Dear Francesco, you are very very kind. Thank you so much for your very kind words. I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits. And you are always welcome here and I would love to hear from you anytime about any film recommendations you have. Cheers and I hope you are well.
Respect for putting sawdust and tinsel high on the list, it was full of tense emotions. In his autobiography "the magic lantern" you can see his inspiration of the circus
I found all your Bergman box-set videos really interesting, informative and enjoyable, so thank you for doing these! It is always intriguing to see how people rank Bergman films as he has done so many good ones, and I've enjoyed all 9 of his films that I've seen. Here's my ranking: 1. Persona 2. Cries and Whispers 3. Autumn Sonata 4. Scenes from a Marriage TV Version 5. The Seventh Seal 6. Wild Strawberries 7. Fanny & Alexander TV Version 8. Smiles of a Summer Night 9. Hour of the Wolf
Wow... what a great list here! I love it. And I must say that I love how high you have placed Autumn Sonata. I should say that, thanks to this box set, my impression of this film has become much more positive than ever before. When I was younger, and maybe around your age, I saw the film for the first time and I honestly didn't like it because I couldn't connect with it. Now, after some years have passed for me, I find it to be so utterly devastating and soul crushing, in a thoroughly powerful way. And so I am so thrilled to see you have a positive appreciation of the film. I have said it before and I'll say it again: I have to remind myself that you are still young, because you always display such a deep knowledge and appreciation of films--and definitely much more than what I had at your age. I am constantly impressed. Well done my friend.
Great video as always, Daisuke! My Bergman rankings are as follows: 1. Persona 2. Winter Light 3. Cries and Whispers 4. The Virgin Spring 5. Shame 6. The Passion of Anna 7. The Silence 8. Hour of the Wolf 9. The Seventh Seal 10. Through a Glass Darkly 11. Autumn Sonata 12. Wild Strawberries
@@DaisukeBeppu Thanks!! One of my fondest memories is seeing Cries and Whispers for the first time on the big screen, which was about a year or two ago.
I just finished the set. Here is my personal ranking (for now): 1. Persona 2. Winter Light 3. Cries and Whispers 4. Fanny and Alexander 5. Scenes from a Marriage 6. Hour of the Wolf 7. The Virgin Spring 8. Through a Glass Darkly 9. Summer Interlude 10. The Seventh Seal 11. Shame 12. The Silence 13. Wild Strawberries 14. Smiles of a Summer Night 15. Autumn Sonata 16. The Magic Flute 17. Summer with Monika 18. Sawdust and Tinsel 19. Brink of Life 20. The Rite 21. To Joy 22. Saraband 23. The Magician 24. The Passion of Anna 25. After the Rehearsal 26. From the Life of the Marionettes 27. Thirst 28. The Serpent’s Egg 29. The Devil’s Eye 30. Crises 31. A Lesson in Love 32. Fårö Document 1979 33. Fårö Document 34. Waiting Women 35. Dreams 36. Port of Call 37. All These Women 38. A Ship to India 39. The Touch
Thank you so much for sharing your ranking with us like this! I think this is great! I really respect how you did this, and also how you fashioned your great top ten.
Thank you for replying! I loved watching your video and hearing your thoughts on all of the films? I, too, watched them in the curated order, which was an incredible experience! Which Bergman films do you wish had been included? I saw Face to Face today and really felt like it should have been in the set. Not sure where it would have been, though. Maybe between Serpents Egg and Persona or perhaps between Cries and Whispers and Waiting Women? 🤔
Just bought this set. As a Swede, I should've done so when it came out, but I stopped collecting Blu-rays and simply forgot about it. However, it's dropped so much in price that there's simply no longer any excuse not to splash out on it. Treasures such as this don't come along too often. Of course, eventually I suppose that there will be 4K releases of most (if not all) of these titles, so then there will be another box set. But this is still a must-buy because of the wonderful book alone! Anyway, nice video. I personally think Persona, Scenes From a Marriage and Fanny and Alexander are the cream of the crop. I wouldn't call any Bergman film "bad" as such, but he has a lot of mid-tier films that may not always thrill the viewer, but that nevertheless usually contain some magical moments or interesting scenes. And the acting is always top notch. He always had a way with actors.
While Persona remains to hypnotise me to this day, Sawdust and Tinsel is a personal favourite, particularly as it marks the beginning of Bergman’s collaboration with the great Sven Nykvist. And boy can you tell. Bergman is admired for his ability to compose the human visage, but it is Sven who deserves that praise. Look at these films before Sawdust and Tinsel and then after, the difference is monumental.
1) The Seventh Seal 2) Persona 3) Cries and Whispers 4) The hour of the Wolf 5) Scenes from a Marriage 6) Shame 7)The Virgin Spring 8) Winter Light 9) Fanny & Alexander 10) The Passion 11) The Magician ( the Face) 12) Through a Glass darkly 13) The Silence 14) Wild Strawberries 15) Face to Face 16) Prison 17) Serpent's Egg 18)The Lie 19)Autumn Sonata 20) The Rite
I've been watching Bergman films for years now, and I've been watching Bergman's Cinema box set for a month AND I realized something. There is one Swedish word that I hear quite often in all his films, and that is "ingenting". In English, this word means "nothing" (and it is used for anything too). And this makes perfect sense, in that, Bergman is an existentialist. I think this word is used throughout all his films and pretty much sums up his work, Being and Nothingness.
Thank you. I'm happy with this observation and I appreciate any insights you may have. I need to finish the box set, and rewatch and tabulate the word count usage, etc. After seeing your comment, I did a google search for "nothing/ingenting and bergman". I didn't find anything concrete but I did find an book called Everything Represents - Nothing Is: Ingmar Bergman and Art that looks very interesting. Have you read it?
@@isakdahl7054 Well, you'd know more about your language than I. Maybe "anything" appeared in some of my research. So, if I am mistaken, so be it. BUT I am happy that I "discovered" this word usage and its connection with Bergman. If you can, please show me someone else who has made this connection.
Okay, Nice list! I must admit that i haven’t All bergman’s films, but for right Now, my top 10 Will look like this: 10) Fanny And Alexander 9) The Summer With Monika 8) To Joy 7) Summer Interlude 6) The Seventh Seal 5) Wild Strawberries 4) The Virgin Spring 3) That 5 hour Version of Scenes From A Marriage 2) Persona 1) Shame
Late to the party but I saw this video a while ago after just viewing persona and seventh seal during quarantine, and fell IN LOVE, so I knew from your insightful perspective that I would only benefit greatly from this boxset, thank you again for all you do!!
Thank you so much for the comment. I am so glad to hear you are are enjoying your Bergman cinema journey. And you are very very kind! Cheers and please keep me updated regarding your Bergman journey.
Very interesting and I was so delighted to see that you absolutely nailed my top 2 films. Having said that I have only seen about 15 of his films and a few of those were decades ago. I have recently been rewatching what I can and need to check out this set especially if it contains all of these films. Your efforts here are appreciated.
Hello and thank you very much for your kind comment. Also I am thrilled that we both share that top 2! That makes me very happy indeed. I hope this message finds you well and cheers.
