Persona : Bergman x Ibsen x Strindberg

    Ingmar Bergman's 'Persona' is one of the most iconic films from the European Art Cinema of the 1960s. The unique and enigmatic style from Bergman has led the film to diverse interpretations over the years. On surface reading, Persona appears to be a film about the intimate relationships of the two female characters. That is in tune with Bergman’s turn from a more spiritual perspective in the 1950s to a focus on human relationships from the late 1960s. The film suggests companionship can be therapeutic when one is confronting existential angst and alienation that are inherent in human nature. 

    Yet if one looks beyond the surface of this apparent narrative, one will likely discover a more immanent meaning offered by Bergman. Along with Antonioni, Resnais, Godard, Straub and others, Bergman belonged to the cinematic Modernists from the 1960s to the 1970s, whose idiosyncratic films often defy straight-forward readings. In order to discover the new meanings, we have to two of Bergman’s influences, who have shaped the Modernist Drama in the early 20th century – Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg.   

    It is well known that Bergman has been heavily influenced by Ibsen and Strindberg. Other than the films he has directed, Bergman has been involved in a number of theater productions, including the most iconic plays from Ibsen and Strindberg. To Bergman, cinema is a distilled essence of his theater work, and the two art forms intertwine with each other. After all, who is a more suitable candidate to direct Ibsen's 'Ghosts' than someone like Bergman? 

Ibsen x (Bergman x Strindberg)

    Starting from a theatre grounded in realism, both Ibsen and Strindberg moved towards on symbolic and expressionistic style over their careers. The late plays by Ibsen can be considered the precursor of chamber plays, for which Strindberg has both reacted against and further developed at the same time. The chamber plays became a very popular type of theater at the early 20th century in Europe, popularized by Max Reinhardt and other theater directors. The popularity coincided with the rise of German Expressionism, and one can easily connect the dots of this towards Strindberg’s artistic tendency in his late plays. For a number of Bergman’s films, such as ‘Through a Glass Darkly’, ‘The Silence’, ‘Cries and Whispers’, ‘Autumn Sonata’, and ‘Persona’, can be categorized as cinematic ‘chamber plays’. If one watches a televised version of Ibsen’s ‘Ghosts’ from UK (1987, directed by Elijah Moshinsky and starring Judi Dench), one will not find it to be too different from a typical Bergman film.  

    Many critics have noted that Strindberg’s plays, with their apparent naturalism, cannot be accepted at face value. A common technique adopted by both Strindberg and Bergman was to use characters in a non-realistic way, where they symbolized conflicting psychological drives from the same ego. From Strindberg’s ‘Miss Julie’ to the aforementioned Bergman films, they also served as nice examples. One can rationalize why chamber play is a great candidate to portray this kind of theme : because the ‘chamber’, usually a manor or a house, can symbolize a mental landscape, like the psyche as a totality; and the characters represented the differing psychic drives that battle for control and dominance. The 4 female characters in ‘Cries and Whispers’ symbolized 4 types of human sentiments, conflicting with each other in the red mental chamber until the end of one’s existence.   An example in American cinema, likely influenced by ‘Persona’, is Robert Altman’s ‘3 Women’. The film possesses an allegorical style and it certainly attracts a lot of different perspectives about its ‘meaning’ from the audience.  

(Ibsen x Bergman) x Strindberg

    Bergman has also been influenced a lot by Ibsen, and ‘Persona’ shared a number of themes from the Norwegian playwright. Elisabet Volger, the mute actress in ‘Persona’, can be seen as a continuation of Ibsen’s heroine. Ibsen, similar to Antonioni in cinema, has created some of the most iconic female characters in theater – From Hedda Gabler, Nora Helmer to Mrs. Alving, while his perspective could not be labelled as ‘feminist’, these female characters were instrumental because they reflected the problems of the society and culture they found themselves in.  

    Elisabet ceased to talk, not only as a pathological condition, but that served as a revolt. That represented Bergman’s modernist critique of language and the quest for stable meanings in the world. Alma, who was responsible for caring Elisabet, kept on asking ‘why’: Why are you not talking to me? Why don’t you response to anything? What is really on your mind? Alma tried to make sense of things and looked for reason. Yet from the start, Bergman has already taken sides. Much like Ibsen, who was critical of Romanticism and Platonic Idealism, Bergman has to defeat Alma – that represented the symbolic defeat of Idealism by Modernism. Ibsenism would prevail.

