fridén, pp. 70-
83.
Porter, Andrew. ‘Musical Events. Singing the Bachae’. New Yorker, 26 November 1991, p. 151. A
short version appeared in The Financial Times, 15 November 1991, Arts Sec.
Rygg, Kristin. ‘The Metamorphosis of The Bacchae: From Ancient Rites to TV Opera’, In Nordic
Theatre Studies 11, 1998, (Ø 663), pp. 47-69. See listing in TV section of Media Chapter.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘“Euripides” The Bachae as Opera, Television Opera, and Stage Play’. In author’s
Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 91-100. (Discussion of all three versions of Bergman’s produc-
tion of The Bachae.)
A chronological listing of Bergman’s theatre, opera and media productions appears at the end of
Chapter VII (Theatre/Media Bibliography).

771
The international focus on Bergman’s filmmaking grew steadily over the years, but
his work as a media and stage director was, naturally, less known outside his own
country. However, after his return from exile and his renewed ties with Dramaten
since 1984, a great many of his stage productions toured around the world. One of
them was his staging of Mishima’s play Madame de Sade (1989), which travelled from
New York to Japan with many intermittent stops. Photo: Bengt Wanselius. Courtesy:
Dramaten.
 Chapter VII

Ingmar Bergman in Theatre and

Media: A Bibliography
This bibliography consists of annotated articles and studies dealing with Ingmar
Bergman’s playwriting and stagecraft in general, including radio and TV theatre.
Interviews with Bergman concerning stage and media matters are annotated here
rather than in the Interview Chapter, (VIII). However, reviews and articles dealing
with a specific stage or media production are normally listed under that item’s entry in
Section 2 of Theatre Chapter (VI), or in Media Chapter (V) but are cross-listed here if
they contain major assessments of Bergman’s craft or address a concurrent theatre or
media debate. Bergman’s own play texts, play fragments (published and unpub-
lished), play adaptations, and program notes are annotated in Chapter II (Ingmar
Bergman, the Writer), but a selection of his program notes (usually of an early date)
are cross-listed here.
Some press items in the bibliography, especially of an early date, list only author’s
signature. When identified, the full name appears in parenthesis.
See also Chapter IX, Writings on Ingmar Bergman, which is a bibliography dealing
with his production at large.

1940
493. Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Teatraliskt i stan’ [Theatrics in town]. SFP, no. 2 (1940), p. 1.
For this and other presentations by Bergman on theatre items during his time at Mäster
Olofsgården in Stockholm, see entry (Ø 2), in Chapter II. See also a brief interview titled
‘Energisk amatörteater i Gamla stan’, DN, 7 April 1940, p. 12A, in which Bergman complains
about the lack of a proper stage but praises the enthusiasm of his group of young theatre
amateurs.

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 Chapter VII Bergman in Theatre and Media: a Bibliography

1942
494. -ll. ‘Sex pjäser på två månader’ [Six plays in two months]. SvD, 28 September
1942, p.11.
A brief interview with 24-year old Ingmar Bergman who dates his first dramatic opus to 20 July
1942 when he completed ‘Kaspers död’ [Death of Punch] during an evening, a night, and a
morning. Bergman mentions his assistantship at the Royal Opera where he ‘currently enjoys the
inspiring privilege of working with Professor Dobrowen in the staging of Boris Godunov’.
[åtnjuter det inspirerande privilegiet att arbeta med professor Dobrowen i uppsättningen av
Boris G].
Most of the interview addresses Bergman’s work at the Sago Theatre where he presented,
during one year, 235 performances of seven different productions. Bergman points out that he
has been both artistic and economic director of the Sago Theatre. See Theatre Chapter VI,
(Ø 367-374).

1943
495. Beyer, Nils. ‘Den stora sommarteatern’ [The big summer theatre]. Vecko-Journalen,
23 July 1943.
A survey of productions offered in the ambulatory summer theatre (Folkparksteatern), includ-
ing Bergman’s version of Bjørnson’s ‘Geografi och kärlek’. (See Ø 377).

496. Hoogland, Claes. ‘25-årig regissör märkesman i Stockholm’ [25-year old stage
director a man of note in Stockholm]. GT, 19 September 1943 (theatre page).
First longer presentation of Bergman as a theatre director in the Swedish press, written by a
member of the Student Theatre Board at Stockholm University.
A year and a half later, Hoogland elaborated on this article in the magazine Teatern 12, no. 2
(February) 1945: p. 7,10. His main assessment of Ingmar Bergman centered on his ‘ruthless’
commitment; on his ability to create a cohesive ensemble out of inexperienced amateurs and
semi-professionals; and on his volatile temperament.

497. Lundkvist, Artur. ‘Teater och film’. BLM (12, no. 9, November 1943, p. 750).
Artur Lundkvist, modernist poet and film critic in the prestigious literary magazine BLM,
raised questions about Bergman’s playwriting that were to surface repeatedly during the next
several years: Was Bergman’s attraction to dark and forbidding subjects genuine or was he a
sensationalist exploiting his abiblity to arouse audiences emotionally?

1944
498. n.a. ‘Ny konstnärlig ledare utsedd för Stadsteatern’ [New artistic leader chosen for the
City Theatre]. Hälsingborgs Dagblad, 8 April 1944, p. 5, 8.
Report of a ceremony at which the economically troubled Hälsingborg City Theatre in southern
Sweden signed a contract with 26-year old Ingmar Bergman as new administrative head. See
Introduction, Theatre Chapter VI.

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499. Jackson. ‘Teatern är ingen lyxvara’ [Theatre is no luxury article]. MT, 8 March 1944,
p. 3. Cross-listed in Interviews,(Ø 686).
Contains statements by Bergman on the theatre, focussing on his interest in children’s theatre.
Bergman also begins to formulate his role as stage director and his view of what constitutes
good theatre: ‘To produce a good performance with only a black sheet as background’. [att
iscensätta en bra föreställning med bara ett svart skynke som bakgrund]. He wants to see a
renewed interest in the classics and sees himself as an interpreter who believes more in his
intuition than in his intellect. These are fundamental ideas in Bergman’s directorial approach
and were to be repeated over the years. See Wåhlstedt below, (Ø 506), and Sjögren, (Ø 548).

1945
500. Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Blick in i framtiden’ [Look into the future]. Unpublished manu-
script, Swedish Radio Archives, Stockholm, n.p. Crosslisted in (Ø 32), Chapter II.
Asked to describe what Stockholm might look like in 1980, Bergman presented his views on 17
January 1945, as did a handful of other people active in cultural and political affairs. Bergman
focussed his attention on a futuristic Stockholm City Theatre, which would house multiple
stages but also other forms of public relaxation, such as gigantic swimming pools. The perfor-
mances would be handled by robots, since both artists and public would be unable to see the
difference between artificial and real actors. Bergman’s tone is both playful and serious.

501. Bergman, Ingmar. An untitled program note to the Helsingborg City Theatre pro-
duction of Sune Bergström’s comedy Reducera moralen [Down with morality!], 12
April 1945. Cross-listed in Chapter II, (Ø 30).
Director’s note announcing the theatre’s recapturing of state subsidies and vowing that its
function will continue to be ‘the stormy center of our city’. [‘stadens oroliga hörn’]. Cf. Next
item.

502. Bergman, Ingmar. An untitled program note to the Helsingborg City Theatre pro-
duction of Franz Werfel’s play Jacobowski and the Colonel, 9 September 1945. Also
listed but not annotated in Chapter II (group entry Ø 30) and in Commentary on the
production of play, (Ø 389, 390).
At the opening of his second season in Helsingborg, Bergman printed a six-point ‘wish list’
concerning the function of the Helsingborg City Theatre:
1. ‘Our theatre shall be the city’s unruly corner’. [Vår teater skall vara stadens oroliga hörn]
2. ‘Our theatre shall be a young theatre’. [Vår teater skall vara en ung teater]
3. ‘Our theatre shall be a test case for our ability at self-critique’. [Vår teater skall vara en
prövosten för vår förmåga till självlkritik]
4. ‘Our theatre shall be a playground’. [Vår teater skall vara en lekplats]
5. ‘(Our theatre) shall look like a theatre [...] and not like a movie house, [...] a boxing hall or
Pentecostal meeting-house. [...]’. [Den skall se ut some en teater... inte som en bio [...] en
boxningshall eller pingstmöteslokal. [...]]. ‘(Our theatre) shall make big room for happy
laughter, joking and friendly humor’. [Vår teater skall ha stort svängrum (för) det glada
skrattet, skämtet, vänligheten och humorn. [...]]

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 Chapter VII Bergman in Theatre and Media: a Bibliography

503. Bergman, Ingmar. An untitled program note to the Helsingborg City Theatre pro-
duction of Bergman’s adaptation of Olle Hedberg’s ‘Rabies’, 1 November 1945. Cross-
listed in Chapter II, (Ø 30).
Could be called Bergman’s modernist manifesto, a defense of Swedish fyrtiotalist literature (see
Ø 952, Chapter IX).

504. Bergman, Ingmar. An untitled program note to a guest performance of Strindberg’s

The Pelican at the Malmö City Theatre, 25 November 1945. See Commentary to
production in (Ø 392), Theatre Chapter VI.
Important homage to Olof Molander, prominent director of Strindberg at Dramaten in the
1930s and on.

505. Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Teaterkrönika: Ingmar Bergman berättar en historia för skå-
despelarna innan ridån går upp’ [Bergman tells a story to the actors before the curtain
rises]. Sveriges Radio (SR), 28 September 1945. An abbreviated French version appears
in Jacques Siclier’s book Ingmar Bergman, pp. 181-82.
Bergman tells an anecdote about a Chinese craftsman who set out to build chimes for a temple
and only succeeded when he committed himself to hard work and concentration on his task.

506. Wåhlstedt, Ingeborg. ‘Den svenska teaterns Kasper’ [Punch of the Swedish thea-
tre]. Svensk Damtidning 15 September 1945: 15-16.
One of the fullest early presentations of Bergman as a talented, energetic, and promising theatre
director. Bergman is quoted as saying that filmmaking is a cumbersome and often frustrating
undertaking, whereas the theatre has great simplicity: ‘All you need are a few actors and a
curtain’. [Allt man behöver är några skådespelare och en ridå].

1946
507. Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Avskedsintervju’ [Farewell interview], in playbill program to
Björn Erik Höijer’s play Rekviem, at the Helsingborg City Theatre, 6 March 1946.
Also cross-listed in Interview Chapter VIII (Ø 690) and in group (Ø 30), Chapter II.
A ‘self-interview’ which is an ironic but joyful farewell to Helsingborg and to a theatre experi-
ence that saved Bergman from remaining ‘a peripheral guy’ [en periferikille]. Bergman lists as
his happiest moment in Helsingborg the minutes of ensemble togetherness before the opening
of Macbeth and as one of his saddest experiences to have begun in Helsingborg ‘as a fanatic and
ended up as a compromising old guy’. [‘Att börja som fanatiker och sluta som kompromiss-
gubbe’]. The entire ‘self-interview’ is printed in Sjögren, Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp.
44-45.

508. Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Möte’ [Encounter]. Malmö City Theatre program to Bergman’s
play Rakel och biografvaktmästaren [Rakel and the cinema doorman], September 1946,
pp. 8-9. See Chapter II, (Ø 30).
A tongue-in-cheek dialogue between a playwright and a director of his play.

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 Chapter VII Bergman in Theatre and Media: a Bibliography

509. Linde, Ebbe. ‘Rakel och biografvaktmästaren’ [Rakel and the Cinema Usher]. BLM
15, no. 8 (October) 1946, p. 688.
A leading Swedish theatre critic at the time makes the following assessment of Bergman’s
standing as a playwright: ‘No fabled animal in the Swedish theatre has been preceded by so
much huffing and puffing as he. We are still waiting for him to appear in person from behind
the smoke screen’. [Intet fabeldjur i svensk teater har föregåtts av så mycket frustande rök som
han. Vi väntar fortfarande på att han skall visa sig i egen person bakom rökridån].

1947
510. n.a. ‘Ung man vid teatern’ [Young Man in the Theatre]. Gothenburg City Theatre
presentation of Ingmar Bergman in a playbill note to his production of his own play
Dagen slutar tidigt [The Day Ends Early]. 12 January 1947, pp. 11-15.
Lists Bergman’s main theme in his own early plays as ‘man’s relationship to the devil – a natural
motif for a young man who has experienced World War II’. [människans förhållande till
djävulen – ett naturligt motiv för en ung man som upplevt andra världskriget].

511. ‘Ej för at roa blott’ [Not just to entertain]. Radiotjänst (SR), 2 January 1947. See
Ø 692.

512. Es. An. (Elis Andersson]. ‘Ingmar Bergman-premiär’. GP, 27 October 1947, p. 2.
In a review of Bergman’s production of his own play Mig till skräck (Unto my fear), Gothenburg
theatre critic sums up Bergman’s position in the theatre: ‘He irritates some and makes others
fall into foolish ecstasy’. [Han retar somliga och kommer andra att falla i dåraktig extas].
Reviewer refers to Bergman’s ‘bluffing and search for shock effects’ [bluff och grovt effektsö-
keri] but also remarks on his creative intensity and artistic potential.

513. Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Studentteatern’. ST, 6 February 1947, p. 5.

As had been the case at Mäster Olofsgården, Ingmar Bergman left a hard spot to fill when he
left the Stockholm Student Theatre after his production of Tivolit (1943). In a review four years
later of a 1947 Student Theatre production, Grevenius wrote: ‘The Student Theatre has had a bit
of difficulty getting recharged since Ingmar Bergman departed’. [Studentteatern har haft lite
svårt att komma igång igen sen Ingmar Bergman gav sig av].

1948
514. Laestadius, Lars Levi. ‘Ingmar Bergman får urpremiär i Hälsingborg’. In Hälsing-
borg City Theatre’s Program, 1948-1949 season, December 1948, pp. 1-4, 30, 53. Also
printed in Röster i Radio-TV, no. 28 (10-16 June) 1949, p. 6, in connection with a radio
transmission of Bergman’s play ‘Kamma noll.’ See also Ø 268.
A presentation of Ingmar Bergman at the opening of his comedy Kamma noll (Come Up Empty/
To draw Zero), directed by Læstadius. Defines the common theme in Bergman’s early stage plays
as studies in the power of evil, represented by an older generation who tramples on the young,
but also points out the Christian motifs embedded in Bergman’s dramatic texts. Refers to

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Ingmar Bergman as ‘the foremost of our young theatre men with an overflowing imagination, a
fine sensitivity for mood and atmosphere, and a volatile, strong-willed, and sometimes un-
controllable temperament’. [den främste bland våra unga teatermän med en överflödande
fantasi, en fin känsla för stämning och atmosfär, och ett eldfängt, egensinnigt och ibland
okontrollerbart temperament].

515. Ollén, Gunnar. ‘Amatörteaterkrönika’. Radiotjänst (SR), 21 November 1948.

Gunnar Ollén and Ingmar Bergman were involved with Mäster Olofsgården at the same time in
the early 1940s. Ollén became affiliated with Sveriges Radio. In this radio program, the two meet
and Bergman says apropos of amateur theatre: ‘It ought to be a holy madness. [...] One
becomes rather moved at the thought of all the people who work and study their parts and
put up the décor [...] out of an inner irresistable urge to accomplish something beyond the
narrow limits of everyday life’. [Det borde vara heligt vanvett. [...] Man blir ganska rörd av
tanken på alla människor som arbetar och studerar sina roller och sätter upp dekor [...] utifrån
en inre oemotståndlig önskan att åstadkomma någonting bortanför vardagslivets snäva grän-
ser].

1949
516. ‘Spårvagn med många namn...’ [Streetcar with many names]. GHT, 24 February
1949), p. 16.
A brief unsigned interview article. See Commentary to production of Tennessee Williams’ play,
Chapter VI, (Ø 405).

517. Wallqvist, Örjan. ‘Puritanen och Kasperteatern’ [The Puritan and the Punch and
Judy show]. AT, 6 September 1949, p. 2-3.
A discussion of Bergman as a Puritan moralist and believer in both the Devil and God as
puppeteers. Finds Bergman’s themes too unforgiving and dark.

1951
518. Grevenius, Herbert. Dagen efter. Stockholm and London: C.E. Fritze, 1951.
Collection of theatre reviews, among them several dealing with Bergman productions after 1946
and prior to 1950. See pp. 34-38; 129-32; 164-65; 213-14; 217-221; 252-55.

1953
519. Group Item: Mini-Debate about Actors Life Style
Bergman became controversial when he insisted, in an interview, that a present director/actor at
the Malmö City Theatre, Gunnar Ekström, be asked to leave; in the same context he made a
statement that actors should not settle into a middle-class life style but ‘live in trailers’. [bo i
teatervagn]. See ‘Skådespelare bör bo i teatervagn’ [Actors should live in theatre trailers], AB, 12
January 1953, p. 9. Another interview on the same subject was published in the magazine FIB by

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Sven Hammar, ‘Fräcka frågor till Ingmar Bergman’ [Impertinent questions to Bergman], FIB
(Folket i Bild), no. 19 (1953), p. 12.
A response by Gunnar Ekström, titled ‘Skandaler passar bara ‘Kronprinsen’’ [Scandals only
suit the Crown Prince], was published in AB, 13 January 1953, p. 9. Actor Edwin Adolphson
answered Bergman in SvD, 20 February 1953, p. 5. See also full-page rebuttal of Bergman’s
statement by editor of the theatre journal Skådebanan, Set Poppius: ‘Ingmar Bergman och
Thespiskärran’ [Bergman and the Thespis cart], Skådebanan 3/1953, p. 4. Poppius questioned
the newspapers that printed Bergman’s statement, which he considered defamatory and con-
temptuous of the acting corps and its efforts to establish decent and respectable living condi-
tions for its members.
A defense for Bergman was published by Sven Forssell and Hans Malmberg in ‘Försvar för
Ingmar Begman’ [Defense of Bergman]., Filmjournalen 34, no. 5 (February) 1953: 8-11, 26.
Cross-listed in Interview Chapter, (Ø 698).

520. Beyer, Nils. Teaterkvällar. 1940-1953. Stockholm: LT:s förlag, 1953.

Contains reprints of several of Beyer’s reviews of Bergman’s early theatre productions. See pp.
46-48; 72-75; 219-22.

521. Bergström, Kåbe. ‘Pirandello e’ ingen Paddock’ [Pirandello is no Paddock]. (Pad-

dock was a Swedish variety show contributor). Frihet, no. 23, 1953, pp. 15-17. See also
listing in Interviews, (Ø 697).
An interview with Bergman and actress Harriet Andersson, living and working together in
Malmö where Bergman had become artistic director in 1952. Bergman outlines his view of the
theatre as an institution with high artistic ambitions.

1954
522. n.a. ‘Intervju med strateg’ [Interview with a strategist]. Mellanakt 3, no. 1 (1954): 1-2.
In a program issued in connection with his production of the operetta The Merry Widow at the
Malmö City Theatre, Ingmar Bergman is portrayed in a brief presentation (rather than in an
interview as headline misleadingly suggests).

523. Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Spöksonaten’ [The Ghost Sonata]. Malmö City Theatre program
of Bergman production of Strindbergs’s drama, 5 March 1954. Available at the Malmö
City Theatre library and Swedish Theatre Museum.
Bergman relates his earlier experiences with Strindberg’s play and reminisces about his reaction
to Olof Molander’s production of it at Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. A crucial state-
ment in terms of Bergman’s link to Swedish Strindberg tradition. Cross-listed in Chapter II,
(Ø 89).

524. Linder, Erik Hjalmar. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. In Scenens ungdom [Youth on stage], ed.
by Claes Hoogland and Gunnar Ollén. Stockholm: Stockholmstidningens Förlagsavd,
1954, pp. 68-71.
Portrait of Bergman as a man of the theatre in a book presenting the 33 most promising young
people working on Swedish stages during the preceding ten years. Linder quotes Bergman on

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three points he considers anathema to a theatre production: (1) naturalistic imitation; (2)
flirtation with the public above and beyond the seductive potential of the work itself; (3)
esthetic exercises aimed at 50 experts in the house.

1956
525. Hoogland, Claes and Ollén, Gunnar. ‘Teaterfoajé’, Broadcast on Swedish Public
Radio, 1 February 1956. Crosslisted in (Ø 707), Interview Chapter.
Bergman (and Lars Levi Læstadius) are interviewed about directing their own plays. Bergman is
critical of such an undertaking since he finds it difficult to discuss his own text with his cast, for
‘the words then lose their virginity’. [orden förlorar sin jungfrulighet]. He claims that a film
script is a different matter, a suggestive score rather than a complete, verbalized product.

1957
526. AGE. ‘Misantropen i Malmö får färgglada dräkter’ [The Misanthrope in Malmö gets
colorful clothes]. DN, 3 December 1957.
Reportage about Kerstin Hedeby’s costumes in The Misanthrope production but also brief
statements by Bergman about the process of directing a new production and about his first
encounter with Molière at the Comédie Française in Paris in 1949.

527. Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Spänningen Ingmar Bergman’ [Bergman, man of tension]. Vi, no.
14, 1957, p. 16-17, 38.
Reportage from Malmö City Theatre with ‘flashbacks’ to Bergman’s earlier work in theatre and
film, and some comments by Bergman, who is quoted as stating that the theatre experience is
no longer part of a cult ceremony. Denies that theatre to him is magic: ‘It is craftsmanship,
technique, collected, and applied experience. [...] I could do without the film studio but I could
never manage without the theatre’. [Det är hantverk, teknik, samlad och tillämpad erfarenhet.
[...] Jag kan vara utan filmstudion men jag kunde aldrig klara mig utan teatern]. Bergman
would repeat the last part of the statement throughout his professional life. Cf. also Sellermark,
1958 (Ø 529).

1958
528. Beyer, Nils. ‘Från Gösta Ekman till Ingmar Bergman: 25 år svensk teater’ [From
Gösta Ekman to Bergman: 25 years of Swedish theatre]. Teatern 25, no. 3-4 (Septem-
ber) 1958: 30-31.
In a brief history of Swedish theatre directors in the last few decades, author singles out
Bergman’s unusual approach to his actors, resulting in superb performances.

529. Sellermark, Arne. ‘Lek med laddningar’ [Playing with dynamite]. Idun, 24 October
1958, pp. 21-22, 63.

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Article quoting Bergman’s view – to be repeated over the years – that his work in the theatre is
necessary for his mental well-being, since it implies a merging with a collective and is based on
a relationship of give and take.

530. Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Faust kan inte lida’ [Faust cannot suffer]. Vi, no. 42, 1958.
A conversation with Bergman prior to his production of Goethe’s Ur-Faust in Malmö. The
encounter is of interest in revealing interpretative differences between Sjöman and his early
‘mentor’, in this case concerning the Gretchen figure. See also Sjöman, Mitt personregister, 1998,
(Ø 668).

1959
531. Arvidsson, Gunnar. ‘Ingmar Bergman introducerad på Paris-teater’ [Bergman in-
troduced in Paris theatre]. DN, 6 March 1959, p. 14.
A report of a presentation of Bergman’s play Trämålning by National d’Art Dramatique in Paris
before an audience of 600 people in Paris’ Cité Universitaire. The play was introduced by Pierre
Billard and Frédéric Durant, and coincided with the opening of The Seventh Seal in Paris and
the guest visit of the Malmö City Theatre production of Bergman’s production of Sagan (see
Ø 432), Theatre Chapter.

532. ‘Mr. Bergman Relaxes’. The Times, 4 May 1959.

Special Times Correspondent meets Bergman and Lars Levi Læstadius (administrative head of
Malmö City Theatre) for a luncheon during their visit to London with a guest presentation of
Ur-Faust. Bergman refers to his seven years (1952-59) working with Læstadius as the best years
in his life. The rather meandering talk moves from Strindberg to Shakespeare (Macbeth).
Bergman states that his basic principle in staging a play is to ask: What is in the text?

1960
533. Group Item: Mini-debate on Underground Theatre.
In an unsigned interview titled ‘Källarteater är självbefläckelse’ [Underground theatre is self-
indulgence], AB, 7 September 1960, p. 10, Bergman expresses his excitement about directing
Måsen (The Seagull) at Dramaten but is critical of the small underground theatres that estab-
lished themselves at the time as a form of counter-culture movement:
I care very much for young talents and young enterprises. But this business with small
theatres is altogether wrong. It trains neither actors nor audiences. None of them get the
right perspective on the theatre as art when they sit in each other’s laps. Underground theatre
is some kind of spiritual masturbation. He who practices it will never learn to understand that
it is the technique that shall convey the emotions and not the other way around.

[Jag är mycket mån om unga talanger och unga företag. Men jag tror att det här med
småteatrar är alldeles fel. Det uppfostrar varken skådespelare eller åskådarna.. Ingen av dem
får rätt perspektiv på teaterns konst, när de sitter i knät på varandra. Källarteater är nån slags

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andlig självbefläckelse och den som övar den lär sig aldrig begripa att det är tekniken som
skall bära fram känslan och inte tvärtom].
See critical responses, all in AB, by Claes von Rettig, ‘Fråga till Ingmar Bergman’ [Question to
Bergman], 9 September 1960, p. 2; Sven Wollter, ‘Vad menar herr Bergman?’ [What does Mr. B.
mean?], 9 September 1960, p. 10; Åke Lagergren, ‘Storregissören och småteatrarna’ [The big
director and the small theatres], 12 September 1960, p. 3; and K. Lind-g, ‘Ingmar Bergman och
källarteater’ [Bergman and underground theatre], 14 September 1960, p. 29.

534. Billqvist, Fritiof, Ingmar Bergman, Teatermannen och filmskaparen [Berg-

man: Man of the theater and filmmaker]. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur, 1960, 279 pp.
(See Ø 1040), Chapter IX.

1962
535. Wahlund, Per Erik. Scenväxling: Teaterkritik 1951-1960. Stockholm: Natur och Kul-
tur, 1962.
A collection of theatre reviews, including several reprints of reviews of Bergman productions
between 1954 and 1960. Together with Nils Beyer and Herbert Grevenius, Wahlund was one of
the most important theatre critics to notice Bergman’s development as a director. Many later
pronouncements by Bergman himself about his approach to a play echo formulations by these
critics. A statement by Wahlund in his review of Bergman’s production of Hjalmar Bergman’s
posthumous play Sagan in Malmö in 1958 is illustrative: ‘Bergman’s full maturing as a metteur-
en-scène came at the same time that he realized that the art of interpreting is both more difficult
and more crucial than the ambition to reinterpret; his strength today lies not in his inventive-
ness but in his sensitivity, his ability to listen his way into a play and release its keynote’.
[Bergmans fulla mognad som iscensättare kom samtidigt som han insåg att konsten att tolka
är svårare och viktigare att tillägna sig än ambitionen att omtolka; hans styrka idag är inte så
mycket uppfinningsrikedomen som lyhördheten, förmågan att lyssna sig rakt in i ett drama och
förlösa grundtonen.].
Also later collections of Wahlund’s theatre reviews include several references to Bergman’s
stagecraft. See Avsidesrepliker (1966), Ridåfall (1969), and Sortierepliker (1986).

1963
536. Group Item: Appointment as head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Reports of Ingmar Bergman’s appointment as head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten)
appeared in the Swedish press and mass media on 14 and 15 January 1963. See editorial head-
lined ‘Ingmar Bergman till teatern’ [Bergman to the theatre] in DN, 15 January 1963, p. 2, and a
5-minute interview on radio news program ‘Dagens eko’ on 14 January 1963. DN editorial
expresses the common Swedish view that Bergman was a better theatre director than film-
maker.
On 9 February 1963, Swedish radio news reported that Bergman had instituted a representa-
tionally elected council at Dramaten, which was to have a voice in the management of the
theatre. See 3-minute report in ‘Dagens eko’ headlined ‘Dramatenaktörer får medbestämman-
derätt i teaterns skötsel genom ett av skådespelarna valt representantråd’ [Dramaten actors get a

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voice in the decision-making and running of the theatre...]. See also AB, 7 September 1963, for
an interview with Bergman at the opening of his first season as head of the RDT (Dramaten).
On 8 September 1963, Swedish radio program ‘P3-Posten’ transmitted a brief interview with
Bergman about his plans, in which he advocated a theatre repertory that would address young
school audiences, an ambition dating back to Bergman’s earliest years in the theatre. The same
idea came back in a later interview (Björkstén, SR, 29 December 1967. See Ø 537).
Bergman’s appointment was also reported by Brooks Atkinson in NYT, 1 March 1963, theater
section.

1964
537. Group Item: Signs of Disenchantment, 1964-66.
Hedda Gabler Debate
In November 1964, after the opening of Bergman’s production of Hedda Gabler, a media debate
was initiated by the cultural editor of DN, Olof Lagercrantz, 6 November 1964, (p. 4). He
published a piece titled ‘Dammig evighet..’. [Dusty eternity], referring to Bergman’s production
of Ibsen’s play as ‘a degenerate shoot on an old theatre tree’, [ett degenererat skott på ett
gammalt teaterträd], contrasting it to an up-to-date theatrical happening at the Museum of
Modern Art in Stockholm. Bergman’s Hedda Gabler was said to be ‘a performance that would
have been becoming to any biological museum. The dust blew, the audience trembled with
excitement that so much of what they found old, dear and customary had been assembled in
one and the same place’. [en föreställning som skulle prytt vilket biologiskt museum som helst.
Dammet rök, publiken darrade av upphetsning över att så mycket gammalt, vant och kärt
hopats på en enda plats]. Bergman countered Lagercrantz’ charges in an unsigned interview in
SvD, ‘Bergman svarar på Ibsenkritik’ [Bergman responds to Ibsen criticism], 4 December 1964,
p. 16). He pointed out that Lagercrantz’ most recent literary focus, Dante, was as old and musty
as Ibsen, and declared that Dramaten was his happening. For Bergman’s full statement, see the
program to Ulla Isaksson’s play ‘Våra torsdagar’ [Our Thursdays], which opened at Dramaten
in early December 1964. See also Commentary to Hedda Gabler production in Theatre Chapter
VI, (Ø 440).
The printed program for the Dramaten production of Hedda Gabler includes an essay by
Ingmar Bergman, titled ‘Tråkigheter’ [Unpleasant matters], pp. 33-35. Originally a talk held at
the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and published in Encore, May-June 1964, ‘Trå-
kigheter’ concerns the dwindling public support of the theatre and a critique of a cultural policy
in which artists lag behind in terms of pay and social benefits. According to Bergman, actors
should be looked upon as members of a profane priesthood and be paid like pastors, deans, and
bishops. But the real issue to Bergman was the failure among theatre administrators to build up
a public interest in the theatre among the young. He advocated a co-operation between
theatres, pedagogues, and schools. This was a concern that Bergman had voiced as early as
1941 when he staged plays at the Sago Theatre in Stockholm.
Bergman’s Dissatisfaction with Theatre situation in Sweden
In issue 18 (25 April – 2 May 1964) of Röster i Radio-TV, Bergman also voiced his disappoint-
ment over the Swedish government’s theatre policies. The article is a transcript of a radio
interview titled ‘Dramatenchefen Ingmar Bergman intervjuas’ [Dramaten head Bergman is
interviewed] by Claes Hoogland on 31 March 1964. In another radio interview by Hoogland
in a regular program titled ‘Teaterrond’ (9 June 1964) Bergman responded to criticism that
Dramaten was draining other Swedish theatres of their talents. In early 1965, Bergman was also

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criticized by the leftist magazine Tidssignal for dismissing old actors; for hiring new actors
without having any good parts for them; and for signing a contract with TV, which did not
benefit Dramaten’s actors. See a report of this critique in AB, 23 April 1965, p. 24. In early 1965,
there were also reports of Bergman’s growing dissatisfaction with Dramaten’s insufficient gov-
ernmental subsidies. See radio interview on 7 January 1965 on the news program ‘Dagens eko’.
Resignation as Head of Dramaten
A number of political and personal factors would lead to Bergman’s resignation as head of the
Royal Dramatic Theatre, effective as of 1 July 1966. The announcement was made at a press
conference half a year earlier. See ‘Pengar, filmuppslag och konstnärssamvete, skälen Ingmar
Bergman lämnar Dramaten’ [Money, film ideas and artistic conscience – reasons for Bergman
to leave Dramaten]. SvD, 25 November 1965, pp. 1, 16. Same issue was dealt with in two brief
interviews on the radio news program ‘Dagens Eko’ on 22 and 24 November 1965. Responding
that his decision felt like a liberation (befrielse) but also a bit sad (melankoliskt), he concluded
that life would be more fun again and that ‘it was time for Bergman to be a bit more restrictive
in his tasks’. [dags för Bergman att ta det lite sparsammare på uppgifterna]. See also reports on
the same subject by Göran O. Ericsson, ST, 30 November 1965, p. 5; Bengt Jahnson, DN, 28
November 1965, p. 4; and Leif Zern, DN, 2 March 1966, p. 7. For reports in English on these
matters, see The (London) Times, ‘Ingmar Bergman finds his true vocation’, 14 January 1965, p. 5,
and R. Huntford, Los Angeles Times, 25 January 1966. For a longer discussion in English of
Bergman’s time as head of Dramaten, see Glenn Loney, ‘Bergman in the Theater’, Modern
Drama 9 (1966): 170-77 (annotated in Ø 541). Time, 3 December 1965, p. 45, and Variety, 1
December 1965, p. 27, carried news of the resignation.
Swedish papers deplored Bergman’s resignation. DN, 28 November 1965, p. 4, pointed out his
many improvements at Dramaten during his short tenure: his revival of children’s theatre, his
increase in actors salaries and job benefits, his generous touring policy, his support of a new
drama school, and his input in the theatre debate. However, in an article, ‘Adjö, Ingmar
Bergman’ [Goodbye, Bergman], published in Expr., 15 June 1966, p. 5, influential theatre critic
Leif Zern summarized Bergman’s time as head of Dramaten as more a matter of resources than
new viewpoints: ‘Dramaten has become a better theatre but it has remained the same’ [Dra-
maten har blivit en bättre teater men har förblivit densamma] – i.e., a traditional and not very
radical stage. Zern’s assessment, colored by the politicized 1960s, would seem to imply that
Bergman had failed to implement his own ambitions, expressed in an interview at the time that
the theatre should be a gadfly in the welfare state; its task ‘to register every sign of poisoning
and hot fever [in society] and to give impulses to other institutions’. [att registrera varje tecken
på förgiftning och hög feber (i samhället)och ge impulser till andra institutioner]. See Idun-
Veckojournalen, 26 February 1966, pp. 23-27, 52.
Bergman’s brief tenure as head of Dramaten (1963-66) occurred during politicized times in
Swedish culture. Bergman writes briefly about the situation at Dramaten in his 1987 memoir
book Laterna magica (The Magic Lantern), p. 231-232 (Sw. ed.). See also introduction to chapter
VI, Dramaten – Round 2.
Bergman turning his back on the Swedish theatre
On 30 June 1966, Ingmar Bergman left his post as head of Dramaten. In November of that year
he announced that his production of Molière’s Hustruskolan (School for Wives) would be his
farewell to the Royal Dramatic Theatre. See AGE, ‘Bergmanfarväl med Molière. Riv Operan och
Dramaten!’ [Bergman Farewell with Molière. Tear Down the Opera and Dramaten], DN 17
November 1966 (annotated in Ø 540). The Molière production did not receive very good
reviews, which may have contributed to Bergman’s desillusionment. By early January 1967,
he had left Sweden and was soon directing Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author

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at the Nationalteatret in Oslo (Norway’s Dramaten). He had broken up from his marriage to
pianist Käbi Laretei and was living with actress Liv Ullmann, with whom he would have a
daughter, Linn. At the time, his departure from Stockholm was considered more than a
temporary absence. On 18 March 1967, he appeared in a rather bitter interview in the Swedish
TV program ‘Mellanstick’, in which he lambasted Stockholm’s young theatre critics. The inter-
view was recorded in Oslo. See write-up titled ‘Ingmar Bergmans nya liv’ [Bergman’s new life].,
Expr., 19 March 1967, pp. 1, 13. The Expr. report also includes a response by the paper’s cultural
editor Bo Strömstedt (p. 13), titled ‘Han kan ha rätt att dilla i TV’ [He has the right to talk
nonsense on TV]. The same TV interview was also reported by Anita Sundin in AB, 23 March
1967, p. 10, ‘Därför lämnade jag svenska teatern’ [That’s why I left the Swedish theatre]. DN
interviewed Bergman in Oslo, 25 March 1967, where he again declared his disenchantment with
Dramaten, with the Swedish corps of theatre critics and with the politicized repertory.
On 27 March 1967, Expr.’s Bo Strömstedt wrote an open letter to Ingmar Bergman, headlined
‘Kom tillbaka, Ingmar Bergman!’ [Come Back, Bergman], p. 4. To Strömstedt, Bergman was
trying to make himself into a martyr, despite the fact that he had had more success and had
received more appreciation than any other Swedish film and theatre director. Strömstedt
pointed out that during Bergman’s three years as head of Dramaten, state subsidies to the
theatre had tripled, and he concluded: ‘Ingmar Bergman sits in Oslo and pretends to be the
ugly duckling in Sweden. It’s the wrong tale. He is the Princess on the Pea’. [Ingmar Bergman
sitter i Oslo och låtsas vara den fula ankungen i Sverige. Det är fel saga. Han är Prinsessan på
ärten.] The second half of Strömstedt’s open letter urges Bergman to stop sulking and come
home to set up Strindberg, the foremost classic in Swedish drama. A few years later Bergman
was back at Dramaten, staging Strindberg’s Ett drömspel/A Dreamplay.
Bergman continued, however, in his negative pronouncements about the Swedish theatre
situation, including the type of audience that frequented the productions. During a visit to
Helsinki in June 1967 with a guest performance of his (1964) Hedda Gabler production, Berg-
man said in a press interview that the theatre lagged behind contemporary social change and
now attracted the kind of conservative audience it deserved, that is, small groups of people who
kept running to all available cultural events, while the general public stayed home. To remedy
the situation he suggested reserving all state-allocated resources within the theatre to educate
young audiences. The theatre had to reform itself from within to counteract its obsolescence
and current elitist appeal. See ‘Bergman: Teatern är falsk’ [Bergman: The theatre is false],
Hufvudstadsbladet, 14 June 1967, p. 1, 16. Similar thoughts were expressed at a press conference
on 9 September 1967, just before Bergman began the shooting of Skammen. Bergman compared
the theater to the Swedish State Church – that is, a meaningless institution reaching only a
small percentage of people: ‘It is a kind of luxury maintained by the state for a minority’. [Den
är en sorts lyx, som staten håller en minoritet med].
The discussion continued in a Swedish radio interview with theatre critic Ingmar Björkstén:
‘Teaterronden’ [Theatre Round], Swedish Public Radio, December 29 and 31, 1967 (see Ø 544).
In this central hour-long conversation about theatre, Ingmar Bergman vents his disillusionment
with the current theatre situation in Sweden: ‘Swedish theatre and the Swedish Church today
are two dreadfully sad institutions’. [Svenska teatern och svenska kyrkan i dag, det är två
fruktansvärt sorgliga företeelser]. He discusses mediocre programming, the bad work morale
among actors, the lack of a theatre public who knows their classics. Bergman has a vision: He
wants to create a project titled Moraliska Teatern AB [Moral Theatre, Inc], with well-trained
committed actors; a repertory focussing on the classics (from Euripides to Brecht); and the
challenge of a big stage where performers have to learn to communicate with X, Y, Z at a
distance of twenty meters. He still feels disillusioned about his Dramaten years but admits that
‘theatre is my blood, it is something innate’. [teatern är mitt blod, det är nånting medfött]. In

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fact, he leaves a back door open for his possible return to the stage: ‘Eventually, [...] when I get
some sort of idea why one should be involved with theatre, I intend to start again. If someone
wants me. There’s no point in doing it when one finds it boring’. [När jag så småningom [...]
kan hitta någon slags idé på varför man håller på med teater tänker jag börja igen. Om det är
någon som vill ha mig. Det är ingen idé att hålla på, när man bara tycker det är tråkigt].
Bergman’s disenchantment with the theatre situation in Sweden was reported extensively in
the West German press. See especially: Robert Braun, ‘Erziehung zum Theater. Ein Interview
mit Ingmar Bergman’. Der Tagesspiegel Berlin), 11 April 1967; Helmuth Hoht, ‘Bergmans Hass-
liebe zum Theater’. Nordwest Zeitung (Oldenburg), 7 June 1967; Michael Salzer, ‘Schauspieler
dürfen ihren Mund aufmachen’. Kölner Stadtanzeiger, 27 June 1967.
Bergman’s successor as head of Dramaten, actor Erland Josephson, got involved in a press
discussion with three theatre critics at DN in April 1970. The issue was Dramaten’s role as
Sweden’s National Stage, its choice of repertory and the employees’ rights to participate in
policy issues. These were matters that had surfaced during Bergman’s tenure. See reportage
about Dramaten by DN journalists Annika Holm, Betty Skawonius, and Leif Zern, 5 April 1970;
Josephson’s response in Expr. (‘Borde vi inte riva vår Kungliga Dramaten?’/Shouldn’t we tear
down our Royal Dramaten?), 9 April 1970; and a rebuttal by the journalists in Expr. on 15 April
1970, entitled ‘Varför denna förvåning, Erland Josephson? [Why so surprised, EJ?].

1965
538. Horn, Brita von. Hornstötar ur kulissen, Stockholm: Rabén and Sjögren, 1965, pp
190-222.
One of the founders of the Dramatists Studio (Dramatikerstudion) in Stockholm in the early
1940s gives an account of her meetings and dealings with a young Ingmar Bergman. Amusing
reading by histrionic and forceful counter-voice in the Swedish theatre.

539. Schuh, Oscar Fritz. ‘Vom “Traumspiel” zum “Schweigen”: Ein Gespräch über
August Strindberg und Ingmar Bergman’. Eckart Jahrbuch, 1965, pp. 81-88.
An interview with Bergman about his views on and productions of Strindberg.

1966
540. AGE. (Anders Elsberg). ‘Bergmanfarväl med Molière. Riv Operan och Dramaten!’
[Bergman farewell with M. Tear down the Opera and Dramaten!]. DN, 17 November
1966.
An interview during Bergman’s rehearsal of School for Wives at Dramaten. First half of headline
refers to Bergman’s love of Molière, whom he had discovered during a three-month stay in
Paris in 1949: ‘I sat in Jean Vilar’s big and terribly ugly Théâtre Populaire Nationale amidst
thousands of people and watched grandiose actors in Tartuffe perform on a podium that was
empty except for a table with a tablecloth’. [Jag satt i Jean Vilars stora och förskräckligt fula
Théâtre Populaire Nationale bland tusentals människor och såg storslagna skådespelare fram-
träda i Tartuffe på ett podium som var tomt sånär som på ett bord med en duk.]
The second half of the headline refers to Bergman’s view that Dramaten and the Opera
represent art for an elitist, unengaged public, while his ideal audience is young and questioning.

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541. Loney, Glenn. ‘Bergman in the Theater’. Modern Drama 9, 1966: 170-77.
The author discusses Bergman’s tenure as head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Quoting from
an interview with Bergman, author lists three goals for Bergman at the RDT: (1) to build a new
audience of young people; (2) to discover and train new directors, actors and designers; (3) to
find or create original new Swedish drama.

542. Ollén, Gunnar. ‘Radioteater i 40 år. Ingmar Bergman intervjuas’ [Radio theatre for
forty years. Bergman is interviewed]. Swedish Public Radio, 24 February 1966. 15
minutes.
Bergman discusses his play Staden (The City) with Gunnar Ollén during a repeat broadcast of
his 1951 radio piece. (See Ø 271)

543. Wahlund, Per Erik. Avsidesrepiker: Teaterkritik 1961-1965. Stockholm: Bonniers,

1966. See Ø 535.

1967
544. ‘Teaterronden’ [Theatre Round]. Swedish Public Radio, 29 and 31 December 1967.
Theatre critic Ingmar Björkstén conducts a central radio interview with Bergman about current
theatre situation in Sweden. (See Ø 537).

1968
545. Chicco, Elisabetta. ‘Cinema e teatro nell’opera di Bergman’. Cinema Nuevo 17, no.
192 (March-April 1968): 96-108.
The author traces relationship between Bergman’s films and various theatre traditions, such as
medieval station drama and Strindberg in The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries; Aristotelean
dramaturgy in Thirst; and chamber play structure in Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and
The Silence.

546. Gitlitz, Marcia. ‘The Acting Theories of Ingmar Bergman through the Television
Medium in a production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit’. M.A. thesis, Theater Arts
Dept., Adelphi College, 1967, 174 pp.
The title is confusing since Bergman never staged Sartre’s play. In all likelihood the production
mentioned is a student production. As for Bergman’s ‘acting theories’, see Lise-Lone Marker’s
fine essay ‘The Magic Triangle: Ingmar Bergman’s Implied Philosophy of Theatrical Commu-
nication’, Modern Drama 26, no. 3 (September) 1983: 251-61. (Ø 600).

547. Isaksson, Anders. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Jag vill inte teaterns död – men TV når
miljonpublik’ [I don’t wish the death of the theatre – but TV reaches a public of
millions]. DN, 18 July 1968, p. 10. See also same subject in ‘Dagens eko’ Swedish Public
Radio, 16 January 1969.

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A reportage from Bergman’s press conference before beginning to shoot his first TV film, Riten
(The Ritual), ‘an experiment I have paid for myself and have complete freedom to reject or
show’ [ett experiment jag har betalat för själv och har fullständig rätt att förkasta eller visa].
Bergman talks about his first encounter with television in a shop window in Malmö. See
Introduction Media Chapter, TV section, and Bergman’s ‘Confessions of a Television Freak’
in Dramat, 1998, Ø 662.

548. Sjögren, Henrik. Ingmar Bergman på teatern [Bergman in the theatre]. Stockholm:
Almqvist & Wiksell/Gebers, 1968, 316 pp.
The most complete discussion at the time of Bergman’s work in the theatre, a reception survey
based on extensive review material from Bergman’s entire professional stage career before 1968.
Sjögren’s book concludes with a very valuable interview with Bergman about his work in the
theatre, ‘Dialog med Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 291-316. Excerpts of this interview were published in
the Italian magazine La Dramma, no. 11-12, 1971.

549. Steene, Birgitta. Ingmar Bergman. Boston: Twayne, 1968, 153 pp. Pocket edition,
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1974.
The study includes a chapter on Ingmar Bergman as a playwright, pp. 25-37.

1969
550. Group Item: Bergman’s Return to Dramaten. Open Rehearsals Introduced
In January 1969, Ingmar Bergman returned to ‘Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern’ (The Royal
Dramatic Theatre as he called Dramaten because it sounded ‘camp’). On January 16, he held
a press conference to talk about his upcoming work. Three years earlier, he had felt that the
theatre was an obsolete institution. But after a couple of years of ‘sulking like Achilles in the
tent’, [‘sura som Akilles i tältet’] he had watched a TV program at Fårö called ‘Dramaten efter
föreställningen’ and realized how much he longed to come back: ‘And now I feel it is our task to
see to it that the theatre does not die off ’. [Och nu känner jag att det är vår uppgift att se till att
teatern inte dör bort]. One remedy, Bergman stated, might be to start collaboration with
television, which he defined as a much more democratic medium. Announcing an agreement
with Swedish Television, SVT, Channel 2, he talked about a radio and TV studio at Dramaten
where live performances might be reproduced directly in the ether media. Another suggested
project was his pet old idea to invite young people (age 13 to 14) to Dramaten.
At the same press conference Bergman announced his intention to introduce open public
rehearsals during his next production, Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck. See Elisabeth Sörenson,
‘Ingmar Bergman åter på Dramaten’ [Bergman back at Dramaten], SvD, January 17, 1969.
The same subject was aired in radio news programs on 17 January, 12 March, and 15 March
1969. See also Commentary to Woyzeck production, (Ø 455).
Staging Woyzeck with open rehearsals might have been an attempt by Bergman to respond, in
a professional rather than political way, to demands to de-institutionalize the theatre, made by
young Swedish theatre groups and critics throughout the 1960s. For debate on this issue, see
Reception, Woyzeck entry (Ø 446).

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551. Group Item: Bengt Jahnsson Affair.

On 27 February 1969, Ingmar Bergman was holding open rehearsals of Büchner’s Woyzeck at the
Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. In the audience, seated on stage, was DN theatre critic
Bengt Jahnsson, who had long annoyed Bergman and his colleague Erland Josephson. A month
earlier (28 January 1969) the two had published an open letter to Jahnsson in DN (p. 1),
castigating him for spreading incorrect information about ticket prices at the theatre. When
Bergman spotted Jahnsson in the audience at the Woyzeck rehearsal, he attacked him physically.
See interview reportage with Bergman, titled ‘Det kändes skönt att klippa till’ [It felt good to
punch him], Expr., 28 February 1969, p. 7.
In an ensuing court case initiated on 25 March 1969 by public prosecutor Dagmar Heurlin,
Bergman was charged with disturbing the peace in a public place. In a telephone statement
from Fårö to the Stockholm police, he stated: ‘For a long time I have been annoyed by Bengt
Jahnsson’s way of reviewing (play productions) in the DN. He has, in an infamous way,
humiliated and abused certain actors. I harbour no personal resentment but I have felt indig-
nant on behalf of those concerned. During the rehearsal on said day a decision ripened to
smack Bengt Jahnsson’s face and thus crush him and make him look ridiculous. I wanted our
confrontation to be public’. [Jag har länge förargat mig över Bengt Jahnssons sätt att recensera i
DN. Han har på ett infamt sätt förödmjukat och förolämpat vissa skådespelare. Jag hyser inget
personligt agg men jag har känt mig indignerad på egna och de berördas vägnar. Under
repetitionens gång den aktuella dagen mognade hos mig ett beslut att örfila upp Bengt Jahnsson
och därmed få honom omöjliggjord och framstå som löjlig. Jag ville att uppgörelsen skulle ske
inför allmänheten.] See Expr., 25 March 1969, p. 7.
Bengt Jahnsson did not press charges. At a hearing on 12 May 1969, Ingmar Bergman spoke
in his own defense. In his final plea he declared himself to be against any form of violence in
principle, yet called his act premeditated in the sense that he had long felt a strong need to
defend the integrity of his profession against a ‘threat’ like Jahnsson (Expr., 13 May 1969, p. 5).
As early as 1 March 1969, Bergman had in fact told journalist Anita Sundin (AB, p. 1) that he had
chosen the moment in the theatre to attack Jahnsson because he wanted witnesses. Sundin also
quoted Jahnsson objecting to Bergman’s ‘institutionalized theatre’ and to his view of himself as
a saint defending his staff. At the same time, however, Jahnsson also stated that Bergman was
‘one of our few important directors, perhaps the greatest’. [en av våra få betydande regissörer,
kanske den största.]
Bergman was fined 5000 Swedish kronor (approximately 1000 dollars). After the court
decision he told the press that ‘it was well worth it!’ [det var det väl värt!]. A paraphrase in
English of Ingmar Bergman’s court statement appeared in the Manchester Guardian, 14 May
1969.
The Bengt Jahnsson incident was widely discussed in the Swedish press. Editor Olof Lager-
crantz, arch-enemy of Bergman at the time (cf. critical commentaries to entries 29 and 33, and
Ø 537) headlined his editorial in DN, (2 March 1969, p. 2), ‘Den maktgalne’ (The Megaloma-
niac) and charged Bergman with authoritarian behavior. Lagercrantz captured a common
critique at the time among Swedish intellecutals: that there was an unholy marriage between
Bergman’s authoritarian style and his artistic vision. This is a politicized variation of a more
psychological form of critique sometimes raised abroad: that Bergman used his talent to
manipulate his audience.
Many commentators felt the court proceedings made a mockery of the Swedish justice
system (see, for example, Allan Fagerström in ‘Spektaklet kring Ingmar Bergman’ [The spec-
tacle surrrounding Bergman), AB, 15 May 1969, p. 10). See also report in Der Spiegel, 17 March
1969, p. 187, which concludes: ‘God forgives –Bergman never.’ In fact, in a television interview

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in 2000, (Sievers, Ø 943) Bergman concluded one of his references to Jahnsson (then deceased)
with the words: ‘Må han brinna i helvetet!’ [May he burn in hell!]
In February 1970 Bergman was awarded the so-called Rubber Point (gummiudden) by the
Humanist Society at the University of Stockholm for ‘non-violence against theatre critic Bengt
Jahnsson since 28 February 1969’. [icke-våld mot teaterkritikern Bengt Jahnsson sedan 28
februari 1969].

552. ‘I Paris undrar man...’ . Bergman invitation to Odéon Theatre in Paris. AB,
21 February 1969, p. 27.
At the time of the Bengt Jahnsson incident, Bergman had been invited to present Woyzeck at the
Odéon Theatre in Paris but declined after making vague promises for a month. Odéon was the
theatre occupied by 400 French students in 1968. Jean Louis Barrault, famous actor and head of
the theatre, supported them. The theatre was vandalized during the occupation, but was
remodeled and reopened in 1969 with a theatre festival in which Bergman was asked to
participate. His decline of the invitation miffed the French who reportedly responded: ‘It’s like
wooing a capricious woman. But we had expected something else from Ingmar Bergman. Now
we had to turn down others, so that he could come. And suddenly he doesn’t come. Why?’ [Det
är som att uppvakta en nyckfull kvinna. Men av Ingmar Bergman hade vi väntat oss annat. Nu
tvingades vi säga återbud till andra för att han skulle komma. Och plötsligt kommer han inte.
Varför?]. See ‘I Paris undrar man: Vågar Bergman inte komma hit?’ [In Paris they ask: Is
Bergman afraid of coming here?]., AB, 21 February 1969, p. 27.

553. ‘Naima’. Swedish Public Radio, 4 April 1969.

Bergman participated in a radio program about Naima Wifstrand, a grand old lady in Swedish
theatre and film. Wifstrand, then a Dramaten actress, had noticed Bergman’s stagecraft already
at the Mäster Olofsgården amateur theatre. She was a member of ‘Bergman’s stable’ during his
Malmö years (1952-58) and she played Isak Borg’s old mother in Wild Strawberries and Granny
in The Magician, as well as the old specter and rubber-face lady in Hour of the Wolf.

554. Sjögren, Henrik. Regi: Ingmar Bergman. Dagbok från Dramaten 1969. Stockholm:
Gebers, 1969. 173 pp.
A diary kept by a theatre critic during Bergman’s rehearsals of Büchner’s play Woyzeck at the
Royal Dramatic Theatre. Contains many interesting day-by-day comments by Bergman (and
his actors) about the production.

1970
555. Anthal, Jussi. ‘Nu står England på knä för Bergman—men’ [Now England kneels
before B.—but]. Expr., 27 27 June 1970, p. 11.
The item is based on Ingmar Bergman’s visits to London during his production of Hedda
Gabler. Bergman had visited London the year before ( 19 June 1969) to talk to Laurence Olivier
about the Ibsen production to be staged at the National Theatre with Maggie Smith in the title
role. On both of his visits, he declared England to be an undemocratic society (see London
Standard, 20 June 1969). For Bergman’s nasty portrait of Laurence Olivier, see Laterna Magica,
1987, pp. 276-273).

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556. Glaser, M. ‘Gespräch mit Ingmar Bergman’. AZ (Vienna), 20 June 1970.

An interview in which Bergman talks about his work in the theatre and his view of actors. ‘The
actors play less for the public than with the public.’

557. Gustafson, Ragnar, ed. Thalia, 25 – ett kvartsekel med Malmö Stadsteater. Sydsvens-
ka Dagbladets Årsbok. Malmö: SDS, 1970.
A yearbook celebrating 25 years at the Malmö City Theatre since its inauguration, a period
including Bergman’s presence there as a director.

558. Klotz, Volker. ‘Mellan uppriktigt allvar och clowneri’ [Between authentic sincerity
and clowning]. Dramaten I, no. 1 (1970-71): 13-17.
A discussion of Bergman’s staging of Strindberg’s Ett drömspel at Dramaten in 1970. The
material is similar to a televised discussion about the production on Swedish Public TV
(STV), 30 April 1970, titled ‘Drömspel i en diktares medvetande’ [Dreamplay in a poet’s
consciousness].

559. M.K. ‘Strindberg har alltid följt mig’ [Strindberg has always followed me]. Hufvud-
stadsbladet, 19 May 1970.
Information from a press conference prior to Dramaten’s guest performance of Bergman’s
production of Ett drömspel (A Dreamplay) in Helsinki. Topics covered include Bergman’s
relationship to Strindberg; his views on children’s theatre and on political theatre; and the
importance of film, theatre and television for him, and his opinion of the critical corps: ‘They
do their job, we do ours’. [De gör sitt jobb, vi gör vårt]. Bergman expressed some of the same
views in the ‘Dialog’ interview in Sjögren’s Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968 (Ø 781). See also
Skawonius, Interview Chapter, 1970, (Ø 794).

560. Palmstierna-Weiss, Gunilla. ‘Ingmar Bergman! Naken dekor är också dekor’

[Bergman! Bare scenography is also scenography]. DN, 2 April 1970.
An open letter to Bergman by one of his set designers, protesting a statement by him that
scenography has been attributed too great an importance in today’s theatre productions. For
original statement, see DN, 11 March 1970.

561. Rydeberg, Georg. Ridån går alltid ner [The curtain is always closed]. Stockholm:
Bonniers, 1970.
Actor’s memoirs. The chapter titled ‘Ingmar Bergman ger regi’ [Bergman directs], pp. 183-192
deals with his work for Bergman on stage (and to a lesser extent on the screen).

1971
562. La Dramma. Teatro, Letteratura, Cinema, Musica, Radio TV 47, no. 11-12
(Nov.-Dec.) 1971: 30-50. Special double issue titled ‘Ingmar Bergman, Premio Piran-
dello’ contains following items of interest to Bergman’s stage work:
Giorgio Zampa. ‘Il teatro come esercizio di conscienza’, p. 34.

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Henrik Sjögren. ‘Il suo secreto: il punto di intersezione’, pp. 35-43. (Sjögren item is an excerpt of
his interview with Bergman in Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, trans. by Elizabeth Jör-
gensen).

563. Montan, Alf. ‘Aldrig! Hellre kommunteater på Fårö!’ [Never! Rather (head of) a
provincial theatre on Fårö]. Expr., 20 March 1971, p. 1.
Bergman’s name had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the post as head of the Royal
Opera in Stockholm. Bergman’s response is quoted in the headline.

564. Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Ingmar Bergmans teater – rörelser i rummet’ [Bergman’s theatre
– movements in space]. In Perspektiv på teater, ed. by Ulf Gran and Ulla-Britta
Lagerroth. Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren, 1971, pp. 120-37.
A discussion of the basic factors in Bergman’s theatre work – a subject, an actor, a public – and
the director’s function as an intermediary between play text, performer, and audience. This is
exemplified with a selection of Bergman’s stage productions prior to 1970.

565. Trilling, Ossia. ‘Bergman’s Baroque Dream’. The Guardian (Arts section), 30 June
1970, p. 8.
The title refers to Bergman’s ambition to produce Mozart’s The Magic Flute : ‘I’ve been at work
with it for over ten years now and I love it very much. [...] Sometimes if you love something
very much, you can love it to death. I can’t say exactly how I’d try to do it. I prefer to dream
about it.’ Article also touches briefly on Bergman’s career as a theatre director and on his
London staging of Hedda Gabler.

1972
566. Ekström, Olle. ‘Ström av medkänsla i Ibsens Vildanden’ [Stream of human em-
pathy in Ibsen’s Wild Duck]. Hufvudstadsbladet, 1 March 1972.
Though subject of this brief interview is Bergman’s decision to stage The Wild Duck, he also
talks about his stagecraft in more general terms: ‘Every drama has secret rooms that might be
hidden even to the playwright. And it might happen that you come across such a hidden room’.
[Varje drama har hemliga rum som kan vara dolda också för pjäsförfattaren. Och det kan hända
att man kommer på ett sådant dolt rum.]

567. Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Den gode arbejdsleder’. Politiken, 13 February 1972.

A presentation for Danish readership of Bergman’s role as theatre leader.

1973
568. L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 142 (December) 1973, 55 pp.
A special Bergman issue, which includes a list of his theatre work.

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569. Dessau, Frederik. ‘Dønninger efter en Bergman-bølge’ [Swells after a Bergman

wave]. Politiken, 20 May 1973.
The author defines the importance of Bergman’s visit to Det Kongelige (Royal Danish Theatre)
with the Misanthope: His productions are built on ensemble acting; he releases the talents in
individual actors; he combines a naturalistic theatre in the Ibsen tradition with a ‘spiritual
complement’ so that a dramatic situation can emerge as both crystal clear and complex.
This article might be juxtaposed with an interview by Heino Byrgesen, ‘Dialog med Berg-
man. Teaterkronik’, Danmarks radio. Production no. 14736-73. 13 April 1973. This two-hour
conversation is mostly about Bergman’s Copenhagen production of the Misanthrope. The same
subject is also covered more briefly in an interview by Jens Emil, ‘Jeg lærer meget af danske
skuespillere’ [I learn a lot from Danish actors], Aktuelt, 31 March 1973. Cf. Ø 452.

570. Törnqvist, Egil. Bergman och Strindberg: Spöksonaten – drama och iscensättning.
(Stockholm: Gebers, 1973).
A study of the 1973 Bergman production of Strindberg’s Spöksonaten at the Royal Dramatic
Theatre in Stockholm. Törnqvist followed the rehearsals. The book also contains transcribed
comments of two separate radio programs about Bergman’s production. (See ‘Kulturbilagan’
[Cultural supplement], SR, 12 January 1973, and Bergman’s reaction in a letter.).
An article on the same project appeared in English as ‘Ingmar Bergman Directs Strindberg’s
The Ghost Sonata’, Theatre Quarterly III, no. 11, (July-Sep 1973): 3-14; and in French as ‘Ingmar
Bergman met en scène: La Sonate des spectres’ (trans. Terje Sinding), Théâtre/public, no. 73
(Jan.-Feb. 1987): 83-88.
See also references to Bergman-Strindberg connection in group item (Ø 989), Chapter IX.

571. Wingaard, Jytte. Teatersemiologi. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1976.

A book using Bergman’s 1973 Copenhagen production of The Misanthrope as a test case for a
semiological approach in theatre studies.

1974
572. Dam, Hanne. ‘Peer Gregaard porträtterer Ingmar Bergman’. Berlinske Tidende, 13
January 1974.
An article about the head of Denmark’s Royal Dramatic Theatre and his encounter with
Bergman during the rehearsals of The Misanthrope in Copenhagen. Bergman was, according
to Dam, a good, understanding and intense listener, an incredible observer, a formidable and
demanding planner. See also Danish Gutenberghus årsskrift, 1974, where Gregaard writes that
the hours he spent with Ingmar Bergman in rehearsal were the most inspiring and encouraging
he had had in his entire life in the theatre.

573. Skoogh, Catrine. ‘Från Woyzeck – Till Damaskus’. Dramaten IV (14 March - 11 April
1974): 5-9.
A richly illustrated exposé of the stage designs for Bergman’s productions of Woyzeck, Ett
drömspel (A Dreamplay), Vildanden (The Wild Duck), and Spöksonaten (The Ghost Sonata).

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1975
574. Entré. ‘Trollflöjten, Drutten och tjocka släkten’ [The Magic Flute, Humpty Dumpty
and All in the Family], II, no. 1 (February) 1975, editorial page. See Trollflöjten
Commentary in Filmography and debate about distribution of SVT production
means.

575. Wysinska, Elzbieta. ‘Discovering of the Swedish Theatre’. Kultura, 29 June 1975. A
comparison between Bergman’s production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and his
film Smiles of a Summer Night.

576. ‘Teaterronden’. Sveriges radio (SR), 6 February 1975.

A radio interview with Bergman about his staging of Strindberg’s To Damascus at the Royal
Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. This segment was preceded by a discussion of the Wheeler/
Sondheim musical A Little Night Music, which had just opened at Gothenburg’s musical theatre,
Stora Teatern, and at the Malmö City Theatre.

1976
577. ‘Kris’. SVT, 24 May 1976. Special TV program addressing Bergman’s TV film Face to
Face. Cf. Ø 579.

578. Raphaelson, Samson ‘That Lady in Bergman’. Film Comment XII, no. 3 (May-June)
1976: 46-49, 65.
American playwright calls Face to Face a banal TV series of non-sequiturs. See Ø 1282.
Article represents trend by Film Comment to project a negative view of Bergman’s
screen work.

579. Harryson, Kajsa. ‘Ansikte mot ansikte: Ett samtal med Ingmar Bergman’ [Face to
face: A conversation with Bergman]. Röster i Radio-TV, no. 18 (23-28 April) 1976: 7-8,
and no. 19 (29 April-5 May) 1976.
Bergman defines his notion of what constitutes a good public response to his (TV) films: ‘If 150
people sit down in the kitchen with a beer and a sandwich and talk with each other after
watching something I have done for television, then I think that all this work, all this agony has
served some purpose’. [Om 150 människor sitter ner i köket med en öl och en smörgås och talar
med varandra efter att ha sett något som jag har gjort på TV, då tycker jag att allt detta arbete,
all denna ångest har tjänat ett syfte]. The interview was made at a time when Bergman’s 4-part
TV work Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to Face) had just premiered in New York and was about to be
shown on Swedish television. Bergman also briefly discusses Arthur Janov’s concept of ‘the
primal scream’ as a central idea behind his script for Ansikte mot ansikte. Cf. Commentary to
Ø 327.

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 Chapter VII Bergman in Theatre and Media: a Bibliography

1977
580. Popkin, Henry. ‘Ingmar Bergman Lights Up the Munich State’. NYT, 5 June 1977,
Section 2, pp. 3, 28.
An article written in connection with the Munich opening of Bergman’s Dreamplay production.
Cf. Ø 436.

1978
581. Teater i Göteborg 1910-1975. 3 volumes. Umeå: Acta Universitatis Umeensis.
Umeå Studies in the Humanities Ø 20, 1978. Distributed by Almqvist & Wiksell.
Volume 3 (directors index) lists Bergman’s stage productions at Gothenburg City Theatre.

582. Uggla, Andrzej. ‘Strindberg w teatrze Bergmana’. Dialog XXIII no. 8, 1978: 153-58.
Swedish-Polish scholar points out Strindberg’s impact on Bergman’s theatre work.

1979
583. Group Item: Conflict at Munich Residenztheater, 1979-81.
The first signs of a conflict during Bergman’s tenure in Munich came in 1979. See Lisbeth
Lindeborg’s radio reportage about Bergman’s work in Munich, titled ‘Ingmar Bergman i
München’, Sveriges Radio (SR), 26 April 1979. 44 minutes. For another interview on the same
subject, see: Birgitta Sandstedt, ‘Magasinet’ [The magazine], SVT, 15 September 1981. See also
items (Ø 585, 586, 592, 593 and 604) below.
On 31 July 1981, Berlin Volksblatt carried a report headlined ‘Keine Regie unter Meisels
Intendanz’ and refers to a schism between Bergman and Kurt Meisel, head of Munich Resi-
denztheater. Bergman was asked by Meisel to cancel a production of Claudel’s play A Message to
Mary, planned for spring 1983. Bergman considered Meisel too autocratic and had tried to
introduce a more democratic system in the theatre with greater input by the staff. When Meisel
approached retirement in 1981, finding a successor became a political issue, involving conser-
vative politician Franz Joseph Strauss. See Björn Nilsson interview with Bergman, ‘Jag undrar
om jag inte börjar bli mogen för Shakespeare nu..’. [I wonder if I am not ripe for Shakespeare
now], Expr., 9 September 1981, p. 4. As a contrast to the Munich situation, Bergman mentions
his years at the Malmö City Theatre under Lars Levi Læstadius’ administration: ‘The happiest
time in my life perhaps. Læstadius was no dictator. I remember those years as one long
uninterrupted conversation’. [Den lyckligaste tiden i mitt liv kanske. Læstadius var ingen
diktator. Jag minns de där åren som ett enda långt oavbrutet samtal].
Bergman also comments on the then current tumultuous situation at the Gothenburg City
Theatre where young directors had issued a manifesto against the board. Bergman’s view is that
manifestoes only aggravate a situation and that the only remedy is to work constructively within
the theatre. Standing on barricades draws the attention of the media but is counter-productive.

584. Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Ingmar Bergman as Theater Director’. Theater
11, no. 1 (Fall) 1979: 5-64.

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A retrospective view of Bergman as theater director, with detailed discussion of several of his
stage productions. Also includes a list of play productions by Bergman. A precursor of authors’
major study Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theater. (See Ø 594).

585. Schmidt-Mühlisch, Lothar. ‘Bergman – bei uns hat er kein Glück’. Welt am
Sonntag, 28 January 1979.
A report on the negative reception of Bergman’s Munich productions of Ein Traumspiel, Drei
Schwestern, and Tartuffe and his films Das Schlangenei and Herbstsonate.

586. Seidenfaden, I. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. AZ (Munich), 11 April 1979.

Bergman talks about his work as a theatre director in Munich. Reiterates his dislike of directors
who use a play’s text in such a strong personal way that it stands between the actors and the
playwright. Maintains his lifelong interest in the classics, that is, Strindberg, Ibsen, Chekhov,
and Molière.

1980
587. Müller, Wolf Dietrich. Der Theaterregisseur Ingmar Bergman: dargestellt an seiner
Inszenierung von Strindberg’s ‘Traumspiel’. Munich: Kitzinger, 1980, 156 pp.
Originally presented as a thesis at University of Munich in 1979. A study of Bergman’s Munich
production of Strindberg’s Dreamplay. Though addressing a specific production, this study may
be of broader interest in terms of Bergman’s directorial approach to a production.

588. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Theater’. Selecta, no. 1, 1980: 91-94.
A presentation of Bergman as a stage director in Proceedings from 1979 Pacific NW Language
Conference.

1981
589. Irving, Sven & Johannes Ekman. ‘Tysk Fröken Julie på Dramaten’ [German Miss
Julie at the Dramaten]. Morgoneko, Swedish Public Radio (SR), P1, 15 May 1981.
A brief presentation of Bergman’s German production of Miss Julie during a guest performance
by Dramaten. Includes some comments by Bergman. See also Olsson, Per Allan, ‘Ingmar
Bergman på gästspel: Gärna Dramaten för mig’ [Bergman on a guest visit: Dramaten, that’s
fine with me]., DN, 14 14 May 1981.

590. Reilly, Willem Thomas. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Theatre Direction, 1952-1974’. Diss.
University of California at Santa Barbara, 1980, 241 leaves. UMI (Univ. Microfilms
International), Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1981.
A selective well-documented examination of Ingmar Bergman’s theatre production based on
program notes, reviews, videotapes, and interviews.

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591. Sandstedt, Birgitta. ‘Magasinet’, SVT, 15 September 1981.

See Ø 583.

592. Thomas, Peter. ‘Aussen ruhig, innen Vulkan’. Stern, no. 19, 30 April 1981.
A portrait of Bergman since his arrival in Munich in 1976. He is described as charming on the
surface but explosive on the inside. Also a discussion of his early difficulties with German actors
and a write-up of the Bergman Project – his tripartite Munich production of Nora, Julie, and
Scenes from a Marriage.

1982
593. Dessau, Frederik. ‘Drømmen om et kunstnerisk teater’ [The dream of an artistic
theatre]. Danmarks Radio (DR), 4 December 1982.
A report from a directors’ seminar in Stockholm, where one of the main contributions was
Bergman’s frank account of his years as a theatre director at the Munich Residenztheater.

594. Marker, Frederick J and Lise-Lone. Ingmar Bergman. Four Decades in the Theater.
Cambridge/London/New York/Melbourne/Sydney: Cambridge University Press, 1982.
262 pp. New expanded edition in 1992, titled Ingmar Bergman: A Life in the Theater.
Toronto: Cambridge University Press. Italian edition titled Ingmar Bergman. Tutto il
teatro. Milan: Ubulibri, 1996.
After a 1979 interview with Bergman, ‘Talking about Theater’, the book gives a historical
overview of Bergman’s career in the theatre but focusses on certain important segments of
his theatre production: the early formative years; the Strindberg productions; the Molière
stagings; and the Ibsen cycle of plays. The book concludes with another interview with Berg-
man from 1980, ‘Talking about Tomorrow’, (Chapter 6). The authors have established them-
selves as insightful and knowledgeable analysts of Bergman’s work as a theatre director and this
study remains a key source for anyone interested in Bergman’s approach to directing. It is
especially valuable for its reconstructions of specific productions and its cohesive block analysis
of Bergman’s presentation of Molière, Strindberg, and Ibsen. See also Interviews, (Ø 887).

595. ‘Perspektiv på 50-talet’ [Perspective on the Fifties]. Sveriges Radio, 17 April 1982.
A radio program series. This segment deals with Bergman’s years at Malmö City Theatre in the
1950s. Bergman talks about the Malmö audience and the close-knit theatre ensemble.

1983
596. Fridén, Ann. ‘“He Shall Live a Man Forbid”: Ingmar Bergman’s Macbeth’. Shake-
speare Survey 36, 1983, pp. 65-72.
An analysis of three different Bergman productions of Macbeth: Mäster Olofsgården 1940,
Hälsingborg 1944, and Gothenburg 1948. Subject of this article is expanded in Fridén’s disserta-
tion Macbeth in the Swedish Theatre 1838-1986. Stockholm: Liber, 1986.

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597. ‘Inför Hustruskolan’ [Before School for Wives]. STV, Channel 1, 25 December
1983. An interview with Bergman and cast, conducted by Bengt Lagerkvist.
Dramaten director Alf Sjöberg’s last production before his accidental death in 1980 was Mo-
lière’s Ecole des femmes/Hustruskolan. Almost three years later, Bergman decided to transcribe it
for television as an homage to Sjöberg but also as a democratic project which was to allow the
entire country to see a Dramaten production. At a press conference on 22 April 1983, Bergman
pointed out that his undertaking was an artistic challenge, not a technical endeavor. The press
conference was edited and published by TV reporter Jarl Alfredius as ‘L’Ecole Bergman’, Positif
289 (March) 1985: 31-33. For a brief Swedish write-up of the event, see Elisabeth Sörenson, ‘En
bergmansk tanke’ [A Bergman idea], SvD, 24 December 1983.
Swedish Radio program ‘Kulturnytt’ transmitted part of same material in ‘Ingmar Bergman
och Hustruskolan’ [and School for Wives], 31 December 1983. See also Ø 329, 1707.

598. Janzon, Leif. ‘Entréintervjun. Ingmar Bergman’. Entré, no. 3, 1983, pp. 7-14. Cross-
listed in Interview Chapter VIII, (Ø 891).
An important interview, which is also a response by Bergman to current Swedish debate about
an ‘actors’ theatre’ vs a ‘director’s theatre’. Bergman tries to minimize the role of the director: ‘...
my thesis about the three necessary elements for a theatre performance to occur – the word, the
actor, and the spectator – [implies] what every director should make clear to himself early in his
development: that he is to a great extent an addition and a complement’. [... min tes om de tre
nödvändiga elementen för teater: ordet, skådespelaren och åskådaren (innebär) ett faktum som
jag tycker att varje regissör på ett väldigt tidigt stadium i sin utveckling borde göra klart för sig,
[...] att han i högsta grad är ett tillägg och ett komplement]. The ‘word’ in this case includes
action, mime, song. Bergman compares himself to a music conductor who is given a set of
notes to interpret; he does not add notes of his own to the composer’s score. But he is given the
‘miraculous’ task of making the notes come alive.
Bergman regrets the loss of a classical tradition in the Swedish theatre, with young actors who
no longer know how to play Shakespeare. He reiterates that the theatre for him is ‘playfulness’,
not a weapon: ‘I have never had any theories about other prominent men of the theatre. I have
created theatre capriciously, because I have felt like it, because it gives me an enormous
pleasure’. [Jag har aldrig haft några teorier om andra framstående teatermän. Jag har gjort
teater nyckfullt därför att jag har haft lust, därför att det bereder mig en så enorm glädje].

599. Marker, Frederick and Lise-Lone. Ingmar Bergman: A Project for the Theater. New
York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1983.
Contains the following material:
‘Of Winners and Losers. A Conversation with Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 1-18. Annotated in Inter-
views, (Ø 887).
‘Love without Lovers. A Commentary on the Bergman Project’, pp. 19-45.
The Bergman Project (Bergman’s 7-hour stage adaptations of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (Nora),
Strindberg’s Miss Julie (Julie), and Bergman’s own TV film Scenes from a Marriage). (See
Ø 461).
Review: Films and Filming 344 (May) 1983: 36-38.

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600. Marker, Lise-Lone. ‘The Magic Triangle: Ingmar Bergman’s Implied Philosophy of
Theatrical Communication’. Modern Drama 26, no. 3 (September) 1983: 251-61.
An analysis of Bergman’s directorial method on stage. One of the best discussions on this
subject.

601. Timm, Mikael. ‘Trollkarlen. Intervju med Ingmar Bergman’. SR, P 1, 4 and 6 April, 6
May 1983. The interview is reprinted in Timm’s book Ögats glädje, 1994 pp. 127-169
and also available on cassette at SALB (Statens Arkiv för ljud och bild) in Stockholm,
but only for listening on premises. Crosslisted in Interview Chapter, (Ø 896).
A somewhat unstructured conversation with Bergman on such subjects as differences between
film and theatre; on interpreting Ibsen; and on Bergman directing Strindberg.

1984
602. Group Item: Economic Crisis at Dramaten. Bergman Protest at Govern-
ment Cultural Policies.
Economic problems at Dramaten, calling for a 2% cut in its budget, were discussed in the news
in January 1984. A brief radio interview with Ingmar Bergman was transmitted in ‘Luncheko’,
SR, P 1, 26 January 1984. See also Expr. report, 18 February 1984, about financial and cultural
impoverishment of Dramaten. Despite the public success of Bergman’s production of King Lear
at the time, Dramaten’s difficulties continued. See Lena Svanberg, ‘Brist i Dramatenkassan trots
succén Kung Lear. Vargatider stundar nu’ [Deficit in Dramaten’s finances despite the success
with King Lear. Hard times ahead], Veckans Affärer, no. 12, 1984: 46-47.
The economic problems at Dramaten continued throughout the 1980s under Lars Löfgren’s
leadership, ironically at a time when the theatre gained international recognition through a
number of world tours with different Bergman productions. In an interview made by Björn
Nilsson, Bergman talks about the declining support for cultural activities in Sweden but con-
cludes on a challenging note: ‘I promise you: if we can only keep the demons of stinginess at
bay, this theatre [Dramaten] will be one of the world’s foremost within five years’. [Jag lovar dig:
om vi kan hålla snålhetens demoner stången kommer denna teater (Dramaten) att vara en av
världens förnämsta om fem år]. See ‘Vi lät oss köpas – nu får vi betala’ [We sold ourselves –
now we get to pay], Expr., 20 February 1988, pp. 4-5.
This interview was made in the aftermath of a Bergman protest over administrative policies
at Sveriges Radio (SR). See ‘Bergman skäller ut radiochefen’ [Bergman bawls out radio head],
Expr., 4 February 1988, p. 6 (see Ø 621). Interviewed in DN, (16 February 1988) Bergman said:
‘We must face the cultural bureaucrats with total suspicion [...] we must never begin to
cooperate with cultural bureaucracy. [...] And above all, not be understanding [of their policy].
I want to see armed neutrality. But as soon as we are attacked, we must strike back. With
toughness and without hesitation’. [Vi måste möta kulturbyråkraterna med en total misstänk-
samhet [...] vi får aldrig börja samarbeta med kulturbyråkratin. [...] Och framför allt inte [bli]
förstående. [...] Jag vill se en väpnad neutralitet. Men så fort vi blir angripna så måste vi slå igen.
Stenhårt och utan att tveka]. In 1989, there were further cuts in government support for
Dramaten (and other cultural institutions), which led to a press conference where Bergman
voiced his indignation at the reduction of state subsidies. See ‘Bergman dundrar mot s’ [Berg-
man attacks Social-Democrats], SvD, 14 January 1989, p. 1, 11. The crisis at Dramaten did not
culminate until 1997 when a minor drama evolved as Lars Löfgren and the Dramaten Board put

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pressure on the Swedish Ministry of Culture to grant the National stage a loan of 22 million
Swedish crowns to cover the theatre’s current expenses. Löfgren was now about to leave
Dramaten after twelve years as its administrative head. Also, after the debacle around a planned
New York visit with Bergman’s production of The Misanthrope (see Ø 478) in late spring 1996,
Bergman had declared Lars Lögren his enemy and announced his own retirement from Dra-
maten. At the same time he opposed author Per Olov Enquist as Löfgren’s successor (Enquist
was launched as a candidate by actress Bibi Andersson) and instead advocated SVT adminis-
trator Ingrid Dahlberg. Bergman withdrew his play Larmar och gör sig till (In the Presence of a
Clown) from the scheduled Dramaten repertory and offered it to Swedish TV instead – an
obvious sign of support of Dahlberg, who in the end was appointed the new administrative
head at Dramaten. After four years she had turned Dramaten into a fairly lucrative enterprise.
She resigned in the Fall of 2001, effective July 2002.
For a report on these events, see: Per Andersson, ‘Bakom kulisserna. Ett drama i tre akter’
[Behind the scenes. A drama in three acts]. Expr. March 16, 17, 18, 1997). The articles examine
the political discussions behind the scenes and are subtitled: ‘Bergmans bäste vän blev hans
fiende’ [Bergman’s best friend became his enemy, 16 March, p. 1, 19-22]; ‘Dramatens låneaffärer
avslöjas’ [Dramaten’s loan situation disclosed, 17 March, pp. 16-17]; and ‘Nya chefen styrde rakt
in i stormen’ [New head sailed right into the storm, 18 March, pp. 14-15]. The series also
includes an interview with Bergman titled ‘Dramaten var ett godståg i utförsbacken’ [Dramaten
was a freight train going downhill], 18 March, 1997, pp. 16-17.

603. Eko. ‘Ingmar Bergman intervjuas med anledning av sin återkomst till radioteatern...’
[Bergman is interviewed about his return to radio theatre...]. Sveriges Radio (SR), 21
May 1984. 4 minutes.
Bergman talks about his first contact with radio theatre and his own early work for the radio.
The occasion of the interview was his production of Erland Josephson’s radio play ‘En hörsägen’
(Ø 307). This interview was also part of a radio program titled ‘Radioteatern ger..’. [The radio
theatre presents...], 25 August 1984.

604. Frankl, Elisabeth. ‘Här hör jag hemma’ [Here I am at home]. Expr., 2 November
1985, pp. 22-23.
A compact interview after Bergman’s return to Dramaten, coinciding with rehearsals of Fröken
Julie. Bergman contrasts his joy at working at Dramaten to the feelings he used to have walking
into the Munich Rezidenztheater to do his daily work and asking himself: ‘What the hell am I
doing here?’ [Vad i helvete gör jag här?]. He talks about his creative work as a form of
therapeutic release: ‘The bacterial infections have never had time to clog up, to become stagnant
pools’. [Bakterieinfektionerna har aldrig fått tid att stanna upp, att bli stillastående pölar]. What
he relishes is the initial phase of writing or walking around with a classical play in his head:
‘Then I am king, almost emperor; it is a fantastic experience’. [Då är jag kung, nästan kejsare;
det är en fantastisk upplevelse]. Equally enjoyable is working with the actors: ‘...the sudden
feeling that now it is soaring. Now it clicked. Now the miracle has occurred!’ [den plötsliga
känslan att nu lyfter det. Nu klickade det. Nu inträffade miraklet!].

605. Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Bergman and the Comic Theatre of Molière:
German Years’. Maske und Kothurn. Internationale Beitrage zur Theaterwissenschaft 30,
no. 1-2, 1984: 203-16.

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A study of Bergman’s approach to Molière, based on his determination to ‘re-theatricalize’ the

French playwright and reaffirm his theatrical heritage by heightening audience awareness of the
stage as theatre and make-belief. The article discusses two specific Bergman productions in
Munich and Salzburg of Molière’s Tartuffe and Dom Juan. (See Ø 458, 462). Both performances
derived their mise-en-scene from the commedia dell’ arte tradition and French farce bordering
on brutal absurdist comedy.

606. Jostad, Morten. ‘“I den lilla världen”: Ekdahlerne og teatret. Noen aspekter ved
Ingmar Bergmans Fanny og Alexander’ [In the small world: the Ekdahls and the
theatre. Some aspects of Bergman’s F. & A.]. Samtiden 6 (1985), pp. 40-46.
(See Ø 253) in Filmography. Cf. Törnqvist and Koskinen articles in Chaplin XXV, no. 6/189 1983,
Ø 1393, pp. 253-259.

607. Ollén, Gunnar. ‘Jag kastade mig med ett rytande över teater’ [I threw myself with a
roar at the theatre]. Sveriges Radio, 26 May 1985.
A radio interview with Ingmar Bergman about his first years in the professional theatre. The
focus is on Hälsingborg City Theatre, Sweden’s oldest municipally run theatre. This 30-minute
interview gives a lively account of the working conditions and mood at the theatre in 1944.

608. Skawonius, Betty. ‘Nu lockar mig bara det omöjliga’ [Now only the impossible
attracts me]. DN, 15 August 1985, p. 24.
Mostly an interview revolving around Bergman’s upcoming production of Strindberg’s Fröken
Julie and his approach to Strindberg: ‘I am not interested in making Strindberg autobiogra-
phical, Molander did that. What interests me is: Why does an author write a play?’ [Jag är inte
intresserad av att göra Strindberg självbiografisk, Molander gjorde det. Vad som intresserar mig
är: Varför skriver en författare en pjäs?]
Bergman also describes his changing approach to actors, that is, a move from blind love to
‘seeing’ love, and talks about his motivation to do theatre work: as an artistic challenge rather
than a desire for success.

609. Thieringer, Thomas. ‘Die Fernseharbeit lockt’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 3 June 1985.
A brief report on Bergman’s interest in television theatre.

610. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘De wereld als gekkenhuis: Ingmar Bergman regisseert Koning Lear’
[the World as Madhouse: Ingmar Bergman Directs King Lear]. In E. Törnqvist/A.
Sonnen, eds. Niet allen Strindberg: Zweden op de planken [Not only Strindberg: Swe-
den on Stage]. Amsterdam: Holland Festival, 1985, pp. 62-66. See also same title in
Toneel Teatraal, October 1984, pp. 30-31.
A presentation of Bergman’s production of King Lear during Dramaten’s guest visit to Holland.
See Ø 465.

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1986
611. Cueno, Anne. ‘Bergman, Kurosawa und Lear’. Filmbulletin, no. 1, 1986: 46.
A brief comparison of the treatment of Shakespeare’s play in Kurosawa’s film Ran and Berg-
man’s production of King Lear at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Cf Ø 465.

612. Gado, Frank. ‘A Foothold in Theater’. In his The Passion of Ingmar Bergman. Dur-
ham, NC: Duke University Press, 1986, pp. 19-36.
A discussion of Bergman’s early days in the theatre and his playwriting.

613. Hansen, Jan E. ‘Snestorm rundt en syltestrikk’ [Snow storm around a string]. Af-
tenposen (Oslo), 8 February 1986. Also annotated in Interview Chapter, (Ø 908).
At the time of this interview by a Norwegian journalist, Bergman was planning his fourth
production of Ett drömspel (A Dreamplay) and explains his need to return to the same dramatic
text or to new and more difficult texts:
Every artist must be an anarchist, he must continuously place himself and his work under
judgment and debate. He must reject even his best results, for he must move forever
onwards and onwards. I am beginning to grow old. When I take hold of A Dreamplay
for the fourth time or Hamlet next fall, it is because these texts cannot be interpreted
perfectly. The same was true of King Lear two years ago, an especially enigmatic text where
the potential to fail is very high. I care less and less about success and more and more about
the desire and joy of the attempt itself.

[Hver kunstnær må være en anarkist, han må hele tiden placere seg selv og sit arbeid under
dom og debatt. Han må forkaste også sine beste resultater fordi han må fortløpig fremad og
fremad. Jeg begynder å bli gammel. Når jeg tar fatt i Ett drömspel for fjerde gang eller
Hamlet neste høst, er det fordi slike texter kan ikke tolkes på en perfekt måte. Detsamme var
sant med Kong Lear for to år siden, en særlig gåtefull text hvor muligheten att mislykkes er
meget høi. Jeg bryr meg mindre og mindre om fremgang og mer og mer om ønsket og
glæden av selve forsøket.] Cf. Skawonius, Ø 608.

614. Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Bergman’s Borkman.’. Theater 17, no. 2
(Spring) 1986: 48-55. See Interviews (Ø 909).

615. Xartoyvaph, Mikeva. ‘Twpa qovo Oeatpo’ [Now only theatre]. Ta Nea, 4 November
1986.
A Greek article based on Bergman’s visit to Greece to study the amphitheatre in Delphi as part
of his preparation for staging Euripides’ The Bachae. He appeared at a question and answer
session, led by the Greek cultural minister at the time, the film star Melina Mercouri.

616. Widegren, Björn. ‘Vad skulle mitt liv varit utan Strindberg’ [What would my life
have been without Strindberg]. Gefle Dagblad, 21 January 1986, p. 1, 4.

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An interview made during Bergman’s visit to the Gefle City Theatre with his 1985 Dramaten
production of Strindberg’s Fröken Julie. Bergman uses the occasion to declare his loyalty to
Strindberg’s text.

1987
617. Hayman, Ronald. ‘Glimpses of the pictures in his mind’. The Listener, 2 July 1987: 16-
17.
Originally a radio conversation (British Programme 3) titled ‘Bergman and his Demons’, this is
a brief assessment of Bergman’s work in film and theatre (the latter confined to those produc-
tions which had been performed in Great Britain: Ur-Faust, Hedda Gabler, A Dreamplay, John
Gabriel Borkman, Hamlet, and Miss Julie.)

618. ‘Vägen till Hamlet’ [The Road to Hamlet]. SR, Channel 1, 17, 18, and 20 April 1987,
rebroadcast on 30 June 1988.
A radio program in three parts about Bergman’s production of Hamlet at the Royal Dramatic
Theatre in December 1986. Most of the program is focussed on an interview with Peter
Stormare about his title role. But Bergman also talks about various aspects of the production,
from Britt G. Hallqvist’s new translation of Hamlet to his preparations for the staging. Con-
versation includes an account of a disastrous dress rehearsal; of press response to the produc-
tion; the placement of the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy; and the much discussed Bergman
ending to Shakespeare’s play. The production caused a critical debate. See Theatre Chapter
(Ø 468).

1988
619. Babski, Cindy. ‘Theater: Bergman Brings a Restive Hamlet to Brooklyn’. NYT, 5 June
1988, Sec. 2 (Arts & Leisure), p. 5. Cross-listed in Ø 468, 911.
An interview article done in Stockholm. Bergman sees Hamlet (like other Shakespeare trage-
dies) originating in the rules and morality of the real world where ‘one meter is one meter and
there are good and decent people. [...] And suddenly in one moment, in one second, everything
changes. There is no morality any more. A foot is no longer a foot...’ Bergman draws a parallel
to his own life where he lost his faith in God [i.e., rules, morality], after which he ‘tried to live
in a mad world. And tried to be fair, to be decent, to do my work. And to understand what’s
going on. So that was the reason for staging Hamlet.’ But he concludes: ‘I don’t want to be his
friend’.
Article, which also includes quotes by Peter Stormare (Hamlet) and Pernilla Östergren
(Ophelia), contains some interesting details about the production.

620. Bredsdorff, Thomas. ‘The Sin of the Fathers: Bergman, Ronconi and Ibsen’s “The
Wild Duck”’. New Theatre Quarterly 4, no. 14 (May) 1988, pp. 159-172. Translated
reprint from author’s book Magtspil [Power play], Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1986.
Comparison of two productions of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck: Bergman’s 1972 version at the Royal
Dramatic and Luca Ronconi’s in Rome five years later. Suggests a hidden dialogue on the issue

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of patricide, illuminated by two different directors. Yet, argument seems more based on Ibsen’s
text (and subtext) than on the two specific productions mentioned in the title.

621. Conflict with SR. ‘Bergman skäller ut radiochefen’ [Bergman bawls out
radio head]. Expr., 4 February 1988, p. 6.
Report on conflict between Bergman and Ove Joanson, administrative head of the Swedish
Radio at the time. When the head of the radio’s theatre section Per Lysander resigned in protest
over pressure from the administration to popularize the programming, Bergman, in solidarity
and in anger at Joanson’s policies, withdrew the production of a new radio play, scheduled to be
aired in the fall of 1988. The play (En själslig angelägenhet/A Matter of the Soul) was produced in
1990. (See Media Chapter, V, (Ø 308). See also DN, 7 February 1988 and SDS, 5 February 1988.
Conflict was part of Bergman’s ongoing disenchantment with Swedish cultural policies. (See
Ø 602).

622. Nobel Symposium at Dramaten, May 1988

Two-day international symposium at The Royal Dramatic Theatre, where part of the program
included Bergman’s work at Sweden’s National stage. No proceedings published. Among the
lecturers were Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker on Bergman’s work on stage. An announced
discussion between Bergman and his actors Erland Josephson, Bibi Andersson, and Max von
Sydow had to take place without Bergman, who called in sick at the last moment. See Eilif
Straume’s report ‘Bergman kom ikke’ [Bergman did not come], Aftenposten (Oslo), 15 July 1988.
The Markers later published an interview with Bergman’s actors on the occasion. (See
Ø 630).

623. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman y Largo viaje hacia la noche’. Primer acto 226, no.
4 (November-December) 1988: 63-69. Also published in English as ‘Ingmar Bergman
Directs Long Day’s Journey into Night’. New Theatre Quarterly V, no. 20, 1989: 374-84;
and as ‘Ingmar Bergman and Long Day’s Journey into Night’ in Eugene O’Neill in
China: An International Centenary Celebration, ed. by Haiping Lii and Lowell Swort-
zell. New York/Westport, Conn./London: Greenwood Press, 1992, pp. 241-248.
A discussion of Bergman’s production of O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night at the Royal
Dramatic Theatre in 1988. Cross-listed in Ø 470.

1989
624. Bentivoglio, Leonetta. ‘Il teatro e la mia casa’. La Republica, 16 September 1989.
Crosslisted and annotated in Interviews, (Ø 915).

625. Hjelm, Keve. ‘Människokrossarteatern’. [lit. ‘theatre grinding human beings’]. AB, 8-
10, 19-20 August 1989.
A series of articles by actor and head of Swedish School for Advanced Theatre Studies. To Hjelm
Swedish actors have been crushed by the terror of their directors. First two parts of the series
deal with Bergman’s predecessors Olof Molander and Alf Sjöberg; in the third part (10 August),
titled ‘Skitprat, sa Bergman’ [Bullshit, said Bergman], Hjelm’s attack focusses on Bergman,
whom he considers yet another dictatorial director in the institutionalized Swedish theatre.

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626. Liggera, Joseph and Lanayre. ‘Going Roundabout: Similar Images of Pilgrimage in
Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Bergman’s The Seventh Seal’. West Virginia University Philological
Papers (WVUPP) 35, 1989: 21-27. See Chapter IX, group (Ø 989).

627. Strømberg, Ulla. ‘Ukuelige Bergman. Ingmar Bergman og den svenske national-
scene’ [Indomitable B. Bergman and the Swedish national stage]. Danish Radio
program transmitted on 28 April and 22 May 1989.
On Bergman and Dramaten.

628. Sörenson, Elisabeth. ‘Jag har en kanonbesättning’ [I have a fantastic crew]. SvD, 30
March 1989, p. 7.
Though basically a discussion of Bergman’s production of Mishima’s play Madame de Sade, this
interview article expresses a couple of central Bergman thoughts on the preconditions necessary
for a staging to take place: The right set of actors must be available; his initial feel of resistance
to a playwright’s text must be overcome; and the challenge to study the text very carefully must
be met. Bergman quotes a poem by Swedish poet Gunnar Ekelöf that expresses his own
thoughts on a shared artistic vision: ‘In every soul a thousand souls are captive/in every world
a thousand worlds are hidden/and all these blind and lower worlds/are real and alive/though
incomplete/as truly I am real’. [I varje själ är tusen själar fångna/i varje värld är tusen världar
dolda/och dessa blinda, dessa undre världar/är verkliga och levande, fast ofullgångna,/Så sant
som jag är verklig]. Quote is from a poem titled ‘etyder’ no. 3, in the 1941 volume Färjesång.

1990
629. Lenti, Adriano. ‘L’uscita di Nora dalla casa bergmaniana’. Cinema nuovo xxxix, nos.
326-327 (July-October 1990): 58-63.
Reference to Bergman’s theatre stagings, especially his adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House in
Munich in 1981.

630. Marker, Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker. ‘Bergman and the Actors. An Inter-
view’. Theater, no. 1-2: 1990: 74-80.
Three Bergman actors – Bibi Anderson, Erland Josephson, and Max von Sydow – talk about
their experiences of Bergman’s theatre direction. The interview took place during a Nobel
Symposium at Dramaten in 1988. (See Ø 622).

631. Martin, Jacqueline. ‘The Role of Language in Ingmar Bergman’s Shakespeare

Productions’. Nordic Theatre Studies. Special International Issue: New Directions in
Theatre Research, ed. by Wilmar Sauter. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1990, pp. 112-120.
A look at Bergman’s Shakespeare productions between 1940 and 1986 (six in all) to examine the
role that language has played as part of a polyphony of signs. Martin suggests a developing
formula in Bergman’s productions towards a repeated use of red and black in costumes and
setting, a preference for an almost naked play area, and use of actors as both performers and
observers.

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1991
632. Heath, Elizabeth, F. ‘The Theme of Anxiety in Selected Works of Henrik Ibsen,
Edward Munch and Ingmar Bergman’. M.A. thesis, University of South Florida, 1991,
60 pp. Details not available.

633. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Doll’s Houses’. Scandinavica, no. 1 (May) 1991:
63-76.
A discussion of Bergman’s two productions of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, that is, Nora in Munich in
1981 and Ett dockhem at Dramaten in 1989. See also author’s article ‘Ibsen: A Doll’s House’. Plays
in Production Series ed. by Michael Robinson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, pp.
92-107, 163-168.

634. Vasques, Eugénia. ‘Bergman o teatro e as mulheres’. Expresso, 13-19 April 1991, p. 8.
A Portuguese presentation of Bergman as a theatre director, focussing on his innovations as
head of Dramaten, 1963-66. Item includes a photo exhibit of stills from his stage productions,
and a brief presentation of Dramaten’s Madame de Sade.

1992
635. Oliver, Roger. ‘Bergman’s Trilogy: Tradition and Innovation’. Performing Arts Jour-
nal, January 1992, pp 74-87. Reprinted in Ingmar Bergman: An Artist’s Journey, ed. by
Roger Oliver. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995, pp. 105-111.
Regards Bergman’s staging of Miss Julie (1985), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1988), and A Doll’s
House (1989) as a naturalistic trilogy in which Bergman reconciles traditional and contemporary
theatrical practices. The three Dramaten productions were performed together as a triptyk in a
guest performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1991.

636. Törnqvist, Egil. Transposing Drama: Studies in Representation. New Directions in

Theatre. Series ed. by Julian Hilton. London: Macmillan, 1991, passim. Also in Spanish
as El teatro en otra lengua y otro medio, trans. by Marta Mateo Martinez-Bartolomé.
Madrid: Arco/Libros, S.L., 2002, passim. Cf. Törnqvist, Bergman och Strindberg, 1973,
Ø 570.
In discussion of transpositions from textual to audio-visual signs, Bergman’s 1973 staging of
Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata serves as one of four prime examples.

1993
637. Arntzen, Knut Ove. ‘Trollmannen i svensk teater’ [The magician in Swedish thea-
tre]. Bergens Avisen (BA), 8 June 1993, p. 27.
In connection with Dramaten’s guest visit to Bergen in June 1993 with Bergman’s production of
Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, there were several press write-ups such as this one about Bergman as a theatre
director, as well as interviews with actors Börje Ahlstedt (Peer Gynt) and Bibi Andersson
(Mother Åse).

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638. Durbach, Errol. ‘Ibsenian Uterus, Strindbergian Seed. Ingmar Bergman’s Hedda
Gabler’. Essays in Theatre – Etudes théâtrales 12, no. 1 (November) 1993: 41-49.
On Strindbergian elements in Bergman’s production(s) of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler.

639. Granqvist, Knut. ‘När Bergman tänder kommer brandkåren’ [When Bergman
flares up the fire engine arrives]. Expr., 6 February 1993.
An interview article with Bergman and Dramaten head Lars Löfgren. Title refers to
Bergman’s angry reaction to a publicity stunt at Dramaten where an automobile was
placed in the lobby. Bergman insisted that it be removed.

640. Lahr, John. ‘Gravity and Grace’. The New Yorker, 10 May 1993.
Though basically a review of Bergman’s production of Mishima’s Madame de Sade, the article
has some useful remarks (quotes from choreographer Donya Feuer) about Bergman’s search for
‘the acoustic and optical center of the stage.’

641. Reuterswärd, Måns, producer. ‘Bergman, Börtz och Backanterna’. SVT, Channel 1,
7 April 1993, 72 min.
A documentary, with comments by Bergman, about the making of a TV film from the Daniel
Börtz-Bergman opera production of Backanterna based on Euripides’ drama, The Bachae. See
Ø 1694.

642. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman and Don Juan’. In Sormova, Eva (ed.). Don Juan
and Faust in the XXth Century. Prague: Department of Czech Theatre Studies, 1993,
pp. 244-49. Proceedings from Theatre Conference, 27 September – 1 October 1991.
About the Don Juan motif in Bergman’s film Djävulens öga (The Devil’s Eye) but also about his
theatre productions of Molière’s Don Juan.

1994
643. Kolin, Philip C., ‘On a Trolley to the Cinema: Ingmar Bergman and the First
Swedish Production of A Streetcar Named Desire’. South Carolina Review 27, no. 1-2
(Fall-Spring) 1994-95: 277-286.
An analysis of Bergman’s 1949 production of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire
at the Gothenburg City Theatre, remarking on Bergman’s cinematic conception of the play,
including the presence of a movie theatre on the set. Contains some questionable assessments
about Bergman’s standing in the Swedish theatre at the time and about the technical status of
the Gothenburg theatre as Sweden’s most advanced stage. Bergman was in fact still a junior
director working in the shadows of people like Torsten Hammarén, and Malmö rather than
Gothenburg had the technically most advanced theatre in Sweden at the time. Cf. Ø 405.

644. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night: Bergman’s TV version of Oväder
compared to Smultronstället’. In Kela Kvam, ed., Strindberg’s Post-Inferno Plays.
Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1994, pp. 186-195.

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Comparison between Bergman’s 1960 TV production of Strindberg’s play Storm/Thunder in the

Air and Bergman’s film Wild Strawberries.

1995
645. Björksten, Ingmar Det förtätade livet. Teaterkritik 1980-1990. Stockholm: Carlsons,
1995, pp. 101-106, 141-144, 226, 261-264, 269, 236-238, 281-284, 312-314.
Contains several reprints of author’s reviews of Bergman theatre productions from the 1980s.

646. Dramat. Special Ingmar Bergman Festival edition in English of magazine published
by the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm in connection with theatre’s visit to
BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) during New York Bergman festival, April-June
1995. Crosslisted in Group entry (Ø 1580).
The issue contains the following brief articles on Bergman and Dramaten:
Amble, Lolo. ‘An Evening with The Winter’s Tale’, pp. 21-24.
Anderson, Bibi, et. al ‘On Bergman’, pp. 14-16. Actors’ comments on working with Bergman.
Josephson, Erland. ‘Bergman in New York. Can you Imagine Bergman Walking around on
his Own in Manhattan? Impossible!’ p. 6.
Löfgren, Lars. ‘The Theater as Life’, p. 4.
Salander, Anna. ‘When Do You Quit, Ingmar?’ Fictitious interview with Bergman by ‘Finno-
Swedish freelance journalist, living in Rome.’

647. Gyllenpalm, Bo. Ingmar Bergman and Creative Leadership. Diss. University of Cali-
fornia in Santa Barbara. STABIM; Torö, 1995, 148 p.
An overview of Bergman’s theater experience, followed by an analysis of his managerial qua-
lities, directorial style, and actor response based on interviews at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
Author uses management theory as an approach. Three factors are considered crucial to Berg-
man’s success as a stage director: strategy, culture, and mindset.

648. Olofgörs, Gunnar. Scenografi och kostym: Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss. Stockholm:

Carlssons, 1995. Published dissertation in Theatre Studies on the work of one of
Ingmar Bergman’s stage designers. Cf. this item to Palmstierna-Weiss’ Scenografi.
Stockholm: Waldemarsudde, 1995.

649. Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs. Amsterdam:
Amsterdam University Press, 1995. 243 pp.
Part I of this study, titled ‘The Stage Director’, discusses three of Bergman’s Strindberg produc-
tions (The Dream Play, 1970; The Ghost Sonata, 1973; and Miss Julie, 1985), his staging of
O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (1988), Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1989) and Shakespeare’s
The Winter’s Tale (1994).

650. Zern, Leif. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Dialog, scena, kamera’. Dialog (Polish) 40, no. 4 (April)
1995: 84-90. Trans. by Tadeusz Szczepanski.
On Bergman’s use of dialogue on stage and screen.

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651. Åhlund, Jannike. ‘Sista intervjun med Ingmar Bergman’ [Last interview with Berg-
man]. Expr., 23 November 1995: 17-20. Cross-listed in Interviews, (Ø 930).
Bergman discusses difference between work in theatre and film: ‘The theatre has always been
the main thing for me. Film has been [...] not a secondary thing, but insecurity. A tremendous
pleasure, yes, but the security has always been here (in the theatre)’. [Teatern har alltid varit
huvudsaken för mig. Filmen har varit [...] inte en sekundär sak men otrygghet. Ett oerhört
nöje, jo, men tryggheten har alltid funnits här].

1996
652. Wirmark, Margareta, ed. Film och teater i växelverkan [Film and theatre at inter-
play]. Stockholm: Carlssons, 1996.
Volume consists of lectures at Ingmar Bergman Conference at Lund University in 1995 on
interaction between his theatre work and his filmmaking. Cross-listed in Chapter IX, Ø 1613.
Book also includes a conversation between two of Bergman’s actors, Agneta Ekmanner and Max
von Sydow (pp. 13-52), one associated (at the time) primarily with his late theatre work
(Madame de Sade, The Misanthrope), the other with his theatre work in Malmö and his films
from 1955-1972. Sydow points to Bergman’s preparedness as a director, to his ability to make the
classics understandable to the actors, and to the essence of his direction, i.e., his sense of
dramatic rhythm. Sydow considers Bergman’s situation unique in its artistic freedom and in
the core of actors he has been able to work with. Ekmanner points to Bergman’s absolute
commitment to a production and to the importance of costumes and mise-en-scene, but also
discusses Bergman’s choice of actors as possibly based on their ability to enter into his world.

653. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Att sätta-i-scen. Teatern som metafor och tilltal i olika verk av
Ingmar Bergman’ [Mise-en-scene. The theatre as metaphor and address in different
works by Bergman], pp. 65-78, in item Ø 652
Using some comparative samples of Bergman’s stage productions, films and memoir book
Laterna magica, Koskinen examines his artistically conscious use of the theatre as a motif,
representational principle and form of address: to establish a dialogue between a director
and his public (viewer or reader).

654. Schottenius, Maria. ‘Dionysus på Fårö’. Expr., 21 May 1996.

Somewhat negative portrayal of Bergman, who at the time was staging The Bachae at Dramaten.
See Ø 480.

655. Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Bergman i Malmö. En höjdpunkt i vår moderna teaterhistoria’ [B

in Malmö. A high point in our modern theatre history], pp. 100-126, in item Ø 652.
Historically based overview of Bergman’s years as artistic director at Malmö City Theatre.
Largely a resumé of the same author’s Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 123-230.

656. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘“I min fantasi!” Subjektivt gestaltande hos Ingmar Bergman’ [‘In
my imagination!’ Subjective representation in Bergman], pp. 79-99, in item Ø 652.

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After numerous examples from Bergman’s theatre work and filmmaking, author concludes that
‘subjectivism’ for Bergman lies both with the dramatis personae and the audience. The ability to
fantasize is the fundamental premise that enables an understanding between dramatis personae,
actors, and viewers.

657. Wirmark, Margareta. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Dramatentraditionen’ [Bergman and

Dramaten tradition], pp. 127-151, and ‘I scenens brännpunkt. Dockhemmet och Vin-
tersagan på Dramaten’ [Stage focus. A Doll’s House and Winter’s Tale at Dramaten],
pp. 172-186, in item Ø 652.
Relates Bergman’s stage repertory to that of The Royal Dramatic Theatre’s two dominating
directors, Olof Molander and Alf Sjöberg, and to the theatre building itself which is incorpo-
rated in the mise-en-scene to Bergman’s Dramaten productions of A Doll’s House (1989) and
The Winter’s Tale (1994).

658. Zern, Leif. ‘Från avstånd till närhet’ [From distance to closeness], pp. 53-64, in item
Ø 652.
By focussing on certain scenes and sequences in several of Bergman’s theatre stagings and films,
Zern stresses the interconnection between play production and filmmaking in Bergman’s
oeuvre. One fundamental dramatic technique, used both on stage and on screen, lies in his
movement from distance to closeness, from longshot to close-up.

1997
659. Löfgren, Lars. Teaterchefen. Bakom maskerna. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1997, 352 pp.
Memoirs of Löfgren’s time as head of Dramaten, 1985-97, a time that overlaps with Bergman’s
return to Dramaten after his years in Munich. Löfgren’s working relations with Bergman were
good until the Misanthrope debacle in 1996. (See Ø 478, 602). Löfgren’s period as head of
Dramaten included such Bergman productions as Miss Julie, Madame de Sade, King Lear,
Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, A Doll’s House, Peer Gynt and The Misanthrope.

660. Lusardi, James P. ‘Hamlet on the Postmodernist Stage: The Revisionings of Bergman
and Wajda’. Hamlet Sudies 19, no. 1-2 (Summer/Winter) 1997: 78-92. Portions of essay
also appeared in Shakespeare Bulletin, July-August 1989, pp. 23-24, and Spring 1990,
pp. 21-22.
A comparison of post-modernist productions of Hamlet done by two filmmakers/theatre di-
rectors. The two stagings are seen as meta-theatrical revisionings of the play, though strikingly
different in interpretation and effect. Bergman focusses on the theatricalizing of experience,
culminating in Fortrinbras’ media–conscious take-over; Wajda explores the experience of the
theatrical: his Fortrinbras is an actor taking over Hamlet’s problematic role.

661. Ritzu, Merete Kjoller. Bergman e Shakespeare. Roma: Bulzoni, 1997, 112 pp.
A comparative presentation of Shakespeare’s and Bergman’s historical contexts.

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1998
662. Dramat. ‘Bergman. Författaren, regissören, bildmakaren’. [B. Author, Director, Im-
age Maker]. Special issue of Royal Dramatic Theatre’s journal, no. 1, 1998. 55 pp. With
two sets of photographs: ‘Ögonblick med Bergman’ [Moments with Bergman], pp. 11-
13, and ‘Ingmar Bergmans teater’, pp. 42-55.
The journal contains the following brief essays and interviews:
Ek, Mats, Staffan Valdemar Holm & Suzanne Osten. ‘Tre i skuggan av ett monument. Tre
regissörer om Bergman.’. [Three in the shadow of a monument. Three directors about
Bergman], pp. 35-39. (Views on Bergman by younger generation of colleagues).
Enquist, PO. ‘Bilderna i ordet’ [The images in the word], pp. 30-34. (An account of author’s
first encounter with Bergman who staged several of Enquist’s plays: ‘No one has shown
such a fundamental, almost furious respect for the text’ [Ingen har visat en så fundamental,
nästan furiös respekt för texten].
Josephson, Erland. ‘I Ingmars glada hage’ [In Ingmar’s happy meadow], p. 27. (Some re-
collections by a lifelong friend and colleague about working with Bergman at Dramaten).
Wassberg, Göran. ‘Med känsla för rummet’ [With a feeling for space], pp. 21-24. (Sceno-
grapher at Dramaten talks about Bergman’s spatial imagination).
Zern, Leif. ‘Att komma nära. Om Ingmar Bergmans närbilder’ [To come close. About Berg-
man’s close-ups], pp. 58-61.
Åhlund, Jannike. ‘En TV-dåres bekännelser’ pp. 14-18.
Interview focussed on Bergman’s works for television, from Hjalmar Bergman’s Herr Sleeman
kommer [Mr. Sleeman Cometh] (1957) to Larmar och gör sig till [In the Presence of a Clown]
(1997). Appeared in French as ‘Entretien Ingmar Bergman. La confession d’un fou de télé’
in Positif 447 (May) 1998: 55-59.

663. Fridén, Ann Carpenter, ed. Ingmar Bergman and the Arts. Nordic Theatre Studies 11
1998. Cross-listed in Chapter IX, (Ø 1635).
Essays on Bergman’s contributions to theatre, opera and TV, and on importance of older
paintings as visual inspirations. Volume contains the following articles:
Bono, Francesco. ‘Ingmar Bergman in the Eyes of Italian Theatre Critics’, pp.105-113.
Cohen-Stratyner, Barbara. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Theater’, pp. 98-104.
Iversen, Gunilla. ‘The Terrible Encounter with a God: The Bacchae as Rite and Liturgical
Drama in Ingmar Bergman’s Staging’, pp. 70-83. (See entry Ø 492 in opera production
listing in Theatre, Chapter VI).
Rygg, Kristin. ‘The Metamorphosis of The Bacchae: from Ancient Rites to TV Opera’, pp. 47-
69. (See Bachae entry Ø 492).
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s First Meeting with Thalia’, pp. 12-33. (On Bergman’s
early years as a director on amateur stages). Part of article appeared as newspaper column
titled ‘Ingmar Bergmans första möte med Thalia’. UNT, 14 July 1998, p. 11.
Sundler, Eva Malmnäs. ‘Art as Inspiration’, pp. 34-46. (Places Ingmar Bergman among Master
Painters. Motifs from medieval murals, Hogarth engravings, and Rembrandt van Rijn are
viewed as models for a study of the relationship between Bergman and pictorial art).
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Transcending Bounderies: Bergman’s Magic Flute’, pp. 84-97. Annotated
cross-listing in Filmography, (Ø 247) and Media Chapter, (Ø 326).

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664. Hockenjos, Vreni. ‘Ur en drömmares perspektiv. Strindbergs subjektivism i Berg-

mans tolkning’ [From a dreamer’s perspective. Strindberg’s subjectivism interpreted
by Bergman], Aura 4, 1998: 42-50.
Discusses Bergman’s 1963 TV production of Ett drömspel at some length, comparing it to his
1970 stage version of same play and to Persona).

665. Holmqvist, Ivo. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Journey – Intertextuality in Larmar och
gör sig till’. Tijdschrift voor Skandinavistiek 19, no. 2, 1998, pp. 79-94.
Traces parallels in Bergman’s TV film In the Presence of a Clown to Schubert’s Die Winterreise,
Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, and Bergman’s own film Winter Light. Points out Bergman’s
onomastic use of the name Vogler in his film works, and suggests a possible scatalogical
reference to ‘the farter at Moulin Rouge’, Joseph Pujal (‘Le pétomane’)

666. Malaise, Yvonne. ‘Genierna möts på Dramaten’. DN, 11 February 1998.

Mostly about Bergman’s production of Bildmakarna, but also about the current administrative
and artistic crisis at the Gothenburg City Theatre and about playwright Lars Noren’s attacks on
Bergman in his play Personkrets 3:1. Quote: ‘Lars Norén knows how the mass media function
and I suppose he needed some attention. Lars Norén is a genius and I am a great admirer of his.
The rest I am totally indifferent to’. [Norén vet hur massmedia fungerar och jag antar han
behövde lite uppmärksamhet. Lars Norén är ett geni och jag är en stor beundrare av honom.
Resten är jag totalt likgiltig inför].

667. Qvist, Per-Olov. ‘Från Sleeman till livsförsoning’ [From Sleeman to reconciliation
to life]. Upsala Nya Tidning, 14 July 1998, p. 10.
Full-page newspaper column on Bergman’s TV productions in the 1950’s, especially his televised
version of the Malmö City Theatre’s 1958 playbill Rabies, which is said to foreshadow his films
of the 1960s.

668. Sjöman, Vilgot. Mitt personregister. Urval 98. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur, 1998. 403
pp.
Filmmaker and author Vilgot Sjöman’s memoirs include several chapters on his experiences
with Bergman’s stage work: first as a teenager when Bergman directed Shakespeare’s A Mid-
summer Night’s Dream at Sjöman’s high school; then during Bergman’s early years in the
professional theatre; and finally during Bergman’s tenure as head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
in the early 1960s. See chapters titled Ingmar Bergman I, III, pages 26-55, 353-362.

1999
669. Ekman, Johannes. ‘Ett liv kring naturkraften Strindberg’ [A Life around elemental
force of Strindberg]. Interview with Ingmar Bergman and Erland Josephson in P1,
Swedish Radio, 6 February 1999.
In connection with upcoming broadcast of his production of Strindberg’s Oväder [Storm],
Bergman is asked to talk about Strindberg. Erland Josephson, who played the role of the
Gentleman in Strindberg’s play, also participates in the interview.

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670. Hennéus, Mårten. ‘Tre frågor...’. DN, 19 February 1999, p. B1.

Brief answers to three questions: (1) why did Bergman decide to produce Schiller’s Maria
Stuart? (answer: he had the right actresses); (2) how does he prepare a theatre production?
(answer: reading the play text in detail; studying the background; interpreting the text – the fun
period; instructing the cast); (3) how long will he continue to work? (answer: quote from
George Tabori: There is only one sensible alternative to the stage and that is the mortuary).

671. Schwartz, Stan. ‘Bergman, as Stage Director, Never Stops Digging’. NYT Sunday, 30
May 1999, p. AR 5.
Brief article about Bergman as a visionary in the theatre, concluding with a reference to
Dramaten’s guest performance in New York with Enquist’s play The Image Makers.

2000
672. Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman: ‘Allting föreställer. Ingenting är.’ Filmen och
teatern – en tvärvetenskaplig studie. [Bergman: ‘Everything represents. Nothing is.’
Film and theatre – an interarts study]. Stockholm: Nya Doxa, 2001, 237 pp. Also in
(Ø 1676). Chapter IX, 2001.
The main thesis of this study rests on a thematic and formal interaction between Bergman’s
theatre work and his filmmaking. After a chronological perspective on the subject, author
discusses such parallel features on stage and screen as doubling and unmasking, faces and
masks, close-ups and actor positioning, observers and voyeurs.

673. Törnqvist, Egil. Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University
Press, 2000, pp. 83-103; 117-45, 248, 250.
This stage history of Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata includes a discussion of Bergman’s four
productions of the play.

2001
674. Ohrlander, Gunnar. ‘En Hamlet från Manpower?’ AB, 31 March 2001, p. 4.
An article dealing with the artistic and economic guidelines for administering a theatre. The
author includes excerpts from a telephone conversation on the subject with Ingmar Bergman,
who is optimistic that the artistic voices in the theatre will retain their influence.

675. Zern, Leif. ‘Därför skall diktaren inte ha någon grav’ [Hence the poet should have no
grave]. Strindbergiana, ed. by Birgitta Steene, vol. 16, 2001, pp. 9-22.
An article on Swedish approaches to Strindberg’s theatre, including a discussion of Bergman’s
and Sjöberg’s productions of his plays.

813
 Chapter VII Bergman in Theatre and Media: a Bibliography

2002
676. Koskinen, Maaret. I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergman och hans tidiga för-
fattarskap. (See Ø 1676), Chapter IX.
Koskinen’s study of young Bergman’s first artistic endeavors contains numerous references to
his early ventures into playwriting.

677. Sjögren, Henrik. Lek och raseri. Ingmar Bergmans teater 1938-2002. Stockholm:
Carlsons, 2002.
Expanded version of Sjögren’s 1968 study of Ingmar Bergman’s theatre productions. 2002
volume adds a chapter on Bergman’s earliest stage work (1938-44), prior to his directorship
at the Helsingborg City Theatre in 1944, and concludes with his production of Gengangere in
2002. In this volume Sjögren structures the bulk of his material around Bergman’s productions
of Shakespeare, Molière, Ibsen, and Strindberg but retains the original reception approach. Also
includes interview excerpts with Bergman about his lifelong contribution to the theatre.

678. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergman Staging Strindberg’. Proceedings from the XVIth
International. Strindberg Conference. Humboldt University, Berlin, 2002.
On Bergman staging Strindberg in Stockholm and Munich, with focus on A Dreamplay.

2003
679. Ehrnwall, Torbjörn, producer. ‘I Bergmans regi’ [Directed by Bergman]. SVT, 24
November 2003.
Documentary about the making of TV film Saraband, with interviews with Bergman, cast and
crew, including costumier, set designer, and propman. See Media Chapter (Ø 343). Crosslisted
in Interviews (Ø 948) and Varia, A .

680. Florin, Magnus. ‘Foajé’. SR, P 1, 1 February 2003.

A radio interview with Bergman about his recent broadcasts of Strindberg’s Pelikanen och
Dödens ö. Bergman also comments on re-broadcasts of some of his early radio productions.

681. Florin, Magnus. ‘Det gamla spelet om Envar’. [Everyman]. SR, P 1, 14 July 2003.
A brief radio conversation with Bergman about von Hoffmansthal’s version of Everyman.

682. Törnqvist, Egil. Bergman’s Muses. Aesthetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television
and Radio. (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2003). 265 pp.
Contains several chapters on Bergman’s stage and media productions, and their interrelation-
ship. See following chapters: ‘From Drama Text to Stage Performance: Ibsen’s Ghosts’ (pp. 21-
35); ‘From Drama Text to Radio Play: Aural Strindberg’ (pp. 36-45); ‘Mishima’s Madame de Sade
on Stage and Television’ (pp. 101-115); ‘Film and Stage on Television: Bergman’s In the Presence
of a Clown’ (pp. 129-45).

814
 Chapter VII Bergman in Theatre and Media: a Bibliography

2004
683. Steene, Birgitta. ‘“I have never pursued a particular program policy”. Ingmar
Bergman in the Theatre’. Contemporary Theatre Review vol. 14 (2), 2004: 41-56.
A discussion of Bergman’s theatre work. Argues that Bergman has a lifelong commitment to the
theatre but not to a particular platform in the theatre.

815
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions by

Ingmar Bergman

The listing includes all stage productions directed or written by Ingmar Bergman,
including radio and TV transmissions of works produced specifically for these media,
as well as complete media transmissions of stage performances. In cases where an-
other director was responsible for a Bergman stage or media play, an asterix (*)
appears before the date of the item.
Abbreviations used
MO-gården Mäster Olofsgården
Student Stockholms Studentteater
Norra Latin Norra Latin Lyceum
DramStudio Dramaterikerstudion/Dramatists Studio, Stockholm
Medborgar T Medborgarhusteatern/Citizens Theatre
Sago Sagoteatern
Folke W Folke Walders turné (Folke Walders touring company)
Folkpark Folkparksteatern/Fältteatern
Boulevard Boulevardteatern, Stockholm
Hbg Stads Hälsingborgs stadsteater (City Theatre)
Gbg Stads Göteborgs stadsteater (Gothenburg City Theatre)
Intima T Intima Teatern, Stockholm
Dramaten Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm
Norr/Lin Stads Norrköping-Linköping stadsteater (City Theatre)
Malmö Stads Malmö stadsteater (City Theatre)
Kongelige Det Kongelige, Copenhagen (Royal Theatre, Copenhagen)
National, No Nationaltheatret, Oslo
Norsk Det Norske Teater (The Norwegian Theatre, Oslo)
NT, London The National Theatre, London
München Res. Munich Residenztheater
DR Danmarks Radio
NRK Norsk Rikskringkasting (Norwegian Broadcast System)
SR Radiotjänst/Sveriges Radio (Swedish Public Radio)
SVT Sveriges Television (Swedish Public Television)

816
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

23 April 1938 Till främmande hamn Sutton Vane MO-gården 2

[Outward Bound]

05 Apri; 1939 Guldkarossen; [Guldkareten/ A. Bentzonich; MO-gården 1

The Golden Chariot]

Galgmannen [The Hangman] Runar Schildt MO-gården 1

21 April 1939 Lycko-Pers resa August Strindberg MO-gården 3

[Lucky Per’s Travels]

Oct 1939 Kvällskabaret [Evening Cabaret] SFP team MO-gården ?

4 Nov 1939 Höstrapsodi/Romantik D. Rönnqvist/Edm MO-gården 3

[Autumn Rhapsody/Romance]

7 Dec 1939 Han som fick leva om sitt liv Pär Lagerkvist MO-gården 3
[The Man Who Lived Twice]

mid-Dec 1939 Jul [Christmas] Strindberg MO-gården 1

(from Svarta handsken)

3 Jan 1940 I Betlehem – Ett julspel unknown MO-gården/ 1

Hedvig Eleonora 1
Church

4 Jan 1940 Svarta handsken [The Black Glove] August Strindberg MO-gården 2

13 April 1940 Macbeth Shakespeare MO-gården 2

18 May 1940 Timglaset/Soppkitteln William Yeats MO-gården 1

[The Hour Glass/The Pot of Broth]

1 Nov 1940 Pelikanen [The Pelican] August Strindberg Student 3

16 Nov 1940 Melodin som kom bort Kjeld Abell MO-gården 2

[Melodin der blev væk]

30 Nov 1940 Köpmannen i Venedig Shakespeare Norra Latin 1

[Merchant of Venice]

1940 Tillbaka [Return] Gregor Ges MO-gården NA

7 Dec 1940 Svanevit [Swanwhite] August Strindberg MO-gården 2

15 May 1941 Fadren [The Father] August Strindberg Folke W/ Student NA

29 Aug 1941 Elddonet [The Tinderbox] H.C. Andersen Sago 2

20 Sep 1941 Spöksonaten [The Ghost Sonata] August Strindberg Medborgar T 7

12 Oct 1941 En midsommarnattsdröm Shakespeare Sago NA

[A Midsummer Night’s Dream]

29 Nov 1941 Fågel Blå [Bluebird] Zach. Topelius Sago NA

30 Nov 1942 Köpmannen i Venedig William Shakespeare Norra Latin 1

[The Merchant of Venice]

817
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

18 Feb 1942 Sniggel Snuggel/De tre dumheterna Torun Munthe Sago NA

[Sniggle Snuggle/The Three Follies]

28 Mar 1942 Rödluvan [Little Red Riding Hood] Robert Bürkner Sago NA

16 May 1942 Clownen Beppo Else Fisher Sago NA

24 Sep 1942 Kaspers död [Death of Punch] Ingmar Bergman Student 2

28 Nov 1942 En midsommarnattsdröm Shakespeare Norra Latin 1

[A Midsummer Night’s Dream]

24 Feb 1943 Vem är jag? eller När fan ger ett anbud Soya Student NA
[Who Am I?]

13 April 1943 U 39 [U Boat 39] Rudolf Värnlund Dram Stud NA

17 May 1943 Strax innan man vaknar Bengt Olof Vos Student NA
[Just before waking up]

2 June 1943 Rödluvan och vargen Robert Bürkner Folkpark NA

[Little Red Riding Hood]

1 July 1943 Geografi och kärlek Bjørnstierne Bjørnson Folkpark NA

[Geografi og kærlighed/Geog. and Love]

14 Sep 1943 Niels Ebbesen Kaj Munk Dram. Studio NA

19 Oct 1943 Tivolit [The Fun Fair] Ingmar Bergman Student NA

12 Feb 1943 Hotellrummet [The Hotel Room] Pierre Rocher Boulevard 100+

15 Feb 1944 Spelhuset/Herr Sleeman kommer Hjalmar Bergman Dram.Studio NA

[The Casino/Mr. Sleeman Cometh]

21 May 1944 Clownen Beppo Else Fisher Folkpark NA

21 Sep 1944 Aschebergskan på Wittskövle Brita von Horn/ Hbg Stads NA

[Ascheberg’s Wife at W] Elsa Collin

20 Oct 1944 Fan ger ett anbud [The Devil makes an Soya Hbg Stads ?
Offer]. (Same as “Who Am I?”)

19 Nov 1944 Macbeth Shakespeare Hbg Stads ?

26 Dec 1944 Elddonet [The Tinderbox] H.C. Andersen Hbg Stads ?

1 Jan 1945 Kriss Krass Filibom New Year’s Cabaret Hbg Stads ?

7 Feb 1945 Sagan [The Legend] Hjalmar Bergman Hbg Stads ?

12 April 1945 Reducera moralen [Reduce morality] Sune Bergström Hbg Stads ?

12 Sep 1945 Jacobowsky och översten Franz Werfel Hbg Stads ?

[Jacobowsky and the Colonel]

1 Nov 1945 Rabies Olle Hedberg Hbg Stads ?

25 Nov 1945 Pelikanen [The Pelican] August Strindberg Malmö Stads 20

818
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

5 Mar 1946 Rekviem Björn-Erik Hoijer SR 1

6 Mar 1946 Rekviem Björn-Erik Höijer Hbg Stads ?

29 Nov 1946 Caligula Albert Camus Gbg Stads 21

12 Sep 1946 Rakel och biografvaktmästaren Ingmar Bergman Malmö Stads 41
[Rachel and the Cinema Doorman]

12 Dec 1946 Sommar [Summer] Björn-Erik Höijer SR 1

12 Jan 1947 Dagen slutar tidigt [Early Ends the Day] Ingmar Bergman Gbg Stads 33+11

31 Jan 1947 Holländarn [The Dutchman) August Strindberg SR 1

29 Mar 1947 Magi/Magic Ingmar Bergman Gbg Stads 28

10 Sep 1947 Vågorna [The Waves] Gustav Sandgren SR 1

26 Oct 1947 Mig till skräck [Unto My Fear] Ingmar Bergman Gbg Stads 27

23 Nov 1947 Leka med elden [Playing with Fire] August Strindberg SR 1

8 Feb 1948 Dans på bryggan [Dancing on the dock] Björn-Erik Höijer Gbg Stads 30

12 Mar 1948 Macbeth Shakespeare Gbg Stads 27

9 Sep 1948 Lodolezzi sjunger [L. is singing] Hjalmar Bergman SR 1

11 Sep 1948 Tjuvarnas bal Jean Anouilh Gbg Stads 33 + 13

[Bal des voleurs/Ball of Thieves]

4 Nov 1948 Moderskärlek [Mother Love] August Strindberg SR 1

*9 Dec 1948 Kamma noll Ingmar Bergman Hbg stads NA

11 Feb 1949 En vildfågel [La Sauvage) Jean Anouilh Gbg Stads 49

1 Mar 1949 Spårvagn till Lustgården Tennessee Williams Gbg Stads 31

[A Streetcar Named Desire]

14 July 1949 Kamma noll [Come Up Empty/To Draw Ingmar Bergman SR 1

Zero]

*9 Nov 1949 Rakel och biografvaktmästaren Ingmar Bergman Boulevard NA

3 Feb 1950 Guds ord på landet [Palabras divinas] Ramon de Valle- Gbg Stads 28
Inclán

17 Oct 1950 Tolvskillingsoperan [Threepenny Opera] Bertolt Brecht Intima T, Sthlm NA

28 Dec 1950 En skugga/Medea [A Shadow/Medea] Hjalmar Bergman/ Intima T, Sthlm NA

Jean Anouilh

Summer 1951 Flickan du gav mig [The Country Girl] Clifford Odets Folkpark NA

12 Feb 1951 Medea Jean Anouilh SR 1

19 April 1951 Det lyster i kåken [Light in the shack] Björn-Erik Höijer Dramaten 37

819
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

*9 May 1951 Staden [The city] Ingmar Bergman SR 5

20 Feb 1966
2 Mar 2003

16 Aug 1951 Sommar [Summer] Björn-Erik Höijer SR 1

15 Nov 1951 Den tatuerade rosen [The Rose Tattoo] Tennessee Williams Norr/Lin Stads NA

25 Dec 1951 Värmlänningarna [The People of F.A. Dahlgren SR 1

Värmland]

8 Jan 1952 Nattens skuldbörda Alberto Perrini SR 1

[The Night’s Burden of Guilt]

22 Jan 1952 Brott och brott [Crimes and Crimes] August Strindberg SR 3
2003

14 Feb 1952 Mordet i Barjärna [Murder at B.] Ingmar Bergman Malmö stads 34

6 Mar 1952 Blodsbröllop (Blood Wedding] Garcia Lorca SR 1

*26 June 1952 Dagen slutar tidigt [Early Ends the Day] Ingmar Bergman SR 1

14 Nov 1952 Kronbruden [The Crown Bride] August Strindberg Malmö stads 32

4 Dec 1952 En vildfågel [La Sauvage] Jean Anouilh SR 1

*12 Mar 1953 Mig till skräck [Unto My Fear] Ingmar Bergman SR 2
7 July 1960

*21 Jan 1953 Jack hos skådespelarna Ingmar Bergman Lund NA

[Jack among the Actors]

16 April 1953 En lusteld eller unga präster predika bäst Alfred de Musset SR 1
[Passion or Young Priests Preach Best]

8 Oct 1953 Holländarn [The Dutchman] August Strindberg SR 1

21 Nov 1953 Sex roller söker en författare Luigi Pirandello Malmö stads 32
[Six Characters in Search of an Author]

19 Dec 1953 Slottet [The Castle] Franz Kafka/Max Brod Malmö stads 33

5 Mar 1954 Spöksonaten [The Ghost Sonata] Strindberg Malmö stads 18

24 Sep 1954 Trämålning [Wood Painting] Ingmar Bergman SR 1

1 Oct 1954 Glada änkan [The Merry Widow] Franz Lehar Malmö stads 107

12 Dec 1954 Ett bord av apel Herman Melville SR 1

[A Table of Apple Wood]

4 Jan 1955 Don Juan Molière Malmö stads 33

5 Feb 1955 Tehuset Augustimånen John Patrick Malmö stads 39

[Teahouse of the August Moon]

18 Mar 1955 Trämålning [Wood Painting] Ingmar Bergman Malmö stads 17

*16 Sep 1955 Trämålning [Wood Painting] Ingmar Bergman Dramaten 18

820
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

21 May 1955 Bollen [The Ball] Carlo Fruttero SR 1

29 Sep 1955 Munken går på ängen [Munken gaar i Carl Gandrup SR 1

Enge] (The Monk Walks in the Meadow)

27 Oct 1955 Lea och Rakel [Leah and Rachel] Vilhelm Moberg Malmö stads 50

1 Jan 1956 Farmor och vår Herre [Grandmother Hjalmar Bergman SR 1

and Our Lord]

28 Jan 1956 Bruden utan hemgift A.N. Ostrovskij Malmö stads 24

[The Dowerless Bride]

6 Feb 1956 Vox humana [La voix humaine] Jean Cocteau SR 1

1 April 1956 Det gamla spelet om Envar Hugo von SR 1

2003 [Everyman] Hoffmansthal 2

23 May 1956 Tunneln [The Tunnel] Pär Lagerkvist SR 1

19 Oct 1956 Katt på hett plåttak Tennessee Williams Malmö stads 34

[Cat on Hot Tin Roof]

2 Dec 1956 Porträtt av en madonna Tennessee Williams SR 1

[Portrait of a Madonna]

7 Dec 1956 Erik XIV August Strindberg Malmö stads 33

8 Mar 1957 Peer Gynt Henrik Ibsen Malmö stads 32

18 April 1957 Herr Sleeman kommer [Mr. S. Cometh] Hjalmar Bergman SVT (live) 1

19 April 1957 Fången [The Prisoner] Bridget Boland SR 1

16 Nov 1957 Falskspelare [Igroki/Counterfeiters] Nikalai Gogol SR 1

6 Dec 1957 Misantropen [Le Misanthrope] Molière Malmö stads 24

21 Feb 1958 Venetianskan [The Venetian Woman] Unknown SVT 1

12 May 1958 Sagan [The Legend] Hjalmar Bergman Malmö stads 25

18 Sep 1958 Sagan [The Legend] Hjalmar Bergman SR 1

7 Nov 1958 Rabies – Scener ur människolivet [Rabies Olle Hedberg SVT (live) 1
– Scenes from human life]

17 Oct 1958 Ur-Faust Goethe Malmö stads 33 + 8

13 Nov 1958 Den som intet har Bengt Anderberg SR 1

[He who has Nothing]

18 Dec 1958 Värmlänningarna [The People of F.A. Dahlgren Malmö stads 37

Värmland]

22 Jan 1960 Oväder [Storm/Thunder in the Air] August Strindberg SVT 1

*4 Mar 1960 Kalkmaleri [Wood Painting] Ingmar Bergman DR 2

26 Sep 1989

821
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

11 Aug 1960 Första varningen [The First Warning] August Strindberg SR 1

6 Jan 1961 Måsen [The Seagull] Anton Tjechov Dramaten 42

*17 Jan 1961 Måla på kyrkjevegg Ingmar Bergman NRK 1

[Trämålning/Wood Painting]

21 Jan 1961 Leka med elden [Playing with Fire] August Strindberg SR 1

22 April 1961 Rucklarens väg [Rake’s Progress] Stravinskij/ Operan, 1961-67 44 + 2

W.A. Auden

7 May 1961 Rucklarens väg [Rake’s Progress] Opera Transmission SR 1

*22 Apr 1963 Trämålning [Wood Painting] Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

2 May 1963 Ett drömspel [A Dreampay] August Strindberg SVT 1

4 Oct 1963 Vem är rädd för Virginia Woolf Edward Albee Dramaten 62
[Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf]

20 Dec 1963 Sagan [The Legend] Hjalmar Bergman Dramaten 49

4 June 1964 Tre knivar från Wei Harry Martinson Dramaten 30

[Three knives from Wey]

17 Oct 1964 Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen Dramaten 89

24 Feb 1965 Don Juan Molière Dramaten 19

4 Dec 1965 För Alice [Tiny Alice] Edward Albee Dramaten 24

9 Dec 1965 För Alice [Tiny Alice] Edward Albee SR 1

13 Feb 1966 Rannsakningen Peter Weiss Dramaten 26

[Die Ermittlung/The Investigation]

22 Nov 1966 Hustruskolan Molière Dramaten 33

[Ecole des femmes/School for Wives]

1 April 1967 Sex personer söker en författer Luigi Pirandello Norsk 34

[Six Characters in Search of an Author]

*10 Nov 1967 Byen [Staden/The city] Ingmar Bergman DR 2

3 Oct 1989

14 Mar 1969 Woyzeck Georg Büchner Dramaten 70

25 Mar 1969 Riten [the Ritual] Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

25 April 1969 Woyzeck (radio adaptation of Georg Büchner SR 1

Dramaten production above)

1 Jan 1970 Fårödokument Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

14 Mar 1970 Drömspelet [The Dreamplay] August Strindberg Dramaten 171

17 Mar 1970 Radio transmission of Drömspelet August Strindberg SR 1

29 June 1970 Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen NT, London NA

822
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

*28 Oct 1970 Reservatet [The Sanctuary] Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

*29 Oct 1970 The Lie [Reservatet] Ingmar Bergman BBC 1 1

20 Mar 1971 Show Lars Forssell Dramaten 36

17 Mar 1972 Vildanden [The Wild Duck] Henrik Ibsen Dramaten 85

13 Jan 1973 Spöksonaten [The Ghost Sonata] August Strindberg Dramaten 64

6 April 1973 Misantropen Molière Kongl. 85

1973 Misantropen – radio transmission of Molière DR 1

previous item. No date listed

11 April 1973 Scener ur ett äktenskap Ingmar Bergman SVT 2 3

1986 [Scenes from a Marriage]
2003

*24 Apr 1973 The Lie [Reservatet/The Sanctuary] Ingmar Bergman CBS (USA) 1

2 Jan 1974 Till Damaskus [To Damascus] August Strindberg Dramaten 55

1 Jan 1975 Trollflöjten [The Magic Flute) Mozart/I. Bergman SVT/ Eurovision 1

7 Mar 1975 Trettondagsafton [Twelfth Night] Shakespeare Dramaten 105

Feb 1976 Dödsdansen [Dance of Death] rehearsal August Strindberg Dramaten

interrupted

28 April 1976 Ansikte mot ansikte [Face to Face] Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

15 Dec 1976 De fördömda kvinnornas dans Ingmar Bergman/ SVT, 2 1

[Il ballo delle ingrate. The Dance of the Donya Feuer
Damned (Women)]

19 May 1977 Ein Traumspiel [A Dreamplay] August Strindberg München Res NA

22 June 1978 Drei Schwester [Three Sisters] Anton Chechov München NA

13 Jan 1979 Tartuffe Molière München NA

11 April 1979 Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen München NA

25 Dec 1979 Fårödokument 79 Ingmar Bergman SVT, 2 1

10 May 1980 Yvonne, Prinzessin von Burgund Witold Gombrowicz München Res NA

30 April 1981 Nora – Julie – Szenen einer Ehe I. Bergman Trilogy München NA

27 July 1983 Dom Juan Molière Salzburg/ NA

München

25 Dec 1983 Hustruskolan [TV adaptation of Alf Sjö- Molière SVT 2

berg Dramaten prod. of School for Wives]

9 Mar 1984 Kung Lear Shakespeare Dramaten 176

9 April 1984 Efter repetitionen [After the Rehearsal] Ingmar Bergman SVT, 1 1

823
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

4 May 1984 Aus dem Leben der Regenwürmer Per Olov Enquist München Res NA
[Ur regnormarnas tid/From the Life of
the Rainworms]

2 Sep 1984 En hörsägen [A hearsay] Erland Josephson SR 1

25 Dec 1984 Fanny och Alexander Ingmar Bergman SVT, 1 2

(first of four segments)

7 Dec 1985 Fröken Julie [Miss Julie] August Strindberg Dramaten 167 + 9

19 Feb 1986 De två saliga [The Blessed Ones] Ulla Isaksson SVT, 2 1

26 April 1986 Ett drömspel [A Dreamplay] August Strindberg Dramaten 34

*28 Aug 1986 Scenes from a Marriage. Divorce Swedish Edinburgh NA

Style

29 Sep 1986 Karins ansikte [Karin’s face] Ingmar Bergman SVT, 2 1

20 Dec 1986 Hamlet Shakespeare Dramaten 87

16 April 1988 Lång dags färd mot natt Eugene O’Neill Dramaten 129
[Long Day’s Journey into Night]

8 April 1989 Markisinnan de Sade [Madame de Sade] Yukio Mishima Dramaten 162

17 Nov 1989 Ett dockhem [A Doll’s House] Henrik Ibsen Dramaten 105

10 Jan 1990 En själslig angelägenhet Ingmar Bergman SR 1

[A Matter of the Soul]

27 April 1991 Peer Gynt Henrik Ibsen Dramaten 130

2 Nov 1991 Backanterna [The Bachae] Euripides Operan 14

(Music: Daniel Börtz)

25 Dec 1991 Den goda viljan [Best Intentions] Ingmar Bergman SVT, 1 1

17 April 1992 Markissinnan de Sade Yukio Mishima SVT, 1 1

[Madame de Sade]

20 Mar 1993 Rummet och tiden [Das Zimmer und die Botho Strauss Dramaten 53
Zeit/Room and Time]

Dec 1993 Sista skriket [The Last Scream] Ingmar Bergman Dramaten 16

9 April 1993 Backanterna [The Bachae] Euripides SVT, 1 1

04 Feb 1994 Goldbergvariationer George Tabori Dramaten 69

[Goldberg Variations]

29 April 1994 Vintersagan [The Winter’s Tale] Shakespeare Dramaten 14 + 4 (NY)

4 Jan 1995 Sista skriket [The Last Scream] Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

17 Feb 1995 Misantropen Molière Dramaten 117

24 Nov 1995 Yvonne, prinsessa av Burgund Gombrowicz Dramaten 106

824
 Theatre, opera, tv and radio productions

Date Play Title Playwrigt Theatre # Performances

14 Jan 1996 Harald och Harald [H and H] Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

15 Mar 1996 Backanterna [The Bachae] Euripedes Dramaten 84

*25- 26 1996 Enskilda samtal Ingmar Bergman SVT 1

Dec [Private Conversations]

*25 Aug 1997 After the Rehearsel Ingmar Bergman Moscow NA

Artistic Theatre

*11 Sep 1997 Szenen einer Ehe Ingmar Bergman Akademietheater NA

Vienna

1 Nov 1997 Larmar och gör sig till Ingmar Bergman SVT 1
[In the Presence of a Clown]

12 Feb 1998 Bildmakarna [The Image Makers] Per Olov Enquist Dramaten 85

29 Aug 1999 Oväder [Storm/Thunder in the Air] August Strindberg SR 1

11 Feb 2000 Spöksonaten [The Ghost Sonata] August Strindberg Dramaten 119

14 Nov 2000 Bildmakarna [The Image Makers] Per Olov Enquist SVT 1

16 Dec 2000 Maria Stuart Friedrich Schiller Dramaten 57

19 Oct 2001 John Gabriel Borkman Henrik Ibsen SR 2

9 Feb 2002 Gengångare [Gengangere/Ghosts] Henrik Ibsen Dramaten 66 + 10

8 Feb 2003 Pelikanen och Dödens ö August Strindberg SR 2

[The Pelican & Island of Death]

1 Dec 2003 Saraband Ingmar Bergman STV 1

825
Many published interviews with Bergman are based on his press conferences.
Here he is presenting his film Persona in 1966, together with his two actresses
Bibi Andersson (left) and Liv Ullmann (right) (Courtesy: SVT).
 Chapter VIII

Interviews with Ingmar Bergman

This chapter lists a selection of published interviews and interview articles, as well as
radio and television interviews with Ingmar Bergman. Note however that interviews
(including brief broadcast interviews often done by telephone) which address a
specific film or play production are listed in the Commentaries to the appropriate
item in the Filmography, Media and Theatre Chapters (IV, V, VI). Some interviews
dealing exclusively with theatre items are cross-listed in Theatre/Media Bibliography,
Chapter VII. Bergman’s self-interviews in early theatre programs are listed in Chapter
II (Bergman as Writer). See also list of TV documentaries in Varia, which usually
include interview material.

1940
684. n.a. ‘Energisk amatörteater i Gamla stan’. DN, 7 April 1940, p. 12A. See Theatre/Media
Bibliography, (Ø 493).

1942
685. -ll. ‘Sex pjäser på två månader’ [Six plays in two months]. SvD, 28 September 1942,
p.11. Annotated in (Ø 494), Theatre/Media Bibliography.

1944
686. Jackson. ‘Teatern är ingen lyxvara’ [Theatre is no luxury article]. MT, 8 March 1944,
p. 3. More fully annotated in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 499).
Bergman begins to formulate his role as stage director.

827
 Chapter VIII Interviews with Ingmar Bergman

1945
687. n.a. ‘Har teatern försuttit sina chanser?’ [Has the theatre missed its chances?]. SDS, 16
September 1945, p. 3, 12.
An unsigned interview with Bergman about current status of Swedish theatre and film. Berg-
man advocates more repertory companies to create job security for actors and is critical of film
overproduction in Sweden.

688. Jolo (Jan-Olof Olsson). ‘Endast Gud, Dr. Dymling och jag...’ [Only God, Dr. D. and
me]. Filmjournalen, no. 15 (April) 1945, p. 19.
Reporter and author Jolo meets Bergman at the Hälsingborg City Theatre where Bergman has
been a director since fall season 1944. Bergman expresses an early auteur wish to make a film
based on his own story. He reveals that he has written several film manuscripts and/or plays
and mentions the following titles: ‘Sjätte budet’ [The Sixth Commandment], about marital
infidelity; ‘Dimman’ [The Fog], about a jealous mother who murders her son’s fiancee; and
‘Matteus Mandus fjärde berättelse’ [M. Mandus’ fourth tale], about a perverse young man who
recognizes the advantage of being mentally sick. However, Bergman is skeptical that any of
these manuscripts will ever find the financial support necessary to film them. See also Ø 19, 23
Bergman expresses admiration for contemporary Swedish writers like Lars Ahlin. He criti-
cizes private theatre schools who train their students for the screen rather than the stage.

1946
689. n.a. ‘ Avgående teaterchef får idealiskt arbete’ [Departing theatre head gets ideal job].
Helsingborgs-Posten, 24 January 1946, p. 8.
Bergman is interviewed upon announcing his departure from Hälsingborg and accepting a new
position as director at Gothenburg City Theatre. The title of the interview refers to Bergman’s
new opportunity of working both on stage and in the film industry.
Bergman criticizes Swedish film producers for not soliciting scripts by the talented literary
generation of the Forties (see Ø 952). Bergman may be prodding SF (Svensk Filmindustri) to
live up to a new production policy stated in the 1944 program to their 25th-anniversary film
Hets, scripted by Bergman. There SF vowed to encourage new talent and ‘give young people a
chance to prove themselves in the production’ [ge unga människor en chans att visa upp sig i
produktionen].

690. n.a. ‘Avskedsintervju’ [Farewell interview]. Bergman writes his own interview in the
program to his production of Björn Erik Höijer’s play Rekviem at the Hälsingborg
City Theatre, 6 March 1946. Cross-listed/annotated in Theatre/Media Bibliography,
(Ø 507).

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1947
691. ‘Den bästa novellen’ [The best short story]. Vecko-Journalen 38, no. 7, 1947, p. 6.
Asked by the magazine Vecko-Journalen to choose his favorite short story, Bergman picks
Erland Josephson’s ‘Återkomst till vår by’ [Return to our village] and comments on his choice.

692. ‘Ej för att roa blott’ [Not just to entertain]. Swedish Broadcast Corp (Radio-
tjänst), 2 January 1947. Retransmitted on 15, 17, 23 February 2003.
Bergman participates in a radio interview with young Swedish artists about the ambitions of
contemporary literature, sculpture, music, and theatre. Bergman’s contribution is a dialogue
with actor Anders Ek about film and theatre as public arts, in contrast to the allegedly narcis-
sistic and exclusive literary movement of the time, fyrtiotalism. Bergman admits however that
the fyrtiotalist writers represent ‘a new kind of unpruned romanticism’ that fascinates him [en
sorts ny oansad romantik] and an existential fear and anguish that he recognizes in himself. (Cf.
Ø 952).

1949
693. ‘Vi ser på filmen: Slutkyssen och verkligheten’ [We look at the movies: The
happy end kiss and reality]. Radiotjänst (Swedish Broadcast), 1 November 1949.
Bergman participates in a radio interview with film producers, film directors, and film critics,
in which the topic is Hollywood vs new realistic cinema.

1950
694. Hamberg, Per Martin. ‘Februarirevyn’ [February cavalcade]. Swedish Broadcast, 25
February 1950.
Bergman is interviewed on Swedish radio about the intentions of his movies. He emphasizes his
need to communicate and to be clear in what he wants to say. He rejects the popular view that
he is ‘a cultural hooligan’ [en kulturell buse] whose screen world is peopled by prostitutes and
pimps. His stated aim is ‘to transmit something of life’s suddenness to film’. [överföra något av
livets plötslighet till filmen]. This statement practically silenced the interviewer.

695. HIM. ‘Det personligas kris: Ingmar Bergman talar fritt’ [Personal crisis: Bergman
talks openly]. Filmnyheter 5, no. 6, 1950: 8-10, 15.
An interview with Bergman in which he declares: ‘Theatre is like a faithful wife, film is the big
adventure, the expensive and demanding mistress – you worship both, each in her own way’.
[Teatern är som en trogen hustru, filmen är det stora äventyret, den dyrbara och fordrande
älskarinnan – man dyrkar båda, var och en på sitt sätt.]. Cf. K.M. Birkelund, Filmjournalen
(Oslo), 11-25 June 1952, pp. 6-7, 28, where Bergman develops this statement.

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1953
696. n.a. Untitled German interview in Der Mittag (Düsseldorf), 20 October 1953.
Bergman talks about his film Törst (Thirst), which aroused debate among German critics
because of its lesbian motif. His response: ‘No one can claim that my film makes such matters
desirable. On the contrary! My only task is to see to it that people who watch my films do not
remain indifferent.’

697. Bergström, Kåbe. ‘Pirandello e’ ingen Paddock’ [Pirandello is no Paddock. (Pad-

dock is the Swedish variety show contributor]. Frihet, no. 23, 1953, pp. 15-17. See also
listing in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 521).
Bergman talks about receiving film offers from abroad but values professionalism of Swedish
studios too much to leave, though deploring the status of current filmmaking in Sweden which,
according to him, is ‘95% drivel’ [95% smörja]. He discusses his scriptwriting method.

698. Forssell, Sven and Hans Malmberg. ‘Försvar för Ingmar Begman’ [Defense of
Bergman]. Filmjournalen 34, no. 5 (February) 1953: 8-11, 26.
The authors’ defense of Bergman concerns a controversy at the Malmö City Theatre about
actors’ lifestyle. See Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 519), Chapter VII.

699. Hammer, Sten. ‘Fräcka frågor till Ingmar Bergman’ [Impudent questions to Berg-
man]. FIB (Folket i Bild), no. 19, 1953: 12.
Bergman contrasts his situation as an artist in a mass culture to the exclusive ‘cotton boys’
(bomullsgossarna), writers who live on advances and stipends, and get depressed if their works
sell more than 250 copies. He attributes his success to his diligence and an ability to exploit his
talents.

700. Hellqvist, Elof. ‘Min idol: Ingmar Bergman’ [My idol: Bergman]. Hörde ni?, 28
November 1953, pp. 36-41.
A published radio conversation between Bergman and a book salesman who had been asked to
pick his favorite person to interview. Bergman talks about having achieved a certain distance
from his personal problems, stating that his films now grow out of ‘an embittered tenderness
for other people’. [Ut ur en bitter ömhet för andra]. This statement is repeated in an interview
article (possibly faked) by Rune Moberg, ‘Elakt geni’ [Nasty genius] in the Swedish tabloid
magazine Se, no. 5 (1953), p. 16.

701. Montan, Alf. ‘I.B.: Gärna skamlöst men inte pornografiskt’ [Bergman: Impudence is
fine, but not pornography]. Expr., 20 September 1953, p. 9.
An interview article full of tongue-in-cheek statements by Bergman. For example: ‘I’d rather be
executed by a sword than carved by blunt pen knives’. [Jag skulle hellre avrättas med svärd än
att skäras i med slöa pennknivar]; ‘To woo the public and to engage the public are two different
things’ [Att fria till publiken och att engagera publiken är två olika ting]; ‘I try to transfer a
woman to the screen; how she feels, thinks, and smells’. [Jag försöker överföra kvinnan till
duken; hur hon känner, tänker och luktar]; ‘I always write in longhand; I am pedantic – a clerk
type. I rewrite and polish. In the final manuscript everything must be clean and proper. Not a

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change’. [Jag skriver alltid för hand; jag är pedantisk – en kamrerartyp. Jag skriver om och
polerar. I det slutliga manuskriptet måste allting vara rent och snyggt. Inte en ändring.]

702. -sch. ‘Ich suche ein gutes Drehbuch’. Die Welt, 22 May 1953.
An interview article in which Bergman talks about both his film work and theatre productions
during a visit to Hamburg.

1954
703. Bergen visit and interviews
Ingmar Bergman’s visit to Bergen, Norway, on 17 March 1954 in connection with the Norwegian
opening of Gycklarnas afton (The Naked Night), (See Ø 220, Commentary) resulted in two
follow-up interviews: Filmjournalen (Oslo), no. 8 (April), p. 3, and Filmdebatt 4, no. 2 (April):
14-15. In the first interview, Bergman insists that film must assault people emotionally rather
than appeal to their intellect, an idea that remained crucial to him throughout his career. See
Thomas Samuels’ interview with Bergman (Ø 811). In the Filmdebatt interview, Bergman
stresses his ambition to entertain the audience, another central thought in his artistic credo.
See Bergman, ‘Det att göra film’ (Ø 87). Bergman’s visit was also commented on in Norsk
Filmblad 22, no. 4 (April) 1954: 120.

704. Sellermark, Arne. ‘‘Ingmar Bergman varnar för stora braknummer’ [Bergman
warns against big bravura numbers]. Jämtlands Tidning (Östersund), 25 February
1954, pp.4- 5.
An interview article in which Bergman argues that Swedish cinema is coming into its own again
by going back to its national roots: a poetic sense of nature and a liberal and unprejudiced
spirit. Bergman associates the traditional Swedish cinema with a psychological chamber-play
approach, which is ‘quite unique and extends from Victor Sjöström’s The Phantom Chariot to
Gustaf Molander’s, Alf Sjöberg’s, Hasse Ekman’s and my own films’. [helt unik och sträcker sig
från Körkarlen till Gustaf Molanders, Alf Sjöbergs, Hasse Ekmans och mina egna filmer].
In another Sellermark interview article from 1954 (Allers, no. 35, August 29, pp. 6-7, 37-38),
Bergman continues his discussion of the chamber film concept, stating that he aims at trans-
cending the realistic barriers of the film medium.

1955
705. Beronius, Boel Marie. ‘Jag vill inte vara lycklig’ [I dont want to be happy]. Allt, no.
3, 1955, pp. 22-24.
An interview about Bergman’s view on marriage and happiness, with quotes from En lektion i
kärlek/A Lesson in Love.

706. Sellermark, Arne. ‘Tre nattliga leenden’ [Three nightly smiles]. Filmnyheter 10, no.
19-20, 1955: 4-7, 10.

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A discussion of Smiles of a Summer Night, based on a conversation with Bergman, who states his
satisfaction with having found an expressive comedy form that is challenging in its demand for
precision, a light touch, and fullness.
A similar interview article by same author was published under the title ‘Är han tyrannre-
gissör?’ [Is he a tyrant director?]. Vecko-Journalen 46, no. 41 (October 15) 1955: 27-29, 9. Berg-
man makes a central statement about the relationship between his films and his personal life:
‘My themes are constant; they exist in their sealed packages, strangely anonymous. [...] Whether
my films are comedies or farces, broadsheets or dramas, they are all fetched from my private
life. Remolded and masked’. [Mina teman är konstanta; de existerar i sina förseglade paket,
egendomligt anonyma. [...] Oavsett om min filmer är komedier eller farser, skillingtryck eller
dramer så är de alla tagna ur mitt privata liv. Omgjutna och maskerade.].

1956
707. Hoogland Claes and Gunnar Ollén. ‘Teaterfoajé’. Broadcast on Swedish Public
Radio, 1 February 1956.
Bergman (and Lars Levi Læstadius) are interviewed about directing their own plays. (See
Ø 525), Theatre/Media Bibliography.

708. ‘Jag får väl kompromettera mig igen...’. Kvällsposten, 22 January 1956, p. 16.
Bergman talks briefly about his balancing act between entertainment and artistic integrity. The
interview is related to the success of Sommarnattens leende.

709. Nilson, Ulf. ‘En lektion i Bergman’ [A lesson in Bergman]. Vecko-Revyn, no. 2, 14
January 1956, pp. 22-23. See also Tannefors, Chapter IX, (Ø 981).
An interview article based on the author’s meeting with Bergman in his office at the Malmö
City Theatre. The title refers to the reporter’s ‘lesson’ in facing Bergman’s challenging attitude.
The gist of the interview is Bergman’s emphasis on his work as entertainment, both light and
serious.

710. ‘Sex frågor till Ingmar Bergman’ [Six questions for Bergman]. Bildjournalen,no.
38, 1956, pp. 8-9. The interview appeared in French as ‘Bergman par lui-même’
Cahiers du cinéma, no. 85 (July 1958), p. 15; in Spanish in preface to ‘El septimo sello’,
Cuadernos de Cine Club del Uruguay (Montevideo), 1961, pp. i-ii; and in German
(untitled) in Action 4, no. 7 (October 1968): 36.
A brief statement in which Bergman talks about himself as a bourgeois person and an unborn
actor.