I’ve only seen 5 of Bergman’s films but so excited to dive in further as I just received the set the other day. Watched Smiles of a Summer Night today. It amazes me that Autumn Sonata is so low on your list! Not because I disagree necessarily but because that makes me even more excited to see the films ranked higher up considering how much I love that one. Scenes From a Marriage is my favourite thus far but I’ve loved everything so far. It’s unbelievable how many quality films Bergman created and the passion with which he did it. Thanks for this video Daisuke
Thank you so much for your great comment! And I totally get what you say about Autumn Sonata. Thank you so much! And yes, what a great choice you have regarding Scenes from a Marriage. Cheers my friend and yes, I agree with you regarding the quality of these films. I hope you are well and please let me know what you think of the Bergman films as you explore all of them.
excellent video, your passion is always so entertaining. I’ve only seen 5 but my ranking would be: 1.Autumn Sonata - I completely agree with everything you said, I was expecting it to be really good because I really loved Persona and this was my 2nd Ingmar Bergman and I was familiar with how good Liv Ullmann was. But I was not expecting it to absolutely destroy me, that 10-15 minute part (maybe a little longer), where it’s just the two characters going back and forth in the living room is mindblowing, and that’s not to mention the rest of the movie. I really need to watch it again, I haven’t seen it in a few months, but currently I think it’s a masterpiece. 2.Persona 3.Cries and Whispers 4.Shame 5.Through a Glass Darkly Out of the ones I haven’t seen Fanny and Alexander is easily the one I want to watch the most but of course it’s very long and I want to find the right time to watch it. thanks again! Edit: now watched Winter Light and WOW, gonna have to watch it again soon but i would put it possibly at number 2. Another absolutely soul crushing one.
I know this video is 1 year old but hear is my ranking: 1. The seventh seal 2. Fanny & Alexander 3. Autumn Sonata 4. Shame 5. Scenes from a marriage. Great video as always, Daisuke!
Really enjoyed this series. I've seen about 11-12 Bergman films and I find that each one is so powerful I can't imagine even watching them a second time. They are so vivid that one viewing is all I can take. I, too, found Autumn Sonata devastating and The Hour of the Wolf terrifying.
Hello and I am so happy to hear of your thoughts on the films of Bergman!! This is really wonderful and I hope you continue to enjoy your journey through the world of his cinema my friend! Cheers and I hope you are well.
That’s interesting because for me they’re mostly not too engaging the first time I watch them, and I have to watch them a second time to really appreciate them.
Great video and end to the series of videos. I am really look forward to getting back into these films and the series was a great way to ease the pain as I waited for the post to arrive with the set. I haven't really watched Bergman films for around a decade so I'll be fairly fresh. I am unsure what order I will go in yet. But terrific series. Well done. You must be exhausted after doing all that work.
Thank you so much! I would love to hear your reactions to the films when you watch them. You would have so many interesting observations and comments to make on them. If you have the chance, please share with us your thoughts, perhaps in your own video review! Best regards from Tokyo, my friend, and I hope you are well.
Thank you for all these videos on this release. About 16 films in this set will be new to me, a top 10 for me would be Tied 1. Cries and Whispers 1. Winter Light 2. The Passion of Anna 3. Persona 4. The Seventh Seal 5. Wild Strawberries 6. Scenes From a Marriage (TV version) 7. Sawdust and Tinsel 8. Fanny and Alexander (TV version) 9. Shame 10. Hour of the Wolf Least favorite is The Serpent's Egg, but will be interesting with this set to get a more comprehensive grasping of his work, and see them in a new light with the improved quality over standard definition. Really hope Criterion will release the rest of his work in subsequent releases, like Prison which has a scene used in Persona (silent film). Your remarks on The Rite and The Touch are very intriguing!
Hello and thank you so much for this! I really appreciate your sharing this Bergman perspective from you! This is really great. Cheers and I hope you are well.
@@DaisukeBeppu Doing great, having a Bergman binge tonight with Scenes from a Marriage and Face to Face, i think the latter wasn't included in this collection besides the licensing is that i believe it was also a miniseries, and hasn't even gotten a complete release anywhere, i may be wrong. Cheers!
This a great ranking, pretty similar to my own, although, I did not think much of either Saraband or Passion of Anna so I will likely have to revisit those again.
i really liked Saraband, particularly if one has seen the six hours of scenes from a marriage. its also just such a bonus as bergman's last film, seemingly from out of nowhere.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to your opinions (just discovered your channel). My perspective on the Bergman I have seen runs counter to the critical consensus, though I am not consciously trying to do so. I love films and came to Bergman really wanting to find something special. Based on so much of what you read and hear, I thought my chances were good. In a nutshell, while I found aspects of his films stylistically well done (though not always, IMHO), I found the content -- the heart, the essence, the 'statement' -- less profound than I was led to expect. I think sometimes people too easily equate the vague, inconclusive, and dreamlike with depth, even with brilliance/genius. I feel IB is an example. It's not that I dislike his best work. I 'liked' Wild Strawberries and Through a Glass Darkly, rather than loved them. I didn't find Winter Light nearly as probing or substantive as I was anticipating. Seventh Seal (great imagery) didn't quite capture me, etc. But I'm glad that I watched them. You wanted viewers' opinions, so I thought I'd give one that I don't see very often. Now on to check out some other videos of yours! :)
Hello Hop and thank you so much. And there is no need to apologize for how you feel about the films of Bergman, and I certainly won't be offended at all. So please feel free to share your thoughts here any time, and I will always be happy to listen. Cheers and I hope you are well.
Enjoying your Bergman’s Cinema series little by little (to avoid spoilers) as a supplement while I go through the set myself. I saw Crisis and A Ship To India today, and must say that I’m quite surprised by how good they were, having heard they were amongst his «worst». Looking forward to see Wild Strawberries tomorrow. Thanks a lot for taking your time with this stuff!
Hello videospillermann videospill, and thank you so much for your comment. Yes, I agree with you on your take regarding his earlier works, and yes how well they hold up. Perhaps the "worst" moniker is used often due to their relative place, relatively speaking in the context of Bergman's overall filmography, which is majestic and reaches so many heights so many times. But, as films themselves, I think his earlier works stand well on their own, as you suggest so very well.
I have only seen 12 Bergman’s. My favorites are Winter Light, Persona, Cries and Whispers, Wild Strawberries and The Silence. Thanks for what you do. I love your opinions.
@@DaisukeBeppu I have watched your introductory videos and decided to take the curated approach. I'm a relative novice at 12 films and am happy to be guided. It feels like a journey of discovery.
I absolutely love this video (all 84 minutes!), although I might disagree with several of the positions you give some of the films. I am in agreement with four of your Top Five, and your Number One is also mine. I would have to include THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY in my Top Five, and would rank SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, SHAME, AUTUMN SONATA, and A LESSON IN LOVE higher than you. But overall, great ranking.
My dear friend darwinia55!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is so lovely to hear from you here!! My dear dear friend. Very interesting! We were in common with 4 out of 5 in terms of our respective top 5s! This makes me feel good to know that I am in such good company! And our Number 1 choices are the same film! This makes me very happy as well!
Wow, sir, you do pick easy videos to do , don't you? Ranking 39 Bergman films is such an undertaking. I'm a chicken, I'll only be doing a top 10 one day. You have done excellent work on the Bergman boxset. I hope the criterion collection is aware of your awesome work for this important and immense release. Thanks so much for these wonderful videos.
Thank you very much! To be honest, doing rankings is very difficult for me because I find that my lists keep changing quite rapidly, depending on the day and what mood I happen to find myself in. So I think your top 10 videos are really very excellent. I would love to hear your top 39 Bergman films one day!
@@DaisukeBeppu it's so true . i might have to redo my top 10s some day. I'm prepping a billy wilder top 10 and it's really difficult to cut his films down to only 10.