    It is the realization that Alma (Idealism) and Elisabet (Modernism) are really the Yin and Yang of a unity, and they represented the 2 fundamental drives of the psyche. As a reversal of fortune, Alma the nurse turned into the patient herself. Reminiscent of a psychoanalytic therapy, Alma observed that she has told everything to Elisabet, which she has never told anyone before. She understood that Elisabet would not have the slightest indication of response, yet this was a therapeutic experience for her. She developed a self-knowledge for herself after all these confessions. This again reconciled with Ibsen’s belief, that you can only gain full understanding when you look into the psychological makeup of the individual, not deceived by the persona by culture and society at large. 

  

by Ed Law

1 Feb 2020

Film Analysis

Persona

‘Persona’ (1966) is one of Ingmar Bergman’s most iconic achievements. The film possesses some of the most powerful filmic images that have ever emerged from the medium, and the style and theme presented in this piece of great European art cinema have inspired so many later filmmakers. This black-and-white film is confrontational, and it has a starkness that reminds me of Hiroshi Teshigahara’s ‘Woman in the Dunes’ (1964). On the other hand, it also reminds me of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968), as both films pose questions rather than offering answers. ‘Persona’ is a total mystery, and there is simply not one unifying interpretation regarding what it is about. You do not go to Bergman or Kubrick and ask them what the movies mean – it is you who are supposed to connect and understand these masterpieces in your personal way.

The story of Persona is indeed quite simple. Elisabet Vogler was a theatre actress, who has suddenly become mute during a stage performance. So, a nurse called Alma was called in to take care of her, and the majority of the story revolved around their intimate interactions. Alma talked to the mute Elisabet throughout the film, and in most cases Elisabet did not response in any verbal means. Yet, as the story progressed, all lines of divisions were blurred. Past and present were linked up, dream and reality were no longer clear, two faces seemed to merge into one...

Bergman’s Masks

The word ‘persona’, which is derived from a Latin origin, means the masks that are worn by actors when they are performing on a stage. Isn’t life a drama after all? We all wear various masks when we interact with others. We present ourselves to the others as a certain persona, and too often, we hide our true selves behind the curtain. What is even more depressing, however, is that we often do not have the courage to face our real selves. The theme of mask and façade is prevalent also in Jean Renoir’s films – from ‘The Grand Illusion’ to ‘The Rules of the Game’. Renoir firmly believed that, only by looking beyond the façade and tearing off the masks, one could finally see the true face of humanity.

Why do we have to hide behind these false personas and exist as if we are theatre performers? To Bergman, we do have quite a lot to hide. We all have a lot of problems and angst to confront, and when we start to consider the meaning of life, we are exposed to an emptiness and loneliness for which the implications are often tough to take in. The ennui and emptiness of modern existence is also a major theme in Michelangelo Antonioni’s films, and it should not be surprising that both Bergman and Antonioni’s most productive periods are both in the 1950s / 1960s. To repress these hard feelings, we desire to run away from all these intimate problems and long to play another easier role, through the undertaking of another persona.

The fun of acting, however, is hard to sustain. In the film, Elisabet suddenly broke down during a stage performance and ceased to speak anymore after that. The breaking point represented the dissonance between her stage persona – or in a more metaphoric way – the persona she was pretending in real life – and her truest inner self. It was the massive conflict of her true and assumed self that made her aware of her existential problems. Her powerful response was that of silence - this was her statement that she did not want to play this assumed role anymore.

The axis of turning

In Bergman’s films, turning is one of the most important and symbolic gestures. In many cases, it is the turning away that represents the most painful experience for the characters. Turning away is to run away from problems, relationships, and human interactions. That explains why Bergman’s faces are his most resourceful motifs for his work. The movements and gestures of the faces very much convey the interactions of the characters, and also symbolize whether they are willing to commit or not.

In Persona, Elisabet has been trying to run away. She was mute most of the time, and she did not response to any of Alma’s questions. Alma served to confront Elisabet, to ask her questions about her past experiences. Alma’s challenges invited Elisabet to confront her true self, and to add to that, the stunning close-up of faces also invited the audience to examine themselves. Elisabet, like any other characters in Bergman’s films, could not run away from her problems. She might be mute for no sensible reasons, yet the true voice in her mind would not cease. The intensity of the film was contributed from the two great actresses, Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. In most of the film, there were only the two of them performing, and the claustrophobic intimacy only added to the intensity and the psychological thrill of the resulting masterpiece.