1957
711. Goland, Erik, ed. ‘Tidspegeln’ [Mirror of the Times]. Swedish Public Radio, 8
February 1957.
In a cultural news program Bergman participates briefly in a film debate at Lund University on
the topic ‘Filmen 1957: Förfall eller förnyelse’ [The Cinema in 1957: Decadence or Renaissance].

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Discussants were film critics Robin Hood (Bengt Idestam-Almqvist), Harry Schein and Gunnar
Tannefors, producer Carl Anders Dymling, filmmakers Arne Mattsson and Bergman. Everyone
except Bergman expresses negative feelings about ‘utsugningen’ (the tax exploitation) of Swed-
ish film production. Bergman’s role is very minor.

712. Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Spänningen Ingmar Bergman’ [Tension: Bergman]. Vi, no. 14, (5
April) 1957: 16-17, 38.
Filmmaker Vilgot Sjöman provides one of the most insightful early magazine and television
interviews and review articles about Bergman. On this occasion he had visited Bergman at the
Malmö City Theatre. The article is part impressionistic portrait of Bergman, part commentary
on his staging of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. Bergman mentions his fear of critics.

1958
713. Béranger, Jean. ‘Rencontre avec Ingmar Bergman’. Cahiers du cinéma 15, no. 88
(October) 1958: 12-30.
Translated into English in Focus on The Seventh Seal (Ø 1220), pp. 10-15.
One of the most extensive early interviews with Bergman by a foreign film critic. Bergman
discusses his shooting technique, his work conditions, and his desire to see more (French)
films.

714. Dallmann, Günther. ‘Ingmar Bergman dreht nicht nur Filme’. Tagespiegel, 24 Au-
gust 1958.
A visit by interviewer to SF Studios in Råsunda (Stockholm) during shooting of Ansiktet (The
Magician). Bergman talks about his mentor in film (Sjöström) and about authors who have
inspired him. Discusses concept of entertainment on an artistic level. The article gives a
summary of Bergman’s film and theatre work to date.

715. Lilliestierna, Christina. ‘Min själ angår ingen’ [My soul is nobody’s business].
Vecko-Journalen 49, no. 20, 1958: p. 21, 40.
An interview article from the Sophia Hospital in Stockholm, where Bergman had gone to cure
his ulcer and work on his next script. Bergman is presented as a workaholic, who avoids glitzy
occasions like film festivals. He sums up his needs in life – apart from making films and
directing plays: ‘A comfortable sweater to work in and a comfortable sweater when I am not
working; an old car that does not need to be washed; a chair to sit on and then some food’. [En
bekväm tröja att arbeta i och en bekväm tröja när jag inte arbetar; en gammal bil som inte
behöver tvättas; en stol att sitta i och så lite mat].
Bergman distinguishes between two types of truths in his filmmaking: documentary truth
and artistic truth. Insists that ‘my view of life or faith in God and the Devil is my business and
cannot possibly be of interest to anyone else. I need that kind of foundation [...] within myself
in order to have the strength to create something. [...] But not so that the label attachers can
point and say: so and so is a self-portrait, in such and such a detail lies the Bergman sermon’. [...
min livssyn eller min tro på Gud eller Djävulen är min ensak och kan inte rimligen vara av
intresse för någon annan. Jag behöver den slags grund [...] inom mig för att ha styrkan att skapa
något. [...] Men inte så att etikettklistrarna kan peka och säga: det och det är ett självporträtt, i
den och den detaljen ligger Bergmans predikan.]

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716. Müllern, Gunnar. ‘Vår generation tänker med ögonen’ [Our generation thinks
with their eyes]. AB, 13 April 1958, p. 7.
An interview article in which Bergman sees a gap between his own visually-oriented generation
and the preceding word-fixated one. He expresses a worry that film technology will turn future
filmmakers into engineers instead of creative artists. Cf. Thiessen (Ø 719) below.

717. Perpetua, (Barbro Hähnel). ‘Ingmar Bergman filmar: von Sydow magnesitör’ [Berg-
man is filming: von Sydow an illusionist]. DN, 4 July 1958, p. 1, 30.
In an interview during the shooting of Ansiktet (The Magician/The Face), Bergman points out
the importance of intuition and musicality in his directing, stating that he never demonstrates a
scene before his ensemble but listens and makes suggestions. Both directing and acting ‘is a
matter of feeling, intuition and imagination’. [är en fråga om känsla, intuition och fantasi].

718. Sellermark, Arne. ‘Lek med sprängladdningar’ [Playing with dynamite]. Idun, no.
43 (27 October), 1958: 21-22, 63.
An interview article presenting a view often expressed by Bergman over the years that his work
in the theatre is necessary for his mental balance, ‘ Theatre work is a give-and-take, you always
get something back. Film is the very opposite. It is your own responsibility from beginning to
end. Self-sacrifice. Self-combustion. And what do you get back? Money. Nothing but money’.
[Teater är ett givande och tagande, du får hela tiden något tillbaka. Film är det motsatta. Eget
ansvar från början till slut. Självuppoffring. Självförbrännelse. Och vad får man tillbaks? Pengar.
Ingenting annat än pengar]. Part of this article was paraphrased in Time cover story, 14 March
1960. See Group item (Ø 1011).

719. Thiessen, Sven. ‘Ingmar Bergman vill vara underhållande’, Vår Bostad, no. 10 (Oc-
tober), 1958: 26-27, 32-33, and Östgöta-correspondenten, 6 September 1958, Saturday
Section, pp. 1-2.
An interview in which Bergman is quoted as saying: ‘You can’t vomit on the audience and ask
SEK 2.75 for it’. [Du kan inte kräkas på publiken och begära 2.75 för det]. Bergman lists his
favorite authors: Strindberg, Hjalmar Bergman, Balzac, Maupassant, Dostoyevski, Tolstoy, and
Turgenyev.
Bergman repeats his doubts about new technical inventions in the cinema: ‘Film technique
was invented between 1895 and 1914. Since 1914, nothing of importance has happened except
sound, which is of questionable value’. [Filmtekniken uppfanns mellan 1895 och 1914. Efter 1914
har ingenting av betydelse inträffat utom ljudet, vilket är av tvivelaktigt värde].

1959
720. Burvenich, Josef. ‘Ontmoeting met Ingmar Bergman’ [Meeting with Ingmar Berg-
man]. De Linie, 24 December 1959.
An interview article focussing on Bergman’s films from the Fifties. The author, a Belgian
Catholic priest, was an early introducer of Bergman outside of Sweden.

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721. Fleisher, Wilfrid. ‘Talk with the Director’. Newsweek, 23 November 1959, pp. 116-17.
A brief interview article with some biographical information. Bergman discusses filmmaking in
Sweden and his future plans; talks about close-ups as his personal trademark and about the
camera’s role as objective observer.

722. Jungstedt, Torsten, ed. ‘Biodags’ [Movie Time]. Sveriges Radio (SR), August-Sep-
tember (no day listed) 1959. 10 minutes.
Ingmar Bergman is interviewed about film music and his future film plans. Asked about offers
to film in France, Bergman answers: ‘With me it’s like a violinist who received an offer in
France. They said, you should come down here and play, but you must play on a French
instrument. He didn’t want to do that. It’s the same with me’. [Det är med mig som med
violinisten. Han fick ett erbjudande från Frankrike. De sa, du ska komma ner hit och spela men
du måste spela på ett franskt instrument. Det ville han inte. Det är samma sak med mig.].
Jungstedt reports on a meeting with producer Dino de Laurentis who was planning a film
about the Bible and allegedly had saved the Apocalypse for Ingmar Bergman. Bergman denies
any knowledge of this and refers to the producer as one of those people who ‘goes to bed as
Don Quixote and gets up as Sancho Panza’ [går och lägger sig som Don Quijote och stiger upp
som Sancho Panza].

723. ‘Mr. Bergman Relaxes’. The Times, 4 May 1959. See Theatre/Media Bibliography,
(Ø 532).

724. Rådström, Anne-Marie. ‘Film är min passion’. FIB, no. 18, 1959: 8-9, 54.
An interview in which Bergman talks about the theatre as the essence of life, compared to
filmmaking, which is ‘a vice, a passion’. [en last, en passion]. Defines his role as director as
someone who is responsible for creating the outer and inner preconditions that release the
energy and talent of the actors. Mentions his preference for a large stage for his theatre
productions (a view that would change in the years to come).

1960
725. n.a. ‘Källarteater är självbefläckelse’ [Underground theatre is self-indulgence]. AB, 7
September 1960, p. 10. Crosslisted and annotated more extensively in group item
(Ø 533) in Theatre/Media Bibliography, Chapter VII.
Bergman is critical of current underground theatres whose work was based on group decisions,
radical ideology, and improvization.

726. Alpert, Hollis. ‘Bergman as Writer’, Saturday Review, 27 August 1960, pp. 22-23, and
‘Style is the Director’, Saturday Review, 23 December 1961, pp. 39-41. Reprinted in
Dreams and Dreamers. New York: Macmillan, 1962, pp. 62-77.
Two comprehensive interview articles in which Bergman comments on scriptwriting and film
structure, and talks about other directors.

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727. Baldwin, James. ‘The Precarious Vogue of Ingmar Bergman’. Esquire 53, no. 4 (April)
1960: 128-32. Reprinted in Nobody Knows My Name (New York: Dial Press, 1961), pp.
163-80.
Notes based on an interview with Ingmar Bergman in Stockholm. Baldwin realizes that the
landscape Bergman depicts actually exists in reality. This essay might be juxtposed to interviews
by Samuels (Ø 811) and Murphy (Ø 855) as good examples of unique personal encounters
between Bergman and interviewers.

728. Buchwald, Gunnar. ‘Ordets frihed er endnu ikke filmens frihed’ [Freedom of the
word is not yet freedom of the film]. Berlingske Tidende (Copenhagen), 20 November
1960, p. 2.
An interview article about film censorship. Bergman relates issue to a moral imperative based
on ‘Truthfulness between men and women that will be transmitted to their children. Only then
will we create a world in which people are not afraid and therefore not dangerous’. [Sanningen
mellom men og kvinder som vil overføres till deres børn. Kun da vill vi skabe en verden i vilken
menneskene ikke er bange og derfor ikke farlige.]

729. Ericsson, Arne. ‘Möte med Ingmar Bergman’ [Encounter with Bergman]. SR, 6
February 1960. Typescript in SR archives.
An important radio interview. Bergman confirms his indebtedness to Strindberg, states his
lifelong love of music, emphasizes the importance of his revolt against his parents, and reiter-
ates his sense of rootedness in Sweden.

730. Fredriksson, Nils. ‘Han förtrollar människor’. Hemmets Journal 40, no. 23, 1960, p.
6-7, 52.
Mostly a resumé of Billqvist’s book on Ingmar Bergman (Ø 1040), written up as an interview.

731. Hamdi, Britt. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Käbi Laretei’. [Bergman and KL]. Damernas
värld, 17 November 1960: 27-33, 74.
At home reportage about the early days of Bergman’s marriage to pianist Käbi Laretei. The
marriage was Bergman’s fourth, his previous wives being Else Fisher, choreographer; Ellen
Lundström, choreographer; and Gun Grut, journalist. Bergman states: ‘For the first time in
my life, I have something I can call a home, a little well-ordered world that is my defense against
disintegration and chaos. I experience security, warmth, care, and mature togetherness with
another person’. [För första gången i mitt liv har jag något jag kan kalla ett hem, en liten
välordnad värld som är mitt försvar mot upplösning och kaos. Jag upplever trygghet, värme,
omtanke och mogen samvaro med en annan person.]. The above statement by Bergman might
be juxtaposed to the following afterthought, quoted in Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), p. 167:
‘Suddenly I veer off at a right angle, get myself a villa in Djursholm [upper-class Stockholm
suburb], set up house and lead a bourgeois life which is a spitting image of my notion of a
secure existence. [...] Afterwards I discover that it’s all utterly crazy, simply doesn’t fit together.
[...] The result is a deep disappointment and the entire ideology collapses’. See also home
interviews with Bergman by K. Karlstedt, Vecko-Journalen, no. 31 (1959), pp. 16-19, 38; A.
Lagercrantz in Idun-Veckojournalen, no. 30 (1963), pp. 23-27, and by R. Gylder in Svensk
Damtidning, no. 22 (8 June) 1965, pp. 28-31.

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732. Rying, Matts. ‘Sluta upp med pratet om min demoni!’ [Stop this talk about my
demonic nature!). Vecko-Journalen, no. 10, 1960: 24, 38.
Bergman denounces media portrait of him as a demonic director, claiming this was only true
when he was still young and insecure. Also mentions his hypersensitivity to critics. See also
Rying interview in Röster i Radio, 3-9 February 1963: 24-25, 56, where Bergman talks about
avoiding his ‘demonic’ persona through hard and concentrated work.

1961
733. ‘Dagens eko: Ingmar Bergman intervjuas’ [The Daily Echo. Bergman inter-
viewed]. SR, 18 April 1961. Bergman is interviewed in connection with winning an
Oscar for Best Foreign Film with Jungfrukällan [The Virgin Spring].

734. Forslund, Bengt. ‘Ingmar Bergman ser på film’ [Bergman looks at film]. Chaplin 3,
no. 18, 1961: 60-61; and no. 20, 1961: 124-25.
Talk ranges in subject matter from Bergman’s specific film favorites to an assessment of his
position in filmmaking. Bergman criticizes the French new wave for flaunting crafsmanship.
Interview was continued in Chaplin 5, no. 34, 1963: 13-15, ‘En oavbruten rörelse. Ingmar Berg-
man ser tillbaka’ [An uninterrupted movement. Bergman looks back], and in no. 39, 1963: 178-
79, 205.

735. Jungstedt, Torsten. ‘Biodags’ [Movie time]. Swedish Public Radio, 23 September
and 31 October 1961.
Bergman is interviewed on Swedish radio about his filmmaking and current film plans at a time
when he had just released Såsom i en spegel and was in the midst of shooting Nattvardsgästerna.

736. Jungstedt, Torsten. ‘Fyra filmer i en bok’ [Four films in one book]. Swedish Public
Radio (SR), 7 March and 13 March 1961.
A half-hour interview with Bergman and his producer at Svensk Filmindustri (SF), Carl Anders
Dymling, in connection with the American publication of Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman.
Bergman asserts that international recognition does not change his target viewer; he still makes
films for a Scandinavian audience.

737. Moberg, Rune. ‘Framgången, gosse, är en kviga med såpad svans’ [Success, man, is a
heifer with a soaped tail]. Se, no. 17, 27 April 1961: 42, 44-45.
The title of the interview refers to medieval Swedish custom of testing itenerant artists by asking
them to hold on to the soaped tail of a heifer. If the artist lost his grip, he was judged a fake.
Bergman likens his own position to similar irrational views among the public. He also likens his
international fame to a flu epidemic: ‘It goes from country to country, reaches its peak and then
tapers off ’. [Den går från land till land, når sin kulmen och avtar.] Cf. title of next item.

738. Montan, Alf. ‘Utländska intresset för mig bara modesak – tar snart slut’ [Foreign
interest in me only a fad – will soon end]. Expr., 12 October 1961: 20-21.

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In this interview Bergman gives two reasons why he wants to articulate himself in film: The first
is personal, a form of self-therapy. The second one stems from a wish to provide emotional
experiences for the audience.

1962
739. ‘Amerikanska filmakademins Oscars-pris’ [American Film Academy’s Oscar
Prize]. Swedish Public Radio (SR) 10 April 1962.
Bergman is interviewed in connection with winning an Oscar for Såsom i en spegel (Through a
Glass Darkly).

740. Burvenich, Jos. ‘Incontro con Bergman’. Cineforum 2, no. 17 (July) 1962: 681-690.
An interview article by a Catholic priest who was an early contributor to Bergman scholarship.
In this item he attempts to assess Bergman’s standing in the European cinema.

741. Grenier, Richard. ‘Bergman and Opus 26’. Financial Times (London), 29 August
1962, n.p. (BFI clipping).
An interview article reporting a half-million dollar MGM offer to Bergman, i.e., 24 times his
income at the time. Bergman discusses his lack of interest in going to Hollywood with talk show
personality Lennart Hyland in Folket i Bild, 31 January 1962, pp. 13-16.

742. Hamdi, Britt. ‘Nu ger vi tusan i alltihop och gör nå’t roligt’ [Let’s quit and have
some fun]. Vecko-Revyn, no. 10, 1962: 19-28, 8.
An interview article from the shooting of Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light. Cf. Sjöman (Ø 751).
Bergman is critical of current film and theatre education in Sweden.

743. Janzon, Bengt. ‘Bergman on Opera’. Opera News, 5 May 1962: 12-14.
An interview with Bergman on opera and his experiences from directing Stravinski’s The Rake’s
Progress at the Stockholm Opera.

744. Lindström, Jan. ‘Ingmar Bergman förklarar bortklippta TV-intervjun’ [Bergman

explains cut TV interview]. Expr., 24 May 1962, p. 26.
The title refers to an interview with Bergman on the BBC TV program ‘Panorama’, which dealt
with Sweden. Bergman insisted that the interview only be televised to an English-speaking
public and gave the following reasons: (1) that he was concerned about his broken English and
hesitated giving the interview in the first place; (2) that he was unaware that the program was
going to be televised in Sweden and hence asked the producer to cancel it on the grounds that
his statements were aimed at a different, non-Swedish audience; (3) that his statements were
prompted by Mai Zetterling’s critical TV film about Sweden titled ‘The Prosperity Race’, tele-
vised on the BBC. Bergman disliked the film and wanted to provide a ‘corrective’ view but now
realized it would be interpreted in Sweden as his personal attack on Zetterling.

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745. Rådström, Anne Marie. ‘FIB frågar Ingmar Bergman: Är svensk film på väg uppåt’
[FIB asks Bergman: Is Swedish film on its way up?] Folket i Bild, no. 7 (25 April) 1962:
6-7.
Bergman complains about heavy taxation of the Swedish film industry and about obsolete
technical equipment. Calls for a new generation of filmmakers, stating he would like to create
opportunities for them to work with a sense of security.

1963
746. Forslund, Bengt. ‘En oavbruten rörelse. Ingmar Bergman ser tillbaka’ [An unin-
terrupted movement. Bergman looks back]. Chaplin 5, no. 1 (34), January 1963: 13-15.
See Forslund, (Ø 734), 1961.

747. Forslund, Bengt. ‘För att inte tala om alla dessa skådespelare’ [Not to speak of all
these actors]. Chaplin 5, no. 6 (September) 1963: 178-79, 205.
Bergman talks about the personal basis of his films and his early need both to locate an alter ego
in the script and assume an attitude of greater distance to his work. Most of the interview deals
with Bergman’s conscious efforts to build confidence between himself and his group of actors.

748. Hedlund, Oscar. ‘Ingmar Bergman, lyssnaren’ [Bergman, the Listener]. Expr., 20
July 1963, pp. 4-5. Appeared in English as ‘Ingmar Bergman, the Listener’ in Saturday
Review, 29 February 1964, pp. 47-49.
Bergman talks about the relationship between film and music. (Cf. Ø 931), Lundberg, 2000.

749. Rasmussen, Björn. ‘Profil: Ingmar Bergman’. ST, 3 November 1963: 16.
Bergman praises Danish filmmaker Kjerrulf ’s Weekend and Fellini’s 8 1/2. He considered the
latter a personal greeting to him, just as Wild Strawberries had been a greeting to Fellini.
Expresses skepticism about film schools as opposed to his own autodidactic training in the
film studios, and criticizes film censorship: ‘The only censorship I accept and respect is the
artist’s inner compulsion’. [Den enda censur jag accepterar är konstnärens inre tvång]. The last
two points were issues under discussion at the time. A Swedish Film School was being estab-
lished, where Bergman was snubbed by a new generation of ideologues and filmmakers-to-be,
and Bergman had been confronted with Swedish censorship rules because of his film The
Silence. Swedish magazine Året runt, no. 17 (1964), pp. 10-11, 66, 68, 70, published an interview
with Bergman on The Silence and the issue of censorship. See Commentary (Ø 234). Cf. also
Ø 752, 755.

750. Rying, Matts. ‘Bara här hör jag hemma’. [I only belong here]. Röster i Radio-TV, 3
February 1963, pp. 24-25, 56-57.
Bergman deplores the economic status of Swedish theatre and film. He complains about lack of
a cultural tradition in Sweden and explains why many of his films have been set in the past – he
simply feels rapport with certain epochs in the past: the Nordic High Middle Ages, Louis XIV’s
France, and Vienna culture. Talks at some length about the importance of the slanted Nordic
light for him to feel comfortable.

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751. Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Vilgot Sjöman intervjuar Ingmar Bergman’. SVT, 27 January, 3
February and 10 February 1963.
Vilgot Sjöman conducted a series of TV interviews with Ingmar Bergman titled ‘Ingmar Berg-
man gör en film’ [Bergman makes a film]. Some of these interviews were filmed during the
shooting of Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light). Sjöman covers more ground here than in his book
L-136, based on the same material, and provides an important document on Bergman’s views
on his artistic activity in the early Sixties. The 4-part series is entitled: Manuskriptet [The
manuscript]; (2) Inspelningen [The shooting]; (3) Efterarbetet [The editing]; (4) Premiären
[The opening].
A French version of the interview titled ‘Journal des Communiants’ appeared in Cahiers du
Cinéma, no. 165-168 (April-July 1965).

1964
752. Beer, Allan. ‘Ingmar Bergman talar ut’ [Bergman speaks his mind]. Året Runt, no.
17, 1964, pp. 11, 66, 68, 70.
Bergman is interviewed about his work as head of Dramaten and about his film Tystnaden (The
Silence) and censorship. He also talks about his Swedish roots; about cancelled plans to make an
American film, followed by a sabbatical year; and about his view of himself as an author.

753. Billard, Pierre. ‘Le monde du silence’. Cinema 64, no. 85 (April) 1964: 83-93. See
also the same author in Wie sie filmen, ed. Ulrich Gregor (Gutersloh: Sigberth Mohn,
1966), pp. 102-08.
Author visits Bergman at Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. He is struck by Bergman’s
sense of order: ‘Here is the regulated, organized, chronometered, hierarchic, hygienic, and
methodical universe in which Bergman springs forth.’

754. ‘Playboy Interview: Ingmar Bergman. A Candid Conversation with Sweden’s One-
man New Wave of Cinematic Sorcery’. Playboy 11, no. 6 (June) 1964: 61-68.
The interview is preceded by a brief intoduction to Bergman’s life and artistic activity, which
contains some factual errors. The interview ranges from Bergman’s rather bland comments on
some recent film titles to an account of the genesis of The Silence.

755. Prouse, Derek. ‘Ingmar Bergman: The Censor’s Problem-genius’. Sunday Times
(London), 15 March 1964, p. 30. Reprinted in Los Angeles Times Calendar, 29 March
1964, p. 1.
Bergman talks about his present good relations with his parents and about his new content-
ment: ‘You can only make a film like The Silence when you’re content.’

756. Riffe, Ernest. ‘Bergman parle de lui-même et du Silence’. L’Express (Paris), 5 March
1964: 28-29. Also in German in Weltwoche Magazin, 20 March 1964: 25, 35. (Cf. Ø 778).
An interview article using Bergman’s pen name, assessing his metaphysical position in a welfare
state.

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757. Rying, Matts. ‘Vi galna hundar’ (Us mad dogs). Röster i Radio-TV, no. 41, 1964, pp.
17, 54, 56.
An interview in connection with Bergman’s TV version of Olle Hedberg’s Rabies, first staged by
him in 1945. He cautions about looking back at past work, for then ‘we are turned into stone’.
[då förvandlas vi till sten]. For that reason he prefers theatre work to filmmaking, since it is
temporal and unlike old films does not reappear ‘like burps’. [som rapningar].

758. Stempel, Hans. ‘Begegnung mit Ingmar Bergman’. [Encounter with B]. West-
deutsche Rundfunk/TV, 6 August 1964, 13 pp.
A typescript of a West German TV interview with Bergman, with excerpts from The Naked
Night, The Seventh Seal, Winter Light, and The Silence. Talk is somewhat morbid. Bergman
juxtaposes the difference between a past when people died at home amidst a family and today’s
dying alone in a hospital, which he sees as the epitome of loneliness in the 20th-century.

759. Öhngren, Lars. ‘Det svenska geniet’ [The Swedish genius]. Femina, nos. 45-48, 1964.
Biographical series of articles, partly based on interviews with Ingmar Bergman.

1965
760. Hederberg, Hans. ‘Jag gjorde reklamfilm för att försörja mig’ [I made commercials
to support myself). AB, 23 September 1965, p. 16.
An interview article in which Bergman talks about his early years in filmmaking and the
resistance he encountered. The title refers to his 1951 commericals for Bris (Breeze) soap.

761. Newman, Edwin. ‘A Profile of Ingmar Bergman’. NBC, 16 November 1965. 54 min.
A television interview taped in Stockholm. Bergman speculates on the Scandinavian character
and its influence on his work. He makes distinctions between artistic and commercial failures
and discusses the genesis of a film, his use of sound, his need to work in Sweden, and his
concept of ‘art for the artist’s sake’. This interview appeared in print, titled ‘My Need to Express
Myself in a Film’. Film Comment 4, no. 2-3 (Fall-Winter) 1967: 58-62.

762. Rying, Matts and Ulf Stråhle. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. In Intryck i Sverige [Impres-
sions in Sweden]. Malmö: Bo Cavefors, 1965, pp. 66-71.
An interview article, focusing on Bergman’s dynamic temperament. Asked why he has turned
down all offers from abroad, Bergman replies:
Here I manage my own business, I am my own boss. Now, I’m not exactly afraid of losing
this independence, were I to come to Hollywood – if they invite me into the boat, they are
dependent on me, on what I make, and have to leave me alone. But what one might fear is
not having a say in the editing process. [...] That would be like taking a new born baby from
its mother’s breast.

[Här sköter jag mig själv, jag är min egen chef. Nu är jag inte direkt rädd för att förlora mitt
oberoende om jag kom till Hollywood – om de bjuder in mig i båten är de beroende av mig,

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av vad jag gör och måste lämna mig ensam. Men vad man kan frukta är att inte ha något att
säga till om i klippningen. [...] Det vore som att ta en nyfödd från modersbröstet.]

763. Schuh, Oscar Fritz. ‘Vom “Traumspiel” zum “Schweigen”: Ein Gespräch über
August Strindberg und Ingmar Bergman’. Eckart Jahrbuch, 1965, pp. 81-88. Cross-listed
in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 539).

1966
764. AGE. (Anders Elsberg). ‘Bergmanfarväl med Molière. Riv Operan och Dramaten!’
[Bergman farewell with M. Tear down the Opera and Dramaten!]. DN, 17 November
1966. Cross-listed and annotated more fully in Theatre/Media Chapter, (Ø 540).

765. Béranger, Jean. ‘Je suis un boulimique’. Arts, no. 27 (30 March) 1966: 16-17.
Though presented as a live interview, item seems to be Béranger’s extraction of statements
made by Bergman in his essay ‘The Snakeskin’ (Ø 131).

766. [Holm], Annika. ‘För mig är film ansikten’ [For me film is faces]. DN, 28 May 1966,
p. 10.
An interview about Bergman’s return to filmmaking after his years as head of Dramaten. The
mood expressed is reminiscent of the disillusioned tone of Bergman’s ‘Snakeskin’ essay (Ø 131)
from about the same period of time. It confirms Bergman’s sense of isolation in his filmmaking.

767. Kalmar, Sylvi. ‘När värklighetens [sic] gränser viker undan’ [When the limits of
reality give away]. Fant 1, no. 4-5, 1966: 6-14.
An interview with Bergman, who becomes irritated at interviewer’s insistence that he talk about
his professional disappointments.

768. Oldin, Gunnar. ‘Filmkrönika’. STV, 26 October 1966.

In connection with the release of Persona, Bergman was interviewed on Swedish Television
together with Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. Bergman calls Buñuel a basic cinematographic
experience for him and expresses his dislike of Godard. Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann recall
being intimidated by Bergman. This interview is the basis of a 1992 videocassette (83 minutes,
B/W), issued by Film Classics in Swedish, with English subtitles.

1967
769. Archer, Eugene. ‘Bergman. I Try to Write Subconsciously’. NYT, 2 April 1967, sec. 2,
p. D 11.
Bergman discusses his early favorites among his films. Talks about his writing method, work
schedule, and the cost of his films. Swedish summary in SvD, 2 April 1967.

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770. Hamdi, Britt. ‘Det är Bergman som gör film på Fårö’ [It’s Bergman making a film
on Fårö]. Vecko-Revyn, 6 December 1967: 32-41.
An interview during the shooting of Skammen. Bergman is in a relaxed mood and jokes about
posterity, when he will be a stuffed museum piece and charge a fee for the public to look at
him, a fee which might go to establishing a fund for young filmmakers.

771. Löthwall, Lars-Olof. ‘Ingmar Bergman, Fårö, den 9 september 1967’. Film och Bio,
2/1967, pp. 27-30.
A press conference interview at Hammars on Fårö before the shooting of Skammen. Though
most questions concern this specific film, some of Bergman’s comments reveal his current
disenchantment with the theatre. (See Ø 537, 544 in Theatre/Media Bibliography).

772. Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Io vivo ogni film che faccio come un sogno’. Cineforum 8,
no. 77 (September) 1967: 449-52. A translation of typescript from a Swedish TV
interview on 21 February 1967 (Prod. no. 67/3039). Also published in Nuevo film
(Montevideo), no. 4 (Autumn-Winter 1969), pp. 29-34. See also Expr., 19 March 1967.
Bergman talks about experiencing each of his films as a conglomerate of dreams; sees dreams as
essential in expressing the vulnerability of our life situation today; refers to some dreams he
used in Gycklarnas afton (The Naked Night) and Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf).

1968
773. Björkman, Stig, Torsten Manns and Jonas Sima. ‘Interview with Ingmar Berg-
man’. Movie no. 16 (Winter 1968/69): 2-8.
Bergman discusses various aspects of his filmmaking during the shooting of Vargtimmen (Hour
of the Wolf). Originally published under the title ‘Ingmar Bergman: “Man kan ju göra vad som
helst på film”’ [Bergman: One can do just about anything on film], in Chaplin, no. 79 (February
1968): 44-51, this interview was incorporated in abbreviated form in Bergman on Bergman (1970)
and had a wide circulation in the international press in 1968. It also appeared in Film in Sweden,
no. 2 (1968), pp. 5-6. Excerpts were printed in Russian, Literaturnaja gazeta, 10 July 1968, n.p.
Complete translations appeared in 1968 in the following languages and publications:
French Cahiers du cinéma, no. 203 (August), pp. 48-56. Also excerpted in L’Avant- scène
du Cinéma, no. 85 (October) 1968: pp. 51-52;
German Filmkritik 12, no. 9 (September) 1968: pp. 604-9;
Italian Cinema & Film, no. 5-6 (Summer) 1968: pp. 163-80, and Cineforum 8, no. 77
(September) 1968: pp. 464-74;
Norwegian Film og kino 36, no. 4 (April-May) 1968: pp. 100-102.

774. Ceretto, Alberto. ‘Il regista svedese a Roma’. Corriere della Sera (Milan), 27 Feb-
ruary 1968, n.p. (SFI).
Bergman and Liv Ullmann visited Rome in February 1968. A press conference was held on
February 26. Bergman talked about Hour of the Wolf and Shame . Cf. Mölter below (Ø 777).

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775. Friedman, Louis [alias Lewis Freedman]. ‘Ingmar Bergman, Super Symbolist’. Mod-
ern Cinema cassette recording (50 minutes). North Hollywood, Calif.: Center for
Cassette Studies, 1967, 1970. Cassette has ref. no. 551. Freedman, Lewis. ‘All my Pic-
tures are like Dreams’. Chicago Daily News, 13 April 1968. Panorama sec. p. 6. Also
available in Radio TV Reports, Inc. Public Broadcasting Laboratory, WNDT-TV, New
York City.
A taped interview conducted in 1967 and televised three times. It probes Bergman’s approach to
his major films, with excerpts, plus additional interviews with Max von Sydow and Liv Ull-
mann.
This interview is the basis of a discussion by Ira Progroff, ‘Waking Dream and Living Myth’,
in Myths, Dreams and Religion, ed. by Joseph Campbell. Dallas: Spring Publications, 1988, pp.
184-195. The interview is also mentioned in Thure Stenström’s brief write-up about Bergman’s
impact on US audiences, entitled ‘Vår andes stämma?’ [ Our spiritual voice?]. SvD, 21 January
1969, p. 5.

776. Löthwall, Lars-Olof. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Take One 2, no. 1 (September-October)

1968: 16-18. A variation of this interview appeared in Films and Filming 15, no. 5
(February 1969): 4-6, and Cahiers du cinéma, no. 215 (September 1969): 47-50. It
appeared first in Swedish in Film och Bio, no. 1, 1968, pp. 20-23, and Expr., 27 January
1968, pp. 4-5.
An interview covering a range of subjects such as Bergman’s work methods; his use of family
names; his approach to actors; importance of international breakthrough for his survival as a
filmmaker, etc. It ends with Bergman making a list of no-needs. Cf. Buntzen and Craig, Film
Quarterly 30, no. 2 (Winter 1976): 23-34, for questioning Bergman’s reasons for making such a
list.

777. Mölter, Veit. ‘Pornographie statt Gewalt’. Abendzeitung (Austrian), 3 May 1968.
Billed as an interview but seems to be based on the Bergman press conference held in Rome in
February 1968 (see Ceretto above). Cross-listed in (Ø 1166).

778. Riffe, Ernest. ‘Schizophrenic Interview with a Nervous Film Director’. Film in
Sweden, no. 3, 1968, pp. 5-6. Also in French, pp. 3-4, and German, pp. 7-8. Reprinted
in Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 206 (November 1968). Appeared in Swedish under title
‘Utför med Ingmar Bergman – skriver Ingmar Bergman’ [Downhill for Bergman –
writes Bergman]. Expr., 25 September 1968, p. 12.
A self-interview by Bergman using familiar pseudonym. Bergman reiterates his apolitical nature
and claims membership in only one party: The Party of the Scared [De räddas parti].

779. Sjögren. Henrik. ‘Dialog med Ingmar Bergman’. In author’s Ingmar Bergman på
teatern Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1968, pp. 291-316. See Theatre/Media Biblio-
graphy, (Ø 548).
A very informative interview conducted on 25 May 1968, in which Bergman talks about his
approach to theatre directing. In each theatrical space he looks for ‘a radiation point’ connect-
ing stage and audience, and in each theatre production that he undertakes, he looks for a
similar charging point between the playwright and himself. He defines his foremost task as a

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theatre director to be ‘an ear and an eye’ for the performers. He talks also about his Lehrjahre
with role models like directors Olof Molander and, above all, Torsten Hammarén. Excerpts of
this interview were published in Italian magazine La Dramma, no. 11-12, 1971.

780. Vinberg, Björn. ‘Startar eget bolag – och gör TV-film’ [Starts own company and
makes TV movie]. Expr., 3 February 1968, p. 26.
An interview about Bergman’s plans for his company Cinematograph, which he compares to
Lorens Marmstedt’s old Terra Film in the 1940s; that is, a production company intended to help
young new directors and their projects.

1969
781. Aghed, Jan. ‘Samtal med Bergman’ [Conversation with Bergman]. SDS, 9 February
1969, pp. 21-22. Reprinted in French in Positif, no. 121 (November) 1970: pp. 41-46.
Bergman talks about film criticism in general; about the intolerance of the new left; about
cinema as a legitimate form of escapism; about his studio, a laboratory where he studies human
faces (cf. Vergerus in En passion).

782. Henttonen, Anita. ‘Är du ett geni, Ingmar?’ [Are you a genius, Ingmar?]. AB, 26
April 1969, p. 10-11.
In response to the title question, Bergman states that he is a talented craftsman, not a genius.
Coming out of a dark period after leaving as head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1966, and
after facing criticism from the Sixties generation, Bergman now expresses joy of living and love
of Fårö, his home.

783. ‘Ingmar Bergman intervjuas i Rom’ [Bergman interviewed in Rome]. SR, 5 Jan-
uary 1969. 2 min.
Gunnar Kumlien talks to Bergman about his meeting with Frederico Fellini to plan a film
project together. See also Ø 850, 1174.

784. ‘Ingmar Bergman sjunger’ [Bergman Sings]. Swedish Public Radio (SR), 17 Jan-
uary 1969.
Bergman sings during a radio interview covering his stage production of Büchner’s Woyzeck.
See Commentary (Ø 446), in Theatre Chapter, VI. Additional interviews on the same subject
were broadcast on 12 and 15 March 1969.

785. Strömstedt, Bo. ‘Vad tyr du dig till, Ingmar Bergman?’ [Where do you seek com-
fort, Bergman?]. Expr., 15-16 February 1969, Sunday section, pp. 1-3.
An extensive interview with Bergman who stresses his need to work with a collective of actors
and to live on Fårö. He defines ‘security’ (trygghet), a near-sacred concept in welfare-state
Sweden, as the ability to look at reality without illusions, yet wake up each day with a sense
of curiosity about life.

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786. Vinberg, Björn. ‘Bergman och SF – ett evigt kärlekshat’ [Bergman and SF – an
eternal love hatred]. Expr. 14 December 1969, pp. 16-17.
Interview article about Bergman’s relationship to the production company Svensk Filmindustri
and the Råsunda Studios (‘Filmstaden’). The article includes Bergman’s comments on his days
in SF’s script department and his earliest film ventures under its auspices.

1970
787. Anthal, Jussi. ‘Nu står England på knä för Bergman–men...’ [Now England kneels
before B.–but]. Expr., 27 June 1970, p. 11. Cross-listed and annotated in Theatre/Media
Bibliography, Ø 555.

788. Björkman, Stig, Torsten Manns, and Jonas Sima, eds. Bergman om Bergman
Stockholm: Norstedts, 1970, 308 pp. See below for foreign editions.
Interviews with Ingmar Bergman over an 18-month period, covering all his films up to the
making of Fårö-dokument. Though somewhat defensive about analytical interpretations of his
films and uncomfortable about political slant of some of the questions, Bergman provides a
goldmine of information about the genesis and production aspect of his filmmaking. Students
are advised to use the English edition, since the Swedish edition has no index, which makes its
use as a source book more difficult.
According to one of the interviewers, the original manuscript was cut by one third after
Bergman insisted upon deletions of certain parts. Some twenty years later, Bergman was still
critical of Bergman om Bergman. See opening of his 1990 book Bilder [Images: My Life in Film].
Jonas Sima responded in ‘Så långt är det sant’ [So far it is true], Chaplin no. 232, 1991: 23-26.
Taped excerpts from Bergman om Bergman were broadcast on Swedish radio, 28 November
1970. The interview book exists in a number of foreign language editions:
Danish: Bergman om Bergman, trans. Claus Hesselberg. (Copenhagen: Rhodos, 1971),
277 pp.
Dutch: Bergman over Bergman, trans. by Joline Springer. (Amsterdam: Meulenhoff,
1977), 310 pp.
English: Bergman on Bergman, trans. by Paul Britten Austin. (New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1973), 288 pp, with an updated bibliography.
French: Bergman selon Bergman, trans. by Alain Debore. (Paris: Editions Seghers, 1973),
376 pp. Excerpted in Ecran 15 (May) 1973: 2-8.
German: Bergman über Bergman, trans. by W. Batt, J. Grohamn, and C. Henning. (Mu-
nich: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1976), 333 pp.
Czech excerpts in Panorama, vol. I, no. 3 (Summer 1976), pp. 77-90.
Reviews
Mauritz Edström, DN, 23 November 1970, p. 4.
Lars Forssell, Expr., 11 December 1970, p. 4.
Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times, 15 September 1974.
Stanley Kaufmann, New Republic, 24 August 1974, p. 22.
Jan Dawson, Sight and Sound 43, no. 3 (Summer) 1974: 182.

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789. Björkstén, Ingmar. ‘Skrapa på samhället och förnedringsritualen skiner igenom’

[Scrape the surface of society and the humilation ritual shines through]. Vecko-Jour-
nalen, no. 19 (5 May) 1970: 24-27.
In this interview article Ingmar Bergman recognizes a developmental form in his films but
denies any conscious thematic continuity. Defines artist’s role in society: to satify a need, to be a
sounding board, and provide an emotional outlet. He modifies earlier statement that the theatre
is his real home. Fårö is where he has his roots.
The interview heading refers to a basic idea held by Bergman throughout his career: that a
socially condoned pattern of humiliation forms the fabric of life in our culture.

790. Jungstedt, Torsten. ‘Ingmar Bergman: En nästan vit synd’ [Bergman: An almost
white sin]. Röster i Radio-TV, no. 13, 1970, p. 17.
An interview with Bergman in connection with a TV showing of the 1961 film Lustgården
[Garden of Eden) on 21 October 1970. Bergman wrote the script, Alf Kjellin directed the film.
See Filmography, (Ø 232).

791. ‘Man Alive Presents Ingmar Bergman’. A special edition of CBC (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation) series. The program was written by the Rev. Marc Gervais,
S.J. 1970, 58 min.
A discussion of the religious implications of Bergman’s films, focussing on The Seventh Seal and
Winter Light. Comments include Bergman briefly discussing impact of faith on creative ex-
pression.

792. Skawonius, Betty. ‘Varför just Strindberg – Bergman?’ [Why precisely Strindberg –
Bergman?]. DN, 11 March 1970.
Mostly about Bergman’s upcoming production of Strindberg’s Drömspel, but also touches on
his critical views of current Swedish television, which he feels has abrogated its cultural ob-
ligations. Bergman is also critical of the cultural debate in Sweden, which he finds rooted in
‘puritanism and dogmatism and an infantile rejection of tradition’. [puritanism och dogma och
ett barnsligt förkastande av traditionen].

793. Wester, Maud. ‘I 25 år har det stormat kring Ingmar Bergman’ [For 25 years it has
been storming around Bergman]. Vecko-Journalen, nos. 15-18, 1970, various pages.
A series of articles tracing Bergman’s biographical and artistic life during a quarter of a century.
The basis is an interview with Bergman where he states his fundamental reasons for making
films: To test psychological limits, ‘to move barriers where an emotional flow has been dammed
up’ [att flytta gränser där ett känsloflöde har dämts för].

1971
794. Aghed, Jan. ‘Conversation avec Ingmar Bergman’. Positif, no. 121 (November 1970):
41-46.
An interview conducted after the opening of Shame. Interviewer’s repeated insistance on dis-
cussing Bergman’s filmmaking from the point of view of ideological topicality makes this

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conversation symptomatic of the politicized climate that Bergman encountered at the time.
Referring to it as naïve and himself as too pessimistic and ‘faithless’ to join the leftist camp,
Bergman nevertheless talks about young leftist filmmakers with sympathy as long as ‘they have
something in their heads’. [de har något i huvudet]. Bergman acknowledges his love of Holly-
wood films as a legitimate form of escapism that appeals to the child in the viewer.

795. Beauman, Sally. ‘Bergman: Cold and wary’. Daily Telegraph Magazine (London), 12
March 1971: 37-42.
The article subtitled ‘Portrait of the Artist as Puritan’ is based on an interview with Bergman
and his crew during the shooting of The Touch. Bergman discusses a variety of subjects, from
preparations for shooting a film to his lack of political conscience. The article also appeared in
Show 2, no. 4 (June) 1971: 38-41, and in French in L’Express, n.d. (SFI clipping).

796. Björkman, Stig. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Film in Sweden, no. 2, 1971: 7-8. Also printed in
French, same source, pp. 3-6. Also in American Cinematographer LIII, no. 4 (April
1972): 434-39, 450; and in Movieland, 3 September 1971, pp. 11-12. The French version
titled ‘Bergman parle’ also appeared in Télérama, 9 October 1971, pp. 53-55.
A dialogue excerpt from 50-minute documentary film, made during the shooting of The Touch,
produced for SFI, shot by Roland Lundin, and shown at San Francisco and London film
festivals in 1972. See report in Variety, 1 November 1972, p. 26.
For reviews of Björkman’s film, see Hanserik Hjertén, ‘Fräsch närbild av Bergman’ [Fresh
close-up of B]. DN, 12 May 1972; Elisabeth Sörenson, ‘Porträtt av Ingmar Bergman’. SvD, 12 May
1972; Betty Skawonius, ‘Bergman-skildrare filmar med Harriet A’ [Portrayer of Bergman films
with Harriet A]. DN, 6 December 1973, and Film/Literature Quarterly IX, no. 4, 1976: 355-57;
366-68.

797. Borger-Bendegard, Lisbeth. ‘Ingmar Bergman – hur kan du förföra så?’ [Bergman
– how can you seduce to such a degree?]. Femina, no. 45 (7 November) 1971: 26-29.
Bergman talks about the feminine component in his psyche, that is, his need for continuity, his
sensitivity to light, smell, warmth, cold, and touch. Asked to list his best and worst character
traits, he responds: lust for life and an ability to listen with his whole body versus suspiciousness
and impatience. The conversation ends with Bergman’s discussion of faithfulness.
This interview might be juxtaposed to one in another, more traditional women’s weekly,
Husmodern [The Homemaker], no. 29 (20 August) 1971: 65, 67, in which Bergman talks about
his mother.

798. Dick Cavett Show. ABCTV, 1 August 1971. Also on National Educational Television
(NET), 12 April 1972.
An interview with Bergman and Bibi Andersson, taped in Stockholm. Bergman comments on
this interview in Röster i Radio-TV, 15 January 1972, p. 13. Though Bergman praises Cavett as an
interviewer who could listen, and liked the idea of an interview televised on another continent,
he found it trying to speak in English and felt that the show lost its sting during the final 20
minutes.

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799. Kupfer, Peter. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Frauen sind Wachs in meinen Händen’. Wien
Kurier (morning ed.), 19 June 1971.
A brief interview during Bergman’s visit to Vienna with his 1970 Dramaten production of A
Dreamplay. The most interesting statement is Bergman’s clarification of the relationship be-
tween his theatre work and his filmmaking: ‘In the theatre I’ve got to know my friends,
Strindberg, Macbeth, Faust who have followed me and will continue to follow me my entire
life. In the theatre I translate the vision of another person into flesh and blood, into visible
material. That is one of the roots of my creativity! From these roots grows a tree, which are my
films’.

800. ‘På parkett’ [Orchestra seat]. SRTV, Channel 1, 12 June 1971.

Bergman participates in a talk show hosted by Lasse Holmqvist, with a surprise guest, Sven
Hansson, from Bergman’s Mäster Olofsgården days.

801. Reilly, John. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Interview’. In Image Maker, ed. by Ron Henderson.
Richmond: John Knox Press, 1971, pp. 40-45.
An interview in which Bergman emphasizes his films as transcripts of his dreams.

802. Sima, Jonas. ‘Befängt sätta en gammal stöt som censurchef ’ [Crazy to place an old
fogie as head of Censorship Board]. Expr., 29 September 1971, p. 4.
An interview in which the title is a Bergman quote referring to the new head of the Swedish
Censorship Board.

803. Thorvall, Kerstin. ‘Man måste bli kär i Ingmar Bergman’ [One has to fall in love
with Bergman]. Damernas värld. 30 August 1971, pp. 14-5, 77, 90. 92.
An interview by journalist and author Thorvall in a women’s magazine. Bergman talks about
the new left in Swedish cultural life.

1972
804. Group Subject: Plans to Film The Merry Widow with Barbra Streisand
In an interview in December 1972, Elisabeth Sörenson reported on Bergman’s discussions with
Barbra Streisand to play the role of Hanna Glavari in a film version of Lehar’s operetta The
Merry Widow. See ‘Bergman gör Spöksonat no. 3’ [Bergman does Ghost Sonata no. 3]. SvD, 12
December 1972. The Streisand plan was also mentioned in an interview article by Charles
Champlin, ‘Bergman: A Private Man with a Hit on His Hands’, Los Angeles Times, 25 February
1973, pp. 1, 16, and was discussed briefly in ‘Eko’, Swedish Public Radio (SR), 6 June 1973. As late
as 23 March 1974, the project was commented upon in an interview reportage by Carl-Östen
Nordmark, ‘Bergman och Streisand överens: Vi ska göra en film ihop’ [Bergman and Streisand
agree: We shall make a movie together]. AB, 23 March 1974, p.18.
The project however never materialized. For more on this aborted film venture, see Kenne
Fant’s memoirs Nära bilder (Ø 1616), p. 123 ff. On 13 April 1974, Bergman announced to Fant:
‘So now I have liquidated the Widow. It was with great relief that I dismissed the troublesome

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lady’. [Så nu har jag likviderat Änkan. Det var med stor lättnad som jag skickade iväg den
besvärliga damen].

805. American Cinematographer. LIII, no. 4 (April 1972), pp. 434-439, 450. (Cf. Ø 796).
An interview with Ingmar Bergman based on Stig Björkman’s film documentary Bergman. The
topics covered deal with Bergman’s thoughts on the film medium as self-expression and its
practical circumstances; on his own concept of himself as a dramatist (seeing tensions, duali-
ties); and on The Touch.

806. Essen, Ebba von. ‘Mina äktenskap har lärt mig förstå kvinnan’ [My marriages have
made me understand woman]. AB, 6 January 1972, pp. 54-57.
An interview article quoting a statement made by Ernie Anderson from the Philadelphia
Bulletin: ‘To asssociate with Bergman is like proceeding to the altar and receiving the holy
communion’. The article concludes by referring to a certain formality about Bergman in spite of
his knitted cardigans and flannel shirts: ‘You just don’t tell funny stories in his company’. [man
berättar inte precis lustiga historier i hans sällskap]. Cf. interview article by von Essen in 1973
(Ø 822).

807. Hagander, Astrid. ‘Ingmar och Ingrid i glad och öppen intervju’ [Ingmar and
Ingrid’s happy and frank interview]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 38, 1972: 4, 6-7.
An interview article about Bergman and his fifth wife, Ingrid von Rosen (née Karlebo), who
dissolved a long marriage to marry Bergman. Ingrid was instrumental in bringing about a
rapprochement between Bergman and his children. She attributes her new sense of self to
Bergman, who gave her the courage to break away from her conventional upper-class life style.
(Ingrid and Ingmar Bergman remained married for 24 years until Ingrid’s death in 1995).

808. Löthwall, Lars-Olof. ‘Sådan är han...’ [That’s what he is like]. Allers 34, 1972, pp.
10-11, 43, 45, 47.
An interview reportage subtitled ‘Vad som blir till hos Bergman är ändå inte det det blir’ [The
making of a Bergman film is not the end result (free trans.)], based on the shooting of
Viskningar och rop (Cries and Whispers), where Löthwall served as press liaison. A similar article
appeared in Filmbullen (stencil publication] 10, 1972, 4 pp., and in English as ‘Excerpts from a
Diary about Ingmar Bergman’s Filming of Viskningar och rop Outside of Stockholm 1971’, Film
in Sweden 2/1972: 3-8 (French version, pp. 8-12). See also Ø 1216.

809. Marcussen, Elsa Brita. ‘Ingmar Bergman om film. Legende eller besvergelse’
[Bergman on film. Legend or magic]. NRK (Norwegian Public Radio), 25 June
1972. Reported in a number of Norwegian newspapers, 22 June 1972. See Oslo Dag-
bladet, Romerikes Blad (Lilleström), and Verdens gang (Oslo, 24 June 1972).
Well-known Norwegian film scholar interviewed Bergman in Stockholm in Spring of 1972.
Bergman states that he has freed himself from his earlier image of women as strong mother
figures and that his interest lies in depicting ‘human beings’. Claims that the four women in
Viskningar och rip (Cries and Whispers) could just as well have been men. Bergman also talks
about the current film climate in Sweden and sees a trend away from documentary and
politicized filmmaking.

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810. Nykvist, Sven ‘A Passion for Light’. American Cinematographer 53, no. 4 (April) 1972:
380-81, 456. Cross-listed in Ø 1213.
Interview with Bergman’s cinematographer.

811. Sabroe, Morten. ‘Alle taler om skandinavisme. Ingen tager initiativet’. [Everybody
speaks about Scandinavianism. Nobody takes the initiative]. Berlingske Tidende (Co-
penhagen), 26 December 1972, p. 8.
The interview ranges from Bergman’s assessment of Danish theatre (superb acting, no director’s
theatre as in Sweden) and lack of real cultural contacts between the Nordic countries, to his
responding to critics: ‘It’s interesting to read reviews, it’s being coquettish not to do so, a form
of escapism’. [Det er interessant at læse intervjus, det er koketteri ikke at gøre det, en form av
eskapisme]. In response to the common view that his films lack social anchoring, Bergman
states: ‘There are two kinds of realities: one you carry within you, which is reflected in your face;
the other is external reality. I only work with a tiny speck, a human being whom I try to dissect
and penetrate deeper in order to capture the secret. [...] Other filmmakers photograph [...]
external reality and do so much better than I do. What interests me is the speck, quite simply.
Why, I don’t know’. [Der finns to slags virkeligheder; en du bær inom deg der reflekteres i ditt
ansigt; en anden er den ydre virkelighed. Jeg arbeider kun med en lille flækk, ett menneske jeg
prøver att dissikere og trænge dybere ned i før att fånge hjemmeligheden. [...] Andre filmska-
bere fotograferer [...] den yttre virkeligheden och gør det så meget bedre æn meg. Hvad som
intresserer meg ær simpelthen den lille flækk. Hvorfor ved jeg ikke].

812. Samuels, Charles. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. In Encountering Directors. New York: Capri-
corn Books, 1972, pp. 179-207. Reprinted in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp. 98-132.
Samuels’ interview (along with Mary Murphy’s interview with Bergman, Ø 855), is among the
best examples of the kinds of manipulation, tension, challenge, and excitement a critic may
encounter upon meeting Bergman. Bergman’s criterion of a good interview is emotional rap-
port.

813. Sima, Jonas. ‘Bergman i Expr.-intervju – Jag ville inte dö i Danmark’ [Bergman in
Expr. Interview – I didn’t want to die in Denmark]. Expr., 3 March 1972.
Bergman repeats his reluctance to comment on his latest film: ‘You’ve made a piece of furni-
ture, then out go the wood chips. What’s left is perhaps a more beautiful everyday article which
people can use’. [Man har gjort en möbel, sen bort med träflisorna. Vad som blir kvar är kanske
en vackrare vardagsvara som folk kan använda.] Talks about the Swedish school system produ-
cing ‘spiritual illiterates’ by teaching children ‘...everything about farming in Scania, the molars
of rabbits and penis erections but nothing about why people get angry and fight and about how
our soul functions – not a word!’ [allting om åkerbruk i Skåne, kaninernas kindtänder och
svällkropparna i penis men ingenting om varför människor blir arga och slåss och om hur vår
själ fungerar – inte ett ord!].

814. Simon, John. Ingmar Bergman Directs. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972,
pp. 11-40.
The book begins with the author’s somewhat ingratiating interview with Bergman. See Chapter
IX, (Ø 1218).

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815. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Words and Whisperings: An Interview with Ingmar Bergman’, in
Focus on the Seventh Seal. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1972, pp. 42-44.
An interview on the set during the shooting of Cries and Whispers. Bergman talks about his use
of close-ups and words vs images and music. He mentions his favorite subjects at school (Latin
and the Bible stories) and subjects he disliked (geography and math).

816. Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Ska vi begrava den svenska filmen? Filmkrönikan’ [Are we
to bury the Swedish film? Film Chronicle program]. STV, Channel 2, 16 January 1972.
Bergman participates in a program about the future of Swedish filmmaking and repeats his
frequent demands that the whole Swedish film production branch be socialized. Cf. Ø 830.

817. Vinberg, Björn. ‘På Fårö har Ingmar Bergman byggt Sveriges modernaste filmstu-
dio’ [On Fårö Bergman has built Sweden’s most modern film studio]. Expr., 8 Octo-
ber 1972, Sunday sect. pp. 4-6. See also DN reportage by T. Hellbom, 30 August 1972,
p. 12.
A reportage/interview from Bergman’s Fårö with a drawing of his film studio at Dämba, later
referred to as ‘Little Hollywood’. Bergman reveals plans to convert it into a theatre school for
young actors when he retires from filmmaking.

818. Wolden, Anne Raethinge. ‘Kvindene vil beholde sit martyrium’ [Women wish to
keep their martyrdom]. Aftenposten (Oslo), 20 July 1972, Eve. ed. p. 5. Also published
in Politiken (Copenhagen), 9 July 1972, p. 2.
A compact and revealing interview article. Wolden met Bergman 20 years earlier when he was
34. She finds him younger-looking at 54 but just as defensive as in 1953 and with the same
intense need for contact. Bergman discusses his views on art and social commitment (his lack
of it). He feels Western civilization has failed and deplores the situation of women which has
not changed since Ibsen’s time, but also believes many women wish to preserve their non-
commital position and withdraw from responsibility for themselves. Reiterates his need to live
and work in Sweden. Denies existence of God and feels relief at having arrived at this view: ‘As
long as I belived in God I suffered tremendously. [...] What I feared most was a life after this
one’. [Så länge jag trodde på Gud led jag förskräckligt. [...] Vad jag fruktade mest var ett liv efter
detta.].

1973
819. Andhé, Stefan. ‘Jag är svag för ytlighet’ [I have a weakness for the superficial].
Vecko-Journalen, 17 January 1973, p. 47.
The headline refers to Bergman’s statement that he loves ‘first class superficialities: Rachmanin-
off ’s piano concerto, the Beatles, cabaret. The circus!’ [första klassens ytligheter: R’s pianokon-
serter, the Beatles, kabarén. Cirkusen!]. ‘Superficiality’ in this case means popular
entertainment.
Bergman also discusses the therapeutic function of art and his own refusal to be ‘a male
nurse’. Art can give people a new perspective on themselves and can make them break away
from set reponses. But he works in art because it is joyful and fun.

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820. Champlin, Charles. ‘Bergman: A Private Man with a Hit on His Hands’. Los Angeles
Times, 25 February 1973, pp. 1, 16.
An interview article based on a meeting with Bergman in Copenhagen during The Misanthrope
production at ‘Det Kongelige’. Bergman talks about making Cries and Whispers as a way for him
to understand his mother (rather than doing a biographical portrait of her). Cf. Sundgren,
(Ø 826). He talks about his current plans (The Merry Widow with Barbra Steisand), the TV film
‘The Lie’ (Reservat).

821. Edvardsson, Cordelia. ‘Jag tror på det heliga i människan’ [I belive in what is holy
in man]. Vecko-Journalen, no. 15 (11 April) 1973: 16-17, 46.
An interview article during Bergman’s rehearsal of The Misanthrope at Copenhagen’s Royal
Dramatic Theatre. Bergman expresses a new sense of joie de vivre, having discovered that ‘the
world around me is much more interesting to me than I am to myself ’. [världen omkring mig
är mycket mer intressant för mig än jag är för mig själv.]

822. Essen, Ebba von. ‘Jag arbetar helst med kvinnor’ [I prefer to work with women]. AB,
23 April 1973, p. 3.
The interview focusses on Bergman’s love of his mother as a child; his neglect of his children
when younger; and better professional rapport with women in his work situations.

823. Grenier, Cynthia. ‘Conversation with Ingmar Bergman’. Oui, March 1973, pp. 71-72,
123-4.
An interview taking place in Copenhagen during Bergman’s rehearsal there of The Misanthrope.
Bergman talks about censorship and the future of cinema, about the vacuity of faces in porno
magazines, his hatred of sunlight, his love of Fårö and of his wife, Ingrid: ‘She is a little like the
island of Fårö. She knows something very basic about proportions in life.’

824. Heyman, Daniele, Sophie Lannes, and Michel Delain. ‘Bergman: Le succès?
J’adore ça!’ L’Express (Paris), 8-10 October 1973, pp. 79-81, 84-86. Also published in
Cinema (Bukarest) XI, no. 12, 1973: 38-40, 52, and in Weltwoche no. 47, 21 November
1973 (‘Erfolg? Finde ich herrlich!’).
Bergman comments on death and dying; discusses the uncompromising commitment of artists
to their visions; defines his own periphery as being that of ‘my own country, my island.’

825. Kalmar, Sylvi. ‘Cannes 1973’. Fant, no. 26, 3/ 1973, pp. 33-35.
A Norwegian report from a Bergman press conference about Cries and Whispers in the Grande
Salle at Cannes, a disastrous arrangement according to the reporter. Bergman seemed paralyzed
and so did the press. No intelligent questions were asked and no new answers were given. (pp.
34-35 includes review of Cries and Whispers). The interview was also reported under the title
‘Un film pour vous divertir’ in Cinéma Québec III, no. 1 (September 1973): 13-15; and under the
heading ‘Ils ont dit’ in Image et son 278 (November) 1973: 7. It was also touched upon the
Swedish radio news program ‘Eko’, SR, 19 May 1973.
Bergman’s comments range from denials that he will film Ibsen or Strindberg to mentioning
his favorite filmmakers (Ford, Fellini, Buñuel, Varda), and the pleasure of directing actresses –
stressing, however, his love of directing good performers, regardless of gender.

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826. Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Filmkrönikan’. Swedish Television, Channel 2, 4 March

1973.
An interview with Bergman about Viskningar och rop [Cries and Whispers] as a film about the
complex personality of his mother. Bergman admits his dependence on a moral pattern that
was formed in a different time. In his parental home, guilt and punishment were moral realities
that he claims none of his contemporaries experienced.
The interview was commented upon by Clas Brunius in Expr., 5 March 1973. Sundgren’s
interview was summarized in Films in Review XXIV, no. 7 (August-September) 1973: 447-448.

827. ‘Utmaningen’ [The challenge]. STV, Channel 2, 11 June 1973.

A conversation between Ingmar Bergman and pastor Ludvig Jönsson about a Christian up-
bringing focussed on guilt and punishment, and on the use of forgiveness (including divine
grace) as an instrument of power. For a discussion of the TV conversation, see Asta Bolin in Vår
lösen, no. 5, 1974, and Marianne Zetterström, ‘Fnys inte åt mödrarna’ [Don’t pooh-pooh the
mothers], Vecko-Journalen no. 26, 1973, p. 55.

828. Wilson, Berit. ‘Jeg har fått publikum inn på livet’ [I’ve got close to the public].
Dagbladet (Norwegian), 10 May 1973. This interview was also published in DN, 8
February 1974, p. 12.
An interview with Bergman after the success of Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage).

1974
829. Larsén, Carlhåkan. ‘Bergman spelar Trollflöjten – störst av allt är kärleken’ [Berg-
man plays Magic Flute – greatest of all is love]. SDS, 31 December 1974, p. 10.
An interview with Bergman about Swedish cultural policies. The same subject appears in an
interview by Carl-Östen Nordmark in AB, 23 March 1974, p. 18. Cf. Ø 832

830. ‘Kulturpolitik är ett jävla lappverk’ [Cultural policy is a damned patchwork],

SDS, 31 December 1974.
In a brief interview comment, Bergman advocates nationalizing movie houses and production
companies, including his own Cinematograph. The State should subsidize film production/
distribution, but not control the industry through political pressure.

831. Merryman, Richard. ‘I Live at the Edge of a Strange Country’. Life 71, no. 16 (10
October 1974): 60-74.
An interview article researched at the time of the making of The Touch. It covers familiar
Bergman topics: his need of privacy and fear of strangers and uncertain situations; his un-
neurotic atttitude towards work and pragmatic view of filmmaking as a craft.

832. Nordmark, Carl-Östen. ‘Bergman och Streisand överens: Vi ska göra en film ihop’
[B. and S. agree: We shall make a movie together]. AB, 23 March 1974, p. 18.

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Bergman is pessimistic about Sweden’s future as a film-producing country. See also (Ø 829) and
AB, 4 July 1974, p. 24 (short interview about the founding of Svenska spelfilmsföreningen/
Swedish Feature Film Society). For Streisand reference, see Ø 804.

833. Sellermark, Arne. ‘Kvinnor behagar genom att hålla käften’ [Women please by
shutting up]. Femina, no. 39, 1974, pp. 29, 87.
One of several interviews around this time (in the aftermath of Viskningar och rop and Ansikte
mot ansikte) that discussed Bergman’s observation and depiction of women.

834. Strömstedt, Bo. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Ge kvinnorna en chans!’ [Bergman: Give wo-
men a chance!]. Expr., 18 February 1974, pp. 4-5.
Despite the headline, the interview touches on a number of items other than Bergman and
women. Asked to define his roots, Bergman replies: Sweden, the Social-Democratic ideology,
the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the island of Fårö. Asked how he would like to change Sweden, he
responds: ‘Equal rights for women and equal rights for children’. [Lika rättigheter för kvinnor
och lika rättigheter för barn]. Points out that the efficiency rate in shooting his films increased
when he hired more women on the crew. Sees connection between his authoritarian back-
ground and Nazism.

1975
835. Alvarez, A. ‘Visit with Ingmar Bergman’. New York Times Magazine, 7 December
1975, pp. 36, 90-106. Reprinted in Observer, 25 January 1976, p. 25, and in Tages
Anzeiger (Zürich), 20 March 1976, n.p., and summarized in Svensk Damtidning, no.
3 (1976), pp. 17, 63, 69. See also same author’s ‘Ingmar Bergman, poeta della materia’
in Italian paper La Republica, 1 February 1976.
The interviewer is mostly interested in Bergman’s lifestyle. Bergman comments on the present
generation of young people and the state of the world. He deplores TV addiction replacing
reading habits.

836. Donner, Jörn. ‘Samtal med Ingmar Bergman’ [Conversation with Bergman].
Also referred to as ‘Tre scener med Ingmar Bergman’ [Three Scenes with Bergman]. SVT,
Channel 2, on 28 and 30 December 1975, and 1 January 1976. Film copyright: Jörn Donner
Productions & Cinematograph AB. Resumé in Finland, Finland, no. 1 (1978), pp. 64-65. Re-
sumés were published by Jonas Sima (‘Jörn Donner intervjuar Ingmar Bergman’), TV-Expr., 26
December 1973, and by Berit Wilson (‘Bergman talar med Donner’), DN, 23 December 1975, pp.
1-2. Also reported as a 95-minute film by Hawk, in Variety, 12 November 1975, and shown at the
1975 Chicago Film Festival as ‘Three Scenes with Ingmar Bergman’. Also basis for a later
documentary titled The Bergman File (1977).
The original TV interview was in three parts, each 30 minutes long, edited from 13 hours of
conversation between Donner and Bergman. Part One is titled ‘Barndom och uppbrott’ [Child-
hood and Breaking up], later published in Swedish Films, 1976, p. 16. Scene 2, titled ‘Från
Filmstaden till Fårö’ [From Film City to Fårö], deals with Bergman’s years with Svensk Film-
industri. Part three, titled ‘Vägen till insikt’ [The road to insight], attempts to link Bergman’s
life and art. Bergman defends his choice of subject-matter, i.e., depicting psychological crises
rather than economic and social misery.

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837. Elfving, Ulf. ‘Bilden som retar Bergman’ [The picture that annoys Bergman]. AB, 18
January 1975, p. 18.
A meandering interview. The title refers to a TV transmission of the annual opening of the
Swedish Parliament, which Bergman describes as ‘dismal direction, silliness and miserable
quality’. [sorglig regi, fånighet och miserabel kvalitet]. Bergman discusses the need to establish
a sense of harmony and security between director and ensemble, about his love of images (‘Jag
äter dem/I eat them’), and his claim that he remembers visual moments from age 1.

1976
838. Aghed, Jan. ‘Entretien avec Ingmar Bergman sur “La flûte enchantée et quelques
autres sujets”’. Positif 177 (January 1976): 5-9.
Bergman compares Mozart’s opera to Winnie the Pooh (that is, story and wisdom combined,
written for a 10-year-old by an adult). He defines opera’s main theme as ‘the morality of love’
and justifies changes he made in the libretto as an attempt to make this theme more explicit.

839. ‘Bergman i USA: mer fars än tragedi’ [Bergman in USA: more farce than trage-
dy]. SRTV, 30 April 1976.
After leaving Sweden in the aftermath of the tax debacle (Ø 1272), Bergman flew to Los Angeles
where he gave a press conference/interview. Also covered by NBC, CBS, and ABC, same date.
Also on SVT, Channel 2.

840. Borngässer, Rosemarie. ‘Ein Report und eine Welt–Gespräch mit Ingmar Bergman
in München’. Die Welt, 11 September 1976, p. 32. The same page also has an article on
Munich as Germany’s leading film city. See also Ø 846, 847 and 1272 (pp. 946, 947).
An interview after Bergman and his wife decided on Munich as their foreign domicile. Bergman
reveals that his first choice had been Paris, but two months in Munich to prepare the shooting
of The Serpent’s Egg changed his mind. The city impressed him with its cultural activity. The
interview also touches on his role as stage director. He repeats the statement made to Sjögren in
‘Dialog’, Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, that he is the actors’ ear and eye and reaffirms his
goal as an artist to reach and communicate with the audience.

841. ‘Dialogue on Film: Ingmar Bergman’. American Film 1, no. 4 (January-February)

1976: 33-48.
A question-and-answer period with Bergman at AFI (American Film Institute) in Beverly Hills
in November 1975. The dialogue often lacks direction. Bergman reveals little he has not stated
before, mostly in Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788). The most interesting part consists of Bergman’s
repeated statement that his directorial approach (and his writing) is intuitive, i.e., based on gut
feeling and not on intellectual concepts. Denies that he (and Sven Nykvist) have created a
specific camera style and maintains that each film develops its own style. He concludes with
advice for young filmmakers that passion, obsession, and having something to say is more
important than camera technicalities.
See also McBride, Joseph, ed. ‘Ingmar Bergman’ in Filmmakers on Filmmaking: The American
Film Institute Seminars on Motion Pictures and Television. Los Angeles: Tarcher, 1983: 42-54.

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842. Harryson, Kajsa. ‘Ansikte mot ansikte: Ett samtal med Ingmar Bergman’ [Face to
face: A conversation with Bergman]. Röster i Radio-TV, no. 18 (23-28 April) 1976: 7-8,
and no. 19 (29 April-5 May) 1976. See Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 579).

843. Jungstedt, Torsten. ‘Hos Ingmar Bergman i Bavaria-ateljén’ [With Bergman in the
Bavaria Studios]. SR/TV, 12 December 1976.
A report of a press conference in Munich at the release of Bergman’s film The Serpent’s Egg. Part
of the same press conference opens Jörn Donner’s documentary The Bergman File (Ø 836).
Jungstedt’s report includes brief interviews with Ingmar Bergman, Liv Ullmann, and Sven
Nykvist.

844. ‘Kvällsöppet’. [Late night show]. SR/TV, 29 November 1976.

A taped interview with Bergman on a talk-show program in which he discusses his exile in
Munich and the present political situation there. Bergman unwittingly became embroiled in a
political incident when he was seen at an official gathering with conservative Bavarian politician
Franz Josef Strauss. (See Ø 1272), 1976, Bergman Tax Case and Exile, Aftermath.

845. Mehr, Stefan. ‘Men när jag blir gammal vill jag bli Fårögubbe’ [But when I get old I
want to become an old man on Fårö]. Expr., 29 August 1976, pp. 1, 25-27.
An interview in which Bergman discusses his present life in exile and his plans to return to Fårö
in his old age.

846. Müller, Andreas. ‘Ein neues Leben in Deutschland: Gespräch mit dem schwe-
dischen Regisseur Ingmar Bergman’. Kölner Stadtanzeiger, 26 June 1976. Cf. Ø 1272,
p. 946.
Bergman touches on such topics as his attitude towards Swedish bureaucracy, his political
views, spiritual state of mind, importance of artistic freedom, and his future plans (counts
on working in the Munich theatre for the next ten years). The same subject is dealt with in S.
Schober, ‘Ich fühlte mich wie im Tunnel’. Der Spiegel. no. 20/21, 17 May 1976, 185-86, 188.
Bergman states his reason for leaving Sweden: anger and a need to create: ‘When I am not
creative, I don’t exist.’

847. Schottenius, Maria. ‘Bergman är en bra utlänning’ [Bergman is a good foreigner].

AB, 28 November 1976, pp. 28-29.
An interview article about Bergman’s life in exile. West German journalists reportedly found
him to be a strange recluse. The article describes Bergman’s routine work habits and his living
quarters: an apartment in fashionable Bogenhausen. Cf. tax case Ø 1272, 1976.

848. Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Filmkrönika’. STV, Channel 2, 12 November 1976.

A televised interview with Bergman about the background of The Serpent’s Egg. [Ormens ägg].
This interview was published in French under the title ‘Rencontre avec Bergman’, Positif 204
(March) 1978, pp. 21-22.

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849. Szostack, J. ‘Aspekte’. ZDF TV channel, West Germany, 1976.

An interview with Bergman after his arrival in Munich, at the beginning of his 8-year exile
there. Bergman talks a great deal about his childhood: ‘I always, always, experience, every
morning and every evening that the child Ingmar is there’.

850. Sörensen, Elisabeth. ‘Det är en älsklig tanke att Fellini och jag skall jobba ihop...’ [It
is a lovely thought Fellini and I are to work together...]. SvD, 28 January 1976, p. 9. Cf.
Ø 783, 1174.
Bergman mentions two current film projects: ‘Ormens ägg’ [The Serpent’s Egg] and ‘Den
förstenade prinsen’ [The Petrified Prince]; the latter to be his contribution to a projected Fellini
and Bergman film on the theme of love, produced by Warner Brothers. Bergman also mentions
plans to make a 7-hour TV film for Italian television on Jesus. He wants to focus on the period
from the Last Supper to the Resurrection.
In this interview Bergman talks briefly about the difference between making films for the
cinema and for television; apropos of Ansikte mot ansikte/Face to Face, about to be released, he
says: ‘Thus I have had two different manuscripts – but the film version is included in the TV
version. It is the very steel pillar. [...] This is no stranger than when a composer makes an
orchestra version and a string quartet (of the same composition)’. [Jag har alltså haft två skilda
manuskript – men i TV-versionen ligger filmversionen inbakad. Den är själva stålpelaren. [...]
Det här är inte märkvärdigare än när en kompositör gör dels en orkesterversion och dels en
stråkkvartett.] But Bergman adds that some films can never become TV films; Bergman gives
Viskningar och rop (Cries and Whispers) as an example.

851. Weintraub, Bertrand. ‘Bergman in Exile’. New York Times, 17 October 1976, p. 15.
Though focussed on Bergman settling into his new life in Munich, the interview covers some
aspects of his personal background, such as his early lack of rapport with his parents.

1977
852. Baby, Yvonne. ‘Rencontre avec Ingmar Bergman: Si vous êtes un artiste, pas de
cathédrales’. Le monde, 22 December 1977, pp. 13-14.
Bergman talks about the necessity for an artist to become like a child in order to be creative. He
advocates a new kind of education for the young, reminiscent of the ideas of Ivan Illich: no
formal schooling but learning through exploration of reality, in libraries, in conversations with
a teacher/mentor. He also discusses the role of women.

853. Börjlind, Rolf. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. AB, 18 December 1977, magazine sec., p. 22.
Reprinted in author’s Satir 1976-1982 (Stockholm: Federativs förlag, 1983), pp. 10-11.
A faked interview written by satirist R.B. in a series named ‘Struptaget’ [Stranglehold] and
including other Swedish celebrities, among them prime minister Palme, which resulted in a
summons for breaking the Swedish press code. ‘Quotes’ are pure fantasies but modelled after
real statements or happenings, and are much in the manner of the ‘typical’ Bergman interview,
though a great deal more vulgar. Sample (on the reconciliation between Bergman and the
Swedish government): ‘Jan-Erik [Wikström, Minister of Culture] stood up, burped and pro-
nounced the deeply felt apology of the Swedish people [...] and Harry [Schein] toasted, fucking

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touching it was, and I’m a sensitive guy and I stretched out my hand and Jan-Erik licked my
thumb and Harry cried “skål” and we all sang “When the sun goes down behind Sjöberg’s
outhouse!” And Harry vomited in his napkin and then we danced all night to Beethoven’s fifth
and I got 4 ideas for a feature film, 2 plays and 1 black comedy, plus a short one-act thing about
the universe...’ [Jan-Erik stod upp, rapade och uttalade svenska folkets djupt kända ursäkt [...]
och Harry skålade, det var djävla rörande, och jag är en känslig kille och sträckte ut min hand
och Jan-Erik slickade min tumme och Harry ropade ‘skål’ och vi sjöng alla ‘När solen går ned
över Sjöbergs dass!’ Och Harry spydde i servetten och sen dansade vi hela natten till Beethovens
femte och jag fick 4 idéer till en långfilm, 2 pjäser och 1 svart komedi, plus en kort enaktare om
universum...].
No reaction was reported from Bergman – unlike others depicted in the series.

854. Grafe, Frieda. ‘Ganz zu schweigen von all diesen Frauen’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23
April 1977.
An interview in which Bergman talks about his good relationships with his former wives. Cf.
interview on same subject by K. von Faber in Hör Zu, 29 October 1977.

855. Murphy, Mary. ‘Face to Face with Ingmar Bergman’. New West, 25 April 1977, pp. 16-
22, 28-30.
An emotional encounter between Bergman and a persistent journalist who tries to probe
Bergman’s personality in an attempt to understand her own hostility towards him. The inter-
view proceeds like a therapy session, leaving both Bergman and Murphy exhausted, and at the
end hugging each other.

856. Zacharias, J. ‘Jag vill hem igen’ [I want to come home again]. AB, 10 July 1977, p.
1, 6.
A follow-up interview after Swedish government plea to Bergman to return to Sweden. See
‘Regeringen vädjar: Kom hem Ingmar Bergman’ [The government pleads: Come home Ingmar
Bergman]. AB, 9 July 1977, p. 1. For context, (See Ø 1272), 1976, Ingmar Bergman Tax Case and
Exile.

1978
857. Bragg, Melvyn. ‘The South Bank Show: Ingmar Bergman at Sixty’. Interview on
British television, London Weekend Production, 1978, 56 min. This interview was
summarized by David Quinlan in ‘Bergman, the Man Who Surrendered an Army for
an Assault on Film’. TV Times, 6 May 1978, p. 17. The title refers to Bergman swapping
Christmas gifts with an older brother. See Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), p. 7.
Bergman talks about his childhood and questions of faith that have shaped his intensely
personal oeuvre.

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858. Gauweiler, Peter. ‘München, diese unwahrscheinlichen Möglichkeiten!’ Bayern

Kurier 21 October 1978.
An interview conducted after Bergman’s first year in exile in Munich. He denies rumors that he
is to return soon to Sweden and talks about German audiences as more responsive than
Swedish public. He finds the cultural climate in Bavaria more positive than in Sweden.

859. Rossing-Jensen, Jörn. ‘Ikke lenger eksklusiv, folk ska ha glaede av arbeidet mitt’ [No
longer exclusive, people shall enjoy my work]. Aftenposten (Oslo), 12 July 1978 (Morn-
ing edition), p. 6.
Bergman discusses the political background of The Serpent’s Egg and the failure of his own
generation to change political developments in the world today. He refers specifically to West
German terrorism and claims that those coming of age lack an ideolological frame of reference,
a sense of tradition, and of history.

860. Screen International. ‘Interview with Ingmar Bergman’. no. 130 (March) 1978,
p. 10.
Bergman talks briefly about his stage and screen work in exile. The most interesting part of the
interview is his remark about failing the generation of the Sixties and his own overreacting to
their protests.

861. Sorel, Edit. ‘Ingmar Bergman: I confect Dreams and Anguish’. New York Times, 22
January 1978, Sect. 2, pp. 1, 20.
An interview with Bergman in Munich. Many comments do not seem current but appear to be
lifted from earlier statements made in the Fifties. The familiar Bergman topics of the seventies
also crop up: love of Fårö; the concept of scripts as sheets of music; his approach to directing as
a form of listening and ‘creating an atmosphere of serenity’. Bergman also talks about his
reading habits; love of Fellini; and successful adjustment to Munich.

1979
862. Frankl, Elisabeth. ‘Vad vill du göra med resten av ditt liv, Ingmar?’ [What do you
want to do with the rest of your life, Bergman?]. Expr., 15 September year?, pp. 14-15.
Contrary to the impression given by the title, Bergman talks a great deal about the past: his
relationship to his father (‘a distant power’); his mother (‘mother was love’); his grandmother
(‘very terse. But she treated children with immense respect’); and God (‘the caretaker’).

863. Hembus, J. Interview with Bergman on 18 December 1979, published in Das Fernseh-
spiel im ZDF, no. 30, Mainz, 1980, p. 34.
Bergman talks about his deep-rooted anxiety, which surfaced anew when he was arrested in
February 1976. ‘Every day I get up and feel angst’. The remedy is filmmaking, opening the door
to the studio is like becoming a child who is allowed to play.

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864. Håstad, Disa. ‘Hur tar vi vara på barnens själar?’ [How do we take care of children’s
souls?]. DN, 9 September 1979, p. 14.
The focus is on a mental understanding of children. An early mention by Bergman of the Fanny
and Alexander project.

865. Lindeborg, Lisbet. ‘Ingmar Bergman i München’. Sveriges Radio (SR), 26 April
1979. 44 min.
A radio reportage about Bergman’s work in Munich. Lindeborg’s program includes interviews
with Bergman, some actors, critics, theatre students and members of the audience. Includes
excerpts from Bergman’s productions of Chekhov’s Three Sisters and Molière’s Tartuffe.

866. Nilsson, Björn. ‘Gud och mamma regerade min barndom’ [God and Mother ruled
my childhood]. Expr., 8 September 1979, p. 8.
A reportage from one of Bergman’s rare public appearances (other than press conferences and
TV interviews), a panel discussion celebrating the 700th anniversary of Storkyrkan [Great
Church] in Stockholm. Bergman talks about his close contact with God until organized religion
destroyed the rapport. He sees a connection between his intuitive closeness to his mother and
his guiding artistic principle, which tells him to rely on intuition and ‘throw a spear into a dark
jungle and know it will reach the right spot’. [ kasta ett spjut in i en mörk jungel och veta att det
träffar rätt].

867. Timm, Mikael. ‘Från presskonferens i Stockholm’ [From a press conference in Stock-
holm]. Sveriges Radio (SR), 11 June 1979, 4 minutes.
Ingmar Bergman announces an initiative to save 250 Swedish nitrate feature films threatened
with destruction.

1980
868. Blum, Doris. ‘Was uns fehlt, ist die Erziehung zur Liebe’. Die Welt, 6 February 1980,
p. 27.
An interview with Bergman after four years in Germany. Questions range from critical recep-
tion of his theatre work in Munich to his neglected role as father and the importance he
attributes to marriage in our time.

869. Fredriksson, M. and Sörenson, Elisabeth. ‘Ingmar Bergman om konsten och

livet. Så har kvinnorna svikit sig själva’ [Bergman about art and life. This is how
women have failed themselves]. SvD, 14 December 1980, Sunday Section pp. 1, 5.
More than the title suggests, Bergman talks about his distrust of film schools (and his negative
experience of the Swedish film school back in the 1960s).

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870. ‘Nöjesmagasinet’ [The entertainment magazine]. Sveriges Radio (SR), P1, 13 De-
cember 1980.
A brief interview with Bergman in exile about his views on Sweden, the economic situation for
Swedish filmmaking, new Swedish films he likes, and his view of his own films as utility items
(bruksföremål).

871. Peyser, Arnold. ‘I am a Voyeur: A Conversation with Ingmar Bergman’. Los Angeles
Times, 23 November 1980, pp. 1-2.
Bergman talks about his life in exile and present plans.

872. ‘Rapport’ [News Report]. STV, Channel 2, 14 November 1980.

A brief interview with Bergman, announcing his decision to return to Sweden and his plans for
filming Fanny and Alexander. The same news program reported on the financing and shooting
of the film on 18 and 24 September 1981, and on 31 January 1982.

873. Ruth, Arne. ‘Svenskarna pratar om kärnkraft i stället för om Gud’ [The Swedes talk
about nuclear power instead of God]. Expr., 15 March 1980, pp. 4-5.
The headline is a Bergman quote. Bergman talks about his work in the theatre and about older
and newer films. He defends recent popular Swedish films by Lasse Åberg et. al.

874. Wolf, William. ‘Face to Face with Ingmar Bergman’. New York, 27 October 1980: 33-
38.
An interview with Bergman at home on Fårö. The subject ranges from glimpses of Bergman’s
early years to a reunion with his children and his new experiences during exile.

1981
875. ‘Filmkalas’ [Film Party]. SVT, 14 November 1981.
Bergman is interviewed about his first years at Svensk Filmindustri.

876. Fogelbäck, J. ‘Konstnär, slugger, revoltör’ [Artist, slugger, rebel]. FIB/Kulturfront,

no. 1, 1981: 2-3, 27.
Bergman talks about his sense of loyalty to the dramatic text and about a Swedish lack of debate
on subjects like theatre and film (when compared to Munich, his domicile at the time).

877. Frankl, Elisabeth. ‘Vem är du idag, Ingmar Bergman?’ [Who are you today, Berg-
man?] Expr., 8 February 1981, pp. 30-1.
Bergman talks about his years in exile, his fear of too many overwhelming impressions that
might interfere with work. Going into exile was like learning to ride a bicycle, overcoming a fear
of his own inability to function. Exile was difficult because it was not personally but politically
motivated (the tax case, Ø 1272).
Bergman sees his creative basis like a stack of cards that he shuffles differently for each new
project.

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878. Jones, William G., ed. Talking with Ingmar Bergman (Dallas: SMU Press, 1983), 103
pp. Ill. See Chapter IX, group (Ø 1368).

879. Larass, Claus ‘Das einzige, was ich nicht ertrage, ist Gleichgültigkeit’. Welt am
Sonntag, 8 February 1981.
An interview during Bergman’s last year in Munich. Some retrospective biographical informa-
tion and standard questions about religious issues, bourgeois background, importance of Fårö.
Bergman declares he likes Munich better than Stockholm, for Munich has ‘human proportions.’

880. Lidbeck, Gunilla. ‘Jag är hundraprocentigt trogen min uppgift’ [I am 100% loyal to
my task]. Läs-Femina, no. 2, 1981: 18-20.
Bergman states loyalty to his profession which surpasses loyalty to people; talks about directing
like constructing a stable railroad track on which the ensemble can travel; describes demands
placed upon himself and the crew: precision, sensitivity, friendliness, integrity, emotional
balance, and punctuality.
Additional material from the interview was published in Femina, no. 16 (13 April), pp. 31-33,
36, under title ‘Jag har varit förälskad varje gång – från tårna och ända upp’ [I’ve been in love
every time – from my toes up]. Bergman talks about his love and friendship with women and
about the careers of his children.

881. Nilsson, Björn. ‘Jag undrar om jag inte börjar bli mogen för Shakespeare nu...’ [I
wonder if I am not ripe for Shakespeare now]. Expr., 9 September 1981, p. 4. Anno-
tated in Theatre/ Media Bibliography, group (Ø 583).

882. Wunch, William.‘Talking with Ingmar Bergman’. Dallas Morning News, 11 May 1981,
see pp. 1-2.
During a visit to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, Bergman talked in an inter-
view about directorial manipulation as a danger and a sickness; touches upon his relationship
to his parents and children; mentions fear of unknown cities and people; makes a list of favorite
American and European directors; sees himself as a fading filmmaker.

1982
883. Lejefors, Ann-Sofi ‘Ingmar Bergman. Hans styrka och hans genialitet är hans
barnsliga lust att gestalta’ [Bergman: His strength and his genius lie in his childish
yen to depict]. Månadsjournalen, November 1982, pp. 64-71. Published in English as
‘Bergman in Close-up’. Sweden Now, no. 1, 1983, pp. 36-40.
An insightful interview article based on a visit to the set of Fanny and Alexander. Bergman talks
about creativity as a way of confirming one’s intuition, of recognizing the radar installation in
one’s soul: ‘This radar is turned to the future, the present, the past, [...] to the ghosts, the
demons, the angels and the saints. It’s just a matter of not letting reason and the world around
you destroy that contact’. [Denna radar är vänd mot framtiden, nuet, det förflutna, [...] mot
spökena, demonerna, änglarna och helgonen. Det är bara fråga om att inte låta förnuftet och
världen runt omkring dig förstöra denna kontakt]. Through his intuition, says Bergman, he can

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tell in a second what a person he meets is like and knows that the only thing that cannot be
faked is the mouth. Defines himself as ‘a bourgeois anarchist’. [en borgerlig anarkist].

884. Löthwall, Lars-Olof. ‘Några dagar hos Ingmar Bergman’ [A few days with Berg-
man]. Filmrutan XXV, no. 4 (1982): 2-15.
A diary of recorded impressions and conversations with Bergman and his staff during the
shooting of Fanny and Alexander. Cf. Next item, and documentary film from the making of
F and A.

885. Marker, Frederick J., and Marker, Lise-Lone. ‘Why Ingmar Bergman Will Stop
Making Films’. Saturday Review, April 1982: 36-39.
An interview during the shooting of Fanny and Alexander. Bergman explains the practical
reasons why he will stop making feature films. Cf. Sundgren, l983, (Ø 894). The same subject
is also discussed in an interview with Arnd Rühle, ‘Noch zwei Filme – dann höre ich auf ’,
Münchner Merkur, 26 February 1981.

886. Marker, Frederick J., and Marker, Lise-Lone. ‘Of Winners and Losers: A Con-
versation with Ingmar Bergman’. Theater 13, no. 3 (Summer-Fall) 1982: 42- 52. Re-
printed in Ingmar Bergman. A Project for the Theater, 1983, pp. 1-18. An interview in
connection with Bergman’s staging of his 7-hour triptych at Munich Reidenztheater
on 30 April 1981. Cross-listed in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 599).

887. Marker, Frederick J. and Marker, Lise-Lone. Two interviews entitled ‘Talking
about Theater. A Conversation with Ingmar Bergman’, and ‘Talking about Tomorrow’.
In authors’ book Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theater. 1982, 1992 (Ø 594), pp.
5-30 and pp. 220-234.
The first interview was originally done in 1979 and addresses some of Bergman’s Ibsen, Molière,
and Strindberg productions. Bergman also talks briefly about the connection between his
theatre work and filmmaking (pp. 24-25). The second interview took place in 1980 and concerns
(mostly) Bergman’s theatre work in Munich. (Cf. Ø 886).

888. Palmgren, Christina. ‘Jag har försökt ta kål på barnet i mig men det lever’ [I’ve
tried to kill the child in me but it is alive]. Vi, no. 15 (15 April) 1982: 3-4, 40-43.
An interview article ranging from small talk to insightful comments. Bergman reiterates his
need to maintain open channels to his childhood. He views his older films as of little interest
except as good correctives, a way of discovering ‘en kvardröjande skenhelighet i mig själv’ [a
lingering hypocrisy in myself]. Dwells on Fanny and Alexander, comparing the Ekdahls to a
parson’s family: ‘Kyrkans värld är också en slags teater’. [The world of the church is also a kind
of theatre].

1983
889. Cinema Nuovo xxxii, no. 286 (December 1983): 23.
A press conference in Venice, 9 September 1983. Excerpts are also published in Film Bulletin no.
133 (Zurich), December 1983 and in Positif (‘Propos’) no. 289 (March) 1985: 17-19.

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The occasion was the showing of the full-length TV version of Fanny and Alexander. Berg-
man talked about the Strindberg reference at the end of the film, mentioning his early interest
in the Swedish playwright and his father’s alleged protest when son Ingmar purchased Strind-
berg’s collected works: ‘Put it away, that fellow Strindberg does not exist under our roof ’.

890. Cowie, Peter. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Schooldays. Extracts from an Interview with Ing-
mar Bergman’. Monthly Film Bulletin 50, no. 590 (March) 1983: 84-85.
Not really about Bergman’s schooldays but more about his involvement with Hets (Torment/
Frenzy), set in a school environment, and his relation to film director Alf Sjöberg. The material
is taken from an interview with Bergman at the NFT in September 1982.

891. Janzon, Leif. ‘Entréintervjun. Ingmar Bergman’. Entré, no. 3, 1983, pp. 7-14. Cross-
listed and annotated iin Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 598).

892. Kakutani, Michiko. ‘Ingmar Bergman Summing Up a Life in Film’. New York Times
Magazine, 26 June 1983, pp. 24-29, 32-33, 36-37. Excerpted in Arbetet 3 July 1983, pp. 23-
24. Also published in Dutch as ‘Ingmar Bergman, een leven in film’. de Volkskrant, 6
September 1983. This interview article was included in the author’s collection of
essays, The Poet at the Piano: Portraits of Writers, Filmmakers, Playwrights, and Other
Artists at Work. New York: New York Times Books, 1988, pp. 103-16.
An interview article based on author’s visit to Fårö; sees Bergman’s filmmaking as an auto-
biographical chronicle, but also as reflecting the inwardness of Swedish life. Other subjects
touched on are: Bergman’s interview technique and mental note-taking; his political exposure;
his philosophical shift in the early 1960s; his daily work schedule and need for control over self
and others.

893. Marker, Frederick and Marker, Lise-Lone. ‘The Making of Fanny and Alexan-
der. A Conversation with Ingmar Bergman’. Films and Filming, no. 341 (February
1983): p. 4-9.
Bergman talks about himself as a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in terms of his scriptwriting and
filmmaking. The script is deeply personal; to direct it as a film, it becomes necessary for him to
free himself from it; it is an exercise in objectivity, watching his own material from a distance.
The interview also discusses the making of Fanny and Alexander in some detail. A similar
subject is also discussed in American Film VIII, no. 8 (June 1983): 55-58, 61.

894. Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Ingmar Bergman Bids Farewell to the Cinema’. SVT,
Channel 2, 14 May 1983, 60 min.
An interview with Bergman that includes vignettes from the set of Fanny and Alexander.
Bergman announces his retirement from feature filmmaking: ‘I don’t want to be swept out
from the arena, worn out and tired. I want to go to the bottom with a hoisted flag’. [Jag vill inte
sopas ut från arenan, utsliten och trött. Jag vill gå till botten med hissad flagg].
For resumes of the interview in the press, see Expr., 14 May 1983, p. 6; AB, 14 May 1953, p. 56,
and UNT, 14 May 1983.

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895. Sörenson, Elisabeth. ‘Bergman efter Venedig-utmärkelsen: Hoffmann lockar mig’

[Bergman after the Venice award: Hoffmann tempts me]. SvD, 13 December 1983, p.
13.
An interview article after the showing of the five-hour version of Fanny and Alexander in
Venice, where Bergman accepted the Golden Lion Award given to him in 1982. The headline
of Sörenson’s report refers to discussions between the Gaumont production company and
Bergman about a filmed version of the opera The Tales of Hoffmann. Bergman reiterates his
view that his TV version of The Magic Flute (1974) is a film rather than an opera staging. The
same would be true of making a TV version of The Tales of Hoffmann, which was never realized.

896. Timm, Mikael. ‘Trollkarlen. Intervju med Ingmar Bergman’. SR, P 1, 4 April and 6
May 1983. The interview is reprinted in Timm’s book Ögats glädje, 1994, pp. 127-169.
Crosslisted in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (601).
A somewhat unstructured but informative radio interview with references both to Bergmans’s
filmmaking and theatre work.

1984
897. Axelsson, Per Arne. ‘Gud är inte alldeles död’ [God is not alltogether dead]. SVT,
23 December 1984.
Bergman participates in a discussion on religious faith between author Kerstin Ekman, the
Reverend Ludvig Jönsson, and journalist Pia Gadd.

898. Bertina, B. J. and van der Linden, Frank. ‘Reflections on a Cinematic Legacy:
Scenes from Ingmar Bergman’s Life and Work’. World Press Review, January 1984: 39-
40. Excerpted from Dutch news magazine De Tijd. Also appeared in Spanish El Pais, 31
March 1984, under title ‘Ingmar Bergman: Cada artista es su proprio Psiquiatra’, and
in Cinema Canada, as ‘Goodbye to all that. Ingmar Bergman’s farewell to film’, no. 104
(February 1984): 10-14.
Talk ranges from women as strong partners to Bergman’s sense of morality and discipline. He
dismisses struggle over God as a problem of the past and gives a brief account of his escape into
work and his personal crisis in the mid-Sixties.

899. Harryson, Kajsa ‘Ingmar Bergman: Sinnenas värld var annorlunda förr’ [Bergman:
The world of the senses was different in the old days]. Röster i Radio-TV, no. 52/1,
1984/85, pp. 9-12.
An interview article, mostly about Fanny and Alexander and Bergman’s recollections of his
childhood.

900. Larsson, Mika. ‘Man måste älska – annars går det inte’ [You have to love – or else
it’s no good]. Upp & Ner, no. 2, 1984: 50-55, and AB, 11 March 1984, pp. 2-3, Sunday
magazine.
The headline of this interview article refers to Bergman’s discussion of different kinds of love:
self-love, creativity based on love, his father’s love for his mother, his own love for his mother,

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his love of actors. He refers to love as a sense of joy. Bergman describes himself as a workaholic
in film and theatre, which is an attempt to compensate for his sense of failure in other areas – as
an author, as a religious person, in his marital relations, and politically. Talks about his own
basic indolence, inherited from his father who had an ‘escapist intelligence’, which he mastered
through self-discipline, a key aspect in Bergman’s own upbringing. Looks upon his artistic
activity as hard: ‘like sculpting in granite.’

901. Thieringer, Thomas. ‘Ich bin ein Handwerker’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 15 May 1984, p.
104.
Interview ranges from questions about the The Silence, the film that made Bergman well-known
in Germany, to a request that Bergman comment on art, which he refuses to do, defining his
work as that of a craftsman. He reiterates his decision not to return to filmmaking because it is
physically too tiring. Similar content is also found in ‘Goodbye to all that: Ingmar Bergman’s
farewell to film’. Cinema Canada, February 1984: 10-14. See also ‘Gespräch mit Ingmar Bergman’.
Frankfurter Rundschau, 3 January 1985, where Bergman expresses similar ideas about retiring
from filmmaking.

902. Wauters, Jean-Pierre. ‘Luisteren naar Ingmar Bergman’. Film en Televisie 330 (No-
vember) 1984: 11-13.
Interview in which Bergman talks about his filmmaking in general and his making of Fanny
and Alexander in particular.

1985
903. Frankl, Elisabeth. ‘Här hör jag hemma’ [Here I am at home]. Expr., 2 November
1985, pp. 22-23.
The first half of the interview is annotated in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 604). The second
half touches on Bergman’s views of Stockholm: ‘a tough and dirty and rather uncomfortable
city’ [en tuff och smutsig och ganska obekväm stad]; on his leisure time (theatre and concerts);
on his attitudes in his younger days: ‘I don’t think I understood my bad behavior, that I farted
in church. I was met with so much aggressiveness from people, I didn’t understand why’. [Jag
tror inte jag förstod mitt dåliga uppförande, att jag släppte mig i kyrkan. Jag mötte så mycken
aggression från människor, jag förstod inte varför]. Interview concludes with a reference to
Bergman’s new contacts with his children.

904. Laretei, Käbi. ‘Kväll med Käbi’ [An Evening with Käbi]. Swedish Television, Chan-
nel 2, 19 January 1985.
Bergman’s former wife, pianist Käbi Laretei, interviews him about his use of music in his work.

905. Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Fanny och Alexander: God, sex en Ingmar
Bergman’. Skoop XXI, no. 4 (June-July 1985); p. insert 21-23. Also published in English
in Films and Filming, February 1983, pp. 4-9. See Filmography, Fanny and Alexander.

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906. Positif. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. no. 289 (March 1985): 17-35.

Excerpts from a press conference at Venice film festival after the showing of the long version of
Fanny and Alexander, plus an interview focusing on Bergman’s work for television, especially
his TV version of Molière’s Ecole des femmes.

907. Serre, Olivier. ‘Bergman parle’. Cinéma 327 30 October 1985, p. 3.

Excerpts from earlier interviews published in Cahiers du Cinéma (1956); in Jean Béranger’s book
Ingmar Bergman et ses films (1960); L’Express (1970) and The Personal Vision of Ingmar Bergman
by Jörn Donner (1970).

1986
908. Hansen, Jan E. ‘Snestorm rundt en syltestrikk’ [Snow storm around a string]. Af-
tenposten (Oslo), 8 February 1986. Also annotated in Theatre/Media Bibliography,
(Ø 613).
A personal interview article based on a Norwegian journalist’s visit to Bergman’s room at
Dramaten. The title of the article refers to Stockholm’s wintry streets and to Bergman playing
with a piece of string throughout the interview. Main focus: Bergman’s total staging of the
interview situation. Cf. Murphy and Samuels interviews (Ø 811 and 855).

909. Marker, Lise-Lone and Frederick. ‘Bergman’s Borkman. An Interview’. Theater

17, no. 2 (Spring) 1986: 48-55. Cross-listed in Ø 614.
Though focussing on Bergman’s 1985 Munich production of Ibsen’s play John Gabriel Borkman,
this interview includes other references to Bergman’s stagecraft.

1987
910. Nygren, Ronny. ‘Bergman’. AB, Bokbilaga [Book supplement]. 29 November 1987 p.
24.
An interview about Bergman’s reading habits. Bergman expresses his appreciation of women
writers.

1988
911. Babski, Cindy. ‘Bergman Brings a Restive Hamlet to Brooklyn’. New York Times, 5
June 1988, pp. 5, 23.
An interview article based on a meeting with Bergman in Stockholm during the staging of Long
Day’s Journey into Night. The interview was also published as ‘Epic Journey into Night’. Sweden
Now, no. 4, 1988: 7-9. A mixture of comments on Bergman’s production of Hamlet, its inpend-
ing visit to BAM, and general Bergman statements about life at 70: ‘I am not very far from the
falls (rapids) but that does not worry me; life on the river just before the falls is very beautiful’.
See also annotated cross-listing in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 619).

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912. Ingmar Bergman: The Magic Lantern. Thames ITV documentary, shown on
BBC Channel 4, directed by Michael Winterbottom and produced by Alan Horrox,
May 1988. 52 min. Accompanying booklet published by British Film Institute and
Thames Television. London: BFI, 1988, 57 pp.
Program combines archival material with clips from forty years of interviews in order to
explore the roots of Bergman’s artistic vision. This documentary has a companion piece called
‘Ingmar Bergman: The Director’ (52 min.), which consists of recollections by Bergman actors
and crew. A publication titled Working with Ingmar Bergman was edited from this film and
consists of interviews with Erland Josephson, Gunnar Fischer, Birger Malmsten, Harriet An-
dersson, Bibi Andersson, Max von Sydow, and Liv Ullmann.

913. Lubowski, Bernt. ‘Gespräch mit dem Meister-Regisseur und Felix-Gewinner. Ing-
mar Bergman tritt für Europas Filmkünstler ein’. Berliner Morgen-Post, no. 304, 29
December 1988.
An interview conducted in connection with the founding of the European filmmakers Felix
Prize, of which Bergman was the first recipient. He declares his filmmaking days are over but
his love of the cinema is still alive. Talks about his film viewing habits (old German silent films,
early American cinema) and explains his presence on the occasion: Not to pick up the Felix
Prize (‘They could have sent that by mail’) but to give his support to the idea of a European
cinema and send a signal to European film audiences not to watch only American movies. See
also Ø 920.

914. Nilsson, Björn. ‘Vi lät oss köpas – nu får vi betala’ [We sold ourselves – now we get
to pay]. Expr., 20 February 1988, pp. 4-5.
Bergman talks about the declining support of cultural activities in Sweden. See Group entry
(Ø 602) in Theatre/Media Bibliography for fuller comment on economic crisis at Dramaten.

1989
915. Bentivoglio, Leonetta. ‘Il teatro e la mia casa’. La Republica, 16 September 1989.
Italian interview in which Bergman explains the difference between theatre direction and
filmmaking. The former is a secure world, the latter is like a cancer harbouring his demons.
In contrast to Fellini (whom Bergman refers to as ‘my brother’) who said that the cinema was
his life, Bergman defines his way of life as ‘theatre, silence and my family’. Cf. similar interview
in Il Messagero, 5 May 1989. This interview was also published (in excerpts) in German in Die
Welt, 20 June 1989.

916. Gunnlaugsson, Hrafn. ‘Ingmar Bergman på Island’ [Bergman in Iceland]. SVT,

Channel 1, 19 January 1989.
In June 1986, when Dramaten visited Reykjavik with Bergman’s production of Fröken Julie,
Icelandic filmmaker Hrafn Gunnlaugsson covered the visit for Icelandic Television. Several
times earlier he had tried in vain in the US to track down Ingmar Bergman for an interview,
when Bergman was scheduled to appear in connection with various Nordic events, but each
time Bergman cancelled the visit. But Iceland had aroused his curiosity as an island: ‘Islanders

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are a little different from people on the mainland. They themselves become like islands.’ To
travel to Iceland, said Bergman, was like travelling to relatives and friends.
Gunnlaugsson’s interview with Bergman is highly recommended. It is a talk between two
professionals and its value lies in their special rapport, producing a conversation that is both
easy-going and informative. The subjects range from Bergman’s view of Strindberg to the
difference between directing a film and a stage play – the former being a more controlling
task since a filmmaker is the only one who knows what the final film is supposed to look like.
Bergman would like to see both theatre and cinema as the art of the moment, where the only
thing surviving ‘lies in the memory of the receivers’ [ligger i mottagarens minne].

917. Gustavsson, Ulf. ‘Ingmar Bergman i Uppsala: Barndomslandet ännu en källåder’

[Bergman in Uppsala. The land of childhood is still a main source]. Upsala Nya
Tidning, 29 November 1989, p. 19.
A full page summary of a seminar in which Bergman participated, titled ‘Barnet inom oss’ (The
Child within us) and held at the Nursing School in his childhood town of Uppsala. Most
statements are variations of what Bergman writes about his childhood in Laterna magica, 1987.
Asked about the present, he says: ‘I feel like a Model T Ford with a jet engine. The mind is still
there, but the chassis is worn out’. [Jag känner mig som en T Ford med en jetmaskin. Hjärnan
finns där fortfarande men chassit är utslitet].

918. Ninka. ‘Mit utrolige liv’ [My incredible life]. Magasinet (Danish), 8 October 1989.
In connection with his receiving the Danish Sonning Prize (see Chapter IX, (Ø 1477), Bergman
gave a long interview in which he talked about his ‘life spark’ – to have connected again with his
own rhythm from his childhood; about his reconciliation with his parents so that they ceased to
be mythical figures and became friends; about his relationship with his children, including
younger actors and directors who adopt him as a father figure; about his growing love of people
– and his growing distance from them; and about his sense that mankind has mentally reached
point zero. Also talked about his form of recreation: to sit at Fårö and look out to sea: ‘I can sit
for two hours and there exists nothing else than me looking at the sea. I look at the light over
the sea. Sit there like an old dog. A dog always looks so wise. And then it sleeps for awhile. And
then it looks again. I can feel a sadness, an intense pain that one day I will not be sitting there
looking out over the sea. And then again: no melancholy. And I think that has to do with the
fact that I’ve had such a fantastic life’. [Jeg kan sidde i to timer og der existerer ikke andet æn
meg som ser på havet. Jeg ser på lyset over havet. Sidder der som en gammel hund. En hund ser
altid så klog ud. Og sen sover den en stund. Og sen kikker den igen. Jeg kan føle en sorg, en
intensiv smerte att jeg en dag ikke vil sidde og kikke ud over havet. Og så igen: ingen melankoli.
Og jeg tror det hænger sammen med att jeg har haft ett så fantastisk liv].

1990
919. Assayas, Olivier & Björkman, Stig. ‘Conversation avec Bergman’. Editions de
L’Etoile/Cahiers du cinéma 1990, 125 pp. [Excerpt in Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 436,
1990; in Scotland on Sunday, 2 December 1990; and in Kino XXV, no. 1 (283) (January
1991), pp. 32-35]. Issued as a book in Swedish in Filmkonst, no. 13 (1993), titled Tre
dagar med Bergman, 143 pp. See also J. M. Frodon, ‘Bergman blickar tillbaka’. Tempus,
1-7 Nov 1990, pp. 24-27 (trans. from Le Monde with excerpts from Assayas & Björk-
man).

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A series of somewhat unstructured conversations with Bergman, ranging from early theatre
stagings and the impact of Strindberg to films that have influenced him and brief discussions of
some of Bergman’s own films such as Summer Interlude, Summer with Monica, The Magician,
and From the Life of the Marionettes.
Reviews: Iris (Spring) 1991: 144-46; Images (Spring) 1991: 86.

920. Mowe, Richard. ‘Bergman’s Dream’. Scotland on Sunday, 2 December 1990.

An interview with Bergman after he accepted to become president of the European Film Awards
jury in Glasgow. He later resigned. See Elisabeth Sörenson interview, ‘Min hemresa var en
protest’ [My return home was a protest]. SvD, 10 December 1991, section 2, p. 1-2. Cf. Ø 913.

1991
921. Bergström, Lasse. ‘Den gamle och havet. En försonad Ingmar Bergman längtar till
den absoluta friheten’ [The Old Man and the Sea. A reconciled Bergman longs for
absolute freedom]. Månadsjournalen, November 1991. Cf. Bergström, 1992 (Ø 924).
Also published in Danish Berlingske Tidende, 24 November 1991.
Bergman explains the difference between Den goda viljan and his screenplays, which stems from
the fact that he knew he would not be directing the film himself. An earlier work of his that
served as a kind of model was Scenes from a Marriage, a relationship drama told chronologically.

922. Skawonius, Betty. ‘Kulturella arvet måste räddas’ [Cultural heritage must be saved].
DN, 14 February 1991, p. B1, B3.
Bergman criticizes new economic film policy which signals cuts of various activities at the
Swedish Film Institute: the Cinemateque, the Archival section, the film library, and the film
journal Chaplin. The crisis was related to increasing costs and declining public support of newly
produced Swedish films. Bergman would like to separate the film production section at SFI
from the cultural activities now threatened.

1992
923. n.a. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. The Great Directors, Series 2. Rockleigh, NJ: Film Classics VHS
video cassette (83 minutes, b & w), 1992. In Swedish with English subtitles.
Interview with Ingmar Bergman, Bibi Andersson, and Liv Ullmann, dating back to the release
of Persona in 1966. See Ø 768.

924. Bergström, Lasse. ‘Bergman’s Best Intentions’. Scanorama, May 1992, pp. 10-18.
An interview with Bergman on Fårö by his book editor. At the time, Bergman was preparing the
staging of the opera The Bacchae. At age 74, he now only does the type of theatre work he
enjoys. Talks about damage done to the theatre and the classics by 1968 generation and about
his attempts to rectify this by his post-exile staging of classics like Shakespeare and Molière.

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925. Trassato, Sergio. Ingmar Bergman, il paradoxo di un ‘Ateo cristiano’. Firenze: La

nuova Italia. Series: Casturo Cinema, no. 156, 1992: 7-163 (+ filmography). 188 pp.
Book opens with a brief interview with Bergman, pp. 3-6. The reference to him as a ‘Christian
atheist’ reflects Italian approach to his filmmaking. See Ø 1012 and 1536.

926. Åhlund, Jannike. ‘Bergman vid källsprånget’ [Bergman at the source]. Chaplin
xxxiv, no. 239, (April-May), 1992: 29-35.
An interview in connection with the restoration of Georg af Klercker’s film Nattliga toner
[Nightly tunes], a project financed through a donation by Bergman. Bergman comments on
possible rivalry between af Klercker and Victor Sjöström. Considers af Klercker a better narra-
tive filmmaker, whom he envies because he was part of the origins of filmmaking. But he also
experiences the mystique of that era: ‘This fantastic feeling of sitting at the source’. [Denna
fantastiska känsla av att sitta vid källan].

1993
927. n.a ‘Trollkarlens lärling’ [The magician’s apprentice]. Chaplin xxxv, no. 3 (March)
1993: 53-54.
Bergman’s directorial assistant in the mid-Fifties, Gösta Ekman, son of Hasse Ekman and
grandson of legendary Swedish actor of the same name, is interviewed about his contact with
Bergman: ‘One day God (ha-ha-ha) asked if I would come along down the road a bit. It was of
course very strange that he would take time to put aside the cross and ask if I wanted to join in
on the way to Golgotha’. [En dag frågade Gud (he-he-he) om jag ville följa med bortåt vägen en
bit. Det var ju mycket märkligt att han hade tid att ställa ifrån sig korset och fråga om jag skulle
hänga med på väg till Golgota.] Ekman believes that Bergman was trying to establish another
link to Swedish film and theatre history. Ekman worked as an assistant on Smultronstället (Wild
Strawberries) (starring silent film’s nestor Viktor Sjöström) during Bergman’s tenure at the
Malmö City Theatre in the Fifties.

1994
928. Salander, Anna. ‘När lägger du av, Ingmar?’ [When will you quit, Ingmar?]. Dramat
no. 3, 1994: 34-39.
A fictitious interview by ‘Finno-Swedish journalist living in Rome’. Interview is rejected by her
paper but ‘Bergman’ helps get it published in Dramat. An English translation appeared in a
special New York festival issue of Dramat, 1995, under the title ‘When Do You Quit, Ingmar?’,
pp. 8-13.

1995
929. Riding, Alan. ‘Face to Face with a Life of Creation’. NYT, 30 April 1995, pp. 1, 30.
Bergman is interviewed in connection with the New York Bergman festival in May-June 1995.
Bergman was invited but would not attend. Interview uncovers nothing new and is mostly a

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survey of Bergman’s artistic career, juxtaposed with some biographical comments (childhood,
parents, exile).
This interview was printed in Dutch in de Volkskrant, 4 May 1995 and was reported in
Swedish press. See Arne Reimer, ‘Bergman har gett sista intervjun’ [Bergman has given his last
interview]. Expr., 30 April 1995, p. 8.

930. Åhlund, Jannike. ‘Sista intervjun med Ingmar Bergman’ [Last interview with Berg-
man]. Expr., 23 November 1995: 17-20. Cross-listed and annotated in Theatre/Media
Bibliography, (Ø 651).
Bergman discusses the difference between work in theatre and film. Considers work necessary
for his well-being: ‘If you sit down without knowing what to do, then you easily fall into a black
hole’. [Om du sätter dig ner utan att veta vad du ska göra, då ramlar du lätt ner i ett svart hål].
Calls hard and disciplined work ‘en bra korsett’ [a good corset].

1996
931. ‘Möte med Ingmar Bergman.’ Interview by Marie Nyreröd on Fårö shortly before
TV transmission of Bergman’s TV film Larmar och gör sig till (In the Presence of a
Clown). SVT, Channel 2, ‘Nike’ program, 50 minutes. Photo: Arne Carlsson. 1 No-
vember 1997.
Bergman talks about the background figure to Carl in Larmar och gör sig till, an uncle by the
name of Johan Åkerblom who was a mentally unstable inventor, much admired by Bergman as
a child. The film is basically his life story. Talk also covers Bergman’s thoughts about old age,
the death of his wife, his late rapport with his children and grandchildren, his love of music but
inability to memorize and execute a musical piece, his need for Fårö and its isolation.

1998
932. Bergdahl, Gunnar. ‘Bergmans röst’ [Bergman’s voice]. A film interview. 1 hr. 27
min. Produced by Gunnar Bergdahl & Bengt Toll. Gothenburg Film Festival, 1997;
Triangelfilm, 1998. Available in English (Voice of Bergman); German (Bergmans
Stimme); Portuguese (Voz de Bergman).
Expanded material from a TV interview with Bergman in 1997, broadcast on 8 February 1997 on
SVT, when he became honorary president of Gothenburg Film Festival. Bergman comments on
the history of the cinema and filmmakers of importance to him. Available with English sub-
titles. Resume of Bergdahl’s presentation was printed in Film West, no. 29 (July 1997): 45.

933. Björkman, Stig. ‘Ingmar Bergman, clown toujours’. Also listed under two titles:
‘Seule me guide le principe de plaisir’ and ‘Bergman, faiseur d’images’. Cahiers du
Cinéma no. 524 (May 1998): 33-45.
A combined article and interview focusing on Larmar och gör sig till. Bergman talks about his
love of Schubert, about the sensitivity of TV cameras, and about the making of Larmar... (In the
Presence of a Clown).

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934. Donner, Jörn. ‘Ingmar Bergman om liv och arbete’ [Ingmar Bergman about life and
work]. SVT Interview with Bergman, broadcast on his 80th birthday, 14 July 1998.
Translated by Joan Tate as ‘Demons and Childhood Secrets: An Interview’. Grand
Street 17, no. 2 (Fall) 1998: 180-93.
A life and letters question-and-answer period, somewhat unstructured and with relatively little
new information, but with a nice rapport between Donner and Bergman, based on decades of
contact concerning filmmaking issues.

935. Eriksson, Olle. ‘Tystnaden bruten’ [Broken Silence]. Expr., 10 May 1998, pp. 14-15.
A resume of Bergman’s two-hour press conference, at which he presented his new film script
Trolösa (Faithless), to be directed by Liv Ullmann. Bergman refers to the personal background
of the film. Other aspects of the interview/press conference deal with Bergman’s daily routine
and his many farewells to the screen. For the same subject, see also Thomas Höjeberg, “Ut-
pressning’ bakom nya Bergman-filmen’. Arbetet, 10 May 1998, and Jeanette Gentele, ‘Egentligen
har jag slutat med det här’ [Actually, I am done with this]. SvD, 10 May 1998, p. 14.

1999
936. Ekman, Johannes. Radio interview with Ingmar Bergman and Erland Josephson.
Sveriges Radio (SR), P1, 6 February 1999. Cross-listed and annotated in Ø 669.

937. Lahr, John. ‘The Demon-lover: after six decades in film and theatre, Ingmar Berg-
man talks about his family and the invention of psychological cinema’. The New
Yorker, vol. 75, issue 13 (31 May) 1999, pp 66-80.
Billed as an interview, this is more of a composite of earlier talks with Bergman by a variety of
critics. However, the piece is informative and well-written, and a good overview of Bergman’s
career.

2000
938. Lindström, Jan. ‘Ingmar Bergman berättar’ [Bergman relates]. Expr. 29 December
2000, pp. 1, 26-29.
Mostly a pictorial reportage. Bergman talks about his self-chosen isolation on Fårö after wife
Ingrid’s death in 1995; about his relationship to Dramaten; his plans (an Ibsen radio play; a new
play for TV); and about his 63-year old handicap, tinnitus, an ailment caused during his
military service.

939. Lundberg, Camilla. ‘Ingmar Bergman och musiken’ [Bergman and music]. SVT,
Channel 1, 25 December 2000 and 6 January 2001.
A conversation with Bergman about the role of music in his life and his use of music in his
films.

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940. Sievers, Malou von. ‘Malou möter’ [Malou meets]. TV 4, 4 April 2000; rebroadcast
30 December 2000.
A conversation with Ingmar Bergman and actor Erland Josephson, life-long friends. The subject
ranges from their role as fathers to thoughts on love, old age, and death. Josephson expresses
his fear of death; Bergman says he would rather commit suicide than allow his soul to be
trapped inside a decaying body.
This interview was quoted in a number of newspapers abroad. See, for instance, Chicago
Tribune, 5 April 2000, p. 2. It was later broadcast in many European countries and shown at the
Cannes Film Festival.

941. Söderberg, Agneta. ‘Den gamle och lusten’ [The Old Man and desire]. Måna-
dsjournalen no. 10 (October) 2000: 25-29.
Bergman gives three reasons for his continued creativity: (1) it is rooted in his childhood; (2)
certain actors inspire him to go on; (3) it is fun. The interview is an homage to his actors for
their insight, self-effacing irony, musicality, and sensitivity, and for expressing a radiant joy for
their profession.

2001
942. Friedner, Calle. ‘Samtal om musik’ [Conversation about music]. Sveriges Radio, 8
April 2001.
Ingmar Bergman and Daniel Börtz (composer of opera, The Bachae) talk about music.

2002
943. Aghed, Jan. ‘När Bergman går på bio’ [When Bergman goes to the movies]. SDS, 12
May 2002, pp. B1, 3.
Bergman recalls his teenage matinees on Sundays, squeezed in between Pastor Bergman’s after-
church coffee and family dinner at five. He recalls a response to French journalists in the Sixties
about his favorite French filmmakers (Carné and Duvivier from the Thirties) when he realized
he should have said Renoir instead of naming two representatives of ‘le cinéma de papa’.
Comments on the Hollywood filmmaker he admires most, Billy Wilder, for his acumen in
picking the right actors. Current filmmakers he likes, because they are ‘passionate and have an
idealistic approach to filmmaking’ [passionerade och har en idealistisk syn på filmandet]:
Soderbergh, Spielberg, Scorsese in the US, Jan Troell, Lukas Moodison, and Reza Parsa in
Sweden. Concludes that he had a tough time with some Swedish film critics in the early part
of his career. Also some brief comments about the Malmö theatre scene and on the change of
leadership at Dramaten.

944. Bergdahl, Gunnar. ‘Ingmar Bergman. Intermezzo’. TV interview, SVT, Channel 1,

29 January 2002.
Produced by Gunnar Bergdahl and Gothenburg Film Festival.
Bergman begins by conducting an interview with Bergdahl, then responds to subjects rang-
ing from Strindberg and Ibsen to old age (sleeplessness and keeping the demons at bay) and the

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reality of death. Most topics have been dealt with in previous Bergman interviews. The most
interesting feature of this one is Bergman’s attempt to project his own passion for film on the
(rather tame) interviewer.

945. Björkman, Stig. ‘Jag ser allt. Ingmar Bergman i samtal med Stig Björkman’ [I see
everything. Bergman in a Conversation with Stig Björkman]. In Fucking Film. Den
nya svenska filmen, ed. by Stig Björkman, Helena Lindblad & Fredrik Sahlin. Stock-
holm: Alfabeta Anamma, 2002, pp. 138-44. The same interview with some additional
comments by Bergman about retiring from life in Stockholm is published in Sight and
Sound (August 2002).
A conversation with Bergman about recent Swedish cinema. Bergman sees present situation in
Swedish filmmaking as a generational shift rather than a new trend, as in the 1960s. He misses
the ‘erotic’ light and magic of old-fashioned filmmaking. He is ambivalent about the new DVD
cameras.See also Björkman, Stig. ‘Pure kamikaze’. Sight and Sound XII, no. 9 (September) 2002:
14-15. Mostly an interview about Bergman’s forthcoming TV film Saraband but also a brief
conversation about cinematography in the silent cinema vs the self-conscious trickery of the
Dogma films. Part of this interview is excerpted from Sight and Sound interview in August 2002
issue.

946. Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Lek och raseri’, Ø 677, 2002.

This reception study of Bergman’s theatre productions is interspersed with Bergman’s own
comments in dialog segments after each chapter, based on recent telephone interviews.

2003
947. Sveriges Television (STV), Channel 1. Saturdays and Sundays, June-September
2003.
In recognition of Bergman’s 85th birthday on July 14, 2003, SVT paid tribute to him by
transmitting one of his films every week from June to September. The films were chosen by
Bergman and each showing was preceded by a brief interview, filmed in his small private
cinema on his Fårö premises. Interviewer: Marie Nyreröd. See also next item.

2004
948. Nyreröd, Marie. SVT Producer. Interviews with Ingmar Bergman in three 1-hour
segments titled: ‘Bergman och filmen’, broadcast on 8 April 2004; ‘Bergman och
teatern’, broadcast on 9 April 2004; ‘Bergman och Fårö’, broadcast on 12 April 2004.
The interviews all took place on Fårö. Nyreröd had extensive conversations with Bergman in
preparation for a retrospective showing of his films on SVT in honor of his 85th birthday. There
is a warm rapport between the two but also a certain feeling that Bergman is merely responding
with answers formulated long ago. The first two interviews include relatively little new infor-
mation by Bergman, while in the last one he shares some rare glimpses of his home with the
viewer.

876
Ingmar Bergman’s work has elicited a great deal of comment and analysis.
His dominant position in Swedish filmmaking is suggested by this cover from
volume V of Svensk Filmografi, where two out of three illustrations are taken
from Bergman films.
 Chapter IX

Works on Ingmar Bergman

This chapter lists in chronological order bibliographical items that address Ingmar
Bergman’s life and work, except for items pertaining to Bergman’s stagecraft and
media productions, which are listed in the Theatre/Media Bibliography (Chapter
VII), and interviews, which are found in Chapter VIII. Review articles and essays
dealing with a single screenplay, film or theatre production are listed under the
appropriate item in either the Filmography, Media or Theatre Chapters (IV, V and
VI). Longer articles on individual films or produced plays, which are deemed of
special importance are cross-listed and annotated here.
As in the Theatre/Media Bibliography (Chapter VII) selective entries addressing the
same subject have been listed as ‘group entries’ and appear at the beginning of the
year when the first item in the group was published.
FIAF’s database on critical material dealing with Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking
currently lists some 800 items, mostly reviews and articles in film journals. There is
some overlapping with FIAF material here but care has been taken to focus on sources
usually not listed or annotated in FIAF.

1938
949. Untitled news item. SvD, 24 May 1938, p. 14.
A press note and first official mention of Ingmar Bergman, referring to him as ‘Kandidat
Bergman’ [kandidat was the common titular reference to a student qualified for university
studies]. The occasion was Bergman’s first (amateur) stage production, Sutton Vane’s Outward
Bound, at Mäster Olofsgården. See Theatre Chapter VI, (Ø 344).

1945
950. n.a. ‘Från Körkarl till Kejsare’ [From Coachman to Emperor]. Filmbilden XI, no. 1,
1945: 6-7.
The title refers to two important productions in Svensk Filmindustri’s history: Körkarlen (The
Phantom Carriage) from 1919 and Kejsaren av Portugallien (The Emperor of Portugallia) from

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1944, both of them based on novels by Selma Lagerlöf. The article points out the importance of
scripts of literary quality and suggests the timeliness of Bergman’s debut as a filmmaker and
scriptwriter. The item includes a statement by SF producer Carl Anders Dymling: ‘A nation gets
the kind of film it deserves’. [En nation får den film den förtjänar].

1946
951. n.a. ‘England vill ha filmmanus av Ingmar Bergman’ [England wants film script by
Bergman]. ST, 22 August 1946, p. 7.
A report of an offer to Bergman to write a film script for British Film Company Two Cities.
Bergman’s script to Hets (Frenzy) had aroused the British production company’s interest in
having him provide a screenplay based on an idea to be suggested by the company.

1947
952. Group Item: Fyrtiotalism. Bergman and Literary Scene of the 1940s
In an article by Nils Beyer (‘Ingmar Bergman’. See next item) the author makes a reference to
Bergman as a fyrtiotalist, i.e., a member of the modernist, metaphysically oriented generation of
writers who dominated the literary scene in Sweden in the Forties and received a great deal of
publicity in the media.
Bergman’s own attitude towards the fyrtiotalister was ambivalent: He obviously shared their
existentialist mood and published an early prose vignette, ‘En kortare berättelse om en av Jack
Uppskärarens tidigaste barndomsminnen’ [A short tale about one of Jack the Ripper’s earliest
childhood memories] in the ‘fyrtitalist’ literary organ, 40-tal (Ø 26). But he was critical of their
exclusiveness. In a 1947 radio dialogue with actor Anders Ek (SR, 2 January 1947), titled ‘Ej för
att roa blott’ [Not just to entertain], Bergman rejects the fyrtiotalist writers as narcissistic closet
poets who write for themselves or a clique of insiders (Ø 692). In an interview article from 1950
(‘Det personligas kris’, Filmnyheter 6, 1950: 8-10, 15, Ø 695) Bergman states: ‘I’m no elitist snob
who makes films for a clique of rare esthetes, and I don’t accept being called “a fyrtitalist”’ [Jag
är ingen elitsnobb som gör filmer för en klick sällsynta esteter och jag accepterar inte att man
kallar mig ‘fyrtitalist’]. This statement was made in the aftermath of the reception of Bergman’s
1949 film Fängelse (Prison) which had been called by one reviewer ‘a fyrtitalist film morality’ [en
fyrtitalistisk filmmoralitet] (Ø 210, Rec.). Yet, a few years earlier in a program note to his
production of Olle Hedberg’s Rabies, Bergman had written:
There are many who wonder why the generation of the Forties is preoccupying themselves
right now with literature and drama, with what is popularly called ‘filth’. [...] There is really
only one explanation for this: we live in a post-war world. The time after World War I was
marked by an altogether other form of festivity. [...] there were dogmas to tear down,
illusions to be lost, a morality to oppose, a nihilism to enjoy. Now not even the illusion
of chaos exists. Now only the illusion of a great infinite emptiness exists. A terrifying
impersonal nothingness.

[Det är många som undrar varför fyrtiotalets generation sysslar just nu i litteratur och
dramatik med det som populärt kallas ‘smuts’. [...] Det finns egentligen bara en förklaring
till detta: att vi lever i en efterkrigstid. Tiden efter första världskriget var märkt av en helt

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

annan slags festivitas. [...] det fanns dogmer att riva ner, illlusioner att förloras, en moral att
opponera mot, en nihilism att njuta av. Nu existerar inte ens illusionen av ett kaos. Nu finns
bara illusionen av ett oändligt stort tomrum. Ett skrämmande opersonligt ingenting]. Cf.
Ø 30.
Similar thoughts were expressed by Bergman in a 1966 radio interview in connection with a re-
broadcast of his 1951 play Staden [The city]. The interviewer, Gunnar Ollén, asks if Bergman
experienced what was then called ‘atombombsångest’ [anguish over the atomic bomb]. Berg-
man’s answer is negative: his angst was conditioned by his personal background, though he also
admits to ‘an immensely dark attraction’ [ett oerhört mörkt sug] to the literary themes of the
Forties with their ‘gradual revelation of human evil, something one experienced perhaps with a
certain coquettishness and didn’t have sense enough to experience simply with terror’ [gradvisa
avslöjande av den mänskliga ondskan, nånting som man kanske då upplevde med ett visst
koketteri och inte hade vett nog att uppleva enbart med fasa]. See ‘Radioteater i 40 år’, SR, 24
February 1966 (Ø 542).
For contemporary comments on Bergman and fyrtitalism, see:
Beyer, Nils. En bok om film [A book on film]. Stockholm: Radiotjänst, 1949, p. 150: ‘With
Ingmar Bergman the young generation of the Forties stormed into the movies with their
angst, their rebellious feelings, their shocking outspokenness’ [Med Ingmar Bergman stor-
made den unga fyrtitalsgenerationen in i filmen med sin ångest, sina upproriska känslor, sin
chockerande uppriktighet].
Furhammar, Sten. Frikyrklig ungdom, no. 1 (January) 1950: 9-10;
Höök, Marianne. Ingmar Bergman, 1962, pp. 37-39;
Neander-Nilsson, S. Göteborgs Morgon-Post, 13 January 1947, p. 4.
Osten, Gerd. Nordisk film. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand, 1951: 28-37, and same author in
Vi 39, no. 47, 1952: 3-4;
Wortzelius, Hugo. Biografbladet 30, no. 4 (Winter) 1949: 217-236.
For attacks by cultural conservatives on Bergman and modernism/fyrtiotalism, see Torsten
Tegnér’s response to Nils Beyer’s article in Vecko-Journalen, (next item). Tegnér’s reply was
titled ‘Det stackars kriget’ [The miserable war], Vecko-Journalen 39, no. 42 (1947, p. 13). Similar
ideas appeared by him in Idrottsbladet, 6 October 1947, p. 8. (See below, Ø 956). For other voices
in this mini-debate, see Stig Almqvist in AT, 12 October 1947, p. 12, and Rip [Thorsten Eklann]
in UNT, 11 October 1947, p. 9.
For other aspects of the topic ‘Ingmar Bergman and Literature’, see group item (Ø 989).

953. Beyer, Nils. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Vecko-Journalen 38, no. 41, 1947, pp. 18, 33, 37.
Stockholm film and theatre critic talks about Bergman’s amazing productivity and increasing
visibility as a name in Swedish culture. Beyer also provides one of the earliest suggestions of
Bergman’s different social masks: as a young provocative rebel, as a diabolical director, as a
sensitive artist. Regards him as self-centred but praises his serious approach to filmmaking,
from manuscript to instruction of actors and laying a mise-en-scene. Concludes: ‘Ingmar
Bergman is the great child wonder in Swedish film and theatre’. [Ingmar Bergman är det stora
underbarnet i svensk film och teater]. Cf. Beyer, Teaterkvällar, 1953 (Ø 520).

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

954. Grevenius, Herbert. ‘Vänporträtt av ung man’ [A friend’s portrait of a young man].
ST, 16 September 1947, p. 6.
Bergman collaborated with Herbert Grevenius, an established scriptwriter and author of radio
plays, on several early film scripts. In this portrait, Grevenius challenges the Swedish view at the
time that Bergman was a lucky Aladdin who succeeded without much effort. Grevenius points
out that (1) Bergman has had to work hard and without connections to make it; (2) was not
recognized by the cultural elite – none of his plays had been produced on professional stages in
Stockholm; and (3) was considered to be too productive to become respected as a serious artist
at a time when the cultural trend was to praise thin volumes of modernist poetry.
In an interview with Christina Lilliestierna in Vecko-Journalen 49, no. 20 (1958): 21, 40,
Bergman rejects the lucky Aladdin view of him as a myth: Filmmaking to him is nothing
but hard work.
Grevenius published a second portrait of Bergman at age 34 in Röster i Radio/TV, no. 26 (22-
28 June) 1952, p. 13.

955. Idestam Almqvist, Bengt (signature Robin Hood). ‘På glid mot freudska drömmar’
[Adrift towards Freudian dreams]. ST, 30 September 1947, p. 6.
Author, one of Sweden’s leading film critics at the time, became one of the early perceptive
commentators on Bergman’s filmmaking – together with names like Nils Beyer, Herbert Gre-
venius, Lasse Bergström, and Hugo Wortzelius. This article is a full-page newspaper analysis of
Bergman’s filmmaking to date, praising his narrative approach, especially his use of flashbacks.
See also same author’s discussion of Bergman’s script to Eva as an example of modernist
dramaturgy: ‘Ingmar Bergman och framtiden’ [Bergman and the future], ST, 13 February
1949, p. 4. Almqvist argues that classical cinematic structure as shaped in the twenties has
not kept up with modernist trends in the other arts, but that Bergman has tried to rectify this
through his use of fragmented flashbacks, dreams, and a focus on memories. See also Idestam
Almqvist chapter titled ‘Ingmar Bergman – magiker, fantast, moralist’ [Bergman – magician,
phantast, moralist] in Filmboken 1, 1951, pp. 169-73.

956. Tegnér, Torsten (signature TT). ‘Fnask, hyndor, vrak, fasor och ett par sköna stilla
bilder’ [Whores, bitches, wrecks, horrors, and a couple of beautiful stills]. Idrottsbla-
det, 6 October 1947, p. 8.
The article appearing in sports journalist Tegnér’s column ‘Kultur och levnadskonst’ [Culture
and the art of living], represents a common popular view at the time of Bergman’s films as
obscene and decadent. By juxtaposing previous entry (Ø 955) to Tegnér’s article, one gets a
good idea of the ambivalent Swedish assessment of Bergman’s filmmaking in the 1940s. The
divided opinion of his work as either shocking and vulgar or cinematically promising is also
reflected in the Marmstedt entry below (Ø 962).

1948
957. Group Item: A Doll’s House and David Selznick
In early 1948, Bergman and Alf Sjöberg were commissioned by Hollywood producer David
Selznick to write a screenplay based on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. See news release headlined
‘Svensk skriver Selznickfilm’ [Swede writes Selznick film]. SvD, 20 January 1948, and notice
in GT, 29 January 1948. Selznick however rejected the script in April 1948 but wanted to go

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

ahead with the film project, which was scheduled to be shot in Sweden. He turned to American
playwright and scriptwriter Lillian Hellman. See report by signature Gunnarsson, ‘Bergmans
filmmanus ratas av Selznick’ [Bergman’s film script rejected by Selznick], DN, 30 April 1948, p.
3. According to another report, the cancellation of the Bergman-Sjöberg script was due to
Selznick having difficulties finding collaborators. See GHT, 13 March 1948, p. 9. On 2 May
1948 SvD (p. 9) printed a New York news release issued by Selznick in which he points to a
special clause in the Bergman-Sjöberg contract, stating that the Swedish script’s English dialo-
gue be written by an American writer. Selznick’s announcement explains the project’s delay as
stemming from difficulties in finding ‘a first rate’ dialogue writer and available actors. Selznick
concludes his letter by stating that Bergman’s and Sjöberg’s co-operation has only increased his
respect for them and he predicts a great future for both of them within the Swedish and
American film industries.

958. ‘Ingmar Bergman.’ Terrafilm 10 år [Terrafilm 10 years old]. Stockholm: Terrafilm,

1948, p. 14.
A portrait of Bergman in a booklet from the film company whose producer, Lorens Marmstedt,
was a crucial and stern mentor to Bergman. A letter to Marmstedt from Bergman appears in
same publication, p. 20 (listed in Chapter II, Ø 50). See also Marmstedt’s evaluation of Bergman
as an angry young man in (Ø 962).

1949
959. Bergström, Lasse. ‘Den gymnasiale Ingmar Bergman’ [The adolescent Bergman].
Expr., 15 November 1949, p. 5.
A polemic defense of Bergman’s filmmaking and artistic persona by Bergman’s future editor at
the Norstedt publishing house. Contrary to Bergman’s image in the Swedish press at the time,
Bergström does not find his work juvenile or emotionally excessive. He argues that tragic
themes are balanced against Bergman’s faith in human love and fellowship.

960. Pedersen, Werner. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Information, (Copenhagen), 25 May 1949, p.

4.
So-called ‘kronik’ (column) in Danish newspaper. One of the earliest items on Ingmar Bergman
to be published outside of Sweden. The author paints a portrait of an auteur who defies his
producers, like Danish filmmaker Carl Dreyer did, but who is also economically frugal in his
filmmaking. He is critical however of Bergman for relying too much on dialogue rather than
visuals to convey meaning, a view in keeping with the contemporary emphasis on film as an
image-making rather than ‘literary’ (verbal) medium. Cf. Bergman’s own statements quoted in
introduction to Chapter I.

1950
961. Furhammar, Sten. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Frikyrklig ungdom no. 1, 1950: 9-10.
A brief essay about some of Bergman’s films of the Forties with a focus on their humanistic
themes.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

962. Marmstedt, Lorens. ‘Ruda eller Gamba?’ [Enfant terrible or Wunderkind]. Obs! no.
18 (13 September) 1950.
Producer Lorens Marmstedt addresses a dichotomy common in presentations of Bergman at
the time: Was he a troublesome rebel or a unique young talent?

963. Wortzelius, Hugo. ‘A Decade of Swedish Films’. Biografbladet 30, no. 4 (Winter)
1950: 217-36.
An article in an English issue of Biografbladet on Bergman’s films of the 1940s tracing their
motifs back to the so-called Swedish problem films during the war years, i.e., films introducing
urban realism and dealing with lower-class youth, crime, abortion, and prostitution. The same
issue of the journal also contains Forsythe Hardy’s ‘Impressions of the Swedish Cinema’, pp.
208-09 (‘Until Hets practically nothing was known of the contemporary Swedish cinema’).
In 1950, Wortzelius also published an early presentation of Ingmar Bergman in Italian:
‘Bergman, il regista piu discusso del recente cinema svedese’. Cinema (Rome) 4, no. 53 (De-
cember) 1950: 371-72.
Wortzelius, by far one of the best of Bergman’s early film commentators, provides a good
retrospective analysis of his films from the Forties in ‘Bergman i backspegeln’ [Bergman in
retrospect], Svensk Filmografi, 1940-1949, Stockholm: SFI, 1980: 716-20. See also same author,
(Ø 967).

1951
964. Christensen, Theodor. ‘Ingmar Bergman och nyanserna’ [Ingmar Bergman and
Nuances]. AB, 23 February 1951, p. 4.
Danish documentary filmmaker explains Bergman’s low public status in Denmark: he has no
sense of humor; at the same time, Christensen warns Swedish film critics not to be too critical
of Bergman, since he possesses a unique film talent.

965. Fischer, Gunnar. ‘Sommarlek med Ingmar Bergman’ [Summer Interlude with
Bergman]. Biografbladet 32, no. 2 (Summer) 1951: 55-59.
Bergman’s leading photographer in the Fifties discusses experiences with the director in a
humorous tone. For another account by Fischer, see Filmnyheter VII, no. 15 (27 October)
1952: 4-6, 24, where he defines the ideal relationship between cinematographer and director
as one of ‘mutual respect and mutual confidence’ [ömsesidig respekt och ömsesidigt för-
troende].
For an account of the Fischer-Bergman collaboration, see Bergman om Bergman (Ø 788), p.
35.

966. Lawrence, Eric. ‘The Motion Picture Industry in Sweden’. Hollywood Quarterly V,
no. 2 (Winter) 1950/51: 182-188.
A brief survey of the motion picture industry in Sweden, including a presentation of ‘the
baffling Ingmar Bergman, the Orson Welles of Swedish filmland.’

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967. Wortzelius, Hugo. ‘Jack och Joakim Naken: Samtal med Ingmar Bergman’ [Jack
and Joakim Naked: Conversation with Bergman], Perspektiv 2, no. 5 (May 1951): 287-
91. Also published in Italian in Quadr. della F.I.C.C, no. 4 (1952), pp. 26-32.
Despite the title, this is an article rather than an interview. Wortzelius sees Jack in Kris [Crisis]
as a youthful Storm and Stress figure while Joakim Naked, the main character in Bergman’s
radio play Staden [The city], emerges as a disillusioned but less dogmatic person, created after a
personal crisis in Bergman’s life in 1949, which also produced the more mature films Till glädje
(To Joy, 1949) and Sommarlek (Summer Interlude, 1950-51).
The appearance of this article in Italy may account for the early interest in Bergman’s work
among the so-called ‘critica catolica’ in Italy. See Italian Reception, (Ø 1012).

1952
968. Himmelstrand, Ulf. ‘Ingmar Bergman och döden’ [Bergman and death]. SvD, 7
July 1952, p. 4.
A newspaper essay on Bergman’s early filmmaking and his play Dagen slutar tidigt (Early Ends
the Day), focussing on his fixation on sudden physical death. Considers Bergman’s ‘moralities’
to be based more on emotional exhibitionism than moral content, which is reflected in his
overly dramatic and catastrophic solutions.

969. Petersen, Bent. ‘Nordisk tegn i teater og film’. Information (Copenhagen), 26 No-
vember 1952, p. 2.
A presentation in Danish newspaper of Bergman as an artist who understands the difference
betweeen theatre art and cinema art: as a stage director he gives priority to the actors; as a
filmmaker he focusses on images and editing. Concludes that Bergman gives contemporary
youth its face.

1953
970. Group Item: Bergman and Actors
In his formative years as a stage and film director Bergman gained a reputation for being a
tough and ruthless instructor who sometimes cajoled, sometimes bullied his actors to perform
their best; see introduction to Theatre Chapter VI. Later he attributed his reputation as ‘the
demon director’ to a sense of insecurity and denied that it was the result of a conscious
directorial method. In fact with relatively few exceptions, Bergman and his ‘stable’ of actors
have always spoken of each other with warmth and respect. Already at Mäster Olofsgården’s
amateur theatre section, letters collected from the young ‘ensemble’ by the manager, Sven
Hansson, testify to the appreciation that Bergman’s work elicited. In subsequent years actors
were to list among Bergman’s special qualities as a director: his sense of clarity; his attention to
detail so that every member of the cast, no matter how small the part, could feel included; an
ability and willingness to become a sensitive eye and ear that would register, almost intuitively,
every nuance in the performance; a gift for establishing both a relaxed atmosphere and a precise
work discipline, providing both security and a sense of order. In a dissertation studying Berg-
man’s approach to his cast and crew at Dramaten, Bo Gyllenpalm (Theatre/Media Bibliography,

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Ø 647), concluded that a good part of his success as a director depended on qualities that are
also found among successful corporate leaders.
One of the earliest statements on the subject of Bergman’s approach to the actors was
published in Bent Petersen’s press article ‘Ingmar Bergman’, Social-Demokraten (Copenhagen),
6 November 1953, pp. 1, 4, in which Bergman is quoted as stressing the importance of building
confidence and rapport between director and actors. See also an eye-witness account by Lars
Erik Olsson, ‘Så jobbar Ingmar’ [This is how Ingmar works], Se no. 50 (14 December) 1961, pp.
9-13: ‘He walks around like a wood stove and tries to transfer his warmth to the actors.
Sometimes the swift touches: a pat on the shoulder, a squeeze of the hand, a grip of the
arm’. [Han går omkring som en kamin och försöker överföra sin värme till skådespelarna.
Ibland de snabba beröringarna: en klapp på axeln, en handtryckning, ett grepp om armen]. In
an interview in DN, 4 July 1958, pp. 1, 30, Bergman points out the importance of intuition in his
directing, stating that he never demonstrates a scene before his ensemble but listens and makes
suggestions.
That Bergman succeeded early in eliciting a remarkable response from many of his actors is
apparent in reviews of his productions and by early critics like Nils Beyer in ‘Från Gösta Ekman
till Ingmar Bergman: 25 års svensk teater’ [From G.E. to Bergman: 25 years of Swedish theater],
Teatern 25, no. 3-4 (September 1958): 30-31. For a relatively late positive assessment of Bergman’s
approach to his actors, see Ana Maria Narti, ‘Det är viktigt att beskriva vad skådespelaren gör’
[It’s important to describe what the actor does] (interview with Erland Josephson), Chaplin no.
167 (1980), p. 55; according to Narti, Bergman’s forte was his recognition of an actor’s limits.
Other relevant sources are Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker’s 1990 interview with Bergman
about his views on actors (Ø 630) and Henrik Sjögren’s ‘Dialog’ with Bergman in his 1968
book Ingmar Bergman på teatern (Ø 548), pp. 291-316. See also Leif Janzon’s 1983 interview with
Bergman in theatre magazine Entré (Ø 598), and H. Lundgren’s 1978 article ‘Bergman og
skuespillerne’, Kosmorama, Ø 1325. From an actor’s point of view, see Ø 1013.
For non-Scandinavian discussions of this subject but focusing on film actors, see the follow-
ing articles: Cinémonde, no. 1393, 18 April 1961, p. 7; Films and Filming, IX, no. 4 (January 1963):
27; Making Films in New York, IV, no. 5 (October 1970): 16-32, and Nina Darnton’s ‘Artist as
Lover’, Elle, May 1993 (Ø 1548).

971. De la Roche, Catherine. ‘Swedish Films’. Films in Review 4, no. 9 (November) 1953:
461-64.
An early mention of Ingmar Bergman in American film press. Claims that Bergman can write
his own ticket in terms of filmmaking. For a reaction to this, see Ingmar Bergman in Röster i
Radio, 10-18 June 1962, pp. 27-29. Cf. Grevenius, (Ø 954), 1947.

972. Gerbracht, Wolfgang. ‘Kolportage mit Tiefgang’. Filmforum, March 1953, p. 6.

One of the first general presentations of Bergman in German. Claims that Bergman’s film Till
glädje [To Joy] made him known in (West) Germany. The article is based on West German
circulation of two films scripted by Bergman (but directed by Gustaf Molander): Eva and
Kvinna utan ansikte (Woman without a Face (Frau ohne Gesicht).

973. Lindqvist, Sven. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Den delikata spetälskan’ [Bergman: Delicate
leprosy]. Arbetaren, 20 October 1953, p. 4. Reprinted in Motbilder, 1978, (Ø 1317).
A discussion of the relationship between form and content in Bergman’s films, with focus on
Fängelse (Prison) and Gycklarnas afton (The Naked Night). The author sees a clash between

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esthetic (‘delicate’) and sadistic (‘leprosy’) tendencies in Bergman’s films, a clash he feels
destroys their artistic value. This article represents an early critique of Bergman’s ‘manipulative’
filmmaking by one of the leading cultural voices in Sweden in the 1960s.

1954
974. Group Item: Bergman and Early Reception in Latin America
Foreign recognition of Ingmar Bergman occurred first in Latin America. Among the earliest
commentators on Bergman was T. H. Alsina in Uruguay who began to review Bergman’s films
in the early Fifties. Through an Argentine distributor with contacts in Venice and Paris, Gustav
Molander’s Eva (scripted by Bergman) and Bergman’s Gycklarnas afton (Noites de circo) had a
limited showing in art cinemas and film clubs in Montevideo and Buenos Aires. According to
Brazilian filmmaker Walter Hugo Khouri (editor’s interview), it was this connection that
enabled organizers to include the two Swedish films in a 1954 festival program celebrating
São Paulo’s 500th anniversary. The Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo issued a pamphlet
titled Ingmar Bergman and in the festival contest Bergman’s Gycklarnas afton (Noites de circo)
won the top prize. This event represents the first large-scale public recognition of Ingmar
Bergman’s films abroad.
As a follow-up to the São Paulo celebration, the Brazilian journal Revista de cinema published
a special issue on Bergman in 1956 [vol. 4, no. 22 (April-May): 5-16], edited by Khouri. It
consists of two articles by Ely Azeredo: ‘Cinema sueco: Espectaculo e imagen livre’ (pp. 5-9) and
‘Noites de circo’ (pp. 10-13). The first is a discussion of Eva, Sommaren med Monika (Monica e o
desejo), and Kvinnors väntan (Quando as mulheres esperam); the second is an analysis of
Gycklarnas afton. The titles represent Bergman films distributed throughout Latin America
by the mid-Fifties. The Revista de cinema Bergman issue also includes a filmography covering
the period from Hets (Tortura) to Kvinnodröm (Sonhos de mulheres), pp. 14-15. The same
material appeared in a brochure, edited by H. Khouri and P. Emilio (São Paulo: Filmoteca
do museu de arte moderna, 1956), 20 pp.
In 1958, Alberto Tabbia published an introduction to Ingmar Bergman. Buenos Aires: Libreria
Letras, 1958. 129 pp. Also listed as Flashback 1: Ingmar Bergman with Edgardo Cozarinsky and
Maria Rosa Vaccaro.
In 1963, Cuadernas de Cine Club Mercedes (Uruguay), no. 1 (May) 1963. 50 pp., brought out a
special Bergman issue. It includes biographical information; excerpts from Hopkins Industria
article (Ø 1004); an article on Swedish cinema by B. Idestam-Almquist (Robin Hood); plus a
presentation of three Bergman films: Törst (La sed), Nära livet (En el Umbral de la Vida), and
Jungfrukällan (La fuente de la doncella).
In 1964, Uruguayan critics Thevenet H. Alsina and Emir Rodrigues Monegal published a
study titled Ingmar Bergman, un dramaturgo cinematografico. Montevideo: Communidad del
Sur, 1964. 125 pp. The book presents Bergman’s films from Kris to the Trilogy.
In 1965, Cuadernos de Cine Club (Montevideo) brought out a 28-page brochure with the
Swedish title ‘Ingmars ansikte’ authored by Martinez Carril. Excerpted in Focus on The Seventh
Seal (Ø 1220), pp. 110-11, it is a survey of Bergman’s career through Tystnaden (The Silence),
dividing it into four periods: (1) realistic period, from Kris through Hamnstad; (2) dramas and
comedies centering on women, from Fängelse through Sommarnattens leende; (3) metaphysical
films, from Sjunde inseglet through Djävulens öga; (4) the chamber films, i.e., the trilogy.
Also in 1965, an Argentine survey of Bergman’s filmmaking to date (1963) appeared. Authored
by Augustin Mahieu, it was titled Bergman: Angustia y conocimiento. Buneos Aires: Ediciones
Lorraine, 1965. 40 pp.

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See also report by Annette Kullenberg, titled ‘Det var jag som upptäckte Bergman’ [I was the
one who discovered Bergman]. AB, 13 July 1988: 5. The title refers to a statement made by
Uruguay film critic T.H. Alsina.

975. Group Item: Bergman’s Portrayal of Women

Bergman gained an early reputation for being a filmmaker who paid particular attention to the
portrayal of women. His films from the early part of the 1950s were advertised as ‘women’s
films’, i.e., films about and for women; it was also a genre designation that helped establish
Bergman’s filmmaking in Latin America.
One of the first articles on the subject was Alf Matteson’s ‘Ingmar Bergmans kvinnolinje’
[Bergman’s approach to women]. SDS, 17 December 1954, p. 4, 7. According to Matteson,
Bergman’s success as a woman’s filmmaker rested on a juxtaposition of psychological complex-
ity and ‘an almost metaphysical implication of woman’s role as mother’ [en nära nog metafysisk
innebörd i kvinnans roll som mor]. A similar assessment can be found in J. Burnevich, ‘La
donna nell’universo di Bergman’, Cineforum 3, no. 21 (January 1963), also published in Spanish
in Film Ideal 8, no. 117 (April 1963): 208-13, and in Swedish in Credo 42, no. 5 (November 1961):
199-206. An unsigned article in which Bergman’s women portrayals were referred to as seismo-
graphs of their time appeared in ‘Das Bild der Frau im modernen Film’, Atlas Filmheft (Frank-
furt), no. 8, 17 pp. Erik Kwakernaak’s article ‘Madonna med barn’ [Madonna with child],
Kosmorama XVIII, no. 110 (September 1972): 261-263, discusses the ‘passionate’ woman char-
acter in later Bergman films, with special focus on Karin in The Touch (1970). Åsa Boström
defends Bergman’s portrayal of mother love in ‘Bergmans mödrar’ [Bergman’s mothers].
Filmrutan IX, no. 1, 1979, pp. 8-9; with special reference to Autumn Sonata.
The above articles emphasize the traditional ‘universal’ aspects of womanhood and are close
to studies of Bergman’s women as archetypal figures; see the following samples:
Braucourt, G., D. Serceau and J. Domarchi. ‘Trois cinéastes de la femme’. Ecran 28, August-
September 1974. 45-54. (Discussion of the portrayal of women in films of Bergman, Mizo-
guchi and Cukor).
Cinque, Anne-Marie. ‘Beyond the Day’s Light: A Study of the Emerging Archetypal Feminine
and Its Personification in Ingmar Bergman’s Filmic World’. Diss. Ann Arbor: Dissertation
Abstracts International, 46, no. 4 (October) 1985, p. 1354B.
McManus, Barbara F. ‘A Failure of Transformation: The Feminine Archetype in Bergman’s
Cries and Whispers’. Transformations in Literature and Film, ed. by Leon Golden. Tallahas-
see: University Press of Florida, 1982, pp. 57-68.
Serçeau, Michel. ‘L’archetype Lola: réalisme et métaphore’. CinémAction no. 28 (April 1984): 114-
118. (Treatment of femme fatale in Bob Fosse’s Cabaret, Ingmar Bergman’s The Serpent’s Egg
and Fassbinder’s Lola and Lili Marleen).
These largely affirmative presentations of Bergman’s screen women might be contrasted to a set
of highly critical, feminist contributions to the subject, the first being Margareta Ekström’s
‘Ingmar Bergman i kvinnoland’ [Bergman in woman country]. Hertha 48, no. 2 (1961): 16-17, 31.
Ekström charges Bergman with stereotyping women by dividing them into three abstracted
types: the good-bad girl; the maternal woman; and the demonic or old hag woman.
However, a controversial debate about the subject did not surface until 1971 with The Touch
(see Commentary, Ø 244). Two years later the feminist discussion of Bergman’s portrayal of
women started anew in the aftermath of the Swedish television talk show ‘Utmaningen’ [The
challenge] on 11 June 1973, in which Bergman responded to questions from callers. A working
mother raised the issue of guilt in women for not staying home with their children. According

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to report in Expr. the following day (p. 1), headlined ‘Ingmar Bergman oförskämd i TV’
[Bergman rude on TV], Bergman told women to go into politics instead of ‘just sitting there
whining about the old boys in local politics who do nothing for them’ [i stället för att bara sitta
där och gnälla över dom gamla gossarna i lokalpolitiken som inte gör något för dem]. In the
ensuing press storm, Bergman was reprimanded by Cecilia Nettelbrandt, a member of the
Swedish Parliament (riksdag), who called him insensitive to the situation of working mothers
and accused him of having neglected his own children. For this and other responses, see Expr.,
15 June 1973 (pp. 2, 5) and 19 June 1973 (p. 9); DN, June 12 (p. 2) and Femina, 12 September 1973
(pp. 26-27, 87).
Bergman touched on the feminist theme in a 1972 interview with Anne Raethinge Wolden
(see Ø 818). In another interview by Berit Wilson in DN, 8 February 1974 (see Ø 828), he
elaborated on the subject by referring to Doris Lessing whose portrayal of women he admired
after reading her body of work. Claiming that only a violent outburst of female aggressiveness
could bring about a change in women’s status, he talked about the present situation as a huge
underdeveloped country of housewives and working mothers who often harbored the enemy
inside. At the same time, Bergman admitted an ambivalence within himself: resisting a change
in established sex roles but resenting the enslavement of women. See also 1974 interview (Ø 834)
with Bo Strömstedt in which Bergman lists equal rights for women (and children) among the
social issues he supports. All of Bergman’s statements can be viewed in the context of his films
Viskningar och rop (Cries and Whispers) and Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage).
The feminist issue was also raised in the US during the same period. Cries and Whispers was
in fact the Bergman film that triggered several American articles on his portrayal of women. See
Ann Morrisett Davidson’s ‘A Great Man who Humiliates Women?’ The Village Voice, 29 March
1973, pp. 70, 80, and Constance Penley in Women and Film 1, no. 3-4 (1973): 55-56, reprinted in
Movies and Methods, ed. by Bill Nichols (Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1976, pp. 204-08).
In 1973, American film writer Joan Mellen published an oft-cited critique, using Bergman’s film
Cries and Whispers as her focal point: ‘Bergman and Women: Cries and Whispers’. Film
Quarterly XXVI, no. 5 (Fall 1973): 2-11. Mellen’s approach is Marxist-feminist and in contrast
to Burnevich (Catholic priest) above, who referred to Bergman’s women as timely exponents of
Western values, Mellen saw them as examples of a traditional patriarchal culture that does not
allow women any space outside their biological function. Mellen’s article was reprinted in her
book Women and their Sexuality in the New Film (New York: Horizon Press, 1974, pp. 106-27),
and in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp. 297-312. Mellen’s assessment was questioned by Robert Boyers,
‘A Case against Feminist Criticism’. Partisan Review 43, no. 4 (1976): 602-11. Birgitta Steene
argues against Mellen’s categorical use of Cries and Whispers as emblematic of Bergman’s sexist
views by juxtaposing his early realistic films and his later more symbolic works in ‘Bergman’s
Portrayal of Women: Sexism or Suggestive Metaphor?’. Sexual Stratagems: The World of Women
in Film, ed. by Patricia Erens (New York: Horizon Press, 1976), pp. 91-107.
Check also Commentaries and Critical Reception columns in Filmography (Chapter IV)
entries for Persona, Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage), Höstsonat (Autumn Sona-
ta), and Viskningar och rop (Cries and Whispers).
For major studies of Bergman’s women portraits, which also reflect the development within
feminist thinking from sex role analysis to gender discussion, see the following:
Amile, Vincent. ‘La part des femmes’. Positif, no. 360 (February 1991): 98-99. On Bergman’s
portrayal of women in connection with a retrospective film series;
Blackwell, Marilyn Johns. Gender and Representation in the Films of Ingmar Bergman. Columbia,
S.C.: Camden House, 1997. 225 pp. A presentation of Bergman’s films from a gender
perspective. Though somewhat predictable in its formulaic application of gender theory,

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the book is a worthwhile contrast to earlier feminist critiques of Bergman (Ekström,

Mellen). For a discussion of Bergman’s portrayal of women, with specific reference to
Blackwell’s study, see Steene, Birgitta. ‘Omvärdering av Bergmans kvinnosyn’ [Revaluation
of Bergman’s view of women]. SvD, 22 July 1997, ‘understreckare’ (cultural column).
Foelz, Sylvia and Erika Mondry. ‘Versuch einer kritischen Filmanalyse unter Besonderer Be-
rücksichtigung von Weiblichkeitsideologie – aufgezeigt an Film-Beispielen von Ingmar
Bergman’. Diss. Freie Universität, Berlin, 1981. 475 pp, plus separate volume of ‘Empirisches
Material’, 293 pp. The first half of the dissertation proceeds from a theoretical argument that
consciousness of the place of women in society can only be transmitted on film as a ‘false’
or subjective view. Focus is on a series of ‘dimensions’ in Bergman’s films: professions,
marriage, children, sexuality, nuclear family, freedom, sickness, death, religiosity, identity,
etc. This is followed by a historical overview of women as domestic and powerless creatures
and then applied to Bergman’s portrayal of women as lovers, wives and mothers, pp. 85-261.
Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey. ‘Feminist Theory and the Performance of Lesbian Desire in Persona’.
In Michaels, Lloyd, ed. Ingmar Bergman’s Persona. (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press), 1999, pp. 130-146.
Harrell, Mary Runnels. ‘The Role of Woman in the Films of Ingmar Bergman’. B.A. thesis,
Eckerd College, 1977, 95 leaves. No details available.
Haskell, Molly. From Reverence to Rape. (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1974), pp. 277-322. Discus-
sion of Bergman’s screen portrayals of women as reflections of his male psyche.
Höök, Marianne. Ingmar Bergman, 1962, and article ‘Så skapar geniet sina kvinnor’ [This is how
a genius creates his women]. Idun-Veckojournalen, no. 26, 1964, pp. 34-35. Höök discusses
Bergman’s different types of women in the chapter titled ‘Bergman och kvinnorna’; she
divides them into three groups with a reference to classical mythology: The sensuous,
strong and triumphant Venus figure; the cool, serious and intellectual Diana woman;
and the innocent ingenue – Hebe or youth goddess.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ett subversivt filmspråk. Ingmar Bergman i ett filmfeministiskt perspektiv’. I
Nordisk forskning om kvinnor och medier, ed. by Ulla Carlsson. Göteborg: Nordicom 3, 1993,
pp. 141-58. Author argues that through the shift to a female voice, Bergman undercuts not
only a male-defined ideology but also a traditionally male-shaped cinematic style.
See also the following articles for discussion of women in particular Bergman films:
Ek, Johan. ‘Könsroller och relationer i Ingmar Bergmans filmer Det regnar på vår kärlek,
Smultronstället, Scener ur ett äktenskap’. Undergraduate thesis, Stockholm University 1981,
94 pp. (SFI library).
Klynne, K. ‘Ingmar Bergmans kvinnosyn’ [Bergman’s view of women]. Chaplin XIV/1 (112),
1972, pp. 28-29. Discussion of Bergman’s portrayal of women with special reference to The
Touch.
Reuschmann, Eva, Sisters on Screen: Siblings in Contemporary Cinema. Philadelphia: Temple
University Press, 2000. (Contains references to Bergman's portrayal of women.)
Söderquist, Eva. ‘Kvinnoskildringarna i två svenska 50-talsfilmer’ [Depictions of women in two
Swedish films of the Fifties]. Filmrutan XXII, no. 2, 1979, pp. 43-54. Discussion of Summer
with Monica and Arne Mattson’s One Summer of Happiness (1951, Hon dansade en sommar),
focussing on the female leads, Monika and Kerstin.
Talbert, Linda Lee. ‘Images of Women in three Ingmar Bergman Films’. M.A. thesis, Arizona
State University, 1975, 60 leaves. Portrayal of women in Through a Glass Darkly, Persona, and
Cries and Whispers.