Wow. Such a great video and a great conclusion to this Ingmar Bergman series. I’m not sure how I’d rank these films, as I’d have to see all of the films in the set and then determine which I enjoy the most and which ones I don’t enjoy as much. But I do appreciate you ranking the films as well as giving your reasons for enjoying one film more than another film. Not that you dislike the films you’ve ranked lower than the ones you’ve ranked higher, but you give great reasons for liking certain films over other films in the set. I really enjoyed this series of videos and I hope you’ll do more video series like as this. And thank you for making this series Daisuke, it was really great. I believe I’ve learned quite a bit about the works of Bergman I didn’t know before these videos, so thank you very much for that as well.
Thank you very much. I admit that ranking films in general for me is a really tough exercise, and so I hope that in the end my ranking of these Bergman films doesn't disappoint too many people. Your input and candid comments as always are a great help to me and really give me a lot of inspiration. I really must thank you so much for your time and sharp commentary as always. I don't think I could do it without you!
Daisuke Beppu of course. I always enjoy seeing what videos you’ll make. You always have something interesting to say about a particular film, set, filmmaker, etc. as you give great commentary yourself. Keep doing what you’re doing Daisuke. It’s great.
Daisuke Beppu Thank you very much. You too are a very kind man and a gentleman. I’m glad to call you my friend as well. You’re always genuine whenever we have interactions on RUclips or Facebook and I’m very happy to have found your channel. Thank you for everything you do Daisuke.
Hello Daisuke, I don't know if you remember, but some time ago I asked you where to start with Bergman, and you mentionned "Fanny and Alexander". Today I finally finished the television version of the film. I was a bit afraid of the length of that thing to be honest, but I liked it ! I didn't think it was an incredible masterpiece, but it's visually gorgeous, there were great actors, and it was pretty entertaining, especially the parts with the Bishop (what a despicable character). I will check "The Seventh Seal", "Wild Strawberries" and "Pesrona" as soon as possible. If I liked those, I think I'll watch "Cries & Whispers" and the tv version of "Scenes From a Marriage". Cheers.
Hello! And oh yes I do remember. So, I am absolutely delighted to hear that you went with Fanny and Alexander the TV version. I think that while the TV version is indeed quite long, it is not so difficult to go through because it operates on episodes, and so one can watch one episode which itself is not so long. And this means that the work can be stopped along the way for rests and the like. And so I am so happy to hear that you saw the TV version! Yes, I think checking out Wild Strawberries and the other titles you mentioned would be a great place to go next! Please let us know what you think of those films after you have seen them! I would love to hear your thoughts.
@@DaisukeBeppu Yeah, the episodic structure made it definitely easier to watch. I think my favorite episode was the last one. I'll share my thoughts as soon as I'll watch the other Bergman films, cheers !
@@DaisukeBeppu Yeah, the episodic structure made it definitely easier to watch. I think my favorite episode was the last one. I'll share my thoughts as soon as I'll watch the other Bergman films, cheers !
thanks, interesting. i would have the magician higher, and the slience is my number 1. i think you underrate it. i get your description, it is as dark and penetrating as any bergman film, is tense, with great performance by ingrid thulin, but it also has light funny parts, and has my favorite bergman ending. it is also an incredibly bold film to have been made when it was, and would probably be even if made today.
Thank you so much, and that is a great perspective on THE MAGICIAN. And good point about the ending. I think for me ultimately it might come down to the direct experiences I have with other films that I might have ranked higher, but overall I still agree with you.
Great video, Daisuke! Fanny and Alexander and Wild Strawberries happen to be the two Bergman films in my Top 10, but it's not a tough call for me: F&A might be the greatest movie ever made.
Hi Daisuke Thank you so much for these videos. I’ve been meaning to ask you - out of curiosity - why did/do you still buy the seperate Criterion releases of Bergman’s films after you have acquired the Bergman box set when you know the seperate releases don’t differ from the discs in the set?
Thank you my friend. Oh yes, so for me, I love Criterions, and so I get the individual releases as well. Also, the box set does not have the titles arranged by spine number, but the individual releases do. So, I like to get the spine numbers. of course, I know that everyone has his or her own approach, and also please note that I don't usually buy much else as far as other blu rays or recent release blu rays.
Oh wow, that’s nice! I admire your admiration for The Criterion Collection. As for me, I just like to have the best audiovisual quality available for the films I like. Usually that means I end up getting the Criterion releases as they are known to have the best transfers available for a film, but I have releases of other labels as well, like Arrow, Eureka!/Masters of Cinema, Second Sight, and Studiocanal. 😊
thanks again. i finally listened to the whole thing. i appreciate you doing this as it was a lot of work on your part, and i really enjoyed it. you have convinced me to check out a few for the first time (summer with monika, the rite ) or give another viewing to (the touch, fanny and alexander, on first viewing wasn't too high on either). this also made me realize that even though Fellini remians my favorite director, when your 37th ranked bergman film is already a very worthy one, bergman clearly made more very good to great films than Fellini, and probably more than any other director. i still would move up the magician, hour of the wolf, and especially the silence (i can't see it behind,for example, life of the marionettes (which i like). it is about so much more.
Where would you say is a good jumping on point for Bergman? I’ve heard Wild Strawberries is a good one to start with so I’ll get it during the summer sale (sorry if this has already been covered) Edit: just got to the Wild Strawberries part and I’ll definitely begin with that film. If there are others that I should check out shortly after, I’d be interested in those too
Hello! Oh yes, so I think I too would recommend WILD STRAWBERRIES. Then perhaps THE SEVENTH SEAL. If you connect to those films, I think you may really appreciate the rest of Bergman's filmography. I know some people also would recommend FANNY & ALEXANDER, and so that could also be a great place.
Daisuke Beppu Ok, I’ll have to buy a few of his in the next B&N sale. I enjoy these director-based videos because it’s cool to explore not just great movies, but great filmographies.
@@kothgames Thank you very much, and yes, there might be a sale around the corner (also keep a lookout for a possible flash sale from Criterion as well). So that might be a good time to get some of the individual releases, or if you can watch some films on streaming, that too might be a possible option to see if the films work for you.
Commenting on this video bc it seems like an appropriate place to ask. I’m thinking about picking up Fanny and Alexander and I’m not quite sure if it would be best to see the TV version or the Theatrical version for a first time viewing. I’m assuming the TV version is more complete but it seems awfully daunting because of its run time.
Hello. I would say that the TV version is actually pretty easy to digest, in that it is divided into episodes that are each about an hour long. So you can very reasonably devote some time for just one episode or so, and then progress your way through on an episode-by-episode basis. That being said, the film version is still a rich experience, and it is a bit more "manageable" in terms of a single sitting watch. If you have time only for a single sitting watch, then perhaps the film version is the best way, but really it depends on your viewing habits and your own schedule. For me personally, when I was first about to watch the work, I chose the TV version because I thought I could just stop at the first episode and then pick up on another day with the second episode, and so on. But I became so enraptured by the first episode that I couldn't stop watching, and I ended up watching the whole thing in one sitting one day. But please note that the TV version does have the customary episode breaks and end titles etc., and so it is not in any way in contravention to the spirit of the TV work if you were to, say, watch the TV version in separate episode-length chunks of time.
Daisuke Beppu Ok, thank you for your explanation of the two. I’ll probably watch the TV version for my first viewing at some point this summer when I have a lot of down time to dedicate to this film. I looked online to see if there was a “correct” version to watch on a first viewing and I was curious as to what your opinion on the matter was. I notice that when there’s a longer version of a film, it is often because the studio wanted it to be cut down so usually the director’s vision is the best way to go.