Offering a helping hand

Bergman’s films often deal with existentialism, and the journey to find one’s meaning of existence is often a lonely one. I feel there is an optimistic aspect in many of Bergman’s bleak pictures – the company of someone who is willing to give a hand. The most powerful ‘face’ scenes in Bergman’s films often consist of two faces – with someone who is willing to ask questions and to inspire. It is the presence of an ‘other’ who will motivate you to look beyond the surface and give you the courage to face the spiritual sickness, which in Bergman’s view, is far more problematic than any physical sickness that has appeared in this world.

by Ed Law

27/8/2016

Film Analysis

致褒曼的情書



莉芙歐曼(Liv Ullmann)和英瑪褒曼 (Ingmar Bergman)

人生中, 如果找到一位可以相依的好拍擋, 必然可以締造一部又一部的經典。

瑞典電影大師英瑪褒曼 (Ingmar Bergman) 和他的'靈感女神'莉芙歐曼(Liv Ullmann)的故事被拍攝成紀錄片'致褒曼的情書' (Liv And Ingmar, 2012)。 莉芙曾在多部褒曼作品擔任女主角。 在合作了第一部電影後, 兩人更相戀了五年 - 縱然雙方都各自有另一半。 雖然兩人的戀情最後無疾而終, 他們仍能保持工作上的默契 : 大多數最傑出的褒曼作品, 都是在兩人分手後拍攝的。 自此以後, 莉芙的名字 便與英瑪結下不解之緣了。

這位北歐電影大師受盡當今電影愛好者的擁戴。 無論是黑白片或是彩色片, 褒曼運用簡約(minimalist)的場景鋪排 (例如一個簡單的大特寫, 或寂寥的景色), 面部特寫, 鏡像, 或是虛幻的現象, 來挑戰戲中角色以及觀眾的主觀感覺。 不同的技巧, 都是用來顯露人性最真實的一面。 偏偏戲中的角色往往選擇逃避, 不敢正視人性的幽暗。 經典例子, 就是'哭泣與耳語 ' (Cries And Whispers, 1972): 姐姐被癌病煎熬得痛不欲生, 她痛苦得如馬一樣的嘶叫。 但兩個妹妹仍是要勾心鬥角, 互存偏見。 姐姐離世後, 導演褒曼便安排了一場人性試驗給兩位妹妹: 姐姐的靈魂忽然現身, 要求兩位妹妹接受自己。 豈料兩人斷然拒絕! 兩位妹妹精神上的患疾, 實屬無可救藥。 褒曼如此獨特的風格, 令他創造出無數極具震撼性的影像, 引來後世多位導演的模仿 。 褒曼經常攝影鏡像和時鐘的理由, 似是暗示人生如一場又一場的審判 : 我們要不斷審視自己, 包括面對自己黑暗的一面。 看一套褒曼的電影, 他就下一次戰書: 你有膽量面對自己嗎?

不過說到褒曼電歌影最重要的元素, 非莉芙歐曼莫屬。 莉芙不但參演了多部褒曼電影外, 她的角色往往表現着褒曼所探討的人性特徵。 莉芙所演的角色往往處於一些不可思議的情境裏， 所以這些作品 都有存在主義 （Existentialism)色彩。 例如在假面 (Persona, 1966)裏, 她飾演一個突然失聲的演員。 在沉默的過程中, 她要與Bibi Andersson飾演的護士, 一起探索現實與虛幻的分界， 和找尋那迷失了的自我。 在‘哭泣與耳語 ’ （Cries And Whispers, 1972) 裏, 她演那'童心未泯', 毫不成熟的妹妹 - 她要面對的, 是自己所代表的晦暗人性。 在'面對面' (Face To Face, 1976)裏, 她是一位需要接受精神分析的精神分析師 - 她瘋掉了, 不但要在夜深面對祖母的鬼魂, 還要應付自己幾近精神分裂, 同時扮演三個角色的狀態。 莉芙的角色往往都要面對這些荒謬的情况: 她要了解自身的心理缺陷, 然後勇於探索步出陰霾的方法， 才能完善自我。 而了解自己的旅程, 都需要其他人結伴同行的 - 這就是褒曼電影中兩面頰在同一鏡頭的象徵意義了。 現實中, 褒曼與莉芙這對老拍擋, 亦是在一導一演的情況下, 找尋人生的真義。 他倆多年來互相扶持, 才能拍攝出一部又一部的佳作。 兩人藕斷絲連， 早就超越相愛的境界了。