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Thi Nhu Quynh Ho. ‘La femme dans l’univers bergmanien’. Diss., University of Fribourg, 1975,
123 pp. Descriptive analysis of women in Summer with Monica, Shame, The Touch, and Cries
and Whispers.
Wood, Robin. ‘Women: Oppression and Transgression. Persona Revisited’. In Sexual Politics and
Narrative Film. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998, pp. 248-262. Wood offers an
addendum to his discussion of Persona in his 1969 book on Bergman’s films (Ø 1185) by
focussing on lesbian motif, defined as women bonding in mutual support against male
dominance.

976. Krusche, Dieter. ‘Ingmar Bergman will “auch das Letzte sagen”’. Filmforum, Octo-
ber 1954, p. 6.
German overview of Bergman’s early filmmaking.

977. Salzer, Michael E. ‘Bergmann (sic!) will keine Revolverschüsse’. Neue Zeitung, 19
August 1954.
A report on Bergman’s plans to make a film in (West) Germany. A second report on the same
subject was published by Salzer on 23 December 1955 in Der Tag. Plans were apparently
cancelled.

1955
978. n.a. ‘Ingmar Bergman: “Från Kris till Kvinnodröm” [Bergman: From Crisis to Wait-
ing Women]. Nutid 16 (September) 1955: 2-5.
An unsigned article in a contemporary Swedish journal, tracing Bergman’s career in the cinema
from 1946 to 1955. Likens Bergman to the magicians of ancient times in that he wants to
spellbind his audience. See also Filmnyheter 11 (27 August) 1956: 1-2, for article about Bergman
as ‘Trollkarl eller fältherre?’ [Magician or General?] Ø 985. Cf. Lindqvist above (Ø 1028).

979. Forsberg, Gunnar. ‘Regissör med djävulskomplex’ [Director with devil’s complex].
Norrländska Social-Demokraten, 8 October 1955, p. 4.
One of many presentations of Bergman at the time as a ‘demonic’ director who possesses a
magical touch.

980. Olsson, Jan Olof (sign. Jolo). ‘Gossen i mörkrummet’ [The boy in the darkroom].
DN, 21 August 1955, p. 6.
A newspaper article that challenges the view that Ingmar Bergman’s film scripts are drawn from
the popular press and women’s magazines. Olsson corroborates Bergman’s own statement that
his filmmaking is closer to dreams than to realism.

981. Tannefors, Gunnar. ‘Ingmar Trollkarlen’ [Ingmar the magician]. Hela världen no.
48, 1955, pp. 24, 40.
Like the interview article by Ulf Nilsson (‘En lektion i Bergman’) [A lesson in Bergman]. Vecko-
Revyn, (Ø 709), Gunnar Tannefors’ entry was published in a weekly tabloid magazine and is
indicative of the early interest that Bergman’s persona elicited in the Swedish popular press; he,

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in fact, achieved the status of kändis (pop culture personality). Note also that many of his early
film scripts were first published in the popular weekly journal Allers.
Tannefors presents Bergman as a talented rebel, whose literary skill has not been properly
appreciated by Swedish critics. A similar portrait was published by Tannerors in ‘Månadens
profil’, Biografägaren, no. 1, 1956, p. 11.

1956
982. Group Item: Bergman and French response in mid-Fifties (1956-1960)
At the Cannes Film Festival in 1956, Sommarnattens leende (Sourires d’une nuit d’été) won the
coveted Jury Prize. In the late spring of the same year, the Cinématèque Française put on a
Scandinavian retrospective. For a report, see Georges Sadoul, ‘Ingmar Bergman et le cinéma
suèdois’, Les lettres françaises, no. 626 (28 June 1956), p. 6, which relates Bergman’s films to the
silent cinema of Sjöström and Stiller. The Cinématèque retrospective resulted in the discovery
of Bergman by young French cineasts. See Ado Kyrou, ‘A Propos de la rétrospèctive Scandinave
de la Cinémathèque Française. Ingmar Bergman et quelques autres’, Positif, no. 17 (June-July),
1956: 51-53. Kyrou terms Bergman one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
Many of the French critics who discovered Bergman’s films in 1956 were associated with the
Cahiers du Cinéma. The journal published a special Bergman issue: Cahiers 11, no. 61 (July) 1956.
The issue included Bergman’s essay ‘Det att göra film’ (‘Qu’est-ce-que faire des films?’), a
favorable review of Sommarnattens leende/Sourires d’une nuit d’été by J.L. Richer, and a filmo-
graphy by Jean Béranger. But the main item was a ‘Présentation d’Ingmar Bergman’, (pp. 7-10),
written by critic and filmmaker Eric Rohmer who praised Bergman’s poetic rather than spatial
sense of location, and his concentration on a state of mind instead of action drama. Rohmer
became one of Bergman’s early advocates in France during 1956-59. In an issue of Arts (October
16-22, 1957, p. 4) Rohmer wrote apropos of the French opening of Gycklarnas afton (La nuit des
forains): ‘Bergman recommends himself to us for his coherent universe.’ Rohmer saw Bergman
as a filmmaker stuck between two world wars, whose Nordic pessimism had a visual rather than
verbal impact. (For a summary in Swedish of this article, see Marianne Höök in SvD, 19 August
1956.
Bergman’s film Det sjunde inseglet (Le septième sceau) was shown at the 1957 Cannes festival.
It was included in a festival report written by François Truffaut and published in Cahiers du
cinéma 14, no, 72 (June) 1957: 28-29. See also report in Arts, 11 June 1957. Eric Rohmer continued
his rave assessment of Bergman’s filmmaking with a review of Det sjunde inseglet in Arts, 23-29
April , 1957, p. 4, reprinted in Focus on the Seventh Seal (Ø 1220), pp. 134-135; and of Kvinnodröm
(Dreams/Rêves des femmes) in Cahiers du Cinéma 15, no. 89 (November) 1958: 45-48. In the latter
review Rohmer predicts that 1958 will go down in history as Bergman’s year for the French film-
going public.
To filmmaker François Truffaut, Bergman’s uniqueness lay in his auteurship, i.e., in his ability
to use the screen the way a novelist makes use of his pen. Truffaut’s homage to Bergman
culminated in his article ‘The Lesson of Ingmar Bergman’, Take One 3, no. 10 (March-April)
1972: 40, translated from L’Express (Paris) by P. Levensvold and reprinted in Truffaut’s The Films
of My Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1975), pp. 253-60. According to Truffaut, Bergman’s
lesson was three-fold: (1) demonstrating a new ‘liberated’ form of dialogue on screen; (2)
proposing a radical cleansing of the image; and (3) establishing the primacy of the human
face in the cinema.
Though hardly alone in the French ‘idolatrie’ of Bergman in the mid-Fifties, Jean Béranger
was to establish himself over the next few years as the main introdocteur of Bergman in France.

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In Cahiers du cinéma 13, no, 74 (August-September) 1957: 19-28, Béranger published an essay,
‘Les trois métamorphoses d’Ingmar Bergman’ which was to be quoted often in French and
Italian Bergman studies. Béranger discussed Bergman’s development from screenwriter to
director and auteur. He distinguished three stages in Bergman’s filmmaking to date: (1) ado-
lescent stage, 1944-1952; (2) films about women, which were both lighter and more mature in
tone, 1952-1955; and (3) allegorical films, 1956.
Jean Béranger also provided the first extensive interview with Bergman by a foreign film
critic: ‘Rencontre avec Ingmar Bergman’. Cahiers du cinéma 15, no. 88 (October) 1958: 12-20.
Translated into English in Focus on The Seventh Seal’ (Ø 1220), pp. 10-15. Cross-listed in (Ø 713)
in Interview Chapter.
Béranger continued his presentation of Ingmar Bergman in ‘Renaissance du cinéma suèdois’.
Cinéma 58, no. 29 (July-August) 1958: 32. This article focusses on Bergman’s filmmaking as a
revival of internationally recognized silent Swedish cinema, while a follow-up article in the
same journal, ‘Le rêve d’Ingmar’, Cinéma 58, no. 31 (November) 1958: 13-23, provides a some-
what rambling discussion of Bergman’s religious sense, his father’s personality, and the onto-
logical implications of Smultronstället (Les fraises sauvages).
In 1959, Béranger’s interest in Bergman resulted in a book length study, Ingmar Bergman et ses
films. Paris: Le terrain vague, 1959, 103 pp. (Rev. ed. 1960). Here Béranger presents some major
themes in Bergman’s films from Skepp till India land (Bateau pour les Indes) to Ansiktet (Le
Visage), themes referred to as Nostalgia of Childhood, The Torment of the Couple, the Com-
mitment of Self, and the Flow of Time. An expansion of this volume, co-authored with
François D. Guyon and titled Ingmar Bergman, was published in 1964 (Lyon: Premier plan,
no. 34), 134 pp. New edition 1969, 128 pp. Guyon published a short monograph in 1959 titled
Ingmar Bergman (Lyon: Premier plan, no. 3), 41 pp.
See also Béranger’s Le noveau cinéma scandinave, 1957-1968 (Paris: Le terrain vague, 1969), pp.
17-38, 70-74.
A special Bergman issue of Cahiers du cinéma was published in July 1958 (vol. 15, no. 85),
which solidified Bergman’s reputation in France. The most important item in the issue was Jean
Luc Godard’s essay, ‘Bergmanorama’, pp. 1-5, which also appeared in Cahiers du cinéma in
English, no. 1 (January) 1966: 56-62, and in Jean Luc Godard par Jean Luc Godard, (ed. by J.L.
Comolli, J. Narboni), Paris: Editions Pierre Belfond, 1968. pp. 122-130, translated into English as
Godard on Godard. (ed. T. Milne), London: Secker & Warburg, 1972, pp. 75-80. Reprinted in
Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey, 1995 (Ø 1298), pp. 37-41. Godard’s tribute also appears in a
special 1988 issue of the film magazine Chaplin, titled Ingmar Bergman at 70 – a Tribute
(Ø 1452). Godard saw Bergman working in the spirit of Marcel Proust, ‘a cineast of the
prolonged moment’ using flashbacks dictated by the philosophical thrust of his films. Godard’s
1958 Cahiers article was preceded by brief notes (pp. 6-17) on Bergman’s films to date, written by
Jean Béranger, Claude Beylie, P. Demonsablon, Claude Gauteur, L. Barcorelles, and Eric Roh-
mer. See also Godard’s assessment of a new release of Sommaren med Monika (Monique ou le
désir) in 1958. (See commentary to film in Filmography, Chapter IV, Ø 219).
1958-59 was the Bergman year in Paris. His Malmö ensemble gave a well-received guest
performance of Faust. The Cinématèque Française showed a Bergman retrospective, as did
the Cinéma Pagodes and Cinéma d’Essais. Cinéma 59, no. 41 (November-December) 1959: 39-
50, 87-9, 130-32, provided a new collection of reviews of Bergman’s films to date and a French
translation of his essay ‘Varje film är min sista film’ (‘Chaque film est mon dernier’). (See
Ø 108).
This was also the time when Jacques Siclier established himself as a major interpreter of
Bergman in France by bringing out the first long study on Bergman’s filmmaking in French:
Ingmar Bergman. (Brussels: Club du livre de cinéma), no. 12-13, 1958. An expanded version was

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published in 1960 (Paris: Editions universitaires, 1960, 190 pp.). A revised edition appeared in
1964. Translated into Spanish by José Vila Selma (Madrid: Ediciones Rialp, 1962), 241 pp., and
into German by Frieda Grafe (Hamburg: Marion von Schröder Verlag, 1965), 189 pp. Siclier’s
updated study covers Bergman’s films before Jungfrukällen (La source). The approach is the-
matic with films grouped under such headings as Return to Adolescence, The Integrated
Couple, and The Universe of Women. It provides a good general introduction, but is now
somewhat outdated and has been replaced by newer studies (see especially Binh, 1993, Ø 1542).
The German edition of Siclier’s book was reviewed (rather negatively) by Manfred Delling. ‘Ein
Bergman-Porträt’. Die Welt, 29 October 1966. Delling found Siclier’s book lacking in an under-
standing of Bergman’s cultural context and too focussed on providing a French perspective.
Siclier also published a couple of noteworthy articles on Bergman in 1960: ‘Le style baroque
de La Nuit des forains d’Ingmar Bergman’, Etudes cinématographiques 1, no. 1-2 (1960): 109-14,
and ‘Ingmar Bergman, un oeuvre énorme’, Télérama, 28 December 1960, n.p.
By 1960, a difference of opinion could be discerned among French critics with regard to
Bergman’s lasting impact as a filmmaker. In a segment titled ‘L’univers d’Ingmar Bergman’ in
his book Le cinéma et la crise de notre temps (Paris: Edition du Cerf, 1960), pp. 99-125, Jean
Leirens praised Bergman as a philosophical visionary. Like Rohmer and Kyrou he was struck by
the existential and metaphysical scope of his films while Godard was more intrigued by their
cinematic form. At the same time however, more skeptical and negative voices began to emerge.
One such voice was represented by Claude Gauteur in his article ‘Renaissance du cinéma
suèdois: Ingmar Bergman’, Cinéma 58, no. 29 (July-August) 1958: 22-32. (Appeared in Swedish
as ‘Den svenska filmens renässans. En fransman om Ingmar Bergman’ in Clarté 32, no. 3 (1959):
34-35, 39-40). To Gauteur, Bergman was above all a psychologist who depicted intense relation-
ships between men and women. In a subsequent article titled ‘Les fans et la critique’ in Image et
son, no. 158 (January) 1963: 4-9, Gauteur discussed the various ideological approaches to Berg-
man among French enthusiasts, expressing surprise at the variety of critical positions involved,
while he himself now saw Bergman’s real strength in his instruction of actors.
Gauteur’s somewhat cautious evaluation of Bergman as a filmmaker signals a decline for
Bergman in France. The following items, listed chronologically, reflect the change in the early
French assessment of Bergman’s filmmaking:
Rohmer, Eric. ‘Voir ou ne pas voir’. Cahiers du cinéma 16, no. 94 (April) 1959: 48-51. A discussion
of reader response to Cahiers’ ‘bergmandolatrie’. Rohmer admits that Bergman represents
two aspects that the Cahiers editors have fought against: archaism and literary style. Rohmer
also acknowledges that Bergman’s metaphysics may not be very refined, but maintains that
he still moves his audience through the innocence of his vision and by his ability to create a
balanced tension between abstract idea and concrete mise-en-scène.
Benayoun, Robert. ‘Docteur Bergman et Monsieur Hyde’. Positif, no. 30 (July), 1959: 39-41.
Charging the French with ‘L’Ingmardolatrie’, i.e., a snobbish elevation of all Bergman’s
films to masterpieces, the author compares his filmmaking to Howard Hawks, Anthony
Mann, and Delmer Davies, technical craftsmen who occassionally achieve first-rate results
but can also plunge into melodrama. Benayoun sees Bergman as both an artist and a
dilettante/poseur.
Domarchi, Jean. ‘La source: Declin de Bergman?’ Arts, ( December 14-20) 1960, p. 7. Denounce-
ment of Bergman, predicting that ‘Bergman and our Bergmania will pass like the scoobie-
doo and hula hoop’. This article on The Virgin Spring seems to have been the real catalyst in
bringing about a disenchantment with Bergman among the devout Cahiers group. Peter
Graham in Granta (Cambridge University film journal), 26 November 1961, pp. 27-32,
responds extensively in Bergman’s defense.

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The French ‘execution’ of Bergman continued in Cinéma 61, no. 53 (February 1961), pp. 98-100,
when R. Larris and R. Gilson rejected the now (too) familiar Bergman landscape and referred
to him as a naive metaphysician.
In the early 1970s, Ingmar Bergman seems to have met a renewed interest among French
critics. The following two items are typical of Bergman’s come-back in France, culminating in a
number of public tributes to him in the 1990s (see ‘Awards and Tributes’ in Varia):
Jeancolas, F. ‘Après Riten, retour sur Bergman’. Jeune cinéma, no. 67 (December-January) 1973:
34-36. (Evaluation of Bergman’s work from 1966 to 1972, suggesting a comeback for the
director in France);
Nave, Bernard and Welsh, Henry. ‘Retour de Bergman: au cinéclub et au stage de Bouloris’.
Jeune cinéma 142 (April-May) 1982: 27-32. (The first part (pp. 27-29) is about a revival of
interest in Bergman among French cinema art groups after his decline in France in the
Sixties and Seventies; the second part consists of excerpts from discussions that took place
in December 1981 at the Bouloris stage in connection with showings of Gycklarnas afton (La
nuit des forains), Sjunde inseglet (Le séptième sceau) and Ormens ägg (L’œuf du serpent);
Saunier, Thierry. ‘Bergman le solitaire’. La nouvelle revue française. no. 520, May 1996, pp. 125-
142. (See Ø 1609).

983. Höök, Marianne. ‘Marianne Höök porträtterar: Ingmar Bergmans tre perioder, en
svart, en strimmig, en rosa’ [Marianne Höök portrays: Bergman’s three periods, black,
streaked, rose]. SvD, August 19,1956, pp. 3, 5.
One of Bergman’s earliest biographers discusses his filmmaking to date as three mood shifts:
dark pessimism, serious drama, and comedy.

984. L-n, S.B. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Min melodi, no. 16, 1956, p. 39.
A portrait of Bergman as disciplined craftsman and poseur; as Sweden’s foremost scriptwriter;
and as a uniquely independent filmmaker who listens more to his own artistic integrity than to
the filmgoing public.

985. Mr. Mix. ‘Trollkarl eller fältherre?’ [Magician or General?]. Filmnyheter 11, no. 11 (27
August) 1956:1-2.
A brief presentation of Bergman’s work persona on the film set.

986. Osten, Gerd. ‘Ingmar Bergman – artist och filosof ’. [Bergman – artist and philo-
sopher]. Clarté., no. 3, 1956, pp. 7- 8.
A major Swedish film critic at the time comments in leftist journal on Bergman’s development
as a filmmaker from the adolescent rebel in Hets to an appreciated director of film comedies.
Osten stresses the bizarre, fantastic, and macabre in Bergman’s film production and notes an
influence from Méliès.

987. Saxdorph, Erik S. ‘Ingmar Bergman og Alf Sjöberg overfor hinanden’ [Bergman-
Sjöberg relationship]. Kosmorama, no. 20, 1956: 28-30.
A discussion of early Bergman-Sjöberg collaboration.

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1957
988. Group Item: Bergman as Literary Author
See introduction to Chapter II, Ingmar Bergman as a Writer, and ‘fyrtitalist’ entry (Ø 952), 1947.
The assessment of Ingmar Bergman as a literary writer goes through different stages in his
career, in part dictated by himself, in part reflecting changing views of the relationship between
literature and film, word and image, among film theoreticians. The matter is also related to the
severe criticism that Bergman met in reviews of some of his own stage plays (see productions of
Bergman’s plays in Theatre Chapter VI), where stage director Bergman always seemed to
outshine playwright and author Bergman. By 1957, Bergman was no longer writing stage plays;
he was emerging in France and elsewhere as ‘a cinéma d’auteur’; and he declared in essays that
he had never had any ambition to be a man of literature. One article, written about the same
time by the head of SFI (Swedish Film Institute), Harry Schein, (‘Poeten Bergman’. BLM, no. 4,
1957, p.350-52) confirms Bergman’s low status as a literary writer among Swedish critics. Schein,
using Sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) as an example, acknowledges Bergman as a visual poet
but charges him with literary bombasm.
Other examples in the same vein are:
Forssell, Lars. ‘Den abstrakta filmen’ [The abstract film]. Chaplin no. 1, 1959: 4-7. Argues that
Ingmar Bergman uses superficial literary features to make popular movies and claims that
Bergman is ‘abstractly international’, i.e., relies on established plots and screen typology of
characters rather than narrative complexity and psychological depth. Forssell would later
modify his view on Bergman after the latter staged his play Show in 1971 (see Ø 449).
Göranson, Sverker. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Götheborgske spionen 24, no. 10 (December) 1959: 8-9, 14.
Charges Bergman with vulgarizing literary motifs.
See also John Landquist in Reception to The Seventh Seal, (Ø 225).
Abroad, critics were more prone to place Bergman positively in a literary Swedish context,
beginning with Frédéric Durand’s comparison between Ingmar Bergman and writers like
Lagerkvist and Strindberg in ‘Bergman et la littérature suèdoise’, Cinéma no. 47 (June 1960):
39-44. See also Italian reception (Ø 1012) for several early references to Bergman’s literary
predecessors in Scandinavia, and Hollis Alpert’s article ‘Bergman as Writer’, Saturday Review,
27 August 1960, pp. 22- 23.
Once Bergman had been defined as an auteur, his literary status improved and his scripts
began to be published as books, first in the US and later in Sweden. The real turning-point in
the (delayed) Swedish view of Bergman as a literary writer came with the publication of his
memoirs Laterna magica/The Magic Lantern in 1987. See for instance Ø 1441 (Bohman) and
reviews of Laterna, Ø 185. For a sample of literary treatment of Bergman’s works, see Ø 1409
(Ingemansson).
Bergman himself has upgraded his role as writer after his retirement as a filmmaker. As part
of the same trend one might view Maaret Kosinen’s book from 2002, I begynnelsen var ordet...
(Ø 1681), which focusses on Bergman’s ‘early authorship’ (1938-1955). With this study Bergman’s
initial ambitions to enter the literary field have been acknowledged with positive interest rather
than earlier, often negative (Swedish) criticism.

989. Group Item: Bergman and Literature – Influences and Parallells

A more neutral discussion of the subject ‘Ingmar Bergman and Literature’ is represented by a
number of comparative studies of literary influences or literary parallells to Bergman’s oeuvre.

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The following items are listed in alphabetical order according to the compared author’s last
name.
Samuel Beckett
In his essay ‘Bergman’s Persona and the Artistic Dilemma of the Modern Narrative’, Literature/
Film Quarterly, V, no. 1 (Winter) 1977: 75-88, C.J. Jones compares Bergman’s filmmaking – with
particular reference to Persona – and Samuel Beckett’s novels.
Hjalmar Bergman
One of the earliest articles on Swedish playwright, scriptwriter and novelist Hjalmar Bergman’s
importance to Ingmar Bergman was written by Bengt Forslund: ‘Bergman och Bergman’, GHT,
23 September 1959, p. 3. Forslund focusses on what he calls ‘the Sleeman motif ’ and the ‘the
clown motif ’ in the two artists, i.e., disillusionment of youth and humiliation of the artist.
‘Sleeman motif ’ refers to Hjalmar Bergman’s play Herr Sleeman kommer [Mr. S. Cometh], and
‘clown motif ’ to his roman à clef, Clownen Jac. Hjalmar Bergman’s impact on Ingmar Bergman
is also discussed in Gado, 1986 (Ø 1431), Mosley, 1981 (Ø 1376), Steene, 1968 (Ø 1170).
In Bilder, (Ø 188), p. 25, Ingmar Bergman mentions a specific, never realized film project
based on Hjalmar Bergman’s novel Chefen fru Ingeborg (Head of the Firm), with the title role
reserved for actress Ingrid Bergman.
Jorge Borges
Borges and Bergman are contrasted in terms of their depiction of personal identity as either
egomania or self-annulment in Maurice Bennett’s article ‘Everything and Nothing: The Myth of
Personal Identity in Jorge Borges and Bergman’s Persona’. In Transformations in Literature and
Film, ed. by Leon Golden. Tallahassee: University Press of Florida, 1982, pp. 17-28.
Anton Chekhov
In an article titled ‘Images of Dying and the Artistic Role’, Australian Journal of Screen, No. 2,
1977: 33-61, John Tulloch compares Bergman’s Wild Strawberries and Chekhov’s Dreary Story in
terms of thematic content (old age, sickness, approaching death), but also discusses the contrast
between the two artists when it comes to the concept of the creative self. The article is marred
by its shifting focus from structural analysis to sociological clichés about family life in Sweden.
In his article ‘Three Literary Sourees for Through a Glass Darkly’. D.F. Holden compares
Bergman’s films and Chekhov’s play The Seagull. Literature/Film Quarterly II, no. 1 (Winter)
1974.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton
In The Chesterton Review 11, no. 1 (February) 1985: 34-46, James Mark Purcell compares ‘Ches-
terton’s Magic and Bergman’s Magician: Variations on a Theme’. The theme is faith versus
magic. See also Ø 398.
Dante Alleghieri
A comparison between Bergman’s film The Silence and Dante’s Divine Comedy in terms of
salvation was published in 1964 by Kurt Almkvist: ‘Tystnaden och Hermesstaven’ [The Silence
and the Hermes staff]. Horisont XI, no. 1, 1964, pp. 10-12. Bergman’s film depicts Purgatory but
gives no hint of Paradise; it lacks an equivalent to the Hermes’ staff, which gained control over
the snakes in Dante’s underworld, the symbolic creatures representing chaos (rather than
absolute evil).
E.T.A. Hoffmann
In an article titled ‘Mozart, Hoffmann and Ingmar Bergman’s Vargtimmen’, Literature/Film
Quarterly VIII, no. 2, 1980: 104-114, Jeffrey Gantz argues that Mozart’s Magic Flute and Hoff-

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mann’s tales ‘The Gold Pot’ and ‘The Sandmann’ provide the thematic foundation of Hour of
the Wolf.
Mitteilungen der E.T.A. Hoffmann Gesellschaft. Bamberg, Germany: 1989, pp. 35, 62-77, con-
tains an article by Uwe Schadwill titled ‘’Aber was reflektieren die Scherben?’: E.T.A. Hoffmann
und Ingmar Bergman’, which also compares a Bergman film (Vargtimmen (Stunde des Wolfes)
and Hoffmann’s Der goldene Topf and Der Sandman. Schadwill draws parallels between two sets
of characters: Veronika-Anselmus-Serpentina (Hoffmann) and Alma-Johan-Veronica (Berg-
man).
Henrik Ibsen
Apart from studies of the Ekdahl family in Fanny and Alexander (see Filmography Ø 253), there
are relatively few references to Ibsen in studies of Bergman’s filmmaking. The most extensive
one is by Joseph and Lanayre Liggera, ‘Going Roundabout: Similar Images of Pilgrimage in
Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Bergman’s The Seventh Seal’, West Virginia University Philological Papers
(WVUPP) 35, 1989: 21-27. To Liggera both Ibsen’s and Bergman’s works use a quest structure
centering on a self-deceiving protagonist, and share an imagery rooted in folklore and Christian
symbolism.
In a volume edited by Henry Perridon (see under Strindberg below), Evert Sprinchorn
compares Bergman’s Ekdahl/Vergerus dichotomy in Fanny and Alexander to Ibsen’s Ekdal/
Gregers Werle (the bon vivant vs the stern moralist) in The Wild Duck. Egil Törnqvist discusses
the same Ibsen references in Chaplin special anniversary issue, (1983), pp. 253-259, and so does
Morten Jostad in Samtiden 6 (1985), pp. 40-46. Törnqvist analyzes ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Doll’s
Houses’, Scandinavica XXX, no. 1 (May) 1991: 63-76, and Bergman’s adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts
in his book Bergman’s Muses (2003), pp. 21-35.
In their study Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the Theater, 1982 (see Ø 594) Frederick and
Lise-Lone Marker discuss Bergman’s productions of Ibsen in chapter 5, titled ‘The Esssence of
Ibsen’, pp. 172-218. See also same author’s 1986 interview with Bergman about his staging of John
Gabriel Borkman (Ø 909). Henrik Sjögren’s Från lek till raseri, 2002 (Ø 677) pp. 185-238, treats
several of Bergman’s Ibsen productions in a separate Ibsen section of the book. See also
commentaries and reviews in entries of Bergman’s Ibsen productions in the Theatre Chapter
VI, and Ø 1255.
Søren Kierkegaard
In ‘Connaissance de la voie’, Positif, no. 121 (November) 1970: 34-40, Bernard Cohn discusses
Bergman as a disciple of Kierkegaard, with whom he shares a contempt for ideologies, a drive to
isolate the individual against social conventions, and a negative view of the past. Focus is on
Skammen (La Honte) and En passion (Passion).
In his dissertation ‘Bergman and the Existentialists: A Study in Subjectivity’, (University of
Texas at Austin, 1979, 259 typed pp.) Amos D. Wimberley examines The Seventh Seal and the
Trilogy, comparing them to the works of Kierkegaard, Jaspers, and Camus. See also items in
Ø 997, 1012, 1121 and 1697.
Selma Lagerlöf
In an article titled ‘Bergmans filmberättelse – en saga lik Berlings’ [Bergman’s film story – a
fairy tale like Berling’s], KvP, 1 February 1983, p. 11, Stephan Linnér makes a brief comparison
between Fanny and Alexander and Gösta Berling’s Saga from the point of view of character and
the use of fantasy.
Margaret Laurence
In an article titled ‘Heuresis: The Mother-Daughter Theme in A Jest of God and Autumn
Sonata’, New Quarterly: New Directions in Canadian Writing 7, no. 1-2 (Spring-Summer) 1987:

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267-73, Michael Bird compares the primordial relationship (heuresis) of mother and daughter
in Bergman’s Autumn Sonata and Margaret Laurence’s novel A Jest of God, the story of un-
married schoolteacher Rachel and her possessive mother who live in a shared apartment in a
small, isolated town. The comparison is built on a rather general psychological hypothesis and
is hardly concrete enough to illuminate the theme of Bergman’s film.
Thomas Mann
In ‘Films out of Books: Bergman, Visconti and Mann’, Mosaic (Winnipeg) 16, no. 1-2 (Winter-
Spring) 1983: 165-73, David Glassco questions Bergman’s distinction between film and literature
in the Introduction to Four Screenplays (Ø 110) where Bergman argues that film appeals directly
to the emotions whereas literature is absorbed intellectually through a conscious act of will.
Having rejected this dichotomy in our mental receptivity to film and literature, Glassco ex-
amines Visconti’s screen version of Thomas Mann’s novella Death in Venice. The title of the
article is somewhat misleading since no comparison is made between Bergman and Mann.
Molière
Molière is a major name in Ingmar Bergman’s stage productions. The best study of his inter-
pretation of Molière is Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker’s Ingmar Bergman: Four Decades in the
Theater (Ø 594). Chapter 4 titled ‘A Theater for Molière’ discusses such Bergman productions as
Don Juan and The Misanthrope, pp. 132-171. See also same authors’ study of the Bergman-
Molière connection in ‘Bergman and the Comic Theatre of Molière: German Years’, Maske
und Kothurn. Internationale Beitrage zur Theaterwissenschaft 30, no. 1-2, 1984: 203-216. Egil
Törnqvist’s book Bergman’s Muses (Ø 1689) devotes a chapter to Bergman’s treatment of the
Don Juan myth, including Molière’s play Dom Juan. Also Henrik Sjögren discusses Bergman’s
Don Juan production in Malmö in Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1968, pp. 156-60, and makes a
reception collage of a number of Molière stagings in his book Lek och raseri, 2002 (Ø 677).
Toni Morrison (and Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Though more of a sequential than comparative exploration of a common theme, Kimberly-Kay
McGhee’s dissertation on the subject of melancholia attempts to juxtapose the works of two
filmmakers (Bergman and Tarkovsky) and two literary writers (Morrison and Dostoevsky). See
‘To Duty Doubly Bound: A Study of Melancholy in Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Persona’, Toni Morri-
son’s ‘Beloved’, Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘The Sacrifice’ and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘The Idiot’’, Diss.
State University of New York at Buffalo, 1998. DAIA (Dissertation Abstracts International
Section A) 9908129, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1999.
Eugene O’Neill
In a comparative analysis of religious theme in O’Neill’s drama Long Day’s Journey into Night
(staged by Bergman in 1986) and Bergman’s film Såsom i en spegel (Through a Glass Darkly),
Thomas P. Adler discusses mentally unstable women in both works and the role of the father
figure. The article is titled ‘’Daddy Spoke to Me!’: Gods Lost and Found in Long Day’s Journey
into Night and Through a Glass Darkly’, Comparative Drama 20, Winter 1986/87: Reprinted in
Critical Approaches to O’Neill, ed. by John H. Stroupe. New York: AMS, 1988, pp. 161-68. The
title quote refers to son Minus’ final cue in Through a Glass Darkly.
Egil Törnqvist’s book Between Stage and Screen: Ingmar Bergman Directs, 1995 (Ø 1597)
discusses Bergman’s staging of O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (1988). Törnqvist also
writes about the same production at greater length in Eugene O’Neill in China: An International
Centenary Celebration, ed. by Haiping Lii and Lowell Swortzell. New York, Westport, Conn.,
London: Greenwood Press, 1992, pp. 241-48. Crosslisted in Theatre Chapter VI, 1988.

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Sylvia Plath
In her dissertation titled ‘Sylvia Plath and the Cinema: Sylvia Plath’s Poetics and the Cinema-
tography of Ingmar Bergman, Jean Cocteau, and Carl Dreyer’, Linda Lussy Fraser includes a
chapter on the influence of Bergman’s cinema on Plath’s poetic conception. Diss. University of
California, Riverside, 1997. 166 typewritten pp.
Marcel Proust
In what is basically an analysis of Wild Strawberries but of broader interest through its compar-
ison between Bergman’s film and Proust’s narrative technique, Feeydoum Hoveyda’s article ‘Le
plus grand anneau de la spirale’, Cahiers du Cinéma, 95 (May 1959): 40-47, juxtaposes Bergman’s
film and Proust’s rendering of time and space in his novels. The same subject is suggested in
Eugene Archer’s Bergman article ‘The Rack of Life’ in Film Quarterly 12, no. 4 (Summer) 1959:
3-16.
William Shakespeare
Ingmar Bergman has produced plays by Shakespeare throughout his career. See in particular
the following items:
Cavell, Stanley. ‘Kärlekens årstider: Ingmar Bergmans ‘Sommarnattens leende’ och ‘En vinter-
saga’’ [Seasons of love: Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night and A Winter’s Tale]. Film-
häftet, XXVIII/111 (2000): 47-52. (Juxtaposes two ‘remarriage comedies’: Bergman’s early
film Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night) and his stage production of Shake-
speare’s The Winter’s Tale. Sees Smiles... as a study in theatre, Winter’s Tale as a theatre study
in film).
Fridén, Ann. ‘’He Shall Live a Man Forbid’: Ingmar Bergman’s Macbeth’. Shakespeare Survey 36,
1983, pp. 65-72. (Analysis of three different productions by Ingmar Bergman of Macbeth:
Mäster Olofsgården 1940, Hälsingborg 1944, and Gothenburg 1948. This article is expanded
in Fridén’s dissertation Macbeth in the Swedish Theatre 1838-1986. Stockholm: Liber, 1986).
Lahr, John. ‘Winter Songs’. The New Yorker, 3 October 1994, pp. 105-08. Reprinted in Ingmar
Bergman. An Artist’s Journey, ed. by Roger Oliver. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995, pp.
155-160. (Enthusiastic discussion of Bergman-Shakespeare based on the production of The
Winter’s Tale).
Loman, Richard. ‘Svartsjuka. William Shakespeares och Ingmar Bergmans vintersagor’ [Jea-
lousy. William Shakespeare’s and Bergman’s winter’s tales]. In Ingmar Bergman. Film och
teater i växelverkan, ed. by Margareta Wirmark (Ø 1613), pp. 152-171.
Ritzu, Merete Kjöller. Bergman e Shakespeare. Roma: Bulzoni, 1997, 112 pp. (A comparative study
of Shakespeare’s and Bergman’s historical contexts).
Rokem, Freddie. ‘Bergmans dibbuk’. Judisk krönika, no. 1, 1989, pp. 16-17. (A discussion of Isaac,
the Jew in Fanny and Alexander, with reference to a 1940 high school production, directed
by Bergman, of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice).
Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs. Amsterdam: Amsterdam
University Press, 1995. 243 pp. (Part I of this study, titled ‘The Stage Director’, discusses
Bergman’s staging of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (1994).
See also Marker, Four Decades in the Theater, 1982, 1992 (Ø 594), and special Shakespeare
segment in Sjögren, Från lek till raseri, 2002 (Ø 677), as well as Commentaries and Reception
of Bergman’s theatre productions of Shakespeare in Theatre Chapter. (VI).
Sigfrid Siwertz
In his discussion of Tystnaden (The Silence) in Bilder (Images: My Life on Film) (Ø 188, pp 108-
09) Bergman makes a direct reference to Siwertz’ collection of short stories Den mörka seger-

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gudinnan (The dark goddess of victory) from 1907. One of the stories, titled ‘Cirkeln’ is set in
Berlin, and is said to have caused Bergman to dream about and formulate the recurrent imagery
of the decadent city as it appears in Tystnaden, Riten and Ormens ägg.
August Strindberg
This is by far the most frequent literary reference in studies of Bergman’s filmmaking and
playwriting. See the following discussions, referring to Bergman’s filmmaking and television
work. For his staging of Strindberg’s plays in the theatre, see pertinent entries in Theatre
Chapter VI and Theatre/Media Bibliography, Chapter VII, as well as Strindberg sections in
Marker and Sjögren books (Ø 594 and Ø 677).
Abraham, Henry H.L. ‘A Successor to Strindberg: Alienation in Ingmar Bergman’. Commonweal
29 (May) 1964: 291. (Discussion of Bergman’s characters as gloomy descendents of Strind-
berg’s neurotics).
Blackwell, Johns Marilyn. ‘Dream and Reality in Strindberg’s Ett drömspel and Bergman’s
Smultronstället. Proceedings of the Pacific-Northwest Council on Foreign Languages’, 1976,
pp. 122-25. See also following items by same author (listed in chronological order):
—. ‘Strindberg’s Influence on Bergman’s Det sjunde inseglet, Smultronstället and Persona’. Diss.
University of Washington, 1976. Ann Arbor: Dissertation Abstracts International, 1977 (38:
1401A).
—. ‘Journey into Autumn: Oväder and Smultronstället.’ Scandinavian Studies, Vol 50, no. 3
(Summer 1978): 292-303. (The article is a comparison between Strindberg’s chamber play
and Bergman’s script in terms of the main character (an old gentleman), theme, visual and
literary methods).
—. ‘The Chamber Plays and the Trilogy: A Revaluation of the Case of Strindberg and Bergman’.
In Structures of Influence: A Comparative Approach to August Strindberg, ed. by Marilyn
Johns Blackwell. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1981, pp. 49-64. (On the
chamber play concept in Strindberg and Bergman).
Fletcher, John. ‘Bergman and Strindberg’. Journal of Modern Literature I, no. 10, 1981: 173-90.
(Draws brief parallells between Bergman’s films Three Strange Loves (Törst), Passion of
Anna, and The Touch on the one hand, and Strindberg’s depiction of triangular love in
Creditors and The Dance of Death on the other. Then compares Wild Strawberries and A
Dreamplay; Through a Glass Darkly and The Ghost Sonata; Smiles of a Summer Night and
Miss Julie. Bergman transmutes Strindbergian themes and is, according to Fletcher, the
greater artist).
Haverty, Linda. ‘Strindbergman: The Problem of Filming Autobiography in Bergman’s Fanny
and Alexander’. Literature/Film Quarterly 16, no. 3, 1988: 174-80. (The article pays particular
attention to the Ishmael sequence, comparing it to Strindberg’s ‘autobiographical’ use of
the Ishmael myth in his writing).
Hockenjos, Vreni. ‘Ur en drömmares perspektiv. Strindbergs subjektivism i Bergmans tolkning’
[From a dreamer’s perspective. Strindberg’s subjectivism interpreted by Bergman], pp. 42-
50. (About Bergman’s conveyance of Strindberg to stage and screen with focus on the
dreamer perspective as a subjective metaphor).
Müller, Wolf Dietrich. Der Theaterregisseur Ingmar Bergman: dargestellt an seiner Inszenierung
von Strindberg’s ‘Traumspiel’. Munich: Kitzinger, 1980, 156 pp. (Originally presented as a
thesis at University of Munich in 1979. A study of Bergman’s Munich production of
Strindberg’s Dreamplay.)
Oldrini, Guido. ‘L’esperanza letteraria “nazionale” in Sjöberg et Bergman’. Civilta dell’imagine,
no. 1, 1966, n.p. (Discussion of Strindberg’s influence on Alf Sjöberg and Ingmar Bergman).

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Perridon, Harry, ed. Strindberg, Ibsen & Bergman. Essays on Scandinavian Film and Drama.
Maastricht: Shaker Publishing, 1998. Essays in honor of Egil Törnqvist. The following two
items pertain to Bergman and Strindberg:
Sprinchorn, Evert. ‘Fanny and Alexander and Strindberg and Ibsen and...’, pp. 177-188.
Discusses dream vs reality theme of Bergman’s film in conjunction to Strindberg’s Dream-
play.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Fire rekindled: Strindberg and Bergman’. pp. 189-204. (Traces Bergman’s
life and work in relation to temperament and cultural background).
Schuh, Oscar Fritz. ‘Vom “Traumspiel” zum “Schweigen”: Ein Gespräch über August Strind-
berg und Ingmar Bergman’. Eckart Jahrbuch, 1965, pp. 81-88.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Strindbergs språk brände sig in i mitt kött’ [Strindberg’s language burnt into
my skin]. Parnass, no. 6, 1994-no. 1, 1995: 40-44. (About lifelong symbiotic relationship
between Bergman and Strindberg).
—. ‘Besatt viking eller uppskattad konstnär: Strindberg och Ingmar Bergman i USA’ [Possessed
or appreciated artist: Strindberg and Bergman in the US]. In Kungliga Vitterhetsakademins
Konferenser 33. Stockholm, 1995, pp. 87-107. (Discussion of Strindberg’s and Ingmar Berg-
man’s reputation in the US, using a 3-step reception terminology: (1) the transmitter phase;
(2) the annectation phase; (3) the assimilation phase.)
—. ‘Strindberg, Ingmar Bergman and the Visual Symbol’. In The Moscow Papers, ed. by Michael
Robinson. Stockholm: Strindbergssällskapet, 1998, pp. 85-94. (Discusses transposition of
literary metaphors in Strindberg’s text, such as the symbolic life/death implications of the
summer motif, to a cinematic language in Bergman).
—. ‘August Strindberg, Modernism and the Swedish Cinema’. In Expressionism and Modernism.
New Approaches to August Strindberg, ed. by Michael Robinson and Sven Hakon Rossel.
Vienna: Præsens, 1999: 185-196. (Comparative study of Strindberg’s Till Damaskus, Sjös-
tröm’s Körkarlen and Bergman’s Smultronstället.)
—. ‘Ingmar Bergman Staging Strindberg’. In Proceedings from Berlin Strindberg Conference
titled ‘Strindberg and his Media’, Humboldt University, 2000.
Törnqvist, Egil.. ‘Kammarspel på tre sätt’ [Chamber Plays in three ways]. In Jan Stenkvist, ed.,
Från Snoilsky till Sonnevi: Litteraturvetenskapliga studier tillägnade Gunnar Brandell. Stock-
holm: Natur & Kultur, 1976, pp. 76-94. (About the relationship between Bergman’s Visk-
ningar och rop (Cries and Whispers) and his 1973 staging of Strindberg’s chamber play
Spöksonaten (The Ghost Sonata).
—. ‘August StrindBERG?man’. Skrien 132-133 (Winter) 1983-84, p. 31-34. (Discussion of Strind-
berg’s impact on Bergman and similarities in their work);
—. ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night: Bergman’s TV Version of Oväder Compared to Smultron-
stället’. In Kela Kvam, ed., Strindberg’s Post-Inferno Plays. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1994,
pp. 186-95.
—. ‘Strindberg, Bergman and the Silent Character’. Tijdschrift voor Skandinavistiek XX, no. 1,
1999: 61-72. (An analysis of silent characters in Strindberg’s The Stronger and The Ghost
Sonata, and in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and Persona). Also in revised form in author’s
book Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 197-203;
—. ‘Ibsen, Strindberg and the Intimate Theatre: Studies in TV Presentation’. Film Culture in
Transition Series, ed. by Thomas Elsæsser. Amsterdam University Press, 1999, pp. 134-154.
(An analysis of Bergman’s TV versions of Strindberg’s A Dreamplay and Thunder in the Air/
Storm);
—. ‘Screening August Strindberg’s A Dream Play: Meaning and Style’. In Expressionism and
Modernism: New Approaches to August Strindberg, ed. by M. Robinson & S.H. Rossel.
Wiener Studien zur Skandinavistik 1, Wien: Edition Præsens, 1999, pp. 233-241. (Compar-

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ison between three TV versions of Strindberg’s drama, one of them being Bergman’s 1960
production);
—. Det talade ordet: Om Strindbergs dramadialog [The spoken word: About S’s drama dialog].
Stockholm: Carlsson, 2001): 216-226. (About the problematic transfer from text to perfor-
mance, illustrated with examples from Bergman’s staging of Miss Julie and his TV and radio
versions of Thunder in the Air/Storm.
Uggla, Andrzej. ‘Strindberg w teatrze Bergmana’. Dialog XXIII no. 8 1978: 153-58. (Swedish-
Polish scholar points out Strindberg’s impact on Bergman’s theatre work).
Zern, Leif. ‘Därför skall diktaren inte ha någon grav’ [Hence the poet should have no grave].
Strindbergiana, ed. by Birgitta Steene, vol. 16, 2001. (On Bergman’s (and Sjöberg’s) staging
of Strindberg as part of a traditionalist Swedish approach).
See also Johannes Ekman’s radio talk with Bergman and Erland Josephson (Ø 669), titled ‘Ett
liv kring kring naturkraften Strindberg’ [A life around the elemental force of Strindberg], Ekots
lördagsintervju special. SR, 6 February 1999 and 11 August 2001, as well as brief radio interviews
by Magnus Florin in connection with broadcasts and retransmissions of Bergman Strindberg
productions (Ø 680-81), plus rebroadcast of ‘Brott och brott’, SR, 15 February 2003 (see Ø 275).
Unamono
In a comparative article titled ‘The Unbelieving Priest: Unamuno’s Saint Emmanuel, the Good
Martyr and Bergman’s Winter Light’, Literature/Film Quarterly X, no. 1, 1982: 53-61, Allen Lacy
discusses Unamono’s priest and Bergman’s parson Tomas Eriksson. Both have symbolic Biblical
names; both works focus on a spiritual state of mind rather than on plot; both works allude to
the lithurgical year; and both suggest that the meaning of life lies in human existence. But
Unamuno’s priest conceals his doubt to protect his parishioners, whereas Bergman’s minister
bares his in a self-centered way.
See also the following Bergman items containing literary references:
Donner, Jörn. ‘Jungfrukällan’ [The Virgin Spring]. BLM 19, no, 3 (March 1960): 254-59. Though
basically a review of The Virgin Spring, Donner’s text is an early attempt to juxtapose
Ingmar Bergman’s artistic vision to that of Strindberg, Hjalmar Bergman, Pär Lagerkvist,
and Swedish poets of the Forties.
Durant, Frédéric. ‘Ingmar Bergman et la littérature suèdoise’. Cinéma 60, no. 47 (June) 1960: 39-
44. Durant claims that a study of Swedish literature, most notably Strindberg, Hjalmar
Bergman, and Pär Lagerkvist, can help elucidate Bergman’s films for non-Swedish viewers.
The same topic is also covered by Maurice Gravier in ‘Ingmar Bergman et la littérature
suèdoise’, Etudes cinématographiques 1, no. 6-7 (Winter) 1960: 372-82. See also Thiessen
interview (Ø 719), 1958.
Holden, D. F. ‘Three Literary Sources for Through a Glass Darkly’. Literature/Film Quarterly II,
no. 1 (Winter) 1974: 22-29. (See Ø 1252).

990. n.a. ‘Bergman plockar smultron’ [B. picks strawberries]. Filmnyheter XII, nos. 18-20,
1957: 1-3.
A news article in Svensk Filmindustri’s magazine during the shooting of Wild Strawberries. The
most memorable feature of the article is a quote by Bergman actor Gunnar Björnstrand
describing what it is like to work with Bergman: ‘Ingmar is stimulating. It is like climbing
mountains. He shows you the most enticing views, but you always feel that the precondition of
the view is an abyss’. [Ingmar är stimulerande. Det är som att bestiga berg. Han visar en de mest
hänförande utsikter men man känner alltid att förutsättningen för utsikten är en avgrund.], (p.
1).

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991. Béranger, Jean. ‘Les trois métamorphoses d’Ingmar Bergman’. Cahiers du cinéma 13,
no, 74 (August-September) 1957: 19-28.
An oft-quoted essay in early French and Italian Bergman studies. See French Reception,
(Ø 982).

992. Forslund, Bengt. ‘Prästsonen Ingmar Bergman’ [Bergman, the pastor’s son]. Ord
och bild 66, no. 10 (December) 1957: 528-34. See Group item (Ø 997).

993. Goland, Erik, producer. ‘Filmdebatt i Lund. Förfall eller förnyelse’ [Film debate in
Lund. Decadence or Renaissance]. In radio program Tidsspegeln, 8 February 1957. (See
Ø 711).

994. Gregor, Ulrich. ‘Aus Norden dreht man gute Filme’. Filmforum, June 1957, p. 5.
A general overview of Nordic cinema, including a brief discussion of Ingmar Bergman, film-
maker and ‘paradoxical pessimist.’

995. Truffaut, François. ‘Cannes 1957’. Cahiers du cinéma 14, no. 72 (June) 1957: 28-29.
A brief report on the showing of Det sjunde inseglet (Le septième sceau/The Seventh Seal) at the
1957 Cannes Film Festival. The report is of interest because of its suggestion of Bergman’s
impact on the French filmmaker. See also article in Arts, 11 June 1957; French Reception
(Ø 982); and Truffaut, 1972 (Ø 1221).

1958
996. Group Item: Early British Views on Bergman
The Bergman vogue that affected France also reached the British Isles. In 1958, Ingmar Bergman
was presented as ‘Personality of the month’ in Films and Filming, V, no. 1 (October 1958): 5. But
his popularity seems to have established itself more among college audiences than among
professional film critics. The exception is Peter Cowie, who was to provide an appreciative
commentary and analysis of Bergman’s life and work over the years. More typical of the British
response is the voice of Isabel Quigly, reviewer in The Spectator. To Quigly, Bergman was a
maker of films that expressed what she termed ‘northernness’, i.e., features that reflected the
lyrical light and brooding mood of earlier Scandinavian cinema. A good example is her review
of Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) titled ‘Cardboard Pastoral’, which appeared in The
Spectator, 14 March 1958, p. 326. See also Quigly’s review in Spectator (31 October 1958, p. 578) of
Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries) as a representation of ‘the spiritual dilemmas and moral
unease of a nation’. Viewing Bergman’s work as the expression of a gloom-and-doom Nordic
crisis was also the thrust of J.G. W[eightman]’s article ‘Bergman, an Uncertain Talent’ in
Twentieth Century 164, no. 982 (December) 1958: 566-572. Other, largely negative British critics
of Bergman are Caroline Blackwood, E. McGann, Penelope Houston, Dilys Powell, and John
Russell Taylor. Their preference for a topical, realistic cinema and critique of ‘metaphysical’
themes, often dismissed as pseudo-intellectualism, was also representative of the film journal
Sight and Sound. For a sampling of their views, see the following:

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Blackwood, Caroline. ‘The Mystique of Ingmar Bergman’. Encounter 16, no. 91 (April) 1961: 54-
57. To Blackwood, Bergman’s ‘rabid anti-intellectualism’ was trendy; his popularity was
based on an ability to serve up ‘a quasi-modern potpourri of Strindberg, Kafka and Jung.’
Houston, Penelope. ‘The Movie-Makers’. Contemporary Cinema, 1945-1963, pp. 163-66. Sees
Bergman as a manipulator of actors and audiences.
Powell, Dilys. ‘Sacred Cows: Depression over Sweden’. Sunday Times Magazine (London), 8 May
1977, p. 86. Powell sums up her view of Bergman as an autobiographical maker of gloomy
films, obsessed with death.
Taylor, John Russell. ‘Bergman’. In Cinema Eye, Cinema Ear. London: Methuen & Co., 1964, pp.
138-69. A critical survey of Bergman’s career up to 1965, echoing author’s mostly negative
reviews of Bergman’s films in the Times (London). Taylor finds Bergman talented but
pretentious and undisciplined.
Much of the negative British criticism of Bergman is reminiscent of the country’s long-time
reservations about Strindberg, where the understated Ibsen has been seen as the master and
Strindberg as emotionally excessive and morbid.
For a different and more positive British assessment of Bergman’s filmmaking, see items by
Peter Cowie, Jan Dawson, and Robin Wood. See also: Alan Stanbrook, ‘An Aspect of Bergman’,
Film, no. 20 (March-April) 1959: 10-13. Stanbrook elevates Bergman to the company of Fellini,
Kurosawa, and Bresson; i.e., to the status of a film auteur rather than a metteur-en-scene. A good
example of the gist of the critical controversy about Bergman in England is found in Geoffrey
Newman’s ‘Bergman and the Whigs’. Film, no. 28 (March-April) 1961: 32. The title refers to
Yeats’ definition of ‘Whiggery’ as ‘a levelling, rancorous, rational sort of mind’, which Newman
claims is characteristic of British Sight and Sound film criticism. The object of his attack is John
Dyer whose review of Bergman’s Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring) is quoted. A defence is
offered for Bergman who ‘has proved that the cinema can go beyond the world of actuality
to the world of ultimates.’

997. Group Item: Religious Approaches to Bergman’s Filmmaking

Beginning in the late 1950s and early 1960s, an increasing number of European and North-
American studies were published on the religious background and Christian implications of
Bergman’s films. The studies comprise both Protestant and Catholic writers and constitute,
quantitatively speaking, the most addressed aspect of Bergman’s filmmaking.
The first registered item on the subject dates back to 1958: Asta Bolin’s article ‘Bakvänd
predikan’ [Awkward sermon]. Vår lösen 49, no. 2, (March) 1958: 69-71. Over the years Bolin
would frequently review Bergman’s films for the same religious Swedish journal. In this parti-
cular item, the author questions Bergman’s integrity as an artist as long as he won’t let go of his
magic image-making wand to take a leap of faith and anchor his film stories in grace and
forgiveness. Bolin always approaches Bergman’s work from an angle of Christian ethics but
provides a more subtle discussion of the subject in his art than many of Bergman’s other
religious analysts.
Among a plethora of religious studies of Bergman’s films, the following items provide a
representative list. They are listed in alphabetical order by author:
Awalt, Mike H. ‘The Silence: an Analysis of the Concepts of God and Man in the Films of
Ingmar Bergman’. (Diss.), Baylor University, 1984. 308 pp.
Benfrey, Mathias Wilhelm. ‘Religious Dimensions in Four Ingmar Bergman Screenplays: The
Seventh Seal, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence.’ M.A. thesis, McGill
University, 1976. 98 leaves. Microfiche available at National Library of Canada, Ottawa, 1977.

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Bergom-Larsson, Maria and Bengt Kristensson-Uggla. ‘Film som religiöst språk. Hedenius och
Bergman i livsåskådningsdebatten’. Nedstigningar i modern film – hos Bergman,Wenders,
Adlon, Tarkovski. [Descents into modern film – in Bergman, etc]. Delsbo: Åsak, Sahlin &
Dahlström AB, 1992. Contrasts Bergman’s religious point of view and that of atheist phi-
losopher Ingemar Hedenius.
Blake, Richard A., SJ. ‘Salvation without God’. Encounter 28, no. 4 (Autumn) 1967: 313-26.
Reprinted as ‘Wild Strawberries: Theology and Psychology’ in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp.
163-79. Discusses Lutheran concept of salvation through an act of faith but argues against
viewing Bergman’s film scripts as specifically Christian. Bergman depicts a man of quest,
not a man of dogma or faith.
—, ‘The Lutheran Milieu in the Films of Ingmar Bergman’. (Diss.), Northwestern University,
1972. 340 pp. See also Blake, (Ø 1196), 1971; (Ø 1505), 1991.
Burnevich, J. Thèmes d’inspiration d’Ingmar Bergman. (Brussels: Collection encyclopedique du
cinéma, no. 30). 1960. 60 pp. One of the earliest Catholic presentations of the religious
dimension of Bergman’s films.
Calhoun, Alice. ‘Suspended Projections: Religious Roles and Adaptable Myths in John Hawkes’s
Novels, Francis Bacon’s Paintings, and Ingmar Bergman’s Films’, (Diss.) University of South
Carolina, 1979, 346 pp. Chapter 3 discusses religion and myth in Bergman’s films.
Cinémaction, no. 80, 1996, a special issue on Christianity and the cinema. Pp. 84-91 are reviews
of Bergman’s and Buñuel’s work and the Protestant vs Catholic elements in their films.
Dannowski, Hans Werner. ‘Die späten Filme Ingmar Bergmans’. In Film und Theologie, ed. by
Wilhelm Roth. Stuttgart: Steinkopf Verlag, 1989, p. 97-106.
Forslund, Bengt. ‘Prästsonen Ingmar Bergman’ [Bergman, the pastor’s son]. Ord och bild 66,
no. 10 (December) 1957: 528-34. One of the first articles published on Bergman’s religious
family background.
Gerle, Jörg. ‘Disseits von Gott und Tod’. Filmdienst 51 no. 14, 1998: 10-11. Cf. Ø 1634.
Gervais, Marc. Ingmar Bergman: Magician and Prophet. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University
Press, 1999. 257 pp. Jesuit priest analyzes Bergman’s films from the point of view of a
contemporary Christian sensiblity. Sees Bergman’s work anchored in a specific time and
place, shaped by its cultural context.
Gibson, Arthur. The Silence of God: Creative Response to the Films of Ingmar. New York: Harper
& Row, inc., 1969. Expanded and revised in 1995 as The Rite of Redemption: An Interpretation
of the Films of Ingmar Bergman. (Lewiston: Mellen, 1995). 153 pp. Canadian theologian’s
drive is to make Bergman’s films confirm author’s own religious viewpoint. A similar
approach can be found in Nystedt below.
Hamilton, W. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Silence of God’. Motive 27, no. 2 (November) 1966: 36-
41. Addresses the most common theme discussed in Bergman’s films in the 1960s and on:
The silence of God.
Hartman, Olof. ‘Guds tystnad: En studie i tre filmer av Ingmar Bergman’ [God’s silence: a study
of three films by Bergman]. In author’s book Jordbävningen i Lissabon [The earthquake in
Lisbon], Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren, 1968, pp. 158-67. A study of the Trilogy by Swedish
Lutheran theologian.
Holloway, Ronald. ‘The Religious Dimension in the Cinema: With Particular Reference to the
films of Carl Theodor Dreyer, Ingmar Bergman and Robert Bresson’. Diss. Hamburg, 1972,
304 pp.
Ketcham, Charles. The Influence of Existentialism on Ingmar Bergman: An Analysis of the Theo-
logical Ideas Shaping a Filmmaker’s Art. Lewston: E. Mellen Press, 1986. 381 pp. A study of
Bergman’s films using Heidegger’s and Kiergegaard’s existentialist philosophy.

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Koebner, Thomas. ‘Die Wohnung des Herrn verlassen’. Filmdienst. Kino-Fernsehen-Video, 51, no.
14 (1998): 8-9. About religion, God and family tragedy in Bergman’s films in special Berg-
man issue of German magazine.
Lauder, Robert E. ‘Bergman’s Odyssey’. America 125, no. 5 (September) 1971: 119-20. Reprinted as
‘The Touch. The Role of Religion’. in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp. 292-96. Father Lauder has
followed Bergman’s filmmaking since the early 1970s as a reviewer for the Catholic journal
America.
—. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Still Asking the “God Question”’. NYT, 3 December 1978, p. 2: 1, 13.
—. God, Death, Art and Love. The Philosophical Vision of Ingmar Bergman. Mahwah, NJ: The
Paulist Press, 1989. 198 pp. With a foreword by Liv Ullmann.
Liggera, Joseph J. ‘Rejecting Christ: Bergman’s Counter Gospel’. In Holding the Vision: Essays on
Film, ed. by Douglas Umstead. Proceedings of First Annual Film Confernce of Kent State
University, 1983, pp. 54-60.
Linz, Martin. ‘Gleichnisse. Philosophische und theologische Spuren im Werk Bergmans’. In
... noch einmal zu Bergman. Frankfurt: Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Jugendfilmarbeit
und Medienziehung, 1990.
Nelson, David. ‘Ingmar Bergman. The Search for God’. Film Studies 1 (Boston University
Communications/Art Division, 1964). 60 pp. Longer essay on religious implications of
Bergman’s films, including the Trilogy.
Niemeyer, G. ‘Bergman: Image and Meaning’. National Review, 22 April 1961, pp. 257-58. A focus
on religious motifs in Bergman’s films up to 1960.
Nystedt, Hans. Ingmar Bergman och kristen tro [Bergman and Christian faith], Stockholm:
Verbum, 1989, 171 pp. A personal interpretation by Lutheran pastor in pursuit of biblical
allusions in Bergman’s films. Reminiscent of Gibson (above). Review: Chaplin XXXI, no. 6
(225) 1989: 329, with a retort by Nystedt in Chaplin, no. 226: 37, 58. See also Nystedt in
commentaries (Ø 233, 236, 238).
Phillips, Gene D., S.J. ‘Ingmar Bergman and God’. In Ingmar Bergman. Essays in Criticism, ed.
by Stuart Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp. 45-54. A portion of the article was published earlier in
The Clergy Review 52, no. 10.
Pomeroy, David. ‘The Depths of Our Souls: The Films of Ingmar Bergman’, Theology Today 33
(January) 1977: 398-401. Discussion of Face to Face, Scenes from a Marriage, and Cries and
Whispers as affirmative struggles towards redemption, not ‘cheap grace’ but ‘filmic pil-
grimages’ into the depths of the human soul.
Renaud, Pierre. ‘Les visages de la Passion dans l’univers de Bergman’. Etudes Cinématographi-
ques 2, no. 10-11 (Autumn) 1961: 207-16. Study of Prison (Fängelse), Jeu d’été (Sommarlek), Le
visage (Ansiktet) and La source (Jungfrukällan) with specific reference to Christ’s suffering.
Robins, Charles Edward. ‘Theological Analysis of Religious Experience in the Films of Ingmar
Bergman’, (Diss.) Ponteficia Universitas Georgiana, Rome, 1975, 758 pp. A voluminous study
of the theme of the silence of God and passion of Christ, and its human parallels in
Bergman’s films from The Seventh Seal to Cries and Whispers.
Schilliachi, Anthony. ‘Vision of Good and Evil’, Listening/Current Studies in Dialog 2, no. 1
(Winter 1967): 17-28, reprinted in Movies and Morals (Tenbury Wells, Worcs.: Fowler
Wright, 1968), pp. 93-110 and in Celluloid and Symbols, ed. J.C. Cooper and C. Skrade
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1970), pp. 75-88. A rather simplistic but at one time much
circulated essay on Christian morality in Bergman’s films.
Schneider, Hans-Helmuth. Rollen und Räume. Anfragen an das Christentum in den Filmen
Ingmar Bergman. Frankfurt: Verlag Peter Lang, 1993. 373 pp. Diss. University of Munich,
1992.

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Silverstein, Norman. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Religious Film’, Salmagundi II, no. 3 (Spring-
Summer 1968): 53-66. About Bergman’s position on religious issues in The Seventh Seal, The
Virgin Spring, The Trilogy, and Persona.
Sobolewski, Tadeusz. ‘Przezycie religijne w kinie’. Kino XVII, no. 3 (June 1983): 33-36. About
religious experiences in the cinema with some examples from Bergman.
Sonnenschein, Richard. ‘The Problem of Evil in Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal’. West
Virginia Philological Papers 27, 1981, pp. 137-143. (Discusses concept of evil in Bergman’s
film by referring to three classical premises: the existence of an all-loving God; the idea of
an omnipotent God; and the existence of a multitude of moral and physical ills. Draws
parallels to Epicurus, Thomas a Aquinas, Leibnitz, Hume, and French existentialists.).
Suttor, T. ‘Religious Dialectic in Bergman’, University of Windsor Review 9, no. 1 (Fall 1975): 67-
81.
Söderbergh-Widding, Astrid. ‘Vad skall man tro? Religiösa motiv hos Ingmar Bergman’. [What
is one to believe? Religious motifs in Bergman], pp. 51-61. (Polemics against literal-minded
trackers of religious symbolism in Bergman’s films). Aura: Filmvetenskaplig tidskrift IV, no.
4, 1998, pp. 51-61.
Thomsen, Chr. Braad. ‘Bergmans Guds-kompleks’. Jyllandsposten. 9 jan., 1965. See Ø 1130.
Törnqvist. Egil. ‘Från manus till film. Ingmar Bergmans Nattvardsgästerna’ [From manuscript
to film. Bergman’s Winter Light]. Religious theme in Winter Light discussed from semiotic
point of view. See 2003, (Ø 1690).
Visions of Film and Faith. NBC TV special, 29 July 1979. A televised discussion of Bergman’s
films. Moderator: Charles Champlin. Participants: Father Robert Lauder, actress Liv Ull-
mann, and the Rev. James Wall.
Wasserman, Raquel. Filmologie de Bergman: Dios, la vida y la muerte Buenos Aires: Editorial
Fraterna, 1988. Presentation of religious and existential themes in Bergman’s films.

998. Dallmann, Günter. ‘Ingmar Bergman dreht nicht nur Filme’. Der Tagesspiegel, 24
August 1958. See Interviews Chapter VIII, (Ø 714).

999. Fors. [Gunnar Tannefors]. ‘Ingmar Bergmans triumf ’ [Bergman’s triumph]. Biograf-
ägaren, no. 6, 1958: 9.
A brief comparison between Bergman’s film production and Jean Anouilh’s so-called black and
rose plays.

1000. Fröier, Lennart. ‘Ingmar Bergman och världskritiken’ [Bergman and world criti-
cism]. Folket i Bild, no. 17, 1958, pp. 10, 36.
Recognition in Swedish cultural magazine of Ingmar Bergman’s growing international fame.

1001. Gauteur, Claude. ‘Renaissance du cinéma suèdois: Ingmar Bergman’, Cinéma 58,
no. 29 (July-August) 1958: 22-32. Translated into Swedish in Clarté 32, no. 3 (1959): 34-
35, 39-40. Cf. French Reception, (Ø 982).
Survey of early Bergman films from thematic point of view, seeing the relationship between
man and woman as their central focus.

1002. Godard, Jean Luc. ‘Bergmanorama.’ Cahiers du cinéma, no. 85 (July) 1958: 1-5. Also
in Cahiers du cinéma in English, no. 1 (January) 1966: 56-62, and Jean Luc Godard par
Jean Luc Godard, (ed.J.L. Comolli, J. Narboni), Paris: Editions Pierre Belfond, 1968.

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pp. 122-130, Translated into English as Godard on Godard. (ed. T. Milne), London:
Secker & Warburg, 1972, pp. 75-80. Also appeared in ‘Ingmar Bergman at 70 – a
Tribute’, Chaplin, 30, no. 2-3 (215/216), 1988. See Godard’s assessment of Summer with
Monica (Ø 219, Commentary), and group entry titled French Reception, (Ø 982).

1003. Heyman, Viveka. ‘I Bergmans och Sucksdorffs tecken’ [In the signs of B and S].
Beklädnadsfolket, no. 3, 1958, p. 22, 31.
Actually a review of Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries) but also representative of Heyman’s
continuous critique of Bergman: ‘Each time I see a new work by Bergman, it seems more and
more lifeless, more and more empty, more and more affected’. [Varje gång jag ser ett nytt verk
av Bergman verkar det mer och mer livlöst, mer och mer tomt, mer och mer affekterat.]
See also the following film columns by Heyman:
‘Filmfestivaler och annat politiskt’ [Film festivals and other political matters]. Beklädnadsfolket
no. 5, 1956, pp. 12-13. A report from Cannes Film Festival with a sour comment on the
award to Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night), which is referred to as poor
plagiarism of Ophul’s La Ronde.
‘Om dygd och kvinnor’ [On virtue and women]. Beklädnadsfolket no. 7, 1958, pp. 18-19. A
review of Nära livet (Close to Life), appreciated because Bergman did not write the script.
‘Konsten att förtrolla’ [The art of spellbinding]. Beklädnadsfolket no. 2, 1959, pp. 14-15, 29. A
comparison between Bergman’s Ansiktet (The Magician) and Charles Laughton’s The Night
of the Hunter (Trasdockan), considered superior to Bergman’s work.
‘Ingmar Bergman och hans entreprenörer’ [Bergman and his entrepreneurs]. Arbetet, 24 March
1960, p. 9. A travesty of Strindberg’s polemical writing in Det nya riket (The New Kingdom)
with Bergman as the target. His ‘entrepreneurs’ are those who only give credit to formalist
art. Bergman is the epitome of a visual virtuoso and his critics ignore the (questionable)
content of his films.

1004. Hopkins, Steve. ‘The Celluloid Cell of Ingmar Bergman’. Industria International
1958-59, pp. 33-36, 108-17.
Most exhaustive early discussion of Ingmar Bergman in English. The author argues that Berg-
man saved the Swedish film industry when it was beset by heavy taxation, high production
costs, and marketing problems. Hopkins sees Bergman’s films as studies of intellectuals versus
artists, and traces their theme of emotional atrophy to turn-of-the-century Swedish fiction
writer Hjalmar Söderberg. The second half of the article is a resumé of Swedish film history.

1005. Idestam-Almqvist, Bengt [Robin Hood]. ‘Victor Sjöström och Ingmar – mötet
mellan två stora i svensk film’ [Victor Sjöström and Ingmar – the encounter between
two great men in Swedish film]. Folket i Bild no. 7, 1958, 8-9.
The author gives a portrait of a ‘new Ingmar Bergman’ who has outgrown his puberty. The
reason for the juxtaposition of Sjöström and Bergman has to do with the journal’s upcoming
serialization of Bergman’s script to Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries), the film where Sjöström
plays the lead role as Isak Borg.

1006. Runeby, Margot. ‘Der “zornige junge Mann” des schwedischen Films’. Frankfurter
Allgemeine, 21 August 1958.

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A presentation of Bergman as an angry young man in Swedish filmmaking industry, focusing

on films from Hets to Nära livet.

1007. Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Brev till Ingmar Bergman’ [Letter to Bergman]. Vecko-Journalen
49, no. 15 (April) 1958: 22, 44.
An open letter to Bergman from a Stockholm film critic, asking him if he has a face (a real self)
behind his artist’s mask. Schildt encourages Bergman to continue to ‘deceive’, to be a conjurer
and a magician. This letter indicates a continuous Swedish interest in Bergman’s persona but
points, above all, to a central theme in Bergman’s filmmaking: role-playing versus authenticity;
mask versus naked face; art as ritual versus art as deception/illusion; and the ambiguous
relationship between artist and his public. The article was written after the opening of Ansiktet
(The Magician). Cf. Commentary (Ø 228).

1008. Tabbia, Alberto. Ingmar Bergman. Buenos Aires: Libreria Letras, 1958. 129 pp. Also
listed as Flashback 1 with authors Edgardo Cozarinsky and Maria Rosa Vaccaro. See
Group (Ø 974).

1009. Ulrichsen, Erik. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Devil’. Sight and Sound 27, no. 5 (Sum-
mer) 1958: 224-30. Also published in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp. 135-147.
Analysis of Bergman’s films through Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal), tracing Bergman’s
background in film and theatre with some emphasis on his metaphysical topics.

1010. Waldekranz, Rune. ‘How Great Our Adventure’. Films and Filming 5, no. 1 (Octo-
ber) 1958: 9-11.
A survey of Swedish cinema from the outbreak of World War II to date, with many references to
Bergman, whose artistic roots are said to be the puppet show, the commedia dell’ arte, the
medieval mystery play, and early Méliès films. Claims that Bergman’s uniqueness rests on his
ability to combine such ‘primitive’ art forms with depth psychology. See also same author’s
Swedish Cinema, a pamphlet published by the Swedish Institute in 1959 (77 pp.) and survey
article titled ‘Eros und Mythos’ in Film (Hannover) 3, no. 4 (April) 1965: 24-27.

1959
1011. Group Item: American Reception of Ingmar Bergman
There is a direct link between the early French response to Bergman (Ø 1037) and his intro-
duction to American viewers. The mediator was the film critic for The Village Voice and some-
time editor of the English edition of Cahiers du Cinéma, Andrew Sarris, who was to launch the
auteur concept in the US and apply it to Bergman and to some of Hollywood’s directors.
The earliest distributors of Bergman’s films on the US market tended to advertise them as
samples of a so-called sexploitation genre. See Commentary to Sommaren med Monika/Summer
with Monica/The Story of a Bad Girl in filmography and article by Jack Stevenson, ‘Somrarna
med Monica. Bergman som buskis på bystan’. [Summers with Monica. Bergman as slapstick in
the boondocks]. Chaplin 258, no.3 (Summer) 1995: 18-22.
Sarris’ essay on The Seventh Seal in the journal Film Culture, no. 19, 1959: 51-61 was crucial for
changing Bergman’s early image and status in America. Sarris called Bergman’s film the first

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genuinely existential work in the history of the cinema. A year later art and film critic Arlene
Croce wrote in Commonweal Magazine (11 March 1960, pp. 647-649) that Manhattan had begun
‘to look like an island entirely surrounded by Ingmar Bergman’. Bergman’s changed status in
the US ran parallell to (and was instrumental in) transforming the American concept of the art
theatre from a soft porn movie house to a display area for the works of Bergman and other
postwar European filmmakers.
Among critics whose articles helped cement Bergman’s reputation with American audiences
– these consisted mostly of college students and coffee house intellectuals – are the following
(listed in alphabetical order):
Alpert, Hollis. ‘The Other Bergman’. Saturday Review, 21 March 1959, p. 34. Reprinted in
Introduction into the Art of Movies, ed. by Lewis Jacobs. New York: Noonday Press, 1968,
pp. 296-99. One of the best early presentations of Bergman in the US. The title refers to
Ingmar Bergman replacing actress Ingrid Bergman as notable Swedish film name. Alpert
also published two fine articles on Ingmar Bergman in 1960-1961: ‘Bergman as Writer’,
Saturday Review, 27 August 1960, pp. 22-23; and ‘Style is the Director’, Saturday Review, 23
December 1961, pp. 39-41. Reprinted in author’s Dreams and Dreamers (New York: Mac-
millan, 1962), pp. 62-77.
Archer, Eugene. ‘The Rack of Life’. Film Quarterly 12, no. 4 (Summer) 1959: 3-16. An analysis of
major Bergman films from Torment to The Magician, referring to Bergman’s work as
‘strange, exceedingly personal, and deeply provocative’. See also Archer, 1967, in Interview
chapter VIII (Ø 769).
Cole, Alan. ‘Ingmar Bergman, Movie Magician’. New York Herald Tribune, 24 October, 1 No-
vember, and 8 November 1959. A general presentation of Bergman’s life and work to date,
using Bergman’s own statements about the origins of his filmmaking as outlined in the
essay ‘What is Filmmaking?’ (Ø 87). Cole sees Bergman as a challenge to ‘popcorn audi-
ences.’
Croce, Arlene. ‘The Bergman Legend’. The Commonweal, 11 March 1960, pp. 647-649. A pre-
sentation of Bergman as a filmmaker who has attained the eminence of directeur du
conscience, with an enormous impact on ‘present generation of young intellectuals’. His
fascination lies in ‘a kind of gay [=happy] agnosticism [...] an eclectic vitality of expression.’
Kauffmann, Stanley. ‘Swedish Rhapsody’, New Republic, 27 April 1959, p. 20. Reprinted in A
World of Film (New York: Dell, 1966), pp. 270-273. In this review of Wild Strawberries
Kauffmann retrospectively refers to Törst (Thirst) as ‘dreadful’, The Seventh Seal as ‘pre-
tentious’, and Smiles of a Summer Night as a film only the French could carry off, while Wild
Strawberries, ‘teeters on the edge of complete realization’. Kauffmann reviewed most of
Bergman’s major films from the mid-Fifties to the mid-Seventies. His collected critiques
provide a good record of an American view of ‘one of the most interesting and irritating
film artists alive’. His review of The Magician in New Republic, 12 October 1959 (p. 21), is
typical of his reluctant acknowledgement of Bergman’s art: ‘It is now clear that we must
resign ourselves to [...] the Swedish director [who] is enormously gifted, often technically
dazzling, essentially undisciplined’. Additional Bergman reviews through All These Women
are assembled in Kauffmann’s A World of Film, pp. 273-290. For review articles of The Touch,
Cries and Whispers, and Persona, see his book of collected reviews, Living Images (New York:
Harper & Row, 1975), pp. 64-65, 164-166, and 340-350.
Throughout Bergman’s reception in America, there is a distinct difference between the homage
paid to him by a filmmaker like Woody Allen or by devotee critics like John Simon, Father
Robert Lauder, and the early Andrew Sarris, and the irritation often expressed by reviewers like
Kauffmann and his colleagues Henry Hart, Pauline Kael, and Richard Shickel. See for instance:

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Kael, Pauline. ‘Celtic Spring, Swedish Summer’. The New Republic, 6 May 1967, pp. 32-33.
Reprinted in author’s Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1968), pp. 171-
172, and in Film 67/68, ed. by Richard Shickel and John Simon (New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1968), pp. 194-200. This review of Persona is typical of Kael’s view of Bergman’s
filmmaking as anti-social and emotionally manipulative, her assessment of Shame being an
exception (see Ø 239, Commentary). Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang has retrospective notes on half a
dozen earlier Bergman films, pp. 208-210 and passim. See also Kael’s Going Steady (Boston:
Little, Brown & Co., 1970), pp. 214- 221; and Reeling, same publisher, 1976, pp. 89-94.
Schickel, Richard. ‘Scandinavian Screen’. Holiday 40, no. 5 (November) 1966: 156-60. Schickel
sees Bergman’s films as manifestations of a discrepancy in Swedish society between a
rational social order and a seemingly incurable sickness of the soul among its citizens.
See also same author in Second Sight: Notes on Some Movies, 1965-1970, (New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1972), pp. 175-79, where Schickel’s ambivalence towards most of Bergman’s work is
apparent: ‘Is Bergman indeed a consummate magician or merely a mountebank? I change
my mind from film to film’.
Time. 14 March 1960, pp. 60-66 (42-46 in the international edition). Cover story titled ‘I am a
Conjurer’ suggests Bergman’s growing visibility in the US. The magazine’s cover design
portrays Bergman against a background of Nordic gloom: a dark forest with a woman
figure (an alluring huldra?) hidden next to a tree trunk and a silhouetted male stalker in the
distance. The drawing seems inspired by the first sequence of Ansiktet (The Magician),
opening in the US in 1959. The feature article refers to Bergman as ‘The Bunyan of show
business [...] whose glimpses of the dark heart of man are without equal in the history of
the cinema.’ Includes a reference to Bergman’s shooting schedule and a recent Hollywood
offer to direct Harry Belafonte in a film about Alexander Pushkin. Bergman’s response:
‘Pushkin was a genius, Belafonte is not’. For Belafonte reference, see also DN, 16 March 1959,
p. 16; ST, same date, p. 11, and 24 March 1959, p. 11.
Wiskari, W. ‘Another Bergman Gains Renown’. NYT Magazine, 20 December 1959, pp. 20-21, 48-
50. Follow-up article on NYT reviewer Bosley Crowther’s presentation ‘The Other Berg-
man’, NYT, 6 September 1959, sec. 2, p. 1., written at a time when actress Ingrid Bergman
was better known than her filmmaking namesake. Wiskari argues that technique and theme
are inseparable in Bergman’s works and challenges Swedish critics at the time who had told
him that Bergman’s international fame rested on technical brilliance and dazzling photo-
graphy.
Aftermath
Bergman never experienced a sudden decline in the US as in France (Ø 982, Domarchi). But a
very clear disenchantment with his films of the 1960s occurred for many of his early followers.
Andrew Sarris, the critic responsible for introducing Bergman among American cineasts be-
came one of Bergman’s harshest critics. See Sarris, ‘Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962’, Film
Culture, no. 27 (Winter 1962/63): 1-8, and ‘Films – Persona’, Village Voice, 23 March 1967, p. 25.
See also commentaries to entries (Ø 35, 37, and 38); Kathleen Murphy’s article in Film Com-
ment, May 1995 (Ø 1594) and Peter Harcourt in Scandinavian/Canadian Studies, 1992 (Ø 1523).
Both Murphy and Harcourt express their disenchantment with the post-Sixties Bergman.
Paisley Livingston summed up this critical North-American reversal in his 1982 study Ingmar
Bergman and the Rituals of Art, 1982, (Ø 1384): ‘Although his [Bergman’s] “classics” serve as
standard fare in cinema society programs and in courses on film, they receive less and less
critical attention’. However, several book length studies appeared in the 1980s and 1990s by
American film scholars (see Frank Gado, 1986 (Ø 1432), Hubert Cohen 1993 (Ø 1546), and Marc
Gervais 1999 (Ø 1657). The Royal Dramatic Theatre’s guest visits to BAM (Brooklyn Academy of

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Music) in the 1980s and 1990s have cemented Bergman’s reputation among American audi-
ences. In 1995 New York presented his life work in a month long Ingmar Bergman festival.
Sarris’ critique of Bergman’s filmmaking runs a curious parallell to that of Pauline Kael,
though reversed. Kael respected Bergman as a writer of screenplays but was very critical of his
films for their lack of social scope and realism (a critique shared by many British and Swedish
critics). Her change of heart came with Skammen (1968, Shame) where she felt that Bergman
escaped his former egocentric vision. For Sarris on the other hand, Shame represented Berg-
man’s total failure as a filmmaker, a film that he characterized as ‘boom-boom theatrics’.
Another major American film critic who became disenchanted with Bergman’s work was John
Simon whose idolatrous approach in his 1972 book Ingmar Bergman Directs (Ø 1218) changed in
the 1980s to a negative assessment of a filmmaker and stage director he then described as
suffering from AMS (Aging Master syndrome). (See Ø 473, 477, 483, American [BAM] recep-
tion.)
The Kael-Sarris debate over Shame closes the first phase of Bergman’s reception among
American film reviewers. To American audiences in general, drawn to his films of the 1950s,
Bergman became a cult figure. To academic writers on cinema, his later films, especially
Persona, have attracted the most attention.
In no other country have so many books, theses, and dissertations been written on Bergman’s
filmmaking as in the US. The overriding interest among academic writers has been in the
religious or humanist aspects of Bergman’s filmmaking, but also psychological (and psycho-
analytical) studies have been numerous. For discussions of Bergman’s reception in the US, see:
Mayer, Michael F. ‘Here, There and Everywhere’. In Foreign Films on American Screens. New
York: Arco Publishing Co., 1965, p. 51. Brief resumé of Bergman’s reception up to the early
1960s in the US.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Manhattan Surrounded by Ingmar Bergman’: The American Reception of a
Swedish Filmmaker’. In Ingmar Bergman: An Artist’s Journey, ed. by Roger Oliver, 1995, pp.
137-154. See also same author’s feature article (‘understreckare’) ‘Ingmar Bergmans motta-
gande i USA’ [Bergman’s reception in the US]. SvD, 3 June 1983, p. 12-13.

1012. Group Item: Italian Reception of Ingmar Bergman

Bergman’s early films were shown at Venice Film Festival from 1947 onwards, though they
seldom won any awards. A note about Fellini and Bergman as ‘contemporary myths’ appeared
in Bianco e nero, XV, no. 2-4 (Feb/April 1954): 39. But more extensive Italian attention to
Bergman’s filmmaking coincides in time with the French discovery of Bergman (see Ø 982),
though the Italian discussion of Bergman’s films focusses much more on their religious and
existential themes and frequently stresses their connection with what is seen as a metaphysical
tradition in the Scandinvian cinema. One of the trendsetters in that respect was Guido Aristarco
with his report from the Venice Film Festival in 1959 where Smultronstället (Il posto delle
fragole) and Ansiktet (Il volte) were shown. Aristarco’s article ‘Questa malattia non e mortale’,
Cinema Nuovo 8, no. 141 (September-October) 1959: 430-31 typifies the Italian focus on Berg-
man’s ‘ontological solitude’, relating his work to Scandinavian culture with its ‘Kierkegaardian’
emphasis on the problem of the self and the crises of the instituitons of church and family. See
same author’s ‘La solitudine ontologica in Dreyer e Bergman’ in Il Dissolvimento della Ragione:
Discurso sul Cinema (Rome): Canesi, 1965, pp. 541-78, first published as ‘Il tema solitudine in
Dreyer e Bergman’, Cinestudio 8: n.p. Dreyer, Bergman and/or Kierkegaard (alternately Bergman
and Protestantism) are also discussed by the following Italian critics (listed alphabetically):

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Busco, Maria Teresa. ‘Miti contemporanei: Fellini e Bergman’. Bianco e nero 26, no. 2 (February)
1965: 39-46. An analysis of Kierkegaardian motifs in Fellini and Bergman, seeing Fellini’s
films as representations of the malaise of Kierkegaard’s aesthetic personality, while Berg-
man’s films deal with the spiritual crisis of Kierkegaard’s ethical stage.
Chiaretti, Tommaso. Ingmar Bergman. Rome: Canesi, 1964. The author views Bergman as a
filmmaker who pursues three basic philosophical tracts: those of Kierkegaard, Freud, and
Sartre. Chiaretti also sets up six points that characterize Bergman’s filmmaking: (1) influ-
ence from the French cinema of the 1930s (Carné and Duvivier); (2) influence from Ger-
man expressionism; (3) focus on marital crises; (4) introduction of theatrical solutions
related to Pirandello’s dramaturgy; (5) influence from psychoanalysis; and (6) stylistic break
with traditional cinematic narratology.
Laura, Ernesto G. ‘Trei voci spiritualiste del cinema contemporano: Bresson, Dreyer, Bergman’.
Cineforum 5, no. 45 (May) 1965: 356-65. The author argues that of the three filmmakers
listed in the title, all of whom have used the cinema to document a spiritual landscape,
Bergman has succeeded best in reaching a large public, because he presents his subject-
matter in the guise of popular filmmaking.
Napolitano, Antonio. ‘Dal Settimo sigillo alle Soglie della vita’. Cinema Nuovo 10, no. 151 (May-
June) 1961: 210-224. A presentation of metaphysical themes in Bergman’s films, especially
The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries and Close to Life. The author refers extensively to
Bergman’s cultural heritage with its rigid Puritanism, Lutheran ethos, and cult of nature.
Oldrini, Guido. ‘La sfondo cultural della critica su Ingmar Bergman’. Cinema Nuovo 9, no. 144
(March-April) 1960: 117-27. An overview of critical responses to Bergman’s films, arguing
that Sweden’s non-alignment during World War II created a neutrality complex that
masked itself as metaphysical angst. This mood, with roots in Kierkegaard and Protestant-
ism, was captured by Bergman, and postwar Europe responded to it. Oldrini gives extensive
resumes of the French Béranger-Rohmer-Gauteur reception of Bergman in France (see
Ø 982) and of the American view of him as a Romantic filmmaker (Sarris-Archer-Colin
Young). Oldrini’s approach to Bergman follows the French group but puts more emphasis
on his Lutheran heritage. See also same author’s survey of Bergman’s career through Winter
Light in his book La solitudine di Ingmar Bergman. Parma: Ugo Guanda, 1965. 113 pp.
Prigione, R. ‘La donna e il sentimento dell’ angoscia in Bergman, Antonioni e Dreyer’. Civilta
dell’ imagine, no. 1, 1966, no. pag. A discussion of intimate and intellectual view of women
in the works of title filmmakers.
Renzi, Renzo. ‘Bergman e l’abolizione dell’Inferno’. Cinema Nuovo XII, no. 163 (May-June) 1963:
166-168. Focussing on Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light/Luci d’inverno), Renzi’s discussion
points to Bergman’s films as works challenging both a neo-capitalistic and a Catholic
(religious) society.
Verdone, Mario. ‘Religione e personalita nell’opera di Ingmar Bergman’. Studi cinematografici e
televisi 1, no. 2 (October) 1968: 25-44. An article tracing Bergman’s literary and religious
influences from Ibsen, Strindberg, Kierkegaard, Kaj Munk and Carl Dreyer, treating Ibsen’s
play Brand as a prototypical ‘Kierkegaardian’ work and relating it specifically to Det sjunde
inseglet (El settimo sigillo). The article also discusses the role of the artist in Ansiktet (Il
Volto), Tystnaden (Il silenzio), and Persona.
Together with Antonio Napolitano, Guido Oldrini, and Renzo Renzi, Guido Aristarco repre-
sents the so-called Cinema Nuovo group of Bergman interpreters in Italy. Their ideological
stand was agnostic and/or Marxist, and they claimed Bergman as their rebellious anti-clerical
voice. See also two articles by Aristarco in 1974: ‘La bussola delle psiche nell’ateismo religioso

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borghese’. Cinema Nuovo, March/April 1974, pp. 116-30; and ‘La bussola delle psiche nell’ateismo
moderne’. Cinema Nuovo, May/June 1974, pp. 198-210.
An Italian group of counter-critics, called ‘la critica catolica’ soon emerged in the reception of
Ingmar Bergman, headed by such names as Gianfranco Bettetino and Ernesto G. Laura, who
focussed on Bergman’s Christian heritage but, above all, on his craftsmanship and filmmaking
persona. They also paid attention to his theatre work. See the following articles:
Bettetini, Gianfranco. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Rivista del cinematografo, no. 1, 1961, pp. 20.
Laura, Ernesto G. ‘Il primo Bergman: faticosa nascita di uno stile’. Bianco e nero, no. 8 (Sep-
tember) 1964: 58-72. See also same author’s important review article of Tystnaden (Il
silenzio): ‘Ingmar Bergman: un nuovo “kammerspiel”’. La biennale 7, no. 48, 1963: 29-44,
which provides a good survey of author’s position on Bergman.
For studies on the reception of Ingmar Bergman in Italy, see:
Baldelli, Pio. ‘Ambiguita de sacro e profano in Ingmar Bergman’. Giovane critica (University of
Catania), no. 4 (April-May) 1964, no pag. Reprinted as ‘Bergman et la critique’, Etudes
cinématographiques, no. 46-47 (1966): 3-13. The article distinguishes three basic critical
approaches to Bergman’s films, all pertaining to the Italian critics listed above, though
Baldelli also makes references to non-Italian critics: (1) existential/religious; (2) secular/
psychoanalytical; and (3) aesthetic. The first two lead to positive assessments; the last to a
negative view of Bergman as a wordmaker rather than a filmmaker.
Bono, Francesco. ‘Ingmar Bergman in the Eyes of Italian Theatre Critics’. pp.105-113, Nordic
Theatre Studies 11, 1998, pp. 105-113. Traces Bergman’s reception by Italian theatre critics.
Oldrini, Guido. ‘Lo sfondo cultural della critica su Ingmar Bergman’. Cinema Nuovo 9, no. 144
(March-April) 1960: 117-127 (cf. above). The author gives a resumé of Bergman’s reception
in the US, France, and Italy.
Spinnazola, V. ‘Ingmar Bergman e il publico italiano’, Cinestudio 8, n.p. (SFI clipping).
Trasatti, Sergio. ‘La critica italiana alla scoperta di Bergman’. In Il Giovane Bergman (Ø 1521).
Italian interest in Bergman has also included his theatre work. See guest performances in Italy
by Dramaten in Theatre Chapter VI. Beyond doubt, the Italian reception of Ingmar Bergman
has been among the most extensive world-wide and has included numerous rewards for both
his filmmaking and theatre work, as well as personal recognitions and special symposia. See
Varia, ‘Awards and Tributes’.

1013. n.a. ‘Max och jättens lykta’ [Max and the giant’s lantern]. Filmnyheter no. 12, 1959: 1-3.
Max von Sydow discusses his work on three major Bergman films in the 1950s: The Seventh Seal,
The Magician, and The Virgin Spring. For another view of an actor’s response to Bergman, this
article might be juxtaposed to one that appeared in Filmnyheter no. 12, 1954 (pp. 4-6, 21), titled
‘Mannen med trädgårdsstaketet eller Ingmar Bergmans lektioner’ [The man with the garden
fence or IB’s lessons]. In this article, Eva Dahlbeck talks about Bergman’s protective attitude
towards his ensemble. See also group item Ø 970.

1014. Agel, Henri. Les grands cineastes. Paris: Edition universitaires, 1959, pp. 283-97.
A general presentation of Ingmar Bergman in a book on major filmmakers. His inclusion in the
volume is limited to the years of his international breakthrough, 1955-58.

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1015. Allombert, G. ‘L’adolescent dans le cinéma suedois’. Image et son, no. 122-23 (May-
June) 1959: 19-20.
In a special issue on adolescence in the cinema, the author briefly discusses Bergman’s portrayal
of youth, with the main focus on Sommaren med Monika.

1016. Alpert, Hollis. ‘The Other Bergman’. Saturday Review 21 March 1959: 34. Reprinted
in Lewis Jacobs, ed. Introduction to the Art of Movies. (See Ø 1011, American Recep-
tion)

1017. Boost, C. ‘Ingmar Bergman.’ Film Forum 8, no. 11 (Nov.) 1959: 205-08.
A Dutch introduction to Bergman in a special issue on Swedish cinema. For another Dutch
presentation of Bergman in the same year, see Enno Patalas in Critisch Film Bulletin 12, no. 4
(April 1959): 28-29. There were a total of eight reviews of Bergman’s films from the Fifties in
Critisch Film Bulletin, vols. 12 and 13, 1959.

1018. Cinéma 59, no. 41 (Nov.-Dec.) 1959: 39-50, 87-89, 130-32.

A special Bergman issue with reviews of Le visage (Ansiktet) and Au seuil de la vie (Nära livet),
plus Bergman’s essay ‘Chaque film est mon dernier’ [Varje film är min sista film].

1019. Cole, Alan. ‘Ingmar Bergman, Movie Magician’. New York Herald Tribune, 24 Octo-
ber, 1 November, and 8 November 1959. A series of articles. (See Ø 1011), American
Reception.

1020. Duarte, Fernando, ed. ‘Ingmar Bergmann’ [sic]. Celluloide (Portugal), no. 21 (Sep-
tember) 1959: 1-20.
A special Portuguese issue on Bergman, containing editor’s introduction; unsigned presenta-
tions of Summer Interlude, Monica, Secrets of Women, The Naked Night, and Smiles of a Summer
Night; a filmography to date; translation of Jean Béranger’s interview with Bergman (Ø 713);
and Bergman’s essay ‘What Is Filmmaking?’ (Ø 87). See also same author, Celluloide XXV, no.
289 (March) 1980: 11-13, where Duarte presents a bio-filmography of Bergman.

1021. Farina, Corrado. Ingmar Bergman. Torino: no publ., 1959. ca 150 pp.
An overview in Italian of Bergman’s career to date, plus a filmography through 1958. See also
Ø 1012.

1022. Holland, Norman. ‘A Brace of Bergman’. Hudson Review 12: 4 (Winter 1959/60):
570-577.
A discussion of the theme of parenthood in Bergman’s filmmaking with particular focus on
Smultronstället/ Wild Strawberries.

1023. Jarvie, Ian. ‘Notes on the Films of Ingmar Bergman’. Film Journal, no. 14 (Novem-
ber) 1959: 9-17. Reprinted in Spanish as ‘Notas sobre los films de Ingmar Bergman’,
Film Ideal, no. 68 (1964): 18-25.

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The author claims that Bergman is underrated as a poet in the cinema and overrated as a
philosopher. Bergman masters the language of film écriture (Bresson) but his ‘erratic self-
criticism’ often leads him astray.

1024. Moonman, Eric. ‘Summer with Bergman’. Film (London), no. 21 (Sep.-Oct.) 1959:
18-22.
In a magazine issued by the Federation of Film Societies, Bergman’s relationship to the Swedish
film industry and to other contemporary directors is discussed.

1025. ‘Napoleon of Film.’ Sunday Times (London), 19 April 1959.

An announcement of an upcoming Bergman visit to London. Perpetrates myth of Bergman as
‘a character straight out of Strindberg, neurotic, insomniac, and hypochondriac, who hates
critics, rarely shaves and is not listed in the phone book (whereas the King of Sweden is)’.
Summary in Swedish in ST, 2 May 1959, p. 9. Compare this presentation to Cecil Wilson’s
impression of Bergman in ‘Fiery Bergman Comes to Town’, Daily Mail (London), 5 May 1959:
‘It did not amaze me to find him quite unlike the caricature of breakdown we had been led to
imagine’. See also Sight and Sound, Summer-Autumn 1959, p. 134: ‘He bore reassuringly little
resemblance to the Bergman of the press legend.’

1026. Nordberg, Carl-Eric. ‘Ytligt briljante artisten Ingmar Bergman föraktar publiken
och friar till den’ [Coldly brilliant artist Bergman despises the public and woos it].
Expr., 26 May 1959, p. 4; Expr., 18 May 1959, p. 4; and Expr., 20 May 1959, p. 4.
A series of articles analyzing Bergman’s ambivalent relationship to his audience, whom he fears,
worships, manipulates, and tries to please. This constitutes a major subject in Bergman’s own
discussions and becomes an important motif in many of his films.

1027. Oldin, Gunnar. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. American Scandinavian Review 47, no. 3 (Sep-
tember) 1959: 250-57.
A general presentation of Bergman’s life and work. More descriptive and anecdotal than
analytical.

1028. Rohmer, Eric. ‘Voir ou ne pas voir’. Cahiers du cinéma 16, no. 94 (April) 1959: 48-51.
(See Ø 982).

1029. Rying, Mats. ‘Man med magi’ [Man with magic]. Röster i Radio/TV, no. 52 (22
December), 1959: 10-13, 52-53.
A reportage based on the shooting of Djävulens öga (The Devil’s Eye), most valuable for its
comprehensive comments on Bergman’s ‘magnetism.’

1030. Stanbrook, Alan. ‘An Aspect of Bergman’. Film, no. 20 (March-April) 1959: 10-11.
‘Not since Strindberge (sic) has drama seen work of such rabid misogyny.’ A brief overview of
Bergman’s filmmaking from Hets to Wild Strawberries. (Cf. Ø 1011).

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1031. Stolpe, Sven. ‘Fenomenet Ingmar Bergman’. GP, 23 May 1959, p. 2.

A full page polemical newspaper article (‘cultural page’) by Swedish columnist and Catholic
writer, praising Bergman’s audacity as a filmmaker.

1032. Wiskari, W. ‘Another Bergman Gains Renown’. NYT Magazine, 20 December 1959,
pp. 20-21. (See Ø 1011).

1960
1033. Group Item: Swedish Debates/Critique of Bergman’s filmmaking
In November 1960, the Swedish film journal Chaplin (II, no. 8, pp. 188-195) published an ‘anti-
Bergman’ issue titled ‘Bergmans ansikte’ [Bergman’s face]. Participating critics were Viveka
Heyman, long-time leftist Bergman foe; Hanserik Hjertén, negative reviewer of such films as
Sommarnattens leende and Det sjunde inseglet (see Commentaries to respective film entry), and
Erland Törngren, likewise a skeptical reviewer of Bergman’s work. Together they accused Berg-
man of stealing substance from other filmmakers; of mixing ‘sex and Lysistrata’ in palatable
portions; and of manipulating his actors and audiences. For more Heyman critique, see
Ø 1003. See also Hjertén review of The Seventh Seal, transl. and reprinted in Focus on the
Seventh Seal, (Ø 1220). Bergman himself contributed to the Chaplin issue where, under the
pseudonym Ernest Riffe, he assumed the identity of a negative critic. ((See Ø 111), 1960, Chapter
II).
In a German report, Günter Dallmann discussed the Chaplin anti-Bergman issue: ‘Gericht
über Ingmar Bergman’. Der Tagesspiegel, 12 February 1961. See also the following items of
relevance to Bergman’s reception in Sweden:
Gay, J.P. ‘Red Membranes, Red Banners’. Sight and Sound XLI, no. 2 (Spring) 1972: 94-98. A
report on Swedish attitudes towards Bergman and the national trend towards a politicized
cinema, initiated by Bo Widerberg (see below) and young 1960s filmmakers.
Kwakernaak, Erik. ‘Bergman og filmkritikken’ [Bergman and film criticism]. Macguffin 2, no. 8
(September) 1973: 5-17. Similar views also expressed in Skoop 9, no. 4 (September) 1973: 36-
40. Basically a defense of Bergman as a filmmaker.
‘Urspårad Bergmandebatt’ [Derailed Bergman debate]. KvP, 10 March 1961, p. 10. A report in a
Malmö newspaper about the tumultuous anti-Bergman debate that drew a record crowd
(900 students) at the Lund University Student Union. The debate was between one Danish
and four Swedish critic(s). The participants were Bengt Idestam-Almqvist (Robin Hood),
Viveka Heyman, Folke Isaksson, Gunnar Oldin, and Ib Monty. Of these only Heyman and
Isaksson can be said to have harbored negative views of Bergman’s filmmaking, but they
apparently made the strongest impact on the audience. The debate was reported by Björn
Vinberg in Expr., 10 March 1961, p. 24, (‘Vi ska vara rädda om Ingmar Bergman’ [We must
take good care of Bergman]). A week later Gunnar Fredriksson objected to the tone of the
debate in an editorial in Stockholm paper AB, 18 March 1961, p. 2, and called for a more
professional analysis of Bergman’s work. The Lund discussion had taken the form of a
tribunal investigating Bergman’s right to call himself a legitimate artist. One of the parti-
cipants, Folke Isaksson, likened Bergman to Herr Töre in Jungfrukällan, i.e., someone ‘who
toils and sweats with a sinuous birch tree and finally falls with it’. See also Robin Hood in
ST, 13 March 1961, p. 4, for a reaction. The debate is important in that it added fuel to an
anti-Bergman vogue among Swedish intellectuals and critics. It can be seen as a premoni-

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tion of the criticism of Bergman by a younger generation of Swedish filmmakers, led by Bo

Widerberg.
Widerberg, Bo. Visionen i svensk film [Vision in Swedish cinema]. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1962.
109 pp. Originally published as a series of articles in Stockholm paper Expr., 8, 10, 13-14
January 1962. An assessment of the current Swedish film situation, in part formulated as a
reckoning with Ingmar Bergman, whom Widerberg likens to a souvenir peddler selling
Nordic brooding that confirms foreign myths about Scandinavia. Widerberg, influenced by
French disenchantment with Bergman in 1960 (see Ø 982), terms Bergman’s cinema a self-
absorbed, introspective form of ‘vertical filmmaking’ and calls for a new ‘horizontal’
cinema dealing with contemporary Sweden. The ideas formulated in Widerberg’s brief
study were instrumental in shaping Swedish critique of Bergman in the Sixties and Seven-
ties. For Bergman as a ‘souvenir peddler’, see for instance Maria Ortman in SDS, 2 De-
cember 1969, p. 10: ‘It has often seemed to me that [...] he has cultivated a Nordic exoticism,
which I have suspected to be the basis of his international fame’. [Det har ofta tyckts mig
som [...] han odlat en nordisk exotism som jag misstänker har varit grunden för hans
internationella ryktbarhet]. For Bergman as a socially non-engaged bourgeois artist, see
Motbilder (Ø 1317) and Harald Langkjær in Chaplin 159 (December) 1978: 261: ‘Sometimes
Bergman’s world with its people living economically protected lives with bourgeois profes-
sions of high status, cut off from a pressing big city and with time to work on their private
problems in such an astonishingly beautiful nature that it drives you crazy, [sometimes that
world] can almost look like a sophisticated pulp press magazine, like Femina, hovering far
above [the rest of] reality’. [Ibland kan Bergmans värld med dess människor som lever
ekonomiskt skyddade liv med borgerliga yrken av hög status, avskilda från storstadens press
och med tid att arbeta på sina privata problem i en slående vacker natur som driver en till
vanvett, nästan se ut som en sofistikerad veckotidning, typ Femina, svävande högt ovanför].
See also Commentaries to Hour of the Wolf (Ø 238) and Shame (Ø 239).
—. ‘Bergman i dag’ [Bergman today]. Expr., 14 April 1962, cultural page. A critique of Ingmar
Bergman’s filmmaking: i.e., its lack of a social framework, its failure to take a rational
approach to human situations and its self-therapeutic, i.e., self-centered quality.
Widerberg retained his negative views on Bergman until his death in 1997. See an interview in
Libération, July 1986, and Expr. 15 July 1986, as well as an article in Arbetet, 11 July 1986, p. 1, 19.
All three references echo his charges in 1962 that Bergman’s films give a simplistic ‘dime store’
view of life and only concern people who don’t have to work. See also Göran Skytte interview
with Widerberg on Swedish Television, 12 November 1996, Channel 2, in which Widerberg was
still critical of Bergman.
For a similar debate in 1973, see Kenne Fant’s memoirs, Nära bilder, 1997 (Ø 1616), plus
interview book Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788) and Bergman’s own comments in the opening
passages of Bilder/Images, 1990, (Ø 188).

1034. Group Item: Early Spanish Reception of Ingmar Bergman

Spanish Latin America – especially Uruguay and Argentina – was ahead of Spain in paying
attention to Bergman the filmmaker. The annual religious film festival in the Spanish city of
Valladolid was however among the first signs of a Bergman interest in Spain. The following
studies from the early Sixties are representative of a Spanish tendency at the time to ‘introduce’
Bergman to Spanish audiences rather than focus on specific film analyses. The following
examples are listed in chronological order:

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Cine universitario. University of Salamanca, Spain, no. 12, 1960. 29 pp. Special Bergman issue.
General presentation and filmography.
Cuenca, Carlos Fernandez. Introducción al estudio de Ingmar Bergman. Madrid: Filmoteca
Nacional de Espana, 1961. 77 pp. Spanish overview of Bergman’s life and early work in
connection with religious film festival in Valladolid. Strong emphasis on thematic content.
Escudero, José Maria Garcia. ‘Bergman e sus criticos’. Film Ideal 6, no. 86 (15 December) 1961: 5-
9;
Martinez, J. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Film Ideal 7, no. 108 (November) 1962: 652-59. Survey article and
brief discussion of ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Unamuno view of life’.
Temas de cine, no. 26 (January-February) 1963. 70-page Bergman issue of Spanish film journal
devoted to Bergman’s work, with a survey article by E. Cozarinsky, reviews, script excerpt
from Wild Strawberries, filmography from Kris to Winter Light, and a ‘teatrografia.’
Film Ideal 9, no. 68, 1964: 13-27. A special Bergman issue. General presentation of Bergman’s
filmmaking, plus filmography and translation of Ian Jarvie’s ‘Notas sobre los films de
Ingmar Bergman.’ See Ø 1023.
Filmoteca, no. 16 (1972-73), published by Filmoteca nacional de España, is a 32-page special
Bergman issue containing excerpt from Jörn Donner’s book Djävulens ansikte (Ø 1071) and
Bergman’s two essays ‘El cine segun Bergman’ (Det att göra film/What is Filmmaking?,
Ø 87) and ‘La piel de serpiente’ (Ormskinnet/The Snakeskin, Ø 131).
In 1993, Juan Miguel Company published an account of Bergman’s reception by Spanish critics
in his book Ingmar Bergman (Madrid: Catedia). See Ø 1547.

1035. n.a. ‘Film Is a Mistress’. Life, 15 February 1960, pp. 63-66. Photographed for Life
International by Lennart Nilsson.
A pictorial presentation of Bergman, introduced as a ‘high-strung, highly gifted artist’ of world
fame. Bergman is quoted as saying: ‘In the studio I am God. I say, ‘Let there be light’ and there
is light. I can make children do my will, and once I had a good acting fish. But not this cat. He
will not look at me and just walks away’. The photos (one of them showing Bergman, Bibi
Andersson and the cat) were taken during shooting of Djävulens öga (The Devil’s Eye).

1036. n.a. ‘Ingmar Bergman of Sweden Making a Big Haul American Publicity’. Variety, 16
March 1960, p. 15.
A report of a dispute between Swedish and American officials about Oscar-nominating pro-
cedures, explaining why none of Bergman’s films prior to 1960 had received the Best Foreign
Film nomination or award. For Bergman’s reaction, see Variety, 6 July 1960, p. 26, which also
mentions filmmaking offers from London and Paris.

1037. Alpert, Hollis. ‘Bergman as Writer’. Saturday Review, 27 August 1960, pp. 22- 23, and
‘Style is the Director’, Saturday Review, 23 December 1961, pp. 39-41. Reprinted in
Dreams and Dreamers. New York: Macmillan, 1962, pp. 62-77. (See Ø 1011).

1038. Ayfre, Amedée. ‘El universo de Ingmar Bergman’. Documentos cinematograficos 1, no.
7 (December) 1960: 121-30.
A discussion in Spanish of thematic and stylistic opposites in Bergman’s work, such as the
baroque vs the classical; good vs evil; life vs death; mask vs face; aging vs youth. Cf this to E.

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McGann in Sight and Sound 30, no. 1 (Winter) 1960/61: 44-46, who sees the treatment of such
dichotomies as a cliché-ridden rhetorical device.

1039. Baldwin, James. ‘The Precarious Vogue of Ingmar Bergman’. Esquire 53, no. 4 (April)
1960: 128-32. Reprinted in Nobody Knows My Name (New York: Dial Press, 1961), pp.
163-80, and in Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey, ed. by Roger Oliver. New York:
Arcade Publishing, 1995, pp. 79-87, (Ø 1580). For annotation, see Interviews, (Ø 727).

1040. Billqvist, Fritiof. Ingmar Bergman. Teatermannen och filmskaparen. Stockholm:

Natur och Kultur, 1960. 279 pp.
The first book-length study of Ingmar Bergman in Swedish, written by an actor and author of
film biographies (Garbo, Bergman). The book contains a gold-mine of early Bergman infor-
mation, but the material is not very useful since much of the information is presented in the
form of unreferenced anecdotes.
Billqvist’s book is the basis of an article by Nils Fredriksson, ‘Han förtrollar människor’ [He
spellbinds people]. Hemmets Journal 40, no. 23, 1960, p. 6-7, 52.
Review: Upsala Nya Tidning, 27 July 1960, p. 4.

1041. Cowie, Peter. Antonioni, Bergman, Resnais. New York: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1960, pp.
51-121.
The first long introduction in English to Bergman’s filmmaking, later issued as a separate
monograph, Ingmar Bergman Loughton, Essex: Motion, 1961; new edition 1962, 40 pp. For
more information, (See Ø 996) (British Reception, 1959).

1042. Croce, Arlene. ‘The Bergman Legend’. Commonweal, 11 March 1960, pp. 647-49.
(See Ø 1011), American reception.

1043. Dessau, Frederik. ‘Om Ingmar Bergman. Filmkronikken’. [About Bergman. Movie
chronicle]. A Danish radio program originally broadcast in 1960 but rebroadcast on 7
July 1985, with added excerpts from Bergman’s film The Magic Flute.
Analysis of Bergman’s filmmaking up to 1960.

1044. Dymling, Carl Anders. ‘Rebel with a Cause’. Saturday Review, 27 August 1960: 23,
50. Reprinted almost verbatim in Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman, New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1960 vii-xii, and in Films and Filming 7, no. 5 (February 1961): 35.
Dymling, producer and head of SF, sees Bergman as the link to the silent Swedish cinema. He
does not consider him an easy person to work with. For Bergman references to Dymling, see
Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788), p. 79. Dymling died in May 1962. Bergman did not attend the
funeral. See Höök, Ø 1062.

1045. Filmklub-Cinéclub 5, no. 20 (Switzerland) (November-December) 1960: 236-46.

A special Bergman issue. Includes introductory essay by H.P. Manz, who sees Gycklarnas afton
(The Naked Night) as the turning point in Bergman’s career; Manz considers the artist a central
character in Bergman’s production and the theme of loneliness a central motif. Issue also

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includes German version of Bergman’s essay ‘Det att göra film’ (Ø 87), and a filmography
ending with The Virgin Spring. (1960).

1046. Geisler, Günther. ‘Ewiges Wunderkind’, Berliner Morgenpost, 18 May 1960.

A brief assessment of Bergman’s filmmaking after the showing of Jungfrauenquelle (Jungfru-
källan/The Virgin Spring) in Cannes. Bergman at 42 is still described as a young genius.

1047. Hamdi, Britt. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Käbi Laretei’. [Bergman and Käbi Laretei].
Damernas värld, 17 November 1960: 27-33, 74. See Interviews, (Ø 731).

1048. Krusche, Dieter. ‘Also gibt es keinen Ausweg’. Filmforum, October 1960, p. 5.
A discussion of Bergman’s films to date, noting his visual skill and serious themes.

1049. List, Peter. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Hemmets Journal, 9 October 1960, pp. 9-11, 33.
A portrait of Bergman in a women’s magazine: ‘The always talked about, always discusssed,
always current filmmaker [...] who makes more PR for Sweden than all the Dalecarlian sou-
venirs and midnight suns together’. [Den alltid omtalade, alltid diskuterade, alltid aktuelle
filmskaparen [...] som gör mer reklam för Sverige än alla dalasouvenier och midnattssolar
tillsammans]. Focusses on Bergman’s depiction of women and love, and on his first four
marriages (to Else Fisher, Ellen Lundström, Gun Hagberg, and Käbi Laretei).

1050. Oldrini, Guido. ‘La sfondo cultural della critica su Ingmar Bergman’. Cinema nuovo
9, no. 144 (March-Arpil) 1960: 117-27. See Italian reception, 1959, (Ø 1012).

1051. Ross, Walter. ‘Strange vision of Ingmar Bergman’. Coronet 48, no. 6 (Oct.) 1960: 57-
71.
A reference to Bergman’s magic lantern and his role as conjurer. A description of Bergman’s
screen landscape with its mixture of death, love, and problems of parenthood.

1052. Simon, John. ‘Ingmar, the Image-Maker’. The Mid-Century, no. 29 (December 1960),
pp. 9-12.
A discussion of Bergman’s visual gift in connection with the Mid-Century Book Club selection
of Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman.

1053. Der Spiegel, 26 October 1960: 70-84.

A cover story titled ‘Magus aus Norden’ with a general presentation of Bergman plus a dis-
cussion of The Virgin Spring, which together with The Magician started a Bergman boom in
West Germany. Also includes a survey of Swedish cinema from Sjöström to Ingmar Bergman.
The cover story refers to Bergman’s views on creativity, his portrayal of women, and childhood
impressions. Also discusses German censorship of Jungfrukällan.

1054. Time, 14 March 1960, pp. 60-66 [Atlantic ed., pp. 42-46]. (See Ø 1011).

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1055. Zurbuch, Werner. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Dichter unser Jahrhunderts’. Film, Bild, Ton
10, no. 5 (August) 1960: 24-29, 48.
A survey of Bergman’s films from Kris to The Virgin Spring. Seems influenced by R. Waldekranz
(Ø 1010). See also same author, ‘Ingmar Bergman: Moral vor Gericht’. Die Litteratur Revue, no. 1
(January), 1961: 5-12, which is a presentation of Bergman’s work through The Virgin Spring
(1960). Contains some factual errors.

1961
1056. Blackwood, Caroline. ‘The Mystique of Ingmar Bergman’. Encounter 16, no. 91
(April) 1961: 54-57. See 1958, British reception, ((Ø 996).

1057. Dienstfrey, Harris. ‘The Success of Ingmar Bergman’. Commentary 32, no. 5 (No-
vember) 1961: 391-98. With letters to the editor in the April 1962 issue, p. 348.
A general assessment of Bergman, seeing his particular talent lie in an ability to articulate and
universalize his stern personal vision. Yet, finds Bergman’s vision ‘arbitrary’ and his camera
work too ‘beautifying’.

1058. Duprey, R. A. ‘Bergman and Fellini: Explorers of the Modern Spirit’. Catholic World
194, no. 10 (October) 1961: 13-20.
The author contrasts depictions of evil in Fellini and Bergman through an examination of La
Dolce Vita, The Virgin Spring, and The Seventh Seal.

1059. Films in Review, XII, no. 5 (May 1961, p. 280).

An index to Bergman’s works with a brief description of the films.

1060. Fleisher, Frederic. ‘Sweden’s All-Demanding Genius’. Variety, 26 April 1961, p. 151.
A full-page portrayal of Bergman with some biographical information, shooting figures, and
presentation of his films, especially Through a Glass Darkly. See also same author’s article on
Bergman in Contemporary Review, August 1961, pp. 346-48, and September 1961, pp. 489-92.

1061. Guez, G. ‘Le petit monde d’Ingmar Bergman’. Cinémonde, no. 1393, 18 April 1961, pp.
7-9.
An article expressing surprise at the modest life style of Ingmar Bergman and his actors.

1062. Höök, Marianne. ‘Carl Anders Dymling’. Chaplin III, no. 6 (Sept.) 1961: 156-57.
Dymling, described as SF’s ‘enlightened despot’, surrounded by a selective court. His greatest
contribution to Swedish film is said to be his having accepted Bergman as his protegé, believing
in him as both an author and filmmaker.

1063. Leirens, Jean. ‘L’univers d’Ingmar Bergman’. Le cinéma et la crise de notre temps.
Paris: Editions du Cerf, 1961, pp. 99-125. See group item (Ø 970).

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1064. Muellem, P. van. Ingmar Bergman, Amsterdam: Tiende Muse, 1961. 59 pp.
A short survey of Bergman as a filmmaker up to The Trilogy.

1065. Olsson, Lars-Erik. ‘Så jobbar Ingmar’ [This is how Ingmar works], Se, no. 50 (14
December) 1961, pp. 9-13.
A visit to the set of Tystnaden (The Silence). See Group item (Ø 970).

1066. Ross, Walter. ‘Bergman’s Landscape’. New York Times, 26 November 1961, sec. 2, p. 7.
An article based on the author’s visit to Bergman in Stockholm, discussing his work habits,
early training, and sense of loyalty to Sweden.

1067. Soyer, J. ‘Das Phänomen Ingmar Bergman’. Die kleine Filmkunstreihe Hefte, no. 22,
1961, 13 pp.
A general presentation in which Bergman’s Christian parentage is downplayed. Same volume,
issued in connection with German release of Bergman’s film Gefängnis (Fängelse), contains a
biographical note, Bergman’s essay ‘Each Film Is My Last’, (Ø 108), and a filmography.

1068. Tallmer, Jerry. ‘Cynic with Illusions – the Warring Worlds of Ingmar Bergman’.
Show Business Illustrated, 3 October 1961, pp. 73-76.
A general presentation of Bergman, seeing him as a ‘cinematic Proteus’. With some comments
on his portrayal of women and his understanding of homosexuality.

1962
1069. ‘Photographing the Films of Ingmar Bergman’. American Cinematographer. 43, no. 10
(October) 1962: 613. Cf. Ø 810.
About Sven Nykvist. Reprinted in slightly different version in Chaplin 5, no. 35 (February) 1963:
52-55.

1070. Burvenich, Jos. Ingmar Bergman zoekt de sleutel. Tielt (Netherlands): Lannoo, 1962.
143 pp. New edition in 1966.
A presentation of Bergman as a filmmaker to date, focussing on his major themes. Includes a
filmography and credits.

1071. Donner, Jörn. Djävulens ansikte [The Devil’s face]. Stockholm: Aldus, 1962. 204 pp.
Revised edition. Stockholm: Aldus, 1965, 233 pp. Translated into English by H. Lund-
bergh as The Personal Vision of Ingmar Bergman (Bloomington: University of Indiana
Press, 1964). New ed. The Films of Ingmar Bergman (New York: Dover Publications,
1972), 276 pp. French ed., Ingmar Bergman, translated by S. Frostensson and expanded
by Guy Breaucourt (Paris: Editions Seghers, 1970, 1973), 188 pp. Italian ed., La faccia
del diavolo (Venice: Edition Cineforum, 1964), 192 pp.; reissued in 1966 under the title
Il volto del diavolo.

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A study of Bergman’s films up to the early Sixties. This is the first Swedish book on Bergman to
reach a foreign public. The author refers to Bergman as ‘B’ to minimize the personal aspect of
his art. Though the book seems written in some haste and is somewhat disorganized, it is a
good source for Bergman’s films before Persona. Bergman expresses his gratitude for the book
in Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788).
Donner published his first essay on Bergman in the Finnish film yearbook Studio 57. See also
DN, 15 January 1963, p. 4; BLM 32, no. 8, 1963: 158-61; commentary on Fanny and Alexander
(Ø 249) and several TV interviews, listed in Interview Chapter (VII).
Reviews
Film Comment 2, no. 2 (1964): 58-59.
Sight and Sound 33, no. 3 (Summer 1964): 154.
Bo Widerberg, Expr., 14 April 1962.

1072. Grenier, Richard. ‘Bergman and Opus 26’. Financial Times (London), 29 August
1962, n.p. (BFI). See Ø 741.

1073. Hedberg, Håkan. ‘Bergman – årets man i Japan’ [Bergman – Man of the year in
Japan]. ST, 19 December 1962, p. 8.
A full-page report from Tokyo in a Stockholm newspaper about Bergman’s reception in Japan.
Bergman is said to have done more than any other living Sweden to spread knowledge of
Swedish culture among Japanese intellectuals.

1074. Höök, Marianne. Ingmar Bergman. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand, 1962. 194
pp.
A survey of Bergman’s life and production up to Winter Light, with a presentation of his family
background and his relationship to his actresses and crew. Includes a filmography and a list of
radio and theater productions directed by Bergman, plus some foreign titles of his films to date.
Höök’s study complements Donner’s book (Ø 1071), is better written, and deserves to be better
known. Bergman, however, was irritated by it, reportedly because of its discussion of his
depiction of women. See Ø 975.
Reviews
Cinema Nuovo 13, no. 167 (January-February 1965): 57-59.
GP, 2 October 1962, p. 2.
Höök published subsequent portraits of Bergman in Allers, no. 19 (12 May) 1963, pp. 12, 67, and
Film og kino, no. 5 (June-July) 1968: 134-35.

1075. ‘Ingmar Bergman.’ Filmhistorische Sondervorführungen: Mit Filmen von Asta Nielsen,
G. W. Pabst, Ingmar Bergman. Berlin: XII Internationale Filmfestspiele 1962, pp. 26-31.
Program notes to early Bergman films shown at a retrospective film festival in West Berlin.

1076. Leutrat, Paul. ‘Actualité de l’expressionisme’, Cinéma 62, no. 71 (December)

1963:106-107.
A brief segment on Bergman and cinematic expressionism. The author quotes Bergman: ‘To
talk about a German influence on me is to commit an error. The Swedish masters of the silent

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cinema – imitated in their time by the Germans – have alone inspired me, primarily Sjöström,
whom I consider one of the greatest filmmakers of all time’.

1077. Morisett, Ann. ‘Zwischen Theater und Film’. Filmkritik 2, 1962: 60-64.
A travel report from Stockholm focussing on Bergman’s current work on stage and screen.

1078. Persson, Göran. ‘Film och symbolik’ [Film and Symbolism]. Chaplin IV, no. 4,
(April) 1962: 94-96.
An essay questioning the assumption that film is a realistic medium. The author, a psychiatrist,
tries to demonstrate a filmmaker’s conscious use of symbolic representation on the screen as a
way of expressing an abstract idea. Among his examples are references to Bergman’s film Såsom
i en spegel (Through a Glass Darkly).

1079. Roemer, Michael. ‘Bergman’s Bag of Tricks’. Reporter, 15 January 1962, pp. 37-40, and
15 March 1962, p. 11.
An overview of Bergman’s film work to date. Roemer represents, together with Pauline Kael, a
group of American critics who questions Bergman’s subjective vision and his alleged failure to
objectify his experiences. (Cf. Ø 1011), 1959.

1080. Sprinchorn, Evert. ‘Bergman by Two’. Columbia University Forum 5, no. 4 (Fall)
1962: 48-50.
A dialogue between the Skeptic and the Enthusiast on the originality, meaning, and morality
play pattern of Bergman’s films from The Seventh Seal to Through a Glass Darkly.

1081. Stempel, Hans and Martin Ripkens. ‘Porträtt, Ingmar Bergman’. Filmkritik 6, no.
9 (September) 1962: 400-406.
An overview of Bergman’s work in the Fifities. The author sees him as a cinematic Faust and
discusses his relationship to French New wave.

1082. Wifstrand, Naima. Med och utan paljetter [With or without sequins]. Stockholm:
Bonniers, 1962.
Memoirs by an actress who worked with Bergman in theatre and film from 1952 at the Malmö
City Theatre to 1967 in Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf). Chapters titled ‘Ingen är som Ingmar’
[No one is like Ingmar] and ‘En myckenhet välsignat arbete’ [Plenty of blessed work] discuss
briefly her work with Bergman in which she was usually cast as a wise old woman and crone.

1083. Ågren, Gösta. ‘Att stiga – att med värdighet falla’ [To rise – to fall with dignity]
Clarté, no. 3, 1962: 18-24.
A study of three filmmakers: Ingmar Bergman, Fred Zinneman, and Stanley Kramer. Zinneman
and Kramer focus on ascendency; Bergman on falling with dignity; his concern is how we die,
not how we live; his heroism is a quest.
The second half of the essay deals only with Bergman’s filmmaking and his balancing
between realism and stylized self-conscious art.

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1963
1084. Centrofilmo: Quaderna dell’Instituto del cinemao. (University of Turin), 1963. 74
pp.
An Italian survey of Bergman’s life and work to date.

1085. Degnan, James P. ‘Through a Dark, Glassily’. Atlantic 212, no. 3 (September) 1963:
102.
Mock review of one ‘Unferth Mygboor’s’ new film entitled ‘Virgin Mermaids’. By early 1960s
Bergman’s films were such an integral part of the sophisticated American film scene that satires
such as this one began to crop up. Cf. the film joke Da Duwe (Ø 221, commentary), a travesty of
The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. In this context, see Birgitta Steene’s article in UNT, 14
July 2003.

1086. Ekström, Margareta, Ludvig Jönsson & Sven Nykvist. ‘Bergmans vision’. Chap-
lin, no. 35 (February 1963): 52ff.
The issue discusses Bergman’s ‘vision’ as a filmmaker, featuring cinematographer Sven Nykvist,
author Margareta Ekström, and pastor Ludvid Jönsson. Their common point of reference is
Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light). Nykvist’s account of his (and Bergman’s) search for the right
light in order to capture the mood of a film is a translation of an interview article that appeared
in American Cinematographer, no. 10, 1962. (see Ø 1069).
Ekström and Jönsson are at opposite ends in their evaluation of the film as a projected
‘vision’ of life, with Ekström dismissing it as obsolete and seeing the main character, the
minister Tomas Ericsson, as Bergman’s sentimentalized self, a creature who is appalling in
his ‘pathological egocentricity’. Jönsson, on the other hand, finds Bergman’s filmmaking im-
pressive and sees Nattvardsgästerna as ‘a great preaching of the Christian gospel’s answer to the
question of faith’ [stor förkunnelse av det kristna evangeliets svar på trosfrågan].

1087. Entr’acte 4, no. 12 (December-January): 1963: 14-27.

A special Bergman issue. It contains an interview with Gunnar Björnstrand; a filmography; and
an article by J. Burnevich, ‘Approche de Bergman’, based on the thesis that Bergman remains
faithful to his (religious) vision in his films of the Sixties.

1088. Gauteur, Claude. ‘A Propos de Bergman. Les fans et la critique’. Image et son, no. 158
(January) 1963: 4-9. (See Ø 982).

1089. Gyllström, Katy. ‘Bergmans metafysiska frågetecken’ [Bergman’s metaphysical

question mark]. Projectio (Helsinki), no. 2, 1963, pp. 6-7.
A comparison of Fängelse (Prison) and Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light) as metaphysical prob-
ings.

1090. Ingmar Bergman. Svensk Filmindustri. Stockholm 1963, 60 pp.

A brochure issued for a retrospective showing of Bergman’s films at cinema ‘Smultronstället’ in
Stockholm. Mainly quotations from reviews.

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1091. Kelman, Ken. ‘Film as Poetry’. Film Culture, no. 29, (Summer 1963): 22-27.
An attempt at defining what constitutes a ‘film-poem’: characters and narrative are transformed
into symbols of the filmmaker’s thoughts and feelings. Uses the flashback sequence in Berg-
man’s The Naked Night (Gycklarnas afton) as an example of a ‘film-poem’ where all the ele-
ments exist to further the artist’s vision, so that the audience is captivated by ‘sheer passion’.
More descriptive than analytical but interesting in its juxtaposition of different films.

1092. Ladiges, Peter M. ‘Ein Cineastenproblem? Anmerkungen zum Mythos Ingmar

Bergman’. Film Zeitschrift für Film und Fernsehen 1, no. 2 (June-July) 1963: 6, 51.
A general presentation of Bergman as a bourgeois filmmaker escaping into myth and exoticism.

1093. Laura, Ernesto G. ‘Ingmar Bergman: un nuovo “kammerspiel.”’ La biennale 7, no.

48, 1963: 29-44.
A detailed overview of Bergman’s work on stage and in the cinema in connection with the
release of The Silence. Cf. Ø 1012, Italian Reception of Bergman.

1094. Oldin, Gunnar and Hugo Wortzelius ‘Ingmar Bergmans stil’ [Bergman’s style].
UNT, 20 February 1963, p. 4.
A debate about Bergman’s personal visual style and the need (according to Oldin) for Swedish
filmmakers to depart from it. Wortzelius’ response suggests that this is a moot point since no
one is imitating Bergman.

1095. Plebe, Armando. ‘La poetica irrazionalistica di Ingmar Bergman’. Filmcritica 14, no.
133 (May) 1963: 255-62.
A general discussion of Bergman’s filmmaking as a ‘cinema of ideas’ that depicts the decadence
of theology and forms a structural parallel to the ‘decadence of continuity’ found in the roman
nouveau.

1096. Renzo, Renzi. ‘Bergman e l’abolizione dell’ Inferno’. Cinema Nuovo, XVI, no. 163
(May/June 1963): 166-168.
The author argues that Bergman’s films from the early Sixties present an atheistic point of view,
which is of interest both to lay people and the Catholic church. The same subject is discussed in
Cineforum, no. 24 (April 1963): 373. See also (Ø 1012), Italian Reception of Bergman.

1097. Santos, Alberto Seixas. Bergman no cerco. Lisboa:Cadernos de Hoje, 1963.

A brief Portuguese introduction to Bergman and his film work to date.

1098. Schlappner, Martin. ‘Die Trilogie der Anfechtung’ in author’s Filme und ihre
Regisseure. (Bern: H. Huber, 1963, 1967), pp. 63-78. Also issued in 1966 under the title
Bilder des Dichterischen Themen und Gestalten des Films.
A study of existential angst in Bergman’s Såsom i en spegel (Wie in einem Spiegel), Nattvards-
gästerna (Licht im Winter), and Tystnaden (Das Schweigen).

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1099. Sima, Jonas. ‘Metoden Ingmar Bergman’ [The Bergman method]. Filmrutan 6, no. 2,
1963: 59-61.
The author, dissatisfied with Höök’s biographical method (Ø 1074) and Donner’s New Criti-
cism approach (Ø 1071), calls for a new general approach to Bergman.

1100. Sjöman, Vilgot. L-136: Dagbok. Stockholm: Norstedts, 1963. 250 pp.
Translated into English by Alan Blair as L-136: A Diary with Ingmar Bergman (Ann Arbor:
Karoma Press, 1979), 243 pp, and into Dutch by J.C. Torringa-Timmer. Excerpts appeared
earlier in English in Literary Review 9, no. 2 (Winter) 1965: 257-65, and in Cinema Journal 13,
no. 2 (Spring) 1974: 30-40 (trans. by Karen Grimstad). Also excerpted in French in Cahiers du
Cinéma, no. 165 (April) 1965: 52-55; no. 166-67 (May-June) 1965: 50-55; and no. 168 (July) 1965:
74-77.
Filmmaker Vilgot Sjöman (Jag är nyfiken gul/I am Curious Yellow) knew Bergman since his
high school days and had some professional contact with him during his own filmmaking
career. He followed the shooting of Bergman’s Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light) and kept a
diary, which includes recorded discussions and comments by Bergman, the cast, and the crew.
The book is a valuable presentation of Bergman at work on a film from the planning stage to
the final editing.
Reviews
Sight and Sound 34, no. 1 (Winter) 1964-65: 48-49;
Scandinavian Review 67, no. 3 (September) 1980: 88-93;
Scandinavian Studies 52, no. 2 (Spring 1980): 230-33.
Vilgot Sjöman also conducted a series of TV interviews with Ingmar Bergman titled ‘Ingmar
Bergman gör en film’ [Bergman makes a film]. (See Ø 751).

1101. Stravinsky, Igor & Craft, Robert. Dialogues and a Diary. New York: Doubleday,
1963.
Pages 165-171 report on Stravisnky’s encounter with Bergman at the time of Bergman’s produc-
tion of ‘The Rake’s Progress’ at the Stockholm Opera.

1102. Strömstedt, Bo. ‘En diktare’ [A poet]. Expr., 16 October 1963, p. 4.

A full page newspaper article on the occasion of the first Swedish publication of a Bergman
screenplay (the Trilogy). The author sees the scripts as a religious triptych, claiming that its
serious content was ignored by most Swedish critics. See Commentary to Tystnaden (The
Silence) in Filmography.

1964
1103. Adams, Robert H. ‘How Warm is the Cold, How Light is the Darkness?’ The
Christian Century, 81, no. 38, 1964: 1144-45. Reprinted in Kaminsky (Ø 1266), pp.
226-230.
The author argues against British and American critical designation of Bergman’s Trilogy as a
set of ‘cold’ films and sees them instead as films of transforming insights, comparable to King
Lear’s experience on the heath.

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1104. Alsina, Thevenet & Emir Rodrigues Monegal. Ingmar Bergman, un dramaturgo
cinematografico. Montevideo: Communidad del Sur, 1964. 125 pp. See Group listing
(Ø 974).

1105. L’Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 37 (May 1964).

A special Bergman issue, including script of Tystnaden (Le silence), excerpts of French reviews of
the film and an analysis of Bergman’s films to date by Jean Béranger, pp. 40-49.

1106. Ayfre, Amedée. ‘L’univers d’Ingmar Bergman’ in author’s book Conversion aux
images: Les images et l’homme. (Paris: Editions du cerf, 1964), pp. 277-88.
A frequent commentator on Bergman’s films in the Fifties and Sixties discusses Bergman’s
personal vision.

1107. Baldelli, Pio. ‘Ambiguita de sacro e profano in Ingmar Bergman’. Giovane critica
(University of Catania), no. 4 (April-May) 1964. Reprinted in French as ‘Bergman et la
critique’. Etudes cinématographiques, no. 46-47 (1966), pp. 3-13. (See Ø 1012).

1108. Billard, Pierre. ‘Le monde du silence’. Cinéma 64, no. 85 (April) 1964: 83-93. See
also same author in L’Express, 5 March 1964 and in Wie sie filmen, ed. Ulrich Gregor
(Gutersloh: Sigberth Mohn, 1966), pp. 102-08. See Ø 753.

1109. Chiaretti, Tommaso. Ingmar Bergman, Rome: Canesi, 1964. 201 pp. See Ø 1012.

1110. Comolli, Jean Louis. ‘Bergman anonyme’. Cahiers du Cinéma XXVI, no. 156 (June
1964):30-34.
A critical article of Bergman’s Trilogy, judging it to be too impersonal and abstract, especially
when compared to Bergman’s earlier work.

1111. Comuzio, Ermanno. ‘Musica, suoni e silenzi nei film di Bergman’. Cineforum, no. 32,
February 1964, pp. 166-73.
On the use of music, dreams, and silence in Bergman’s films.

1112. Hervé, Alain. ‘Bergman: The Director who Films His Own Soul’. Realités, no. 162
(May) 1964: 28-43, 80.
A portrait of Bergman as a workaholic and recluse: ‘A Swede in his blood and his traditions’ and
‘a cruel, capricious, charming child’.

1113. Langlois, Henri. ‘Ingmar Bergman et le génie de la Suède’. Cinéma française, no.
266, 1964, n.p.
An assessment by the famous director of Paris Cinémathèque in connection with a Bergman
retrospective. See also SvD, 28 June 1964, p. 12, for a report. The same retrospective in Lyon had
to be extended one week because of box-office sell-outs.

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1114. Laura, Ernesto G. ‘Il primo Bergman: fatiosa mascita di uno stile’. Bianco e Nero 25,
no. 8-9, August-September 1964: 58-72. (Cf. Ø 1012).

1115. Lawson, John Howard. Film: The Creative Process. New York: Hill & Wang, 1964.
Pp. 166-67, 257-58, 321-22 discuss several Bergman films to make the point that Bergman’s
filmmaking is too abstract and his films too self-contained to touch reality. George Linden
in his study Reflections on the Screen (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishers, 1970) takes issue
with Lawson (pp. 113-22).

1116. Maisetti, Massino. La crisi spirituali dell’ uomo moderno nei film di Ingmar Berg-
man. Varese: Centro Communitario di Rescaldina, 1964. Diss.
One of many Italian studies of the existential crisis in Bergman’s filmmaking. (Cf. Ø 1012).

1117. Marcabru, Pierre. ‘Bergman: un cinéma du voyeur’. Arts, 1-7 (April) 1964: 7.
The author maintains that a viewer of a Bergman film is more observer than participant, and
that Bergman’s mise-en-scene, derived from the theatre, produces this effect by building a wall
around the actors, inside which they move with the precise steps of a performer on stage.

1118. Matusevich, V. ‘Zhestokij mir Ingmara Bergmana’. [The cruel world of Ingmar
Bergman]. Iskusstvo kino, no. 4, 1964: 101-14.
A favorable Russian analysis of Bergman, comparing him to Brecht as a mirror of our times,
though Bergman is content with raising questions without providing answers.

1119. Savio, F. La parola e il silenzio. Venice: Edizioni della Mostra internazionale d’arte
cinematografica, 1964, n.p.
A volume published in connection with a retrospective film showing of ‘The Scandinavian
School’, with an analysis of early Bergman works.

1965
1120. Group Item: Erasmus Prize
In 1965, Ingmar Bergman shared the prestigious Dutch Erasmus Prize with Charlie Chaplin, but
because of illness he could not travel to Amsterdam to accept it. He wrote the essay ‘The
Snakeskin’ (Ormskinnet) (Ø 121) as a speech to be delivered on the occasion. It was later
published as a preface to his screenplay Persona. In the following year, Bergman accepted the
prize from the hands of Prince Bernhard (10 October 1966) and announced at a press con-
ference that he would set aside one quarter of the prize money for young European filmmakers.
Bergman also explained why he could not accept a Hollywood contract: ‘An American film
contract consists of 75 pages. One of these states that the producer has the right to the final cut.
With that, one has said goodbye to [artistic] freedom’. For reports, see Sight and Sound, xxxiv,
no. 4 (Autumn 1965): 176; and Expr., 11 October 1966, p. 29, and SvD, 12 October 1966, p. 15. Cf.
Ø 762.
There was a great deal of press publicity in connection with Bergman’s visit. For samples, see
full-page article in the cultural section of the Dutch paper De Telegraaf, 11 October 1966, and

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‘Ingmar Bergman in Nederland’, HC, 11 October 1966. Tjitte de Vries authored a 16-page
pamphlet on the occasion, titled Ingmar Bergman, Amsterdam: AO-Reeks, 1966. Available at
the Amsterdam Film Museum.

1121. Busco, Maria Teresa. ‘Miti contamporanei: Fellini e Bergman’. Biance e Nero 26, no.
2 (February) 1965: 39-46.
An analysis of Kierkegaardian motifs in Fellini and Bergman. (See Ø 1012), Italian Reception.

1122. Chauvet, Louis. ‘Ingmar Bergman och hans positioner’ [Bergman and his posi-
tions]. Biografägaren 40, no. 12, 1965 p. 12. A Swedish translation of the author’s article
‘Bergman ou la poésie de l’incertitude’. Cinéma International, no. 9, 1966: 392.
Chauvet, skeptical at first about Bergman’s filmmaking now sees him as an artist of ‘confusion’
and gives him a place in film history. Bergman’s ‘positions’ (in title) refers to the extreme
polarity in audience reaction to his films.

1123. Haller, Robert. ‘Ingmar Bergman: The Silent Laughter of the Gods’. In Three
Motion Picture Directors. Notre Dame, Ind.: Notre Dame Student-Faculty Film So-
ciety, 1965, pp. 20-28.
A presentation of Bergman as a filmmaker whose work depicts a life vs death conflict.

1124. Hayden, L.H. ‘Waiting for Bergman’. Vision 1, no. 2 (Spring 1965): 10. See Group entry
(Ø 1211).

1125. Jeune cinéma, no. 8 (June/July) 1965.

A special Bergman issue with a presentation of the Trilogy and an article by Pio Baldelli, ‘A la
recherche d’Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 21-29.

1126. Laura, Ernesto G. ‘Trei voci spiritualisti del cinema contemporano: Bresson,
Dreyer, Bergman’. Cineforum 5, no. 45 (May) 1965: 356-65. See Ø 1012.

1127. Rying, Mats and Ulf Stråhle. ‘Ingmar Bergman’ in authors’ Intryck i Sverige
[Impressions in Sweden]. Malmö: Bo Cavefors, 1965, pp. 66-71.
A portrait of Bergman, focussing on his dynamic temperament.

1128. Scott, James. ‘The Achievement of Ingmar Bergman’. Journal of Aesthetics and Art
Criticism 24, no. 2 (December) 1965: 263-72. Reprinted in a slightly different version in
Focus on the Seventh Seal, ed. by B. Steene, pp. 25-41, (Ø 1220). This version also
appears in Great Film Directors, ed. by L. Braudy and Maurice Dickstein (New York:
Oxford University Press), pp. 43-55.
An analytical overview of Bergman’s filmmaking career. The article attributes Bergman’s
achievement to his Swedish cinematic tradition with its emphasis on an inner world, and to
a loyal production team and choice of ensemble actors. The article also discusses Bergman’s
technical style and explores a series of recurring images in his films. See also same author on
Bergman’s scriptwriting and his use of actors as ironic figures in Film: The Medium and the
Maker. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1975, pp. 11-13, 167-68, 179-83, and 211-14.

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1129. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Archetypal Patterns in Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman’.

Scandinavian Studies 37, no. 1 (February) 1965: 58-76. Slightly revised in Film Comment
3, no. 2 (Spring) 1965: 68-78.
The article suggests myth of the Fall and legend of Faust as archetypal motifs in The Seventh
Seal, Wild Strawberries, Through a Glass Darkly, and Winter Light.

1130. Thomsen, Chr. Braad. ‘Bergmans Guds-kompleks.’ [Bergman’s God complex]. Jyl-
landsposten, 9 January 1965.
The article is mostly about the religious dimension of Bergman’s Trilogy. Cf. Torsten Berg-
mark’s ‘Ingmar Bergman och den kristna baksmällan’ [Ingmar Bergman and the Christian
hangover], (Ø 1149).

1966
1131. n.a. ‘Der Magier aus Djursholm’. Hör Zu, no. 37, 10 September 1966.
A biographical presentation of Bergman.

1132. ‘Ingmar Bergman in anti-US position.’ Variety, 6 April 1966, p. 1.

A note about Bergman signing a petition against US involvement in Vietnam.

1133. ‘Ingmar Bergman vädjar till påven’ [Bergman appeals to the Pope]. ST, 6 Feb-
ruary 1966, p. 18.
Bergman signed a petition, together with 37 intellectuals and artists, asking the Pope to preserve
the old Gregorian one-key chant in church, instead of using modern sacred music. Many of the
petitioners were non-Catholics.

1134. Comstock. Richard. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Assessment at Midpoint’. Film Society Re-
view 2, no. 4, 1966: 12-18.
A thematic discussion of Bergman’s major films, focusing on the search for love and a mean-
ingful life.

1135. Delling, Manfred. ‘Ein Bergman-Porträt’. Die Welt, 29 October 1966.

A presentation of Bergman, his background and filmmaking in a major German newspaper.

1136. Farbstein, A. A. ‘Ingmar Bergman kak philosophi moralist’. Skandinavskii-Sbornik

(Tallinn, USSR) 13, 1966, pp. 141-55.
An Estonian presentation of Bergman as a philosophical filmmaker and moralist.

1137. Oliva, Ljubomir. Ingmar Bergman. Prague: Orbis, 1966. 201 pp.
A survey of Bergman’s films before Persona, plus excerpts from scripts of The Seventh Seal, Wild
Strawberries, and Winter Light, with a collection of reviews and presentations of some of
Bergman’s actresses.

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1138. Prigione, R. ‘La donna e il sentimento dell’angoscia in Bergman, Antonioni e

Dreyer’. Civilta dell’immagine, no. 1, 1966, n.p.
A discussion of the role of women and angst in the films of Bergman, Antonioni, and Dreyer.
(Cf. Ø 975).

1139. Schickel, Richard. ‘Scandinavian Screen’. Holiday 40, no. 5 (November) 1966: 156-
60. See Ø 1011.
An overview of Bergman’s career prior to Winter Light, with some information on early Swedish
film history.

1140. Tobey, Alan. ‘Ingmar Bergman and his Films: A Study in Irresolution’. B.S. thesis.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1966. 121 leaves.

1967
1141. Anker, Øyvind. ‘Urpremiere på Ingmar Bergmans teaterdrama ‘Hets’ i Oslo 1948’.
Nordisk tidskrift 43 (1967), pp. 227-35.
Bergman’s film script to ‘Hets’ [Frenzy/Torment] was adapted to the stage and performed in
Oslo (and London) in 1948. See commentary to ‘Hets’ in Filmography.

1142. Cahiers du Cinéma. no. 188 (March) 1967: 16-20.

A French translation of Bergman’s ‘Snakeskin’ essay and article by Jean-Louis Comolli, titled ‘Le
phantome de Personne’, which is very critical of Bergman’s filmmaking in the Sixties. (Cf.
Ø 982).

1143. Cineforum. 7, no. 61 (January) 1967: 23-69.

A special Bergman issue including presentation of Persona, an article by Jean Paillard (‘Dramatis
persona’, pp. 57-60) and an essay on Bergman’s filmmaking from the Trilogy to Persona by
Ermanno Comuzio (‘Da ‘Il silenzio’ a ‘Persona’’, pp. 61-65).

1144. Dupas, Jean. ‘Le temps d’un voyage’. L’action (Tunis), 1 February 1967, n.p.
The article lists the following reasons for the wide appeal of Bergman’s films: (1) they tell a
simple story; (2) they are of intellectual interest as contemplations of death and life; (3) they
show a cinema transcending the problems of language and of thoughts imprisoned in words;
(4) they present actresses who are not stars but characters; and (5) they explore the inner
emotional world of men and women.

1145. Kinnear, G.C. ‘Ingmar Bergman. Master of Illusion’. In Man and the Movies, ed. by
W.R. Robinson, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1967, pp. 161-68.
A general introduction, seeing Bergman’s strength as a filmmaker in his ability to draw the
spectator into the emotional sphere of films that defy analysis.

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1146. Narboni, Jean. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Le festin de l’araignée’. Cahiers du cinéma, no. 193
(September) 1967: 34-41.
The author discusses the concept of silence in Bergman’s films from Ansiktet (The Magician) to
Persona.

1147. Pondeliçek, Ivo. ‘Bergman’s Philosophic Film and its Construction Problems’. The
English summary is issued by the Czech Film Institute, Prague. The original article is
published in Film a doba 13, no. 7, 1967: 342-352.
In somewhat faulty English, this article contends that different approaches – such as ontolo-
gical, Marxist, psychoanalytical, and existential – all have relevance in interpreting Bergman’s
films.

1148. Wredlund, Bertil. ‘Ingmar Bergman Index’. Chaplin 10, no. 78, 1967: 24-27. Also in
Film och bio, no. 1 (January 1968), pp. 24-28.
A listing of all the films to date in which Bergman has participated in some capacity, from Hets
to Vargtimmen. The article includes credits and a name index.

1968
1149. Bergmark, Torsten. ‘Ingmar Bergman och den kristna baksmällan’ [Bergman and
the Christian hangover]. DN, 6 October 1968, p. 4. Also appeared in Film og Kino, no.
9 (December) 1968: 276-77, 297. Reprinted in Motbilder: svensk socialistisk filmkritik –
en antologi, pp. 246-50. See Commentary to Skammen, (Ø 239).
The author argues that with Shame Bergman has given himself a choice as a filmmaker: to
return to bourgeois filmmaking or to sacrifice bourgeois art and assume loyalty to the prole-
tarization of art.

1150. Boyers, Robert. ‘Bergman’s Persona: An Essay in Tragedy’, Salmagundi 2, no. 4 (Fall
1968): 3-31, reprinted in Excursions: selected Literary Essays (Port Washington, NY:
Kennikat, 1977), pp. 47-70.
Boyers compares Alma in Persona to the tragic protagonist in Electra, King Oedipus, King Lear,
and Hamlet.

1151. Chicco, Elisabetta ‘Cinema e teatro nell’opera di Bergman’. Cinema Nuovo 17, no.
192 (March-April) 1968: 96-108.
Traces the relationship between Bergman’s films and various theatre traditions.

1152. Corliss, Richard & Jonathan Hoops. ‘Hour of the Wolf ’. Film Quarterly 21, no. 4
(Summer) 1968: 33-40.
A review of Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf) but also a survey of Bergman’s reputation outside of
Sweden. The authors criticize the tendency of alloting filmmakers and national film industries a
certain period to flower – Bergman’s blossoming allegedly occurred between 1954 and 1957
(1956-1959 would be more accurate).

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1153. Drouzy, Martin. ‘Bergman I og Bergman II: Kunst contra virkelighed’ [Bergman I
and Bergman II: Art vs reality]. Die Asta, no. 5 (December) 1968: 12-19.
The author traces the theme of dream vs reality in Persona, Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf), and
Skammen (Shame).

1154. Fabricius, Johannes. ‘Ingmar Bergman og “sjælens mørke natt”’ [Bergman and ‘the
dark night of the soul’]. Kosmorama 14, no. 6 (June) 1968: 173-182.
The article discusses parallels between alchemical processes and Bergman’s use of Jungian
symbolism and compares Bergman’s production from Såsom i en spegel (Through a Glass
Darkly) to Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf) to the medieval work Opus alchymicum.
The same author applies a Jungian analysis to a study of the passionate woman character in
Skammen (Shame), En passion (The Passion of Anna) and The Touch in Kosmorama 18, no. 110
(September) 1972: 259-263. The article is titled ‘The Touch eller genfødelsen i jomfruens tegn’
[The Touch or rebirth in the sign of the virgin].

1155. Film och Bio, no. 1, 1968, pp. 10-30.

A special Bergman issue that includes the following items:
Löthwall, Lars-Olof. ‘Fyra dygn på Fårö’ [Four days and nights on Fårö], pp. 10-18. A reportage
from the shooting of Skammen;
—. ‘Hålla spegeln och se vad spegeln speglar’ [Hold the mirror and see what the mirror
reflects], pp. 20-24. An interview with Ingmar Bergman. (See Ø 776);
Goldstein, Max. ‘Mago och Skammen’ [Mago and Shame]. Film och bio, no. 1, 1968:19. (See
Ø 1157 below);
Robin Hood (Bengt Idestam-Almqvist). ‘Ingmar Bergman i bikini’ [Bergman in bikini], p. 29. A
‘mosaic’ of recollections of young Bergman by an early supporter and film critic/historian;
Wredlund, Bertil. ‘Ingmar Bergman Index, 31/12 1967’, pp. 25-28. A Bergman filmography
through 1967.

1156. Gilliat, Penelope. ‘Poems of Square Pegs’. The New Yorker 44, no. 9 (April) 1968:
163-68. Reprinted in Kaminsky, (Ø 1266), pp. 270-73.
A discussion of voyeurism in Hour of the Wolf, comparing the painter Johan Borg in Bergman’s
film to Buñuel’s highbred tart in Belle du Jour. Madness and sex energize a world gone stale.

1157. Goldstein, Max. ‘Mago och Skammen’ [Mago and Shame]. Film och Bio, no. 1, 1968:
19.
Sketches by Bergman’s costumier Mago, a German Jew who was rescued and taken to Sweden as
a teenager during World War II, thanks to Bergman’s parents. See Karin Bergman’s diary
(Ø 1526), 1995, p. 51, about the Bergman family receiving yet another Jewish teenager, Dieter
Winter, in their home.

1158. Grafe, Frieda. ‘Der Spiegel ist zerschlagen’. Filmkritik 12, no. 11 (November) 1968:
760-772.
The author challenges an exclusively thematic/literary or a purely visual approach to Bergman’s
filmmaking. Image and word/sound interact. Article concludes that Bergman’s filmmaking is
neither a form of religion nor art for art’s sake but ‘propaedeutics for life’.

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1159. Gyllström, Katy. ‘Johan Borg och Sarastro’. Nya Argus 61 (1968), pp. 170-72.
A comparison between Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf) and Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute. The
author singles out two major themes in Vargtimmen: (1) the power and possessiveness of love,
to the point where human beings become mirrors of each other (the ‘Persona theme’); (2) the
Magic Flute theme, with Johan Borg portrayed as a kin to Tamino in Mozart’s opera: both seek
the light. Lindhorst in Vargtimmen plays the role of Papageno, whose captured birds are
transformed into frightening ravens. Title of the article refers to the author’s argument that
Vargtimmen’s Johan Borg is destroyed because, unlike in Tamino’s case, there is no father/
godlike figure like Sarastro present in Borg’s world.

1160. Hamdi, Britt. ‘Mannen Ingmar Bergman’ [The Man Bergman]. Eva. Bonniers må-
nadstidning, no. 6 (1968), pp. 48, 50-1.
Article discusses Bergman’s unique qualities as a listener. Also lists attitudes he apparently hates
in people: too much familiarity, lack of personal hygiene, and breaking promises.

1161. Holba, H. ‘Treibhaus der Neurosen. Der frühe Bergman’. Action (Vienna) 4, no. 7,
1968: 24-8, 37.
Author sees Bergman’s early films as expressions of Swedish postwar existential anxiety.

1162. Idestam-Almqvist, Bengt (Robin Hood). ‘Ingmar Bergman i bikini’ [Bergman in

bikini]. Film och Bio, no. 1, 1968: 29. See Ø 1155.

1163. Jackiewicz, Aleksander. ‘Wczesny Bergman’ [Early Bergman]. Film, no. 35, 1968, n.
p.
Polish interest in Bergman intensified in the 1960s. This background article discusses Bergman’s
filmmaking in the Forties and Fifties.

1164. Lindskog, Runo. ‘Ingmar Bergmans förhållande till konsten och religionen’ [Berg-
man’s relationship to art and religion]. Östersunds-Posten, 13 March 1968, p. 2.
A newspaper chronicle on Bergman’s view of art as a form of religious rite.

1165. Morais, Manuel Antonio. Ingmar Bergman. Lisbon: Associacio de estudiantes da

Faculdade de ciencias (A.E.F.C.L.), 1968, 102 pp.
A stenciled presentation of Bergman’s films through Nattvardsgästerna.

1166. Mölter, Veit. ‘Pornographie statt Gewalt’. Abendzeitung (Austria), 3 May 1968.
A newspaper report from a Bergman press conference in Rome. It discusses pornography of
violence, a subject debated at the time of Bergman’s release of films like Vargtimmen/Hour of the
Wolf and Skammen. See Interviews (Ø 777).

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1167. Prédal, René. ‘Bergman de l’autre côté du miroir’. Jeune cinéma, no. 32 (September)
1968: 33-35.
An analysis of Bergman’s visual ‘language of terror’ with specific references to Såsom i en spegel
(Through a Glass Darkly, Comme dans un miroir), Persona, and Vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf,
L’heure du loup).

1168. Riffe, Ernest. ‘Utför för Bergman – säger Bergman’. Expr., 25 September 1968. See
Interview section, (Ø 778).

1169. Rondi, Gian Luigi, ed. Maestri del Cinema: Ingmar Bergman. Rome: RAI/Radio-
Televisione italiana, 1968, 48 pp.
An introduction and review excerpts to eight Bergman films: Summer Interlude, Seventh Seal,
Wild Strawberries, Brink of Life, The Magician, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and Not to
Speak about All these Women. Includes a biographical sketch and a brief essay on Swedish
cinema.

1170. Steene, Birgitta. Ingmar Bergman. Boston: Twayne, 1968, 153 pp. Paperback edition,
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1974.
A study of Bergman’s filmmaking through Persona, with a chapter on Bergman as a playwright,
and a biographical note.
Review
Western Humanities Review 22, no. 3 (Summer 1968): 275-76.

1171. Studi cinematografico e televisivi 1, no. 2 (October) 1968: 25-55.

A special Bergman issue with two longer articles: Maria Vitoria Papa, ‘Aspetti figurativa del
linguaggio di Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 45-55, and Mario Verdone, ‘Religione e personalita nell’o-
pera di Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 22-44. Papa discusses emotive and figurative language in Berg-
man’s films, with specific reference to The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. For Verdone, (See
Ø 1012), 1959, Italian Reception of Bergman.