It is a real shame that The Criterion Collection did NOT include Torment (Hets) in the Ingmar Bergman's Cinema box. Because he did not direct it? To force the consumer to purchase and acquire the Early Bergman set? Or for some other unknown reason? Either way, a very interesting scenario and narrative topic. Universal and timeless archetypes and plot structure. This film would've been a great way to (obviously) begin the program in the Cinema box. It is too bad Bergman, himself, didn't remake this film or direct the original. It is a unique film and it has such a timeless quality that it would make for a great film today with some additional plot developments and psychological enhancements. Reminds me of Volker Schorndorff's Young Torless to a degree. Also, I don't know why they didn't get Victor Sjostrom as the benevolent teacher?
This is a great point and one that I did not address but I really should have. I suppose the reason could be (and I am speculating here) is that it was that Criterion made the decision to limit the box set films to those directed by Bergman. In other words, had Criterion decided to include other films that were written by Bergman, then this would have meant needing to include more films (because perhaps in order to market the fact that the box is a kind of "complete" or almost "complete" set of his films). But, even with that, I can certainly see the possibility of including the film Torment in the set, even in the form of a supplement. Also, I am not sure about the state of Torment and restoration. With the films in the Bergman set, they were restored. However, perhaps Torment was not restored? I am not sure about these details, and so I am merely speculating here. But perhaps that too had something to do with it? (Even so, though, I could still envision the possibility of including it as a "supplement".)
Yes, I too wonder what the film would have been like. But as I love the final product so much, it is hard to think how it might have been improved, though of course I absolutely adore Liv Ullman. Still, it is very interesting to consider.
What I am interested in lately, is recognizing some film continuities between and in Bergman's films. For example, Alexander's teddy bear and Peter Egermann's teddy bear at the end of From the Life of the Marionettes. Also, I think in To Joy, Stig buys Marta a teddy bear. There are a lot of synchronicities in his films. Also, I like how he references the Idea of FILM in his movies as well. And his cameos, too. And I am enjoying Bergman's Cinema much. Hopefully, I will generate a more substantial viewpoint regarding these films. Despite not including Face to Face and In the Presence of a Clown, I was glad they did included Karin's face, etc.
For starters, except for the final act (which I need to revisit), The Serpent's Egg was a complete and utter dud. If you watch closely, several scenes, camera movements and edits, show how bored Bergman was with the film. Also, I think both Faro Document (and the sequel Faro Document 1979) are both important works in that we see HOW Bergman directs a non-fiction documentary like a feature film. It is a beautiful portrait of the people, their lives, work and culture. Try watching the film without subtitles in the native dialect. And yes, perhaps, I gravitate to documentaries more but I think it is a very valuable and unusual production, to see where Bergman spent his life. If it is the case, it is unfortunate that this box set did not include ALL his documentaries (which I have not seen), television theatre productions, and his documents, Karin's Face and Daniel (Stimulantia). Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie and Bergman Island are also interesting works. The uniqueness of these works are, for me, one basis for such a ranking. From the Life of the Marionettes and In The Presence of a Clown are extremely unique works in the oeuvre/cannon of Ingmar bergman.....more notes later. To Joy was a great early work that moved beyond the other early works. And lastly, the black and white film and lighting of The Virgin Spring is outstanding as is the colour of Cries and Whispers. Credit to Sven Nykvist. I wish Ingmar Bergman made a science fiction film (as did Werner Fassbinder with World on a Wire, and Andrei Tarkovsky w/ Solaris. And what about The Rite (Riten) and The Touch (BerØringen)??? Yes, Persona, The Seventh Seal, Fanny and Alexander, etc. are classics!!! And if you enjoy Max Von Sydow and Liv Ulmann, please check out The Immigrants and Unto a Good Land by Jan Troell. And by the way, I can't stand Elliott Gould and David Carradine. Using these actors was Ingmar Bergman's way of antagonizing America, Hollywood, and American acting. Erland Josephson is a close third as runner up for annoying male bergman actor. Thank you for your time, energy, ranking, inspiration and love for Ingmar Bergman. More to say later and I MUST devote more time to Ingmar Bergman and his work.-- Henry
Thank you so much my friend for your comments. You are obviously a great Bergman fan. Thank you for this. By the way, it would have been great to have seen In the Presence of a Clown included in the set. Perhaps we can hope for a second Bergman box set in the future! Thank you for mentioning this! I really appreciate it.
I have Faro in mind for a future summer vacation destination when the bergman film festival occurs. Did you happen to see the documentary (name eludes me) about the well-known film directors who visit his home in Faro?@@DaisukeBeppu
And Wow!! If You want something refreshing and unique from Ingmar Bergman, please check out Ingmar Bergman's 1992 TV Theatrical release of Yukio Mishima's Madame de Sade.
I suppose it is my own subjective perspective. That is the great thing about cinema too is the various responses it can engender. Please feel free to share with us your own list anytime my friend. Cheers.
I disagreed with a few of your rankings. I think that A Lesson in Love is one of Bergman's better films, certainly not no. 32.. And Shame is easily top 10. "The Touch" on the other hand, while not a horrible film, is a pretty ugly film in terms of the story and the screenplay. I would have to rate that one at number 39. I was surprised that you had it so high at number 14. I agree with you that all of the Bergman films are worth watching. But I wouldn't rank The Touch ahead of The Silence, Shame, The Magician, The Passion of Anna, Smiles of a Summer Night, Summer Interlude, Dreams, etc. Your top 5 picks are pretty good. I would have to include Shame and Sawdust and Tinsel in my personal top 10. I am not the biggest fan of Persona. The Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal are probably my top 2, with Fanny and Alexander, Wild Strawberries, Shame and Sawdust and Tinsel also in the mix.
![Liv Ullmann on Autumn Sonata | Full Q&A [HD] | Coolidge Corner Theatre](/img/1.gif)
I must admit, I've never seen anyone speaking so politely and enthusiastically on RUclips. Thank you for all your efforts and contents!
Dear Francesco, you are very very kind. Thank you so much for your very kind words. I hope this message finds you well and in good spirits. And you are always welcome here and I would love to hear from you anytime about any film recommendations you have. Cheers and I hope you are well.
Yes, WILD STRAWBERRIES is the perfect introductory Bergman film
I AGREE 100%!!!
Respect for putting sawdust and tinsel high on the list, it was full of tense emotions. In his autobiography "the magic lantern" you can see his inspiration of the circus
I found all your Bergman box-set videos really interesting, informative and enjoyable, so thank you for doing these! It is always intriguing to see how people rank Bergman films as he has done so many good ones, and I've enjoyed all 9 of his films that I've seen. Here's my ranking:
1. Persona
2. Cries and Whispers
3. Autumn Sonata
4. Scenes from a Marriage TV Version
5. The Seventh Seal
6. Wild Strawberries
7. Fanny & Alexander TV Version
8. Smiles of a Summer Night
9. Hour of the Wolf
Wow... what a great list here! I love it. And I must say that I love how high you have placed Autumn Sonata. I should say that, thanks to this box set, my impression of this film has become much more positive than ever before. When I was younger, and maybe around your age, I saw the film for the first time and I honestly didn't like it because I couldn't connect with it. Now, after some years have passed for me, I find it to be so utterly devastating and soul crushing, in a thoroughly powerful way. And so I am so thrilled to see you have a positive appreciation of the film. I have said it before and I'll say it again: I have to remind myself that you are still young, because you always display such a deep knowledge and appreciation of films--and definitely much more than what I had at your age. I am constantly impressed. Well done my friend.