一個人， 只會擁抱孤寂； 兩個人， 足以改變一切。

秋水E人

13/07/2013



英瑪褒曼 (Ingmar Bergman) 

莉芙歐曼(Liv Ullmann)

假面 (Persona) 裏的經典一幕

哭泣與耳語 （Cries And Whispers)劇照

A Tribute to Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman was acclaimed by many critics, filmmakers and film fans as one of the greatest and most original filmmakers of all time, Bergman’s style has made a lasting impression on many audiences, and the filmic images in many of his work are among the most memorable in the history of cinema. Gathering influences from a number of different fields, Bergman has developed a very original style that can be coined as ‘Bergman-esque’, and this style has since inspired, and have been imitated by, so many filmmakers, from Woody Allen to Ang Lee, from Andrei Tarkovsky to Park Chan Wook, from Lars von Trier to Mamoru Oshii.

Since I have first watched Bergman’s ‘Cries And Whispers’ in my teenage years, I have fallen in love with Bergman’s style. Among my favorite Bergman films are ‘Cries And Whispers’, ‘Persona’, ‘Through a Glass Darkly’ and ‘Face to Face’.

The reason why I have been drawn to the cinematic world of Bergman is due to a Woody Allen film known as ‘Interiors’ (1978). Allen has known to admire Bergman intensely and ‘Interiors’ seems to be heavily influenced by Bergman’s style, especially from ‘Cries and Whispers’. This less known Allen film has changed my impression of the often comedic filmmaker and has also led me to the Bergman films.

Bergman’s films are all very confrontational – he has employed the most powerful images to press questions on the audience. He demands answers and opinions from the audience regarding the questions of the human condition. Even if the audiences are disillusioned by the stunning images they have experienced in a Bergman film, and are left silent during this experience, they will still be able to ponder on these questions long after the end of the film.

Bergman’s films are all very dark. Because he did not want to feed the audience with easy answers, he would like the audience to contemplate on difficult scenarios. His films are seen as very spiritual and in many cases philosophical. Influenced by Sjostrom (whom Bergman has casted as the protagonist in ‘The Wild Strawberries’), Ibsen and Strindberg, Bergman’s films are often related to existentialism. From these influences, one can easily appreciate why Bergman’s films are often minimalist, have very few key characters, and quite often are ‘chamber dramas’. These designs have all contributed to a starkness in his films, and it is especially so in his black-and-white films. When Bergman started making color films, he often employed Eastmancolor as the color source. In Bergman’s case, the use of Eastmancolor has provided the impression of coldness to his films. This coldness is also apparent in some other Eastmancolor films, among those Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Barry Lyndon’, many of Jean-Pierre Melville’s color crime films, and Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Kagemusha’. The Eastmancolor effect is most evident in ‘Cries and Whispers’, when the red color is presented in a very saturated way. In the film, the rooms in the manor is almost like the chambers of the heart, and the redness of the set design only heightens this aspect. In Bergman’s own words –

 ‘I have pictured the inside of the soul as a moist membrane in shades of red’.

Bergman’s clocks and mirrors

There are many recurrent motifs in the Bergman cinema. The first is the tools for contemplation and judgment. Clocks, watches and mirrors are often seen in many of Bergman’s films. The ticking of the clock and the reminder of the watch signify the time for judgment. And the mirror is the instrument for the character to face themselves and to contemplate their problems. Bergman’s characters cannot run away from their problems – they have to face the music when the time has come for confrontation. It is nevertheless not the end – because Bergman gives his characters an opportunity to examine their true selves and to gain self-knowledge from these often painful confrontations.

Bergman’s Faces

If there are the Kubrick stares and the Leone glares, then we have to remember the Bergman faces. The close-up of facial expressions in the Bergman cinema are certainly among the most powerful images in world cinema, and that is certainly an aspect many subsequent filmmakers have attempted to imitate. The camera angles and arrangements for the facial close-ups are often very innovative, and to this end ‘Persona’ and ‘Cries And Whispers’ serve as monumental achievements. The use of this motif is not merely about giving surprises or enhancing the visual sensations – the gestures and movements of the faces often convey important themes in the respective film, which I will discuss in specific circumstances in the future. In a sense, the face is the canvas for the human drama to take place, it is the place where the characters present themselves for the world, or just for themselves.

One final thing - I would love to recommend a great book, known as ‘The Films of Ingmar Bergman’ by Kalin (ISBN 0521389771). This is a great analysis on Bergman’s films and style, and I have been benefited a lot from the book. Hope you like it!

by Ed Law

Film Analysis