1172. Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Från raseri till frusen förtvivlan’. Röster i Radio/TV, March
10-23, 1968, pp. 10-11, 48.
A brief exposé of Bergman’s stylistic development as a filmmaker from Ansiktet to Persona.

1173. Waldekranz, Rune. ‘Ingmar Bergman 50 år’ [Bergman at fifty]. SvD, 13 July 1968, p.
5.
An assessment of Bergman on his 50th birthday (July 14), seeing his insistence on personal
integrity as a political act of more lasting value than ‘today’s impulsive manifestos’. [dagens
impulsiva manifest]. Waldekranz was at the time head of the new Swedish Film School, where
Bergman had been offended by some leftwing students when he had offered his teaching
services. Cf. interview in SvD, 14 December 1980 (Fredriksson & Sörenson), (Ø 869).

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1969
1174. Group Item: Bergman-Fellini Co-production
On 5 January 1969, a press conference was held in Rome about a film project with Bergman and
Federico Fellini called ‘Love Duet’, involving Universal Studios with Martin Poll as producer,
together with Bergman’s newly founded Swiss production and distribution company Persona
Film. Each director was to make a film based on his conception of love. For a report on press
conference, see AB, 6 January 1969, p. 12. Bergman was also interviewed on Swedish Public
Radio (SR) in connection with the press conference (5 January 1969).
On 5 December 1969, Expr. (Björn Vinberg, p., 43) carried an extensive news item about the
project, now referred to as ‘The White Wall’ but limited to one film by Bergman alone, in which
Katharine Ross was scheduled to play the lead. However, Bergman soon backed out, giving lack
of time as his official reason. See Expr., 3 January 1970, p. 22.
The thought of a Bergman-Fellini collaboration was revived in 1975 and discussed in early
1976, when Bergman talked about a Warner project involving his unpublished script ‘Den
förstenade prinsen’ [The Petrified Prince]. Written on Fårö the preceding summer it had been
translated into English by Alan Blair.
In an interview, Bergman said: ‘Det är en älsklig tanke att Fellini och jag skall jobba ihop’ [It’s
a sweet thought that Fellini and I might work together]. See SvD, 28 January 1976, p. 9. Nothing
came of the Fellini-Bergman project. Fellini reportedly never submitted a script. See Ø 783, 850.

1175. Ariyadasa, Edwin. ‘The Creative Life of Ingmar Bergman’. Ceylon Daily News, 16
June 1969, n.p.
A general presentation of Bergman. The author regrets that ‘it is quite difficult to see a Bergman
film in Ceylon.’

1176. Cantor, Jay. ‘Ingmar Bergman at Fifty’. Atlantic 223, no. 3 (March) 1969: 150-52.
An assessment of Bergman as a most enduring director in the last 20 years, despite his
‘ponderousness’ and ‘asceticism.’

1177. Gill, Jerry H. Ingmar Bergman and the Search for Meaning. Grand Rapids, MI:
William B. Eerdmann Publishing Co., 1969, 43 pp.
An analysis of ‘the concept of the ideal community’ in The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, and
the Trilogy. See Ø 1011.

1178. Gorodinskaja, N., ed. Ingmar Bergman. Moscow, 1969 (no publisher). 244 pp.
A presentation of Bergman in Russian, based on material (articles, reviews, script excerpts)
previously published in the West.

1179. Lefèvre, Raymond, ed. Image et son, no. 226 (March) 1969. 70 pp.
A special Bergman issue. Excerpts from Bergman’s essays and comments on all his films to date,
including some notes on their showings in France. With a filmography from Kris to Shame,
compiled by Claude Ganne.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1180. Molist, Segismundo. ‘Ingmar Bergman o el universo crespuscolar’. Film Ideal (Ma-
drid), nos. 205, 206, 207, 1969.
A series of articles on Bergman’s films. Thematic approach.

1181. Nuevo film (Montevideo), no. 4 (Autumn-Winter) 1969: 16-36.

A special Bergman issue, including a longer article by T. H. Alsina, ‘Bergman despues el
Silencio’, discussing problems of identity in post-Silence films, quoting extensively from Susan
Sontag’s essay on Persona (see Ø 236, Commentary). The issue also includes ‘Dos dialogos con
Ingmar Bergman’ which are translations of Nils Petter Sundgren’s interview in Cineforum
(Ø 772) and Ernest Riffe’s (Bergman pseudonym) piece in Expr., 25 Sep., 1968 (Ø 778).

1182. Oldrini, Guido. ‘Reflusso del problematicismo nell’ ultima Bergman’. Cinema Nuo-
vo 18, no. 202 (December) 1969: 440-47.
The author compares philosophical motifs in Bergman’s films of the 1950s and 1960s. Bergman’s
‘religious atheism’ has brought him closer to a nihilistic dissolution of the self; his films no
longer offer choices but have become self-contained studies of a soul in crisis. (Cf. Ø 1012), 1959.

1183. The Ubyssey. ‘Grabowski on Bergman by Wiikbro...’, 28 November 1969. An inter-

view by ‘famed Fenno-Scanian star reporter, critic and Grabowski-crony Magnus S.
Wiikbro, academically best known for his Terrible Infancy: a Study of Simon Gra-
bowski’s Lack of Works, University of Haparanda Press, 1967’.
A dialogue – part self-congratulatory, part parodic – between two student ‘connaisseurs’ of
Bergman’s filmmaking. Grabrowski is presented as ‘a Danish oracle from Copenhagen’ cur-
rently pursuing an advanced degree in Creative Writing and Comparative Literature. Published
in a student paper at UBC (‘the Ubyssey’, University of British Columbia), the article is mostly
interesting as an example of a kind of coy dismissal of Bergman among intellectuals in North
America and Europe at the time.

1184. Vinberg, Björn. ‘Bergman och SF – ett evigt kärlekshat’ [Bergman and SF – an
eternal love-hatred]. Expr., 14 December 1970, Sunday Sec., pp. 16-17. See Ø 786.

1185. Wood, Robin. Ingmar Bergman. London: Studio Vista and New York: Praeger, 1969.
191 pp.
One of the best-written early monographs on Bergman, covering his production through
Shame. Emphasis is on psychological and psychoanalytical aspects of Bergman’s filmmaking.
Includes a filmography and selective bibliography.
Review
Film Quarterly 23, no. 4 (Summer 1970): 61-62.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1970
1186. Bjuvstedt, Sussie. ‘Ingmar Bergman – Gotlands gullgosse’ [Bergman – Gotland’s
Golden Boy]. Expr., 19 February 1970, p. 7.
A report on Bergman’s income compared to other citizens on the island of Fårö/Gotland.
Bergman tops the list. The article also quotes local people praising Bergman to the skies for
his kindness, work discipline, and punctuality (‘like an officer’).

1187. Cohn, Bernard. ‘Connaissance de la voie’. Positif, no. 121 (November) 1970: 34-40.
Focussing on Skammen (Shame) and En passion (Passion of Anna), the author discusses Berg-
man as a disciple of Kierkegaard. See listing under Bergman and Literary Parallels (Ø 989).

1188. Film Comment. ‘Film in Sweden’, 6, no. 2, 1970: 8-21.

A special Bergman issue with a biographical note; short bibliography; and Bergman’s essays ‘My
Three Most Powerful Commandments’ (Ø 108) and ‘The Snakeskin’ (Ø 131).

1189. Hinnemo, Torgny. ‘Opus 17 & 18’. Filmrutan 13, no. 1 (January) 1970: 37-40.
On Bergman’s use of music in Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) and Smultronstället (Wild
Strawberries).

1190. Montan, Alf. ‘Aldrig! Hellre kommunteater på Fårö’. [Never! Rather a local theatre
on Fårö]. Expr., 20 March 1970, p. 15.
Bergman’s name had been suggested as head of the Stockholm Opera. His response is cited in
the headline.

1191. Rasku, Hilkka. Ingmar Bergman. Kasvoista kasvoihin. [Face to Face]. Tampere:
Kirjanystävät, 1970. 124 pp.
A Finnish analysis of some Bergman films from the 1950s and 1960s from a psychoanalytical
perspective and with focus on Bergman’s view of Christianity. See Ø 997.

1192. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Images and Words in Ingmar Bergman’s Films’. Cinema Journal
10, no. 1 (Fall) 1970: 23-33.
An analysis of Bergman’s evolving film style and changing use of language in major films of the
Fifties and Sixties. Distinguishes between his ‘Gothic’ type of filmmaking in the Fifties –
rhetorical, male-oriented, with a complex narrative structure – and his ‘Ascetic’ chamber film
approach in the Sixties – less verbal, with women as central characters, and a ‘pruned’ narrative
style.

1193. Wester, Maud. ‘I 25 år har det stormat kring Ingmar Bergman’. [For 25 years it has
been storming around Bergman]. Vecko-Journalen, nos. 15-18 (8, 15, 22, 29 April) 1970,
various pages.
A series of articles on Bergman focusing on his biography and providing the most compre-
hensive portrait of Bergman to date. Issue no. 18 is a paraphrase of Bergman’s essays ‘Det att
göra film’ (What Is Filmmaking) and ‘Varje film är min sista film’ (Each Film Is My Last).

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

Bergman is quoted about his fundamental reason for making films: To test the psychological
limits where an emotional flow has been dammed up.

1971
1194. D’Arecco, Sergio. ‘Bergman – rito e passione’. Filmcritica 22, no. 212 (January) 1971:
48-54.
Discusses Ansiktet (Il Volto), Persona, Riten (Il Rito) and En passion (Passione) with an emphasis
on the motif of the artist as a Romantic genius.

1195. Beauman, Sally. ‘Ingmar Bergman. Sweden’s Wary Genius’. Show 2, no. 4 (June)
1971:38-43. See Interviews, 1971, (Ø 795).

1196. Blake, Richard A., S.J. ‘Sexual Themes in the Films of Ingmar Bergman’. Sexual
Behavior I, no. 5 (August )1971: 35-43. Reprinted in Ingmar Bergman. Essays in Criti-
cism., ed. by Stuart Kaminsky (item 1323), pp. 29- 44.
Distinguishes two themes in Bergman’s metaphorical use of sexuality: (1) sexual behavior
expresses man’s striving for love and communion; and (2) sexual impotence is a sign of an
artist’s inability to create.

1197. Carduner, A. ‘Nobody Has Any Fun in Bergman’s Films’. Film Society Review 7, no. 5
(January) 1971: 27-32. Also printed in Philadelphia Bandbox Theater bimonthly bro-
chure Movies, 1971.
A general presentation, both an homage and a critique. Bergman is seen as a classic filmmaker
but one who has turned his back on his audience. Carduner assumes that Bergman’s religious
background has programmed him to view entertainment as degrading and wicked, which
would explain his alleged lack of touch with his public. Bergman is also referred to as an artist
who is unwilling or incapable of ‘integrating his symbology.’

1198. Covi, Antonio. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. In Dibatti di film: Fellini, Bergman, Antonioni,
Buñuel, Pasolini, Kazan,Visconti, Bresson. Padua: Gregoriana, 1971, pp. 133-88.
The chapter on Bergman deals with his filmmaking to date, with focus on social and meta-
physical themes.

1199. La Dramma. Teatro, Letteratura, Cinema, Musica, Radio TV 47, no. 11-12 (Nov-
Dec) 1971:30-50.
Special double issue on Bergman. (See Ø 562), Theatre/Media Bibliography, Chapter VII.

1200. Haas, Richard. ‘Ett rop om hjälp som Sovjet ströp’ [A cry for help strangled by
Soviets]. DN, 16 August 1971, p. 1, 6.
A report of a telegram sent to Ingmar Bergman and other Western artists by a group of Russian
Jews who wished to emigrate to Israel. Bergman denied having seen the telegram but expressed
his concern in a telephone interview. The same article also reports that in February 1971,

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Bergman and 54 other Swedes signed a petition, protesting Soviet government’s anti-Semitic
views and actions.

1201. Kwakernaak, Erik. ‘Ingmar Bergman komt tot de mensen!’ Skoop 7, no. 4, 1971:35-
40.
An analysis of Bergman’s filmmaking with focus on films of the Sixties, including a comparison
between the TV film The Lie (Reservatet) (scripted but not directed by Bergman) and A Passion.

1202. Nørrested, Carl. ‘Et og andet om en passionered svensker – et skilletrykk om

Bergman’ [One or two things about a passionate Swede – a broadsheet on Bergman].
Film UV (Denmark) 5, no. 2, 1971: 19-23; no. 4, 1971: 24-26; and no. 6, 1971: 9-13.
A series of articles offering an overview of Bergman’s filmmaking and Swedish film tradition.

1203. Pechter, William, S. ‘The Light is Dark Enough’. In Twenty-four Times a Second.
New York: Harper & Row, 1971, pp. 133-46.
A reprint of three different assessments of Bergman’s filmmaking originally published in Tulane
Drama Review, 1960, 1961, and 1963. The films discussed are The Magician (Ansiktet) whose title
is given an erroneous ambiguous meaning by Pechter; The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukällan), The
Silence (Tystnaden), Persona, and Shame. Pechter denies that Bergman has a personal style and
sees his filmmaking as ecclectic borrowings from Dreyer, Buñuel-Dali, Cocteau, Renoir, and
German expressionism.

1204. Perucha, Julio Pérez. ‘Bergman a través de sus ultimos films’. Insulas 300-301
(November-December) 1971.
An analysis of Bergman and his films of the late Sixties.

1205. Phelan, Sarah F. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Now I see things as they are’. MA thesis.
California State Univ., Sacramento, 1971. 54 pp. For more information, contact Cali-
fornia State University.

1206. Renaud, Tristan. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Dossiers du Cinéma. Cinéastes II, 1971, pp. 9-13.
A good dictionary presentation of Bergman where author deplores early difficulties in assessing
his filmmaking in France, since his films were not released in chronological order. Sees Fängelse
(Prison) and Gycklarnas afton (La nuit des forains) as constituting a Bergman matrix where the
extraordinary power of his personality manifests itself; also discusses Sjunde inseglet (Le sep-
tième sceau), Smultronsstället (Les fraises sauvages), Nära livet (Au seuil de la vie), and the Trilogy.
Renaud considers Bergman’s portrayal of women more important than his metaphysics. The
article is followed (pp. 14-15) by brief excerpts from reviews of Bergman’s filmmaking and from
Bergman’s 1954 essay ‘Det att göra film’ (Qu’est que faire des films?).

1207. Schildt, Jurgen. ‘Ingmar Bergman – vad har hänt med honom’ [Bergman – What
has happened to him?]. AB, 19 September 1971, Sunday section, pp. 9-13.
The author examines the source of Bergman’s success: (1) loyalty to his cultural and national
origin; (2) loyalty to his actors; (3) loyalty to his own themes and vision. The article also
includes a list of ‘Ingmar och alla hans kvinnor’ [Ingmar and all his women], p. 12.

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1208. Seymour, Julien. ‘Bonjour mystère Bergman’. Lui, September 1971, pp. 30-32, 44, 105,
109, 111-12.
A somewhat affected and meandering account of Bergman’s films and working style, ranging
from François Mauriac’s shocked reaction to The Silence to Bergman’s life with Liv Ullmann
and his Hollywood (Elliott Gould) connection in The Touch. The author describes Bergman’s
position as that of a home-bound Swede, ‘a timid god.’

1209. Welsh, James. ‘Symposium on Published Scripts: Bergman and Anderson for So-
phomores’. Cinema Journal 11, no. 1 (Fall) 1971: 52-57.
On using Bergman’s and Lindsay Anderson’s scripts in teaching film to sophomore college
students.

1210. Young, Vernon. Cinema borealis: Ingmar Bergman and the Swedish Ethos. New York:
David Lewis, 1971. 331 pp. New edition, New York: Avon Books, 1972, 346 pp. Updated
in 1975 to include films through Scenes from a Marriage.
A highly acerbic and opinionated study of Bergman’s cultural background, with a number of
factual errors. Witty subjective style overshadows some perceptive analyses of Bergman’s films.
Review
Film Quarterly 26, no. 2 (Winter) 1972/73: 45-47.

1972
1211. Group Item: Bergman and art cinema public. The cases of India and Ire-
land
India as the world’s leading filmmaking nation with a film industry based on mostly native
themes and genres provides a special case in the reception of Bergman’s films. With the
exception of The Virgin Spring, Autumn Sonata, and Fanny and Alexander, no Bergman film
has been shown commercially in India. But Bergman became part of the Indian Film Society
movement, which began in Calcutta in the late Sixties, upon the initiative of Indian filmmaker
Satiyat Ray after Ray’s return from a visit to London, where he had discovered the auteur
Ingmar Bergman, especially his film Wild Strawberries.
The Indian Film Society movement attracted two major groups of (educated) people (almost
all men): those looking for pornographic films and those looking for artistic cinema. Bergman
satisfied both groups with The Silence. This film was part of a Bergman Film Session arranged in
Calcutta in 1972 by the Federation of Film Societies of India and the National Film Archive of
India. A 32-page pamphlet was issued with a detailed presentation of The Seventh Seal, Wild
Strawberries, The Virgin Spring, and The Silence. For another Bergman retrospective, this time in
Nagpur, a 46-page program was issued with a biographical note and filmography: Cine Mon-
tage. Nagpur: Cine Montage, 1979. See also Rajat, Roy. Bergman. Calcutta, 1992; a booklet in
Hindu on Bergman’s filmmaking. Available at SFI.
Since the 1970s, Bergman’s films, especially Wild Strawberries, have been part of the filmmak-
ing curriculum at India’s National Film School in Puno.
The exposure of Bergman’s films in the 1960s and 1970s in art cinemas rather than regular
commercial theatres was also typical of the situation in Ireland. See L.H Hayden, ‘Waiting for

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Bergman’. Vision 1, no. 2 (Spring 1965): 10. Hayden regrets that out of 26 Bergman films to that
date distributed abroad, only 7 had been released commercially in Ireland.

1212. Berg, R. van der. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Skrien 29-30 (Spring) 1972: 34-35.
A brief critical assessment of Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking. A thematic approach.

1213. ‘Filmmaking in Sweden.’ American Cinematographer 53, no. 4 (April) 1972: 374-456.
A special Bergman issue. Contains the following material:
Title essay by Herb A. Lightman, pp. 374-76;
Ingmar Bergman’s essays ‘Film and Creativity’ [Varje film är min sista/Each Film is My Last]
(Ø 108) and ‘The Snakeskin’ [Ormskinnet] (Ø 131), pp. 427-31, 434;
Stig Björkman 1971 interview, pp. 377-379. (See Ø 796);
Sven Nykvist interview ‘A Passion for Light’, pp. 380-81, 456. See Ø 810. Nykvist expresses similar
views in A.C. Bobrow’s interview in Filmmakers Monthly Newsletter IX, no. 7 (May) 1976:
28-34.

1214. Hellbom, Thorleif. ‘Bergman bygger filmstad på Fårö – skildrar äktenskap i Djurs-
holm’ [B builds a film city at Fårö – depicts a marriage in Djursholm]. DN, 30 August
1972, Radio/TV section.
A report from Dämba on Fårö where Bergman planned to build a 6-by-12 meter film studio on
a 17th-century farm, using a great many locals as co-workers. The office was to be in the former
laundry room, the projection room in the former carriage area, and the editing room in the
woodshed. Sven Nykvist, Bergman’s cinematographer, describes the situation: ‘like a marriage
with a built-in divorce’.

1215. Jensen, Niels. ‘Den knuste maske – et motiv hos Ingmar Bergman’ [The shattered
mask – a motif in Bergman]. Kosmorama, no. 107 (February) 1972: 120-123.
A discussion of psychological unveiling and identity crisis as a recurrent theme in Bergman’s
films.

1216. Löthwall, Lars-Olof. ‘Väsentligt och oväsentligt. Dagbok från Bergmans

‘Viskningar och rop’’ [Essential and unessential matters. Diary from Bergman’s Cries
and Whispers]. Chaplin 114, no.3, 1972: 88-99. Also published in Allers 1972, p.10,
under the title ‘Sådan är han, Ingmar Bergman. Dagbok från en filminspelning’
[That’s what he is like, Ingmar Bergman. Diary from the shooting of a film]. Also
published in English in Film in Sweden, no. 2, 1972, pp. 3-8.
Diary notes kept by the author while he was liaison press person during the shooting of Cries
and Whispers including a summary assessment of his impression of Bergman: ‘The most
remarkable thing about him is his ability to discover everything, to see everything, to hear
everything, to feel everything – to intuit everything. It is a bit eerie’. [Det mest anmärknings-
värda hos honom är hans förmåga att upptäcka allt, att se allt, att höra allt, att känna allt – att
intuitivt uppleva allt. Det är lite kusligt] (p. 90). Cf. Ø 808.

1217. Marcussen, Elsa Brita. ‘Ingmar Bergman om film. Legende eller bevegelse?’ NRK,
25 June – 1 July 1972.

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A series of presentations of Bergman as legend and filmmaker by Norwegian film critic.

1218. Simon, John. Ingmar Bergman Directs. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972,
315 pp. See also Ø 814.
Bergman apparently convinced Simon to include Winter Light as one of four films discussed in
his study. The others are: The Naked Night, Smiles of a Summer Night, and Persona. Perceptive
analysis, amply illustrated with sequential stills. The introduction was also published in Film
Comment 8, no. 3 (September-October 1972): 37-40.
Reviews
New York Times, 26 November 1972, pp. 6, 26.
Literature/Film Quarterly 2, no. 2 (Spring 1974): 190.

1219. Solomon, Stanley J. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the New Intellectualism’. In The Film
Idea, New York: Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich, 1972, pp. 228-36.
Focusing on The Seventh Seal, The Virgin Spring, and The Touch, the author attributes Berg-
man’s appeal to intellectual film goers to his willingness to create films around broad philo-
sophical ideas through clearly presented symbolic imagery.

1220. Steene, Birgitta, ed. Focus on The Seventh Seal. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-
Hall, 1972. 182 pp.
Though most of the material pertains to The Seventh Seal, this volume also includes broader
presentations of Bergman by Jean Béranger, Marianne Höök, and James Scott. The volume has
an interview by the editor titled ‘Words and Whisperings: An Interview with Ingmar Bergman’.
pp. 42-44. (See Ø 814), Chapter VIII.

1221. Truffaut, François. ‘The Lesson of Ingmar Bergman’. Take One 3, no. 10 (March-
April) 1972: 40, translated from L’Express (Paris) by P. Levensvold and reprinted in
Truffaut’s The Films of My Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1975, pp. 253-60; and in
Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey, ed. Roger Oliver. New York: Arcade Publishing,
1995, pp. 31-6. See also Ø 982.
Truffaut sees a three-part lesson to be learnt from Bergman: (1) liberation of dialogue from
literary genre; (2) cleansing of the image; his ‘anti-pictorial’ approach; (3) his study of the
human face. He also praises his portrayal of women.

1222. Wolden, Anne Raethinge. ‘Kvindene vil beholde sit martyrium’ [Women wish to
keep their martyrdom]. Aftenposten (Oslo), 20 July 1972, Eve. ed. p. 5. Also published
in Politiken (Copenhagen), 9 July 1972, p. 2. Cross-listed with fuller annotation in
Interviews, (Ø 818).

1223. Wood, Robin. ‘Ingmar Bergman et “Le lien”’. Positif 137 (April 1972): 27-34.
Though title suggests a review article on The Touch, Wood evaluates briefly (and rather super-
ficially) a number of Bergman films, concluding that Bergman’s forte as a filmmaker is his
psychological realism, and that his moral honesty constitutes both the strength and weakness of
his films.

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1973
1224. L’Avant-scène du cinéma, no. 142 (December) 1973, 55 pp.
A special Bergman issue, with a list of his films and theater work preceded by a script for Cries
and Whispers and excerpted reviews.

1225. ‘Bergmanoscopie.’ Ecran 73, no, 15 (May 1973): 2-12.

A special Bergman issue with excerpts from Bergman on Bergman; (Ø 788), pp. 3-8; issue
includes Bergman’s opening letter to his cast in the manuscript to Cries and Whispers, pp.
11-12; and a review by Jacques Deland of the film, p. 9.

1226. Bini, Luigi. Ingmar Bergman da Como in uno specchio a L’adultera. Milano: Editione
Lettura, 1973. 87 pp.
An overview of Bergman’s filmmaking from Through a Glass Darkly to The Touch.

1227. Casty, Alan. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Beyond the Realistic Image’. Midwest Quarterly: A
Journal of Contemporary Thought 14, 1973: 169-81.
An exploration of Bergman’s ‘psychic territory’ in The Naked Night, Smiles of a Summer Night,
The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, The Virgin Spring, The Trilogy, Persona, and A Passion.

1228. DJB. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Film Dope 3, August 1973, pp. 31-32.
A brief filmography up to Cries and Whispers, plus a note on Bergman’s filmmaking, which is
said to stem from deeply personal events and feelings revealing ‘immense private remorse’. The
presentation promotes Bergman’s För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor (All These Women) as a
neglected film that the author considers a remarkable homage to Feydeau’s slapstick farces.

1229. Donner, Jörn. ‘Det måste finnas en förtröstan’. [There must be hope]. Femina, no.
38, 1973, pp. 22-25.
A psycho-biographical view of Bergman. Bergman has a need to structure his life as a defence
against an inner chaos. See also Donner, ‘Ingmar Bergman 1973’ in Swedish Films 1973, pp. 43-47
(in French, pp. 48-53), which is a summation of Donner’s impressions of Bergman during a 10-
year period, 1963-1973.

1230. Evabell. ‘Fra Sommarnattens leende til Viskningar och rop’ [From Smiles of a
Summer Night to Cries and Whispers]. Harstad Tidende, 17 July 1973.
A Norwegian survey of Bergman’s film career, with some quotes from Bergman on Bergman
(Ø 788). The author sees Bergman’s filmmaking develop as a movement towards greater and
greater simplicity and points out the personal foundation of his films.

1231. Filmcritica xxiv, no. 237, September 1973, pp. 270-77.

Part of the issue of this Italian film journal, usually favoring leftist-oriented filmmakers, is
devoted to Bergman’s Viskningar och rop/Susurri e grida. It includes review articles by Alessan-
dro Cappabianca (‘La duplice frustrazione’), pp. 270-72, and Rina Mele (‘Fisicita della durata’),
pp. 273-77.

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1232. Foss, Oddvar. ‘Viskningar og rop. Film og samfunn’ [Cries and Whispers. Film and
society]. Fant VII, no. 3 (26), Summer 1973, pp. 46-53.
Using Bergman’s Cries and Whispers as point of departure, Foss discusses the social function of
art, which Bergman’s film is said to ignore in its creation of a closed universe. See also
Commentary to film in filmography, (Ø 245).

1233. Harcourt, Peter. ‘The Troubled Pilgrimage of Ingmar Bergman’, In Six European
Film Directors. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1973, pp. 135-82. Appeared in part in
Cinema (Beverly Hills) 6, no. 2 (Fall) 1970: 32-39.
The author sees Bergman working within a Swedish film tradition, relatively untouched by
modern psychological realism and trying to achieve ‘a metaphoric concentration’ within a
cinema of the open air. See also pp. 255-67 for comparison of Bergman’s world view and that
of five other European directors. Also published in Cinema Journal 12, no. 1 (Fall) 1972: 2-10.

1234. Jeancolas, F. ‘Après Riten, retour sur Bergman’. Jeune cinema, no. 67, 1973:34-36.
An evaluation of Bergman’s work from 1966 to 1972, suggesting a comeback for the director in
France. See also (Ø 982), Bergman and French Reception.

1235. Johnson, Wayne. ‘An Analysis of Relational Ethics in Three Films of Bergman:
Through a Glass Darkly, The Communicants, and The Silence’. Diss., Temple Univ.,
1973. 188 leaves. Univ. Microfilms International, MI, 1973, 1 reel, no. 7330159.
Martin Buber’s ‘I and Thou’ concept applied to Bergman’s films.

1236. Kalmar, Sylvi. ‘Cannes 1973’. Fant, no. 26, 3/ 1973, pp. 33-35. See Ø 825.

1237. Marowitz, C. ‘As Normal as Smörgåsbord’. New York Times Magazine, 1 July 1973, pp.
12-18.
The author attempts to rectify the view of Ingmar Bergman as ‘a moody suffering artist who
tortures a movie out of his soul and then recuperates in a mental institution’. Quotes Bergman
in a statement also found in Cordelia Edvardsson, (Ø 821): ‘The only life that exists for me is
this life, here and now, and the only holiness that exists is my relationship to other people’.

1238. McClatchy, J. D. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Film Heritage 8, no. 2, 1973, p. 40.

A poem to Ingmar Bergman as a personal response to his films.

1239. Mészöly, M. ‘Az elvont és az érzékletes a film swinvilagaban’. Filmkultura IX, no. 6
(November-December) 1973: 68-69.
Using Persona as a primary reference, the author tries to define the impact of color and black
and white in the cinema.

1240. Rusan, R. ‘Bergman, regizorul’ Cinema (Bukarest) XI, no. 5 (May) 1973: 43.
A Romanian presentation of Bergman as a cinema and stage director, with some reference to
his actors.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1241. Strick, Philip, prod. ‘Sven Nykvist’. 26-minute film, directed by Bayley Silleck for
Visual Programs Systems, Inc., 1973.
A film exploring the work of Bergman’s cinematographer Sven Nykvist.

1242. ‘Svenska filmfotografer’ [Swedish cinematographers]. Chaplin xxx, no. 124, 1973,
pp. i-xxiv (suppl.)
A response from Swedish cinematographers to questionnaire sent out by Chaplin editors. The
material has several references to Bergman.
The same issue includes an article by film historian Gösta Werner, ‘Traditionen i svenskt
filmfoto’ [Tradition in Swedish cinematography], discussing two Bergman photographers: Gö-
ran Strindberg and Sven Nykvist.

1243. Wolf, William. ‘The Towering Genius of Ingmar Bergman’. Cue, 2 July 1973, p. 2.
An homage to Bergman at age 55.

1974
1244. Alexander, William. ‘Devils in the Cathedral: Bergman’s Trilogy’. Cinema Journal
13, no. 2 (Spring) 1974: 23-33.
Focussing on the ‘compassionate despair’ of Bergman’s Trilogy, the author challenges the view
that Bergman’s films are depressing and bleak; rather, they serve as therapy for the viewer. See
also Livingston, 1981, (Ø 1384), passim.

1245. Aristarco, Guido. ‘La bussola delle psiche nell’ateismo religioso borghese’. Cinema
Nuovo, March-April 1974, pp. 116-30; and ‘La bussola delle psiche nell’ateismo mod-
erne’. Cinema Nuovo, May-June 1974, pp. 198-210. See group (Ø 1012), 1959, for more
information on this Italian Bergman critic.

1246. Benedyktowicz, Zbigniew. ‘Obraz i słowo. O scena riuszach Bergmana’. Tygodnik

Powszechny, no. 4, 1974.
On early Bergman as a scriptwriter.

1247. Braucourt, G., D. Serçeau and J. Domarchi. ‘Trois cinéastes de la femme’. Ecran
28 (August- September 1974): 45-54. See Ø 975.

1248. Cuaderno cinematografico del Uruguay. December 1974, pp. 1-48.

A special Bergman issue. Biographical information and unsigned survey of films to date.

1249. Doneux, M. ‘Etude: Bergman’. APEC – Revue Belge du Cinéma XII, no. 4, 1974, pp. 11-
19, and APEC XII, no. 5, 1974-75, pp. 5-16.
Short biographical information and discussion of major Bergman films to date. Includes a
filmography.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1250. Györffy, M. ‘A kérdezö ember’. Filmkultura X, no. 6 (November-December) 1974: 42-

50.
A thematic approach to Bergman’s filmmaking with special attention to The Seventh Seal.

1251. Helman, Alicja. ‘Ingmar Bergman albo parabola pytan odwiecznych’ [Bergman or
the parabole of eternal questions]. Kino (Warsaw) IX, no. 8 (August 1974): 60-63.
Reprinted in author’s book Film faktow i film fikoji: dialektika postaw i poetyk twórc-
zych. Katowice: US, 1977.
On Bergman’s cinematic style and the philosophical content of his films from the 1950s, with
special focus on The Seventh Seal.

1252. Holden, D. F. ‘Three Literary Sources for Through a Glass Darkly’. Literature/Film
Quarterly II, no. 1 (Winter) 1974: 22-29.
The author traces three literary sources in Bergman’s film Såsom i en spegel (Through a Glass
Darkly): Charlotte Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper, Anton Chekhov’s play The Seagull
and August Strindberg’s play Easter (Påsk). See also Ø 989.

1253. Kaminsky, Stuart. ‘The Torment of Insight: Youth and Innocence in the Films of
Ingmar Bergman’. Cinema Journal 13, no. 2 (Spring) 1974: 11-22. Reprinted in Ingmar
Bergman: Essays in Criticism, ed. Kaminsky, 1975), pp. 3-10. (Ø 1266).
A study of the child in Bergman’s films, including a discussion of ‘the Johan trilogy’ (The
Silence, Persona, Hour of the Wolf).

1254. Kwakernaak, Erik. ‘Frihed og tryghed hos Bergman’ [Freedom and security in B.].
McGuffin 3, no. 13 (November) 1974: 14-26 and no. 14 (February) 1975: 4-20.
Auteur approach to Bergman, seeing pervasive theme of his films as the relationship of the
individual to society. Finds in Bergman’s films a longing for an ideology rather than indiffer-
ence to ideologies.

1255. LeFanu, Mark. ‘Bergman. The Politics of Melodrama. How Bourgeois is Bourgeois
Cinema?’. Monogram, no. 5, 1974: 10-13.
The author discusses bourgeois theatrical conventions, typified by Ibsen and Chekhov, which
survive in Bergman’s filmmaking. Includes a special reference to Cries and Whispers.

1256. Monaco, James. Bergman. New York: The New School, Dept. of Film, 1974. 97 pp.
Offset survey of Bergman’s filmmaking through The Touch. Useful as an introduction to Berg-
man’s films of the Fifties and Sixties.

1257. Petrie, Graham. ‘Theater, Film, Life’. Film Comment X, no. 3 (May-June) 1974: 38-
43.
A discussion of three films – The Magician (Bergman, 1958), Carosse d’or (Renoir, 1953), and To
Be or Not to Be (Lubitsch, 1942) – focussing on their exploration of disguise and deception, and
the filmmakers’ awareness of screen artifice.

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1258. Rainero, Tino. Ingmar Bergman. Firenze: La nuova Italia, 1974. 121 pp.
Survey of Bergman’s work through A Passion. Introductory chapter is made up of excerpts from
previously published Bergman interviews.

1259. Steene, Birgitta. ‘About Ingmar Bergman: Some Critical Responses to his Films’.
Cinema Journal 13, no. 2 (Spring) 1974: 1-10.
Overview of critical approaches to Bergman’s films, suggesting that more attention be paid to
stylistic and formal features.

1260. Vierling David L ‘Bergman’s Persona: The Metaphysics of Meta-Cinema’. Diacritics.

IV, no. 2 1974: 48-51.
One of many discussions on the meta-filmic aspects of Persona. See listings in Commentary
section to Persona in Filmography.

1975
1261. Amis du film et de la télévision, no. 225 (February) 1975: 6-13. Also in Apec cinéma
12, no. 4 (January) 1975: 11-19. and no. 5 (February) 1975: 5-16.
A general survey of Bergman’s film work prior to 1975, published in conjunction with the
International Film Festival in Brussels, featuring a Bergman retrospective.

1262. Andersson, Nils. ‘Så segrade Bergman’ [Thus won B]. AB, 19 January 1975.
A background presentation of Bergman from childhood to his move to Fårö including a listing
of memorable Bergman quotes.

1263. Björnstrand, Lillie. Inte bara applåder [Not just applause]. Stockholm: Tiden,
1975.
A brief and rather negative portrait of Bergman by the wife of actor Gunnar Björnstrand who
worked with Bergman for 17 years. Defines Bergman’s personality as ‘smoking like cold ice’
[rykande som kall is], claiming that it makes many of his crew members nervous, even to the
point of fawning. Author refers to Bergman and his collaborators as ‘The Demon Gang’
[Demongänget]. See especially chapters titled ‘Bergman – regissören med röntgenblick’ [Berg-
man – director with an X-ray look]; ‘Från Fåfängans marknad till Sjunde inseglet’ [From Vanity
Fair to The Seventh Seal]; and ‘En seger trots allt’ [A victory nevertheless], pp. 142-186.

1264. Champlin, Charles. ‘Bergman on Hollywood Pilgrimage’. Los Angeles Times, 9

November 1975, p. 1, 36.
A report on Bergman’s first visit to Hollywood. See also People, 17 November 1975, pp. 17-18.
Also reported in Expr., 6 November 1975, p. 7. Cf. Holm, 1976, (Ø 1287).

1265. D’Orazio, Gaetano. ‘I film del primo Bergman’. Diss. University of Siena, 1975, 191
pp.
An analysis of Bergman’s early films. Special emphasis on Sommarlek (Un estate d’amore).

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1266. Kaminsky, Stuart, ed. Ingmar Bergman. Essays in Criticism. London, Oxford, New
York: Oxford University Press, 1975, 337 pp.
An anthology of reprinted essays. The selections are American and tend to be thematic and
psychological in approach. The volume is divided into three sections: Overview of a career;
Perspectives on individual films; and a Filmography. Some of the essays are listed individually
in this Guide under author and date of original publication. The only new essay in the
anthology is Lester J. Keyser’s ‘Bergman and the Popular Audience’, pp. 313-23, an analysis of
Scenes from a Marriage as a sophisticated soap opera.

1267. Kommunalkino Hannover. ‘Filmblätter Ingmar Bergman’. 30 October 1975.

Eight pages about Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking, with synopses, actors, and sources.

1268. Ségal, A. and Jacques Robnard. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Films 1960-73’. L'Avant-Scène
du Cinéma, no. 163, 7th supplement, 1975.
120 slides (black-&-white and color) selected from films beginning with Through a Glass Darkly
to Cries and Whispers.

1269. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Bergman’s Movement towards Nihilism’. In The Hero in Scandi-
navian Literature, ed. by Robert Rovinsky and John Weinstock. Austin: University of
Texas Press, 1975, pp. 87-105, 183-192.
A study of Bergman’s growing pessimism from Nära livet (Brink of Life/Close to Life) to
Tystnaden (The Silence), and its relation to the modern concept of the anti-hero.

1270. Surkova, Olga. ‘Metamorfozy sjvedskogo kino Widerberg e Bergman’. Iskusstvo

Kino, no. 8, 1975, pp. 135-62.
About Widerberg and Bergman representing a changing of the guard in Swedish filmmaking.

1271. Thousand Eyes Magazine, no. 1, 1975, pp. 1-64.

A special Bergman issue with brief articles on all of his films to date.

1976
1272. Group Item: Bergman Tax Case and Subsequent Exile
On 22 April 1976 Ingmar Bergman published an open letter in the Stockholm paper Expr. (pp.
4-5), in which he declared his immediate intention to leave Sweden and go into voluntary exile.
Excerpts of the letter were published in English in the NYT, 23 April 1976, p. 2, and in French in
L’Express (Paris), 3-9 May 1976, pp. 56-57. For details of the letter, (See Ø 163), and for reactions
to it, see below.
Bergman’s departure from Sweden was the consequence of his apprehension, on 30 January
1976, by Swedish police and tax authorities on suspicion of tax fraud. The arrest occurred
during a rehearsal of Strindberg’s Dödsdansen (Dance of Death) at Dramaten and Bergman was
taken to police headquarters for questioning. Subsequently he had his passport confiscated and
was told not to leave the Stockholm area. Bergman later suffered a nervous breakdown and was
taken to the psychiatric ward of the Karolinska Hospital.

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Both the Swedish and international press carried front page stories of the news on the day
following Bergman’s arrest. But a newspaper report several months earlier indicates that Berg-
man had been approached by the tax authorities long before his arrest. See Expr., 21 November
1975, p. 7 and AB, 22 November 1975, p. 8, where Bergman denies any tax evasion and is quoted
as saying: ‘For me they [the tax experts] could just as well be speaking Arabic. I don’t under-
stand any of their language. I am an artist, not a businessman’. [För mig kunde de lika gärna ha
talat arabiska. Jag förstår inte deras språk. Jag är konstnär, inte affärsman]. Bergman turned the
matter over to his lawyer.
The reaction to Bergman’s arrest can be sampled in the following news items:
SvD, 18 February 1976, p. 3 (attorney Henning Sjöström);
Film-Echo/Filmwoche, no. 20, 7 April 1976, p. 6;
New York Times and Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1976, p. 1;
New York Times, 25 March 1976, p. 1, and 25 April 1976, p. 1;
Screen International, no. 23, 14 February 1976, p. 15;
Time, 5 April 1976, p. 39;
Die Welt (report by Alphons Schauseil, ‘Ingmar Bergman während der Probe festgenommen’), 2
February 1976;
Die Zeit, 13 February 1976 (calling the arrest a witch hunt);
Wim Verstappen, ‘Bergman en het Zwitsere bankgeheim’. Skoop XII, no. 3, 1976, p. 2.
See also DN, 24 April 1976, p.19 for an analysis of Bergman’s tax obligations. For a good resumé
of the Bergman tax affair, see Harry Schein, ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Taxes’, Swedish Films (1976), pp.
5-10; also in French, pp. 10-15. See also actress Bibi Andersson’s memoir Ett ögonblick, 1996,
(Ø 1600) for her views on the tax case. Andersson, too, was questioned and her home was
searched.
Bergman’s troubles with the Swedish tax authorities had its roots in his production and
distribution company Persona Film Aktiengesellschaft in Zug, Switzerland, founded in 1968.
The company never produced any films and was liquidated in 1974, at which point assets worth
2.6 million Swedish crowns were transferred to funds in Sweden. The money was the income
on Bergman’s Swedish films abroad, on which he had paid capital gains tax. The actual tax case
in 1976 involved the tax authorities’ interpretation of Bergman’s personal tax obligations as well
as those of Persona Film and his Stockholm company Cinematograph AB, founded in 1965.
In a Danish radio program, titled ‘Ingmar Bergmans skattesag’, broadcast on 23 April 1976,
Swedish tax information officer Jan Björklund tried to explain that to the Swedish tax autho-
rities Bergman was both a private person who should pay personal income taxes and the
registered owner of a shareholding company which should pay corporate taxes. If the share-
holding company paid a salary to Bergman, the company could deduct the sum, which then
became taxable income for Bergman. If the company paid him a profit, then both the company
and Bergman must pay taxes on the amount.
Tax matters in Sweden are handled by two judicial systems: an administrative court system
that deals with taxation from a tax law standpoint and a criminal court system, which decides
whether or not a tax crime has been committed. If a tax court has approved a tax return, that
same return cannot become the basis for proceedings in a criminal court.
Bergman’s tax problems concerned a period of six years (1969-1975) and were identical for
each year. A tax court, examining the first year, unanimously decided that Bergman had
proceeded correctly. Nevertheless, the tax authorities in charge of his case decided to appeal
the verdict. Because of a five-year statute of limitations, the first and possibly the second year of
the six-year period would be eliminated from any possible prosecution. Acting in a state of
urgency, the authorities decided to bring Bergman in for questioning immediately. Since there

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was no time to serve him a summons, the authorities – in accordance with legal regulations –
confiscated his passport. The prosecutor, Curt Dreifaldt, who ordered Bergman’s arrest at the
Royal Dramatic Theatre later received a disciplinary warning from the general attorney’s office,
whereupon the prosecutors union protested the disciplinary action. See AB, 3 June 1976, p. 6.
Because of Bergman’s fame, the tax authorities put their prestige at stake in the matter. They
treated the case according to an unwritten anti-nepotism ‘rule’ which ‘stipulates’ that unique
individuals must be treated ‘more equally’ than ordinary citizens to avoid suspicion of favorit-
ism. This kind of thinking was also behind an interview with Prime Minister Olof Palme on
April 27, a few days after Bergman’s departure. SvD (April 28, p. 5) reported that Palme
regretted the situation, calling Bergman’s reaction that of a sensitive artist before a group of
civil servants who had acted in accordance with the law. Bergman, stated Palme, could not be
treated as an exception, nor could the prime minister intervene. Palme repeated his statement
to Shirley MacLaine when the two met on a Swedish television talk show, 2 May 1977 (rerun on
2 March 1978), and to William Woolf, film critic in Cue Magazine, who sent Palme a letter (see
Variety, 28 April 1976, p. 4).
After several weeks in the psychiatric ward at the Carolingian Hospital (Karolinska), Berg-
man’s reaction to his arrest shifted from depression to anger, and a decision to leave Sweden
took form. The open farewell letter in Expr. on 22 April 1976, referenced above, and his
subsequent departure from Sweden the next day caused a greater shock wave in the press than
his arrest. The incident became front page news the world over. For instance, radio stations
throughout the US treated the letter as top news. See the following foreign press reactions:
Berlin Morgenpost (‘Bergmans Protestschrift kostet Schweden viele Millionen’). 24 April 1976.
International Herald Tribune, 23 April 1976, p. 15.
Los Angeles Times, 25 April 1976, p. 4 (editorial).
Monthly Film Bulletin, VL, no. 534, (July 1978): p. 148 (Background details of tax case, with
quotes from the farewell letter in Expr).
New York Times, 23 April 1976, p. 1, 2.
Screen International, no. 35, 8 May 1976, p. 23 (with quotes from Bergman’s Open Letter to Expr.,
22 April 1976).
Washington Post, 23 April 1976, p. 1.
The Swedish press became polarized over Bergman’s announcement to leave Sweden, whereas
the foreign press reaction was uniformly sympathetic to Bergman. For varied Swedish press
reactions, cf. Arbetet headline, 24 April 1976 (p. 10): ‘Get out, Bergman, we won’t miss you!’
[Försvinn Bergman, vi kommer inte att sakna dig] and Expr.’s outcry ( 22 April 1976, pp. 6-7):
‘This is Sweden’s loss’, [Detta är Sveriges förlust], and its editorial plea (27 April 1976, p. 4):
‘Bergman, Come Home!’ [Bergman, kom hem]. The Social-Democratic press, in particular AB
(23 April 1976 p. 2, editorial) relegated Bergman to the shameful category of tax evaders
(skattesmitare). In an editorial dated April 24 (p. 2) and headlined ‘Hycklarnas afton’ [The
eve of the hypocrites] – an obvious reference to Bergman’s film ‘Gycklarnas afton’ [The Eve of
the Clowns] – AB maintained that Bergman asked for special treatment and was guilty of elitist
thinking. Author Kjell Sundberg responded in DN, 26 April 1976, p. 4, and accused AB of ‘Jante
Law mentality’, i.e., using mediocrity as a norm and persecuting those who stand out from the
crowd. (Jante Law was first formulated by Dano-Norwegian author Axel Sandemose in his
novel En flykting krysser sit spor [A refugee crosses his tracks]). Also Expr. took issue with AB, 26
April 1976, p. 2. Views on what must be termed a Social-Democratic press campaign against
Bergman surfaced as late as 1988 in a polemic between Harry Schein and Olle Svenning. See
Social-Democratic paper Arbetet, 2 and 15 January 1988.

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Many European and American papers suggested a connection between the Bergman incident
and the policies of a socialist welfare state, while the Soviet paper Izvetzia blamed capitalism
rather than socialism: ‘Where capitalism reigns, the tax auditor can interfere in Bergman’s
creative life and prevent him from working in peace’. (Quoted in DN, 30 April 1976, p. 5).
Italian papers such as La Stampa (Torino), 24 April 1976, felt great sympathy for Bergman,
‘chased and tormented by the tax auditor’, and hoped he would listen to Keats’ words: ‘Oh,
Italy, thou Paradise of exiles!’ (For a report on the reaction by the Italian press, see DN, 24 April
1976, p. 15).
See also the following Swedish press articles
Expr., 23 April 1976, pp. 2, 8; and 29 April 1976, p. 6;
DN, 23 April 1976, p. 2 (editorial) and 5 May 1976, p. 26;
SvD, 23 April 1976, pp. 2, 8, 33 (article by former Bergman producer at SF, Kenne Fant), and
same paper, 29 April 1976, p. 1, 9 (article by Harry Schein, SFI); also SvD, 26 April 1976, p. 2,
and 2 May 1976, p. 30 (letters to the editor);
Vecko-Journalen, no. 10 (1976), pp. 12-14 (article by Jörn Donner).
Ingmar Bergman arrived in Paris on 23 April 1976 and continued on 28 April 1976 to Los
Angeles, where he had talks with producer Dino de Laurentis. S. Kaminsky reported in Box
Office, 10 May 1976, p. 109, that Bergman planned to produce two films with Dino de Laurentis.
See also Dissent, no. 4, 1976, pp. 435-36.
Bergman held press conferences in both Paris and Los Angeles. For reports, see
Paris Press, 28 April 1976;
New York Post, 1 May 1976, p. 22;
New York Times, 29 April 1976, p. 5;
Variety, 5 May 1976 (p. 26);
Die Zeit, 30 April 1976 p. 11.
The press conference in Los Angeles was also covered by NBC, CBS, and ABC news on April 29,
and was reported on SR/TV, 30 April 1976.
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, 29 April 1976, p. 1, reported on an offer made to Bergman by the
University of Southern California (USC), consisting of a $50,000 artist stipend for one year or a
visiting professorship of $25,000 for one semester. Bergman declined and returned to Europe
after one week, abhorred by the lifestyle of Hollywood celebrities. He considered settling in
Paris but eventually chose Munich, West Germany, where he was to spend almost eight years as
director of its Residenztheater.
Longer articles/interviews on the Bergman ‘case’ include
d’Epenoux, Christian. ‘L’exil de Bergman’, L’Express, 3-9 May 1976, pp. 56-57. Discusses Sweden’s
loss of Bergman, comparing it to the loss of a name ‘as famous as the Volvo’, and of an artist
who was like a flower in a bureaucratic desert.
Müller, Andreas. ‘Ein neues Leben in Deutschland: Gespräch mit dem schwedischen Regisseur
Ingmar Bergman’. Kölner Stadtanzeiger, 26 June 1976. An interview in which Bergman
touches on such topics as his attitude towards Swedish bureaucracy, his political views,
spiritual state of mind, emphasis on artistic freedom, and his future plans (planned to work
in the Munich theatre for the next ten years). See Ø 846.
Salzer, Michael. ‘Der Fall Bergman’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 20 May 1976, p. 1-2. The article gives
a resumé of the Swedish debate about the Bergman tax case, calling it a film scenario out of
Swedish reality and a glimpse into Swedish cultural life.

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Schwab, Armand. ‘Sweden’s Genius. The Bergman Affair’. Commonweal, 9 April 1976, pp. 229-
31. Provides a useful expose of the socio-cultural background of the Swedish sensitivity to
high taxation and tax evasion or tax fraud. The latter is a crime that carries steep sentences
but the matter also involves an ambiguous public attitude, rooted in both resentment of
high Swedish tax rates, resulting in a fairly common and rather sophisticated system of tax
evasion, and a strong insistence on class equality with a tendency to gloat at the exposure of
the not so ordinary citizen. Bergman, who was both famous and well-off, but also main-
tained a modest lifestyle, was, however, difficult to handle as a symbolic target: he was
privileged but not a member of the jet set; he was successful but hardworking.
Der Spiegel, no. 20-21, (17 May) 1976, pp. 185-88, published an interview article by S. Schober
headlined ‘Ich fühlte mich wie im Tunnel’ in which Bergman gives an account of his arrest
and the immediate aftermath. When the interview was given, Bergman had not yet decided
where to reside. Another Spiegel article on Bergman in exile, titled ‘Eher eine Szene’,
appeared on 4 October 1976, p. 232. It pointed out Bergman’s good mood and predicted
that he would soon become a member of German culture. Mentions Bergman’s ‘faux pas’ to
let himself be seated at the same table as reactionary politician Franz Joseph Strauss, an
incident that circulated in the Swedish press. On this matter, see also Schottenius, below.
Tax Case Aftermath in Sweden
On 5 May 1976, a little less than two weeks after Bergman’s departure, tax auditor Kent Karlsson
wrote an open letter in DN to Ingmar Bergman and actress Bibi Andersson. According to
Karlsson, Bergman’s open letter of April 22 was so full of inaccuracies that he (Karlsson) ‘felt
compelled to defend my honor and credibility as a civil servant’. [kände mig tvingad att försvara
min heder och trovärdighet som tjänsteman]. The letter then outlined the procedures (termed
‘calm and proper’) that were followed during his questioning of Bergman.
Another key figure in the Bergman tax case was Bengt Källén, tax auditor and head of the so-
called inter-provincial tax court (Bergman resided in Stockholm but had his domicile on Fårö).
Källén responded to Bergman’s open letter in Expr. (April 22) by holding a press conference (27
April 1976), at which he distributed an open letter to Bergman and outlined plans to charge him
back taxes from 1971 to 1974 of 1.8 million crowns. (This was one of two charges of tax fraud
brought against Bergman, one concerning the Swiss company Personafilm, the other his Swed-
ish company Cinematograph). The next day, tax lawyers pointed out that Källén’s figures would
in fact mean that Bergman was to pay 140% income tax on his earnings. See SvD, April 28, pp. 1,
2, 5, 8. See also AB, 3 May 1977 for a chart outlining Källén’s back tax figures for Bergman’s
company Cinematograph.
In his openly distributed letter accusing Bergman of mudslinging, Källén presented himself
as a dutyful civil servant and ended his note with an admonition: ‘Ingmar Bergman! It is to be
deeply regretted that you have fled from Sweden. But don’t blame Riksskatteverket [Swedish
IRS] or its tax auditors. [...] Blame instead the day in 1967 when you let yourself be fooled by
bad advisers to start your Swiss company, Persona Aktiengesellschaft’. [Ingmar Bergman! Det är
djupt beklagligt att ni flytt från Sverige. Men skyll inte på Riksskatteverket eller dess skatte-
revisorer. [...] Skyll i stället på den dag 1967 då ni lät er luras av dåliga rådgivare att starta ert
schweiziska bolag, Persona Aktiengesellschaft].
The Bergman affair was used in the Swedish election campaign in the summer of 1976
(election took place in September) by the student organization of the Conservative party
(MUF). See leaflet titled ‘Borgerligt alternativ’ [Bourgeois alternative]. Palme’s Socialist govern-
ment lost the election. Students interested in this aspect of the Bergman case might also check
the so-called Pomperipossa case from the same period, involving children’s book author Astrid
Lindgren’s open letter to the Swedish Minister of Finance, protesting her 103% tax rate on her

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

annual income. For possible political implications of the Bergman tax case, see Peter Gilman,
‘The Backlash’, Sunday Times (London), 16 May 1976, and ‘Cries and Whispers in Socialism’s
Showcase’, Time, 7 June 1976, pp. 6-11. For a German commentary, see Reiner Gatermann, ‘Staat
der Schröpfköpfe’, Die Welt, 24 April 1976.
On 3 May 1977 the tax case against Bergman was dropped. For comments, see the Swedish
press on 4 May 1977. On 10-11 July 1977, the Stockholm press reported a reconciliation between
Bergman and the Swedish government (represented by the Swedish Ministry of Culture).
Bergman promised to return to Sweden in 1979 when he had fulfilled his contract at the Munich
Residenztheater. See ‘Bergman rörd. Kommer hem –79’ [Bergman is moved. Comes home in
’79], DN, 11 July 1977, p. 7. See also NYT, 11 July 1977, p. 10 (‘Sweden reconsiders apology to
Bergman’), and Screen International, no. 88, 21 May 1977, p. 5. At the Gold Bug ceremonies
(Swedish ‘Oscar’ awards) on 5 September 1977, the bourgeois government’s Minister of Culture
(Jan-Erik Wikström) addressed an absentee Bergman in a conciliatory speech. Cf. faked inter-
view on this event, Börjlind, (Ø 853) 1977.
On 2 March 1978, some two years after the beginning of the ‘Bergman affair’, Swedish Public
Television (SVT), Channel 2, aired an investigative inquiry into Bergman’s production and
distribution business in a program titled ‘Rikets affärer’ [Affairs of the realm]. Bergman de-
clined to appear on the program and afterwards threatened to break all contacts with SVT 2 and
refused the TV channel future rights to show any of his films. See Expr. editorial, 3 March 1978,
p. 2.
The ombudsmen of the Swedish parliament (Riksdag) issued an investigative report on ‘the
Bergman affair’ in 1978: Riksdagens ombudsmän, Affären Bergman, 1978, 70 pp.
Bergman’s Years in Exile, sample reports and interviews
Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Jag trivs nästan varje dag’ [I’m happy almost every day]. (Letter to Expr., 31
March 1979, following a plea by the paper asking Bergman to return to Sweden).
Blum, Doris. ‘Was uns fehlt, ist die Erziehung zur Liebe’. Die Welt, 6 February 1980, p. 27.
(Interview with Bergman after four years in Germany, in which he declares that he feels fine
in his new domicile). See also Ø 868.
Borngässer, Rosemarie. ‘Hauptstadt mit Herz – Hauptstadt des Films’. Die Welt, 11 September
1976. (A two-part article/interview on the filmmaking studios in Munich and on Bergman’s
decision to live in Munich). Cf. Ø 840.
Byron, Stuart. ‘The Industry: Martyr Complexes’. Film Comment XII, no. 4 (July-August 1976):
30. (Raises two questions: Why did the Swedish left press criticize Bergman? And did
Bergman really suffer a nervous breakdown or did he suffer from a martyr complex?)
Dyckhoff, Peter. ‘Bergman hielt in München Hof ’. Die Rheinpfalz Unterhaardter Rundschau, 23
November 1976. (About Bergman’s life in Munich).
Mehr, Stephan. ‘Men när jag blir gammal vill jag bli Fårögubbe’ [But when I get old I want to
become an old man on Fårö]. Expr., 29 August 1976, pp. 1, 25-27. (On how Bergman plans
to retire).
Schottenius, Maria. ‘Bergman är en bra utlänning’ [Bergman is a good foreigner]. AB, 28
November 1976, p. 28-29. (Mostly about Bergman as an unwitting political figure in Munich
after being photographed together with conservative Bavarian politician Franz Joseph
Strauss). In an interview in AB, 20 November 1980, p. 7, Bergman protested being used
in West German politics. See also Schottenius Ø 847.
Sellermark, Arne. ‘Jag är rädd för vad som kan hända Ingmar’ [I worry about what might
happen to Ingmar], Vecko-Journalen, 5 May 1976, pp. 3-9.
Time. ‘A Day on Bergmanstrasse’, 14 February 1977, pp. 78-79.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

Variety. ‘Ingmar Bergman Transplants his Special Ways to Munich’. Variety, 10 November 1976,
p. 4.
Vinocur, John. ‘Scenes from Ingmar Bergman’s Life: Imitation of his Art’. NYT, 17 November
1978, p. A 2. (Resumé of cancelled rehearsals of Strindberg’s Dance of Death at Dramaten in
fall of 1978 and of the most recent events in Bergman tax case).
Weintraub, B. ‘Bergman in Exile’. NYT, 17 October 1976, section 2, pp. 1, 15. Cf. Ø 851.
Zacharias, J. ‘Jag vill hem igen’ [I want to come home again]. AB, 10 July 1977, p. 1, 6. (A follow-
up interview after Swedish government plea to Bergman to return to Sweden. Cf. Ø 856.
Return from Exile
Ingmar Bergman frequently visited Fårö during his exile. A plan to resume the aborted 1976
production of Strindberg’s The Dance of Death had to be cancelled because of the terminal
illness of leading actor Anders Ek. See Expr. and AB, 22 August 1978. Bergman however still had
a contract obligation with the Munich Rezidenztheater.
On 29 August 1981, SvD (p.1) reported Bergman’s resignation from the Munich Residenzthea-
ter. The reason given was Bergman’s anger at the interference of Bavarian politician Franz Josph
Strauss in the appointment of a new adminsitrative head of the theatre, but there were also
rumors of a schism between Bergman and administrative head of the Residenztheater, Kurt
Meisel. See report ‘Keine Regie unter Meisel’s Intendanz’. Volksblatt-Berlin, 31 July 1981. See
Group item, (Ø 591), Theatre/Media Bibliography. Bergman later withdrew his resignation and
agreed to fulfill his contract obligations. He finally returned permanently to Sweden in the 1984-
1985 season. For an assessment of his years in Munich, see Andreas Wild, ‘Bayerns Gastarbeiter’.
Die Welt, 19 August 1985. For his reception at home, see Commentary to Lear production in
1984, Ø 465.

1273. Group Item: Goethepreis 1976

On 28 August 1976, Ingmar Bergman accepted the Goethe Award in Frankfurt am Main. On the
occasion, a booklet titled Ingmar Bergman was published (Frankfurt am Main: Dezernat Kultur
und Freiheit, 30 pp.), which includes a filmography and the following presentations, listed in
sequential order:
Mayor Rudi Arndt: Formal address.
Ingmar Bergman. Acceptance speech ‘Jeder Mensch hat Träume, Wünsche, Bedürfnisse’. (See
Ø 162) in Chapter II.
Ulrich Grefor. ‘Immer waren Ingmar Bergmans Filme auf radikale Weise persönlich.’
Harry Schein. ‘Persönliche Notizen eines Freundes’. (Schein makes three points in his speech
about Bergman’s filmmaking: (1) that Bergman’s world reputation has helped him finan-
cially in his filmmaking; (2) that Sweden has always given relatively great artistic freedom to
its filmmakers; (3) that Bergman’s own commitment and diligence have given him artistic
integrity.)
News of the event appeared in Hollywood Reporter, 21 September 1976, p. 3, and in German FAZ
(‘Ein Autor neuer Art’), 30 August 1976. A transcript of Bergman’s speech was published in
Filmkunst, no. 74, 1976, pp. 1-3.

1274. Agel, Henri. Métaphysique du cinéma. Paris: Payot, 1976, 207 pp.
The next to last chapter is an analysis of metaphysical aspects in Bergman’s filmmaking, with
special focus on Vargtimmen (L’heure du loup).

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1275. Anderson, Ernie. Produktionshandbuch zu Ingmar Bergmans ‘Von Angesicht zu An-

gesicht. Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe Verlag, 1976. See also Filmography, Ansikte
mot ansikte, (Ø 248).
Though dealing specifically with the production of the TV series Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to
Face), this study offers information about Ingmar Bergman’s working style as a director for
television.

1276. Armes, Roy. ‘Ingmar Bergman: The Disintegrated Artist’. In The Ambiguous Image.
Narrative Style in Modern European Cinema. London: Secker & Warburg, 1976, pp. 95-
107.
A discussion of Bergman as a filmmaker ‘who has stripped himself morally and emotionally
naked’.

1277. Brown, William Clyde. ‘Anti-Theodicy and Human Love in the Films of Ingmar
Bergman’. Diss. University of Chicago, 1976, 245 leaves. 1 reel Microfilm, Joseph
Regenstein Library, Dept. of Photoduplication, University of Chicago, 1976.
One of many humanist approaches to Ingmar Bergman’s films.

1278. Buntzen, Lynda and Carla Craig. ‘Hour of the Wolf: The Case of Ingmar Berg-
man’. Film Quarterly xxx, no. 2 (Winter 1976/77 1976): 23-34.
A clinical psychoanalytical reading of Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf, a film which to the authors
demonstrates Bergman’s grudge against his father but also his wish to punish his mother,
depicted in the film by the character Alma.

1279. Dirigido poro, no. 29, (January) 1976: 1-18.

Special Bergman issue, consisting mostly of a descriptive survey by José Maria Latorre who
analyzes Bergman’s films from the Forties to Scenes from a Marriage (1974) but without much
attempt to distinguish between major and minor films. With bio-filmography (pp. 14-18).

1280. Eder, Richard. ‘To Bergman, Light, too, is a Character’. NYT, 7 April 1976, p. 28.
Also in Los Angeles Herald Examiner, same date under title ‘The Significance of Light
in Ingmar Bergman’s Films’.
A discussion of the close professional rapport between Bergman and cinematographer Sven
Nykvist, who defines Bergman’s conception of light as ‘Calvinistic’, a tragic light conscious of its
own mortality.

1281. Erikson, Erik Homburger. ‘A Life History. Isak Borg in Ingmar Bergman’s Wild
Strawberries.’Dædalus 105: 2 (Spring 1976): 1-28. Reprinted in Vital Involvement in Old
Age by Erik Erikson et al. (New York: Norton), 1986: 239-292.
A Harvard psychiatrist uses Bergman’s film Smultronstället to illustrate his thesis of the eight
different ages of man.

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1282. Film Comment, XII, no. 3, (May-June) 1976.

Under the common title Two Faces of Bergman, I and II, articles by Charles Michener and
Samson Raphaelson discuss Bergman’s status as a filmmaker, focussing on his TV film Ansikte
mot ansikte (Face to Face). Both contributions can be seen as disavowments of Ingmar Bergman
by one of America’s leading film journals. Charles Michener’s piece ‘The Man in the Ironic
Mask’ (pp. 44-45) sees more artistry and cool distance than compassion in Bergman’s approach
to actress Ullmann, ‘a deer trapped in Bergman’s headlights.’ Second article, ‘That Lady in
Bergman’ (pp. 46-49, 65) by playwright Samson Raphaelson, is a reckoning with Bergman’s
modernist mode of narration and dismisses Face to Face as contrived, hollow, shallow, and
banal.

1283. Finetti, Ugo. ‘Dalla sfida alla morte il dialogo tra maschera e Anima’. Cinema Nuovo
XXV, no. 241 (May-June) 1976: 173-75.
The author sees a change in Bergman’s filmmaking and a new view of life and society emerging,
beginning with Scenes from a Marriage. Cf. Commentary on Scenes... in Filmography, (Ø 246).

1284. Florén, Uno. ‘Synd att de inte bär svenska dräkten’ [Too bad they don’t wear the
Swedish costume]. Vecko-Journalen, January 1976, pp. 20, 25.
A reportage from the solemn annual meeting of the Swedish Academy. The title refers to the
costume worn by Gustaf III, founder of the Swedish Academy. On this occasion, Ingmar
Bergman was awarded the Academy’s Gold Medal and his reputation was compared to that
of Saint Birgitta, Linneus, and Selma Lagerlöf.

1285. Gosioco, Carmelo Nauiat. ‘An Inquiry into Bergman’s Utilization of Belief and
Artistry in Portraying Good and Evil in the Film Persona’. M.A. thesis, UCLA, 1976, 60
leaves.

1286. Györffy, Miklos. Ingmar Bergman. Budapest: Gondolat Konyvkiado, 1976. 298 pp.
Hungarian book study of Ingmar Bergman as a filmmaker. With a filmography.

1287. Holm, Eske. ‘Privatskriget’ [The private scream]. Politiken (Copenhagen), 30 July
1976, p. 2.
A critique of Ingmar Bergman and Arthur Janov (The Primal Scream) for focusing on private
neuroses. Neither Bergman nor Janov can avoid being political figures in the sense that they
have become role models or opinion makers. Therefore, they fail their societies when they
reduce life to a ‘private scream’.
Note: Bergman had been interested in Janov’s work since the making of Viskningar och rop
(Cries and Whispers), 1972, and during a brief visit to Los Angeles in 1975, his one request was to
meet with Janov.

1288. Jensen, Niels, et al. ‘Ingmar Bergman og hans tid’ (Bergman and his time).
A series of radio programs on DR (Danish Radio) about Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking. Some
of this material was later published as a set of booklets. (See Ø 1309).
Archival numbers and transmission dates as follows:

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# 40893, DR 1976-03-21 (on Bergman’s moral and religious vision, plus excerpt from Bergman’s
speech at the Goethe Award, 1976; (see Ø 1273);
# 40894, DR 1976-03-28 (discussion between Jensen and Eyvind Larsen about Bergman’s con-
cept of original sin; author Kjeld Abell discusses early Bergman);
# 41380, DR 1977-04-04 (with Vibeke Rehfeldt on Swedish literature of the Forties);
# 41377, DR 1977-04-18 (includes discussion of Bergman’s view of women by Nina Thymark,
Vibeke Refeld, Malin Lindgren, and Susan Facricius);
# 41376, DR 1977-04-25 (with author Klaus Rifbjerg);
# 41375, DR 1977-04-26 (quotes by Bergman on his view of the artist and on his directorial role).

1289. Laurenti, Roberto. En torno a Ingmar Bergman. Madrid: Sedmay, 1976, 298 pp.
Extensive illustrated Spanish introduction to Bergman as a filmmaker. With biographical in-
formation and a filmography.

1290. Melin, Bengt. ‘Scener ur ett liv’ [Scenes from a life]. AB, 25 April 1976, p. 7; 26 April
1976, pp. 8-9; and 27 April 1976, p.10.
A series of articles on Bergman’s career. A good journalistic overview.

1291. Nau, Peter. ‘Frühe Bergmanfilme in Arsenal’. Filmkritik, December 1976: 605-6.
A short article about a reptrospective showing of early Bergman films.

1292. Nin, Anaïs. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. In author’s In Favor of the Sensitive Man and Other
Essays. New York and London: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1976, pp. 111-16.
A lecture given at the UCLA ‘Homage to Bergman’, 12 October 1973. Nin focusses on Bergman’s
films as emotional dark journeys, taking us into mostly unexplored realms but also bringing
deliverance from secret corrosions. Makes specific reference to Persona and Cries and Whispers.

1293. Pedersen, Jens. Bergmanfilm–en arbejdsbog [B. film–a workbook]. Farum: Filmavi
1976. 136 pp. Also in Film-UV 10, no. 5 (1976): 5-136.
A Danish workbook and study guide to Bergman’s films. Pp. 11-24 are dialogue excerpts from
Stig Björkman’s film made during the shooting of The Touch (Ø 244), and a discussion of the
accompanying interview. The rest of the book is a filmography with extensive Danish review
material following each film listing.

1294. Perlez, Jane. ‘Man of the Week: Ingmar Bergman. The Scenario Says Exile’. New York
Post, 1 May 1976.
A diffuse presentation of Bergman’s life and career with several factual errors.

1295. Rado, P. ‘Cuvintele lui Bergman’. Cinema (Bukarest) XIV, no. 2 (February) 1976: 21.
Brief Romanian comments on Bergman’s use of speech in his films.

1296. Rounds, Ronald. ‘The Bergman Touch: Sick and Sexy’. Adam Film World, October
1976, pp. 25-31.

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A sensationalist article perpetrating an image of Bergman as a temperamental and violent

person, and presenting him as a philanderer: ‘When he isn’t rushing in and out of marriage,
he cavorts with a convoy of curvaceous cuties.’

1297. Stafford, W. ‘Bergman’. Western Humanities Review 30, no. 2 (Spring) 1976: 146.
A poem to Bergman.

1298. Teghrarian, Salwa Eva F. ‘The Cracked Lens: The Crisis of the Artist in Bergman’s
Films of the Sixties’. Diss. SUNY, Buffalo, 1976. 264 typed pp.
A close analysis of theme and character development in Bergman’s so-called existential films, i.e.,
from Through a Glass Darkly to Shame.

1299. Ullmann, Liv. Forændringen. Oslo: Helge Erichsens forlag, 1976. 236 pp. Published in
English as Changing (New York: Alfred Knopf, 1977), 244 pp. Excerpts appeared in
Vogue 167 (February) 1977: 172-173, and McCalls 104 (February) 1977: 130-131. Trans-
lated into French as Devenir (Paris: Gallimard, 1977).
A chapter titled ‘Öbor’ (Islanders) deals with the period when Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Berg-
man lived together.
Review
Scandinavian Review 65, no. 3 (September) 1977: 103-105.

1300. Vissher, Jacques, de. Zielekanker Symboliet in de Filmkunst van Ingmar Bergman.
Ghent: Universa Wetteren, 1976. 261 pp.
A chronological analysis of eight Bergman films between 1966 (Persona) and 1974 (Scenes from a
Marriage). An interpretation of characters who are often seen as symbolic projections of
abstracted aspects of the human condition.
Review
Skrien, February 1977, p. 37.

1301. Welsh, James M. ‘More Films about Filmmakers’. Literature/Film Quarterly IV, no. 4
(Fall 1976): 360-63.
A discussion of films about filmmakers, including Stig Björkman’s film from 1971, Ingmar
Bergman, about the making of The Touch. Also a brief analysis of Björkman-Manns-Sima
interview book Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788).

1302. Wood, Robin. ‘Images of Childhood’. In Personal Views: Explorations in Film. Lon-
don: Gordon Fraser Gallery, 1976, pp. 156-160.
A brief discussion of Bergman’s films as ‘psychodramas’ comparing his characters to child
portraits in Romantic art. A variation on this theme appears in Wood, ‘Call me Ishmael’,
Canadian Forum 63 (November) 1983: 41-42.

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1977
1303. Bergom-Larsson, Maria. Ingmar Bergman och den borgerliga ideologin [Bergman
and bourgeois ideology]. Stockholm: Norstedt/Pan, 1977. 187 pp. Abridged version
trans. by Barrie Selman under title Ingmar Bergman and Society (London: Tantivy
Press, 1978), 127 pp. Excerpts published in Film a Doba xxxix, no. 1 (Spring) 1993: 2-7.
An ideological critique of Bergman as a filmmaker who unmasks the bourgeois lifestyle but fails
to suggest a (Marxist) alternative. The focus is on three themes: (1) the patriarchal structure; (2)
the artist and society; (3) inner and outer violence.
Reviews
Scandinavian Studies, 52: 3 (Spring) 1980: 230-3.
GHT, 1 April 1977, p. 4.

1304. Blake, Richard A. ‘A Tight Close-Up on Ingmar Bergman’. America 136, (5 March)
1977: 202-203.
About Bergman’s films and their characters in general in Catholic US publication: ‘Social
injustice, his earliest concern, God, the love of man and woman, violence and art, his later
concerns, all fit into a pattern. They refuse to submit to his drive for order’.

1305. Borden, Diane M. ‘Bergman’s Style and the Facial Icon’. Quarterly Review of Film
Studies 2, no. 1 (February) 1977: 42-55. Reprinted in Kino (Warsaw) XVI, no. 3 (283),
March 1981: 38-43.
The author argues that Bergman’s facial close-ups combine aesthetic austerity and convoluted
psychology. His faces have ironic implications, suggesting a human passion of both erotic and
religious dimensions.

1306. Dommelei, Dirk van, ed. Leven: wreedheid of tederheid? Belgium [Roselære]: Andere
Film, 1977, 208 pp.
A presentation of Bergman’s films from Kris to Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to Face), with bio-
graphy, filmography, and credits.

1307. Farago, France. ‘Du moi crucifié au moi ressuscité. La Passion d’Ingmar Bergman’.
Et. (April 1977).
Bergman’s ‘passion’ seen in psycho-religious terms.

1308. Gualtiero, Pironi. ‘Nell’ ultimo Bergman. La scoperta del sociale rompe l’egemonia
della “Persona”’. Cineforum 169, vol. 17, no. 11 (November) 1977: 666-673.
The author examines Bergman’s new social awareness in Face to Face and Cries and Whispers.

1309. Jensen, Niels and Vibeke Refeld, eds. Ingmar Bergman og hans tid [Bergman and
his time]. 4 vols. Copenhagen: Danmarks radio, 1977. Vol. 1 = 28 pp.; vols. 2-4 = 32 pp.
each. See also (Ø 1288).

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Very useful study books from a series of radio programs about Bergman’s cultural background,
broadcast in spring 1976 and subtitled: (1) Generationsopgør og ungdomsopgør [Generation
rebellion and youth rebellion]; (2) Religiositet og existentialisme [Religiosity and existential-
ism]; (3) Ansigt og maske [Face and mask]; (4) Selvopgør og kunstopgør [Self-reckoning and
reckoning with art]. Each volume contains reprints of relevant articles, bibliography, and
filmography.

1310. Jones, C. J. ‘Bergman’s Persona and the Artistic Dilemma of the Modern Narrative’.
Literature/Film Quarterly, V, no. 1 (Winter) 1977: 75-88. Also listed in group entry
(Ø 989) under Beckett.
A comparison between Bergman’s filmmaking, with particular reference to Persona and Samuel
Beckett’s novels.

1311. Michalczyk, John J. Ingmar Bergman ou la passion de l’homme d’aujourd’hui. Trans-

lated from the English by E. Latteur de Query. Paris: Editions Beauchèsne, 1977. 222
pp. ill.
A thematic discussion of Bergman’s films, divided into the following segments: Prevision; Man
Battling Society; Man Worried about the Beyond; Man Facing Man; and Post-Vision. The
analysis includes references to all Bergman films through Face to Face. Somewhat diffuse.

1312. Morris, Jan. ‘When an Artist Feels Anxiety’. Horizon, November 1977, pp. 16-22.
Though basically a discussion of The Serpent’s Egg during the author’s visit to the set, the article
takes up common motifs in Bergman’s filmmaking, such as humiliation and phantasmagoria
themes. Morris ends on a note of irritation with Bergman and with the intensity of the
encounter. Cf. Samuels (Ø 811) and Murphy (Ø 855).

1313. Roulet, C. ‘Une épure tragique’. Cinematograph 24 (February) 1977: 16-17.

About Bergman’s use of the close-up.

1314. Svensk Filmografi. Editors: Jörn Donner, Staffan Grönberg, Lars Åhlander. Vols. 1-
9. Stockholm: Svenska Filminstitutet 1977-.
A filmography covering Swedish films by decade from 1896 to 1999. Each volume contains a
number of essays on selected films or themes.
Volume 6, covering 1960-69, appeared in 1977 and has following articles on Ingmar Bergman:
Bergom-Larsson, Maria. ‘Persona’, pp. 290-93;
Björkman, Stig. ‘En passion’ (A Passion), pp. 494-96;
Donner, Jörn. ‘Nattvardsgästerna’ (Winter Light), pp. 138-40;
Roth-Lindberg, Örjan. ‘Skammen’ (Shame), pp. 401-6;
Vinterhed, Kerstin. ‘Genom sexvallen – och sedan: Essä om erotiken i svensk sextiotalsfilm’
[Through the sex barrier – and afterwards: On eroticism in Swedish films of the Sixties],
pp. 479-82. (Bergman’s The Virgin Spring [1960] is seen as the first film to break through
the Swedish ‘sex barrier’ on the screen).
Volume 4, covering the 1940s, published in 1980, has one essay on Bergman by Hugo Wortze-
lius, ‘Bergman i backspegeln’ [Bergman in the rear mirror], pp. 716-20. (A retrospective view of
Bergman’s production in the Forties).

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Volume 5, dealing with the 1950s, was published in 1984 and has the following essays on
Bergman:
Holmér, Per. ‘Förnedringsmotiv i femtiotalsfilmen: Anteckningar kring Ingmar Bergman, Åke
Grönberg och Sven-Eric Gamble’ [Humiliation motifs in the films of the Fifties: Notes on
Bergman, A.G. and S.-E. G], pp. 305-8]. (Discussion based on Gycklarnas afton (The Naked
Night)).
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Det sjunde inseglet: Filmen som ångestens och nådens metafor’ [The Seventh
Seal: Film as metaphor of anguish and grace], pp. 592-95.
These volumes are available in a CD-ROM edition (Stockholm: Filmhusförlaget, 1996-1997).
However, in the CD-ROM edition, the above essays have been excluded. The CD-ROM edition
also contains stills, posters to all films and selected film clips (some from Bergman films).

1315. Vatja, Vilmos. ‘Längtan efter kärleken. En huvudlinje i Ingmar Bergmans konst-
närsskap’ [The longing for love: A main theme in Bergman’s art]. Vår lösen 68, no. 7,
1977: 413-25.
A rather general discussion of Bergman’s vision of reality as a tension between love and death.

1316. Yakowar, Maurice. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Second Trilogy’. In I found it at the Movies:
Studies in the art of Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, Jean Luc
Godard, and the genre film. New York: Revisionist Press, 1976, pp. 64-71.
Written in 1968, the article treats Persona, Hour of the Wolf, and Shame as a trilogy about the
responsibility of the artist.

1978
1317. Andersson, Gunder, Eva Bjärlind and Ingmari Eriksson, eds. Motbilder:
Svensk socialistisk filmkritik. [Counter images: Swedish socialist film criticism]. Stock-
holm: Tidens förlag, 1978. 337 pp.
Section on Bergman, pp. 234-55, contains four articles, all critical of Bergman but only two can
be called ‘socialist’ in approach:
Gunnarsson, G. ‘Varom talar tystnaden’ [Of what does silence speak?], pp. 239-45; (On censor-
ship in connection with release of The Silence).
Eriksson, Ingmari and Sölve Skagen, ‘Bergman och vampyrerna’ [Bergman and the vampires],
pp. 251-55. (Review article on Cries and Whispers, calling the film a work about static people
caught in an obsolete world; Bergman is viewed as an estheticist who caters to beautiful
images for opportunistic reasons).
The other two articles are reprints of Torsten Bergmark (Ø 1149) and Sven Lindkvist (Ø 973).

1318. Björkman, Stig. ‘En värld av befriade känslor’ [A world of liberated feelings]. Chap-
lin XX, no. 5 (158), 1978: 184-87.
Analysis of Herbstsonate (Autumn Sonata) and of Bergman’s recurrent theme of alienation.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1319. Borngässer, Rose-Marie. ‘Ein Magier, der uns den Atem verschlägt’. Die Welt, 14
July 1978.
A presentation of Bergman’s life and work in connection with his 60th birthday.

1320. Braudy, Leo, and Morris Dickstein. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. In Great Film Directors.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1978, pp. 43-86.
A section on Bergman contains reprints of the following articles: Stanley Kauffmann’s ‘Persona’,
originally published in Living Images (see Ø 112); Andrew Sarris’s ‘The Seventh Seal’, originally
published in Film Culture, no. 19 (1959), pp. 51-61; James F. Scott’s ‘Ingmar Bergman in the
1950’s’, originally printed in Focus on The Seventh Seal’ (Ø 1220); and Susan Sontag’s ‘Persona’,
originally published in Sight and Sound 36, no. 4 (Autumn) 1967: 186-91.

1321. Donohoe, Joseph. ‘Cultivating Bergman’s Strawberry Patch: The Emergence of a

Cinematic Idea’. Wide Angle 2, no. 2, 1978: 26-30.
The author discusses Bergman’s use of wild strawberries as iconography and visual metaphor in
Summer Interlude, The Seventh Seal, and Wild Strawberries.

1322. Gallerani, M. ‘L’anima e le forme nella scrittura di Bergman’. Cinema nuovo, XXVII,
no. 255 (Sept.-Oct. 1978): 17-21.
The author analyzes spirituality and its expressive form in Bergman’s filmmaking with special
reference to Cries and Whispers.

1323. Garfinkel, Bernie. Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman. New York: Berkeley, 1978. 130
pp.
A somewhat mistitled biography of Liv Ullmann, including references to her life with Bergman.
Cf. Ullmann’s own biography Changing, (Ø 1299).

1324. Jeremias, Brigitte. ‘Das verfilmte Prinzip Hoffnung’. Frankfurter Allgemeine, 14 July
1978.
An article published on Bergman’s 60th birthday. It contains a summary of his artistic produc-
tion; defines him as ‘the genius of European film art’, and discusses his contribution to psy-
chological film imagery and to making woman the ‘Film Hero’ of our time.

1325. Kosmorama 24, no. 137 (Spring) 1978: 25-67.

A special Bergman issue discussing a variety of Bergman subjects: childhood traumas; Bergman
as a scriptwriter; his actors; his use of music; his TV work; and a comparison with the Swedish
filmmaker ‘Hampe’ Faustman. Issue also contains reviews and survey articles on most of
Bergman’s films through Cries and Whispers. One of the most comprehensive special Bergman
issues of any film journal at the time. See the following contributions:
Birkvad, S. ‘Bergman og TV’ [Bergman and TV]. (Focus on Scenes from a Marriage), pp. 46-48;
Drouzy, M. ‘Barnet i klædeskabet’ [The child in the clothes closet]. (On biographical back-
ground of some motifs in Bergman’s films), pp. 30-34;
Hirsch, P. ‘Sommerleg og Sommeren med Monika’ [Summer Interlude and Summer with Mon-
ica], pp. 48-51;

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Iversen, Ebbe. ‘Persona’, pp. 62-63;

Jensen, N. ‘Slangens æg’ [The Serpent’s Egg], pp. 25-30;
Kostrup, A. ‘Gøglernes aften og Ansiktet’ [The Naked Night and The Magician Face], pp. 51-54,
(On Bergman’s treatment of theme of artist vs audience);
Lundgren, H. ‘Bergman og skuespillerne’ [Bergman and the actors], pp. 41-43;
Malmkær, P. ‘Det syvende segl’ [The Seventh Seal], pp. 55-57;
Monty, Ib. ‘Sommernattens leende’ [Smiles of a Summer Night], pp. 54-55 (Reassessment of a
1955 film, concluding that Bergman cannot make good comedies);
Nørrested, Carl. ‘Den tidlige Bergman – og hans baggrund’ [Early Bergman and his back-
ground], pp. 34-37;
Nørgaard, P. ‘Passion og Hvisken og råb’ [A Passion and Cries and Whispers], pp. 66-67;
Schepelern, Peter. ‘Ingmar Bergman og musikken’. p. 44;
—. ‘Ved vejs ende’ [At road’s end, Danish title for Wild Strawberries], pp. 58-59 (sees film as
compendium of Bergman themes);
Schmalensee, O. von. ‘Bergman og Hampe Faustman’ (Comparison between two Swedish
filmmakers of the Forties, one a ‘bourgeois individualist’, the other a ‘socialist collectivist.’),
p. 45.
Schmidt, Kaare. ‘Skammen’, pp. 65-66;
Tang, Jesper. ‘Bergman som scriptforfatter’ [Bergman as scriptwriter], p. 39;
Troelsen, A. ‘Bergmans trilogi’ [Bergman’s trilogy], pp. 59-61;
—. ‘Ulvetimen’ [Hour of the Wolf], pp. 63-65.

1326. Lange-Fuchs, Hauke, ed. Der frühe Bergman. Lübeck: Amt für Kultur, 1978, 257 pp.
A good presentation of early Bergman films, from Torment to The Naked Night, plus excerpts
from Bergman on Bergman (Ø 788) and from contemporary reviews. A study compiled with
assistance from SFI in connection with a Lübeck Nordic Film Days retrospective. Includes
several early statements by Bergman on his filmmaking. Titles of films in Swedish, English
and German, plus credits.

1327. Laretei, Käbi. ‘Ingmar Bergman-Käbi Laretei. Close-ups’. Stockholm: Proprius Mu-
sic AB, 1978.
A record, the purpose of which is to document ‘two great artists’ relationship to music’. Pianist
Käbi Laretei, who was asked by Bergman to play the music chosen for many of his films,
comments on their collaboration and performs the following music from Bergman produc-
tions:
Strindberg’s Oväder [Storm], 1960 – Chopin: Fantasie-Impromptu
Djävulens öga [The Devil’s Eye], 1960 – Scarlatti: Sonata in E-major,
– Scarlatti: Sonata in D-major
Viskningar och rop [Cries and Whispers], 1973 – Chopin: Mazurka in A-minor, opus 17
Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to Face), 1976 – Mozart: Fantasia
Höstsonat [Autumn Sonata], 1978 – Chopin: Prelude in A-minor

1328. Olofson, Christina & Göran du Réis. ‘Vem tillhör världen’ [To Whom Belongs
the World]. Chaplin 159 (December 1978): 261.
The authors are critical of Bergman’s world with its middle-class people who live economically
protected lives with high status jobs and with time to work on their private problems in a

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beautiful landscape. In the 60s and 70s, Bergman was sometimes charged with ‘estheticizing’ the
reality he depicted.

1329. Positif 204 (March) 1978: 18-36. Dossier issue on Bergman.

Contains the following material:
Ciment, Michel. ‘Jouer avec Bergman’, pp. 30-36. Liv Ullmann interviewed on working with
Bergman in film and theatre: ‘You become like a child in a land of magic which you dream
of bringing to life with your role. [...] We have a profound friendship. It is not a simple
friendship but one born out of work – with his joy and his suffering.’
Jacobs, James. ‘Ingmar Bergman au travail’, pp. 23-27. Transcript of Jacobs’ documentary on the
filming of The Serpent’s Egg.
Sineux, Michel. ‘Un “chef d’oeuvre” pour souffler un peu’. Review of The Serpent’s Egg, pp. 18-
20.
Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Rencontre avec Bergman’, pp. 21-22. A translated transcript of an inter-
view with Bergman on Swedish TV, Channel 2, 12 November 1977. (See Ø 828) in Interview
chapter VIII;
Tournier, Christine. ‘Être et interpreter’, pp. 28-29. A review of Liv Ullmann’s book Devenir
(Changing/Forændringen).

1330. Quart, Leonard. ‘Politics of Ingmar Bergman’. Intellect 196 (June) 1978, p. 56.
A discussion of political references in some of Bergman’s films prior to The Serpent’s Egg.

1331. Svensson, Björn. ‘Ingmar Bergman angriper regeringen’ [Bergman attacks the gov-
ernment]. AB, 6 February 1978, p. 1.
A news report of ‘exiled demon director’ Ingmar Bergman blasting non-socialist government
for changing the contract of Harry Schein, the initiator and director of Swedish Film Institute
since its inception in 1963. (Schein discusses the incident in his book Schein, Schein, 1980, pp.
418-50. (See Ø 1366).

1332. Vinocur, John. ‘Scenes from Ingmar Bergman’s Life: Imitation of his Art’. NYT, 17
November 1978, p. A 2. This is a follow-up of Bergman’s life and work after the tax
case. See 1976, (Ø 1272).

1979
1333. Berge, Henk ten. ‘Ingmar Bergman: profeet die in eigen land niet geëerd wordt’. De
Telegraaf, 10 February 1974.
An article discussing Bergman’s ambiguous standing in Swedish film industry. Includes brief
responses by some of his actors.

1334. Carcassonne, Philippe. ‘Tombeaux de Mozart’. Cinématographe, no. 56 (November

1979): 11-15. See Filmography, Trollflöjten/The Magic Flute (Ø 247).

1335. Cunneen, Sally. ‘Ingmar Bergman Crossed with Charlie Chaplin? What Iris Mur-
doch Doesn’t Know’. Commonweal, 9 November 1979, pp. 623-26.

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Basically a review of a Murdoch book with Bergman’s (and Chaplin’s) names used as a con-
trasting reference to mood and style of Murdock’s work. Irrelevant in a Bergman context.

1336. D’Elia, G. ‘La crisi del maschio in Bergman e Ferreri’. Cinema Nuovo XXVIII/261
(October) 1979: 2-3.
About the crisis of male characters in Bergman and Ferreri films and their relationship to
women.

1337. Emelsen, Margaret A. ‘The Ambivalence of Survival in Ingmar Bergman and

Simone de Beauvoir: A Perspective on Dying and Death’. Journal of Evolutionary
Psychology 1, no. 1 (June) 1979: 58-68.
A comparative study of Bergman’s and De Beauvoir’s complex attitudes towards an affirmation
of life and a preoccupation with death.

1338. Erickson, Robert L. ‘An Analysis of Fear in Selected Films: Alfred Hitchcock,
Ingmar Bergman, and Steven Spielberg’. M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, Dept.
of Theatre and Cinematic Arts, 1979, 80 leaves.

1339. Féjja, S. ‘Személyközi kudarcok – alarcban’. Filmkultura XV, no. 6 (November-De-

cember) 1979: 43-52.
A Hungarian article on Bergman’s films as studies in interpersonal relationships.

1340. Fredericksen, Don. ‘Modes of Reflexive Film’, Quarterly Review of Film Studies 4,
no. 3 (Summer 1979): 299-320.
A discussion of the growing interest in meta-filmic aspects in cinema studies, with special
reference to Bergman’s Persona. Cf. Filmography, Persona entry, (Ø 236).

1341. Jensen, Niels. ‘Høstsonaten og Rene linier’ [Autumn Sonata and Pure lines]. Kos-
morama XXV, no. 141 (Spring l979), pp. 9-11.
A comparison (in Danish film journal) of Bergman’s Höstsonaten and Woody Allen’s Interiors as
two films about ‘the bourgeois room’.

1342. Marion, Denis. Ingmar Bergman. Paris: Gallimard, 1979. 191 pp.
After chapters on Bergman’s career and the relationship between word and image in his films,
the author follows a thematic approach to Bergman’s work, dividing it into segments on ‘God
and the problem of Evil’; ‘Contemporary Crisis’; ‘Eroticism’; ‘The Tortured Couple’; ‘Art and
Artist’; and ‘Pessimism’. Among specific films dealt with are Wild Strawberries, The Silence,
Persona, The Ritual, Scenes from a Marriage, Face to Face, and The Serpent’s Egg.
Review: La Revue du cinéma, no. 347, 1979, p. 143.

1343. Martinez, Carril Manuel. ‘El canto del cisne del artista Bergman’. Cinemateca
Review 16 (June) 1979: 10-15.
A critical overview with a filmography.

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1344. Perez, Gilberto. ‘Ingmar Bergman Up Close’. New York Art Journal, no. 10, 1979, pp.
10-11.
Perez regards Bergman as a ‘latter day expressionist’ who uses close-ups in the same extreme
way that distorted sets were used in Dr. Caligari to express a landscape of anxiety from the
subject’s point of view.

1345. Scholar, Nancy. ‘Anaïs Nin’s House of Incest and Ingmar Bergman’s Persona:. Two
Variations of a Theme’. Literature/Film Quarterly 7, no. 1 (Winter 1979): 47-59.
A comparative study of incest motif in the two title works.

1346. Shvarts, Gavri’elah. ‘ha-Hitbat’ut ha-milutit ‘al odot ha-kolno ‘a: nituah darkhe
ha-ketivah ‘al ha-kolno’a ‘al pi ‘iyun be-mispar bikorot u-ma’amarim ‘al ha-seret
‘Personah’ shel Ingmar Bergman’. M.A. Thesis, U of Jerusalem, 1979, 35 pp.

1347. Surkova-Shuskalova, Olga. ‘Ingmar Bergman i krizis indivudualisticheskogo mir-

onimanija’[Bergman and the crisis of individualism]. Iskusstvo Kino, no. 7 1979, pp.
135-162.
On Ingmar Bergman’s films mirroring a personal crisis.

1348. Wimberley, Amos D. ‘Bergman and the Existentialists: A Study in Subjectivity’. Diss.,
University of Texas at Austin, 1979. 259 leaves.
Wimberley examines The Seventh Seal and the Trilogy, comparing them to the works of
Kierkegaard, Jaspers, and Camus. See also Ø 989, Kiergegaard.

1980
1349. Bergman, Margareta. Karin vid havet. Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren, 1980. 303 pp.
A novel by Ingmar Bergman’s sister suggesting their common family background.

1350. Bini, Luigi. Ingmar Bergman da ‘Come in uno specchio’ a ‘Sinfonia d’autunno’. Milano:
Edizione Letture, 1980.
A study of Bergman’s filmmaking from Through a Glass Darkly to Autumn Sonata.

1351. Calhoun, Alice Ann. ‘Suspended Projections: Religious Roles and Adaptable Myths
in John Hawkes’s Novels, Francis Bacon’s Paintings, and Ingmar Bergman’s Films’.
Diss. 1980. DAI, Ann Arbor, MI 40, 4782A-83A.
The term ‘Suspended projections’ is used as a metaphor for a magician’s treatment of his
subject. Chapter 3 of the dissertation deals with three categories of Bergman films: (1) rite of
passage films, such as Torment, To Joy, and A Lesson in Love; (2) symbolic films making ironic
use of a fertility paradigm. Included are films such as The Naked Night, The Seventh Seal, Wild
Strawberries, and The Magician; and (3) films making ironic use of a fertility paradigm. In-
cluded are films from The Silence to Cries and Whispers.

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1352. Casebier, Alan and Jane. ‘Bibliography on Dream and Film’. Dreamworks 1, no. 1
(Spring) 1980: 88-93.
The article contains several references to Bergman’s filmmaking by two psychoanalytical critics.

1353. Casebier, A. and Manley J. ‘Reductionism without Discontent: The Case of Wild
Strawberries and Persona,’Film/Psychology Review 4, no. 1 (Winter-Spring 1980): 15-25;
Advocates psychoanalytical approach to Bergman’s filmmaking, with special focus on title films.
To the authors the films are dealt with more as case studies than works of art.

1354. Celuloide XXV, no. 289 (March 1980). A special Bergman issue of a Portuguese film
journal with two contributions:
Duarte, Fernando. ‘Biofilmografia de Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 11-13;
Matos-Cruz, J. ‘Peliculas’, pp. 10-15.

1355. Cowie, Peter. ‘Ingmar Bergman: the Struggle with the Beyond’. NYT, 26 October
1980, Arts & Leisure sec., pp. 1, 19.
An article tracing Bergman’s life and career before leaving Sweden in 1976, plus a presentation
of his current plans.

1356. Dawson, Jan. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. In Cinema: A Critical Dictionary. Edited by Richard
Roud. Vol 1. New York: Viking Press, 1980: 111-22.
A perceptive survey article on Bergman by British film critic.

1357. Eberwein, R.T. ‘The Filmic Dream and Point of View’. Literature/Film Quarterly VIII,
no. 3, 1980, pp. 197-203.
Eberwein examines the use of subjective and objective shots and point of view in the dream
sequences of Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Holmes, Jr. (1924), Robert Montgomery’s Lady in the Lake
(1946), and Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries (1957). Cf. same author’s 1984 book length
study, (Ø 1407).

1358. Forslund, Bengt. Victor Sjöström. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1980: 322-33. Translated to
English as Victor Sjöström: His Life and Work. New York: Zoetrope, 1988.
The chapter titled ‘Tillbaka till ursprunget’ [Back to the source], pp. 250-271, deals with
Sjöström’s professional relationship with Bergman, from being an adviser on Kris (1946) to
playing the role of Isak Borg in Wild Strawberries (1957).

1359. Gantz, Jeffrey. ‘Mozart, Hoffmann and Ingmar Bergman’s Vargtimmen’. Literature/
Film Quarterly VIII, no. 2, 1980: 104-114. See Group entry Ø 989, (Hoffmann).

1360. Guinness, Os. Ingmar Bergman. Confessional in Celluloid. Michigan City, IN: L’Abri
Cassettes, 1980, 1989. Recording on casette tape 1 7/8 ips. Mono. No X724.
A recorded interpretation of Bergman’s filmmaking with some emphasis on its religious as-
pects.

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1361. Houston, Beverly and Kinder, Marsha. ‘Self-Exploration and Survival in Persona
and The Ritual: The Way In’, in Self & Cinema: A Transformalist Perspective (Pleasant-
ville: Redgrave, 1980), pp. 1-40.
A bio-thematic approach to two of Bergman’s films from the 1960s in a book on transformation
of artistic self into film.

1362. Hunter, R. ‘A Mediation on Theatre and Love’. Australian Journal of Screen, no. 7,
1980: 120-37. See Commentary to The Magic Flute in Filmography Chapter (IV).

1363. Librach, Ronald S. ‘Through the Looking-Glass. The Serpent’s Egg’. Literature/Film
Quarterly 8, no. 2, 1980: 92-103.
The second half of the article is a review of Bergman’s film The Serpent’s Egg. The first half is an
attempt to place the film in the context of two earlier films, Scenes from a Marriage and Face to
Face, based on the argument that Bergman’s films form their own aesthetic and intellectual
context.

1364. Pollock, Dale. ‘Bergman Drops Out of US Tour’. Los Angeles Times, 24 October
1980, sec. 4, p. 2.
In late October 1980, a Scandinavian film series opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New
York and later travelled to Chicago and Los Angeles. Bergman was to have attended as part of a
Scandinavian delegation but withdrew when an American distribution company planned to
open his From the Life of the Marionettes during his visit. For additional reports on this incident,
see Expr., 26 October 1980, p. 8; NYT, 28 October 1980, sec. C, p. 11; Hollywood Magazine,
November 1980 (n.p.) (American Motion Picture Academy clipping); Variety, October 1, (p. 38),
October 29, (pp. 4, 33), November 5, (p. 4) and November 6, (p. 4); the last item signed by
Frank Segers and titled ‘Bergman Snubs Chi Film Fest’. See also an interview with Jörn Donner,
Variety 7 October 1981, pp. 60, 76, and ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Festival He Embraces’ in NYT,
26 October 1980, p. 1.

1365. Rondi, Gian Luigi. ‘Ingmar Bergman da Hitler a Ibsen’ in Il cinema dei mæstri.
Milano: Rusconi, 1980, pp. 166-73.
About Bergman’s work in exile. The title refers to The Serpent’s Egg and his theatre production
of Hedda Gabler.

1366. Schein, Harry. Schein, Schein. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1980. 529 pp.
An autobiography with many references to Bergman by former head of SFI.

1367. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Bergman, Ernst Ingmar’. Columbia Dictionary of Modern Euro-
pean Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1980, pp. 78-79.
Dictionary entry.

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1981
1368. Group Item: Bergman at Southern Methodist University Symposium, 7-8
May 1981.
The Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, arranged a two-day symposium on
Bergman’s work in film and theatre. On the occasion, Bergman became the first recipient of the
Alger H. Meadows Award for Excellence in the Arts.
Bergman participated in a total of four seminars on the following topics: (1) Relationship of
Director to Actor; (2) Bringing a Project to the Screen; (3) Bringing a Project to the Stage; (4)
Communicating through Film and Theatre. Proceedings from the symposium were edited by
William G. Jones and published under the title Talking with Ingmar Bergman (Dallas: SMU
Press, 1983), 103 pp. Ill.
On 8 May 1981, the Dallas Times Herald published an extensive reportage of the event (p. 1, 6,
12), quoting Bergman on important aspects of his filmmaking (on role of intuition and dream-
like genesis of his films, and on his own assessment of his place in film history). On May 11,
Dallas Morning News, sec. C, pp. 1-2, printed a long interview with Bergman by William
Wunch. See Ø 882. Bergman’s visit to SMU was preceded by a guest talk by actor Max von
Sydow.

1369. n.a. ‘Doubts Expressed that Bergman is Going to Quit’. Variety, 9 September 1981, p.
50.
A reaction to Bergman’s announcement that he would quit filmmaking after Fanny and Alex-
ander. See also the Marker interview ‘Why Ingmar Bergman Will Stop Making Films’. Saturday
Review (April) 1981: 36-39.

1370. Borgnie, J. de. ‘Ingmar Bergman en images’. Amis de la film et de la télévision, no.
296, 1981, pp. 33-38.
A pictorial presentation of Bergman.

1371. Gomez Sanchez, Juan Pedro. Estetosemiotica y pragmatica filmicas: un analisis tex-
tual en Bergman. Diss. Murcia: Faculdad de Filosofia y Letras. Secretariado de Pub-
licaciones. Universidad de Murcia, 1981. 30 pp.
A semiotic study of Bergman film texts. Subject: Existentialism and religion in the movies.

1372. Kawin, Bruce. Mindscreen: Bergman, Godard and First-Person Film. Princeton: Prin-
ceton University Press, 1981, pp. 91-142.
The chapter titled ‘Self-Conscious Mindscreens in Bergman and Godard’ provides an intro-
duction to Bergman and a discussion of Persona and Shame. Kawin’s terminology is somewhat
labored and he provides no real comparison between Bergman and Godard, but his work is a
classic reference in studies of metafilmic aspects of Bergman’s filmmaking.

1373. Kinder, Marsha. ‘From The Life of the Marionettes to The Devil’s Wanton: Bergman’s
Creative Transformation of a Recurrent Nightmare’. Film Quarterly 34, no. 3 (Spring)
1981: 26-37. Reprinted in The Anxious Subject: Nightmares and Daymares in Literature
and Film, ed. by Moshe Lazar. Malibu: Undena Publications, 1983, pp. 151-68.

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Kinder traces a murderer’s nightmare as a motif in Bergman’s films from Fängelse (1949, The
Devil’s Wanton/ Prison) to Marionetternas liv (1980), with special emphasis on Vargtimmen
(1967, Hour of the Wolf) and two title films. Kinder’s approach is representative of an American
focus on psychoanalysis and/or psycho-biography in discussing Bergman. Cf. Casebier, (Ø 1352-
1353) and Petric below, (Ø 1378).

1374. Lundell, Torborg and Mulac, Anthony. ‘Husbands and Wives in Bergman’s
Films: A close Analysis Based on Empirical Data’. Journal of the University Film
Association 33, no. 1 (Winter) 1981: 23-37.
A reception study among film students, using Bergman films as source material.

1375. Moscato, Alfonso. Ingmar Bergman: La realità e il suo ‘doppio’. Rome: Edizione
paoline, 1981. 163 pp.
A survey of Bergman’s film production through Autumn Sonata, followed by individual chap-
ters on his vision, his religious viewpoint, major characters and themes as well as his use of
expressionistic and realistic features. With useful bibliography of studies of Bergman in Italian,
pp. 151-63.

1376. Mosley, Philip. Ingmar Bergman. The Cinema as Mistress. London & Boston: Marion
Boyars, 1981, 1982. 192 pp.
The title is taken from a famous early statement by Bergman (Cinema is my mistress, Theatre
my faithful wife) but is left unexplored by the author. The book is divided into four parts: (1)
analysis of Bergman’s Nordic heritage; (2) survey of his early films; (3) presentation of the
‘canonical films’: The Seventh Seal to Cries and Whispers; (4) discussion of Bergman’s work for
television and his most recent films, ending with Autumn Sonata.
The book is a good introduction to Bergman’s filmmaking, superior to many other intro-
ductions in its effort to place Bergman in the mainstream of Swedish and European culture.

1377. Olin, Stig. Trådrullen [The Bobbin]. Stockholm: Askild & Kärnekull, 1981, pp. 53-64.
Memoirs, ghost-written by Helena Kallenbäck, of an actor who served as Ingmar Bergman’s
alter ego in his early films. One chapter (pp. 53-64) deals with Ingmar Bergman.

1378. Petric, Vlada, ed. Film and Dreams: An Approach to Ingmar Bergman. South Salem,
NY: Redgrave, 1981. 236 pp.
Papers given at an international film conference at Harvard, 27-29 January 1978. Much emphasis
is on clinical/psychological dream studies, so that Bergman’s own ideas of filmmaking as a
dream mode get lost. Book includes the following articles:
Björkman, Stig. ‘The Concept of Dreams in Bergman’s Early Films’, pp. 113-26.
Cavell, Stanley. ‘An Afterimage – on Makaveyev and Bergman’, pp. 197-220.
Cowie, Peter. ‘Bergman’s Passion: Dream and Reality’, pp. 147-56.
Hobson, Andrew. ‘Dream Image and Substrate: Bergman’s Films and the Psychology of Sleep’,
pp. 75-96. This article was published in a shorter version in Polish translation as ‘Obrazi snu
i ich podloze: filmi Bergmana a fizilogia snu’. Kino XXII, no. 6 (June 1988): 26-28.
Houston, Beverly. ‘The Manifestation of Self in The Silence’, pp. 139-46.
Kinder, Marsha. ‘The Penetrating Dream Style of Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 57-74.

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Petric, Vlada. ‘Bergman’s Cinematic Treatment of Psychopathic Phenomena’, pp. 157-66.

Simon, John. ‘Ingmar Bergman and Insanity’, pp. 127-38.
Zelinger, J. ‘Bergman and Freud on Dreams and Dreaming’, pp. 97-112.
The book also includes a chronology of Bergman’s life and work and excerpts from his essays
‘What is Filmmaking?’ (Ø 87), ‘Each Film Is My Last’ (Ø 108) and ‘The Snakeskin’ (Ø 131).
Reviews
Film Quarterly, no. 4 (1982).
Dreamworks, no. 3 (1983): 212-18.
Vlada Petric also published an essay titled ‘Bergman and Dreams’ in Film Comment XVII, no. 2
(March/April 1981): 57-59, in which he argues that oneiric sequences constitute the most cine-
matic parts of Bergman’s films, with specific reference to From the Life of the Marionettes.

1379. Sonnenschein, Richard. ‘The Problem of Evil in Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh
Seal’. West Virginia Philological Papers 27, 1981, pp. 137-143. See Ø 997.

1380. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 16. De-
troit: Gale Research Co., 1981, pp. 59-60.
Dictionary entry.

1982
1381. Cowie, Peter. Ingmar Bergman: A Critical Biography. New York: Charles Scribner’s
Sons, 1982. 397 pp. Translated into French as Ingmar Bergman, biographie critique
(Paris: Seghers, 1986). New English edition in 1992 (London: Andre Deutsch) 401 pp.
The first Bergman biography in English. Although the book is more of a chronological pre-
sentation of Bergman’s work in the cinema and on stage than an in-depth attempt to place the
subject in a cultural and social context, Cowie provides a comprehensive overview of Bergman’s
life and work. He includes useful interview material on Bergman’s working methods, though
occasionally giving in to tidbit gossip. For a résumé article on same subject, see Cowie’s
‘Bergman’s Swan Song’, World Press Review, June 1983, p. 60.
Reviews
Film Quarterly 36 (Summer) 1983: 40.
New York Times Book Review, 19 December 1982, p. 7.
Chaplin 25, no. 189 (1983): 264-267.

1382. Forslund, Bengt. ‘Bergmans blandning och Hasses special’ [Bergman’s Mix and
Hasse’s Special]. Filmrutan 25, no. 3 (Autumn) 1982: 2-7.
A comparison of Bergman’s position in Swedish filmmaking in the 1940s with that of his rival,
Hasse Ekman. The article is excerpted from Forslund’s book Från Ekman till Ekman [From E.
to E.] (Stockholm: Bonniers, 1982), pp. 191-196.

1383. Ingemansson, Birgitta. ‘Bergman’s Endings: Glimmers of Hope’. Lamar Journal of

Humanities 8, no. 1 (Spring) 1982: 29-38.

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In discussing the ending of The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Cries and Whispers, and Face to
Face author argues that Bergman’s final vision of reality is not as gloomy as many of his critics
have claimed.

1384. Livingston, Paisley. Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of Art. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press, 1982). 287 pp.
A study of Bergman’s portrayal of art and the artist. Livingston argues that Bergman’s purpose
is not to frighten and mystify but to make the viewer aware of the magic of art, though the
artistic ritual contructed by Bergman on the screen has both cannibalistic and therapeutic
implications.
Reviews
American Film 7, no. 7 (May) 1982: 62-65.
Sight and Sound 52, no. 2 (Spring) 1983: 143.

1385. Manvell, Roger. Ingmar Bergman. An Appreciation. New York: Arno, 1982. 200 pp.
Originally a McMaster University thesis, this study is little more than a simplistic overview of
Bergman’s filmmaking.

1386. Nave, Bernard and Welsh, Henry. ‘Retour de Bergman: au cinéclub et au stage de
Bouloris’. Jeune cinéma 142 (April-May) 1982: 27-32. See Ø 982.
An article discussing Bergman’s return to the Paris scene with a film series and a stage play.

1387. Sarris, Andrew. ‘The Scandinavian Presence in the Cinema’. Scandinavian Review
70-71, no. 3, 1982: 77-85.
Focussing on Dreyer and Bergman, the author suggests that the abstracted universality of their
films – ‘their art and soul’ – deprives their cinema of a contempory view of Scandinavian
society. Cf. Bo Widerberg, Group item (Ø 1033).

1388. Visscher, J. de. ‘De muziek en het orkest bij Fellini en Bergman’. Mediafilm, no. 134
(Winter) 1982: 24-40.
On Fellini’s and Bergman’s use of music; in Bergman’s case from To Joy (1950) and on.

1983
1389. Bertina, B.J. ‘Ingmar Bergman heeft in al die jaren veel begrepen’. De Tijd, 4 March
1983.
A brief overview of Bergman’s filmmaking with a focus on Fanny and Alexander.

1390. Björkman, Stig. ‘In the World of Childhood’. Swedish Films 1983. Stockholm: SFI,
1983, pp. 10-20. Also in French ed., pp. 20-29.
About Bergman’s open channels to his childhood. An article written in connection with Fanny
and Alexander, but long passages are quoted from earlier interviews by Donner (Ø 836).

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1391. Boyd, David. ‘Persona and the Cinema of Interpretation’, Film Quarterly 2 (Winter)
1983-84: 10-19.
A discussion of different interpretive approaches in film criticism with specific reference to
Persona.

1392. Braudy, Leo. ‘Framing the Innocent Eye: 42nd Street and Persona’. Michigan Quar-
terly Review 22, no. 1 (Winter) 1983: 9-29.
Juxtaposition of Busby Berkeley’s/Lloyd Bacon’s ‘frivolous’ entertainment film 42nd Street and
Bergman’s Persona. Braudy views both works as ways of referencing one art (the stage) to frame
another (the screen) with the common purpose being to elucidate the uniqueness of film art.

1393. Chaplin XXV, no. 6/189, 1983, pp. 253-67.

A section of the magazine is devoted to Bergman. Includes the following items:
Aghed, Jan. ‘Konstnären som valp’ [The artist as a puppy], pp. 264-66. A review article of Peter
Cowie’s biography Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography (Ø 1381) and Paisley Livingston’s
Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of Art (Ø 1384).
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Teatern som metafor. En analys av Fanny och Alexander’ [Theatre as
metaphor. An analysis of F & A], pp. 260-63.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Den lilla världen och den stora’ [The little world and the big], pp. 258-59.
Koskinen and Törnqvist provide two different readings of Fanny and Alexander, which also
represent two different approaches to Bergman’s filmmaking: one focussing on cinematic
structure and visual metaphor, the other on psychological thought content and literary/
dramatic allusions.

1394. Clarke, Kathryn Philomena. ‘The Closing of the Circle: The Films of Ingmar
Bergman as Metaphors of Quest and Reconciliation’. Diss. Syracuse Univ., 1983. 2 vols,
461 leaves. Univ. Microfilms, Mich, 1984, 1 reel.

1395. Corliss, Richard and Wolf, William. ‘God, Sex, and Ingmar Bergman’. Film
Comment 19 (May-June) 1983: 13-19.
Relying heavily on the Cowie biography (Ø 1381), Corliss distills four periods in Bergman’s life
and work, related to actresses Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, and pianist
Käbi Laretei, but omits any mention of Bergman’s present wife, Ingrid. Marianne Höök took
the same approach in (Ø 1074).
The Wolf contribution is part review of Fanny and Alexander, part assessment of the state of
filmmaking in Scandinavia today.

1396. Dervin, Daniel. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Films: The Spider God and the Primal Scene.’
American Imago, vol. 40, no. 3 (Fall) 1983: 207-32. Reprinted in his Through a Freudian
Lens Deeply . Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press, 1985, pp. 98-126.
Dervin argues that the child of Bergman’s imagination becomes his scenario; the artist becomes
the director and the original child replaces the father.

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1397. Estève, Michel, ed. ‘Ingmar Bergman: La mort, le masque et l’être’. Etudes cinéma-
togragiques 131/34 (1983). Issued as book. Paris: Lettres modernes Minard, 1983. 169 pp.
Contains the following review articles:
Estève, Michel. ‘Notes sur une problematique de la mort’. pp. 5-18. (A review of Fanny and
Alexander);
Farago, France. ‘La mort comme propédeutique à la vie’. pp. 19-51. (About Face to Face and
Autumn Sonata).
Zimmer, Christian. ‘Persona. Une fugue à deux voix’. pp. 53-68.
Tobin, Yann. ‘Sur La flûte enchantée d’Ingmar Bergman’. pp. 69-82.
Serçeau, Michel. ‘Le métaphore éclaté. Notes sur l’utilization de l’estétique et des thèmes
expressionistes dans L’Oeuf du serpent’. pp. 83-94.
Ramasse, François. ‘De la Vie des Marionettes’. pp. 95-141.
Sineux, Michel. ‘Fanny et Alexandre: “Le petit théâtre” d’Ingmar Bergman’. pp. 143-50.
Review
Cinéma, no. 293 (May) 1983, p. 8.

1398. Glassco, David. ‘Films out of Books: Bergman, Visconti and Mann’. Mosaic (Win-
nipeg) 16, no. 1-2 (Winter-Spring) 1983: 165-73.
Reference to Bergman serves mostly as a questioning of his statement in his Introduction to
Four Screenplays (Ø 110) that film appeals directly to the emotions and that literature is
absorbed intellectually, through a conscious act of the will. Having rejected this dichotomy
in our mental receptivity to film and literature, the author examines Visconti’s screen version of
Tomas Mann’s novella Death in Venice.

1399. Jensen, Niels. ‘Fanny og Alexander og alle de andre i Bergmans univers’ [F & A and
all the others in B’s universe]. Kosmorama, no. 163 (March 1983): 4-9.
An analysis of Fanny and Alexander from a biographical perspective and as a film influenced by
Strindberg’s play Spöksonaten/The Ghost Sonata.

1400. Lefèvre, Raymond. Ingmar Bergman. Paris: Edilig, 1983, 126 pp. Ill.
Mostly a Bergman filmography, with two brief chapters on his life (pp. 9-17) and a survey of his
films, titled ‘Faces and Masks’ (pp. 19-33).

1401. McClean, Theodore. ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’. American Film, June 1983, pp.
55-58, 61.
The first half of the article focusses on the shooting of a scene with many extras in Fanny and
Alexander and early backing problems for the project. The second half deals with Bergman’s
homecoming, his ‘demon director’ reputation vs praise from his actors, and the sensuous aspect
of his stage and studio work.

1402. Rossi, Umberto. ‘Quattro film all’ochiello: hanno la firma del maestro’. Segnocinema
III, no. 9 (September) 1983: 71-72.
A presentation at the 1983 Cannes festival of the latest films by Wajda (‘Danton’), Tarkovski
(‘Nostalghia’), Bresson (‘L’argent’), and Bergman (‘Fanny and Alexander’).

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

1403. Simmons, Kenith L., ‘Pain and Forgiveness: Structural Transformations in Wild
Strawberries and Autumn Sonata’. New Orleans Review 10, no. 4 (Winter) 1983/84: 5-15.
The author compares the theme of abandonment/separation and reconciliation in the title
films, noting that the confrontation between Charlotte and Eva in Autumn Sonata under the
influence of wine is analogous to Borg’s painful but therapeutic immersion in his own psyche
through dreams and nightmares. These personal crises shape the structure of the two films.

1984
1404. Bertina, B.J and F. van der Linden. ‘Reflections on a cinematic legacy; scenes from
Ingmar Bergman’s life and work’. World Press Review 31 (January 1984): 39-41. Ori-
ginally published in Dutch as ‘Ingmar Bergman’, De Tijd, 30 September 1983, pp. 2-9.
An article from the time of Bergman’s retirement from filmmaking, with some Bergman
comments on the role of women and on TV soaps (‘Dallas’).

1405. Cinema Novo, no. 37/38, (Sept./Dec. 1984).

A Portuguese issue entirely devoted to Bergman and his work.

1406. Cinque, Anne M. ‘Beyond the Day’s Light: A Study of the Emerging Archetypal
Feminine and its Personfication in Ingmar Bergman’s Filmic World’. Diss. University
of Maryland, 1984, 307 leaves. U of Michigan Microfilms, 1990. Cross-listed in Ø 975.
A descriptive analysis of Bergman films depicting on feminine interpersonal relationships, with
focus on Bergman’s use of Jungian shadow projection, and on his portrayal of differences in
masculine and feminine values, assumptions, and responsibilities.

1407. Eberwein, Robert T. ‘The Surface of Reality: Screen as Mirror in Persona’. Film and
the Dream Screen. A Sleep and Forgetting. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,
1984, pp. 120-39.
Sees Persona as a film about the interaction and mutual absorption of Jungian ‘shadows’. The
analysis is based on a lucid discussion of audience desire and screen fulfilment, exemplified and
represented by Bergman’s film. See also Commentary to Persona in filmography.

1408. Film-Echo/Film woche, no. 46/47, 24 August 1984, p. 14.

A report that Bergman may make a film based on Astrid Lindgren’s book Lotta på Bråkma-
kargatan (‘Lotta Aus Der Krachmachergasse’). Bergman had earlier been interested in filming
Lindgren’s Bröderna Lejonhjärta (The Brothers Lionheart). Neither project was realized.

1409. Ingemansson, Birgitta. ‘The Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman: Personification and

Olefactory Detail’. Literature/Film Quarterly 12, no. 1 (1984): 27-33.
The author discusses literary qualities in Bergman’s screenplays that cannot be transferred
directly to the screen. She singles out his use of personifications of nature and of domestic
objects, and his many references to smells.

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1410. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Det typiskt svenska hos Ingmar Bergman’ [The typically Swed-
ish in Ingmar Bergman]. Chaplin no. 5/6, 1984, pp. 221-26. Special 25th anniversary
issue. Also appeared in English edition of same, pp. 5-11. Reprinted in Ingmar Berg-
man. An Artist’s Journey, 1995 (Ø 1580).
Juxtaposes national Swedish myths and Bergman’s own mythos in his use of the summer motif,
focus on inner landscapes, use of theatrical features and allegorical/symbolic elements, and in
his mix of fantasy and realism with reference to literary models found in Strindberg, Almqvist,
and Hjalmar Bergman.

1411. Maxfield, James. ‘Bergman’s Shame: a Dream of Punishment’. Literature/Film Quar-

terly, XII, no. 1 January 1984: 34-41.
An analysis of Shame as an example of a film that functions on two levels: both as a realistic
study of the corrosive effects of war on a small group of individuals and as a dreamlike portrayal
of an Oedipal conflict with the character of Jacobi playing the part of father figure and lover. Jan
Rosenberg’s shooting of Jacobi is interpreted as a form of patricide.

1412. Révue belge du cinéma, no. 10 (Winter) 1984-85.

Special issue on filmic close-up with several references to Bergman’s filmmaking.

1413. Serçeau, Michel. ‘L’archetype Lola: réalisme et métaphore’. CinémAction no. 28

(April 1984): 114-118. See Ø 975.

1414. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An

International Reference Work in 5 volumes, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw- Hill, 1984, pp.
328-29.
Dictionary entry.

1415. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Den lilla världen och den stora’. Chaplin 26, nos. 5-6, 1984: 12-20.
Also in English in special 25th anniversary issue of Chaplin as ‘The Little World and
the Big. Concerning Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Fanny and Alexander’’.
A discussion of Fanny och Alexander‘s many references to Strindberg (A Dreamplay, The Ghost
Sonata), Ibsen (The Wild Duck), and Shakespeare (Hamlet).

1416. Vos, Marik. Dräkterna i dramat: Mitt år med Fanny och Alexander [The costumes in
the drama: My year with Fanny and Alexander]. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1984. 155 pp.
A diary by Bergman’s costumier with black-&-white sketches of costumes used in Fanny and
Alexander. Interesting not only in terms of this film but as an account of the intense collabora-
tion between Bergman and Vos.

1417. Zetterling, Mai. Osminkat (No Make-Up). Stockholm: Norstedt, 1984.

Chapter titled ‘Om att anpassa sig’ (About Adjusting Yourself) discusses Zetterling’s impres-
sions of Bergman, based on a personal relationship with him during her first and only film with
him as director – Music in Darkness (Musik i mörker, 1947). Zetterling also had a leading role in

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Torment (Hets) from 1944, scripted by Bergman. Zetterling’s portrait confirms Bergman’s am-
bivalent self-projection: part charming and vulnerable child, part hypnotizing dictator.

1985
1418. Cinéma, no. 327 (October 1985): 3.
A compilation of published quotes by Bergman on himself, the cinema, Sweden, and women.

1419. CzywczyŃska, Joanna. ‘Ingmar Bergman w Polsce. Bibliografia 1958-1981’. Gdansk

University, Institute of Scandinavian Philology, 1985.
M.A. thesis on Polish reception of Bergman.

1420. Gromov, E. ‘Ingmar Bergman: grani protivorecij’ [Bergman: the limits of contrasts].
Iskusstvo Kino, no. 6 (June) 1985: 102-119.
Overview of Bergman’s filmmaking and reviews of some of his films.

1421. Hede, Julia. ‘Skapande ljussättning’ [Creative lighting]. Undergraduate thesis. De-
partment of Cinema Studies, Stockholm University, April 1985.
An unpublished study of Bergman cinematographer Sven Nykvist’s approach to lighting.

1422. Holloway, R. ‘Tystnaden som tema’ [Silence as a theme]. Filmrutan 28, no. 1, 1985: 2-
8.
An analysis of the use of silence in different religious films, especially those of Dreyer and
Bergman.

1423. Kael, Pauline. ‘För släkt och vänner. Om Ingmar Bergman [For relatives and
friends. About Bergman]. Ord och Bild, no. 2, 1985, pp. 76-84.
An assessment of Ingmar Bergman by an American film critic whose early reaction to his films
was very critical but who changed her approach after Shame. (Cf. Ø 1011).

1424. Kavalkade. Danish booklet titled ‘Gensyn med Ingmar Bergman’ [Rendez-vous with
Bergman]. With a foreword by Peter Wolsgaard. No publisher listed, Krim print, 1985,
21 pp.
A presentation of a retrospective series of 29 Bergman films, from Kris (Moderhjertet) to Efter
repetitionen, plus Stig Björkman’s 1971 documentary Ingmar Bergman.

1425. Leclerc, Marie-Françoise. ‘Bergman souverain’. Le Point no. 650, 4 March 1985, pp.
135-38.
A discussion of Bergman’s screen and stage work in connection with the guest visit of his
production of King Lear in Paris.

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1426. Positif 289 (March) 1985: 17-35.

A special Bergman issue consisting of book reviews by L. Codelli of works on Bergman by Peter
Cowie, Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker, Philip Mosley, and Paisley Livingston, plus following
items:
Aghed, Jan. ‘Intérieur miniature’, pp. 20-21. A discussion of After the Rehearsal as an essay on the
theatre, with a parallel drawn to Strindberg’s situation at his composition of A Dreamplay.
In both cases, theatre eclipses life.
—. ‘Sourires d’un cinéma d’hîver’, pp. 22-25. A review article of Fanny and Alexander, con-
sidered positive as art, negative as social picture. The time of its setting (1907) coincides
with social unrest in Sweden and workers strikes. The little world of Gustaf Adolf protects
itself from all this. Aghed’s argument typifies an approach to Bergman by critics whose
artistic criteria were formed in the Sixties.
Alfredius, Jarl. ‘L’Ecole Bergman’, pp. 31-33. A translation of a radio interview, 11 April 1983, in
connection with Bergman’s TV version of Molière’s Ecole des femmes (Ø 330).
Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Propos’, pp. 17-19. Excerpt from a Bergman press conference at the showing
of the long version of Fanny and Alexander in Venice, 9 September 1983. See Commentary,
(Ø 253).
Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Linus rencontre Berget’, pp. 26-30. An encounter between Sjöman’s alter ego
Linus Thorsson and The Mountain (Bergman/Berget). Sjöman’s complex encounter with
Bergman during his school years and first endeavors to write film scripts are discussed in
his memoirs Mitt personregister. Urval 98 (Ø 1646).

1427. Purcell, James Mark. ‘Chesterton’s Magic versus Bergman’s Magician: Variations
on a Theme’. The Chesterton Review 11, no. 1 (February) 1985: 34-46. See Group Item
(Ø 989), Bergman and Literature.

1986
1428. n.a. ‘Tormented Lion of the North’. The Observer, 10 August 1986, p. 15.
Mostly a survey of Bergman’s life and lifestyle, referring to him as both the most public and
private of artists.

1429. Björklund, Per Åke and Monica Engebladh. ‘Haley contra Whitaker: familje-
studier med hypotesanalys av Fanny och Alexander’ [H versus W: Family studies with
a hypothetical analysis of F & A]. Dept of Applied Psychology, Lund University, 1986,
113 pp. See Filmography, Fanny och Alexander.

1430. Ch’en, Saho-ts’ung. Po-ko-man yu ti ch’i feng yin. Taipei: Erh ya ch’u pan she, 1986,
181 pp.
Details not available.

1431. Dannowski, Hans Werner. ‘Das Schweigen der Kirchenglocken. Gedanken zu den
Späten Filmen von Ingmar Bergman’. EDP Film III, no. 4 (April) 1986: 14-18.
Notes on the later TV films of Ingmar Bergman, especially After the Rehearsal.

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1432. Gado, Frank. The Passion of Ingmar Bergman. Durham: Duke University Press, 1986.
547 pp.
A psychoanalytically oriented study of Bergman’s films, using some new biographical informa-
tion obtained from Swedish sources. To Gado, Bergman’s films conceal a rudimentary personal
myth, akin to a dream in its symbolic language. Bergman’s creativity stems from an elementary
psychic fantasy rooted in the filmmaker’s relationship to his mother. Gado’s approach gives
cohesiveness to his study but becomes somewhat predictable in its analysis of individual films.
Study pays little attention to previous Bergman scholarship.
Reviews
Film Quarterly XLI, no. 3 (Spring) 1988: 51-53. With a reply by Gado in Film Quarterly 42, no. 2
(Winter) 1988/89: 60-62.

1433. Isaksson, Ulla. ‘Lämna romanen i fred’ [Leave the novel alone]. Chaplin 204, 1986:
127-129.
Includes comments on Isaksson’s collaboration with Ingmar Bergman on script to Nära livet
(Close to Life) and Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring).

1434. Ketcham, Charles. The Influence of Existentialism on Ingmar Bergman. An Analysis

of the Theological Ideas Shaping a Filmmaker’s Art. Lewiston: E. Mellen Press, 1986, 381
pp. See Ø 997.

1435. Lawson, Steve. ‘For Valor: The Career of Ingmar Bergman’. In Before his Eyes: Essays
in Honor of Stanley Kauffmann. Lanham, MD: UPs of America, 1986, pp. 163-68.
Homage to Bergman’s filmmaking and to one of his American critics.

1436. Manciotto, Mauro. ‘Bergman fra cinema, teatro e tv’. Bianco e Nero XLVII, no. 3
(July-September) 1986: 42-48.
About Bergman’s recent work for cinema, theatre and television, with some reference to
Strindberg’s impact.

1437. Mango, L. ‘La sospensione del tempo’. Filmcritica, no. 363 (March-April) 1986: 169-74.
A discussion of temporal fluidity in Efter repetitionen (Dopo la prova) and Fanny and Alexander.

1438. Sultanik, Aaron. Film: A Modern Art. New York: Cornwall Books, 1986, 381 pp.
The chapter titled ‘Three Independents’ discusses Bergman’s filmmaking (with Buñuel and
Welles), pp. 433-440. Author calls Bergman an artist grappling with the major traumas of his
age; yet displaying difficulty in articulating his arresting themes on film. Very judgmental: The
Naked Night is termed ‘a pedantic contrived melodrama’; The Silence is ‘full of perfunctory
pessimism’; The Seventh Seal is not mentioned at all, while Scenes from a Marriage is termed
‘one of the major films of the 1970s, adapting itself to the conservative instincts of that decade.’

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1987
1439. Group Item: Bergman and Nazism
The subject of this entry has surfaced from time to time, and was brought up by Bergman in his
memoir book Laterna magica. Both in Sjögren’s study of Bergman’s theatre work, Lek och raseri
(2002, pp. 35-36) and in the interview book Bergman om Bergman (Ø 788), Bergman talks about
his political ignorance as a youngster, even after having been exposed to the Nazi mentality
during teenage summer visits to a parson’s family in Germany. When Laterna magica was
published, author Jan Myrdal questioned Bergman’s unawareness of the political consequences
of Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s. See Jan Myrdal. ‘Om Ingmar Bergman och nazismen’
[About Bergman and nazism]. DN, 5 October 1987, p. 5. This article was a follow-up to the TV
program ‘Kulturen’, 1 October 1987. Reply by Birgitta Steene, ‘Bergman som syndabock’ [Berg-
man as scapegoat], GP, 21 October 1987, p. 4.
More than ten years later (1999), the subject raised its ugly head again, when Thomas Delekat
published an article about Bergman’s alleged Nazi sympathies, ‘Heil Hitler! Rief Ingmar Berg-
man’, in Die Welt, 8 September 1999. Swedish journalist Maria-Pia Boethius contributed with a
newspaper column titled ‘Es schwindelt einem, wenn man hinabsieht’, Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung, 10 September 1999. Delekat’s article was accompanied by another piece on same subject
by Thomas E. Schmidt, ‘Schwedische Gardinen’. Die Welt, 8 September 1999.
Cf. Commentaries to some early stage productions by Bergman, Ø 378, 384. See also Ø 1533.

1440. Bergman, Anna. Inte bara pappas flicka. Stockholm: French edition: Au nom du père.
Paris: Ed. Sylvie Messinger, 1989.
A somewhat embarassing autobiographical account by one of Ingmar Bergman’s children, twin
daughter Anna.

1441. Bohman, Gösta. ‘Ingmar Bergman och hans tid’ [Bergman and his times]. Svensk
tidskrift, 74, no. 9, 1987: 490-96.
The leader of the Swedish Conservative Party, who was about the same age as Bergman and
confirmed by Bergman’s father, writes about Bergman’s Laterna magica. He considers Bergman
a clear literary talent who might have become a writer of fiction, had he not devoted his life to
filmmaking and theatre directing, yet finds his ‘unforgiving hatred’ of family and colleagues
difficult to understand.

1442. Buntzen, Linda K. ‘Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander: Family Romance or Artistic
Allegory’. Criticism: A Quarterly for Literature and the Arts 29, no. 1 (Winter) 1987: 89-
117.
An article prompted by an ongoing debate in the American reception of Bergman’s filmmaking:
Is he a middlebrow artist who knows how to appeal to mass audiences or the creator of great
symbolic movies?

1443. Fellini, Frederico. ‘Bergman’. Le messager européen, no. 1 (Paris: Fondation Saint-
Simon), 1987. pp. 143-45. Appeared in Polish as ‘Moje spotkanie z Bergmanem’, Kino
XXVIII, no. 319 (January 1994), pp. 10-11.

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An homage to Cinecitta film studios in Rome taking the form of an anecdote about an Ingmar
Bergman visit there, confined to a toilet stop.

1444. Grive, Madeleine. ‘Bergmans knähundar’ [B’s lap dogs]. AB, 4 January 1987, p. 4.
Grive accuses Bergman of surrounding himself with a staff of fawning dogs. See so-called
Hamlet debate listed under reception of Hamlet production, December 1986, (Ø 468).

1445. Jarvie, Ian. ‘Persona: The Person as a Mask’. In Philosophy of the Film. New York &
London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987, pp. 308-329.
Chapter 14 of Jarvie’s book is in part an argument with earlier discussions of Bergman’s Persona
(by Simon, Livingston, Wood), part analysis of the film according to three precepts employed
by Jarvie for each film in the study: (1) film as quest; (2) film as attitude; (3) film as thesis and
philosophical framework. See also Commentary to Persona in filmography, Ø 236.

1446. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Vid Spegeln: Lacan/Bergman’ [At the Mirror: Lacan/Bergman].
Filmhäftet 57, 1987: 13-21.
After a brief but comprehensive presentation of Lacan’s theory about the Mirror or Imaginary
phase and the Symbolic or language-acquiring phase in child psychology and its relevance to
the film viewer’s dualistic perception of a feature film, Koskinen discusses Persona as a struc-
tured oscillation between the Imaginary and the Symbolic – a film that attempts to destroy its
mimetic function, yet affirms its dependence on it.

1447. Nilsson, Björn. ‘Vådan av att vara för stor’ [The risk of being too great]. Månads-
Journalen no. 5, 1987, p. 8-10.
In connection with the press debate about Bergman’s production of Hamlet during the spring
of 1987, Björn Nilsson offered an explanation of the critical reception of this staging: Bergman
upset some critics by not playing his part as an aging artist quietly listening to an autumn
sonata; instead, he continued to question and challenge and to renew himself.

1448. Nilsson, Björn. ‘Ingmar Bergman på gränsen mellan förkastelse och förlossning’
[Bergman on the borderline between rejection and redemption]. Månads-Journalen,
no. 12 (December) 1987: 13-15.
About Bergman and his mad uncle Carl; the author raises the issue of how close Ingmar
Bergman might have come to share a similar fate.

1449. Steene, Birgitta. Ingmar Bergman: A Guide to References and Resources. Boston: G.
K. Hall, 1987. 287 pp.
A reference guide to Bergman’s filmmaking up to 1984.

1450. Weise, Eckhard. Ingmar Bergman. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1987. 158 pp.
A comprehensive German survey of Bergman’s filmmaking career, one of few German-
authored books on Bergman.

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1451. ZieliŃska, Donata, ed. Ingmar Bergman. W opinii krytyki zagranicznej. Warsaw:
Filmoteka Polska, 1987. 159 pp. With biographical note (by Grzegorz Balski), biblio-
graphy and a filmography
Excerpts from previously published works by Béranger, Bergom-Larsson, Donner, Godard,
Koskinen, Philips (Gene), Steene, and Young. Also includes Bergman’s 1959 essay ‘Varje film
är min sista’ [Each Film is my Last], trans. as ‘Kazdi film jest moim filmem ostatnim’, pp. 130-
139.

1988
1452. Group Item: Ingmar Bergman at 70
In connection with Bergman’s 70th birthday on 14 July 1988, a number of magazine and
newspaper articles were published, among them the following:
1. Chaplin 30, no. 2-3 (215/216), 1988, ed. by Lars Åhlander.
Chaplin’s special tribute issue was also published in English as ‘Ingmar Bergman at 70. A
Tribute.’(1988). It also appeared in a Russian edition titled Ingmar Bergman, ed. by Irina
Rubanova, Moskow: SK. SSSR, 1991, 160 pp. Some of the material was included in German
in Gaukler im Grenzland, Berlin: Henschel Verlag, 1993, and in Kino Iskusstvo, no. 2 (February)
1989: 32-46, as well as in Ingmar Bergman. The Journey of an Artist, ed. by Roger Oliver. New
York: Arcade Publishers, 1995.
Pagination in listing below refers first to Swedish, then to the special English issue of Chaplin.
The issue contains homages to Bergman by filmmakers Woody Allen, Sir Richard Atten-
borough, Frederico Fellini, Jean Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa, Satiyat Ray, Ettore Scola, the
Brothers Tavani, Andresz Wajda, and Wim Wenders (Wenders contribution appeared in Ger-
man, ‘Für (nicht über) Ingmar Bergman’, in Film und Fernsehen, no. 7, July 1990, pp. 22-23); by
actors Eva Dahlbeck, Erland Josephson, Gunnel Lindblom, and Max von Sydow; Bergman
himself contributes under his old pseudonym of Ernest Riffe with a reprint of the 1960 article,
now titled ‘Andlig sömngångare och falskspelare’ [lit. trans. Spiritual Somnambulist and Coun-
terfeiter], changed in English edition to ‘Pathetic Phrasing and Hollow Emptiness’. pp. 76, 157/
20-21.
The Chaplin issue also contains the following articles on Bergman’s filmmaking by:
Björkman, Stig. ‘Det oåtkomliga’ [The inaccessible], pp. 81-83/24-27. (On Bergman’s visual
dream style).
Cowie, Peter. ‘The reluctant performer’, pp. 86-89 (only in the English edition). (A reprint of an
event sponsored by The Guardian at the British National Film Theatre (NFT), where
Bergman talked about Alf Sjöberg – with some historical flashbacks to his early days as
‘script washer’ at SF and his current views on film/TV).
Dickstein, Morris. ‘En titt under illusionernas mask’ [Peering Behind the Mask], pp. 60-63. (On
The Silence and Persona).
Donner, Jörn. ‘En konstnärlig följeslagare’ [An artistic companion]. Changed in the English
edition to ‘The Significance of Ingmar Bergman’, pp. 108-109/64-66. (Part post-war film
history, part focus on Bergman’s uniqueness as a ‘child’ and moralist).
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Tvålopera à la Bergman’ [Soap Opera à la Bergman], pp. 84-88/30-34). (On
Bergman’s Bris commercials).

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Simon, John. ‘Det mänskliga ansiktet’ [The Human Face], pp. 108-09/56-59. (On author’s first
reaction to Bergman’s The Naked Night).
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Barnet som Bergmans persona’ [The Child as B’s Persona], pp. 122-129/72-81.
(On the child as character and metaphor in B’s films).
Timm Mikael. ‘Gränslandets filmare – Bergman och den kulturella traditionen’ [A Filmmaker
in the Borderland), pp. 90-97/38-45. (Argues that Bergman’s filmography mirrors the cul-
tural journey of the entire 20th-century).
Several of the above articles are discussed by Sissel Hamre Dagsland in Danish Berlingske
Tidende, 14 July 1988.
2. Filmhäftet. Tidskrift om film och TV, 62 (May) 1988, 65 pp. A Bergman theme issue titled ‘B
som i Bergman’ (B as in Bergman). Contains the following articles:
Andersson, Lars Gustaf. ‘Smultronstället och Homo viator-motivet’ [Wild Strawberries and the
Homo viator theme], pp. 26-39. (Discussion of B’s film as an archetypal journey in the
European literary tradition).
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Vid fiktionens gräns. Ingmar Bergman och den höjda taktpinnens estetik’
[At the borderline of fiction. Bergman and the esthetics of the raised baton], pp. 4-10. (On
the invisible and visible narrator in Bergman’s films and other narrative devices).
Ljungkvist, Anna & Jan-Erik Westman. ‘Under luppen. Bergman och kritiken’ [Under the
magnifying glass. Bergman and the critics], pp. 43-53. (On the reception of Bergman’s films
based on a sampling of 282 Stockholm newspaper reviews).
Qvist, Per Olov. ‘Dömda till frihet. Noteringar kring Bergmans första filmer’ [Doomed to
freedom. Notes on B’s first films], pp. 11-25. (Places B’s earliest films in their cultural
context and compares them to other Swedish films at the time).
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Laterna magica. Att röra sig mellan magi och havregryns-
gröt’ [Bergman’s Magic Lantern. To move between magic and oatmeal porridge], pp. 51-54.
(Review article of Bergman’s memoirs).
Viklund, Klas. ‘Konstnären, demonerna och publiken’ [The artist, the demons, and the public],
pp. 40-42. (A discussion of the meta-filmic motif in Hour of the Wolf).
3. Conference of Katolische Akademie Schwerte, April 1988, titled ‘Wie zu leben – wie zu
überleben? – Ingmar Bergman 70 Jahre’. Frankfurt: Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Jugend-
filmarbeit und Medienziehung, 1990, 65 pp.
4. Among a plethora of press articles published in connection with Bergman’s 70th birthday, see:
Berggraf, Rainer. ‘Die Wirklichkeit gibt es vielleicht nur als Sehnsucht’. Die Welt, no. 162, 14 July
1988;
Che. ‘Gaukler, Geisterbeschwörer und Bildzauberer’. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 14 July 1988;
Gammelgaard, Tone. ‘Sannhetselsker og løgner’ [Truth teller and lier]. Verdens Gang, 13 July
1988;
Hansen, Jan E. ‘Mangfoldet av mønstre. Et teater å komme hjem til’ [Manifold of patterns. A
theater to return home to]. Aftenposten (Oslo), 9 July 1988. (An account of Bergman’s return
to Dramaten and the homage paid to him by actors and audience at the opening of his
production of King Lear in 1984, when Bergman made a rare post-performance appearance.
Hansen sees the theatre as Bergman’s source of inspiration and central metaphor for life
and art. Cf. his interview with Bergman, 1986, Ø 908);
Ignée, Wolfgang. ‘Auf der Insel der Kunst’. Stuttgarter Zeiting, 14 July 1988;
‘Ingmar Bergman fyller 70’. Morgenbladet, 14 July 1988;
Jansen, Peter W. ‘Woodys Nordlicht’. Die Zeit, no. 29, 15 July 1988;
Koskinen, Maaret. See Ø 1466;

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Michiels, Dirk. ‘Ingmar Bergman 70’. Film et Télévisie 374-375 (July-August) 1988: 24-25. (A brief
assessment of Bergman’s filmmaking role, plus excerpted statements by Bergman, mostly
from Laterna magica);
Pflaum, H.G. ‘Der Chronist der Angst’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 14 July 1988;
Rustad, Hans. ‘Ingmar Bergman er blitt et begrep’ [Bergman has become a concept]. Morgen-
bladet (Oslo), 14 July 1988. NTB (syndicated) article. Also in for instance Nordtrønderen,
Namdalen, and Tönsbergs Blad, same date, and in Lofotsposten and Romerikes Blad, 15 July
1988. (Suggests that Bergman’s greatest achievement lies in his having been able to create an
artistic universe of his own);
Salvesen, Paul Leer. ‘Bilder til gråt – og trøst’ [Images for crying – and consolation]. Fedre-
landsvennen (Kristiansand, Norway). 14 July 1988. (A personal assessment of Bergman’s
work, especially his films;
Seidel, Hans Dieter. ‘Schürfen bei Bergman’. Frankfurter Allgemeine, 9 July 1988;
Strunz, Dieter. ‘Der grosse Grübler aus dem Norden’. Berliner Morgenpost, 14 July 1988;
Werkelid, C.O. ‘Barn för evigt’. SvD, 10 July 1988. Sunday Supplement, p. 21, 23. (Essayistic
homage to Bergman at 70. Theme is the ‘provincial’ genius as eternal child).
5. Film Theatre Programmes. ‘Ingmar Bergman – 70th Birthday Tribute’. Film Theatre Pro-
grammes, July 1988, p. 31. A list of a short season of films at the British National Film
Theatre (NFT), in celebration of Bergman’s 70th birthday.
See also: Strandgaard, Charlotte. ‘14.7.1988 – 4000 døde sæler – tilegnet Ingmar Bergman’ [14
July 1988 – 4000 dead seals – dedicated to Ingmar Bergman]. The title is a poem read by the
author on Danish Radio the day after two news items were announced on television newscast:
one about 4000 dead seals and the other about Ingmar Bergman’s 70th birthday.

1453. Group Item: Felix Award and Subsequent Appointment and Resignation of
Bergman as Head of Felix Jury
A report by Bernd Lubowski, ‘Ingmar Bergman tritt für Europas Filmkünstler ein’, Berliner
Morgenpost, 29 December 1988, announced Ingmar Bergman as the recipient of the European
Felix Award (European film prize) in Berlin. See Ø 913.
Two years later, Scotland on Sunday, 2 December 1990, carried a report by Richard Mowe of
Ingmar Bergman as new head of the Felix Jury, distributing the European Film Awards in
Glasgow. The report was titled ‘Bergman’s Dream’ but the event became Bergman’s nightmare:
He left the ceremonies in haste after determining that jury members played favorites. Mowe’s
article precedes Bergman’s cancellation, and is mostly a translation of Cahiers du Cinéma
interview with Bergman (Assayas-Björkman). (See Ø 919). Film Français, no. 2317, 28 Septem-
ber 1990, p. 10, carried a note about Bergman’s election as president of the Felix jury.

1454. Allen, Woody. ‘Through a Life Darkly’. NYT, 18 September 1988, sec 7, p. 1, 29, 30-34.
Reprinted in Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey, ed. Roger Oliver. New York: Arcade
Publishings, 1995, pp. 25-30. Translated into Swedish as ‘Den fullständige filmkonst-
nären’ [The complete film artist] in Expr., 24 September 1988, pp. 4-5, and into French
under title ‘Une vie à travers le miroir’. Positif 382 (December) 1992: 16-20.
Presented as a review of Bergman’s Laterna magica, Allen’s comments read more like memories
of his first encounters with Bergman’s filmmaking (Summer with Monica, The Naked Night, The
Seventh Seal).

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1455. Armando, Carlos. O planeta Bergman. Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Officina de Livros,
1988, 341 pp.
A Brazilian film critic presents a survey of Swedish cinema before and after Bergman, plus a
survey of major themes in Bergman’s filmmaking. Also includes a presentation of main Berg-
man actors and a film by film analysis. The book ends with a selection of articles on Bergman
and interview statements by him.

1456. Behrendt, Poul. ‘Tvånget att göra upp’ [The need to settle accounts]. SvD, 17
January 1988, Sunday section, p. 10. Originally published in the Danish Magazine
Kritik.
A comparison of three Swedish autobiographies – those of Jan Myrdal, Olof Lagercrantz, and
Ingmar Bergman – all three deal with a complicated child-parent relationship.

1457. Blum, Heiko R. ‘Jenseits der Skandale’. Tagesspiegel, 2 July 1988.

A presentation of a Bergman retrospective on ARD (Allgemeiner Rundfunk Deutschland) with
early biographical information, summary of the Trilogy and focus on causes of Bergman’s
success as filmmaker: provocative sex, TV medium, depiction of marriage.

1458. Bolin, Asta. ‘Mellan mörker och ljus’ [Between darkness and light]. Vår lösen 79, no.
6, 1988: 424-28.
A frequent commentator on Bergman’s art in a religious magazine suggests that Bergman the
image maker has himself become a screen for projections by others while remaining somewhat
of a sphinx.

1459. Childkret, David. ‘Film Forum: The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni.’ Eighteenth
Century 12, no. 1 (February) 1988: 52-57. See Ø 1463.

1460. Graef, Igor Abrahim. ‘Archetypal Metaphors in the Works of Bergman and Buñuel’.
M.A. thesis. University of New Mexico, 1988. 151 leaves. Available at Univ. of New
Mexico library.

1461. Haddal, Per. ‘Mangfoldet av mønstre’ [Manifold patterns]. Aftenposten (Oslo), 9

July 1988.
Haddal argues that despite their thematic consistency, Bergman’s films are rich in genre ex-
perimentation.

1462. Horowitz, Mark. ‘Scenes from a Life’. American Film 14, no. 1 (October) 1988: 55-57.
A review of a video release of nine early Bergman films, prompted by publication of The Magic
Lantern. The videos were released by Nelson Entertainment and included following titles: Hets
(Torment), Hamnstad (Port of Call), Till glädje (To Joy), Sommarlek (Summer Interlude), Kvin-
nors väntan (Secrets of Women), Gycklarnas afton (Sawdust and Tinsel), En lektion i kärlek (A
Lesson in Love), Kvinnodröm (Dreams), and Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night).

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1463. Johnson, Jeffrey L.L. ‘Bergman’s Humanist Magic Flute and Losey’s Socialist Don
Giovanni’. Eighteenth Century Life 12, no. 1 (February) 1988: 52-57. With David Child-
kret.
Not a comparative study but more like two separate comments on film versions of opera works
by Mozart.

1464. Kawin, Bruce. ‘The Reflexive Dream’. Dreamworks (3-4) 1988: 171-78.
Making contrasting references to films by Buster Keaton (Sherlock Holmes) and Carl Dreyer
(Vampire, Joan of Arc, Ordet), the author discusses the theatrical metaphor of the curtain, in
which Bergman has phrased his reflexive and spiritual concerns since The Magician.

1465. Kinder, Marsha. ‘The Dialectics of Dreams and Theater in the Films of Ingmar
Bergman’. Dreamworks V, no. 3/4, 1988: 179-82.
Arguing that Bergman’s filmmaking is often linked to a germinal text by another artist that
helps provide the deep structure of Bergman’s work, the author examines the connection
between Strindberg’s Dreamplay and Bergman’s filmmaking. Discusses the following films
(using a mix of American and British titles): The Devil’s Wanton, Sawdust and Tinsel, Smiles
of a Summer Night, The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, The Magician, The Trilogy, Persona, The
Ritual, From the Life of the Marionettes, and Fanny and Alexander. Though some chronological
mistakes lead Kinder erroneously to juxtapose a particular theatre production and a film, the
article is a valuable attempt to explore the dialectic between theatre and dreams in Bergman’s
filmmaking.

1466. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Strövtåg bland Bergmans smultronställen’ [Rambles among

Bergman’s favorite spots]. DN, 14 July 1988, p. 16. Cf. Ø 1452.
A newspaper overview of major themes and narrative approaches in Bergman’s filmmaking.

1467. Lange-Fuchs, Hauke. Ingmar Bergman. Die Grosse Kinofilme. Eine Dokumentation
Lübeck: Amt für Kultur der Hansestadt Lübeck, 1988. 233 pp.
A documented filmography of Bergman’s major films by an editor who was one of the first to
introduce young Bergman to Germany in connection with annual Nordic Film Days in Lübeck.
See also same author in Ingmar Bergman. Seine Filme – sein Leben. Munich: Heyne Verlag 1988,
40 pp. Includes a filmography with brief synopsis of films, and photographs.

1468. Maxfield, James F. ‘Dreaming with Bergman’. Willamette Journal of the Liberal Arts
4, no. 1 (Winter) 1988-1989: 53-74.
A discussion of three dream scequences in Bergman’s filmmaking: (1) series of scenes in final
third of Persona; (2) the dead Agnes’s summoning of her sisters and her servant Anna toward
the end of Cries and Whispers; (3) Alexander’s wandering at night through Isak Jacobi’s puppet
shop in Fanny and Alexander. All these ‘dream sequences’ are pivotal in revealing an essential
truth about the characters involved, yet their dream structure leaves something indelibly mys-
terious behind.

1469. Ohlin, Peter. ‘Through a Glass Darkly: Figurative Language in Ingmar Bergman’s
Script’. Scandinavian Canadian Studies/Etudes Scandinaves au Canada 3, 1988: 73-88.

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The author discusses image clusters in Bergman’s script to Through a Glass Darkly, singling out
such features as light and darkness; decay and rotting; walls and bounderies signifying both
vulnerability and protection, disease and sickness; animal references and inanimate objects
described as having human qualities. He concludes that the script is much more melodramatic
and violent in tone than the finished film.

1470. Oliva, Ljubomir. ‘Rytir, smrt a Dabel’ . Film a Doba, 12 (December) 1988: 682-88.
On Bergman’s early work, prior to 1952.

1471. Sjöman, Vilgot. ‘Bortstött, avskuren, utplånad’ [Rejected, cut off, wiped out]. DN,
10 July 1988, pp. 32-33.
A discussion of the theme of separation in Bergman’s films: separation from the womb (Gyck-
larnas afton/The Naked Night); rejection by parent (Tystnaden/The Silence, Såsom i en spegel/
Through a Glass Darkly); ‘self-isolation’, withdrawal as a form of revenge (Persona); religious
separation (Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light); separation from life (Viskningar och rop/Cries and
Whispers).

1472. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Laterna magica.’ Finsk tidskrift, no. 2/3, 1988:
78-90.
A discussion of Bergman’s memoir The Magic Lantern as a literary work in the context of
various definitions of autobiography as a genre.

1473. Teréus, Roger. ‘Ingmar Bergman – den passionerade regissören’ [Bergman – the
passionate director]. Filmrutan, no. 2, 1988: 24-26.
The author comments on extensive Bergman literature abroad and lack of academic interest in
his works in Sweden.

1474. Tobin, Yann. ‘Quand mes yeux verront-ils la lumière’. Positif 334 (December) 1988:2-
9.
An assessment of Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking in relation to other arts and media. This text
was presented in May 1988 at a seminar in connection with an honorary award to Ingmar
Bergman by the city of Fiesole in Italy: ‘Premio Fiesole ai Maestri del cinema.’ Cf. Ø 1478.

1475. Wasserman, Raquel. Filmologia de Bergman: Dios, la vida y la muerte. Buenos Aires:
Editorial Fraterna, 1988, 185 pp. See Ø 997.

1476. Working with Ingmar Bergman. A booklet published by British Film Institute
and Thames Television. London: BFI, 1988, 57 pp.
Recollections by Bergman actors, crew members, and editor (Lasse Bergström), published in
connection with British BBC 4 TV documentary about Bergman. Includes an introduction by
Peter Cowie. See (Ø 912).

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1989
1477. Group Item: Sonning Prize
On 17 November 1989, Ingmar Bergman received the Danish Sonning Prize of half a million
Danish crowns in recognition of his film and theatre work. He immediately donated the sum to
set up a foundation that would distribute an annual travel stipend to a Danish filmmaker or
theatre person. At the ceremony, which took place at the University of Copenhagen, the
Chancellor (Ove Nathan) motivated the choice of Ingmar Bergman as a recipient of the
Sonning Prize. The Dean of Social Sciences addressed Bergman’s filmmaking and Professor
Thomas Bredsdorff spoke about his theatre work. Bergman responded with a speech titled
‘Mina danska änglar’ (My Danish Angels), in which he talked about three Danish literary
figures that had been important to him: Kierkegaard, Georg Brandes, and Kaj Munk. Cross-
listed in Chapter II, (Ø 187), 1990.
For reports on the award, see Per Dabelsteen, ‘Forærede en halv mill. Væk’ [Gave away half a
million. Gone]. Morgenavisen (Danish), 18 November 1989. Bergman’s speech is reprinted on
the same page. An abbreviated version of Thomas Bredsdorff ’s speech appeared as a ‘kronikk’
in Politiken, October 12 1989, and in Expr. (‘Hyllningen till Ingmar Bergman’) on 12 October
1989, p. 29. An 8-minute news program about Bergman and the Sonning Prize was broadcast on
Danish Radio (DR), on 11 October 1989.

1478. Bernardi, S. ‘Ingmar Bergman: sinfonia del silenzio’. Filmcritica XL, no. 393 (March
1989): 206.
A resume of a conference held in May 1988 in Italian fiesole, titled ‘Ingmar Bergman: Sinfonia
di scrittore’. Includes untitled contributions by Ermanno Comuzio, Sergio Sablich and Piero
Revoltella. The article emphasizes rhythm and musical quality of Bergman’s screenplays.

1479. Błaszczyna, Stanisłav. ‘Bergman a symbole’ [Bergman and symbols]. Kino XXIII,
no. 11 (269) (November 1989): 33-38.
About Bergman’s use of symbols in the representational form of a dream consciousness. The
article refers to Freud’s and Jung’s studies of dreams as wishfulfilment and archetype, with focus
on Gycklarnas afton, Smultronstället, Viskningar och rop, Persona. It also treats the mirror motif
in Bergman as a search for identity and a form of unmasking.

1480. Chion, Michel. ‘A l’endroit du spectateur: Sur le style cinématographique de Berg-

man’. Vertigo, no. 1, 1989, pp. 137-38.
A critique of Bergman as an eclectic filmmaker with no unity of style or technique but
oscillating between cinematographic avant-gardism and total classicism. However this duality
comes together in Fanny and Alexander. The title refers to Bergman’s ability to evoke the
astonishment of early film spectators when first confronted with the magic of the new medium.

1481. Cowie, Peter. Max von Sydow. From The Seventh Seal to Pelle the Conqueror. Special
Chaplin publication, Swedish Film Institute, 1989, 87 pp.
Chapters 1 and 2, titled ‘The Youthful Challenge’ and ‘Bergman’s Spiritual Coward’, deal with
von Sydow’s stage performances during Bergman’s Malmö period and his roles in The Seventh
Seal, Wild Strawberries, Close to Life, The Magician (The Face), The Virgin Spring, Through a

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Glass Darkly, Winter Light, Hour of the Wolf, Shame, A Passion, and The Touch. Includes some
interview statements on his work by von Sydow. Pp. 15-43.

1482. ‘Drugite za Bergman.’ Kinoizkustvo XLIV, no. 2 (February 1989), pp. 32-46.
A Bulgarian dossier with illustrations of Bergman’s filmmaking.

1483. Gianvito, J. ‘Bergman’s Magic Lantern ‘Living in its Own Meaning.’’ Literature/Film
Quarterly 17 (April), 1989:138- 40.
Basically a discussion of Bergman’s self-portrait in his memoir book Laterna magica.

1484. Helker, Renate & Jochen Meyer-Wendt. ‘Gewalt und Leidenschaft. Ein Porträt
der Schauspielerin Ingrid Thulin’. Filmbulletin no. 164, 1989, pp. 52-63.
A portrait of actress Ingrid Thulin as one of Bergman’s leading screen performers between 1957
(Wild Strawberries) and 1984 (After the Rehearsal), and before that time as a stage actress at
Malmö City Theatre. The authors claim that without Bergman, Thulin would have remained a
mediocre actress. This article is followed by an interview with Thulin.

1485. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Spegelskrift. Nedslag i några tidiga Bergman-filmer’ [reflected

writing. Strokes in some early Bergman films]. Chaplin no. 224, 1989: 232-35, 277.
About Bergman’s use of the mirror motif as a carrier of meanings not necessarily visible to the
naked eye. The mirror implies doubling, revelation, insight into self but also a contrasting of
selves and masks.