Great video as always, Daisuke! My Bergman rankings are as follows:
1. Persona
2. Winter Light
3. Cries and Whispers
4. The Virgin Spring
5. Shame
6. The Passion of Anna
7. The Silence
8. Hour of the Wolf
9. The Seventh Seal
10. Through a Glass Darkly
11. Autumn Sonata
12. Wild Strawberries
Thank you so much Conner, and what a great and interesting list! Your top film is brilliant!!!
@@DaisukeBeppu Thanks!! One of my fondest memories is seeing Cries and Whispers for the first time on the big screen, which was about a year or two ago.
I still have to watch many Bergman films but so far my list would be very similar to this.
I just finished the set. Here is my personal ranking (for now):
1. Persona
2. Winter Light
3. Cries and Whispers
4. Fanny and Alexander
5. Scenes from a Marriage
6. Hour of the Wolf
7. The Virgin Spring
8. Through a Glass Darkly
9. Summer Interlude
10. The Seventh Seal
11. Shame
12. The Silence
13. Wild Strawberries
14. Smiles of a Summer Night
15. Autumn Sonata
16. The Magic Flute
17. Summer with Monika
18. Sawdust and Tinsel
19. Brink of Life
20. The Rite
21. To Joy
22. Saraband
23. The Magician
24. The Passion of Anna
25. After the Rehearsal
26. From the Life of the Marionettes
27. Thirst
28. The Serpent’s Egg
29. The Devil’s Eye
30. Crises
31. A Lesson in Love
32. Fårö Document 1979
33. Fårö Document
34. Waiting Women
35. Dreams
36. Port of Call
37. All These Women
38. A Ship to India
39. The Touch
Thank you so much for sharing your ranking with us like this! I think this is great! I really respect how you did this, and also how you fashioned your great top ten.
Thank you for replying! I loved watching your video and hearing your thoughts on all of the films? I, too, watched them in the curated order, which was an incredible experience! Which Bergman films do you wish had been included? I saw Face to Face today and really felt like it should have been in the set. Not sure where it would have been, though. Maybe between Serpents Egg and Persona or perhaps between Cries and Whispers and Waiting Women? 🤔
Just bought this set. As a Swede, I should've done so when it came out, but I stopped collecting Blu-rays and simply forgot about it.
However, it's dropped so much in price that there's simply no longer any excuse not to splash out on it. Treasures such as this don't come along too often.
Of course, eventually I suppose that there will be 4K releases of most (if not all) of these titles, so then there will be another box set.
But this is still a must-buy because of the wonderful book alone!
Anyway, nice video. I personally think Persona, Scenes From a Marriage and Fanny and Alexander are the cream of the crop.
I wouldn't call any Bergman film "bad" as such, but he has a lot of mid-tier films that may not always thrill the viewer, but that nevertheless usually
contain some magical moments or interesting scenes. And the acting is always top notch. He always had a way with actors.
Well said about Fanny and Alexander. It explores so many themes and mixes so many genres!
Thank you for commenting here too, Patrick!! And yes!! I agree about the film.
While Persona remains to hypnotise me to this day, Sawdust and Tinsel is a personal favourite, particularly as it marks the beginning of Bergman’s collaboration with the great Sven Nykvist. And boy can you tell. Bergman is admired for his ability to compose the human visage, but it is Sven who deserves that praise. Look at these films before Sawdust and Tinsel and then after, the difference is monumental.
Thank you so much for this!!! You describe that film very well and your argument is very convincing to me.
1) The Seventh Seal
2) Persona
3) Cries and Whispers
4) The hour of the Wolf
5) Scenes from a Marriage
6) Shame
7)The Virgin Spring
8) Winter Light
9) Fanny & Alexander
10) The Passion
11) The Magician ( the Face)
12) Through a Glass darkly
13) The Silence
14) Wild Strawberries
15) Face to Face
16) Prison
17) Serpent's Egg
18)The Lie
19)Autumn Sonata
20) The Rite
I've been watching Bergman films for years now, and I've been watching Bergman's Cinema box set for a month AND I realized something. There is one Swedish word that I hear quite often in all his films, and that is "ingenting". In English, this word means "nothing" (and it is used for anything too). And this makes perfect sense, in that, Bergman is an existentialist. I think this word is used throughout all his films and pretty much sums up his work, Being and Nothingness.
WOW.... what a great observation! I LOVE THIS COMMENT! Does it appear in most of his films?
Thank you. I'm happy with this observation and I appreciate any insights you may have. I need to finish the box set, and rewatch and tabulate the word count usage, etc.
After seeing your comment, I did a google search for "nothing/ingenting and bergman". I didn't find anything concrete but I did find an book called
Everything Represents - Nothing Is: Ingmar Bergman and Art
that looks very interesting. Have you read it?
As someone who is Swedish myself, I can confirm that he indeed uses it a lot. But how exactly is it used as “anything” as well?
@@isakdahl7054 Well, you'd know more about your language than I. Maybe "anything" appeared in some of my research. So, if I am mistaken, so be it. BUT I am happy that I "discovered" this word usage and its connection with Bergman. If you can, please show me someone else who has made this connection.
Okay, Nice list! I must admit that i haven’t All bergman’s films, but for right Now, my top 10 Will look like this:
10) Fanny And Alexander
9) The Summer With Monika
8) To Joy
7) Summer Interlude
6) The Seventh Seal
5) Wild Strawberries
4) The Virgin Spring
3) That 5 hour Version of Scenes From A Marriage
2) Persona
1) Shame
Wow.. that is a great list that you have. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I really appreciate it!
Very glad to see Shame so high! Very underrated.
Late to the party but I saw this video a while ago after just viewing persona and seventh seal during quarantine, and fell IN LOVE, so I knew from your insightful perspective that I would only benefit greatly from this boxset, thank you again for all you do!!
Thank you so much for the comment. I am so glad to hear you are are enjoying your Bergman cinema journey. And you are very very kind! Cheers and please keep me updated regarding your Bergman journey.
Very interesting and I was so delighted to see that you absolutely nailed my top 2 films. Having said that I have only seen about 15 of his films and a few of those were decades ago. I have recently been rewatching what I can and need to check out this set especially if it contains all of these films. Your efforts here are appreciated.
Hello and thank you very much for your kind comment. Also I am thrilled that we both share that top 2! That makes me very happy indeed.
I hope this message finds you well and cheers.
I’ve only seen 5 of Bergman’s films but so excited to dive in further as I just received the set the other day. Watched Smiles of a Summer Night today. It amazes me that Autumn Sonata is so low on your list! Not because I disagree necessarily but because that makes me even more excited to see the films ranked higher up considering how much I love that one. Scenes From a Marriage is my favourite thus far but I’ve loved everything so far. It’s unbelievable how many quality films Bergman created and the passion with which he did it. Thanks for this video Daisuke
Thank you so much for your great comment! And I totally get what you say about Autumn Sonata. Thank you so much! And yes, what a great choice you have regarding Scenes from a Marriage. Cheers my friend and yes, I agree with you regarding the quality of these films. I hope you are well and please let me know what you think of the Bergman films as you explore all of them.
excellent video, your passion is always so entertaining. I’ve only seen 5 but my ranking would be:
1.Autumn Sonata - I completely agree with everything you said, I was expecting it to be really good because I really loved Persona and this was my 2nd Ingmar Bergman and I was familiar with how good Liv Ullmann was. But I was not expecting it to absolutely destroy me, that 10-15 minute part (maybe a little longer), where it’s just the two characters going back and forth in the living room is mindblowing, and that’s not to mention the rest of the movie. I really need to watch it again, I haven’t seen it in a few months, but currently I think it’s a masterpiece.
