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