1486. Lauder, Robert. God, Death, Art and Love. The Philosophical Vision of Ingmar Berg-
man. Mahwah, NJ: The Paulist Press, 1989. 198 pp. With a foreword by Liv Ullmann.
A great admirer of Bergman’s filmmaking, Lauder has been a faithful reviewer of his works,
emphasizing its religious or philosophical aspects. ‘Bergman is to film what Shakespeare is to
theater and Joyce is to literature’. Cf. Group item (Ø 997), 1958.
Review: Commonweal, 14 September 1990.

1487. Madsen, Ole Christian. ‘Bergman, biografen, skyggerne’ (B., the movie house, the
shadows). Levende billeder 5, no. 3, 1989: 24-25.
Madsen relates Ingmar Bergman’s creativity to his childhood, seeing it as ‘a conglomeration of
angst, lies, mythmaking, guilt and love in a hopeless world’. Result: Bergman has no gods, only
demons.

1488. Navarro de Andrade, José, ed. Ciclo Ingmar Bergman. Lisbon: Cinemateca Portu-
guesa, 1989. 185 pp.
An attractive collage of interviews and articles, preceded by a poem on Bergman’s film Winter
Light by Agostino da Silva. The survey article by João Benard da Costa, ‘Ingmar Bergman: O
Cheiro equisito de Cinema’, pp. 41-90, relies somewhat too much on one single source, Frank
Gado’s The Passion of Ingmar Bergman. (See Ø 1432).

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1489. Ritter, Naomi. ‘The Popular Show in Film: Bergman and Fellini’. Art as Spectacle.
Images of the Entertainer since Romanticism. Columbia and London: University of
Missouri Press, 1989, pp. 276-312.
The title chapter does not compare Bergman and Fellini. Bergman is discussed in particular on
pp. 276-294, 311-12. Focus is on the circus in The Naked Night, the actors in The Seventh Seal, the
dwarfs in The Silence and Alexander’s toy theater and Aron’s puppets in Fanny and Alexander.
The performer/entertainer represents both a diegetic and an aesthetic feature in these films.

1490. Rokem, Freddie. ‘Bergmans dibbuk’. Judisk krönika, no. 1, 1989, pp. 16-17. See Ø 375,
989 (Shakespeare).

1491. Schadwill, Uwe. ‘’Aber was reflektieren die Scherben?’: E.T.A. Hoffmann und Ing-
mar Bergman’. Mitteilungen der E.T.A. Hoffmann Gesellschaft. Bamberg, Germany:
1989, pp. 35, 62-77. See Ø 989.

1492. Sitney, Adams P. ‘Color and Myth in Cries and Whispers’. Film Criticism 13, no. 3
(Spring) 1989: 37-41. Also published in Swedish under the title ‘Liksom en saga av
Bröderna Grimm’ [Like a tale by the Brothers Grimm]. Chaplin XXXI, no. 3 (222),
1989: 124-25.
About the use of color and symbolic structure in Bergman’s filmmaking, especially Cries and
Whispers.

1493. Sörenson, Elisabeth. Loppcirkus. Max von Sydow berättar. Stockholm: Brombergs,
1989.
In a biography, based on interviews, the actor Max von Sydow discusses his collaboration with
Ingmar Bergman on stage and screen. See pp. 83-112.

1494. Werkö, Mårten. ‘Kompositören Ingmar Bergman’. Ny Tid (Finland), 6 December

1989, p. 10.
A report from a Bergman symposium in Karis, Finland, discussing the difference in Bergman’s
Christian frame of reference and today’s secularized audience.

1495. White, Margaret Leslie. ‘The Interplay of Diegetic and Experiential Time in
Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata and Bertrand Tavernier’s Round Midnight.’ B.A.
honors thesis, University of Southwestern Louisiana, 1989, 47 leaves.

1990
1496. Group Item: Award of Honorary Degree at University of Rome
Organizers had hoped for Bergman’s presence on 7 December 1990 to receive an honorary
degree, but he cancelled his appearance. Cinema Nuovo, XXXIX, no. 325 (May-June) 1990: 5-11,
contains the following items pertaining to this event:
Aristarco, Guido. ‘Il volto e l’oltre’ in Bergman narratore moderno’, pp. 5-7. (On the dualism of
the face and the ‘other’ in Bergman’s film narratives).

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Hedin, Sven F. ‘L’ultimo riconoscimento’, p. 8-9. (Acceptance speech by Swedish ambassador).

Peluffo, Nicola. ‘Il regista e il procedimento micropsicoanalytico’, pp. 9-11. (A brief speech on
the psychological make-up of Bergman’s characters).

1497. Burdick, Dolores. ‘Persona: Facing the Mirror Together’. In Close Viewings: An
Anthology of New Film Criticism, ed. by Peter Lehman. Tallahassee: Florida State
University Press, 1990, pp. 23-38.
Persona is described as a mirror, not a window; the film is self-revealing rather then offering a
glimpse of an outside representational reality. Cf. Commentary on Persona in Filmography,
Chapter IV, Ø 236.

1498. Josephson, Erland. Sanningslekar. Stockholm: Brombergs, 1990.

In a series of memoirs, the first one titled Rollen (1989) and the second one Sanningslekar [Truth
games], Bergman actor and lifelong friend Erland Josephson discusses various aspects of his
career. For his contacts with Ingmar Bergman, see Sanningslekar, chapters 13, 14, 23, 26-27, 30-
32, 81. A fifth volume, titled Svarslös [1996, Speechless], also contains numerous passages (but
no complete chapters) on Josephson’s work with Ingmar Bergman at the Hälsingborg City
Theatre, Göteborg City Theatre and Dramaten. While Sanningslekar is interspersed with com-
ments on Bergman’s 1987 production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, in which Josephson played Dr.
Rank, Svarslös uses Bergman’s 1996 staging of the Bachae at Dramaten as a frequent point of
reference.
Josephson’s memoirs also include Föreställningar [Performances], 1991; Vita sanningar [White
truths], 1997. A collection of Rollen, Sanningslekar and Föreställningar was published in 1995.

1499. Lange-Fuchs, Hauke and Martin Linz. ... noch einmal zu Bergman. Frankfurt:
Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Jugendfilmarbeit und Medienziehung, 1990, 65 pp.
Three essays originally presented as papers at the Conference of Katolische Akademie Schwerte
in April 1988 on the theme of ‘Wie zu leben – wie zu überleben? – Ingmar Bergman 70 Jahre.’
See Ø 1452, p. 977.
Lange-Fuchs writes on Ingmar Bergman and the world of childhood in ‘Das Kind im (Berg)
Manne’ (also published in Magic Lantern, no. 2, 1991: 1-4), and on Bergman’s commercials,
made for the Sunlight Corp. in 1950-51, in ‘Soap Opera à la Bergman. Bergmans Werbefilme.’
Linz writes on the philosophical/religious content of Bergman’s films in ‘Gleichnisse. Phi-
losophische und theologische Spuren im Werk Bergmans.’ Cf. Ø 997.

1500. Murphy, Kathleen. ‘Children of the Paradise’, Film Comment 26, no. 6 (November-
December 1990), pp. 38-39, 42.
Murphy compares Persona with Angeloupolos’s film Landscape in the Mist.

1501. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Bergman, Ernst Ingmar’. Dictionary of Scandinavian Literature,

Greenwood Press, 1990.
Dictionary entry on Bergman.

1502. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Vita dukens magi: Ingmar Bergman och de nya medierna’ [The
magic of the silver screen: Bergman and the new media]. Modernister och arbetardik-
tare. Den svenska litteraturen, vol. 5, ed. by S. Delblanc and L. Lönnroth. Stockholm:

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Bonniers, 1990, pp. 260-70. Repr. in Från modernism till massmedial marknad: 1920-
1995. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1999, pp. 264-274.
A chapter on Ingmar Bergman as an auteur in multi-volume literary history.

1503. Vries, Tjitte de. Filmartikelen en essays 1966-1990: dagbladartikelen, brochureteksten

en beschouwingen over film en filmgeschiedenis. Rotterdam: [s.n.], 1990, 190 pp.
Pages 1-16 present a survey of Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking by one of the earliest commenta-
tors on Bergman in the Netherlands.

1991
1504. Bergström, Lasse. ‘Den gamle och havet. En försonad Ingmar Bergman’ [The old
man and the sea. A reconciled Bergman] Månadsjournalen, no. 11, 1991, pp. Also
published in English as ‘Bergman’s Best Intentions’. Scanorama, May 1992, pp. 12-13,
17-18; and in Ingmar Bergman: An Artist’s Journey, ed. by Roger Oliver. New York:
Arcade Publishings, 1995, pp. 16-22.
About Bergman’s reconciliation with his parents and his bourgeois heritage.

1505. Blake, Richard A., S.J. ‘Looking for God. Profane and Sacred in the Films of Woody
Allen’. Journal of Popular Film and Television 19, no. 2 (Summer) 1991: 58-66.
Blake discusses the ramifications of a theological approach to cinema by comparing Woody
Allen’s and Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking. To Blake, Bergman’s quest is private and sacred,
Allen’s is social and profane. Bergman’s characters withdraw from daily living, Allen’s characters
anguish over coping with everyday life.

1506. Heath, Elizabeth, F. ‘The Theme of Anxiety in Selected Works of Henrik Ibsen,
Edward Munch and Ingmar Bergman’. M.A. thesis, University of South Florida, 1991,
60 leaves.

1507. Marty, Joseph. Ingmar Bergman. Une poétique du désir. Paris: Editions du Cerf, 1991.
A survey of Bergman’s filmmaking, followed by a chronological analysis of his films through
1984. Considering the number of Bergman surveys already on the market, the volume provides
little new information but includes a very compact bibliography of (mostly) French publica-
tions on Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking, from 1955-1990, including French interviews and a
listing of special magazine issues (fiches) pertaining to a number of Bergman films. Last film
listed is Efter repetition (Après la répétition).
Review
Images, Spring 1992.

1508. Positif, 360 (February) 1991. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Contains the following articles:
Aghed, Jan. ‘Une sacrée promenade: Bilder ou les nouvelles confessions d’Ingmar Bergman’. Pp.
100-103, (Review article on Bilder/Images);
Amile, Vincent. ‘La part des femmes’. p. 98 (On Bergman’s portrayal of women);

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Tobin, Yann. ‘Ingmar Bergman avant la conscience: les cinque premiers films’. pp. 95-97.
(Makes a brief assessment of Bergman’s first five films: Kris/Crise, Det regnar på vår kär-
lek/Il pleut sur notre amour, Skepp till Indialand Bateau pour les Indes, Musik i mörker/
Musique dans les ténèbres, Hamnstad/Ville portuaire).

1509. Sandberg, Mark. ‘Rewriting God’s Plot. Ingmar Bergman and Feminine Narrative’.
Scandinavian Studies 63, no. 1 (Winter) 1991: 1-29.
A study of Bergman’s growing valorization of female discourse, pointing out however his
undercutting of the independent female voice by a male point of view that denies the female
voice total control. A more subtle analysis than earlier feminist approaches to Bergman. (Cf.
Ø 975).

1510. Sobolewski, Tadeusz. ‘Zły chłopiec – Bergman’. (Bad Boy – Bergman). Kino XXV,
no. 4 (286), (April) 1991: 18-25.
A discussion of male/female, god/man, hate/love dichotomy in Bergman’s filmmaking, partly
based on a reading of Laterna magica. Also includes text to ‘Isak’s story’ from the TV produc-
tion of Fanny and Alexander (longer version).

1511. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergmans Bilder och den självbiografiska genren’ [Berg-
man’s Images and the autobiographical genre]. Finsk Tidskrift, no. 5, 1991: 274-86.
A discussion of Bilder [Images] and the autobiographical genre.

1512. SzczepaŃski, Tadeusz & Andrzej Werner. ‘Bergman jako pisarz. W şwietkle nocy,
w mroku dnia’ [Bergman as a Writer]. Kino XXV, no. 5 (287), (May) 1991: 6-9, 12-17.
A discussion of literary works by Bergman and a translation of his debut story, ‘En kort
berättelse om ett av Jack Uppskärarens tidigaste barndomsminnen’. (Ø 26), translated as
‘Krotsze opowiadanie o jednym z najwczesniejszych w s pomnien z dziecinstwa Kuby Rozpru-
wacza’, pp. 9-11.

1513. Vacondeus, Joaquim. ‘Fotogramas de palco com o peso de Bergman’. Exposocão, 20

April 1991.
A photo exhibit in Lisbon, titled ‘Bergman on Stage’. The exhibit ran at the time when
Dramaten presented Madame de Sade, at Lisbon’s Teatro Nacional D. Maria II. See Theatre
Chapter VI, (Ø 471).

1514. Winterson, Jeanette. ‘Blooded with Optimism’. Sight and Sound (May) 1991: 33.
Novelist Jeanette Winterson writes about her fascination with Ingmar Bergman’s films, espe-
cially The Seventh Seal and Fanny and Alexander.

1515. Zavarzadeh, Mas’ud. Seeing Films Politically. Albany: State University of New York
Press, 1991, 267 pp.
The book includes a chapter on ‘The Political Economy of Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and
Alexander’, pp. 229-246. It argues that Bergman presents Alexander within the space of the
Lacanian Imaginary and depicts Alexander’s refusal to enter into the Symbolic Order (domaine

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of the father). The book as a whole attempts to reveal the dominant ideology in a number of
feature films and pays little attention to artistic qualities.

1992
1516. Aghed, Jan. ‘Bergman après Bergman’. Positif 382, (December) 1992: 21-30.
A review article of Enskilda samtal (Private Confessions) and Söndagsbarn (Sunday’s child).

1517. Bax, Dominique, ed. Théâtres au cinéma. The program issued at the Magic Cinema
festival at Bobigny, France, April 1-20, 1992, 89 pp.
The first half of the program focusses on Bergman; the second half on Strindberg. With an
introduction by Peter Cowie (pp. 8-11); cited comments by Bergman on rhythm, music, close-
up, eroticism, etc. (p. 13); an imaginary interview (‘Gnossjennés scandinaves’) by Said Ould-
Kbelifa, based on excerpts from Laterna magica (pp. 15-16); an article by Fabrice Renault
d’Allonnes titled ‘Bergman, le théâtre et le cinéma’ (pp. 18-19), and a filmography with ex-
cerpted reviews of each film. Renault d’Allonnes’ article singles out two cinematic features said
to be impossible to achieve in the theatre: the close-up and the montage.

1518. Berger, Christian. ‘Auf der Suche: Leute in Ingmar Bergmans Filmen der fünfziger
under sechziger Jahre’. Diss. University of Vienna, 1992. DAIA 1996 (Fall). Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan, 1996. 256 ms. pp.
A character analysis of main figures in Bergman’s films from the Fifties and Sixties.

1519. Bergom-Larsson, Maria, Stina Hammar, and Bengt Kristensson-Uggla, eds.

Nedstigningar i modern film – hos Bergman,Wenders, Adlon, Tarkovski. [Descents into
modern film – in Bergman etc]. Delsbo: Åsak, Sahlin & Dahlström AB, 1992.
Chapter II contains the following two articles on Bergman’s filmmaking:
Maria Bergom-Larsson & Bengt Kristensson-Uggla. ‘Film som religiöst språk. Hedenius och
Bergman i livsåskådningsdebatten’ [Film as religious language. H and B in the public
philosophical debate], pp. 9-22. (Focussing on Bergman’s film Fängelse (Prison), the authors
relate the film’s imagery to philosophy professor Ingemar Hedenius’ 1948 book ‘Tro och
vetande’ but claim that Bergman’s visual focus was overshadowed by a word-oriented
Hedenius debate).
Maria Bergom-Larsson. ‘Ingmar Bergman och den mörka kommunionen. Tankar kring faders-
gudens död i Bergman filmkonst’ [Bergman and the dark communion. Thoughts on the
death of the divine father figure in B’s film art], pp. 23-49. The essay centers on the
emergence of a god of compassion in the following films: Gycklarnas afton (The Naked
Night), ‘The Trilogy’, Skammen (Shame) and Fanny och Alexander.

1520. Bohlin, Torgny. ‘Torsten Bohlin – konturer av en teologs identitetsutveckling II.

Tillika en studie i Ingmar Bergmans “Den goda viljan”’ [TB – Contours of a theo-
logian’s identity development II. Plus a study of Bergman’s ‘Best Intentions’]. Kyrko-
historisk årsskrift 1992, pp. 29-54.

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The son of Torsten Bohlin provides a portrait of his father, who in his youth was a close friend
and frequent visitor to Karin Åkerblom’s childhood home and one of her lifelong friends.
Discusses the real-life background of Bergman’s narrative ‘Best Intentions’, the first part of
which depicts the Åkerblom household.

1521. Bono, Francesco, ed. Il giovane Bergman. Rome: Officina Edizione, 1992. 133 pp.
A book on films by young Bergman, presented at a retrospective festival, ‘Il cinema del primo
Bergman’, in Rome’s Palazzo delle Esposizioni, October 7-12, 1992. Contains filmography of
early films, including episodes in 1951 commercials for Bris soap, an excerpt from Bergman on
Bergman (Ø 788) and the following essays:
Bono, Francesco. ‘Gli esordi di un regista’, pp. 7-8.
Cowie, Peter. ‘Autobiografia e storie di coppie nei primi film di Bergman’, pp. 29-34.
Fridén, Ann. ‘Bergman drammaturgo e regista teatrale negli anni Quaranta’, pp. 45-60.
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Al di la della finzione. Alle origini dell’estetica di Bergman’, pp.21-28.
Marty, Joseph. ‘Figure e trame nel cinema del giovane Bergman’, pp. 35-44.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Bergman e il cinema svedese del dopoquerra’, pp. 9-20.
Trasatti, Sergio. ‘La critica italiana alla scoperta di Bergman’, pp. 61-68.

1522. Cohen, Shalev Amin. ‘The Effect of Aging on Dramatic Realization of Old Age: The
Example of Ingmar Bergman’. The Gerontologist. (December) 1992: 739-44.
A medical study of two Bergman films on aging, Wild Strawberries and Fanny and Alexander,
portraying two approaches to integrity, one (Isak Borg) compulsive, the other (Helena Ekdahl)
adaptable to others.

1523. Harcourt, Peter. ‘Journey into Silence: An Aspect of the Late Films of Ingmar
Bergman’. Scandinavian Canadian Studies/Etudes Scandinaves au Canada (SCSESC) 5,
1992: 19-28.
The author argues that Bergman’s movement from humanism to modernism explains his
fashionable status in the late Fifties and unfashionable status some thirty years later. Harcourt
traces a movement (‘an awkward trajectory’) involving Bergman’s sense of mistrust of the
magical properties of his own art, coupled with an increasing disbelief in the possibility of
meaningful human exchange.

1524. Levine, Joshua. ‘Dr. Pangloss, meet Ingmar Bergman’. Forbes, 30 March 1992, p. 96.
A discussion of the advertising trend focussing on human mortality. Hence title of article,
which refers to Bergman’s image as a morbid filmmaker.

1525. Liljekvist, Jan. ‘Ingmar Bergmans opus 18 & 27: Om musiken i filmerna Smultron-
stället och Persona’ [Bergman’s opus 18 & 27: about music in Wild Strawberries and
Persona]. Dept. of Music Studies, Stockholm University, 1992, 39 pp. Undergraduate
thesis.

1526. Linton-Malmfors, Birgit, ed. Den dubbla verkligheten. Karin och Erik Bergman i
dagböcker och brev 1907-1936 [Double reality. Karin and Erik Bergman in diaries and
notes 1907-1936]. Stockholm: Carlssons, 1992.

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The editor, a personal childhood friend of Margareta Bergman, made this selection of Karin
Bergman’s diary notes and letters exchanged between Ingmar Bergman’s parents. Two more
volumes of Karin Bergman’s diaries have been edited by Linton-Malmfors and published: Detta
underliga skådespel som heter livet. Karin Bergmans dagböcker 1937-1951. Stockholm: Carlssons,
1995, and Åldrandets tid. Karin Bergmans dagböcker 1952-1966. Stockholm: Carlssons, 1996. All
three volumes contain many references to Ingmar Bergman.
Review: SvD, 19 January 1992, Part 2, p. 32.
For an account of Karin Bergman, based on her diaries and Ingmar Bergman’s use of this
material in Enskilda samtal, see Maaret Koskinen, ‘Rov för borgerligt maktspel’ [Prey of bour-
geois power play], DN, 27 December 1996, p B3, and Christina Rosenqvist, ‘Karin Bergman &
kärleken’ [KB and love]. Vi, no. 47-48, 1996, pp. 59-62.

1527. ‘Mago – Ett liv i siden och vadmal’ [Mago – A life in silk and homespun wool].
SVT, 6 October 1992.
A program about Bergman’s costumier Max Goldstein (Mago).

1528. Mançeau, Jean-Louis. ‘Enfin, La Palme d’Or pour Ingmar Bergman’. Cinéma 72, no.
490 (June 1992), p. 2.
The title refers to Den goda viljan (Best Intentions) winning the Golden Palm Award at the
Cannes Film Festival. However, the film was directed by Bille August and the tribute was as
much to him as to Bergman as the scriptwriter.

1529. Revista Cinematografo. no. 62 (December) 1992.

Bergman issue.

1530. Pasolini, Paolo. ‘Fellini, Bergman, Truffaut’. Iskusstvo Kino no. 3, 1992: 48-52.
Reprint of earlier presentation of title filmmakers, of interest because of author.

1531. Rajat, Roy. Bergman. Calcutta, 1992.

A booklet in Hindi on Bergman’s filmmaking. Available at SFI. See Ø 1211.

1532. Sitney, Adams P. ‘Bergman’s The Silence and the Primal Scene’. Film Culture 76
(June) 1992: 35-38.
The article discusses two Bergman films – Prison and The Silence – in terms of their primal
scene, i.e., depicting an imagined parental intercourse and participating in it. The author
outlines the sexual symbolism of the two title films, with special attention to the film projection
sequence in the attic in Fängelse and the dwarf sequence, the variety show sequence and the
vignette of the boy observing the Rembrandt painting in Tystnaden (The Silence).

1533. Stangerup, Henrik. ‘Den unge Mefisto och viljan till makt’. SDS, 26 January 1992, p.
A 4. See also Ø 1439.
A critical view of Bergman, charging him with failure to acknowledge his youthful Nazi
sympathies and sentimentalizing his family history in Den goda viljan (Best Intentions).

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1534. Svanberg, Lena. ‘Ty riket är ditt’ [Thy Kingdom Come]. Intrig, June-August 1992,
pp. 91-99, 190, 192.
An illustrated presentation of the people who are part of ‘The Bergman Firm’, including family,
actors, and other collaborators. Mostly informational gossip. Cf. next item.

1535. Söderberg, Agneta. ‘Klanen Bergmans många ansikten’. Expr. 31 August 1992, pp.
34-35.
An illustrated picture cavalcade of Bergman’s parents, uncle and self as a child, juxtaposed with
actors portraying them in the films Fanny ocd Alexander, Den goda viljan (Best Intentions), and
Söndagsbarn (Sunday’s Child).

1536. Trasatti, Sergio. Ingmar Bergman, il paradoxo di un ‘Ateo cristiano’. Firenze: La

nuova Italia. Series: Casturo Cinema, no. 156, 1992: 7-163 (+ filmography). 188 pp.
A survey of Bergman’s filmmaking, including his works for television, confirming its lasting
value. To the author, Bergman typifies filmmaking of his time but poses timeless questions. He
presents Bergman’s cinema as a cinema of ideas and makes extensive use of Italian newspaper
reviews of Bergman’s films. See also same item, Interview Chapter, (Ø 925).

1537. Visscher, Jacques de. ‘De beelden van Ingmar Bergman’. Film en Televisie no. 426
(November 1992):14-15.
A discussion of Bergman’s writing and TV production after his withdrawal from large-scale
filmmaking, with a certain emphasis on Bilder (Images. My Life in Film).

1538. Wellendorf, Kassandra. ‘Når farven gi’r mening’ [When color gives meaning].
Kosmorama, no. 200 (Summer) 1992: 51-56.
The author discusses Bergman’s symbolic use of colors and color constellations to depict
emotions, states of mind, and human qualities. She focusses on The Touch, Cries and Whispers,
Autumn Sonata, From the Life of the Marionettes, and Fanny and Alexander.

1993
1539. Group Item: Ingmar Bergman at 75
Among the many newspaper and magazine stories on Bergman’s 75th birthday, the following
constitute a representative sample:
Björkman, Stig. ‘Une découverte d’Ingmar Bergman’. Cahiers du Cinéma nos. 467-468 (May
1993): 90-95. A discussion of Bergman’s interest in Swedish silent filmmaker Georg af
Klercker, resulting in his (TV) play ‘Sista skriket’ (The Last Cry). Also includes references
to other current Bergman activities, such as Cannes Festival which was about to celebrate
Bergman at 75.
Dpa. ‘Filme von Seele zu Seele: Ingmar Bergman wird 75’. Die Welt, 12 July 1993.
Jansen, Peter W. ‘Der klassische Moderne’. Tagespiegel, 14 July 1993.
Nordvik, Martin. ‘Skaperkraft med markant profil’ [Creative power with a marked profile].
Adresseavisen, 10 July 1993.
Norman, Barry. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Radio Times CCLXXVIII, no. 3628 (17 July) 1993: 30.

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Strunz, Dieter. ‘Kraftquelle des europäischen Kinos’. Berliner Morgenpost, 14 July 1993. (Talks
about Bergman’s life and work, his portrayal of men and women, young and old, and his
‘discovery’ of Scandinavian actresses).

1540. Chaplin xxxv, no. 3/246 (Summer) 1993: 1-28.

A special supplement to Swedish film journal on lighting in Bergman’s films with cover story
titled ‘Ingmar & Sven – 25 år som ändrade filmhistorien’ [Ingmar and Sven – 25 years that
changed film history].
The same issue also includes the following articles:
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Den svängande lampan’ [The swinging lamp], pp. 13-15. (About a motif in
three Bergman films – Hamnstad, Ansiktet, and Fanny och Alexander, where the lamp
vignette signifies a magic room, a pendulum between everyday reality and escape, between
unmasking and illusion).
Sterner, Roland. ‘Domptörer i ljuskretsen’ [Trainers in the circle of light], pp. 4-12. Also in
Filmkultura xxix, no. 6 (July) 1993: 1-11. (A discussion of some Bergman films photographed
by Sven Nykvist. The author sees a change from aestheticism (Jungfrukällan/The Virgin
Spring) to realistic use of light (Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light), a process he attributes in
part to technical developments, most specifically Kodak’s double X film 200 ASA).
Werner, Gösta. ‘Traditionen i svenskt filmfoto’ [Tradition in Swedish cinematography], pp. 16-
26 (The author discusses two of Bergman cinematographers: Göran Strindberg and Sven
Nykvist).

1541. Balbierz, Jan and BogusŁaw ŻmudziŃski, eds. Ingmar Bergman. Krakow: Jagiel-
loński University, 1993, 154 pp.
An anthology of excerpts from works by Ingmar Bergman (Laterna magica), Margareta Berg-
man, Anna Bergman, Maria Bergom-Larsson, Łeslaw Czapliński, Jörn Donner, Konrad Eber-
hardt, Marianne Höök, Maaret Koskinen, Tadeusz Sczepański, Vernon Young, and Leif Zern, et
al. The only new material in the volume are two articles by Łeslaw Czaplińksi: ‘Motiwy klucze
w tworczosci filmowej bergmana’ (Key motifs in Bergman’s filmmaking), pp. 63-72 and ‘Berg-
man – mistrz scenicznego szczegolu’ (Bergman – den sceniska detaljens mästare] (pp. 109-113).
Also included are three pieces by Bergman: ‘Ormskinnet’ (Ø 131), ‘Varje film är min sista film’
(Ø 108), and ‘Andlig sömngångare och falskspelare’ (pseudonym Ernest Riffe, Chaplin 1988, no.
2-3; Ø 1452).

1542. Binh, N.T. Ingmar Bergman: Le magicien du Nord. Paris: Gallimard, 1993.
One of the best survey discussions of Bergman’s filmmaking. A personal approach aimed at the
general public.
Reviews
Positif, 397, 1993, p. 88;
Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 473 (November 1993): 7.

1543. Blackwell, Marilyn Johns. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Humanist Tradition: Reac-
tionary Solipsism or Viable Engagement?’ Studies in German and Scandinavian Lit-
erature after 1500. Festschrift for George Schoolfield, ed. by James A. Parente Jr.
Columbia, SC: Camden House, 1993, pp. 282-94.

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The author sees Bergman’s filmmaking as a form of committed humanism rather than self-
absorbed introspection.

1544. Bragg, Melvyn. The Seventh Seal. London: British Film Institute, (BFI Film Clas-
sics), 1993. 69 pp.
Like Philip and Kersti French’s study of Wild Strawberries (entry Ø 1585) in the same BFI series,
this brief study provides a fine analysis of the film and good background information on it,
with relevance to Bergman’s filmmaking in the Fifties.

1545. Bresser, Jan Paul. ‘De rumoerige Stilte’. Elsevier, 16 December 1995, pp. 96-98.
A brief overview of Bergman’s film and stage career, occasioned by his announcement of his
retirement from Dramaten (false alarm).

1546. Cohen, Hubert I. Ingmar Bergman: The Art of Confession. New York: Twayne, 1993,
507 pp.
A comprehensive study of Ingmar Bergman’s filmmaking, including all his work on the silver
screen. The author’s basic premise is that personal background and cinetextual foreground are
inseparable and barely distinguishable. He refers to Bergman’s ‘almost pathological narcissism’.
Well-written but the study does not seem to be familiar with Swedish source material and is
sometimes too detailed in its film synopses.
Reviews
Choice 31, no. 7 (March) 1994, p. 1140;
Film Quarterly XLIX, no. 1 (Fall) 1995: 52-53.

1547. Company, Juan Miguel. Ingmar Bergman. Madrid: Catedra. Signo e Imagen/Ci-
neastas, 1993. 221 pp. Repr. in 1999, 231 pp.
The book begins and ends with two chapters based on selective interviews with Bergman over
the years. Other chapters focus on ‘Ideology and Historicity’ (The Serpent’s Egg, The Silence);
Bergman’s comic and serious spirit (All These Women, The Seventh Seal; Persona); use of
flashbacks/juxtaposition of present and past (Summer Interlude, Wild Strawberries, Cries and
Whispers, After the Rehearsal); and the reception of Bergman by Spanish critics.

1548. Darnton, Nina. ‘Artist as Lover: Bergman’. Elle, May 1993: 130-133.
In connection with a Bergman film festival in London, three of Bergman’s actresses – Harriet
Andersson, Bibi Andersson, and Liv Ullmann – talked about Bergman’s role in their lives. This
is a take-off for an article that discusses Bergman’s impact and direction of women both on
screen and stage. The article was written in connection with guest performances in New York of
Bergman’s stage productions Madame de Sade and Peer Gynt.

1549. Hejll, A. ‘Närgången kamera’ [Obtrusive camera]. Filmrutan XXXVI, no. 1, 1993, pp.
33-35.
The author compares the use of close-ups in Bergman’s Persona and Cassavetes’ Faces.

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1550. Kinema, no. 1 (Spring 1993): 5-12.

A discussion of sexual antagonism in Bergman’s early films, with specific reference to his
parental background and religious upbringing.

1551. Kino (Sofia), no. 3 (July) 1993: 44-80. Special Bergman issue, edited by Todor
Andrejkov, Kasimir Krumov, and K. Russinova.
The issue contains three brief articles by the editors, a bio-filmography, an interview with
Bulgarian theatre director Stavri Karamfilov on his stage production of Höstsonaten, and a
Bulgarian translation of the script to Efter repetitionen.

1552. Koskinen, Maaret. Spel och speglingar. En Studie i Ingmar Bergmans filmiska estetik.
Diss. Stockholm University: Department of Theatre and Cinema Studies, 1993. 278 pp.
A close study of Bergman’s film esthetics as expressed through recurrent visual motifs. The
study is divided into three parts: A survey of Bergman criticism; an analysis of voyeuristic
elements in Bergman’s films; and the play-within-the play structure as an emblematic Bergman
approach (‘urscen’).
Reviews
Chaplin XXXV, no. 2 (245), 1993: 61.

1553. Lefèvre, R. ‘Ingmar Bergman et Georg af Klercker’. Mensuel cinéma, April 1993: 6-8.
About Bergman’s portrait of Georg af Klercker in Sista skriket, Le dernier cri.

1554. Mayo, Wendell. ‘Modernism and Mimetic Crisis: Four Films of Ingmar Bergman’.
West Virginia University Philological Papers (WVUPP) 39, 1993: 144-48.
The author sees Bergman’s contribution to modernism as twofold, beginning with his depiction
of artists in an identity crisis, which is also a mimetic crisis; and continuing in his later film
narratives (Persona and on) with his response to this crisis. The films discussed are Sawdust and
Tinsel (The Naked Night), The Magician, Persona and Hour of the Wolf.

1555. Muller, Kurt. ‘Checkfate!: The Reception of Ingmar Bergman in America, from the
late 1950s ‘til the end of the 1960s’. BA thesis: California Polytechnic State Univ., 1993.
63 leaves. MPI Microfilm Service, San Luis Obispo, CA.

1556. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ett subversivt filmspråk. Ingmar Bergman i ett filmfeministiskt
perspektiv’ [A Subversive Film Language. Ingmar Bergman in a Film Feministic
Perspective]. I Nordisk forskning om kvinnor och medier, ed. by Ulla Carlsson. Göte-
borg: Nordicom 3, 1993, pp. 141-58. Cross-listed and annotated in (Ø 975).

1557. SzczepaŃski, Tadeusz, editor. Bergman Obrazy, Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Artystycz-

na i Filmowe, 1993. 439 pp.
The book contains introductions to a dozen Bergman films from Hets to After the Rehearsal.

1558. Trasatti, Sergio. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Castoro Cinema 156 (October 1993): 1-96.
A special Bergman issue with a bio-filmography.

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1559. Törnqvist, Egil. Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman. [Ingmar Bergman. Poet of the
Cinema]. Bokförlaget Arena, 1993, 142 pp.
Essays structured as close readings of the following Bergman films: Det sjunde inseglet, Smul-
tronstället, Persona, Viskningar och rop, Höstsonaten, and Fanny and Alexander, plus an intro-
duction on Bergman and a summary chapter on Bergman’s visual dialectics. The discussion of
Fanny and Alexander first appeared in a special 1988 Bergman issue of Chaplin.
Review
Filmrutan, no. 2, 1993: 45-46.

1560. Zern, Leif. Se Bergman [Look Bergman]. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1993. 204 pp.
A Stockholm theatre critic conducts his own retrospective viewing of Bergman’s films and
records his second response to them, which is more positive than his first encounter with them.
Review
Chaplin XXXV, no. 6 (249) 1993: 61.

1561. Zijlmans, Mieke. ‘Ingmar Bergman. “Omdat ik als mens een mislukking was”’. De
Groene Amsterdammer, 21 July 1993.
An overview article with several Bergman comments from different interviews/writings.

1562. Åhlander, Lars, ed. Gaukler im Grenzland. Ingmar Bergman. Berlin: Henschel
Verlag, 1993, 241 pp. Includes a filmography.
This is an expanded version of the special 1988 ‘Tribute to Ingmar Bergman’ issue of the
Swedish film magazine Chaplin. The scope of the content is broad, including essays on Berg-
man’s filmmaking, tributes by other filmmakers, and members of Bergman’s professional
entourage, and reprints of earlier assessments of Bergman, including one by Bergman pseu-
donym Ernest Riffe. Also included are brief contributions by a number of filmmakers and
Bergman actors. Contributing writers on Bergman are Morris Dickstein, Jörn Donner, Maaret
Koskinen, John Simon, Birgitta Steene, and Egil Törnqvist. Cf. Entry (Ø 1452).
Review
Filmdienst, XLVI, no. 26 (21 December 1993): 32.

1994
1563. Andersson, Lars Gustaf. ‘Sista skriket. Ingmar Bergman och Gustaf af Klercker och
filmens villkor’ [The Last Gasp. Bergman and GaK and the conditions of the cinema].
Filmrutan xxxvii, no. 1, 1994: 2-5.
A brief discussion of Bergman’s play Sista skriket (The Last Gry), its fictional and historical
context.

1564. CzapliŃski, Łeslaw. ‘Symbolika tłukaçego sie szkła w filmach Ingmara Bergmana’.
Iluzjon, no. 1 (53) (1994), pp. 75-79.
About the symbolism and importance of mirrors and broken glass in Bergman’s films.

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1565. Elsaesser, Thomas. ‘Putting on a Show’. Sight and Sound 44, no. 4 (April) 1994: 22-
27.
The author sees Bergman as a figurehead of a national cinema and of an auteur cinema
pastisching its own cultural self-importance. His role is historically linked to the postwar
European auteur cinema. ‘Ingmar Bergman is hardly a name contemporary cinema makes
much use of, except as an adjective, usually applied to Woody Allen’s films that the reviewers
find embarassing.’
An expanded version of this article appeared in Aura VI, no. 3, 2000, pp. 4-17. Cf. also
Perridon entry (Ø 1643).

1566. James, Caryn. ‘Ingmar Bergman Adds to the Mosaic of Autobiography’. New York
Times, 22 April 1994, Section C, p. 1. Reprinted as ‘Bergman as Novelist’ in Ingmar
Bergman: An Artist’s Journey. Ed. Roger Oliver. (New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995),
pp. 112- 15.
Mostly a discussion of Sunday’s Child as an autobiographical novel with special emphasis on its
time structure.

1567. Kieslowski, Krzysztof. ‘Kan Kieslowksi lösa Tystnadens gåta?’ [Can K. solve the
riddle of The Silence?]. Chaplin XXXVI, no. 5 (1994): 26-30. Reportedly first published
in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (date unknown). Reprinted in French under title
‘Peut-on résourdre l’énigma du Silence?’ Positif 457 (March) 1999: 62-64, and in
German in Kinoerzählungen, ed. by Verena Lueken. Munich: Hanser, 1995.
Polish filmmaker Kieslowski singles out and discusses certain key sequences in Bergman’s film,
which give it narrative strength. Considers Tystnaden (The Silence) as Bergman’s most personal
film both in form and content. Regards Bergman’s filmmaking of same importance as Dos-
toevsky’s and Camus’ depictions of human nature. However, in reexamining Tystnaden (The
Silence), Kieslowski concludes that not even Bergman has an answer to the questions the film
evokes.

1568. Long, Robert. Ingmar Bergman. Film and Stage. New York: Abrahams, 1994.
A richly illustrated survey of Bergman’s work on the screen and in the theatre. An elegant coffee
table book.

1569. Meyer, Michael. ‘The Magician’. New York Review of Books, 9 June 1994, pp. 17-19.
Though billed as a review of Bergman’s Bilder/Images. My Life in Film, this is a broad presenta-
tion of Ingmar Bergman by very negative British critic.

1570. Murray-Brown, Jeremy. ‘Wordless Secrets: The Cinema of Ingmar Bergman’. The
New Criterion 12, no. 8 (April) 1994: 19-23.
Mostly a review article of the American edition of Bergman’s Images. My Life in Film.

1571. Ohlin, Peter. ‘Four Images in Ingmar Bergman: Representation as Liminality and
Transgression’. Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Etudes Scandinaves au Canada
(SCSESC) 7 (1994), pp. 79-91.

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Ohlin discusses the implications of four upside-down shots of faces in The Silence, Persona, and
Cries and Whispers.

1572. Osborne, John. Damn you England. London: Faber & Faber, 1994.
Osborne discusses Bergman on pp. 94-102.

1573. Pradna, Stanislava. ‘Ctyrikat dva Kapitola III: Bergman-Ullmanova’. Film a Doba
XL, no. 3 (Autumn) 1994: 141-148.
The third part of a study on directors and their actresses, focussing on Ingmar Bergman and Liv
Ullmann.

1574. Shelburne, Steven. ‘The Filmic Tradition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Rein-
hardt, Bergman, Hall and Allen’. In Screen Shakespeare, ed. by Michael Skovmand.
Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 1994, pp. 13-24.
In discussing Woody Allen’s film A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982), the author draws
parallels to Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), in turn said to be inspired by Shake-
speare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

1575. Svetlitza, Hugo. Psicoanalysis y creacion artistica: Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman,
Salvador Dali, James Joyce. Capital: Riccardo Vergasa Ediciones, 1994. 91 pp.
A psychoanalytical study of the four title figures as creative artists.

1576. Timm, Mikael. ‘Bergman – gränslandets filmare’ [Bergman – frontier filmmaker] in

Ögats glädje [Joy of the Eye], Stockholm: Carlssons, 1994, pp. 40-172.
One third of this book on auteur filmmakers is devoted to a survey of Bergman’s cultural
background and filmmaking. Includes an interview which is a reprint of two talks with Berg-
man on the Swedish Radio in 1984, listed in entry (Ø 896).

1577. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night: Bergman’s TV Version of Oväder
Compared to Smultronstället’. In Kela Kvam, ed., Strindberg’s Post-Inferno Plays. Co-
penhagen: Munksgaard, 1994, pp. 186-95. Cross-listed in Group Item (Ø 989).
A comparison between Strindberg’s play about an aging, withdrawn gentleman and Bergman’s
film about old recluse Isak Borg.

1578. Vinge, Louise. ‘The Director as Writer: Some Observations on Ingmar Bergman’s
‘Den goda viljan’’. In A Century of Swedish Narrative: Essays in Honour of Karin
Petherick’. Norwich: Norvik Press, 1994, pp. 281-93.
In Den goda viljan [Best Intentions] Bergman sets the stage as if he were directing a play, but also
invites the reader to enter into the creative process, a characteristic feature in a post-modern
work but also an imagined construct that facilitates the fusion of reality and illusion in Berg-
man’s role as author.

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1579. La Voce di Milano. ‘Il mago del Nord’. 3 May 1994.

Contains three brief items:
Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Porto Shakespeare con me nel Natale della mia infanzia’. (An address to
readers of La Voce about what inspired him to set up The Winter’s Tale).
Canova, Gianni. ‘Torna il profeta dei nostri dolori’. (About Bergman as an existential film-
maker).
Sablich, Sergio. No title. (Brief review of Bergman’s production of The Winter’s Tale).

1995
1580. Group Item: New York City Ingmar Bergman Festival, 7 May-15 June 1995
The program covered all aspects of Bergman’s work. It included: Guest performances by the
Royal Dramatic Theatre with Mishima’s The Marquise de Sade and Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale; a
Bergman retrospective titled ‘Landscape of the Soul: The Cinema of Ingmar Bergman’, orga-
nized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center/Walter Reade Theater; and Bergman television
programs at the Museum of Radio and Television. The festival was sponsored by Absolut
Vodka.
In connection with the festival, two publications were published:
Dramat. Royal Dramatic Theatre’s Ingmar Bergman Festival Edition, May 1995. (See Ø 646),
Theatre/Media Chapter for annotation.
Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey. On Stage, On Screen, In Print, ed. by Roger W. Oliver. New
York: Arcade Publishings, 1995, 160 pp. Also in French: Ingmar Bergman: le cinema, le
theatre, les livres. Rome: Gremese, 1999, 192 pp. and in German: Ingmar Bergman: Der Film,
das Theater, die Bücher. Same publisher.
An Artists Journey is a collection of essays divided into four sections titled: ‘Bergman on Berg-
man’; ‘Directors on Bergman’; ‘Actors on Bergman’; and ‘Reflections on Bergman’. Most of the
content consists of reprints of earlier material, including statements by Bergman, homages by
other directors and by actors, and articles by journalists and film scholars. These items are listed
as individual entries elsewhere in the Guide. The only new essays written specifically for Ingmar
Bergman: An Artist’s Journey are:
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Manhattan Surrounded by Ingmar Bergman’: The American Reception of a
Swedish Filmmaker’. pp. 137-154. (An analysis of Bergman’s impact in US);
Wright, Rochelle. ‘The Imagined Past in Ingmar Bergman’s The Best Intentions’, pp. 116-125. (A
discussion of the autobiographical and fictional aspects of Bergman’s novel (script) for Best
Intentions).
During the festival there were also interviews with Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann, panel
discussions at the Lincoln Center Library and numerous other write-ups in the New York press.
See in particular Caryn James, ‘Sweden’s Poet of Stage and Stagecraft’. NYT, C1, 1995, p. 20,
which is a .presentation of Bergman as both a filmmaker and stage director. See also a German
report from the festival by Anja Baron. ‘Vom Erforscher der weiblichen Psyche’. Berlin Morgen-
post, 6 July 1995. SVT, channel 1, reported from the festival in its cultural program called Nike
on 26 May 1995.

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1581. Aatland, Liv. ‘The Swedish Dreams of Ingmar Bergman. Myth and Archetypes in
Wild Strawberries and Hour of the Wolf ’. M.A. thesis, Regent University, 1995 (UMI
no. 1378182).
An embarassing attempt to create a context for Bergman’s work by juxtaposing Old Norse
mythology, Jungian archetypes, and popular myths about modern suicidal Scandinavia.

1582. Amante Cine, no. 37 (March 1995): 32-41.

Dossier on Bergman and his films.

1583. Axelson, Cecilia. ‘Bergman vs Ekman. En uppgörelse mellan saga och helvete’. [B vs
E. A contest between legend and hell]. Chaplin xxxvii/4 (259), 1995: 16-21.
A discussion of rivalry between filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Hasse Ekman in the Swedish
cinema of the 1940s. The author promotes the view that Bergman took over the role of golden
boy and that the film industry sacrificed Ekman, a highly talented and versatile director. Cf.
Mattson, 1998 (Ø 1640).

1584. Charity, Tom. ‘Swede Dreams’. Time Out 1305, (23 August 1995), p. 65.
Notes on the unfashionable status of Ingmar Bergman and the outdated philosophical concerns
of his films, making an exception for Smiles of a Summer Night. Cf. Murphy below.

1585. French, Philip and Kersti. Wild Strawberries, London: British Film Institute, 1995.
78 pp.
A well-written analysis of Bergman’s film, including background information and reception.
Useful also in a broader Bergman film context.

1586. Gyllenpalm, Bo. Ingmar Bergman and Creative Leadership. Diss. University of Cali-
fornia in Santa Barbara. STABIM; Torö, 1995, 148 p. See Theatre/Media Bibliography
(VII), (Ø 647).

1587. Hamzai, Shahram. ‘Woody Allen. A Bergman Connection’. Film International III,
no. 4 (Autumn 1995): pp. 32-38.
Using Allen’s statement about his much admired colleague – ‘Brilliance falls off Bergman like
perspiration’ – the author examines Bergman’s impact on Allen in such films as Love and Death,
Hannah and her Sisters, Another Woman, A Midsummer Night’s Comedy, and Interiors, making
specific references to Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Cries and Whispers, Scenes
from a Marriage, and Autumn Sonata.

1588. Hedman, Kaj. ‘Århundradets största filmskapare’ [The century’s greatest filmmaker].
Vasabladet, 19 March 1995.
An auteur homage to Bergman as a filmmaker with a personal style and vision.

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1589. Johansen, Phillip. ‘The Cinematic Fantastic’. Arachne II, no. 2, 1995: 324-36.
Using Kristin Thompson’s essay ‘The Concept of Cinematic Excess’ and relating it to Todorov’s
theory of the fantastic in cinema, the author focusses on Bergman’s The Magician as an
emblematic example.

1590. Kelly, Oliver. ‘The Politics of Interpretation: The Case of Bergman’s Persona’. In
Philosophy and Film, ed. by Cynthia A. Freeland and Thomas E. Wartenberg. New
York & London: Routledge, 1995, pp. 233-50.
Arguing that a film exemplifies a philosophical model or an ideology only after it has been
interpreted as such, the author uses ‘Persona’ to subvert the Hegelian-Lacanian philosophical
model, which proposes that subjectivity is the result of an antagonistic struggle unto death with
the Other. Kelly proposes a feminist reading of ‘Persona’ to expose its violent patriarchal
ideology and to show where its philosophical model breaks down. Cross-listed in Filmography,
(Ø 236). See also Ø 975. Cf. Ø 1654.

1591. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Närbild och narrativ (dis)kontinuitet: nedslag i Bergmans när-
bilder’ [Close-up and narrative (dis)continuity: browsing among Bergman’s close-
ups]. Aura: filmvetenskaplig tidskrift I, no. 1, 1995:58-63.
The author argues that Bergman’s use of close-ups often breaks up his own explicit ‘poetics’ and
the film’s narrative continuity. This is exemplified with references to Nattvardsgästerna, Tyst-
naden, Persona, Sommaren med Monica, and Det regnar på vår kärlek.

1592. Lee, Gordon A. ‘Perceiving Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence through I Ching’. M.A.
thesis, San Jose State University, 1995, 150 leaves.
The author uses three major principles of I Ching: the easy, the changing, and the constant in
analyzing Bergman’s The Silence. ‘Easy’ implies striving for simplicity; ‘Changing’ implies the
dynamic process of reaching insight; ‘constant’ applies to creativity confirming universal laws.

1593. Muller, Kurt. ‘The Reception of Ingmar Bergman in America from late 1950s to end
of the 1960s’. B.A. thesis, University of California, 1995. 63 typed pp.

1594. Murphy, Kathleen. ‘A Clean, Well-Lighted Place: Ingmar Bergman’s Dollhouse’.

Film Comment 31, no. 3 (May-June) 1995: 13-18.
Murphy sees Bergman as ‘a Protestant sensualist who can never rise to whole-hearted Rabe-
laisian physicality; there is always a worm of guilt or disgust or indignity in the apple’. If his
films survive it is because his ‘dollhouse is alive with intensely experienced images and scenes.’

1595. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Besatt viking eller uppskattad konstnär: Strindberg och Ingmar
Bergman i USA’ [Possessed Viking or Appreciated Artist: Strindberg and Bergman in
the US] In Kungliga Vitterhetsakademins Konferenser 33. Stockholm, 1995, pp. 87-107.
Cross-listed in Ø 989.
A discussion of Strindberg’s and Ingmar Bergman’s reputation in the US, using a 3-step
reception approach: (1) the transmitter phase; (2) the annexation phase; (3) the assimilation
phase.

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1596. Stevenson, Jack. ‘Somrarna med Monica. Bergman som buskis på bystan’. [Sum-
mers with Monica. Bergman as slapstick in the boondocks]. Chaplin 258, no. 3
(Summer) 1995: 18-22.
An account of early fate of Summer with Monica (Story of a Bad Girl) as a pirated and soft-core
porno film circulating in Midwest American drive-in theaters. An abbreviated version of article
was originally published in Dutch in Skrien, no. 202, (June/July 1995). A version in German
appeared in a booklet entitled Und Gott erschöfpte Europa (And God Created Europe), issued by
the Kinemathek Karlsruhe in connection with a retrospective film showing, 19-26 April 2002.

1597. Törnqvist, Egil. Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs. Amsterdam:
Amsterdam University Press, 1995. 243 pp.
A close reading of six Bergman stage productions, one TV production, two radio productions
and six films. The final chapter is one of the earliest attempts to juxtapose Bergman’s filmmak-
ing and theatre work and addresses the book title most fully.
Reviews
Film Quarterly L, no. 2 (Winter) 1996-97: 47-49.
de Volkskrant, 12 February 1995.

1598. Zern, Leif. ‘Ingmar Bergman: Dialog, scena, kamera’. Dialog (Polish) 40, no. 4 (April)
1995: 84-90. Trans. by Tadeusz Szczepański.
About Bergman’s use of dialogue on stage and screen.

1996
1599. Alman, David. ‘Les jeux de l’humor’. L’Avant-Scène du cinéma 454 (July) 1996: 1-6.
The author recalls critical disapproval of Bergman as a maker of film comedies, especially Smiles
of a Summer Night, but now realizes how this film is full of serious Bergman themes.

1600. Andersson, Bibi. Ett ögonblick [A moment]. Stockholm: Norstedt, 1996. 253 pp.
Memoirs with two sections dealing with Ingmar Bergman; see chapters titled ‘Och så Bibi om
Bergman’ [And now Bibi on Bergman], pp. 71-80, and ‘Beröring och smockor’ [Touch and
slaps], pp. 94-105. About Bibi’s relationship to Bergman, which began when she was 19, and
about Bergman tax case in which police searched her home and interrogated her for eight
hours. Eventually the Swedish government apologized to Bergman but never to Bibi A.

1601. Arkus, L., ed. ‘Pamjat’ o smyste’ [Memories of meaning?]. Seans, no. 13, 1996. 210 pp.
A special issue of a St. Petersburg publication about memory with regard to Ingmar Bergman’s
films. Apparently issued in connection with a retrospective showing of Bergman’s films.

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1602. Bagh, Peter von and Francesco Bono. ‘Tuntematen Bergman’. Filmihullu 2, 1996:
33-38.
Three articles on minor works by Bergman: his self-censored film Sånt händer inte här (1950,
High Tension), his Bris commercials (1951), and his stage and TV play Sista skriket (1992, The
Last Scream).

1603. Blackwell, Marilyn Johns. ‘The Silence: Disruption and Disavowal in the Move-
ment beyond Gender’. Scandinavica 35, no. 2 (November) 1996: 233-68.
Cf. author’s book length study Gender and Representation in the Films of Ingmar Bergman. See
group entry (Ø 975). Blackwell offers the most extensive study of Bergman’s filmmaking from a
gender point of view.

1604. Fortin, Dennis. ‘Les références cinéphiliques chez Woody Allen: construire une
oeuvre sur la base de l’intertextualité’. Canadian Journal of Film Studies V, no. 1
(Spring) 1996: 35-48.
On comic cinematic references to Bergman’s filmmaking in Woody Allen’s films.

1605. Furhammar, Leif. ‘Filmen 100 år i Sverige’. SVT, Channel 2, 25 December 1996 and
1 January 1997.
Part six and seven of a series of TV programs tracing the history of the Swedish cinema over the
past hundred years. It includes references to Bergman’s filmmaking and his brief participation
in the program.

1606. Kinema, no. 5 (Spring 1996): 13-39.

About music in Ingmar Bergman’s films, especially the significance of Bach, Mozart, and
Chopin.

1607. Luke, Paul. ‘The Allegorical Device of the Character Double in the Films of Ingmar
Bergman’. (Diss. York Univ., Toronto). Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1996. Also
listed as completed in 1979.
Focusing on the Doppelgänger motif, the author examines five Bergman films from an alle-
gorical perspective.

1608. Mishler, William. ‘The Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal: A Girardian Reading’.
Comparative Drama, Spring 1996, pp. 196-211.
Using René Girard’s theories about the function of religion in human society and the mimetic
quality of ‘triangular’ desire between a subject and an object linked by a mediator, Mishler
examines Bergman’s two medieval films mentioned in the title.

1609. Saunier, Thierry. ‘Bergman le solitaire’. La nouvelle revue française. no. 520, May
1996, pp. 125-142.
A philosophical essay defining Bergman’s solitude in both ontological and professional terms.
His major themes deal with the isolation and loneliness of man. Professionally, he has come to
represent the Swedish cinema, occupying a unique position in the history of the cinema by

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being associated with a nation’s entire film industry and having no followers. Essay makes
several (somewhat belabored) comparative references to French writers like Camus, Aragon,
Mauriac, Gide, Bernanos, Foucault, etc.

1610. Smith, Evans Lansing. ‘Framing the Underworld: Threshold Imagery in Murnau,
Cocteau, and Bergman’. Literature/Film Quarterly 24, no. 3 (July) 1996: 241-255.
The heroic journey into the underworld unites Murnau’s Nosferatu, Cocteau’s Orphée and La
Belle et la Bête, and Bergman’s Wild Strawberries. Smith shows how Bergman’s film shares
frequent images of doorways and labyrinth with Cocteau’s films.

1611. Steene, Birgitta. Måndagar med Bergman. En svensk publik möter Ingmar Bergmans
filmer [Mondays with Bergman. A Swedish public meets Ingmar Bergman’s films].
Eslöv: Symposion, 1996. 224 pp.
A reception study of Bergman’s films among a statistically selected group of Swedish film goers.
The first part analyzes Bergman’s concept and depiction of the relationship between artist and
public; the second part examines a real-life Swedish audience attitude towards Bergman’s films,
reflecting a changing public attitude towards his films and the personal impact they have had
on the selected group of viewers.
Review
Scandinavian Studies, vol. 69, no. 3, (Summer 1997): 357-375. (Review essay).

1612. Visscher, Jacques de. ‘Gods zwijgen?’ Film en Televisie, no. 462 (May 1996), pp. 28-
29.
Notes on the release of Bergman films on video.

1613. Wirmark, Margareta, ed. Ingmar Bergman. Film och teater i växelverkan [Berg-
man. Film and Theatre in Interplay]. Stockholm: Carlsons förlag, 1996. 239 pp.
Proceedings from a symposium on Bergman as a filmmaker and theatre director at Lund
University, with an introductory discussion by Bergman actors Max von Sydow and Agneta
Ekmanner. See Theatre and Media Bibliography, Ø 652. The following articles are included in
the volume:
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Teatern som metafor och tilltal i olika verk av Ingmar Bergman’ [Theatre as
metaphor and form of address in different works by Bergman], pp. 65-78, and ‘Allting
föreställer, ingenting är. Några utgångspunkter för ett jämförande forskningsprojekt om
Ingmar Bergman, filmen och teatern.’ [‘Everything represents, nothing is’. Some starting-
points in a comparative scholarly project about Bergman, film and theatre], pp. 223-29.
Loman, Richard. ‘Svartsjuka. William Shakespeares och Ingmar Bergmans vintersagor’ [Jea-
lousy. WS’s and Bergman’s winter’s tales], pp. 152-171.
Sjögren, Henrik. ‘Bergman i Malmö. En höjdpunkt i vår moderna teaterhistoria’ [Bergman in
Malmö. A high point in our modern theatre history], pp. 100-126.
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Gossen Ruda eller svensk ikon. Om Ingmar Bergmans mottagande i Sverige
och utomlands’ [Enfant terrible or Swedish icon. Bergman’s reception in Sweden and
abroad], pp. 187-216, and ‘En forskningsöversikt’ [A survey of scholarship], pp. 217-222.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘I min fantasi! Subjektivt gestaltande hos Ingmar Bergman’ [In my imagination!
Subjective portrayal in Bergman], pp. 79-99. Reprinted in an English version titled ‘The

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Subjective Point of View’ in author’s book Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 161-71 (Chapter 11).
(Discusses how subjectivism is expressed in Bergman’s filmmaking versus his stagecraft).
Wirmark, Margareta. ‘Ingmar Bergman och Dramatentraditionen’ [Bergman and Dramaten
tradition], pp. 127-151, and ‘I scenens brännpunkt. Dockhemmet och Vintersagan på Dra-
maten’ [Stage focus. A Doll’s House and Winter’s Tale at Dramaten], pp. 172-186.
Zern, Leif. ‘Från avstånd till närhet’ [From distance to close-up], pp. 53-64. (Discusses funda-
mental dramatic technique used by Bergman both on stage and screen; i.e., moving the
actors from periphery to center.)

1997
1614. Group Item: Cannes Film Festival Honoring Ingmar Bergman
The 50th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival in May 1997 included a special homage –
Palme des palmes d’or – to Ingmar Bergman as the outstanding filmmaker of the 20th-century.
A booklet was published for the occasion, written by Gérard Pangon: Ingmar Bergman. Paris:
ARTE editions, 1997. 63 pp. It includes bibliographical references (pp. 55-56) and a filmography
(pp. 53-54).
29 former Golden Palm winners attended the ceremonies, but Bergman had declined the
invitation. Instead Liv Ullmann handed the festival’s special golden palm to their daughter, Linn
Ullmann, who read a note from her father: ‘After occupying myself my entire life with images of
life and death, life has caught up with me and made me shy and frail. So pardon an old man for
not being here tonight’. [Efter att ha varit sysselsatt hela livet med bilder om liv och död har
livet hunnit i kapp mig och gjort mig blyg och skör. Så förlåt en gammal man för att han inte är
här i kväll]. (See Expr. 12 May 1997). For reports on the occasion, see:
Aghed, Jan. ‘Bergman förnekar löfte om Cannes-resa’ [Bergman denies promise of trip to
Cannes], SDS, 16 April 1997, B12, and B7 (B7 headlined ‘Bergman vägrar hämta sin Guld-
palm i Cannes’ [Bergman refuses to fetch his gold palm in Cannes]);
Buob, Jacques. ‘Toutes les palmes en une seule, Ingmar Bergman’. Le Monde, 13 May 1997, p. 8 b;
Schulz-Ojala, Jan. ‘Das geheime Drehbuch’. Tagesspiegel, 12 May 1997.

1615. Adiri, Nasr Allah. Birgman: zan, ma-zhab nasl- i ayandah [Bergman: Women,
Religion, Future Generation]. Teheran: Barg, 1997. 199 pp. Available at SFI.

1616. Fant, Kenne. Nära bilder [Close pictures]. Stockholm: Norstedt 1997, 288 pp.
Memoirs by one of Bergman’s producers at SF, whose first film role was as the young actor Arne
in the opening sequence of Bergman’s 1949 film Fängelse (Prison). The book is filled with
reminiscences of Fant-Bergman encounters, very similar to Vilgot Sjöman’s 1998 memoirs,
(Ø 1646), with Bergman hovering as a mentor presence throughout their adult lives. Fant’s
memoirs open with an account of a 1971 debate at Gripsholm Castle (close to the spot where
Cries and Whispers was being shot) between filmmakers and film critics. According to Fant, a
very upset Bergman burst into tears exclaiming to the critics: ‘If you only knew how much you
have hurt me!’ [Om ni bara visste hur mycket ni skadat mig]. Other episodes in the book
include aborted planning of a film version of the operetta The Merry Widow with Barbara
Streisand in 1974 (see Interviews, group Ø 804); an encounter between Bergman and Greta
Garbo in Stockholm on 4 January 1962, and between Ingrid Bergman and Ingmar in Cannes in

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1973; and references to Bergman episodes with Fant’s predecessor at SF, producer Carl Anders
Dymling, theatre director Olof Molander, and Charlie Chaplin.

1617. Fraser, Linda Lussy. ‘Sylvia Plath and the Cinema: Sylvia Plath’s Poetics and the
Cinematography of Ingmar Bergman, Jean Cocteau, and Carl Dreyer’. Diss. University
of California, Riverside, 1997. 166 leaves. Crosslisted in Ø 989.
The study includes a chapter on the influence of Bergman’s cinema on Plath’s poetic concep-
tion.

1618. Hayes, Jarrod. ‘The Seduction of Alexander. Behind the Postmodern Door: Ingmar
Bergman and Baudrillard’s De la seduction’. Film Quarterly 25, no. 1, 1997: 40-47.
The author maintains that Fanny and Alexander undoes normative constructs of sexuality and
explores a postmodern realm of ‘sexuality’ as described by Jean Baudrillard in the title book. He
sees Strindberg’s mysterious door in A Dreamplay as a prelude to Bergman’s use of doors in
Fanny and Alexander. ‘Doorness’ is part of a seduction of the mysterious, the mask, the image.

1619. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘’Everything Represents, Nothing Is’: Some Relations between
Ingmar Bergman’s Films and Theatre Productions’. In Interart Poetics: Essays on the
Interrelations of the Arts and Media. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1997, pp. 99-107. This essay
was also published in Canadian Journal of Film Studies VI, no. 1 (Spring 1997): 79-90.
A presentation of an inter-arts study of Bergman based on the thesis that his work in theatre
and film is a complex cross-fertilization between the two art forms. Cf. book study Allting
föreställer..., 2001, (Ø 1681).

1620. Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. Stockholm: Swedish Institute, 1997, 31 pp.
A folder presentation of Ingmar Bergman, issued by Svenska Institutet for distribution abroad.
Also printed in French and German.

1621. Nykvist, Sven. Vördnad för ljuset. Om film och människor [Reverence for light. About
film and people]. Stockholm: Bonniers, 1997.
Memoirs by Bergman’s best known cinematographer. The chapters titled ‘Ingmar Bergman och
ljuset’ [Bergman and light], pp. 86-98; ‘Scener ur ett arbetsäktenskap’ [Scenes from a working
marriage], pp. 99-115; and ‘Det nordiska ljuset ‘ [Nordic light], p. 196 discuss Nykvist’s working
relationship with Bergman from the filming of The Naked Night as a B cinematographer in 1953
to becoming Bergman’s special instrument beginning with Through a Glass Darkly in 1961.
Concludes: ‘Coworking with Ingmar gave me the blessed moments’ (p. 204). [Samarbetet med
Ingmar gavmig de välsignade ögonblicken].

1622. Vermilye, Jerry. Ingmar Bergman: His Films and Career. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Pub.
Group, 1997. Also published as Ingmar Bergman. His Life and Films. Jefferson, NC &
London: McFarlane & Co., Inc., 2002. 180 pp.
The first 47 pages are a survey of Bergman’s life and filmmaking. The rest is a filmography with
short introductory comments on the films and excerpts from selected reviews (all American
and British). The bibliography ignores virtually all major studies of Bergman’s filmmaking.

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1623. Weise, Eckhard, ed. Ingmar Bergman: mit Selbstzeugnissen und Bilddokumenten.
Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1997. 158 pp.
A survey of Bergman’s filmmaking, including an introductory biographical chapter.

1624. With, Anne-Lise. ‘Ved speilet bortenfor speilflaten: Et essay om speilmotivene i

Smultronsstället og Speil’ [At the reflection beyond the mirror surface. An essay about
the mirror motifs in Wild Strawberries and Mirror). Vinduet 51, no. 2 (1997), pp. 20-
28.
Author suggests different connotations of mirror iconography in Bergman’s and Tarkovski’s
films, using references to Lacan, Jung, and Bergson.

1998
1625. Group Item: Ingmar Bergman at 80
Bergman’s eightieth birthday on 14 July 1998 was observed with a symposium; with a special
Bergman issue of Dramaten magazine Dramat; and with a number of press articles and inter-
views:
1. Ingmar Bergman på biografteatern Fågel Blå. [Bergman at the Movie Theatre Bluebird]. 39
pp.
A program pamphlet published in connection with a year-long Bergman retrospective at an old
neighbourhood movie theater that Bergman used to frequent in his youth. Throughout the year
there were exhibits, lectures, and discussions in the cinema on a variety of Bergman topics.
Members of Bergman’s Malmö Theatre ensemble talked about his productions in the 1950s. The
discussion was led by theatre critic Henrik Sjögren when Bergman suddenly joined in as a
surprise guest in the audience. See Elisabeth Sörenson, ‘Brutalt men lysande sade Bergman’
[Brutal but brilliant said B]. SvD, 2 April 1998, p. 17.
2. The Artist and Society. A symposium with panel discussions and lectures on Ingmar Berg-
man, Alf Sjöberg, and August Strindberg. Sponsored by Fågel Blå Cinema, The Royal
Dramatic Theatre, the Strindberg Society, and the Stockholm Cultural Capital 1998. Pro-
ceedings were published in Strindberg, Sjöberg and Bergman: The Artist and Cultural Identity.
Eds. Birgitta Steene and Egil Törnqvist, a special issue of Tijdschrift voor Skandinavistiek 20:
1 (1999). The following item pertains to Ingmar Bergman: Steene, Birgitta. ‘The Sjöberg-
Bergman Connection. Hets: Collaboration and Reception.’
3. Dramat. ‘Bergman. Författaren, regissören, bildmakaren’. [Bergman Author, Director, Im-
age Maker]. A special issue of the Royal Dramatic Theatre’s journal, no. 1, 1998. 55 pp.
Annotated in VII, (Ø 662).
4. Journal and Newspaper write-ups:
Björkman, Stig. ‘The One Bergman Show’. Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 526 (July-August 1998), pp.
8-9;
Film-Dienst, 14 July 1998: 4-11. Several 80th anniversary articles;
Göttler, Fritz. ‘Eine lange Zeit für den Irrsinn’. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 14 July 1998;
Haufler, Daniel. ‘Die Kunst des kreativen Lügens’. TAZ, 14 July 1998;
Jansen, Peter W. ‘Das eigene Leben ist ein Steinbruch’. Frankfurter Rundschau, 14 July 1998;

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Mahieu, José Augustin. ‘Los ochenta años de Ingmar Bergman’. Cuadernos Hispano-americanos
(Madrid) 581 (November) 1998: 107-11;
Pfeitz, Christiane. ‘Nymphe und Faun’. Die Zeit, 9 July 1998;
Quist, P.O. ‘Från Sleeman till livsförsoning’ [From Sleeman to reconciliation to life]. Upsala
Nya Tidning, 14 July 1998, p. 10. (see Ø 667).
Seesslen, Georg. ‘Gesicht und Maske’. Freitag, 17 July 1998;
Steinfeld, Thomas. ‘Schlafwandler an wachen Tagen’. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 11 July
1998;
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Ingmar Bergmans första möte med Thalia’ [Bergman’s first meeting with
Thalia]. Upsala Nya Tidning, 14 July 1998, p. 11;
Toiviainen, Sakari. ‘Ingmar Bergman, juhlallisesti’. Filmihullu, no. 3 (1998), pp. 36-39;
Wach, Margarete. ‘Chimären des Daseins’. Filmdienst Kino-Fernsehen-Video, 51, no. 14 (1998): 4-
7.
5. Media programs:
Donner, Jörn. ‘Ingmar Bergman om liv och arbete’ [Ingmar Bergman on Life and Work]. TV
interview with Bergman, SVT, 14 July 1998. See Interviews, Ø 934.
Josephson, Ernst and Lars Ring. ‘Ingmar Bergman 80 år’. Sveriges Radio, 14 July 1998. (A talk
between actor and theatre critic).
Timm, Mikael. ‘Bergman, Bergman & Bergman’. Sveriges Radio, 14 July 1998. (A portrait of
Bergman using old radio archival material, including interviews from the 1940s and 1950s, a
talk by Bergman in 1955, and various brief news items from the news program Dagens Eko).

1626. American Cinematographer. LXXIX, no. 11 (November 1998): 74-76.

An issue on notable filmmaking partnerships including a segment on the collaboration between
Sven Nykvist and Ingmar Bergman.

1627. Aquilon, David. ‘Den sönderslitande vertikaliteten: Fallrörelsen som motiv i Ingmar
Bergmans postreligiösa landskap’. [Verticality tearing apart: The movement of falling
as a motif in Bergman’s post-religious landscape]. In Mannen med filmkameran.
Studier i modern film och filmisk modernism, ed. by Lars Gustaf Andersson and Erik
Hedling. Lund: Absalon, 1998, pp. Reprinted in Filmhäftet 27, no. 108, 1999: 3-9.
Referring to Bergman’s play Staden [The City] as a source, the author develops a (somewhat
convoluted) theme of verticality in Bergman’s filmmaking, seeing it as the collapse of a mascu-
line power structure. Includes references to Through a Glass Darkly, The Serpent’s Egg, and
Bergman’s staging of Yukio Mishima’s Madame de Sade.

1628. Aura: filmvetenskaplig tidskrift IV, no. 4, 1998. 88 pp. A special Bergman issue
subtitled ‘Bergman och urkunderna’ [Bergman and his sources], edited and with a
foreword by Maaret Koskinen.
The issue contains the following items:
Bergman Ingmar. ‘Fisken. Fars för film’, pp. 62-88. 1952. With a prefatory note by Bergman,
dated 13 November 1998. Cf Ø 67.
Florin, Bo. ‘Stumfilmen enligt Bergman’, [The silent cinema according to B], pp. 34-41. (About
B’s fascination with silent (Swedish) cinema of Sjöström and af Klercker and his thematic
and stylistic way of writing himself into the same tradition).

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Hockenjos, Vreni. ‘Ur en drömmares perspektiv. Strindbergs subjektivism i Bergmans tolkning’

[From a dreamer’s perspective. Strindberg’s subjectivism interpreted by Bergman], pp. 42-
50. Annotated in Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 664).
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Minnets spelplatser. Ingmar Bergman och det självbiografiska vittnet’
[Scenes of memory. Bergman and the autobiographical witness], pp. 15-33. (About Bergman
constructing himself as a witness to his own life, first in terms of ‘epilogskrivning’ – writing
of an epilogue – in his stage, screen and literary work after his return from exile in early
1980s, but also by using memory as insight into self and as narrative device via dream and
nightmare in a film like Wild Strawberries.)
Rodhin, Mats. ‘Väl börjat, hälften vunnet. Tankar kring prologen i Smultronstället’ [Well be-
gun, half gained. Thoughts on the Prologue in Wild Strawberries], pp. 4-14. (After a some-
what thorny discussion of space and temporality in film, the author discusses the film’s
absentee father theme and examines Isak Borg’s presentation of himself in the prologue of
Wild Strawberries, arguing that Isak/Bergman relies on the rhetorical device of parrhesia, the
illusion of speaking the truth. He provides an interesting comparison with Dürer’s engrav-
ing of St Hieronymous who fled society to focus on his work in solitude.
Söderbergh-Widding, Astrid. ‘Vad skall man tro? Religiösa motiv hos Ingmar Bergman’ [What
is one to believe? Religious motifs in Bergman], pp. 51-61. (A polemic essay against literal-
minded trackers of religious symbolism in B’s films. The author argues for a focus on
stylistic traits (close-ups) and dialectic features (e.g., word vs silence) to uncover a religious
dimension in Bergman’s films. Also listed in Ø 997.

1629. Bergström, Lasse. Bokmärken. Stockholm: Norstedts, 1998.

Memoir essays by Ingmar Bergman’s Swedish editor.

1630. Bonda, Marek. ‘Film a sen’ [Film and dreams]. Film a Doba XLIV, no. 4 (Winter)
1998: 159-162.
A Czech dissertation presented at FAMU, Dept. of Film Direction. It includes a discussion of
Smultronstället.

1631. Brashinsky, Michael. ‘The Spring Defiled: Ingmar Bergman’s Virgin Spring and
Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left.’ In Play It Again Sam: Retakes on Remakes, ed. by
Andrew Horton, Stuart McDougal, and Leo Braudy. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1998, pp. 162-71.
Brashinsky argues that Wes Craven’s film The Last House on the Left (1972) is an overt (acknowl-
edged) remake of Bergman’s 1960 film The Virgin Spring.

1632. Czako, A. ‘Szorongas, feleten az en orokreszem’. Filmkultura XXVI, no. 3,1998; 48-49.
About Bergman’s early films, 1945-1955.

1633. Darke, Chris. ‘Ingmar Bergman’. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. New York, NY:
Oxford University Press, 1998, pp. 488-89.
Bergman entry in film dictionary.

1634. Filmdienst. Kino-Fernsehen-Video, 51, no. 14 (1998). Published by Katolisches

Institut für Medieninformation, Köln.

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Three articles are devoted to Bergman’s filmmaking, with an emphasis on religious theme and
biography:
Gerle, Jörg. ‘Diesseits von Gott und Tod’, pp. 10-11. (About the transcendental in Bergman’s
films). Cf. Ø 997.
Koebner, Thomas. ‘Die Wohnung des Herrn verlassen’, pp. 8-9. (About religion, God, and
family tragedy). Cf. Ø 997.
Wach, Margarete. ‘Chimären des Daseins’, pp. 4-7. (Life and work. Homage to Bergman on his
80th birthday). Cf. Ø 1625.

1635. Fridén, Ann Carpenter, ed. Ingmar Bergman and the Arts. Nordic Theatre Studies 11,
1998. 127 pp.
A special issue with essays on Bergman’s contributions to theatre, opera and TV, and on the
importance of older paintings as visual inspirations. The item is more fully annotated in
Theatre/Media Bibliography, (Ø 663), 1998.

1636. Holmqvist, Ivo. ‘Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Journey – Intertextuality in Larmar och
gör sig till.’ Tijdschrift voor Skandinavistiek 19, no. 2, 1998, pp. 79-94. See Theatre/Media
Bibliography, (Ø 665).

1637. Kennedy, Harlan. ‘Whatever Happened to Ingmar Bergman?’ Film Comment 34, no.
4 (July-August) 1998: 64-69.
Once the godchild of this American film journal, Bergman was taken over in the 1980s by more
academic-oriented film journals like Literature/Film Quarterly. Like Murphy (Ø1594), the
author feels that Bergman is a forgotten sin, a taboo subject today. However, after seeing the
Trilogy again, he elevates Bergman to post-modern status. See also Elsaesser (Ø 1565) and
(Ø 1643).

1638. Knutsson, Ulrika. ‘Hos mormor i Uppsala fanns ett paradis’ [At grandma in
Uppsala was a paradise]. Upsala Nya Tidning, 28 May 1998, pp. 18-19.
Author discusses the importance to Bergman of his grandmother’s milieu in Upsala.

1639. Lundström, Henry. ‘Outplånliga intryck’ [Indelible impressions]. Filmrutan 41, no.
2 (Summer) 1998: 4-5.
The author reminisces about his first encounter with Bergman’s filmmaking. He focusses on
Sjunde inseglet (Seventh Seal) and Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries).

1640. Mattsson, Åsa. ‘Hasse Ekman vs Ingmar Bergman’. Unpublished undergraduate

paper. Stockholm: Institutionen för filmvetenskap, 1998. 39 typed pp.
The author discusses two rival filmmakers, mentioned in the title, in the Swedish cinema of the
Forties. Cf. Axelson (Ø 1583).

1641. Michaels, Lloyd. The Phantom of the Cinema: Character in Modern Film. Albany,
NY: State University of New York Press, 1998, pp. 33-46.

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The chapter titled ‘Reflexivity and Character in Persona’ traces motif of absence/presence
through a formalist analysis of Persona’s reflexivity. See also section on same subject in Filmo-
graphy, Persona reception, Ø 236.

1642. Orr, John. ‘The Screen as Split Subject 1: Persona’s Legacy’. In author’s The Con-
temporary Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998, pp. 70-90.
Orr discusses the impact of Bergman’s Persona on subsequent films, such as Chabrol’s Les Biches
(1976), Altman’s 3 Women (1977), and Von Trotta’s The German Sisters (1981). Persona introduces
the mimetic dilemma of imitation, a key variation on the motif of the double, which informed
expressionism, Hitchcock and the film noir.

1643. Perridon, Harry, ed. Strindberg, Ibsen & Bergman. Essays on Scandinavian Film and
Drama. Maastricht: Shaker Publishing, 1998. Essays in honor of Egil Törnqvist.
The following items pertain to Ingmar Bergman:
Elsaesser, Thomas. ‘Ingmar Bergman – person and persona: the mountain of modern cinema
on the road to Morocco’. pp. 35-60. (A twofold discussion of Bergman as (1) a modernist
imposing an artistic discipline on himself, rather than a self-indulgent filmmaker; and (2) a
now obsolete filmmaker within the changing European art cinema).
Sprinchorn, Evert. ‘Fanny and Alexander and Strindberg and Ibsen and...’, pp. 177-188. (Com-
pares Bergman’s Ekdahl/Vergerus dichotomy to Ibsen’s Ekdal/Gregers Werle (the bon vivant
vs the stern moralist) in The Wild Duck, and discusses dream vs reality theme of Bergman’s
film and Strindberg’s Dreamplay. Both intertextual references mirror Bergman’s develop-
ment as an artist).
Steene, Birgitta. ‘Fire rekindled: Strindberg and Bergman’. pp. 189-204. (Traces Bergman’s life
and work in relation to Strindberg’s temperament, cultural background and artistic devel-
opment. The two artists emerge as members of the same cultural and psychological uni-
verse).

1644. Positif 447 (May) 1998: 52-68. Special set of articles. Cover title ‘Ingmar Bergman
Entretien’. Includes the following material on Bergman:
Aghed, Jan. ‘En presence d’un clown. L’oncle Carl et la Mort’, pp. 52-54. Review of TV film ‘In
the Presence of a Clown’ (Larmar och gör sig till).
Åhlund, Jannike. ‘Entretien Ingmar Bergman. La confession d’un fou de télé’, pp. 55-59. Inter-
view with Bergman about work on TV. Translation of interview in Dramat, 1998, (Ø 662).
Amiel, Vincent. ‘Du monde et de soi-même, l’eternel spectateur’, pp. 60-61. On B’s directing
technique, recurrent childhood themes, and importance of spectatorship in his films.
Bergman, Ingmar. ‘Vous voulez être comédien’ pp. 62-64. Reprint of faked telephone conversa-
tion between Ingmar Bergman and would-be actor. Originally published in Filmjournalen
no. 36 (9 September) 1951 under title ‘Ni vill till filmen?’ [So you want to become a movie
star?].
Goldstein, Max (Mago). ‘Souvenirs d’un film qui n’est jamais sorti’, pp. 65-68. Memoirs by one’s
home of Bergman’s costumiers, a Jew born in Berlin in 1928, who escaped to Sweden.
Material originally published in Kino, Movie, Cinéma, (Berlin: Edition Argon, 1995) in
connection with German Cinemateque celebrating 100th anniversary of cinema.

1645. Sains, Ariane. ‘The Bergman Legacy’. Europe, no. 379 (September) 1998: 41.

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

An article issued by the Commission of the European Communities with superficial and slanted
biographical information.

1646. Sjöman, Vilgot. Mitt personregister. Urval 98. [My Name Index. Selection 98].
(Stockholm: Natur och Kultur, 1998). 403 pp.
Memoirs revolving around Sjöman’s relations to Ingmar Bergman since high school and
through the years of his own filmmaking. The book contains three sections on the Sjöman-
Bergman connection, providing a fascinating account of big brotherhood, rivalry, subservience,
and respect. See pp. 26-91, 151-201, 353-362.

1647. Steene, Birgitta. ‘The Transposition of a Filmmaker: Ingmar Bergman at Home

and Abroad’. Tijdschrift voor Skandinavistiek 19, no. 1, 1998: 103-128.
A reception study of Bergman as a filmmaker in Sweden and abroad.

1648. Sundgren, Nils Petter. ‘Ingmar Bergman och tidsandan’ [Bergman and the (re-
ception) climate of the times]. Zoom: filmpedagogisk tidskrift 10, no. 1, 1998: 20-21.
Mostly a resumé of Steene’s 1996 study Måndagar med Bergman (Ø 1611).

1649. SzczepaŃski, Tadeusz. ‘Portret artysty z czasów starości’. Kino (Warsaw) xxxii, no.
374-375 (July-August) 1998: 6-11.
A study of Bergman’s cinematic style, psychological vision and philosophy. Cf. author’s book on
Bergman (Ø 1663).

1650. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergman Abroad. The Problems of Subtitling’. Vossiuspers
AUP (imprint of Amsterdam University Press), 1998, 23 pp.
A valedictory lecture delivered on 12 February 1998, discussing the loss of information em-
bedded in the use of subtitles, a loss pertaining to the screen image, the dialogue, and the
paralinguistic phenomenon.

1651. Wickbom, Kaj. ‘Den unge Ingmar Bergman’ [Young Bergman]. Filmrutan XL, no. 2
(Summer), 1998: 2-4.
About the early films of Ingmar Bergman.

1652. Wickbom, Kaj. ‘Ingmar Bergman och sommaren’ [Bergman and summer]. Filmru-
tan XLI, no. 3 (Fall) 1998: 2-3.
Only partly on title subject. Defines Swedish (i.e., Bergman’s) summer as ‘brief, melancholy and
filled with anguished anticipation of fall season.

1653. Wirkmark, Margareta. Smultronstället och Dödens ekipage (Stockholm: Carlsson,

1998).
A monograph on Smultronstället/Wild Strawberries, expanding the dream sequences to com-
prise the entire film as Isak Borg’s dream vision. A case of method over matter.

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1654. Wood, Robin. ‘Women: Oppression and Transgression. Persona Revisited’. In Sexual
Politics and Narrative Film. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998, pp. 248-262.
Offers an addendum to author’s discussion of Persona in his earlier book on Bergman’s films.
See Ø 975 and 1185.

1655. Wright, Rochelle. ‘Jewish Figures in the Films of Ingmar Bergman. In The Visible
Wall. Jews and Other Ethnic Outsiders in the Swedish Film.’ Carbondale, Ill.: Southern
Illinois UP and Uppsala: Acta Universitatis upsaliensis 1998, pp. 214- 247.
Jewish figures in Bergman’s films serve the filmmaker in a symbolic rather than sociological and
ethnic sense, either as foreigners or psychological aliens as in The Touch and The Serpent’s Egg
or as representatives of positive values in Bergman’s world, as in Fanny and Alexander in which
the Jew Isak stands for artistic creativity and magic.

1999
1656. Fraser, Linda Lussy. ‘Technologies of Reproduction: the Maternity Ward in Sylvia
Plath’s ‘Three Women’ and Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Brink of Life’’. Women Studies 28, no.
15, 1999: 547-75. See also author’s Diss., (Ø 1673).
The article argues that Bergman’s 1957 film Brink of Life and Sylvia Plath’s 1960 poem ‘Three
Women’ expose the controlling nature of maternity wards.

1657. Gervais, Marc. Ingmar Bergman: Magician and Prophet. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s
University Press, 1999. 257 pp. Crosslisted in Ø 997.
A personal quest and reading of Bergman’s films by a Jesuit priest who looks at Bergman’s work
from the point of view of a contemporary Christian sensiblity. Films are anchored in a specific
time and place and shaped by their cultural context. Despite its obvious sincere motivation,
study lacks accuracy of detail and relies too much on unverifiable statements, often of a gossipy
nature.
Reviews
Canadian Journal of Film Studies IX, no. 2 (Fall 2000): 86-89;

1658. Lahr, John. ‘The Demon-Lover’. The New Yorker, 31 May 1999, pp. 66-79.
The author spoke with Ingmar Bergman as the latter was preparing for Dramaten’s guest visit
to BAM with a production of P.O. Enqvist’s play Bildmakarna (The Image Makers). The article
is primarily a (very good) survey of Bergman’s career, with emphasis on his later years.

1659. McGhee, Kimberly-Kay. ‘To Duty Doubly Bound: A Study of Melancholy in Ingmar
Bergman’s ‘Persona’, Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’, Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘The Sacrifice’ and
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘The Idiot’’. Diss. State University of New York at Buffalo, 1998.
DAIA (Dissertation Abstracts International Section 9908129, Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan, 1999.
A study of the melancholic personality who submits itself to merciless self-scrutiny to avoid
being victimized by the gaze of the Other but simply repeats the very victimization it wants to

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avoid. Using Bataille terminology, this is a rather convoluted discussion of the title works,
including Bergman’s Persona.

1660. Michaels, Lloyd, ed. Ingmar Bergman’s Persona. (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press), 1999. For details see Persona listing in filmography. The volume contains
following essays:
Dixon Wheeler Winston. ‘Persona and the 1960s Art Cinema’. pp. 44-61.
Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey. ‘Feminist Theory and the Performance of Lesbian Desire in Persona’.
pp. 130-146. Also listed in (Ø 975).
Michaels, Lloyd. ‘Bergman and the Necessary Illusion’. pp. 1-23.
Orr, Christopher. ‘Scenes from the Class Struggle in Sweden. Persona as Brechtian Melodrama’.
pp. 86-109.
Sontag, Susan. ‘Bergman’s Persona’. pp. 62-85.
Steene Birgitta. ‘Bergman’s Persona through a Native Mindscape’. pp. 24-43.
Vineberg, Steven. ‘Persona and the Seduction of Performance’. pp. 110-129.

1661. Nordmark, Dag. Finrummet och lekstugan. Kultur- och underhållningsprogram i

svensk radio och TV. Stockholm: Prisma, 1999, 198 pp.
A study of cultural and entertainment programs in Swedish broadcasting and television from
the start of the two media to the early 1990s. Ingmar Bergman’s contribution is discussed briefly
on some dozen occasions and clearly shows his pioneer work as a radio and TV director. The
study has a valuable bibliography.

1662. Steene, Birgitta. ‘August Strindberg, Modernism and the Swedish Cinema’. In
Expressionism and Modernism: New Approaches to August Strindberg. Ed. by Michael
Robinson and Sven Hakon Rossel. Vienna: Præsens, 1999: 185-196.
A comparative study of Strindberg’s Till Damaskus, Sjöström’s Körkarlen, and Bergman’s Smult-
ronstället.

1663. SzczepaŃski, Tadeusz. Zwierciadło Bergmana. Gdansk: Słowo/Obraz terytoria, 1999,

490 pp.
A comprehensive Polish study of Bergman’s filmmaking, using Edvard Munch’s etchings and
paintings as a visual point of reference.

1664. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Ingmar Bergmans dolda iaktagare’. Nordica 15, 1999: 139-59. An
English version of this article appears under the title ‘The Hidden Observers’ in
Chapter 13 of author’s Bergman’s Muses (Ø 1689), pp. 181-96.
Focussing on Bergman’s use of eavesdropping, the author discusses various patterns of hidden
observation in samples taken both from Bergman’s stage productions and filmmaking. Refer-
ences include such films as Gycklarnas afton (here transl. as Evening of the Jesters), Sommaren
med Monica, Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries), Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring), Djävulens
öga (The Devil’s Eye), and Ur marionetternas liv (From the Life of the Marionettes).

1665. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Strindberg, Bergman and the Silent Character’. Tijdschrift voor
Skandivavistiek 20, no. 1, pp. 61-72. A version of this article appears under the title

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 Chapter IX Works on Ingmar Bergman

‘The Silent Characters’ in Chapter 14 of the author’s book Bergman’s Muses (Ø 1689),
pp. 197-203.
A comparison between Strindberg’s and Bergman’s use of silent characters to signify an am-
bivalent shift between authenticity and altruism on one hand and egocentricity and vampirism
on the other. References are made to such Bergman works as Persona, The Seventh Seal, and
Private Conversations (Enskilda samtal).

1666. Viswanathan, Jacqueline. ‘Ciné-romans: le livre du film’. Cinémas IX, no. 2-3
(Spring 1999): 13-36.
A Canadian article on screenplays by Ingmar Bergman (pp. 29-32), Louis Malle, Eric Rohmer,
and François Truffaut. Screenwriting in all these cases is related to an exploration of a personal
past through a cinematic vision. Bergman’s screenplays combine two narrative modes: an
external visualization and an enunciation of an interior subject matter. They are ‘ciné-novels’,
i.e., not scripts by a writing cineast but readable texts born of an encounter between cinema and
fiction.

2000
1667. Cardullo, Bert. ‘Autumn Interiors, or The Ladies Eve: Woody Allen’s Ingmar Berg-
man Complex’. Antioch Review 58, no. 14 (Fall) 2000, p. 428-37.
Using Autumn Sonata (1978) as his point of departure, the author argues that Bergman’s
consistent unawareness or indifference to the dramatic and psychological incongruities he
creates has a negative effect on Woody Allen’s attempt to emulate Bergman’s work in the film
Interiors, leading him to transpose an American city milieu to the Puritan mood of Bergman’s
‘claustrophobic Baltic’ realm, thereby making the dialogue unintentionally tragi-comic.

1668. Cavell, Stanley. ‘Kärlekens årstider: Ingmar Bergmans ‘Sommarnattens leende’ och
‘En vintersaga’’ [Seasons of love: Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night and The
Winter’s Tale]. Filmhäftet, XXVIII/111 (2000): 47-52.
Juxtaposes two ‘remarriage comedies’: Bergman’s early film Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a
Summer Night) and his stage production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Sees Smiles... as a
study in theatre, Winter’s Tale as a theatre study in film.

1669. Cortade, Ludoviç. Ingmar Bergman: L’Initiation d’un artiste. (Paris, Montreal:
L’Harmattan Inc.), 2000, n.p..
An intellectually expansive study of Fanny and Alexander with comparative references to
Charles Laughton’s film The Night of the Hunter and to literary figures like Flaubert, Proust,
Sartre, all of them portraying ambivalence of parent figures.

1670. Diamantis, Roger. Télérama, no. 2634, 8 July 2000, pp. 63-64.
Diamantis presents a Bergman retrospective in his Parisian cinema.

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1671. Gavel-Adams, Ann-Charlotte and Terje L. Leiren, eds. Stage and Screen: Studies
in Scandinavian Drama and Film. Essays in honor of Birgitta Steene, Seattle: DreamPlay
Press, 2000.
Contains following articles on Ingmar Bergman:
Blackwell, Marilyn Johns. ‘Cross-Dressing and Subjectivity in the Films of Ingmar Bergman’,
pp. 193-207.
Koskinen, Maaret. ‘Ingmar Bergman and the Mise-en-Scene of the Confessional’, pp. 209-228.
Törnqvist, Egil. ‘This is my hand. Hand Gestures in the Films of Ingmar Bergman’, pp.229-244.
Reprinted in author’s book Bergman’s Muses, 2003, pp. 204-13.

1672. Nykvist, Carl-Gustaf. Ljuset håller mig sällskap [Light keeps me company]. Beleuga
Films, 2000.
A film about Bergman cinematographer Sven Nykvist, made by his son, with comments by
Ingmar Bergman, Woody Allen, Liv Ullmann, Jan Troell and other directors and actors with
whom Nykvist has worked. The film is an homage to Nykvist, who has suffered from a rare
form of aphasia since 1998. The film says relatively little about the technical aspects of his work.

1673. Steene, Birgitta. ‘Från subjektiv vision till tidsdokument och arketyp: Ingmar
Bergmans Det sjunde inseglet i mentalitetshistorisk belysning’ [From Subjective Vision
to Time Document and Archetype: Bergman’s The Seventh Seal in the Light of
Mentality History.] In Nordisk litteratur och mentalitet, ed. by Malan Marnersdottir
and Jens Cramer. Annales Societatis Scientiarum Færoensis XXV, Torshavn: 2000, pp.
493-99.
Using The Seventh Seal as an example, the article argues that Bergman frequently approaches
his material from four different, mutually supportive discourses: the personal, the topical, the
existential and one reflecting a current mentality.

1674. Wood, Robin. ‘Ur marionetternas liv: Ingmar Bergman, Sverige och jag’ [From the
Life of the Marionettes: Bergman, Sweden and myself]. Filmhäftet XXVIII/111 (2000),
pp. 19-20.
About Wood’s personal relation to Bergman’s films and his changing attitude towards them as a
consequence of his own change from a heterosexual to an open homosexual. The article
discusses Vargtimmen, Persona, Höstsonaten and, in particular, Ur marionetteras liv/From the
Life of the Marionettes. It concludes with a summary of what Wood considers Bergman’s
‘ideology’, i.e., destructive determinism, disharmony of mind and body, incompatibility be-
tween men and women, the impossibility of faithfulness – with humiliation as a central feature.

2001
1675. Koehler, Robert. ‘’Persona’ Stirs Old Passions’. Variety, April 16, 2001: 6.
A report on the restoration of the 1966 film in a new English-language version that shows how
its original release in US was cut. It was restored by John Kirk at MGM. What was cut in the
earlier release was a footage of erect penis in pre-title montage and a detailed translation of Bibi
Andersson’s monologue about a sexual encounter. Restored copy has 30% more text.

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1676. Koskinen, Maaret. Ingmar Bergman. ‘Allting föreställer, ingenting är’. Filmen och
teatern – en interartiell studie. [Bergman. ‘Everything Represents, Nothing Is’. Film
and Theatre – A Study in Interartiality]. Stockholm: Nya Doxa, 2001. 248 pp.
A comparative study of Bergman’s work in film and theatre in terms of both recurring motifs
and stylistic traits. The approach is both a chronological one, dealing with connecting links in
Bergman’s stage and film production up to 1982/83, and a theme-oriented one, discussing such
topics as theatrical mask vs metaphorical close-up; the role of the actor on stage and screen; and
the ‘spill-over’ from Bergman’s films in his later stagecraft. The study is full of fine observations
but somewhat difficult to pursue because of its multi-structured design.
Review: GP, July 2, 2001, p. 28-29.

1677. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘A Life in the Theater. Intertextuality in Ingmar Bergman’s Efter
repetitionen’. Scandinavian Studies, vol. 73, no. 1, (Spring) 2001, pp. 25-42.
A study of intertextuality as related to the author and the director Bergman in his teleplay Efter
repetitionen. Intertextual features include the author’s use of names and the director’s use of
performers, but also verbal echoes from earlier Bergman films and stage productions, as well as
intertextual references to Strindberg’s A Dreamplay and Euripides The Bachae.

2002
1678. Bleibtreu, Renate, ed. Ingmar Bergman im Bleistift-Ton. Ein Werkporträtt. Ham-
burg: Rogner & Bernhard, 2002, 885 pp.
An extensive anthology of writings by Ingmar Bergman, including some early material never
before translated; the play Trämålning (Tafelbild); the scripts to Sommarnattens leende (Das
Lächeln einer Sommernacht), Nattvardsgästerna (Abendmahlsgäste), Persona, Vargtimmen (Wolfs-
stunde), Riten (Der Ritus), Viskningar och rop (Schreie und Flüstern), Fanny och Alexander, Efter
repetitionen (Nach der Probe), Larmar och gör sig till (In Gegenwart eines Clowns), and Trolösa
(Treulose). With an introduction and postscript, bibliography, filmography, and production list.

1679. Garzia, Aldo, ed. Fårö. La Cinecitta di Ingmar Bergman/Fårö, Ingmar Bergmans
‘Cinecitta’. Rome: Sandro Teti Editore, 2002. 111 pp.
A pictorial presentation of Fårö, with interview articles about Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin,
and Erland Jospehson, and brief essays about Skammen and a presentation of Bergman films
shot on Fårö.

1680. Kindblom. Mikaela. ‘Varför är Ingmar Bergmans filmer så dåliga’. [Why are Ingmar
Bergman’s films so bad?]. BLM, no. 1 (February-March 2002): 32-35.
The author (a film journalist) questions Bergman’s iconic status in the Swedish cinema in ways
reminiscent of Bo Widerberg’s attack on Bergman in the 1960s. Using Såsom i en spegel as an
example, Kindblom claims that Bergman’s films are narcissistic and his themes only interesting
to himself. What triggered the article seems to have been Bergman’s donation of his private
Fårö papers to SFI, which is treated here as if it were an act of self-glorification. A rather silly
piece in revamped BLM magazine.

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1681. Koskinen, Maaret. I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergmans tidiga författarskap
1938-1955. [In the beginning was the word. Ingmar Bergman’s early authorship].
Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand, 2002, 352 pp. Also translated into Finnish as
Alussa Oli Sana – Nuori Ingmar Bergman, trans. by Tapio Koivukari. Helsinki: Like
Kustannus, 2003, 344 pp. Forthcoming in French. Paris: Edition du seuil, 2005.
Having gained access to Bergman’s personal archive, Koskinen uses his early writings in drama,
prose and essay form, much of it unpublished, to trace major themes in Bergman’s work, with
some flashforwards to his later production. Some of this material was published in English as
an essay titled ‘From Short Story to Film Autobiography. Intermedial Variations in Ingmar
Bergman’s Writings and Films’. Film International (formerly Filmhäftet), no. 1, 2003, pp. 6-11.
Reviews
Erik Hedling, ‘Inblick i konstnärsskapets källor’. SvD, October 4, 2002;
Birgitta Steene, ‘Ingmar Bergman. The Artist as Legend’. Review article. Scandinavian Studies,
vol. 75, no. 1, (Spring 2003).

1682. Matthews, Peter. ‘The hard stuff ’. Sight and Sound, XII, no. 1 (January 2002): 24-26.
About Bergman’s fluctuating long-standing reputation as an auteur filmmaker who ‘succeeded
in photographing thought’ and in transforming personal traumas into art, thus giving the
viewer a privileged glimpse of his creative agony. Views Bergman as ‘a showman of angst’,
who is narcissistic but troubling and perhaps still relevant.

1683. Positif no. 497/498, July-August 2002, pp. 4-63.

A special Bergman double issue including articles on his early writings; on the technique, style
and physical gesture of his filmmaking; on his exploration of the human condition; with
analyses of several of his films, including Monika, The Naked Night (La nuit des forains),
The Magic Flute, and Scenes from a Marriage.

2003
1684. Bergom-Larsson, Maria. ‘Vart tog livet vägen? Ingmar Bergmans svarta, storslagna
farväl’ [Where did life go? IB’s black, grand farewell]. AB, December 1, 2003, p. 4-5.
A newspaper essay focusing on Bergman’s TV film Saraband, which is seen as a descent into the
dark regions of guilt and failed reconciliation in a world where the transcendental has lost its
attraction and power. Calls this state of mind, personified in the character of Johan, ‘pathetic
and awful.’ Identifies one important theme in the TV film as Bergman’s reckoning with his own
failing father role, though the problem is not only personal but societal.

1685. Björnstrand, Gabriella. ‘Bergman psykade sin favoritskådespelare’ [B psyched his

favorite actor]. Expr., 2 December 2003, p. 4.
The daughter of Bergman actor Gunnar Björnstrand writes about an irreparable conflict
between her father and the director during the shooting of Winter Light when Bergman
allegedly arranged for a medical report to be issued to Björnstrand, warning him that his
health was at risk. The reason: to put Björnstrand in an anguished state of mind in preparation
for the role of the distressed parson Tomas Eriksson.

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1686. Forslund, Bengt. Gustaf Molander. Stockholm: Carlsons, 2003.

Contains some correspondence material between Ingmar Bergman and Molander. See also
same author’s article ‘Gustaf Molander och Ingmar Bergman’. Filmrutan, Winter 2002, pp. 2-6.

1687. Kalin, Jesse. The Films of Ingmar Bergman. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
A survey of Bergman’s film production, useful as an introductory survey though at times
marred by personal biases.

1688. Malmberg, Carl-Johan. ‘Själens blixtsnabba skiftningar’ [The soul’s nuances shift-
ing like lightning]. SvD, 1 December 2003, pp. 4-5.
A newspaper essay focussing on the density and impact of singular scenes in Bergman’s
filmmaking, with samples taken from Smultronstället, Såsom i en spegel, Tystnaden, Persona etc.

1689. Nyström, Martin. ‘Musiken spelar störst roll i Ingmar Bergmans filmer’ [Music
plays the major role in Ingmar Bergman’s films]. DN 30 November 2003, p. 4-5.
About Bergman and music, published in connection with transmission of Bergman’s TV film
Saraband. Author characterizes Bergman’s use of music as both a ‘crisis catalyst’ and ‘hope
itself ’ (krisutlösare och själva hoppet).

1690. Sight and Sound XIII, no. 1 (January 2003): 24-26.

The film journal asked directors Terence Davies, Lukas Moodysson, Thomas Vinterberg, and
Gillies MacKinnon to select scenes from Ingmar Bergman’s work that have had an impact on
them, though not necessarily on their work.

1691. Törnqvist, Egil. Bergman’s Muses. Aesthetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television
and Radio. (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2003). 265 pp.
A study of Bergman’s transpositions of drama texts to stage, media, and screen. Topics deal with
multimedia transcendence in Bergman’s productions of The Magic Flute, Don Juan, and The
Bachae, and with intermedia aspects in such Bergman works as After the Rehearsal, In the
Presence of a Clown, and P.O. Enquist’s The Image Makers. A fourth segment discusses such
features as subjective point of view, visualized audiences, hidden observers, silent characters,
etc. Several chapters in the book have appeared earlier as articles and are listed elsewhere in the
Reference Guide.

1692. Törnqvist, Egil. ‘Från manus till film. – Ingmar Bergmans Nattvardsgästerna’.
[From manuscript to film. Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Light]. In Att fånga världen i
ord. Litteratur och livsåskådning, ed. by Carl Reinhold Bråkenhielm & Torsten Petter-
son. (Skellefteå: Artos & Norma bokförlag, 2003), pp. 219-42.
Focussing on the religious theme of Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light in manuscript and on the
screen. Author points out the semiotic difference between the manuscript and the screen
version and shows how the two media set up different conditions for a reader and a viewer.

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2004
1693. De Baercque, Antoine and Gabrielle De Baercque, Antoine and Gabrielle
Lucantonio, Eds. La petite anthologie des Cahiers du cinéma, vol. IV, “La politique
des auteurs”. Paris: Éditions des Cahiers du Cinéma, 2004, 208 p.
Texts by auteurs, including Ingmar Bergman.

1694. Laretei, Käbi. Såsom i en översättning [As in a translation]. Stockholm: Bonniers,

2004.
Memoirs by pianist who was married to Ingmar Bergman in the early 1960s. Book was written
on Bergman’s Fårö premises and makes many references to their life together in the past and
present.

1695. Von Rosen, Maria and Ingmar Bergman. Tre dagböcker [Three diaries]. Stock-
holm: Norstedt, 2004.
A juxtaposition of three diaries kept by Bergman, his wife Ingrid von Rosen-Bergman and their
daughter Maria, born in 1959. Diaries are from the time in 1994-95 when Ingrid was diagnosed
with stomach cancer and died.

2005
1696. Aumont, Jacques. Ingmar Bergman. Paris: Éditions des Cahiers du Cinéma, 2005. 256
p. ill.
Analysis of Bergman’s filmmaking, viewed as the work of an auteur and visionary. Focusing on
Bergman’s ‘extraordinary’ childhood as source of inspiration, author looks upon Bergman’s
themes as personal and contemporary rather than modernist.

1697. Stern, Michael J. “Kierkegaard and Bergman.” Scandinavian Studies 77, No. 1
(Spring 2005): 31-52.
Also listed under title “Persona, Personae! Placing Kierkegaard in Conversation with Bergman”,
the essay addresses the issue of masking in relation to Kierkegaard’s text Gjentagelsen and
Bergman’s film Persona.

1698. Forthcoming. Proceedings from Ingmar Bergman Conference in Stock-

holm in May-June 2005. To be published by Wallflower Press, London. See also
Varia: Tributes and Symposia.

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Especially in the early phase of his career on stage and screen, Ingmar Bergman
would occasionally assume a minor role as mute figure or narrative voice. In this shot
from Smiles of a Summer Night, Bergman (far left) plays a clerk in Egerman’s office
(Gunnar Björnstrand, middle left). The scene was cut in the final version of the film.
 Chapter X

Varia
Varia consists of four parts:
A. Media documentaries on Ingmar Bergman
B. Ingmar Bergman: Stage and Screen Performances
C. Awards and Tributes to Ingmar Bergman
D. Archival Sources

A. Media Documentaries on Ingmar Bergman

The following abbreviated references are used:

BBC (British Broadcast Corporation)
CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
MT&R (Museum of Television and Radio)
SALB (Statens arkviv för ljud och bild)
SFI (Swedish Film Institute)
Listed below are major Media documentaries about Ingmar Bergman that include clips from
his films or his theatre/media productions. Included are also ‘behind-the-scenes’ TV documen-
taries from the shooting of the following works directed by Bergman: The Magic Flute, Fanny
and Alexander, Larmar och gör sig till (In the Presence of a Clown), Saraband, and the opera/TV
film The Bachae.
Note: For eighteen of Bergman’s feature films, documentary footage or ‘bakomfilmer’ is (or
will be) available at the Swedish Film Institute. To date, ‘Bakomfilmer’ involve the following
film titles:
Gycklarnas afton, 1953 Ansiktet, 1958
En lektion i kärlek, 1954 Nära livet, 1958
Kvinnodröm, 1955 Såsom i en spegel, 1961
Sommarnattens leende, 1955 Nattvardsgästerna, 1962
Det sjunde inseglet, 1956/57 Persona, 1966
Smultronstället, 1957 Skammen, 1968

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Viskningar och rop, 1972 Ur marionetternas liv, 1980

Scener ur ett äktenskap, 1973 Höstsonaten, 1981
Ansikte mot ansikte, 1976 Efter repetitionen, 1984
For Vargtimmen, 1967, an original, later cut prologue and epilogue, is available at SFI.
After Den goda viljan (Best Intentions), scripted by Bergman and directed by Billy August,
received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992, a documentary titled ‘Världsmäs-
tare i film’ (World master in film) was broadcast on Swedish television, channel 1, on 19 May
1992. The program is 80 min. and includes interviews with the cast plus film clips from Best
Intentions.
Person-to-person radio and TV interviews with Bergman pertaining to a single film, play
production, or TV transmission, or to a single subject (such as Music or Strindberg), are
referenced in the Commentary under individual items in the Filmography and Theatre/Media
Bibliography (Chapters IV and VII) and/or in Interviews Chapter (VIII). Items below are listed
in alphabetical order by title.

1699. Begegnung mit Ingmar Bergman [Encounter with B]

Westdeutsche Rundfunk/TV, 6 August 1964. Producer/Interviewer: Hans Stempel. Includes
excerpts from The Naked Night, The Seventh Seal, Winter Light, and The Silence.
A 13 page typescript is available for this German interview. See a report by S. Melchinger in
Theater heute, no. 9, 1964, p. 44.

1700. The Bergman File

Produced by Jörn Donner, 1977; 57 min. Also referred to as ‘Tre scener med Ingmar Bergman’
[Three Scenes with IB]. SVT, Channel 2, on 28 and 30 December 1975, and 1 January 1976. Film
copyright: Jörn Donner Productions & Cinematograph AB. Available for viewing at MT&R,
New York.
The documentary opens with Bergman’s press conference at the time of the making of The
Serpent’s Egg, then uses material from earlier TV documentary by Donner. Cf. (Ø 836).

1701. Bergmans röst/Bergman’s Voice

Prod. by Gunnar Bergdahl and Bengt Toll. Gothenburg Film Festival, 1997; Triangelfilm, 1998; 1
hour 27 min.
Expanded material from a TV interview with Bergman in 1997, broadcast on 8 February 1997
in SVT. Available in English (‘Bergman’s Voice’); German (‘Bergmans Stimme’); Portuguese
(‘Voz de Bergman’). (Cf. Ø 932).

1702. Börtz, Bergman, och Backanterna [Börtz, Bergman and The Bacchae]
Prod. by SVT, Måns Reuterswärd, 1993; 72 min. (SVT, SALB, MT&R). In Swedish with English
subtitles.
An Emmy-nominated documentary providing a behind-the-scenes look at Bergman direct-
ing an opera based on Euripides’ classical drama, with music by Daniel Börtz.

1703. Dick Cavett Show: A Conversation with Ingmar Bergman

Prod. by ABC/TV, 1 August 1971. Also on National Educational Television (NET), 12 April 1972;
70 min. (MT&R). Cf. Interviews, (Ø 798).

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 Media Documentaries on Ingmar Bergman

Bergman talks about his childhood. Actress Bibi Andersson reflects on Bergman’s portrayal
of women.

1704. Dokument Fanny och Alexander

Prod. by SVT. Photo Arne Carlsson. 110 min. First shown on 16 September 1984 at SFI. Televised
on 18 August 1986, with limited circulation abroad.
From the shooting of Fanny and Alexander. See Variety, 26 February 1986, p. 7. The doc-
umentary is available on video from the Swedish Film Institute.

1705. I Bergmans regi [Directed by Bergman]

Prod. by Torbjörn Ehnwall. Photo Arne Carlsson. SVT, 24 November 2003.
A documentary about the making of the TV film Saraband, with interviews with Bergman,
cast and crew, including costumier, set designer, and propman.

1706. I sällskap med en clown [In the Presence of a Clown]

Prod. by SVT, 7-8 November 1997; 57 min.
A documentary about the shooting of Larmar och gör sig till. Available through SALB.

1707. Ingmar Bergman

Prod. by SFI, 1972; 50 min. Interviewer/Research Stig Björkman.
This film used to be available through the Swedish Institute/Swedish Information Service.
Björkman’s interview is intercut with takes from the making of Bergman’s film The Touch. (Cf.
Ø 796).

1708. Ingmar Bergman: The Magic Lantern. Ingmar Bergman: The Director
Two-part documentary, prod. by Alan Horrox, Thames ITV, shown on BBC channel 4, May
1988; 52 min. each. Research/Interviewer: Michael Winterbottom. Available at BFI, MT&R. (Cf.
Ø 912).
The program combines archival material with clips from forty years of interviews.

1709. Ingmar Bergman gör en film [Ingmar Bergman makes a movie]

Prod. SVT, 27 January, 3 February, and 10 February 1963; 30 min. each. Interviewer/Research:
Vilgot Sjöman. (Cf. Ø 751).
The documentary series, in three segments, is based on Sjöman’s coverage of the shooting of
Bergman’s film Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light). See Sjöman’s book L-136. Dagbok (Ø 1100).

1710. Ingmar Bergman och hustruskoan [Ingmar Bergman and School for Wives].
Prod. by Swedish Public Radio (SR), 31 December 1983 and 1 January 1984.
Two part documentary/discussion with Bergman about his TV production of Molière’s play.
See Ø 329, 597.

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1711. Ingmar Bergman om liv och arbete [IB about life and work]
Prod. by Jörn Donner for SVT, 14 July 1998; 50 min. The interview was translated by Joan Tate
as ‘Demons and Childhood Secrets: An Interview’. Grand Street 17, no. 2 (Fall) 1998: 180-93. (Cf.
Ø 934).
A documentary/interview televised on Bergman’s 80th birthday in which Bergman remi-
nisces about his life and work.

1712. Ingmar Bergman på Island [Ingmar Bergman on Iceland]

Prod. SVT, Channel 1, 19 January 1989, 60 min. Interviewer: Hravn Gunnlaugsson. (Cf. Ø 914).
The documentary originated when filmmaker Gunnlaugsson covered a guest visit to Reykja-
vik of Bergman’s Dramaten production of Strindberg’s Miss Julie.

1713. Ingmar Bergman tar farväl av filmen [Ingmar Bergman Bids Farewell to Cine-
ma]
Prod. SVT, Channel 2, 14 May 1983; 60 min. In Swedish with English subtitles (SVT, SALB,
MT&R). Interviewer/Research: Nils Petter Sundgren. Cf. Ø 894.
The documentary includes vignettes from the set of Fanny and Alexander. Bergman an-
nounces his retirement from feature filmmaking. Cf this to separate documentary on the
making of Fanny och Alexander.

1714. Man Alive Presents Ingmar Bergman

Prod. CBC, Canada, 1970; 58 min. (BFI, MT&T). Research: Marc Gervais. Interviewer: Nils-
Petter Sundgren. (Cf. Ø 791).
Bergman talks about the impact of faith on creative expression.

1715. The Open Mind: A Profile of Ingmar Bergman

Prod. NBC, 1965; 54 min. Interviewer: Edwin Newman.
Bergman talks about the Scandinavian character and its influence on his work.(See Ø 761)

1716. Public Broadcasting Laboratory: Ingmar Bergman

Prod. by David Brenner, 1968; 80 min. (MT&R). Interviewer/Moderator: Lewis Freedman. (Cf.
Ø 775).
A documentary filmed by Bergman’s early cinematographer Gunnar Fischer with clips from
making of Shame. Includes interviews with Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow.

1717. Das Schlangenei

Prod. by a West German TV team. Transcript in French available in Positif, no. 204 (March)
1978:18-27.
A documentary on the shooting of Das Schlangenei (The Serpent’s Egg).

1718. Secrets of a Genius

Prod. by Dino de Laurentis. First shown on Argentinian television, 28 December 1977.
A documentary about Bergman made in connection with the shooting of The Serpent’s Egg.

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 Stage and Screen Performances by Ingmar Bergman

1719. The South Bank Show: Ingmar Bergman at Sixty

Prod. London Weekend Production, 1978, 56 min. (BFI, MT&R). Interviewer: Melvin Bragg.
(Cf. Ø 857).
Bergman’s first interview for British television. He talks about his childhood obsessions and
questions of faith as the basis of his work.

1720. Tagning Trollflöjten [Stand by to Shoot The Magic Flute]

Prod. by Katinka Farago and Måns Reuterswärd, SVT, 6 January 1973, 60 min.
A documentary on the making of Bergman’s TV opera The Magic Flute. Available for viewing
at SALB.

1721. Secrets of a genius

Pod. by Dino de Laurentiis, Argentine TV, 28 September 1977.

B. Stage and Screen Performances by

Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman once referred to himself as ‘an actor not born’ [en ofödd skådespe-
lare]; (Bildjournalen, no. 38, 1956, pp. 8-9). However, during his early days as a theatre
director, he occasionally assumed a role in a stage or screen production. In some of
his films and TV productions he has either been present as an off-screen narrative
voice or has appeared in brief Hitchcock-like roles, passing by as an extra.

1938
Sutton Vane’s Outward Bound (Till främmande hamn). Mäster Olofsgården. Bergman played
the part of Pastor Frank Thomson, also called the Comptroller.

1939
Pär Lagerkvist’s Mannen som fick leva om sitt liv (The Man Who Lived Twice). Mäster Olofs-
gården. Played the role of blind man Boman.
August Strindberg’s Lycko-Pers resa (Lucky Peer’s Travels). Mäster Olofsgården. Played the part
of Friend II.
Edmond Rostand’s Romanesques (Romantik). Mäster Olofsgården. Played the part of Straforel.

1940
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Played the part of King Duncan.
August Strindberg’s Svanehvit (Swanwhite). Played the part of the Gardener.

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1941
Zacharias Topelius’ Fågel Blå (Bluebird). Sagoteatern. Played the part of Mangipani.

1942
Torun Munthe’s De tre dumheterna (The Three Stupidities). Sagoteatern. Played the part of a
Cheater.

1943
Bengt Erik Vos’ Strax innan vi vaknar (Just Before We Awaken). Stockholms Studentteater.
Bergman played the part of a Blind Man.

1944
Alf Sjöberg’s film Hets (Torment, Frenzy) based on Ingmar Bergman’s script. Uncredited voice
on the radio in Berta’s apartment.

1947
Ingmar Bergman’s film Skepp till India land (Ship to India). Uncredited brief appearance as a
man wearing a beret in a Punch and Judy show at a fun fair.

1948
Ingmar Bergman’s film Musik i mörker (Music in Darkness). Uncredited brief appearance as a
train passenger in the last scene.

1949
Ingmar Bergman’s film Törst (Thirst). Uncredited brief appearance as a train passenger in a
scene where a Danish and a Swedish pastor talk about trivialities while images of bombed-out
Germany pass by outside the window.

1950
Ingmar Bergman’s film Till glädje (To Joy). Uncredited brief appearance as an expectant father
in a maternity ward.

1952
Ingmar Bergman’s film Kvinnors väntan (Waiting Women). Uncredited brief appearance as a
man in the stairway to a gynecologist’s office.

1954
Ingmar Bergman’s film En lektion i kärlek (A Lesson in Love). Uncredited brief appearance as a
man on the train, reading a newspaper.
Ingmar Bergman’s radio production of his play Trämålning (Wood Painting) Role of Narrator.

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 Stage and Screen Performances by Ingmar Bergman

1955
Ingmar Bergman’s film Kvinnodröm (Dreams). Uncredited brief appearance as a man with a
poodle in a hotel corridor.
Bergman’s film Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night). Ingmar Bergman appears
briefly as a bookkeeper at Egerman’s legal office in a scene that was cut from the final version of
the film.

1966
Ingmar Bergman’s film Persona. Uncredited voice of Narrator as Alma and Elisabeth move out
to the island.

1967
Ingmar Bergman’s film Stimulantia. Narrator.
Ingmar Bergman’s film Vargtimmen (The Hour of the Wolf). In a prologue, later cut, Ingmar
Bergman talks about the genesis – a fictitious diary he received from the widow on the Frisian
islands – of Vargtimmen with Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow.

1969
Ingmar Bergman’s TV film Riten (The Ritual). Appears briefly as a Catholic priest.
Ingmar Bergman’s film En passion (A Passion/The Passion of Anna). Uncredited voice as the
Narrator.
Ingmar Bergman’s TV film Fårödokument, 1969. Reporter/Narrator.

1973
Ingmar Bergman’s TV film Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage). Voice of the
photographer in opening scene.

1997
Ingmar Bergman’s TV film Larmar och gör sig till (In the Presence of a Clown). Plays a patient in
the insane asylum.

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C. Awards and Tributes

Items listed here appear in chronological order and focus on honors and tributes to
the director Ingmar Bergman for his overall contribution to the arts. This is followed
by a listing of awards for specific film productions.

1940
SFP (Mäster Olofsgården). Åke Johansson memorial award to Ingmar Bergman for being the
most valuable contributor to Mäster Olofsgården’s youth activities. Source: Annual report for
1940-41, Mäster Olofsgården Archives.

1946-48, 1951, 1953

Svenska Filmsamfundet [Swedish Film Society] plaque (‘Charlie’ Award).

1954
Montevideo Film Festival Award. First international recognition of Ingmar Bergman, with
festival top prize to Gycklarnas afton [Noites de Circo/The Naked Night/Sawdust and Tinsel].
São Paulo 500th Anniversary. Special recognition of Ingmar Bergman in an international film
program that was part of the city’s cultural celebration in connection with its 500th anniversary.
(See Ø 1029).

1956
Kungafonden [Swedish King’s Fund]. 2000 kronor stipend.
Svenska Filmsamfundet [Swedish Film Society]. Honorary diploma.
Special Jury Prize, Cannes, to Sommarnattens leende [Smiles of a Summer Night] for its ‘poetic
humor.’

1957
Svenska Filmsamfundet [Swedish Film Society]. Gold Plaque.
Svenska Dagbladet’s Thalia Award (Theatre prize).
Swedish Film Society Yearbook. First Prize in 1957 by Swedish film critics for Sjunde inseglet
[The Seventh Seal].

1958
Svenska Teaterkritikers [Swedish Theatre Critics] ‘Marklund Statue’.
FIB (Folket i Bild) Mauritz Statue. Award for Best Film Artist two years in a row (1958-59).
French Motion Picture Academy. Grand Prix International du Film d’Avant-garde for Sjunde
inseglet [Le septième sceau].
Grand Prix Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival, for Smultronstället [Wilde Erdbeeren].

1038
 Awards and Tributes

FIPRESCI (Fédération internationale de la presse cinématographique). Award at the Venice

Film Festival.

1959
Frankfurt am Main. Film Critics Award.
Finnish Film Journalists Award.
The Pazinetti Award and Cinema Nuovo Award.

1960
Brussels. Belgian Film Critics Major Award.
Århus University, Denmark. Honorary Artist. Student Association Award to Ingmar Bergman
as ‘God’s Jester.’

1961
Svenska Teaterförbundet (Swedish Theatre Association) Gold Medal for ‘extraordinary artistic
contribution’ [utomordentlig konstnärlig gärning].
David O. Selznick Trophy. Tribute to Ingmar Bergman as filmmaker.
American Motion Picture Academy Award. An Oscar for Best Foreign Film to Jungfrukällan
[The Virgin Spring]. This was Bergman’s first Oscar.
Syrena Warszwawska Award (Polish Film Critics Association).

1962
American Motion Picture Academy Award. An Oscar for Best Foreign Film to Såsom i en spegel
[Through a Glass Darkly].
Japanese Jury of 70 Award. For Best Imported Film of the year (Smultronstället).
‘29 Critics’ Award, Japan. To Smultronstället.

1963
Chaplin Award. Tribute by Swedish film magazine.

1964
Venice Film Festival. Tribute to Ingmar Bergman. Bergman presented a short speech on the
occasion. See Ingmar Bergman. ‘Pour ne pas parler..’. Cahiers du Cinéma 27, no. 159 (October)
1964: 12-13. Bergman states: ‘All artists except actors ought to be invisible.’

1965
Erasmus Award. Dutch tribute to Ingmar Bergman, shared by Charlie Chaplin. Bergman could
not attend the ceremonies because of illness but picked up the prize the following year. His
speech on the occasion was later published under the title ‘Ormskinnet/The Snakeskin’. (See
Ø 131 and Ø 1120).

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1967
National Film Society. Prizes to Persona for Best Film, Best Script (2nd prize), Best Direction,
Best Photo (3rd prize), Best Actress (Bibi Andersson).
David di Donatello Award. Tribute to Ingmar Bergman in Taormina, Italy.

1968
Sirena D’oro/Golden Siren. Italian Film Directors Award, Sorrento Festival.
National Society of Film Critics. Award to Skammen for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script
(2nd prize), Best Photo (2nd prize), Best Actress (Liv Ullmann).

1969
Polish Zota Kaczka (Gold Tooth). Best Foreign Film of the Year award to Persona.
Gummiudden (Rubber Point) Award. Stockholm University Humanities Society. Award for
‘non-violence’ against theatre critic Bengt Jahnson since 28 February 1969. (See Ø 551).

1970
National Society of Film Critics Award. American tribute to Ingmar Bergman as a filmmaker.

1971
American Federal Bar Association Award.
American Film Critics Society Award as Best Director in 1970.
Luigi Pirandello Premio internazional di teatro. Italian Gold Plaque to IB for his theatre work.
Irving Thalberg Memorial Award.
President Tito of Yugoslavia Award.
Venice Film Festival. Honorary Mention.

1973
Poetic Tribute. Poem titled ‘Ingmar Bergman’ by J. D. McClatchy, Film Heritage 8, no. 2, 1973:
40.
UCLA (University of California in Los Angeles) Homage to Bergman, 12 October 1973. With a
lecture by Anaïs Nin. (See Ø 1292).
Belgian Film Association Award for Artistic Excellence.

1974
David di Donatelli Award. Tribute to Bergman for his entire production, Taormina, Italy.
Prix Femina (annual Belgian film prize) to Cries and Whispers for ‘depth of psychological
analysis’.

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 Awards and Tributes

1975
Honorary Doctorate. Stockholm University.
International Film Festival, with retrospective focus on Bergman’s filmmaking, Brussels.

1976
Goethe Preis 1976: Ingmar Bergman. Frankfurt an Main: Dezernat Kultur und Freizeit. (See
Ø 1273).
Liechtenstein Art Association Tribute to Ingmar Bergman as one of the Western world’s most
important artists.
Poetic Tribute. William Stafford publishes a poem titled ‘Bergman’. Western Humanities Review
30, no. 2 (Spring) 1976: 146.

1977
Swedish Academy of Arts and Science. Gold Medal.

1980
Honorary Professorship. Stockholm University.

1981
Alger H. Meadows Award. Ingmar Bergman became the first recipient of the prize, issued by
Southern Methodist University for Excellence in the Arts. See Talking with Ingmar Bergman,
group Ø 1368.
On 10 October 1981, the Swedish Postal Service issued a block of stamps depicting Swedish film
history. Two of the stamps have an Ingmar Bergman reference: one vignette from the classroom
scene in Hets (Torment) and one from the pietà scene in Viskningar och rop (Cries and Whis-
pers). The latter motif was also issued as a postcard with a special imprint.

1982
Venice Film Festival Golden Lion to Bergman for his total contribution to the cinema. (Berg-
man could not attend the event but appeared and accepted the award at the 1983 Venice festival,
where the longer (5 hours) TV version of Fanny and Alexander was shown).

1984
Yearly Guaranteed Income. Bergman asks that his yearly guaranteed income as a practicing
artist (which he had never collected) be transferred to actress Kari Sylwan.

1985
American-Scandinavian Foundation institutes ‘The Ingmar Bergman Award’ to a Nordic artist
who has had a lasting impact on American culture.
French Legion of Honor. Award presented to Ingmar Bergman in Paris by French President
François Mitterand.

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1986
Sorbonne (University of Paris). Honorary Doctorate.

1987
Rome University, La Sapienza Faculty. Honorary Doctorate. The ceremonies took place in 1988.
A seminar was organized by Guido Aristarco. Bergman was expected to attend but cancelled
because of fatigue.
Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz. German Medal.

1988
British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Honorary Member.
European Felix Award to Ingmar Bergman for his life contribution to the cinema. Award
ceremony took place in Berlin. (See Ø 1453).
‘Premio Fiesole ai Maestri del cinema’. Honorary Award to Ingmar Bergman by the city of
Fiesole in Italy.
Prize Ubu for best foreign theatre performance in Italy (Long Days Journey into Night).

1989
Projecto de soneto a ‘Luz de Inverno’. A sonnet by Agostino da Silva in Ingmar Bergman, ed. by
Jose Navarro de Andrade, Tetra PAK, Portugal, 1989.
Sonning Prize. Copenhagen University. Award for his contribution to European culture. (See
Ø 1477).
Dag Hammarskjöld Medal. Swedish Tourist Association (Svenska Turistföreningen), to Ingmar
Bergman ‘for having contributed to giving the public image of Sweden a cultural profile.’
Village Voice ‘Off Broadway Award’ for best theatre production (‘Hamlet’).

1991
Winner of Japanese award ‘Præmium Imperiale’, the so-called Nobel Prize of Art, given to
people who have made artistic activity their life work. Also referred to as the H.H. Takamatsu
International Culture Award. The price sum was 600 000 SEK. Bergman’s daughter Linn
Ullmann picked up the award; in a statement she said: ‘Dad could not come to the award
ceremony in Japan but says that he has received much inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s films.’
President of the European Film Academy (in Berlin).

1992
Festival nordico in Rome. Retrospective of Early Bergman. Arranged by Associazione Culturale
‘L’Arte e lo Spettacolo’, Rome. In connection with this event the book Il giovane Bergman, edited
by Francesco Bono, was published. (See Ø 1521).
Strindberg Prize. Annual prize awarded by the Strindberg Society (Strindbergssällskapet). Prize
is a replica of a sculpture of Strindberg’s head by Carl Eldh.

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 Awards and Tributes

1993
Sveriges förenade filmstudios (Sweden’s United Film Studios). Glass Statue.

1995
Dorothy and Lilian Gish Prize.
Mali Postal Service. Undated block of stamps to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the cinema.
One stamp portrays Liv Ullmann with a small inserted vignette of Ingmar Bergman.
New York City Ingmar Bergman festival, 7 May - 15 June 1995. See group (Ø 1580).
Swedish Postal Services. Block of stamps issued on 7 October 1995 to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the cinema. One stamp has an Ingmar Bergman reference: the mirror scene
with Bibi Andersson and Victor Sjöström in Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries).

1996
University Charles de Gaulle in Lille. Honorary Doctorate.
Ingmar Bergman. 50 años de cinema. Rio de Janeiro Retrospective, November 22-10 December
1996, arranged by Cineclub Estacaõ Botagogo, Espaco Unibanco de Cinema, Cinemateca do
MAM. The program included all of Bergman’s films to date, except the Bris commercials and
Sånt härder inte här, and included post-Fanny and Alexander films scripted by Bergman.
Sponsored by IBM.
Lund University Ingmar Bergman Symposium. For details, (See Ø 1613).

1997
Gothenburg Film Festival. Honorary President.
Palm of Palms tribute. Cannes Film Festival 50th Anniversary Special Award. Bergman who had
never received the Golden Palm for best director was selected as the recipient of this special
tribute after a vote among a specially invited group of filmmakers, all of whom were former
recipients of the Golden Palm. See group (Ø 1614).

1998
King’s medal, 12th size. Recognition by His Majesty King Carl Gustaf of Sweden of Bergman’s
cultural contribution to his country. The medal was the highest such recognition of its kind in
1998.
Fågel Blå Cinema Tribute. A year-long tribute to Bergman by art house cinema that used to be
his neigbourhood movie theatre when he grew up. Fågel Blå [Bluebird] showed Bergman
retrospectives on Monday nights from 1986 to 1999. See group (Ø 1625).
The Artist and Cultural Identity. An international Strindberg-Sjöberg-Bergman symposium,
Stockholm, 28-31 August 1998 at Fågel Blå Cinema, Strindberg Museum, and Royal Dramatic
Theatre. Sponsored by Biografteatern Fågel Blå; Stockholm – Cultural City of Europe ’98; Royal
Dramatic Theatre; the Strindberg Society; Swedish Authors Association; and ABF Stockholm.
See group (Ø 1625).

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 Chapter X Varia

1999
Swedish Postal Service. Block of stamps issued on 11 March 1999 with the theme ‘Sweden in the
20th-century’. One stamp shows Ingmar Bergman together with Eva Dahlbeck and Gunnar
Björnstrand in Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night).

2000
St Vincent & Grenadines Postal Service. Undated block of stamps issued at Internationale
Filmfestspiele (Berlin) 50th anniversary. One stamp shows Victor Sjöström in Smultronstället
(Wild Strawberries), the film that received the (Berlin) Golden Bear in 1958.

2001
Sat Sapiente Award. Skandinaviska Teaterpriset. Bergman became the first recipient of the
annual Scandinavian Theatre Prize, instituted by the Norwegian Sat Sapiente Foundation to
honor the best stage production of a Scandinavian playwright, put on by one of the three
Scandinavian national stages: Dramaten in Stockholm, Det Kongelige in Copenhagen, and
Nationalteatret in Oslo. The award was for Bergman’s production of Spöksonaten (The Ghost
Sonata) in 2000. See Theatre/Media Bibliography, VII, (Ø 485).

2002
Village Voice Off-Broadway Theatre Award. Special citation to Ingmar Bergman for his guest
productions at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), especially for Spöksonaten (The Ghost
Sonata) in June 2001.

2003
FIAF Film Preservation Award. Special tribute to Ingmar Bergman by Fédération internationale
des archives de film. Presented at FIAF congress at SFI, June 2, 2003.
Ingmar Bergman Foundation Exhibit. ‘Before Ingmar Became Bergman’. International presen-
tation of early (1938-1946) Bergman papers from his donated Fårö library. In collaboration with
the Swedish Institute. Exhibit toured to Helsinki, Paris, Rome, and Vienna.

2004
Prix Italia for TV film Saraband.

2005
L’Opera multiforme 1982-2003. Symposium in Pordenone (Italy), 4-5 feb, 2005.
Stockholm, May-June 2005. Interarts Conference on Ingmar Bergman arranged by the Ingmar
BergmanFoundation and Stockholm University Cinema Arts Department, in cooperation with
Dramaten, the Royal Swedish Opera, and the Swedish Film Institute.

1044
 Awards for Individual films

Awards for Individual films

The year after the film title refers to its year of release.
Det regnar på vår kärlek [It Rains on our Love] (1946)
1946 Ingmar Bergman won a Charlie (Swedish Oscar) for the film;
1947 Film was ranked best Swedish film for 1946-47 by Swedish Film Journalists Club
and the film magazine Biografbladet.
Kvinna utan ansikte [Woman without a Face] (1947)
1948 Stockholm film critics (and Uppsala critic Pir Ramek) voted Kvinna utan ansikte
best Swedish film of the year, followed by Bergman’s Musik i mörker and Skepp till
India land. See Biografbladet, Summer 1948.
Skepp till India land [Ship to India](1947)
1947 Honorable mention at 1947 Cannes Film festival.
Sommarlek [Illicit Interlude, Summer Interlude] (1951)
1952 Honorable mention for script and direction by Svenska Filmsamfundet (Swedish
Film Society).
Gycklarnas afton [The Naked Night, Sawdust and Tinsel] (1953)
1954 First prize in Montevideo Film Festival;
1957 L’Etoile du Cristal de L’Académie du Cinéma, Paris;
1958 Diploma in Buenos Aires Film Festival;
German Film Critics Award for Best Direction and highest quality rating by the
West German Classification Board;
1959 Second Prize by Polish Film Critics’ Society;
1999 Listed in Swedish Filmhäftet survey as one of the ten best Swedish films of the
century.
En lektion i kärlek [A Lesson in Love] (1954)
1955 Punta del Este Festival Award;
1963 Unspecified award at Film Comedy Festival in Vienna.
Sommarnattens leende [Smiles of a Summer Night] (1955)
1956 FIB’s film trophy for Best Script and Best Direction (FIB = Folket i Bild, Swedish
cultural magazine), March 1956;
Special Jury Prize at 1956 Cannes Film Festival for ‘its poetic humor.’
Det sjunde inseglet [The Seventh Seal] (1956)
1957 FIB 1957 silver statue; also best male actor award to Gunnar Björnstrand;
First prize by film critics in 1957 Swedish Film Society Yearbook;
1958 French Motion Picture Academy’s Grand Prix International du Film d’Avant-garde;
Films and Filming‘s choice as ‘Film of the Month’ (April 1958);
1959 Joseph Burstyn Award for Best Foreign Film (Second Prize);
Award at the film festival in Stratford, Canada (Third Prize);
Finnish Film Journalists Award;
The Pazinetti Award;
Silver Laurel Medal. David O. Selznick award for best foreign film.
1960 Trofeo Federación Nacional de Cine Clubs, Valladolid, Spain.
1961: Nastro d’Argento [silver ribbon] by Italian Film Critics.

1045
 Chapter X Varia

Smultronstället [Wild Strawberries] (1957)

1958 FIB Silver Statue;
Grand Prix Golden Bear prize at Berlin Film Festival;
FIPRESCI (Fédération internationale de la presse cinématographique) award at
Venice film festival;
1959 Norwegian Film Producers Silver Nugget (Sölvklumpen);
Bodil Statue (Danish Oscar);
Southern California Motion Picture Council Award;
National Board of Reviews Award for Best Actor and Best Foreign Film;
Mar del Plata, Argentina Film Festival. First prize and Best Actor Award;
1960 Nastro d’Argento, Italy (Silver Ribbon for Best Foreign Film);
1961 Syrena Warszwawska Award (Polish Film Critic’s Association);
Evangelische Filmgilde’s Best Film of the Month (July 1961);
Third place on Katolischen Film and Fernsehen List of Best Films of the Year;
David O. Selznick Silver Laurel;
1962 Besonderes Wertvoll status by Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden;
Japanese Jury of 70 Award for Best Imported Film;
‘29 Critics Award’, Japan.
1971 On 12 January 1971, p. 21, Aftonbladet carried a notice that Smultronstället/Wild
Strawberries had been chosen as one of four outstanding films during the last
quarter of a century by French film critics.
1972 Classified among 12 best films in the world by Sight and Sound.
Nära livet [Brink of Life/Close to Life] (1957)
1958 Cannes Film Festival. Awards for Best Director and Best Actress (collectively).
Ansiktet [The Magician/The Face]
1959 Venice Film Festival. Special Jury Prize and Critics Award to Ansiktet;
Pasinetti Award and Cinema Nuovo Award;
Acapulco Film Festival of Festivals. Unspecified award to Ansiktet;
Jungfrukällan [The Virgin Spring] (1960)
1960 Cannes Film Festival. Honorary Mention for Jungfrukällan (La source);
1961: Oscar Awards, USA. Best Foreign Film Award for Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring);
Labaro de oro (gold medal) at Religious Film Festival, Valladolid, Spain;
‘29 Critics Award’ in Japan.
Såsom i en spegel [Through a Glass Darkly] (1961)
1962 American Motion Picture Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Film;
Bild und Funk Bambi Award;
Belgian Film Critics Award;
Berlin. Catholic Film Bureau’s Award;
1963 Finnish Film Critics Prize.
Nattvardsgästerna [Winter Light, The Communicants] (1962)
1963 Best Foreign Film, Religious Film Week, Vienna;
Chaplin Award for Nattvardsgästerna and Tystnaden;
OCIC’s (Office Catholique International du Cinéma) Film Award;
1964 David O. Selznick Silver Laurel;
Jussi Statue (Finland);
Lisbon Film Festival Award to Ingrid Thulin for her role as Märta Lundberg.

1046
 Awards for Individual films

1966 Valladolid Film Festival. Grand Prix (shared with Shock Corridor).
Tystnaden [The Silence] (1963)
1964 SFI Gold Bug for Best Direction
Persona (1966)
1967 SFI quality subsidy of Skr 556,390;
SFI Gold Bug to Bibi Andersson;
National Society of Film Critics prize for Best Film, Best Script (2nd prize), Best
Direction, Best Photo (3rd prize), Best Actress (Bibi Andersson).
1969 Polish Zota Kaczka [Gold Tooth] for Best Foreign Film of the Year.
Persona also placed high on numerous ‘best film of the year’ polls throughout the
world.
Vargtimmen [Hour of the Wolf] (1967)
1968 Despite negative Swedish reception, Hour of the Wolf was given SFI (Swedish Film
Institute) quality subsidy of SKR 356,641.
Skammen [Shame] (1968)
1968 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Script
(2nd place), Best Photo (2nd place), Best Actress (Liv Ullmann) who also won SFI
Gold Bug for 1969;
SFI Quality Subsidy of Skr 352,865
1969 Special Prize at 1969 Valladolid Religious Film Festival;
Best Film of the Month of February, by Evangelische Filmgilde.
Riten [The Ritual] (1969)
1970 Riten was an entry at the 1970 Mar del Plata Film Festival.
En passion [The Passion of Anna, A Passion] (1969)
1969 SFI Quality Subsidy of Skr 303,255;
1970 OCIC (Office catholique internationale du cinéma) Award at Valladolid Film Fes-
tival.
National Society of Film Critics; Best Director Award.
1971 New York Film Critics. Rated 2nd Best Foreign Film.
Beröringen [The Touch] (1970)
1972 Bibi Andersson, Best Actress Award, Belgrade Film Festival.
Viskningar och rop [Cries and Whispers] (1972)
1972 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Script and Best Photography;
New York Critics’ Award for Best Film, Best Script, Best Director and Best Actress
(Liv Ullmann);
American Motion Picture Academy. An Oscar for Best Photography;
1973 National Board of Reviews Prize for Best Direction;
Films and Filming award for Best Color Photography;
Belgian Film Association Award for Artistic Excellence;
Syrena Warszawska (Polish film critics’ award) for Best Foreign Film.
1974 Yugoslav Film Critics’ Awards;
Nastro d’Argento for Best Foreign Film shown in Italy;
Centro culturale San Fedele award, Milan (Jesuit Film Center) as Best Film of the
Year;

1047
 Chapter X Varia

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film and Best Actress (Liv Ull-
mann);
Prix Femina (annual Belgian film prize) for ‘depth of psychological analysis’.
1975 Jussi Statue (Finland).
Scener ur ett äktenskap [Scenes from a Marriage] (1973)
1974 Circle Prize for Best Manuscript;
Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe;
1975: Film Journlists’ Association Film Festival (Brussels);
David di Donatello Award, Taormina, to Liv Ullmann;
1976: Bild und Funk Bambi Award for Best Foreign Actress.
Trollflöjten [The Magic Flute] (1975)
1975 French Film Critics’ Association Special Award;
Golden Globe Award as Best Film of the Year;
1976 Prix femina (Belgium) for Artistic Quality;
Best Film of the Month, July 1976, by Evangelische Filmgilde.
Ansikte mot ansikte [Face to Face] (1976)
1976 Golden Globe as Best Film of the Year.
Herbstsonate [Autmn sonata] (1978)
1978 National Board of Review. Award for Best Direction.
Fanny och Alexander (1982)
1983 New York Film Critics: Best Foreign Film 1983;
Golden Globe (Hollywood Film Critics) for Best Foreign Film; (awarded in 1984);
Swedish Film Critics’ Society. Film of the Year;
César (France) for Best Foreign Film, 1983;
SFI Circle Prize;
Gold Bug for Best Direction;
Venice Golden Lion 1983.
1984 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film, Best Cinematography, Best Costumes, and
Best Art Direction;
David de Donatello Award in Italy for Best Direction, Best Script, Best Film.
1985 Jesuit Cultural Centre, San Fedele. Award as Best Film of the Year.
Den goda viljan [Best Intentions] (1991)
1992 Golden Palm (Palme d’or) at Cannes Film Festival; Best Actress Award to Pernilla
August;
Gold Bug award. Best Script, Ingmar Bergman.
Newspaper Expr. television award
Trolösa [Faithless] (2000)
2000 Baltic Prize at Lübeck Film Festival, November 5, 2000.
Saraband (2003)
2004 Prix Italia for TV film Saraband.

1048
 Archival Sources

D. Archival Sources

Listed below are those library and archival sources that were consulted for this Reference Guide.
The listing is organized according to Bergman’s different artistic activities:

Ingmar Bergman’s Writings

The Royal Library in Stockholm (Kungliga Biblioteket/KB) keeps a copy of all texts published in
Sweden. Bergman’s works in print, as well as theatre programs pertaining to his productions,
are in storage at KB. Much of this material is also available in the SFI Library or in the Swedish
Theatre Library. See below under film and theatre archives. Unpublished Bergman material is
being catalogued at SFI, The Ingmar Bergman Archives. See below.
Kungliga Biblioteket
www.kb.se
Tel. 46 8 463 40 00
Fax: 46 8 463 40 04
e-mail: kungl.biblioteket@kb.se
The Ingmar Bergman Foundation
In 2002, the Ingmar Bergman Foundation was instituted in Stockholm with representatives
from several cultural and academic institutions and including two of Bergman’s children:
theatre director Eva Bergman and author Linn Ullmann. The planned Ingmar Bergman Archive
at SFI will house the majority of Ingmar Bergman’s unpublished plays and drafts, shooting
documentaries of a number of his films, photographs and notes, as well as some director’s
copies of stage productions. The material is currently being catalogued. Active plans are under
way to establish an Ingmar Bergman database, to be available in 2005. Inquiries might be
addressed to the SFI e-mail address or home page, listed below.

Ingmar Bergman’s Films

Swedish Sources
Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
www. sfi.se
Postal address: Box 27126, S-10252 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel. 46-8-671 11 00
e-mail: info@sfi.se
The main source of information concerning scripts, stills, film posters, and analytical material
pertaining to Bergman’s filmmaking is the Swedish Film Institute library and archives (SFI) in
Stockholm. Recently (2002) Bergman donated his private papers to the SFI. See Ingmar Berg-
man Foundation, listed above. As for the extensive Bergman material already registered at the
SFI Library and Archives, it is open to the public though some restrictions may apply for access
to Bergman’s scripts. Note that permission to use stills from Bergman’s films must be obtained
from the pertinent film production company or photographer. Cost of reproduction varies.
Svensk Filmindustri (SF)
The producer of the majority of Bergman’s films prior to 1968 has purchased films produced by
Bergman’s own production company Cinematograph.

1049
 Chapter X Varia

Svensk Filmindustri
www.sf.se
Postal address: SF, 116 86 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel. 46-8-680 35 00
Fax: 46-8-710 44 60
Statens arkiv för ljud och bild (SALB)
www.ljudochbildarkivet.se
Postal address: Karlavägen 100, S-10451 Stockholm
Tel: 46 8 662 27 43 (research div.)
Fax; 46 8 663 18 11
e-mail: foexp@ljudochbildarkivet.se
Students are advised to contact Statens arkiv för ljud och bild (SALB), Stockholm for viewing
Bergman films on video at a reasonable cost. Note that SALB’s viewing facilities are reserved for
research and are not available to the general public.
Non-Swedish Sources
Outside of Sweden, all major film libraries have files on Bergman’s filmmaking, including
books, magazines, and newspaper clippings. Access to such material may vary and some film
libraries charge an entrance fee. Those archives that have links to FIAF can be reached via www.
fiafnet.org or through www.cinema.ucla.edu/fiaf/english/dir.html
American Film Institute (AFI)
www.AFI.com
Postal address: John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington DC 20566, USA
Tel: 1-202 833 2648
Fax: 1-202 659 1970
e-mail: zsinobad@afionline.org
American Motion Picture Academy (AMPA)
www.ampa.com
Margaret Herrick Library
Postal address: 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90211, USA
Tel. 1-213-278-4313
e-mail: via home page
British Film Institute (BFI)
www.bfi.org.com
Postal address: 21 Stephen Street, London WIT ILN, United Kingdom
Tel: 44 20 7255 1444
e-mail: footage.films@bfi.org.uk
Cinemateca brasiliera
Postal address: Largo senador Raul Cardose, 207 Vila Clementino, São Paulo CEP 04021-070,
Brazil
Tel. 55-11 50 84 2107
e-mail: info@cinemateca.com.br
Cinemateco do museo de arte moderna
Postal address: Calxa postal 44
200 01-970 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

1050
 Archival Sources

Tel: 55- 21 210 21 88

Fax: 55- 21 240 63 51
Cinemateca uruguaya
www.cinemateca.org.uy
Postal address: Calle Lorenzo Camelli 1311, Montevideo, Uruguay
Tel. 598-2 408 2460; or 409 5795;
Fax: 598-2 409 4572
e-mail: cinemuy@chasque.apc.org or cdc@chasque.apc.org (centro de documentation)
Cinématèque Française
www.cinematequefrancaise.com
Postal address: Centre Censier, 13 rue Santeuil, 75005 Paris, France
Tel.33-1 53 65 74 76
Fax: 33-1 53 65 74 96
e-mail: cinematec-fr@magic.fr
Cinecitta (Rome)
www.cinecitta.it
Postal address: Cinecitta Holding, Via Tuscolana 1055, 00173 Rome, Italy
Tel. 39 06 722 861
Fax: 39 06 7221 883
No e-mail address but mail can be sent via its home page
Det danske filmmuseum
www.dfi.dk
Postal address: Gothersgade 55, 1123 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Tel. 45 33 74 35 90
Fax: 45 33 74 35 89
e-mail: dfi@dk or bibliotek@dfi.dk
Filmmuseum Amsterdam
www.filmmuseum.nl
Postal address: 74782, 1070 BT Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Tel. 31-20-5891 400
e-mail: info@filmmuseum.nl
Filmmuseum Berlin – Deutsche Kinemathek
www.kinemathek.de
Postal address: Potsdamer Strasse 2, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Tel. 49- 30 300903-0
Fax: 49- 30 300903-13
e-mail: Rhoffmann@filmuseum-berlin.de
Filmoteca española (Madrid)
www.mcu.es/cine
Postal address: c/Magdalena, 10, ES-28o12, Madrid, Spain
Tel. 34-91 467 26 00
Fax: 34-91 467 26 11
e-mail: via home page
Filmoteka narodwa (Warsaw)
www.filmoteka.com.pl

1051
 Chapter X Varia

Postal address: ul. Pulawska 61, PL-00795 Warszawa, Poland

Tel. 48-22 84 55 074
e-mail via home page
Gosfilmo Fond (Moscow)
Postal address: Maijy Gnezdnikovskij Perulok, Dom 7, ROSSIJA, 103877 Moskva, Russia
Tel/Fax: 7-95 234 1861
e-mail: Filmfond@aha.ru
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
www.moma.org
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019, USA
Tel. 1-212 708-9600; Celeste Bartos Film Study Center: 1-212 708-9613
Fax: 1-212-333 11 45
e-mail: documentation@moma.org
Norsk Filminstitutt (NFI)
www.nfi.no
Postal address: Boks 482 Sentrum, 0105 Oslo, Norway
Tel. 47-22 47 45 00
e-mail: nfi@nfi.no
Suomen elokuvaarkisto
www. sea.fi
Postal address: PB 177, 00151 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. 358-9 615 400
Fax: 358-9 6154 0242
e-mail: sea@sea.fi
Several Video and DVD copies of Bergman's films are available or are still being produced.
Check the home page of the following sources for information and availability:
Swedish Film Institute, c/o Library shop
British Film Institute,
Criterion Collection, New York City

Ingmar Bergman’s Radio Play Productions and TV Films

The best source for Bergman’s radio productions, televised plays, and TV films is Statens arkiv
för ljud och bild (SALB, see above). Same applies for video film showings.
SVT (Swedish Television) and SR (Swedish Radio) have libraries and information services
about televised and broadcast Bergman programs.
Sveriges Television (SVT)
www.svt.se
Postal address: SVT, Publicservice Dept., 10510 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel. 46-8-784 00 00
Sveriges Radio (SR)
www.sr.se
Postal address: SR, Publicservice Dept., 10510 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel. 46-8-784 50 00

1052
 Archival Sources

The Museum of Television and Radio in New York has some donated material pertaining to
Bergman’s television work. Material includes documentaries and interviews with Bergman,
produced in English.
Museum of Television and Radio (MT&R)
www.mtr.org
Postal address: 25 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019-6101
Phone: (1) 212 621-6800
e-mail: via home page

Ingmar Bergman’s Theatre Productions:

The main source of information about material pertaining to Ingmar Bergman’s theatre work is
Sveriges Teatermuseum (formerly Drottningholms Teatermusuem) in Stockholm.
Sveriges Teatermuseum
www.sverigesteatermuseum.detm.se
Postal address: Kvarnholmsvägen 56
P.O. Box 15417, 10465 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel. 46-8-556 931 11
Fax: 46-8-556 931 01
e-mail: Sverigesteatermusuem@dtm.se
Sveriges Teatermuseum has relevant theatre literature, reviews, and photographs. For recorded
stage productions, consult Statens Arkiv för ljud och bild (SALB).
Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten)
www.dramaten.se
Tel. 46-8-665 61 00
Fax: 46-8-663 88
Dramaten has extensive press clippings and photographs from Bergman’s productions at the
theatre, as well as library material.
Most local institutional theatres (city theatres), the Royal Opera and the Royal Dramatic
Theatre (Dramaten) where Bergman has been a director have libraries and archives with
reviews, publicity items, some production copies, stage designs, and photographs. Some ma-
terial has been transferred from the different city theatres to the city museums in Helsingborg,
Göteborg, Malmö, and Linköping. Kungliga Biblioteket (Royal Library) in Stockholm has some
program material from Bergman’s entire career. Mäster Olofsgården’s premises at Storkyrko-
torget, Stockholm, have stenciled and handwritten material about Bergman’s theatre activities
in 1938-1940; see Theatre/Media Bibliography in Chapter VII and listing of early Bergman
writing in Chapter II.
The Ingmar Bergman Archive at SFI (see above under Ingmar Bergman’s Writings, Ingmar
Bergman Foundation) will house the majority of Ingmar Bergman’s unpublished plays and
drafts, as well as some director’s copies of stage productions. Consult SFI Library/Archives for
availability to researchers.

1053
 Subject Index

All index references are based on the Guide’s entry number system. However, Chapters I
(Life and Work) and III (The Filmmaker), as well as longer introductions to Chapters II (The
Writer) and VI (Theatre) do not contain any entry numbers since they are overview pre-
sentations of material. The relatively few index items that appear in such survey material are
referenced through page numbers.

The letters (å), (ä) and ö at the end of the Swedish alphabet retain that position in all the
indeces. The Danish letters (æ) and (ø) are alphabetized as (ä) and (ö).

The Subject Index combines two major sets of references, one addressing the life and work
record of Ingmar Bergman and the other focusing on the scholarly writings, professional
commentaries, critical debates and interviews that Bergman’s biography and oeuvre have
elicited. All references are listed through their entry numbers. When an item is to be found in
an extensive entry in the Guide (usually a group entry or an entry in the Filmography or
Theatre Chapters), its exact location is specified either by the author’s name or by one of the
following designations in parenthesis: (syn) = synopsis, (com) = commentary, (rec) =
reception, (rev) = reviews, (lit)= literature/longer articles/special studies. Readers are advised
to check Commentaries and Reception lists in Chapters IV, V, and VI for additional refer-
ences to individual items.

A number of indexed subjects appear as alphabetized subheadings under major listings

referring to Bergman’s different artistic activities, such as Film, Opera, Radio, Television,
Theatre, Writing. Such major listings are set in bold type in the appropriate alphabet section,
i.e. Film under F, Opera under O etc.

Numbers after the title refer to the Guide’s entry numbers. In subject references to items in
the Guide that appear in chapters or sections that have no entry numbers, a page number
appears instead.