2.Persona
3.Cries and Whispers
4.Shame
5.Through a Glass Darkly
Out of the ones I haven’t seen Fanny and Alexander is easily the one I want to watch the most but of course it’s very long and I want to find the right time to watch it. thanks again!
Edit: now watched Winter Light and WOW, gonna have to watch it again soon but i would put it possibly at number 2. Another absolutely soul crushing one.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS... This is a great list and also your comment about Winter Light is great.
I know this video is 1 year old but hear is my ranking:
1. The seventh seal
2. Fanny & Alexander
3. Autumn Sonata
4. Shame
5. Scenes from a marriage.
Great video as always, Daisuke!
Thank you so much for sharing your great list!!! Really fantastic.
Really enjoyed this series. I've seen about 11-12 Bergman films and I find that each one is so powerful I can't imagine even watching them a second time. They are so vivid that one viewing is all I can take. I, too, found Autumn Sonata devastating and The Hour of the Wolf terrifying.
Hello and I am so happy to hear of your thoughts on the films of Bergman!! This is really wonderful and I hope you continue to enjoy your journey through the world of his cinema my friend! Cheers and I hope you are well.
That’s interesting because for me they’re mostly not too engaging the first time I watch them, and I have to watch them a second time to really appreciate them.
Great video and end to the series of videos. I am really look forward to getting back into these films and the series was a great way to ease the pain as I waited for the post to arrive with the set. I haven't really watched Bergman films for around a decade so I'll be fairly fresh. I am unsure what order I will go in yet. But terrific series. Well done. You must be exhausted after doing all that work.
Thank you so much! I would love to hear your reactions to the films when you watch them. You would have so many interesting observations and comments to make on them. If you have the chance, please share with us your thoughts, perhaps in your own video review! Best regards from Tokyo, my friend, and I hope you are well.
glad you loved sawdust and tinsel! one of my all time favorites that people seem to often overlook.
Hello Lizard Man! Thank you for this comment. Yes, it is a really dark and memorable film with some really powerful moments in Bergman’s filmography.
Inge Fossen wow, what a great double bill suggestion!
Thank you for all these videos on this release. About 16 films in this set will be new to me, a top 10 for me would be
Tied
1. Cries and Whispers
1. Winter Light
2. The Passion of Anna
3. Persona
4. The Seventh Seal
5. Wild Strawberries
6. Scenes From a Marriage (TV version)
7. Sawdust and Tinsel
8. Fanny and Alexander (TV version)
9. Shame
10. Hour of the Wolf
Least favorite is The Serpent's Egg, but will be interesting with this set to get a more comprehensive grasping of his work, and see them in a new light with the improved quality over standard definition. Really hope Criterion will release the rest of his work in subsequent releases, like Prison which has a scene used in Persona (silent film). Your remarks on The Rite and The Touch are very intriguing!
Hello and thank you so much for this! I really appreciate your sharing this Bergman perspective from you! This is really great. Cheers and I hope you are well.
@@DaisukeBeppu Doing great, having a Bergman binge tonight with Scenes from a Marriage and Face to Face, i think the latter wasn't included in this collection besides the licensing is that i believe it was also a miniseries, and hasn't even gotten a complete release anywhere, i may be wrong. Cheers!
This a great ranking, pretty similar to my own, although, I did not think much of either Saraband or Passion of Anna so I will likely have to revisit those again.
Thank you so much! By the way, what were the films that made your top 5?
i really liked Saraband, particularly if one has seen the six hours of scenes from a marriage. its also just such a bonus as bergman's last film, seemingly from out of nowhere.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to your opinions (just discovered your channel). My perspective on the Bergman I have seen runs counter to the critical consensus, though I am not consciously trying to do so. I love films and came to Bergman really wanting to find something special. Based on so much of what you read and hear, I thought my chances were good. In a nutshell, while I found aspects of his films stylistically well done (though not always, IMHO), I found the content -- the heart, the essence, the 'statement' -- less profound than I was led to expect. I think sometimes people too easily equate the vague, inconclusive, and dreamlike with depth, even with brilliance/genius. I feel IB is an example. It's not that I dislike his best work. I 'liked' Wild Strawberries and Through a Glass Darkly, rather than loved them. I didn't find Winter Light nearly as probing or substantive as I was anticipating. Seventh Seal (great imagery) didn't quite capture me, etc. But I'm glad that I watched them. You wanted viewers' opinions, so I thought I'd give one that I don't see very often. Now on to check out some other videos of yours! :)
Hello Hop and thank you so much. And there is no need to apologize for how you feel about the films of Bergman, and I certainly won't be offended at all. So please feel free to share your thoughts here any time, and I will always be happy to listen. Cheers and I hope you are well.
Enjoying your Bergman’s Cinema series little by little (to avoid spoilers) as a supplement while I go through the set myself. I saw Crisis and A Ship To India today, and must say that I’m quite surprised by how good they were, having heard they were amongst his «worst». Looking forward to see Wild Strawberries tomorrow.
Thanks a lot for taking your time with this stuff!
Hello videospillermann videospill, and thank you so much for your comment. Yes, I agree with you on your take regarding his earlier works, and yes how well they hold up. Perhaps the "worst" moniker is used often due to their relative place, relatively speaking in the context of Bergman's overall filmography, which is majestic and reaches so many heights so many times. But, as films themselves, I think his earlier works stand well on their own, as you suggest so very well.
I have only seen 12 Bergman’s. My favorites are Winter Light, Persona, Cries and Whispers, Wild Strawberries and The Silence. Thanks for what you do. I love your opinions.
Hello Rob and thank you so much. I hope you continue to enjoy your Bergman journey. By the way, which ones in particular are your favorites so far?
@@DaisukeBeppu I have watched your introductory videos and decided to take the curated approach. I'm a relative novice at 12 films and am happy to be guided. It feels like a journey of discovery.
I absolutely love this video (all 84 minutes!), although I might disagree with several of the positions you give some of the films. I am in agreement with four of your Top Five, and your Number One is also mine. I would have to include THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY in my Top Five, and would rank SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, SHAME, AUTUMN SONATA, and A LESSON IN LOVE higher than you. But overall, great ranking.
My dear friend darwinia55!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is so lovely to hear from you here!! My dear dear friend.
Very interesting! We were in common with 4 out of 5 in terms of our respective top 5s! This makes me feel good to know that I am in such good company!
And our Number 1 choices are the same film! This makes me very happy as well!
Wow, sir, you do pick easy videos to do , don't you? Ranking 39 Bergman films is such an undertaking. I'm a chicken, I'll only be doing a top 10 one day. You have done excellent work on the Bergman boxset. I hope the criterion collection is aware of your awesome work for this important and immense release. Thanks so much for these wonderful videos.
Thank you very much!
To be honest, doing rankings is very difficult for me because I find that my lists keep changing quite rapidly, depending on the day and what mood I happen to find myself in. So I think your top 10 videos are really very excellent. I would love to hear your top 39 Bergman films one day!
@@DaisukeBeppu it's so true . i might have to redo my top 10s some day. I'm prepping a billy wilder top 10 and it's really difficult to cut his films down to only 10.
My top 5: 5- Summer with Monika
4- Wild Strawberries
3- Silence
2- Seventh seal
1- Persona
Good ranking Daisuke!
Thank you for your wonderful list!!