Actor
Bergman as – Varia B
Bergman on –s 94, 109, 120, 129, 500, 505, 506,
519, 528, 533, 536, 537 (p. 782, 784), 540, 541, 551,
555, 556, 569, 586, 595, 598, 604, 607, 608, 630,
1055
670, 687, 717, 724, 785, 788 (passim), 817, 825,
840, 880, 900, 918, 941, 943, 970, 1007, 1368, 1644
comments on Bergman 554, 556, 561, 622, 625,
630, 637, 646, 647, 653, 662 (Josephson), 669,
679, 698, 768, 775, 785, 843, 865, 912, 923, 940,
1013, 1061, 1074, 1082, 1087, 1100, 1117, 1128, 1207,
 Subject Index
1240, 1263, 1299, 1333, 1358, 1381, 1395, 1401, 1417,
1452 (1, 4), 1455, 1476, 1484, 1493, 1498 (passim),
1548, 1562, 1580, 1600 (passim), 1685
in Bergman film 717, 724, 747, 768, 776, 788
(passim), 1282, 1325 (Lundgren), 1329 (Ciment)
in Bergman theatre 554, 564, 570, 630, 656, 779,
969, 982 (p. 886), 996 (Houston), 1061, 1074,
1100 (passim), 1395, 1401, 1455, 1484, 1535, 1616
role of –s 798, 1128, 1144, 1325, 1484, 1676, 1690
(silent characters); see also Portrayal of Women
Adaptation See under individual art form
Adolescence chapter I, p. 29, 35, chapter II, p. 67,
chapter III, p. 148; 221, 224 (com), 412, 427 (rec),
438 (rec), 959, 982 (Siclier), 1015; see also Child-
hood, and Film, Motifs
Aging chapter I, p. 30; 132 (Perlström, rev), 185
(Palmqvist, rev), 195, 226 (syn; Erikson/Malmberg
art.), 253, 254/332 (syn), 259 (rec), 316 (com), 343
(rec), 454 (com), 477 (NY rec), 789 (Chekhov),
1038, 1281, 1447, 1522, 1577; see also Old Age
Alchemy 1154
Allegory chapter II, p. 63; 225 (Slayton, lit), 253
(Bundtzen, long.stud), 363 (rec), 465 (Harst, rev
Amsterdam), 982 (p. 885), 1410, 1442, 1607
Angst/anguish chapter I, p. 41, chapter III (p. 153,
155, 156, 157); 22, 199, 207 (com/rec), 210 (rec), 211
(rec), 225 (Steene, lit), 231 (French, spec. stud), 233
(syn), 236 (rec), 238 (rec), 239, (rec), 249 (rec), 253
(foreign rec), 334 (rec), 341 (rec), 412, 447 (Herl-
sinki rev), 449 (Josephson rev), 462 (rec), 473 (Sw.
rec), 483 (foreign rev), 861, 863, 952, 1012 (Old-
rini), 1098, 1138, 1153, 1161, 1401, 1452 (Pflaug), 1487,
1505, 1506, 1652, 1682, 1685; see also Existentialism
Aphorism 93
Archetype chapter I, p. 18; 225 (Steene, lit).), 246
(rec), 379, 399, 408, 447 (Obernhaus, rec), 464
(com), 477 (rec), 479 (Krakow), 480 (rec), 483
(Heltberg, rev), 975, 1129, 1406, 1413, 1452 (2), 1460,
1479, 1581, 1673
Arrest see Exile
Art cinema 974, 1211, 1267, 1643 (Elsaesser), 1660
(Dixon)
Artist-Audience relationship chapter III (p. 152-
154); 103, 112, 220, 225 (Jof), 228, 235, 236, 237, 238,
239, 240, 241, 247, 341, 476 (com), 579, 703, 738,
789 1026, 1194, 1298, 1554
Artistic Creativity chapter II (pp.52-53; 56-57)
– as commitment to a vision 87, 108, 824, 841,
880, 1207
– as cult act 120, 240 (com), 341 (com), 1007,
1384
– as intuition 717, 841, 866, 883
– as joy and play/rooted in childhood 502, 677
(var. pag), 819, 941
– as need to communicate chapter II (p. 62); 131,
694, 818
1056
– as magic vs deception 87, 120, 1007, 1384
– as self-combustion 718, 1011 (Time)/1054
– as (self)-therapy/self-expression 738, 819
Auteurship chapter I, (p. 40, 51-60), chapter II (p.
54-55), chapter III, (p. 179); 87, 220 (p. 212), 223
(rec), 225 (rec), 227 (rec), 688, 960, 982, 988, 1254,
1565, 1576, 1588, 1681, 1682; see also Critical Ap-
proaches
Autobiography/Memoirs
– by Bergman chapter I (p. 66); 185, 188, 988; see
also Bergman, the Writer
– by others 538, 553, 561, 659, 668, 1082, 1263,
1299, 1366, 1377, 1417, 1440, 1493, 1498, 1526, 1527,
1548, 1600, 1621, 1629, 1644 (Goldstein), 1646,
1685
studies of B’s – 185 (lit), 188 (lit), 191 (lit), 192
(lit), 199, 1452:2 (Steene), 1456, 1472, 1483, 1511,
1520, 1521 (Cowie), 1566, 1580 (Wright), 1616,
1628 (Koskinen), 1681
Award 733, 739, 895, 913, 1003, 1036, 1120, 1175, 1273,
1284, 1474, 1477, 1528; see also Varia C (Awards and
Tributes) and individual film entries in Filmo-
graphy (Chapter IV)
Background chapter I (pp. 25-35); 826, 836, 851,
879, 934, 943, 1504, 1526 , 1576, 1694; see also
Childhood, Parents
Breakthrough
international – chapter I (pp. 39-40); 219 (for-
eign rec), 220 (rec), 224 (com), 776
– on television 334
Censorship 202 (rec), 208, (com), 209 (com), 211
(rec), 220 (rec), 229 (com/rec), 234 (rec), 238
(com), 728, 749, 752, 755, 802, 823, 1317
Childhood chapter I (intro, pp. 28-35, 49), chapter
II (p. 67), chapter III (p. 135, 148, 156); 185, 192,
836, 849, 857, 862, 866, 888, 899. 917, 918, 929, 934,
941, 1053, 1390, 1487, 1535, 1696, 1705, 1713; see also
Parents
magic lantern, importance of chapter I (pp. 30,
34-35), chapter III (p. 135-137); 55, 185, 228, 1483;
see also Magic/Magician
maternal grandmother chapter I (p. 30-32); 47,
55, 862, 1638
puppet theatre, importance of chapter I (pp. 33-
34); see also Sjögren, 677 (p. 101)
siblings chapter I (p. 33), 1349, 1526
Children
– education 728, 794, 813, 834, 864
his own – 807, 822, 874, 880, 882, 903, 918, 931,
975
image of – 1452 (Steene); see also Childhood,
and Film, Motifs
– theatre 367, 369-374, 494, 499, 537 (p. 782), 559
Cinematograph See Film, Production companies
 Subject Index
Cinematographers
Bladh, Hilding 204, 220
Bodin, Martin 202
Fischer, Gunnar 965, 788 (p. 35)
Nykvist, Sven chapter III, p. 146, 149, 156; 220,
229, 231 (com), 241 (com), 253 (p. 334), 841, 843,
1069, 1086, 1213, 1214, 1241, 1242, 1280, 1421, 1540
(Sterner/Werner), 1621, 1626, 1672
Strindberg, Göran 49, 204, 220, 1242, 1540
(Werner)
Circus 6, 38, 82, 86, 220, 819
Close-ups 1549; see Film, Devices
Comedy/commedia dell’arte 605, 706, 708; see also
Film, Genres
Commercials See Film, Genres and Categories
Controversy/Crisis See also Exile
– about actors’ life style 519, 698
– about actor’s vs director’s theatre 598
– about Hamlet 468, 1447
– about Hedda Gabler, 537
– about The Misanthrope 478, 602
– about head at SR 621
– at Munich Residenztheater 583, 585, 592, 604,
887
Bengt Jahnsson incident 551
disenchantment with Swedish theatre 537
Dramaten, economic crisis 602
Dramaten, resignation 537
Costumiers 1157, 1416, 1472, 1527, 1583, 1701 (Gold-
stein)
Critical Approaches
auteur See Auteurship
biographical/thematic – 759, 793, 983, 1062, 1311,
1375, 1381, 1395, 1399, 1684
comparative with other dramatists See Theatre
comparative with other filmmakers See Film
comparative with other writers 989
ideological/moral – 245 (com), 602, 625, 794,
829, 830, 914, 922, 924, 1033, 1232, 1254, 1287,
1303, 1308, 1317, 1328, 1330, 1387
interarts/intermedia – 44, 489 (spec. art, Sund-
ler), 492 (Porter/Törnqvist), 545, 626, 632, 644,
649, 650, 652, 658, 663, 665, 672, 682, 989 (Ca-
vell/Shakespeare), 1151, 1159, 1252, 1392, 1427,
1464, 1474, 1479, 1506, 1574, 1597, 1617, 1619, 1635,
1662, 1668, 1669, 1676, 1677, 1681, 1690, 1691
intertextual – 1604, 1636, 1668, 1677
modernist – chapter II (p. 64), chapter III (p.
142-143), 30, 210 (rec), 220 (synops), 233 (rec:
Landgrern), 241 (Am rec), 366 (rec), 388 (com),
470 (rec), 476 (rec), 497, 503, 951, 952, 954, 955,
989 (Strindberg: Steene/ Törnqvist), 1282, 1502,
1523, 1554, 1627, 1643 (Elsaesser), 1662
moral – 1235; see Moral Vision
new critical – 1071, 1099
post-modernist – 468 (rec), 660, 1578
1057
psychological – 226 (Denitto, Erikson, Green-
berg, Scheynius, Törnqvist, lit), 236 (Casebier,
Houston, Koskinen, lit), 335, (com), 477, 1153,
1227, 1281, 1338, 1373, 1378, 1396, 1403, 1409, 1410,
1411, 1432, 1457, 1488, 1628 (Rhodin), 1643
(Sprinchorn), 1665, 1680
psychoanalytical – 1154, 1185, 1191, 1278, 1281,
1352, 1353, 1378, 1396, 1407, 1411, 1432, 1575
Freudian – 1378, 1411, 1432, 1479
Janov and primal scream – 248 (com), 1287
Jungian – 1154, 1406, 1407, 1479, 1624
Lacanian – 1515, 1590, 1624
psycho-biographical/transformalist– 252 (lit/
Troyan), 1229, 1230, 1361, 1373, 1378
religious/philosophical – chapter I (p. 41),
chapter III (p. 149), 225 (rec/lit, Steene), 229
(com), 231 (rec), 233 (rec), 234 (rec), 246 (for-
eign rec), 253 (longer stud./Estève), 396 (com),
485, 791, 925, 952, 989 (Kierkegaard), 997 (group
item), 1012, 1086, 1095, 1096, 1098, 1130, 1149,
1182, 1198, 1233, 1245, 1274, 1288, 1298, 1304, 1307,
1309, 1342, 1348, 1351, 1360, 1371, 1375, 1422, 1434,
1486, 1499, 1505, 1519, 1536; 1628 (Söderbergh-
Widding), 1634, 1657, 1691; see also Angst, Me-
taphysics, and Religion
semiotic – 452, 571, 1371, 1691
stylistic/structural – 1357, 1407
stylistic/structural (burlesque) – 341 (com), 424
(rec), 431 (com), 454 (com), 468 (Sw. rec)
stylistic/structural (eclecticism of style) – 1480,
1536
stylistic/structural (expressionist) – chapter II
(p. 60, 64, 65, 67); 11, 22, 78, 207 (synops/rec)),
210 (synops/rec), 220 (foreign rec), 238 (rec),
249 (rec), 272, 286, 290, 366 (rec), 380 (com),
392 (com), 416 (com), 418 (com), 424 (rec), 447
(rec/rev), 468 (Brit. rec), 487, 988 (p. 894), 1012
(Chiaretti), 1076, 1203, 1255, 1259, 1344, 1642,
1662; see also Expressionism
stylistic/structural (meta-filmic /reflexive) – 236
(lit), 1260, 1340, 1372, 1452:2 (Viklund), 1641,
1698
stylistic/structural (mise-en-scene) – 1613, 1671,
1687
Critical reputation 1033, 1152, 1374, 1419, 1438; see
also Reception sections in entries in Chapters IV,
V, VII, and index entry Reception Studies
Cultural policies
Bergman on – 126, 537, 602, 687, 697, 711, 742,
749, 750, 792, 816, 829, 830, 867, 869, 914, 922
Death
– as theme See Film, Motifs
Bergman, comments on – 4, 11, 12, 23, 57, 102,
187, 824, 931, 938, 940, 944, 968
Debates See also Controversy
 Subject Index
– on film 202, 210 (rec), 220 (rec), 223 (rec), 228
(rec), 229 (rec), 225 (rec), 229 (rec), 233 (rec),
234 (rec), 236 (rec), 239 (rec), 245 (rec), 250
(rec), 335 (rec), 1033,
– on media 794
– on theatre 455 (Woyzeck), 477 (Hamlet), 528,
546 (Hedda Gabler), 560, 1033, 1048, 1088
Debut
– in film, Sweden chapter I (pp. 35-36), chapter
III (pp. ); 154, 194, 202, 203
– in film, internationally chapter I (p. 39-40);
219 (foreign rec), 220 (rec), 224 (com), 776
– in opera 489, 494
– in radio chapter V (intro); 260, 603
– in theatre chapter VI (intro); 344, 496, 607
– in TV chapter V (intro); 152, 313
Diaries 66, 113, 146, 202a, 223 (com), 233 (com),
554, 808, 884, 1100, 1101, 1216
Directing/Instructing 717, 724, 861, 916; see also
Directorial Persona
– on film chapter III (p. 144-145); 129, 713, 719,
738, 747, 751, 841
– on radio 603
– on stage chapter VI (intro); 81, 90, 502, 506,
508, 512, 524, 525, 526, 527, 529, 532, 533, 535, 544,
548 (‘Dialog’), 550, 554, 556, 564, 566, 567, 569,
570, 572, 584, 586, 587, 590, 593, 597, 598, 600,
601, 607, 608, 779, 840, 841, 861, 887
– on television 184, 547, 850, 906
Directorial persona See also Lifestyle
as seen by self 880; see also Pseudonyms
ability to realize potential 699
craftsmanship chapter III (p. 143); 87, 734,
782, 901
creating confidence/protective atmosphere
472 (Interviews), 724, 747, 692, 880, 952, 1013,
1288
diligence 699
‘entertainer’ 703, 708, 709, 714, 719
loyalty to a text 876
lover of images 837
manipulation as danger 882
precision/punctuality 880
unneurotic attitude 831, 880
workaholic 753, 769, 773, 774, 776, 777, 782 ,
785, 796, 898, 900, 930, 1112
as seen by others, general 712, 759, 796, 954, 970,
1025, 1029, 1112, 1235, 1288; see also Filmmakers,
on Bergman
as seen by others, specific
‘angry young man’ 538, 953, 960, 962, 981,
1006, 1017,
auteur chapter II (intro); 688, 960, 982, 988,
1011 (Sarris), 1565
brooding Swede 996, 1011, Time, 1594
1058
controlling/manipulative chapter VI (intro);
892, 970, 973, 979, 996
craftsman 984
cultural hooligan’/juvenile 694, 956, 959
(challenge of this view)
‘demon’ director 489 (rec), 617, 706, 732, 953,
970, 979. 1331, 1401
elusive (mask vs face) 1007, Schildt
exhibitionist/poseur, ‘showman of Angst’ 968,
984, 1682
good listener 572, 1160
hardworking/disciplined 715, 954, 1643 (El-
saesser)
humorless 964
loyal to actors 472 (Interviews, Tullus), 1013
magician chapter III (p. 137-139, 480 (rec),
955, 978, 981, 985, 1003, 1007, 1011 (Schickel),
1019, 1029; see also Magic
neurotic 1025
opportunistic image maker 1317, 1328
productive 953, 954
Puritan moralist 517, 795, 955, 1136, 1452
(Donner)
temperamental/highstrung 592, 1035, 1237
undisciplined 1011 (Kaufmann)
visionary master 759
Dissolve See Film, Devices
Divorce chapter I (p. 38, 42); chapter II (p. 62)
Documentaries See also Interviews entry
“Bakomfilmer” (production films) chapter IV,
p. 160
Radio – 339 (School for Wives)
TV – Varia, A, 912
Domicile
Fårö chapter I (p. 42, 43); 141, 563, 770, 771, 782,
785, 787, 789, 817, 819, 823, 834, 845, 876, 879,
881, 894, 918, 920, 927, 931, 934, 941, 948, 1186,
1190, 1214, 1262, 1272, 1679
Munich chapter I (p. 48), chapter VI: 456-464;
see also Exile
Stockholm 903
Dramaten See Theatre, Stages
Dreams See Film and Dream
Entertainment chapter III (p. 136, 138, 143, 152, 157),
86, 203, 253 (rec), 434 (com), 447 (London rec),
454 (rec), 468 (Hamlet debate), 686, 708, 709, 714,
719, 819, 1197, 1392, 1489, 1661
Entertainment Tax chapter I (p. 39), 107, 215, 711,
745
Esthetics chapter III (p. 135, 150), Chapter VI (p.
472, 478, 500), 223 (longer stud/Grabowski), 229
(rec), 245 (rec), 256 (rec), 320 (rec), 325 (rec/
Bodelsen), 336 (com/rec), 433 (rec), 440 (com),
446 (rec), 447 (rec), 450 (rec), 451 (Spec. stud/
Urs), 454 (rec), 460 (com), 471 (rec/Taiwan), 472
 Subject Index
(rec/NY), 480 (rec), 486 (com), 487 (rec), 492
(com), 524, 973, 1012 (Busco, Baldelli), 1128, 1305,
1317, 1328, 1363, 1452:2 (Koskinen), 1489, 1540
(Sterner), 1552
Evil See Moral Vision
– as critical subject 1058
Exile chapter I (p. 47-50); 172, 456-464, 844, 845,
846, 847, 849, 851, 856, 858, 860, 861, 865, 868, 871,
874, 877, 879, 858, 877, 879, 929, 1272. 1294, 1331,
1365.
Existentialism chapter I (p. 41), chapter III (p.
149), 396 (com), 485, 952, 989 (Kierkegaard), 997
(Ketcham, Sonnenschein), 1012, 1098, 1161, 1309,
1348, 1371, 1434; see also entry Angst
Expressionism chapter II (p. 60, 64, 65, 67), 11, 22,
78, 207 (synops/rec)), 210 (synops/rec), 220 (for-
eign rec), 238 (rec), 249 (rec), 272, 286, 290, 366
(rec), 380 (com), 392 (com), 416 (com), 418
(com), 424 (rec), 447 (rec/rev), 468 (Brit. rec),
487, 988 (p. 894), 1012 (Chiaretti), 1076, 1203, 1375,
1642, 1662
Faithfulness 797
Family
role of – chapter III (p. 146-147; 155, 157), 1, 3, 9,
11, 17, 166, 191, 192, 205 (synops), 206 (rec), 209,
218, 219 (com), 221, 225 (holy family), 226, 231,
237, 250, 251, 256/335, 257, 287 (com), 310, 331,
343, 361, 362, 392, 403, 438 (com), 450, 457 (rec),
464 (rec), 470 (com), 472, 477 (com), 483
(com), 487, 758, 776, 888, 915, 937, 943, 975
(Foelz/Mondry), 988 (Chechov, Ibsen), 997
(Forslund), 1012, 1074, 1157, 1349, 1429, 1439,
1441, 1442, 1533, 1534, 1634
theme of 97, 191, 194, 729, 755, 826, 851, 1022,
1051, 1456, 1471, 1504, 1526, 1532, 1535, 1550, 1669;
see also Film, Motifs
Fear
– as film motif 1338
– as professional insecurity chapter I (p. 36);
chapter III (p. 138, 140); chapter VI, intro; 207
(com), 651
– existential See Angst
– of afterlife 818
– of critics/public 112, 140, 712, 732, 1026; see also
Artist-Audience Relationship
– of losing independence 762
– of new places 831, 877, 882
Feminism, as critical perspective chapter III (p.
155), 219 (rec), 236, 245 (rec Mellen), 250 (rec), 325
(Sw. rec), 472 (rec), 975, 1044, 1509, 1557, 1565,
1590, 1613, 1659, 1660 (Foster); see also Critical
Approaches, and Gender Studies
Festivals Varia chapter, Awards and Tributes
Film
1059
– and Dreams chapter II (p. 57); 51, 136, 772, 775,
801, 811, 861, 955, 980, 1111, 1312, 1352, 1357, 1378,
1403, 1465, 1479, 1581, 1630; see also (Film) De-
vices, below
– and Literature 203, 204, 206, 207, 208, 211
(com), 219, 227, 229, 230, 233 (rec), 975
(McManus), 988, 989, 1310, 1398; see also Writ-
ings
– and Modern narrative 1310
– and Music chapter III (p. 150-151); 722, 748,
861, 931; see also separate entry Music
– and Theatre 477 (rec), 527, 545, 575, 601, 611,
625, 641, 642, 649, 650-653, 658, 660, 661, 672,
695, 718, 724, 728, 757, 799, 887, 915, 916, 930,
969
Comparative studies 611, 620, 626, 632, 644, 652,
653, 658, 659, 660, 661, 663 (Sundler), 664, 665,
1121, 1159, 1252, 1257, 1336, 1337, 1338, 1341, 1345,
1351, 1357, 1359, 1382, 1388, 1392, 1403, 1413, 1415,
1427
Devices/stylistic traits
abstracted style 988 (Forssell), 1078, 1110, 1115,
1387
close-up/study of human face chapter I, (p.
46); chapter II, ( p. 67); chapter III;( p. 156),
87, 131, 658, 721, 766, 781, 815, 1221, 1305, 1344,
1412, 1549, 1591, 1613 (Zern), 1628 Söderbergh-
Widding), 1676
color chapter III, (p. 156), 231 (com), 232
(com), 235 (com), 245, 1548, 1594 (Adams,
longer art.), 1239, 1492, 1538, 1548, 1594
cuts-in-the-camera 210 (com)
discontinuity 1095
dissolve 407
dream structure/ oneiric features 38, 238
(rec), 772, 775, 801, 861, 1111, 1165, 1357, 1378
(Petric), 1424, 1432, 1452 (Björkman), 1459,
1464, 1468, 1479, 1509, 1628 (Hockenjos,
Koskinen), 1630, 1653; see also Film and
Dream
flashback chapter III (p. 150); 210 (com), 216
(synops), 238, 955, 982 (p. 886), 1091, 1547
Gothic style 237 (rec), 408, 442, 1192
image clusters 1469, 1571, 1610
long takes 211 (com)
meta-filmic aspect/reflexivity 236 (lit), 1260,
1340, 1372, 1452:2 (Viklund), 1641; see also
Film Genres, metafilm
montage chapter III (p. 144-145, 150); 1517
Foreign titles of –s pp. 360-374
Genesis of –s 87, 108, 131, 761, 788; see also Bio-
graphy
Genres and Categories
American cinema chapter III (p. 136); 913,
943, 957, 1120; 1338, 1341, 1565, 1587
cinéma verité 219 (foreign rec)
 Subject Index
chamber film chapter II (p. 57); chapter III,
(p. 146, 150, 151); 231 (com), 234 (Sjögren,
longer art), 704, 974, 989 (Blackwell,
Törnqvist), 1192
ciné-novels 1666
comedy 54, 112, 221, 223, 230, 232, 235, 708, 710,
1599
commedia dell’arte 1010
commercials (Bris soap) 215, 760, 1452 (Kos-
kinen), 1499, 1521, 1555, 1577, 1602, 1684
costume film 220, 223, 225, 226, 228, 229, 230,
245,
dogma film 946
European cinema chapter I (p. 44); 740, 913,
1276
expressionist See Expressionism
farce 67, 235
film noir 202, 204 (opening), 210, 1642
horror film 238 (Hitchcock features)
melodrama 61, 203, 206, 207, 420, 1255, 1525,
1660 (Orr)
metafilm 210 (film studio sequence), 236,
1260, 1372
neo-realism 208
new wave 734
psychological drama 202, 205, 206, 207, 209,
210, 211, 216, 217, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, 227,
228, 231, 233, 234, 236, 238, 239, 240, 241, 244,
811
religious/metaphysical film 225, 229, 233, 236
(rec), 244 (Gay, Longer Studies), 997; see also
Motifs, religious issues
silent cinema chapter III (p. 149-150); 949,
1684 (Florin)
soap commercials, comments on p 13, 760,
1555, 1577, 1658
Swedish cinema, chapter III (p. 137); 742, 945,
1024; see also Swedish Cinema, history of
“summer film” (native genre) 216 (rec),
219, 1410, 1652
thriller 214
trilogy concept/focus chapter III (p. 149); 231
(com/longer disc), 234 (Sw. rev/Persson;
longer art/Buzzonetti, Sjögren), 238 (p. 283),
258 (com), 635, 989 (Strindberg: Blackwell),
1102, 1103, 1110, 1125, 1130, 1206, 1244, 1253,
1316, 1325 (Troelsen), 1348
TV films chapter I, p. 43, 46-47; 240/329, 246/
334, 1537
Motifs and Themes chapter I (p. 41-42); chapter
III (pp. 146-149)
absentee father #1628 (Rhodin)
adolescence 219 (lit), 221, 224 (com), 253, 412,
427 (rec), 438 (rec), 959, 982 (Béranger/Sic-
lier), 1015; see also Biography
alienation/withdrawal 1318; see also Separation
1060
Angst See separate entry, Angst/anguish
authority vs individual 202, 204, 208, 225
(God-Seeker), 228, 229, 233, 239, 249
bourgeois room’/confinement 1341
child vs parent chapter III (p. 155); 20, 203,
206, 208, 221, 224, 226, 229, 231, 234, 250, 253,
257
childhood/children (image of) 211, 212, 217,
221, 222, 225-227, 231, 234, 236, 239, 244, 250,
253, 257, 852, 1253, 1302, 1325, 1452, 1499, 1535,
1562; see also Childhood as separate entry
confession chapter III (p. 151, 157); 225 (sy-
nops), 240 (synops), 258 (com), 485 (com),
486 (rec), 1360, 1546
cross-dressing 1671; see also Gender studies
(dance of) death 225 (lit), 226 (Tulloch, , lit),
414, 438, 1023, 1106, 1397, 1543
divorce chapter II (p. 63); chapter III (p. 154);
68, 73, 97, 199, 217, 246, 259
Don Juan figure 230, 989 (Molière)
doubling/Doppelgänger 235, Faust, 1485, 1607,
1642
evil 243 (Larson, longer studs), 514, 952, 997
(Schilliachi), 1038, 1058, 1285, 1342, 1379
fear See separate entry Fear
forgiveness 1403
humiliation/scapegoating 220 (Holmer, long-
er art), 225, 228, 238, 240, 789, 1312, 1314, 1674;
see also Artist-audience relationship
imagination/magic of art chapter I, passim;
Chapter III (p. 136-137); 45, 74, 94, 215, 228,
240, 247, 253, 341, 398 (com), 419 (com), 430
(rec), 477 (rev: Lund), 480 (com), 483 (rev:
Kollberg), 600, 1384, 1480, 1540, 1589
journey/quest chapter III (pp. 148-150); 225,
226 (Béranger, Koskinen, Anderson, lit),
1292, 1394, 1610, 1666
love 231 (syn), 1315, See Love as separate entry
and Sexuality
marriage chapter III, group II (p.147-148);
group V (pp. 154-155); 56, 134, 138, 150, 185,
186, 191, 201, 214 (rec), 217, 218, 246, 246
(Librach, Steene, lit), 247, 252, 253, (com),
461, 469, 470, 472, 478 (Zern, rev), 482, 487,
975 (Foelz/Mondry), 1438, 1457, 1668; see also
Marriage as separate entry
marionette preface (p. 18), chapter I (p. 33-
35), chapter III (p. 154); 22, 171, 402
mask vs face/unmasking 19, 228, 240, 1007,
1215, 1397, 1452 (Dickstein), 1540 (Koskinen),
1676
mirror 776, 1159, 1167, 1407, 1446, 1479, 1485,
1497, 1552, 1564, 1624
mother matrix 333, 820, 822, 826, 866, 1432;
see also Biography, parents
 Subject Index
murder chapter II (p. 66), 3, 19, 23, 38, 39, 75,
166, 177, 252, 1373
muteness 225, 228, 236, 1096, 1146, 1665
nihilism chapter I (p. 41); 225 (rec), 234 (rec),
952, 1182, 1269
Oedipus conflict/patricide 1411; see also Criti-
cal Approaches, psychoanalytical
ontological solitude/God’s silence chapter I
(p. 41-42); chapter III (Group III, p. 148); 225
(rec/lit), 228, 229, 231 (rec), 233 (rec), 234
(rec/Abenius), 236 (rec), 237 (rec/Nystedt),
317, 997 (Awalt, Gibson, Hamilton, Hartman,
Robins), 1096, 1422, 1609, 1634; see also Cri-
tical Approaches, religious
phantasmagoria See Film and Dream
relationship, child-parent 234, 253; see also
Childhood, Parenthood, Parents
relationship, couple chapter III (p. 146 f); See
also Marriage, Gender, Women
rite of passage 1351
separation 1403, 1471, 1527
sexuality/eroticism 22, 231 (syn), 1196, 1314
(Vinterhed), 1342; see also Gender Studies
Suicide See separate entry
survival (vs death) 225, 226, 227, 234, 239, 1337
verticality (falling) 1627
vampirism 237 (syn), 468 (com), 485, 1665
voyeurism/spectatorship 475 (com), 1117, 1156,
1644 (Amiel), 1664
Narrative/rhetorical structure chapter II, pp. 58-
59); 406, 1628, 1393
confinement (island setting) 231, 236, 238, 239,
241
deconstructive narrative 252 (rec/Ramasse)
dream segments 207, 210, 211, 226, 236, 238,
241, 245, 248; see also Film and Dream
journey pattern 204, 209, 211, 216, 219, 220,
225, 226, 228, 257
play within play 406, 1552
subjective point of view 664, 1669 (Törnq-
vist), 1728, 1730
use of voice-over chapter III (p. 155), 203
(syn), 210 (voice-over credits), 214 (syn), 236,
241, 246
visible/invisible narrator 1452: 2 (Koskinen)
Policies, Bergman on 87, 126, 816, 830; see also
Cultural Policies
Production/Distribution Companies
ABC Pictures 244
Cinematograph 240-242, 244, 246-248, 253-
255, 780
Dino de Laurentiis chapter III, p. 156; 249
Gaumont 253, 331
Janus Films/Film Classics chapter IV, p. 173,
176, 183 (210 cred), 187, 203, 206, 210, 218, 227,
234, 238, 242, 243, 245, 247, 250, 253, 259, 264,
269, 290
1061
MGM 741
New World Films chapter IV, p. 302
Nordisk Tonefilm chapter IV (p. 169, 173); 227
Oxford Films 202
Paramount chapter IV, p. 315
Personafilm 250, 252, 253, 254, 331, 332
Sandrews (incl. Studios) chapter III (p. 139,
140); chapter IV (p. 169, 173, 176, 183, 187);
204, 209, 210, 211, 217, 218, 219, 220, 222, 331,
333, 347, 348
Svensk Filmindustri (SF) chapter I (p. 36, 37,
40, 53); chapter III (p. 137, 139, 140); 202, 203,
205, 208, 209, 211-219, 221, 223-226, 228-239,
241, 253, 786, 836, 875, 1044
Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) 245, 253, 331
Sveriges Folkbiografer chapter IV (p. 173),
204, 206
Terrafilm chapter III (139, 140), chapter IV( p.
175, 182, 183); 50, 207, 210
Tobis Film 331
Two Cities (British) 951
United Artists chapter IV (p. 293, 295)
Universal Studios/Warners 122, 850, 1228
Producers
Bergman, Ingmar/Cinematograph pp. 374-
376
Donner, Jörn/SFI 253, 254
Dymling, Carl Anders/SF 202, 203, 211-214,
216-217, 221, 223-226, 228, 693, 711, 736, 786,
875, 950, 1044, 1616, 1672
Fant, Kenne/SF 1672
Laurentiis, Dino 722
Marmstedt, Lorens/Terrafilm/Sv. Folkbiogra-
fer 50, 204, 206, 207, 210, 780, 956, 958, 962
Selznick, David O. 51, 957
Waldekranz, Rune/Sandrews 220, 222
Projects
realized See Filmography
unrealized 16, 38, 39, 40, 752, 780, 938
“A Doll’s House” 51
Apocalypse/Bible – de Laurentiis 722
Bergman-Fellini 783, 850, 1174
Brothers Lionheart, Astrid Lindgren 1408
Fisken. Fars för film 67
Hj. Bergman, Head of the Firm – Ingrid Berg-
man 250 (com)
“Kärlek utan älskare” [Love without Lovers]
199
Merry Widow – Barbara Streisand 804, 820,
832
“The Petrified Prince” 166
Studios
Bavaria Studios, Munich 249
Filmstaden, Råsunda 202, 203, 205, 209, 211,
212, 214, 216, 217, 218, 219, 221, 223, 225, 226,
228, 229, 230, 231, 233, 234, 235, 236, 238,
240714, 1184
 Subject Index

Filmteknik, Stockholm 244 Keaton, Buster 1464

“Little Hollywood” (Fårö) 817 Laughton, Charles 1257
Nordisk Tonefilm 227 Malle, Louis 1666
Norsk Film Studios 250 Murnau, F. W. 1610
Novilla, Sandrews 204, 206, 207, 210 Renoir, Jean 1257
Gärdet, Sandrews 220, 222 Rohmer, Eric 1666
SFI 245, 247, 248, 253, 255, 259 Sjöberg, Alf 1625 (2)
SVT Studios 256, 327, 343 Sjöström, Victor 1628 (Florin), 1662
Tobis Film Studios 251 Tarkovski, Andrei 1624
Technology, Bergman on 87, 716, 719 Truffaut, François 1666
Welles, Orson 1438
Filmmakers – on Bergman
Bergman on – 726, 749, 825 Allen, Woody 1011, 1452, 1454.
af Klercker 926 Attenborough, sir Richard 1452
Buñuel, Luis 768, 825 Davies, Terence 1689
Carné, Marcel 204 (rec) Fellini, Frederico 1443, 1452
Chaplin, Charlie 1616 Godard, Jean-Luc 219, 982, 1002, 1452
Duvivier, Julien 943 Kurosawa, Akiro 1452
Ekman, Hasse 704 MacKinnon, Gillies 1689
Fellini, Frederico 749, 783, 825, 850, 861, 915 Moodysson, Lukas 943, 1689
Ford, John 825 Ray, Satiyat 1452
Godard, Jean-Luc 768 Rohmer, Eric 225 (rec), 982, 1028
Hitchcock, Alfred 204 (syn), 210 (com) Scola, Ettore 1452
Méliès, George chapter III (p. 136, 157); 45, Sjöman, Vilgot 1100, 1426, 1471, 1646, 1706
215:5 Tavani, Brothers 1452
Molander, Gustav 58, 205, 209, 217, 704, 1686 Truffaut, François 982, 995, 1221
Moodysson, Lukas 943 Wajda, Andresz 1452
Parsa, Reza 943 Wenders, Wim 1452
Scorsese, Martin 943 Widerberg, Bo 1033
Sjöberg, Alf 185, 202, 224, 704 Vinterberg, Thomas 1689
Sjöström, Victor chapter I (p. 11), chapter II Filmmaking
(p. 54); 109, 198, 226, 704, 714, 1076, 1358 Approach to – chapter III (p. 144-145); 66, 86,
Soderbergh, Steven 943 87, 108, 782, 795, 948; see also Directorial per-
Spielberg, Steven 943 sona
Tarkovski, Andrei 185 (p. 73, 173, Eng ed) – as auteurship chapter I, (p. 40, 51-60),
Troell, Jan 943 Chapter II (p. 54-55), Chapter III, (p. 179);
Varda, Agnès 825 220 (p. 212), 223 (rec), 225 (rec), 227 (rec),
Wilder, Billy 943 688, 960, 982, 988, 996, 1011, 1211, 1254, 1565,
– compared to Bergman 1576, 1588, 1681, 1682; see also Critical Ap-
Allen, Woody 1341, 1505, 1574, 1587, 1604, 1667 proaches
Antonioni, Michelangelo 1138 – as craftsmanship chapter III (p. 143); 734,
Berkeley, Busby 1392 782, 813, 831, 901
Bresson, André 997 (Holloway), 1012 (Laura), – as magic chapter I (p. 34, 67); chapter III
1126 (pp. 136-137, 157); 45, 55, 87, 215
Buñuel, Luis 1156, 1203, 1460 – as need/obsession 66, 131
Cassavetes, John 1549 – as teamwork chapter III (p. 143); 49; see also
Cocteau, Jean 1203, 1610, 1617 Actors
Craven, Wes 1631 Creed chapter III (pp. 141-145); 76, 86, 87, 103,
Dali, Salvador 1203, 1575 108, 131, 703, 811; see also Directorial Persona,
Dreyer, Carl 960, 989 (Plath), 997 (Hollo- own views
way), 1012, 1126, 1138, 1203, 1387, 1422, 1464, Farewell to – 885, 894, 898, 901, 935
1617 Function of –
Ekman, Hasse 1382, 1583, 1640 to challenge psychological barriers 738, 793,
Fellini, Frederico 1121, 1489 811
Godard, Jean-Luc 1372 to create useful objects 813, 870
Hitchcock, Alfred 1338, 1642 to entertain 703, 708, 709, 714, 719

1062
 Subject Index
to penetrate beyond surface reality 87
Offers, foreign 51, 699, 722, 741, 752, 762, 804,
850, 895, 951, 957, 1006, 1012
Flashbacks See Film, Devices
Folklore 229 (rec)
Fyrtiotalism 692, 952, 1288; see also Critical Ap-
proaches, modernist and Literary Climate
Gender Studies See also Feminism; Film, Motifs
collapse of masculine power 1683
cross dressing 1671
homosexuality 1123, 1268, 1674
lesbianism 234, 236 (rec), 696, 1711, 1654, 1660
(Foster)
portrait of male 1336
portrait of female 833, 975, 989 (O’Neill/Adler),
1138, 1222, 1288, 1319; 1324. See also Women
sexism 222 (rec), 227 (rec), 245 (rec), 250 (rec),
975
sexuality 1156, 1196, 1296, 1314 (Vinterhed), 1395,
1457, 1532, 1550, 1618
God 897, 1634; see also group 997, Critical Ap-
proaches, religious and Film Motifs
– as authority 866
– as comfort 862, 866
– as Christian hangover 1130, 1149
– as omnipotent 987 (Sonnenschein)
– as puppeteer 22, 517
– as silence chapter II (p. 60); 225, 233
– as rapist/spider god 231, 233, 234, 1396
challenge of – 225, 1304
denial/dismissal of – 818, 898
indifference to – 873
Guilt 826, 827, 1684; see also Film, Motifs
Historicity 1547, 1603
Hollywood chapter III (p. 137, 139); 51, 214 (com),
220 (com), 229 (awards), 232 (com), 693, 741, 762,
794, 817, 943, 957, 1011, 1120, 1208, 1264, 1272 (p.
955)
Homage
– at 70, 1988 1508
– at 75, 1993 1595
– at 80, 1998 1625, 1681
– at 85, 2003 947, 948
– by other filmmakers 1002, 1011, 1221, 1443, 1452,
1689; see also Filmmakers, on Bergman
Iconography 225 (lit), 226, 229
Ideology/Politics 140, 231 (rec/lit, French), 238
(rec), 249 (com), 355 (com), 365 (com), 379
(com), 443 (com, rec), 778, 781, 794, 803, 834, 844,
846, 859, 860, 883, 892, 924, 1272, 1303, 1331, 1439,
1515, 1533, 1547, 1590, 1674; see also Critical ap-
proaches, ideological; Leftist generation
Influence
1063
– of other filmmakers 483 (com, Sjöström), 986
(Méliès)
– of theatre directors 478 (Mnuouchkin)
– of writers 477, 989, 1617
– on other filmmakers 1631, 1648 (Chabrol,
Altman, von Trotta), 1667
Ingmar Bergman Plaque/Prize 474 (com)
Interarts/intermedia See Critical approaches, in-
terarts
Intertextual See Critical approaches, intertextual
International recognition 737, 738, 739, 741; see also
Homage; Awards and Tributes in Varia
Interviews chapter VIII. 576, 788, 836, 919; see also
Media image
Jews 244, 253, 1157, 1200, 1644, 1655
Leadership 647, 1586; see also Directorial persona
Leftist generation of the 60s, impact of chapter I
(p. ); 185, 781, 803, 925; see also Ideology
Liaisons/marriages chapter I, p. 37-39, 42, 43, 47,
705, 731, 806, 807, 823, 854, 868, 1047, 1049, 1074,
1214, 1296, 1381, 1395; see also Film, Motifs
Lifestyle 835 (See also Directorial persona)
modesty and simplicity 1061, 1162, 1166, 1186, 1215
need of security 785
recluse 847
regularity in daily living 715, 753
reluctance to travel/attend festivals 130, 552
Light
Nordic – 750
passion for – 810
sensitivity to – 797
Lighting 810, 1213, 1596; see credits in Chapters IV,
V, VI
Literature See Writing, 988, 989
Loneliness chapter III (p. 148, 154); 9, 211 (syn), 218
(syn), 223 (syn), 257, 758, 766, 1045, 1609; see also
Film, Motifs: ontological solitude
Love chapter I (p. 45); 3, 166, 187, 837, 900, 940; see
also Film, Motifs
– as conflict/rivalry 206 (syn), 207 (syn)
dangerous/destructive – 205, 210, 241, 252, 259
frivolous/farcical – 221, 223, 230, 232, 247
humiliating – 220
illicit – 211 (syn), 222, 224 (syn), 234, 244, 258
incestuous – 231, 343, 1345
innocent/young – chapter III (p. 147); 202 (syn),
206, 216, 223, 247
marital – 218, 221, 238, 246 (syn, rec)
painful/unrequited – chapter III (p. 147-148),
222, 223, 233, 234, 238
selfish – 203 (syn)
– of theatre/film 253, 254, 341
Lutheranism/Protestantism chapter I, p 26-29; 233
(rec), 997 (Blake, Hartman, Nystedt, Napolitano,
 Subject Index
Oldrini), 1012; see also Critical Approaches, reli-
gious
Magic
– as magnetism chapter I (p. 35); chapter III
(pp. 135-137); 407, 896, 1029, 1051, 1542; see also
Directorial persona
– as magic lantern See Film, Motifs
Marriage 705, 731, 868; see also Film, Motifs and
Family, role of
Media image
discussions/interviews on radio 446 (com), 447
(com), 452 (com), 465 (com), 468 (p. 698), 470
(media programs), 473 (com), 485 (com), 505,
515, 525, 536, (p. 791, 793), 542, 544, 547, 550, 553,
569, 692, 693, 694, 700, 707, 711, 722, 729, 732,
735, 736, 739, 750, 757, 775, 783, 784, 788, 790,
798, 804, 809, 825, 842, 865, 867, 870, 896, 936,
942
press conferences chapter VI (p. 475, 479, ), 231
(com), 235 (com), 236 (com), 238 (com), 239
(com), 245 (longer art.), 249 (com), 250 (com),
256 (com), 259 (com), 432 (p. ), 433 (p. 600),
440 (p. 615), 446 (p. 628), 447 (p. 634, Helsinki;
635, Vienna), 450 (com, p. 646), 465 (com), 466
(Reykjavik), 468 (com), 472 (com), 489 (com),
537, 550, 559 (p. 791, 793), 547, 771, 774, 777, 839,
843, 867, 902, 935, 1693
press debates See Controversies and Commen-
taries/Reception, chapters IV, V, VI
reports from set 253 (Reports), 554, 570, 712, 714,
717, 742, 751, 770, 773, 795, 796, 808, 820, 821,
823, 865, 884, 885, 911, 1065, 1066, 1077, 1100,
1401; see also Press Conferences above and
Documentaries in Varia
TV appearances 750, 751, 800, 839, 875, 894, 897,
916, 931, 932, 939, 944, 947, 948; see also Com-
mentaries/Reception in chapters IV, V, VI
Melodrama chapter II (p. 61, 62); 61, 212 (com),
245 (lit), 253 (rec), 272 (com) 283 (com), 334 (rec),
427 (rec), 464 (rec, Edinburgh), 468 (Moscow
rec), 470 (Bergen rec), 487 (com), 982 (Be-
nayoun), 1255, 1438, 1469, 1660 (Orr); see also,
Film, Genres
Metaphor 1393, 1394, 1449 (Koskinen), 1460
cathedral of Chartres chapter I (p. 42-43); 87
curtain 1464
door/threshold 1610
gestures/hand 226 (art); 1671
snakeskin chapter I (p. 42-43); 131
swinging lamp 1540
theatre 1508 (Hansen), 1693 (Koskinen)
wild strawberries 226, 1171, 1321
Metaphysics preface (p. 18), chapter I (p.25, 34, 36,
41 f, 46), chapter II (p. 61-62), chapter III (p. 146);
56, 210 (rec), 216 (rec), 225 (rec/lit/Steene), 236
1064
(rec), 363, 424, 1009; see also Critical Approaches,
metaphysical
Mise-en-scène 477 (art.), 663 (Cohen-Stratyner),
489 (com), 953, 1117, 1613 (Törnqvist), 1671; see
also Credits/Commentaries, chapter VI
Modernism See Critical Approaches, modernist,
and Fyrtiotalism
Moral vision chapter I (p. 27-28, 34, 43, 61-62); 56,
78, 90, 140, 826
studies of – 1038; see Existentialism, Religious
views
Morality play 56, 76, 90, 193, 489 (com); see also
Theatre, as playwright, genres
Munich residency 172, 840, 846, 847, 851, 858, 865,
979; see also Domicile and Exile
Music
importance to Bergman chapter I (p. 52, 56, 57,
59); 71, 121, 157, 201a, 729, 931, 933, 939, 1133; see
also Film and Music entry
in Bergman’s works 207, 212, 223 (cred/com),
225, 226, 250, 401 (com), 407, 475 (com), 485
(com), 492, 748, 904, 939, 942, 1325, 1327, 1388,
See chapter IV, VI credits;1695
in critical studies 253 (Daasnes, lit), 1111, 1159,
1189, 1325, 1327, 1388, 1478, 1517, 1525, 1606, 1688
opera See separate Opera entry
Myth, Mythmaking chapter III (p. 152);199, 223
(Baron, lit), 229 (Madden, lit), 1147, 1408, 1543,
1548, 1637
Mäster Olofsgården 2, 663 (Steene), 677, 1715
(1938); see also Theatre, Stages
Names, use of 776
Narcissism 1739
Nazism 1439
teenage exposure to – chapter I (p. 36), 185; see
also Ideology
Nihilism 225 (rec), 1269; see also Film, Motifs &
Themes
Obscenity/Pornography 240 (synops), 487 (rec,
New York), 701, 823, 956, 963, 1166
Old age 845, 911, 917, 918, 921, 931, 940, 944; see also
Aging
Open Letters See Writing
Opera
adaptation 247, 326, 337, 480, 490
as director 489-492, 838, 924; see also Reception,
489-492
as commentator (interviews) 540 (as elitist art),
563, 641, 743, 764, 838, 924
libretto (including drafts) 14, 157, 190, 490
tentative opera projects
at Hamburg Opera 489 (com)
at Bayreuth, Wagner 489 (com)
 Subject Index
Tales of Hoffmann 895
Works produced
The Bachae 337, 480, 490
The Magic Flute See Filmography, 247; chap-
ter V (Media), 326
Rake’s Progress 489
Parenthood 97, 191, 194, 729, 755, 826, 851, 1022,
1051, 1456, 1471, 1504, 1526, 1532, 1535. 1550, 1669; see
also Film, Motifs
Parents
child-parent relations chapter I (p. 26-30, 45);
chapter II (p. 65), 192
crisis in marriage chapter I (p. 25-26), 191, 194
(fictional) depiction of – chapter I (p.59); 185,
191
rebellion against – chapter I (p.26-30, 35); 729,
851, 862, 882, 903
reconciliation with – chapter I (p. 49-50); 146,
194, 820, 826, 918, 929. See also Film Motifs,
absentee father, mother matrix
Parody/Travesty 39, 166, 223 (rec), 225 (com), 254
(foreign rec), 339, 343 (rec), 415 (rec), 467 (com),
473 (rec), 853, 1085, 1183
Past
– as haunting nightmare 47, 78, 216, 226, 238,
248, 252
– as inspiration See Film, Motifs, childhood
– as memory of family 862; see also Childhood
and Film, Motifs
– as sensuous recollection 253, 899; see also
‘Childhood’ entry
– as setting 61, 75, 78, 90220, 223, 225, 228, 229,
245, 249, 253, 256, 257, 258, 341, 757, 758
Personal Vision preface (p. 18), chapter III (p. 138,
141, 143, 145); 486 (com), 492 (rec), 628, 671, 734,
747, 805, 24, 1051, 1057, 1071, 1079, 1086, 1087, 1091,
1106, 1118, 1158, 1207, 1288, 1375, 1383, 1452 (Rustad),
1486, 1588, 1649, 1666, 1673 See also Moral Vision,
Subjectivism
Pessimism 818, 982, 983, 989 (Strindberg: Abra-
ham), 996 (Powell), 1011 (Time); see also Angst
Politics See Ideology
Pseudonyms 111, 128, 140, 155, 477 (com), 646, 756,
778, 928, 1168, 1181, 1452, 1541, 1562
Psychological studies See Critical Approaches,
psychological
Puppet theatre See Marionettes
Radio
Adaptations 260, 261, 263, 265-67, 272-73, 294,
296-299, 305, 309, 310, 311, 1690
Interviews 542, 603; see also Media image
Own works
Dagen slutar tidigt [Early Ends the Day] 278,
397
1065
En själslig angelägenhet [A Matter of the
Soul] 308
Kamma noll [Come Up Empty/Draw Zero]
268, 403, 514
Mig till skräck [Unto my Fear] 280
Staden [The City] 271 (SR ), 304 (DR)
Trämålning [Painting on Wood] 283 (SR), 297
(DR), 298 (NRK)
Production controversy 621
Productions of works by other authors 260-270,
272-277, 278-279, 281, 296, 299-303, 305-311
Studies of Bergman’s radio work chapter V,
commentaries/reception; 682 (pp. 21-35), 1661
Writing for the – 542
Reading habits 910
Reception See also Reception sections in entries in
chapters IV, V, VI
general/worldwide – 1595, 1613 (Steene), 1703,
1707
– in Belgium 245 (award), 1306, 1333
– in Denmark 452, 470 (foreign rev, Bredsdorff/
Kistrup), 471(rev, Bredsdorff/Kistrup) plus
guest visit, Århus), 477 (lit, Møllehave, 479
(guest visit Copenhagen), 483 (rev), 485 (guest
visit, Copenhagen), 486 (foreign rev), 569, 571,
572, 593, 620, 627, 918, 960, 964, 969, 1043, 1130,
1202, 1215, 1254, 1288, 1293, 1309, 1424, 1477, 1487
– in England 787, 857, 912, 951, 996, 1025, 1041,
1056, 1356, 1544, 1569, 1572, 1585, 1705, 1716
– in France 224 (award), 225 (award), 982, 991,
995, 1001, 1002, 1050, 1088, 1110, 1113, 1117, 1122,
1125, 1179, 1234, 1478, 1599, 1614, 1670
– in Germany 226 (award), 972, 976, 1027, 1053,
1055, 1092, 1158, 1273, 1499
– in Holland 1033 (Kwakernaak), 1064, 1120,
1201, 1212, 1300, 1389, 1404, 1503, 1537, 1561, 1643
(Elsaesser)
– in India 1211, 1531
– in Italy 130, 253 (award), 925, 967, 1012, 1021,
1050, 1084, 1093, 1095, 1096, 1116, 1121, 1143, 1171,
1182, 1231, 1245, 1375, 1496, 1521 (Trasatti), 1536
– in Japan 226 (awards), 1073
– in Latin America 974, 1104, 1181
– in Norway 226 (award), 320 (rec), 445, 447 (lit,
Helgheim), 450 (Oslo guest visit), 470 (foreign
rev, plus guest visit, Bergen), 471 (rev, Hoem,
Straume), 472 (guest visit, Bergen, Oslo), 473
(guest visit, Bergen), 483 (rev), 485 (guest visit,
Oslo), 486 (foreign rev), 487 (guest visit, Oslo),
606, 613, 703, 767, 818, 825, 859, 908, 1217, 1232,
1539 (Nordvik)
– in Poland 236 (award), 454 (guest visit, War-
saw), 479 (guest visit Krakow), 575, 1163, 1251,
1419, 1510, 1512, 1649, 1663
– in Portugal 1488, 1513
– in Russia (Soviet Union) 1118, 1178
 Subject Index
– in Spain 1034, 1038, 1180, 1547
– in Sweden See all entries in Filmography,
Media and Theatre chapters, #1007, 1033, 1447,
1452 (Ljungkvist/Westman), 1611, 1625 (Steene)
– in US 219 (foreign rec), 223 (rec), 226 (rec),
228 (rec), 229 (com), 231 (Oscar), 233 (rec), 234
(rec), 235 (rec), 236 (rec), 237 (rec), 238, 241,
245, 246 (Am. rec), 248, 249, 253, 254, (foreign
rec), 259 (rec), 466 (guest: 8), 468 (guest: 3), 470
(guest: 6), 471 (guest: 10), 472 (guest:8), 473
(guest: 3), 477 (guest), 483 (guest: 1), 485
(guest:3), 486 (guest), 487 (guest: 3), 578, 957,
971, 975 (p. 881), 997, 1011, 1036, 1039, 1042, 1079,
1085, 1103, 1115, 1128, 1134, 1152, 1176, 1266, 1368
(award), 1373, 1374, 1423, 1442, 1555, 1580
(Steene), 1584, 1593, 1594, 1595, 1596, 1637, 1658,
1667, 1696
Religion
– as background chapter I (pp. 26-29); see also
Film, Motifs, religious
– as crisis chapter I (pp. 40-42); 897, 898
Religious Studies See Critical Approaches, reli-
gious/philosophical
Ritual (of art) 1164, 1384, 1440; see also Artistic
creativity
Scenography 560, 573, 648, 662 (Wassberg)
Screenplays/Scripts See Writing
Seminar participant/speaker 81, 90, 129 (on film-
making), 179, 189, 593, 917
Sexuality See Film, Motifs and Gender Studies
Silence See Film, Motifs (muteness, ontological
solitude/God’s silence)
Speeches 162, 179, 184, 187
Subjectivism 656, 664, 706, 892, 1613, 1673; see also
Film, Approaches and Directorial Persona
Subtitling 1650
Suicide 9, 19, 61, 203 (syn), 205 (syn), 206 (syn),
208 (syn), 210 (syn), 211 (syn), 214 (syn), 220 (syn/
rec), 222 (com), 223 (syn), 225 (syn), 231 (syn), 239
(syn), 244 (syn), 247 (syn), 248 (syn), 249 (syn),
254 (syn), 257 (syn), 259 (syn), 343 (syn), 439
(syn), 450 (syn), 459 (syn), 466 (syn), 473 (com),
475 (com), 940
Swedish Cinema
history of – chapter III, pp. 137-141; chapter IV
(p. 159), 206 (rec), 241 (rec), 697, 704, 721, 945,
950, 963, 966, 974, 982 (Béranger, p. 885), 1010,
1017, 1021, 1033 (Widerberg), 1044, 1053, 1128,
1139, 1169, 1202, 1213, 1242, 1410, 1455, 1540, 1583,
1605, 1609, 1628 (Florin), 1640, 1662, 1680
Swedish roots 750, 752, 762, 824, 1121; see also Fårö
entry above
Swedish Theatre 528, 533, 537, 557, 581, 625, 657; see
also Theatre entry
Symposia on film and/or theatre 1211
1066
Artist and Society, Stockholm, 1998 1625: 2
Fårö Bergman Week, 2004, 2005 Varia
Lund University, 1993 1613
New York City IB Festival, 1995 665, 1580, 1636
Nobel, 1988 622
Pondelone, 2005 Varia
Stockholm, 2005 Varia
Talk shows/Media Discussions 818, 844, 866; see
Media image: TV
Tax Issue, 1976 1327; see Exile
Television
– adaptations 313-318, 327, 336-338, 342
– own views on – chapter I, (p. 46); 104, 152, 547,
550, 579, 597, 609, 641, 662 (Åhlund), 744, 757,
792, 820, 835, 837, 906, 933, 946
productions directed by Bergman 313-343
productions of Bergman screen/TV plays 320-
325, 327, 329, 331-332, 335, 338-341, 343
Ansikte mot ansikte [Face to Face] 327
Den goda viljan [Best Intentions] 335
Efter repetitionen [After the Rehearsal] 332
Enskilda samtal [Private Confessions] 340
Fanny och Alexander 331
Fårö dokument I & II 321, 329
Harald och Harald 339
Larmar och gör sig till [In the Presence of a
Clown] 341
Reservatet/The Lie/The Sanctuary 322, 323
(British), 324 (US)
Riten [The Ritual] 320
Saraband 343, 679
Scener ur ett äktenskap [Scenes from a Mar-
riage] 325
Sista skriket [The Last Cry] 338
studies of his TV work 644, 667, 682 (pp. 101-115;
129-145), Reception in 320-325; 679, 906, 1376,
1431, 1661
Theatre
adaptation/transposition of plays See Com-
mentaries to stage production entries in chap-
ter VI, especially 447, 461, 477, 480, 487, plus
Koskinen (1676) and Törnqvist (1597, Prologue,
Epilogue and 1690 (chapter 1, 6, 7)
amateur – 2, 493, 496, 513, 515
as actor Varia B
as administrative head
at Hälsingborg City Theatre 498
at Dramaten 536, 537, 540, 541, 567, 627, 634,
647, 752, 753
as director
at amateur stages chapter I, p. 33, 36; 2, 353
(com)
at Boulevard Theatre 381, 406
 Subject Index
at Dramaten (Royal Dramatic Theatre)
chapter I, p. 39, 43-45, Chapter VI (“Dra-
maten Round 1-3”); 89, 189, 200, 411, 435,
437-444; 446-454; 465-469, 470-480; 483, 485-
487, 537, 540, 541, 550, 554, 558, 573, 576, 597,
602, 604, 627, 628, 633, 634, 639, 640, 646,
647, 657, 659, 662, 680-682, 752, 764, 766, 908,
914, 916, 938, 943, 1452:4 (Hansen), 1498, 1545
at Dramatikerstudion (Dramatists Studio)
chapter I (p. 37), 8, 378-380, 538
at Folkparksteatern 377, 412, 495
at Göteborg City Theatre chapter I (p. 38, 39);
396-402, 404-405, 407, 510, 512, 516, 581, 596,
643, 689, 1498
at Hälsingborg City Theatre chapter I (pp. 37-
38); 25, 28, 29, 30, 382-391, 393-394, 403, 498,
501, 502, 503, 507, 514, 548 (pp. 596, 607, 688,
689, 690
at Intiman Theatre, Stockholm chapter I (p.
39); 408-410
at Malmö City Theatre chapter I (pp. 39-40,
46); 392, 395, 414-415, 417-424, 426-434, 488,
492 (com), 508, 519, 522, 523, 526-527, 530,
531, 532, 535, 548, 557, 583, 595, 652, 655, 667,
677 (passim), 698, 709, 712, 927
at Medborgarhus (Citizens) Theatre chapter I
(p. 37); VI (intro); 368
at Munich Residenztheater chapter VI (in-
tro); 456-464, 580, 583, 585, 586, 587, 592, 593,
599, 604, 605, 629, 633, 989 (Strindberg:
Müller), 1272
at Mäster Olofsgården chapter I, p. 36; 344-
360, 493, 949
at Norrköping-Linköping City Theatre chap-
ter VI (intro); 413
at North Latin School 375-376
at Royal Opera, Stockholm chapter I (p. 42);
488-492
at Sago (Fairy Tale) Theatre chapter VI (p.
37); chapter VI (intro); 367; 369-374, 494
at Student Theatre chapter I, p. 36, 361-366,
496, 513
as playwright, individual plays See also Writing,
Plays
Dagen slutar tidigt (Early Ends the Day) 397
Efter repetitionen [After the Rehearsal] 481
(Russian prod.)
Jack hos skådespelarna [J. among the Actors]
416
Kamma noll [Come up Empty/Draw Zero]
403, 514
Kaspers död [Death of Punch] 363
Kriss-kras-filibom (cabaret) 386
Mig till skräck [Unto my Fear] 399
Mordet i Barjärna [Murder at B.] 414
Rakel och biografvaktmästaren [R. and Cinema
Doorman] 395, 406
1067
Scener ur ett äktenskap [Scenes from a Mar-
riage] 461, 482 (Austrian, stage)
Also presented as “Divorce Swedish Style”
469
Sista skriket [The Last Cry] 474
Tivolit 366
Trämålning [Painting on Wood] 317, 424, 425;
see also 531
assessment of B’s stagecraft chapter VI (pp. 476-
479); 495, 496, 506, 513, 518, 519, 520, 522, 524,
528, 530, 534, 535, 538, 541, 548, 552, 554, 558, 560,
561, 562, 564, 567, 568. 569, 570, 571, 573, 584,
585, 587, 588, 589, 590, 594, 596, 597 (TV), 599,
600, 604, 605, 610, 618, 620, 622, 623, 625, 627,
628, 629, 631, 632, 633, 635, 636, 637, 638, 640,
643, 645-46, 655, 659, 662 (Enquist, Ek, Holm,
Osten), 668, 671, 673, 677, 678, 683, 753, 781
assessment of staged playwrights
Anouilh, Jean 999
Beckett, Samuel 989, 1310
Bergman, Hjalmar chapter I, p. 33; 229 (rec),
989, 1410
Camus, Albert 396, 432 (rec, Paris), 989
(Kierkegaard), 1348, 1567, 1609
Chekhov, Anton 435, 457, 475 (rec), 989, 1255
Chesterton, G.K. 989
Hedberg, Olle chapter I (p. 61); 30, 261, 315,
319, 391, 503, 667
Hoffmann, E.T.A. chapter II (p. 49); 199, 238
(comp.stud., Rosen/Gantz), 895, 989, 1359,
1491
Höijer, Björn-Erik chapter I (p.39), 30, 36, 94,
260, 262, 272, 394, 400, 411, 426 (See also),
507, 690
Ibsen, Henrik 537, 566, 569, 594, 599, 620, 626,
629, 632, 633, 637, 638, 649, 677, 682, 712, 887,
909, 989, 996, 1012 (Verdone), 1255, 1365,
1393/1415 (Törnqvist), 1498, 1506, 1643
Lagerkvist, Pär chapter II (p. 60-62); 2, 290,
351, 363 (com), 372, 989 (Donner/Durant),
Varia (p. 1033)
Molière (Poquélin) 526, 540, 594, 605, 642,
677, 865, 887, 989, 1426, 1704
O’Neill, Eugene 470, 989
Shakespeare, William 575, 596, 611, 618, 631,
649, 660, 661, 665, 668, 677, 989, 1415/1562,
1490, 1574, 1580, 1613 (Loman), 1668
Schiller, Friedrich 486
Strindberg, August 202 (syn), 212 (rec), 225
(rec), 226 (rec/Törnqvist), 229 (rec), 233
Blokker), 250 (rec), 253 (rec/Haverty/
Törnqvist), 254 (syn, rec), 259 (syn), 263, 265,
267, 275, 277, 282, 296, 299, 309 (rec/Törnq-
vist), 310 (com), 311, 316, 318 (com), 325 (rec/
Lundgren), 331, 332, 347, 352, 354, 357 (com),
360, 361, 362, 363, 368, 378 (com), 392, 394
(com), 401 (com), 414 (syn), 415, 419, 429,
 Subject Index
444 (com), 447, 451, 453, 456, 461, 466, 467,
475 (com), 485, 487 (com), 545, 558, 570, 580,
582, 587, 594, 599, 610, 636, 638, 644, 649, 664,
669, 673, 675, 677, 682, 988 (Durand), 989,
1012 (Verdone), 1252, 1399, 1410, 1415, 1426
(Aghed), 1436, 1464, 1517, 1577, 1595, 1618,
1625:1, 1628 (Hockenjos), 1643 (Sprinchorn,
Steene), 1662, 1665, 1677, 1691
Bergman’s own views of –
Ibsen 23, 51, 127, 200, 440, 448, 450, 459, 461,
464, 472, 473, 487, 586, 599, 601, 944, 957
Molière chapter I (p. 40, 49), 247, 329, 422,
431, 435, 441, 444, (com), 452, 458, 462, 478,
486 (com), 569, 586, 597, 906, 924
Shakespeare 2, 29, 180, 187, 199, 341, 355, 369,
375, 376, 384, 401, 454, 465, 468, 477, 532, 598,
619, 881, 924, 1579
Strindberg chapter II (p. 63-64), chapter III
(p. 150), chapter V (pp. 413-416), chapter VI
(462-465, 474); 2, 5, 19, 25, 31, 56, 89, 156, 163,
184, 185 (rec), 504, 523, 532, 539, 559, 570, 576,
586, 601, 608, 616, 680, 719, 729, 763, 792, 799,
825, 886, 887, 889, 916, 919, 944, 1327, 1706
Children’s – See Children, theatre
Guest performances chapter VI: 473, 478 (can-
celled), 479, 483, 486, 487
Open rehearsals 550, 554
Operetta 522
– Projects, unrealized
The Bachae, Malmö 423 (com)
The Bachae, Dramaten, 1987 492 (com)
Faust, Dramaten 433
Hamlet, 1940s 468 (com)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream 468 (com)
Romeo and Juliet, 1952 454
– Versus Filmmaking See Film, and Theatre
View of –
as essence of life 724
as ritual/a cathedral 486 (rec), 663 (Iversen),
888
as self-therapy 604
as Underground theatre 533
as workplace 527, 595, 604
Vampirism 1317; see also Film, Motifs, vampirism
Vertical filmmaking (defense/critique) 836
Virgin Mary 433
Visits to film sets, rehearsals See Media Image,
rehearsals
Voyeurism/Eavesdropping 1117, 1156, 1211, 1552,
1608, 1644 (Amiel), 1664, 1690
Women See also Feminism, Gender Studies
and equal rights 834
and their self-betrayal 818, 833, 869
appreciation of women writers 910
1068
as friends and work partners 822, 834, 880, 898
as strong mother figures 809
as wives 806, 854
role of 852
Writings (by Bergman)
autobiography/memoirs See Autobiography
essays, notes, student themes 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 24,
25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 36, 41, 44, 45, 46, 47,
49, 55, 57, 60, 65, 66, 71, 73, 76, 77, 81, 84, 86, 87,
89, 92, 93, 94, 96, 99, 100, 103, 104, 107, 108, 109,
111, 112, 113, 114, 120, 121, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131,
137, 140, 143, 144, 146, 152, 154, 155, 158, 162, 179,
180, 182, 184, 187, 189, 197, 198, 200, 201a
fiction (including drafts) chapter II: pp. 65-68; 3,
11, 26, 35, 42, 59, 73, 83, 134, 191, 195;see also
Autobiography/Memoirs
open letters 50, 62, 95, 106, 107, 112, 126, 127, 140,
143, 144, 163, 172; see also Commentaries/Re-
ception in Chapter IV, VI
opera libretto See Opera, libretto
plays (including drafts/adaptations)
– for radio chapter I (p. 43); chapter II (p. 62-
63); 78, 149; see also Radio
– for television chapter I (pp. 46-47); chapter
II (p. 68); 139, 141, 142, 150, 159, 171, 175, 183,
194, 195, 199, 201; see also Television
– for theatre chapter I (p. 31, 33, 36, 38);
chapter II (pp. 60-65); 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17, 18,
19, 20, 22, 23, 39, 43, 51, 54, 56, 61, 72, 75, 81,
83, 90, 149, 156, 190, 193, 200, 373
productions of Bergman’s plays 317, 363, 366,
386, 395, 397, 399, 403, 406, 414, 416, 424, 425,
461, 469, 474, 481, 482, 514, 531; see also
Theatre, as playwright
reluctance to stage chapter II (p. 64); 525, 919
(p. 17)
studies of Bergman’s plays chapter I (pp 60-
65); chapter II (pp. 60-66); 497, 509, 510, 512,
514, 517, 549, 612, 676, 967, 968, 1681; see also
Theatre, as playwright
prefaces, program notes 2, 24, 30, 71, 99, 112, 113,
120, 152, 154, 180
scripts (also drafts and translations) chapter I,
p. 37, 49; Chapter II: pp. 54-60; 4, 16, 21, 34, 37,
38, 40, 48, 52, 53, 58, 63, 64, 67, 68, 69, 70, 74, 79,
80, 82, 85, 88, 101, 102, 105, 110, 115, 116, 117, 118,
119, 122, 123, 124, 125, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138,
141, 142, 145, 147, 148, 150, 151, 153, 157, 159, 160,
161, 164-171, 173, 174, 176-178, 186, 192, 193 (also
listed as morality play), 194, 196, 199, 202, 205,
209, 210, 212, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222,
223, 224, 225, 226, 228, 688
adaptations 203, 204, 206, 207, 208, 211, 214,
219
collaborators
 Subject Index

Dagmar Edqvist 207 Alf Sjöberg 224

Buntel Ericsson (pseud.) 232 (com) studies of Bergman’s writings 692, 952, 988, 989,
Per Anders Fogelström 213, 219 1288, 1409, 1578, 1681, 14861209, 1246, 1325, 1409,
Herbert Grevenius 204, 211, 216, 217 1666, 1681; see also Reception/Review sections in
Ulla Isaksson 227, 229 Filmography, chapter IV

1069
 Subject Index Supplement
Literature on Bergman
Numbers after the title refer to the Guide’s entry numbers.
Book-Length Studies and Dissertations on Ingmar Bergman
Bergman as Filmmaker
Adiri, Nasr Allah. Birgman: zan, ma-zhab nasl- i
ayandah (1997) 1615
Alsina & Monegal, Ingmar Bergman, un dramaturgo
cinematografico (1964) 1104
Anderson, Produktionshandbuch zu Ingmar Berg-
mans ‘Von Angesicht zu Angesicht (1976) 1275
Armando, O planeta Bergman (1988) 1455
Assayas & Björkman, Tre dagar med Bergman/Con-
versation avec Bergman (1992) 919
Balbierz & Zmudzinski (eds.), Ingmar Bergman
(1993) 1541
Béranger, Ingmar Bergman et ses films (1959) (Rev.
ed. 1960) 982
Béranger-Guyon, Ingmar Bergman (1964) 982
Berger, “Auf der Suche: Leute in Ingmar Bergmans
Filmen der fünfziger und der sechziger Jahre”,
diss. 1992 1518
Bergman, Bilder/Images. My Life in Film (1990) 187
Bergom-Larsson, Ingmar Bergman och den borgerliga
ideologin (1977) 1303
Bergom-Larsson, Hammar & Kristensson-Uggla
(eds.), Nedstigningar i modern film – hos Bergman,
Wenders, Adlon, Tarkovski (1992) 1519
Billqvist, Ingmar Bergman. Teatermannen och films-
kaparen (1960) 1040
Binh, Ingmar Bergman: Le magicien du Nord
(1993) 1542
Bini, Ingmar Bergman da Como in uno specchio a L´
adultera (1973) 1226
Björkman, Manns, Sima (eds.), Bergman om Berg-
man (1971) 773
Blackwell, Gender and Representation in the Films of
Ingmar Bergman (1997) 975
1071
—, Persona. The Transcendent Image (1986) 236
(lit)
Bleibtreu (ed.), Ingmar Bergman im Bleistift-Ton. Ein
Werkporträtt (2002) 1678
Bono (ed.), Il giovane Bergman (1992) 1521
Bragg, The Seventh Seal (1993) 1544
Brown, “Anti-Theodicy and Human Love in the
Films of Ingmar Bergman”, diss. 1976 1277
Burnevich, Thèmes d’inspiration d’Ingmar Bergman
(1960) 997
–, Ingmar Bergman zoekt de sleutel, 1962 (1966)
1070
Calhoun “Suspended Projections: Religious Roles
and Adaptable Myths in John Hawkes’ Novels,
Francis Bacon’s Paintings, and Ingmar Bergman’s
Films”, diss. 1980 1351
Ch’en, Saho-ts’ung, Po-ko-man yu ti ch’i feng yin
(1986) 1430
Chiaretti, Ingmar Bergman (1964) 1109
Cinque, “Beyond the Day’s Light: A Study of the
Emerging Archetypal Feminine and its Personifi-
cation in Ingmar Bergman’s Filmic World”, diss.
1984 1406
Clarke, “The Closing of the Circle: The Films of
Ingmar Bergman as Metaphors of Quest and Re-
conciliation”, diss. (1983) 1394
Cohen, Ingmar Bergman. The Art of Confession
(1993) 1546
Company, Ingmar Bergman (Spanish) (1993, 1999)
1547
Cortade, Ingmar Bergman: L’Initiation d’un artiste
(2000) 1669
Cowie, Ingmar Bergman (1961, 1962) 1041
 Literature on Bergman Index
Cowie, Ingmar Bergman: A Critical Biography (1982,
1992). In French as Ingmar Bergman, biographie
critique (1986) 1381
Cuenca, Introducción al estudio de Ingmar Bergman
(1961) 1034
Dommelei, van (ed.), Leven: wreedheid of tederheid?
(1977) 1306
Donner, Djävulens ansikte (1962, 1965); as The Vision
of Ingmar Bergman (1964, 1972) 1071
D’Orazio, “I film del primo Bergman”, diss. (1975)
1265
Estève (ed.), Ingmar Bergman: La mort, le masque et
l’être (1983) 1397
Farina, Ingmar Bergman (1959) 1021
Fraser, “Sylvia Plath and the Cinema: Sylvia Plath’s
Poetics and the Cinematography of Ingmar
Bergman, Jean Cocteau, and Carl Dreyer”, diss.
(1997) 1673
French, Wild Strawberries (1995) 1585
Gado, The Passion of Ingmar Bergman (1986) 1432
Garfinkel, Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman
(1978) 1323
Gavel-Adams & Leiren (eds.), Stage and Screen:
Studies in Scandinavian Drama and Film (2000)
1671
Garzia (ed.), Fårö. La Cinecitta di Ingmar Bergman/
Fårö, Ingmar Bergmans Cinecitta (2003) 1679
Gervais, Ingmar Bergman: Magician and Prophet,
1999 1657
Gibson, The Silence of God: Creative Response to the
Films of Ingmar Bergman (1969) 997
Gill, Ingmar Bergman and the Search for Meaning
(1969) 1177
Gomez, “Esteto semiotica y pragmatica filmicas: un
analisis textual en Bergman”, diss. 1981 1371
Gorodinskaja (ed.), Ingmar Bergman (1969) 1178
Guinness, Ingmar Bergman. Confessional in Celluloid
(1980) 1360
Gyllenpalm, “Ingmar Bergman and Creative Lea-
dership”, diss. (1992) 1586
Gyorffy, Ingmar Bergman (1976) 1286
Höök, Ingmar Bergman (1962) 1074
Jensen-Refeld (eds), Ingmar Bergman og hans tid
(1977) 1309
Johnson, “An Analysis of Relational Ethics in Three
Films of Bergman: Through a Glass Darkly, The
Communicants, and The Silence”, diss. (1973)
1235
Johns (see also Blackwell), “Strindberg’s Influence
on Bergman’s Det sjunde inseglet, Smultronstället
and Persona”, diss. (1976) 975
Jones (ed.), Talking with Ingmar Bergman (1983)
878, 1368
Kaminsky (ed.), Ingmar Bergman. Essays in Criticism
(1975) 1266
1072
Kawin, Mindscreen: Bergman, Godard and First-Per-
son Film (1981) 1372
Ketcham, “The Influence of Existentialism on In-
gmar Bergman. An Analysis of the Theological
Ideas Shaping a Filmmaker’s Art,” diss. (1986)
1434
Koskinen, Allting föreställer, ingenting är. Filmen och
teatern – en tvärvetenskaplig studie (2001) 1676
—, I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergman och hans
tidiga författarskap (2003) 1681
—, Spel och speglingar. En studie i Ingmar Bergmans
filmiska estetik (1993) 1552
Lange-Fuchs (ed.), Der frühe Bergman (1978) 1326
—, Ingmar Bergman. Die Grosse Kinofilme. Eine
Dokumentation (1988) 1467
Lange-Fuchs & Linz, ... noch einmal zu Bergman
(1990) 1499
Lauder, God, Death, Art and Love. The Philosophical
Vision of Ingmar Bergman (1989) 1486
Laurenti, En torno a Ingmar Bergman (1976) 1289
Lefèvre, Ingmar Bergman (1983) 1400
Livingston, “Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of
Art”, diss. (1982) 1384
Long, Ingmar Bergman. Film and Stage (1994) 1568
Luke, “The Allegorical Device of the Character
Double in the Films of Ingmar Bergman”, diss.
(1996) 1607
Mahieu, Bergman: Angustia y conocimiento (1965)
974
Maisetti, La crisi spirituali dell’ uomo moderno nei
film di Ingmar Bergman, diss. (1964) 1116
Manvell, Roger. Ingmar Bergman. An Appreciation
(1982) 1385
Marion, Ingmar Bergman (1979) 1342
Marty, Joseph. Ingmar Bergman. Une poétique du
désir (1991) 1507
McGhee, “To Duty Doubly Bound: A Study of
Melancholy in Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Persona’, Toni
Morrison’s ‘Beloved’, Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘The
Sacrifice’ and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘The Idiot’”,
diss. (1999) 1659
Michaels (ed.), Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (1999)
1660
Michalczyk, Ingmar Bergman ou la passion de l´
homme d´aujourd´hui (1977) 1311
Monaco, Bergman (1974) 1256
Morais, Ingmar Bergman (1968) 1165
Moscato, Ingmar Bergman: La realita e il suo “dop-
pio” (1981) 1375
Mosley, Ingmar Bergman. The Cinema as Mistress
(1981, 1982) 1432
Muellem, van, Ingmar Bergman (1961) 1064
Müller, “Der Theaterregisseur Ingmar Bergman:
Dargestellt an seiner Inszenierung von Strind-
berg’s ‘Traumspiel’”, diss. (1979); published as
book in (1980) 587
 Literature on Bergman Index
Nystedt, Ingmar Bergman och kristen tro (1989) 997
Oldrini, La solitudine di Ingmar Bergman (1965)
1012
Oliva, Ingmar Bergman (1966) 1137
Oliver, (ed.), Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey
(1995) 1580
Pangon, Ingmar Bergman (1997) 1614
Pedersen, Bergmanfilm – en arbejdsbog (1976) 1293
Perridon (ed.), Strindberg, Ibsen & Bergman.Essays
on Scandinavian Film and Drama (1998) 1643
Petric (ed.), Film and Dreams: An Approach to Ing-
mar Bergman (1981) 1378
Rainero, Ingmar Bergman (1974) 1258
Rajat, Roy. Bergman (1992) 1531
Rasku, Ingmar Bergman. Kasvoista kasvoihin
(1970) 1191
Reilly, “Ingmar Bergman’s Theatre Direction, 1952-
1974”, diss. (1981) 590
Robins, ”Theological Analysis of Religious Experi-
ence in the Films of Ingmar Bergman”, diss.
(1975) 997
Rondi (ed.), Maestri del Cinema: Ingmar Bergman
(1968) 1169
Santos, Bergman no cerco (1963) 1097
Savio, La parola e il silenzio (1964) 1119
Schneider, Rollen und Räume. Anfragen an das
Christentum in den Filmen Ingmar Bergman, diss.
(1992) 997
Siclier, Ingmar Bergman, 1958, 1960 (1964) 982
Simon, Ingmar Bergman Directs (1972) 1218
Sjöman, L-136: Dagbok (1963) 1100
—, U 98. Mitt personregister (1998) 1646
Steene, Ingmar Bergman (1968) 1170
— (ed.), Focus on The Seventh Seal (1972) 1220
—, Ingmar Bergman. References and Resources
(1987) 1449
—, Måndagar med Bergman (1996) 1611
Svensk Filmindustri, Ingmar Bergman (1963) 1090
Svetlitza, Psicoanalysis y creacion artistica: Woody
Allen, Ingmar Bergman, Salvador Dali, James Joyce
(1994) 1575
Szczepanski (ed.), Bergman Obrazy (1993) 1556
Szczepanski, Zwierciadto Bergmana (1999) 1663
Bergman in the Theatre (including parallels between his theatre work and film)
Bax, (ed.), Théâtres au cinéma (1992) 1517
Billqvist, Ingmar Bergman. Teatermannen och films-
kaparen (1960) 1040
Gyllenpalm, Ingmar Bergman and Creative Leader-
ship, diss. (1995) 647, 1586
Koskinen, Allting föreställer, ingenting är. Filmen och
teatern – en tvärvetenskaplig studie (2001) 653
Long, Ingmar Bergman. Film and Stage (1994) 1568
Marker, Ingmar Bergman. Four Decades in the
Theater (1982) 594
1073
Tabbia, Ingmar Bergman (1958) 1008
Teghrarian, “The Cracked Lens: The Crisis of the
Artist in Bergman’s Films of the Sixties” (1976)
1298
Thi Nhu Quynh Ho. “La femme dans l’univers
bergmanien”, diss. (1975) 975
Törnqvist, Bergman’s Muses. Bergman’s Muses. Aes-
thetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television and
Radio (2003) 1690
—, Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Di-
rects (1995) 649, 1597
—, Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman (1993) 1559
Trasatti, Ingmar Bergman, il paradoxo di un ”Ateo
cristiano” (1992) 1536
Wasserman, Filmologia de Bergman: Dios, la vida y la
muerte (1988) 1475
Weise, Ingmar Bergman (1987) 1450
— (ed.), Ingmar Bergman: mit Selbstzeugnissen und
Bilddokumenten (1997) 1623
Vermilye, Ingmar Bergman: His Films and Career
(1997) 1622
Widerberg, Visionen i svensk film (1962) 1033
Wimberley, “Bergman and the Existentialists: A
Study in Subjectivity”, diss. (1979) 1348
Wirmark, Smultronstället och dödens ekipage
(1998) 1653
— (ed.), Film och teater i växelverkan (1996) 652,
1613
Visscher de, Zielekanker Symboliek in de Filmkunst
van Ingmar Bergman (1976) 1300
Wood, Ingmar Bergman (1969) 1185
Woolsgaard (ed.), Kavalkade (1985) 1424
Working with Ingmar Bergman, BFI (1988) 1476
Vos, Dräkterna i dramat: Mitt år med Fanny och
Alexander (1984) 1416
Young, Cinema borealis: Ingmar Bergman and the
Swedish Ethos (1971) 1210
Zern, Se Bergman (1993) 1560
Zielinska (ed.), Ingmar Bergman. W opinii krytyki
zagranicznej (1987) 1451
Åhlander (ed.), Gaukler im Grenzland. Ingmar
Bergman (1993) 1562
Marker, Ingmar Bergman. A Life in the Theater (1982,
1992) Also in Italian as Ingmar Bergman. Tutto il
teatro (1996) 594
Marker, Ingmar Bergman: A Project for the Theater
(1983) 599
Oliver (ed.), Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey
(1995) 1580
Sjögren, Ingmar Bergman på teatern (1968) 548
—, Regi: Ingmar Bergman. Dagbok från Dramaten
(1969) 554
 Literature on Bergman Index
—, Lek och raseri. Ingmar Bergman på teatern, 1938-
2002 (2002) 677
Törnqvist, Bergman och Strindberg: Spöksonaten –
drama och iscensättning (1973) 570
—, Bergman’s Muses. Bergman’s Muses. Aesthetic
Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television and Radio
(2003) 682, 1690
Bergman as Media Director
Törnqvist, Bergman’s Muses. Bergman’s Muses. Aes-
thetic Versatility in Film, Theatre, Television and
Radio (2003) 682
Bergman as Writer
Koskinen, I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergman
och hans tidiga författarskap (2003) Also in Finnish
Bergman and Family
Bergman, (Margaretha), Karin vid havet (1980)
1349
Bergman (Anna), Inte bara pappas flicka (1987)
French edition: Au nom du père (1989) 1440
Special Journal Issues on Ingmar Bergman
Bergman and the Cinema
Amante Cine, no. 37 (March 1995) 1582
American Cinematographer 53, no. 4 (April 1972)
1269
American Cinematographer 79, no 11 (November
1998) 1626
Amis du film et de la télévision, no. 225 (February
1975) 1628
L’Avant-Scene du Cinéma, no. 37 (May 1964) 1105
L´Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 142 (December
1973) 1224
Cahiers du cinéma XIV, no 72 (June 1957) 982
Cahiers du cinema XV, no 85 (July 1958) 982, 1002,
1028
Castoro Cinema 156 (October 1993) 1558
Celluloide, no 21 (September 1959) 1020
Celluloide XXV, no. 289 (March 1980) 1020
Centrofilmo (1963) 1084
Cine universitario, no. 12 (1960) 1034
Cineforum 7, no. 61 (January 1967) 1143
Cinéma 59, no. 41 (November-December 1959) 1018
Cinema Novo, no. 37/38, (Sep/Dec 1984) 1405
Chaplin, no. 35 (February 1963) 1086
Chaplin XXV, no. 6/189 (1983) 1383
Chaplin 30, no 2-3 (215/216) (1988) 1452
1074
—, Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Di-
rects (1995) 649, 1597
Wingaard, Teatersemiologi (1967) 571
Wirmark (ed.), Film och teater i växelverkan
(1996) 652, 1613
as Alussa Oli Sana – Nuori Ingmar Bergman
(2003) 1681
Linton-Malmfors, (ed.), Den dubbla verkligheten.
Karin och Erik Bergman i dagböcker och brev 1907-
1936 (1992) 1526
Ullmann, Changing/Forændringen (1976) 1299
Chaplin xxxv, no 3/246 (Summer 1993) 1540
Cuadernas de Cine Club Mercedes (Uruguay), no. 1
(May 1963) 974
Cuaderno cinematografico del Uruguay, December
1974 1248
Dirigido por, no. 29, (January 1976) 1279
Ecran 73, no, 15 (May 1973) 1225
Entr´acte, 4, no. 12 (December-January 1963) 1087
Film Comment 6, no. 2 (1970) 1188
Film Comment, XII, no. 3, (May-June 1976) 1282
Film Ideal 9, no. 68 (1964) 1034
Film och Bio, no. 1 (1968) 1155
Filmdienst. Kino-Fernsehen-Video, 51, no. 14
(1998) 1634
Filmhäftet. Tidskrift om film och TV, 62 (May 1988)
1452
Filmklub-Cinéclub 5, no. 20 (Switzerland) (Novem-
ber-December 1960) 1045
Image et son, no. 226 (March 1969) 1179
Jeune cinéma, no. 8 (June/July 1965) 1125
Kino (Sofia), no 3 (July 1993) 1551
(Die) kleine Filmkunstreihe Hefte, no. 22 (1961) 1067
Kosmorama 24, no. 137 (Spring 1978) 1325
Nordic Theatre Studies 11 (1998) 663, 1635
 Literature on Bergman Index

Nuevo film (Montevideo), no. 4 (Autumn-Winter
1969) 1181
Positif 204 (March 1978) 1329
Positif 289 (March 1985) 1426
Positif 360 (February 1991) 1508
Positif 447 (May 1998) 1644
Positif no. 497/498, (July-August 2002) 1683
Revista de cinema vol. 4, no. 22 (April-May 1956)
974
Revista Cinematografo, No. 62 (December 1992)
1529
(Der) Spiegel, (26 October 1960) 1053
Studi cinematografico e televisivi 1, no. 2 (October
1968) 1171
Temas de cine, no. 26 (January-February 1963) 1034
Time, 14 March 1960 1054
Thousand Eyes Magazine, no. 1 (1975) 1271
La Voce di Milano, “Il mago del Nord”, 3 May
(1994) 1579

Bergman and the Theatre

La Dramma (1971) 562, 1255 Nordic Theatre Studies 11 (1998) 663
Dramat (1995) 646 Theater 11, no. 1 (1979) 584
Dramat (1998) 662

Bergman and Media (Radio & TV)

Dramat (1998) 662
Nordic Theatre Studies 11 (1998) 663

1075
 Title index
At the beginning of the Title Index is a list of group items found in Chapters VII and IX in the
Guide. The remainder of the index is divided, like the Name index, into two Sections: The
first includes titles of all works authored, directed or produced by Ingmar Bergman, as well
as interviews with him. The second section lists titles of critical books, dissertations, articles,
and special journal issues on Bergman and his entire production. Entries are listed in
alphabetical order under the original title only, except when an English translation has been
published, which appears in brackets.
Numbers after the title entry refer to the Guide’s entry numbers. In references to items in
the Guide that appear in chapters or sections that have no entry numbers, a page number
appears instead, listed in parenthesis.

Group titles
A Doll’s House and David Selznick 957
American reception of Ingmar Bergman 1011
Appointment as Royal Dramatic Theatre head 536
Bengt Jahnsson affair 551
Bergman and Actors 519, 970
Bergman and Art Cinema Public 1211
Bergman and Nazism 1439
Bergman at Southern Methodist University sympo-
sium 1368
Bergman as literary author – early views 988
Bergman and literature 989
Bergman and early reception in Latin America 974
Bergman-Fellini coproduction 1174
Bergman’s Portrayal of women 975
Bergman’s Return to Dramaten (1969) 550
Bergman Tax Case and subsequent exile 1272
Cannes Film Festival honoring Bergman 1614
(The) Cloth cover notebook 3
Conflict at Munich Residenztheater 583
Disenchantment with theatre situation, 1964-66
537
Early British views on Bergman 996
Early Spanish reception of Ingmar Bergman 1034
Economic Crisis at Dramaten 602
Erasmus Prize 1120
Felix Award 1453
Fyrtiotalism 206 (rec), 952, 1007
Goethepreis 1976 1273
Honorary degree at University of Rome 1496
Ingmar Bergman and French response in mid-Fif-
ties 982
Ingmar Bergman at 70 1452
Ingmar Bergman at 75 1539
Ingmar Bergman at 80 1625
Italian reception of Ingmar Bergman 1012
New York City Ingmar Bergman Festival 1580
Plans to film The Merry Widow 804
Religious Approaches to Bergman’s filmmaking
997
SFP newsletter, Mäster Olofsgården 2
Swedish Debates/Critique of Bergman’s filmmak-
ing 1033
Underground Theatre debate 533
Untitled program notes, Hälsingborg City Theatre
30

1077
 Title Index

Section I

In cases where a playwright, scriptwriter or director other than Bergman is also involved, that
person’s name appears together with Bergman’s in parenthesis. An abbreviated identification
of the item appears last, in brackets, according to the following letter designations:
[S] Scripts
[F] Films
[M] Music
[P] Plays
[T] Theatre productions
[O] Opera and operetta productions
[R] Radio play productions
[TV] Television films and TV play productions
[W] Writings
[Int.] Interviews with Bergman, followed by name of interviewer

A Film Trilogy (Bergman) [S] 135 Backanterna [The Bachae] (Euripides/Börtz/Berg-

“A Little Night Music” (Sondheim) [M] (Bergman)
[original text] 223 (com)
“A Matter of the Soul” (See Föreställningar)
“A Passion” (see En passion)
“A Profile of Ingmar Bergman “ [Int: Newman,
NBC] 761
“Aforistiskt av Ingmar Bergman” (Bergman) [W]
93
“After the Rehearsal” (see Efter repetitionen)
“Aldrig! Hellre kommunteater på Fårö” [Int: Mon-
tán] 563, 1190
“Alle taler om skandinavisme. Ingen tager initiativet”
[Int: Sabroe] 810
“Anders de Wahl och den sista rollen” (Bergman)
[W] 94
Ansikte mot ansikte [Face to Face] (Bergman) [TV,
F] 159, 248, 327
“Ansikte mot ansikte: Ett samtal med Ingmar Berg-
man” [Int: Harryson] 577, 842
“Ansiktet” [The Magician/The Face] (Bergman) [S,
F] 102, 228
“Antagligen ett geni” (Bergman) [W]
36
“Anteckningar kring Staden” (Bergman) [W] 78
“Aschebergskan på Wittskövle” (von Horn/Berg-
man) [P, T] 382
“Aspekte” [Int: Szostack] 849
Aus dem Leben des Marionetten (see Ur marionet-
ternas liv)
Autumn Sonata (see Höstsonat)
“Avskedsintervju” (Bergman) [W] 30 (group item)
507, 690
“Away with Improvisization – This is Creation!”
(Bergman) [W] 114
man) [P, O, T, TV] 190, 337, 480, 492
“Bara här hör jag hemma” [Int: Rying] 750
“Befängt sätta en gammal stöt som censurchef ” [Int:
Sima] 802
“Begegnung mit Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Stempel]
758
“Bergman” [Int: Nygren] 910
“Bergman: A Private Man with a Hit on His Hands”
[Int: Champlin] 820
“Bergman and Opus 26” [Int: Grenier] 741, 1072
“Bergman Brings Restive Hamlet to Brooklyn” [Int:
Babski] 911
“Bergman efter Venedig-utmärkelsen: Hoffmann
lockar mig” [Int: Sörenson] 895
“Bergman i USA: mer fars än tragedi” [Press Con-
ference] 839
“Bergman in Close-up” [Int: Lejefors] 883
“Bergman in Exile” [Int: Weintraub] 851, 1272
(group item, p. 953)
“Bergman: Le succès? J´adore ça!” [Int: Heymann/
Lange/Delain] 824
Bergman. Obrazy (Bergman, Polish ed.) [S] 1556
Bergman om Bergman [Bergman on Bergman] [Int:
Björkman/Manns/Sima] 214 (com), 215 (com),
223, 225 (com), 788
“Bergman on Opera” [Int: Janzon] 743
“Bergman par lui-même” (Bergman) [Self-inter-
view] 140, 710
“Bergman parle” [Int: Serre] 907
“Bergman parle de lui-même et du silence” (Riffe/
Bergman pseudonym) [Self-interview] 756
“Bergman skäller ut radiochefen” (Bergman/SR)
621
“Bergman spelar Trollflöjten…” [Int: Larsén] 829

1078
 Title Index
“Bergman svarar på Ibsenkritik” (Bergman ) [W]
127
Bergman. Szcenariusze (Bergman, Polish ed.) [S]
151, 164
“Bergman vid källsprånget” [Int: Åhlund) 926
“Bergmanfarväl med Molière. Riv Operan och
Dramaten” [Int: AGE/Anders Ellsberg] 537
(group item, p. 783), 540, 764
“Bergman’s Best Intentions” [Int: Bergström] 924
“Bergman’s Borkman” [Int: Marker & Marker]
909
“Bergman’s Dream” [Int: Mowe] 920
Bergmans 1900-tal. En hyllning till svensk film, från
Victor Sjöström till Lukas Moodysson (Bergman)
[W] 198
Beröringen [The Touch] (Bergman) [S, F] 145, 244
Best Intentions (see Den goda viljan)
“Bilden som retar Bergman” [Int: Elfving] 837
Bilder [Images. My Life in Film] (Bergman) [W]
188, 206 (com), 207 (com), 211 (com), 214 (com),
219 (com), 220 (com), 223 (com), 228 (com), 231
(com), 233, 234
Bildmakarna [The Image Makers] (Enquist) [P],
(Bergman) [T, TV] 342, 483
“Biodags” [Int: Jungstedt, SR] 722, 735
“Blad ur en obefintlig dagbok” (Bergman) [W] 66
“Blick in i framtiden” (Bergman; radio talk) 33,
500
Blodsbröllop [Bodas de sangre, Blood Wedding] (Lor-
ca; [P]/Bergman; [R]) 276
“Bo Dahlins anteckningar angående föräldrarnas
skilsmässa” (Bergman) [S] 73. See also 97
Bollen [La palla] (Fruttero) [P]/(Bergman) [R] 285
“Brev från Ingmar Bergman” (Bergman) [W] 50
“Brink of Life” (see Nära livet)
“Bris” [Soap Commercials], (Bergman) [F] 74, 215
Brott och brott [Crimes and Crimes] (Strindberg) [P]/
(Bergman) [R] 275
Bruden utan hemgift [Bespridannica, The dowerless
Bride] (Ostrovskij) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 427
“Byen” [Staden] (Bergman) [P]/Katlev; dir.) [R]
304
Caligula (Camus) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 396
“Cirkusen” (Bergman) [unpubl. pantomime play]
[W] 6
“Close to Life” (see Nära livet)
“Clownen Beppo” (Fisher/Bergman) [T] 376
“Conversation avec Ingmar Bergman” [Int:
Aghed] 794
“Conversation avec Bergman” [Int: Assayas/Björk-
man] 919
“Conversation with Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Gre-
nier] 823
Cris et chuchotement, suivi de ‘Persona’ et ‘Le Lien’
(Bergman) [W] 169
1079
“Dagen slutar tidigt” (Bergman) [P, T, R]
56, 278, 397
“Daniel”. (See “Stimulantia”)
Dans på bryggan (Höijer) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 400
“Das einzige, was ich nicht ertrage, ist Gleichgül-
tigkeit” [Int: Larass] 879
“De ensamma” (Bergman; handwritten play draft )
[P] 9
“De fördömda kvinnornas dans” [Il ballo delle in-
grate] (Monteverdi/Bergman/Feuer) [T, TV]
328, 491
“De tre dumheterna. Skämtsaga i 6 bilder”
(Munthe) [W]/(Bergman) [T] 374
De två saliga (Isaksson/Bergman) [TV] 183, 334
“(The) Demon Lover” [Int. art: Lahr] 537
“Den bästa novellen” (Bergman) [W] 691
“Den fria, skamlösa, oansvariga konsten – ett
ormskinn, fyllt av myror” (See Ormskinnet/The
Snakeskin)
“Den förstenade prinsen” [The Petrified Prince]
(Bergman, unpubl. script) [S] 166
“Den gamle och havet” [Int: Bergström] 921, 1504
“Den gamle och lusten” [Int: Söderberg] 941
Den goda viljan [Best Intentions] (Bergman) [S]/
(August) [F] 191, 196, 256, 335
“Den lille trumpetaren och vår Herre” (Bergman)
[W] 59
“Den som intet har” (Anderberg/La Fontaine/H.C.
Andersen) [W]/(Bergman) [R] 295
Den tatuerade rosen [The Rose Tattoo] (Williams)
[P]/(Bergman) [T] 413
“Det att göra film” [“What is Filmmaking?”]
(Bergman) [W] 87
“Det förtrollade marknadsnöjet” (Bergman) [W]
45
Det gamla spelet om Envar [Everyman] (von Hoff-
mansthal) [P]/(Bergman ) [R] 289
“Det gamla spelet om Envar” [Int: Florin] 681
Det lyser i kåken (Höijer) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 411
“Det personligas kris. Ingmar Bergman talar fritt”
[Int: HIM] 695
“Det regnar på vår kärlek” (Braathen, orig. text)/
(Bergman) [F] 37, 46
“Det sjunde inseglet” [The Seventh Seal] (Bergman)
[S, F] 98, 225
“Det var bara roligt” [Int: Röster i Radio/TV] 152
“Det är Bergman som gör film på Fårö” [Int:
Hamdi] 770
“Det är en älsklig tanke att Fellini och jag skall jobba
ihop” [Int: Sörenson] 850
“Dialog” (Bergman) [W] 103
“Dialog med Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Sjögren in
Ingmar Bergman på teatern] 779
“Dialogue on Film: Ingmar Bergman” [Int: AFI]
841
Dick Cavett Show [TV interview] 798
“Dimman” (Bergman, draft) [P] 19
 Title Index
“Djävulens öga” [The Devil’s Eye] (Bergman) [S,
F] 105, 230
Don Juan [Dom Juan/Don Juan ou le festin de pierre]
(Molière) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 16, 422, 441, 462
“Dramatenchefen Ingmar Bergman intervjuas” [Int:
Hoogland] 537 (group item, p. 782)
“Dramatikerstudion’s program, no 1, 1943 (Berg-
man) [W] 8
Drei Schwestern [Three Sisters] (Chechov) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 457
“Dröm i juli”(Bergman, draft) [P] 20
“Dröm i juli. Filmmanuskript av I. Bergman”
(Bergman) [S] 38
“Drømmen om et kunstnerisk teater” (Bergman
talk; Dessau report ) 593
Dödsdansen [The Dance of Death] (Strindberg) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 455
Efter repetitionen [After the Rehearsal] (Bergman) [S,
TV, F] 175, 195, 254, 332, 481 [T]
“Ein neues Leben in Deutschland: Gespräch mit
dem schwedischen Regisseur Ingmar Bergman”
(Int: Müller) 846, 1272 (group item)
“Ein Report und eine Welt-Gespräch mit Ingmar
Bergman in München” (Int: Borngässer) 840
“Ej för att roa blott” (Bergman, SR discussion) 46
“Elddonet” [The Tinder Box] (H.C. Andersen) [W]/
(Bergman), [T ] 7, 369, 385
En filmtrilogi [A Film Trilogy] (Bergman) [S, F] 124
“En Hamlet från Manpower” [Int: Ohrlander] 674
“En hörsägen” (Josephson) [P]/(Bergman) [R] 307
“En kortare berättelse om ett av Jack Uppskärarens
tidigaste barndomsminnen” [tr. into French as
“Un souvenir d’enfance de Jacques l’Eventreur”]
(Bergman, short story) [W] 26
“En kvinnas ansikte” (Bergman) [S] 13
“En lektion i Bergman” [Int: Nilsson] 709
“En lektion i kärlek” (Bergman) [S, F] 85, 221
En lusteld/En nyck [Une passion] (de Musset) [P]/
(Bergman) [R] 281, 300
En midsommarnattsdröm [A Midsummer Night’s
Dream] (Shakespeare) [P], (Bergman) [T] 368,
371
“En oavbruten rörelse. Ingmar Bergman ser tillbaka”
[Int: Forslund] 746
En passion [The Passion of Anna, A Passion] (Berg-
man) [S, F] 138, 241
“En rucklares väg” [Rake’s Progress] (Stravinski)
[M]/(Audin) [Libretto]/(Bergman) [O] 301, 436,
489
“En saga” (Bergman, about Macbeth) [W] 2
En själslig angelägenhet [A Matter of the Soul]
(Bergman) [P, TV] 149, 199, 308
En skugga (Hj. Bergman) [P]/(I.Bergman) [T] 410
“En slags tillägnan” (Bergman, program note)
[W] 31
1080
“En sällsam historia” (Bergman, short story draft)
[W] 3
“En TV-dåres bekännelser” [Int: Åhlund] 662
En vildfågel [La Sauvage], (Anouilh) [P]/(Bergman)
[T, R] 279, 404
“Endast Gud, Dr. Dymling och jag” [Int:: Jolo] 688
Enskilda samtal [Private Confessions/Conversations]
(Bergman) [S]/(Ullmann), [F, TV] 194, 196, 258,
340
“Entréintervjun. Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Janzon]
598, 891
“Entretien avec Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Aghed] 838
Erik XIV (Strindberg) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 429
“Erziehung zum Theater. Ein Interview mit Ingmar
Bergman” [Int: Braun] 537 (group item, p. 784)
“Ett dockhem” (Ibsen) [P]/(Bergman) [S] 51
Ett dockhem [A Doll(‘s) House] (Ibsen) [P]/(Berg-
man) [T] 461 (Nora), 472
Ett drömspel [A Dreamplay] (Strindberg) [P]/(Berg-
man), [T, TV] 318, 447, 456 (Ein Traumspiel),
467
“Ett spelår är tilländalupet” (Bergman) [W] 2
“Eva“ (Bergman) [S] 57, 58, 59, 209
“Every Film is my Last” (see “Varje film är min sista
film”)
Everyman (See “Det gamla spelet om Envar)
“Extract in Memory of Victor Sjöström” (Bergman)
[W] 109
“The Face” (see “Ansiktet”)
Face to Face (see Ansikte mot ansikte)
“Face to Face with Ingmar Bergman” (Int: Mur-
phy) 855
“Face to Face with Ingmar Bergman” (Int: Woolf)
874
“Face to Face with a Life of Creation” (Int: Rid-
ing) 929
Fadren [The Father] (Strindberg) [P]/(Bergman),
[T] 362
Faithless (see Trolösa)
Falskspelare [Igroki] (Gogol) [P]/(Bergman) [R]
293
“Falskspelet” (Bergman, narrative film script) [S,
W] 134
“Familjeidyll” (Bergman, fragment in notebook)
[W] 3
Fan ger ett anbud. (See Vem är jag?)
“Fanny and Alexander. God, sex en Ingmar Berg-
man” (Int: Marker & Marker) 905
Fanny och Alexander [Fanny and Alexander] (Berg-
man) [S, TV, F) 170, 253, 331
“Fantastic is the Word” (Bergman; on genesis of
Shame) [W] 137
Farmor och vår herre [The head of the firm] (Hj.
Bergman) [Novel]/Grevenius/Bergman) [R] 287
Faust (Goethe [P]/(Bergman) [T] 14, 16, 433
 Title Index
Femte akten [The Fifth Act] (Bergman) [S,W] 195
“FIB frågar Bergman: Är svensk film på väg uppåt?”
[Int: Rådström] 745
“Film är min passion” [Int: Rådström] 724
“Film är inte litteratur” [Int: Ericsson] 225 (longer
stud)
Filmberättelser, vols. I-III (Bergman ) [S] 153
“Filmen om Birgitta-Carolina” (Bergman) [W] 60,
210 (com)
“Filmkalas” (Bergman about early years at SF) [Int:
SVT] 875
“Filmkrönika” [Int: Oldin/Sundgren, SVT] 768,
826, 848
Filmové povídky (Bergman, Czech edition) [S] 178
“Filmskapandets dilemma” (Bergman) [W] (Cf.
“Det att göra film) 87
4 Filmmanuskripter (Bergman, Danish ed) [S] 160
“Fisken. Fars för film” (Bergman) [S] 67, 1628
Four Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman (Bergman, Am.
ed) [S] 110, 225 (com)
Four Stories of Ingmar Bergman [S] 161
“Foajé” [Int: Florin] 680
“Framgången, gosse, är en kviga med såpad svans”
[Int: Moberg] 737
“Frenzy” (see “Hets”)
“Frånskild” (Bergman/Grevenius) [S]/(Molander)
[F] 68, 217
“Fräcka frågor till Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Ham-
mer] 699
Fröken Julie, [Miss Julie] (Strindberg) [P]/(Bergman)
[T] 461, 466
“Fullmånen” (Bergman, handwritten draft of play)
[P] 10
“Fyra filmer i en bok” [Int: Jungstedt , SR] 736
Fågel Blå (Topelius [P]/(Bergman) [T] 372
Fången [The Prisoner] (Boland/Müller) [P]/(Berg-
man) [R] 292
“Fårödokument” (Bergman) [TV, F] 141, 242, 321
“Fårödokument 79” (Bergman) [TV, F] 171, 251,
329
“Fängelse” [F] 204 (com), 210
“Fängelse(t)” (Bergman) [S] 52
“För Alice” [Tiny Alice] (Albee) [P]/(Bergman)
[T] 442
“För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor” (Buntel
Ericsson, i.e. Josephson/Bergman) [S]/(Bergman)
[F] 125, 235
“För att inte tala om alla dessa skådespelare” [Int:
Forslund] 747
“För mig är film ansikten” [Int: Annika Holm] 766
“Förbön” (Bergman) [W] 111
Föreställningar. Trolösa, En själslig angelägenhet,
Kärlek utan älskare (Bergman) [P, W] 199
”Förord till en översättning” (Bergman) [W] (About
translation of King Lear) 180
Första varningen [The first Warning] (Strindberg)
[P]/(Bergman) [R] 296
1081
Galgmannen (Schildt) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 346
“Ganz zu schweigen von all diesen Frauen” [Int:
Grafe] 854
“Ge kvinnorna en chans!” [Int: Strömstedt] 834
Gengångare [Ghosts] (Ibsen) [P]/(Bergman) [T,
Adaptation] 200, 487
Geografi och kärlek [Geografi og kærlighed]
(Bjørnson) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 377
“Gespräch mit dem Meister-Regisseur und Felix-
Gewinner.” [Int: Lubowski] 913
“Gespräch mit Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Glaser] 556
Glada änkan [Die lustige Witwe, The Merry Widow]
(Léhar [O]/(Bergman) [T] 420
“Goldbergvariationerna” [The Goldberg Variations]
(Tabori) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 476
“Gud och mamma regerade min barndom” [Int:
Nilsson) 866
“Gud är inte alldeles död” [Discussion: Axelsson,
SVT] 897
Guds ord på landet [Divinas palabras, Divine Words]
(del Valle-Inclán) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 407
Guldkarossen (Bentzonich) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 345
“Gycklarnas afton” [The Eve of the Clowns/The
Naked Night] (Bergman) [S, F] 82, 209 (com),
220
“Gärna skamlöst men inte pornografiskt” [Int:
Montán] 701
Hamlet (Shakespeare ) [P ]/(Bergman) [T] 468
“Hamnstad” (Länsberg) [W]/(Bergman) [S, F] 53
Han som fick leva om sitt liv [The Man Who Lived
Twice] (Lagerkvist) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 2, 351
“Har teatern försuttit sina chanser?” [Int: NA] 687
“Harald och Harald” (Bergman) [TV] 339
“Harbour City” (see “Hamnstad”)
“Hauptstadt mit Herz – Hauptstadt des Films” [Int:
Borngässer] 1272 (group item, p. 952)
Hedda Gabler (Ibsen) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 440, 448,
459
Herr Sleeman kommer (Hj. Bergman) [P]/(I. Berg-
man) [T, TV] 313, 380
“Hets” [Torment, Frenzy] (Bergman) [S]/(Sjöberg)
[F] 21, 202
“Hets. Kniv på en varböld” (Bergman) [W] 24
“Himmelrikets nycklar: Sagospel, drömspel, van-
dringsdrama” (Bergman, undergrad. essay)
[W] 5
“Historien om Eiffeltornet” (Bergman) [W] 83
Holländarn Strindberg [P]/(Grevenius/Bergman)
[R] 263, 282
“Hos Ingmar Bergman i Bavaria-ateljén” (Press
conference) 843
Hotellrummet [La chambre d’hotel] (Rocher) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 381
“Hur tar vi vara på barnens själar?” [Int: Håstad]
864
 Title Index
Hustruskolan [L’école des femmes] (Molière) [P]/
(Bergman) [T, TV] 330, 444, 597
“Hålla spegeln och se vad spegeln speglar” [Int:
Löthwall] 1155
“Här hör jag hemma” [Int: Frankl] 604, 903
Höstsonat(en)/Herbssonate [Autumn Sonata] (Berg-
man) [S‚ F] 168, 250
“Höstrapsodi” (Rönnqvist) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 350
“Hösttankar” (Bergman) [W] 28
“I am a Conjurer” (see “Det att göra film) 87
“I am a Voyeur. A Conversation with Ingmar Berg-
man” [Int: Peyser] 871
“I Bethlehem – Ett julspel” (Bergman) [T] 353
“I live at the Edge of a Strange Country” [Int. art.:
Merryman] 831
“I mormors hus” (Bergman, program note) [W]
47
“Incontro con Bergman” [Int: Burvenich] 740
“I Try to Write Sub-Consciously” [Int: Archer] 769
“Ich bin ein Handwerker” [Int: Thieringer] 901
“Ikke lenger eksklusiv, folk ska ha glæde av arbeidet
mitt” [Int: Rossing-Jensen] 859
“Il regista svedese a Roma” [Interviewer/press con-
ference: Ceretto] 774
“Il teatro e la mia casa” [Int: Bentivoglio] 915
“Inför ‘Hustruskolan” [Int: Lagerkvist, SVT] 597
“Ingmar Bergman” [Int: anon, Börjlind, Löthwall,
Seidenfaden, Samuels] 586, 776, 812, 853, 923
“Ingmar Bergman berättar” [Int: Lindström] 938
“Ingmar Bergman berättar en historia för skåde-
spelarna innan ridån går upp” (Bergman/Greve-
nius) [SR] 505
“Ingmar Bergman: the Censor’s Problem Genius”
[Int: Prouse] 755
“Ingmar Bergman dreht nicht nur Filme” [Int:
Dallmann] 714, 998
“Ingmar Bergman: en nästan vit synd” [Int: Jung-
stedt] 790
“Ingmar Bergman filmar: von Sydow magnesitör”
[Int: Perpetua (Barbro Hähnel) 717
“Ingmar Bergman: Frauen sind Wachs in meinen
Händern”. [Int: Kupper] 799
“Ingmar Bergman. Hans styrka och hans genialitet
är hans barnsliga lust att gestalta” [Int: Leje-
fors] 883
“Ingmar Bergman – hur kan du förföra så?” [Int:
Borger-Bendegard] 797
“Ingmar Bergman: I Confect Dreams and Anguish”
[Int: Sorel] 861
“Ingmar Bergman i München” [Int: Lindeborg]
865
“Ingmar Bergman i Uppsala: Barndomslandet ännu
en källåder” [Int: Gustavsson) 917
“Ingmar Bergman Intermezzo” [Int: Bergdahl] 944
“Ingmar Bergman: Interview” [Int: Reilly] 801
1082
“Ingmar Bergman intervjuar sig själv inför premiä-
ren på Sommaren med Monika” [IB self-inter-
view] 84
“Ingmar Bergman intervjuas i Rom” [Int: Kum-
lien] 783
“Ingmar Bergman intervjuas med anledning av sin
återkomst till radioteatern” [Eko, SR) 603
“Ingmar Bergman och Käbi Laretei”. [Int: Hamdi]
731, 1047
“Ingmar Bergman, the Listener” [Int: Hedlund]
748
“Ingmar Bergman och musiken” [Int: Lundberg]
939
“Ingmar Bergman om film. Legende eller besver-
gelse” [ Int: Marcussen) 809, 1217
“Ingmar Bergman om konsten och livet. Så har
kvinnorna svikit sig själva” [Int: Fredriksson/
Sörenson] 869
“Ingmar Bergman om liv och arbete” [TV Int:
Donner] 1625 (group item, p. 1015)
“Ingmar Bergman på Island” [Int: Gunnlaugsson]
916
Ingmar Bergman. Sei film (Bergman, Italian ed.)
[S] 173
Ingmar Bergman Seminarium. Typed SFI copy
179, 189
“Ingmar Bergman ser på film” [Int: Forslund] 734
Ingmar Bergman scenariusze (Bergman) [S] 164
“Ingmar Bergman: Sinnenas värld var annorlunda
förr” [Int: Harryson] 899
“Ingmar Bergman sjunger” [Int: SR] 784
“Ingmar Bergman Summing-up a Life in Film” [Int:
Kakutani] 892
“Ingmar Bergman, Super Symbolist” [Int: Friedman,
casette recording] 775
“Ingmar Bergman, Sweden’s Wary Genius” [Int:
Beauman] 1195
“Ingmar Bergman säger farväl till filmen” [Int:
Sundgren, SVT] 894
“Ingmar Bergman talar ut” [Int: Beer] 752
“Ingmar Bergman: The Magic Lantern” [Int:
BBC] 912
“Ingmar Bergman varnar för stora braknummer”
[Int: Sellermark] 704
“Ingmar Bergman vill vara underhållande” [Int:
Thiessen] 719
“Ingmar Bergman vädjar till påven” [IB appeals to
the pope] 1133
“Ingmar Bergman’s Schooldays” [Int: Cowie] 890
“Ingmar och Ingrid i glad och öppen intervju” [Int:
Hagander] 807
“Ingmars självporträtt” (Bergman) [W] 100
“Intervju med strateg” [Int: anon] 522
“Interview with Bergman on 18 December 1979”
[Int: Hembus, ZDF) 863
 Title Index
“Interview with Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Björkman,
Manns, Sima] 773
“Interview with Ingmar Bergman” (Screen Interna-
tional) 860
“Io vivo ogni film que faccio come un sogno” [Int:
Sundgren] 772
Jack hos skådespelarna [Jack among he actors]
(Bergman) [P, T] 22, 416 (Heed, dir.)
“Jack och Joakim Naken: Samtal med Ingmar
Bergman” (also in Italian) [Int:Wortzelius] 967
Jacobowsky och översten (Werfel) [P]/(Bergman) [P,
T] 390, 502 (program note)
“Jag arbetar helst med kvinnor” [Int: von Essen]
822
“Jag får väl kompromettera mig igen” [Int: Kvälls-
posten] 708
“Jag gjorde reklamfilm för att försörja mig” [Int:
Hederberg] 760
“Jag har en kanonbesättning” [Int: Sörenson] 628
“Jag har försökt ta kål på barnet i mig men det lever”
[Int: Palmgren] 888
“Jag kastade mig med ett rytande över teater” [Int:
Ollén] 607
“Jag ser allt. Ingmar Bergman i samtal med Stig
Björkman” [Int: Stig Björkman] 945
“Jag skulle vilja slå ihjäl er” (Mandrup Nielsen/
Bergman) [Fake interview] 155
“Jag tror på det heliga i människan” [Int: Edvards-
son] 821
“Jag tvivlar på Filmhögskolan” (Bergman) [W] 126
“Jag trivs nästan varje dag” (Bergman) [W] 172,
1272 (group item, p. 952)
“Jag undrar om jag inte börjar bli mogen för Sha-
kespeare nu” [Int: Nilsson] 583 (group item),
881
“Jag vill hem igen” [Int: Zacharias] 856, 1272
(group item, p. 953)
“Jag vill inte teaterns död – men TV når miljonpu-
blik” [Int: Isaksson 547
“Jag vill inte vara lycklig” [Int: Beronius] 705
“Jag vill vara med i leken” (Bergman, SR) 104
“Jag ville inte dö i Danmark” [Int: Sima] 813
“Jag är hundraprocentigt trogen min uppgift” [Int:
Lidbeck] 880
“Jag är rädd för vad som kan hända Ingmar” [Int:
Sellermark, quote from wife Ingrid Bergman]
1272 (group item, p. 952)
“Jag är svag för ytlighet” [Int: Andhé] 819
“Je suis un boulimique”. [Int: Béranger] 765
“Jeder Mensch hat Träume, Wünsche, Bedürfnisse”
(Bergman; Goethe Award reception speech) 162,
1273 (group item)
“Jeg har fått publiken inn på livet” [Int: Wilson]
828
“Joakim Naken eller självmordet” (Bergman) (W)
61
1083
John Gabriel Borkman, (Ibsen) [P]/(Bergman) [T,
R] 310, 464
“Judas” (Bergman play draft) [W] 3
“Jul” [Christmas] (Strindberg) [P]/(Bergman) [T]
352
“Jungfrukällan” [The Virgin Spring], (Isaksson) [S]/
(Bergman) [F] 229
“Juninatten” (Bergman) [W] 2
“Kalkmaleri” [Trämålning] (Bergman) [P]/(Marott,
dir.) [T] 297
“Kamma noll” [Come up empty/Draw zero] (Berg-
man) [P, R] 54, 268, 403 (Læstadius, dir.)
“Kannibalen” (Bergman, play draft) [P] 39
“Karins ansikte” (Bergman) [F] 181, 255, 333
“Kaspernoveller” (Bergman short stories) [W] 11
Kaspers död (Bergman) [P, T] 12, 363
Katedralen [Le cathédral] (Baillod) [P]/(Bergman)
[T] 389
Katt på hett plåttak [Cat on a Hot Tin Roof] (Wil-
liams) [P]/Bergman), [T] 428
“Kinematograf ” (Bergman) [W] 55
“Kinematografi” [script to Persona] (Bergman)
[S] 132
“Kniv på en varböld” (Bergman) [W] 24, 202
(com)
“Komedin om Jenny” (Bergman) [S] 40
“Kommentar till Serie Ö” (Bergman) [W] 154, 203
(com)
“Konstnär, slugger, revoltör” [Int: Fogelbäck] 876
“Kris” (Fischer) [P]/(Bergman) [S, F] 34, 203
“Kriss-krass-filibom” (Ericson/Moberg/Bergman)
[T] 386
Kronbruden [The Crown Bride] (Strindberg) [P]/
(Bergman), [T] 16, 415
“Kulturella arvet måste räddas” [Int: Skawonius)
922
“Kulturpolitik är ett djävla lappverk” [Int: SDS]
830
Kung Lear [King Lear] (Shakespeare) [P]/(Bergman),
[T] 24, 465
“Kvinna utan ansikte” (Bergman) [S] 42, 205
“Kvinnodröm” (Bergman) [S, F] 88, 222
“Kvinnor behagar genom att hålla käften” [ Int:
Sellermark) 833
“Kvinnors väntan” (Bergman) [S, F] 79, 218
“Kvindene vil beholde sit martyrium” [Int: Wol-
den] 818, 1222
“Kväll med Käbi” [Int: Laretei] 904
“Kvällskabaret” (Bergman) [T] 348
“Kvällsöppet” [Late night show] [Int: SVT] 844
“Källarteater är självbefläckelse” (Bergman) [press
response] 533, 725
“Kära Allers Familjejournal” (Bergman) [W] 106
“Kära Eva och Harriet. Ingmar Bergman skriver
brev till två filmflickor” (Bergman) [W] 95
“Kära skrämmande publik” (Bergman) [W] 112
 Title Index
Kärlek utan älskare [Love without Lovers] (Bergman)
[W] 199
Köpmannen i Venedig [The Merchant of Venice]
(Shakespeare) [P]/Bergman) [T] 367
Larmar och gör sig till [In the Presence of a Clown]
(Bergman) [P, TV] 195, 228 (com), 341, 602
(group item, p. 798)
Laterna magica [The Magic Lantern] (Bergman)
[W] 185
Lea och Rakel (Moberg) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 426
“Lek med sprängladdningar” [Int: Sellermark] 718
Lek och raseri. Ingmar Bergmans teater 1938-2002
(Sjögren). Includes dialogue comments by In-
gmar Bergman 946
Leka med elden [Playing with Fire] (Strindberg [P]/
(Bergman), [R] 265, 299
“Leka med pärlor” (Bergman) [W] 76
“Lodolezzi sjunger” (Hjalmar Bergman) [P]/(I.
Bergman) [R] 266
“Luisteren naar Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Wauters]
902
“Lustgården” (Bergman) [S] 116, 232
Lycko-Pers resa [Lucky Peer’s Journey] (Strindberg)
[P]/(Bergman) ]T] 347
Lång dags färd mot natt [Long Day’s Journey into
Night] (O’Neill) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 470
Macbeth, (Shakespeare) [P]/Bergman), [T, R] 355,
384, 401
“Magi” [Magic] (Chesterton) [P]/(Bergman), [T]
398
“(The) Making of Fanny and Alexander” [Int:
Marker & Marker] 893
“Malou möter…” [Int: von Sievers] 940
“Man måste bli kär i Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Thor-
wall] 803
“Man måste älska – annars går det inte” [Int: Lars-
son] 900
“Mannen du gav mig” [The Country Girl] (Odets)
[P]/(Bergman), [T] 412
Maria Stuart (Schiller) [P]/(Bergman), [T] 486
“Marie” (Bergman, unpubl. short story) [W] 35
“Markissininnan de Sade” [Sado Koshako fujin]
(Mishima) [P]/(Bergman), [TV, T] 471
(The) Marriage Scenarios: Scenes from a Marriage,
Face to Face, Autumn Sonata (Bergman) [S] 186
“Matheus Manders fjärde berättelse” (Bergman play
draft) [P] 23
Medea (Anouilh) [P]/(Bergman), [R] 270, 409
“Medan staden sover” Fogelström; orig. text/Berg-
man; [S]/(Kjellgren; [F] 69, 213
Melodin som kom bort [Melodien der blev vekk]
(Abell) [P]/Bergman), [T] 359
“Men när jag blir gammal skall jag bli Fårögubbe”
[Int: Mehr) 843, 1272 (group item, p. 952)
1084
Mig till skräck (Bergman), [P, T, R] 56, 280, 399
“Min idol: Ingmar Bergman” [Hellqvist, SR] 700
“Min mors dagböcker avslöjar vem hon var”
(Bergman) [W] 146
“Min pianist” (Bergman) [W] 121
“Min själ angår ingen” [Int: Liliestierna] 715
“Mina äktenskap har lärt mig förstå kvinnan” [Int:
von Essen] 806
“Mine danske engle” (Bergman; Sonning Prize ac-
ceptance speech) 187
Misantropen [Le Misanthrope] (Molière) [P]/(Berg-
man), [T] 16, 24, 431, 478
“Mit utrolige liv [Int: Ninka] 918
Moderskärlek [Mother Love] (Strindberg) [P]/(Berg-
man), [T] 267
“(Le) monde du silence” [Int: Billard] 753
Monolog. In Femte akten (Bergman) [S] 195
Moraliteter, (Bergman) [P, T] 56
“Mordet i Barjärna. Ett passionsspel av Ingmar
Bergman” (Bergman) [P] 414
“Munken går på ängen” [Munken gaar i Enge]
(Gandrup) [P]/(Bergman), [R] 286
“Musik i mörker” (Edqvist) [orig. text]/(Bergman)
[S, F] 207
“München, diese unwahrscheinlichen Möglichkei-
ten” [Int: Gauweiler] 858
“My Three Most Effectively Powerful Command-
ments” See “Varje film är min sista film”
“Måla på kyrkjevegg” [Trämålning] (Bergman) [P]/
(Andersen, dir.) [R] 298
Måsen [Tjajka/Cajka, The Seagull] (Chechov) [P]/
(Bergman), [T] 435
“Möte” (Bergman) [W, program note] 32, 508
“Möte med Kasper” (Bergman ) [W, program
note] 13
“Möte med Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Ericsson] 729
“Möte med Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Nyreröd] 931
“Naima” (Bergman), [SR] 553
Nattens skuldbörda (Perrini) [P]/(Bergman) [R]
274
Nattvardsgästerna [Winter Light/The Communi-
cants], (Bergman) [S, F] 118, 124, 233
“Ni vill till filmen” (Bergman) [W] 77
Niels Ebbesen (Munk) [P]/(Bergman), [T] 379
“Nora und Julie”; Szenen einer Ehe” [The Bergman
Project] (Ibsen/Strindberg/Bergman), [P, T]
461, 484 (Nora)
“Nu ger vi tusan i alltihop och gör nå’t roligt” [Int:
Hamdi] 742
“Nu lockar mig bara det omöjliga” [Int: Skawo-
nius 608
“Nu lämnar jag Sverige” (Bergman) [W, open let-
ter] 163
“När Bergman går på bio” [Int: Aghed] 943
 Title Index
“När Bergman tänder kommer brandkåren” [Int:
Granqvist) 639
“När lägger du av, Ingmar?” [Int: Salander/Bergman
pseudonym] 646, 928
“När värklighetens (sic!) gränser viker undan” [Int:
Kalmar) 767
“Nära livet” (Isacsson) [W]/(Bergman) [F] 227
Oeuvres (Bergman) [S] 122
“Of Winners and Losers. A Conversation with Ing-
mar Bergman” [Int: Marker & Marker] 599, 886
“Om att filmatisera en pjäs” (Bergman) [W] 41
“Om en mördare” [About a murderer] (Bergman
play draft; see Matteus Manders fjärde berät-
telse) 23
“Ontmoeting met Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Burne-
vich] 720
“Operan” (Bergman) [O, libretto draft] 14
“Ordets frihed er endnu ikke filmens frihed [Int:
Buchwald] 728
Ormens ägg [Das Schlangenei, Serpent’s Egg] (Berg-
man) [S, F] 165, 249
“Ormskinnet” [The Snakeskin] 131
Oväder [Storm/Thunder in the Air], (Strindberg) [P]/
(Bergman) [R, TV] 309, 316
Peer Gynt (Ibsen) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 430, 473
Pelikanen [The Pelican], (Strindberg) [P]/(Bergman)
[T, R] 311, 361, 392, 504 (program note)
Persona, (Bergman) [F]; for script, see “Kinemato-
grafi”) 235
Persona and Shame (Bergman) [S, F] 147
“Perspektiv på 50-talet” (Bergman, SR program
series) 595
(The) Petrified Prince (see Den förstenade prinsen)
(Bergman) [S] 166
“Pirandello e’ ingen Paddock” [Int: Bergström]
521, 697
“Playboy Interview. A Candid Conversation with
Sweden’s One-man New Wave of Cinematic Sor-
cery” 754
“Port of Call” (see “Hamnstad”)
“Porto Shakespeare con me nel Natale de mia in-
fanzia” (La Voce di Milano) 1579
Porträtt av en madonna [Portrait of a Madonna],
(Williams) [P]/(Bergman) [R] 291
“Profil, Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Rasmussen] 749
“Propos” (Bergman) [W] 184, 1426
“Puzzlet föreställer Eros” (Bergman) [W, short story
for the cinema] 42
“På förekommen anledning” (Bergman) [W, re-
sponse to reaction to “Fängelse”] 62
“På parkett” (Interview/Talk show) 800
Påsk [Easter] (Strindberg) [P]/Bergman) [R] 277
4 [Quatro] Film di Ingmar Bergman [S) 117 (see
110)
1085
“Rabies” (Hedberg) [W]/(Bergman) [T, R] 261,
315, 319, 391, 503 (program note)
“Radioteater i 40 år. Ingmar Bergman intervjuas”
[Int: Ollén, SR] 542
“Rakel och biografvaktmästaren. Teaterpjäs av Ing-
mar Bergman” (Bergman) [P, T, F] 43, 395, 406
(Zacharias dir.)
Rannsakningen [Die Ermittlung, The Investigation]
(Weiss) [P]/(Bergman) [T, R] 303, 443
”Recueilli.” (Riffe/Bergman) [W] 128
“Reducera moralen” (Bergström) [P]/Bergman)
[T] 388, 501 (program note)
“Reflections on a Cinematic Legacy: Scenes from
Ingmar Bergman’s Life and Work” [Int: Bertina/
van der Linden), 898, 1404
“Rencontre avec Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Béran-
ger] 713
“Rencontre avec Ingmar Bergman: Si vous êtes un
artiste – pas de cathédrales” [Int: Baby] 852
“Requiem” (Höijer [P]/(Bergman) [T, R] 260, 394
“Reservatet” [“The Sanctuary”, “The Lie] (Bergman
[P]/Molander/Bridges/Segal, dir.), [TV] 142, 322,
323, 324
“Reskamraten” [The Travel Companion] (Bergman
after H.C. Andersen story), [T] 15
“Ringaren i Notre Dame” [ The Hunchback of Notre
Dame] (Bergman) [W] 2
Riten [The Ritual], (Bergman) [S, TV] 139, 240, 320
“Romantik” [Romanesque] (Rostand) [P]/(Berg-
man) [T] 358
“Rummet och tiden” [Die Zeit und das Zimmer]
(Strauss) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 475
“Rädd att leva” (Bergman) [W, unpubl. film
script] 16
“Rödluvan” [Little Red Riding Hood] (Grimm/
Bürkner) [W]/(Bergman), (T) 375
Sagan [The Legend] (Hj. Bergman) [P]/Hoogland/
Bergman) [R, (T] 294, 387, 432, 438
“Samtal med Bergman” [Int: Aghed] 781
“Samtal med Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Donner,
SVT] 836
“Samtal mellan en ekonomichef och en teaterchef”
(Bergman, fictitious dialogue) [W] 25
“Samtal om musik” [Int: Friedner]
Saraband (Bergman) [S, TV] 201, 343
Scene di vita conjugale: L´immagine allo specchio; il
posto delle fragole (Bergman) [S] 174
Scener ur ett äktenskap [Scenes from a Marriage]
(Bergman) [S, TV, F] 150, 246, 325, 461, 482
(Giesing)
“Schizofrenic interview with nervous film director”
[Riffe, Bergman pseudonym) 140 (Sw), 778
(Eng)
Seminarium om personinstruktion (Bergman; notes
to an acting seminar) 129
(The) Serpent’s Egg see Ormens ägg
 Title Index
(The) Seventh Seal (see “Det sjunde inseglet”)
“Sex frågor till Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Bildjourna-
len] 96, 710
“Sex pjäser på två månader” [Int: sign. –ll] 494
Sex roller söker en författare [Sei personaggi in cerca
d’autore] (Pirandello) [P]/(Bergman), [T] 417,
445
“Show” (Forssell) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 449
“Sista intervjun med Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Åh-
lund] 651, 930
“Sista paret ut” (Bergman) [S] 97, 224
Sista skriket. En lätt tintad moralitet [The Last Gasp]
(Bergman) [S, TV] 193, 195, 338, 474
“Själva händelsen” (Bergman) [W, report of acci-
dent] 57
Skammen [Shame], (Beergman) [S, F] 136, 239
“Skepp till India land” (Söderhjelm) [P]/(Bergman)
[F] 48, 206
“Skoltiden ett 12-årigt helvete” (Bergman) [W, press
response] 27, 202 (com)
“Skrapa på samhället och förnedringsritualen lyser
igenom” [Int: Björkstén 789
“Skrämd och illamående bevittnar jag TV-jakten”
(Bergman) [W, press response] 142
“Skymningslekar” (Kruuse/Bergman) [ballet] 421,
488
(Het) Slangeei, Het uur van de wolf, Een passie, Ber-
oering, Schree uw zonder antwoord (Bergman)
[S] 176
Slottet [Das Schloss] (Kafka & Brod) [W]/(Bergman)
[T] 418
“Sluta upp med pratet om min demoni” [Int: Ry-
ing) 732
“Smultronstället” [Wild Strawberries], (Bergman) [S,
F] 101, 226
“Snestorm rundt en syltestrikk” [Int: Hansen] 613,
908
“Sniggel-Snuggel. Sagospel i 9 bilder” (Topelius)
[P]/(Bergman) [T] 373
“Sommar” (Höijer) [P]/(Bergman) [R] 262, 272
“Sommar” (Bergman) [music talk, SR, avail. on
DVD) 201A
“Sommaren med Monika” (Fogelström) [W]/Berg-
man) [S, F] 80, 219, 982 (group item)
“Sommarlek” (Grevenius) [S] (Bergman) [S, F]
70, 216
“Sommarnattens leende” [Smiles of a Summer
Night], (Bergman) [S, F] 91, 223
“Soppkitteln” [The Pot of Broth] (Yates) [P]/(Berg-
man) [T] 356
“(The) South Bank Show” [Int: Bragg, British
TV] 857
“Spela pjäs. Tre lektioner av Ingmar Bergman”
(Bergman, film lecture) 81
Spelhuset (Hj. Bergman) [P]/(I. Bergman) [T] 380
1086
“Spårvagn till Lustgården” [A Streetcar Named De-
sire] (Williams) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 414
“Spänningen Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Sjöman] 527,
712
“Spöksonaten” (Bergman program note) 89, 523
Spöksonaten [The Ghost Sonata] (Strindberg) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 16, 370, 419, 451, 485
Staden (Bergman) [P, R] 78, 271
“Startar eget bolag – och gör TV-film” [Int: Vin-
berg] 780
“Stationen” (Bergman, unpubl. play) 17
“Stimulantia/Daniel” (Bergman) [F] 237, 405
“(The) Story of a Bad Girl” (see Sommaren med
Monika)
“Strax innan man vaknar” (Vos) [P]/(Bergman)
[T] 365
“Strindberg har alltid följt mig” [Press int: M.K.)
559
“Ström av medkänsla i Ibsens Vildanden” [Int: Ek-
ström] 566
Svanevit [Swanwhite] (Strindberg) [P]/(Bergman)
[T] 360
Svarta handsken [The Black Glove] (Strindberg) [P]/
[Bergman) [T] 354
”Svensk film och teater: Ett samgående eller mot-
satsförhållande” (Bergman, unpubl. Lecture] 44
“Svenskarna pratar om kärnkraft i stället för om
Gud” [Int: Ruth] 873
“Svenstedt och Korridoren” (Bergman) [press
note] 144
“Sådan är han...” [Int: (Löthwall] 808
“Sån’t händer inte här” [High tension] (Bergman)
[F] 214
Såsom i en spegel [Through a Glass Darkly], (Berg-
man) [S, F] 119, 231
“Såsom i en spegel” [Through a glass darkly],
(program note) 120
Söndagsbarn. Tre akter för bio [Sunday’s Child],
(Bergman) [S] 192, 196, 257
A Table of Apple Wood (Melville) [P]/(Bergman)
[R] 254
“Talk with the Director” [Int: Fleisher] 721
“Talking about Theater. A Conversation with Ingmar
Bergman” [Int: Marker & Marker] 887
“Talking about Tomorrow” [Int: Marker & Mar-
ker] 887
“Talking with Ingmar Bergman” [Int: Jones/
Wunch] 878, 882, 1368
Tartuffe (Molière) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 458
“Teaterfoajé” [Int: Hoogland/Ollén] (SR) 525, 707
“Teatern är ingen lyxvara” [Int: Jackson] 499, 686
“Teaterronden” [Björkstén/SR] 537 (group item, p.
784), 544, 576
“Teatraliskt i stan” (Bergman) [W] 2, 493
 Title Index
Tehuset Augustimånen [Teahouse of the August Moon]
(Patrick [P]/(Bergman) [T] 423
“Theater: Bergman Brings a Restive Hamlet to
Brooklyn” [Int: Babski] 619
Till Damaskus [To Damascus] (Strindberg) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 453
Till främmande hamn [Outward Bound] (Vane) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 2, 344
“Till glädje” (Bergman) [S, F] 63, 212
“Tillbaka” [Return?] (Ges) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 358
Time 207 (rec), 233 (rec), 1054
“Timglaset” [The Hour Glass] (Yates) [P]/(Bergman)
[T] 357
“Tivolit” (Bergman) [P, T] 4, 18, 366
Tjuvarnas bal [Le bal des voleurs] (Anouilh) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 402
Tolvskillingsoperan [Dreigroschenoper, Threepenny
Opera] (Brecht) [P]/(Bergman) [R] 269, 408
Torment” (see “Hets”)
Tre dagböcker (Bergman/von Rosen) [W] 203, 1693
“Tre frågor” [Int: Henneus] 670
“Tre knivar från Wei” (Martinson) [P]/(Bergman)
[T] 439
“Tre nattliga leenden” [Int: Sellermark] 223 (com),
706
3 filmmanuskripter (Bergman) [S] 157 (66)
3 för en. Den goda viljan, Söndagsbarn, Enskilda
samtal (Bergman) [S] 197
“Tre tusenfotingfötter” (Bergman) [W] 49
Trettondagsafton [Twelfth Night] (Shakespeare) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 454
“Trois textes pour Venice” (Bergman) [W] 130
Trollflöjten [The Magic Flute] (Mozart) [O]/(Berg-
man) [TV, F] 157, 247
“Trollkarlen. Intervju med Ingmar Bergman” [Int:
Timm] 601, 896
Trolösa (Faithless) (Bergman) [S] 199, 259, 326
“Trumpetaren och Vår Herre” (Bergman, unpubl.
film synopsis) 58
“Tråkigheter” (Bergman) [W] 537 (group item, p.
782)
Trämålning [Wood Painting/Painting on Wood]
(Bergman) [P, T, R TV] 90, 225 (com), 282, 317,
424, 425 (Ekerot, dir)
Tunneln [The Tunnel] (Lagerkvist) [P]/(Bergman)
[P, R] 290
Tygodnik Powszechny (Bergman) [S] 1246
Tystnaden [The Silence], (Bergman) [S, F] 123“
“Törst” (Tengroth) [W]/(Grevenius) [S]/(Bergman)
[F] 64
“U 39”, (Värnlund) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 12, 378
“Un film pour vous divertir” (Bergman) 158
Untitled Program Notes (Bergman) 30
Untitled program note to The Seventh Seal (Berg-
man) 99
1087
Ur marionetternas liv [Aus den Leben des Marionet-
ten] (Bergman) [S, F] 177, 252
“Utan en tråd” Cabaret (Moberg/Bergman) 393
“Utför för Ingmar Bergman - säger Bergman”
(Riffe) [W] 778, 1168
“Utländska intresset för mig en modesak – tar snart
slut” [Foreign interest in me a fad – will soon
end] (Int: Montàn) 738
“Utmaningen” [Int./Talk show, SVT] 827
“Vad skall du göra med resten av ditt liv, Ingmar?
[Int: Frankl) 862
“Vad skulle mitt liv vara utan Strindberg?” [Int:
Widegren] 616
“Vad tyr du dig till, Ingmar Bergman?” [Int:
Strömstedt) 785
“Varför just Strindberg – Bergman?” [Int: Skawo-
nius] 792
Vargtimmen [Hour of the Wolf] (Bergman), [S, F]
133, 211 (com), 238
“Varje film är min sista film” [Each Film is My Last]
(Bergman) [W] 108
“Vaxdukshäftet” (Bergman) [W] 3
“Vem är du idag, Ingmar Bergman? [Int: Frankl]
877
Vem är jag eller när Fan ger ett anbud (Soya [P]/
Bergman [T] 364, 383
Vem är rädd för Virginia Woolf? [Who’s Afraid of
Virginia Woolf] (Albee) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 437
“Venetianskan” (Anon./Bergman) [P, R] 314
“Vi galna hundar” [ Int: Rying] 757
“Vi lät oss köpas – nu får vi betala” [Int: Nilsson]
602 (group item, p. 798), 914
“Vi måste ge Macbeth” (Bergman, press response)
29
“Vi ser på filmen. Slutkyssen och verkligheten”
(Bergman, SR discussion) 65, 693
“Vi är cirkus!” (Bergman) [W] 87
Vildanden [The Wild Duck] (Ibsen) [P]/(Bergman),
[T, (R] 306, 450
“Vilgot Sjöman intervjuar Ingmar Bergman” [Int:
Sjöman] 751
Vintersagan [The Winter’s Tale] (Shakespeare) [P]/
(Bergman) [T] 24, 477
“Visit with Ingmar Bergman” (Int: Alvarez) 835
Viskningar och rop [Cries and Whispers], (Bergman),
[S, F] 245
“Vom Leben der Regenschlangen” (see Från regnor-
marnas tid) (Enquist) [P]/(Bergman) [T] 463
“Vom ‘Traumspiel’ zum ‘Schweigen’: Ein Gespräch
über August Strindberg und Ingmar Bergman”
[Int: Schuh] 539, 989 (group item, Strindberg)
”Vous voulez être comédien?” (Bergman) [W] 77,
197
Vox humana, [La voix humaine] (Cocteau) [P]/
(Bergman), [R] 288
Vågorna (Sandgren) [W]/(Bergman), [R] 264
 Title Index
“Vår generation tänker med ögonen” [Int: Mül-
lern] 716
Vår lilla stad [Our Town] (Bergman), [W] 2
Värmlänningarna (Dahlgren) [P]/(Bergman), [T]
273
“Was uns fehlt ist die Erziehung zur Liebe” [Int:
Blum] 868, 1272 (group item, p. 952)
“What is Filmmaking?” See “Det att göra film”
“When Do You Quit, Ingmar?” [Int: Salander
(Bergman pseudonym)] 646, 928
Section II
Titles of articles and reviews pertaining solely to a specific Bergman film or theatre produc-
tion are not listed here but can be located in entries in chapters IV, V, and VI after the
Commentary and Reception summaries.
“A Brace of Bergman” (Holland) 1022
“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place: Ingmar Bergman’s
Dollhouse” (Murphy) 1594
“A Day in Bergmanstrasse” (Time) 1272 (group
item, p. 953)
“A Decade of Swedish Films” (Wortzelius) 963
“A Doll’s House and David Selznick” 957 (group
item)
A Dreamplay (Strindberg; tr. Meyer) 156
“A Failure of Transformation: The Feminine Archetype
in Bergman’s Cries and Whispers” (McManus)
975 (group item)
“A Foothold in the Theater” (Gado) 612
“A Great Man who Humiliates Women” (David-
son) 975 (group item)
“A kérdezö ember” (Györffy) 1250
“À l’endroit du spectateur: Sur le style cinémato-
graphique de Bergman” (Chion) 1480
“A Life History. Isak Borg in Ingmar Bergman’s Wild
Strawberries” (Erikson) 1281
“A Life in the Theater. Intertextuality in Ingmar
Bergman’s Efter repetitionen” (Törnqvist) 1677
“A Mediation on Theatre and Love” (Hunter) 1362
“À propos de Bergman. Les fans et la critique”
(Gauteur) 1088
“À propos de la rétrospèctive scandinave de la ci-
nématèque française” (Kyrou) 982 (group item)
“A Successor to Strindberg: Alienation in Ingmar
Bergman” (Abraham) 989 (group item, Strind-
berg)
“A Tight Close-up on Ingmar Bergman” (Blake)
1304
1088
“Why Ingmar Bergman will Stop Making Films”
(Int: Marker & Marker) 886
Wilde Erdbeeren und andere Filmerzählungen (Berg-
man) [S] 167
“Words and Whisperings” (Int: Steene) 814
Woyzeck, (Büchner) [P]/(Bergman) [T, R] 305, 446
Yvonne, Prinzess von Bourgogne [Iwona, ksiezniczka
Burgunda] (Gombrowicz) [P]/(Bergman), [T]
460, 479
“Är du ett geni, Ingmar?” [Int: Henttonen] 782
“A World of Film” (Kaufmann) 1011 (group item)
“Aber was reflektieren die Scherben? E.T.A. Hoff-
mann and Ingmar Bergman” (Schadwill] 988
(group item, Hoffmann) 1491
“About Ingmar Bergman: Some Critical Responses
to his Films” (Steene) 1259
“(The) Achievement of Ingmar Bergman” (Scott)
1128
“(The) Acting Theories of Ingmar Bergman through
the TV Medium in a Production of Jean-Paul
Sartre’s No Exit” (Gitlitz), 546
“Actualité de l’expressionisme” (Leutrat) 1076
“(L’) adolescent dans le cinéma suèdois” (Allom-
bert) 1015
“Al di la della finzione. Alle origini dell’estetica di
Bergman” (Koskinen) 1521
“(The) Allegorical Device of the Character Double
in the Films of Ingmar Bergman” (Luke) 1607
Allers Familjejournal 225 (com), 234 (com)
“Also gibt es keinen Ausweg” (Krusche) 1048
Amante cine 1582
“Amatörteaterkrönika” (Ollén) 515
Ambiguita de sacro e profano in Ingmar Bergman
(Baldelli) 1012, 1107
“(The) Ambivalence of Survival in Ingmar Bergman
and Simone de Beauvoir: A Perspective on Dying
and Death” (Emelsen), 1337
American Cinematographer 805, 1069, 1213, 1626
Amis du film et de la télévision/Apec cinéma 1261
“Anais Nin’s House of Incest and Ingmar Bergman’s
Persona: Two Variations of a Theme” (Scholar)
1345
 Title Index
“An Analysis of Fear in Selected Films: Alfred
Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, and Steven Spiel-
berg” MA thesis, (Erickson) 1338
“An Analysis of Relational Ethics in Three Films of
Ingmar Bergman” Diss. (Johnson) 1235
“An Aspect of Bergman” (Stanbrook) 996 (group
item), 1030
“An Inquiry into Bergman’s Utilization of Belief and
Artistry in Portraying Good and Evil in the Film
Persona”, MA thesis (Gosioco) 1285
“Another Bergman Gains Renown” (Wiskari) 1011
(group item), 1032
“Anti-Theodicy and Human Love in the Films of
Ingmar Bergman”, Diss. (Brown) 1277
Antonioni, Bergman, Resnais (Cowie) 1041
“Après ‘Riten’, retour sur Bergman” (Jeancolas) 982
(group item), 1234
“Archetypal Metaphors in the Works of Bergman
and Buñuel” (Graef) 1460
“Archetypal Patterns in Four Screenplays of Ingmar
Bergman” (Steene) 1129
“(L’)archetype Lola: réalisme et métaphore” (Ser-
ceau) 975 (group item), 1413
“Art as Inspiration” (Sundler) 663 (On Bergman’s
Bachae and art)
“Artist as Lover” (Darnton) 1548
“As Normal as Smörgåsbord” (Marowitz) 1237
“Att komma nära. Om Ingmar Bergmans närbilder”
(Zern) 662
“Att stiga – att med värdighet falla” (Ågren) 1083
“Att sätta-i-scen. Teatern som metafor och tilltal i
olika verk av Ingmar Bergman” (Koskinen) 653
“Auf der Insel der Kunst” (Ignée) 1452 (group item,
p. 984)
“Auf der Suche: Leute in Ingmar Bergmans Filmen
der fünfziger und der sechziger Jahre”, diss.
(Berger) 1518
“August Strindberg, Modernism and the Swedish
Cinema” (Steene) 1662
“August StrindBERGman” (Törnqvist) 989 (group
item, Strindberg)
Aura. Filmvetenskaplig tidskrift 67, 1628
“Aus Norden dreht man gute Filme” (Ulrich) 994
“Aussen ruhig, innern Vulkan” (Thomas) 592
“Autobiografia e storie di coppie nei primi film di
Bergman” (Cowie) 1521
“Autumn Interiors, or the Ladies Eve: Woody Allen’s
Ingmar Bergman Complex” (Cardullo) 1667
Avant-scène du cinéma 223, 225 (com), 234, 236,
241, 244, 245, 247, 568, 1105, 1224
“Avgående teaterchef får idealistkt arbete” (n.a.)
689
“Avsidesrepliker. Teaterkritik 1961-1965” (Wah-
lund) 543
“Az elvont ées az érzékletes a film swinvilagaban”
(Mészöly) 1239
1089
“Bakom kulisserna. Ett drama i tre akter” (Anders-
son) 602 (group item, p. 799)
“Bakvänd predikan”(Bolin) 997 (group item)
“Barn för evigt” (Werkelid) 1452 (group item, p.
985)
“Barnet som Bergmans persona [The child as
Bergman’s persona] (Steene) 1452 (group item,
p. 983)
“Bergman” (Fellini) 1443
Bergman (Monaco) 1256
Bergman (Rajat) 1531
“Bergman” (Stafford), poem 1297
“Bergman” (Taylor) 996 (group item)
“Bergman, Ernst Ingmar” (Steene) 1367, 1501
“Bergman I og Bergman II: Kunst contra virke-
lighed” (Drouzy) 1153
“Bergman a symboli” (Blaszczyna) 1479
“Bergman a través de sus ultimos films” (Peru-
cha) 1204
“Bergman and the Actors” (Marker & Marker: int.
with Bibi Anderson, Erland Josephson, Max v.
Sydow) 630
“Bergman and the Comic Theater of Molière: Ger-
man Years” (Marker) 988 (group item, Molière)
“Bergman and the Existentialists: A Study in Sub-
jectivity?” diss., (Wimberley) 988 (group item,
Kierkegaard), 997 (group item, Kierkegaard), 1348
“Bergman and Fellini: Explorers of the Modern
Spirit” (Duprey) 1058
“Bergman and the Necessary Illusion” (Michaels)
1660
“Bergman and Strindberg” (Fletcher) 989 (group
item, Strindberg)
“Bergman and the Comic Theatre of Molière: Ger-
man Years” (Marker & Marker) 605
“Bergman and the Whigs” (Newman) 996 (group
item)
“Bergman and Women: Cries and Whispers.”
(Mellen) 245 (Studies), 975 (group item)
“Bergman anonyme” (Comolli) 1110
“Bergman après Bergman” (Aghed) 1516
“Bergman, as Stage Director, never Stops Digging”
(Schwartz) 671
“Bergman as Writer” (Alpert) 726, 988 (group
item), 1037
“Bergman – bei uns hat er kein Glück” (Schmidt-
Mühlich) 585
“Bergman, Bergman & Bergman” (Timm, SR)
1625 (group item, p. 1015)
“Bergman, biografen, skyggerne” (Madsen) 1487
“Bergman by Two” (Sprinchorn) 1080
“Bergman bygger filmstad på Fårö” (Hellbom)
1214
“Bergman, Börtz och Backanterna” (Reuterswärd,
SVT) 641
“Bergman – Cold and Wary” (Beauman) 795
“Bergman de l’autre côté du miroir” (Prédal) 1167
 Title Index
“Bergman drammaturgo e regista teatrale negli anni
Quaranta” (Fridén) 1521
“Bergman Drops out of US Tour” (Pollock) 1364
“Bergman dundrar mot (s)” (SvD) 602 (group
item, p. 798)
“Bergman e il cinema svedese del dopoguerra”
(Steene) 1521
“Bergman e l’abolizione dell’Inferno” (Renzi) 1012
(group item), 1096
“Bergman e sus criticos” (Escudero) 1034
“Bergman et la littérature suèdoise” (Durand) 988
(group item)
Bergman & Shakespeare (Ritzu) 661, 989 (group
item, Shakespeare)
“Bergman fra cinema, teatro e tv” (Manciotti) 1436
“Bergman förnekar löfte om Cannes-resa“
(Aghed) 1614 (group item)
“Bergman - gränslandets filmare” (Timm) 1576
“Bergman hielt in München Hof” (Dyckhoff) 1272
(group item, p. 952)
“Bergman i Malmö” (Sjögren) 655, 1613
“Bergman: Image and Meaning” (Niemeyer) 997
(group item)
“Bergman in Exile” (Weintraub) 1272 (group item,
p. 953)
“Bergman in the Theater” (Loney) 541
“Bergman, Kurosawa und Lear” (Cueno) 611
“Bergman, le solitaire” (Saunier) 982 (group item),
1609
“(The) Bergman Legend” 1011 (group item,
Croce), 1042
Bergman no cerco (Santos) 1097
“Bergman o teatro e as mulheres” (Vasques) 634
“Bergman och Bergman” (Forslund) 989 (group
item, Hj. Bergman)
“Bergman och SF – ett evigt kärlekshat” (Vin-
berg) 786, 1184
Bergman och Strindberg: Spöksonaten – drama och
iscensättning (Törnqvist) 570
“Bergman og filmkritikken” (Kwakernaak) 1033
“Bergman og skuespillerne” (Lundgren) 970
(group item), 1325
“Bergman on Hollywood Pilgrimage” (Champlin)
1264
“Bergman ou la poésie de l’incertitude” (Chauvet)
1122
“Bergman psykade min far” (Björnstrand) 1685
“Bergman, regizorul” (Rusan) 1240
“Bergman – rito e passione” (d’Arecco) 1194
“Bergman som Guds spegel” (Olsson) 231 (rec)
“Bergman souverain” (Leclerc) 1425
“Bergman: The Director who Films his Own Soul”
(Hervé) 1112
“Bergman: The Politics of Melodrama. How Bour-
geois is Bourgeois Cinema?” (LeFanu) 1255
“Bergman Touch: Sick and Sexy” (Rounds) 1296
1090
“Bergman: un cinéma du voyeur” (Marcabru) 1117
“Bergman vs Ekman. En uppgörelse mellan saga och
helvete” (Axelson) 1583
“Bergman – årets man i Japan” (Hedberg) 1073
“Bergman är en bra utlänning” (Schottenius) 847,
1272 (group item, p. 952)
“Bergmann (sic!) will keine Revolverschüsse” (Sal-
zer) 977
“Bergmans ansikte” (Chaplin ‘anti-Bergman’ is-
sue) 1033 (group item)
“Bergman’s Bag of Tricks” (Roemer) 1079
“Bergmans blandning och Hasses special” (Fors-
lund) 1382
“Bergman’s Baroque Dream” (Trilling) 565
“Bergmans dibbuk” (Rokkem) 989 (group item,
Shakespeare), 1490
“Bergman’s Endings: Glimmers of Hope” (Inge-
mansson) 1383
“Bergmans filmberättelse – en saga lik Berlings”
(Linnér) 989 (group item, Lagerlöf)
“Bergmans Guds-komplex” (Thomsen) 1130
“Bergman’s Humanist Magic Flute and Losey’s So-
cialist Don Giovanni” (Childkret/Johnson) 1463
“Bergmans knähundar” (Grive) 1444
“Bergman’s Landscape” (Ross) 1066
“Bergman’s Magic Lantern Living in its own
Meaning” (Gianvito) 1483
“Bergmans metafysiska frågetecken (Gyllström)
1089
“Bergman’s Movement towards Nihilism”
(Steene) 231 (spec. stud), 1269
Bergman’s Muses. Æsthetic Versatility in Film, Thea-
tre, Television and Radio (Törnqvist) 682, 1690
“Bergmans mödrar” (Boström) 975 (group item)
“Bergman’s Persona” (Sontag) 1660
“Bergman’s Persona: An Essay in Tragedy” (Boy-
ers) 1150
“Bergman’s Persona and the Artistic Dilemma of the
Modern Narrative” (Jones) 989 (group item,
Beckett), 1310
“Bergman’s Persona: The Metaphysics of Meta-Ci-
nema” (Vierling) 1260
“Bergman’s Persona through a Native Mindscape”
(Steene) 1660
“Bergman’s Philosophic Film and its Construction
Problems” (Pondeliçek) 1147
“Bergman’s Portrayl of Women: Sexism or Sugges-
tive Metaphor” (Steene) 975 (group item)
“Bergman’s Shame: a Dream of Punishment”
(Maxfield) 1411
“Bergman’s The Silence and the Primal Scene” (Sit-
ney) 1532
“Bergman’s Style and the Facial Icon” (Borden)
1305
“Bergman’s Trilogy: Tradition and Innovation”
(Oliver) 635
 Title Index
“Besatt viking eller uppskattad konstnär: Strindberg
och Bergman i USA” (Steene) 989 (group item,
Strindberg), 1595
“Bergmans vision” (Ekström/Jönsson/Nykvist)
1086
“Bergmanfallet eller sommarnattens falska leende”
(Hjertén) 223 (rec)
Bergmanfilm – en arbejdsbog (Pedersen) 1293
“Bergmanorama” (Godard) 982 (group item), 1002
“Bergmanscopie” (Ecran) 1225
Between Stage and Screen. Ingmar Bergman Directs
(Törnqvist) 649, 989 (group item, Shakespeare),
1597
“Beyond the Day’s Light: A Study of the Archetypal
Feminine and Its Personification In Ingmar
Bergman’s Filmic World” (Cinque, diss.) 975
(group item), 1406
“Bibliography on Dream and Film” (Casebier) 1353
“Bilderna i ordet “ (Enquist) 662
Biografbladet 67, 204 (rec), 206 (rec), 209 (com),
210 (rec), 952 (Wortzelius)
“Birgit Tengroth svek men plötsligt stod Ingmar
Bergman där med sina gycklare” (Waldekranz)
220 (com)
Birgman: zan, ma-zhab nasl- i ayandah [Bergman:
Women, religion, future generation] (Adiri) 1615
“(The) Birth of Evil: Genesis According to Bergman”
(Larson) 249 (longer stud)
“Blooded with Optimism” (Winterson) 1514
“Bonjour mystère Bergman” (Seymour) 1208
Bokmärken (Bergström) 1629
“Bortstött, avskuren, utplånad” (Sjöman) 1471
“Brev till Ingmar Bergman” (Schildt) 1007
“Brist i Dramatenkassan trots succén Kung Lear.”
(Svanberg) 602 (group item, p. 798)
Cahiers du cinéma 206 (rec), 208, 219 (foreign rec),
1142
“Cannes 1957” (Truffaut) 995
“Carl Anders Dymling” (Höök) 1062 Castoro ci-
nema (Trasatti) 1558
“Celluloide Cell of Ingmar Bergman, The” (Hop-
kins) 1004
“Celtic Spring, Swedish Summer” (Kael) 1011
(group item)
Celluloide (1959) 1020, 1354
Centrofilmo: Quaderna dell’Instituto del cinema
(Turin) 1084
“(The) Chamber Plays and the Trilogy: A Revalua-
tion of the Case of Strindberg and Bergman”(-
Johns Blackwell) 989 (group item, Strindberg)
Changing [Forændringen] (Ullmann) 1299
Chaplin 922, 1393, 1452, 1540
“Checkfate!: The Reception of Ingmar Bergman in
America, from the late 50s til the end of the
1960s” (Muller, BA thesis) 1555
1091
“Chesterton’s Magic and Bergman’s Magician: Var-
iations of a Theme” (Purcell) 988 (group item,
Chesterton), 1427
“Children of the Paradise” (Murphy) 1500
“Chimären des Daseins” (Wach) 1625 (group
item), 1634
Ciclo Ingmar Bergman (Navarro, ed.) 1488
Cine Montage 1211
Cine Universitario 1034 (group item)
Cineforum 216, 236, 239, 1143
Cinéma 182
Cinéma 59 1018
Cinema borealis: Ingmar Bergman and the Swedish
Ethos (Young) 1210
Cinéma et la crise de nôtre temps, Le (Leirens) 982
(groups item)
“Cinema e teatro nell’opera di Bergman” (Chicco)
545, 1151
Cinema Novo (Portuguese) 1405
Cinema Nuovo 234, 889
“(The) Cinematic Fantastic” (Johansen) 1589
“Ciné-romans: le livre du film” (Viswanathan)
1666
“Color and Myth in Cries and Whispers.” (Adams)
245 (Studies), 1492
“Connaissance de la voie” (Cohn) 988 (group
item, Kierkegaard), 1187
“(The) Cracked Lens: The Crisis of the Artist in
Bergman’s Films of the Sixties”, Diss. (Teghrar-
ian) 1298
“(The ) Creative Life of Ingmar Bergman” (Ariya-
dasa) 1175
“Cries and Whispers: The Complete Bergman, “
(Rice) 245 (Studies)
“(La) crisi del maschio in Bergman e Ferreri” (d’E-
lia) 1336
“(La) crisi spirituali dell’ uomo moderno neil film di
Ingmar Bergman” (Maisetti) 1116
“(La) critica italiana alla scoperta di Bergman”
(Trasatti) 1012 (group item), 1521
“Cross-dressing and Subjectivity in the Films of
Ingmar Bergman” (Blackwell) 1671
“Ctyrikat dva Kapitola III: Bergman-Ullmanova”
(Pradna) 1573
Cuadernas de Cine Club Mercedes 974 (group item)
Cuaderno cinematografico del Uruguay 1248
“Cultivating Bergman’s Strawberry Patch: The
Emergence of a Cinematic Idea” (Donohoe) 1321
“Cuvintele lui Bergman” (Rado) 1295
“Cynic with Illusions – the Warring Worlds of Ing-
mar Bergman” (Tallmer) 1068
Dagen efter (Grevenius) 518
“Dal Settimo sigillo alle Soglie della vita” (Napoli-
tano) 1012 (group item)
“Dalla sfida alla morte il dialogo tra maschera e
Anima” (Finetti) 1283
 Title Index
Damn you England (Osborne) 1572
“Das Bild der Frau im modernen Film” (n.a.) 975
(group item)
“Das eigene Leben ist ein Steinbruch” (Jansen)
1625 (group item, p. 1015)
“Das Geheime Drehbuch” (Schultz-Ojala) 1614
(group item)
“Das Phänomen Ingmar Bergman” (Soyer) 1067
“Das Schweigen der Kirchenglocken. Gedanken zu
den späten Filmen von Ingmar Bergman”
(Dannowski), 1431
Das Schweigen und sein Publikum (Theunissen)
234
“Das verfilmte Prinzip Hoffnung” (Jeremias) 1324
“De beelden van Ingmar Bergman” (de Visscher)
1537
“De muziek en het orkest bij Fellini en Bergman”
(de Visscher) 1388
“De rumoerige Stilte” (Bresser) 1545
“De wereld als gekkenhuis: Ingmar Bergman regis-
seert Konig Lear “ (Törnqvist) 610
“(The) Demon Lover” (Lahr) 1658
“Den abstrakta filmen” (Forssell) 988 (group item)
“Den gode arbejdsleder” (Sjögren) 567
“Den gymnasiale Ingmar Bergman” (Björkman)
959
“Den knuste maske – et motiv hos Ingmar Berg-
man” (Jensen) 1215
Den mörka segergudinnan (Siwertz) 989 (group
item)
“Den stora sommarteatern” (Beyer) 495
“Den svenska teaterns Kasper” (Wåhlstedt) 506
Den svåra stunden [The Difficult Moment] (Lager-
kvist)
“Den svängande lampan” (Koskinen) 1540 (group
item)
“Den sönderslitande vertikaliteten: Fallrörelsen som
motiv i Ingmar Bergmans postreligiösa land-
skap” (Aquilon), 1626
“Den unge Ingmar Bergman” (Wickbom) 1651
“Den unge Mefisto och viljan till makt” (Stanger-
up) 1533
“(The) Depths of Our Souls: The Films of Ingmar
Bergman” (Pomeroy) 997 (group item)
“Der Chronist der Angst” (Pflaum) 1452 (group
item, p. 984)
“Der Fall Bergman” (Salzer) 1272 (group item, p.
951)
Der frühe Bergman (Lange-Fuchs, ed.) 206 (See
also), 1326
“Der grosse Grübler aus dem Norden” (Strunz)
1452 (group item, p. 985)
“Der klassische Moderne” (Jansen) 1539 (group
item, p. 999)
“Der Magier aus Djursholm” (Hör Zu) 1131
Der Spiegel 492, 551, 1053, 1272 (group item, p. 951)
1092
Der Theaterregisseur Ingmar Bergman: dargestellt an
seiner Inszenierung von Strindbergs ‘Traumspiel,
diss. (Müller), 587
“(Der) ‘zornige junge Mann’ des schwedischen
Films” (Runeby) 1006
“Det förtätade livet. Teaterkritik 1980-1990” (Björk-
stén) 645
“Det måste finnas en förtröstan” (Donner) 1229
“Det mänskliga ansiktet” [The human face] (Si-
mon) 1452 (group item, p. 983)
“Det oåtkomliga” [The inaccessible] (Björkman)
1452 (group item, p. 983)
“Det svenska geniet” (Öhngren) 759
“Det typiskt svenska hos Ingmar Bergman” (Koski-
nen) 1410
“Det är viktigt att beskriva vad skådespelaren gör”
(Narti) 970 (group item)
“Devils in the Cathedral: Bergman’s Trilogy” (Alex-
ander) 1244
“(The) Dialectics of Dreams and Theater in the
Films of Ingmar Bergman” (Kinder) 1464
Dialogues and a Diary (Stravinski/Craft) 1101
Dibatti di film: Fellini, Bergman, Antonioni, Buñuel,
Pasolini, Kazan, Visconti, Bresson (Covi) 1198
“Die Fernseharbeit lockt” (Thieringer) 609
“Die Seele im Bauch” (Rivette) 216
“Die späten Filme Ingmar Bergmans” (Dannows-
ki) 997 (group item)
“Die Trilogie der Anfechtung” (Schlappner) 1098
“Die Zauberflöte verfilmd door Ingmar Bergman.”
(Plus, unpubl. thesis) 247 (longer stud)
“Dionysus på Fårö” [Dianysos at Fårö] (Schotte-
nius) 654
“(The) Director as Writer” (Vinge) 1578
Dirigido por 1279
“Discovering the Swedish Theatre” (Wysinska) 575
“Disseits von Gott und Tod” (Gerle) 997 (group
item), 1634
Djävulens ansikte [The Devil’s Face/The Personal
Vision of Ingmar Bergman] (Donner) 1071
“Docteur Bergman et Monsieur Hyde” (Benayon)
982 (group item)
“Domptörer i ljuskretsen” (Sterner) 1540 (group
item, p. 999)
“(La) donna nell’universo di Bergman” (Burne-
vich) 975 (group item)
“(La) donna e il sentimento dell’ angoscia in Berg-
man, Antonioni e Dreyer” (Prigione) 1012
(group item), 1138
Dramat 646, 662, 1580, 1625 (group item)
(La)Dramma. Teatro, letteratura, cinema, musica,
radio TV 562, 1199
“Dream and Reality in Strindberg’s ‘A Dreamplay’
and Bergman’s ‘Smultronstället” (Blackwell) 989
(group item, Strindberg)
“Dreaming with Bergman” (Maxfield) 1468
 Title Index
“Drugite za Bergman” (Kino izkutsvo) 1482
“Du moi crucifié au moi ressuscité. La Passion
d’Ingmar Bergman” (Farago) 1307
“Därför skall diktaren inte ha någon grav” (Zern)
675, 989 (group item, Strindberg)
“Dömda till frihet. Noteringar kring Bergmans för-
sta filmer” (Qvist) 1452 (group item, p. 984)
“Dønninger efter en Bergman-bølge” (Dessau) 569
Ecran 1225
“(The) Effect of Aging on Dramatic Realization of
Old Age: The Example of Ingmar Bergman”
(Cohen), 1522
“Ein Bergmanporträtt” (Delling) 1135
“Ein Cineastenproblem? Anmerkungen zum Mythos
Ingmar Bergman” (Ladiges) 1092
“Ein Magier, der uns den Atem verschlägt” (Born-
gässer) 1319
“Eine lange Zeit für den Irrsinn” (Göttler) 1625
(group item, p. 1015)
“El canto del cisne del artista Bergman” (Marti-
nez) 1343
En bok om film (Beyer) 952 (group item)
“En diktare” (Strömstedt) 1102
“En konstnärlig följeslagare” [tr. as “The Signifi-
cance of Ingmar Bergman” ] (Donner) 1452
(group item, p. 983)
En torno a Ingmar Bergman (Laurenti) 1289
“En värld av befriade känslor” (Björkman) 1318
“Energisk amatörteater i Gamla stan” (n.a.) 493,
684
“England vill ha filmmanus av Ingmar Bergman”
(press report) 951
Entr’acte 1087
“Eros und Mythos” (Waldekranz) 1010
“(L’)Esperanza letteraria ‘nazionale’ in Sjöberg et
Bergman” (Oldrini) 989 (group item, Strind-
berg)
“(The ) Essence of Ibsen” (Marker) 988 (group
item, Ibsen)
Estetosemiotica y pragmatica filmicas: un analisis
textual en Bergman (Gomez) 1371
“Et og andet om en passionered svensker – et skil-
letrykk om Bergman” (Nørrested) 1202
“Ett liv kring naturkraften Strindberg” (Ekman,
SR) 669, 989 (group item, Strindberg)
“Ett rop om hjälp som Sovjet ströp” (Haas) 1200
“Ett subversivt filmspråk. Ingmar Bergman i ett
filmfeministiskt perspektiv” (Steene) 975 (group
item), 1557
Ett ögonblick (Andersson) 1600
“Etude: Bergman” (Doneux) 1249
Etudes cinématographiques 253
“Eva – en Ingmar Bergmansk vändpunkt” (Wort-
zelius) 209 (com)
1093
“Everything and Nothing: The Myth of Personal
Identity in Jorge Borges and Ingmar Bergman’s
Persona” (Bennett) 989 (group item, Borges)
“Everything Represents, Nothing Is: Some Relations
between Ingmar Bergman’s Films and Theatre
Productions” (Koskinen) 1619
“Ewiges Wunderkind” (Geisler) 1046
“Fanny and Alexander and Strindberg and Ibsen
and…” (Sprinchorn) 989 (group item, Strind-
berg), 1643
“Fanny og Alexander og alle andre i Bergmans
univers” (Jensen) 1399
“Faust kan inte lida” (Sjöman) 530
“Fellini, Bergman, Truffaut” (Pasolini) 1530
“Feminist Theory and the Performance of Lesbian
Desire in Persona” (Foster) 975 (group item),
1660
“(La) femme dans l’univers bergmanien”, diss. (Thi
Nhu Quynh Ho) 975 (group item)
“Fenomenet Ingmar Bergman” (Stolpe) 1031
“Fiery Bergman comes to town” (Wilson) 1025
“Figure e trame nel cinema del giovane Bergman”
(Marty) 1521
Film. A Modern Art (Sultanik) 1438
“Film a sen” (Bonda) 1630
Film a sogetto 234, 235, 236, 239
Film and Dreams: An Approach to Ingmar Bergman
(Petric, ed) 1378
“Film as Poetry” (Kelman) 1091
Film Comment 34, 1188, 1282
Film Dope 1228
“Film Forum: The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni”
(Childkret) 1463
Film Ideal (1964) 1034 (group item)
Film in Sweden 241
“Film is a Mistress” (Life) 1035
Film och bio 1155
“Film och symbolik” (Persson) 1078
“Film som religiöst språk. Hedenius och Bergman i
livsåskådningsdebatten” (Bergom-Larsson) 997
(group item), 1519
Film: The Creative Process (Lawson) 1115
Filmartikelen en essays 1966-1990 (de Vries) 1503
Filmcritica 1231
“Filmdebatt i Lund. Förfall eller förnyelse” (Goland,
SR) 993
Filmdienst 1634
Filmdiktaren Ingmar Bergman (Törnqvist) 1559
Filmen 100 år i Sverige (Furhammar) 1605
Filmfacts 241
Filmhäftet 1452 (group item, p. 984)
“Filmic Dream and Point of View” (Eberwein)
1357
“(The) Filmic Tradition of A Midsummer Night’s
Dream” (Shelburne) 1574
Filmklub-Cinéclub 1045
 Title Index
“Filmmaking in Sweden” (American Cinematogra-
pher) 1213
Filmnyheter 87, 202, 210 (rec), 211 (com), 212
(com), 218 (rec), 219 (com), 223 (com)
Filmologia de Bergman: Dios, la vida y la muerte
(Wasserman) 997 (group item), 1475
Filmoteca (1972-73) 1034 (group item)
“Films out of Books: Bergman, Visconti and Mann”
(Glassco) 988 (group item, Mann), 1398
Finrummet och lekstugan. Kultur- och underhåll-
ningsprogram i svensk radio och TV (Nordmark)
1660
“Fire rekindled: Strindberg and Bergman”
(Steene) 989 (group item, Strindberg), 1643
Flashback 1: Ingmar Bergman (Cozarinsky/Vac-
caro) 974 (group item)
“Fnask, hyndor, vrak, fasor och ett par sköna stilla
bilder” (Tegnér) 956
Focus on the Seventh Seal (Steene, ed.) 1220
“For Valor: The Career of Ingmar Bergman” (Law-
son) 1435
Foreign Correspondent (Hitchcock) 204 (synop-
sis)
“Fotogramas de palco com o peso de Bergman”
(Vacondeus) 1513
“Four Images in Ingmar Bergman: Representation as
Liminality and Transgression” (Ohlin) 1571
“Fra Sommarnattens leende til Viskninger och rop”
(Evabell) 1230
“Framing the Underworld: Threshold Imagery in
Murnau, Cocteau and Bergman” (Smith) 1610
“Frihed og tryghed hos Bergman” (Kwakernaak)
1254
From Reverence to Rape (Haskell) 975 (group item)
“From The Life of the Marionettes to The Devil’s
Wanton: Bergman’s Creative Transformation of
a Recurrent Nightmare” (Kinder) 1373
“Frühe Bergmanfilme in Arsenal” (Nau) 1291
“Från avstånd till närhet” (Zern) 652, 658
“Från Gösta Ekman till Ingmar Bergman” (Beyer)
528
“Från Körkarl till Kejsare” (n.a.) 950
“Från manus till film. – Ingmar Bergmans Natt-
vardsgästerna” (Törnqvist) 997 (group item),
1691
“Från raseri till frusen förtvivlan” (Sundgren) 1172
“Från Sleeman till livsförsoning” (Qvist) 667, 1625
(group item, p. 1015)
“Från subjektiv vision till tidsdokument och arke-
typ; Ingmar Bergmans Det sjunde inseglet i men-
talitetshistorisk belysning” (Steene) 1673
“Från Woyzeck – Till Damaskus” (Skoogh) 573
“Fyra dygn på Fårö” (Löthwall) 1155
Fårö. La Cinecitta di Ingmar Bergman (Garzia, ed.)
1679
1094
För Alice [Tiny Alice] (Albee) [P]/(Bergman) [T,
R] 302
“För släkt och vänner. Om Ingmar Bergman
(Kael) 1423
“Förnedringsmotivet i femtiotalsfilmen” (Hol-
mer) 220 (longer art)
“Försvar för Ingmar Bergman” (Forssell/Malm-
berg) 698
Gaukler im Grenzland. Ingmar Bergman (Åhlander,
ed) 1562
“Geisterbeschwörer und Bildzauberer” (Che) 1452
(group item, p. 984)
Gender and Representation in the Films of Ingmar
Bergman (Blackwell) 975 (group item)
“Genierna möts på Dramaten” (Malaise) 666
“Gericht über Ingmar Bergman” (Dallmann) 1033
(group item)
“Gesicht und Maske” (Seesslen) 1625 (group item,
p. 1015)
“Gewalt und Leidenschaft. Ein Porträtt der Schaus-
pielerin Ingrid Thulin” (Helker) 1484
“Gleichnisse. Philosophische und theologische Spu-
ren im Werk Bergmans” (Linz) 997 (group
item)
“Gli esordi di un regista” (Bono) 1521
“Glimpses of the Pictures in his Mind” (Hayman)
617
God, Death, Art and Love. The Philosophical Vision of
Ingmar Bergman (Lauder) 997 (group item),
1486
“God forgives, Bergman never” (Der Spiegel) 551
(group item)
“Going Roundabout: Similar Images of Pilgrimage
in Ibsen’s Peer Gynt and Bergman’s The Seventh
Seal” (Liggera) 225 (longer stud), 626, 988
(group item, Ibsen)
“Gossen i mörkrummet” (Jolo/Olsson) 980
“Gossen Ruda eller svensk ikon. Om Ingmar Berg-
mans mottagande i Sverige och utomlands”
(Steene) 1613
“(Les) grands cinéastes” (Agel) 1014
“Gränslandets diktare – Bergman och den kulturella
traditionen” [tr. as A Filmmaker in the Border-
land] (Timm) 1452 (group item, p. 983)
“Gravity and Grace” (Lahr) 640
“Guds tystnad: En studie i tre filmer av Ingmar
Bergman” (Hartman) 997 (group item)
Gustaf Molander (Forslund) 1686
“ha-Hitbat’ut ha-milutit ‘al odot ha-kolno ‘a: nituah
darkhe ha-ketivah ‘al ha-koln’a: nituah darkhe
ha-ketivah ‘al pi ‘iyun be-mispar bikorot u-
ma’amarim ‘al ha-seret ‘Personah’ shel Ingmar
Bergman”, MA thesis (Shvarts), 1346
 Title Index
“Haley contra Whitaker: familjestudier med hypo-
tesanalys av Fanny och Alexander” (Björklund/
Engebladh) 1429
“Hamlet on the Postmodernist Stage: The Revi-
sionings of Bergman and Wajda” (Lusardi) 660
“Han förtrollar människor” (Fredriksson) 730
“(The) hard stuff ” (Matthews) 1682
“Hasse Ekman vs Ingmar Bergman” (Mattsson)
1640
“’He Shall Live a Man Forbid’: Ingmar Bergman’s
Macbeth” (Fridén) 596, 989 (group item, Sha-
kespeare)
“Herftsonate van Ingmar Bergman: een moeder
dochter relatie verfilmd”, diss. (Boorsma) 250
(longer stud)
“Heuresis: The Mother-Daughter Theme in A Jest of
God and Autumn Sonata” (Bird) 988 (group
item, Laurence)
Hornstötar i kulissen (von Horn) 538
“Hos mormor i Uppsala fanns ett paradis” (Knuts-
son) 1638
“Hour of the Wolf ” (Corliss/Hoops) 1152
“Hour of the Wolf: The Case of Ingmar Bergman”
(Buntzen/Craig) 1278
“How Great Our Adventure” (Waldekranz) 1010
“How Warm is the Cold, How Light is the Dark-
ness?” (Adams) 1103
Huit clos [No Exit] (Sartre), (P) 210
“Husbands and Wives in Bergman’s Films: A Close
Analysis based on Empirical Data” (Lundell/
Mulac), 1374
“Høstsonaten og Rene linier” (Jensen) 1341
I begynnelsen var ordet. Ingmar Bergman och hans
tidiga författarskap (Koskinen) 676, 988 (group
item), 1681
“I Bergmans och Suckdorffs tecken” (Heyman)
1003
“I Bergmans regi” (Ehrwall, prod. SVT) 679
“I den lilla världen: Ekdalerne og teatret. Noen as-
pekter ved Bergmans Fanny og Alexander (Jo-
stad) 606
“I film del primo Bergman” (d’Orazio) 1265
“I Ingmars glada hage” (Josephson) 662
“I min fantasi! Subjektivt gestaltande hos Ingmar
Bergman” (Törnqvist) 656, 1613
“I Paris undrar man…” (Odéon theatre invitation to
IB) 552
“I 25 år har det stormat kring Ingmar Bergman”
(Wester) 793, 1193
“Ibsen, Strindberg and the Intimate Theatre: Studies
in TV Presentation” (Törnqvist) 989 (group
study, Strindberg)
“Ibsenian Uterus, Strindbergian Seed. Ingmar
Bergman’s Hedda Gabler” (Durbach) 638
“Iconography in The Seventh Seal” (Holland) 225
(longer stud)
1095
Il giovane Bergman (Bono, ed.) 1521
“Il mago del Nord” (La Voce di Milano) 1579
“Il volto e l’oltro in Bergman, narratore moderno”
(Aristarco) 1496 (group item)
Image et son 1179 (Lefèvre)
“Images and Words in Ingmar Bergman’s Films”
(Steene) 1192
“Images of Childhood” (Wood) 1302
“Images of Dying and the Artistic Role” (Tulloch)
988 (group item, Chechov)
“Images of Women in three Ingmar Bergman Films”
(M:A. thesis, Talbert) 975 (group item)
“Immer waren Ingmar Bergmans Filme auf radikale
Weise persönlich” (Gregor) 1273 (group item)
“Individualism, Communion, and Significance in
The Seventh Seal” (Anderson, thesis) 225 (longer
stud)
“(The) Imagined Past in Ingmar Bergman’s The Best
Intentions” (Wright) 1580 (group item)
“(The) Industry: Martyr Complexes” (Byron) 1272
(group item, p. 952)
“(The) Influence of Existentialism on Ingmar
Bergman: An analysis of the Theological Ideas
Shaping a Filmmaker”, diss. (Ketcham) 997
(group item), 1434
Ingmar Bergman (Balbierz/Zmudzinski) 1541
Ingmar Bergman (Béranger & Guyon) 982 (group
item)
“Ingmar Bergman” (Beyer) 953
“Ingmar Bergman” (Boost) 1017
“Ingmar Bergman” (Braudy/Dickstein) 1320
Ingmar Bergman (Chiaretti) 1012 (group item),
1109
Ingmar Bergman (Company) 1034 (group item),
1547
“Ingmar Bergman” (Dawson) 1356
Ingmar Bergman (Farina) 1021
“Ingmar Bergman” (Furhammar) 961
Ingmar Bergman (Gorodinskaja, ed.) 1178
Ingmar Bergman (Györffy) 1286
“Ingmar Bergman” (Göransson) 988 (group item)
Ingmar Bergman (Höök) 952 (group item), 1074
“Ingmar Bergman” (Koskinen) 1620
Ingmar Bergman (Lefèvre) 1400
“Ingmar Bergman” (Linder) 524
“Ingmar Bergman” (List) 1049
Ingmar Bergman (Marion) 1342
“Ingmar Bergman” (Martinez) 1034 (group item)
“Ingmar Bergman” (McClatchy) 1238
Ingmar Bergman (Muellem) 1064
“Ingmar Bergman” (Nin) 1292
“Ingmar Bergman” (Oldin) 1027
Ingmar Bergman (Oliva) 1137
“Ingmar Bergman” (Pedersen) 960
“Ingmar Bergman” (program notes, Berlin film
festival) 1075
Ingmar Bergman (Rainero) 1258
 Title Index
Ingmar Bergman (Renaud) 1206
“Ingmar Bergman” (Rying/Stråhle in Intryck i Sver-
ige) 762
Ingmar Bergman (SF brochure) 1090
Ingmar Bergman (Siclier) 982 (group item)
Ingmar Bergman (Steene) 549, 1170, 1380
Ingmar Bergman (Tabbia) 974 (group item), 1008
“Ingmar Bergman” (Terrafilm) 958
“Ingmar Bergman” (van der Berg) 1212
Ingmar Bergman (Weise) 1450, 1623
Ingmar Bergman (Wood) 1185
“Ingmar Bergmann” (sic!) (Duarte) 1020
Ingmar Bergman. A Critical Biography (Cowie) 1381
Ingmar Bergman. A Guide to References and Resources
(Steene) 1449
“Ingmar Bergman Adds to the Mosaic of Autobio-
graphy” (James) 1566
“Ingmar Bergman albo parabola pytan odwiecz-
nych” (Helman) 1251
Ingmar Bergman. Allting föreställer, ingenting är
(Koskinen) 672, 1676
Ingmar Bergman. An Appreciation (Manvell) 1385
Ingmar Bergman. An Artist’s Journey . On Stage, on
Screen, in Print (Oliver, ed) 1580 (group item)
Ingmar Bergman and the Arts (Fridén, ed.) 663,
1635
“Ingmar Bergman and Creative Leadership”, diss.
(Gyllenpalm) 647, 1586
“Ingmar Bergman and the Devil” (Ulrichsen) 1009
“Ingmar Bergman and Don Juan” (Törnqvist) 230
(longer art.), 642
“Ingmar Bergman and God” (Phillips) 997 (group
item)
“Ingmar Bergman and his Films” (Tobey) 1140
“Ingmar Bergman and the Humanist Tradition”
(Blackwell) 1543
“Ingmar Bergman and the Mise-en-Scène of the
Confessional” (Koskinen) 1671
“Ingmar Bergman and the New Intellectuals” (So-
lomon) 1219
“Ingmar Bergman and the Religious Film” (Silver-
stein) 997 (group item)
Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of Art (Living-
ston) 1384
“Ingmar Bergman and the Silence of God” (Ha-
milton) 997 (group item), 1266
“Ingmar Bergman and the Search for Meaning”
(Gill) 1177
“Ingmar Bergman and the Theater” (Cohen-Straty-
ner) 663
“Ingmar Bergman and the Theater” (Steene) 588
“Ingmar Bergman angriper regeringen” (Svens-
son) 1331
“Ingmar Bergman – artist och filosof ” (Osten) 986
“Ingmar Bergman as Theater Director” (Marker &
Marker) 584
1096
“Ingmar Bergman: Assessment at Mid-point”
(Comstock) 1134
“Ingmar Bergman at Fifty” (Cantor) 1176
“Ingmar Bergman 50 år” (Waldekranz) 1173
“Ingmar Bergman – 70th birthday tribute” (Film
Theatre Programmes) 1452 (group item, p. 985)
“Ingmar Bergman at 70” (Michiels) 1452 (group
item, p. 984)
“Ingmar Bergman 80 år” (Josephson/Ring) 1625
(group item)
“Ingmar Bergman: Beyond the Realistic Image”
(Casty) 1227
Ingmar Bergman. Confession in Celluloide, cassette
tape, (Guinness) 1360
“Ingmar Bergman Crossed with Charlie Chaplin?
What Iris Murdoch Doesn’t Know” (Cunneen)
1335
“Ingmar Bergman da ‘Como in uno specchio’ a
‘l’adultera’” (Bini) 1226, 1350
“Ingmar Bergman da Hitler a Ibsen” (Rondi) 1365
“Ingmar Bergman: den delikata spetälskan”
(Lindqvist) 973
“Ingmar Bergman – den passionerade regissören”
(Teréus) 1473
“Ingmar Bergman: Dialog, scena, kamera” (Zern)
650, 1598
“Ingmar Bergman: Dichter unser Jahrhunderts”
(Zurbuch) 1055
Ingmar Bergman. Die grosse Kinofilme. Eine Doku-
mentation (Lange-Fuchs) 1467
Ingmar Bergman Directs (Simon) 814, 1218
“Ingmar Bergman e il publico italiano” (Spinnazo-
la) 1012 (group item)
“Ingmar Bergman et Georg af Klercker” (Lefèvre)
1553
“Ingmar Bergman et le cinéna suèdois. Ingmar
Bergman et quelques autres” (Sadoul) 982
(group item)
“Ingmar Bergman et le génie de la Suède” (Lan-
glois) 1113
“Ingmar Bergman et Le lien” (Wood) 1223
“Ingmar Bergman et la littérature suèdoise” (Dur-
ant) 989 (group item)
Ingmar Bergman et ses films (Béranger) 982 (group
item)
Ingmar Bergman. Essays in Criticism (Kaminsky,
ed.) 1266
Ingmar Bergman. Film and Stage (Long) 1568
Ingmar Bergman. Film och teater i växelverkan
(Wirmark, ed.) 652, 1613
“Ingmar Bergman: Films 1960-1973” (Segal/Rob-
nard) 1268
Ingmar Bergman. Four Decades in the Theater
(Marker & Marker) 594
“Ingmar Bergman: Från ‘Kris’ till ‘Kvinnodröm’” (n.
a.) 978
 Title Index
“Ingmar Bergman får urpremiär i Göteborg” (Læs-
tadius) 514
“Ingmar Bergman gjorde reklam för tvålen Bris”
(Wennström) 215
“Ingmar Bergman – Gotlands gullgosse” (Bjuv-
stedt) 1186
“Ingmar Bergman har blitt et begrep” (Rustad)
1452 (group item, p. 984)
Ingmar Bergman. His Films and Career [Alternate
title: Ingmar Bergman. His Life and Films] (Ver-
milye) 1622
“Ingmar Bergman i bikini” (Robin Hood/Almq-
vist) 1155
“Ingmar Bergman i krizis individualisticheskogo
mironimanija” (Surkova) 1347
“Ingmar Bergman i kvinnoland” (Ekström) 975
(group item)
Ingmar Bergman, il paradoxo di un ‘Ateo cristiano’
(Trasatti) 925, 1536
Ingmar Bergman. Im Bleistift – Ton. Ein Werkporträtt
(Bleibtreu, ed.) 1678
“Ingmar Bergman in the Eyes of Italian Theatre
Critics” (Bono) 663, 1012 (group item)
“Ingmar Bergman Index” (Wredlund) 1148, 1155
“Ingmar Bergman introducerad på Paristeater”
(Arvidsson) 531
“Ingmar Bergman, juhlallisesti” (Toiviainen) 1625
(group item, p. 1015)
Ingmar Bergman: La realità e il suo ‘doppio’ (Mos-
cato) 1375
“Ingmar Bergman: Le festin de l’araignée” (Narbo-
ni) 1146
Ingmar Bergman: Le magicien du Nord (Binh) 1542
“Ingmar Bergman Lights Up the Munich Stage”
(Popkin) 580
Ingmar Bergman: l’Initiation d’un artiste (Cortade)
1669
“Ingmar Bergman komt tot de mensen!” (Kwaker-
naak) 1201
“Ingmar Bergman kak philosophi moralist” (Farb-
stein) 1136
Ingmar Bergman. Kasvoista kasvoihin (Rasku) 1191
“Ingmar Bergman - Käbi Laretei. Close-ups” (Lar-
etei, music record) 1327
Ingmar Bergman: La mort, le masque et l’être (Es-
tève) 1397
Ingmar Bergman: Magician and Prophet (Gervais)
997 (group item), 1657
“Ingmar Bergman. Master of Illusion” (Kinnear)
1145
“Ingmar Bergman, Movie Magician” (Cole) 1011
(group item), 1019
“Ingmar Bergman! Naken dekor är också dekor”
(Palmstierna-Weiss) 560
“Ingmar Bergman: Now I see things as they are”, MA
thesis (Phelan) 1205
1097
“Ingmar Bergman o el universo crespuscolar”
(Molist) 1180
Ingmar Bergman och den borgerliga ideologin (Ber-
gom-Larsson) 1303
“Ingmar Bergman och den kristna baksmällan”
(Bergmark) 1149
“Ingmar Bergman och den mörka kommunionen”
(Bergom-Larsson) 1519 (group item, p. 996)
“Ingmar Bergman och Dramatentraditionen” (Wir-
mark) 657, 1613
“Ingmar Bergman och döden” (Himmelstrand)
968
“Ingmar Bergman och hans entreprenörer” (Hey-
man) 1003
“Ingmar Bergman och hans positioner” (Chau-
vet) 1122
“Ingmar Bergman och hans tid” (Bohman) 1441
Ingmar Bergman och kristen tro (Nystedt) 997
(group item)
“Ingmar Bergman och nyanserna” (Christensen)
964
“Ingmar Bergman och sommaren” (Wickbom)
1652
“Ingmar Bergman och världskritiken” (Fröier)
1000
“Ingmar Bergman of Sweden Making Big Haul
American Publicity” (Variety) 1036
“Ingmar Bergman oförskämd i TV” (anon) 975
(group item)
“Ingmar Bergman og Alf Sjöberg overfor hinanden”
(Saxdorph) 987
“Ingmar Bergman og hans tid” (Jensen/Rehfeld)
1288, 1309
“Ingmar Bergman og sjælens mørke natt” (Fabri-
cius) 1154
Ingmar Bergman ou la passion de l’homme d’au-
jourdhui (Michalczyk) 1311
“Ingmar Bergman – person or persona: the moun-
tain of modern cinema on the road to Morocco”
(Elsaesser) 1643
“Ingmar Bergman-premiär” (Andersson) 512
“Ingmar Bergman: profeet die in eigen land niet
geëerd wordt” (Berge) 1333
“Ingmar Bergman på gränsen mellan förkastelse och
förlossning” (Nilsson) 1448
Ingmar Bergman på teatern (Sjögren) 548
“Ingmar Bergman: sinfonia del silenzio” (Bernar-
di) 1478
“Ingmar Bergman Still Asking the God Question”
(Lauder) 997 (group item)
Ingmar Bergman. Teatermannen och filmskaparen
(Billqvist) 534, 1040
Ingmar Bergman. The Art of Confession (Cohen)
1546
Ingmar Bergman. The Cinema as Mistress (Mosley)
1376
 Title Index
“Ingmar Bergman: The Disintegrated Artist”
(Armes) 1276
“Ingmar Bergman. The Search for God” (Nelson)
997 (group item)
“Ingmar Bergman. The Silent Laughter of the Gods”
(Haller) 1123
“Ingmar Bergman: the Struggle with the Beyond”
(Cowie) 1355
“Ingmar Bergman Transplants his Special Ways to
Munich” (Variety) 1272 (group item, p. 953)
“Ingmar Trollkarlen” (Tannefors) 981
Ingmar Bergman, un dramaturgo cinematografico
(Alsina/Monegal) 974 (group item), 1104
“Ingmar Bergman: un nuovo ‘kammerspiel’”
(Laura) 1093
“Ingmar Bergman Up Close” (Perez) 1344
“Ingmar Bergman – vad har hänt med honom?”
(Schildt) 1207
“Ingmar Bergman will ‘auch das Letzte sagen’”
(Krusche) 976
Ingmar Bergman. W opinii krytyki zagranicznej
(Zielinska, ed.) 1451
Ingmar Bergman y El septimo sello (Cebollado) 225
(longer stud)
“Ingmar Bergman y Largo viaje hacia la noche”
(Törnqvist) 623
“Ingmar Bergman zoekt de sleutel” (Burvenich)
1070
“Ingmar Bergmans dolda iakttagare” (Törnqvist)
1664
“Ingmar Bergman’s Doll’s Houses” (Törnqvist)
633, 988 (group item, Ibsen)
“Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander: Family Romance
or Artistic Allegory” (Buntzen) 1442
“Ingmar Bergman’s Films: the Spider God and the
Primal Scene” (Dervin) 1396
“Ingmar Bergman’s First Meeting with Thalia”
(Steene) 663, 1625 (group item, p. 1015)
“Ingmar Bergmans kvinnolinje” (Matteson) 975
(group item)
“Ingmar Bergmans kvinnosyn” (Klynne) 975
(group item)
“Ingmar Bergmans Laterna magica” (Steene) 1472
“Ingmar Bergmans Laterna magica. Att röra sig
mellan magi och havregrynsgröt” (Steene) 1452
(group item, p. 984)
“Ingmar Bergmans mottagande i USA” (Steene)
1011
Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (Michaels, ed.) 975
(group item), 1660
“Ingmar Bergman’s Second Trilogy” (Yakovar) 1316
“Ingmar Bergmans stil” (Oldin/Wortzelius) 1094
“Ingmar Bergmans teater – rörelser i rummet”
(Sjögren) 564
“Ingmar Bergman’s Theater Direction, 1952-1974”,
diss. (Reilly) 590
1098
“Ingmar Bergmans tre perioder, en svart, en strim-
mig, en rosa” (Höök) 983
“Ingmar Bergmans triumf ” (Tannefors) 999
“Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Journey – Intertextuality
in Larmar och gör sig till” (Holmqvist) 663, 1636
“Ingmar, the Image Maker” (Simon) 1052
Inte bara applåder (Björnstrand) 233 (com), 1263
Inte bara pappas flicka (A. Bergman) 1440
“(The) Interplay of Diegetic and Experiential Time
in Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata and Ber-
trand Tavernier’s Round Midnight” (White, BA
thesis) 1495
Introduccion al estudio de Ingmar Bergman (Cuen-
ca) 1034 (group item)
Intryck i Sverige (Rying/Stråhle) 1127
“Jenseits der Skandale” (Blum, ARD retrospec-
tive) 1457
Jeune cinéma 1125
“(Les) Jeux de l’humor” (Alman) 1599
“Jewish Figures in the Films of Ingmar Bergman”
(Wright) 1655
“Journey into Autumn: Oväder and Smultronstället”
(Johns Blackwell) 989 (group item, Strindberg)
“Journey into Silence: An Aspect of the Late Films of
Ingmar Bergman” (Harcourt) 1523
“Kammarspel på tre sätt” (Törnqvist) 989 (group
item, Strindberg)
“Kan Kieslowski lösa Tystnadens gåta?” (Kieslows-
ki) 1567
Karin vid havet (M. Bergman) 1349
Kavalkade (Danish booklet) 1424
“Khestokij mir Ingmara Bergmana” (Maatuse-
vich) 1118
Kinema 1550, 1606
Kino (Sofia; Andrejkov/Krumov/Russinova, eds.)
1551
“Klanen Bergmans många ansikten” (Söderberg)
1535
“Knocking on Heaven’s Door” (McClean) 1401
“Kolportage mit Tiefgang” (Gerbracht) 972
“Kompositören Ingmar Bergman” (Werkö) 1494
“Konsten att förtrolla” (Heyman) 1003
“Konstnären, demonerna och publiken (Viklund)
1452 (group item, p. 984)
Kosmorama 1325
“Kraftquelle des europäischen Kinos” (Strunz)
1539 (group item, p. 999)
“Kvinnoskildringarna i två svenska 50-talsfilmer”
(Söderquist) 975 (group item)
“Kärlekens årstider: Ingmar Bergmans ‘Sommar-
nattens leende’ och ‘En vintersaga’” (Cavell) 989
(group item, Shakespeare), 1668
“Könsroller och relationer i Ingmar Bergmans fil-
mer Det regnar på vår kärlek, Smultronstället,
 Title Index
Scener ur ett äktenskap” (undergrad. thesis, Ek)
975 (group item)
“La bussola della psiche nell’ ateismo religioso
borghese” (Aristarco) 1245
“L’anima e le forme nella scrittura di Bergman”
(Gallerani) 1322
“Lek med laddningar” (Sellermark) 529
Lek och raseri. Ingmar Bergmans teater 1938-2002
(Sjögren) 677
L-136: Dagbok [L-136. A Diary with Ingmar Bergman]
(Sjöman) 1100
“Les 400 coups” (Truffaut) 219 (foreign resp.)
“(The) Lesson of Ingmar Bergman” (Truffaut) 982
(group item), 1221
“Leven: wreedheid of tederheid?” (Dommelei)
1306
“(The) Light is Dark Enough” (Pechter) 1203
“L’exile de Bergman” (d’Epenoux) 1272 (group
item)
“Linus rencontre Berget” (Sjöman) 1426 (Positif)
Liv Ullmann & Ingmar Bergman (Garfinkel) 1323
Ljuset håller mig sällskap (Nykvist) 1672
“Long Day’s Journey into Night: Bergman’s TV
version of Oväder compared to Smultronstället”
(Törnqvist), 644, 989 (group item, Strindberg)
1577
“Looking for God. Profane and Sacred in the Films
of Woody Allen” (Blake) 1505
Loppcirkus. Max von Sydow berättar (Sörenson)
225 (com), 228 (com)1493
“Los ochenta años de Ingmar Bergman” (Mahieu)
1625 (group item, p. 1015)
“Love and Death” (Allen), (F) 225 (com)
“(The) Lutheran Milieu in the Films of Ingmar
Bergman, ” diss., (Blake) 997 (group item)
“Lämna romanen i fred” (Isaksson) 1433
“Längtan efter kärleken” (Vilmos) 1315
“Macbeth och teatertraditionen” (Fredén) 401
“Madonna med barn” (Kwakernaak) 975 (group
item)
Maestri del cinema: Ingmar Bergman (Rondi, ed.)
1169
“(The) Magic Triangle: Ingmar Bergman’s Implied
Philosophy of Theatrical Communication” (Mar-
ker) 600
“(The) Magician” (Meyer) 1569
“Mago och Skammen” (Goldstein) 1155, 1157
“Man Alive Presents Ingmar Bergman” (CBC pro-
gram) 791
“Man med magi” (Rying) 1029
“Man of the Week: Ingmar Bergman. The Scenario
Says Exile” (Perlez) 1294
“Mangfoldet av mønstre Et teater å komme hjem til”
(Hansen/Haddal) 1452 (group item, p. 984), 1461
1099
“Manhattan Surrounded by Ingmar Bergman: The
American Reception of a Swedish Filmmaker”
(Steene) 1011 (group item), 1580 (group item)
“Marriage as Metaphor: The Idea of Consciousness
in Scener ur ett äktenskap.” (Librach) 246 (longer
stud)
“Max och jättens lykta” (n.a., Filmnyheter) 1013
Max von sydow. From The Seventh Seal to Pelle the
Conqueror (Cowie) 1481
“Med känsla för rummet” (Wassberg) 662
“Med och utan paljetter” (Wifstrand) 1082
“Mellan mörker och ljus” (Bolin) 1458
“Mellan uppriktigt allvar och clowneri” (Klotz)
558
“Metamorfozy sjvedskogo kino Widerberg e Berg-
man” (Surkova) 1270
“(The) Metamorphosis of The Bachae from Ancient
Rite to TV Opera” (Rygg) 663
“Métaphysique du cinéma” (Agel) 1274
“Metoden Ingmar Bergman” (Sima) 1099
Mindscreen: Bergman, Godard and First-Person Film
(Kawin) 1372
“Minnets spelplatser. Ingmar Bergman och det
självbiografiska vittnet” (Koskinen) 1628 (group
item, p. 1016)
“Misantropen i Malmö får färgglada färger”
(AGE) 526
“Miti contemporanei: Fellini e Bergman” (Busco)
1012 (group item), 1121
Mitt personregister. Urval 98 (Sjöman) 668
“Modernism and Mimetic Crisis: Four Films of
Ingmar Bergman” (Mayo) 1554
“Modes of Reflexive Film” (Fredericksen) 1340
“(Le) monde du silence” (Baldelli) 1107
“Monique ou le désir” See “Sommaren med Mon-
ika” 219
“More Films about Filmmakers” (Welsh) 1301
Motbilder. Svensk socialistisk filmkritik (Andersson/
Bjärlind/Eriksson) 1317
“(The) Motion Picture Industry in Sweden” (Lawr-
ence) 966
“(The) Movie-Makers” (Houston) 996 (group
item)
“(The) Murderer Motif in Bergman’s Filmmaking
from The Devil’s Wanton to Life of the Marionettes
(Kinder) 252 (longer stud)
“Mozart, Hoffmann and Ingmar Bergman”
(Gantz) 988 (group item, Hoffmann), 1359
“Mr. Bergman Relaxes” (The Times) 532
“Musica, suoni e silenzio neil film di Bergman”
(Comuzio) 1111
“Musiken spelar störst roll i Ingmar Bergmans fil-
mer” (Nyström) 1688
“(The) Mystique of Ingmar Bergman” (Black-
wood) 996 (group item), 1056
Måndagar med Bergman (Steene) 1611
“Människokrossarteatern” (Hjelm) 625
 Title Index
“Napoleon of Film” (Sunday Times) 1025
Nedstigningar i modern film – hos Bergman, Wenders,
Adlon, Tarkovski (Bergom-Larsson//Hammar/
Kristensson) 1519
“Nell’ ultimo Bergman. La scoperta del sociale
rompe l’egemonia della ‘Persona’” (Gualtiero)
1308
“Nobel symposium at Dramaten” 622
“Nobody has any Fun any more in Bergman’s Films”
(Carduner) 1197
…noch einmal Bergman (Lange-Fuchs/Linz) 1499
“Notes on the Films of Ingmar Bergman”/”Notas
sobre los films de Ingmar Bergman” (Jarvie)
1023
Nuevo film (Montevideo) 1181
“Nu står England på knä för Bergman – men”
(Anthal) 555
“Når farven gi’r mening” (Wellendorf) 1538
Nära bilder (Fant) 1033 (group item, Widerberg),
1616
“Närbild och narrativ (dis)kontinuitet: nedslag i
Bergmans närbilder” (Koskinen) 1591
“Närgången kamera” (Hejll) 1549
O planeta Bergman (Armando) 1455
“Obraz i stowo. O scenasriuszach Bergmana” (Ben-
edyktowicz) 1246
“Om dygd och kvinnor” (Heyman) 1003
“Om Ingmar Bergman. Filmkronikken” (Dessau,
radio program) 1043
“On a Trolley to the Cinema: Ingmar Bergman and
the first Swedish production of A Streetcar Named
Desire” (Kolin) 643
“Opus 17 & 18” (Hinnemo) 1189
“(The) One Bergman Show” (Björkman) 1625
(group item)
“(The) Other Bergman” (Alpert) 1011 (group
item), 1016
“Outplånliga intryck” (Lundström) 1639
“Pain and Forgiveness: Structural Transformations
in Wild Strawberries and Autumn Sonata (Sim-
mons) 1403
“Pamjat’ o smyste” (Arkus) 1601
“(La) parola e il silenzio” (Savio) 1119
“(La) part des femmes” (Amile) 975 (group item)
(The) Passion of Ingmar Bergman (Gado) 1432
“Peer Gregaard porträtterer Ingmar Bergman”
(Dam) 572
“Pengar, filmuppslag och konstnärssamvete, skälen
Ingmar Bergman lämnar Dramaten” (SvD) 537
(group item, p. 782)
“Perceiving Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence through I
Ching”, MA thesis (Lee) 1592
“Persona and the Seduction of Performance”
(Vineberg) 1660
1100
“Persona and the 1960s Art Cinema” (Dixon) 1660
“Persona: Facing the Mirror Together” (Burdick)
1497
“Persona: The Person and the Mask” (Jarvie) 1445
“Persona Stirs Old Passions” (Koehler) 1675
“Persönlich Notizen eines Freundes” (Schein) 1273
(group item)
“(Le) petit monde d’Ingmar Bergman” (Guez)
1061
“(The) Phaedra-Hippolytus Myth in Ingmar Berg-
man’s Smiles of a Summer Night” (Baron) 223
(longer art)
(The) Phantom of the Cinema: Character in Modern
Film (Michaels) 1641
“Photographing the Films of Ingmar Bergman”
(Nykvist) 1069
“(La) poetica irrazionalistica di Ingmar Bergman”
(Plebe) 1095
“(Le) plus grand anneau de la spirale” (Hoveyda)
989 (group item, Proust)
“Poems of Square Pegs” (Gilliat) 1156
“Politics of Ingmar Bergman” (Quart) 1330
“(The) Politics of Interpretation: The Case of Berg-
man’s Persona” (Kelly) 1590
“(The) Popular Show in Film: Bergman and Fellini”
(Ritter) 1489
“Pornographie statt Gewalt” (Mölter, report of
Bergman press conference) 1166
“Porträtt, Ingmar Bergman” (Stempel/Ripkens)
1081
Positif 77, 249, 253, 906, 1329, 1426, 1644, 1683
(The) Precarious Vogue of Ingmar Bergman”
(Baldwin) 727, 1039
“Privatskriget” (Holm) 1287
“Przeczycie religijne w kinie” (Sobolewski) 997
(group item)
“(Il) primo Bergman: fatiosa nascita di uno stile”
(Laura) 1012 (group item), 1114
“(The) Problem of Evil in Ingmar Bergman’s The
Seventh Seal” (Sonnenschein) 997 (group item),
1379
“Produktionshandbuch zu Ingmar Bergmans ‘von
Angesicht zu Angesicht” (Anderson) 1275
“Prästsonen Ingmar Bergman” (Forslund) 992,
997 (group item)
Psicoanalysis y creacion artistica (Svetlitza) 1575
“Puritanen och Kasperteatern” (Wåhlstedt) 31, 517
“Putting on a Show” (Elsaesser) 1565
“På glid mot freudska drömmar” (Idestam-Alm-
qvist) 955
“På Fårö har Bergman byggt Sveriges modernaste
filmstudio” (Vinberg) 817
“Quand mes yeux verront-ils la lumière?” (Tobin)
1474
 Title Index
“Quatro film all’ ochiello: hanno la firma del
maestro” (Rossi) 1402
“(The) Rack of Life” (Archer) 989 (group item,
Proust), 1011 (group item)
“Rakel och biografvaktmästaren” (Linde) 509
“Rebel with a Cause” (Dymling) 1044
“Red Membranes, Red Banners” (Gay) 1033
“(Les) références cinéphiliques chez Woody Allen:
construire une œuvre sur la base de l’intertex-
tualité” (Fortin), 1604
“(The) Reflexive Dream” (Kawin) 1464
“Reflusso del problematicismo nell’ultima Bergman”
(Oldrini) 1182
“Regi: Ingmar Bergman. Dagbok från teatern (Sjög-
ren) 554
“Regissör med djävulskomplex” (Forsberg) 979
“Rejecting Christ: Bergman’s Counter Gospel”
(Liggera) 997 (group item)
“Religione e personalita nell’ opera di Ingmar
Bergman “ (Verdone) 1012 (group item)
“Religious Dialectic in Bergman” (Suttor) 997
(group item)
“(The ) Religious Dimension in the Cinema: with
Particular Reference to the Films of Carl Theodor
Dreyer, Ingmar Bergman and Robert Bresson”,
diss. (Holloway) 997 (group item)
“Religious Dimensions in Four Ingmar Bergman
Screenplays: The Seventh Seal, Through a Glass
Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence”, diss. (Ben-
frey) 997 (group item)
“Rénaissance du cinéma suèdois: Ingmar Bergman”
(Béranger/Gauteur) 982 (group item), 1001
“Retour de Bergman: au cinéclub et au stage de
Bouloris” (Nave/Welsh) 982 (group item), 1386
“(Le) rêve d’Ingmar” (Béranger) 982 (group item)
Revista de cinema 974 (group item)
Ridån går alltid ner (Rydeberg, memoirs) 561
Riksdagens ombudsmän. Affären Bergman 1272
(group item, p. 952)
“(The) Role of Language in Ingmar Bergman’s
Shakespeare Productions” (Martin) 631
“(The) Role of Woman in the Films of Ingmar
Bergman”, B.A. thesis (Harrell) 975 (group item)
“Rollen und Räume. Anfragen as das Christentum
in den Filmen Ingmar Bergman” (Schneider)
997 (group item)
“Ruda eller Gamba (Marmstedt) 962
“Rytir, smrt a Dabel” (Oliva) 1470
Röster i Radio-TV 78, 104
“Sacred Cows: Depression over Sweden” (Powell)
996 (group item)
“Salvation without God” (Blake) 997 (group item)
“Sannhetselsker og løgner” (Gammelgaard) 1452
(group item, p. 984)
1101
Sanningslekar (Josephson, memoirs) 232 (com),
1498
“Scandinavian Presence in the Cinema” (Sarris)
1387
“Scandinavian Screen” (Schickel) 1011 (group
item), 1139
“Scener ur ett liv” (Melin) 1290
“Scenes from a Life” (Horowitz) 1462
“Scenes from a Marriage: Divorce Swedish Style”
(play prod.) 469
“Scenes from Ingmar Bergman’s Life: Imitation of
his Art” (Vinocur) 1332
Scenografi och kostym: Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss,
diss. (Olofgörs) 648
Scenväxling. Teaterkritik 1951-1960 (Wahlund) 535
Schein, Schein (Schein) 1366
“Schlafwandler am wachen Tagen” (Steinfeldt)
1625 (group item, p. 1015)
“(The ) Screen as Split Subject: Persona’s Legacy”
(Orr) 1642
“Screening August Strindberg’s A Dreamplay:
Meaning and Style” (Törnqvist) 989 (group
item, Strindberg)
(The) Screenplay as Literature (Winston) 226 (ar-
ticles)
“(The) Screenplays of Ingmar Bergman: Personifi-
cation and Olefactory Detail” (Ingemansson)
1409
Se Bergman (Zern) 1560
“(The) Seduction of Alexander. Behind the post-
modern Door: Ingmar Bergman and Baudrillard’s
De la séduction (Hayes) 1618
“Seeing Films Politically” (Zavarzadeh) 1515
“Self-Exploration and Survival in Persona and The
Ritual; the Way In” (Houston/Kinder) 1361
“(Le ) septième sceau: une analyse.” (Douchet) 225
(longer stud)
(Le) septieme sceau, Ingmar Bergman (Grand-
george) 225 (longer stud)
(The) Seventh Seal (Bragg) 225 (longer stud) 1544
“Sex pjäser på två månader” (-ll) 685
“Sexual Themes in the Films of Ingmar Bergman”
(Blake) 1196
“(Lo) sfondo culturale della critica su Ingmar
Bergman” (Oldrini) 1012 (group item), 1050
Sight and Sound 1689
“(The) Silence: An Analysis of the Concepts of God
and Man in the Films of Ingmar Bergman”, diss.
(Awalt) 997 (group item)
“(The) Silence: Disruption and Disavowal in the
Movement beyond Gender” (Blackwell) 1603
(The) Silence of God: Creative Response to the Films of
Ingmar Bergman (Gibson) 997 (group item)
“(The) Sin of the Fathers: Bergman , Ronconi and
Ibsen’s The Wild Duck” (Bredsdorff) 620
“Sista skriket. Ingmar Bergman och Gustaf af
Klercker och filmens villkor” (Andersson) 1563
 Title Index
“Själens blixtsnabba skiftningar” (Malmberg) 1687
“(The) Sjöberg-Bergman Connection: Hets”
(Steene) 202 (rec; longer art.), 1625 (group item)
“Ska vi begrava den svenska filmen?” (Sundgren)
816
“Skandaler passar bara kronprinsen” (Ekström)
519 (group item)
Smultronstället och dödens ekipage (Wirmark) 1653
“Smultronstället och homo viator-motivet” (An-
dersson) 1452 (group item, p. 984)
(La) Solitudine di Ingmar Bergman (Oldrini) 1012
“Sommarlek med Ingmar Bergman” (Fischer) 965
“Somrarna med Monika. Bergman som buskis på
bystan” (Stevenson) 1011 (group item), 1596
“Sonning Prize” (group item) 1477
“(La) sospensione del tempo” (Mango) 1437
“(La) source: Déclain de Bergman” (Domarchi)
982 (group item)
“Sourires d’une nuit d’été (Lefèvre) 223 (longer
stud)
“Spegelskrift. Nedslag i några tidiga Bergman-fil-
mer” (Koskinen) 1485
“Spektaklet kring Ingmar Bergman” (Fagerström)
551 (group item)
Spel och speglingar. En studie i Ingmar Bergmans fil-
miska estetik, diss. (Koskinen) 1552
“(The) Spring Defiled: Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin
Spring and Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left
(Brashincky) 1631
“Spårvagn med många namn” (anon) 516
Stage and Screen: Studies in Scandinavian Drama and
Film (Gavel Adams/Leiren) 1671
“Strange Vision of Ingmar Bergman” (Ross) 1051
“Strindberg, Bergman and the Silent Character”
(Törnqvist) 989 (group item, Strindberg), 1665
Strindberg, Ibsen & Bergman. Essays offered to Egil
Törnqvist (Perridon, ed) 989 (group item,
Strindberg), 1643
“Strindberg, Ingmar Bergman and the Visual Sym-
bol” (Steene) 989 (group item, Strindberg)
Strindberg och Bergman (Törnqvist) 989 (group
item, Strindberg),
Strindberg, Sjöberg and Bergman: The Artist and
Cultural Identity (Steene/Törnqvist, eds.) 1625
(group item)
“Strindberg w teatrze Bergmana” (Uggla) 582, 989
(group item, Strindberg)
“Strindbergman: The Problem of Filming Autobio-
graphy in Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander”
(Haverty), 989 (group item, Strindberg)
Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata (Törnqvist) 673
“Strindberg’s Influence on Bergman’s ‘Det sjunde
inseglet’, ‘Smultronstället’ and ‘Persona’ (diss.),
(Johns Blackwell) 989 (group item, Strindberg)
“Strindbergs kött brände sig in i mitt kött”
(Steene) 989 (group item, Strindberg)
1102
“Strövtåg bland Bergmans smultronställen” (Koski-
nen) 1466
“Studentteatern” (Grevenius) 513
Studi cinematigrafico e televisivi 1171
“Stumfilmen enligt Bergman” (Florin) 1628 (group
item, p. 1016)
“(Le) style baroque de ‘La nuit des forains’” (Sic-
lier) 982 (group item)
“Style is the Director” (Alpert) 97
“(The ) Success of Ingmar Bergman” (Dienstfrey)
“Suffering into Ideology: Bergman’s Såsom i en
spegel (Through a Glass Darkly)” (French) 231
(spec. stud)
“Summer with Bergman” (Moonman) 1024
“(The) Surface of Reality: Screen as Mirror in Per-
sona” (Eberwein) 1407
“Suspended Projections: Religious Roles and Adap-
table Myths in John Hawkes’ Novels, Francis Ba-
con’s Paintings, and Ingmar Bergman’s Films”
(diss.), (Calhoun) 997 (group item), 1351
“Svartsjuka. William Shakespeares och Ingmar
Bergmas vintersagor” (Loman) 989, 1613 (group
items, Shakespeare; Wirmark)
“Sven Nykvist” (Strick, prod.) 1241
Svensk filmografi 218, 221, 222, 223, 226, 233, 235,
236, 238, 241, 244, 1314
“Svenska filmfotografer” (Chaplin) 1242
“Swede Dreams” (Charity) 1584
“Sweden’s All-Demanding Genius” (Fleisher) 1060
“Sweden’s Genius. The Bergman Affair” (Schwab)
1272 (group item, p. 951)
“Sweden’s Poet of Stage and Stagecraft” (James)
1580 (group item)
“(The) Swedish Dreams of Ingmar Bergman” (Aat-
land) 1581
“Swedish Films” (de la Roche) 971
“Swedish Rhapsody” 1011 (group item)
“Sylvia Plath’s Poetics and the Cinematography of
Ingmar Bergman, Jean Cocteau and Carl Dreyer”,
diss. (Fraser) 989 (group item, Plath), 1617
“Symbolika tlukacego sie szekla w filmach Ingmar a
Bergmana” (Czapliński) 1564
“Symposium on Published Scripts: Bergman and
Anderson” (Welsh) 1209
“Synd att de inte bär svenska dräkten” (Florén)
1284
“Személyközi kudarcok – alarcban” (Féija) 1339
“Szorongas, feleten az en orokreszem” (Czako)
1632
“Så jobbar Ingmar” (Olsson) 1065
“Så segrade Bergman” (Andersson) 1262
“Sånt händer inte här – synpunkter på en film av
Ingmar Bergman” (Stiernevall) 214 (rec)
Såsom i en översättning (Laretei) 1692
 Title Index
Teater i Göteborg 1910-1975 (Umeå Studies in the
Humanities, # 20) 581
“Teater och film” (Lundkvist) 497
Teaterchefen. Bakom masker (Löfgren) 659
Teaterkvällar (Beyer) 520
“Teatern som metafor och tilltal i olika verk av
Ingmar Bergman” (Koskinen) 1613 (Wirmark)
Teatersemiologi (Wingaard) 571
“Technologies of Reproduction” (Fraser) 1656
Télé-Ciné 210 (rec)
Temas de cine 1034 (group item)
“(Le) temps d’un voyage” (Dupas) 1144
Thalia 25 – ett kvartssekel med Malmö Stadsteater
(Gustafson, ed.) 557
“That Lady in Bergman” (Raphaelson) 579
“(The) Terrible Encounter with a God: The Bachae
as Rite and Liturgical Drama in Ingmar Berg-
man’s Staging” (Iversen) 663
“Theater, Film, Life” (Graham) 1257
(Der) Theaterregisseur Ingmar Bergman daargestellt
an seiner Inszenierung von Strindbergs Traumspiel,
diss. (Müller) 989 (group item, Strindberg)
Théâtres au cinéma (Bax) 1517
“(The) Theme of Anxiety in Selected Works of
Henrik Ibsen, Edward Munch and Ingmar Berg-
man”, MA thesis (Heath) 632, 1506
Thèmes d’inspiration d’Ingmar Bergman (Burne-
vich) 997 (group item)
“Theological Analysis of Religious Experience in the
Films of Ingmar Bergman”, diss. (Robins) 997
(group item)
“’This is my Hand’. Hand Gestures in the Films of
Ingmar Bergman” (Törnqvist) 1671
Thousand Eyes Magazine 1271
“Three Literary Sources for Through a Glass Darkly”
(Holden) 231 (spec. studies), 988 (group item,
Chechov), 1252
“Through a Dark, Glassily” (Degnan) 1085
“Through a Glass Darkly: Figurative Language in
Ingmar Bergman’s Script” (Ohlin) 1469
“Through a Life Darkly” (Allen) 1454
“Through the Looking-Glass Darkly: The Serpent’s
Egg” (Librach) 249 (longer stud), 1363
Tijdschrift voor Skandinavistiek 202
Time 1011 (group item), 1054
“25-årig regissör märkesman i Stockholm” (Hoog-
land) 496
“To Bergman, Light, too, is a Character” (Eder)
1280
“To Duty Doubly Bound: A Study of Melancholy in
Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Persona’, Toni Morrison’s
‘Beloved’, Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘The Sacrifice’ and
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘The Idiot’, diss.
(McGhee) 988 (group item, Morrison), 1659
“Tombeaux de Mozart” (Carcassone) 1334
“Torment of Insight: Youth and Innocence in the
Films of Ingmar Bergman” (Kaminsky)’ 1253
1103
“Tormented Lion of the North” (Observer) 1428
“Torna il profeta dei nostri dolori” (Canova) 1579
“Torsten Bohlin – konturer av en teologs identitet-
sutveckling” (Bohlin) 1520
“Toutes les palmes en une seule, Ingmar Bergman”
(Buob) 1614 (group item)
“Towering Genius of Ingmar Bergman” (Wood)
1243
“Traditionen i svenskt filmfoto” (Werner) 1540
(group item, p. 999)
“Transcending Bounderies: Bergman’s Magic Flute”
(Törnqvist) 247, 326, 663
Transposing Drama: Studies in Representation
(Törnqvist) 636
Tre dagar med Bergman (Assayas/Björkman) 28, 33,
42, 47, 88, 95, 99
Tre dagböcker (Bergman/von Rosen) 1693
“Tre i skuggan av ett monument” (Ek/Holm/Os-
ten) 662
“Trei voci spiritualiste del cinema contemporano:
Bresson, Dreyer, Bergman” (Laura) 1012 (group
item), 1126
“Trois cinéastes de la femme” (Breaucourt, Serceau,
Domarchi) 975 (group item), 1247
“(Les) Trois métamorphoses d’Ingmar Bergman”
(Béranger) 982 (group item), 991
“Trollflöjten, Drutten och tjocka släkten” (Entré)
574
“Trollkarl eller fältherre” (Mr. Mix) 985
“Trollkarlens lärling” (n.a.) 927
“Trollmannen i svensk teater” (Arntzen) 637
“ (The) Troubled Pilgrimage of Ingmar Bergman”
(Harcourt) 1233
Trådrullen (Olin) 1377
“Tuntematen Bergman” (von Bagh/Bono) 1602
“Tvålopera à la Bergman” (Koskinen) 215, 1452
(group item), 1521
“Tvånget att göra upp” (Behrendt) 1456
“Ty riket är ditt” (Svanberg) 1534
“Tystnaden och Hermesstaven” (Almkvist) 988
(group item, Dante)
“Tystnaden som tema” (Holloway) 1422
U 98. Mitt personregister (Sjöman) 15
“Ubessey” (satire) 1183
“Ukuelige Bergman. Ingmar Bergman og natio-
nalscenen” (Strømberg/DR) 627
“Un estate d’ amore.” (Comuzio) 216 (longer art)
“(The) Unbelieving Priest: Unamono’s Saint Em-
manuel, the Good Martyr and Bergman’s Win-
ter Light” (Lacy), 989 (group item, Unamono)
“Under luppen. Bergman och kritiken” (Ljungkvist/
Westman) 1452 (group item, p. 984)
“Undermining the Gaze: Voyeurism in Ingmar
Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night” (Brown)
223 (longer stud)
 Title Index
“Une découverte d’Ingmar Bergman” (Björkman)
1539 (group item, p. 999)
“Une épure tragique” (Roulet) 1313
“Ung man vid teatern” (anon) 510
“(L’) univers d’Ingmar Bergman” (Leirens) 1063
“(L’) univers d’Ingmar Bergman” (Ayfre) 1106
“(El) universo de Ingmar Bergman” (Ayfre) 1038
“Ur en drömmares perspektiv. Strindbergs subjek-
tivism i Bergmans tolkning” (Hockenjos) 663,
989 (group item, Strindberg), 1628
“Ur martionetternas liv: Ingmar Bergman, Sverige
och jag” (Wood) 1674
“Urpremiere på Ingmar Bergmans teaterdrama
‘Hets’ i Oslo 1948” (Anker) 1141
“Urspårad Bergmandebatt” (press report) 1033
(group item)
“(L’) uscita di Nora dalla casa bergmaniana” (Len-
ti) 629
“Vad skall man tro? Religiösa motiv hos Ingmar
Bergman” (Söderbergh-Widding) 997 (group
item), 1628 (group item, p. 1016)
“Varför är Ingmar Bergmans filmer så dåliga”
(Kindblom) 1680
Variety 206 (rec), 207 (rec)
“Vart tog livet vägen? Ingmar Bergmans svarta,
storslagna farväl” (Bergom-Larsson) 1684
“Ved speilet bortenfor speilflaten: Et essay om spel-
motivene i Smultonstället og Speil” (With) 1624
“Vem tillhör världen” (Olofson/du Reis) 1328
“Versuch einer kritischen Filmanalyse unter beson-
dere Berücksichtigung von Weiblichkeits-ideolo-
gie – aufgezeigt an Film-Beispielen von Ingmar
Bergman”, Diss. (Foelz & Mondry) 975 (group
item)
Victor Sjöström (Forslund) 1358
“Victor Sjöström och Ingmar – mötet mellan två
stora i svensk film” (Idestam-Almqvist), 1005
“Vid fiktionens gräns. Ingmar Bergman och den
höjda taktpinnens estetik” (Koskinen) 1452
(group item, p. 984)
“Vid spegeln: Lacan/Bergman” [At the mirror: La-
can/Bergman] (Koskinen) 1446
“(The) Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal: A Gir-
ardian Reading” (Mishler) 1608
“(Les) visages de la Passion dans l’univers de Berg-
man” (Renaud) 997 (group item)
“Vision of Good and Evil” (Schilliachi) 997 (group
item)
1104
Visionen i svensk film (Widerberg) 148, 1033 (group
item)
“Visions of Film and Faith” (NBC TV, Champlin)
997 (group item)
“Viskningar og rop. Film og samfunn” (Foss) 1232
“Vita dukens magi: Ingmar Bergman och de nya
medierna” (Steene) 1502
“Voir ou ne pas voir” (Rohmer) 982 (group item),
1028
“Vom Erforscher der weiblichen Psyche” (Baron)
1580 (group item)
“Vådan av att vara för stor” (Nilsson) 1447
“Vägen till Hamlet” (SR) 618
“Väl börjat, hälften vunnet. Tankar kring prologen i
Smultronstället” (Rhodin) 1628 (group item)
“Vänporträtt av en ung man” (Grevenius) 954
“Väsentligt och oväsentligt” (Löthwall) 1216
Vördnad för ljuset. Om film och människor (Ny-
kvist) 1621
“Waiting for Bergman” (Hayden) 1124
“Whatever Happened to Ingmar Bergman?” (Ken-
nedy) 1637
“When an Artist Feels Anxiety” (Morris) 1312
Wild Strawberries (French)
1585
“Winter Songs” (Lahr) 989 (group item, Shake-
speare)
“(Die) Wohnung des Herrn verlassen” (Koebner)
997 (group item), 1634
“Women: Oppression and Transgression. Persona
Revisited” (Wood) 975 (group item), 1185, 1654
“Woody Allen. A Bergman Concoction” (Hamzai)
1587
“Wordless Secrets: The Cinema of Ingmar Bergman”
(Murray-Brown) 1570
Working with Ingmar Bergman (BFI booklet) 1476
Zielekanker Symboliek in de Filmkunst van Ingmar
Bergman (de Visscher) 1300
Zwierciadto Bergmana (Szczepański) 1663
“Zwischen Theater und Film” (Morisett) 1077
“Århundradets största filmskapare” [ (Hedman)
1588
Ögats glädje (Timm) 1576
 Name index
The Name Index is divided into the following two sections:

Section one comprises the following names:

1. All major contributors to Ingmar Bergman’s film, media and theatre productions, such as
producers, actors, scenographers, cinematographers and other crew members, as well as
composers, translators, and sponsors.
2. Directors who have filmed or staged Bergman’s scripts or plays.
3. Authors whose work Bergman has brought to the screen and writers whose plays he has
directed in the theatre, the opera or the media.
4. Persons who have paid homage to Bergman.
5. Creative artists acknowledged by Bergman in writing or in interviews.
6. Persons who have appeared in connection with important cultural and/or political in-
cidents in Bergman’s life.

Section two is reserved for people who have written on Ingmar Bergman and his works. The
list includes authors of books, dissertations, articles and newspaper reports, as well as
interviewers, reviewers and editors of Bergman anthologies or special journal issues. A
relatively small number of names in the index appear in both sections.

1105
 Name Index

I. Names Related to Bergman’s Life and Work

The professional or personal identity of a listed name is indicated in parenthesis after the
name. The following abbreviations are used in Section I:

prod. producer
dir. film or stage director
script scriptwriter
adapt. adaptation of manuscript
transl. translator
(crew) name refers to the first part of the Credits list in filmography, media or
theatre entries.
(cast) name to be found in the Cast list in the filmography, media or theatre
entries

To facilitate locating a reference in the longer Guide entries, the following type of informa-
tion may be listed in a parenthesis after an entry number :

(com) name to be found in the entry’s Commentary section following Credits

listing.
(rec) name to be found in the entry’s Reception section.
(rev) name to be found in the Review listing
(longer stud.) name to be found under Longer articles/studies headline
(intro) name to be found in the introductory part of a chapter
(survey) name to be found in Chapters I (Life and Work) or III (The Film-
maker)
(city name) info to be found under the name of city visited in a guest performance
(Theatre Chapter VI).
(name of person) info to be found under that name in the entry.

Aaloe, A. (transl) 170
Aaröe, Amy (crew) 206
ABC Pictures (prod) 244, 248
Abell, Kjeld (playwright) 2, 359,
361 (com), 1288
Aberlé, Viola (crew) 253
Abrahamsson, Vivian (crew)
330
Abramson, Hans (crew) 222
Achter, Franz (crew) 252
Ackland, Joss (crew) 323
Adelby, Hanna (crew) 203
Adelby, Otto (crew) 203, 207
Adelly, Georg (cast) 215, 221, 223
Adler, Gun (cast) 378
Adolphson, Edvin (cast) 408,
519 (debate)
Adolphson, Inga (film archi-
vist) 474
Adolphson, Kristina (cast) 227,
230, 232, 248, 253, 258, 435, 438,
441 (p 611), 447, 449, 467, 473,
477, 479
Adler, Gun (cast) 366
Afinogenova, A. (transl) 191
Afzelius-Wärnlöf, Birgit (crew)
399
Ahlbom, Martin (crew) 313,
392, 395, 419, 421, 427, 434, 488
Ahlin, Harry (cast) 208, 219,
396, 397, 402, 405
Ahlin, Lars (author) 688 (Jolo)
Ahlsell, Herman (cast) 396, 397,
398, 401, 405, 407
Ahlsell, Puck (cast) 256
Ahlstedt, Börje (cast) 253, 256,
257, 322, 341, 343, 444, 449, 465,
467, 473, 477, 486, 637
Ahlström, Hanne (cast) 472
Ahlström, Sven (cast) 417
Akselson, Ulla (cast) 317
Alandh, Lissie (cast) 220, 234
Albee, Edward (playwright) 110,
437, 442
Albertini, L. (transl) 150, 159,
165, 168, 170, 177, 185, 188, 191
Albiin, Emmy (cast) 216
Aleros, Siv (cast) 225
Alexandersson, Rolf (cast) 364
Alfredson, Hans (cast) 239, 256,
258, 309
Allard, Gunilla (crew) 253

1106

Alleghieri, Dante 537 (Hedda
Gabler debate)
Allen, Woody (filmmaker) 185,
225 (com), 466 (sponsor, NY),
1452, 1454, 1505, 1565, 1574, 1575,
1587, 1604, 1667
Allwin, Pernilla (cast) 253
Alm, Carl-Olof (cast) 202
Almgren, Kristian (cast) 253
Almqvist, Carl Jonas Love
(author) 477
Altman, Robert (filmmaker)
1642 (Orr)
Amble, Lars (cast) 239, 446, 467
Aminoff, Marianne (cast) 248,
250, 253, 431, 439
Anastasia (cast) 369
Andelius, Anders (cast) 203,
219, 273
Andelius, Margit (cast) 278, 380
Anderberg, Bengt (playwright,
debate ) 225 (rec), 295, 397
Anderberg, Bertil (cast) 204,
225, 238, 396, 401
Andersen, Bjarne (dir) 298
Andersen, Hans Christian
(author) 7, 15, 295, 369, 385,
463 (rec). See also Chapter I, p.
30; Chapter II, p. 60
Andersson, Bibi (cast, book, art,
int, report) 215, 223 - 228,
230, 232, 235, 236, 241, 244 (re-
port), 246, 294, 298, 313, 315,
325, 425, 429, 430-434, 437, 438,
444, 454, 465 (see also), 468
(debate), 470, 473, 476, 477,
602, 622, 630, 637, 646, 768,
798, 912, 923, 1395, 1548, 1580,
1679. See also Chapter I, pp.
39-40
Andersson, Börje [aka Anders
Börje] (cast) 360
Andersson, Carl (cast) 211
Andersson, Eddy (cast) 214
Andersson, Evald (crew) 225,
231, 233, 235, 236, 238, 239
Andersson, Gerd (cast) 216, 218,
253
Andersson, Gert-Ove (crew)
423, 433
Andersson, Gun (cast) 322
Andersson, Gustaf (cast) 435
Andersson, Harriet (cast) 95,
129, 208, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223,
224, 231, 235, 245, 253, 284, 334,
417, 418, 419, 422, 426, 449, 450,
Name Index
451, 1548. See also Chapter I,
pp. 39-40, 42
Andersson, Inga-Lill (cast) 475,
480
Andersson, Jan (crew) 253
Andersson, Kerstin (cast) 256
Andersson, Lars (cast) 478, 479,
480
Andersson, Lars-Olof (cast) 233
Andersson, Marianne (cast)
420
Andersson, Mona (cast) 253,
439
Andersson, Morgan (cast) 439
Andersson, Nils (crew) 430
Andersson, Olof (prod) Chap-
ter III, p. 137
Andersson, Peter (cast) 465
Andersson, Therese (cast) 473
Andersson, Wiktor “Kulörten”
(cast) 203, 214, 218, 219, 408
Andersson-Palme, Laila (cast)
492
André, Birgitta (cast) 378
Andreassen, Ellen (cast) 492
Andreasson, Rune (cast) 207,
208, 408
Andreasson, Ulla (cast) 207
Angberg, Mait (crew) 467
Angela, Rita (cast) 304
Angeloupolos, Theodoros (film-
maker) 1500 (Murphy)
Anneminne, Ingalill (cast) 423
Anouilh, Jean (playwright) 222
(com), 270, 279, 402, 404, 409
Anthof, Gerd (cast) 458, 460,
461, 462
Anttila, Ann-Marie (crew) 256,
330
Antonioni, Michelangelo (film-
maker) 1012 (group #, Pri-
gione), 1138
Appellöf, Olga (cast) 291, 406
Aragon, Louis (poet) 1609
(Saunier)
Arbin, Märta (cast) 202, 218,
224, 270, 273, 275, 276, 281, 282,
409
Arbus, Allan (cast) 324
Ardenstam, Sten (cast) 225
Arnia, Sara (cast) 256
Arman, Birgitta (cast) 371, 372
Arndt, Jürgen (cast) 458
Arneberg, Urda (cast) 445
Aronsson, Maj-Britt (crew) 376
Arosenius, Per-Axel (cast) 322
Arpe, Ninni (cast) 222
1107
Arpe, Verner (cast) 211
Arrhenius, Erik (cast) 211
Aruhn, Britt-Marie (cast) 247
Arvedson, Ragnar (cast) 230,
318, 441 (661), 443, 447, 450
Arvidson, Jerker (cast) 247
Arvidsson, Gun (cast) 279, 322,
415
Askelöf, Jan (crew) 330, 336, 337
Asklund, Harry (cast) 225
Askner, Åke (cast) 289, 420,
429, 430, 433, 434
Aslanowicz, A. (transl) 82, 164
Asp, Anna (crew) 248, 250, 253,
254, 256, 332, 335
Asplund, Eva (cast) 355
Asplund, Folke (cast) 341
Attenborough, Richard (prod)
1452
Atzorn, Robert (cast) 252, 458,
460, 461
Auden, W.H. (author) 489
August, Bille (filmmaker) 191,
256, 335. See also Chapter II, p.
59
August, Pernilla (aka Wallgren/
Östergren) (cast) 253, 256,
258, 335, 340, 341, 467, 468, 472,
477, 486, 487
Aukin, Liane (cast) 323
Aurell, Tage (author/transl) 418
Austin, Paul Britten (transl) 90,
123, 124, 135
Avedon, Richard (fest sponsor)
466 (New York)
Axberg, Eddie (cast, crew) 233
Axelson, Maude (cast) 318
Axelson, Sten-Åke (crew) 420
Axelsson, Einar (cast) 318, 441
(611), 447
Axelsson, Marianne (crew) 220
Axelsson, Staffan (cast) 212
Bach, Johann Sebastian (compo-
ser) 226, 231, 234, 235, 236,
238, 239, 241, 244, 250, 257, 340,
343, 476, 1606. See also Chapter
III; p. 151
Backelin, Gösta (cast) 247
Backlin, Ingrid (cast) 406
Baillod, Jules (playwright) 389
Balzac, Honoré de (author) 719
(Thiessen)
Baneiu, B. (transl) 185
Bang, Elisabeth (cast) 298
Bang, Oluf (playwright) 230

Bang-Hansen, Arne (cast) 250,
445
Barba, Eugenio (dir) 466 (Bel-
grade)
Baron, Stefan (crew) 256
Barringer, Lars (cast) 401, 402,
407
Barrault, Jean Louis (invita-
tion) 552
Barth, Isolde (cast) 249
Barthel, Sven (crew) 428
Barthelson, Monica (TV crew)
318
Bartok, Bela (composer) 485
Basedow, Mathilde (crew) 252
Bassett, William H (cast) 324
Baude, Anna-Lisa (cast) 203,
267, 397, 401, 404
Baudrillard, Jean (sociologist)
1618 (Hayes)
Bauer, Falk (crew) 482
Baumann, Herbert (crew) 456
von Baumgarten, Alexander
(cast) 214
Bayler, Terence (cast) 323
Beckett, Samuel (playwright)
432 (Paris), 447 (rec), 989
(group #)
Beckmark-Pedersen, Torben
(crew) 257
van Beethoven, Ludwig (compo-
ser) 212, 235, 473 (com), 485
(com), 853
Beil, Peter (crew) 252
Belafonte, Henry (singer, ac-
tor) 1011 (Time)
Bell, Daniel (music/crew) 253,
441, 446, 453, 454, 465, 467, 470,
472
Bellman, Carl Mikael (music)
244
Bengtson, Josua (cast) 287
Bengtsson, Erling Blöndal (cel-
list) 231
Bengtsson, Jan (music) 480
Bengtsson, Mikael (cast) 256
Benktsson, Benkt-Åke (cast)
204, 222, 225, 289, 293, 407, 417,
419, 427, 428
Bennech, Gisela (cast) 420
Bennent, Anne (cast) 464
Bennent, Heintz (cast) 249, 252,
462, 464
Benrath, Martin (cast) 252, 459
Bentzen, Dagmar (cast) 279, 415
Name Index
Bentzonich, Axel (playwright)
2, 345
Berg, Catherine (cast) 225, 322
Berg, Kerstin (crew) 236
Berg, Sigvard (cast) 420
Bergendahl, Pia (cast) 256
Bergenholtz, Marie (cast) 473
Berger, Toni (cast) 249, 252
Bergfelt, Margareta (cast) 317,
403, 414
Berggren, Inga (cast) 218, 420,
421
Berggren, Olof (cast) 368
Berggren, Thommy (cast) 257,
437, 446, 470
Bergius, Ingeborg (cast) 211
Berglid, Magnus (crew) 341
Bergling, Birger (crew) 489
Berglund, Björn (cast) 273, 276
Berglund, Erik ”Bullen” (cast)
316
Berglund-Müllern, Margit
(cast) 367
Berglund, Per (cast) 239
Bergman, Anna (cast/crew) 253,
485, 486
Bergman, Dag (diplomat, broth-
er) Chapter I, p. 27, 34
Bergman, Daniel (filmmaker/
cast, son) 192, 247, 257. See
also Chapter II, p. 59
Bergman, Ellen (see Lundström,
Ellen)
Bergman, Erik (pastor, father)
Chapter I, pp. 26-27
Bergman, Eva (crew, daughter)
254, 332. See also Chapter I, p.
37
Bergman, Gun Grut (aka Gun
Hagberg; script idea, wife)
218 (com), 427. See also
Chapter I, pp. 38-39
Bergman, Hjalmar (play-
wright) 229 (rec), 250 (com),
287, 294, 313, 380, 988 (group #,
p. 895), 388 (com), 432, 719,
989. See also Chapter II, p. 54
Bergman, Ingrid (cast) 2, 250,
432, 1616. See also Chapter III,
p. 156
Bergman, Ingrid (aka Ingrid von
Rosen); (cast, prod, wife)
245, 247, 252 (prod), 807. See
also Chapter I, p. 47
Bergman, Jan (crew, son) 470.
See also p. 37
1108
Bergman, Karin (mother, née
Åkerblom) 146, 181, 194, 361
(see also), 363 (see also), 1520,
1526 (Linton-Malmfors),
Chapter I, pp. 26-27, 30
Bergman, Karl-Arne (crew)
226, 228, 230, 231, 233, 234, 235,
236, 239, 240, 241
Bergman, Lena (cast, daugh-
ter) 226. See also p. 37
Bergman, Lena T. (cast) 244,
246
Bergman, Margareta (author,
sister) 1349
Bergman, Mats (cast, son) 253,
474, 476, 478. See also p. 37
Bergman, Stina (SF manuscript
dept) 387 (com), 438 (com).
See also Chapter I, p. 36
Bergmark, Suzanne (crew) 337
Bergqvist, Gunwor (cast) 214
Bergqvist, Lennart (military ad-
viser) 239
Bergson, Henri (philosopher)
1624 (With)
Bergström, Ann Louise (cast)
253
Bergström, Jonas (cast) 449,
454
Bergström, Lasse (book ed, art,
interv, memoir) 188, 223 (re-
cept), 249 (recept), 253 (re-
cept), 470 (see also), 921, 959,
1504, 1629
Bergström, Margareta (cast)
222
Bergström, Olof (cast) 317, 322
Bergström, Rolf (cast) 206, 356,
357
Bergström, Sune (playwright)
30, 388
Berkel, Christian (cast) 249
Bernanos, George (author)
1609 (Saunier)
Bernardes, P. (transl) 150, 168,
170
Bernby, Julie (cast) 220, 221,
318, 363, 408, 410
Berndl, Christa (cast) 464
Bernström, Rune (cast) 355,
360, 362, 363, 366, 369, 371
Berthel, Kerstin (cast) 373
Beskow, Elsa (author) 375
(com), p. 30
Bibergan, V. (music) 481
Bibin, Michael (transl) 90

Billeskov Jensen, Janus (crew)
256
Billgren, Jean (crew) 468, 478
Billquist, Carl (cast) 235, 253,
318, 446, 449, 467, 534
Billsten, Britta (cast) 203, 204,
208, 393
Bjelvenstam, Björn (cast) 218,
223, 224, 226, 278, 418, 426, 427,
429, 430
Bjurström, C.G. (transl) 82, 122,
124, 150, 159, 165, 168, 170, 177,
185, 188, 191, 192, 195
Bjälkeskog, Lars (prod) 256
Bjärne, Frithiof (cast) 228
Björck, Johan (cast) 479
Björk, Anita (cast) 205, 218, 256,
258, 265, 267, 310, 311, 340, 335,
341, 342, 443, 471, 480, 483
Björk, Anna (cast) 341, 473, 477
Björk, Halvar (cast) 250, 257
Björk, Kjell (crew) 337
Björklund, Gertrud (crew) 316
Björkman, Per (cast) 414, 420,
429, 430, 432
Björlin, Mercedes (crew) 468
Björlin, Ulf (crew) 439
Björling, Harald (cast) 214
Björling, John W. (cast) 204,
206, 208, 210, 220
Björling, Renée (cast) 219, 221,
222, 287, 438, 439, 440
Björling, Sven (crew, cast) 209,
210, 222
Björne, Hugo (cast) 202, 224,
278, 411
Bjørnhaug, Ståle (cast) 445
Bjørnson, Bjørnstierne (play-
wright) 377
Björnstad, Lillemor (cast) 439
Björnstrand, Gunnar (cast) 202,
204, 207, 218, 220, 221, 222, 223,
225, 226, 228, 230, 231, 232, 233,
235, 239, 240, 248, 250, 253, 281,
283, 285, 287, 292, 293, 296, 299,
370, 423, 424, 454 (com), 990,
1087, 1263
Bladh, Hilding (cinematogra-
pher) 82, 204, 220, 222
Blair, Alan (transl) 150, 159, 161,
165, 166, 168, 170, 177, 186
Blakiston, Caroline (cast) 323
Blanck, Henning (cast) 221
Blanck, Inger (crew) 318
Blank, Egon (TV crew) 316
Blixt, Gunnel (cast) 315
Blom, Anita (cast) 210
Name Index
Blomberg, Jan (cast) 235, 477
Blomberg, Peter (cast) 466
Blomdahl, Karl-Birger (compo-
ser/crew) 220
Blomgren, Bengt (cast) 208, 226
Blomkvist, Magnus (cast) 247
Blomqvist, Gunnel (crew) 330
Blomqvist, Lennart (crew,
cast) 209, 240
Blomstedt, Herbert (conduc-
tor) 343
Blum, Carin (crew) 337
Bodén, Bertil (TV adapt) 314
Bodin, Astrid (cast) 212, 219
Bodin, Martin (cinematogra-
pher) 202, 213, 221, 224
Bogærts, Jan (transl) 177
Bohlin, Allan (cast) 203
Bohne, Richard (cast) 249
Bojar, Louise (cast) 413
Boland, Bridget (playwright)
292
Bolander, Hugo (crew, cast) 211,
214
Bolme, Tomas (cast) 256
Boman, Birgit (cast) 368
Bondevik, Kjell (politician) 320
(com)
von Bonin, Thabita (transl) 98,
119, 150
Bonnevie, Maria (cast) 309, 310,
311, 479
Bonniers Publishers 22, 56, 90.
See also Chapter II, p. 53, 62
Borges, Jorge (author) 989
(group #)
Borgström, Hilda (cast) 202,
207, 209
Borong, Tor (crew, cast) 212,
214, 219, 221, 225, 228, 229, 233
Borchsenius, Hanne (cast) 452
Borthen, Ingrid (cast) 206, 318,
396, 397, 399, 407
Bosch, Hieronymous (painter)
Chapter II, p. 63
Bosse, Harriet (actress/Strind-
berg’s wife) 360 (com), 485
(com)
Boström, Gunnel (cast) 263
Boström, Ingrid (cast) 467, 479
Boström, Kerstin (cast) 371, 377,
413
Botwid, John (cast) 215, 216
Boulevardteatern 381, 406
Bousé, Ivan (cast) 214
Braathen, Oscar (playwright)
37, 204
1109
Bradfield, Keith (transl) 147
Bragazzi, the Brothers (cast)
210
Brahms, Johannes (composer)
Chapter III, p. 151
Bramberg, Kicki (cast) 467,
470, 473, 479, 480, 492
Brandes, Georg (critic) 187, 401
(com), 1477
Brandt, Nils (cast) 253
Brattberg, Louise (TV crew)
339
Brecht, Bertolt (playwright) 71,
269, 347, 408, 470 (com), 537.
See also Chapter I, p. 39
Bredevik, Gunnar (crew) 322
Brenner, David (prod) 1711
Brensén, Birgitta (TV crew) 334
Bresson, André (filmmaker)
996, 997, 1012 (Laura)
Brett, Jeremy (cast) 448
Breuer, Jacques (cast) 456
Bridges, Alan (dir) 142, 323
Briese, Naemi (cast) 206, 219,
220
British Broadcasting Corp (BBC,
product) 323
Britten, Benjamin (composer)
253
Brod, Max (playwright) 418
Brodin, Helena (cast) 257, 318,
322, 438, 439, 453, 471, 480
Brofeldt, Helga (cast) 214
Brogren, Lena (cast) 218, 256
Brook, Peter (dir) 446 (rec),
468 (Florence rec), 472 (Ma-
drid)
Brosset, Yvonne (cast) 221
Brost, Gudrun (cast) 220, 225,
229, 238, 295, 426, 430
Broström, Gunnel (cast) 226,
280, 316, 439, 442
Brown, Royal S. (transl) 87
Bruce, Lenny (humorist) 449
(com)
Brueghel, Pieter (painter) 465
(Amsterdam recept)
Bruckner, Anton (composer)
343
Bruggen, Franz (musician) 250
Brundahl, Anita (crew) 449
Brunell, Olle (cast) 351, 355
Brunius, Britta (cast) 207, 210,
211, 241
Brunius, Pauline (head, Drama-
ten) 369 (com)

Brunman, Ernst (cast) 212, 216,
219
Brunnander, Thérèse (cast) 259,
477
Brunnell, Erna (cast) 249
Bruno, Blenda (cast) 369
Brunskog, Bengt (cast) 219
Bryer, Paul (cast) 324
Brynolfsson, Reine (cast) 477
Brænd, Paula (cast) 249, 459
Brøgger, Valdemar (author,
pseud Peter Valentin) 214
Buchegger, Christine (cast) 252,
456, 457, 459, 461, 463, 464
Bucht, Inga (cast) 392
Buich, K. (transl) 185
Bunch, Svend (cast) 230
Bundgaard, Poul (cast) 304
Buñuel, Luis (filmmaker) 825
(Kalmar), 997, 1460 (Graef)
Bunyan, Paul (author) 239 (rec/
Seguin))
Buono, Victor (cast) 324
Burian, Paul (cast) 249
Burke, P.E. (transl) 87, 108
Burnett, Elsa (cast) 382, 390
Burrell, Richard (cast) 323
Busse, Hildegard (cast) 249
Büchner, Georg (playwright)
446, 550
Bürkner, Robert (adapt) 375
Bürks, Paul (cast) 249
Bylsmå, Anne (musician) 250
Byron, Lord (author) Chapter
I, p. 44
Byström, Margareta (cast) 244,
322, 441 (611), 446, 465, 471
Bäck, Sven Erik (music) 318
Bäckström, Stefan (crew) 244
Børresen, Geir (cast) 445
Børseth, Aagot (cast) 445
Børseth, Henrik (cast) 298
Böcklin, Arnold (painter) 485
(com)
Börtz, Daniel (composer) 337,
480, 486, 492, 641, 942, 1697.
See also Chapter I, p. 49
Caesar, Julia (cast) 203, 204, 216
Cagarp, Carl-Henry (crew) 225,
228, 229
Cain, Shirley (cast) 323
Caldwell, Erskine (author) 414
(rec)
Callenbo, Bernt (cast) 322, 388
Callenbo, Eva (cast) 466
Name Index
Calmeyer, Joachim (cast) 298,
445
Camus, Albert (playwright)
396, 432, 989, 1567, 1609
Canetti, Elias (author) 482
Carlberg, Lars-Ove (prod,
crew) 220, 222, 230, 231, 233,
234, 235, 236, 238, 239, 240, 241,
244, 245, 246, 247 (cast 248, 253
(cast), 321, 325, 329
Carlberg, Ragnar (crew) 203
Carlin, John (cast) 323
Carlman, Thure (cast) 429, 430
Carlquist, Margit (cast) 212,
223, 411
Carlsson-Arrhed, Lena (cast)
257
Carlsson, Arne (docu filmmaker,
crew) 245, 246, 321, 329, 333
Carlsson, Lilian (cast) 239
Carlsson, Sickan (cast) 232
Carlsten, Rolf (crew) 221
Carné Marcel (filmmaker) 204
(rec), 943 (Aghed), 1012
(Chiaretti). See also Chapter
III, p. 147
Carnman, Carla (cast) 367
Carradine, David (cast) 249
Carson, John (cast) 323
Carter, Daniel (cast) 476
Castegren, Victor (dir) 485
(com)
Cederborgh, Artur (cast) 271
Cederlund, Gösta (cast) 202,
204, 214, 232
Cederström, Carin (cast) 203,
260, 261, 368, 382, 383, 385, 387,
388, 390, 391, 394
Cederström, (Ella) Lena (cast)
414, 419
Cernciu, Z. (transl) 185
Cernçık, Z. (transl) 150, 170,
178, 192
Cerny, Alfred (cast) 460
Chabrol, Claude (filmmaker)
1642
Chaplin, Charlie (actor) 320
(com), 1120, 1335, 1616
Chave, Kotti (cast) 443
Chekhov, Anton (playwright)
435, 457, 586, 865, 989, 1252,
1255
Cherrell, Gwen (cast) 323
Chesterton, Gilbert Keith
(playwwright) 398, 989
1110
Chopin, Frédéric (composer)
223, 245, 250, 1606
Christenson, Irma (cast) 210,
217, 256, 257, 322, 334, 439
Cima, C.G. (transl) 191, 192
Cinematograph (prod co) 191,
240, 241, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248,
253, 254, 321, 325, 326, 329, 332,
333. See also Chapter I, p. 47
Ciulli, Roberto (dir) 456
(Grack/guest perform)
Claesson, Signe (cast) 363, 364
Claesson, Åke (cast) 207, 209,
275, 276
Claudel, Paul (playwright) 583
Cloffe (see Johnsson-Cloffe,
Carl)
Cocteau, Jean (playwright, film-
maker) 288, 989, 1610, 1617
Cohn, Sean Agency (sponsor)
466 (New York)
Cold, Ulrik (cast) 247
Coleman, Noel (cast) 323
Coleridge, Samuel (poet) 239
(rec/Seguin)
Colliander, Erland (cast) 370,
377
Collin, Gunnar (cast) 435
Corman, Roger (prod, distri-
but) 245. See also Chapter I,
p. 47
Craig, Gordon (stage designer)
486 (com)
Cramér, Carl (cast) 372
Craven, Wes (filmmaker) 1631
(Brashinsky)
Crona, Görel (cast) 473
Crosbie, Annette (cast) 323
Cruseman, Jan (radio prod) 312
Csencsits, Franz J. (cast) 482
Cukor, George (filmmaker) 975
(Braucourt)
Culp, Robert (cast) 324
Curman, Maria (TV prod) 340
Dahl, Arne (cast) 420
Dahl, Solveig (cast) 400, 401
Dahlbeck, Eva (cast) 95, 209,
218, 221, 222, 223, 224, 227, 235,
271, 273, 282, 283, 296, 435, 1013,
1452. See also Chapter I, p. 38-
39; Chapter III, p. 143
Dahlberg, Ingrid (TV, Dramaten
head) 256, 602
Dahlgren, F.A. (author) 273
Dahlgren, Nils (cast) 208

Dahlin, Hans (cast) 209
Dahlman, Gregor (cast) 214
Dahlman, Lars (crew) 322
Dahlqvist, Åke (cinematogra-
pher) 205, 209, 217, 318
Dahlsten, Dennis (cast) 453,
465, 467, 468
Dahlström, Gus (cast) 203, 253
Dali, Salvador (painter) 1575
(Svetlitza)
Dalunde, Bengt (cast) 202, 371,
379
Dalunde, Nancy (cast) 373, 374
Dan-Bergman, Mona (cast) 418
Daniel, Jennifer (cast) 323
Daniels, William (cast) 324
Danielson, Gertrud (cast) 413
Danielsson, Edward (cast) 202,
204, 362
Danmarks Radio (DR, prod)
297, 304, 340, 343
Darling, Jane (cast) 247
da Silva, Agostino (poet) 1488
Davies, Terence (filmmaker)
1689
Degen, Michael (cast) 456, 461,
462
Degerberg, Alfhild (cast) 415,
419, 423, 430
Degerberg, John (cast) 430
Dellow, Carl Magnus (cast) 257,
342, 473, 475, 480, 483, 486, 492
Demianova, Margita (crew) 481
Dignam, Mark (cast) 323
Djerf, Gunnar (musician) 253
Djerf, Sture (cast) 344, 347, 349,
351, 355, 356, 357, 360, 363, 364,
371, 377, 378
Dobrowen, Isai (opera dir) 489
(com)
Dohm, Gaby (cast) 249, 252,
457, 458, 459, 460, 461
Dolata, Jan (cast) 447
Dolgashev, Vjaheslav (crew) 481
Doll, Birgit (cast) 462
Donner, Jörn (SFI head, exec
prod, filmmaker, bk, art, in-
terv) 185, 229 (recept), 233,
249 (com), 253, 254, 332, 836,
907, 989, 1071, 1229, 1314, 1452,
1625, 1695, 1706. See also
Chapter I, p. 47
Dorff, Märta (cast) 213, 318
Dorrow, Dorothy (cast) 328
Dorso, Kim (cast) 324
Name Index
Dostoyevski, Fjodor (author)
211 (rec), 719 (Thiessen), 989,
1567, 1659
Dramaten (Royal Dramatic
Theatre) 339, 411, 435, 437-
444, 446, 447, 449-451, 453, 454
(455), 465-487. See also Chap-
ter I, p. 30, 45, 49, and Intro,
Chapter VI
Dramatists Studio (Dramatiker-
studion) 378-380. See also
Intro, Chapter VI
Drott, Cecilia, aka Drott-Norlén
(crew) 235, 239, 240, 241, 244,
245, 246, 247, 248, 250, 259, 337,
341, 343
Douglas, Donald (cast) 323
Dreyer, Carl (filmmaker) 320
(com), 960, 989 (Plath), 997,
1012, 1138, 422, 1464, 1617
Dufvenius, Julia (cast) 343
Dupont, Titti (cast) 420, 423
Duvivier, Julien (filmmaker)
943 (Aghed), 1012 (Chiaretti)
Düberg, Axel (cast) 222, 228,
229, 230, 235, 253, 314, 316, 429,
430, 431, 433, 434, 441, 443, 446,
447, 451
Dyfverman, Henrik (radio prod/
disc) 225 (rec), 396 (see also)
Dymling, Carl Anders (prod,
art) 202, 364 (rec), 711, 1044,
1062, 1616 (Fant). See also
Chapter I, p. 36; Chapter III, p.
139
Dörfler, Walter (crew) 456, 457
Easton, Robert (cast) 324
Ebbersten, Rebecca (cast) 473
Ebbesen, Dagmar (cast) 219, 221
Ebbesen-Thornblad, Elsa
(cast) 233, 244, 318
Eckert-Lundin, Eskil (crew/or-
chestration) 211, 212, 214, 216,
218, 219, 221, 223, 228
Ede, Rune (music) 347, 349,
350, 363, 369, 372, 374, 379
Edgard, Curt, aka Kurt Östergren
(cast) 202, 261, 345, 347, 349,
350, 351, 355, 365, 366, 376, 378,
379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 386,
388, 390, 393
Edlund, Gunnel (cast) 417
Edqvist, Dagmar (author) 207
Edström, Karl-Henrik (music)
382, 383, 384, 385 (music/cast)
386, 387, 394
1111
(The) Eduardini (cast) 234
Edwall, Allan (cast) 230, 233,
235, 253, 318, 330, 432, 447, 449
Edwall, Malin (cast) 476
Edwall, Måns (cast) 466
Edwards, Gerd (TV prod) 330
Edwardsson, Erland (TV crew)
316
Egede, Henrik (transl) 187
Egge, Lars (cast) 273, 408
Ehrensvärd, Agneta (cast) 473
Ehrling, Monica (cast) 226
Ehrling, Sixten (conductor) 225
Ehrner, Magnus (cast) 309, 479
Ehrnwall, Pia (TV prod/project
leader) 334, 341, 342, 343
Ehrnvall, Torbjörn (TV prod
crew) 343, 679, 1700
Eichler, Hans (cast) 249
Eilbacher, Bobby (cast) 324
Eisenstein, Sergei (filmmaker)
207 (rec/Robin Hood)
Ek, Anders (cast) 46, 220, 225,
240, 245, 262, 270, 272, 275, 276,
277, 379, 380, 392, 396, 397, 398,
401, 405, 408, 409, 442, 443,
449, 450, 451, 692. See also
Chapter III, p. 143
Ek, Malin (cast) 241, 257, 446,
447, 453
Ek, Mats (crew) 446, 662
Ek, Olle (cast) 439, 443
Ek, Staffan (cast) 492
Ekberg, Gudrun (cast) 371, 372
Ekberg, Lotti (crew) 244
Ekberg, Monica (cast) 227
Ekblad, Stina (cast) 253, 259, 471
Ekbladh, Olof (cast) 221
Ekborg, Anders (cast) 473
Ekborg, Lars (cast) 219, 228, 271,
277, 280
Ekelund, Allan (crew, cast) 49,
206, 207, 212, 218, 219, 221, 223,
225, 226, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232,
233, 234, 235
Ekelund, Christer (cred) 253
Ekelöf, Gunnar (poet) 233
(rec), 628 (Sörenson interv)
Ekerot, Bengt (cast, dir) 225,
228, 278 (dir), 283, 286, 411
(recept), 425 (crew), 442, 470
(com)
Eklund, Bengt (cast) 207, 208,
211, 219, 239, 248, 443
Eklund, Ernst (cast) 203
Eklund, Jacob (cast) 473, 477

Eklund, Nils (cast) 289, 293,
330, 418, 422, 423, 428, 429, 485,
486
Ekman, Elin (cast) 472
Ekman, Fatima (cast) 449
Ekman, Gösta (cast, crew) 226,
228, 248, 431, 432-434 (com),
927
Ekman, Hasse (filmmaker, cast,
script) 210, 211, 220, 704, 927,
1583, 1640
Ekman, Härje (crew) 314, 428,
430, 432
Ekman, John/Johan (cast) 212,
396, 397
Ekmanner, Agneta (cast) 341,
471, 478, 652, 1613
Ekström, Gunnar (cast, de-
bate) 519
Ekström, Märta (cast) 288
Ekvall, Per-Olof (cast) 439, 441,
443
Elfsjö, Maud (cast) 227
Elfström, John (cast) 207, 213,
221, 291, 316, 318
Elfving, Carl-Axel (cast) 216,
219
Eljas, Mats (cast) 347
Ellert, Gundi (cast) 461, 462
Ellis, Hans (cast) 219
Ellung, Ingalill (cast) 256
Elmquist, Ulla (crew) 452
(com)
Elvegård, Charlie (cast) 322
Elwin, Lars (cast) 368
Emhardt, Robert (cast) 324
Endre, Lena (cast) 199, 256, 257,
259, 473, 475, 478, 486
Eng, Ebbe (musician) 253
Eng, Folke (musician) 253
Engfeldt, Åke (cast) 210, 266,
412, 413
Engholm, Lennart (crew) 239,
240, 241, 244
Engström, Klas (crew) 257
Engström, Lars (medical advi-
ser) 227
Engström, Ulla-Britt (cast) 421
Enqvist, Per Olov (author, art,
debate, rev) 238 (rec), 342,
446 (rev), 463, 465 (see also),
483, 602, 662, 671, 1658
Enwall, Signe (cast) 318, 439
Erichsen, Svend (press report)
452 (rec)
Ericks, Siv (cast) 222, 253
Name Index
Erickson, Robert L. (thesis)
1338
Ericksson, Arne (interv, art)
225, 729
Ericksson, Jacob (cast) 311
Ericson, Annalisa (cast) 216
Ericson, Eric (crew/music) 247
Ericson, Maria (cast) 473
Ericson, Rolf (cast) 218
Ericson, Stig Ossian (crew) 208
Ericson, Sture (actor) 203, 204,
208, 209, 260, 261, 266, 268,
289, 376, 379-387, 390, 391, 393
Ericsson, Buntel (scriptwriter,
pseud for Erland Josephson/
Ingmar Bergman) 116, 232
Ericsson, Gösta (cast) 210, 219
Ericsson, Ingegerd (crew) 208,
211, 212, 216
Ericsson, Martin (crew) 396,
401
Ericsson, Sture (cast) 364, 365,
371, 376, 382-387, 390, 391, 392,
394, 413
Eriksdotter, Kerstin (crew) 248,
249, 250, 253
Erikson, David (cast) 209, 223
Erikson, Elisabeth (cast) 247
Eriksson, Jesper (cast) 473
Eriksson, Stefan (crew) 343
Eriksson, Yvonne (cast) 209
Erixson, Sven/X-et (painter/
crew) 369
Erskine, Karin (crew) 247
Eskelinen, H. (transl) 188
Esphagen, Claes (cast) 364, 366
Essén, Ingemar (cast) 367
Euripides (dramatist) 190, 337,
492, 537, 1677. See also Chapter
I, p. 49
Evrén, Ulf (cast) 473
Ewerstein, Seivie (crew) 203
Faber, Erwin (cast) 460, 462,
469, 471
Fahlén, Sven (crew) 245
Fahlstedt, Sven (crew) 411
Falck, Ragnar (cast) 318, 408,
438, 439, 443
Falck, Åke (dir) 280
Falk, Lauritz (cast) 454
Falk, Per (crew) 415, 417, 420,
423, 429
Falk, Vibeke (cast) 258
Falkemo, Britt (crew) 235, 245,
247, 336
1112
Falkner, Stig (cast) 344, 347
Fant, Carl-Henrik ‘Kenne’ (SF
prod, cast, memoirs) 210,
244, 804, 1616
Fant, Kenneth (music) 480
Fant, Mikael (cast) 220
Faragó, Katherina ‘Katinka’
(crew) 222, 223, 225, 226, 228,
233, 234, 235, 239, 241, 244, 245,
247, 248, 250, 253, 257, 334, 1715
Fark, Sixten (cast) 247
Fassbinder, Rainer (film-
maker) 172, 975, 1413
Fastborg, Kjell (cast) 367
Faustman, Hampe (film-
maker) 1325 (Kosmorama)
Feilberg, A. (transl) 191, 192, 194
Feist, Emil (cast) 249
Fellini, Frederico (filmmaker)
749, 825 (Kalmar), 850, 1012,
1058, 1174, 1388, 1443, 1452 (ho-
mage), 1489, 1530
Ferm, Ulf (cast) 368
Ferrari, F. (transl) 185
Feuer, Donya (crew) 247, 328,
336, 337, 449, 454, 465, 471, 473,
476, 478, 479, 480, 486, 492
Finlay, Frank (cast) 323
Finnbogadottir, Vigdis (presi-
dent) 466 (Reykjavik)
Fischer, Arthur (cast) 219
Fischer, Essie (cast) 355
Fischer, Gunnar (cinematogra-
pher) 208, 211, 212, 214, 215,
216, 218, 219, 223, 225, 226, 228,
230, 232, 912, 965, 1711. See also
Chapter III, p. 149
Fischer, Jens (cast) 218
Fischer, Leck (playwright) 34,
41, 203
Fischer, Peter (cast) 218
Fisher, Else (co-author, crew,
wife) 6, 225, 363, 372, 376,
379. See also Chapter I, p. 37
Fjellström, Madeleine (cast)
446
Flachsmeire, Helma (crew) 252
Flaubert, Gustav (author) 1669
Flaws, Jessie (cast) 219, 222
Fleetwood, Amelie (cast) 492
Flemming, Charlotte (crew)
249, 252, 457, 458
Flens, Karl-Erik (cast) 203, 271,
379
Flinck, Thorsten (cast) 478, 480
(com)

Flodin, Stig (crew) 230, 231, 233,
234
Flodquist, Barbro (cast) 207,
209
Florea, E. (transl) 185
Flygare, Calle (cast) 211
Fogeby, Nils (cast) 239
Fogelström, Per Anders
(author) 69, 80, 213, 219
Folkparksteatern (summer
stock) 412
Follin, Bror (cast) 401, 404, 407
Folstad, Astrid (cast) 298
Fonzi, Bruno (transl) 110
Fournier, Vincent (transl) 199
Ford, John (filmmaker) 825
(Kalmar)
Formosa, Feliu (transl) 119
Forsberg, Arne (cast) 355
Forsberg, Tony (crew) 253, 257,
341
Forsberg-Lindgren, Åsa (musi-
cian) 343
Forsell, Lars-Åke (crew) 368
Forsén, Mona Theresia (crew)
257
Forslund, Erik (cast) 214
Forsmark, Curre (TV crew) 336
Forsmark, Jan-Erik (music) 360
Forsmark, Kerstin (crew) 247
Forssberg, Karl-Axel (cast) 220,
239, 364, 366, 369, 371- 375, 381-
386, 390, 393, 453
Forssell, Lars (author, rev) 239
(rec), 330 (tr), 449 (crew), 473
(crew), 788, 988
Forstenberg, Leif (cast) 229,
234, 256, 430, 431
Foss, Wenche (cast) 246
Fosse, Bob (filmmaker) 975,
1413
Foucault, Michel (social thin-
ker) 1609 (Saunier)
Fournier, Pierre (musician) 245
Frambäck, Christina (cast) 441
Fred, Gunnel (cast) 258, 341,
343, 473, 479, 480
Freedman, Lewis (exec prod, TV
interv) 324, 775
Freud, Sigmund (psychologist)
1012 (Chiaretti)
Freude, Harry (crew) 252
Freude-Schnaase (crew) 252
Friberg, Helene (cast) 247, 248,
328
Friberg, Mats (crew) 344
Name Index
Fridell, Åke (cast) 204, 206, 210,
219, 220, 223, 225, 226, 228, 260,
261, 279, 284, 285, 289, 290, 293,
315, 380, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386,
390, 391, 393, 394, 415, 417, 418,
419, 422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 429,
430, 431, 434. See also Chapter
I, p. 40
Fridh, Gertrud (cast) 206, 226,
228, 230, 235, 238, 270, 275, 279,
397, 398, 399, 402, 404, 408,
409, 417, 431, 440, 448 (com),
449, 451, 453
Friedmann, Jane (cast) 283, 307,
308, 310, 439, 440, 444
Friedmann, Sammy (cast) 398,
402, 404
Frier, Helga (cast) 304
Fries, Kerstin (cast) 368
Frisell, Gunnar (TV crew) 336
Frisk, Jon (cast) 347
Frithiof, Anders (cast) 289, 415,
419, 422
Frithiof, Berndt (crew) 240
Frithiof, Judith (cast) 417, 420,
430
Fritz, Nils (cast) 279
Frodon, J.M. (transl) 919 (As-
sayas-Björkman)
Fruttero, Carlo (playwright)
285
Frydman, Basia (cast) 476
Frykholm, Irene (crew) 473,
492
Frykstrand, Ulla (cast) 368
Fröbe, Gert (cast) 249
Fröding, Einar (dialect instr)
273
Fröler, Samuel (cast) 256, 258,
340
Fröling, Ewa (cast) 253, 309, 311,
312, 465
Funcke, Doris (cast) 235
Funkquist, Georg (cast) 205,
216, 230, 235, 280, 322
Furås, Ulla (crew) 229, 230
Fürst, Sigge (cast) 219, 221, 223,
239, 241, 443, 444, 446
Fyhring, Göte (cast) 408, 409,
410
Färber, Conrad Maria (transl)
101
Färingborg, Gustaf (cast) 219,
221, 428, 429, 430, 433
Gamble, Sven-Eric (cast) 208,
211, 213, 411, 415, 446
1113
Gandrup, Carl (playwright) 286
Ganyeva Vera (transl) 159, 168,
185
Garbers, Gerhard (cast) 456
Garbo, Greta (actress) 185, 1616
Garellick, Harriet (cast) 203,
396, 414
Gaston Hakim Productions 216
Gaumont (prod co) 253
Gavle, Hilding (cast) 213
Gay, Git (cast) 222
Geijer-Falkner, Mona (cast)
203, 207, 214, 218, 219, 278
af Geijerstam, Gustaf (author,
adapt) p. 30
Gelin, Patricia (cast) 253
Genetay, Claude (musician) 250
Gentzel, Lennart (crew) 256
Gentzel, Ludde/Ludvig (cast)
204, 222, 396, 399, 401
Gerhard, Karl (entertainer) 387
(rec)
Gerthel, Olav (cast) 434
Gester, Sten (cast) 202, 223
Gide, André (author) 1609
(Saunier)
Gielen, Michael (conductor)
489
Gierow, Karl Ragnar (rev, Dra-
maten head) 401(rec), 411
(com), 432, 433 (Paris). See
also Intro Dramaten, p. 600
Giesecke, Jutta (cast) 421
Giesing, Dieter (dir/crew) 482
Gill, Inga (cast) 222, 225, 227,
230, 245, 278, 364
Gillberg, Bengt (cast) 225
Gilman, Charlotte (author)
1252 (Holden)
Gimmler, Heinrich (transl) 165,
168, 191, 464
Girard, René (philosopher)
1608 (Mishler)
Gistedt, Elna (cast) 322
Gjersøe, Per (dir) 21
Gjörup, Malin (cast) 245
Glaser, Etienne (cast) 435
Glittenberg, Rolf (crew) 482
Gnaedig, Alain (transl) 194
Gneiser, Aja (cast) 402
Godard, Jean Luc (filmmaker,
art) 219 (rec), 239 (rec), 768,
982, 1002, 1372, 1452. See also
Chapter I, p. 44; Chapter II, p.
55

Goethe, Wolfgang von (play-
wright) 162, 239 (rec), 433.
See also Chapter I, p. 39
Gogh, Vincent van (painter)
473 (com)
Gogol, Nikolai (author) 293
Goldstein, Max (Mago) (crew)
118, 220, 223, 230, 231, 233, 235,
236, 238, 239, 240, 241, 244, 440,
445, 448, 459, 483, 1155, 1157,
1527
Gombrowicz, Witold (play-
wright) 460, 479
Goodman, Randolph (transl)
90
Gordeladz, Gita (cast) 408
Gotobed, Dennis (cast) 244
Gothenburg City Theatre (Göte-
borgs Stadsteater) 396-402,
404-405, 407. See also Chapter
I, p. 38-39, and Intro, Chapter
VI
Gould, Elliott (cast) 244
de Goya y Lucientes (painter)
211 (rec), 407 (com)
Graffman, Göran (cast) 235, 322
Granath, Björn (cast) 256, 259,
338, 339, 472-476
Granberg, Lars (cast) 225
Granditsky, Paul, [“Palle”Gran-
nér] (cast, dir) 202, 364, 366,
379, 380
Granlund, Majlis (cast) 253, 257
Grannér, Paul (see Granditsky,
Palle)
Gréco, Juliette (actress) 432
(Paris)
Grede, Kjell (filmmaker) See
Bergman as Producer, 1976
Grede, Patrick (crew) 257
Grefberg, Gabriel (pastor) 347
(rec)
Grefbo, Göte (cast) 209
Gregaard, Peer (dir) 572
Greid, Herman (cast) 208, 211
Grevenius, Herbert/Grv (script,
dramaturg). Also listed in
Section II 35, 37, 68, 70, 204,
211, 214, 216, 217, 263, 282, 287,
291, 468, 505. See also Chapter
I, p. 38
Grieg, Edvard (composer) 430
(com)
Grigolli, Olivia (cast) 462
Grimm Brothers (authors) 375,
1492 (Sitney)
Name Index
Grosser, Renate (cast) 249
Groth, Erna (cast) 215, 220
Grubner, Johanna (cast) 482
Grundén, Per (cast) 420, 453
Grut, Gun (see Gun Bergman)
Grünberger, Manne (cast) 318
Grönberg, Åke (cast) 205, 219,
220, 221
Gröndahl, Eva (cast) 256
Grönwall, Birgitta (cast) 316
Gullberg, Hjalmar (author) 4,
281
Gummesson, Lotta (cred) 330
Gustafsson, Berit (cast) 215,
284, 289, 414, 415, 418, 422, 423,
424, 426
Gustafson, Björn (cast) 256,
291, 330, 334, 425, 438, 441
Gustafson, Eric (cast) 220
Gustafsson, Gittan (cred/film ar-
chitect) 222, 226
Gustafsson, Gösta (cast) 219,
282, 287
Gustafsson, Pontus (cast) 479
Gustafsson, Richard (cast) 478,
479, 480
Gustavsson, Kjell (crew) 238,
256
Guth, Klaus (cast) 460, 462
Gutierrez, Eduardo (cast) 234
Guve, Bertil (cast) 253, 254
Günther, Ernst (cast) 256
Gyllenhammar, Conrad (cast)
220
Gyllenhammar, Marianne
(cast) 207
Gyllenspetz, Anne-Marie (cast)
227
Göranzon, Marie (cast) 256
Haag, Benny (cast) 339, 473,
478, 479
Hagberg, Gun (see Bergman,
Gun)
Hagberg, Gunilla (crew) 245
Hagberg, Gunlög (cast) 225
Hagegård, Håkan (singer/cast)
247
Hagerman, Helge (prod, cast)
211, 214, 216, 221, 291, 443, 444
Hagman, Emy (cast) 215
Hagman, Gerd (cast) 268, 467,
468, 475, 477, 479, 485
Hahne, Elis (cast) 347, 379
Hailhuber, Heino (crew) 456
Hald, Nils (cast) 298
1114
Hall, Berta (cast) 208, 400, 405,
407
Hall, Inga (cast) 344
Hallap, Prit (cast) 214
Hallberg, Nils (cast) 208
Hallberg, Yngve (techn dir) 316
Hallerstam, Staffan (cast) 244
Hallhuber, Erich (cast) 460,
461, 462
Hallhuber, Heino (crew/cast)
249, 460
Hallmarker, Evert (musician)
253
Hallqvist, Britt G. (transl) 180,
465, 468 (com), 478 (com),
486, 618
Halvarsson, Arne (video crew)
339
Halvorsen, Britt (transl) 87
Hammar, Fredrik (cast) 476,
478
Hammar, I.E. (transl) 185
Hammarbäck, Gösta (crew) 227
Hammarén, Torsten (dir, theatre
head) 390 (rec), 643. See also
Chapter I, p. 38 and Intro,
Chapter VI (The Gothenburg
Years)
Hammargren, Gun (cast) 225
Hammarsten, Gustaf (cast) 256
Hamrin, Folke (cast) 408
von Hanno, Eva (cast) 252
Hansegård, Lars (cast, report)
368
Hansen, Benny (cast) 452
Hansen, Holger Juel (cast) 452
Hansen, Sven (crew) 205, 208,
212, 213, 214, 218, 221
Hanser, Carl (transl) 170
Hanson, Lars (actor) 401
(com), 470 (com); see also
Chapter I, p. 41 and Intro,
Dramaten in Chapter VI
Hansson, Carl-Erik (crew) 430
Hansson, Gunnel (cast) 371,
372, 373, 374
Hansson, Lena (crew) 250
Hansson, Lena T (cast) 256
Hansson, Maud (cast) 225, 226,
314, 430, 432
Hansson, Sven (MO-gården
dir) 347, 360, 800, 970. See
also Chapter I, p. 36
Hanus-Haim, Henri (cast) 476
Hanzon, Thomas (cast) 258,
259, 340, 473, 478

Happel, Maria (cast) 482
Harald, Carl J (cast) 204
Harryson, John (cast) 209, 219,
413, 447, 449
Harrysson, Erika (cast) 472
Harte, Nina (cast) 247, 328
Hartmann, Carin (illustrator)
465 (Amsterdam)
Hartmann, Georg (cast) 249
Hartung, Angelika (cast) 460
Hasselblad, Arne (cast) 433, 434
Hasslo, Hugo (cast) 253
Hasso, Signe (cast) 214
Hauge, Alfred (author) 320
(com)
Hausvater, Alexander (fest org)
466 (Québec)
Havrevold, Gøril (cast) 445
Hawkes, John (author) 997
(group #, Calhoun)
Hawks, Howard (filmmaker)
982 (Benayoun), 1316 (Yakovar)
Hay, Lysandre de la (cast) 323
Hedberg, Leif (cast) 429, 430,
433
Hedberg, Olle (author) 30, 261,
315, 391, 952. See also Chapter
II, p. 61
Hedberg, Tor (crew) 422
Hedberg, Vanje (cast) 220
Hedeby (-Pawlo), Kerstin (crew,
cast) 222, 431, 433, 439, 452,
489, 526
Hedenberg, Brita (cast) 404
Hedenbratt, Sonya (cast) 253
Hedengrahn, Marianne (cast)
317
Hedenius, Ingemar (author)
1519
Hedenmo, Harriet (cast) 289,
426, 427, 428
Hedlund, Roland (cast) 256
Hedlund, Sten (cast) 218, 232,
281
Hedman, Sten Johan (cast) 479
Hedström, Gustaf (cast) 203
Heed, Eric (cred/cast) 416
Heerdegen, Edith (cast) 249
Heiberg, Else-Merete (cast) 211
Heiborg, Dagfinn (cast) 430
Hein, Gerd (cast) 429, 430, 433
Heine, Erland von (cast) 247
Heinikel, Rosemarie (cast) 249
Heinrichs, Maj Lis (crew) 316,
318
Helander, Sture (cast) 244
Name Index
Helin, Agda (cast) 212, 220, 238,
446
Hell, Krister (cast) 253
Hell, Erik (cast) 206, 208, 240,
241, 322, 446
Hellberg, Fritjof (cast) 214
Hellberg, Ulla (cast) 420
Hellerstedt, Birgitta (cast) 283,
417, 419, 424
Hellman, Lilian (playwright)
957 (group #)
Hendriksen, Arne (cast) 247
Henning, Eva (cast) 210, 211
Henning, Uno (cast) 263, 282,
292, 316, 318, 411, 435, 438
Hennix, Peter (crew) 247
Henriksen, Aage (transl) 90,
297
Henrikson, Anders (cast) 210,
222 (com), 271, 278
Henrikson, Mathias (cast) 449,
451, 465, 467
Henriksson, Krister (cast) 259,
477
Henry, Richard (TV crew) 323
Henziger, Berndt (cast) 427,
429, 430
Hermansen, Mogens (cast) 304
Herner, Börje (cast) 371, 372,
378
Herskó, Janós (cast) 247
Hesse, Estrid (cast) 211, 366,
378, 381
Hesse, Margret (cast) 363
Hilding, Olle (cast) 253, 280,
318, 330, 443, 447, 450
Hillberg, Linnea (cast) 205
Hillberg, Torsten (cast) 202, 273
Hindersson, Ingvar (cast) 368
Hines, Connie (cast) 324
Hiort af Ornäs, Barbro (cast)
213, 227, 235, 239, 241, 244, 274,
276, 277, 325, 344, 346, 347, 350,
351, 360, 365, 378, 453
Hiort af Ornäs, Gustaf (cast)
206
Hitchcock, Alfred (filmmaker)
210 (com), 211 (com), 1642
(Orr)
Hjalmarsson, Frank (cast) 367
Hjelm, Kaj (cast) 221
Hjelm, Keve (cast, debate art)
225 (rec), 256, 625
Hjern, Per (cast) 414, 420, 423
Hjort, Ingmari (cast) 233
Hjortzberg, Lenn (crew) 105,
228, 231, 233, 234, 235, 236, 238,
1115
420, 423, 428, 429-431, 434, 435,
437, 438 (com 439, 441, 444, 445
Hjulström, Lennart (cast) 256,
335, 342, 483
Hoberstorfe, Gerhard (cast)
480
Hodor, Derek (crew) 257
Hoel, Lena (cast) 492
Hoff-Jørgensen, Asta (transl)
168
Hoffman, Dustin (actor) 244
Hoffman, Paula (cast) 492
Hoffmann, E.T.A. (author) 238,
895, 989, 1491
von Hoffmansthal, Hugo
(author) 289, 681
Hoffsten, Ruth (cast) 413
Hofgren, Elsa (cast) 222
Hogarth, William (engraver)
489 (com), 663
Holm, John Alvar (cast) 417
Holm, Staffan Valdemar (dir)
662
Holm, Svea (cast) 212
Holmberg, Britta (cast) 210
Holmberg, Maja-Lena (cast)
473
Holmberg, Tage (crew) 204,
206
Holmgren, Gun (crew) 204
Holmgren-Haugen, Barbro
(crew) 253
Holmquist, John Göran (cast)
368
Holmqvist, Lasse (TV talk
show) 80
Holmsten, Karl-Arne (cast) 218,
264, 265
Holmström, Berit (cast) 212
Holmström, Gösta (cast) 214,
363
Holmström, Jesper (crew) 343
Holst-Widén, Svea (cast) 203,
205, 206, 207, 212, 223, 241, 253
Hoogland, Claes (radio play
adapt, art, int, rev) 59, 268,
294, 366 (com), 389 (com), 401,
434, 496, 525, 537, 707
Hopf, Heinz (cast) 253, 316, 449,
454
Horn, Brita von (book, play-
wright), Dramatikerstudion
382, 538
Hortlová, J.D. (transl) 150, 178
Horrox, Alex (prod) 912, 1703
Houston, Bill (cast) 208
Huber, Grischa (cast) 249

Hufnagel, Paulette (crew) 250
Huld, Palle (cast) 297, 304
Huldt, Sigvard (music) 329
Hultberg, Nils (cast) 202, 204
Hultgren, Nils (cast) 203, 219,
261, 271
Hultling, Arthur (cast) 407
Hunt, Ronald Lee (cast) 323
Husberg, Johan (crew) 253
Hübinette, Stefan (cast) 232
Hüttel, Paul (cast) 452
Hval, Ella (cast) 445
Hyland, Lennart (TV talk
show) 741
Hylander, Einar (cast) 204
Hyltén-Cavallius, Ragnar (opera
dir) 489 (com)
Hyttenberg (-Bartolotti ), Maud
(cast) 203, 212, 214, 222, 253,
261, 371, 372, 390, 391, 393, 394
Hådell, Mats (cast) 220
Håge, Douglas (cast) 204, 207,
216, 218, 278
Håkansson, Karin (cast) 376
Hård, Maria (crew) 256
Häggström, Carolina (crew)
257
Händel, G.F. (composer) 250
Hälsingborg City Theatre (Hel-
singborgs Stadsteater) 382-
391, 393, 394, 403. See also
Chapter I, p. 37-38, and Intro,
Chapter VI
Högberg, Helena (cast) 247
Högel, Axel (cast) 282, 316
Höglund, Holger (cast) 203
Höglund, Paul (cast) 415, 420
Höglund, Sture (crew) 220, 222
Höijer, Björn Erik (playwright)
30, 36, 260, 262, 272, 394, 400,
411, 690. See also Chapter I, p.
39
Ibsen, Henrik (playwright) 23,
51, 127, 195, 200, 250 (rec), 310,
312, 430, 440, 447, 450, 459, 461,
464, 472, 473, 487, 537 (debate),
569, 586, 599, 620, 626, 629,
632, 633, 635, 637, 638, 649, 677,
680, 682, 712, 825 (Kalmar), 887
(Marker), 909, 944, 957, 989,
1012 (Verdone), 1255, 1506. See
also Chapter I, p. 40, 49;
Chapter II, p. 63
Igell, Yvonne (cast) 235
Name Index
Ingebretsen, Kjell (conductor/
crew) 337, 492
Ingemarsson, Sylvia (crew) 250,
253, 254, 259, 329, 332, 333, 334,
336, 337, 341, 343
Intima Teatern 408-410. See
also Chapter I, p. 39
Ionesco, Eugène (playwright)
432 (Paris)
Isaksson, Ulla (script, rev, art)
127, 183, 227, 229, 334, 430 (rev),
432 (rev), 537, 1433
Isedal, Tor (cast) 225, 229, 315,
431, 433, 434
Ivarsson, Eva (crew) 253
Iversen, Gunilla (art) 480 (long
stud)
Iversen, Ragnveig (cast) 443
Jacobs, James (doc film) 249
(com), 1329
Jacobsen, Kjeld (cast) 297
Jacobsson, Ingemar (cast) 214
Jacobsson, Per H (cast) 203
Jacobsson, Sven Erik (cast) 247,
253
Jacobsson, Ulla (cast) 223, 407
Jakobsson, Olle (crew) 207,
209, 220, 222, 230, 236, 238, 239,
240, 241
Jaenzon, Julius (cinemaphoto-
grapher) Chapter III, p. 139
Jagger, Dean (cast) 324
Jahn, Torbjörn ‘Tompa’ (cast)
221
Jahnberg, Håkan (cast) 234,
399, 401, 405, 407
Jahr, Adolf (cast) 213
Janov, Arthur (psychologist)
248 (com), 327 (com), 577
Jansson, Gösta (cast) 373, 374
Jansson, Roland (cast) 480
Jansson, Sven-Erik (TV crew)
339
Janzon, Ulf (crew) 339
Jarnerup, Sven (crew) 343
Jartelius, Ann-Marie (TV
crew) 247
Jensen, Doris (cast) 460
Jensen, K.O. (transl) 194
Jensen, Lise Skafte (transl) 199
Jensen, Åke (cast) 215
Jerre, Stina (cast) 420
Jesserer, Gertraud (cast) 482
Joanson, Ove (radio admin) 621
Jobs, Liskulla (cast) 276
1116
Johanson, Stig (cast) 207
Johanson, Ulf (cast) 203, 204,
207, 215, 223, 225, 226, 235, 238,
239, 247, 248, 260, 261, 270, 273,
274, 275, 371, 376, 382-388, 390,
391, 393, 394, 395, 399, 400, 401,
404, 407, 408, 409, 410, 443,
446, 453, 454, 468
Johansson, Albert (cast) 204
Johansson, Arvid (crew) 322
Johansson, Bo (crew) 336
Johansson, Börje (crew) 343
Johansson, Dan (cast) 256
Johansson, Greta (crew) 228,
245, 428, 429, 430, 432
Johansson, Hans (cast) 247
Johansson, Jan (music arr) 244
Johansson, Johanna (cast) 475
Johansson, Karin (cast) 245
Johansson, Lars-Erik (cast) 466
Johansson, Tina (crew) 236, 238
Johansson, Torbjörn (crew) 337
John, Monika (cast) 461, 463
Johns, M. (see Blackwell)
Johns, P. (transl) 165
Johnson, Eyvind (crew) 396
Johnsson-Cloffe, Carl (crew)
318, 413
Jokimo, Laila (cast) 211
Jonasson, Vincent (cast) 221
Jones, Gemma (cast) 323
Jonsson, Folke (cast) 247
Jonsson, Lillemor (cast) 417
Jordahl, Anneli (report) 480
(see also)
Josephson, Erland (cast, author,
theatre head) 116, 125, 185,
201, 204, 209, 212, 227, 228, 235,
238, 241, 245, 246, 247 (cast),
248, 250, 253, 254, 259, 261, 307
(author), 309, 310, 311, 312, 322,
325, 332, 341, 343, 364-368, 370,
389, 390, 391, 393, 407, 438, 443,
444, 450, 454 (com), 468 (de-
bate), 472, 475, 476, 479, 480,
485, 551, 602, 603, 622, 630, 646,
662, 691, 912, 970, 1452, 1498,
1625, 1679. See also Chapter II,
p. 59
Josephson, Fanny (cast) 476
Josephson, Sven (crew) 206
Joyce, James (author) 1575
(Svetlitsa)
Juel, Inger (cast) 210
Juhlin, Holger (crew) 446
Juncker, Michael (crew) 252

Jung, Carl (psychiatrist) 1154,
1624
Jurskij, Sergej (cast) 481
Jurskaja, Daria (cast) 481
Järegård, Ernst Hugo (cast) 256,
415, 441, 447 (rec), 449, 450
Järnfalk, Åke (cast) 430
Järrel, Stig (cast) 202, 230, 232,
266, 274
Jönsson, Gun (cast) 227, 425
Jönsson, Nine-Christine (cast)
208, 279, 284, 401, 402, 404, 413,
417, 418, 424
Jörnfalk, Åke (cast) 239, 315
Kaasik, Haari (cast) 214
Kaetzler, Johannes (crew) 252,
459
Kafka, Franz (author) 418
Kagevska, I. (transl) 185
Kaiser, Sissi/Sigrid (cast) 227,
413, 439
Kalenberg, Harry (cast) 249
Kallifatides, Teodor (transl) 185,
244 (rec)
Kalling, Eskil (cast) 234
Kallman, Chester (libretto) 489
Kalmér, Åsa (crew) 475
Kant, Ove (crew) 223
Kanälv (-Lundgren), Siv
(crew) 240, 241, 244, 245, 247,
248, 321
Karajan, Herbert von (conduc-
tor) 185
Karamfilov, Stavri (stage dir)
250 (com)
Karlbeck, Marianne (cast) 241,
253, 439, 451, 467
Karlberg, Kenneth (crew) 256
Karlsson, Anne (cast) 209
Karlsson, Helge (cast) 208
Karlsson, Harry (cast) 210
Karlsson, Kent (tax auditor)
1272 (group item, Aftermath)
Karlsson, Rut (cast) 219
Karlsson, Sonja (cast) 247
Karlsson, Tommy (cast) 225
Karte, Kerstin (cast) 253
Karte, Tore (cast) 253, 413
Kasdan, Ruth (cast) 387, 406
Katlev, Harry (dir) 304
Katterfeld, Ina (cast) 421
Katuska, L. (transl) 90
Kavli, Karin (cast) 235, 401, 405,
407, 412, 413, 415, 437, 439, 449
Kawabata, Yasunaki (author)
471 (com)
Name Index
Kazuo, K. (transl) 150
Keaton, Buster (filmmaker)
1464 (Kawin)
Keidser, Willy (cast) 403
Kelpinski, Irmgaard (crew) 252
Kersten, Anne (cast) 456
Kesster, Magnus (cast) 204, 214,
219
Kierkegaard, Søren (author)
187, 482, 989, 1012 (Chiaretti/
Oldrini), 1477
Kieslowski, Krzysztof (filmmaker,
art) 234, 1567
Kihlberg, Ulla (crew) 207
Kindahl, Jan (crew) 337
Kindahl, Jullan (cast) 223, 226,
278, 285, 313, 392, 395, 414, 415,
418, 423, 429, 430
King, Martin Luther 323 (com)
Kinnaman, Melinda (cast) 257
Kirk, John (film restoration)
1675
Kjellberg, Lucie (crew) 205
Kjellgren, Irma (cast) 369
Kjellgren, Lars-Eric (filmmaker,
crew) 69, 203, 208, 213. See
also Chapter III, p. 140
Kjellin, Alf (cast, dir) 116, 202,
205, 214, 216, 217, 232, 379
Kjellman, Björn (cast) 256
Kjellqvist, Gunhild (cast) 222
Kjellson, Ingvar (cast) 239, 271,
309, 312, 316, 338, 411, 440, 443,
450, 454, 467, 474, 477, 479,
480, 486
Kjærulff-Schmidth, Palle (film-
maker) 749
Kjölaas, Hans (cast) 429
Klange, Ragnar (cast) 214
Klassén, Sture (cast) 368
Klercker, Georg af (filmmaker)
193, 926, 474. See also Chapter
III, p. 139
Klinga, Elin (cast) 475, 480, 483,
485
Klinga, Hans (cast) 476
Klosterborg, Gunilla (cast) 210
Knabl, Rudolf G. (crew) 460
Knight, Shirley (cast) 324
Knorring, Bengt von (cast) 421,
430
Knudsen, Kolbjörn (cast) 233,
399, 400, 401, 407
Koblanck, Willy (cast) 214
Koch, Erland von (composer)
203, 204, 206, 207, 208, 210, 262
Kódaly, Zoltan (music) 257
1117
Koivukari, Tapio (transl) 1681
Kollasch, Franz (cast) 460
Kollberg, Barbro (cast) 204,
256, 395
Kolstad, Henki (cast) 445
Kolthoff, Sonja (cast) 439
Kompus, Hannu (cast) 214
(Det) Kongelige (Royal Danish
Theatre) 452
Konidarëe, A. (transl) 191
Koppel, Tet (cast) 214
Koroly, Charles (crew) 471, 478,
486
Korpi, Jukka (cast) 473, 492
Kotanko, Katharina (cast) 482
Kovacs, Angela (cast) 487
Kramm, Ilse (cast) 445
Krantz, Gösta (cast) 443
Krantz, Lasse (cast, rev) 206,
232, 235
Krisch, Winfried (cast) 421
Kronberg, Annika (cast) 241
Krook, Ansgar (cast) 247
Krook, Ebba (cast) 385
Krook, Margaretha (cast) 227,
236, 256, 286, 318, 439, 450
Krópenin, Peter (TV crew) 248
Kruuse, Carl-Gustaf (crew) 415,
420, 421, 488
Krüger, Linda (cast) 253
Kullberg, Eivor (crew) 238, 239
Kulle, Gerthi (cast) 341, 453,
465, 473, 475, 485
Kulle, Jarl (cast) 218, 223, 224,
230, 235, 253, 278, 465, 470, 478.
See also Chapter I, p. 49
Kurosawa, Akira (filmmaker)
611, 996, 1452 (homage)
Kurt, Hans (cast) 297
Kusbom, Leif-Åke (cast) 218
Kushner, David (transl) 101, 110
Kuster, Anne-Marie (cast) 461
Kutschera, Franz (cast) 457,
458, 462
Kuus, Edmar (cast) 214
Kuus, Helena (cast) 214
Kuylenstjerna, Charlotte (cast)
449
Kyhle, Hans (cast) 247
Kyndel, Nils (musician) 253
Kyrö, K. (transl) 191, 192
Kåse, Daniel (music) 480
Kåse, Daniel (music)
480Källén, Bengt (tax audi-
tor) 1272 (group #, After-
math)
Källman, Olov (cast) 369, 371

Kärrby, Curt (cast) 222
Köstlinger, Josef (cast) 247
Lacan, Paul (psychologist) 1446,
1590, 1624
Lagergren, Åke (cast) 253, 256,
318, 467
Lagerkvist, Pär (playwright) 2,
229 (rec), 290, 351, 988. See also
Chapter II, p. 60-61, 62
Lagerlöf, Selma (author) 1, 483,
930, 989, 1284. See also Chapter
II, p. 54
Lagersen, Åke (cast) 441
Lagerwall, Lennart (cast) 363
Lagerwall, Sture (cast) 230, 314
Lagerwall, Ulf (musician) 253
Laks, Hans (cast) 214
Lalin, Lars (crew) 232
Lamm, Ellen (cast) 467
Lamm, Martin (professor) 5,
362 (com). See also p. 36
Lamos, Mark (dir) 468 (Lon-
don rec)
Landahl, Otto (cast) 260, 382,
383, 384, 386, 387, 388, 390, 393,
394
Landberg, Lorang (cast) 402
Landgré, Inga (cast) 203, 209,
213, 222, 225, 227, 256, 341
Landsberg, Rune (cast) 202
Landström, Eivor (cast) 318
Landström, Gunnar (crew) 340
Lange, Tom (crew) 330
Langenskiöld, Peder (crew)
248, 327
Langer, Susan (philosopher)
236 (rec)
Lannby, Karin (cast, liaison)
361, 369, 370, 372-375, 378. See
also p. 37
Lanowski, Z. (transl) 159, 165,
168, 175, 185
Lantto, P.O. (crew) 343
Laretei, Käbi (pianist, book, in-
terv, wife) 121, 230, 237, 245,
248, 250, 253, 309, 310, 311, 333,
341, 487, 537, 904, 1327, 1395,
1692. See also Chapter I, p.
42-43
Larke, Britta (cast) 420
L’Arronge, Andrea (cast) 249
Larson, Einar (cast) 247
Larson, Sven-Eric (TV crew)
316
Larsson, Aina (cast) 385
Name Index
Larsson, Bosse (TV crew) 318
Larsson, Barbro (cast) 215, 322,
443
Larsson, Boel (cast) 256
Larsson, Carl-Uno (cast) 219
Larsson, Charlotta (cast) 486
Larsson, Gunborg (cast) 220
Larsson, Gösta (crew, cast) 344
Larsson, Kajsa (crew) 476
Larsson, Oscar (local gov offi-
cial) 369 (com)
Larsson, Pontus (crew) 492
Larsson, Sara (cast) 473
Larsson, Stefan (cast) 233, 486
Larsson, Uno (cast) 206, 225
Lasser, Louise (cast) 324
Lasszlo, K. (transl) 195
Laszli, C.K. (transl) 170, 185
Laughton, Charles (film-
maker) 1669
Laupman, Gustav (cast) 214
Laurence, Margaret (author)
989 (group entry)
Laurentis, Dino de (prod) 248,
249, 1713
Lavalli, Jorge (dir) 460 (com)
Lawrence, Patricia (cast) 323
Leffler, Hans (cast) 368
Léhar, Franz (composer) 223,
420
Lehto, Elina (cast) 247
Lembourn, Claes (transl) 132,
150
Lenard, Marianne (cast) 363,
370, 371, 372, 377, 378
Lennartsson, Lars (cast) 322
Lensander, Birger (cast) 234
Leon, Viktor (crew) 420
Lessing, Doris (author) 975
(group item, Wilson)
Levensvold, P. (transl) 982
(grouyp item, Truffaut, p. 885)
Levin, Eddie (cast) 368
Lenya, Lotte (singer) 408 (com)
Leonhardt, Gustav (musician)
250
Lepp-Kosik, Agnes (cast) 214
Lerfeldt, Hans Erik (cast) 253
Leszcylowski, Michel (crew)
240
Leveau, Pierre (crew) 485
(com)
Lew Grade, Lord (prod) 253
(com)
Lewin, Gösta (crew) 219
Ley, Charles (cast) 420
1118
Lichtenstein, Harry (BAM
head) 466 (New York)
Lidman, Monica (cast) 225
Liebel (John) Erik (cast) 203,
375
Liedholm, (Lars-) Erik (crew,
cast) 234, 235, 408, 409, 410
Lilja, Lennart (cast) 225
Liljeholm, Carl/Karl-Fredrik
(cast) 417, 429, 430
Liljenroth, Elisabet (cast) 425
Liljeroth, Leif (cast) 322
Liljeqvist, Elisabeth (crew) 256
Lilliecrona, Torsten (cast) 208,
210, 215, 216, 218, 219, 221
Lind, Dagny (cast) 203, 212,
260, 261, 294, 315, 362, 370, 378,
379, 382-384, 386, 387, 388, 390,
391, 393, 394, 403, 432, 434
Lind, Lars (cast) 225, 227, 318
Lindahl, Anna (cast) 206, 271,
434
Lindberg, Gunnar (cast) 220
Lindberg, Ib (transl) 199
Lindberg, Lennart (cast) 215,
322, 344, 347, 349, 350, 351
Lindberg, Marianne (cast) 411
Lindberg, Maud (see Sandwall)
Lindberg, Per (dir) 387 (com)
Lindberg, Ragnar (prod) 215
Lindberg, Stig (military advi-
ser) 239
Lindberg, Sven (cast) 207, 222,
248, 264, 273, 280, 454, 478, 479
Lindblad, Arne (cast) 203, 207,
221, 223, 230
Lindblad, Gunnar (crew) 360,
363-366, 368-375, 378, 379, 380,
382-391, 393, 394. See also p. 35
Lindblom, Gunnel (cast, dir)
129, 225, 226, 229, 233, 234, 246,
294, 310, 311, 312, 314, 315, 322,
325, 422, 424, 426, 427, 429, 432,
433, 434, 446, 448 (asst dir),
450, 451, 468 (asst dir), 480,
485, 486, 1452
Lindby, Wera (cast) 221
Lindegren, Erik (poet) 233 (rec,
Landgren)
Lindeklev, Bernt (cast) 322
Lindell, Johan (cast) 341, 465,
467, 468, 476, 479
Lindén, Margot (cast) 204
Lindenstrand, Sylvia (cast) 492
Linder, Allan (cast) 202

Lindeström, Inga (crew) 207,
210, 322
Lindgren, Bo (crew) 322
Lindgren, Hans (cast) 280
Lindgren, Marianne (cast) 364
Lindgren, Olle (cast) 367
Lindgren, Peter (cast) 206, 370
Lindh, Irene (cast) 447, 467, 477
Lindholm, Berit (cast) 492
Lindholm, Manne (crew) 225,
228, 428, 429, 430, 432
Lindkvist, Eleonora (cast) 267
Lindquist, Lars-Olof (cast) 416,
425
Lindqvist, Birgit ‘Bibi’(cast)
207, 210, 379
Lindqvist, Frej (cast) 239
Lindqvist, Gerhard (cast) 429,
430
Lindqvist, Jan Eric (cast) 248,
278, 283, 318, 435
Lindqvist, Thore (cast) 417
Lindsjö, Berit (cast) 425
Lindstedt, Carl-Gustaf (cast)
215, 222, 223
Lindström, Bibi (crew) 220,
227, 236
Lindström, Bo (cast) 369, 370
Lindström, Christina (cast) 434
Lindström, Jörgen (cast) 234,
236, 318
Lindström, Per (cast) 371
Lindström, Rune (cast) 210
Lindström, Åke (cast) 244, 317
Lindwall, Tore (cast) 396, 398,
402, 404
Lingen, Ursula (cast) 457
Linnros, Henrik (cast) 257
Lipp, Rudolf (cast) 214
Lippe, Morton (movie house
manager) 219 (rec)
Liszt, Franz (composer) 223
Ljung, Oscar (cast) 228, 229,
279, 289, 294, 295, 317, 330, 414,
415, 418, 422, 424, 430, 431, 432,
433, 434, 443, 444, 447, 451, 453,
465, 467, 468, 473, 477
Ljungberg, Johnny (crew) 256
Ljunglöf, Kerstin (cast) 449
Ljunggren, Gunnel (cast) 368
Ljunggren, Sten (cast) 256, 479
Ljunggren, Titti (cast) 376
Lobråten, Ann-Christin (cast)
244, 245
Lockwood, F. (prod) 284
Logardt, Bengt (cast) 207
Name Index
Lombard, Yvonne (cast) 221,
273
Looft, Richard (crew) 336, 467,
468
Lorca, Garcia (playwright) 276
Losey, Joseph (filmmaker) 1463
Lubitsch, Ernst (filmmaker) 221
(rec), 1257. See also Chapter I,
p. 40
Ludwig, Erich (cast) 456
Lugn, Kristina (author) 486
(com)
Lugosi, Bela [Béla Blascó] (ac-
tor) 238 (rec/Prédal)
Lundberg, Ingrid (cast) 368
Lundberg, Raymond (crew) 239
Lundberg, Stina (talk show) 465
Lundborg, Kristina (cast) 449
Lundbäck, Singoalla (cast) 203
Lundequist, Gerda (cast) 263,
382 (com)
Lundewall, Ingvar (cast) 368
Lundgren Ann (cast) 229
Lundgren, Bengt (crew) 253
Lundgren, Ingrid (cast) 357, 361
Lundgren, P.A. (crew) 204, 206,
207, 210, 219, 221, 223, 225, 228,
229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235,
239, 241, 244, 246
Lundgren, Siv (see Kanälv-
Lundgren)
Lundgren, Titti (cast) 368
Lundh, Arne (crew) 206, 435
Lundh, Birgitta (crew) 330
Lundh, Börje (cred, cast) 215,
229, 230, 233, 235, 236, 238, 239,
240, 241, 245, 316, 318, 322
Lundh, Carl M. (crew) 202, 203,
209, 211, 212, 214, 216, 218, 221,
223, 226, 228, 313
Lundholm, Lisa (cast) 223, 399,
404, 407, 428
Lundin, Bengt (cast) 367
Lundin, Gunnar (crew) 227
Lundin, Roland (doc photo)
796
Lundquist, Göran (cast) 220,
221, 226
Lundqvist, Carin (cast) 435
Lundqvist, Christian (cast) 439
Lundström (Bergman), Ellen
(crew, wife) 211, 382, 383, 384,
385, 386, 387, 393, 396, 402. See
also p. 37-38
Lundström, Olof (cast) 465
Lundwall, Adèle (cast) 369
1119
Luterkort, Ingrid (cast) 377, 381,
382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388
Luther, Martin (theologian)
Chapter I, p. 36
Lückow, Fillie (cast) 232, 439
Lycke, Erik (cast) 368
Lysander, Per (dir, rep) 621
Lysell, Millan (cast) 222
Lyssewski, Dörte (cast) 482
Lyxell, Millan (cast) 222
Långström, L. (transl) 165
Læstadius, Lars-Levi (dir, theatre
head, art, press report) 54,
268, 403, 514, 525, 532, 583, 707.
See also Chapter II, p. 65
Länsberg, Olle (author/script)
53, 208
Löfgren, Lars (TV prod, theatre
head, memoirs, art) 320, 468
(com), 470 (com), 471 (disc/
Århus), 472 (Oslo), 478 (cancel
perform), 480 (com), 602, 639,
646, 659
Löfgren, Marianne (cast) 203,
205, 210, 217, 267
Löfman, Lars-Erik (cast) 364
Lökkeberg, Georg (cast) 250
Löscher, Peter (dir) 460 (com)
Löwenadler, Gordon (cast) 219,
225, 401, 402
Löwenadler, Holger (cast) 206,
217, 447, 450
Löwgren, Curt (cast) 220
Maalbøe, C. (transl) 159, 160
Maass, Hans-Joachim (transl)
170, 185, 482 (com)
Machaty, Gustav (filmmaker)
219 (rec)
Maciejewski, Roman (music)
396, 401, 407
MacKinnon, Gillies (film-
maker) 1689
Macroff, Kristina (crew) 253
Maes, Tove (cast) 297
Magnusson, Carl/Karl (TV
crew) 313, 430, 432
Magnusson, Lakke (cast) 465
Magnuson, Charles (prod) 193.
See also Chapter III, p. 139
Mago (See Goldstein, Max)
Mairich, Max (cast) 456
Maleikaitele, Z. (transl) 185
Malm, Mona (cast) 223, 225,
235, 253, 256, 296, 316, 335, 425,
439

Malmberg, Bertil (author) 433
(com)
Malmberg, Eric (cast) 392
Malmberg, Urban (cast) 247
Malmsjö, Jan (cast) 246, 253,
325, 450, 485, 487
Malmsjö, Jonas (cast) 310, 311,
312, 485, 487
Malmstedt, Harry (crew) 203
Malmsten, Birger (cast) 129,
202, 204, 206, 207, 209, 210, 211,
212, 216, 218, 234, 248, 260, 261,
268, 270, 274, 277, 318, 365, 366,
376, 379, 380, 382, 383, 384, 385,
386, 390, 391, 393, 394, 408, 409,
410, 439, 443, 446, 449, 453, 454,
465, 912
Malmström, G. (transl) 170, 191
Malmström, Lars (transl) 101,
110
Malmström, Ulla (cast) 397,
401, 404, 407
Malmö City Theatre (Malmö
Stadsteater) 75, 81, 90, 392,
395, 414-434, 488. See also
Chapter I, pp. 39-40, and In-
tro, Chapter VI
Malzacher, Günter (cast) 249
Mamo, John (cast) 324
Mandal, Gustaf (crew) 416
Mangold, Lis (cast) 249
Mangs, Sune (cast) 253
Mann, Ellika (cast) 439, 440,
446, 447, 453
Mann, Segol (cast) 207, 210,
214, 322, 453
Mann, Thomas (author) 989
Manstad, Margit (cast) 268
Mansvik, Yngve (TV crew) 316,
318
Marcorelles, Louis (transl) 108
Mariano, Gertrud (cast) 309,
467, 485
Mariano, Rosanna (cast) 245,
246
Marmstedt, Lorens (prod, art)
50, 204, 206, 207, 210, 269, 270,
780, 958, 962. See also Chapter
I, p. 39; Chapter III, p. 139
Marott, Johannes (dir) 297
Martins, Marie-Louise (cast)
410
Martinson, Harry (playwright)
439
Martinu, Bohuslav (crew) 473
Name Index
Martinus, Eivor (transl) 149,
199
Masefield, John (author) 2
Masreliez, Curt (cast) 210, 316,
318, 395
Massenet, Jules (composer) 235
Mattei, Peter (cast) 492
Mattsson, Arne (filmmaker) 218
(com), 711
Mattsson, Per (cast) 253, 465,
472, 473, 475, 477, 492
Mattson, Richard (cast) 222,
396, 401, 404, 407
Mattsson, Sten (cast) 216, 218,
219
Mauriac, François (author)
1609 (Saunier)
Maupassant, Guy de (author)
719 (Thiessen)
McBride, Joseph (interv) 841
McCarthy, Julia (cast) 448
McClatchy, J.D. (poem) 1238
McDonald, Graeme (TV prod)
323
McHugh, James A (cast) 324
McNeely, Beverly (cast) 249
Medbøe, Wenche (cast) 445
Meisel, Kurt (cast, theatre
head) 456, 457, 459, 583
Meisner, Günter (cast) 249
Méliès, George (filmmaker) 45,
204 (rec). See also Chapter III,
p. 136, 157
Melillo, Joseph (artistic dir) 487
(NY)
Melin, Anna-Lena (crew) 253
Melin, John (cast) 203, 223, 230,
318, 408
Mellvig, Börje (cast) 210, 223,
318, 406
Melville, Herman (author) 284
Mendelssohn, Moses (compo-
ser) 212, 371 (com)
Mertin, Anne (cast) 456
Meyer, Barbara (transl) 90
Meyer, Johannes (cast) 297
Meyer, Michael (transl) 447
(com)
Michaelsson, Ingrid (cast) 371
Miliander, Sven (cast) 262, 272,
397, 398, 411 (rec)
Milton, John (author) 476
(com)
Mink, Wilfried (dir) 460 (com)
1120
Mishima, Yukio (playwright)
336, 471, 475 (com), 628, 640,
682
Mittendorf, Hubert (cast) 249
Mladeck, Kyra (cast) 249
Mnouchkine, Ariahne (dir) 465
(rec), 478 (com)
Moberg, Rune (author, interv)
393
Moberg, Sten (cast) 366
Moberg, Vilhelm (playwright)
273, 426; see also intro, Dra-
matist Studio, Chapter VI
Mobley, Mary Ann (cast) 324
Modén, Mirja (cast) 472
Modin, Ulrika (cast) 413
Moffatt, John (cast) 448
Mohaupt, Marianne (cast) 421
Molander, Anita (crew) 465
Molander, Gustaf (filmmaker)
42, 58, 68, 205, 208 (com), 209,
217, 704, 974. See also Chapter
II, p. 54
Molander, Harald (exec prod)
202, 203, 208
Molander, Jan (cast, dir) 142,
202, 206, 322
Molander, Mari (cast) 322
Molander, Olof (dir) 31, 89, 271,
318 (com), 370 (com), 392
(com), 411 (com), 419 (com),
429 (com), 451 (com), 523, 608,
625, 641 (com), 1616. See also
Chapter I, p. 43, p. 600
Molière, (Poquélin) (play-
wright) 247, 329, 422, 431,
435, 441, 444, 446 (com), 452,
458, 462, 478, 486 (com), 526,
537, 586, 605, 677, 865, 887
(Marker), 906, 924, 989, 1704.
See also Chapter I, pp. 39-40,
49
Monaci, P. (transl) 150, 174
Montán, Alf (cast) 244
Monteverdi (composer) 328
Montgomery, Robert (film-
maker) 1357 (Eberwein)
Montin, Björn (cast) 212
Monty, Ole (cast) 304
Moodyson, Lukas (filmmaker)
198, 943 (Aghed), 1689
Morales, Birgitta (TV crew) 316
Moreau, Jeanne (actress) 432
(Paris)
Moretti, Tobias (cast) 464

Moritzen, Henning (cast) 245,
452
Morrill, Priscilla (cast) 324
Morrison, Toni (author) 989,
1659 (McGhee diss)
Moses (prophet) 476 (com)
Moskowitz, Otto [‘Kicki’]
(cast) 206, 220
Mossberg, Olle (TV crew) 318
Movin, Lisbeth (cast) 297
Mozart, Amadeus (composer)
157, 212, 237, 238, 247, 248, 434
(com), 454 (com), 457, 473
(com), 489, 565, 838, 1606. See
also Chapter I, p. 46; Chapter
III, p. 151
Muchiano, Pia (cast) 473
Munch, Edvard (painter) 250
(rec), 487 (com), 632, 1506
Munk, Bente (crew) 218, 221
Munk, Kaj (playwright) 8, 187,
379, 1012 (Verdone), 1477
Munthe, Torunn (author) 373,
374
Murnau, F.W. (filmmaker) 1610
Muscarello, P. (transl) 170
Musset, Alfred de (playwright)
281
Mühle, Ann-Marie (cast) 492
Mühle, Helmut (music/crew)
247
Müller, Erik (radio adapt, cast)
292, 304
Müller, Poul (cast) 304
Müthel, Lola (cast) 252, 456
Myhrman, Evert (crew) 412
Myrberg, Per (cast) 232, 322,
334, 435, 438, 443, 465, 467, 468,
480, 486
Månsson, Claes (cast) 478
Mårtenson, Bengt (cast) 368
Mårtensson, Arne (cast) 228
Mårtensson, Sigvard (crew) 424
(com)
Mäster Olofsgården 2, 4, 344 -
360; see also Chapter VI, p. 36
Möller, Mette (TV crew) 336,
337, 340, 475
Mørk, Erik (cast) 304, 452
Mörk, Lennart (crew) 447, 473,
477, 492
Mörk, Titti (crew) 256
Mörner, Stellan (crew) 442
Nathan, Ove (univ chancellor)
1477 (Sonning prize)
Name Index
(The) National Theatre, London
(production) 448
Nationalteatret (The National
Theatre, Oslo) 445
Natorp, Gun (cast) 223, 265,
266
Nelson, Mimi (cast) 208, 211
Nelson, Stig (crew) 422, 424
Nerep, Helmi (cast) 214
Nerep, Hilma (cast) 214
Ness, S. (transl) 185
Nettleton, John (cast) 323
Newell, Joan (cast) 323
Nichols, Mike (dir/sponsor)
466 (New York)
Nicklasson, Inga (cast) 345, 347
Nielsen, Gunnar (cast) 206, 211,
223, 227, 260, 261, 286, 371, 376,
381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 387, 390,
391, 393, 394
Nielsen, Marianne (cast) 222,
253, 260, 366, 383, 385, 390, 393,
394, 477
Nielsen, Monica (cast) 479
Niewarowski, E. (transl) 195
Nilheim, Karl (musician) 253
Nilheim, Lis (cast) 257
Nilsson, Alf (cast) 341
Nilsson, Cecilia (cast) 446
Nilsson, Dagny (cast) 376
Nilsson, Eva-Fritz (cast) 212
Nilsson, Karin (cast) 244
Nilsson, Lennart (photogra-
pher) 230 (com), 1035
Nilsson, Maj-Britt (cast) 212,
216, 218, 276, 277, 280, 281, 411
Nilsson, Per (cast) 322
Nilsson, Sigge (cast) 256
Nilsson, Stefan (crew) 256
Nilsson, Sven (cast) 232
Niro, Robert de (actor) 470
(rec)
Nisborn, Margareta (cast) 275
Nissen, Bernt A. (film censor)
220 (com)
Nissen, Annegrethe (cast) 304
Nittel, Nils (crew) 220, 225, 226,
227
Noelte, Rudolph (dir) 459 (rec)
Nolgård, Maria (cast) 244
Norborg, Cilla (crew) 478
Nord, Anne (cast) 439
Nordberg, Lars (crew) 204, 206
Nordemar, Olle (crew) 237
Nordensköld, Kjell (cast) 218,
219, 221
1121
Nordgren, Erik (crew, music
arr) 205, 209, 211, 213, 214,
216, 217, 218, 223, 225, 226, 228,
230, 231, 232, 235
Nordholm, Ulf (crew) 241
Nordin, Birgit (cast) 247
Nordisk Tonefilm (prod co) 37,
227
Nordlund, Harriet (cast) 341
Nordmar, Per Olof (TV crew)
322
Nordstöm, Ingmar (crew) 329
Nordwall, Yngve (cast) 208, 214,
226, 289, 293, 313, 396, 397, 400,
401, 402, 407, 423, 429, 430
Norée, Eva (cast) 226
Noremark, Henny (crew) 247,
318
Norén, Lars (playwright) 666
Norén, Pelle/Per (TV crew) 334,
336, 337, 341
Norin, Curt (cast) 372
Norin, Inga (cast) 211
Norlander, Sol-Britt (crew) 214,
216
Norlindh, Birgit (crew) 221
Norlund, Johan (cast) 298
Norman, Josef (cast) 223, 225,
226 (cut), 414, 415, 418, 419,
422, 423, 427, 429, 430
Norman, Maidie (cast) 324
Norrie, Anna (actress) 382
(com)
Norrköping-Linköping City
Theatre 413. See also Chapter
I, p. 39
Norrman, John (cast) 318
Norsk rikskringkasting(NRK
prod) 298, 340, 343
Norstedt Publishing Co 118, 124,
131, 132, 145, 150, 153, 156, 168,
170, 175, 177, 188, 191, 194, 195,
196, 198, 199
Norström, Bertil (cast) 246,
256, 257
North Latin School/Norra Latin
(stage productions) 367, 368
Nyberg, Anna-Greta (cast) 420
Nyberg, Arne (cast) 401, 402,
405
Nyblom, Helena (author) 375
(com)
Nygren, Nils (cast) 285, 295, 315,
418, 422, 423, 428, 430, 434
Nygren-Almquist, Gunnel
(cast) 415, 420
Nyhlén, Erik (cast) 244