Wow. Such a great video and a great conclusion to this Ingmar Bergman series. I’m not sure how I’d rank these films, as I’d have to see all of the films in the set and then determine which I enjoy the most and which ones I don’t enjoy as much. But I do appreciate you ranking the films as well as giving your reasons for enjoying one film more than another film. Not that you dislike the films you’ve ranked lower than the ones you’ve ranked higher, but you give great reasons for liking certain films over other films in the set. I really enjoyed this series of videos and I hope you’ll do more video series like as this. And thank you for making this series Daisuke, it was really great. I believe I’ve learned quite a bit about the works of Bergman I didn’t know before these videos, so thank you very much for that as well.
Thank you very much. I admit that ranking films in general for me is a really tough exercise, and so I hope that in the end my ranking of these Bergman films doesn't disappoint too many people. Your input and candid comments as always are a great help to me and really give me a lot of inspiration. I really must thank you so much for your time and sharp commentary as always. I don't think I could do it without you!
Daisuke Beppu of course. I always enjoy seeing what videos you’ll make. You always have something interesting to say about a particular film, set, filmmaker, etc. as you give great commentary yourself. Keep doing what you’re doing Daisuke. It’s great.
@@Jared_Wignall You are a kind man, a gentleman and I am very happy to call you my friend.
Daisuke Beppu Thank you very much. You too are a very kind man and a gentleman. I’m glad to call you my friend as well. You’re always genuine whenever we have interactions on RUclips or Facebook and I’m very happy to have found your channel. Thank you for everything you do Daisuke.
Hello Daisuke,
I don't know if you remember, but some time ago I asked you where to start with Bergman, and you mentionned "Fanny and Alexander". Today I finally finished the television version of the film. I was a bit afraid of the length of that thing to be honest, but I liked it ! I didn't think it was an incredible masterpiece, but it's visually gorgeous, there were great actors, and it was pretty entertaining, especially the parts with the Bishop (what a despicable character). I will check "The Seventh Seal", "Wild Strawberries" and "Pesrona" as soon as possible. If I liked those, I think I'll watch "Cries & Whispers" and the tv version of "Scenes From a Marriage". Cheers.
Hello! And oh yes I do remember. So, I am absolutely delighted to hear that you went with Fanny and Alexander the TV version. I think that while the TV version is indeed quite long, it is not so difficult to go through because it operates on episodes, and so one can watch one episode which itself is not so long. And this means that the work can be stopped along the way for rests and the like. And so I am so happy to hear that you saw the TV version!
Yes, I think checking out Wild Strawberries and the other titles you mentioned would be a great place to go next! Please let us know what you think of those films after you have seen them! I would love to hear your thoughts.
@@DaisukeBeppu Yeah, the episodic structure made it definitely easier to watch. I think my favorite episode was the last one.
I'll share my thoughts as soon as I'll watch the other Bergman films, cheers !
@@DaisukeBeppu Yeah, the episodic structure made it definitely easier to watch. I think my favorite episode was the last one.
I'll share my thoughts as soon as I'll watch the other Bergman films, cheers !
thanks, interesting. i would have the magician higher, and the slience is my number 1. i think you underrate it. i get your description, it is as dark and penetrating as any bergman film, is tense, with great performance by ingrid thulin, but it also has light funny parts, and has my favorite bergman ending. it is also an incredibly bold film to have been made when it was, and would probably be even if made today.
Thank you so much, and that is a great perspective on THE MAGICIAN. And good point about the ending.
I think for me ultimately it might come down to the direct experiences I have with other films that I might have ranked higher, but overall I still agree with you.
Great video, Daisuke! Fanny and Alexander and Wild Strawberries happen to be the two Bergman films in my Top 10, but it's not a tough call for me: F&A might be the greatest movie ever made.
Thank you so much!!!
Hi Daisuke
Thank you so much for these videos. I’ve been meaning to ask you - out of curiosity - why did/do you still buy the seperate Criterion releases of Bergman’s films after you have acquired the Bergman box set when you know the seperate releases don’t differ from the discs in the set?
Thank you my friend.
Oh yes, so for me, I love Criterions, and so I get the individual releases as well. Also, the box set does not have the titles arranged by spine number, but the individual releases do. So, I like to get the spine numbers.
of course, I know that everyone has his or her own approach, and also please note that I don't usually buy much else as far as other blu rays or recent release blu rays.
Oh wow, that’s nice! I admire your admiration for The Criterion Collection. As for me, I just like to have the best audiovisual quality available for the films I like. Usually that means I end up getting the Criterion releases as they are known to have the best transfers available for a film, but I have releases of other labels as well, like Arrow, Eureka!/Masters of Cinema, Second Sight, and Studiocanal. 😊
thanks again. i finally listened to the whole thing. i appreciate you doing this as it was a lot of work on your part, and i really enjoyed it. you have convinced me to check out a few for the first time (summer with monika, the rite ) or give another viewing to (the touch, fanny and alexander, on first viewing wasn't too high on either). this also made me realize that even though Fellini remians my favorite director, when your 37th ranked bergman film is already a very worthy one, bergman clearly made more very good to great films than Fellini, and probably more than any other director. i still would move up the magician, hour of the wolf, and especially the silence (i can't see it behind,for example, life of the marionettes (which i like). it is about so much more.
Thank you so much for this comment as well, Jeff, as well as sharing some of your own Bergman choices. I really appreciate it my friend.
Where would you say is a good jumping on point for Bergman? I’ve heard Wild Strawberries is a good one to start with so I’ll get it during the summer sale (sorry if this has already been covered)
Edit: just got to the Wild Strawberries part and I’ll definitely begin with that film. If there are others that I should check out shortly after, I’d be interested in those too
Hello! Oh yes, so I think I too would recommend WILD STRAWBERRIES. Then perhaps THE SEVENTH SEAL. If you connect to those films, I think you may really appreciate the rest of Bergman's filmography.
I know some people also would recommend FANNY & ALEXANDER, and so that could also be a great place.
Daisuke Beppu Ok, I’ll have to buy a few of his in the next B&N sale. I enjoy these director-based videos because it’s cool to explore not just great movies, but great filmographies.
@@kothgames Thank you very much, and yes, there might be a sale around the corner (also keep a lookout for a possible flash sale from Criterion as well). So that might be a good time to get some of the individual releases, or if you can watch some films on streaming, that too might be a possible option to see if the films work for you.
Commenting on this video bc it seems like an appropriate place to ask.
I’m thinking about picking up Fanny and Alexander and I’m not quite sure if it would be best to see the TV version or the Theatrical version for a first time viewing. I’m assuming the TV version is more complete but it seems awfully daunting because of its run time.
Hello. I would say that the TV version is actually pretty easy to digest, in that it is divided into episodes that are each about an hour long. So you can very reasonably devote some time for just one episode or so, and then progress your way through on an episode-by-episode basis.
That being said, the film version is still a rich experience, and it is a bit more "manageable" in terms of a single sitting watch. If you have time only for a single sitting watch, then perhaps the film version is the best way, but really it depends on your viewing habits and your own schedule.
For me personally, when I was first about to watch the work, I chose the TV version because I thought I could just stop at the first episode and then pick up on another day with the second episode, and so on. But I became so enraptured by the first episode that I couldn't stop watching, and I ended up watching the whole thing in one sitting one day. But please note that the TV version does have the customary episode breaks and end titles etc., and so it is not in any way in contravention to the spirit of the TV work if you were to, say, watch the TV version in separate episode-length chunks of time.