Nykvist, Sven (cinematogra-
pher) 220, 229, 231, 233, 234,
235, 236, 238, 239, 241, 245, 246,
247, 248, 249, 250, 252-254, 258,
321, 325, 328, 332, 340, 810, 841,
843, 1069, 1086, 1213, 1214, 1241,
1421, 1540, 1621, 1626, 1672. See
also Chapter I, p. 48; Chapter
III, p. 146, 150
Nyman, Jan (cast) 449, 465, 475,
477
Nyman, Lena (cast) 250, 330,
439, 450
Nyqvist, G. (transl) 159
Nyroos, Gunilla (cast) 256
Nystedt, Rolf (cast) 232
Nystroem, Gösta (composer)
260
Nyström, Anders (cast) 202
Näslund, Björn (cast) 221
Nørager, Ebba (cast) 297
Nørby, Ghita (cast) 256, 335, 452
Odets, Clifford (playwright) 412
von Oelffen, Petra (crew) 249,
252
Offenbach, Jacques (compo-
ser) 235
Ogærts, Jan (transl) 168
Ohlsson, Marcus (cast) 256
Ohlsson, Marrit (cast) 212, 253,
376
Ohlsson, Torsten (crew) 355
Oké, Linn (cast) 467
Ola and the Janglers (music)
329
Olafs, Johan (cast) 233
Olafs, Ruth (cast) 252
Olafsdottir, Karin (cast) 430
Olavsson, Kristina (cast) 234
Olin, Kerstin (cast) 413
Olin, Lena (cast) 248, 253, 254,
332, 465, 467
Olin, Stig (cast, memoirs) 202,
203, 205, 208, 209, 210, 212, 214,
216, 217, 405, 1377
Olivier, Lawrence (actor) 185,
555
Olofsson-Leo, Lennart (TV
crew) 317
Olram, Gunnar (cast) 445
Olsson, Dagmar (cast) 203
Olsson, Filip (music) 219
Olsson, Gunnar (cast) 216, 225,
226, 273, 277, 292
Olsson, Jöran (cast) 430
Name Index
Olsson, Lennart (crew) 223,
225, 313, 317, 422, 427 (com),
429 (com)
Olsson, Martha (cast) 369
Olsson, Mats (cast) 221
Olszanska, Marie (transl) 150
O’Neill, Eugene (playwright)
470
Opaker, Eva (cast) 445
Oreglia, Giacomo (transl, play
text adapt) 110, 173, 314
Orlando, Mariane (cast) 492
Oscarsson, Peter (dir) 478
(com)
Ossoinak, Ivan (cast) 468
Osslund, Anna-Stina (cast) 370,
378
Osten, Gerd (crew) 206; see
also Section II
Osten, Suzanne (dir) 662
Ostermayer, Christine (cast)
456, 457
Ostrovskij, Alexander (play-
wright) 427
O’Sullivan, Richard (cast) 323
Osvald, J. (transl) 150, 178
Ottekil, Bengt (crew) 244, 247
Ottoson, Lars Henrik (cast) 367
Ottoson, Rune (cast) 203
Paganini, Paolo A. (rev) 465
(rec, Milano)
Pahkinen, Virpi (cast/crew)
473, 475, 476, 485
Pallin, Ingemar (cast) 373, 374
Palmblad, Signe (cast) 378
Palme, Olof (prime minister)
466 (com)
Palme, Ulf (cast) 210, 213, 214,
222, 265, 282, 286, 299, 435
Palmgren, Helena (cast) 233
Palmquist, Arne (cast) 347, 350,
351
Palmstierna-Weiss, Gunilla
(crew) 443, 449, 454, 460,
461, 462, 466, 470, 472, 560,
648. See also Chapter I, p. 48
Pamp, Maj-Britt (cast) 214
Parkas, Marja (cast) 214
Parsa, Reza (filmmaker) 943
(Aghed)
Paryla, Nikolaus (cast) 456, 458
Passgård, Lars (cast) 129, 231
Pastor, A. (transl) 185, 188
Pasztor, Gabor (crew) 341, 343
Patrick, John (playwright) 423
1122
Patterson, Neva (cast) 324
Pavese, R (transl) 165, 170, 188
Pawlo, Rebecka (cast) 248
Pawlo, Toivo (cast) 228, 263,
266, 278, 284, 289, 290, 293,
294, 315, 322, 379, 380, 414, 418,
420, 422, 423, 427, 429, 430, 433,
434, 451
Pehrson, Inger (crew) 246, 250,
259, 334, 343
Pelser, Karl Heintz (cast) 252,
457, 458, 459
Perrini, Alberto (playwright)
274
Persbrandt, Mikael (cast) 486
Persson, Jörgen (cinematogra-
pher) 256, 259, 335
Persson, Lars (crew) 329
Persson, Sture (cast) 373
Persson, Veine (cast) 355
Persson, Yvonne (crew) 330, 339
Personafilm (prod co) 250, 253,
254, 332
Peters, Hilmer (crew) 211
Peters, Willy (cast) 239, 278, 318
Peterson, Tord (cast) 256, 309,
341, 473, 477
Petré, Gio (cast) 226
Pettersson, Birgitta (cast) 228,
229, 341
Pettersson, Britta (cast) 318
Pettersson, Gösta (props, prod
manager, cast) 207, 210, 393
Pettersson, Hjördis (cast) 217,
232, 241, 399, 402, 404, 407,
408, 410, 449, 451, 453
Pettersson, P.O. (crew) 223, 235,
236, 238
Pettersson, Svante (music) 329
Philipsson, Harry (cast) 362
Picha, Heide (actress) 249
Piehl, Alvar (crew) 322, 330, 334
Piehl, Nela (cast) 482
Pio, Edith (cast) 304
Piper, Jan-Erik (crew) 339, 473,
486
Pirandello, Luigi (playwright)
417, 445, 562, 1012 (Chiaretti)
Plath, Sylvia (poet) 989 (group
entry), 1617 (Fraser), 1656
Plichta, Veronica (cast) 482
Poijes, Chris (crew) 210
Polet, Cora (transl) 150
Pollak, Mimi (cast) 216, 250
Polster, Hans (cast) 416, 430,
432

Pons, Maurice (transl) 82, 122
Pontén, Mats (cast) 256
Pontén, Tomas (cast) 465
Poppe, Nils (cast) 225, 230
Porath, Ove (cast) 229
Porter, Susan (cast) 323
Pourtales, Guy de (author) 1
Prawitz, Elsa (cast) 278
Prentiss, Ann (cast) 324
Priede, Monika (cast) 245
Prince, Harold (dir/sponsor)
223, 466 (New York)
Proust, Marcel (author) 982,
989 (group #), 1669
Prytz, C.F. (transl) 150
Prüzelius, Gösta (cast) 215, 219,
221, 223, 225, 235, 239, 247, 253,
256, 270, 275, 286, 367, 408,
409, 410, 442, 443, 446, 447,
449, 451, 453, 467, 477
Pujal, Joseph (artist) 665
(Holmqvist)
Pushkin, Alexander (author)
1011 (Time)
Pyk, Antonia (cast/crew) 341,
478
Pärt, Arvo (composer) 487
Pöysti, Lasse (cast) 330, 334, 465
(Tammerfors)
Qvarfordt, Carl Henrik (cast)
247
Quarsebo, Ulf (cast) 422
Quest, Hans (cast) 249, 456, 462
Qvist, Gösta (cast) 203
Qviström, Leif (crew) 253, 339
Rabæus, Johan (cast) 259, 339,
468, 473, 476
Rabe, Kerstin (cast) 262, 272,
434
Radiotjänst (see Sveriges Radio/
SR)
Ragneborn, Arne (cast) 202, 210
Rahm, Sibylle (transl) 90
RAI (Italian TV) (prod) 343
Rajic, J. (transl) 188
Rakeng, Mette (cast) 445
Ramberg, Örjan (cast) 485, 487
Ramel, Povel (comedian) 223
(rec)
Rangström, Ture (composer)
415
Ray, Satyajitt (hom) 1452
Reading, Donna (cast) 323
Redland, Charles (crew/orches-
tration) 235
Name Index
Regnier, Charles (cast) 249
Rehberg, Hans Michael (cast)
464
Rehnberg, Hans (crew) 245
Reichel, V. (transl) 192, 194
Reid, Sheila (cast) 244
Reimer, Brigitte (cast) 221, 297
Reinhardt, Max (dir) 447
(Obernhaus recept)
Reinik, Riina (cast) 214
Rekola, Per Olof (TV crew) 339
Renliden, Ivar (crew) 234
Renoir, Jean (filmmaker) 943
(Aghed), 1257
Resén, Linda (cast) 473
Residenztheater München
(prod) 456-464. See also
Chapter I, p. 48
Rettig, Ullastina (cast) 203
Reuterblad, Helena (cast) 314,
430
Reuterswärd, Måns (TV prod)
247, 316, 326, 328, 336-339, 341,
1715
Rialto Film (prod co) 249
Ribbing, Barbro (cast) 381
Ribbing, Maria (cast) 272
Ribero, I. (transl) 192
Richardson, Marie (cast) 256,
257, 341, 467, 468, 471, 472, 475
Riego, Marga (cast) 362
Riégo, Olav (cast) 202, 216, 220
Rifbjerg, Klaus (author) 1288
Riffe, Ernest (pseud Ingmar
Bergman) 111, 128, 140, 239
(rec), 756, 778, 1168, 1452
Ringdahl, Ebba (cast) 397, 401,
404
Ringheim, Lise (cast) 452
Ringquist, Elias (cast) 256
Ripoli-Freixes, E. (trasnsl) 101
Ritter, John (cast) 324
Robbe-Grillet, Alain (film-
maker) 238 (rec/Prédal)
Roberts, Shirley (cast) 420, 421
Robnard, Jacques (transl,
slides) 123, 169, 1268
Rocher, Pierre (playwright) 381
Rock de Luxe (music) 329
Rode, Ebbe (cast) 452
Rodefeldt, Vanja (cast) 208
Roeger, Monique (cast) 216
Roger, Gustav (crew) 79, 101,
119, 213, 218, 221, 223
Rogin, Bernhard (cast) 366
Rohde, Hans (cast) 421
Rohde, Ulla (cast) 428, 430
1123
Rhom, Herbert (cast) 460
Rohmer, Erik (filmmaker, art)
222 (rec), 225 (rec), 227 (rec),
982, 1028. See alsoChapter II, p.
55
Rolffes, Kirsten (cast) 297
Ronconi, Luca (dir) 620
(Bredsdorff)
Rooth-Lindberg, Örjan (cast,
art) 256, 1314
Rosander, Oscar (crew, cast)
202, 205, 208, 209, 211, 212, 213,
216, 217, 218, 221, 223, 226, 228,
229, 230
Rosen, Anna von [aka Sundelius]
(crew/cast) 244, 338, 466, 474
Rosén, Bengt (cast) 430, 432
Rosén, Erik (cast) 204, 273, 274,
412
Rosen, Jan-Carl von (cast) 244
Rosen, Maria von (author,
daughter) 1693
Rosenbaum, Marianne (cast)
368
Rosenberg, Hilding (compo-
ser) 202, 276
Rosqvist, Inga (cast) 222
Rostand, Edmond (play-
wright) 2, 349
Rothgardt, Wanda (cast) 209
Rothwell, Alan (cast) 323
Rowe, Alan (cast) 323
Royal Opera, Stockholm
(prod) 337, 436, 489; see also
intro, Chapter VI
Rudbäck, Vendela (cast) 226
Rudestedt, Sven (crew) 226
Rudling, Albert (crew) 318
Rudolph, Niels-Peter (dir) 459
(recept)
Rugg, Linda (transl) 195
Rugoff, Donald (US distrib)
246
Rumac, M. (transl) 185
Runa, Per-Olof (TV crew) 330,
334
Rundquist, Mikael (cast) 238
Russek, Rita (cast) 252, 458,
460, 461, 464
Ruud, Sif (cast) 204, 208, 211,
212, 226, 228, 248, 256, 271, 273,
280, 287, 322, 366, 377, 378, 379,
380, 381, 446
Ruuth, M. (transl) 188
Rybrant, Stig (crew) 408
Ryde, Torsten (cast) 244

Rydeberg, Georg (cast, mem-
oir) 238, 412, 437, 442, 444,
449, 561
Ryghe, Ulla (crew) 119, 125, 231,
232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238,
239
Rydström, Hans (TV crew) 330
Rönnqvist, Doris (MO-gården,
cast, author) 2, 345, 350
Sachtleben, Horst (cast) 461,
463
Sackemark, Hans (prod) 322
Saedén, Erik (cast) 247
Sagoteatern/Medborgarteatern
369-376; see also Chapter I, p.
37 and Intro, Chapter VI
Sahlberg, Birger (cast) 219, 232
Sahlin, Urban (cast) 446
Salonen, Esa Pekka (conduc-
tor) 335
Saluläär, T. (transl) 150
Samuelsson, Thomas (crew)
329
Samzelius, Solveig (cast) 460
Sandberg, Anne-Marie (cast)
347, 355
Sandberg, Selma (cast) 202
Sandblom, Sven (crew) 368
Sandborg, Olof (cast) 209, 280
Sandburg, Carl (poet) 449
(com)
Sandgren, Gustav (playwright)
264
Sandrews, (Anders) (prod co)
220, 222, 253, 257. See also
Chapter III, p. 140
Sandström, Carl Ivar (cast, art)
325 (recept), 361
Sandström, Ingrid (cast) 350
Sandwall, Maud [aka Maud
Lindberg] (cast) 344, 350,
355, 369
Santesson, Kåre (cast) 256
Sansom, Robert (cast) 323
Sarmell, Walter (crew) 218
Saroyan, William (playwright)
365 (com)
Sarri, Lasse (cast) 209, 210, 266
Sarring, Göran (crew) 446
Sartre, Jean Paul (author) 210,
461 (com), 1012 (Chiaretti),
1669
Savela, Jan-Erik (crew) 337, 341
Sawicki, Karol (transl) 150
Name Index
Scarlatti, Domenico (compo-
ser) 230, 478
Schaar, Claes (transl) 477 (com)
von Schantz, Marianne (crew)
349, 350
Schartau, Henrik (theologian)
p. 28
Schedin, Hanny (cast) 208, 214,
219, 220
Schein, Harry (SFI head, cast).
See also Section II 228, 244
von Schering, Ingrid (transl)
101
Scherzer, J. (transl) 188
Schildt, Henrik (cast) 274, 275,
276, 287, 291, 411, 439, 443, 444,
447
Schildt, Monica (cast) 203, 380,
384, 385, 386, 390
Schildt, Peter (crew) 253
Schildt, Runar (playwright) 2,
346
Schildtknecht, Maria (cast) 262,
397, 407, 451 (com)
Schiller, Friedrich (playwright)
486, 670
Schmidinger, Walter (cast) 249,
252, 458
Schmidt, Mille (cast) 223
Schopenhauer (philosopher)
221 (rec)
Schreiber Circus 220 (rec)
Schollin, Christina (cast) 253,
334, 435
Schubert, Franz (composer)
341, 665
Schuh, Oscar Fritz (dir) 447
(Obernhaus)
Schumacher, Joel (crew) 324
Schumann, Robert (composer)
223, 253
Schwandt, Margit (cast) 362
Schweiger, Heinrich (cast) 462
Schück, Herman (cast) 368
Schüler, Marianne (cast) 212
Schött, Bengt (cast) 222, 258,
399, 401, 422, 423
Scola, Ettore (filmmaker) 1452
(homage)
Scorsese, Martin (filmmaker)
943 (Aghed)
Scott, Jan (crew) 324
Segal, Alex (dir, art, slides) 142,
253, 324, 1268
Segal, George (cast) 324
Segal, Jonathan (cast) 324
1124
Segelcke, Tore (cast) 248, 445
Segerstam, Maj (cast) 360
Segerström, Michael (cast) 256
Seifert, Ally (crew) 316
Seilitz, Mona (cast) 238
Selma, José Vila (transl) 982
(group #, p. 886)
Selznick, David O. (prod) 51,
957
Selzor, Milton (cast) 324
Sem, Ingebjørg (cast) 298
Senayo, Li (transl) 185
Serbetas, N. (transl) 191
Serrano, Rosita (singer) 387
(rec)
Seynes, C. de (transl) 169
Shafran, D. (transl) 185
Shakespeare, William (play-
wright) 2, 25, 29, 228, 355,
367, 371, 384, 388 (com), 401,
454, 465, 468, 470 (rec), 476
(com), 477, 486 (com), 583,
596, 598, 611, 619, 631, 660, 661,
665, 668, 881, 911, 924, 989,
1579, 1668. See also Chapter I,
p. 40, 49
Shaw, George Bernard (com)
403
Shinji, O.(transl) 191
Shostakovich, Dmitri (compo-
ser) 340
Sigvarddotter, Ingar (cast) 478,
479
Simon, Alan (cast) 244
Simon, Claude (author) 466
(com)
Sinding, Leif (filmmaker) 204
(com)
Siwertz, Sigfrid (author, rev), 406
(rec), 410, 989
Sjöberg, Alf (filmmaker, theatre
dir) 51, 97, 202, 224, 330, 436
(intro), 454 (com), 466 (com),
472 (rec), 478 (com), 479
(com), 597, 625, 704, 890
(Cowie), 957, 987, 1625. See
also Chapter I, p. 30; Chapter
III, p. 139; Intro, 600
Sjöberg, Gunnar (cast) 226, 227,
230, 266, 283
Sjöberg, Katarina (TV prod)
336, 492
Sjöberg, Leif (transl) 90
Sjöberg, Yngve (crew) 318
Sjöblom, Christina (crew) 337,
341

Sjöblom, Tulli (cast) 380
Sjöblom, Ulla (cast) 228, 283,
330, 444
Sjödin, Bertil (cast) 260, 357,
363, 364, 369, 370, 371, 376, 380,
381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387,
390, 391, 393, 394
Sjödin, Rune (cast) 355
Sjögren, Margareta (cast). See
also Section II 360-361, 364,
370, 372, 378
Sjögren, Svea (cast) 351
Sjökvist, Helge (cast) 225
Sjölin, Lil (cast) 416
Sjöman, Lickå (cast) 253
Sjöman, Vilgot (cast) 368. See
also Chapter I, p. 38 and Sec-
tion II
Sjönell, Sven (crew) 226
Sjöstrand, Arnold (cast) 415,
417, 418, 419
Sjöstrand, Magnus (Carl)
(cast) 367, 368
Sjöstrand, Maria (cast) 405, 407
Sjöstrand, Per (cast) 226, 244,
322, 453, 467
Sjöstrand, Östen (transl) 489
(com)
Sjöström, Stefan (interv) 253
(com)
Sjöström, Victor (filmmaker,
crew, cast) 109, 198, 202, 203,
204 (rec), 212, 226, 364 (rec),
474 (com), 483 (com), 704, 926,
1005 (1053) See also Chapter
II, p. 54, Chapter III, p. 139
Sjöö, Carina (crew) 330
Skarsgård, Stellan (cast) 330,
467
Skarstedt, Georg (cast) 207, 212,
221, 225, 239, 408
Skawonius, Sven Erik (crew)
438, 441, 444
Skeppstedt, Carl-Olov (crew)
220, 222, 227
Skeppstedt, Nils (crew) 240
Skoglund, Bibi (cast) 264
Skoglund, Rolf (cast) 465
Skogsberg, Per (cast) 226
Skoog, Helge (cast) 439
Skoogberg, Gun (cast) 216
Slangus, Axel (cast) 229
Smetana, Bedrich (composer)
212
Smiding, Birgitta (cast) 247
Smith, Maggie (cast) 448, 555
Name Index
Soderbergh, Steven (film-
maker) 943 (Aghed)
Sohlberg, Bertil (cast) 202
Soldh, Anita (cast) 492
Sommer, Alf (cast) 298
Sommer, Astrid (cast) 298
Sommerfeld, Sara (cast) 256
Sommerfeld, Maja (cast) 256
Sondheim, Steven (musical
composer) 91, 223, 576
Soya, Carl Erik (playwright)
364
Spielberg, Steven (filmmaker)
943 (Aghed)
Spjuth, Nina (crew) 337
Stangertz, Göran (cast) 248
Starck, John (cast) 220, 221
Starck, Ulla-Greta (cast) 420
Stattin, Ulla (crew) 246
Stave, Greta (cast) 202, 222
Steen, Peter (cast) 452
Stegelmann, J. (transl) 188
Stein, Leo (crew) 420
Stein, Peter (dir) 450 (Zürich),
472 (Madrid)
Steinbeiser, Irene (cast) 249
Stenberg, Gaby (cast) 211, 284,
395, 419, 420, 423
Stenberg, Gertrud (cast) 373,
375
Stenhammar, Teery (cast) 408,
410
Stenhammar, Wilhelm (compo-
ser) 266
Stephens, Robert (cast) 448
Stergel, Göte (cast) 216
Stevens, Gösta (script) 58
Stiberg, Eva (cast) 209, 289, 314,
418, 428, 430
Stiller, Mauritz (filmmaker) 474
(com). See also Chapter I, p.
40, and Chapter II, p. 54;
Chapter III, p.139
Stjernqvist, Marianne (cast)
295, 315
Stoby, Bertil (TV crew) 318
Stoklosa, Janusz (crew/music)
482
Stolpe, Jan (transl) 492 (see
also)
Storm, Anne (transl) 101, 167
Storm, Emy (cast) 256, 408
Stormare, Peter (cast) 253, 307,
341, 465, 470, 468, 492, 618, 619
Storthors, Inga-Lisa (crew) 206
St Peter, Steve (crew) 257
1125
Strandberg, Jan-Olof (cast) 235,
259, 271, 307, 310, 312, 443, 447
(rec), 453, 465, 473
Strandell, Erik (cast) 275
Strandgaard, Charlotte (poem)
1452 (see also p. 985)
Strandmark, Erik (cast) 225
Strassner, Fritz (cast) 249
Strauss, Bobo (playwright) 475,
476 (com)
Strauss, Franz Joseph (politi-
cian) 583, 844
Stravinski, Igor (composer)
435, 489 (recept), 1101. See also
Chapter I, p. 42
Streisand, Barbra (actress) 420,
804, 832, 1616
Stridh, Sofi (crew) 343
Strindberg, August (play-
wright) 2, 5, 25, 31, 89, 156,
184, 185, 212, 220 (com), 225
(com), 229 (rec), 238 (comp
studies), 263, 265, 267, 275, 277,
282, 296, 299, 309, 316, 318, 347,
357 (com), 360-362, 370, 388
(com), 392, 401 (com 415, 419,
429, 444 (com), 447, 451, 453,
456, 461, 464 (com), 466, 467,
472 (rec), 475 (com), 485, 537,
558, 586, 587, 599, 616, 636, 635,
644, 649, 664, 669, 673, 675,
677, 719, 792, 825, 887 (Mar-
ker), 889, 944, 988, 1030, 1252,
1436, 1464, 1595, 1618, 1625, 1677.
See also Chapter I, p. 40-41, 47,
48, 49, Chapter II, p. 63-64;
Chapter III, p. 150
Strindberg, Göran (cinematogra-
pher) 49, 204, 206, 207, 210,
1242, 1540
Strindberg, Maggie (crew) 248,
336
Strix Q (music) 329
Strååt, Daphne (cast) 446
Strååt, Gunnar (cast) 403
Strååt, Hans (cast) 208, 223, 253,
435, 441, 443, 447, 449, 465, 467
Strååt, Mikaela (cast) 446
Ström, Ann-Mari (cast) 397,
405, 407
Ström, Carl (cast) 209, 213, 216,
218, 221, 273
Ström, Carl Johan (crew) 396,
397, 398, 400, 401, 402, 404,
405, 407
Ström, Gösta (crew, cast) 202,
208, 211, 216

Ström, Millie (crew) 226
Strømvad, Gunnar (cast) 304
Studentteatern (Stockholm’s Stu-
dent Theatre) 18, 361-366; see
also intro, Chapter VI
Stuhr, Jesusz (dir) 479 (Kra-
kow)
Sturk, Per (crew) 343
Stylander, Rune (cast) 212, 363,
365, 366, 370, 371, 380, 381
Ståhlberg, Lars (crew) 343
Ståhle, Stina (cast) 232, 392
Stål, Tord (cast) 222, 443, 446
Stærn, Camilla (cast) 492
Stötzner, Ernst (cast) 482
Sundberg, Gunilla (cast) 425
Sundberg, Hans (cast) 208, 439,
443, 447, 450
Sundberg, Viola (cast) 222
Sundén, Hjalmar (psycholo-
gist) 236 (rec)
Sundh, Marion (cast) 215
Sundin, Per (crew) 343
Sundqvist, Folke (cast) 226, 238,
294, 314, 315, 396, 397, 399, 401,
402, 407, 417, 418, 419, 423, 424,
427, 432- 434
Sundström, Frank (cast) 239,
431, 450, 451, 453, 465, 467
Sunlight & Gibbs Corp. 215
Surkevitz, Alexander (compo-
ser) 229
Svahn, Lennart (transl). See also
Section II 108
Svedbäck, Agnes (cast) 370, 375,
378
Svedlund, Doris (cast) 210, 215,
217, 268, 275
Svennilson, Kerstin (crew) 349,
350
Svensk Filmindustri (SF) 24, 76,
84, 93, 99, 112, 113, 120, 202, 203,
205, 208, 209, 211- 217, 219, 221,
223-226, 228-239, 241, 245, 253.
See also Chapter I, p. 37;
Chapter II, p. 53; Chapter III,
p. 140
Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI, prod
co, library, Ingmar Bergman
Foundation/Fårö papers) 21,
34, 35, 37-40, 48, 51-54, 61, 63,
64, 66, 68-70, 79, 80, 82, 85, 88,
90, 91, 97, 98, 101, 105, 116, 118,
119, 123, 125, 132, 133, 136, 138,
145, 148, 150, 154, 157, 167, 168,
Name Index
171, 191, 253. See also Chapter I,
p. 47, Chapter II, p. 51
Svensson, Arne (cast) 367
Svensson, Edith (cast) 377
Svensson, Lennart (crew, cast)
203, 226, 247
Svensson, Owe (crew) 245, 246,
248, 250, 253, 333, 340
Svensson, Reinhold (cast) 207
Svensson, Siegfried (cast) 247
Svenwall, Nils (crew) 205, 208,
209, 211, 212, 213, 214, 216, 217,
218
Sveriges Folkbiografer (prod)
204, 206
Sveriges Radio (SR; also listed as
Radiotjänst, 1946-1954) 22,
33, 43, 46, 65, 78, 90, 260-312.
See also Chapter II, p. 53
Sveriges Television (SVT, prod)
139, 247, 253, 254, 313-343
Swan, Lars (video crew) 316
Swensson, Carin (cast) 212
von Sydow, Max (cast) 225, 226,
227, 228, 229, 231, 233, 238, 239,
241, 244, 256, 258, 289, 293, 294,
295, 299, 313, 315, 335, 340, 426,
427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433,
434, 450, 473 (com), 622, 630,
652, 912, 1013, 1452, 1481, 1493,
1711. See also Chapter I, p. 40
Sylwan, Kari (cast) 245, 248,
447, 449, 451, 453
Sylwan, Mona (cast) 220
Sånnell, Berta (cast) 233
Säflund, Mikael (cast) 467
Särnö, Birgitta (crew) 240
Sæverud, Harald (composer)
430 (com)
Söderbaum, Astrid (cast) 363,
364
Söderberg, Dora (cast) 439, 447,
451, 467
Söderberg, Eric (crew) 403,
406, 408, 409, 410
Söderberg, Gösta (cast) 453
Söderberg, Lars (crew) 337, 341
Söderberg, Lennart (crew) 330
Söderbäck, Einar (cast) 223
Söderhjelm, Martin (play-
wright) 205
Söderholm, Lena (cast) 223
Söderkvist, Jan (crew) 241
Söderlund, Berth (cast) 407
Söderlund, Gittan (cast) 371,
372, 373, 374, 375
1126
Söderström, Doris (cast) 347
Söderström, Susanna (cast) 446
Sörman, Ragnar (cast) 225
Sööder, Karl (cast) 214
Tabori, George (dir, play-
wright) 476, 670
Tael, Sylvia (cast) 214
Taheri, Houshang (transl) 119
Tainton, Themma (cast) 476
Tall, Fritjof (cast) 225
Tamm, Gunilla (cast) 402
Tandy, Adam (cast) 323
Tapsell, Alan (transl) 136
Tarkovski, André (filmmaker)
989, 1519, 1624, 1659
Tate, Joan (transl) 185, 191, 192,
194, 195
Taube, Aino (cast) 218, 224, 244,
248, 308, 417, 435, 438, 439, 447,
453
Tauskein, G. (transl) 185
Taviani, Paolo & Vittorio (film-
makers) 1452 (homage)
Tavernier, Bertrand (film-
maker) 1495
Taylor, Elizabeth (actress) 223
(com)
Teje, Tora (actress) 272, 276,
277, 282, 287
Tellefsen, Ruth (cast) 298
Tengroth, Birgit (author, cast)
211, 220
Teniakova, Natalia (cast) 481
Ternström, Paula (cast) 466
Ternström, Solveig (cast) 439,
449, 473
Terrafilm (prod co) 50, 210. See
also Chapter III, p. 140
Terselius, Lil (cast) 449, 480
Terselius-Hagegård, Anne (TV
crew) 248, 327
Thambert, Björn (cast) 239
Thate, Hilmar (cast) 462
Thedéen, Thorleif (musician)
343
Thelander, Claes (cast) 322, 397,
398, 401, 404, 407, 467
Thomas, Jack (film distr) 219
(rec)
Thomsen, Bjarne (cast) 445
Thoresen, Willy (video crew)
322
Thue, Axel (cast) 445
Thulin, Björn (crew) 246, 325

Thulin, Ingrid (cast) 129, 226,
227, 228, 233, 234, 238, 240, 254,
294, 318, 332, 429, 430, 432,
1679. See also Chapter I, p. 40
Thulin, Siv (cast) 203, 274, 376,
380, 381, 382, 383, 385-390, 393,
394
Thulstrup, Karl-Magnus (cast)
401
Thunberg, Olof (cast) 233
Thuul, Sten-Thorsten (cast)
230
Thylwe, H. (transl) 191, 192, 194
Thörnhammar, Bengt (cast) 221
Tidblad, Inga (cast) 217, 281,
291, 439, 470 (com)
Tidelius, Kerstin (cast) 253
Tiselius, Jan (cast) 232
Tiverios, Michael (crew) 343
Tjernberg, Ove (cast) 322, 402,
407
Tobiasson, Ingrid (cast) 492
Tobis Film (prod co) 253
Tollén, Lennart (cast) 225
Tolstoy, Leo (author) 719
(Thiessen)
Tomson, Anna (cast) 492
Topelius, Zacharias (author)
374, 375 (com)
Torch, Chris (dir) 468 (debate/
NY)
Torén, Torvald (organist) 343
Torestam, Torsten (cast) 355
Torkeli, Majken (cast) 220
Torres, M. (transl) 185, 191, 192
Torsslow, Stig (dir) 279
Tranberg, Hugo (cast) 377
Treffner, Helvi (crew) 336
Tretow, Annika/Anna (cast)
220, 260, 261, 364, 366, 378,
390, 391, 393, 394, 405
Tribukeit, Dorothea (transl) 87
Troell, Jan (filmmaker) 943
(Aghed)
Tromm, Ilse-Nore (cast) 378
Trotha, T. von (crew) 252
Trotta, Margarethe von (film-
maker) 1642 (Orr)
Truffaut, François (filmmaker,
art) 219, 482, 982, 995, 1221,
1530. See also Chapter II, p. 55
Turesson, Rune (cast) 279, 285,
289, 293, 414, 415, 418, 423, 424,
429, 430
Turgenyev, Ivan (author) 719
(Thiessen)
Turman, Glynn (cast) 249
Name Index
Turner, Alice (transl) 87
Tuxén, Erik (crew) 202 (com)
Tönsager, Ingrid (crew, cast)
420, 421, 429, 430, 432, 434
Törje, Marianne (cast) 420
Törnkrantz, Bengt (crew) 247
Törnquist, Mimmi (crew) 202
Törnqvist, Kristina (cast) 477,
479, 480
Törnqvist-Verschuur, Rita
(transl) 159, 170
Törnqvist, Sigvard (cast) 220
Uhlen, Susanne (cast) 458
Uher, Franci (cast) 380
Uhlin, Ivar (cast) 231
Ulfson, Birgitta (cast) 257
Ulfung, Lotta (crew) 337
Ulfung, Ragnar (cast) 247
Ullberg, Hans (cast) 363, 365,
366
Ullenius, Erika (cast) 256
Ullmann, Linn (cast, daughter)
250
Ullmann, Liv (cast, dir, mem-
oirs) 133, 194, 199, 201, 236,
238, 239, 241, 246, 248, 249, 250,
256 (dir), 259 (dir), 325, 340
(dir 343, 445, 470 (com), 537,
768, 774, 843, 912, 923, 1299,
1395, 1548, 1573, 1580, 1614, 1711.
See also Chapter I, p. 43, 47;
Chapter II, p. 59
Ullrich, Karsten (crew) 249
Umlauf, Ellen (cast) 249
Unamuno, Miguel de (author)
989
Unnerstad, Lennart (crew) 209,
211
Urbancic, Elizabeth (crew) 461
Uriz Torres, J. (transl) 188
Urrila, Irma (cast) 247
Ussing, Olaf (cast) 452
Ustinov, Peter (com) 21, 202,
402
Vaarman, Els (cast) 214
Valberg, Birgitta (cast) 208, 223,
229, 239, 257, 296, 299, 411, 439,
447, 449
Valentin, Hugo (author) 371
Valiente, A. (transl) 159
Valle-Inclan, Don Ramon del
(playwright) 407
Vane, Sutton (playwright) 2,
344, 949. See also Chapter II, p.
61
1127
Varda, Agnès (filmmaker) 825
(Kalmar)
Varenius, Claes (crew) 367
Vaupel, Kirsten (cast) 247
Vega, J.P. (transl) 150
Velander, Meta (cast) 273
Verchou, Carl-Gustaf af (cast)
218
Verdi, Giuseppe (composer)
253, 466 (Edinburgh)
Vesaas, Halldis Moren (transl)
298
Vetter, Ingegerd (cast) 355
Vibenius, Bo A. (crew) 236, 238
Vifell, Maj-Britt (crew) 341
Villinger, Maximiliam (cast)
460
Vinsa, Michael (cast) 468
Vinterberg, Thomas (film-
maker) 1689
Virke, John (TV crew) 330
Visconti, Luchino (filmmaker)
989
Visén, Sven Åke (video crew)
337, 341
Vos, Bengt Erik (playwright)
365
Vos (Lundh), Marik (crew,
book) 229, 234, 238, 245, 253,
435, 446, 450, 451, 453, 463, 467,
1416
Värnlund, Rudolf (author) 378
Väringer, Lars (cast), 467
Wadja, Andrezs (filmmaker)
472 (Madrid), 1452 (homage)
Wagner, Rickard (composer) 1,
326, 489 (com)
Wahl, Anders de (cast) 94, 259
(com), 411
Wahlgren, Helge (dir) 402
(com)
Wahlgren, Ivar (cast) 219, 266
Wahlund, Sten (cast) 492
Waldekranz, Jan (cast) 467, 468,
473
Waldekranz, Rune (prod, art)
220, 222, 1010, 1173. See also
Chapter III, p. 139
Walder, Folke (theatre touring
co) 362
Waldt, Nils (cast) 234
Walther, Hertha von (cast) 249
Wall, Anita (cast) 246, 449
Wall, Sune (crew) 316, 318
Wallén, Lennart (crew) 207,
214, 225

Wallengren, Thore (cast) 401
Wallgren, Angelica (cast) 253
Wallgren, Pernilla (see Pernilla
August)
Wallin, Bengt-Arne (cast) 218
Wallin, Ingrid (crew) 227
Wallman, Bert (crew) 340
Wally, Gustav (theatre dir) 396
(rec)
Walton, Anna-Stina (cast) 430,
432, 434
Wanselius, Bengt (crew) 470
Wartel, Kerstin (cast) 439
Wassberg, Göran (crew) 259,
339, 341, 343, 468, 476, 662, 479,
480, 483, 485, 486, 487
Watteau, Antoine (painter) 458
(com), 478 (com)
Watts, Jean (cast) 448
Wedin, Aaby (crew) 225, 226,
228, 229
Weilar, Sven-Erik (cast) 425
Weinzierl, Monica (cast) 209
Weiser, Wolfgang (cast) 249
Weiss, Nadja (cast) 254, 309,
332, 479
Weiss, Peter (playwright) 443
Weivers, Margreth (cast) 310,
412, 485
Welander, Ella (cast) 222
Weller, Caroline (cast) 323
Welles, Orson (dir) 472 (rec)
Wellton, Öllegård (cast) 211
Wemmenlöw, Raymond (TV
crew) 336, 337, 341
Wendblad, Rudolf (cast) 443
Wenders, Wim (filmmaker)
1452 (homage), 1519
Wendtlandt, Horst (exec prod)
249
Wennergren, Lena (cast) 247,
328
Werfel, Franz (playwright) 30,
390
Werkmäster, Brita (crew) 253
Werle, Lars Johan (composer)
236, 238, 449
Wernicke, Annemarie (cast)
459, 461
Wesén, Marianne (cast) 317
Wessberg, Ragnhild (cast) 360,
368
Wessling, Harald (cast) 368
Westerberg, Joakim (cast) 468
Westergren, Håkan (cast) 217,
218, 287, 425
Name Index
Westerlund, Catrin (cast) 219
Westerstrand, Clary (crew) 257
Westfeldt, Gullan (crew) 234
Westin, Bojan (cast) 371, 373,
374
Westlund, Christer (cast) 232
Westlund, Lars (cast) 232
Weston, Ellen (cast) 324
Weyns, Conrad (crew) 329
White, Charles (cast) 206, 215
White, Pauline (cast) 420, 421
Whiten, Nils (cast) 219, 225
Whitmore, James (cast) 249
Wichman, Sven (crew) 257
Wickström, Caya (cast) 225
Wictorinus, Jan (video crew)
322, 330, 334, 339
Widerberg, Bo (filmmaker,
book) 210 (com), 1033. See
also Chapter I, p. 44
Widestedt, Gerd (cast) 222
Widgren, Olof (cast) 224, 234,
276, 318, 440
Widh, Karl (cast) 225
Wiehe, Henrik (cast) 297
Wieland, Christoph Martin
(poet) 136
Wieslander, Ingvar (composer)
289, 415, 420, 421, 429, 430, 432,
438, 488
Wifstrand, Naima (cast, mem-
oirs) 207, 211, 218, 222, 223,
226, 228, 238, 279, 289, 313, 347
(rec), 414, 415, 419, 424, 427,
430, 432, 553, 1082
Wigert, Knut (cast) 445
Wiklund, Gunnel (cast) 350,
351, 356
Wikström, Brian (crew) 239,
241
Wikström, Jan-Erik (minister of
culture) 853 (Börjlind satire),
1272 (tax case aftermath)
Wilde, Oscar (author) 239 (rec)
Wilder, Billy (filmmaker) 943
(Aghed)
Wilder, Thornton (playwright)
2, 398 (recept)
Wildner, Andrea-Maria (cast)
460
Wilén, Max (cinematographer)
227
Wilhelm, Rolf (music) 249, 252
Wilkinson, Marc (music) 323
Wilkner, Pierre (cast) 465, 467,
468, 473, 476, 477, 479
1128
Willgren, Olof (cast) 447, 467,
479
Williams, Tennessee (play-
wright) 110, 291, 405, 413, 428,
437 (com), 643. See also
Chapter I, p. 39
Wilson, Dover (Shakespeare
scholar) 401 (com)
Wilson, Elizabeth (cast) 324
Wiman, Anne-Marie (cast) 226,
408, 410
Windahl, Karin (cast) 204
Winerdal, Max (cast) 256, 480
Winge, Torsten (cast) 230, 232
Wingreen, Jason (cast) 324
Winner, Peter (cast) 211
Winnerstrand, Olof (cast) 202,
205, 207, 265
Winqvist, Erik (cast) 473
Winterbottom, Michael (TV
prod) 912, 1703
Winther, Caj (cast) 345
Winther, Ted (cast) 344, 361
Wirén, Dag (composer) 221
Wirff, Signe (cast) 203, 413
Wistedt, Göran (cast) 309
Wivesson, Gudmar (cast) 465
Wranér, Greta (author, text
adapt) 385
Wright, Tony (cast) 323
Wulf, Meseke (TV crew) 337
Wulff, Anders (cast) 223
Wulff, Helge (univ chancellor/
cast) 226
Wåhlander, Mimmo (cast) 244,
430
Wållgren, Gunn (cast) 205, 253,
265
Wærn, Inge (cast) 380
Wästersjö, Åke (cast) 453
Wästfeldt, Lillie (cast) 214
Yeats, William Butler (play-
wright) 356
YLE TV (Finland) 340
Yoda, Ingrid (crew/music) 336,
471
Zacharias, John (crew, cast)
202, 406, 477
Zachrisson, Lisbeth (cast) 247,
328
Zadek, Peter (dir) 459 (recept)
Zadig, Fylgia (cast) 216, 244
Zak, Franz (crew) 401
 Name Index

Zandén, Philip (cast) 259
Zander, Hans (cast) 460
Zehetbauer, Rolf (crew) 249,
252
Zehlén, Ruben (crew, cast) 347,
349, 351, 355
Zetterberg, Ulla (cast) 397, 405
Zetterling, Mai (cast, film-
maker) 202, 207, 744, 1417
Zielinska, Donata (transl) 108
Zimmermann, Klaus (cast) 420
Zollitsch, Johann ( crew) 256
Zonabend, Arthur (crew) 337
Zweigbergk, Jan von (cast) 401,
402
Åberg, Lasse (filmmaker) 873
(Ruth)
Åberg, Rustan (pyrotechnics)
239
Åberg, Ulla (dramaturg) 468,
476 (com), 486 (cred)
Åhman, Tor (cast) 221
Åhström, Inga-Lill (cast) 208,
211, 401
Åkerblom, Anna (grand-
mother) p. 30-32, 34, 55
Åkerlund, Emilie (cast) 473
Åkerlund, Marie-Louise (cast)
417
Åkerlund, Åke (cast) 417, 420,
429, 430
Åkermark, Arne (film crew)
202, 203, 205
Åkesson, Hans (crew) 486
Ålenius, Inga (cast) 253, 256
Årland, Ronnie (crew) 322
Årlin, Georg (cast) 279, 317, 318,
418, 419, 422, 440, 441, 442, 443,
447, 449
Åsander, Birger (cast) 209
Åstrand, Mona (cast) 214, 219
Åström, Curt “Minimalen”
(cast) 215
Åström, Folke (cast) 222
Åström, Per-Erik (cast) 222
Öberg, Britta (cast) 239, 318
Öberg, Frans Oscar (cast) 415,
418, 422
Öhman, Christer (cast) 233
Öhman, Kalle (cast) 210
Öhman, Margareta (cast) 221
Öhman, Marianne (cast) 370
Öijerholm, Gun (cast) 344, 356
Östberg, Per Johan (cast) 364,
1963
Österberg, Eva (cast) 492
Östergren, Ingrid (cast) 403
Östergren, Klas (transl) 472
Östergren, Kurt/Curt (see Ed-
gard, Curt)
Östergren, Pernilla (see August,
Pernilla)
Östlund, Alf (cast) 318, 408, 450
Östring, Gun (cast) 219

II. Writers on Ingmar Bergman

The professional contribution of a name is listed in parenthesis, using the following abbri-
viations:

art article
diss dissertation
ed editor
interv interview
mag magazine
rep report
rev review

To facilitate locating a name that appears in a longer entry in the Guide, a reference in
parenthesis after the entry number indicates where in the entry the name can be found. The
following designations are used:

(com) name to be found in the entry’s Commentary section following credits

listing.
(rec) name to be found in the entry’s Reception section.
(rev) name to be found in the Review listing
(longer stud) name to be found under Longer articles/studies headline
(intro) name to be found in the introduc tory part of a chapter

1129

(survey) name to be found in Chapters I (Life and Work) or III (The Film-
maker)
In cases in Chapter VI (Theatre) where a stage production travelled abroad, a pertinent entry
reference (such as reviews from a guest performance) includes the name of the city where the
performance took place.
Aare, Leif (rev) 337, 492
Aatland, Liv (thesis) 1581
Abenius, Margit (art) 234
Abraham, Henry H.L. (art) 234,
989
Abrahamsson, Bengt (rev) 437
Acerete, Julio (transl, fore-
word) 98, 119
Adams, Robert H. (art) 1103
Adams, Sidney P. (art) 234, 245
(longer art)
Adiri, Nasr Allah (book) 1615
Adjouri, Birgitte (rep) 453
(Berlin)
Adler, Thomas P. (art) 989
AGE (see Elsberg, Anders)
Agel, Henri (book chapt) 1014,
1274
Aghed, Jan (art, rev, interv) 188,
191, 239 (rec), 247 (com), 253
(rec/longer essay), 254 (press
art), 332, 335, 340, 343, 474, 781,
794, 838, 943, 1426, 1516, 1614
Ahlgren, Stig (rev) 223 (rec),
229 (rec), 238 (rec), 326 (Sw
rec)
Ahlström, Gabriella (interv
art) 341
Ahlström, Ove (rev) 396
Ahrenberg, Sixten/Peo (rev) 347
(recept)
Albano, L. (art) 226
Alexander, William (art) 1244
Alfredius, Jarl (report, interv)
Adolphson, Inga (film archi-
vist) 474
Allombert, Guy (art) 219 (see
also), 1015
Allroth, Gun (interv) 325 (com)
Almansi, Guido (rev) 470
(Rome)
Almkvist, Kurt (art) 234 (rec),
989
Almqvist, Stig (art, rev) 216
(rec)
Almström, Ove (rev) 396
Alnæs, Karsten (rev) 472
Name Index
Alonzo, Francesco Saverio (re-
port) 465 (Milano), 470, 471,
486 (rev foreign)
Alpert, Hollis (art, interv, rev)
239 (rec), 726, 988, 1011, 1016,
1037. Also: Chapter II, p. 59
Alsina, T.H. (book, art) 974,
1104
Alvarez, A. (rep, interv) 835
Ambjörnsson, Ronny (art) 229
Amble, Louise (Lolo) (art) 477,
646
Amiel, Vincent (art) 1644
Amlie, A. (trans, art) 26, 168,
177, 188, 192, 975
Anderberg, Adolf/A-g (rev) 395
Andergård, Marita (rev) 465,
471, 473
Anderman, Gunilla (ed) 149
Andersen, Hans (rev) 471, 477
Andersen, Odd-Stein (rev) 450
(Oslo) Andersen, Sejer (rev,
ed) 90
Anderson, Ernie (book, rev)
244 (com), 248 (com), 806,
1275
Anderson, John Drew (art) 225
Anderssen, Odd-Stein (rev)
445, 450
Andersson, Camilla (report)
477 (see also)
Andersson, Elis [Es.An.] (rev)
396, 398, 399, 400, 402, 404,
407, 512
Andersson, Gunder (rev, ed)
192, 474, 1317
Andersson, Jan (interv) 245
(com)
Andersson, Lars Gustaf (art,
ed) 226, 338, 1452 (Filmhäf-
tet), 1563, 1627
Andersson, Nils (report) 1262
Andersson, Per (report) 602
Andhé, Stefan (interv) 819
Andréason, Sverker (rev) 191,
192, 195, 334, 466 (Sthlm/NY),
467, 468, 470-473, 475, 478, 479
1130
Andresen, B. (press art) 229
(rec)
Andrews, Emma (interv art)
250 (com)
Anér, Kerstin (debate) 250 (rec)
Anker, Øyvind (art) 202, 1141
Anrell, Lasse (rev) 492
Anthal, Jussi (rep) 555, 787
Aquilon, David (art) 1627
Archer, Eugene (art, interv)
226, 769, 1011
Areceo, Sergio (art) 238 (second
trilogy)
Arian, Max (rev) 464 (Holland
fest), 465 (Amsterdam)
Aristarco, Guido (art) 1012,
1245, 1496
Ariyadasa, Edwin (intro) 1175
Armando, Carlos (book) 1455
Armes, Roy (book chapt) 1276
Arnald, Jan (rev) 483, 485, 486
Arnault, Hubert (art) 219 (rec)
Arndt, Rudi (speech) 1273
Arntzen, Knut Ove (rep) 637
Arpiainen, Lalla (rev) 440
Arrhenius, Sara (rev) 188, 475
Arroro, Andres (rev) 466 (Ma-
drid)
Arvidsson, Gunnar (rep) 531
Assayas, Olivier (book, interv)
252 (com), 919
Asterdahl, Alvar [A.A-l] (rev)
431
Astgeirsson, Gunnlaug (rev)
466 (Reykjavik)
Astruc, Alexandre (film scho-
lar) Chapter II, p. 54-55
Atkinson, Brooks (report) 536
Austin, Paul Britten (art) 185
Avellan, Heidi (rev) 475, 476,
477, 478, 479, 480, 483
Avigal, Shosh (rev) 471 (Israel)
Awalt, Mike H. (art) 997
Axelson, Cecilia (art) 1583
Axelsson, Per Arne (interv) 897
Axelson, Sun (rev) 124
Ayfre, Amedée (art) 1038, 1106
Aymé, Marcel (rev) 432 (Paris)

Azeredo, Ely (art) 974
Babski, Cindy (rep, interv art)
468 (NY), 619, 911
Baby, Yvonne (interv) 852
Bachmann, C.H. (rev) 453
(Berlin)
Baignères, Claude (rev, press
art) 253 (rec), 254
Balbierz, Jan (book ed) 1541
Baldelli, Pio (art) 1012, 1107, 1125
Baldwin, James (interv) 727,
1039
Balicki, S.W. (rev) 454 (War-
saw)
Banks-Smith, Nancy (rev) 323
Barber, John (rev) 447 (Lon-
don), 450 (London)
Barcorelles, L. (rev) 982
Barfoed, Niels (press art) 325
(rec)
Barker, Felix (rev) 433 (Lon-
don), 440 (London)
Barnes, Clive (rev) 466 (NY),
468 (NY), 471 (NY), 473 (NY)
Baron, Anja (rep) 1580
Baron, James (art) 223
Barr, A.P. (art) 236 (psych mo-
tifs)
Barthel, Sven [S.B-l]. (rev) 397,
411, 412, 418, 423, 425, 431, 438,
441, 445
Bassett, Kate (rev) 487 (Lon-
don)
Baudry, J-L. (art, rev) 236
(psych motifs)
Baur, Arthur (rev) 450 (Zürich)
Bax, Dominique (ed) 1517
Baydar, Yavuz (rev) 470 (non-
Swed. Rev)
Beauman, Sally (art, interv)
795, 1195
Beck, Inga-Maj (rev, art) 454
(foreign rev), 477 (art)
von Becker, Peter (rev) 457
Beer, Allan (interv) 752
Beer, Otto F. (rev) 462
Behrendt, Poul (art) 185, 1456
Behring, Bertil (rev) 467
Bellmann, Günther (rev) 258
Belmans, J. (art) 239 (rec)
Benach, Joan Anton (rev) 470/
472 (Barcelona)
Benayoun, Robert (rev art) 250,
982
Bendix, Eva (art) 451 (see also)
Name Index
Benedyktowicz, Zbigniew (art)
1246. Also: Chapter II, p. 59
Benesch, Gerda (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Benfrey, Mathias Wilhelm (the-
sis) 997
Bentivoglio, Leonetta (interv)
624, 915
Béranger, Jean (book, art, in-
terv) 226, 228, 229 (com), 231
(com), 713, 765, 907, 982, 991,
1220
Berg, Curt (rev) 489
van der Berg, R. (intro) 1212
Bergdahl, Gunnar (TV interv,
ed) 198, 944, 1696
Berge, Henk Ten (art) 1333
Berger, Christian (diss) 1518
Berggraf, Rainer (press art) 1452
(group #, 4)
Berggren, Kerstin (radio
progr) 468 (com)
van den Bergh, Hans (rev) 447
(Holland fest), 465 (Amster-
dam)
Bergh, Magnus (rev art) 192
Bergkvist, Lars George (press re-
port) 466 (NY)
Bergman, A. Gunnar (rev) 378,
396, 399, 403, 405, 408, 410, 411,
414, 426
Bergmark, Torsten (art) 239
(rec), 1149
Bergom-Larsson, Maria (book,
art) 236 (see also), 250 (rec),
343, 997, 1303, 1314, 1519, 1684
Bergrahm, Hans (rev) 403
Bergstén, Gunilla (rev) 466
Bergstrand, Allan [B-nd] (rev)
392, 395, 422, 424, 426, 427, 428,
430, 432, 433, 434
Bergström, Kåge (interv) 521,
697
Bergå, Frank (rep) 475 (com)
Bernardi, S. (rep) 1478
Bernatchez, Raymond (rev) 466
(Québec)
Bernstein, Richard (interv) 466
(NY)
Beronius, Boel Marie (interv)
705
di Bertani, Edoardo (rev) 447
(Venice), 465 (Milano), 470
(Rome)
Bertina, B.J. (rep, interv) 898,
1389, 1404
Bettetino, Gianfranco (art) 1012
1131
Beyer, Nils [-yer/bey] (rev, art)
220 (com), 223 (rec), 239 (rec),
360, 362, 364, 365, 369, 370, 372,
376, 377 (com), 378, 379, 381,
384, 399, 405, 407, 408, 410, 411,
414, 415, 418, 419, 426-431, 433-
435, 437-440, 520, 528, 952, 953,
970. See also Chapter III, p.
137, p. 600
Beylie, Claude (rev) 982
Bexelius, Björn (rev) 492
Biette, Jean-Claude (art) 254
Billard, Pierre (art, interv) 753,
1108
Billington, Michael (rev) 450
(London), 468 (London/Edin-
burgh)
Billqvist, Fritiof (book) 1040.
See also Section I
Binh, N.T. (book) 1542
Bini, Luigi (book) 1226, 1350
Bird, Michael (art) 250 (longer
stud), 989
Birkvad, S. (art) 1325
Bjuvstedt, Sussie (report) 1186
Bjärlind, Eva (book ed) 1317
Björck, Amelie (rev) 311, 342,
487
Björklund, C.J. (rev, art) 223
(rec)
Björklund, Per Åke (thesis) 253
(longer stud), 1429
Björkman, Carl (rev, art) 205
(rec), 207 (rec), 225 (rec), 230
(rec), 401, 404, 414
Björkman, Stig (interv, art) 235
(rec), 244 (com), 250 (longer
rev), 256 (longer art), 259 (in-
terv), 338, 773, 788, 796, 805,
919, 945, 1213, 1314, 1318, 1378,
1390, 1452, 1539, 1625, 1702
Björkstén, Ingmar (book, interv,
rev) 334, 437, 438, 439, 440,
442, 444, 447, 449, 450, 451, 453,
454, 465, 466, 468, 470, 472,
536, 537, 544, 645, 789
Björnstrand, Gabriella (press
art) 233 (com), 309 (com),
370 (com), 1685
Björnstrand, Lillie (book) 370,
1263. See also Chapter III, p.
139
Blackwell, Marilyn Johns (book,
art) 234, 236 (mono), 975,
989, 1543, 1603, 1671
Blackwood, Caroline (art) 996,
1056

Bladh, Curt (rev) 467
Blaha, Paul (rev) 447 (Vienna),
453 (Berlin
Blake, Richard A, SJ. (diss, art)
226, 259 (rec), 997, 1196, 1304,
1505
Blandi, Alberto (rev) 447 (Ve-
nice), 451 (Florence)
Blaszczyna, Stanislav (art) 1479
Bleibtreu, Renate (book ed) 3,
11, 13, 23, 45, 47, 57, 75, 86, 90,
91, 93, 100, 111, 118, 131, 132, 133,
162, 195, 199, 1678
Block, Bruce A. (interv art) 253
(com)
Blokker, Jan (press art) 238
(comp studies)
Blom, Jörgen (rev) 334 (Sw rev)
Blomstrand, Anna-Karin (art)
229
Blum, Doris (interv) 868, 1272
Blum, Heiko R. (art) 1457
Blume, Mary (interv art) 249
(com)
Bobker, Lee (book sec) 245 (see
also)
Bobrow, A.C. (interv) 1213
Bocchi, Lorenzo (interv) 470
(Rome)
Bodegård, G. (press report) 245
(rec)
Bodelsen, Anders (art) 325
(rec), 450 (Copenhagen
Boesten, D.J. (dossier) 245 (fact
sheets)
Boethius, Maria-Pia (press art)
1439
Bogdanov, Michael (dir) 468
(London rec)
Bohlin, Torgny (art) 1520
Bohman, Gösta (art) 988, 1441
Boldemann, Marcus (press art)
492 (com)
Bolin, Asta (art) 192 (rec), 226,
238 (rec), 827, 997, 1458
Boldt, Julin (rev) 468, 470
Bolzano, F. (rev) 258
Bonanni, Francesca (rev) 465
(Milano
Bonda, Marek (diss) 1630
Bonino, Guido Davico (rev)
468
Bonnesen, Michael (rev) 468,
475, 477, 492
Bono, Francesco (art, ed) 466
(Spoleto), 663, 1012, 1521
Name Index
Boorsma, Anne-Marie (diss)
250 (longer stud)
Boost, C. (art) 1017
Borden, Diane M. (monograph,
art) 226, 1305
Borger-Bendegard, Lisbeth (in-
terv) 797
Borglund, Tore (rev) 279, 280,
282, 284, 285, 287, 289, 291, 292,
294, 295, 296
de Borgnie, J. (report) 1370
Borngässer, Rose-Marie (rev, re-
port, interv) 459, 460, 840,
1272, 1319
Boström, Åsa (art, debate) 250
(rec), 975
Boswinkel, W. (rev) 447 (Hol-
land fest)
Boyd, David (art) 236 (meta),
1391
Boyers, Robert (art) 236
(comp), 975, 1150
Bozjovits, V. (rev) 466 (Mos-
cow), 468 (Moscow)
Bragg, Melvyn (book, TV in-
terv) 225, 857, 1544, 1714
Brandel, Åke (rev) 489
Brandell, Gunnar (art) 453
Branting, Jacob (rev) 446
Brantley, Ben (rev) 483 (NY),
485 (NY), 486 (NY), 487 (NY)
Brashinsky, Michael (art) 1631
Braucourt, G. (art) 238 (second
trilogy), 975, 1247
Braudy, Leo (book sec, ed)
1320, 1392, 1631
Braun, Robert (interv) 537
Braw, Monica (rep) 466 (To-
kyo)
Bredsdorff, Lene (media) 472
(com)
Bredsdorff, Thomas (rev, art)
442, 450 (spec stud), 466, 468
(debate), 470-473, 620, 1477
Breivik, Thomas (art) 325
Brennan, Mary (rev) 466
(Edinburgh)
Breslin, J. (rev) 248
Bresser, Jean Paul (survey, rev)
185, 1545
Bretteville, C. (art) 216
Brightman, Carol (art) 234
Brincker, Jens (rev) 492
Britton, Sven (rep) 449 (See
also)
Brody, B. (rev) 248 (rec)
1132
Brohult, Magnus (rev) 185, 191,
192
Broman, Sten (rev) 420, 489
Bromander, Lennart (rev) 492
Brotherus, Greta (rev) 454
(foreign rev)
Brown, Anita (art) 223
Brown, William Clyde (diss)
1277
Brunius, Clas (interv, rev) 314,
316, 330, 826, 426, 428, 433, 434,
437, 438, 440-443, 454, 826
(Sundgren)
Brunius, Teddy (rev) 465, 467,
468, 472, 473
Brunelli, Vittorio (rev) 468
(Florence)
Brustein, Robert (rev, art) 450
(London), 466 (NY), 468 (mag
rev, NY), 470 (NY), 477 (NY)
Bryden, Ronald (rev) 447
(London), 448
Buob, Jacques (press art) 1614
Buchwald, Gunnar (interv) 728
Bummler, Bobby (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Buntzen, Linda K. (art) 238
(psych studies), 253 (longer
stud), 1278, 1442
Buob, Jacques (report) 1614
Burdick, Dolores (art) 236 (add
studies), 1497
Burnevich, Joseph (book, art,
interv) 720, 740, 975, 997,
1070
Busco, Maria Teresa (art) 1012,
1121
Buxton, Paul (art) 246 (longer
stud)
Buzzonetti, R. (art) 231, 234
Bye, Anders (rev) 444
Byrgesen, Heino (interv) 569
Byron, Stuart (art) 1272
Bæckström, Tord (rev) 318, 407,
430, 433, 435, 437, 439, 443, 446,
447, 449
Börjlind, Rolf (fake interv) 853
Calhoun, Alice Ann (diss) 997,
1351
Calmeyer, Bengt (rev) 487
(Oslo)
Cameron, Ian (rev) 235 (See
also)
Cammarano, Tommaso (rev)
258 (foreign rev)

Campbell, Paul N. (art) 236
(meta)
Canby, Vincent (rev) 248 (rec),
249 (rec), 477 (NY)
Canova, Gianni (art) 1579
Cantor, Jay (art) 1176
Cappabianca, Alessandro (art)
1231
Carandell, Josep Maria (art)
472 (Barcelona)
Carbajal, Isabel (rev) 492
Carcassonne, Philippe (rev art)
247, 1334
Cardullo, Bert (art) 451 (spec
stud)
Carduner, A. (art) 1197
Caretti, Laura (theatre histor-
ian) 468 (rec)
Carey, John (rev) 323
Carril, Martinez (art) 974
Carlson, Tore (rep) 492 (see
also)
Carlsson, Larsolof (rev) 467
Carthew, Anthony (rev) 433
(London)
Casas, Joan (rev) 470 (Barcelo-
na)
Casas, Quim (rev) 479 (Barce-
lona)
Casebier, Alan (art) 236 (psych
motifs), 1352, 1353
Casebier, Jane (art) 1352, 1353
Castro, Manuel (rep) 473 (Se-
ville)
Casty, Alan (art) 1227
Cavell, Marcia (rev) 246 (rec)
Cavell, Stanley (art) 989, 1378,
1668
Cavendish, Dominique (rev)
487 (London)
Cavett, Dick (TV interv) 798,
1698
Cebollado, Pascual (book) 225
Cederblad-Bengtsson, Tone
(rev) 318
Cella, Carlo Maria (rev) 492
Centervall, J. (rev) 434
Ceretto, Alberto (rep, interv)
774
Ch’en, Saho-ts’ung (book) 1430
Chambert, Bengt (art) 203, 204
(rec)
Champlin, Charles (art, interv,
rep) 248 (com), 788, 804,
820, 1264
Chapot, Luc (rev) 258
Charity, Tom (art) 1584
Name Index
Chauvet, Louis (art) 1122
Chiara, Ghigo de (rev) 470
(Rome)
Chiaretti, Tommaso (transl,
book, art, rev) 123, 465 (Mi-
lano), 466 (Spoleto), 1012, 1109
Chicco, Elisabetta (art) 545, 1151
Childkret, David (art) 1459,
1463
Chion, Michel (art) 1480. See
also Chapter III, p. 144
Christensen, Charlotte (rev)
485 (Oslo)
Christensen, Theodor (art) 964
Cibotto, G.A. (rev) 447 (Ve-
nice), 472 (Venice)
Cieslar, J. (afterword) 178
Ciment, Michel (interv, rev)
185, 259, 1329
Cinque, Anne-Marie (art, diss)
975, 1406
Clapp, Susannah (rev) 487
(London)
Clarke, Kathryn Philomena
(diss) 1394
Classon, Anders (undergrad the-
sis) 252 (longer stud)
Cocks, Jay (rev) 248 (rec)
Coe, George (parody) 225
(com)
Cohen, Hubert I. (book) 233,
236, 241 (rec), 1011, 1546
Cohen, Shalev Amin (art) 1522
Cohen-Stratyner, Barbara (art)
477, 663
Cohn, Bernard (art, rev) 238
(rec), 989, 1187
Colberg, Klaus (rev) 458
Cole, Alan (art) 1011, 1019
Collin, Lars (interv) 487 (com)
Comolli, Jean-Louis (art, rev)
233, 238 (rec), 1110. See also
Chapter II, p. 55
Company, Juan Miguel (book)
1034, 1547
Comstock. Richard (art) 1134
Comuzio, Ermano (art, rev)
216, 258, 1111
Conlogue, Ray (rev) 466 (Qué-
bec)
Connor, John J. (rev) 334 (com)
Corbella, Ferran (preview art)
472 (Barcelona)
Cordelli, Franco (rev) 466
(Spoleto)
Corinne. [sign] (rev) 355
1133
Corliss, Richard (art, rev) 185,
238 (psych studies), 254 (rec),
258, 1152, 1395
Cornelius, Knud (rev) 450
(Copenhagen), 473
Cornell, Jonas (rev art) 124, 236
(rec)
Cornell, Peter (press art) 466
Corrivault, Martine R. (rev)
466 (Québec)
Cortade, Ludovic (book) 1669
Costaz, Gilles (rev) 465 (Paris)
Cournot, Michel (rev) 236
(rec), 464 (Paris), 470 (Paris)
Coveney, Michael (rev) 466
(London)
Covi, Antonio (book sec) 1198
Cowie, Peter (book, art, in-
terv) 202, 225 (rec), 235, 236,
240 (rec), 241 (rec), 244 (com),
245 (see also), 247 (rec), 890,
996, 1041, 1355, 1378, 1381, 1452,
1481, 1522
Cozarinsky, Eduardo (art) 1034
Craft, Robert (book sec, rev)
247 (rec), 489 (rec), 1101
Craig, Carla (art) 238 (psych
studies), 1278
Cramér, Carl (rev) 404
Cramer, Jens (book ed) 1673
Crist, Judith (rev) 233 (rec), 235
(rec)
Croce, Arlene (rev, art) 216, 1011
Cucchetti, Gino (rev) 447 (Ve-
nice)
Cuenca, Carlos Fernandez
(book) 1034
Cueno, Anne (art) 465, 611
Cumozio, Emilio (rev art) 249
(longer rev)
Cunneen, Sally (art) 1335
Curtiss, Thomas Quinn (rev)
454 (foreign rev)
Czako, A. (art) 1632
Czaplinski, Leslaw (art) 1564
Czywczynska, Joanna (thesis,
bibl) 1419
d’Allones, Fabrice Renault
(art) 1517
d’Amico, Masolini (rev) 470
(Rome), 471 (Parma), 472
(Venice)
d’Arecco, Sergio (art) 1194
d’Elia, G. (art) 1336
d’Epenoux, Christian (rep) 1272

d’Orazio, Gaetano (diss) 216,
1265
da Costa, João Bernard (sur-
vey) 1488
Daasnes, Jordan (art) 253
(longer essays)
Dabelsteen, Per (rep) 472 (Co-
penhagen), 1477
Dagerman, Stig (rev) 408
Dagsland, Sissel Hamre (rev)
466, 470, 472, 473, 487
Dallmann, Günter (press report,
interv) 433, 446 (see also),
714, 998
Dam, Hanne (art, rep) 572
Dam, Inge (rev) 450 (Copen-
hagen)
Dannecker, Hermann (rev) 447
(Obernhaus)
Dannowski, Hans Werner (art)
254, 997, 1431
Darke, Chris (art) 1633
Darlington, W.A. (rev) 433
(London), 447 (London)
Darnton, Nina (art) 1548
Davidsson, Katarina (rev) 195
Davis, Brenda (rev) 244 (rec)
Davis, Sidney (parody) 225
(com)
Dawson, Jan (rev, art) 239, 240
(rec), 244 (rec), 249 (com),
788, 996, 1356
Degnan, James P. (rev) 1085
Delain, M. (interv) 249 (com)
Deland, Jacques (rev) 1225
Delekat, Thomas (press art)
1439
Delling, Manfred (art) 982, 1135
Demonsablon, P. (rev) 982
Denitto, Dennis (art) 226
Dent, Alan (rev) 433 (London)
Dermutz, Klaus (rev) 482
Dervin, Daniel (art) 1396
Dessau, Frederik (art, press
rep) 450 (Copenhagen), 569,
593, 1043
Dickstein, Maurice (book sec,
art) 1320, 1452
Dienstfrey, Harris (art) 1057
Disch, Thomas R. (rev art) 468
(NY)
Dithmer, Monna (rev) 472
(Copenhagen), 476, 479 (Co-
penhagen), 485 (Oslo)
Dixon Wheeler, Winston (art)
1660
Name Index
Domarchi, Jean (art, rev) 982,
1247
van Dommelei, Dirk (book)
1306
Donneux, M. (art, rev) 235, 247,
1249
Donnér, Jarl (rev) 414, 418, 424,
429, 430, 445, 450, 451, 453, 454,
470
Donohoe, Joseph (art) 216, 226,
1321
Doorman, Joseph (art) 220
Douchet, Jean (video cass) 225
Dr. Jürg [sign] (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Dreifaldt, Curt (tax auditor)
1272 (Aftermath)
Drewniak, Lukasz (see also) 479
(Krakow)
Drouzy, Martin (art) 1153, 1325
Du Reis, Göran (art) 1328
Duarte, Fernando (art) 1020,
1354
Dubois, Pierre H. (rev) 447
(Holland fest)
Dultz, Michael (rev) 461, 463
Dupas, Jean (art) 1144
Duprey, R.A. (art) 1058
Durand, Frédéric (art) 988, 989
Durbach, Errol (art) 638
Dursi, Massimo (rev) 451
(Florence)
Duun, Rie (rev) 471 (Århus)
Dyer, John (art) 996
Dyckhoff, Peter (report) 1272
Eberhardt, Konrad (art) 1540
(Balbierz)
Eberwein, Robert T. (art) 226,
1357, 1407
Edberg, Ulla-Britta (report) 461
(Postscript)
Eddegren, Gunnar (rev) 228
(rec)
Eder, Richard (art) 1280
Edfeldt, Johannes (rev) 365, 378
Edström, Mauritz (rev) 124, 223
(rec), 233 (rec), 238 (rec), 239
(rec), 314, 325 (rec), 788
Edvardsson, Cordelia (rep, in-
terv) 821
Ehrén, Birgit (rev) 222 (rec)
Ehrenborg, Lennart (TV prod)
233 (com)
Ehrenkrona, Anne-Marie (in-
terv) 447
1134
Ehrenmark, Torsten (report)
433
Eichholz, Armin (rev) 456, 457,
458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464
Eidem, Odd (rev) 445
Ek, Johan (thesis) 975
Ek, Mats (art) 662
Ekbom, Thorsten (rev) 192. See
also Chapter II, p. 68
Ekecrantz, Jan (study) 234 (rec
Eklann, Torsten (rev, art) 203,
210 (rec), 223 (rec), 444
Eklund, Bernt (press rep) 343
Eklund, Hans (rev) 489
Eklund, Hilkka (rev) 447 (Hel-
sinki)
Ekman, Johannes (interv, rev)
309, 589, 669
Ekman, Kerstin (debate) 897
Ekström, Margareta (art, de-
bate) 233 (rec), 975, 1086
Ekström, Olle (int, rev) 566
Elam, Ingrid (rev) 192
Elensky, Torbjörn (rev) 194
Elfving, Ebba (rev) 449
Elfving, Ulf (interv) 318
Elgstam, Helle (report) 318 (see
also)
Elia, Maurice (rev art) 249 (rec)
Ellefsen, Tove (rev) 468 (rev +
debate), 471, 472, 473
Ellingsen, Thor (rev) 188
Elliott, David (rev) 325 (Re-
sponse to TV version)
Elmquist, Carl Johan (rev) 297,
447
Elsberg, Anders [AGE] (interv,
rep) 431, 489 (com), 526, 537,
540, 764
Elsaesser, Thomas (art) 1565,
1643
Emelsen, Margaret A. (art) 1337
Emil, Jens (rev, interv) 452, 569
Emilio, Paolo (rev) 450 (Flor-
ence)
Enander, Christer (rev) 194
Engberg, Harald (rev) 431
Engebladh, Monica (thesis)
1429
Erichsen, Sven (rev) 450 (Co-
penhagen)
Erickson, Robert L. (thesis)
1338
Ericksson, Arne (interv, art,
rev) 225, 434, 729

Ericsson, Göran O. (rev, de-
bate) 132, 238 (rec), 442, 443,
468 (rec/Florence), 492 (cred),
537
Erikson, Erik Homburger (art)
226, 1281
Eriksson, Ingalill K. (interv)
470
Eriksson, Ing-Mari (art, ed) 245
(rec), 1317
Ersgård, Stefan (rev) 334
Escudero, José Maria Garcia
(art) 1034
von Essen, Ebba (rep, interv)
806, 822
Estève, Michel (ed, art) 233, 249
(rec), 253, 1397
Eteläppää, Heiki (rev) 465
(Tammerfors)
Evren, Bonz (rev) 471 (Israel)
Faber, K. von (interv) 854
Fabre, Jacqueline (rev) 432
Fabricius, Johannes (art) 244,
1154
Facricius, Susan (art) 1288
Fagerström, Allan (rev) 318,
430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 437-
440, 442, 443, 445, 447, 450, 451,
453, 454, 551 (Jahnson affair)
Falk, Gunnar (rev) 317, 318, 425
Farago, France (art) 250 (longer
stud), 1307, 1397
Farber, S. (rev) 325 (add rev, p.
429)
Farbstein, A.A. (art) 1136
Farina, Corrado (book) 1021
Fava, S. (art) 185 (rec)
Fehling, Dora (rev) 440
Feingold, Michael 466 (rev,
NY), 468 (rev, NY), 472 (rev,
NY), 473 (rev, NY), 477 (rev,
NY), 485 (NY)
Féjja, S. (art) 1339
Filipski, Kevin (rev) 487 (NY)
Filmson [see Hanson, Sven Jan]
Finch, Hillary (rev) 492
Finetti, Ugo (art, interv) 248
(see also), 1283
Finkelkraut, Alain (rev art) 465
(Paris)
Fishbach, Lars (rev) 476
Fischer, Lillie (rev) 465
Fischer, Lucy (book sec) 236
(add studies)
Fjermeros, Halvor (rev) 472
(Oslo)
Name Index
Flamm, Matthew (interv) 466
(NY, rec)
Flatow, I. (art) 234 (rec)
Fleisher, Frederic (rep, interv)
721, 1060
Fletcher, John (art) 989
Florén, Uno (rev, rep) 435, 1284
Florin, Bo (art) 1628
Florin, Magnus (interv, press
art) 275, 466, 680-681
Flyckt, Yngve (rev) 420
Foelz, Sylvia (diss) 975
Fogelbäck, J. (interv) 876
Folke, Ted (rep) 253 (com)
Forsberg, Gunnar (art) 979
Forser, Tomas (rev) 480
Forslund, Bengt (art, interv)
228 (rec), 734, 746, 992, 997,
1358, 1382, 1686
Forssell, Jacob (report) 253
(genesis)
Forssell, Sven (art) 519, 698
Fortin, Dennis (art) 1604
Foss, Oddvar (art) 245 (rec),
1232
Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey
(art) 236 (add studies), 975,
1660
Frankl, Elisabeth (rep, interv)
604, 862, 877, 903
Franzén, Lars-Olof (rev, art)
153, 191, 225 (rec), 236 (rec),
476, 479
Fraser, Linda Lussy (diss) 989,
1616, 1656
Fredén, Gustaf (rev, art) 400,
401 (see also)
Fredericksen, Don (art) 236
(meta), 1340
Fredriksson, Karl G (rev) 473,
476, 480, 486, 487
Fredriksson, M. (interv) 869
Fredriksson, Nils (rep, art) 730,
1040
Freeland, Cynthia (book ed)
1590
French, Philip & Kersti (book)
226, 1585
French, Tony (art) 231 (spec
studies)
Frendel, Yvonne (press art) 444
(com)
Freriks, Kester (rev) 464 (Hol-
land fest), 465 (Amsterdam)
Fridén, Ann (art, ed) 355, 384
(see also), 401 (rec), 596, 663,
989, 1635
1135
Friedman, R.M. (art) 254
Friedner, Calle (radio interv)
492, 942
Friedrich, Detlev (rev) 482
Friedrich, Regine (rev) 185
Friis, Bente Linnea (interv) 472
(Copenhagen)
Frundt, B. (program ed) 249
(com)
Fröier, Lennart (art) 1000
Fröman, Margit (rev) 351
Furhammar, Leif (book sec,
rev) 339, 474, 1605
Furhammar, Sten (art) 952, 961
Gadd, Pia (debate) 897
Gado, Frank (book) 233, 236,
241 (rec), 612, 1011, 1432. See
also Chapter II, p. 65
Gallerani, M. (art) 1322
Gallois, Claire (rev) 253 (rec)
Gamerman, Amy (rev) 485
(NY)
Gamillscheg, Hannes (press
art) 259 (com)
Gammelgaard, Tone (press re-
port) 1452
Gantz, Jeffrey (art) 238 (comp
studies), 988, 1359
Garbarz, Franck (rev) 259 (for-
eign rev)
Garde, Mogens (report) 468
(non-Swed. rev)
Gardner, Lyn (rev) 487 (Lon-
don)
Garfinkel, Bernie (book) 1323
Garrett, Gerard (rev) 323
Garsdal, Lise (rev) 486
Garzia, Aldo (ed) 1679
Gatermann, Reiner (press re-
port) 1272
Gauteur, Claude (rev, art) 982,
1001, 1088
Gauweiler, Peter (interv) 858
Gavel Adams, Lotta & Terje Lei-
ren (eds) 1671
Gay, James (art) 244, 1033
Geduld, Harry M. (ed) 87
Gee, Maggie (rev) 259 (foreign
rev)
Gehler, Fred (rev art) 249
af Geijerstam, Sten [S. af Gm]
(rev) 384, 391, 392, 397, 398,
399, 400, 401
Geisler, Günther (report) 1046
Gellerfeldt, Mats (rev) 465, 468
(debate)

Gentele, Jeanette (report) 470
(see also)
Gerbracht, Wolfgang (art) 972
Gerell, Boel (rev) 340, 341
Gerle, Jörg (art) 997, 1634
Geron, Gastone (rev) 465 (Mi-
lano), 470 (Rome)
Gertner, R. (rev) 250
Gervais, Marc (book, art, TV)
791, 997, 1011, 1657
Gessner, Robert (art) 225
Gianvito, J. (art) 1483
Gibson, Arthur (book) 997
Giertz, Bo (press interv) 233
(rec)
Giles, Gordon (rev) 468 (Lon-
don/Edinburgh)
Gill, Brendan (rev) 229 (rec),
233 (rec)
Gill, Jerry H. (art) 1177
Gilles, Werner (rev) 447
(Obernhaus)
Gilliat, Penelope (book sec,
art) 230, 241, 1156
Gilman, Peter (report) 1272
Gilson, R. (art) 982 (group
item, p. 887)
Gislén, Ylva (rev) 479
Gitlitz, Marcia (thesis) 546
Gjelsvik, Erling (press art) 473
(Bergen)
Gjesdal, Paul (rev) 445
Glaser, M. (interv) 556
Glassco, David (art) 989, 1398
Gliewe, Gert (rev) 457, 458, 460,
463
Goland, Erik (prod, radio, in-
terv) 225 (com), 711, 993
Golden, Leon (book ed) 975
(group #)
Gollub, Judith (rev art) 240
(rec)
Gomes, Manuel João (report)
471 (Lisbon)
Gomez Sanchez, Juan Pedro
(diss) 1371
Goodwin, Noel (rev) 489
Gorodinskaja, N. (ed) 1178
Gortzak, Ruud (rev) 464 (Hol-
land fest), 465 (Amsterdam)
Gosioco, Carmelo Nauiat (the-
sis) 1285
Grabowski, Simon (art) 223
Grack, Günther (rev) 453 (Ber-
lin), 456 (Berlin)
Name Index
Graef, Igor Abrahim (thesis)
1460
Graeter, Michael (rev) 456
Grafe, Frieda (interv, art) 854,
1158
Grafström, Bengt (rev) 283,
290, 299
Graham, Peter (book ed)
Chapter II, p. 55
Granath, Sara (rev) 310
Grandgeorge, Edmond (book)
225
Granqvist, Knut (rep, interv)
639
Gravier, Maurice (art) 989
Gray, Leonore (rev) 447 (Vien-
na)
Greenberg, Harvey (art) 226
Gregor, Ulrich (art) 994, 1273
Gregori, Marie Grazia (rev) 465
(Milano)
Grelier, Robert (rev art) 254
Grenier, Richard (interv) 741,
823, 1072
Grevenius, Herbert (rev; art, see
also Section 1) 264 (rev), 278
(See also), 363, 366, 383, 384,
390-392, 394, 396, 398, 401, 403,
405, 430, 512, 513, 518, 954
Grive, Madeleine (rep) 468
(debate), 478 (debate), 1444
Gromov, E. (survey) 1420
Grundström, Elisabeth (press re-
port) 477 (See also)
Grut, Mario (rev) 467, 468 (rev
+ debate), 470, 473, 479
Grüber, Klaus-Michael (dir)
468 (com)
Grünstein, Michael (rev) 474
Grymer, Claus (rev) 471 (År-
hus)
Gråsten, Bent (art) 216
Gräslund, Louise (rev) 291
Grönberg, Staffan (book ed)
1314
Grönstedt, Olle (radio prod)
470 (media progr)
Gualtiero, Pironi (art) 1308
Guerin, Marie-Anne (rev) 259
(foreign rev)
Guez, G. (art) 1061
Gugg, T. (rev) 462
Guinness, Os (recorded art)
1360
Guldbrand, Sten [S. G-d] (rev)
361
1136
Gummeson, Ola (rep) 468
(London/Edinburgh)
Gunnarsson, G. (art) 1317
Gunnlaugsson, Hrafn (interv)
916, 1707
Gussow, Mel (rev) 466 (NY),
468 (NY), 471 (NY), 472 (NY),
473 (NY
Gustafson, Ragnar (book) 557
Gustafsson, Annika (interv art)
341
Gustavsson, Björn (rev) 475
Gustavsson, Ulf (interv) 917
Guyon, François D. (book) 982
(group #)
Gylder, R. (rep, interv) 731
Gyllenpalm, Bo (diss) 647, 970,
1586
Gyllström, Katy (art) 238
(comp studies), 1089, 1159
Györffy, Miklos (book, art)
1250, 1286
Göpfert, Peter Hans (rev) 453
(Berlin), 482
Göransson, Sverker (art) 124,
988
Göttler, Fritz (press rep) 1625
Haakman, Anton (rev) 185
Haas, Anneliese de (rev) 318
Haas, Richard (news report)
1200
Haber, Joyce (press report) 245
(com)
Habernoll, Kurt (rev art) 131,
236 (additional studies)
Haddal, Per (press art) 1461
Hafsteinsson, Saemundur (the-
sis) 253
Hagander, Astrid (interv) 807
Hagen, Cecilia (press report)
253
Hagman, Ingrid (art) 257 (spec
stud)
haj. [sign] (rev) 450 (Zürich),
456, 459, 460, 461, 463, 464, 473
Hakulinen, Rita (rev) 440
Halldin, Alf (press art) 330 (see
also)
Hallén, David (rev) 396, 400,
401, 405
Haller, Robert (book sec) 1123
Hallert, Kerstin (press debate)
253 (rec), 342, 343 (See also)
Halling, Olle [Allegro] (rev)
360

Hallingberg, Gunnar (media
scholar) Chapter V, p. 374
Hamberg, Per Martin (radio re-
port, interv) 694
Hamdi, Britt (rep, interv, art)
233, 731, 742, 770, 1047, 1160
Hamilton, J.W. (art) 234, 997
Hammar, Stina (book ed) 1519
Hammar, Sven (interv) 519
Hammarén, Carl (rev) 444
Hammer, Sten (report, interv)
699. See also Chapter II, p. 53
Hamzai, Shahram (art) 1587
Hancock, Bill (rev) 293
Handelszalte, Michael (rev) 471
(Israel)
Hane, Helge G (rev) 355 (com),
360 (com)
Hanneberg, Peter (report) 479
(Krakow)
Hansell, Sven (film rev) 192
Hansen, Jan E. (report, interv,
art, rev) 470, 472, 473 (Ber-
gen), 613, 908, 1452
Hansen, Poul Einer (rev) 244
(rec)
Hanson, Sven Jan [Filmson]
(rev) 220 (com)
Hansson, Anders (rev) 257 (Sw.
rev)
Hansson, Hansingvar (rev) 318,
415, 418, 419, 422, 423, 427, 428,
429, 432, 433
Harcourt, Peter (book, art), 241
(rec) 1011, 1233, 1523, 1523
Harrell, Mary Runnels (art) 975
Harrie, Ivar [I.H.] (rev, art) 225
(rec), 318, 390, 391, 394, 395,
396, 399, 400, 401, 403, 408, 411,
419, 424, 427, 429, 430, 431, 432,
435, 439
Harris, M. (rev art) 236 (rec)
Harryson, Kajsa (interv, rev)
194, 327 (com), 577, 842, 899
van der Harst, Hanny (rev) 465
(Amsterdam)
Hart, Henry (rev) 228 (rec), 233
(rec), 234 (rec), 238 (rec), 1011
Hartman, Olof (book chapt)
234, 236 (rec), 997
Hartmann, Alf (rev) 450 (Oslo)
Haskell, Molly (book, art, in-
terv) 244 (rec), 246 (rec), 249
(rec), 259, 975
Hatch, R. (rev) 248, 249 (rec)
Haufler, Daniel (press report)
1625
Name Index
Hauser, Krista (rev) 447 (Vien-
na)
Haverty, Linda Rugg (transl,
art) 195, 253 (longer stud),
989. See also Chapter II, p. 68
Hayden, L.H. (report) 1124, 1211
Hayes, Jarrod (art) 253 (longer
stud), 1618
Hayman, Ronald (radio re-
port) 617
Hax. [sign](rev) 397
Heath, Elizabeth, F. (art, the-
sis) 632, 1506
Hedberg, Håkan (report) 1073
Hede, Julia (undergrad thesis)
1421
Hedén, Birger (rev) 472
Hederberg, Hans (interv) 760
Hedin, Sven (speech) 1496
Hedling, Erik (book ed, rev)
1627, 1681
Hedlund, Oscar (rep, interv)
492, 748
Hedlund, Åke (press report)
249
Hedman, Kaj (art) 1588
Hedqvist, Hedvig (press art)
492
Hedström, Karl Olof (report)
433
Heilbrun, Carolyn (rev) 325
(rec)
von Heijne, Thomas (report)
466 (Tokyo), 468 (Tokyo)
Heine, Matthias (rev) 482
von Heinrichs, Benjamin (press
art, rev) 462, 470 (Hamburg)
Hejll, A. (art) 1549
Helén, Gunnar (rev) 406
Helgheim, Kjell (report) 447
(see also)
Héliot, Armelle (rev) 465
(Paris)
Helker, Renate (art) 1484
Hellbom, Thorleif/Tell (report)
246 (com), 366, 451 (com), 1214
Heller, Frank [Gunnar Serner]
(art) 202 (rec)
Hellqvist, Elof (interv) 700
Helman, Alicja (art) 1251
Hellström, Mats (press art) 473
(See also)
Heltberg, Bettina (rev) 472
(Copenhagen), 477, 483
Hembus, J. (interv) 863
Hennecke, Charlotte (rep) 458
(see also)
1137
Hennéus, Mårten (interv) 486,
670
von Henrichs, Benjamin (rev)
457
Henrikson, Thomas (report)
465 (see also)
Henry. (sign, rev) 420
Hensel, Georg (rev) 456, 457,
463, 464
Henttonen, Anita (report, in-
terv) 782
Herler, Don (rev) 440
Hervé, Alain (report) 1112
Hessler, Gunnar (rev) 263, 277
Heyman, Danièle (interv) 824
Heyman, Viveca (rev, art) 220
(com), 223 (rec), 435, 1003, 1033
Heymann, Sabine (report) 468
(Florence)
Himmelstrand, Ulf (art) 968.
See also Chapter II, p. 65
Hinnemo, Torgny (art) 1189
Hiroshi, K. (art) 234
Hirsch, P. (art) 1325
Hjern, Kjell (rev) 398, 399, 400,
401, 402, 404, 405
Hjertén, Hanserik (art, rev) 223
(rec), 225 (rec), 244 (rec), 245
(rec), 335, 796, 1033
Hl. [sign] (rev) 420
Hobson, Andrew (art) 1378
Hockenjos, Vreni (art) 318, 664,
989, 1628
Hoem, Edvard (rev) 471
Hofsess, J. (rev art) 236 (rec)
Hoht, Helmuth (press art) 537
Holba, H. (art) 1161
Holden, D.F. (art) 231 (spec
studies), 989, 1252
Holden, Stephen (rev) 259
(foreign rev)
Holland, Norman (art) 225,
226, 228 (rec), 1022
Holloway, Ronald (diss, art)
997, 1422
Holm, Annika (interv, rep) 551,
766
Holm, Eske (art) 1287
Holm, Hans Axel (rev) 449
Holm, Ingvar (rev) 416, 424,
428, 439
Holmarsson, Sverri (rev) 466
(Reykjavik
Holmberg, Jan (art) 236 (add
studies)
Holmér, Per (art) 220, 1314
Holmqvist, Bengt (rev art) 185

Holmqvist, Ivo (art) 665, 1636
Holmqvist, Malin (debate) 478
Honolka, Kurt (rev) 447
(Obernmhaus)
Hoops, Jonathan (art) 238
(psych studies)
Hope-Wallace, Philip (rev) 433
(London), 440 (London), 448
Hopkins, Steve (art) 974, 1004
Horowitz, Mark (intro art, rev)
185, 1462
Horton, Andrew (art, ed) 1631
Hosman, Harry (press report)
249 (rec)
Houston, Beverly (book sec,
art) 236 (psych motifs), 238
(psych motifs), 240 (rec), 1361
Houston, Penelope (book
chapt) 241 (rec), 996, 1378
Hoveyda, Feeydoum (art) 226,
989
Hoyle, Martin (rev) 468 (Lon-
don/Edinburgh)
Hr. Bert [sign] (rev) 427
Huang Chien-ye (rev) 471 (Tai-
wan)
Hudson, C. (film rev) 245 (rec)
Hunter, R. (art) 247, 1362
Huotari, Markku (rev) 473
von Huppert, Hugo (rev) 447
(Vienna
Hurum, Hans Jørgen (rev) 489
Huss, Pia (interv) 485 (com)
Huzarska-Szumieç, Magda
(rev) 479 (Krakow)
Hübner, Paul (rev) 440
Håkansson, Harald (rev) 417
Håstad, Disa (interv) 864
Hägglund, Kent (press art) 466
Häggman, Larserik (report)
466 (Moscow)
Häggqvist, Björn (debate) 446
Hähnel, Barbro [Perpetua] (rev,
rep, interv) 434, 450 (rep,
London), 717
Hähnel, Folke (press art) 489
(rec)
Hörmark, Mats (rev) 467, 470,
471
Höök, Marianne [Höken] (book,
art, rep, interv) 222 (rec), 225
(rec), 228 (com), 233, 314, 489
(com), 952, 975, 982, 983, 1062,
1074, 1220. See also Chapter I,
pp. 27-28, 30; Chapter III, p.
148
Name Index
Iden, Peter (rev) 456
Idestam-Almqvist, Bengt [Robin
Hood] (rev, art, deb) 204,
207 (rec), 208 (rec), 210 (rec),
211 (rec), 220 (com), 225 (rec),
233 (rec), 711, 955, 974, 1005,
1033, 1155, 1162
Ignée, Wolfgang (press, rev)
447 (Obernhaus), 450 (Berlin),
461, 1452
Imdahl, Grete (rev) 487 (Oslo)
Ingemansson, Birgitta (art)
1383, 1409. See also Chapter II,
p. 59
Inviato, Dal Nostro (rev) 454
(Warsaw)
Irving, Sven (rev) 461 (post-
script), 589
Isaksson, Anders (report) 547
Isaksson, Folke (debate) 1033
Ivarsson, Nils Ivar (rev, report)
419, 433
Iversen, Gunilla (art) 132, 337
(spec stud), 492, 663
Jackiewicz, Aleksander (art)
1163
Jackson (sign) 499, 686
Jacobs, Barry (longer stud) 466
(see Törnqvist)
Jacobs, D. (rev) 248
Jacobs, Lewis (film hist, anthol-
ogy ed) 87, 113
Jacobsen, Aileen (rev) 483 (NY)
Jahnsson, Bengt (rev, debate)
322 (rec), 440, 442, 443, 444,
453, 465, 467, 551
James, Caryn (art) 1566. See
also Chapter II, p. 68
Janos, L. (interv, art) 249 (com)
Jansen, Peter W. (press report)
1452, 1539, 1625
Jansonas, Egmontas (rev) 471
(Vilnius)
Janzon, Bengt (interv) 489, 743
Janzon, Leif (interv) 598, 891
Janzon, Åke (rev) 124, 245 (rec),
322 (rec), 325 (rec), 440, 446,
447, 449, 450, 451, 453, 454, 459
Jarvie, Ian (art) 1023, 1034, 1445
Jeancolas, F (art, rev) 982
Jeancolas, Jean-Paul (art) 1234
Jenkins, Ron (rev) 485 (NY)
Jensen, Niels (book ed, art,
rev) 250 (longer rev), 253
1138
(art), 1215, 1288, 1309, 1325, 1341,
1399
Jeremias, Brigitte (art) 1324
Johansen, Birthe (rev) 471 (see
also)
Johansen, Phillip (art) 1589
Johansson, Björn (art, rev) 401,
489
Johansson, Gustav [Hjorvard]
(sign rev) 408
Johansson, Stefan (radio play)
308
Johns Blackwell, Marilyn [see
also Blackwell] (diss) 236
(comp), 988
Johnsson, Hans-Ingvar (rep)
466 (London)
Johnson, Jeffrey L.L. (art) 1463
Johnson, Wayne (diss) 1235
Jolo (see Olsson, Jan-Olof)
Joly, G. (rev) 432
Jones, C.J. (art) 236 (meta),
989, 1310
Jones, William G. (interv, book
ed) 878, 1368
Jong, Nicholas de (rev) 464
(Edinburgh), 487 (London)
Jonsson, Stefan (rev) 194, 293
Jordan, Paul T. (thesis) 236
(meta), 253 (longer stud)
Josephson, Lennart (rev) 318,
437, 440, 442, 443, 444, 446,
447, 449
Josephson, Ragnar (rev) 391,
392, 395
Jostad, Morten (art) 253, 606
J. Thn. [sign] (rev) 400, 407
Jungheinrich, Hans-Klaus
(rev) 462
Jungstedt, Torsten (report, in-
terv) 228 (com), 233, 722, 735,
736, 790, 843
Justesen, Per (rev) 464 (Hol-
land fest)
Juvenalis [sign], rev) 399
Jüngersen Jr, F (film critic) 211
(rec)
Järhult, Gunlög (press debate)
253 (rec)
Jönsson, J. (study) 233 (rec)
Jönsson, Ludvig (debate) 233
(rec), 827, 897, 1086
Jörder, Gerhard (rev) 463
Kael, Pauline (rev, art) 110, 223
(rec), 236 (rec), 239 (rec), 247

(see also), 249 (rec), 250 (rec),
1011, 1423
Kaiser, Joachim (rev) 440, 456,
457, 458, 460, 461, 462, 464
Kakutani, Michiko (art, interv)
892
Kalin, Jesse (book) 1687
Kalmar, Sylvi (report, interv)
767, 825, 1236
Kaminsky, Stuart (book ed,
art) 1253, 1266
Kaplan, Tony (rev) 335, 337, 341
Kappelin, Kristina (interv) 466
(Spoleto), 466 (NY)
Karlstedt, K. (report, interv) 731
Karsch, Walter (rev) 440, 450
(Berlin
Katz, Anne Rose (rev) 252 (rec)
Katz, Madeleine (debate art)
327 (Sw rec)
Katz, Mikael (rev, press art) 208
(rec), 211 (rec), 405, 410
Kauffmann, Stanley (rev, art)
218, 222, 229 (rec), 230, 231
(rec), 234 (rec), 235, 236 (rec),
238 (rec), 239, 241, 247 (rec,
art), 248 (see also), 249 (rec),
250 (rec), 256 (rec), 259 (rec),
483 (NY), 788, 1011, 1320
Kawin, Bruce (book chapt, art)
236 (meta), 239, 1372, 1464
Kayser, Beate (rev) 456
Kehr, Dave (report) 259 (interv)
Keller, Keith [Kell] (rev) 188
Kellerher, Ed (rev) 258 (Foreign
rev)
Kelly, Oliver (art) 1590
Kelman, Ken (art) 1091
Kemp, Robert (rev) 432 (Paris)
Kennedy, Harlan (art) 1637
Ketcham, Charles (diss, book)
997, 1434
Keyser, Lester (art) 246 (longer
stud)
Khouri, Walter Hugo (dir, art)
974
Kiefer, Jean Egon (rev) 440
Kihlman, Mårten (rev) 440, 447
(Helsinki), 465 (Tammerfors
Kindblom, Mikaela (art) 1680
Kinder, Marsha (book sec, art)
210 (rec), 236 (psych motifs),
238 (psych motifs), 240 (rec),
252 (longer stud), 1361, 1373,
1378, 1464
King, Francis (rev) 468 (Lon-
don/Edinburgh)
Name Index
Kingston, Jeremy (rev) 468
(London/Edinburgh)
Kinnear, G.C. (art) 1145
Kissel, Howard (rev) 466 (NY),
468 (NY), 472 (NY), 473 (NY),
485 (NY), 486 (NY), 487 (NY)
Kistrup, Jens (rev) 450 (Co-
penhagen), 468, 470-473, 475-
477, 479 (Copenhagen)
Kjellin, Gösta (rev) 485
Kjellström, Nils (rev) 417, 418,
424, 426, 427
Klausen, Inger-Lise (rev) 472
Klossowics, Jan (art) 454 (War-
saw)
Klotz, Volker (discussion, rev)
440, 447, 558
Klynne, K. (art) 244 (rec), 975
Knight, Arthur (rev, art) 231
(rec)
Knutsson, Ulrika (art, media re-
port) 219, 470 (media progr),
1638
Koebner, Thomas (art) 997,
1634
Koehler, Robert (report) 1675
Kohan, John (rev) 468
Kolin, Philip C. (art) 405, 643
Kollberg, Bo-Ingvar (rev) 191,
192, 470, 473, 476, 477, 478, 479,
480, 483, 485
Kolstad, Harald (rev) 470 (Ber-
gen)
Kornas, Tadeusz (rev) 479
(Krakow)
Kosakov, Michail (rev) 468
(Moscow)
Koselka, Fritz (rev) 447 (Vien-
na)
Koskinen, Maaret (diss, book,
art, ed) 1, 3, 11, 13, 18, 21, 38,
48, 61, 70, 72, 85, 90, 123, 202,
215, 219, 225, 226, 234, 236
(psych motifs), 238 (com), 252,
253 (rev art), 256 (rec), 399 (see
also), 439 (com), 440 (see
also), 443 (see also), 445 (see
also), 446 (see also), 468, 653,
672, 676, 1410, 1452 (Chaplin,
Filmhäftet), 1466, 1485, 1526,
1540, 1542, 1591, 1613, 1619, 1620,
1628, 1671, 1676, 1681. See also
Intro, Chapter II, pp. 51, 65, 68
Kosmorama 87, 1325
Kostrup, A. (art) 1325
Kosubek, G (art) 185
Kotulla, Theodor (ed) 108
1139
Kousbroek, Rudy (rev) 185
Kovacs, F. (rev) 235 (rec)
Kowalczyk, Janusz (rev) 479
(Krakow)
K-R. [sign], rev) 429
Kragh-Jacobsen, Svend (rev)
451, 452
Kracauer, S. (film historian)
236 (rec)
Kramer, Mimi (rev) 468 (mag
rev, NY)
Kretzmer, Herbert (rev) 450
(London)
Krieger, Hans (rev) 457, 460
Kristensson-Uggla, Bengt (art)
1519
Krohn, S. (art) 202
Kroll, Jack (interv, rev) 468
(NY)
Krook, Kajsa (rev) 433, 450
Kruntorad, Paul (art) 462
Krusche, Dieter (art) 976, 1048
Kruskopt, Erik (rev) 132
Kruuse, Jens (rev) 450, 452
Kullenberg, Anette (press re-
port) 974
Kumlien, Gunnar (report, in-
terv) 783
Kupfer, Peter (interv) 799
Kureishi, Hanif (rev) 253 (see
also)
Kurzwel, Edith (rev art) 341
Kusoffsky, Hartvig [Koski/-ki]
(rev) 361, 365, 370, 376
Kvistad, Yngve (rev) 485, 487
Kwakernaak, Erik Jan (rev, art)
250 (see also), 975, 1033, 1201,
1254
Kyrou, Adou (art) 982
Kyttä, Riita (rev) 440 (Helsinki)
Kågström, Per (rep) 474
Labraaten, B. (art) 234
Lacy, Allen (art) 233 (longer
disc), 989
Ladiges, Peter M. (art) 1092
Lagercrantz, Agneta (rep, in-
terv) 731
Lagercrantz, Olof (rev, debate)
127, 223 (rec), 229 (rec), 234
(rec), 236 (rec), 326 (rec), 397,
399, 402, 407, 440 (rec), 537
(debate), 551, 1456
Lagergren, Åke (debate) 533
Lagerkvist, Bengt (interv) 597
Lahann, Birgit (rep) 457 (see
also)

Lahr, John (rev, art, interv) 471
(NY), 477 (art), 478, 485 (NY),
640, 937, 989, 1658
Landberg, Bo (art) 245 (rec)
Landgren, Bengt (press art) 233
(rec)
Landquist, John (rev art) 225
(rec), 384, 390, 391, 392, 395,
988
Lane, Anthony (rev) 185
Lane, John Francis (rev) 454
(Warsaw)
Lang, Jack (preview art) 472
(Barcelona)
Lange, Daniel (rev) 447 (Hol-
land fest)
Lange-Fuchs, Hauke (book, art,
ed) 1326, 1467, 1499
Langkjær, Harald (art) 1033
Langlois, Henri (art) 1113
Lapini, Lia (rev) 468 (Florence)
Larass, Claus (interv) 879
Larris, R. (rev) 982 (group #, p.
887)
Larsén, Carlhåkan (interv, rev,
art) 247 (com), 334, 341, 465-
468, 471- 473, 476, 477, 478,
480, 485, 487, 492 (art) 829
Larsen, Eyvind (radio disc) 1288
Larsen, Ida Lou (rev) 470 (Ber-
gen), 472 (Oslo), 473 (Bergen)
Larson, Janet K (art) 249
(longer stud)
Larson, Kate (rev) 477
Larson, Lisbeth (rev) 195, 340,
466, 467, 473, 477, 478
Larsson, Mika (interv) 900
Larsson, Stig (rev) 253 (rec)
Lauder, Robert E. (book, art,
rev) 248 (see also), 250 (see
also), 997, 1011, 1486
Lauka, Maria (rev) 440 (Hel-
sinki)
Laura, Ernesto G. (art) 1012,
1093, 1114, 1126
Laurenti, Roberto (book) 1289
Lawrence, Eric (art) 966
Lawson, John Howard (book
chapt) 1115
Lawson, Steve (art) 1435
Lazzari, Arturo (rev) 447 (Ve-
nice
Leandoer, Kristoffer (rev) 470,
471, 472
Leche, Mia (rev) 396
Name Index
Leclerc, Marie-Françoise (report,
rev) 465 (Paris), 1425
Lee, Gordon (thesis) 234, 1591
leFanu, Mark (art) 245 (longer
art), 1255
Lefèvre, Raymond (ed, book, art,
rev) 223, 250 (rec), 338, 1179,
1400, 1553
Lehman, B. (art) 234
Lehmann, H. (rev) 461
Lehmann-Brauns, Elke (rev)
454 (foreign rev)
Lehnhardt, Rolf (rev) 459
Leirens, Jean (book, art, rev)
235, 982, 1063
Leiser, Erwin (art, rev, report)
132, 236 (add studies), 239
(rec), 422, 446 (see also), 447,
476 (see also)
Lejefors, Ann-Sofi (interv, art)
253 (com), 883
Leirens, Jean (book, art, rev)
235, 982, 1063
Leiser, Erwin (art, rev) 132, 236
(add studies), 239 (rec), 395,
417, 435
Lejefors, Ann-Sofi (interv, art)
253 (com), 883
Lenti, Adriano (art) 472 (Stu-
dies), 629
Leonardini, Jean-Pierre (rev)
465 (Paris)
Leroux, André (rev art) 250
(longer rev)
Letter, L. (book) 226 (mono-
graph)
Leutrat, Paul (art) 1076
Levèsque, Robert (rev) 466
(Québec)
Levin, Mona (interv) 472
Levine, Joshua (report) 1524
Levy, Emanuel (rev) 341
Lewis, Francis (interv) 466
(NY)
Lewis, Peter (rev) 440 (Lon-
don), 448
Librach, Ronald S. (art) 246
(longer stud), 249 (longer
stud), 1363
Lidbeck, Gunilla (interv) 880
Lidman, Sara (debate) 236
(rec), 239 (rec)
Lidström, B. (study) 233 (rec)
Liefhebbe, Peter (rev) 464
(Holland fest)
1140
Lienza, Carlo (report, rev) 468
(Florence)
Lierop, Pieter van (rev art) 254,
332, 334
Liggera, Joseph (art) 225, 626,
989, 997
Liggera, Lanayre (art) 225, 626,
989
Lightman, Herb A. (art) 1213
Liliehök, Ellen (rev) 271
Liljekvist, Jan (thesis) 1525
Lilliestierna, Christina (report,
interv) 433, 715, 954
Limbacher, James (video cass)
226
Lind, Ia (rev) 465
Lindberg, Börje (rev) 474
Lindblad, Helena (rev) 343
Lindblom, Sisela (rev) 316, 318,
391, 395-399, 401, 403-408, 410,
413, 415, 417, 419, 422, 426, 427,
429, 430, 432, 433, 435, 437
Linde, Ebbe (rev) 396, 397, 398,
399, 405, 406, 407, 410, 413, 414,
422, 425 (com), 426, 427, 430,
435, 437, 509
Lindeborg, Lisbeth (radio re-
port) 583, 865
Linden, Frank van der (interv)
898, 1404
Lindén, Gunnar (rev) 466, 478
Linder, Erik Hjalmar (rev, art)
408, 410, 413, 426, 430, 524
Linder, Lars (rev) 466, 468
(debate), 470
Lind-g, K. [sign] (press art) 533
(debate)
Lindgren, Astrid (open letter,
rep) 1272, 1408
Lindgren, Malin (art) 1288
Lindh-Garreau, Maria (rev)
485, 486, 487
Lindholm, Karl-Axel (rev, art)
449, 453 (spec stud), 465
Lindqvist, Sven (art) 973
Lindskog, Runo (report) 1164
Lindström, Hans (press art) 228
(rec)
Lindström, Jan (interv) 744, 938
Linnér, Stephan (art) 253, 989
Linton-Malmfors, Birgit (book
ed) 1526
Linz, Martin (art) 997, 1499
List, Peter (rep) 1049
Liuga, Audronis (rev) 471 (Vil-
nius)

Livingston, Paisley (diss, book,
art) 223, 228, 236 (meta), 239
(rec), 240 (rec), 241(rec), 1011,
1384
Ljungkvist, Anna (art) 1452
(Filmhäftet)
L-n. [sign], rev) 420
Lohmann, H. (interv) 327 (Sw
rec)
Lohr, Steve (press report) 256
(com)
Lokko, Andres (rev) 343
Loman, Richard (art) 477, 989,
1613
Long, Robert (book) 1568
Loney, Glenn (art) 537, 541
Lopez Sancho, Lorenzo (rev)
466 (Madrid)
Lover, Anthony (parody) 225
(com)
Lubowski, Bernt (interv, re-
port) 250 (see also), 913, 1453
Luchesini, Paolo (preview, rev)
466 (Spoleto), 468 (Florence),
470 (Rome)
Lucie-Smith, Edward (rep) 446
(rec)
Ludvigsson, Bo (rev) 335, 341
Luft, Friedrich (rev) 453 (Ber-
lin), 456 (Berlin)
Luke, Paul (diss) 1607
Lund, Me (rev) 475, 477, 479
(Copenhagen), 483, 485, 487
Lundberg, Camilla (TV interv,
report) 337, 469, 492, 939
Lundberg, Christina (rev) 476,
485, 486
Lundberg, P.O. (debate) 233
(rec)
Lundell, Torborg (art) 231 (spec
studies), 1374
Lundgren, Henrik (art, rev) 325
(Dan rec), 450 (Copenha-
gen) 452, 970, 1325
Lundgren, L. (film debate) 245
(rec)
Lundin, Bo (rev) 465, 466, 468
Lundkvist, Artur (rev, art) 205
(rec), 250 (rec), 252 (rec), 366
(rec), 497
Lundström, Henry (art) 1639
Lusardi, James P. (art) 468
(longer stud), 660
Lutherson, Peter (rev) 487
Lutz, Volke (rev) 194
Lyding, Henrik (rev) 479 (Co-
penhagen)
Name Index
Lyons, Donald (rev) 483 (NY),
485 (NY)
Lysell, Roland (rev) 487
Lönnebo, M. (debate) 233 (rec)
Lönnroth, L. (study) 233 (rec)
Lönnroth, Lars (press report)
537
Löthwall, Lars-Olof (report, in-
terv) 148, 228 (com), 239
(com), 245 (com), 253 (com),
771, 776, 808, 884, 1155, 1216
Löwander, B. (booklet ed) 326
(Sw. rec)
Ma, Rolf (rev) 461
Macaulay, Alastair (rev) 487
(London)
Macher, Hannes (rev) 463
Macnab, Geoffrey (rev, interv)
259
Madden, David (art) 229
Madsen, Ole Christian (art)
1487
Magny, Joel (art rev) 188
Mahieu, Jose Augustin (art)
974, 1625
Maisetti, Massino (diss) 1116
Malaise, Yvonne (rep, interv)
467, 472 (com), 473 (interv/See
also), 475 (com), 477 (see also),
478 (press debate), 483 (com),
666
Malm, Åke (report) 468 (de-
bate)
Malmberg, Carl Johan (art)
226, 249 (longer stud), 340, 343
(press art), 1687
Malmberg, Gert (rev) 330, 338
Malmberg, Hans (art) 519, 698
Malmkær, P. (art) 1325
Manceau, Jean-Louis (report)
1528
Manciotti, Mauro (rev, art) 465
(Milano), 466 (Spoleto), 470
(Rome), 1436
Mango, Lorenzo (rev art) 254,
1437
Manley, J. (art) 236 (psych
motifs), 1353
Manns, Torsten (rev, interv) 235
(rec/rev), 236 (rec), 773, 788
Manvell, Roger (thesis, book)
1385
Manz, H.P. (art) 1045
Marcabru, Pierre (rev, art) 432,
465 (Paris), 1117
1141
Marcussen, Elsa-Brita (art, int,
rev) 202 (rec), 450, 466, 809,
1217
Marion, Denis (book) 1342
Marker, Frederick (book, art,
int) 253 (com), 415 (see also),
419, 422, 430, 440, 451, 453, 456
(com), 459 (long stud), 461
(spec stud), 462, 464 (int), 466
(NY), 470 (NY), 584, 594, 599,
605, 614, 622, 630, 885, 886, 887,
893, 905, 909, 970
Marker, Lise Lone (book, art,
int) 253 (com), 415 (see also),
419, 422, 430, 440, 451, 453, 456
(com), 459 (long stud), 461
(spec stud), 462, 464 (int), 466
(NY), 470 (NY), 472 (NY), 584,
594, 599, 600, 605, 614, 622,
630, 885, 886, 887, 893, 905,
909, 970
Marko, Susanne (rev) 330, 334
Marnersdottir, Malan (book
ed) 1673
Marowitz, C. (art) 1237
Marrone, Titti (preview) 466
(Spoleto)
Mars-Jones, Adam (rev) 468
(London/Edinburgh)
Marsolais, G. (rev) 257 (foreign
rev)
Martin, Jacqueline (art) 631
Martin, Marcel (art) 236 (rec)
Martinez, Carril Manuel (survey
art) 1343
Martinez, J. (art) 1034 (group
#)
Marty, Joseph (art) 1521
Marzolla, Susanna (interv) 465
(Milano)
Maslin, Janet (rev) 256 (rec),
258
Mast, Gerald (book sec) 223
(see also)
Mathias, L. (rev) 223 (rec)
Matos-Cruz, J. (art) 1354
Matteson, Alf (art) 975
Matthews, Peter (art) 1682
Matthias, L. (debate) 223 (rec)
Mattsson, Åsa (thesis) 1640
Matusevich, V. (art) 1118
Maxfield, James F. (art) 239
(rec), 1411, 1468
May, Rolf (rev) 460, 462, 463
Mayer, Michael F. (art) 1011
Mayo, Wendell (art) 1554
M.B. [sign] (rev) 427, 428

McBride, Joseph (ed) 841
McCann, E. (art) 226
McCarter, Jeremy (rev) 487
(NY)
McClean, Theodore (report)
1401
McDougal, Stuart (book ed)
1631
McGhee, Kimberly-Kay (diss)
989, 1659
McManus, Barbara F. (art) 975
Meadows, Alger H. (award)
1368
Mehr, Stephan (interv) 845,
1272
Meier, Peter (rev) 450 (Zürich)
Meissel, Gerhard (press report)
236 (com)
Mele, Rina (art) 1231
Melchinger, Siegfried (report,
rev) 440, 447 (Obernhaus),
1694
Melin, Bengt (art) 1290
Mellen, Joan (art) 245 (rec/
longer art), 975
Menck, Clara (rev) 458
Mérigeau, Pascal (rev) 338
Merino, Imma (preview art)
472 (Barcelona)
Merjui, Darius (art) 225
Merkin, Daphne (interv) 259
Merryman, Richard (art, in-
terv) 831
Merz, Richard (rev) 450 (Zür-
ich)
Mészaros, Tamas (rev) 471
(Budapest)
Mészöly, M. (art) 1239
Meyer, Michael (art, rev) 185,
433 (London), 1569
Meyer-Wendt, Jochen (art)
1484
Michaels, Lloyd (ed, art) 236
(psych motifs, meta, mono),
1641, 1660
Michalczyk, John J. (book) 1311
Michener, Charles (art) 248
(see also), 1282
Michiels, Dirk (art) 1452
Mieke, Kolk (rev) 447 (Holland
fest)
Mihalicza, Tamas (rev) 471
(Budapest)
Milberg-Kaye, Ruth (art) 253
Millar, G. (rev) 250 (see also)
Miller, Jack (rev) 293, 294, 295
Name Index
Milne, Tom (rev) 235 (rec)
Milits, Alex (rev) 468
Minetti, Guilia (interv) 470
(Rome)
Mishler, William (art) 1608
Misiorni, Michat (rev) 454
(Warsaw)
Miyauchi, A. (rev) 471 (Tokyo)
M.K. [sign] (rev) 430
M-n. [sign] (rev) 415, 422
Moberg, Rune (report, interv)
700, 737
Moe, Henrik (rev) 450 (Co-
penhagen)
Mohn, Bent (rev) 450 (Copen-
hagen)
Molist, Segismundo (art) 1180
Monaco, James (book) 1256
Mondry, Erika (diss) 975
Monegal, Emir Rodrigues
(book) 974
Monté-Nordin, Karin (rev) 451
Moonikhof, Jon Olde (rev) 464
(Holland fest), 465 (Amster-
dam)
Montán, Alf (report, interv)
563, 701, 738, 1190
Monté-Nordin, Karin (rev) 451
Monticelli, Roberto de (rev)
447 (Venice), 451 (Florence),
465 (Milano
Monty, Ib (art, debate) 1033,
1325
Moonman, Eric (art) 1024
Morais, Manuel Antonio
(book) 1165
Moring (rev) 465 (Tammerfors)
Morisett Davidson, Ann (art)
975, 1077
Morris, Jan (art) 1312
Morrison, Blake (rev) 468
(London/Edinburgh)
Moscato, Alfonso (book) 1375
Moscati, Italo (rev) 465 (Mila-
no
Mosey, Chris (rev) 253 (rec)
Mosley, Philip (book, rev art)
185, 1376. See also Chapter II, p.
52
Mowe, Richard (rev, int, re-
port) 466 (Edinburgh), 472
(Glasgow), 920, 1453
Muellem, P. van (book) 1064
Mulac, Anthony (art) 231 (spec
studies), 1374
Muller, Kurt (thesis) 1555
1142
Munkesjö, A. (film debate) 245
(rec)
Munkhammar, Birgit (rev) 195
Murphy, Kathleen (art) 236
(comp), 1500
Murphy, Mary (interv) 812, 855,
1011, 1594
Murray, E. (book sec) 226
Murray-Brown, Jeremy (rev
art) 1570
Mühlberger, Siegfried (rev) 447
(Obernhaus)
Müller, Andreas (interv) 846,
1272
Müller, Christoph (rev) 447
(Obernhaus)
Müller, Wolf Dietrich (diss) 447
(com), 456 (com), 587, 989
Müllern, Gunnar (interv) 716
Myrdal, Jan (art) 1439, 1456
(Behrendt)
Mårtensson, Mary (report) 473
(see also
Mårtenson, Sigvard (rev) 419
Møllehave, Johannes (art) 477
Mölter, Veit (report, interv)
777, 1166
Nadotti, Maria (rev) 471 (Par-
ma)
Nage, Ivan (rev) 447 (Obern-
haus)
Napolitano, Antonio (art) 1012
Narboni, Jean (art) 1146
Narrowe, Morton H. (rabbi)
476 (See also)
Narti, Anna-Maria (art, interv,
rev) 245 (rec), 332, 970
Nasta, Dominique (rev art) 187,
188
Nau, Peter (art) 1291
Naur, Robert (rev) 452
Navarro de Andrade, Jose (book
ed) 1488
Nave, Bernard (art) 982, 1386
Neander-Nilsson, S (rev) 401,
952
Neilendam, Henrik (rev) 452,
472 (Copenhagen)
Nelson, David (art) 997
Nennecke, Charlotte (report)
457 (See also), 463 (See also)
Nettelbrandt, Cecilia (debate
art) 975
Newman, Edwin (TV interv)
761, 1710

Newman, Geoffrey (art) 996
Niehoff, Karina (rev) 453 (Ber-
lin)
Niemeyer, G. (art) 997
Nightingale, Benedict (rev) 487
(London)
Nilsson, Björn (report, interv,
art, rev) 172, 253 (rec), 334
(Sw rev), 449, 450, 454, 461,
465, 468 (debate), 473 (rev art),
475, 476, 583, 602, 866, 881, 914
Nilsson, Petra (press art) 466
Nilsson, Ulf (report, interv)
709
Nin, Anais (book chptr) 1292
Nisi, Roberto (rev) 486
Nohrborg, Kaj (rev) 318, 330
Nordahl, Gertrud (press de-
bate) 253 (rec)
Nordberg, Carl-Eric (art, rev)
228 (rec), 236 (rec/rev), 239
(rec), 253 (rec), 1026
Nordelius, Karl Olov (rev) 299
Nordin, Vera (rev) 466
Nordmark, Carl-Östen (re-
port) 804, 829, 832
Nordmark, Dag (book sec) 1661
Nordrå, Olav (rev) 450 (Oslo)
Nordvik, Martin (report) 472
(non-Swed. Rev), 483, 1539
Norén, Kjerstin (press art) 466,
471
Norman, Barry (art) 1539
Nyberg, Ulf (rev) 291, 292
Nyblom, Teddy (rev) 260, 420
Nygren, Ronny (report, interv)
466 (see also), 470 (rec), 910
Nykvist, Carl-Gustaf (book)
1672
Nyreröd, Marie (TV interv) 236
(com), 341 (see also), 931
Nystedt, Hans (book, art) 233
(rec), 236 (rec), 238 (rec), 241
(rec), 997
Nyström, Martin (art) 1688
Nørgaard, P. (art) 1325
Nørrested, Carl (art) 1202, 1325
O’Connor, Garry (rev) 450
(London)
O’Neill, James Jr. (rev) 223 (rec)
O’Reilly, Willem Thomas
(diss) 590
Obrazova, Anna (rev) 466
(Moscow), 468 (Moscow)
Obzyna, G. (rev) 447 (Vienna)
Name Index
Ohlin, Peter (art) 1469, 1571. See
also Chapter II, p. 60
Ohlsson, Joel (rev) 153
Ohrlander, Gunnar (art) 674
Olaguer, Gonzalo Perez de
(rev) 470 (Barcelona), 472
(Barcelona)
Oldin, Gunnar (art, interv, de-
bate) 223 (rec), 229 (com),
236 (com), 768, 1027, 1033, 1094
Oldrini, Guido (book, art) 233
(rec), 989, 1012, 1050, 1182
Oliv, Josef [Don José] (rev) 372
Oliva, Ljubomir (book, art)
1137, 1470
Oliver, Roger (art, book ed) 461
(spec stud), 635, 1452, 1580
Ollén, Gunnar (rev, interv) 78,
344, 347 (rec), 349 (rec), 350
(rec), 351 (com), 515, 525, 542,
607, 707, 952
Olofgörs, Gunnar (diss) 648
Olofson, Christina (art) 1328
Olsson, Erik William [Eveo]
(rev) 360, 361, 362, 365, 366,
371, 384, 396
Olsson, G. (press art) 218 (com)
Olsson, Henning [Fale Bure]
(rev) 265, 314
Olsson, I. (art) 220 (com)
Olsson, Jan-Olof [Jolo] (art, in-
terv) 688, 980
Olsson, Lars (art) 244 (longer
stud)
Olsson, Lars Erik (report, in-
terv) 970, 1065
Olsson, Olle (TV rev) 316
Olsson, Per Allan (report, in-
terv) 461 (postscript), 589
Olsson, Sven E. (rev art) 188,
231 (rec), 233 (rec), 244 (com)
Olsson, Ulf (rev) 199
Om. [sign] (rev) 420, 423, 428
Omberg, Asbjørn (rev) 445
Ones, Sveinung (rev) 473 (Ber-
gen)
Opperud, Inger-Marie (report)
447 (see also)
Oramaa, T.B. (rev) 440 (Hel-
sinki)
Ordoñez, Marcos (rev) 472
(Barcelona)
Orr, John (art) 236 (comp/add
studies), 1642, 1660
Orre, Ingvar (rev) 286, 291, 314,
316
Ortman, Lisa & Peter (rev) 487
1143
Ortman, Maria (art, debate)
1033
Osborne, Charles (rev) 468
(London/Edinburgh)
Osborne, John (book chapt)
440, 1572
Osten, Gerd (film critic) 203,
209, 210, 952, 986
Osterman, Bernt (art) 225
Otten, Willem Jan (rev art) 233
(rec)
Ould-Kbelifa, Said (interv) 1517
Pablé, Elisabeth (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Padilla, José Manuel (rev) 473
(Sevilla)
Paganini, Paolo (rev) 465 (Mi-
lano)
Pagliarani, Elio (rev) 447 (Ve-
nice), 451 (Florence)
Paillard, Jean (rev) 236 (spec
journal issues)
Palladino, Marco (rev) 470
(Rome)
Palme, Sven Ulrik (art) 229
(rec)
Palmgren, Christina (interv)
888
Palmqvist, Bertil (rev) 185, 192,
194, 195, 199, 256, 465, 466, 467,
468, 470, 471, 472
Panas, Dan (report) 485 (com)
Papa, Maria Vittoria (art) 1171
Parmentier, E. (ed) 245 (fact
sheets)
Pasolini, Paolo (art) 1530
Passek, J.-L. (rev) 238
Patalas, Enno (art) 1017
Patera, Paul (rev, art) 225 (rec),
236 (comp)
Pauli, Calle (press report) 478
Paulsen, Cathrine (rev) 483
Paulsen, Erik O. (rev) 470
(Bergen)
Pawlowski, Roman (rev) 479
(Krakow)
Pechter, William (art) 229, 1203
Pedersen, Jens (book) 1293
Pedersen, Werner (art) 960
Pehrson, Lennart (rep) 473 (see
also)
Peltola, Katri (rev) 465 (Tam-
merfors)
Peluffo, Nicola (art) 1496
Penlington, N. (art) 234
Perez, Gilberto ((art) 1344

Pérez, Michel (rev) 252 (rec)
Pergament, Moses (rev) 489
Perlez, Jane (intro) 1294
Perlström, Åke (rev) 132, 316,
318, 451, 453
Perridon, Harry (book/mag
ed) 1643
Persson, Ann (rev) 338
Persson, Göran (art) 231, 236
(add studies), 1078
Perucha, Julio Pérez (art) 1204
Peter, John (rev) 468 (London/
Edinburgh)
Petersen, Bent (art) 969, 970
Petersén, Gunilla (art) 492
Peterson, Erik (rev) 489
Peterson, Jens (rep) 466 (NY)
Petric, Vlada (book ed, art) 1378
Petrie, Graham (art) 1257
Petsch, Ernstotto (rep) 461
(postscript)
Pettersson, P.G. [PGP] (rev)
364, 366, 379, 381, 408, 410, 411,
414, 415, 417, 419, 422, 424, 426,
429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435,
439
Peyser, Arnold (interv) 871
Pfeitz, Christiane (press rep)
1625
Pflaum, H.G. (press) 1452
Phelan, Sarah F. (thesis) 1205
Philippon, Alain (interv) 254
(see also)
Phillips, Gene D., S.J. (art) 997,
1266
Piersdorff, Erik (rev art) 430,
433
Pizzini, Duglore (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Planas, Xavier Serrat (preview
art) 472 (Barcelona)
Platzeck, Wolfgang (rev) 470
(Hamburg)
Playboy (interv) 754
Plebe, Armando (art) 210 (See
also), 1094
Plus, Eric (thesis) 247 (long
stud)
Poesio, Paolo (rev, conference)
451 (Florence), 468 (Florence,
rec)
Pollock, Dale (report) 1364
Pomeroy, David (art) 997
Pondelicek, Ivo (art) 1147
Pons, Pere (rev) 472 (Barcelo-
na)
Name Index
Popkin, Henry (art, rev) 454
(foreign rev), 456 (rec), 580
Poppius, Set [S. P-s] (rev, art)
411, 519
Porter, Andrew (art) 492
Porto, Carlos (rev) 471 (Lisbon)
Post, Alma (rev) 464 (Holland
fest), 465 (Amsterdam)
Powell, Dilys (art, rev) 996
Pradna, Stanislava (art) 1573
Prédal, René (art, rev) 238 (rec),
1167
Pressler, Anthony (art) 225
Prévost, André (interv) 239
(com)
Prigione, R. (art) 1012 (group
#), 1138
Prokroff, Ira (art) 775
Prosperi, Giorgio (rev) 470
(Rome)
Prouse, Derek (interv) 755
Purcell, James Mark (art) 989,
1427
Pym, John (rev) 252
Pörtl, Gerhard (rev) 456, 459,
460, 463
Quadri, Franco (rev) 470
(Rome), 471 (Parma), 472
(Venice)
Quart, Leonard (art, rev) 258,
1330
Quigly, Isabel (rev) 219, 223
(rec), 996
Quinlan, David (report) 857
(Bragg)
Qvist, Per Olof (art, ed) 315,
667, 1452 (Filmhäftet), 1625
Raboni, Giovanni (rev) 470
(Rome), 471 (Parma), 472
(Venice)
Radice, Raul (rev) 447 (Venice),
451 (Florence)
Rado, P. (report) 1295
Rague, Maria José (preview
art) 470/472 (Barcelona)
Rainero, Tino (book) 1258
Rajat, Roy (booklet) 1211, 1531
Ramasse, François (rev art) 252
(rec), 334 (foreign rev), 1397
Ramseger, Georg (art) 220
(longer stud)
Raphaelson, Samuel (art) 248,
579, 1282
1144
Rask, Elin (rev) 472 (Copenha-
gen)
Rasku, Hilkka (book) 1191
Rasmussen, Björn (interv) 749
Ratcliffe, Michael (rev) 466
(Edinburgh), 468
Raum, Odd (rev) 445
Redvall, Eva (interv, rev) 468
(com), 492
Rehder, Mathes (rev) 470
(Hamburg)
Rehfeld, Vibeke (art) 1288, 1309
Rehlin, Gunnar (rev) 341
Reilly, John (diss, interv) 590,
801
Reimann, Viktor (rev) 453
(Berlin)
Renaud, Pierre (art) 997
Renaud, Tristan (intro) 1206
Renzo, Renzi (art) 233 (rec),
1012, 1096
Rettig, Claes von (rev, debate)
300, 533
Revoltella, Piero (art) 1478
Rv. [sign] (rev) 404
Reynolds, Stanley (rev) 323
Rhodin, Mats (art) 226
Rice, Julian (art) 245 (longer
art)
Richards, David (rev) 466 (NY)
Richer, J.L. (rev) 982
Riding, Alan (interv) 929
Rifbjerg, Klaus (rev, art) 433,
1288
Ring, Lars (radio interv, art,
rev) 195, 299, 309, 311, 342,
466 (Aftermath), 473, 475, 476,
477, 478, 479, 480, 483, 485,
486, 487, 1625. See also Chapter
II, p. 65
Ripkens, Martin (art) 234 (rec),
1081
Rismondo, Piero (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Ritter, Heinz (rev) 450 (Berlin),
453 (Berlin)
Ritter, Naomi (art) 1489
Ritzu, Merete Kjoller (book)
661, 989
Rivette, J. (art) 216
Robins, Charles Edward (diss)
997
Robinson, Michael (book ed)
988 (group #, p. 894)
Roche, Catherine de la (art) 971
Roemer, Michael (art) 1079

Rogoff, Gordon (rev report)
468 (rec)
Rohdin, Mats (art) 1628
Rokem, Freddie (art) 989, 1490
Rolf. [sign] (rev) 470
Rondi, Gian Luigi (art, report)
1169, 1365
Ronfani, Ugo (rev) 465 (Mila-
no), 468 (Florence)
Rootzén, Kajsa (rev) 489
Ros, Gabriella (report) 466
(Moscow)
Rosboch, Walter (rev) 492
Rosen, Robert (art) 238 (comp
studies), 988
Rosenqvist, Christina (press
art) 194, 477, 1526
Ross, Walter (art) 1051, 1066
Rossel, Sven Haakon (book ed)
988 (group item, p. 894)
Rossi, Umberto (report) 1402
Rossiné, Hans (rev) 477, 483,
485, 486
Rossman, Andreas (rev) 473
(Düsseldorf)
Roud, Richard (rev) 465 (Paris)
Roulet, C. (art) 1313
Rounds, Ronald (art) 1296
Roy, André (rev) 188
Rubanova, Irina (book ed) 1452
(group item)
Rudvall, Agneta (book rev) 194
Rugg, Linda (see Linda Haverty)
Ruin, Hans (rev) 414, 419, 422,
423, 424, 427, 429, 430 (rev &
art), 431, 432, 433
Ruivenkamp, Piet (rev) 464
(Holland fest), 465 (Amster-
dam)
Rumler, Fritz (report, interv)
446 (see also), 461 (spec stud)
Runeby, Margot (press art)
1006
Runnquist, Åke (art, rev) 56,
228 (rec
Rusan, R. (intro) 1240
Rustad, Hans (press art) 1452
Ruth, Arne (report) 873
Rutten, André (rev) 447 (Hol-
land fest)
Rydelius, Ellen (rev) 267
Rydqvist, Oscar [O. R-t] (rev)
355, 362, 363, 364, 366, 371, 372,
378, 379, 381
Rygg, Elisabeth (rev) 483, 485,
486, 487 (Oslo)
Name Index
Rygg, Kristin (art/spec stud)
337, 492, 663
Rying, Matts (rep, interv) 230
(com), 296, 320, 732, 750, 757,
762, 1029, 1127
Rühle, Arnd (press report, in-
terv) 447, 885 (Marker)
Rühle, Günther (rev) 450, 453
Rådström, Anne-Marie (in-
terv) 724, 745
Rådström, Pär (rev) 239 (com)
Rönneberg, A. (press report)
320 (com)
Sabaseviciene, Daiva (rev) 471
(Vilnius)
Sablich, Sergio (rev, art) 467,
470, 472 (non-Swed. rev), 473,
475, 492, 1579
Sabroe, Morten (interv) 452
(com), 811
Sadoul, Georges (art) 982
Sagarra, Joan de (rev) 465
(Barcelona), 466 (Madrid), 470
(Barcelona), 473 (Seville)
Sains, Ariane (report) 259 (in-
terv/bio)
Sala, Rita (interv, rev) 470
(Rome), 471 (Parma)
Salander, Anna (pseudonym)
(interv) 646, 928
Salmony, Georg (rev) 457, 459
Salvesen, Paul Leer (press art)
1452
Salzer, Michael (interv, press re-
port, rev) 234 (rec), 489, 537,
977, 1272
Sammern-Frankenegg, Fritz
(art) 234
Samuels, Charles (interv) 812
Sanchez, Silvia (report) 473
(Seville)
Sand, Arne (rev) 489
Sandberg, Mark (art) 1509
Sandell, Ove (rev) 437, 440
Sandgren, Gunnar E (press art)
238 (rec)
Sandner, Wolfgang (rev) 492
Sandstedt, Birgitta (TV interv)
583, 591
Santoro, Gene (rev) 259 (rec)
Santos, Alberto Seixas (art)
1097
Sarris, Andrew (art, ed, rev) 87,
225 (rec), 236 (rec), 238 (rec),
239 (rec), 241 (rec), 247 (see
also), 248, 1011, 1320, 1387. See
1145
also Chapter II, p. 55; Chapter
III, p. 141
Sauer, Fritz Joachim (rev, press
art) 480, 483, 487
Saugmann, E. (report) 472
(Copenhagen)
Saunier, T. (art) 982, 1609
Savio, F. (book sec) 1119
Savioli, Aggeo (rev) 451 (Flor-
ence), 466 (Spoleto), 468
(Florence), 470 (Rome), 472
(Venice)
Saxdorph, Erik S. (art) 987
Schadwill, Uwe (art) 989, 1491
Schauseil, Alphons (rev) 450
(Berlin
Schein, Harry (art, debate,
memoir). See also Section I
218 (rec), 225 (rec), 245 (rec),
437 (com), 711, 853, 1273
(speech), 1366 (memoir)
Schepelern, Peter (art) 1325
Scherer, Paul (art) 244 (longer
stud)
Scheuer, Philip (press art) 231
(com)
Scheynius, I. (art) 226
Schickel, Richard (art, rev) 241
(rec), 259 (rec), 1011, 1139
Schieldrop, Bjarne (rev) 472
(Bergen)
Schildt, Göran (art) 435 (spec
stud)
Schildt, Jurgen (art, rev) 124,
185, 220, 228 (rec), 239 (rec),
253 (rec), 316, 334, 444, 449, 461
(postscript), 466, 470, 1007,
1207. See also Chapter I, p. 44
Schiller, Harald (rev) 384
Schilliachi, Anthony (art) 997
Schlappner, Martin (book
chapt) 231, 1098
Schloemann, Johan (rev) 487
Schmalensee, O. von (art) 1325
Schmidt, Dietmar N. (rev) 456,
457, 458, 459, 460
Schmidt, Kaare (art) 1325
Schmidt-Mühlisch, Lothar (art,
rev) 456, 457, 458, 585
Schmitz-Burkhardt, Barabara
(rev) 463
Schneider, Hans-Helmuth
(diss) 997
Schober, S. (interv) 1272
Scholar, Nancy (art) 236
(comp), 1345
Schollin, Yngve (art) 441 (com)

Schottenius, Maria (report, rev,
interv) 194, 480 (com), 654,
847, 1272
Schoulgin, Eugene (rev) 451
Schr. W. [sign] rev) 461
Schreckenberg, E. (art) 233
(long disc)
Schrumpf, Ilona (rev) 453
(Berlin)
Schröder, Peter H. (press re-
port) 320 (rec)
Schueler, Kaj (report) 465 (see
also)
Schuh, Oscar Fritz (interv) 539,
763, 989
Schulte, Gerd (rev) 440
Schultz, Karin (rev) 261, 262,
265, 266, 267, 268, 272, 274, 278,
279, 281, 282, 283, 284, 286, 291,
294, 296, 299
Schultz-Ojala, Jan (rev, report)
482, 1614
Schumacher, Ernst (rev) 258
Schupp, Patrick (rev art) 247
(longer stud), 248
Schwab, A. (art) 1272
Schwab-Felisch, Hans (rev)
459, 460, 461
Schwanbom, Per (rev) 443
Schwartz, Margareta (rev) 335
Schwartz, Nils (rev) 311, 341,
479, 486, 487
Schwartz, Stan (art, report) 341,
483, 671
Schyberg, Frederik (rev) 395
Schöd, Helmut (rev) 461
Schöter, Michael (rev) 461
Scorrano, Osvaldo (rev) 466
(Spoleto)
Scott, James F. (book sec, art)
1128, 1220. See also Chapter II,
p. 60
Scotti, Paolo (interv) 470
(Rome)
Sebestyen, Gyögy (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Seesslen, Georg (press rep) 1625
Segers, Frank (report) 1364
(Pollock)
Seguin, L. (art) 239 (rec)
Seguret, Olivier (rev) 465 (Paris
Seidel, Hans Dieter (press art)
1452
Seidenfaden, Irene (rev, interv)
456, 461, 586
Name Index
Selander, Sten [S. S-r.] (rev)
363, 364, 378, 379, 394, 408, 410,
411
Sellermark, Aino (report) 246
(com)
Sellermark, Arne (art, interv)
79, 106, 134, 206 (rec), 222
(com), 223 (com), 229 (com),
245 (com), 246 (com), 325
(rec), 529, 704, 706, 718, 833,
1272
Sellgren, Göran (interv) 246
(com)
Selvaggi, Catarina (art) 254
Serceau, Michel (art) 249 (rec),
975, 1247, 1397, 1413
Serre, Olivier (interv) 907
Seymour, Julian (rep) 1208
Shed, W. (art) 239 (see also)
Shelburne, Steven (art) 1574
Shorter, Eric (rev) 440 (Lon-
don), 466 (Edinburgh
Shulman, Milton (rev) 433
(London), 440 (London), 448,
450 (London)
Shvarts, Gavri’elah (thesis) 1346
Siclier, Jacques (book, art) 99,
982
von Sievers, Malou (interv) 940
Silverstein, Norman (art) 997
Sima, Jonas (interv, rev, art)
244 (rec), 478 (p. 739), 773, 788,
802, 813, 836, 1099
Simmons, Keith L. (art) 250
(longer stud), 1403
Simon, John (book, art, int,
rev) 220, 223, 233, 236, 238
(rec), 241, 246 (rec), 247 (rec),
254 (rec), 256 (rec), 466 (NY),
470 (NY), 472 (NY), 473 (NY),
477 (NY), 483 (NY), 814, 1011,
1052, 1218, 1378, 1452
Simonson, Robert (rev) 473
(NY)
Sineux, Michel (rev, art) 249
(com), 1329, 1397
Sitney, Adams P. (art) 1492, 1532
Siwertz, Siegfried (rev) 411
Sjursen, Annette (rev) 470
(non-Swed. rev)
Sjöberg, Hans-Christer (rev)
466
Sjögren, Henrik (book, art,
rev) 2, 75, 361 (see also), 362,
377 (com), 379 (com), 384 (see
also), 392, 396, 398, 399 (see
1146
also), 415 (see also), 419, 420,
422-424, 426, 427, 430, 431, 433,
440 (com), 443 (com), 444-446
(rec), 450 (see also), 453, 454,
459, 468 (com), 472 (studies),
485, 548, 554, 562, 564, 567, 655,
677, 779, 946, 1439, 1613. See
also Chapter I, p. 38
Sjögren, Margareta [Jolanta]
(rev) See also Section I 283,
284, 286, 287, 289, 291, 292, 425
Sjögren, Olle (thesis) 234
Sjöman, Vilgot (book, art, interv,
cast) 223 (com), 225 (rec), 233
(asst dir, com), 239 (actor), 336
(int/com), 367 (actor), 379
(rev), 382, 405, 430 (art), 433
(com/see also), 527, 530, 668,
712, 751, 1100, 1426, 1471, 1704
Sjöstrand, Carl-Magnus (rep)
367 (com)
Sjöstrand, Ingrid (film debate)
245 (rec)
Sjöstrand, Östen (art) 489
(com)
S.K. [sign] (rev) 420
Skagen, Sölve (art) 245 (rec)
Skans, Gunnar (rev) 489
Skasa, Michael (rev, art) 456,
459, 461
Skawonius, Betty (rep, interv)
450 (com), 465 (see also), 473,
551, 608, 792, 796, 922
Skoogh, Catrine (art) 573
Skytte, Göran interv) 1033
(group item, Widerberg, p.
912)
Slayton, Ralph E. (art) 225
Sletbakk, Astrid (rev) 483
Smith, Evans Lansing (art) 1610
Sobolewski, Tadeusz (art) 997
Solomon, Stanley J. (book sec)
226, 244, 1219
Sonnenschein, Richard (art)
225, 997, 1379
Sontag, Susan (art) 236 (psych
motifs), 1320, 1660
Sorel, Edit (interv) 861
Soyer, J. (art) 1067
Spiel, Hilde (rev) 447 (Vienna),
462
Spinnazola, V. (art) 1012
Sprinchorn, Evert (art) 989,
1080, 1643
Spåre, Catharina (rev) 440

Stadelmaier, Gerhard (rev) 457
458
Stafford, W. (poem) 1297
Stanbrook, Alan (art) 996, 1030
Stangerup, Henrik (art) 1533
Stanghelle, John (rev) 470/472
(Bergen)
Starheimsæter, Herman (rev)
472 (Bergen)
Stayton, Richard (rep) 468 (de-
bate)
Stearns, David Patrick (rev) 473
(New York)
Steene, Birgitta (book, art, ed,
interv) 185, 202, 225, 226, 228
(rec), 229 (rec), 231(spec stu-
dies), 233, 234, 236 (comp), 245
(com), 246 (rev art), 253 (rec),
443 (see also), 485 (press art),
549, 588, 663, 678, 683, 815, 975,
989, 1011, 1129, 1170, 1192, 1220,
1259, 1269, 1314, 1367, 1380, 1414,
1439, 1452 (Chaplin, Filmhäf-
tet), 1472, 1501, 1502, 1557, 1580,
1595, 1611, 1613, 1625, 1643, 1660,
1671, 1673. See also Chapter II,
p. 65, 68
Stefansson, Gunnar (rev) 466
(Reykjavik)
Steiner, Irmgard (rev) 447
(Vienna)
Steinfeld, Thomas (rev, press
rep) 483, 1625
Steinthal, Herbert (rev) 418,
419, 430, 432, 434
Stempel, Hans (interv, art) 758,
1081, 1694
Sten, Hemming (press debate,
rev) 253 (rec), 278, 280, 330
Stenberg, Björn G. (rev) 259
(rec)
Stenström, Margaret (rev) 299
Stenström, Urban (rev) 261,
265, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 279-
282, 290, 294, 295, 296, 405,
406, 424, 427, 438, 443, 444
Sterk, Harald (rev) 447 (Vien-
na)
Sterner, Roland (art) 1540
Sterrit, David (rev) 472 (NY),
477 (NY
Stevenson, Jack (art) 219 (rec),
1011, 1596
Stiernevall, Robert (undergrad
thesis) 214
Name Index
Stolpe, Sven (art, rev) 229, 234
(rec), 272 (com), 273, 274, 275,
1031
Stone, Michael (rev) 453 (Ber-
lin)
Storléer, Lars (rev) 451
Stouby, Hanne (interv) 471
(Århus)
Stratton, David (rev) 258
Straume, Eilif (rep, rev) 471,
473, 477, 622
Strick, Philip (doc film, rev) 238
(rec), 245 (rec), 256 (rec), 1241
Stringer, Robin (rev) 468 (Lon-
don/Edinburgh)
Strunz, Dieter (press art) 185,
234 (rec), 1452, 1539
Stråhle, Ulf (interv) 762
Ström, Eva (rev) 192, 199
Strömberg, Martin (rev) 365,
366, 379, 411, 412, 414, 430, 431,
444
Strømberg, Ulla (art) 627
Strömner, Torsten (art) 234
(rec), 1033
Strömstedt, Bo (art, rev, int)
124, 234 (rec), 239 (rec), 444,
445, 447, 537, 785, 834, 975, 1102
Stuart, Jan (rev) 472 (NY
Stubbs, J.C. (handbook) 225
(see also)
Stuber, Andrea (rev) 471 (Bu-
dapest)
Ståhle, Anna Greta (rev) 260
Stål, Sven (rev) 360, 361, 372,
381, 410, 411, 435
Stålhammar, Leo (rev) 440
Sullivan, Dan (rev) 466 (Los
Angeles)
Sultanik, Aaron (book chapt)
1438
Sundberg, Kjell (debate) 1272
(group item, p. 950
Sundell, Thure (rev) 414, 417,
418, 419
Sundgren, Nils Petter (art, TV
interv, rev) 227 (rec), 239
(rec), 245 (rec), 249 (com), 253
(com), 772, 816, 826, 848, 894,
1172, 1329, 1708, 1709
Sundin, Anita (interv) 537, 551
Sundler, Eva Malmnäs (art)
225, 489 (spec art), 663
Sundqvist, Harry (rev) 465
(Tammerfors)
Surkova (-Shuskalova), Olga
(art) 1270, 1347
1147
Sutcliff, James Helme (rev) 492
Suttor, T. (art) 997
Suvalo, Kari (rev) 440 (Helsin-
ki)
Svahn, Lennart (interv). See also
Section I 233 (com)
Svanberg, Lena (report) 465
(see also), 602, 1534
Svantesson, A. (debate art) 225
(rec)
Svedberg, Britt-Marie (press
art) 327 (Sw rec)
Svenning, Olle (report) 472
(Madrid)
Svensson, Björn (rep) 1331
Svensson, Georg (rev) 379
Svensson, Lars (rev) 153
Svensson, Thomas (thesis) 185
Svenstedt, Carl-Henrik (film
critic) 144, 238 (rec)
Svetlitza, Hugo (book) 1575
Swensson, Sven (rev) 418
Syberg, Karen (disc) 471 (År-
hus)
Syvertsen, Emil Otto (rev) 472
(Bergen), 473 (Bergen)
Szczepanski, Tadeusz (book, art,
transl) 26, 67, 188, 1556
Szostack, J. (interv) 849
Säfve, Torbjörn (radio debate)
326 (Sw rec)
Söderberg, Agneta (rep, interv)
253 (com), 338, 465 (see also),
941, 1535
Söderberg, Hjalmar (author)
1004 (Hopkins)
Söderbergh-Widding, Astrid (art,
rev) 259, 343, 997, 1628
Söderquist, Eva (art) 975
Sørensen, Ernst (rev) 445
Sørensen, Viggo (rev) 468, 473
Sörenson, Elisabeth (book sec,
report, rev, interv) 225
(com), 228, 239 (com), 245
(com), 246 (com), 253 (com),
259 (interv), 322 (com), 451
(com), 453 (com), 465 (interv/
see also), 466 (com), 468
(com), 470 (com), 472 (com),
550, 597, 628, 796, 850, 869, 895,
920, 1493
Sörenson, Margareta (rev) 309,
342, 485
Sörenson, Ulf (press art, rev)
253, 476, 477, 480

Tabbia, Alberto (book) 974,
1008
Tadros, Jean-Pierre (interv) 245
(fact sheets)
Takacs, Istvan (rev) 471 (Buda-
pest)
Talbert, Linda Lee (thesis) 975
Tallmer, Jerry (interv, art) 468
(int, NY), 1068
Tang, Jesper (art) 1325. See also
Chapter II, p. 55, 60
Tannefors, Gunnar (report, in-
terv, art) 239 (rec), 711, 981,
999
Taricco, Maeserano di (rev) 447
(Venice)
Tassi, Fabrizio (rev) 258
Taube, Ella [E.T.] (rev) 260,
263, 267, 270, 272, 273, 274, 275,
279, 281, 282, 284, 285, 287, 290,
292, 293, 398
Taubin, Amy (rev) 258
Taylor, John Russell (art) 227,
996
Teghrarian, Salwa Eva F. (diss)
236 (add studies), 1298
Tegnér, Torsten [sign TT] (art)
956
Teréus, Roger (art) 1473
Testaferrata, Luigi (rev) 468
(Florence)
Thagaard, Aud (rev) 450
(Oslo), 451
Thau, Carsten (rev) 472 (non-
Swed. rev)
Thébaud, Marion (rev) 454
(Paris)
Theil, Per (rev) 485, 486
Theunissen, Gert (book) 234
(rec)
Thevenet, Alsina H. (see Alsina,
T.H.)
Thi, Nu Quynh Ho (diss) 975
Thiel, Reinhold E. (postscript)
119
Thieringer, Thomas (report, in-
terv) 609, 901
Thies, Heinrich (rev) 470
(Hamburg)
Thiessen, Sven (interv) 719
Th-m. [sign] (rev) 403
Thomas, Peter (rev, report) 461,
592
Thompson, John (rev) 433
(London)
Name Index
Thompson, Kristin (film sco-
lar) 1589 (Johansen)
Thomsen, Chr. Braad (art) 245
(see also), 997, 1130
Thomsen, Kari (rev) 470 (Ber-
gen), 473 (Bergen)
Thomson, Åke (rev) 382, 387
(rec), 388, 391, 394, 403
Thoor, Alf (rev) 451, 453, 489
Thorburn, Hedvig (report) 466
(London), 468 (London/Edin-
burgh
Thorpe, Ulla (debate art) 239
(rec)
Thorvall, Kerstin (interv) 803
Thygesen, Peter (report) 470
(see also), 471 (Århus)
Thymark, Nina (book) 325 (bk
length stud)
Tian, Renzo (rev) 447 (Venice),
465 (Milano), 466 (Spoleto),
468 (Florence), 470 (Rome),
472 (Venice)
Timm, Mikael (interv, radio re-
port) 253 (art), 467 (com),
601, 867, 896, 1452, 1576, 1625.
See also Chapter III, p. 145
Tiozzo, Enrico (rev) 492
Tiselius, Henric (interv) 486
Tjäder, Per Arne (rev) 199, 492
Tobey, Alan (thesis) 1140
Tobin, Yann (art, rev) 252, 328,
1474
Todorov (film theorist) 1589
(Johansen)
Toiviainen, Sakari (art) 1625
Tollet, Håkan (rev) 439, 443,
446, 447
Torell, Kristina (rev) 343
Tornehed, Stig [S. T-d] (rev)
361
de la Torre, Albert (rev) 472
(Barcelona)
Tournier, Christine (rev) 1329
Tranströmer, Gösta (rev, rep)
270, 271, 272, 273, 275, 276
Trasatti, Sergio (interv, art) 925,
1012, 1521, 1536, 1558
Trauung, Göran [Jerome] (rev)
367 (com)
Trilling, Ossia (rev, interv, art)
433, 445, 448 (see also), 450,
451, 453, 468, 565
Troelsen, Anders (art) 238 (rec),
1325
1148
Troyan, D. (rev art) 252 (longer
revs)
Tulloch, John (art) 226, 989
Tunbäck-Hanson, Monika (rev,
debate) 153, 194, 250 (rec),
259, 335, 340, 341
Tyler, Parker (book sec) 226,
236 (rec)
Tynan, Kenneth (rev) 435
Törnblom, Folke (art) 489
(progr), 492
Törmgren, Erland (rev) 1033
Törnqvist, Egil (book, art, rev,
ed) 226, 230, 233, 236 (comp/
add studies), 247 (longer stud),
250 (longer stud), 253 (longer
stud), 254 (art), 309 (see also),
316 (art), 326 (spec stud), 332
(art), 336 (spec stud), 337 (spec
stud), 341, 342 (spec stud), 419,
422, 447 (art/see also), 451
(spec stud), 461 (spec stud),
462/642, 465 (Amsterdam), 466
(longer stud), 470 (art), 471
(book chptr), 472 (studies),
492 (art), 570, 610, 623, 633,
636, 642, 644, 649, 656, 663),
673, 682, 989, 997, 1415, 1559,
1577, 1613, 1625, 1671, 1677, 1690,
1691. See also Chapter II, p. 60,
67, Chapter III, p. 140
Uexküll, Sole (rev) 447 (Hel-
sinki)
Uggla, Andrzej (art) 582, 989
Uljens, Anita (rev) 466 (Vasa)
Ulrichsen, Erik (art) 1009
Unger, Wilhelm (rev) 447
(Obernhaus)
Uppström, T. (press art) 326
(Sw rec)
Urbach, Ilse (rev) 440
Uriz, Francisco (transl, art) 185,
188, 465 (Barcelona)
Urs, Jenny (press art, rev) 185,
451
Vaccaro, Maria Rosa (book) 974
(group item)
Vacondeus, Joaquim (rev, rep)
471 (Lisbon), 1513
Vahabzadeh, Susan (report) 215
Valentin, Guido (rev) 375 (rec)
Vannucci, Marcello (rev) 468
(Florence)

Vasiliauskas, Valdas (rev) 471
(Vilnius)
Vasques, Eugénia (art) 634
Vatja, Vilmos (art) 1315
Velasco, Julio Martinez (rev)
473 (Seville)
Veltheim, Katri (rev) 440 (Hel-
sinki)
Verdone, Mario (art) 233 (rec),
235 (rec), 1012, 1171
van der Verg 244 (see also sec)
Vermcrantz, Monica (report)
466 (Madrid)
Vermiliye, Jerry (book) 1622
Verstappen, Wim (rev art) 252
(Longer rev)
Vierling, David L. (art) 236
(meta), 1260
Vigorra, Jesus (rev) 473 (Se-
ville)
Viklund, Klas (art) 238, 1452
(Filmhäftet)
Villiger Heilig, Barbara (rev)
483, 487
Vilmos, Vatja (art) 1315
Vinberg, Björn (rep, interv) 245
(rec), 449 (see also), 450
(com), 470 (com), 780, 786,
817, 1033, 1174, 1184
Vindsetmo, Björg (rev) 470, 473
Vineberg, Steven (art) 1660
Vinge, Louise (art) 256 (longer
art), 1578. See also Chapter II,
p. 68
Vinocur, John (report) 1272,
1332
Vinterhed, Kerstin (art, rev)
309, 1314
Virshup, Amy (report) 468 (NY
BAM)
Visscher, Jacques de (book, art,
report) 1300, 1388, 1537, 1612.
See also Chapter II, p. 60
Viswanathan, Jacqueline (art)
1666. See also Chapter II, intro
Volli, Ugo (rev) 468 (Florence)
Vos, Nico (rev) 464 (Holland
fest)
Vos, Bengt Olof (rev) 444
Vries, Hillary de (rev) 468 (NY)
Vries, Tjitte de (book, art) 1120,
1503
Vuori, Jyrki (rev) 465 (Tam-
merfors)
Waal, Allan de (rev) 483
Name Index
Waaranperä, Ingegärd (rev) 341,
475, 478 (press report), 487
Wach, Margarete (art, ho-
mage) 1625, 1634
Wachtmeister, A.-M. (booklet
ed) 326 (Sw. rec)
Waeger, Gerhart (rev) 450
(Zürich)
Wærn, Carina (debate) 468
Wahlin, Claes (rev) 338, 341,
474, 476, 478, 480, 486
Wahlund, Per-Erik (book, rev)
270, 272, 278, 412, 413, 414, 415,
417, 418, 419, 422, 426, 429, 430,
431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 437, 439,
440, 442, 446 (transl), 467, 486,
535, 543
Wakar, Jacek (rev) 479 (Kra-
kow)
Wallqvist, Örjan (art) 517. See
also Chapter II, p. 65
Walters, Byron J. (judge) 219
(foreign rec)
Wammen, Chris (rev) 325
(Dan. Rec)
Wardle, Irving (rev) 440 (Lon-
don), 447 (London), 448, 450
(London), 454 (Warsaw), 465
(Paris), 466 (Edinburgh/Lon-
don) Warga, Wayne (report),
245 (rec)
Warnhold, Birgit (rev) 470
(Hamburg)
Warnicke, Klare (rev) 470
(Hamburg)
Wartenberg, Thomas E. (book
ed) 1590
Wasserman, Raquel (book) 997
Wauters, Jean-Pierre (interv)
902
Weales, Gerald (rev art) 468
(NY)
Weber, Annemarie (rev) 453
(Berlin)
Weigl, Kerstin (interv) 470
Weightman, J.G. (art) 996
Weintraub, B. (interv, report)
851, 1272
Weise, Eckhard (book) 1623
Wejbro, Folke (rev) 132
Wellendorf, Kassandra (art)
1538
Welsh, Henry (art) 982, 1386
Welsh, James M. (art) 1209,
1301. See also Chapter II, p. 60
Wennström, Gertrud (art) 215
Wennö, Nicholas (interv)
1149
Werkö, Mårten (report) 1494
Werner, Andrzej (art) 1512
Werner, Gösta (art) 203, 1242,
1540
Wernersson, Susanna (interv)
472
Westecker, Dieter (rev) 447
(Obernhaus)
Wester, Maud (rep, art) 793,
1193
Westerbeck, C. Jr. (rev art) 246,
248
Westling, Barbro (rev) 191, 194,
195, 199, 335, 340, 485, 487
Westman, Jan-Erik (art) 1452
(Filmhäftet)
Westman Tullus, Barbro (in-
terv) 472, 473
Wexman, Virginia (art) 244
(long studies)
Weyler, Svante (rev) 486
Wheeler, Winston Dixon (art)
236 (comp), 1660
White, Margaret Leslie (thesis)
1495
Wickbom, Kaj (art, rev) 188,
199, 253 (rec), 1651, 1652
Wickenburg, Erik (rev) 462
Widegren, Björn (interv, rev)
244 (rec), 467, 486, 616
Widerberg, Bertil (rev, report)
315, 316, 489 (com)
Wiese, Andreas (rev) 487
Wiggen, Carlos (report) 250
(rec)
Wiggen, Camilla (rev art) 250
(rec)
Wikander, Stig (press art) 228
(rec), 236 (rec)
Wild, Andreas (report) 1272
(end of entry item)
Wille, Franz (rev) 475
Wilson, Berit (report, interv)
250 (com), 828, 836, 975
Wilson, Cecil (report, rev) 433
(London), 1025
Wimberley, Amos D. (art) 989
(diss), 1348
Windelboth, Horst (rev) 440
Winer, Linda (rev) 466 (NY),
473 (NY), 486 (NY), 487 (NY)
Wingaard, Jytte (book) 452
(com), 571
Winston, D. (book sec) 226. See
also Chapter II, p. 60
Winterson, Jeanette (art) 1514

Wirmark, Margareta (book, art,
ed) 652, 658, 1613, 1653
Wiseman, T. (rev) 225 (See
also)
Wiskari, Werner (art, interv)
236 (rec), 489, 1011, 1032
Wistrand, Sten (rev) 458, 472,
479
With, Anne-Lise (art) 1624
Wivel, Henrik (rev) 483
Wivel, Peter (discussion) 471
Århus
Wohlin, Margot (pedagogue)
202 (rec)
Wolden, Anne Ræthinge (in-
terv) 818, 975, 1222
Wolf, S. (art) 220 (longer stud)
Wolf, William (interv, art) 874,
1243, 1395
Wollter, Sven (debate) 468, 533
Wolsgaard, Peter (ed) 1424
Wood, Robin (book, art) 236,
239 (rec), 244 (long studies),
975, 1185, 1223, 1302, 1654, 1674
Wortzelius, Hugo (art, rev) 185,
188, 204, 206, 209 (com), 250
(rec), 253 (art), 1148
Wright, Allen (rev) 466 (Edin-
burgh)
Wright, Rochelle (book sec,
art) 256 (longer art), 1580,
1655. See also Chapter II, p. 68
Wunch, William (interv) 882,
1368
Wysinska, Elzbieta (rev, art) 454
(Warsaw), 575
Name Index
Wåhlstedt, Ingeborg (art) 506
Xartoyvaph, Mikeva (art) 615
Yakowar, Maurice (book
chapt) 1316
Yaron, Elyakim (rev) 471 (Is-
rael)
Ygeman, I. (debate art) 326 (Sw
rec)
Young, B.A. (rev) 440 (Lon-
don)
Young, Vernon (book, rev) 228
(rec), 229, 231 (rec), 233, 241
(rec), 1210
Zacharias, J. (interv) 856, 1272
Zachrisson, Olof (rev) 336
(com/rec)
Zampa, Giorgio (art) 562
Zand, Nicole (rev) 454 (War-
saw), 465 (Paris) Zanton-
Ericsson, Gun (rev) 486, 487
Zavarzadeh, Mas’ud (book
chapt) 1515
Zeleny, W. (rev) 447 (Vienna)
Zelinger, J. (art) 1378
Zemuliene, Laima (rep) 471
(Vilnius)
Zern, Leif (book, art, rev) 185,
187, 188, 191, 233, 236 (rec), 256
(rec), 326 (Sw rec), 335, 340,
444, 446 (rev), 447, 450, 451,
454, 468 (rev+debate), 470, 471,
472, 478, 480, 483, 485, 486 (+
1150
art), 492, 537, 551, 650, 658, 662,
675, 989, 1560, 1613
Zetterström, Erik [Kardemum-
ma] (columnist) 210 (rec)
Zetterström, Marianne [sign
Viola] (rev, report) 313, 827
Zijlmans, Mieke (survey) 1561
Zimmer, Dieter (rev) 325 (ad-
ditional rev)
Zinsser, W. (rev) 220 (foreign
rec)
Zmudzinski, Boguslaw (book
ed) 1541
Zurbuch, W. (art, film pro-
gram) 231, 1055
Zurletti, Michelangelo (rev) 492
Zweigbeck, Eva von (rev), 369
Ågren, Gösta (art) 1083
Åhlander, Lars (book, mag ed)
1314, 1452, 1562
Åhlén, Carl-Gunnar (rev) 337,
492
Åhlund, Jannike (interv) 483
(com), 651, 662, 926, 930
Åkerhielm, Helge (rev) 406
Ångström, Anna (press rep)
478
Ödéen, Mats (rev) 444
Öhngren, Lars (interv) 759. See
also p. 600
Öhrn, Berit (rev) Chapter I, p.
45
Östman, Nan (rev) 263