Daisuke Beppu Ok, thank you for your explanation of the two. I’ll probably watch the TV version for my first viewing at some point this summer when I have a lot of down time to dedicate to this film. I looked online to see if there was a “correct” version to watch on a first viewing and I was curious as to what your opinion on the matter was. I notice that when there’s a longer version of a film, it is often because the studio wanted it to be cut down so usually the director’s vision is the best way to go.
@@kothgames Great! When you watch it, please let me know what you think of it. I would love to hear your comments my friend.
Take care.
1.Autumn Sonata 2.Seventh Seal 3.Scenes from a Marriage 4.Shame 5.Hour of the Wolf
Great list, Into Grey.
It is a real shame that The Criterion Collection did NOT include Torment (Hets) in the Ingmar Bergman's Cinema box. Because he did not direct it? To force the consumer to purchase and acquire the Early Bergman set? Or for some other unknown reason? Either way, a very interesting scenario and narrative topic. Universal and timeless archetypes and plot structure.
This film would've been a great way to (obviously) begin the program in the Cinema box. It is too bad Bergman, himself, didn't remake this film or direct the original. It is a unique film and it has such a timeless quality that it would make for a great film today with some additional plot developments and psychological enhancements.
Reminds me of Volker Schorndorff's Young Torless to a degree. Also, I don't know why they didn't get Victor Sjostrom as the benevolent teacher?
This is a great point and one that I did not address but I really should have.
I suppose the reason could be (and I am speculating here) is that it was that Criterion made the decision to limit the box set films to those directed by Bergman. In other words, had Criterion decided to include other films that were written by Bergman, then this would have meant needing to include more films (because perhaps in order to market the fact that the box is a kind of "complete" or almost "complete" set of his films). But, even with that, I can certainly see the possibility of including the film Torment in the set, even in the form of a supplement.
Also, I am not sure about the state of Torment and restoration. With the films in the Bergman set, they were restored. However, perhaps Torment was not restored? I am not sure about these details, and so I am merely speculating here. But perhaps that too had something to do with it? (Even so, though, I could still envision the possibility of including it as a "supplement".)
I'm just glad Liv Ullman was busy and declined the offer to act in Fanny and Alexander.
Yes, I too wonder what the film would have been like. But as I love the final product so much, it is hard to think how it might have been improved, though of course I absolutely adore Liv Ullman. Still, it is very interesting to consider.
What I am interested in lately, is recognizing some film continuities between and in Bergman's films. For example, Alexander's teddy bear and Peter Egermann's teddy bear at the end of From the Life of the Marionettes. Also, I think in To Joy, Stig buys Marta a teddy bear.
There are a lot of synchronicities in his films. Also, I like how he references the Idea of FILM in his movies as well. And his cameos, too. And I am enjoying Bergman's Cinema much. Hopefully, I will generate a more substantial viewpoint regarding these films.
Despite not including Face to Face and In the Presence of a Clown, I was glad they did included Karin's face, etc.
Why do you adore live Ulman?
@@birddogfreemann I admire the sensitivity that she seems to bring to her performances.
@@birddogfreemann You seem to dislike Liv Ullman. Why exactly is that?
Excellent vido's man! keep it up!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Best regards from Tokyo.
@@DaisukeBeppuKind regards from New Zealand my man
@@noahtimpson-neill3900 The same to you my friend. Cheers and be well.
For starters, except for the final act (which I need to revisit), The Serpent's Egg was a complete and utter dud. If you watch closely, several scenes, camera movements and edits, show how bored Bergman was with the film.
Also, I think both Faro Document (and the sequel Faro Document 1979) are both important works in that we see HOW Bergman directs a non-fiction documentary like a feature film. It is a beautiful portrait of the people, their lives, work and culture. Try watching the film without subtitles in the native dialect. And yes, perhaps, I gravitate to documentaries more but I think it is a very valuable and unusual production, to see where Bergman spent his life. If it is the case, it is unfortunate that this box set did not include ALL his documentaries (which I have not seen), television theatre productions, and his documents, Karin's Face and Daniel (Stimulantia). Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie and Bergman Island are also interesting works. The uniqueness of these works are, for me, one basis for such a ranking.
From the Life of the Marionettes and In The Presence of a Clown are extremely unique works in the oeuvre/cannon of Ingmar bergman.....more notes later. To Joy was a great early work that moved beyond the other early works. And lastly, the black and white film and lighting of The Virgin Spring is outstanding as is the colour of Cries and Whispers. Credit to Sven Nykvist. I wish Ingmar Bergman made a science fiction film (as did Werner Fassbinder with World on a Wire, and Andrei Tarkovsky w/ Solaris. And what about The Rite (Riten) and The Touch (BerØringen)???
Yes, Persona, The Seventh Seal, Fanny and Alexander, etc. are classics!!! And if you enjoy Max Von Sydow and Liv Ulmann, please check out The Immigrants and Unto a Good Land by Jan Troell. And by the way, I can't stand Elliott Gould and David Carradine. Using these actors was Ingmar Bergman's way of antagonizing America, Hollywood, and American acting. Erland Josephson is a close third as runner up for annoying male bergman actor.
Thank you for your time, energy, ranking, inspiration and love for Ingmar Bergman. More to say later and I MUST devote more time to Ingmar Bergman and his work.-- Henry
Thank you so much my friend for your comments. You are obviously a great Bergman fan. Thank you for this. By the way, it would have been great to have seen In the Presence of a Clown included in the set. Perhaps we can hope for a second Bergman box set in the future! Thank you for mentioning this! I really appreciate it.
I have Faro in mind for a future summer vacation destination when the bergman film festival occurs. Did you happen to see the documentary (name eludes me) about the well-known film directors who visit his home in Faro?@@DaisukeBeppu
birddogfreemann perhaps you are referring to the film Trespassing Bergman? If so yes I have!
And Wow!! If You want something refreshing and unique from Ingmar Bergman, please check out Ingmar Bergman's 1992 TV Theatrical release of Yukio Mishima's Madame de Sade.
Wild Strawberries
Fanny and Alexander
Persona
Autumn sonata
Cries and whispers/Through a glass darkly
My top 5
Hello and thank you very much for sharing with us your top 5, which is really great. Cheers.
how come saraband ranked so lowly, yet the rite so high? in my opinion, saraband is surely one of the finest films ever made
I suppose it is my own subjective perspective. That is the great thing about cinema too is the various responses it can engender. Please feel free to share with us your own list anytime my friend. Cheers.
@@DaisukeBeppu I loved ur list, especially how highly u ranked winter light. they're all masterpieces 😍 😘
and The Sandman?
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I disagreed with a few of your rankings. I think that A Lesson in Love is one of Bergman's better films, certainly not no. 32.. And Shame is easily top 10. "The Touch" on the other hand, while not a horrible film, is a pretty ugly film in terms of the story and the screenplay. I would have to rate that one at number 39. I was surprised that you had it so high at number 14. I agree with you that all of the Bergman films are worth watching. But I wouldn't rank The Touch ahead of The Silence, Shame, The Magician, The Passion of Anna, Smiles of a Summer Night, Summer Interlude, Dreams, etc. Your top 5 picks are pretty good. I would have to include Shame and Sawdust and Tinsel in my personal top 10. I am not the biggest fan of Persona. The Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal are probably my top 2, with Fanny and Alexander, Wild Strawberries, Shame and Sawdust and Tinsel also in the mix.
Thank you for sharing with me your own ranking, which I think is great.
@@DaisukeBeppu I think that you are great. Thank you for all that you do.